Sheraton Vistana Orlando Resale Purchase

[lprstn]

I’m a current DVC owner (300 points at Saratoga, bought resale in 2011). I’d love to add on to that for more Disney time, but their prices are insane, both retail and resale (looking at minimum $95 per point for resale now).

I’ve been looking at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had been focusing on trying to pick up some Wyndham points to be able to book there. But I have also noticed that Sheraton Vistana looks very attractive as a resale purchase. Basically free or nearly free for new owner looks like the standard offering. And unlike most of the resorts you usually see at these prices, the maintenance fees seem reasonable, at least based on the quoted rates on the ebay sales I have been monitoring. I also know that Vistana is not the same as Vistana Villages. (Thanks TUGGers!)

Here are a couple of sold listings on ebay that look pretty good to me – both are Platinum in Fountains 1, quoting MF of $961 per year. Both of these sellers have decent feedback scores.

This one, the seller is sumdayvacations

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-BEDROOM-...113671?hash=item5b514e5b87:g:5~gAAOSwL7VWlRqt

This one, the seller is seans0302

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHERATON-V...254905?hash=item2ce4cdd1f9:g:zZwAAOSwZVpcW4M0


It looks like depending on the phase the original owner purchased at, it will be either a fixed or floating week. Seems like Fountains 1 and 2 and Cascades phases are set up as floating.

So, I’d consider trying to pick up a Platinum floater in one of the phases that offers that. The purpose would be to use it for an extra week at Disney (we have the AP there) and possibly branch out to Universal or Sea World or the rest of kids Las Vegas opportunities in the Orlando area that we have never been to. So not concerned about renting out the week. Trading power might be a consideration someday, but it’s not my primary concern right now. One daughter is a teacher so we need to travel on the standard teacher’s schedule.

So some questions I have for Vistana owners [I also own at Wyndham]

If you are trying to get and use for Disney, I'd do Wyndham since I've been able to trade for Disney Resorts pretty easily.

Overall, to be honest, with Sheraton, buy where you want to use it, the system changes so often. If you really want flexibility and multiple locations than Wyndham, Bluegreen and Worldmark (see this link: https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html)

1. Can you think of anything wrong with owning at this resort?
Not really if you plan to use it to visit or to trade in system. It will give you access to both II and RCI which I loved. I had a floating week also. Only problem I had is that some sections have gotten outdated over time, then you have to worry about assessments to fix.

2. When I go to make a reservation, can I only reserve at my own phase or is the entire resort equally available?
Usually, they put you in your area. I owned in Fountains.

3. Is there any ability to trade within the Sheraton system (assuming I don’t have any kind of points upon closing the purchase). Or would I have to trade through either II or RCI? And is it possible to convert to points for a fee (hopefully kind of reasonable, knowing it would be paying the developer)?

Within system, there is decent availability. Although, Wyndham is much better for this than the starwood system has been for me. I do trade frequently within system though.

4. Are there any kind of additional fees that a seller might not report as maintenance fees? Taxes.

5. Is there any kind of shuttle to Disney / Universal / Sea World? And if yes, how frequent, is there a charge, etc.? Yes, but not free


8. Again assuming I get one of these platinum floaters, what kind of trading ability within either II or RCI is likely to be available? You would get a decent amount with RCI and higher end with II, but again, I think you get more bang with Wyndham.

 

[Armada]

I suggest you only buy at the Sheraton Vistana Resort if you wanted to use it for a holiday week.

My wife and I really like the resort. We have stayed there twice in the last 6 months and have another stay planned for the end of April. The location is excellent for Disney. It is very close to Disney World and just a few minutes away from Disney Springs. The units I have stayed in are as nice, if not nicer than most Marriott properties. The one thing to watch out for is that most buildings do not have elevators (but the resort has always met my request for a unit in a building with an elevator)

The problem with buying there is that it usually available as a Getaway rental from Interval International for a much lower cost than the annual maintenance fees (excluding holiday weeks). As an example, I obtained a Getaway for a 2BR unit for a week for our stay at the end of April for $407 (plus tax). The 2 BR units there are widely available from Interval for very reasonable prices for much of the year.

I realize that you probably don't have an Interval account at this point, but there may be ways around that.

Good luck.

Edited to add: This is all regarding the Vistana Resort, not the Villages where I do not have any experience. That is a mandatory resort which may make a difference for you.

 

[SabresFan]

So some questions I have for Vistana owners [I also own at Wyndham]

If you are trying to get and use for Disney, I'd do Wyndham since I've been able to trade for Disney Resorts pretty easily.

Overall, to be honest, with Sheraton, buy where you want to use it, the system changes so often. If you really want flexibility and multiple locations than Wyndham, Bluegreen and Worldmark (see this link: https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html)

1. Can you think of anything wrong with owning at this resort?
Not really if you plan to use it to visit or to trade in system. It will give you access to both II and RCI which I loved. I had a floating week also. Only problem I had is that some sections have gotten outdated over time, then you have to worry about assessments to fix.

2. When I go to make a reservation, can I only reserve at my own phase or is the entire resort equally available?
Usually, they put you in your area. I owned in Fountains.

3. Is there any ability to trade within the Sheraton system (assuming I don’t have any kind of points upon closing the purchase). Or would I have to trade through either II or RCI? And is it possible to convert to points for a fee (hopefully kind of reasonable, knowing it would be paying the developer)?

Within system, there is decent availability. Although, Wyndham is much better for this than the starwood system has been for me. I do trade frequently within system though.

4. Are there any kind of additional fees that a seller might not report as maintenance fees? Taxes.

5. Is there any kind of shuttle to Disney / Universal / Sea World? And if yes, how frequent, is there a charge, etc.? Yes, but not free


8. Again assuming I get one of these platinum floaters, what kind of trading ability within either II or RCI is likely to be available? You would get a decent amount with RCI and higher end with II, but again, I think you get more bang with Wyndham.

Thanks for your thoughts. When I began this search the past couple of months, I had started out focusing on Bonnet Creek. Back when I bought my DVC, on the DIS Boards lots of people were recommending Bonnet Creek, but the point systems were just starting to take shape at many of the resort chains, and I found it VERY hard to figure out what was what. So buying DVC made more sense to me at that time, and buying in at $60 per point, I have been extremely happy with my purchase. (and my first 150 point contract is completely grandfathered in, so we essentially get the same benefits as if we had bought from the developer).

So I've looked a lot at Wyndham, and have a lookout for low MF resorts, or possibly even just Club Access points, where MF would be slightly lower than Bonnet Creek at the moment. I'm thinking the initial purchase for 224,000 Wyndham points (covering a 2 BR in a prime week at Bonnet Creek) will be in the $1000 to $2000 range with closing and transfer fees. Club Access MF would run me in the range of $1400 per year to cover one week at Bonnet Creek.

If I bought a week at Vistana, I can probably get it for free or nearly free, with closing costs covered by the seller. MF's also seem to be lower, in the $950 to $1050 range for a week at SVR. Of course it would probably cost me around $800 to get rid of it whereas I might be able to make back a portion of my Wyndham purchase if I had to sell, so SVR would probably be more expensive to exit.

Basically, if I went with Wyndham I would get more flexibility - I could book 3 nights here and 4 nights there. I could easily pick from other Wyndham resorts if I don't want to go to Orlando. And I'd have the free RCI membership so trading outside of Wyndham would be a possibility.

With Wyndham, I might even get a 1 BR at Saratoga some time (which I would be completely fine with), especially if I could pick that up for around 105,000 Wyndham points (which I have seen pop up on the Sightings forum). If I buy Vistana SVR or even Bonnet Creek as a home resort, I'm frozen out of DVC inventory since my home resort would be in Orlando. Hopefully with CWA I would not be frozen out but I haven't been able to confirm that.

If I go with Vistana SVR, I get a lower up front cost and lower MF's. If I get a Platinum floater, I think I should be able to book a week in July or August pretty easily, excluding 4th of July. I could probably get Christmas or President's Week or Easter, but only at 12 months. I would be restricted to only getting a week-long stay, and only checking in on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday.

So that's how I see the trade off - more flexibility with Wyndham, lower costs with Vistana.

 

[SabresFan]

I suggest you only buy at the Sheraton Vistana Resort if you wanted to use it for a holiday week.

My wife and I really like the resort. We have stayed there twice in the last 6 months and have another stay planned for the end of April. The location is excellent for Disney. It is very close to Disney World and just a few minutes away from Disney Springs. The units I have stayed in are as nice, if not nicer than most Marriott properties. The one thing to watch out for is that most buildings do not have elevators (but the resort has always met my request for a unit in a building with an elevator)

The problem with buying there is that it usually available as a Getaway rental from Interval International for a much lower cost than the annual maintenance fees (excluding holiday weeks). As an example, I obtained a Getaway for a 2BR unit for a week for our stay at the end of April for $407 (plus tax). The 2 BR units there are widely available from Interval for very reasonable prices for much of the year.

I realize that you probably don't have an Interval account at this point, but there may be ways around that.

Good luck.

Edited to add: This is all regarding the Vistana Resort, not the Villages where I do not have any experience. That is a mandatory resort which may make a difference for you.

Unfortunately we are restricted to a teacher's schedule, so we need access to some of those holiday weeks. Or July and August would also work for us (doesn't have to be 4th of July). How likely is it to snag a deal like that in the summer months at SVR (or any comparable II or RCI resort in Orlando). We don't need top of the line but we do need clean, comfortable, and a washer/dryer in unit.

 

[Armada]

Below is what I am currently seeing for Interval Getaways for the Vistana Resort for this summer. The prices taper up peaking in July and then trailing off in August as you approach Labor Day. Availability and pricing can vary from day to day.

Wyndham Bonnet Creek might be an option. The maintenance fees for the number of points needed for a holiday week (2BR) there are a bit higher than they would be for the Vistana Resort. The other side of that is that I think that Wyndham points are easier to use (can be used for short periods for some resorts and can be deposited with RCI). Also,there are many more Wyndham resorts than Vistana has. Once Vistana is folded into Marriott, there will be about the same number of resorts as Wyndham has. However, it is unknown how Marriott will treat re-sale Vistana contracts.

We own both with Marriott and Wyndham and generally have been happy with both. Some of the Wyndham properties are not quite as nice as the Marriotts or the Vistana. All had washers/dryers as do almost all Marriotts. We have our first stay at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek later this month so can't speak to it yet.

Jun 01 2019 - Jun 08 2019

2 6 8
$407.00 $382.00 $357.00
Jun 02 2019 - Jun 09 2019

2 6 8
$407.00 $382.00 $357.00
Jun 07 2019 - Jun 14 2019

2 6 8
$527.00 $502.00 $477.00
Jun 08 2019 - Jun 15 2019

2 6 8
$527.00 $502.00 $477.00
Jun 09 2019 - Jun 16 2019

2 6 8
$527.00 $502.00 $477.00
Jul 07 2019 - Jul 14 2019

2 6 8
$1,207.00 $1,182.00 $1,157.00
Jul 13 2019 - Jul 20 2019

2 6 8
$1,207.00 $1,182.00 $1,157.00
Jul 27 2019 - Aug 03 2019

2 6 8
$1,207.00 $1,182.00 $1,157.00
Jul 28 2019 - Aug 04 2019

2 6 8
$1,207.00 $1,182.00 $1,157.00
Aug 02 2019 - Aug 09 2019

2 6 8
$1,097.00 $1,072.00 $1,047.00
Aug 03 2019 - Aug 10 2019

2 6 8
$1,097.00 $1,072.00 $1,047.00
Aug 04 2019 - Aug 11 2019

2 6 8
$1,097.00 $1,072.00 $1,047.00
Aug 09 2019 - Aug 16 2019

2 6 8
$877.00 $852.00 $827.00
Aug 10 2019 - Aug 17 2019

2 6 8
$877.00 $852.00 $827.00
Aug 11 2019 - Aug 18 2019

2 6 8
$877.00 $852.00 $827.00
Aug 16 2019 - Aug 23 2019

2 6 8
$757.00 $732.00 $707.00
Aug 17 2019 - Aug 24 2019

2 6 8
$757.00 $732.00 $707.00
Aug 18 2019 - Aug 25 2019

2 6 8
$757.00 $732.00 $707.00
Aug 23 2019 - Aug 30 2019

2 6 8
$657.00 $632.00 $607.00
Aug 24 2019 - Aug 31 2019

2 6 8
$657.00 $632.00 $607.00

 

[CPNY]

Hello,
I am thinking of purchasing a resale timeshare at Vistana resorts Orlando. It is a floating week (1-52). How hard is it to exchange a week through II or RCI? This is all new to me. Will owning at this resort allow me to exchange into the Westin timeshares, or Marriott?

Search for villages key west or Bella phase! You can def get a lockout for a great price then you can actually use those star options other places.

 

[CPNY]

Was able to get my hands on an every other year SVV KW lockout worth 95,700 for $500. They seemed very hard to come by, is this a bad resale purchase? I already have an HRA one bedroom and a SVV lockout annual. Want to eventually exit the HRA unit and keep the SVV. I was told the EOY lockout at 95,700 were hard to come by. I haven’t seen many on the resale market. Wondering if this was bad and it would have made more sense to pick up another annual lockout platinum season.

 

[LisaRex]

Hello,
I am thinking of purchasing a resale timeshare at Vistana resorts Orlando. It is a floating week (1-52). How hard is it to exchange a week through II or RCI? This is all new to me. Will owning at this resort allow me to exchange into the Westin timeshares, or Marriott?

With any exchange program, the two variables are: 1) how valuable the resort is that you're depositing into the program; 2) availability of the resort you want to exchange into.

Obviously, the higher your timeshare is valued, the more properties you will be able to exchange into. However, even if your timeshare is the highest rated resort, it is still limited by what is available. The top rated resorts will always be the most difficult to exchange into because demand will always exceed supply.

But all is not lost. Vistana and Marriott timeshare owners do enjoy a priority when exchanging to another resort within their system, so you would still have a priority in exchanging to other Vistana properties. That doesn't mean that you'll ever be able to score a 2 bdrm Westin Ka'anapali, because SVV/SVR won't have enough trading power. However, if you deposit a 2 bdrm platinum, you have a decent shot at a 2 bdrm at Sheraton Desert Oasis in the summer, or perhaps a studio/1 bdrm in Hawaii. You'll undoubtedly see some of the mid-tier Marriotts as well, including Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach in winter or the desert/ski properties in summer, but you are at a disadvantage with Marriotts because other Marriott owners have priority over you.

So what is the trading power of Sheraton Vistana, you ask? Unfortunately, II does not divulge this information. So it's not as easy as looking at what your timeshare is valued and comparing it to a list of timeshares you want to exchange into. You'll have to rely on anecdotal information to determine its value. My experience in using II was so long ago it wouldn't be helpful, so it's probably best to rely on other SVV/SVR owners to help you out.

Personally, if I wanted a Westin, I'd target one of the 2 mandatory phases (SVV Key West or Bella) so that I could use the internal points to exchange.

 

[LisaRex]

Was able to get my hands on an every other year SVV KW lockout worth 95,700 for $500. They seemed very hard to come by, is this a bad resale purchase? I already have an HRA one bedroom and a SVV lockout annual. Want to eventually exit the HRA unit and keep the SVV. I was told the EOY lockout at 95,700 were hard to come by. I haven’t seen many on the resale market. Wondering if this was bad and it would have made more sense to pick up another annual lockout platinum season.

MFs are determined by square footage, so you will pay the same whether it's gold season or platinum season. Since a 2 bdrm platinum will get you the most SOs, yes, you should always target platinum season if you want the best value for your buck.

Whether to get an EOY or annual is dependent on how often you want to travel, in what season you want to travel, and what size unit you want.

Example: I used to own WKORV worth 148,100 SOs. It ended up being way too many SOs once the kids left for college. We discovered that being able to book a 2 bdrm every other year was about right for us because it allowed us to vacation at either WSJ or WKORV with the kids or another couple every other year, freeing us to go wherever we wanted, just the two of us, in alternate years.

So, with that goal in mind, after a few iterations, I ultimately sold WKORV and bought an annual SVV Bella worth 95,700. That allowed me to bank one year, combine it with the following year, and have enough SOs to book a 2 bdrm ocean front (OF was very important to me) at either WKORV or WSJ every other year. I found that even though it was a bit more expensive, I actually preferred using SOs v. owning there. Why? When I owned there, I felt compelled to book 12 months out to secure the best view, which was before I could book air. Using SOs allowed me to check airfares before committing to the room. That saved me a lot of money.

So my advice is to figure out what size unit you want, what resorts you want to travel to, in what season and THEN buy the timeshare that best meets your goal.

PS: Just be careful with SVV, because the 81,000 2 bdrm units are not lockoffs, so you don't have the ability to split it. With the 95,700 2 bdrm lockoffs, you'll have more options, including the option of actually using one side, should you want to do the Mouse thang, and banking the other.

 

[pchung6]

It seems SVV platinum season resale value has gone up this year. I own 2 SVV units with 81000 pts, first one was bought very cheap <$500 3 years ago, and the other I just bought last month was $2000 with closing fee. I have no regret owning SVV, but you just need to watch out who knows what Marriott will do to Vistana system. It has been speculating on Marriott board that MVC might do something to Vistana mandatory units.

 

[CPNY]

It seems SVV platinum season resale value has gone up this year. I own 2 SVV units with 81000 pts, first one was bought very cheap <$500 3 years ago, and the other I just bought last month was $2000 with closing fee. I have no regret owning SVV, but you just need to watch out who knows what Marriott will do to Vistana system. It has been speculating on Marriott board that MVC might do something to Vistana mandatory units.

After reading the governing documents I don’t think MVC will do away with SVV Which they would have to do. I can see them dump SVR first.

 

[CPNY]

MFs are determined by square footage, so you will pay the same whether it's gold season or platinum season. Since a 2 bdrm platinum will get you the most SOs, yes, you should always target platinum season if you want the best value for your buck.

Whether to get an EOY or annual is dependent on how often you want to travel, in what season you want to travel, and what size unit you want.

Example: I used to own WKORV worth 148,100 SOs. It ended up being way too many SOs once the kids left for college. We discovered that being able to book a 2 bdrm every other year was about right for us because it allowed us to vacation at either WSJ or WKORV with the kids or another couple every other year, freeing us to go wherever we wanted, just the two of us, in alternate years.

So, with that goal in mind, after a few iterations, I ultimately sold WKORV and bought an annual SVV Bella worth 95,700. That allowed me to bank one year, combine it with the following year, and have enough SOs to book a 2 bdrm ocean front (OF was very important to me) at either WKORV or WSJ every other year. I found that even though it was a bit more expensive, I actually preferred using SOs v. owning there. Why? When I owned there, I felt compelled to book 12 months out to secure the best view, which was before I could book air. Using SOs allowed me to check airfares before committing to the room. That saved me a lot of money.

So my advice is to figure out what size unit you want, what resorts you want to travel to, in what season and THEN buy the timeshare that best meets your goal.

PS: Just be careful with SVV, because the 81,000 2 bdrm units are not lockoffs, so you don't have the ability to split it. With the 95,700 2 bdrm lockoffs, you'll have more options, including the option of actually using one side, should you want to do the Mouse thang, and banking the other.

I purchased an annual 81K 2bedroom and an EOY 2 bedroom 81K instead

 

[wmp0719]

With any exchange program, the two variables are: 1) how valuable the resort is that you're depositing into the program; 2) availability of the resort you want to exchange into.

Obviously, the higher your timeshare is valued, the more properties you will be able to exchange into. However, even if your timeshare is the highest rated resort, it is still limited by what is available. The top rated resorts will always be the most difficult to exchange into because demand will always exceed supply.

But all is not lost. Vistana and Marriott timeshare owners do enjoy a priority when exchanging to another resort within their system, so you would still have a priority in exchanging to other Vistana properties. That doesn't mean that you'll ever be able to score a 2 bdrm Westin Ka'anapali, because SVV/SVR won't have enough trading power. However, if you deposit a 2 bdrm platinum, you have a decent shot at a 2 bdrm at Sheraton Desert Oasis in the summer, or perhaps a studio/1 bdrm in Hawaii. You'll undoubtedly see some of the mid-tier Marriotts as well, including Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach in winter or the desert/ski properties in summer, but you are at a disadvantage with Marriotts because other Marriott owners have priority over you.

So what is the trading power of Sheraton Vistana, you ask? Unfortunately, II does not divulge this information. So it's not as easy as looking at what your timeshare is valued and comparing it to a list of timeshares you want to exchange into. You'll have to rely on anecdotal information to determine its value. My experience in using II was so long ago it wouldn't be helpful, so it's probably best to rely on other SVV/SVR owners to help you out.

Personally, if I wanted a Westin, I'd target one of the 2 mandatory phases (SVV Key West or Bella) so that I could use the internal points to exchange.

Thanks so much for your reply and awesome information!