Vistana Resort vs Vistana Villages

[LUV2TRVL2HI]

We will be traveling to Orlando in the next couple of months with a 12 year old and a 9 year old. Which resort would you recommend between Vistana Resort and Villages? We have stayed in Villages before, but only for one night so we don't really have any idea of which would have more things for the kids to do, as well as which resort has been more recently refurbished, etc. Thanks for all your help with suggestions! One added thought: grandparents will be with us, and we understand there may not be elevators at some of the Vistana Resort buildings. Is there a way to request certain buildings when reserving online?

 

[AwayWeGo]

We like Vistana Orlando -- will consider a return stay, depending on what else is available when we're hunting bargain reservations.

We love Vistana Villages -- will jump on a reservation there pronto if it shows up on Last Call or Bonus Week, etc., when we're looking.

( Stayed a week at each, few years apart. )

Full Disclosure: Our annual RCI points allocation is minimal -- just 16,666 -- so that forces us to be bottom-feeding bargain hunters, not that there's anything wrong with that.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Eric B]

Full Disclosure: Our annual points allocation is minimal -- just 16,666 -- so that forces us to be bottom-feeding bargain hunters, not that there's anything wrong with that.

That's RCI -points, IIRC, not StarOptions, if it makes a difference....

 

[dioxide45]

We like Vistana Orlando -- will consider a return stay, depending on what else is available when we're hunting bargain reservations.

We love Vistana Villages -- will jump on a reservation there pronto if it shows up on Last Call or Bonus Week, etc., when we're looking.

( Stayed a week at each, few years apart. )

Full Disclosure: Our annual points allocation is minimal -- just 16,666 -- so that forces us to be bottom-feeding bargain hunters, not that there's anything wrong with that.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I wouldn't think that Sheraton Vistana Villages would show up in RCI Last Call or Bonus weeks at all? It strictly trades through II.

 

[dioxide45]

We will be traveling to Orlando in the next couple of months with a 12 year old and a 9 year old. Which resort would you recommend between Vistana Resort and Villages? We have stayed in Villages before, but only for one night so we don't really have any idea of which would have more things for the kids to do, as well as which resort has been more recently refurbished, etc. Thanks for all your help with suggestions! One added thought: grandparents will be with us, and we understand there may not be elevators at some of the Vistana Resort buildings. Is there a way to request certain buildings when reserving online?

This is a question I get asked a lot on my YouTube channel. The resorts are very different. Sheraton Vistana Resort is much older, mainly built out through the 1980s and 90s. Most buildings are two and three story without elevators. The Lakes and Cascades sections have elevators and are 4-5 story buildings. Generally we have always asked for a building with elevators or ground floor and have always been accomodated. You can email the resort a few weeks ahead of checkin and make a request but we always just ask at checkin.

Vistana Resort has nine different phases and seven different pools. None of the pools are real fancy. The Falls pool does have a waterslide and small splash pad. Cascades pool has a splash pad area. The Spa pool is huge. There are several onside food and beverage options throughout the resort. The resort is very large and basically split in two. They just renovated the villas in the north half. So the Lakes and Fountains I and Fountains II villas are all refurbished as of late 2020. They look great!

Vistana Villages is newer and all buildings have elevators. The St Augustine and Amelia phases have had villa refurbishments recently completed and look very similar to the refurbished villas at Vistana Resort. The pools at Vistana Villages are great. The St Augustine Pool has a waterslide (that is currently closed) and a pirate ship water feature. The Bella pol is where all the action is and the Key West pool is more laid back.

You really can't go wrong with either one. Vistana Resort is closer to Disney World if that matters, but for the most part, the drive from Vistana Villages isn't that much further. I have a made a bunch of videos from each resort, so if you want to check them out here is a playlist of videos from Vistana Resort and also Vistana Villages.

 

[AwayWeGo]

I wouldn't think that Sheraton Vistana Villages would show up in RCI Last Call or Bonus weeks at all? It strictly trades through II.

The time we stayed there (several years back) was via RCI exchange. We actually reserved Vistana Villages for our nephew & his family, then finished out their week ourselves when they left after their planned 4 days.

More recently, when we were searching last January, Vistana Villages showed up among the RCI selection of weeks available at 10,000 Points & Below (points version of Last Call). At the time our plans were too iffy, so we did not take advantage of the bargain reservation opportunity.

I suspect that the depressed state of vacation travel owing to covid 19 was a factor in the exceptional choices that were (briefly) available for bargain RCI reservations.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[dioxide45]

The time we stayed there (several years back) was via RCI exchange. We actually reserved Vistana Villages for our nephew & his family, then finished out their week ourselves when they left after their planned 4 days.

More recently, when we were searching last January, Vistana Villages showed up among the RCI selection of weeks available at 10,000 Points & Below (points version of Last Call). At the time our plans were too iffy, so we did not take advantage of the bargain reservation opportunity.

I suspect that the depressed state of vacation travel owing to covid 19 was a factor in the exceptional choices that were (briefly) available for bargain RCI reservations.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I would think no, but are you thinking of Vacation Village?

 

[AwayWeGo]

I would think no, but are you thinking of Vacation Village?

Vacation Village [At Parkway] has nothing to do with Vistana Orlando or Vistana Villages, & is at a separate location from both the Vistana resorts. All 3 are in the RCI book, but that's all they have in common far as I know.

Vistana Villages is right on International Drive, roughly across the street from The Fountains.

Vistana Orlando is spread out along Rt. 535 just south of Exit 68 off I-4.

Both of those are somewhat more upscale than Vacation Village At Parkway, which is over on Rt. 192 not far from Exit 65 off I-4.

We have not done any I-I timeshare reservations, only RCI -- including our very 1st timeshare exchange (2003) into Vistana Orlando & that outstanding RCI reservation for Vistana Villages we got for our nephew & his family (2007).

Nephew & family enjoyed Vistana Villages so much that they skipped 1 planned day at Disney World just to enjoy the amenities & facilities of the timeshare. While they were luxuriating at Vistana Villages, The Chief Of Staff & I were checked in at Silver Lake Resort Silver Points way out on the west side of the Disney Gap & a far piece from Vistana Villages.

As it happened, our nephew's & his family's plane tickets were off by 1 day from their Vistana Villages reservation. They got to Orlando a day ahead of their Vistana Villages check-in date. No problem. We arranged for them to check in on our reservation at Silver Lake & we delayed our own arrival by 1 day. When they got to Silver Lake, they were wowed by how nice it was. Next day when they moved to Vistana Villages, they were doubly wowed at their truly upscale 2BR unit that made Silver Lake seem like Motel 6 by contrast. Each girl got her own queen bed. Their dad said they had nothing to fight over except the TV remote control. When they all flew home after their Orlando vacation, we finished out their week at Vistana Villages. The day after they left, the main pool got shut down for scheduled maintenance, which was OK with us. We were just glad nephew & family got to enjoy the beautiful main pool while they were there. (Detailed accounts of our stays at Silver Lake Resort Silver Points & Vistana Villages are in the TUG Resort Reviews section.)

BTW, that outstanding Vistana Villages reservation was what RCI at the time called Instant Exchange -- 9,000 points or below for reservations made within 45 days of check-in. The actual Instant Exchange points total for Vistana Villages that time was 7,500, as I recall. More recently, RCI seems to have quit calling that Instant Exchange. Instead, they added a bargain reservation category labeled something like 7 Nights For 10,000 Points & Below, which is close to the same thing but with a different name. It's pretty much like the points version of Last Call, except that some of the offerings in that category are for weeks way ahead in the future. Go figure.

Ever since, whenever The Chief Of Staff & I are scanning RCI for bargain Orlando timeshare reservations, we always check 7 Nights For 10,000 Points & Below in the off chance that another outstanding Vistana Villages week will show up. Wouldn't that be something ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[LUV2TRVL2HI]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies! And, Jeremy, your youtube videos are fabulous! We are going with Sheraton Vistana Villages this time!

 

[bward]

I own a week at Vistana Villages, but just got back from a vacation at Vistana Resort.
They are both very nice.
I prefer the grounds of SVR and the mature plantings.
For young kids, there may be more to do and explore at SVR.
But when my kids were young, they enjoyed SVV, and they still do.
It's really just a personal preference.