Sheraton Vistana Resort vs Wyndham Bonnet Creek vs onsite

3kiddosforme · Mar 21, 2017

We are trying to decide between one of these & staying on site.

We're currently booked at Polynesian but thinking of switching. The pros to a 2br villa - more space! We have 3 children (5,5,9) and we all sleep better in our own space. Also, the availability to have some meals in our room is nice. And we'd save a couple grand. We are driving so we'll have a car. Cons are not being on the monorail & out of the Disney bubble. Also, I wonder if staying onsite would feel more like an inclusive vacation. I couldn't/wouldn't have to cook/do dishes/pack food.

We are not an open to close park family - the kids love hanging out at the pool and having downtime. We are planning a couple afternoons as pool days (and then back to the parks in the evening) & 1 full resort day.

Last time we did a split stay at AKL & WBC. We looooved AKL minus the location. WBC was ok - no big complaints at all but didn't love it either. Looking into SVR this year.

This is long but I'd love to hear other perspectives. TIA

HopperFan · Mar 21, 2017

Three completely different experiences.
Have stayed at both WBC and SVR.
The interior of both "condos" are very similar, the exteriors are very different.
Enjoy the both.

bankr63 · Mar 21, 2017

A lot depends on what you didn't like about WBC as to whether SVR would be any better. Vistana is about 3-4 times the size (area) of WBC, but it is made up primarily of low-rise condo type units rather than high rise towers. That to me leads to a more laid-back vibe. There are 6 pools for the 7 sections at the resort, so that provides lots of options (quieter, busier, deeper, shallower). The pools are really well located in two central clusters, so you are never very far away.

Vistana will add about 5 more minutes to park access times over WBC. But the route to the parks is fairly direct and rarely has any traffic. You are only a couple of traffic lights away from the Disney arch on Epcot Centre Blvd.

Lots of activities at both resorts. Vistana also regularly has the Gatorland show and a magic show on the schedule. There is mini-putt and lots of activities poolside or in the activities centres. Pretty good casual dining opportunities onsite, and the best Marketplace of any resort I have yet stayed at (huge selection, but resort prices about 20% more than grocery stores).

If you want a good picture tour, check out the Vistana thread here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-sheraton-vistana-resort-thread.3148502/

3kiddosforme · Mar 21, 2017

Thanks for the link & perspectives!

I'll check out the Vistana thread.

littlestar · Mar 25, 2017

Vistana has beautiful park like grounds. There are ducks, small water ponds, lots of flowers and it does not feel crowded like Bonnet Creek can feel. I prefer Vistana over Bonnet Creek. Vistana definitely has more green space vs. concrete.

We are DVC owners and enjoy Disney onsite, but we also own Wyndham points and a Marriott timeshare.

megs1313 · Mar 25, 2017

We did a combination on site/off site stay with POR and SVR in 2016. Though the grounds and the condo at SVR were quite nice....I HATED IT. We had to leave the bubble. I wouldn't do it again. Not everyone feels this way, but I really prefer to stay in the disney bubble. I also hated having to clean up after ourselves so much without daily housekeeping.

Having said that, we stayed at CBR in january and it's like right next door to WBC. If i was going to try an "off-site" visit, I'd try it at WBC because it sure feels "on site." You don't have to exit the main gate every time (which I hated at SVR.)

Ultimately, for someone like me, though, I'd stay onsite. YMMV.

bugarwitch · Mar 27, 2017

DH and I stayed at Vistana resort for 2 weeks in Nov/Dec 2016. We are older, no young kids now, but saw plenty of kids while there.

Admittedly, we have never stayed onsite, in the "bubble", so can't really speak to that. 5 trips to WDW since the 90's, and we always stay offsite. Vistana was in a word- FABULOUS. Probably one of the best resorts we have stayed- anywhere. We had a one bedroom unit, and I believe we only paid $117 a night.

Clean, quiet, spacious, safe, friendly, and so much to do there. 7 pools! Close to amenities- like a Walgreens right before you enter the gated /guarded entrance. Stores and many restaurants very close by. 5 minutes to the parks, (with our rental car) but they also have shuttles. We are pretty tidy, so didn't require housekeeping services, but they are available if needed. Anytime we needed things like more clean towels, sheets, soap, etc, they were at our door within 10 minutes.

Did I mention, our unit had a washer and dryer?!?! We were able to pack lighter and still do laundry when needed. Didn't cook a lot, but the kitchen had everything needed if we wanted to. Made our hot breakfast before heading out for the parks. Also had a screened in porch with table and chairs, overlooking a pond with fountain. It was so peaceful after being in the parks. It had 1 1/2 baths, with Jacuzzi tub, shower, large bedroom, living room and a full kitchen.

Haven't seen the larger units, but as I said, saw many families with kids there, and know that they have multiple room configurations. If we get a chance to bring family with grandkids, this will be the place we will stay.

Where ever you stay, hope you have a magical trip!

kathy884 · Apr 7, 2017

We really like the Vistana, but do note we only do a theme park every other day and usually just one of Disney's, so being a little farther away is no big deal. We are also a big tennis playing family and they have eight or more clay tennis courts, so that's a big plus for us. We like to sit out on our balcony or patio a lot, and this resort is great for that, as they have tons of little man made lakes and laid things out so that every balcony/patio has a nice view vs. a parking lot view. Our older kids/teens/20 somethings really liked it that the pools and big hot tubs are open late, so even after closing out a theme park, they could come back and take a late swim. Our kids love hanging at the big hot tubs too FYI. // This is a very nice resort, but it's not a Disney deluxe resort in terms of theming, etc. Note too that this is an easy resort to rent from a timeshare owner on TUG2.net or Redweek.com to save lots of money over retail if you are staying for a full week. I've rented here five times or so.

quandrea · Apr 7, 2017

I've only spent the day st Vistana and I was so happy to leave! Found it crowded, the pools were loud and chaotic, they were trying to do upsells all day by the pool.

The units, while clean, were very dark.

I've never been so glad to re-enter the Disney Bubble.

Have you considered renting dvc points and staying in a villa? You get all the perks of a dvc villa for the price of a moderate.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 7, 2017

quandrea said:
I've only spent the day st Vistana and I was so happy to leave! Found it crowded, the pools were loud and chaotic, they were trying to do upsells all day by the pool.

The units, while clean, were very dark.

I've never been so glad to re-enter the Disney Bubble.

Have you considered t noting dvc points and staying in a villa. You get all the perks of a dvc villa for the price of a moderate.

We own at the Vistana, and have stayed there almost exclusively (and multiple times a year) since 2013.

In all of our visits....even the time we stayed during Christmas week.... we could not say that the pools were 'crowded'. After all, there are 7 of them on property (three of which are open to 1 am, and HUGE). Nor have we ever seen them doing "upsells" by the pool. Any timeshare presentations are conducted at the Cascades sales center, and are done by appointment. Poolside activities include dive-in movies, games hosted by the FUN team, massages and hair braiding, s'mores, karaoke, and other amusements.

quandrea · Apr 7, 2017

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
We own at the Vistana, and have stayed there almost exclusively (and multiple times a year) since 2013.

In all of our visits....even the time we stayed during Christmas week.... we could not say that the pools were 'crowded'. After all, there are 7 of them on property (three of which are open to 1 am, and HUGE). Nor have we ever seen them doing "upsells" by the pool. Any timeshare presentations are conducted at the Cascades sales center, and are done by appointment. Poolside activities include dive-in movies, games hosted by the FUN team, massages and hair braiding, s'mores, karaoke, and other amusements.

This was not my experience. The pool was so chaotic that I actually feared for my kids' safety.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 8, 2017

quandrea said:
This was not my experience. The pool was so chaotic that I actually feared for my kids' safety.

Then it begs the question......why not move to one of the other 6 swimming options on property? :confused:

I can't (and won't) argue the crowdedness of the resort at the time of your visit, but your claim of 'upselling poolside' definitely needed to be corrected.

OP, I (personally) don't think you can find anywhere as nice as the Sheraton Vistana Resort. Yes, we own there, so I'm admittedly a bit biased....BUT, we have also stayed many other places in the area: both onsite at Disney (never, EVER again......small room, big price, underwhelming amenities) and at a variety of offsite resorts (Sheraton Vistana Resort, Marriott Grande Vista, Wyndham Cypress Palms, Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa....just to name a few). SVR is our favourite of them all: beautiful and relaxing; spacious and comfortable rooms with lovely finishes and every convenience you need and want. The amenities are diverse and plentiful. If I need to be relegated to ANY bubble in Orlando, give me the SVR 'bubble' any day

.

quandrea · Apr 8, 2017

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
Then it begs the question......why not move to one of the other 6 swimming options on property?

I can't (and won't) argue the crowdedness of the resort at the time of your visit, but your claim of 'upselling poolside' definitely needed to be corrected.

OP, I (personally) don't think you can find anywhere as nice as the Sheraton Vistana Resort. Yes, we own there, so I'm admittedly a bit biased....BUT, we have also stayed many other places in the area: both onsite at Disney (never, EVER again......small room, big price, underwhelming amenities) and at a variety of offsite resorts (Sheraton Vistana Resort, Marriott Grande Vista, Wyndham Cypress Palms, Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa....just to name a few). SVR is our favourite of them all: beautiful and relaxing; spacious and comfortable rooms with lovely finishes and every convenience you need and want. The amenities are diverse and plentiful. If I need to be relegated to ANY bubble in Orlando, give me the SVR 'bubble' any day .

We did move pools. Tried three of them all with the same result. This was a January visit. And they were selling hair braiding, popcorn, snow cones, etc all over a loud speaker while music blared. They were not pushing the timeshare poolside. We have differing experiences. It does not mean one of us is not telling the truth/embellishing. Two different experiences, both of which might aid the OP.

I understand you may think Disney's rooms are small and overpriced. While certainly true of the regular hotel rooms, DVC villas are spacious and well laid out, with all the amenities of SVR. If one rents DVC points all these amenities are available to a guest at the price of a moderate room. It's a point worth making.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 8, 2017

quandrea said:
I understand you may think Disney's rooms are small and overpriced. While certainly true of the regular hotel rooms, DVC villas are spacious and well laid out, with all the amenities of SVR. If one rents DVC points all these amenities are available to a guest at the price of a moderate room. It's a point worth making.

Which of the DVC resorts offer 7 pools, 6 hot tubs, 2 basketball courts, 2 sand volleyball courts, shuffleboard courts, 6 different playgrounds, three fitness centers, and onsite mini golf? (the latter of which is the only amenity for which they charge, and the cost for an entire family is usually less than one person at either of the Disney courses?)

DVC studios will not offer the same room amenities of an SVR villa. Only one and two bedroom Disney villas can be compared. Prices, even when renting DVC points, will be much MUCH higher than the Vistana's rates as well [my son secured a two bedroom, two bath villa at SVR via Skyauction for $320 including all taxes and fees for September.....I would hedge a bet an onsite DVC villa *might* cost that per night, if you rent points].

Since you didn't point it out, I will clarify (for the benefit of the OP): there are three main pools at SVR: Cascades, the Super Pool in Spas, and in Fountains. One of these pools is designated as the 'main' pool for the day, and is where the FUN Team will host an assortment of activities for families to partake in at their discretion. Some are completely free (such as the Gatorland Show where [kids can even have the opportunity to a live alligator], dive-in movies on a giant screen, and various games from hoola-hoop contests to Family Feud) while others, such as the hair braiding and tie-dye t-shirt making, are offered for various extra costs. If these activities are too loud or bothersome to a guest, the other six pools will be "quiet" pools (ie, offering no specific scheduled activities) so its easy to avoid the action if you so choose. Each guest is provided an activity schedule at check-in, so its easy to see which pool will be the 'busy' pool on any specific day (so there are never any surprises).

OP, I will say that SVR probably has the most resort activities of ANY resort we've stayed at thus far. With all of our trips being 'adult vacations' now (our son is grown, so even if he accompanies us, we're still all over 21), I appreciate that SVR caters to not only families but also to couples with aqua zumba and water aerobics, wine tastings, an onsite farmers market, and painting classes in addition to all the child-friendly offerings. One could easily spend an entire week at the resort and never step foot off the property. Even when it rains, you will find the FUN team kicking into action and providing indoor opportunities in lieu of the scheduled outdoor events.

quandrea · Apr 8, 2017

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
Which of the DVC resorts offer 7 pools, 6 hot tubs, 2 basketball courts, 2 sand volleyball courts, shuffleboard courts, 6 different playgrounds, three fitness centers, and onsite mini golf? (the latter of which is the only amenity for which they charge, and the cost for an entire family is usually less than one person at either of the Disney courses?)

DVC studios will not offer the same room amenities of an SVR villa. Only one and two bedroom Disney villas can be compared. Prices, even when renting DVC points, will be much MUCH higher than the Vistana's rates as well [my son secured a two bedroom, two bath villa at SVR via Skyauction for $320 including all taxes and fees for September.....I would hedge a bet an onsite DVC villa *might* cost that per night, if you rent points].

Since you didn't point it out, I will clarify (for the benefit of the OP): there are three main pools at SVR: Cascades, the Super Pool in Spas, and in Fountains. One of these pools is designated as the 'main' pool for the day, and is where the FUN Team will host an assortment of activities for families to partake in at their discretion. Some are completely free (such as the Gatorland Show where [kids can even have the opportunity to a live alligator], dive-in movies on a giant screen, and various games from hoola-hoop contests to Family Feud) while others, such as the hair braiding and tie-dye t-shirt making, are offered for various extra costs. If these activities are too loud or bothersome to a guest, the other six pools will be "quiet" pools (ie, offering no specific scheduled activities) so its easy to avoid the action if you so choose. Each guest is provided an activity schedule at check-in, so its easy to see which pool will be the 'busy' pool on any specific day (so there are never any surprises).

OP, I will say that SVR probably has the most resort activities of ANY resort we've stayed at thus far. With all of our trips being 'adult vacations' now (our son is grown, so even if he accompanies us, we're still all over 21), I appreciate that SVR caters to not only families but also to couples with aqua zumba and water aerobics, wine tastings, an onsite farmers market, and painting classes in addition to all the child-friendly offerings. One could easily spend an entire week at the resort and never step foot off the property. Even when it rains, you will find the FUN team kicking into action and providing indoor opportunities in lieu of the scheduled outdoor events.

While you seem to feel personally attacked by my posts, I can assure you, That is not my intention. We obviously have differing opinions. I will take my DVC resorts any day over SVR. You prefer SVR. I was simply pointing out my experience at SVR so that the OP can make an informed decision in regards to resort choice.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 8, 2017

quandrea said:
While you seem to feel personally attacked by my posts, I can assure you, That is not my intention. We obviously have differing opinions. I will take my DVC resorts any day over SVR. You prefer SVR. I was simply pointing out my experience at SVR so that the OP can make an informed decision in regards to resort choice.

I am definitely not feeling attacked. I just want to be sure that the OP is presented with fair and accurate information on which to base their decision. Nothing more, nothing less

. Other SVR owners are welcome to correct me if I have misrepresented the resort in any way.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 8, 2017

One other thing I will mention.....it was referenced that the SVR rooms were "dark". Many of the sections of the resort offer top-floor units with beautiful vaulted ceilings and huge skylights (Fountains being one of them). Not only do these villas feel even bigger, but they let all that glorious Florida sun shine in. You can request a top floor villa with a skylight via Diamond Lane check-in about two weeks before you are scheduled to arrive.

chicagoshannon · Apr 8, 2017

I found Vistana and Bonnet Creek very comparable as far as amenities and activities. Vistana might have a slight edge with food choices. Bonnet Creek has free mini golf but no tennis and Vistana has tennis. The biggest difference was that there were NO pool slides when we were at Vistana while Bonnet Creek offers 2. Vistana is also way larger so pool hopping wasn't always easy (had to drive to some).

If you didn't like Bonnet Creek you most likely won't like Vistana. Like someone else said above, it would be helpful to know what you didn't like about Bonnet Creek.

Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina · Apr 8, 2017

chicagoshannon said:
I found Vistana and Bonnet Creek very comparable as far as amenities and activities. Vistana might have a slight edge with food choices. Bonnet Creek has free mini golf but no tennis and Vistana has tennis. The biggest difference was that there were NO pool slides when we were at Vistana while Bonnet Creek offers 2. Vistana is also way larger so pool hopping wasn't always easy (had to drive to some).

If you didn't like Bonnet Creek you most likely won't like Vistana. Like someone else said above, it would be helpful to know what you didn't like about Bonnet Creek.

The Vistana does have one pool (in the Falls section of the resort) with a slide, though its a small one. Probably best for the 12-and-under crowd. It was removed for a short time before being replaced with a whole new slide, so perhaps you were there while it was during that refurbishment.

Here's what that pool and slide looks like:

Does WBC have basketball courts? For some reason, I am thinking that might be one of the other differences between the two resorts, but I could be remembering wrong.

disneyavonohio · Apr 8, 2017

quandrea said:
We did move pools. Tried three of them all with the same result. This was a January visit. And they were selling hair braiding, popcorn, snow cones, etc all over a loud speaker while music blared. They were not pushing the timeshare poolside. We have differing experiences. It does not mean one of us is not telling the truth/embellishing. Two different experiences, both of which might aid the OP.

I understand you may think Disney's rooms are small and overpriced. While certainly true of the regular hotel rooms, DVC villas are spacious and well laid out, with all the amenities of SVR. If one rents DVC points all these amenities are available to a guest at the price of a moderate room. It's a point worth making.

How are you getting a DVC Villa for moderate pricing?

A week in June at Beach Club ONE BR Villa is 269 points. Even at $12/pt, which would be a deal from what I am seeing, that is $461/night. $3200+ for a week. Where are you finding the DVC Villa for moderate pricing?

I have never stayed at SVR, but I have researched it and you can get a week for less than $1000. I have stayed at WBC for way less than $1000 for a week. And both of these are TWO bedrooms, not one.

I really like WBC for location if doing Disney, but would def try SVR if it made sense.

Our last trip we did do Beach Club/Polynesian Split stay, got a really good deal from a travel agent -about $300 per night including taxes-and wanted to try Monorail/Boardwalk resort. I prefer WBC to both of these, mainly due to space and I prefer to drive when at Disney as it is faster to me to get everywhere. And WBC is SO close to everything. The only thing is, it is becoming more popular so pricing seems to be going up and availability is going down.

Sheraton Vistana Resort vs Wyndham Bonnet Creek vs onsite

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