Marriott's Grande Vista

Please read this!!!! If you are looking for a cheap way to stay in Orlando I strongly urge you to take Grande Vista up on there 199.00 for four days deal. Plus if you talk to the people that check you in they will allow you to stay for additional nights for only $99.00.

Now, lets talk ownership. Do not purchase this vacation ownership scam at this resort. First off this property is not worth $22,000 plus 800.00 a year in condo fees. They admitadly only upgrade there rooms every five years. These places are used and abused 365 days a year. People do not respect things like they do at there own house, so after several years of use things in a timeshare have a tendency to began looking worn. Plus everything they do purchase is cheap. The mattresses are hard and have no pillow top, the ceiling fans rattle at high speeds, and you have to stand on the bed to adjust the speed(no wall control). The porch furniture is made out of plastic, like the ones they sell at walmart. I could go on and on.

The point is that they want you to purchase a condo at top price then maintain it like a second class motel. Like I said they want $22,000 plus $800.00 a year condos fees for one week a year. If you were purchasing a cheaper unit these problems would be acceptable but not at these prices. Think about $22,000 x 52= $1,144,000.00 per unit for Marriott plus $800.00x52=$41,600 a year in condo fees per unit. That kind of money deserves first class quality.

On a side note. Due to them sending invitations to anybody and everybody and renting out units to none owners most guest are not owners. This means that the caliber of neighbors is not always the greatest. People allowing there kids to use the lap pool as a kiddie pool, and the sauna as a play fort. Every time we have been there the pool is more like your local city swimming pool than a 4 1/2 star resort. Away from the pool we have had neighbors that party all hours of the night and the staff does nothing hoping to sell a timeshare.

Please, before saying yes to the purchase shop around for better priced resorts. Grande Vista is not worth the money.

Just returned from a wonderful stay at the Grande Vista. There was a total of 7 people in my group we had a 3 bed/3 bath villa. It had 1 king bed in the master with 2 queen beds in the two other bedrooms. I requested early check in at noon and also a new villa in the west village lake section. Had no problem getting both. Everything was new and clean. Would stay here again in a heart beat.

We stayed here as part of a time share, but still thought the property was worth reviewing. Why stay in a regular hotel room when you can spread everyone out? This had all the amenities of a house.

You could stay here and make it your destination vacation. They have activities for kids & adults (teen campfire, happy hours, pool side party to watch Space Shuttle launch, on-site photographer, etc.) There are walking/jogging paths throughout the property, spa and tennis courts, too. The MGV is almost across the street from Sea World. We drove to the Disney parks. It is only 15 minutes to the main gate. In November there was no traffic to worry about.

We had adjoining rooms:

Room #1, the kids used the queen bed (high quality linens, lots of pillows to choose from), and pull-out couch. They had a full bath and mini-kitchen with toaster, coffee maker, microwave, and mini-fridge. This room included a screened patio w/table & 4 chairs.

Room #2, Parents had a separate bedroom (queen bed w/high quality linens and lots of pillows) also with a screened patio, table & 4 chairs. This unit includes a pull-out couch in the living area. This unit had a full-size kitchen with stove, dishwasher, stacked washer & dryer, coffee maker, microwave, toaster, tea kettle, blender, utensils, etc.

We saved time & money having breakfast here. One night we used the grills near the pool for our own cook-out. There is a large Publix grocery store only 2 traffic lights away. We stocked up for the week.

We used a pool and hot tub near our building (#91). Because we were staying as a timeshare we did not have daily cleaning services, but I didn't mind. I don't need someone walking around my unit every day. We kept it clean. We used the w & d to wash towels. There were pool towels in the pool area to use and leave. There are full-size w & d's in the pool area if you need to do larger loads of laundry.

The furnishing were very nice. Some cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom had a few nicks, but that's a very minor issue, if I had to find something wrong. Otherwise we LOVED staying here.

We went with a package that included listening to a timeshare presentation. There was absolutely no pressure from our salesman to buy, and we actually enjoyed every minute of the presentation. We did not buy, but may in the future. As far as the room, it was great. No problems at all, and the staff was very helpful. We stayed in section 84. We were usually out at Disney or SeaWorld, but the times we were actually on the resort, we enjoyed.

This place reminded me of the resorts in Mexico as far as appearance goes. We only slept there and explored the grounds from time to time. We stayed in a 1 bedroom and for our two 8 year old boys and us it was plenty of room. Bonus washer and dryer in the room was nice. We were first put in the smelly muggy room but later requested the "refurbished" room with no hastle. Building 92 and it was quiet as well. Staff very friendly and there to please. No hastle for the timeshare routine. Again October was less crowed and best time to go. Very close to the parks and shopping! We were there October 25th. Beds were comfortable.

Just returned from a week exchage through Interval, Oct 16-23. After reading other reviews, I phoned the resort 2 days before our arrival to request a renovated room. I was unsure we would get one, as many reviews related requests were not honored. Without mentioning my request at check-in, the girl in reception was very pleasant, and made a point to tell us we were assigned a renovated villa. Of course, time of year must impact room availability, and our stay was mid-Oct. (Great time to visit - less crowded and we had gorgeous weather (81-87), and no rain.)

We had a 2 bedroom end unit in Bldg. 89, which is in the back of the resort. The room had been updated with granite countertops and new furnishings. All very nice and spacious. Beds very comfortable with down comforters. Kitchen well equiped with utensils, supplies, etc. - better than most timeshares. Our balconies overlooked the golf course and ponds and was extremely quiet. Pool areas are beautiful and plentiful for a resort this large. A little bit of a walk to the main pools, but that was OK, as we were away from the high activity areas. Smaller pool near our unit was very nice as well. Pools were very clean and heated. Resort undergoing renovation, but not an inconvenience at all.

Staff very friendly. No pressure from time-share sales - only one phone call early in the week, and nothing more after we declined a tour. Played the Faldo golf course twice after 2PM for a reduced rate, and the course was in excellent condition. Very convenient to WDW or other attractions, grocery stores and pharmacy.

One minor negative: Had to pay for internet access in the lobby area (although internet access available in all units), which seemed a little "nickel and dime" to us.

Would definitely stay here again! Resort will only get better as renovations are completed.

What a pleasant shock when we arrived on 0ct 2nd 2008 after reading a lot of the reviews before we went.The place is simply stunning.Our 2 bed 2 bath villa/apartment was fantastic.Absolutely massive and furnished to a very high standard.We cannot praise enough the size of the place.Ample big enough for 2 adults and 2 children.Everything you could possibly wish for in the kitchen area.The pools were fab and most were heated.The only down side would possibly be the size of the resort but then again they had transport to take you to the entrance to the I-trolley bus or to the reception etc. depending where your villa was situated.Ours was block 86 room 6524.Away from any noise and overlooking the lake only 5 mins walk from the Copa Loca bar and pool area which served fairly decent fast food.All in all a definite 5 star resort that we would reccomend to anybody at all.A special mention to the resort staff everyone of them was polite and helpful a credit to Marriott.

we have stayed here times now and we love it

yes they are doing renovations but they did not bother us at all

staff are all great .it will get better when the work is done but we come from scotland and love it there as it is so handy for everything

After reading many reviews I was concerned about the renovations and the older section of the resort. I ended up in building 79 which was wonderful. The front desk staff was friendly so even though our room was not ready we felt OK because of their attitude. The room was beautiful with lots of space. The view of the pool was pretty and the property well maintained. I have stayed at many Marriott properties over the summer months and this is by far an excellent experience. The property does need renovation in the older section. They are doing a good job at keeping it operational during construction. Our family group ranged from children, teens, and grandma so they offered somthing for everyone to enjoy. Love the landscaping. I am impressed way to go Marriott with a great staff and beautiful property.

We stayed here the week of 8/24. Lucked out that we didn't hit bad weather. Fay left just before we got there and Gustav arrived just as we were leaving.

The resort was great!! We stay in building 79 which overlooked the lake and the pool at the Copa Loca bar and grill. Location was great. We felt that this location was much better than being located in the main area where the lobby was. The Copa Loca bar was great. Food was good and the pool was much better than the main pool. We stayed in a two bedroon lock-out. Room was beautiful. The unit was clean and the furnishings were nice. The resort is located in a great spot. Close to everything!!! I would highly recommend staying here and make sure you stay in either of the two buildings that surround the Copa Loca bar, grill and pool. The indoor playground was great, the kids loved it!! I would definitly go back!!

We are timeshare owners here. We have been visting this resort for the last six years and still love it. We have never had a problem here. The grounds are meticulously landscaped. The villas have every amenity you could ask for. Disney is 5 minutes in one direction and Universal is 5 minutes in the other direction. Seaworld is across the street. There are so many great restaurants along International Drive and close by. This timeshare was the best purchase we ever made. Guaranteed vacation every year to a luxurious and FUN place to be!

I recently stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista, and couldn't have been happier with it! Our room was beautiful (I have noticed some people have made comments about the "out of date" colors in the room, but pastels and corals are very traditional in Florida), and I found the room to be very new and modern. When you can have a full kitchen on vacation it sure does make a difference on your walett! We bought food and wine at the Publix right down the road and after a day at a park, found it quiet nice to be able to whip up a quick meal and be comfortable and relaxed rather then rushing out to dinner. The pools were wonderful and even in December the weather was great. There is a big mix of people staying at the resort (which is common when you head to the parks), and there were activities for all. I liked Grande Vista so much that I am taking my whole family back again this December - all 9 of us- to stay in a 3 bedroom 3 bath suite. Can't wait!

We visited Grande Vista by swapping our Marriott Timeshare in Las Vegas for a 11 day stay (7/5 - 7/17). After reading previous reviews we called in advance to request a remodeled room away from the pool but within walking distance. It is possible we received better treatment as Marriott owners but our stay was truly enjoyable. I made sure to find out the managers name/email and sent several messages prior to our arrival. We (2 adults, kids 8 and 11) chose this resort to be close to the disney theme parks yet far enough away to enjoy some peace and quiet. The commute to the disney parks was 15-20 minutes max at 8:30 a.m. The accomodations (2 bed, 2 bath) were very spacious, clean and modern. We stayed in building 78, room 8443 and had an excellent lake view, with a short walk to the pool. We did receive maid service the first 3 days and than, we had to call and request towels but this was acceptable. We would have prefered that the initial maid service would have been spread out. The BBQ facilities were sufficient and clean. The staff was very helpful for any requests we had. The pool ran out of towels on a few days which was frustrating but we used towels from our villa. Very good drinks at the Copo Loco but they were a little pricey. We did not dine here as we had a 2 bedroom with kitchen, Super Wal-mart, and Costco we within a 10 minute drive, Publix groceries 5 minutes away. The pools were busy as expected in the middle of summer but not over crowded. There were lots of friendly 'loss prevention' staff visible throughout the property which made my wife and children feel safe and comfortable. They can improve their outdoor basketball courts by fencing in the area to avoid balls rolling into the brush. This is an excellent resort for kids and close to all the theme parks. We would stay here again. Thumbs up to Marriott on this property, we were treated very well as Marriott owners would expect.

We stayed for a week in late July early August and had a wonderful experience. We were lucky enough to get a 3 bedroom-3 bathroom suite through our timeshare exchange and we had lots of room. The suite was well furnished and we were pool side in the clubside part of the resort. I loved the location. Our pool area was quiet with plenty of room and we could walk to the main pools for activities when we wanted. We enjoyed playing golf on the Nick Faldo course and also took part in one of the clinics. Our son who is 11 was able to play for free which was a great bonus. We also enjoyed using the practice range. The fitness center was small but I think that was due to the renovations that are taking place in that area - and we were able to access the elicitical equipment when we wanted... Staff was very accommodating and responded right away to an issue we had with one of the televisions. We definitely utilized the kitchen and cooked several meals for ourselves. Location was very convenient to Sea World/Aquatica and Universal. Also easy access to Disney. We highly recommend...

I traded my time share with Interval International for a week from 07/20/2008-07/27/2008; the one bedroom unit at the Grande Vista was everything I had expected from the high standard of Marriott Vacation Club. This is the best timeshare resort in Orlando; this is my twelveth trip to Orlando (six in timeshare resort). Everyone at the resort from the front desk clerk to the security was courteous and helpful, the resort ground is well maintained and clean. The one bedroom unit is equiped with full kitchen, which is essential if you wish to save a few bucks. The washer/dryer is another plus, not to mention the jet tub in the bedroom; bigger than the one in Hilton. The main pool at the resort has plenty of lounge chairs, the lap pool, kiddie pool and two jacuzzis meant the whole family could enjoy the area. I really had a nice relaxing vacation, thanks to Grande Vista and my compliment to the Marriott.

We are a family 7 and had a wonderful time on this property. We stayed in the Madrid building which was very accessible at all. This is property is close to all Disney World Attractions. Very kid friendly. There is even an indoor play area for small kids. Food was good. Service was good. We will definately go back to The Grande Vista.

This is the 2nd year we've spent a week at Marriott Grande Vista and I couldn't be happier after 7 great days in a 3-bedroom Villa. We stayed in Building 77 (Costa Brava) where the rooms were clean, the view breath-taking, and living area spacious. The 3-bedroom units are rated for 12, so the 8 of us were really comfortable. If something is broken, not working properly, or isn't up to your standards, the maintenance team is right there to address it. Simply call the front desk, tell them the problem, and within 2 hours its fixed. The beds and linens are super comfortable. Daily Maid service does a good job making the beds and cleaning things up. Often times when you go to a hotel or resort, where the on-site restaurant is too pricy or the food isn't up to standards.... Thats NOT the case here. Nick's Grill is reasonably priced, excellent service, and the food is mouth-watering. You have to try the "British-Open Burger." They also have daily specials. The pools are spacious and plentiful. We went to 4 hot-tubs and 3 big pools while we were there. The only down-side is the depth max is 5 feet. I would prefer a deeper adult pool, but for insurance/liability and catering to younger kids, the decision to keep it fairly shallow makes sense. My Group consisted of Male 30, Couple 24 & 19, Couple 29 & 26, Male 18, Male 19, and Male 20. I highly recommend this resort.

We are Marriott Rewards members and were invited to stay at the Grande Vista for 5 days and 4 nights for a great deal so long as we heard the 90 minute talk. It was definitely worth it. All staff were very accommodating and friendly. Be Sure to be picky about your room at the desk. We were not and we were first given an extremely musty 1 bedroom suite that made me feel nauseaous. It took me no more than 5 minutes to call the front desk and it took them no more that 10 minutes to have us in our new wonderful1 bedroom suite overlooking the golf course and a stream that we really did see an alligator. The suite was all that we wanted and more. Full kitchen with washer and dryer and dishwasher, breakfast bar, dining area and living room with a Tv. Separate king-size bed bedroom with a TV and a jacuzzi and a screened in porch overlooking the golf course. The bathroom was giant size with just a shower but terrific water pressure. The grounds were well-groomed with 5 pools, one for anyone's pleasure, including children or not. One had a poolside bar. It was very convenient to DW. Maybe 20 minute ride.

Check in was a breeze, asked for a newly renovated room with a golf view which we got. The rooms were big with a relatively soulless bathroom. The room had a microwave, a coffee maker and a fridge.

The bed was king sized and was comfortable, there was also a sofa bed in the room. The concierge people was helpful and informative.

This hotel is so huge, getting from one part to another is a good 6-8 mins walk, there is a courtesy shuttle to take you around but not worth the wait.

There are a couple of onsite restaurants with a marketplace near the reception which was convenient.

The hotel is near Sea World and approx 20 min drive to Universal and 30 min to Disney parks.

I checked TripAdvisor before I made reservations at Marriott's Grande Vista. There were a few less-than-glowing reviews, but many positive ones. I was a little concerned about the more negative ones, but I was tired of searching, so I made reservations. I'm glad I did. We had a delightful stay. The room was attractive, comfortable and clean (we had an efficiency). The grounds were beautiful. The pools were terrific. The location was very convenient for us. One complaint I remember reading on TripAdvisor concerned maintenance workers making a lot of noise too early in the morning. We didn't experience that. Another complaint I remember concerned the reviewer's treatment by the Grande Vista staff. The staff were cordial and pleasant towards us. We plan to stay at Marriott's Grande Vista next time we go to Orlando. We'll probably try one of the one bedroom units in order to get a full kitchen.

I stayed June 19-26 in a two bedroom in building 82. When you request a room make sure it is near one of the main pools if not it's quite a walk. The resort had free rock climbing and daily activities. Some were a small fee. We paid 30.00 per child for a kids night out. My children loved the people and the lunch that was given to them.

You wont go wrong with this resort. They let us check in at 11am. I don't have one complaint about the Grand Vista.

We booked this property with Interval Timeshares. We booked a two-bedroom villa. We called the property several weeks prior to our arrival requesting a newly renovated unit, on a high floor, with a good view. Our requesting paid off as we recieved a spetacular unit #5606. A unit on the top floor, with a superb view of Grande Vista's lake. The unit was very modern, clean, and newly renovated with granite counter tops, nice tvs and great beds. There were two balconies, one screened in and the other was not. The master bedroom had a shower, double sinks, and huge jetted tub. The other bedroom had two queen beds, and a nice sized bath.

Parking was free, and nice. The golf course looked nice and the resort features tons of things to do, from the kids center to renting paddle boats. There are four pools, and the one closest to the main building we liked best.

The absolute best thing was the LOCATION. You have all of the attractions and dining of International Drive, but you seem like you are miles from it. What I mean is the hotel is right off of the I-Drive, but it is tucked away into the trees about a 1/2 mile from the main road. It was terrific! Seconds to the SeaWorld parks, Disney is right around the corner, and Universal is not far.

When we checked in, they offered us a meeting with a Timeshare saleman, for a 90 minute presentation, tour of property, and breakfast. Plus you get a $100 gift card to either Disney or Marriott. The timeshare presentation lasted three hours, and we decided it was not for us at that present day, maybe in the future. BUT IF YOU ARE INTO TRAVEL, WE RECOMMEND YOU GO TO THE PRESENTATION!! Ask for the salesman named GERMAN FUENTES! HE WAS TERRIFIC AND NICE, NOT TO MENTION HE PASSION. Great guy.

DID NOT WANNA LEAVE!!! Ask me if you have questions!

We just returned from a ten day stay at the Grande Vista. I requested a three bedroom for our party of six and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the room and cleanliness. The room was well furnished. The resort is large and sprawling but we never got the feeling of being crowded or mobbed. Our room was at the rear of the resort and overlooked the golf course, which added to the feeling of being in a smaller resort. If I stayed again I would want a room nearer one of the several pools, as it was a hike to get to the larger ones, with a bar. The staff was attentive. The beds were confortable. The onsite restaurant is rather pricey, but the location just off International Drive is near many other restaurants. The location is near Sea World but easy to get to any of the local attractions. We have stayed at many condo properties in Orlando and this is one of the best. They are updating parts of the resort so there is construction.

This place was a great place to stay in Orlando. Myself my wife my 3 year old, my mother and my mother-in-law stayed in a 2 bedroom villa, with a standard room attached. Plenty of room and great amenities. The place was clean and well maintained and staff were freindly and helpful. It is big and I did have to request something close to a pool. Stayed in building 100 on the third floor and had a pool right accross the parking lot although we mostly walked to the main pool ( about a 3-4 min walk). It's much larger with a kids pool and gets sun all day long. Our units overlooked the golf coarse which was nice in the morning to sit out and eat breakfast on the balcony overlooking the coarse. I'd recommend something on a lower floor because of the stairs, although each building has an elevator, but if your room is at one end it makes for a bit of walking. Rooms are super quite, did not hear a noise the entire week we were there. Got a deal on line so price was good, but there are other places all around there with similar villas that are a lot cheaper than the regular advertised prices of the Grande Vista. Shop around, but if you can get a good rate here it's a great place to stay. I read some reviews on here that were not so good, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to them. The place is clean and well maintained and currently being renovated. The only real downside I agree with is the place is very large and spread out and if your too far from one of the main pools, (there are 2 accross the lake from each other attached by the bridge you see in the pictures ) that would be inconvient. Didn't do the timeshare sales seminar because i"ve been on them before and it doesn't seem like that great a deal to me. I stayed at the place for a week for about $1500 for a 2 bedroom villa, and a standard room. I could do that for the next 15 years and still not have recovered the cost of the timeshare, not including the yearly "maintence" fee. Publix is right down the street on the corner of Vineland and International Drive South, which is great and Sea World is a 3 minute drive down the street. International South is great beacause there is very little traffic and you can get anywhere fairly quickly. Disney is about 10 minitues away so you close to everything. Hope this helps.

My wife and I just returned from a 7 day stay in Marriott´s Grande Vista and had a great time, the hotel is very big and because of the season it was not crowded.

We stayed in a one bedroom villa, when we arrived in front desk we requested a renovated unit and the girl in the fornt desk didnt had a problem with that, in fact she was very helpful and friendly (not all of them are), the first thing you notice at the register building is the popcorn smell, they give free popcorn that my wife enjoyed : )

The rooms are clean and comfortable, I was a little worried because of some reviews that aware of bug problems, we didnt have any problems of that kind. We were assigned to building 90 which is at the back of the property theres a pool near by and is clean and heated, the main pools are also very nice.

Grande Vista is almost a walk distance form Sea World and 15 minutes to DisneyWorld and Universal, theres a big store a mile away but stay away of the little one that is at the side in International Drive everything is $5 there including toothpaste or one litter milk, also do not make any long distance calls directly from the hotel we made one minute call and were charged $23 for it, instead buy a prepaid phone card, theres internet access in the register office but it is expensive.

This is definitely a great time to come to Orlando we never waited more than 30 minutes to get in any ride including the Simpsons ride at Universal.

The grand value package of $30 credit for beverages and food is very convenient we took advantage of it, we would definitely come back to Grande Vista, the reason I didnt rate 5star is because after all is a timeshare and you do not have the service you could get at a luxury five star hotel, but if your traveling with family or do not have any problem with the villa concept you will have a great time.

Orlando: Marriott Grande Vista - Really good - but:

Date: Oct. 19, 2008

Reviewer: A TripAdvisor Member, West Palm Beach, FL.

Just returned from 5 days at the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. We were there with my married children and their kids (3 and 5). We had been there last year and had a great time and thought it was time to return and see if we could duplicate that happy stay. We did duplicate it.

We each had villa suites with either one or two bedrooms in Bldg 84 right near the Coco-Loco Lounge and pool. It was a fantastic location, so convenient to the water-park type pool for recreation and lunches at the adjacent lounge.

The rooms were clean and well stocked with dishes, utensils and laundry soap for the more mundane tasks one encounters on vacation.

Renovations are on-going so the "MarketPlace" was not available nor were some of the amenities at the main building; but, everything else was available and we did not feel short changed.

The reasons for not giving this resort a 5 star rating were the following:

1) At check-in it makes no difference what reservations you have, whether it be for a meal plan, for adjoining or adjacent rooms, nothing is honored! Everything is up for grabs no matter what you are told at the central reservation cite or from the receptionist at the front desk (should you call them). When you get there it is as though you never had any reservations at all as far as the type of room or its location and whether you wanted to be near some other friends or family. It's nothing less than a hassle.

2) The maid service for the rooms is not done very thoroughly and may not be done every day even though you have requested it.

3) The price for food at Nick's Lounge, at the Golf Pro-Shop, is horrendously overpriced although the quality is good and the venue is appealing. The prices are also very high for food and drink (especially the drinks) at the Coco-Loco Lounge but there the quality is substandard. My wife had a burger and it was no better than what is available at the fast food chains.

We strongly recommend getting the food and beverage package where for $10/day you can get up to $30 of food and beverages - that is really a value plan that works. One drawback here is that when you make reservations the people handling the booking may not know about this plan and they will tell you that such a thing is not available- believe me, it is; I had this package and the others with us could not get it.

I loved it! It is a Huge Resot. Many pool areas, it has a marketplace to stalk up on things you may need! The Grounds were kept nice. The staff was helpful and efficient. The rooms were very nice and clean. I would stay there again!

The resort is HUGE and the grounds are well maintained. Initially, we were assigned in bldg 92 but asked for a building overlooking the lake and by the pool area. Without hesitation, front desk upgraded us to bldg 90 with a breath taking view of the golf course and the lake. Our 2-bedrrom unit was clean, spacious, and well decorated. There are 4-5 pools, with the two main large pools that are parallel to the lake. The pools over a splash area, baby pools, kids area, lap pool, and waterfalls. My only complaint was the maintenance crew start working as early at 7:00 am and they are quick to take guest parking spaces.

Overall, MGV is large, beautiful, well maintained, and under a lot of re-furbishing. Food is good at Copa Loca but overpriced. Most staff members were nice and polite.

This is a lovelly resort, on initial check in to our 1 bedroom villa we were not very happy as the room smelt damp,was very dark and over looked electricity pylons.

We contacted at your service straight away and were re-located.

This was a much better room & veiw.

Ok so for the bad reveiws you may have read.

1, The old rooms that have not been re-furbed are old and dated and yes they do smell damp but they are clean.

2, You would not really know that a renovation project was happening unless you see the vans and work men.

3,At the moment the starbucks and pizza hut is closed as this is being re-built and dont think it will be to long, you can still get the pizza hit take-out from 4pm and there is a shop just to the left of the lobby were you can get everything including bulk brew starbucks.

Both pool areas are fantastic both offering different things.

The staff are very friendly and helpfull.

Nicks grill is very good may be a little over priced.

This really a lovelly hotel and when completely re-furbed will be the nicest Marriott vacation club in the area, and yes I have stayed at a number in the orlando theme park region, so I can comment.

We plan on staying again next year.

I have just came back and my stay dates were 31st august-18September 2008.

The location was as everyone had said...perfect. We visited SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica and were just a few minutes from those parks.

We had a 3 bedroom villa and a 1 bedroom villa in bldg 95. The rooms did have a musty smell and could be a bit cleaner, but overall our experience was very good and we would definitely return. I think the air is so humid in Orlando, it's probably hard to avoid the musty smell??? I would suggets removing the carpet for starters and just use area rugs that can be easily replaced. It was my first stay in Orlando, so I have nothing else to really compare it to.

Extremely pleased with the size of the villas and the location. Away from the chaos further down on International Drive.

This is the second time at this resort. The place is very nice. It is somewhat big, but layed out nice. Very clean, neat and the resort is close to alot of things. I would recommend this place. We will be back.

My wife and I (both 39) and kids (14 and 12) stayed for a week with the main aim being close to Universal parks, which it is (it's also very close to Sea World and Aquatica - try this water park if you haven't already - mega).

I had booked this hotel largely based on its Best for Families award and so I was probably expecting it to be more than it offered. It's nice enough - nothing of any significance to be of particular concern - but it didn't blow us away.

It's a large resort but the only decent (ie non park quality) food was in Nick's Grill, which was very nice with good staff. We therefore spent most of our week going off-site for decent restaurants.

We booked a 2 bedroom villa which comprised a standard double room with en-suite connected to a larger double room with larger bathroom, larger kitchen area, lounge, two balconies and a jacuzzi bath.

Big plus points were the spacious accomodation, which for us was more than adequate, the in-room facilities (including full washing machine and dryer, large fridge, small fridge, 3 tv's and dvd players etc etc) and the jacuzzi, which after a long day walking around the parks was fantastic. All of this adds up to good value.

The downside to the 'villa' was that it was on the sixth floor and, as we found out to our annoyance, close to the large air conditioning units on the roof. I did speak to a very helpful member of the maintenance staff but, unsurprisingly, nothing could be done. It's possible that the management would have moved us if we had insisted but, having unpacked for the second time on our trip, we didn't fancy packing again.

There are a number of pools spread out throughout the site, although we only used one of them, which was quiet and nice. There are also BBQ areas all around the resort which are available for use (gas and charcoal). We did make use of this one night when visited by friends and this was a good facility for a night off from more formal dining.

Overall, the resort is above average but because of the lack of good restaurants on site and the noise from the air conditioning we can only give it 4/5. Admittedly, not all of the rooms will suffer from this but those on the top floors will.

My kids and I went with my parents for a 5 night stay at Grand Vista. We loved the condo - plenty of space and very clean. The staff was very helpful. Housekeeping called every day to see if we needed their service and brought towels twice a day. This resort is very large so it's not fun to walk so far to everything in the heat. There were always staff members on golf carts that can shuttle you where you want to go. My neices played in the indoor playground. It is in need of updating as well as the game room. The view from our room was beautiful. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony at night listening to the surroundings. This resort is very quiet. It was full every night but we did not hear anyone around us.

Just returned from our stay at the Marriott Grande Vista. We had a superb time. Of course we were on a timeshare preview promotion but I must admit after our 5 day 4 night stay, we were tempted. We declined and of course were offered another stay next year for 8 days/7 nights for a total of $595 at any other timeshare resort by Marriott so we'll take them up on this.

The property is beautiful. I do believe they needed to expand the fitness facility and when we went on the sale presentation, the agent showed us new construction where they are expanding the facility.

We were in buiding 98 1 bed room king suite with washer/dryer and full kitchen with a patio. There was plenty of room. There are 6 pools total on the property. The one behind bldg 98 was nice but the unit they wanted to sell us that pool was fantastic.

Secluded location...in some ways too spreadout I would jump in the car to go to the main bulding for coffee. but after a few days your in the swing of things.

On one occasion there was 1 or 2 morons...chugging cases of beer to the pool and acting DUMB...This was my time to take the kids upstairs. Someone else must have complained because they were not there long.

I would say the only thing I hated was the maid service. For some reason they would take the soiled towels but never replace enough.

Location to Seaworld, the interstate and the airport is great!!! Make sure to stop by the 7-Eleven and give Joe the local pizza guy from NYC your business. Joe is a great guy who helped my family a lot during our stay with fantastic tips.

Lastly, the timeshare preview stay is worth the trip and although the tour is 90 minutes very enjoyable but this is a great way to do Disney on a budget.

We stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista through the Interval International timeshare. We were originally booked to stay at a resort on the gulf coast, which was a DUMP, so we were lucky to get into the Marriott. Although our trip was to check out the beaches on the gulf coast, we had a great time at the Marriott. The pools are very nice and we never had a problem finding a chair. The pool drinks at Copa Loca are great too. A little pricey, but worth it. Try the strawberry daqueri/pina coloda mixed one. The rooms were very nice. We had an efficiency and had plenty of room for my husband and I. It had a king sized bed as well as a pull out couch, a nice kitchen area, and a screened in patio. Our villa overlooked the golf course. We did go to the timeshare presentation and altough we did not purchase, it was good information plus we received a $100 Marriott gift card which we used to purchase waterpark tickets and pool drinks. The staff was very accommodating. We ordered fresh towels 2 of the days we were there and they arrived promptly. The consierge was also very helpful when we had questions. We felt at ease with the gated security 24 hours a day and the loss prevention staff that roamed the grounds often. My only complaint is that the walls are thin and we had neighbors that woke up earlier than us so it made it a little hard to sleep in. This would be a great resort for families since it is near all the Disney parks and the resort has many daily activities for the little ones.

We went as a timeshare preview throught the Marriot Rewards club, which I purchased a year and a half ago. I didn't really want to go, but was glad I did. We had a one bedroom suite/condo in Bldg 100, overlooking the Faldo Golf Institute. Room was fabulous, clean, well-appointed, spacious for us and our teenage son (slept on sofa pull-out). The full kitchen was great as was the washer/dryer in our suite. Large whirlpool tub in master bedroom. Spacious bathroom. We cooked or ate off campus. Did have cocktails at the Lighthouse bar, and the were good, Theresa the bartender was great. The pool was very nice. The time share pitch went a little longer than promised (almost 2 hours) but was very low pressure. I would stay there again but don't plan on returning to Orlando ever again (third time there, too much traffic...etc)

Since we're not timeshare owner's, daily housekeeping was included (fresh towels...etc). Coffee and filters, as well as dishwasher detergent, dishsoap & sponge, papertowels, and a small box of laundry detergent were included!

Wireless internet worked well. Cable TV offers many channels, plus the room had a DVD player.

I couldn't believe this was a 5 star resort! If we had paid more than $100 a night I would have been upset! A little run down, luckily we got a renovated room right by one of the pools. The pools are not as great and beautiful as the photos you see. I am not trying to slam the place but my expectations were a little higher since this is a Marriott.

Without a doubt the staff are VERY friendly and there are some really good amenities like the sauna and steam room and extra activities for kids.

The room: we were on the first floor which was a handicapped room and got a standing shower only with no bathtub (would have preferred a whirlpool bathtub). Screened in porch with table and chairs which was very nice. There was a very distinct mildew smell in the room and funky smell from the drain in the bathroom floor but it disipated after awhile. I can see why previous reviews immediately asked for another room. The couch was stained but the king size bed was great.

If you walk up to the lake it is very unattractive and unappealing. I've seen lots of lakes in Florida and this one was really gross. The size of this place is enormous and if you are in a building not close to a pool it can be a hike. We did do the timeshare presentation which was fine but the incentive was well worth it!

I might stay here again if I can get another deal for under $100 a night.

We just got back from a four night stay in one of their one bedroom villas. We had high expectations after reading some of the reviews and unfortunately we were a little disappointed. The rooms were very spacious, but they did smell pretty bad and the decor was very dated even though we were in one of the newer units. I think what made the hotel just okay was the size which was enormous. We hardly saw any other guests and we couldn't walk anywhere. Too big for our liking.

Had a fantastic time in Orlando, staying at Marriotts Grande Vista for two weeks. The room was excellent, couldn't fault it. Staff very friendly. Stayed there as a Timeshare exchange. Just a few little niggles ........ because we were a timeshare exchange, it meant that if we wanted housekeeping, we had to pay for it which we thought was a bit off. The last thing we wanted to do on holiday was to clean and make beds. It probably makes us sound like snobs but we were on holiday and in a big hotel, which as far as we are concerned housekeeping should be standard practice.

Our hotel block was not near the main pool but right next to one of the smaller pools which didn't bother us at all, but what we couldn't understand was the fact that in being July and being very hot, the poolside bar was not open which meant a bit of a trek to the hotel shop to buy something cool to drink and some food. There was a drinks machine by the pool but unless you had the correct money it was rather pointless. Also the toilets by the pool weren't cleaned regularly enough. For 4 days running the bins weren't emptied and paper over the floor etc and only after 4 complaints was something done about it.

Apart from those few things no other problems. On the whole there was nothing that would stop us staying there again

For one of the best value for money all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants, you can't beat Sweet Tomatoes. 4 of us ate for £24.00. Their range of food was phenomenal - salads, pizzas, jacket potatoes, soups, pastas, many choices for desserts and their chocolate brownies were to die for!!!!! Breakfast buffet to fill you up before the parks - Ponderosa. £3.00 each all-you-can-eat. Some reports havent been very good about this place but we didn't have any problems - no its not 5 star but it's clean, friendly and fills up teenagers with hollow legs for a few hours!!!!

Other fab places we ate were Magiannos, Outback Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Those were our favourites but there are many others to try but hope this gives someone a few ideas. As for the weather - we had a few days out of 14 with afternoon thunderstorms but that's normal according to everyone. It was certainly nothing to worry about. Enjoy - its fab and we love Orlando !!!

My husband and I are Marriott Vacation Club owners and we exchanged our week for the Grande Vista property this past August. Interval International agents suggested that if we wanted to make a special request for room location, etc, to contact the property directly within 48 hours of our arrival. I did just that.

Upon arrival, I was assisted by front desk staff who seemed quite indifferent to accommodating my request and as it turned out, not only did he NOT meet my special phoned in request, but did not accommodate our reservation confirmation for 2 double beds in the 2nd bedroom. Thankfully, he didn't meet the 2 dbl bed request because the room we were assigned was sub par. It strongly smelled of mildew and one bathroom was filled with an odor I hate to describe. The furniture had seen better days. The door was located at the end of the corridor near a trash can and the overflowing trash on the ground attracted a pair of raccoons who were gathering a feast only raccoons would love!

Once the raccoons scurried away with their treasure, we headed back to the front desk and received a different room assignment so to have the necessary 2 dbl beds in our 2 bedroom suite. The new assignment was a distinct improvement all the way around. Our new room was wonderful.

Here are some notes regarding our 8 night stay:

Room quality: Very good. Beds and pillows were great. Kitchen appliances and utensils good. TVs great, but remote controls were a problem. Maintenence required twice. Bathrooms a bit small but fine.

Balconies: All ground floor balconies are screened and various balconies on floors 2-6 are screened. Neither of our balconies were screened and we preferred that. Our balconies had a table, four chairs, ceiling fan and light.

Marriott staff: We really liked all the grounds keepers, housekeeping, and maintenence staff. The folks at the Marketplace were always personable.

Pools: Really nice.

Nature Trail: There is a wonderful nature trail on the grounds of this property. I highly recommend exploring it--with closed toed shoes. It is definitely a NATURE trail!

Ease to travel anywhere off property: It is best to have a car. Marriott does not have a courtesy van/shuttle to/from theme parks, etc. Apparently it's a 35 dollar cab ride to a Disney park.

Preview tour stuff: What a pain! We received 3 calls and one request in person to sign up for a preview tour. I was so disappointed in their assertiveness--they must be desperate!

Front desk staff: This is why the rating I assigned is only a 3, along with the disappointing appearance and odor of the 1st room we were assigned. The front desk staff is not friendly, barely courteous, and they made more mistakes with our reservation information than I have detailed here. And I know it wasn't just me. While waiting in lines, I noticed other guests receiving mediocre treatment by staff who seemed quite disinterested in the work they were doing. Very disappointing.

We have been owners at the Grande Vista since 2002 and have always loved our stays. During our last visit, July 18-26 2008, I must say that some improvements need to be made. The golf course is a mess and the club house staff was very rude. My husband had requsted a rain check after having just played only 3 holes of golf before a storm came through and was treated very badly for just asking. He was given the credit to finish the game, but it was just the idea of it all.

No staff to police unruly children at the pool. I don't understand why people let their children play in/on areas clearly marked "Do not climb on waterfalls". In the past someone would at least walk through just to check on things.

Increases in ALL or at least many of the resort activities. $15 for a 30 min. bike ride or paddle boat...Wow!

We were pleased to see that Marriott was doing an impressive renovation to the food court and kids play area. We were told that it did not come from our yearly maintenance fees which is nice if it's true.

DO NOT go to the sales presentations if you don't plan on buying another timeshare! We went just to see the new property opening in 2010 and our salesman was really pushy. I felt bad for a couple at the next table that were not currently owners trying to tell the guy No thanks. Marriott is very very pushy to sell their villas!

I hope when I return to see the golf course in much better condition, pool staff, and an overall better experience.

We stayed at the Marriott as part of a timeshare sales preview and were informed the Grande Vista is sold out for timeshare purchase. I let the sales person know I would never consider purshasing at this site anyway!

Overall, the property looks impressive, the pools are beautiful, and the staff is courteous. However, the property is 11 years old and shows much wear and tear in the rooms. Cleanliness and maintenance were the main issues from my experience.

Some of the rooms have been 'renovated' with the Marriott bedding package, nice art work, granite countertops etc. But what is the point of these renovations if the rooms have bug problems, musty/mold problems, and cleaniness issues?

In our first room (1 bedroom unit), my husband was bitten by a nasty bug with scorpian like pinchers while sleeping in the sofa bed (which by the way was the most uncomfortable sofa bed he every slept in). My daughter was right next to him when it happened and she was very upset trying to sleep at night for the rest of the vacation. Someone from Marriott declared the bug harmless but said they would fumugate the room. We said do what you need to do, but we are getting out of there. We had to push a little bit but finally obtained another unit (2 bedroom unit).

This unit was suppose to be in one of their newest buildings but it was extremely moldy, especially the master bedroom. We have mold allergies and were not feeling so great after the 2 days we spent there. We were too exhausted from our park days to contemplate requesting another room. One other note: both rooms had a grimy feel to them. I had to clean black finger print marks and other dirt marks off of doors and walls in both rooms. In both rooms, there were stains on the carpet and all of the dining chairs.

Most annoying was the sales presentation. There was no pressure and our sales person was very nice but after our experience it just did not sit right to hear this nonstop stream on the wonders and consistency of the Marriott brand. They wanted us to committ to a $25,000 timeshare for their latest resort. I am sure these resorts are beautiful when they first open but 10 years later, people have worn them down and Marriott just cannot hold to proper maintenance and cleaning standards in my opinion.

We had also stayed at a Disney timeshare resort during this same vacation, and I have to say Disney does a much better job maintaining their properties.

when I arrived at the hotel I thought it was very nice looking. the pool scene was great and the landscape is fabulous. When we got to the room it looked nice as well. We were impressed at first. We had a nice two room suite with a patio. It really started well. Then we tried to turn on the television and noticed that half of the suite didn't have electricity. So we called MX and they reset the circuit breaker. whatever.....but later when we plugged in our computers/cell phones the electricity went out again. When we called the maintanence guy again he informed us that we shouldn't plug in our things in one of the bedrooms. So apparantly they were aware of the electrical problem, but were yet booking the room out. I'm not an expert on electricity, but I do know that electrical surges are dangerous. and ignoring a short circuit is dangerous. If the circuit breaker doesn't work properly the problem could start a fire. I was really disappointed to find out that the marriott grande vista knew about this problem, but was still booking the room anyway. it is a hazard and an inconvenience. hopefully this is an isolated occurrance, but please be on the lookout if you are staying here.

I am a very serious traveler, so when I book a place I expect a few things, a clean room, not just a neat room, there is a difference. Overall the resort is nice there are things to do throughout the day and into the evening. The pools are a good size and there is ample seating. The only restaurant I can mention is the Pizza Hut. I only ordered once, the food was as expected. I can not really talk much about resort itself because we spent most of our time at WDW. The rooms need to be updated, they look like something out of 1983. The beds though were very comfortable, even the pull out sofa. The kitchen was well stacked and the employees are very friendly and helpful. My husband notice a roach at 1am. I did not see any but he did see one night during our seven day stay.

*The resort is very close to Sea World, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica. The I-trolley will take you there.

Our stay at Marriott's Grande Vista was ok until we had a bag stolen from the main pool area. Our bag contained a new digital camera, our rental car keys and a device for delivering insulin to my daughter (Omni Pod). Because of this incident, we spent 5 hours (up until 1:30 AM) at the hospital and pharmacy getting prescriptions for my diabetic daughter, and we had to commence manual insulin injections since her insulin pump was inoperable without the stolen device. We also lost about 250 photos of our family vacation (on the digital camera). This was our first vacation since I had recently returned home from a tour in Iraq, so the photos were especially precious. The management and loss prevention staff were responsive, but I did not see much urgency in their actions. To their credit, they did provide us with transportation to the hospital and paid to have a key made for our rental car. It's a shame that you have to watch out for thieves everywhere you go.....even at highly reputable resort such as Marriott. BTW...Marriott never offered to reimburse us in any way for this inconvenience or loss

As a side note, our room did not get cleaned on the first day of our stay and we had to request the provision of a coffee maker.

My family own a timeshare with another property, not with Marriotts, but was able to trade with one of the Marriotts properties. We considered ourselves lucky for even being able to get a condo at the Grande Marriotts in the middle of August in Florida.

The entrance to the property is grand. According to my spouse, Grande Vista is a beautiful resort!

When we checked in, the lady in the front desk gave us a puzzled look and said that we are already checked out. We just arrived! We had to wait for quite sometime before the problem was resolved.

The moment we entered the room, there was already a pungent smell. The smell was a cross between a wet carpet and molds.

The bathroom was not that clean either. The rest of the unit is clean so we decided to let go of the odor. We hoped that the smell will eventually go away. Unfortunately, the odor remained in the room. We had to call room service for an air freshener. They kindly responded to us. After 2 attempts of aerating the room, we gave up. We were worried that the molds will make our kids sick.

We requested for a room change. We were informed that there were a lot of newer units and because a lot of these units were empty, we can definitely request for one. We asked for a newer unit but unfortunately, we were assigned to an old unit again. The front desk personnel who helped us during the room change was rude.

The odor in the room we moved into was not as bad but had bugs this time. We got tired of complaining so we ignored the bugs.

A Marriotts Timeshare salesperson contacted us for a presentation, free breakfast, and free spending money in Disney. We initially agreed to attend but we changed our minds because we did not want to purchase a timeshare that does not seem to take care of its property and its clients. This Marriotts did not live up to our expectations.

The old units, the odor, and the bugs would have been ignored but customer service ( the front desk in particular ) is definitely a turn-off.

I was very excited when I saw the picture online with all the pools; the images looked so inviting...BUT when you get there it's a different story. The resort needs to be updated. They have about 6 buildings called "The West" that are newly built and they are usually booked by Grande Vista Timeshare Holders- SO forget about requesting the rooms because they make no promises to place you in any room; however, the staff will take requests which means nothing when you arrive.. The shower smelled really bad.. You can tell the rooms are not thoroughly cleaned-just enough to look nice. The newer buildings and renovated buildings are far from the main attractions: The Maze, Front Desk, and etc... The elevator areas are very dirty and hot!!! My kids did enjoy the day camp for $30.00 a day from 11-3 ( rip off)...The beds are very comfortable.. It was okay; I will go back only if I can get in the new building.

The room was efficient and the bed clean and comfy. The room did smell a little musty though. Our room did not have a blow dryer and the hotel ran out of them. They even called in the morning to wake us up to tell us they could not locate one! If your room is near one of the pools - be warned it will be loud in your room! Then after an exhausting day in Orlando (in July!) we could not go to sleep as someone was having a huge party with LOUD music and yelling and screaming. We are not old, but we ended up calling the front desk to complain and then we had to call security directly. It took about an hour to shut it down! Would not go back..

We have stayed here several times, and always have had more bumps in the road getting settled here than anywhere else we have stayed ever. The front desk staff needed a lot of work in terms of hospitality and responsiveness. We were sent to two different rooms after waiting for two hours for our room which we booked a year in advance and neither had been cleaned. The bed was completely unmade in one of the rooms! It was extremely hot moving back and forth between rooms and the lobby, which seemed to escape the staff. Once settled, our room was fine and the resort amenities were adequate. Beware of housekeeping-we left a couple of items in the room--a phone charger and a cd player-which we realized before we left the hotel grounds--by the then we were told the rooms had been cleaned and nothing was found imagine that....:).

We exchanged one week through interval and expected a nicer villa, like the ones we have in our resort. The carpet and the chairs were stained. The bathroom smelled bad. We found cockroaches in the villa 4 out of 7 days!!! I called housekeeping, and they told me....Oh it´s Florida, there everywhere!!

The appliances were rusty and the whole villa needed an urgent remodeling. I am sad that I exchanged a very good week and I received a very old villa.

The resort is beautiful and conveniently located, but they are so late in their remodeling process that it is not worth to go there, unless you are sure to get a villa in good conditions.

I am a very satisfied Marriott vacation club owner, but if I would have gone here before buying, I would never have bought any weeks. Next time I go to Orlando, I will ask for another resort.

Don't stay here. I can't beleive this is a Marriot. It's completely run down. The rooms have not been renovated and they smell moldy and musty. Everything is outdated. I didn't want to sit on any of the furniture because it was damp. SO GROSS! I'm also shocked at the great reviews. Are we at the same hotel? We could have done much better. I'm so dissapointed. The only good thing about the hotel is that the staff is really nice.