Bonnet Creek VS Marriott Harbour Lake

[spicyc30]

Hi,

So, trying to decide between Marriott Harbour Lake and Bonnet Creek. The pool is the deciding factor.

My 6 and 4 year old do not meet the height requirements for using Bonnet Creek pool slides. And I'm sure that they will be extremly be upset once they discover that. Are there still other pool features for kids that will appease them? Or should I just skip it and head to Harbour Lake? Bonnet seems to have more activities and amenities than Harbour Lake. I like the idea of having access to a FREE shuttle! Harbour Lake costs a couple hundred dollars more should I choose to stay there. What would you do?

Thanks

 

[thelionqueen]

I've actually never stayed at either, but there are several threads here that post reviews, activities & etc. for Bonnet Creek. I can't give any sort of comparison, but I would venture to guess that BC has many different activities for kids of all ages..especially the littler ones. And it's closer I believe.

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

We stayed at the Marriott Harbour the 1st night of our trip. We used points. We have never stayed at WBC though, so I may not be much help! But we liked the Marriott. The grounds were really nice. The resort itself is very spread out. We had a 2 bedroom villa, which was very nice. The pool was nice too. I will say though it was a little bit of a drive to the parks though....

 

[Rosebud123]

The main pool at WBC is gorgeous and has no water slide, so your kids won't know what they're missing! It has a fantastic lazy river that I'm sure they'd love. WBC is surrounded by WDW property, right next to CBR. It's super close to the Studios and Epcot.

Here's a pic of the main pool:

 

[mieuxmew]

WBC is closer to Disney. Marriott Harbour Lake is about a 10-15 minute drive, depending on which park. WBC shuttle is ok, but times are limited (especially in the afternoons) and shuttle is somewhat difficult to find leaving the parks. We quickly decided we would rather pay $14 to park and come and go as we please.

WBC felt very crowded to me. 6 high rise buildings. Lots more people. Furnishings are decent enough. Had a difficult time finding a single chair by the pool and a single tube for the lazy river. Sometimes it was difficult to find a parking space and we would have to walk a distance with two exhausted kids. I remember checking in and waiting in an hour long line for 4 pm check in. We had to call maintenance a few times and it seemed inefficient. The ledge that fell off the window sill was broken when we arrived and 10 days later when we left it was still broken and lying on the floor. Kids activities were nice and my kids did enjoy them.

The Marriott Harbor Lake will be a bit more spread out. Parking will not be a big issue. Will not feel nearly as crowded. Will not have to wait in an crowded long line to check in. Marriott has a lot of kid activities and the staff is great. Rooms tend to be better maintained in my opinion. Maintenance is very quick and responsive. We also stated at the Marriott Cypress Harbour across the street and it was my kids FAVORITE hotel to date (they were 7 at the time).

If it were up to us, we would choose to stay at the Marriott.

Have a GREAT trip!

 

[madelyn]

Just returned from a weeklong stay at Harbour Lake but have never been to Bonnet Creek. I think kids of your ages will love the two pools at Harbour Lake. Our kids are 13, 10 and 5. I took the 2 younger ones out to the pool for a couple of hours and I think the 10 year old had enough after about an hour. But I have friends who stayed at Harbour Lake a few years back and their younger kids loved the pools at Harbour Lake so much they didn't want to leave to go to the theme parks. The pools at Harbour Lake are probably best for ages 8 and under. I didn't get in the pool since it was raining on and off and didn't think we would be able to stay out at the pool long. It was easy to watch my kids in the pools at Harbour Lake without me getting in which would be difficult in a lazy river type of pool. Seemed like an easy walk to anything in the resort at Harbour Lake. We were at the Boardwalk Villas and Bay Lake Towers for the previous 4 nights and did not visit any Disney theme parks during out stay at Harbour Lake. We did drive to Downtown Disney and Typhoon Lagoon and the drive did not seem bad at all. I was trying to decide between Marriott's Cypress Harbour and Harbour Lake. One of the factors was the 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom at Harbour Lake but I figured it was a good opportunity for my kids to try the pools at Harbour Lake because by the time we make our next trip to Orlando, my 10 year old would likely have outgrown the pools at Harbour Lake. So if your family makes Orlando a frequent destination, try Harbour Lake now while your kids are younger, then try Bonnet Creek your next visit.

 

[spicyc30]

So it looks like it will be Harbour lake. Thanks for your opinions!