Cypress Point Grand Villas or Marriott's Horizons for President's Week?

[HeatherC]

Hi Everyone-

Well, we have decided to go back yet again to Orlando for the second week of our February vacation.

I have reserved a 2 bedroom at Marriott's Horizon for $168 a night. But, now I see on Hotel Kingdom that Cypress Point Grand Villas are around $89 a night for a 2 bedroom. What should I do?

We've visited Horizons when they were building it a few years ago, but have never stayed there. Never even been to Cypress Point Grand Villas.

This is the second week of a vacation - the first being a Royal Caribbean cruise - so money is definitely an issue. The only problem is that Marriott doesn't require full payment and I can cancel up to 3 days beforehand if we need to. Hotel Kingdom wants the full amount up front. (which I could pay if I need to).

Any ideas or advice would be really appreciated. I am even open to other places as well.

It will be me, dh, maybe mil, kids 4,6,8.

Thanks so much!!!

HeatherC

 

[wuv tigger]

I think it depends on the amount of time you will spend at the resort and the weather.

We are owners at Horizons and have been there 8 weeks so far and absolutely love it. There are lots of activities for the kids and the pool is great. That being said:

In February you will not be able to use the waterworks because the water there is not heated. The water in the main pirate pool is heated, but the air temperature in February can make it uncomfortable if you get a cold spell.

If you are a Marriott owner the mini golf is $40 per week per villa for unlimited play, which is a great deal. Non-owners pay $5 per round per person. The course is nice, but can add up for non owners.

The activites are mostly during the day, so if you are going to hit the parks everyday you will miss a lot of them. The staff is great and I highly recommend them to everyone.

You can offset part of the cost by taking a tour. Do not take the first offer, but ask for $100 Marriott or Disney dollars. You will take about an hour and a half low pressure tour.

When we go in the winter time we spend most time in the parks because it is cooler. When we go in the spring/summer time we spend most time at the resort because we enjoy it so much.

I think that if you are planning on just having a base to do the parks you are better off spending less in the Winter and coming back when you can take advantage of all the resort has to offer.

David

 

[LilyStar]

Hi there

I stayed at Cypress Pointe Grand Villas (booked through hotelkingdom.com) in March. Couldn't beat the price at $60 for a one bedroom.

I thought the location was great for driving to and from the parks. If you'd like to walk somewhere however, it wasn't convenient, but we had a car so that wasn't a problem. I thought the place was very nice and very "Florida" as far as decor goes. The room was spotless and the bathroom was huge and spread out. I think the bathroom might have been bigger than the bedroom! We had a nice little balcony to sit out on. My one complaint was that the walls were paper thin between the rooms. What sounded like a herd of cattle were staying in the room next to us and in reality it was probably just a family with 2 kids. As soon as those kids woke up, we heard everything from what they wanted for breakfast to how they slept and where they were going that day. It was BEYOND loud. We also heard someone complaining about the same thing when we went out to the pool.

We didn't do any activities and didn't take part in any tours. We used the hotel for sleeping and relaxing. I thought the place was beautiful and immaculately taken care of. I am a light sleeper though and the noise factor just may keep me away next time. My fiance slept fine though because he sleeps like a rock!

Because we were going to be spending most of the time in the parks, we chose the cheaper option for hotel for at least part of the time we were there, spending the rest of the trip at the Portofino.

Have a wonderful trip next year!