Here is our review from 2009 back when it was still a Horizons:
We just returned from our February 2009 trip to Florida and a week at Marriotts Horizon resort. Overall, we had a good time and I give the resort high marks but we did have a few issues. We checked in on Valentines day only to find out that the pirate ship pool was closed and being refurbished. Boy, that makes you mad but there was good news, the pool was reopening on Monday however then the water park was going to close!!! My wife was not happy and expressed our displeasure to the check-in staff. Maybe because of that we got a great room. We were on the 6th floor (top) of build 12 with a great view of the lake. This was a very cool. In the morning when I got up I would open my eyes and look out the window in the master bedroom only to see the water. I thought I was on a cruise! Road noise from route 4 was less here but I would guess louder at the closer buildings. Overall, our 2 bedroom unit was very nice. Plenty of space. It didnt have the whirlpool tub of Cypress Harbor (where we usually stay) but we rarely used that anyway. The unit did have a nice big shower and the dinning area was very nice with a booth style design with chairs on one side. Another plus over CH, the second bedroom had two double beds where CH has one bed and a sofa-bed. The unit was nicely decorated with bright colors and a nice walk out deck overlooking the lake. The building was great with two elevators. Horizons is really big on recycling which I liked so they collected recyclables in your room and in the elevator lobby. There were two elevators which came quickly when you asked for them (and just a quick walk to the pirate ship pool when it opened). We spent the first day in the slide pool which was very crowded with the other pool being closed. The slide is a pretty good (and fast) slide for a resort. The pirate ship pool opened two days later and that is a great pool. Very big, lots of deck area, two huge square shaped hot tubs, nice and warm water, convenient towel shack, and a cool pirate ship for the kids to play on. We spent much of the week poolside and had a great time enjoying the sun, my primary goal for our family vacation (we only go to the parks for two days, one day at Animal kingdom and one day at Aquatica). The resort had plenty to do for the kids. There were events everyday, many pirate oriented. My 9yo dd enjoyed the large moon bounce they would set up and did the tie-dye t-shirt. There were organized games such as capture the flag. Lots of poolside activities where you can win booty to save up and trade for prizes in the main lobby. My dd enjoyed that. My 16yo ds wasnt too crazy about going to Horizons but he had a good time. He really didnt meet too many teenagers like he does at CH so he hung out. He enjoyed the all you can eat ice cream sundae cup that we purchased at the beginning of the week for $10. I think he ate 15 sundaes by the time we left. Food from the pool side bar was pretty good! They had a nice activity area with billiards, foozeball, basketball, ping pong, and a fire pit for some late activities. My MIL was with us and enjoyed the quiet dock on the lake to read and ran into other seniors there to chat with as well. There were lots of nice walking paths and interesting birds to see around the resort and you could feed the fish. The gated access was nice and you could use your room key to get in rather then waiting for the guard (like at CH). Now for the negatives. The gym was very disappointing. Lots of room but no equipment and no A/C. Only two treadmills and one was broken! My wife was not happy about that. She even snuck over to CH one day to use their treadmill (they have 5 working!) as she could not get on one at Horizons. There was no marketplace although I understand one is coming someday. They invite you to visit CHs marketplace. Horizons has a great on-site mini-golf course but they want $5 a play (or offer a $25 all week pass). We thought this was terrible to have an on-site activity and charge for it. The Horizons staff didnt enforce the rules and let everyone play for free anyway. Overall, Horizons was a great resort but at times it comes out that it is still a work in progress. Also, dont forget you are at a kid-oriented resort which means there will be lots of kids and all that implies (the pool did close for 30 minutes on day when a kid got sick in it). I would go back but we would still say Cypress Harbor is our favorite.
