Which Marriott timeshare for May/June?

[madelyn]

I think I have asked a similar question on the board before in past years when we considered venturing off-site. In past visits we have always stayed on-site Disney properties but it looks like we may have to spend the bulk of our trip off-site, coupled with maybe 3 or 4 nights covered by Disney Vacation Club points (that my sister has generously offered). My sister-in-law is a member of Interval International and through the Getaways, we can get a week at various timeshares at a reasonable cost. Today I searched the Getaways and the choices for a few of the Marriotts (many different weeks available) stand out. We will need a week at the end of May/early June and we will need to rent a 2 bedroom unit since we are a family of 5 with kids ages 13, 10 and 5. I am considering Marriott Cypress Harbour, Marriott's Grande Vista, Marriott's Harbour Lake and Marriott Royal Palms. It will likely be a budget trip in that we will try to use up unused days of non-expiring Disney passes previously purchased. So it might be a max of 3 days in Disney Parks but almost unlimited days in Disney water parks/ Disney Quest since we have so many unused Water Parks and More Days. We have old Universal Studios passes (only 1 day though) and might spend a day or two at Legoland (but not sure if we will spend the night closer to Legoland for those days). We will have a car. Anyone have tips on which Marriott to chose or any other timeshares available on Interval Getaways to keep an eye out for?

 

[jlevis]

We are owners at Grande Vista and we have stayed at Cyprus Harbor. Both are very nice, obviously we prefer Grande Vista, it has a wide range of activities. Both are 10 to 15 minutes from the parks.

 

[happymommy]

Double check room sizes. Cypress Harbor's second bedroom is smaller than Harbor Lake and Grande Vista. Something to keep in mind!

Grande Vista is huge, with a lot to do. Harbor Lake is a small resort, feels like a small town to me. I preferred Harbor Lake personally.

 

[Detailor]

Our favorite is Cypress Harbour, hands down. We like the mix of resort amenities, size of the resort (moderate), polite and accommodating resort staff, landscaping maturity (shade trees!), relaxing feel of the resort and location. Grande Vista is similar but larger and with, IMO, a busier feel and less well-landscaped. It is a nice resort, though, and we like it there.
I wouldn't discount Royal Palms. Though the tri-Palms resorts are older than the other Orlando Marriotts they're in a nice location for Disney visits and have the benefit of pretty regular refurbishment that's a hallmark of the Marriotts. The childrens' activity program is split up between the three resorts so they're not all as convenient as in the newer Marriotts. But guests do have the right to use facilities at any of the three timeshare resort and at the hotel that's at the property. Royal Palms is a nice resort, though we prefer Sabal Palms over that one.
I don't like Harbour Lake as much as I do the other Marriotts. This was a Horizons by Marriott before MCVI discontinued the brand and I don't think that the villa furnishing are nearly as nice as those in the other Marriotts. Just a quality issue and I'll admit that we like the quality of villas as much as we like the features of a resort - and the resort features at Harbour Lake are quite nice.
As far as other II options, I'd suggest Sheraton's Vistana Villages (International Drive) which I think is almost as nice as the Marriotts. Sheraton's Vistana Resort (SR 535) might also be a good option. It's larger and older than its "Villages" sister-resort but the villas have recently been refurbished and the location is also very good for Disney visits (it's adjacent to and right around the corner from the tri-Palms Marriotts).

BTW, Legoland is an easy drive from any of these resorts.

Dick Taylor

 

[madelyn]

Thanks for the replies! I was leaning towards Harbour Lake b/c of the bed configuration (2 twins) and the swimming areas which sound ideal for my 5 year old and maybe the 10 year old. But availability on Interval at this point is greater for either Cypress Harbour or Grande Vista. Two Grande Vista properties are listed on Interval International. MRG and MGV. Both show the same address at 5925 Avenida Vista Orlando, FL 32821. Does anyone know the difference?

 

[Detailor]

MRG and MGV. Both show the same address at 5925 Avenida Vista Orlando, FL 32821. Does anyone know the difference?

Unlike some timeshare resorts where the II (or RCI) resort code has a meaning, there really isn't any difference at Grande Vista. My understanding is that MGR and MGV exchanges are pooled when resort staff goes through the villa assignment process. I know of people who have exchanged in for a two-week period using a MGR exchange for one week and a MGV exchange for the other week and they stayed in the same villa for both weeks.

Dick Taylor

 

[spiceycat]

the Cypress Harbour had 2 beds - think they were queens - okay the new bedding is a queen and double sofa (like Disney).

the royal palms is much closer to Disney

it has in the second bedroom a queen bed and a twin bed.

 

[happymommy]

Harbour Lakes has been recently refurbished, and I thought the last time we went there we were the first to stay in that unit (the beds felt brand new). The countertops weren't granite, but everything else felt up to Marriott standards.

The second bedroom has two queen beds, not twin.

The only difference between the two Grande Vista listings is that one is a member of the Florida Club and one isn't, but that really means nothing for the getaway as far as I know.

For a 5 year old, Harbour Lakes is nice. The water play area and smaller pirate slides are nice.

I'm not saying that's where you should choose, just sharing my (really great) experience there. I'm actually leaning towards a 2 week getaway at Royal Palms end of this summer! I love those getaways! Last year we got Harbour Lake for $350 for the week over spring break!

 

[madelyn]

Sister in law has offered her exchange from a deposited week that is expiring at the end of the summer. I checked exchanges today and the choices seem to be about the same as the Getaways. Too bad DVC no longer exchanges within Interval. But I noticed that today a Marriott Imperial Palms Villas is available as an exchange or getaway. That one will probably be gone by the time we are able to make a firm decision though. Imperial Palms looks nice due to the 3 bedroom configuration but it really is more than we need (family of 5). But that would give us extra space if we wanted to invite extended family to come with us. Looks like they are newly renovated too but located pretty far away from the main pools at the Marriott World Center. Anyone have anything else to add about this property?

 

[disneyfanjan]

Sister in law has offered her exchange from a deposited week that is expiring at the end of the summer. I checked exchanges today and the choices seem to be about the same as the Getaways. Too bad DVC no longer exchanges within Interval. But I noticed that today a Marriott Imperial Palms Villas is available as an exchange or getaway. That one will probably be gone by the time we are able to make a firm decision though. Imperial Palms looks nice due to the 3 bedroom configuration but it really is more than we need (family of 5). But that would give us extra space if we wanted to invite extended family to come with us. Looks like they are newly renovated too but located pretty far away from the main pools at the Marriott World Center. Anyone have anything else to add about this property?

It is a small jaunt to the main pool at the World Center, but I think you can get transportation (golf carts) by calling the front desk. There is a smaller pool near the condo. Nice to have the 3rd bedroom, if needed, but it is smaller. You might want to check on bed configuration.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I own at Harbor Lake and adore it!

 

[dioxide45]

the Cypress Harbour had 2 beds - think they were queens - okay the new bedding is a queen and double sofa (like Disney).

the royal palms is much closer to Disney

it has in the second bedroom a queen bed and a twin bed.

Cypress Harbour only has a queen bed in the second bedroom along with a pullout sofa. The living room sofa also converts to a bed with a king bed in the master bedroom.

If the OP has the opportunity to get a 3BR at Imperial Palms, I would go for it, the extra space will be great with enough beds for everyone. Second choice would be Grande Vista or Harbour Lake and request a unit that has two queen beds in the second bedroom. Harbour Lake has a lot of units with this configuration while Grande Vista has only four buildings with this configuration. So chances are better of getting two queens in the second bedroom at Harbour Lake.

 

[amym2]

We stayed at Royal Palms with my sister and BIL for Christmas 2010 and loved it. My sister and BIL had the master, DH and I and one kid had the 2nd bedroom with the queen and twin, and our other kid had the sleeper sofa, and we never felt squished. We took the shuttle (just went to the lobby and asked and someone came right away) over to the World Center to look around and it was super easy. Access to the parks was so quick and there were plenty of nearby stores and restaurants.

 

[darlaya]

I just booked a getaway for May in a studio at the Grand Vista. I know there is not a full kitchen, but can anyone tell me if they have a toaster?

My husband and I chose this from the above posts. The grounds look beautiful. Hoping its large enough to find a quiet spot to relax by the pool.

 

[Detailor]

I just booked a getaway for May in a studio at the Grand Vista. I know there is not a full kitchen, but can anyone tell me if they have a toaster?

My husband and I chose this from the above posts. The grounds look beautiful. Hoping its large enough to find a quiet spot to relax by the pool.

We had a studio a few years ago as part of a three-bedroom villa at Grande Vista. It was an older, unrefurbished villa in Building 80 and my recollection is that there was a small refrigerator, a coffee maker, a kitchen sink and a microwave oven in that studio section. I believe that the newer studios were outfitted without the microwave. I don't recall that there was a toaster in the unit.

Dick Taylor

 

[darlaya]

Thanks for the info. Do you know if all the villas have been refurbished by now?

 

[Detailor]

Do you know if all the villas have been refurbished by now?

It's been a few years now since we've been back to Grande Vista so I'm not sure about that. I've heard that they'd made steady progress toward completing the refurbishment project and I'd expect that there are far more refurbed villas than not. I'd suggest calling the resort to ask which buildings haven't yet been refurbished. 407-238-7676.

Dick Taylor

 

[madelyn]

OP here. Looks like I better make a decision soon. Thank you for all the advice. I seem to recall lots of availability at Cypress Harbour and Grande Vista but it looks like availability for larger (2 bedroom) units is slim. I am looking at trades using SIL's expiring trade week and not Getaways at the moment. And her trade is a 1 bedroom unit so may be restricting availability to smaller units. The 3 bedroom Marriott unit is gone but I do see two weeks available at Royal Palms. I haven't been dilligently checking first thing in the morning like I used to when DVCs traded through Interval and I was able to get weeks at Old Key West in the past. Might need to work a little harder at this to get the best trade though. Calypso Cay is coming up in a 2 bedroom and so is Mystic Dunes and Parkway International, and the Sheraton Vistana properties, Westgate Lakes, Vacation Villas, Westgate Towers, Westgate Town Ctr, Blue Tree, High Point, Liki Tiki, The Seasons, and Westgate Palace. Even a 3 bedroom unit at Star Island! Was thinking the Marriott properties were superior but if anyone thinks I should consider some of the others mentioned, give a mention.

 

[spiceycat]

would go with Royal Palms

the Sheraton Vistana Resort is also as close to Disney as Marriott Royal Palms - it is closer to DD.

it is also an older resort - but it is in good shape.

 

[Danibelle]

It's been a few years now since we've been back to Grande Vista so I'm not sure about that. I've heard that they'd made steady progress toward completing the refurbishment project and I'd expect that there are far more refurbed villas than not. I'd suggest calling the resort to ask which buildings haven't yet been refurbished. 407-238-7676.

Dick Taylor

We stayed here in 2010 and last month (Feb.) and had great refurbished rooms. We were on the Copa Loca side both times. I would tend to stay here or Vistana because I like the locations.