Which Marriott Vacation Club Resort??

[Kareng8168]

We are planning our first trip to Orlando & WDW for next May. It will be myself, DH, DS 1 & DS 4, and my parents. We will be going to WDW but we want to stay at a nice 'home away from home' type of resort with nice pool areas for the kids. We always stay at Marriott hotels and love them, so I wanted to get feedback on which Vacation Club we would enjoy in Orlando, since there are several. I found the best rate for a 2 bedroom at Horizons. Has anyone been there? It looks very nice. Any info would be greatly appeciated! Thanks!

 

[debbie655]

The Horizons is really really nice. We stayed there for one night two summers ago. I think the kids would really like it too (the 4 y/o anyway) because the pool area is geared towards the younger children. It is a pirate ship if I'm not mistaken with small water slides and fun things to do. My daughter was 8 when we stayed here and she absolutely loved the pool. There is also another section for the kids with sprinklers. We only stayed here for one night so didn't have a chance to check out the whole resort but this is what I remember. I don't think you will be disappointed here.

 

[Lorix2]

I would highly recommend the Marriott Grande Vista, though the pool area doesn't have a pirate ship like Horizons. There is a toddler pool though for you're age children as well as the main pool (heated). There is also a lap pool, jacuzzis and a quiet pool.

There is a sandy beach area fenced off from the water, no access to the lake. An indoor padded play area that my kids loved, bike rentals, fishing and organized activities daily.

The decor is meditteranean themed and the villas are very spacious. Beautiful 5 star resort and conveniently located on the south end of I-Drive across from SeaWorld and a 10-15 minute drive (if that) to the WDW gates.

Feel free to PM or post any questions

 

[wuv tigger]

We own at and always stay at Horizons, so I am biased, but the general consesus appears to be as follows:

The Palms resorts (Imperial, Royal, & Sabal) are the closest to Disney (1 mi to the gate) and allow access to the facilities at the Marriott World Center. These are all older, but nice and the hotel is supposed to have very nice pools, etc. The pools at the resort are very basic and it is a long walk/short drive to the hotel which is hard with really young kids.

Cyprus Harbor is very close to Sea World. It is a mature resort with nice landscaping. It also seems to have a lot of activities, but geared more towards middle school/teens.

Grande Vista is also near Sea World. It is the newest resort and has the Faldo Golf Institute if you like golf. It is supposed to be very nice and is a "full" Marriott with hot tub in the room, etc. as well as a game room and activities for kids.

Horizons is across from Cyprus Harbor and is geared towards families with young children. The rooms are nice, but do not have a hot tub in the room like the other Marriotts. There is a pirate themed ship pool, waterworks and a mini golf course. They also have "pirates" who do activities with the kids every day. What I like is that the resort is small, no more than a 5 minute walk from you room to the pool and there is a bar & grill right there. Everything is easy to get to and geared towards kids. My DDs are 4 and 2 and have been coming since they were 1 years old each and have always had a great time. They are always asking when they can go back and see Captain Horizons.

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the resorts. Other people can chime in with more specifics about the other resorts.

David

 

[Kareng8168]

Tigger- Thanks so much for the information! It sounds like Horizons may be a good choice for us with the little ones.
Thanks!