Marriott Horizons review - Feb 2009

[jeff968]

We just returned from our February 2009 trip to Florida and a week at Marriott’s 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 Valentine’s 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t too crazy about going to Horizons but he had a good time. He really didn’t 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 CH’s 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 Horizon’s staff didn’t 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, don’t 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.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[tink2007]

Thank you so much for the info on Horizons. My family will be staying there in May. We over night there last summer. My parents were so impressed we went be a month later and stayed at Cypress but ended up buying a timeshare at Horizons. I have teenagers and they loved the pools. My dad loved the walkways down by the lake. I think its in a good location not too far from the parks. I was wondering what building we could request. My son will want to work out so hopefully the gym will be in better working order when we go. If I think of any questions i will get back with you.

 

[dougsmom98]

Thanks for the review!

 

[jeff968]

I was wondering what building we could request. My son will want to work out so hopefully the gym will be in better working order when we go.

Building 12 was pretty nice with the view of the lake. Building 13 is even closer to the gym and overlooks the pirate pool.

 

[darrius1st]

good review my family will be staying there in june thanks

 

[oneplustwo]

Thanks for the information. We'll be there in a week and my boys are looking forward to the pirate ship pool!

 

[summerrluvv]

We are staying here in a couple of weeks, and my son is so excited about the pool. Do you happen to remember the pool hours?

 

[3kidsfordis]

I've stayed there twice. I'm guessing that the pool closes at 10. If i find a brochure I'll post official hours. Your kids will love the pool! You'll love the hot tub and pool bar!

 

[cwnhokie]

Thank you for the great review. We are staying here in July. We are staying onsite for two nights before and willl probably go to the parks each day. Once we get to Horizons I am planning several non park days and just having fun at the resort. My boys are 6, 8, and will be almost 2 at the time. Do you think there is plenty to keep them occupied just around the resort?

 

[mcqueen n' sally]

we'll be there in 2 weeks!
thanks for the great review... we stayed there last year, but it's good to know it's just as good as it was!

 

[3kidsfordis]

Thank you for the great review. We are staying here in July. We are staying onsite for two nights before and willl probably go to the parks each day. Once we get to Horizons I am planning several non park days and just having fun at the resort. My boys are 6, 8, and will be almost 2 at the time. Do you think there is plenty to keep them occupied just around the resort?

We never spent the whole day but they had a weekly activity schedule that included all kinds of activities. I bet if you call and ask for their activites schedule you could decide for yourself. The pools are awesome! We spent a few hours there every night. Kids participated in staff run tag game, movie at the pool etc. I also noticed that they had a "parents sleep in" morning where for a fee they would engage the kids in activities for a few hours..

 

[rstanley]

Thanks for the great review!

Are the pools heated?

And how big are they? Any waterfalls/slides?

And is there sand to play in? My daughter loves sand.

 

[hts]

I know this was a Horizons review (we stayed there in mid-Jan '09; stayed down the road at Grande Vista in Jan '08), but why do you like Cypress Harbour better?

Our boys are only 7 and 8 (I know you said you had a teenager); and for us, despite its shortcomings, we thought Horizons was pretty good.

 

[jeff968]

Let's see, yes, all pools were heated. The only thing that wasn't was the water park. One pool had a really good sized slide, the other, a pirate ship with very small slides off of it. No sand at the pools but i believe there were sand play areas elsewhere. Your 6, 8 and 2 years olds will have a blast. many activities just for their ages.

Why do I prefer Cypress harbor over Horizons? Well, i would say CH is just the right size and a great configuration. The rooms are slightly larger, the views are great, because it is older everything has grown in and looks fantastic, i like the three pools and the large lake, more things for the older kids to do, quieter (not near the highway) and well sorted out. But like I said, Horizons was fine and i would stay there again.