Marriott Harbour Lake - ages?

Trying to decide which Orlando resort to choose in May. My twins will be almost 11 years old when we go to Orlando in May. Looking at Harbour Lake and wondering if they will love it or if it will be too kiddie-ish for them. We have passes to both Aquatica and both Disney water parks.

disneymom1 said:

Trying to decide which Orlando resort to choose in May. My twins will be almost 11 years old when we go to Orlando in May. Looking at Harbour Lake and wondering if they will love it or if it will be too kiddie-ish for them. We have passes to both Aquatica and both Disney water parks.

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Our DD is 8 and still LOVES it. But, I think you are correct that age 11, they may be ready for a bit more and Orlando has so much to choose from! Have you been there before? If so, ask them if they want to go back or try something new.

If you haven't been there before....ask your self this:
Will your kids be entertained with: Basketball, billiards, ping pong, mini golf, soccer, etc? If so, then HL will still be fine. I added these because I'm thinking the pirate ship in the pool and splash park.

Are your kids the type to make new friends on a trip and hang out with them? If so, go for a larger resort. I see this a lot at GrandVista - but hardly ever at HL.

Personally, I like the resort because of its size. Smaller than most Orlando resorts. You can leave your unit and within a few minutes a walk will get you where you want to be.

Thanks! We have never stayed at Harbour Lake. We have stayed at Grande Vista, Cypress Harbour and Lakeshore. We have liked all three! Would stay at Lakeshore again in a heartbeat, but doubt I will be able to get a 2 bedroom with an AC. Leaning towards Cypress Harbour, as we have stayed at Grande Vista a few times and Cypress Harbour only once a few years ago and really liked it.

disneymom1 said:

Thanks! We have never stayed at Harbour Lake. We have stayed at Grande Vista, Cypress Harbour and Lakeshore. We have liked all three! Would stay at Lakeshore again in a heartbeat, but doubt I will be able to get a 2 bedroom with an AC. Leaning towards Cypress Harbour, as we have stayed at Grande Vista a few times and Cypress Harbour only once a few years ago and really liked it.

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You could also consider Sabal Palms.

My opinion is that this is more of a kid property (8 and under).

BocaBoy said:

You could also consider Sabal Palms.

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We were at Sabal just a few weeks back and loved it but for kids I would say not my first choice. The main reason we loved it was because it was so peaceful and quiet. On one day we saw maybe 15 guests around the pool and none were kids. Another day there were 2 kids. Although the hotel pool is available and a good alternative with the slides etc. there are other Marriott properties with all the "kid stuff" right onsite.

I would choose Harbour Lake if you haven't tried it. One thing to consider about Harbour Lake is the smaller size of the overall resort, which we took to be a big plus for our kids.

Sure the pirate ship pool is kiddie themed but Harbour Lake has terrific things for kids of all ages.

The smaller resort size meant that our 10 year old was allowed to have free rein of the resort, something that we never would have done at Grande Vista.

The resort has a great covered gaming area with foosball, air hockey and other table and video games. It has a fun mini golf course and then the non-themed pool with a water slide. Sports court with pickup and organized games. The MAZE kids program does an excellent job with the kids and they offer a ton of special programs that appeal to kids of all ages. They offered special kid dinners, movies, reptile programs and evening fire pit activities just to name a few.

Since the resort is smaller, I could read on a lounge chair by the pool and the kids, no matter what activity they were attending, were just a couple of minutes away from me.

Our kids actually asked us to spend less time at theme parks just so they could enjoy all the resort amenities. It was a win for all of us!

Sure the rooms are not as nice as Lakeshore Reserve, but the family friendly atmosphere and excellent staff more than make up for it.