Photos from Branson, MO

Hello all and greetings from Branson, MO. Thought you all might want to see some photos from Horizon by Marriott in Branson, MO. The second link is our brief stop at St. Louis on our 1008 mile drive here. Lots to do in Branson! Never in a million years would Branson have made it no my "have to do list", but we're glad we're here. This is a very nice activity oriented resort. Lots of shows and/or nature related activities.

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Great pictures! Did Horizons meet or exceed your expectations? Most Marriott people are pleasantly surprised when they go there.
Mark

Nice photos. Thanks for posting.

Some of those shots of Horizons remind me a lot of Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

I would have to say we found the Marriott's Horizon at Branson, to be much nicer then expected. I had heard the units were a step down, but I can honestly say I do not believe this to be the case. I think it is the same quality. The theme is more on the order of a rustic "frontier land" look. The main building that hosts the indoor pool, game rooms, lobby and lounges is actually nicer with more amenities the some of the other Marriott resorts. It is very warm and inviting.

There are nine projected buildings here. Currently there are only two (plus the main building) completed. There are no signs of the other buildings being constructed though on check-in we were told they were scheduled to be built in 2007.

The pools are very large and very nice and never crowded. They are very interesting in that there is lots to do in the pool . . . volley ball, basket ball, water fountains, lap lanes and more. The indoor pool is very large compared to other indoor pools I have seen.

This morning Marriott hosted a van tour of the area for $7 per person. Though there are lots of shows, restaurants and shopping, there is also a lotto do if you like hiking and water sports. . . fishing, boating and etc. The near by lake is the number 2 or 3 fishing lake in the country. Also, there are more theater seats here then in either New York and Las Vegas. Like Las Vegas there are a lot of "tacky" places but all family oriented. On the way in we saw a lawn with a plethora of black and while cow cut out lawn art scattered everywhere. The cow's tails were "spinning" in circles . . . watering the lawn. I told my husband, we have to drive back so I can take a picture. When I do I will post it here!

Tonight we are invited to a $7 per person full course dinner sponsered by Marriott with entertainment and more.

Had someone given me a piece of paper and said I had 24 hours to write down all the places in the world I would want to see and then said I can go to everyplace on the list for free . . .Branson, MO would not have even been a thought. . . but . . . that is the beauty of timesharing . . .when you click in that exchange button and see you can trade an efficiency for a two bedroom and you can take the week off. . . you find yourself traveling to placed you never dreamed you would go . . . and we are glad we did. Karen

Wow, what a beautiful place.

I'm wanting to go to Branson now. It looked a lot like Disney's Wilderness Lodge from the outside.

Then only things that I noticed that was different than the regular Marriott brand were the booth seating in the dining room (usually you get a table and chairs and then additional bar seating), and the master bath (not whirpool tub and separate shower). The rest looked just like a lot of Marriotts that I've stayed in.

I'm glad to know that they are planning on additional construction in 2007. It's just been the two buildings (building 1 and building 5) for such a long time. I was beggining to think sales were so slow that they had changed their minds. Of course, it will be interesting to see if they do actually start additional construction next year and if so, how many buildings that start work on.

Big Matt . . . you are very observant. You noticed there is no whirlpool tub. The master shower is nice with two shower heads and a self seat. The beds are the most comfortable of any of the Marriotts we have stayed at thus far. The whole place is very nice and designed for comfortable enjoyment.

Doug . . . we are going to a sales presentation (10,000 points) tomorrow . . . I'll see what I can find out about the next phases.

I've added a few more pictures . . . enjoy. Karen

For those of you who decide to head this way, let me remind you of one of the bonuses of Branson.

Jim and Jenny's Margaritaville dock, with swimming and boat rides on Table Rock Lake. Or Golf. Or lunch or dinner.

And, yes, the resorts here, and Branson itself, is a pleasant surprise for most, mostly those who leave their preconceived notions at home.

No more Whirlpool tubs?

Matt...I think Marriott's newer resorts have abandoned the whirlpool tubs. Canyon Villas doesn't have one (they call it a soaking tub) and I believe NCV doesn't have the whirlpool tubs either. Don't know about Las Vegas and newer places, but heard from one salesman that there won't be any more jacuzzi tubs for some reason (maybe maintenance?).

Brian

Big Matt said:

Wow, what a beautiful place.

...Then only things that I noticed that was different than the regular Marriott brand were the booth seating in the dining room (usually you get a table and chairs and then additional bar seating), and the master bath (not whirpool tub and separate shower). The rest looked just like a lot of Marriotts that I've stayed in.

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JLB . . . you are right . . . I had no idea what to expect and if I must say . . . my expectations were not very high . . . but Branson has lots to offer. Taking the Marriott tour showed us more then the average person would find on their own with only one visit. The area is beautiful with lots of rolling hills, lakes and streams.

The $7 per person dinner provided us not only with a delicious meal but fun entertainment. About a dozen performers came and gave a short sample of what their show was all about . . . it was a show in it's self. We selected two that we will be seeing in the near future.

The pools are fun as well . . . you can play water volley ball, water basketball or just toss one of the many balls around in the water . . there is shuffle board and a whole host of other activities. We are having an enjoyable time and highly recommend Branson to all you Tuggers looking for a new place to visit.

As an Easterner we usually think of travel in terms of North and South . . Canada to Florida and mostly on the Ocean . . . we seldom think of the Midwest . . . I have now expanded my horizons!

Wow! The photos are so nice! It always amazes me when people take nicer pics than the developers...makes me want to go to Branson now! Our friends went a few years ago and raved and raved, and DH and I thought it was so funny, but maybe we'll try it sometime now!

sandytoes said:

Doug . . . we are going to a sales presentation (10,000 points) tomorrow . . . I'll see what I can find out about the next phases.

I've added a few more pictures . . . enjoy. Karen

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Thanks again for the additional pictures. Definitely let us know what you find out about the next phases.

I'll tell you, Brian, that makes sense to me. I'd much rather have a larger walk in shower any day. My kids use the whirlpool's once in a while, but I've never done it. Come to think of it, I haven't used a bath tub since I was about 13...just the shower of course.

pwrshift said:

Matt...I think Marriott's newer resorts have abandoned the whirlpool tubs. Canyon Villas doesn't have one (they call it a soaking tub) and I believe NCV doesn't have the whirlpool tubs either. Don't know about Las Vegas and newer places, but heard from one salesman that there won't be any more jacuzzi tubs for some reason (maybe maintenance?).

Brian

Click to expand...

I'm with you on the whirlpools. I'd rather have the booth shower any day. The whirlpool, for me, took 15 minutes to figure out, 25 minutes to fill up, 10 minutes in the thing to get too hot and 10 more to drain it. If you really like a whirlpool, everyplace I've been so far has one somewhere in the pool area.
I don't understand those romantic pictures of couples in a whirlpool holding champagne glasses, either. I think it would be more accurate to show one of them on a defibrilator (sp?).

I think that GC in Vegas does have whirlpool tubs but, I really didn't pay any attention to them since I take showers. Personally, the whirlpool tubs look like they'd be great until you try one. The jets on those tubs just don't do a thing for me but, I could be spoiled since we have a Hot Springs Spa at home.

New Building in Branson, MO

Doug,

The next building to be stasrted will be next to building #5. Apparenly there was an issue with getting permits. All but 250 weeks have been soldin the firsttwo buildings. There are 44 whole units in each building. Of these "whole" units, many can be locked off.

The new buildings eill be slightly redesigned to all a balcony off both sides of the lock off. They will also be sightly larger. Personally . . . they are roomy now as they are build.

We definilty would highly recommend this resort. We went to a show last night "The Duttons" . . . they were fantastic . . . high energy music and very talented musicians. We came away with an uplifted high!

Doug, I see you own Branson . .. how has itbeen as a trader?

Apparently this resort is busy April through the 2nd week of December with a low for a couple os weeks right around the time the kids go back to school. From mid December to April many of the shows are closed, so keep that inmong if you are planning on cl=oming during that time of year. I would think there would still be lots to see and do even without the shows,but the shows are fun.

ooops . ..pushed post instead of spell check . . . also didn't get to proof . . .sorry!

Mark here ...

I do own Horizons Branson. It was my first TS purchase.

It has been a great trader! We have used it to trade into the following:

Ko Olina (eff->1-bedroom)
Grand Ocean (1-bedroom->2-bedroom)
Ocean Pointe (1-bedroom->2-bedroom)
Imperial Palms (eff->3-bedroom)
Horizons Orlando (1-bedroom->2-bedroom)

And because Horizons Branson is a lockout, each of these has been an upgrade. We're happy! All of this with a low purchase price and an annual MF of $560.:whoopie:

Hi Mark . . . I'm beginning to think Branson may be a better deal then Manor Club for those of us who like lock offs! Karen

I just added Branson as a place to visit

Thanks for posting the pictures. It seems like a great place to go with kids and if I can pull a summer 2 bedroom week with my lockout....WOW!

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

I would say Branson would be a great place to bring kids. The property is very kid friendly with lots of activities. There is so must to do both on and off the property. Kids would love all the mini- golf courses. Some of the show would also be fun for the whole family. There is an amusement park (we're not into that, but I hear it is nice). Plus there are several big lakes with all the related activities.

They are developing a river front area. They have a fountain patterned after the fountain at the Belagio (sp?) in Las Vegas . . . it goes off every 45 minutes with music and lights.

I have been pleasantly surprised about how nice this place is . . . we had no idea what we had traded into and no expectations. We would come back again . . . after we had seen all the other Marriott Timeshares

Thanks again, for all the info and pictures. I think we may try to go next year and take the whole family. I like it that we can drive and not worry about flying.

MORE PICS on pages 4, 5, 6,7

For those who like to seeing the pictures . . . I have more of the lakes and vista surrounding the Branson,MO area . . . enjoy. Karen

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