Harbor Lake

[travelgirl8]

9 of us going to Harbor Lake during
Christmas week. Ages 9, 16, 19, 40, 70's. We will be there til Jan 2nd. Never stayed at Harbor Lake or been for New Years. Would like to know if rooms have been upgraded and where is a good room location. We have a 1 bedroom and 2 studios.
Also any New Years events nearby for free? Can we see fireworks from resort? Any places close by for free on New Years that might be good?
We will be spending 1 day at Magic Kingdom and 1 day at Universal. Thinking Harry Potter section.
This is a last minute trip that I am trying to get together so any help is appreciated!

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[jmhpsu93]

We've spent several New Year's in Orlando. There are free events everywhere. You can probably see all kinds of fireworks from the lake dock, though some may be distant. Not sure about the room locations... @dioxide45 can probably help out there.

Both of the parks are going to be mobbed that week. It'll definitely be cheaper to focus on one company/resort for the parks. With kids that age I think you'll like Universal over MK, and there are Harry Potter sections in two different Universal parks - Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. USO is smaller, has Diagon Alley (Escape from Gringotts), and several indoor rides. IOA is bigger and has more "thrill" rides like Velocicoaster, the Hulk coaster, plus Hagrid's launch coaster in the Harry Potter section (which also has The Forbidden Journey through Hogwart's and Flight of the Hippogriff which is an all-ages type coaster).

If Disney is your choice, I'd definitely hit up Hollywood Studios - the Star Wars attractions are incredible, but Disney as a whole is a huge logistics hassle with all the add-on options so I get really turned off by the whole thing.

 

[claraj]

I’m following this thread because I’ll also be there that week through Dec 26 with a 6 and 11 year old. The 11 year old loves to fish so if you see a young serious looking angler at the dock, it’s probably him.

 

[dioxide45]

The rooms were last updated a few years ago. They look great and should be in good shape. As for a location, the resort is small but given the room types you've booked, you can only be in buildings 28, 29, 30 or 31. The studio units are on each end with the 1BR units beside them. You can possibly request to have one of your studios matched up with the 1BR to make a full 2BR lock off. Just call the resort a few weeks in advance. If you get a pre-arrival email, also let them know all the confirmation numbers. The other studio will either have to be on another floor, at the opposite end of the hallway or in a different building. Higher floors in building 31 will have some views of the fireworks (when they have them) at SeaWorld.

I can't speak to any New Year's Eve events. A Google search should turn up stuff happening in and around Orlando. There might be something happening at Universal Citywalk.

 

[jwalk03]

9 of us going to Harbor Lake during
Christmas week. Ages 9, 16, 19, 40, 70's. We will be there til Jan 2nd. Never stayed at Harbor Lake or been for New Years. Would like to know if rooms have been upgraded and where is a good room location. We have a 1 bedroom and 2 studios.
Also any New Years events nearby for free? Can we see fireworks from resort? Any places close by for free on New Years that might be good?
We will be spending 1 day at Magic Kingdom and 1 day at Universal. Thinking Harry Potter section.
This is a last minute trip that I am trying to get together so any help is appreciated!

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It would likely be cheaper to buy a multi-day ticket at either Disney or Universal instead of a single day ticket for each. With those ages I would lean towards just doing universal unless someone is a die hard Disney fan.

As someone else mentioned Harry Potter is split between two separate parks so if your focus is that you either need a multi-day ticket to visit both parks at Universal or a multi-park single day ticket to allow admission to both parks in the same day. The parks are going to be slammed- busiest week of the year crowds. So pack your patience and don’t try and do everything it will be impossible.

 

[travelgirl8]

Haven't been to parks in a long time. Looks complicated. Thanks for info on parks and where studios are located.So won't get the 3 rooms together? Will look at map for your recommendations, Dixoide.
On the reservatio, there is this notice.
"Villa Renovations Sept 6–Nov 21, 2024 and Jan 3–Feb 15, 2025. Shipwreck Landing Pool Closure/Refurbishment Jan 6–Jan 20 2025. Anticipate noise. Resort amenities to remain open." Looks like some rooms will be renovated by the time we get there. Resort seems to have many things for kids.

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