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Cypress Harbor vs. Harbor Lake

Dhawthorne15

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For anyone that owns at either of the above two....which do you prefer and why? I'm currently staying at Harbor Lake and contemplating purchasing a resale week and the only thing I'm seeing more desirable about purchasing at Harbor Lake is that I can get a 2 bedroom lock off versus just a two bedroom.
 

Beachspace

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The amenities for families are way better at Harbour Lake (The big slide, pirate ship, etc.) Much more family atmosphere vs just a 'condo type' atmosphere at Cypress Harbor.

I'm waiting on ROFR for a 2 Bed lockoff platinum for $350 at Harbour Lake..I did a 2 bed non lock off for $250 GOld season with free 2017 usage earlier and it got denied by ROFR. I'm hoping that this one will go through since there is no free usage.
Harbour lake (unless you over pay) seem to take the full 30 days. (Tomorrow is day 30 for us, the 1st one denied on Day 29. My Grande Vista 3BR passed after 7 business days)
 

Dhawthorne15

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The amenities for families are way better at Harbour Lake (The big slide, pirate ship, etc.) Much more family atmosphere vs just a 'condo type' atmosphere at Cypress Harbor.

I'm waiting on ROFR for a 2 Bed lockoff platinum for $350 at Harbour Lake..I did a 2 bed non lock off for $250 GOld season with free 2017 usage earlier and it got denied by ROFR. I'm hoping that this one will go through since there is no free usage.
Harbour lake (unless you over pay) seem to take the full 30 days. (Tomorrow is day 30 for us, the 1st one denied on Day 29. My Grande Vista 3BR passed after 7 business days)

Oh nice!! What did they accept for Grande Vista if you don't mind me asking.
 

SueDonJ

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The amenities for families are way better at Harbour Lake (The big slide, pirate ship, etc.) Much more family atmosphere vs just a 'condo type' atmosphere at Cypress Harbor.

I'm waiting on ROFR for a 2 Bed lockoff platinum for $350 at Harbour Lake..I did a 2 bed non lock off for $250 GOld season with free 2017 usage earlier and it got denied by ROFR. I'm hoping that this one will go through since there is no free usage.
Harbour lake (unless you over pay) seem to take the full 30 days. (Tomorrow is day 30 for us, the 1st one denied on Day 29. My Grande Vista 3BR passed after 7 business days)

About what's bolded - unless you're talking about fixed Weeks/Units (of which there are very few in the Marriott system) for practical purposes it doesn't matter if the unit number in a floating Week deed denotes a lock-off unit or not, because that unit number serves only to denote the seasonal designation and unit size of what's being purchased. At the resorts which have same-size units but only some are lock-offs, they're allotted first-come-first-served as they're requested at the time you're making reservations. I wouldn't offer to pay more for a lock-off than a non, and I'd be leery of buying from a seller who tried to charge more.

* If Harbour Lake floating lock-off assignments work differently than at most (if not all) other Marriott resorts with a mix of lock-off and non, I hope an owner will correct me please and thanks! :)
 

Dhawthorne15

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About what's bolded - unless you're talking about fixed Weeks/Units (of which there are very few in the Marriott system) for practical purposes it doesn't matter if the unit number in a floating Week deed denotes a lock-off unit or not, because that unit number serves only to denote the seasonal designation and unit size of what's being purchased. At the resorts which have same-size units but only some are lock-offs, they're allotted first-come-first-served as they're requested at the time you're making reservations. I wouldn't offer to pay more for a lock-off than a non, and I'd be leery of buying from a seller who tried to charge more.

* If Harbour Lake floating lock-off assignments work differently than at most (if not all) other Marriott resorts with a mix of lock-off and non, I hope an owner will correct me please and thanks! :)


I think the prices I saw at the two were comparable, I was hoping to be able to have the option of using half at a time maybe?
 

Dhawthorne15

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I think the prices I saw at the two were comparable, I was hoping to be able to have the option of using half at a time maybe?

And one of the prices is very low and I'm concerned if Marriott will let it go through or not at that price.
 

Beachspace

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Oh nice!! What did they accept for Grande Vista if you don't mind me asking.

Because its a 3Bed, I offered $1500 + closing costs. I can't use it until 2019 though BUT I'm getting $1650 back at closing to pay for next year's MF. So I 'paid' $2k for the unit.

For Platinum 2 Bed Lockoff you should pay no more than $2k at Grand Vista. At Harbour Lake, you should pay no more than $1200. If its even/odd, cut the price in half. You should have no problem finding $1k Platinum odd/even's on Ebay at Grand Vista.

My Harbour lake was a no reserve. Since it was a 2 bed plat lockoff, I bid up to $800 and went to sleep. Woke up and I got it for $350 with free closing costs! But, still waiting on ROFR. Today was day 30 and I didn't hear anything. However, the time share company is very poor at communication and i don't think they actually got the waiver to Marriott on July 11th. (iVacay / TimeshareBogo - same company). I've had my concerns escalated now to corporate and they are handling it.

The grand vista one was through Redweek (Timeshare Resale Partners) and the title company is Timeshare Title Inc., both have been great with communication and getting docs to me. I already have my closing package and we're signing it this weekend and it should be to Marriott by next week. The other company keeps saying "please give us 90-180' days which drives me crazy. I run a Real Estate brokerage in Miami, nothing takes 6 months to close except maybe new construction house or a Right To Use Timeshare in St. Kitts....
 

Beachspace

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About what's bolded - unless you're talking about fixed Weeks/Units (of which there are very few in the Marriott system) for practical purposes it doesn't matter if the unit number in a floating Week deed denotes a lock-off unit or not, because that unit number serves only to denote the seasonal designation and unit size of what's being purchased. At the resorts which have same-size units but only some are lock-offs, they're allotted first-come-first-served as they're requested at the time you're making reservations. I wouldn't offer to pay more for a lock-off than a non, and I'd be leery of buying from a seller who tried to charge more.

* If Harbour Lake floating lock-off assignments work differently than at most (if not all) other Marriott resorts with a mix of lock-off and non, I hope an owner will correct me please and thanks! :)

From the experienced sellers on eBay, they were pretty confident about the lock off and non-lockoff. Multiple people telling me the price is different for Harbour Lake since its not all lock offs like at Beachplace Towers.

I'd rather have peace of mind knowing I have a lock-off unit deeded to me so I can get my II double vacation.

I wish my 3 bed at GV would get me 2 1-bedrooms and a studio :) But that's just being greedy I guess.
 

SueDonJ

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From the experienced sellers on eBay, they were pretty confident about the lock off and non-lockoff. Multiple people telling me the price is different for Harbour Lake since its not all lock offs like at Beachplace Towers.

I'd rather have peace of mind knowing I have a lock-off unit deeded to me so I can get my II double vacation.

I wish my 3 bed at GV would get me 2 1-bedrooms and a studio :) But that's just being greedy I guess.

Here's Harbour Lake's calendar; it has fixed "Platinum Plus" Week 52 intervals but no indication that those are fixed units, and it doesn't appear to have any other fixed intervals.

If what I wrote above is correct - again, any Harbour Lake owners should please feel free to correct me I'm wrong - at resorts with floating calendars and a mix of same-size units with and without lock-off capability, the fact that a deed has a unit number that correlates to a lock-off unit IS NOT A GUARANTEE that owners will be able to book a lock-off unit. It doesn't seem to me that you actually have the "peace of mind" that you think you do.

I understand what you're saying but really, it appears you've been steered incorrectly by the "experienced sellers on eBay." Yes, available lock-off units can be separated so that both are used at the home resort, or, both are used as II deposits or owner rentals, or, any combination. BUT that all hinges on whether you are able to confirm a lock-off unit at the time you make your reservations. If other same size/season owners confirm all of those available units before you're able to secure one, you'll be out of luck regardless of the unit numbers in their and your deeds.

A few weeks ago there was a thread from someone who didn't request that the 2BR be a lock-off at the time s/he made the reservation and when s/he realized it months later, Owner Services was unable to amend the reservation because all of the lock-off units had already been requested/allotted. I haven't been able to find that thread in a search but this is something you should fully understand before you begin to use your new purchase.

[edited to add]

I'm not trying to scare you. :) One thing that may be in your favor is that Harbour Lake is known for being one of the best Marriotts if you have young children. Chances are good that because of that there will be many owners who request a non-lock-off because those are set up better if you have young kids (no interior locking doors between the two sides, no double entry doors, etc.) It may well be that at Harbour Lake the more popular request isn't for a lock-off unit, leaving you in a good position to get them routinely.
 
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mdurette

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First thing is you mention you are at Harbor Lake and are thinking about buying. Not sure if you went to a presentation, but research resale first.

We don't own at either, but trade into the Orlando Marriotts a lot. We are huge fans of Harbor Lake because we have a child. Once she is a teenager, I can see her love for HL dwindle. Once she no longer travels with us, I can see our love for HL dwindle. Just my opinion, but hands down, HL is the best for kids under 10.

Just something else for you to consider as you research. Cypress should be able to exchange with RCI too. So, if that is something you may like....that may be a plus in that column for Cypress.
 

Dhawthorne15

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That exactly what I ran into this week. I previously owned at Desert Spring Villas and had a week deposited into II which I used here at Harbor Village. I didn't even realize they had lock off units until I ran across this unit on the internet and when I questioned why I wasn't in one they couldn't give me a good answer.
 

frank808

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Owner at harbour lake and yes to sue. Does not matter what your deed unit number for. All are capable of lock from what i know. Just have to call in or use the website and select studio and master. Some weeks there is only a full 2br available and no lock offs. Same as our grand vista 2br weeks.

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk
 

Dhawthorne15

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Now do they have actual lock off rooms at Harbour Lake? The listing I'm looking to purchase off of says it is but the front desk says they don't have any.
 

dioxide45

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About what's bolded - unless you're talking about fixed Weeks/Units (of which there are very few in the Marriott system) for practical purposes it doesn't matter if the unit number in a floating Week deed denotes a lock-off unit or not, because that unit number serves only to denote the seasonal designation and unit size of what's being purchased. At the resorts which have same-size units but only some are lock-offs, they're allotted first-come-first-served as they're requested at the time you're making reservations. I wouldn't offer to pay more for a lock-off than a non, and I'd be leery of buying from a seller who tried to charge more.

* If Harbour Lake floating lock-off assignments work differently than at most (if not all) other Marriott resorts with a mix of lock-off and non, I hope an owner will correct me please and thanks! :)

From the experienced sellers on eBay, they were pretty confident about the lock off and non-lockoff. Multiple people telling me the price is different for Harbour Lake since its not all lock offs like at Beachplace Towers.

I'd rather have peace of mind knowing I have a lock-off unit deeded to me so I can get my II double vacation.

I wish my 3 bed at GV would get me 2 1-bedrooms and a studio :) But that's just being greedy I guess.

Sue is correct here. Harbour Lake is a floating weeks system. It doesn't matter if you own a deeded lock off unit or not. You can reserve a lock off unit based on availability. The EBay sellers simply don't know the nuances of what they are selling. We bought a gold Harbour Lake back in 2009 where the eBay ad indicated it was not a lock off unit. The unit is a deeded dedicated unit. We have locked it off just about ever year we have owned. Even those owners that purchased before they added lock off units gained the ability to lock off once the lock off units were added to the resort. Even though when they bought, there were no lock offs. The problem with trying to find a deeded lock off unit at Harbour Lake is that they are rather rare. There are only 48 of them at the resort. Might as well not even be concerned with it since you can lock off regardless of the actual unit you buy.

You may find you can get a good deal when a seller lists a unit as non lock off. This scares the uninformed buyer away meaning you can get a good deal!. That is how we got our gold week for $800 back in 2009.
 

Dhawthorne15

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Thanks for the info. I would only want the lock off on the deed for if I exchanged it or for the event I wanted to only use one side.
 

Beachspace

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Thanks for the info. I would only want the lock off on the deed for if I exchanged it or for the event I wanted to only use one side.
That was my thinking...

apparently the people above say that's irrelevant. It's up to you to reserve a 2 bed lock off at Harbour Lake and then exchange the 1 bedroom and the lock off with Interval to get your 2 vacations.
 

dioxide45

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That was my thinking...

apparently the people above say that's irrelevant. It's up to you to reserve a 2 bed lock off at Harbour Lake and then exchange the 1 bedroom and the lock off with Interval to get your 2 vacations.
This is the same with Grande Vista. Not all units at Grande Vista are lock off capable. Though it doesn't matter what you own. You can lock off based on availability first come first serve. Grande Vista however has a much larger percentage of units that are lock off capable than there are at Harbour Lake. So if you own Harbour Lake, you may need to be on the phone at 12 months to reserve the lock off where at Grande Vista it may be more forgiving. However, just because you own a deeded lock off capable unit, it doesn't mean you are guaranteed it when you make a reservation.
 
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