Summer Weeks hard to find?

[Droogie2799]

So I almost bought retain until I found this site in time to recind. Since then I have been searching ebay for an east coast TS near the ocean for the summer months but I really don't see any. There are a lot of TS for sale on ebay but not the weeks I am looking for. My ideal TS would be myrtle beach in July or August, I realize they are popular months but should I expect to find any?

I have even been expaning my search for Maryland, South Carolina, Virgina, anywhere south of NJ on the ocean. Are these hard to find? Should I just grab something with points and try to make reservations?

 

[Passepartout]

Patience, Grasshopper. Ask and you shall receive. It isn't likely that you will find a lot of Summer, East Coast weeks on eBay, and when you do, they will draw LOTS of bids. If you DO win one, you will have to use a sniping program to get it. Those weeks are popular, as there are basically 12 weeks X the number of units that exist, divided by the number of people bound to the school schedule. That's a lot.

Perhaps better to post your heart's desire in BSR (bargain deals) forum on TUG, or in the TUG or Redweek marketplace. You are more likely to find one from someone who is divesting themselves than doing battle on eBay.

I similarly wanted a Yellowstone Summer week (there aren't many) and asked here. A TUGger had one and sold it to me. I wish you similar success.

Buying points of some description and hoping to book into an East Coast TS is also iffy. Those places are booked tight from the first minutes of availability to those folks with priority. (those who can book at 13 months out vs 9)

Jim

 

[Droogie2799]

that's what I thought. I will do as you suggest and post on here and see what happens. I do however see a lot of rentals listed so that is always an option....

 

[Droogie2799]

how about floating weeks? When someone lists something for myrtle beach and the add says floating week 1-52, what are the chances of booking something in the summer with that purchase?

 

[Rent_Share]

how about floating weeks? When someone lists something for myrtle beach and the add says floating week 1-52, what are the chances of booking something in the summer with that purchase?

Did the resort sell some of weeks 26-39 as fixed weeks ? do they have a premium season of limited owners having access to weeks 26 - 39

If it truly is 1-52 float, a significant number of the 52 owners are vying for the 13 weeks in the summer

I owned a 1-52 floater California Coastal Week, which had staggered check in days, the resort would not allow booking before a 50 week lead time. I was able to book summer weeks two years in a row - At 50 weeks out, I would autodial at 6 AM, within a week I would got lucky and reserved a summer week for the following year(s) soley based on their availability.

As it turned out I ended up having to deposit both weeks with II since they were reserved based on the "grab what you can" withpout any flexibility.

Beng patient for a fixed week will give you something you can plan to

 

[ronparise]

You might consider Wyndham points based at Myrtle Beach. An owner at one resort has advanced reservation priority at several of the Wyndham properties there....To get the week you want probably means making your reservation 13 months in advance....

Others should be able to tell you how this works and what you chances of success are, better than I can..but it is something that i would explore

 

[Droogie2799]

So if I had points based at myrtle beach, I could book 13 months in advance? Can you buy a pool of points based at a resort without a week assigned to you? Forgive me if that question is silly, but I am still learning.

 

[timeos2]

So if I had points based at myrtle beach, I could book 13 months in advance? Can you buy a pool of points based at a resort without a week assigned to you? Forgive me if that question is silly, but I am still learning.

Yes. You just want the points based in MB - with ARP - and you can jump min at the 13 month mark & usually get what you want. But that is one of the few Wyndham's that you HAVE to request on the day 1 of the 13 months to have a good chance of success. Most other areas / resorts in Wyndham don't have that requirement. And one of the beauties of the Wyndham system is you are not locked into MB - you can use your points somewhere else when you feel like it. While MB summer may be all you want now if the urge hits you then you can go elsewhere summer / fall / winter/ spring and still have great choices & great resorts. Much more flexible than any fixed week can ever be. And much lower cost usually. Look into it.

 

[Droogie2799]

Yes. You just want the points based in MB - with ARP - and you can jump min at the 13 month mark & usually get what you want. But that is one of the few Wyndham's that you HAVE to request on the day 1 of the 13 months to have a good chance of success. Most other areas / resorts in Wyndham don't have that requirement. And one of the beauties of the Wyndham system is you are not locked into MB - you can use your points somewhere else when you feel like it. While MB summer may be all you want now if the urge hits you then you can go elsewhere summer / fall / winter/ spring and still have great choices & great resorts. Much more flexible than any fixed week can ever be. And much lower cost usually. Look into it.

Any you get to book 13 months out at other resorts as well or just your home base? When I am looking on ebay or wherever what would the add look like, for example, would it be floating week at MB Wyndham point?

 

[SOS8260456]

A good portion of our Wyndham points are deeded at Wyndham's Seawatch Plantation so that we have the 13 month ARP. We love the resort and the Myrtle Beach. The only two other Wydhams that we have any experience at in MB are Westwinds and Ocean Blvd (stopped there for a couple of days last year on our way home from FL and rode out Hurrican Irene there). However, it looks like they have added a few more.

Everyone's needs are different. We started out wanting a fixed week at an East Coast beach town, preferably much closer than Myrtle Beach, which is a good 10-12 hours from us. I am guessing, it could be actually a little shorter, but with stops, it is a long trip. But then the idea of weekend getaways floated through our minds, eventually much bigger units or eventually much smaller units as our family of 5 grows up and leaves the nest and then hopefully increases the size of our family. We looked at various points systems. We didn't like the fees associated with RCI points plus some of the resorts charge additional fees for those short get-a-ways. We went with Wyndham because of the variety on the east coast. We not only have the option for that annual vacation, but we do off season long weekends. I keep telling my husband that we could do more long weekends if we only moved about 4-5 hours further south.

Now that is us. Some people want to know that they have their week in their unit every year. There is actually a thread currently where a Tugger is debating purchasing the week after her original week. Benefits of this are that you know what you are going to get, you can get to know the other people who vacation at the same time as you. The children can make life long friends, etc.

I don't do links, but DeniseM has a list of questions somewhere that each person looking to get into timesharing should ask themselves to help point themselves in the right direction.

Good Luck!

 

[SOS8260456]

One more thing, think carefully before purchasing any timeshare week that the seller says will get you a high summer trade. Not sure if you are aware that there are demand seasons, red is high, white is medium and blue is low. However, within the red season there is unofficially red red, which are those prime summer weeks that everyone wants because school is out, and there are pink or shoulder red weeks, May, early Jund, Sept, Oct. Resorts will classify these as red because it is still a nice time to be at the resort, but the high demand is not there. Trading is a game and it comes with additional fees and then once you learn the rules of the trading game, they go and change them AND increase the fees again.

I also agree with the others who say BE PATIENT. The best time to purchase a resale timeshare is at the end of the year. The new maintenance fee bills are due soon, they need money for the holidays, etc, etc. As for ebay, not as many people are checking ebay because again, they are busy with holiday stuff. So maybe rent this year, get a feel for what you may want and then be ready to steal one of those end of year deals.

 

[timeos2]

Any you get to book 13 months out at other resorts as well or just your home base? When I am looking on ebay or wherever what would the add look like, for example, would it be floating week at MB Wyndham point?

I believe that Wyndham has linked all the MB resorts as "one" for ARP use - but I cold be wrong on that. Perhaps an owner there can jump in with an absolute answer to that. It seems that a few years back when they made that change it angered a number of owners at Seawatch who didn't want their demand increased with other resorts having 13 month ARP but it helped all the other MB owners in the system. That is the only area that does that as far as I know.

 

[Droogie2799]

One more thing, think carefully before purchasing any timeshare week that the seller says will get you a high summer trade. Not sure if you are aware that there are demand seasons, red is high, white is medium and blue is low. However, within the red season there is unofficially red red, which are those prime summer weeks that everyone wants because school is out, and there are pink or shoulder red weeks, May, early Jund, Sept, Oct. Resorts will classify these as red because it is still a nice time to be at the resort, but the high demand is not there. Trading is a game and it comes with additional fees and then once you learn the rules of the trading game, they go and change them AND increase the fees again.

I also agree with the others who say BE PATIENT. The best time to purchase a resale timeshare is at the end of the year. The new maintenance fee bills are due soon, they need money for the holidays, etc, etc. As for ebay, not as many people are checking ebay because again, they are busy with holiday stuff. So maybe rent this year, get a feel for what you may want and then be ready to steal one of those end of year deals.

Thanks for the advice, I am glad I was able to find TUG before I purchased retail and I will make sure my decision is a good one.

 

[csxjohn]

Search on TUG

Droogie, have you looked in theTUG market place both "for sale" and "bargain basement?" I seem to remember seeing many east coast condos for sale.

 

[Droogie2799]

Droogie, have you looked in theTUG market place both "for sale" and "bargain basement?" I seem to remember seeing many east coast condos for sale.

I quickly browsed today, didn't really see anything that sparked my interest. Owning points that I could use to change locations once in a while sounds very interesting, I just need to learn more...

 

[luvNMB52]

So if I had points based at myrtle beach, I could book 13 months in advance? Can you buy a pool of points based at a resort without a week assigned to you? Forgive me if that question is silly, but I am still learning.

To answer your question about buying points, yes you do buy points at your resort of choice (resale MUCH cheaper than retail) and then use them whenever you want to throughout the year and within the Wyndham family of resorts (of course, as availability allows). You only get ARP (advanced reservation priority 13 months out) at your home resort (where you are deeded). You can make reservations at all other Wyndham resorts at 9 months out. You can also use your points for any RCI resort through their exchange program (exchange fee charged).

DH and I own points at Myrtle Beach Ocean Blvd. We have ARP (advanced reservation priority) at Ocean Blvd, Sea Watch, Westwind, Towers on the Grove, and The Cottages (all in area of North Myrtle Beach). A summer week (wks 23-35) in a 2br will take anywhere from 175k (Westwind) to 275k (Ocean Blvd.) points. There are some 1 br units for 126k (Westwind), 140k (Seawatch Villas), and 203k (OB). We've had some luck watching for last minute cancellations and getting in for a summer reservation, but it's a hit or miss situation and usually only for a few days instead of a whole week. We normally make our summer reservations very early. Ocean Blvd. is so large you can sometimes get something there without using ARP.

 

[amycurl]

I would definitely check out the stickies at the top of the Wyndham forum...it does sound like that would meet your needs.

You may also want to consider a Plat week at one of the Marriotts on Hilton Head. The resorts are very nice, but the cost of entry will be a lot higher than Wyndham (and read the stickies at the top of that forum, too...)

Personally, what I'm waiting for is the new HGVC location in MB to show up in the resale market. It's okay if it's a long wait...it will allow my finances to catch up!

 

[Droogie2799]

So I should attempt to get 275k points annually if I want to make sure I am good to go? I am starting to understand thanks to you guys for answering my questions.

I am going to start looking for points deeded in myrtle beach and something betweek 200k and 300k yearly. I do see that I could also get two deeded biyearly one even and one odd contracts but it seems easier to get one contract.

 

[luvNMB52]

duplicate post

 

[Droogie2799]

I would definitely check out the stickies at the top of the Wyndham forum...it does sound like that would meet your needs.

You may also want to consider a Plat week at one of the Marriotts on Hilton Head. The resorts are very nice, but the cost of entry will be a lot higher than Wyndham (and read the stickies at the top of that forum, too...)

Does my gold status at Marriott have anything to do with my decision?

 

[luvNMB52]

So I should attempt to get 275k points annually if I want to make sure I am good to go? I am starting to understand thanks to you guys for answering my questions.

I am going to start looking for points deeded in myrtle beach and something betweek 200k and 300k yearly. I do see that I could also get two deeded biyearly one even and one odd contracts but it seems easier to get one contract.

I agree that an annual contract would probably be easier to use than 2 biannual ones.

I took another look at the points requirements at Ocean Blvd. They actually have quite a few different types of 2 br units. In tower 2, they list 2br ocean view lower (275k wks 23-25 & 32-35; 300k wks 26-31), ocean view upper (315k & 350k), ocean front lower (350k, 375k) and ocean front upper (385k, 425k). The other resorts I mentioned in my previous post don't have so many different "levels." So you can see you really need to figure out how you want to vacation to determine how many points to buy. We have 309k but mostly vacation in the buffer seasons for 3-4 day stays now that we're retired and have more scheduling flexibility. Hope this is helpful....

 

[timeos2]

So I should attempt to get 275k points annually if I want to make sure I am good to go? I am starting to understand thanks to you guys for answering my questions.

I am going to start looking for points deeded in myrtle beach and something betweek 200k and 300k yearly. I do see that I could also get two deeded biyearly one even and one odd contracts but it seems easier to get one contract.

We found that anything above 254,000 annual Wyndham points - when used with banking/pooling/borrowing allowed us to get at least 2 weeks (or more) each use year in the units/locations/times we desired. We did "risk" the use of lower cost (in points) by waiting for 60-90 day reservations in some cases but also got some great units/locations by doing that. We were never VIP (never worth the cost now), paid less than $100 in housekeeping/reservation fees in over 15 years and enjoyed virtually every vacation we took with the Wyndham system. We still recommend it although we now rent ours exclusively as it is far cheaper than owning & we don't "have" to get anywhere special anymore. We're just happy to travel be it Marriott, DVC, Wyndham, Bluegreen or no name. Better than being stuck at home, no?

 

[jdunn1]

Summer Myrtle is nearly impossible, this late into the year. You can rent, though. Myresortnetwork and redweek are probably best options. The Wyndham resorts can be reasonable to rent.

I see the original poster mentioned the Marriott resort. I own at the Marriott in Myrtle Beach. I also stayed at the Wyndham Ocean Boulevard last summer. The Wyndham was nice, but the rooms are SMALL and there is no resort feel at all. The Marriott is in a class all by itself. Beautiful pools, walking paths, kid play areas, wide open spaces, etc... They Wyndham has none of this, but it is still very nice, just very different than the Marriott.

Wyndham SeaWatch seems much nicer and bigger than Ocean Boulevard, so if I were buying a Wyndham, that is where I would want to stay. I almost bought Wyndham points for their Myrtle Beach properties but in the end I went with Marriott. Cost me A LOT more in buy in costs but the dues are actually cheaper and having been to both properties, all I can say is once you buy Wyndham, forget all about the Marriott and don't even drive by it or you will have regrets.

The cottages look fantastic, but they are some distance from the beach. Still, the cottages are real houses and are no more than half a mile from the beach.

Ocean Boulevard has a fantastic location. Loved being able to walk to downtown North Myrtle Beach, but the pools are so ordinary and covered in almost complete shade all day long. There are no open spaces and the place is just so closed in. With that said, the views are great, even from the tower across the street, which is where I stayed.

...and ask a Wyndham owner to explain the ARP. There is some restriction where you only get the 13 month advanced reservation period on your current year points. If you buy a smaller contract, that is great, but you cannot bank your points from one year and then try to book next year at 13 months out with any banked or borrowed points? I came from the world of Disney and most owner bank and borrow and book within thier advanced reservation period for their home resorts. Same is not true with Wyndham. If you want a week in Myrtle that costs 300k points but you only have a contract that gives you 275k points, you cannot book 13 months ahead of time because you would need to bank or borrow points to get your week. You can still book a week with banked/borrowed points (and borrowing might not even be allowed) but you have to book within the normal reservation period, in other words you can't book until all the other non-myrtle beach owners can book.

 

[geekette]

I disagree that Summer Myrtle is impossible this far into the year. I own Bluegreen points and have gone to MB in June and August in years gone by without planning ahead more than a couple months and used points reservations vs last minute inventory.

Your chances are not good if there is a specific week, specific resort, but flexibility can generally yield dividends.

 

[Droogie2799]

Summer Myrtle is nearly impossible, this late into the year. You can rent, though. Myresortnetwork and redweek are probably best options. The Wyndham resorts can be reasonable to rent.

I see the original poster mentioned the Marriott resort. I own at the Marriott in Myrtle Beach. I also stayed at the Wyndham Ocean Boulevard last summer. The Wyndham was nice, but the rooms are SMALL and there is no resort feel at all. The Marriott is in a class all by itself. Beautiful pools, walking paths, kid play areas, wide open spaces, etc... They Wyndham has none of this, but it is still very nice, just very different than the Marriott.

Wyndham SeaWatch seems much nicer and bigger than Ocean Boulevard, so if I were buying a Wyndham, that is where I would want to stay. I almost bought Wyndham points for their Myrtle Beach properties but in the end I went with Marriott. Cost me A LOT more in buy in costs but the dues are actually cheaper and having been to both properties, all I can say is once you buy Wyndham, forget all about the Marriott and don't even drive by it or you will have regrets.

The cottages look fantastic, but they are some distance from the beach. Still, the cottages are real houses and are no more than half a mile from the beach.

Ocean Boulevard has a fantastic location. Loved being able to walk to downtown North Myrtle Beach, but the pools are so ordinary and covered in almost complete shade all day long. There are no open spaces and the place is just so closed in. With that said, the views are great, even from the tower across the street, which is where I stayed.

...and ask a Wyndham owner to explain the ARP. There is some restriction where you only get the 13 month advanced reservation period on your current year points. If you buy a smaller contract, that is great, but you cannot bank your points from one year and then try to book next year at 13 months out with any banked or borrowed points? I came from the world of Disney and most owner bank and borrow and book within thier advanced reservation period for their home resorts. Same is not true with Wyndham. If you want a week in Myrtle that costs 300k points but you only have a contract that gives you 275k points, you cannot book 13 months ahead of time because you would need to bank or borrow points to get your week. You can still book a week with banked/borrowed points (and borrowing might not even be allowed) but you have to book within the normal reservation period, in other words you can't book until all the other non-myrtle beach owners can book.

So Marriott has good choices on the east coast, is more expensive to get into but once you're in the annual costs are competitive? Plus the properties are much nicer?