What to buy?

[shasha1000]

I have 3 choices I think and I am going with Wyndham for the value and locations and prominence:
1) Buy at Wyndham where I never want to go, with a higher points value and lower maintenance fee than Access. My understanding is that I will getting ARP only this resort, which I never want to go to (again, it has the highest points for the maintenance fee and upfront cost).
2) Buy Wyndham Access, where I will get less points than above option, and higher maintenance fee, but will get ARP at all the Wyndhams, although from what I read the inventory is limited for Access anyway.
3) the most expensive option is to buy in the place we would like to go the most, Bonnet Creek, which has higher maintenance fee and less points and more upfront cost that the other 2 options.

The resorts I would like to visit the most are Bonnet Creek, Star Island, Majestic Sun and Emerald Grand. Soooooo, I am thinking what I need to know the most is, for options 1 (most points for the cost), I will only use the points to go other than my home resort so will I be able to get my 4 resort preferences with only the standard window as I will not have ARP to those preferred resorts. I also want to go to Hawaii every 4 years and I read they are really hard to get (except Princesomething which someone said was not as good).
Also, I can make reservations 10 to 13 months in advance, I need 2 Br places mostly, I am looking to travel Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras Week, and summer (Not value times).

Thank you so much for your help! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG! Took me 3 days of research to come up with these options and we attended a Wyndham presentation, bought and cancelled!

 

[Jan M.]

It is my understanding that CWA, Club Wyndham Access, only gives you 10 month ARP.

If I was rating the resorts you mentioned when it comes to availability this is how I would rate them. It is fairly easy to get reservations at Star Island. Bonnet Creek falls in the middle but a lot opens up at BC when it gets close to the 15 day cancellation window. Majestic Sun reservations are the hardest to get. Emerald Grande is always a lot of points and I would put it between Bonnet Creek and Majestic Sun.

 

[shasha1000]

It is my understanding that CWA, Club Wyndham Access, only gives you 10 month ARP.

If I was rating the resorts you mentioned when it comes to availability this is how I would rate them. It is fairly easy to get reservations at Star Island. Bonnet Creek falls in the middle but a lot opens up at BC when it gets close to the 15 day cancellation window. Majestic Sun reservations are the hardest to get. Emerald Grande is always a lot of points and I would put it between Bonnet Creek and Majestic Sun.

Thanks so much! Is this your experience with availability at the 10 month standard window? I am pretty sure the advertised advantage to Access is the 13 month ARP, albeit it is a limited advantage because the amounts of condos placed in the 13 month ARP is limited, so therefor still hard to get! Also, can you put yourself on a waiting list for the resort you want or do you have to check the website daily to see if a condo opens up due to a cancellation?

 

[Jan M.]

Thanks so much! Is this your experience with availability at the 10 month standard window? I am pretty sure the advertised advantage to Access is the 13 month ARP, albeit it is a limited advantage because the amounts of condos placed in the 13 month ARP is limited, so therefor still hard to get! Also, can you put yourself on a waiting list for the resort you want or do you have to check the website daily to see if a condo opens up due to a cancellation?

The following information is copied and pasted from the Wyndham website.

"During the Advance Reservation Priority window (13 to 10 months prior to check-in), a CLUB WYNDHAM Access owner can confirm a reservation at any of the resort locations that are a part of CLUB WYNDHAM Access, which are considered their “home” resorts (subject to availability)."

"To make a reservation during your ARP booking window, please call our vacation planning center at 1-800-251-8736." this information is copied and pasted from the Wyndham website.

There is no waiting list you just have to be on the phone when the call center opens at 8am ET to get the best reservations at the 13th month window. At 10 months you can go online and book it yourself.

I very rarely use my ARP and almost all of my reservations are booked within a couple months before check in. Two bedroom units are usually fairly easy to get, it is the 3 and 4 bedroom units that people really need the ARP to make sure they get.

How many points are you considering purchasing?

 

[shasha1000]

That really helps! between 400 and 550. Luckily, I still have the points book bc we bought then cancelled. So I guess since availability is not that difficult, I can buy the unit with more points that is at a resort I do not actually want to go to, thus giving up the ARP advantage. That really helps!Thanks!

 

[Ty1on]

It is my understanding that CWA, Club Wyndham Access, only gives you 10 month ARP.

CWA gives 13 month ARP at member resorts, but only to the extent that the trust owns points at each resort. Therefore, dependability of CWA for ARP depends on how much CWA owns where you ant to go. My understanding is that CWA owns a LOT of points at Bonnet Creek.

The real concern with CWA is the likelihood that MF may continue to increase at a rate higher than resort MFs because the trust is taking in high-MF resorts it acquired through Ovation.

 

[shasha1000]

Yes! I saw a thread that the CWA MF went up 9% last year to this year! And one of the original reasons I researched to buy CWA was to keep MF down because they have less likelihood of Special Assessments. From what I am gathering so far, I think buying the home resort is the way to go. HOWEVER if the MF ever skyrocket, for any program, we are legally helpless right? All we can do as owners is revolt, but ultimately we have not legal recourse bc of the contract. Then we can not even give our properties away, all we can do is let them foreclose and damage our credit. Any thoughts?

 

[Ty1on]

Yes! I saw a thread that the CWA MF went up 9% last year to this year! And one of the original reasons I researched to buy CWA was to keep MF down because they have less likelihood of Special Assessments. From what I am gathering so far, I think buying the home resort is the way to go. HOWEVER if the MF ever skyrocket, for any program, we are legally helpless right? All we can do as owners is revolt, but ultimately we have not legal recourse bc of the contract. Then we can not even give our properties away, all we can do is let them foreclose and damage our credit. Any thoughts?

I honestly don't think you are going to have a terrible time booking a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek at 10 months for summer or Thanksgiving. I don't know about Mardi Gras, but I never thought Orlando to be a huge Mardi Gras draw....I could be wrong there.

Even if you get CWA, CWA has no resorts in Hawaii, so it wouldn't get you any ARP there. My understanding of the difficulty in using Club Wyndham in Hawaii is that it has more to do with high points costs than 10 month availability, but again, I could be wrong.

 

[shasha1000]

It would be just as good to go to Orlando for Thanksgiving week. Mardi Gras is pretty busy for Disney, even when it is not on Presidents week. So, if CWA has no resorts in Hawaii, which is definetly not what we were told at the presentation, there were many, can I still use Wyndham internal exchange to go to Hawaii if I buy a plus points program at a home resort? at 10 months? Now I did read there is no ARP in Hawaii for CWA but not there are no resorts in Hawaii for CWA. Thanks!

 

[Ty1on]

It would be just as good to go to Orlando for Thanksgiving week. Mardi Gras is pretty busy for Disney, even when it is not on Presidents week. So, if CWA has no resorts in Hawaii, which is definetly not what we were told at the presentation, there were many, can I still use Wyndham internal exchange to go to Hawaii if I buy a plus points program at a home resort? at 10 months? Now I did read there is no ARP in Hawaii for CWA but not there are no resorts in Hawaii for CWA. Thanks!

CWA points are just like any other points at the 10 month mark. CWA has no ARP in Hawaii because the trust owns no points or intervals in Hawaii, but you could still use CWA points at 10 months for Hawaii just as you could use Bonnet Creek, Pagosa, or any other points.

BTW Bonnet Creek is a really big resort. Pretty busy for Disney doesn't mean you can't get a reservation at 10 months.

 

[shasha1000]

Bottom line, If I can never get Bonner Creek or Emerald Grand at the points plus 10 months mark, I will really be unhappy with my purchase because I just have my heart set on going to those resorts, Destin in June and August, and Bonnet Creek for Thanksgiving or Mardi Gras. I am also fearful as more and more people buy, availability will be less and less! and if MF skyrocket for some strange reason. Thanks!

 

[Ty1on]

You might try to get Emerald Grand points, then.....I think it is a harder resv at 10 months.

Edit: Again, someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Emerald Grand all Presidential? If that's right, you might need to buy Bonnet Creek if you want ARP at one of those....