# Massanutten Help for a first time visitor



## vlapinta (Jul 12, 2006)

We will be going to Massanutten in 2 weeks, staying at Woodside condo. I have some questions...

Is it worth it to buy the activity cards? 
Can you make golf t-times before you arrive?
Any restaurant recommendations on or off site?

Any other tips would be appreciated for a first time visitor.

Vicki


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## KathyPet (Jul 12, 2006)

I think you are on the wrong board.  This is the Marriott owner board and deals specifically with Marriott time shares.


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## vlapinta (Jul 12, 2006)

I thought this was the US Eastern board, are you sure?

Vicki


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## Nancy (Jul 12, 2006)

KathyPet, I think you are on the wrong board.   

Sorry, I see this was first posted on the Marriott Board and moved here.


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## SBK (Jul 12, 2006)

If you golf, the activity card is absolutely worth it.  I don't know about the tee times because we don't golf.  

If you have people in your party who don't golf. check the list of what the card covers before you buy it -- it may or may not be worth it.


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## IreneLF (Jul 12, 2006)

If you go to their website you can see all the activities covered, how much they would cost with or without the card (some are free, some are 50% off with the card) and then work it out for yourself.
I've never been, but have been investigating whether or not to go. 

http://www.massresort.com/Downloads/index.html

This will give you downloads for the card and the fees,also an  activities' schedule.


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## susieq (Jul 12, 2006)

We stayed at Woodstone a few years back ~~ you'll love it. Sorry, we don't Golf, so can't comment on that. The rest. on site was a little pricey, but good. There are a number of good, reasonably priced, eateries in Harrisonburg ~ just down the hill. One great one comes to mind, sorry I can't remember the name, but it had something to do with a rooster. I'm sure pamphlets at the resort will steer you in the right direction!  Have a great time!!

Sue


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## ctreelmom (Jul 13, 2006)

Hi Vicki,

We opted out of the Activity Card in April; you need to do a LOT of activities for it to pay for itself.  DH played two rounds of golf, my kids and I did a couple of things, we all went to the water park twice and we still felt we did the right thing by not buying it.

As far as onsite restaurants go, we found them to be pretty good; not gourmet, mind you, but decent selections and we felt, reasonably priced, but we are used to the NYC metro area, so everything else is cheap by comparison!  By far the best bang for the buck is the buffet at the water park, and you do not need to buy admission to the park to access the restaurant.  Again, not gourmet, but varied selections that are hot and fresh.  Very nice salad bar.

Enjoy your trip-- it's a nice resort, but you will not believe how VAST it is.  Be prepared to drive a lot as there is no shuttle.


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## vlapinta (Jul 14, 2006)

Enjoy your trip-- it's a nice resort, but you will not believe how VAST it is.  Be prepared to drive a lot as there is no shuttle.[/QUOTE]


Can someone comment about getting around the resort on bicycles?
Vicki


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## sunshine (Jul 14, 2006)

Just arrived home from the summit. We purchased the card for  our 15 and 16 year olds. We did not for ourselves. I would say that the kids definetly got their moneys worth. However, it is an awful lot of driving to get them to the activities and you had to be careful cooridinating the places and times.
It is definitly a resort that should have a shuttle. 

I personally thought the water park was a little lame, but the kids musta liked it cuz they were there the entire 12 hours that it was open! (minus leaving and having a picnic)


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## CSB (Jul 14, 2006)

It is not possible for the average person to get around the resort by bike. It is too steep to handle. Maybe if you were staying in Woodstone and spent all your time doing activities centred around that area. 

We went last summer and brought our bikes (family of 5) with us. My husband used his once or twice to get from the Summit to the recreation centre (not the Woodstone one). He enjoyed the ride but said that it was very difficult.


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## Emily (Jul 15, 2006)

We were there 2 weeks ago and didn't get the activity card.  If we wanted to schedule our vacation around the resort we would have, there is much to do and with careful scheduling, I think you could overdose on activities.

We have family in the area and knew we wanted to keep a lite schedule so we could spend time with them.  

We did spend 12 hours at the waterpark.  Even though I don't have the same appreciation my children do for walking up 5 flights of steps to ride down the tubes/slides, I did go down each of them 3 times which was plenty for me.  

We will be going to Summit in a few weeks and will probably do the waterpark again.  Maybe this time, we will do the buffet and the evening time.

We visited Luray Caverns on this visit and everyone enjoyed it.  We also did the maze and that was fun.

This is an area where you can be as active or not as you like.

One of my older daughters had dinner at the Red Lobster towards Harrisonburg and she said it was really good - food & service - even though they don't typically like the restaurant.

I like O' CHARLEY'S restaurant which is near the Super Walmart and near 81.   I think they are a chain restaurant but we don't have them in Delaware.  I've eaten there a couple times and each time the food  & service was good.  They also have a children's menu or children eat free - something like that.  

When we have our family dinners (we have a large family) we eat at Evers Family Restaurant  (540) 433-0993  Everything is homemade and is buffet.  Breads, mac & cheese, va baked ham, salads,  yum . .  they do a seafood buffet add on friday nights but I generally eat seafood at the beach so I pass  . .

Hope you have a great time . . 

emily


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## Kozman (Jul 16, 2006)

vlapinta said:
			
		

> Enjoy your trip-- it's a nice resort, but you will not believe how VAST it is.  Be prepared to drive a lot as there is no shuttle.




Can someone comment about getting around the resort on bicycles?
Vicki[/QUOTE]

There are probably *some* areas where you could get around on a bicycle, but you better have Lance Armstrong legs in *most* areas...the hills can be quite steep.  And, I wouldn't want to end up road kill!!!


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## vlapinta (Jul 16, 2006)

I guess what I meant was is it possible to get around on a bicycle in the Woodstone section? How far is it from the time-shares to the activity center or the pool? I wouldn't attempt to try and bicycle up the mountain but I was wondering if it was worth bringing bicycles to get around the Woodstone section? Is it flat there or steep? It is hard to tell from a map. 
Vicki


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## susieq (Jul 16, 2006)

vlapinta said:
			
		

> I guess what I meant was is it possible to get around on a bicycle in the Woodstone section? How far is it from the time-shares to the activity center or the pool? I wouldn't attempt to try and bicycle up the mountain but I was wondering if it was worth bringing bicycles to get around the Woodstone section? Is it flat there or steep? It is hard to tell from a map.
> Vicki



Hi Vicki,

The Woodstone section is fairly flat, and that's where the one of the activity centers and pools  are located.  From where we were in the Woodstone section, it was about a 5 min. walk ~ not sure where you'll be, but the whole section is flat. You'll have a wonderful time, ENJOY!!  

Sue


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## NTHC (Jul 16, 2006)

The Woodstone section is flat.  Just keep in mind that there are no bike trails so you will be on the roads with traffic....just in case you have young kids.

Cindy


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## vlapinta (Jul 17, 2006)

Thanks for everyone's help. We are looking forward to a fun week!

Vicki


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## mrspigdoc (Jul 20, 2006)

We just came back from our fourth vacation there.  We bought the activity card this time, just to try it out.  We ran ourselves ragged doing the activities to "get our money's worth"...some of us liked the grueling schedule, the teenagers did not.  I'm glad that we did it this time, but we wouldn't do it again.  We spent so much time doing crafts etc, we didn't get to hike as much as we usually do.  It was fun, but not worth it unless you are going to sign up for everything.... if the "kids" (age 16-22) had golfed more, it really would have been worth it.
Teresa


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## TimeshareTraveller (Jul 20, 2006)

Yes, the activity cards aren't worth getting unless you plan on taking every glycerin soap making class, stained glass suncatcher class, tae box aerobics, and yoga class on the mountain.  Or golf.  The activity card gets you 50% off of the water park.  We took the water park in very small doses by buying a 6-day pass for two of the adults who went with the child (she was 2 so she was free) daily.  They had a good time with her, but thought that two hours or so daily was quite enough to handle.  The water park is $38 for an adult all-day ticket without any discount.  

One thing that hasn't been mentioned are the wine and beer dinners.  The VA wine tasting dinner is held on Thursday nights.  It's always been very good.  They've added a beer dinner with different beers to go with different dishes.  I think that one was Wed.  Same chef, so probably would be just as good. 

The sales staff at Massanutten are persistent.  If you do take the tour, they are now offering a $125 Visa card (and either breakfast [which is not bad] or lunch [sandwiches and chips, I think, we've never done that one]).  It's going to take about 3 hours of your time no matter what you tell them.  I've tried to cut that down to a minimum every time and just can't.  

You'll be outside the bowl of the mountain at Woodstone.  The roads are flatter there, but there's not many places to go with bikes.  And the roads are two-lane country mountain roads with a variety of amateur mountain drivers on them.  I don't think I'd put kids on those roads with the cars.  There are police in the mountain that will ticket your car if you speed.  If they ticket you, you probably deserve it.  I've seen some pretty bad driving up in the timeshare area.  

One very important thing to mention is that there is a Costco in Harrisonburg.  We usually get in, unload the luggage from the car at the unit, and then take the trip back to get groceries at the Costco and Krogers.  Costco first before Krogers, and usually we get dinner first.  We often will get dinner out that night in town because after the drive we don't want to cook.  I'll have to say that since town is about 30 minutes from the resort, we do most of our cooking and eating at the unit.  There is a Golden Corral just down the street from the Red Lobster, and a steak house on the other side of the street near the Books a Million.  Plus, there is a decent small Italian food restaurant just a bit down from that Books a Million on the right as you are heading into town from the resort. It's called something like Wood Fired Pizza or has that in neon on its windows.  Good pizza. 

I'll find out from my husband tonight where he got them, but we actually got Maryland steamed **CRABS** while we were down there this time.  $19 per dozen.  That's cheaper than we get them here, and they were good.    The crabs were brought up from Louisiana and steamed in Harrisonburg with Old Bay.  (Crabs are sort of a family celebration food here in Maryland.  With good beer.)

I wish that we'd done a bit more planning this time.  Surprisingly, there is a lot to do.  Canoeing/kayaking trips, several good caves in the area, and of course we always do a couple of days up in Skyline Drive.  It's a very relaxing trip for the family.  

And by the way, if you are an internet junkie, forget it for a while.  I even purchased a Toast.net dial-up account for the trip, just to find out that EVERY phone number for every dial-up ISP is a toll phone call from the resort area.  At $.75 for the first min and $.15 for every minute after, it was pointless to try to get any work done.  They keep promising wireless access, and I'd probably pay for a couple of days access if it was available, but since it's not, well, I had to just relax.  There is cable TV in the units, and a VCR.  We bring in a small cheap DVD player for the week to play DVDs for the kids.  Woodstone units may have DVD players already --Summits are older so they don't.  If the Woodstone's have DVD players, they probably don't have VCRs.  You can call and ask the resort desk if this is important to you.

The recreation center inside the mountain, Le Club, has a big indoor pool with a 12' deep side and a diving board.  The Woodstone pool is very nice too, but it is only about 6' deep.  Just a data point in case your family has a group of aspiring divers.   There are a couple of outdoor pools in the summer.  One is Mountain Peak pool inside the bowl and that one is for the timeshare people.  The regular Massanutten owners have a private outdoor pool to keep us timeshare riff-raff out.    I don't know if there is an outdoor pool near the Woodstone area.  

There are riding stables across from the Woodstone area.  I've always wanted to do that, but we haven't done it yet.  

We do like the Massanutten vacation, though we realize not everyone can do the downtime battery charge without constant non-stop activity.  You can do non-stop activity if you need that there, but it's a different pace. We brought cards and a lot of family members this time.  We grilled steaks on the grill outside, played cards, teased the kids, and joined the older adults for water aerobics (Uncle Ralph got a LOT of attention in class because he was one of the few men, and he's a card himself.)  I brought needlework and a handful of romance novels.  It rained a couple of days, and the view of the rain curtains sweeping over the mountain was lovely.  The units are big enough that you don't feel overwhelmed by the other 11 people who are with you even when trapped together in the rain.  We've gotten to the point that we no longer trade any part of our unit to RCI because we just use it.  We've owned it for 7 years now.  Just 13 more to go before we break even.   

If you have any other questions about it, drop me a line.  If I can't answer it, it's probably in my husband's notes file on the resort.  

Have fun!
--TimeshareTraveller


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## TimeshareTraveller (Jul 20, 2006)

Oh, and the resort does rent Mountain bikes if you really want them.  

There is a skate park (skateboards and inline skates) that rents skates and charges a fee for use.  Half-pipe ramps and such.  

There are several new things -- summer tubing on the ski slopes (we heard this was loads of fun), a go-kart arena, and a kiddie area with a moon bounce and paddle boats for the under 7 years old crowd. 

There is always the miniature golf and the ski slope lifts that take you to the trails at the mountain peak for $5/person.  The lifts run Mon, Wed, and Fri, I think.  If you are really adventurous, you can hike the entire ridge trail.  

--TimeshareTraveller


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## nimrod (Jul 20, 2006)

I want to share my experience with the timeshare salesperson at the buffet breakfast during my recent stay. The salesperson wanted to know why my wife and I were at the meeting. I told him it was because as owners, our input was needed to complete a survey, and for the free perks. When he asked us if we have any comments or suggestions, I asked him if he was familiar with TUG. He answered, "No". I explained to him what tug was, and that there are two resorts which generaly get a very bad wrap for having pushy salesmen. Massanetten was one of them. Westgate was the other. Our meeting ended 5 minutes later. Total meeting time including breakfast was 40 minutes.

The strategy worked for us!


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## SBK (Jul 20, 2006)

TimeshareTraveller said:
			
		

> And by the way, if you are an internet junkie, forget it for a while.  I even purchased a Toast.net dial-up account for the trip, just to find out that EVERY phone number for every dial-up ISP is a toll phone call from the resort area.  At $.75 for the first min and $.15 for every minute after, it was pointless to try to get any work done.  They keep promising wireless access, and I'd probably pay for a couple of days access if it was available, but since it's not, well, I had to just relax.
> --TimeshareTraveller



I find this confusing -- we have never had a problem getting a local, toll-free AOL number.  I believe that you are not correct on this and that people should not rely on this report.


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## ctreelmom (Jul 20, 2006)

vlapinta said:
			
		

> Enjoy your trip-- it's a nice resort, but you will not believe how VAST it is.  Be prepared to drive a lot as there is no shuttle.




Can someone comment about getting around the resort on bicycles?
Vicki[/QUOTE]


It's pretty steep hills, and the roads are windy with not much if any shoulder.  I wouldn't feel safe on a bike, nor would I let my kids get around that way.  Plan to drive.  Enjoy!


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## mike130 (Jul 20, 2006)

I recommend Hank's Smokehouse on RT 33.


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## Emily (Jul 20, 2006)

SBK said:
			
		

> I find this confusing -- we have never had a problem getting a local, toll-free AOL number.  I believe that you are not correct on this and that people should not rely on this report.




I think she was saying that toast.net didn't have any free dial up numbers in the area, either does our fill-in carrier  voicenet.com  

We ended up signing up for an aol dialup account to get a local access number.


Emily


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## TimeshareTraveller (Jul 21, 2006)

SBK said:
			
		

> I find this confusing -- we have never had a problem getting a local, toll-free AOL number.  I believe that you are not correct on this and that people should not rely on this report.



THANKS, SUSAN!!!  This will be helpful next trip.  I'll even sign up for AOL for that.

Really, I checked like 30 ISP dial-up numbers.  All of them were in Harrisonburg or Elkton.  I called the operator (from MD, not VA) and had her check through the dialing codes one by one to find something that was local.  None of them were.  I finally got the Toast.net dial-up account and just decided to pay the tolls.  Then, when we got there, one of the relatives had a cell phone that did unlimited anywhere minutes and connected directly to his laptop.  So I used his laptop instead of mine to check on things.  

Next time, we are bringing a dial-up modem/wireless router combination.  We'll just set it up and firewall it there for the family.  

--TimeshareTraveller


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## TimeshareTraveller (Jul 21, 2006)

Another comment.  If you are just thinking of using bikes to get around the Woodstone area, that would be fine.  It's actually walking distance to most of the condos from the pool and stores, but the roads are flat and just local traffic getting in and out of the condos.  So, bikes there are fine.  

The road that runs just outside of Woodstone's welcome center, the road that runs to the highway, and the mountain roads past the guardhouse, however, are two-lane, often blind curves, and steep in some cases.  Adults only sorts of roads.  And I'd think twice before doing that on a bike.  

But inside Woodstone to get back and forth from the condo to the pool is fine.

(They're all walking distance now, but it looks like they're building a city back there.  Lots of major construction going on past the existing condos in a new field.)

--TimeshareTraveller


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## TimeshareTraveller (Jul 21, 2006)

And for the folks who asked me direct, the crabs can be gotten at Tangier Island Seafood Market, 540-434-2662, in Harrisonburg, VA.  Call ahead to make sure that they'll have them in stock.  They don't always have them.  

For us Marylanders, this is almost a dietary staple in the summer.  Though this was the very first time we'd ever gotten them in the mountains.  Mom was thrilled and declared the crabs "very, very good."  They were nice heavy Louisiana crabs that had been steamed in Old Bay.  

--TimeshareTraveller


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## aka95 (Jul 22, 2006)

I stayed in Woodstone in June and used an AOL dial-up account to my heart's content. AOL has many access numbers in the area. And it wasn't as slow as I thought it was going to be.


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## Kozman (Jul 23, 2006)

TimeshareTraveller said:
			
		

> THANKS, SUSAN!!!  This will be helpful next trip.  I'll even sign up for AOL for that.
> 
> Really, I checked like 30 ISP dial-up numbers.  All of them were in Harrisonburg or Elkton.  I called the operator (from MD, not VA) and had her check through the dialing codes one by one to find something that was local.  None of them were.  I finally got the Toast.net dial-up account and just decided to pay the tolls.  Then, when we got there, one of the relatives had a cell phone that did unlimited anywhere minutes and connected directly to his laptop.  So I used his laptop instead of mine to check on things.
> 
> ...



Harrisonburg *IS* local for Massanutten.  I use an SBC number there every time I visit.


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