# DRI moved up to regular forum status!



## TUGBrian (Dec 19, 2018)

Since we are super close to 1000 threads, and have actually crossed 10,000 posts...to end 2018 I went ahead and moved DRI to its own main forum category!

Congrats on all the DRI owners who helped grow this forum from scratch!  We hope it continues to be a wonderful resource for Diamond and Embarc owners moving forward!


----------



## geist1223 (Dec 19, 2018)

*Yeah*.


----------



## DeniseM (Dec 19, 2018)

Who is the moderator?


----------



## pedro47 (Dec 19, 2018)

Maybe we can help Just one person with this new forum.


----------



## nuwermj (Dec 19, 2018)

TUGBrian said:


> Congrats on all the DRI owners who helped grow this forum from scratch!



A bitter sweet honor, indeed. ;-)


----------



## csalter2 (Dec 20, 2018)

Finally!


----------



## TUGBrian (Dec 20, 2018)

DeniseM said:


> Who is the moderator?



me at the moment!


----------



## pedro47 (Dec 20, 2018)

Good luck Brian


----------



## midnight1 (Dec 22, 2018)

wonderful....been an owner since sunterra back in 2003....we have 20,000 points and love using our membership.....haven't traded thru II at all yet since we find that we have enough choices with all the different resorts/locations that Diamond currently has......our only issue/complaint/request is that they would buy/partner with a timeshare in northern Wisconsin (i can do Great Wolf Lodges cheaper not using Diamond and really don't have any interest in them at this point) since we are from WI but we understand that the use times are more limited in the northern states than the southern states.....where has everyone gone so far - we are always interested in going to new places....2 places for sure is going to be Hawaii & San Luis Bay and would love to here recommendations regarding which resorts/time frame is best......we have been to Cabo Azul, Cypress Pointe, Mystic Dunes, Polynesian, Grand Villas, Cove on Ormond Beach, Bent Creek, The Falls, Polo Towers Villas, Historic Powhatan, Greensprings, Scottsdale Links & Scottsdale Village Mirage.

thanks - paul


----------



## skimeup (Dec 22, 2018)

TUGBrian said:


> Since we are super close to 1000 threads, and have actually crossed 10,000 posts...to end 2018 I went ahead and moved DRI to its own main forum category!
> 
> Congrats on all the DRI owners who helped grow this forum from scratch!  We hope it continues to be a wonderful resource for Diamond and Embarc owners moving forward!



I thought Embarc was part of the Marriott system?  Why is this connected to DRI?


----------



## youppi (Dec 22, 2018)

skimeup said:


> I thought Embarc was part of the Marriott system?  Why is this connected to DRI?


Because Diamond Resorts bought all Club Intrawest resorts and the management of that club in 2016 and renamed all those resorts Embarc xxxx.
If you go to the Embarc web site, https://embarcresorts.com/ and you look at the bottom of the page, you will see this: Copyright 2018 *Diamond Resorts Holdings, LLC*. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable state, federal and international laws


----------



## rboesl (Dec 22, 2018)

Will this be all things DRI? I ask because the DRI Facebook group is dominated by European posts.


----------



## nuwermj (Dec 22, 2018)

rboesl said:


> Will this be all things DRI? I ask because the DRI Facebook group is dominated by European posts.



1) As far as I know anything related to Diamond Resorts can be discussed here. 

2) There are three members' facebook groups. 

"Diamond Resorts Members Group" has the largest membership, of which about 35-40% are Europeans (98% from the UK). But it seems they post most of the messages.

"Diamond Resorts Friends WorldWide" is a smaller group, philosophically opposed to the excessive rules found in the first mentioned group. The membership and the messages seem to be about 50/50 European-North American. 

"Diamond Resorts US Friends" does not permit discussions about European membership issues, although there is some discussion of European resorts.  

Links for all three groups are in Youppi's signature above.


----------



## rboesl (Dec 22, 2018)

Thanks. Was not aware there was 3 different groups.


----------



## jerry1050 (Dec 22, 2018)

midnight1 said:


> wonderful....been an owner since sunterra back in 2003....we have 20,000 points and love using our membership.....haven't traded thru II at all yet since we find that we have enough choices with all the different resorts/locations that Diamond currently has......our only issue/complaint/request is that they would buy/partner with a timeshare in northern Wisconsin (i can do Great Wolf Lodges cheaper not using Diamond and really don't have any interest in them at this point) since we are from WI but we understand that the use times are more limited in the northern states than the southern states.....where has everyone gone so far - we are always interested in going to new places....2 places for sure is going to be Hawaii & San Luis Bay and would love to here recommendations regarding which resorts/time frame is best......we have been to Cabo Azul, Cypress Pointe, Mystic Dunes, Polynesian, Grand Villas, Cove on Ormond Beach, Bent Creek, The Falls, Polo Towers Villas, Historic Powhatan, Greensprings, Scottsdale Links & Scottsdale Village Mirage.
> 
> thanks - paul


I just went to Sedona Summit and highly recommend it- just ask for a suite away from hiway. It’s about 2 hours from Phoenix and another world. Beautiful surroundings, great hiking, walking, shopping, lots of tours and places to go. The Summit is on the edge of town, near everything. One other DRI resort is more centrally located but I don’t think it has the full kitchens or washer/dryers en suite. Loved the Summit, staff was great! Was a Sunterra owner too.


----------



## dandjane1 (Dec 22, 2018)

jerry1050 said:


> I just went to Sedona Summit and highly recommend it- just ask for a suite away from hiway. It’s about 2 hours from Phoenix and another world. Beautiful surroundings, great hiking, walking, shopping, lots of tours and places to go. The Summit is on the edge of town, near everything. One other DRI resort is more centrally located but I don’t think it has the full kitchens or washer/dryers en suite. Loved the Summit, staff was great! Was a Sunterra owner too.



We've been staying at Los Abrigados since 2010, and while it went thru a bad period around 2013, by 2016 it came on strong, with much updating being done. It's in the same area as Tlaquepaque, which is always interesting, and (the resort) is right on the river, and has a huge pool. A little further out of town is Bell Rock Inn, with the friendliest staff anywhere, and killer views of Bell Rock, excellent hiking, and large units.


----------



## dandjane1 (Dec 23, 2018)

*We stayed 2 weeks in DRI's Cabo Azul resort earlier this month, and for those who intend to visit there in the future, and are willing to subject themselves to a sales weasel "presentation", here are just some of the recent tactics to watch out for: (This is my response to DRI when they sought my feedback)
Comments on the 05 December 2018 Cabo Azul “Presentation”

1. It was falsely stated that the additional 7,500 points I purchased in August 2018 were only valid for ten (10) years! There was reportedly a small "T" on the contract (!) This "error" was supposedly cleared up by your Cabo Azul Rep. "making a Corporate phone call. (!) FIB!
2. It was falsely stated that DRI was instituting a new separate division called the "Luxury Collection", which would absorb resorts like Cabo Azul and others, and in which my U.S. Collection points would not be accepted. I was pressured to "Convert" my 47,500 by buying new points at a much more expensive price per point, in this "New" Collection.
3.It was falsely stated that Wyndham was "making noises" like they would no longer work with DRI on the "Club Combo", so pressure to buy additional points was exerted. Wyndham does not care what I do with my points, so this effort was again, a FIB!

What could be done to improve the Diamond Experience?

Better align the points values for cruises to reflect their value per maintenance fees paid on them, e.g., 11,000 points for a Caribbean 5-night, non-balcony, lower deck, 2-port cruise with no on-board credits is extremely expensive!

Those who endure a "presentation", beware!
*


----------



## LauriBuck (Dec 23, 2018)

My ownership goes back to Embassy Vacation Resorts era.  We originally purchased at Grand Beach.  Being from MO, we've frequently go to the Suites at Fall Creek in Branson.  Unfortunately, I purchased several upgrades before I found TUG.  That means that I have 40,000 points yearly, which I always save and usually end up having enough points that are expiring, that I need to do a marathon booking session in October.  I need to plan ahead and do more bookings throughout the year, so I have a better choice.  But I think I've found some pretty good trades through II.  This is what I currently have booked:
Vacation Villas at Bonaventure - Jan. 4 - 11th, 2019 - 2B - Phase II
Marriott's Grand Vista (Orlando) - Jan. 11th - 18th, 2019 - 2B
Cedar Breaks Lodge & Spa - Mar. 9th - 16, 2019 -1B  (I could have done better if I had booked this one as an internal exchange, but I couldn't do that using points that were expiring at the end of 2018 and I wanted these dates & this location.)
Eagles at Sugarbush (Vermont) - Aug. 17th - 24th, 2019 - 2B
Marriott's Streamside at Vail - Douglas - Sep. 20 - 27th, 2019 - 2B
Coconut Mallory Marina & Resort (Key West) - Apr. 17th - 24th, 2020 - 2B
Simpson Bay Resort & Marina (St. Maarten) - Jun 27th - July 4th, 2020 - 1B

Then we found a resort that we wanted in New Orleans through Diamonds Club Select - The Quarter House - Apr 27th - May 4th, 2019.  I opted to use cash instead of points as that was the better deal.


----------



## pedro47 (Dec 23, 2018)

Can you used The Club points to exchange into  Embrac Resorts?


----------



## DanZale2000 (Dec 23, 2018)

pedro47 said:


> Can you used The Club points to exchange into  Embrac Resorts?



Only through Interval.


----------



## DanZale2000 (Dec 23, 2018)

nuwermj said:


> 2) There are three members' facebook groups.



There is a fourth FB group "Owners Advocacy" where members help members fight DRI sales fraud.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/


----------



## DanZale2000 (Dec 23, 2018)

youppi said:


> Because Diamond Resorts bought all Club Intrawest resorts and the management of that club in 2016 and renamed all those resorts Embarc xxxx.



Club Intrawest was offered to Marriott before DRI, but Marriott declined.


----------



## cd5 (Dec 23, 2018)

skimeup said:


> I thought Embarc was part of the Marriott system?  Why is this connected to DRI?


Embarc belongs to DRI not Marriott (unfortunately)


----------



## cali-gal (Dec 29, 2018)

TUGBrian said:


> Since we are super close to 1000 threads, and have actually crossed 10,000 posts...to end 2018 I went ahead and moved DRI to its own main forum category!
> 
> Congrats on all the DRI owners who helped grow this forum from scratch!  We hope it continues to be a wonderful resource for Diamond and Embarc owners moving forward!


Thank you, I have been hoping for this for some time!


----------



## karibkeith (Jan 4, 2019)

pedro47 said:


> Can you used The Club points to exchange into  Embrac Resorts?


I have been lied to twice that Embarc resorts would be available to Club members. They are not. The last lier said it would start last August. One of their resorts is less than two hours away. Sign me up for the next class action suit.


----------

