# Ocean Point 266 OF vs. 268 OS



## dioxide45 (Sep 14, 2013)

I have a current confirmed exchange for next year in to Ocean Pointe in to a 2BR THMV (2BR portion of 3BR OF). I am wondering how well these units are for two couples traveling together? Looking at the floor plan and the virtual tour on the MarriottVacationClub website, it doesn't look like the layout with the two singles in the second bedroom is very good. The room and bathroom also look very small. 

I don't think retrading for a 3BR OF will happen until within flex, but should I consider retrading for the more standard 2BR lock off with two king beds (one in each room) if it becomes available? Doing so means I would most likely end up with an Ocean Side unit instead of the bird in hand Ocean Front. Though I am thinking we would be much more comfortable in the 2BR lock off configuration which we have stayed in before. Having two balconies would be nice too. I am just concerned about that 2BR THMV configuration. Thoughts?


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## jimf41 (Sep 14, 2013)

I'm not so sure you are going to get the 2b side of a 3b OF unit even if the II paperwork says that. In any case there is one big disadvantage to a 3b unit IMO. All the showers are small. Whenever we stay in one I really miss the large walkin shower in the 2b master. For the guest room you have to walk out of the bedroom into the hall and then enter the bathroom.

Still it's an OF unit if you actually get it and I much prefer those to the OS units. As always, high floor means everything when it comes to view.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> I'm not so sure you are going to get the 2b side of a 3b OF unit even if the II paperwork says that. In any case there is one big disadvantage to a 3b unit IMO. All the showers are small. Whenever we stay in one I really miss the large walkin shower in the 2b master. For the guest room you have to walk out of the bedroom into the hall and then enter the bathroom.
> 
> Still it's an OF unit if you actually get it and I much prefer those to the OS units. As always, high floor means everything when it comes to view.



Ocean Pointe always gives the unit that is on the confirmation, without exception. This is a strict and written policy that they put in place before all the buildings were finished.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

Last year when Marriott dumped 2013, there were 3BR's scattered over the summer and I believe it included Labor Day weekend.

I am also suspicious of some II activity. For example Oct of this year was curiously nonexistent until a couple months ago. All of a sudden loads of Oct inventory showed up but many were owner deposits and not Marriott. II doesn't have any motivation to hold back so I have to assume Marriott was at play here. Not sure why since Oct is low demand.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> I'm not so sure you are going to get the 2b side of a 3b OF unit even if the II paperwork says that. In any case there is one big disadvantage to a 3b unit IMO. All the showers are small. Whenever we stay in one I really miss the large walkin shower in the 2b master. For the guest room you have to walk out of the bedroom into the hall and then enter the bathroom.
> 
> Still it's an OF unit if you actually get it and I much prefer those to the OS units. As always, high floor means everything when it comes to view.



Thanks for the response. Given that the occupancy on the 2BR of the 3BR unit is different than the 2BR OS unit, I have always read that your chance of being placed in that unit type is pretty high, even on an II exchange.

We have stayed in an OS unit several times and while the view isn't idea we aren't really "view people". We don't hang out on the balcony for hours. The view probably only matters for the first 15 minutes after we get in the unit.

I did notice that the showers look very small in the 2BR master side of the 3BR and also that the second bathroom is disconnected from the second bedroom. Though it is the shared bathroom for that unit, so it makes sense. If I had the full 3BR unit, is there a sub/shower in the lock off studio side?


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

The studio side is virtually identical to all the other studios, including the bathroom.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Ocean Pointe always gives the unit that is on the confirmation, without exception. This is a strict and written policy that they put in place before all the buildings were finished.



That applies to owners at OP. I'm not so sure it applies to traders. Especially in the quirky case of getting a 2b portion of a 3b unit on a 2b trade. Do you have a reference for a written policy at OP for traders other than the priority list that the GM has published?


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Ocean Pointe always gives the unit that is on the confirmation, without exception. This is a strict and written policy that they put in place before all the buildings were finished.



I have seen at least one exception to this. We had a confirmation in to a ZZAB (2BR OF lock off) unit. We were placed in to a 2BR OS lock off. When we made our request I indicated that we didn't want to be in Kingfish and would take an OS unit in one of the four buildings in the main complex to not be in Kingfish. So I suspect we were placed in a 2BR OS instead of a 2BR OF in Kingfish.


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## TheTimeTraveler (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I have a current confirmed exchange for next year in to Ocean Pointe in to a 2BR THMV (2BR portion of 3BR OF). I am wondering how well these units are for two couples traveling together? Looking at the floor plan and the virtual tour on the MarriottVacationClub website, it doesn't look like the layout with the two singles in the second bedroom is very good. The room and bathroom also look very small.
> 
> I don't think retrading for a 3BR OF will happen until within flex, but should I consider retrading for the more standard 2BR lock off with two king beds (one in each room) if it becomes available? Doing so means I would most likely end up with an Ocean Side unit instead of the bird in hand Ocean Front. Though I am thinking we would be much more comfortable in the 2BR lock off configuration which we have stayed in before. Having two balconies would be nice too. I am just concerned about that 2BR THMV configuration. Thoughts?







If the confirmation says it sleeps 6 then you'll definitely be placed in the 2 bedroom portion of the 3 bedroom Villa.   If the confirmation says it sleeps 8 then you'll be placed into a regular 2 bedroom Villa.





.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> If the confirmation says it sleeps 6 then you'll definitely be placed in the 2 bedroom portion of the 3 bedroom Villa.   If the confirmation says it sleeps 8 then you'll be placed into a regular 2 bedroom Villa.



Though if it says it sleeps 8, is it possible that they can move people between the regular 2BR OF and regular 2BR OS lock of unit types?

ETA: Our confirmation currently indicates occupancy of 6.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I have seen at least one exception to this. We had a confirmation in to a ZZAB (2BR OF lock off) unit. We were placed in to a 2BR OS lock off. When we made our request I indicated that we didn't want to be in Kingfish and would take an OS unit in one of the four buildings in the main complex to not be in Kingfish. So I suspect we were placed in a 2BR OS instead of a 2BR OF in Kingfish.



That is interesting. Their written policy specifically says that they will not do this. It is a policy and not in the docs so they could change it or make an exception but this is the first I have heard of it.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> If the confirmation says it sleeps 6 then you'll definitely be placed in the 2 bedroom portion of the 3 bedroom Villa.   If the confirmation says it sleeps 8 then you'll be placed into a regular 2 bedroom Villa.
> .



Marriott and II look at sleeping capacity differently. Marriott looks at all the beds and the pull out sofas. In a 2b portion of a 3b there is a pull out sofa in the living room that sleeps 2, a King in the master that sleeps 2 and two twins in the 3rd BR for a total of 6 sleeping capacity. Both II and Marriott are the same here.

In a normal 2b either OF or OS Marriott says it sleeps 8 because they count the pull out sofa in the lock out portion. II on the other hand will say that all 2b units at OP sleep 6 because they go with private sleeping capacity and don't count that pull out sofa in the lock out portion.

It's been awhile since I actually traded with II but that is the way they used to do it prior to DC being rolled out. Even if the confirmation guarantees you a sleeping capacity of 6 I can't see anything preventing them from giving you a room with a sleeping capacity of 8 if it fits their needs.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> That is interesting. Their written policy specifically says that they will not do this. It is a policy and not in the docs so they could change it or make an exception but this is the first I have heard of it.



What written policy are you talking about? Is it on the website somewhere?


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> Marriott and II look at sleeping capacity differently. Marriott looks at all the beds and the pull out sofas. In a 2b portion of a 3b there is a pull out sofa in the living room that sleeps 2, a King in the master that sleeps 2 and two twins in the 3rd BR for a total of 6 sleeping capacity. Both II and Marriott are the same here.
> 
> In a normal 2b either OF or OS Marriott says it sleeps 8 because they count the pull out sofa in the lock out portion. II on the other hand will say that all 2b units at OP sleep 6 because they go with private sleeping capacity and don't count that pull out sofa in the lock out portion.



Actually II has two capacity counts, Private and Total. So a 2BR master side of a 3BR unit has private sleeping capacity of 6 and a total sleeping capacity of 6. That is because the second bedroom only has two single beds. The regular 2BR lock off has a private sleeping capacity of 6 but a total sleeping capacity of 8 because of the extra pull out sofa in the studio lock off side. So  even in II, capacity between the two units is different.



> It's been awhile since I actually traded with II but that is the way they used to do it prior to DC being rolled out. Even if the confirmation guarantees you a sleeping capacity of 6 I can't see anything preventing them from giving you a room with a sleeping capacity of 8 if it fits their needs.



Though if they move one person from a room with a capacity of 6 to one with 8, it is then necessary to move someone from a villa with a capacity of 8 to one with only 6. Potentially leaving not enough room for all occupants.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> What written policy are you talking about? Is it on the website somewhere?



Yes. I believe it is on the unit placement doc towards the bottom. The site is still down for maintenance so I can't verify. I know it was written over 10 years ago but I had not heard of an exception until dioxide. 

II has 68 on all the 2BR lockoff units and 66 on all the 2BR side of 3BR units.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Yes. I believe it is on the unit placement doc towards the bottom. The site is still down for maintenance so I can't verify. I know it was written over 10 years ago but I had not heard of an exception until dioxide.
> 
> II has 68 on all the 2BR lockoff units and 66 on all the 2BR side of 3BR units.



IIs policies have no effect on the front desk assignment staff at OP. II specifically does not grant view requests. If you trade a 2b OF into II you'll get a 2b of any view. The fact that the unit you traded for was filled by an owner who traded an OF unit doesn't have any binding preference with MVCI when you get assigned a room.

Really how could MVCI keep track of that even if they wanted to do it. Suppose Dioxides unit is a 3b master that was deposited from Silver season and he gets it in Gold season? That can easily happen, especially now with the DC program. The front desk staff at OP has a tough enough job without trying to match view preferences for non-owners.

Cheryl Moore, the GM, used to run a seminar that she called Ocean Pointe Sudoku. It's a really complicated task getting everybody's room assignment done at a resort with 3b, 2b, lock outs and OS and OF views. Dioxide just might get the OF 2b but it's far from a guarantee.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> IIs policies have no effect on the front desk assignment staff at OP. II specifically does not grant view requests. If you trade a 2b OF into II you'll get a 2b of any view. The fact that the unit you traded for was filled by an owner who traded an OF unit doesn't have any binding preference with MVCI when you get assigned a room.
> 
> Really how could MVCI keep track of that even if they wanted to do it. Suppose Dioxides unit is a 3b master that was deposited from Silver season and he gets it in Gold season? That can easily happen, especially now with the DC program. The front desk staff at OP has a tough enough job without trying to match view preferences for non-owners.



Jim, This doesn't make any sense. I don't know how/if this is even possible. If a 3BR master is what I get in gold season, it had to come from a gold season deposit. It couldn't have come from a silver season deposit. II can only give out what it gets.



> Cheryl Moore, the GM, used to run a seminar that she called Ocean Pointe Sudoku. It's a really complicated task getting everybody's room assignment done at a resort with 3b, 2b, lock outs and OS and OF views. Dioxide just might get the OF 2b but it's far from a guarantee.



While it is possible that someone can get switched from a 2BR master of 3BR OF to a 2BR OS, I think that it doesn't happen very often. The occupancy is a big part of that. Also, OP is one of the resorts that is known to keep exchanges in to the actual unit type that is confirmed through II. We don't have the big Marriott II Unit Codes thread for nothing. Sure nothing is guaranteed, but I think chances are good that if I keep the 2BR master OF, I will be staying in an OF unit.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Jim, This doesn't make any sense. I don't know how/if this is even possible. If a 3BR master is what I get in gold season, it had to come from a gold season deposit. It couldn't have come from a silver season deposit. II can only give out what it gets.
> 
> Simple, I deposit a Silver 3b at OP every year for DC points. If MVCI needs a 3b gold and II has one, the way I understand it they don't have to give a 3b gold they have to give the equivalent. They could easily tell II that we'll give you a 3b in November (Silver) for that 3b in July (gold). The November week has more trading power and costs more to reserve with DC points and actually has a higher TDI depending on the week so II would make out on the trade.
> 
> ...




As far as the Marriott II codes they are just that, II codes. They are not Marriott codes. I've never seen one appear on any Marriott reservation I've made. As far as OP keeping to the unit type specified I agree with you. MVCI will take a 2b unit in trade with no view specified by II and give out a 2b unit with no view specified. II does not take view into consideration in their exchange system. The only difference as TimeTraveller pointed out is the difference in sleeping capacity.

Somehow folks have translated the unit code assigned to a trade by II as an MVCI thing. It's not. Two different companies with different rules.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> As far as the Marriott II codes they are just that, II codes. They are not Marriott codes. I've never seen one appear on any Marriott reservation I've made. As far as OP keeping to the unit type specified I agree with you. MVCI will take a 2b unit in trade with no view specified by II and give out a 2b unit with no view specified. II does not take view into consideration in their exchange system. The only difference as TimeTraveller pointed out is the difference in sleeping capacity.
> 
> Somehow folks have translated the unit code assigned to a trade by II as an MVCI thing. It's not. Two different companies with different rules.



Actually the four character code is a Marriott code, not an II code. You can see these when you look at the address bar when viewing the room details on Marriott.com. The unit code does indeed come from Marriott and it is what is used to determine the room type and amenities when looking on Marriott.com.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

I should also point out that the confirmations do also have a view attached to them. If you wait overnight after a confirmed exchange and then look the reservation up on Marriott.com, it will show the view on the reservation. The one I have shows Ocean Front.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually the four character code is a Marriott code, not an II code. You can see these when you look at the address bar when viewing the room details on Marriott.com. The unit code does indeed come from Marriott and it is what is used to determine the room type and amenities when looking on Marriott.com.



Here's my room details for next week, I don't see the code. However this was made with DC points.

Print
Close
Room Details  –  2 Bedroom Villa, Bedroom 1: 1 King, Bedroom 2: 2 Queen, Sofabed, Bathrooms: 2, Gulf front
Beds and Bedding
Maximum Occupancy: 8
Bedroom 1: 1 King
Bedroom 2: 2 Queen
Sofabed
Rollaway beds not permitted
Cribs permitted: 1
Pillowtop mattress, and Duvet
Room Features
1270sqft/114sqm
Air-conditioned
This room is non-smoking
Connecting rooms are not available
Outdoor spaces: balcony (2)
Living/sitting area
Dining area
Dining room is separated
Living room is separated
Living area is separated from bed by privacy wall
Windows, soundproof
Windows, floor to ceiling
Total outdoor space: 10sqft/1sqm
Bath and Bathroom Features
Bathrooms: 2
Shower
Double vanities
Bathroom amenities (Sonoma Soap Company)
Hair dryer
Furniture and Furnishings
Sofa
Chair, with ottoman
Alarm Clock (Sony)
Safe, in room
Table with seating for 6
Iron and ironing board
Washer and dryer
Food & Beverages
Coffee maker / tea service
Instant hot water
Kitchen features
Fully equipped kitchen
Pantry area
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Oven
Microwave
Dishwasher
Dish cleaning supplies
Silverware
Pots, pans, and serving dishes
Dishes and glasses
Internet and Phones
Phones: 3
Phone features: cordless phone, voicemail, and speaker phone
High-Speed Internet Access: Complimentary Wireless
Entertainment
TV features: remote control, LCD screen
TVs: 3
Plug-In High Tech room
DVD player with movies for rent
Cable/satellite
CNN, ESPN, and HBO
Radio
Accessible Room Features
This room type offers mobility accessible rooms
This room type offers accessible rooms with roll in showers
This room type offers hearing accessible rooms with visual alarms and visual notification devices for door and phone
Marriott's Crystal Shores
Marco Island, Florida USA

Hotel Highlights
This hotel has a smoke-free policy
Hotel was built in 2009

Parking & Transportation
Complimentary on-site parking

Hotel Services & Amenities
Sundry/Convenience store
Housekeeping service daily
Fitness center Onsite


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I should also point out that the confirmations do also have a view attached to them. If you wait overnight after a confirmed exchange and then look the reservation up on Marriott.com, it will show the view on the reservation. The one I have shows Ocean Front.



Absolutely, the view shows up but not the code. On Marriott.com the view shows up on all reservations regardless of where or how you made them.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> Absolutely, the view shows up but not the code. On Marriott.com the view shows up on all reservations regardless of where or how you made them.



The unit code is there, you have to open the "room details" in it's own window and look at the address in the address bar. Here is an example of the address bar on the room details for the reservatoin I have.



> https://www.marriott.com/reservation/viewRoomPool.mi?marshaCode=PBIPS&roomPoolCode=*THMV*&displayRoomPoolList=N&src=ratelist



Looking at this again, it reminded me, in Marriott terminology this code is referred to as the Marsha Code. The room/view details are not attached directly by the reservation number, it all comes down to the unit code.

_ETA:* What does MARSHA stand for? *Marriott Automated Reservation System for Hotel Accommodations (reservation system)_


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

The room details automatically open up in a separate pop-up window but there's no address bar. Maybe it's a MAC thing. Don't have a lot of time to look into this now as I'm packing but a quick search finds that the MARSHA code is 5 digits not 4 like IIs code.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> The room details automatically open up in a separate pop-up window but there's no address bar. Maybe it's a MAC thing. Don't have a lot of time to look into this now as I'm packing but a quick search finds that the MARSHA code is 5 digits not 4 like IIs code.



It does appear that the Marsha Code is five digits, the other code that we often refer to the II unit code appears to be called the roomPoolCode. Either way, it is a Marriott code not an II code.

I edited my post so it didn't parse the link. So you can see the entire web address. If you copy and paste it in to a web browser, it brings up the room details for the 2BR master OF unit.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

Ah Ha! Just found it, here's what it looks like at Marco Island

https://www.marriott.com/reservatio...lCode=TBOF&displayRoomPoolList=N&src=ratelist

That doesn't jive with your list of II codes for Crystal Shores.


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## jimf41 (Sep 15, 2013)

Just noticed the link doesn't completely print out. If you click on it and look at the address bar you'll see the MARSHA code there. In any event it's MRKML.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

jimf41 said:


> Ah Ha! Just found it, here's what it looks like at Marco Island
> 
> https://www.marriott.com/reservatio...lCode=TBOF&displayRoomPoolList=N&src=ratelist
> 
> That doesn't jive with your list of II codes for Crystal Shores.



I am not sure why you say it doesn't jive with the codes for Crystal Shores.



> https://www.marriott.com/reservation/viewRoomPool.mi?marshaCode=MRKML&roomPoolCode=*TBOF*&displayRoomPoolList=N&src=ratelist



*TBOF....Crystal Shores............Gulf Front.....2BR unit.*
TBOS....Crystal Shores............Gulf Side......2BR unit.
TBOV....Crystal Shores............Gulf View......2BR unit.
TBBV....Crystal Shores............Gulf Front.....3BR Penthouse unit.

There is no view listed in the room details, but my bet is that you were looking at a Gulf Front reservation.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

Jim,

This is what I see when I look up a 2BR Gulf Front Crystal Shores room details.



> http://www.marriott.com/reservation/viewRoomPool.mi?marshaCode=MRKML&roomPoolCode=TBOF&displayRoomPoolList=Y&src=ratelist



The only difference it appears is the displayRoomPoolList flag. Yours was set to N where mine was set to Y. That I think is why yours doesn't show the room view.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 15, 2013)

So this thread went in a different direction than I thought. So what is the consensus? Do I retrade for a 2BR lock off if I see one online or keep the current trade I have?


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## TheTimeTraveler (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> So this thread went in a different direction than I thought. So what is the consensus? Do I retrade for a 2BR lock off if I see one online or keep the current trade I have?





Keep what you have and enjoy the view!   




.


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## Quilter (Sep 15, 2013)

Does OP push the twin beds together to form a King?   Harbor Point will do that and so will GO.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

You misunderstand. I am referring to an Ocean Pointe policy, not an II policy. While some Marriott resorts alter views, Ocean Pointe has been know to stick with the specific deposit. Dioxides case is an exception and I believe it was done as a request although I have heard of others where this was denied.  

Also, Dioxide is definitely correct that the unit codes are generated by Marriott, and not II. No other resort system has unit numbers or codes that are similar to this format. Each resort and/or system feeds this information to II. 

On view and unit type, what goes in must come out, although you are correct that the resort can then alter what comes out.



> Ocean Pointe enjoys one of the highest Owner occupancy rates of all Marriott Vacation Club resorts. As is true at every property, we place our Owners at the very top of the priority list in terms of requests for villa locations and preferences. Because of the very high number of Owners that we welcome each week, we are often challenged with villa location requests that we are essentially unable to grant. We respectfully ask for your understanding and acceptance of our meticulous adherence to the established priorities of villa assignments as listed below. As Ocean Pointe approaches complete sell-out, there is virtually no availability for upgrades from ocean side to ocean front villas. Since you are almost certain to be vacationing during the same week as many Ocean Pointe Owners, it is likely that the resort's physical capacity will not support the number of requests for particular views or locations. Requests are handled (and granted when available) in the following order:
> • Ocean Pointe multiple-week Owners occupying their ownership weeks ("in season")
> • Ocean Pointe single-week Owners occupying their ownership week ("in season")
> • Ocean Pointe multiple-week Owners exchanging through Interval International
> ...





jimf41 said:


> IIs policies have no effect on the front desk assignment staff at OP. II specifically does not grant view requests. If you trade a 2b OF into II you'll get a 2b of any view. The fact that the unit you traded for was filled by an owner who traded an OF unit doesn't have any binding preference with MVCI when you get assigned a room.
> 
> Really how could MVCI keep track of that even if they wanted to do it. Suppose Dioxides unit is a 3b master that was deposited from Silver season and he gets it in Gold season? That can easily happen, especially now with the DC program. The front desk staff at OP has a tough enough job without trying to match view preferences for non-owners.
> 
> Cheryl Moore, the GM, used to run a seminar that she called Ocean Pointe Sudoku. It's a really complicated task getting everybody's room assignment done at a resort with 3b, 2b, lock outs and OS and OF views. Dioxide just might get the OF 2b but it's far from a guarantee.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 15, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> So this thread went in a different direction than I thought. So what is the consensus? Do I retrade for a 2BR lock off if I see one online or keep the current trade I have?



If it was me I would take the 2BR for several reasons:

1) More comfortable bed arrangement for the second couple. 

2) More privacy

3) The second couple have their own balcony. With the 266 they either have no balcony or they have to access your bedroom to use it. 

4) Even if you keep the 266 you have a reasonable chance of being on a floor lower than 4. People think of "7 per floor" but in reality there is probably only 7 units total in all 4 main buildings. The reason is because there are 28 units spread across 4 check-days. This means the 28 units available are probably split with 7 for each day. So for a given check-in day you are likely fighting for only 7 possible units in total, one unit on each floor. A 268 OS on floor 5 is a heck of alot better than a 266 OF on floor 2 IMHO. 

I suppose it also depends on the nature of the relationship to the other couple, but if it were me I think I still go 268 if I had a choice.


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 16, 2013)

Taking 4) a step further is how many units are locked off and whether Ocean Pointe favors the full 3BR over locked off in unit placement priority. I don't think they should favor the full 3BR unless all else is equal but it is tough to know for sure.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> 3) The second couple have their own balcony. With the 266 they either have no balcony or they have to access your bedroom to use it.



Is there not an entrance to the balcony from the living room area in the 2BR master side of the 3BR?


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## Saintsfanfl (Sep 16, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Is there not an entrance to the balcony from the living room area in the 2BR master side of the 3BR?



Yes you are right. Not sure what I was thinking. The entrance is in the living room.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Yes you are right. Not sure what I was thinking. The entrance is in the living room.



Even still, I think I may keep an eye out for a retrade in to a 268. We like the idea of the extra privacy and two king beds. A better chance of a higher floor also. Though if a full 3BR pops up and I can snag it, I won't turn it down.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 20, 2013)

*Retraded for a 268.*

Today I did an online retrade search at Ocean Pointe and there was a 268 week sitting out there. So I pulled off the retrade. So much easier now that II allows online retrade. No phone call necessary.

Of course, as luck would have it, the unit code on the unit is ZZAB. So an Ocean Front designation. Now additional concerns come up. With 50% of the OF units in Kingfish, it ups our chances of being placed in a unit in Kingfish where we would prefer not to be. I suppose I could put in a similar request like I did a couple years ago and say I would take an OS unit in one of the other four buildings instead of an OF in Kingfish. Of course I could just keep watching for other 268 units on the II website and hope I retrade in to a ZZAA?

Being a Marriott owner, traveling during Labor Day week, what are the chances of being placed in Kingfish vs. one of the other four buildings. Only 28 OF units are in the four buildings in the main complex with the remainder in Kingfish. I suppose Kingfish would be pleasant, but would only really want to stay there if it was only DW and I. We will have another couple with us, so we would prefer the main complex.

I suppose I can keep trying retrades for 268 units until I pull a ZZAA unit out of the hat?


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## dioxide45 (Oct 26, 2013)

I know that not many people would do what I just did, but I did a re-trade today for another 268 unit at Ocean Pointe. Hoping this time for a ZZAA unit code, which is Ocean Side. When I completed the retrade, I looked at the unit code in My History and sure enough it was ZZAA . So tomorrow there will likely be a 268 OF unit sitting out there.


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## Fasttr (Oct 26, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I know that not many people would do what I just did, but I did a re-trade today for another 268 unit at Ocean Pointe. Hoping this time for a ZZAA unit code, which is Ocean Side. When I completed the retrade, I looked at the unit code in My History and sure enough it was ZZAA . So tomorrow there will likely be a 268 OF unit sitting out there.



Sounds like your persistence paid off.... and hopefully you will ultimately end up in a high floor, non-Kingfish room, with a nice view.  Fingers crossed for you!!


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## dioxide45 (Oct 26, 2013)

Fasttr said:


> Sounds like your persistence paid off.... and hopefully you will ultimately end up in a high floor, non-Kingfish room, with a nice view.  Fingers crossed for you!!



Hope so. I think our chances of a higher floor are better with OS vs OF. Given that we would likely have ended up with a low floor OF or Kingfish, I opted for trying to pull an OS unit out of the II hat.


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## GrayFal (Oct 26, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Hope so. I think our chances of a higher floor are better with OS vs OF. Given that we would likely have ended up with a low floor OF or Kingfish, I opted for trying to pull an OS unit out of the II hat.


You are the king, I bow before you!


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## dioxide45 (Oct 26, 2013)

I will say, I never would have done this if it wasn't for being enrolled in DC. I basically did three exchanges here for $0 exchange fee. Under the unenrolled pricing, it would have cost $372. Though we will have a bill coming for the DC annual fee, so nothing is truely free. Online retrades is a big plus also.


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## dioxide45 (Dec 20, 2013)

Well, today we opted to retrade for a Saturday checkin instead of a Sunday. The new week was also an OS 268 unit. DC and the online II retrades are fantastic.


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## dioxide45 (May 21, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Even still, I think I may keep an eye out for a retrade in to a 268. We like the idea of the extra privacy and two king beds. A better chance of a higher floor also. *Though if a full 3BR pops up and I can snag it, I won't turn it down.*



I guess I did what I said. I pulled off a retrade today for a 3BR OF unit. I guess I shouldn't be so fixated on Kingfish, but I can't help it. We will place our request and hope for the best.

Reading back through this thread, it sure seems like I was unable to make up my mind. Even this morning when Saintsfanfl pointed out the 3BR units out there to me, I was still unsure of what to do. I finally just said heck with it, and pulled the trigger.


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## Saintsfanfl (May 21, 2014)

You will be fine. There aren't enough 3BR's in Kingfish and you are a multi-week Marriott owner. I think floor is your only issue so if you want high floor you just need to stress and follow up that you want the highest floor in the four main buildings and no Kingfish.

I had a 3BR a couple weeks ago for family and I requested highest floor among Pompano, Cobia, and Dolphin, in that order. They ended up in Pompano on the 3rd floor. Not the end of the world and it could have been that was the highest floor among the 3 for my priority but they also may have misunderstood and just did whatever floor on Pompano first. From now on I am just going to say highest floor but no Kingfish.

Even if you don't use the 3rd BR, it's nice to have an extra shared bathroom and keep the one in the Master private.


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## ml855 (Jul 3, 2014)

I remember reading this thread and was excited when I saw that I had exchanged into a 2 br THMV (2br portion of the 3 br oceanfront unit) at Ocean Pointe.  We just checked in last night, our reservation started on Sunday but couldn't get here till Wednesday, a few days late.  The week before I received an email from Ocean Pointe asking if they could do anything before we arrive.  I asked him to place on our reservation we will be late and make sure our room is here when we arrive.  He took care of this for me and also included that OP always gives the room type that we exchange into through II.  While way from wrong,  instead of receiving a 2br THMV oceanfront, we received a 2 br Oceanside HA room way from what we exchanged into.  So view is way from guaranteed.

Other than our room, the resort is very nice.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 4, 2014)

I answered you in the other thread. I can only add that the reps response was ignorance or a lie. Ocean Pointe no longer has or enforces a policy of keeping the same unit code for exchangers.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 4, 2014)

Lets hope they keep me in the same unit type we exchange in to . Though I don't fund it surprising that checkin time makes a difference. While it isn't part of priority placement. It comes down to the squeaky wheel gets the grease. There are a lot of people that when checking in will complain about their room placement. If you haven't checked in yet, they will just place that guest in the room originally allocated to you. Kicking the complaint down the road to when you checkin.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 31, 2014)

Fifth floor Dolphin  We are pleased.


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## TheTimeTraveler (Aug 31, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Fifth floor Dolphin  We are pleased.





Nice location.  I think the Dolphin building was 100% done over in 2013 so everything should be in great condition.

Enjoy your time there.




.


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## taffy19 (Aug 31, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Fifth floor Dolphin  We are pleased.


I am happy for you and your guests.  Enjoy!


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 31, 2014)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> Nice location.  I think the Dolphin building was 100% done over in 2013 so everything should be in great condition.
> 
> Enjoy your time there.
> 
> ...



It was 2011. 2012 was Cobia and 2013 was Pompano. I think next year will start over with soft refurbs for both Sailfish and Kingfish.

Does anyone know what construction is being done this year? The lobby was completely redone last year but there is a sizable block of time for construction this year going all the way into December.


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## s1b000 (Sep 2, 2014)

I'm here this week, and was originally in Kingfish (my choice and it was a really bad one).  There was some exterior work going on there today and a bit of noise.  I had a unit which was really in rather sad condition and a lousy view of the parking lot, filthy windows and minor maintenance problems.  I managed to move today to Cohiba and it was like hitting the restart button on my vacation. I do understand why some of the reviews are negative as you can get a really bad room here.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 2, 2014)

s1b000 said:


> I'm here this week, and was originally in Kingfish (my choice and it was a really bad one).  There was some exterior work going on there today and a bit of noise.  I had a unit which was really in rather sad condition and a lousy view of the parking lot, filthy windows and minor maintenance problems.  I managed to move today to Cohiba and it was like hitting the restart button on my vacation. I do understand why some of the reviews are negative as you can get a really bad room here.



If you have an ocean side unit, those units face north or, the parking lot and the pink building. Kingfish is good if you're in an ocean front unit but, if you have an ocean side view it's probably one of the worst locations at Ocean Pointe.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 2, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Fifth floor Dolphin  We are pleased.



Dolpin is a nice building with a nice view. My only issue with Dolphin and Sailfish are that they're close to the bar, which has evening entertainment that's a little noisy for us. The entertainment is usually over by 10:00 PM so it's really not a big deal for most.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 3, 2014)

s1b000 said:


> I'm here this week, and was originally in Kingfish (my choice and it was a really bad one).  There was some exterior work going on there today and a bit of noise.  I had a unit which was really in rather sad condition and a lousy view of the parking lot, filthy windows and minor maintenance problems.  I managed to move today to Cohiba and it was like hitting the restart button on my vacation. I do understand why some of the reviews are negative as you can get a really bad room here.



Glad they were able to move you. We have never stayed in Kingfish, though we have always requested to not be in it. The unit we are in is in pretty good shape, though there were some maintenance issues. One of the bath tub drains was stopped up and drained very slowely. The dryer also had issues with overheatting and stopping. The lint trap had a hole in it and the dryer was plugged with lint. They fixed both very quickly.

Wed are having a great time, the weather has been fantastic. Except yesterday when we opted to drive over to Marco Island. It was sunny for about 30 minutes of our beach time then poured the rest of the afternoon.


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