# Looking into possible purchase.



## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

Hello all,

I've been trying to read up here to learn a bit on how MVC works.  A friend of ours owns a week at Frenchmans Cove and that inspired us to look into the idea.  He is a proponent of owning a week vs the newer point system.  A bit about us:

Family of four, kids 10 and 14, thus we mostly are stuck to traveling for spring break and summer, spring break being the target for MVC but that week changes each year and our spring break is the week before Easter.  We already own points at Disney Vacation Club at the Polynesian and use that every other year.  We enjoy our DVC points usage, though maybe not the WDW ticketing changes.  We also like to cruise and try to cruise every other year.  Our vacation goals are two bigger week long trips each year, one on spring break and one in mid-late June (for now).  We live in Ohio so beach vacations are the goal, and places easy to get to every year.  Thus not Hawaii, California, or busy cities.  Also not Orlando as we own DVC.  We were mostly thinking on whether to purchase a week or points for Frenchman's Cove but also looking at the other Caribbean islands. 

We just got back from Hilton Head and stayed at the Omni Resort (the DVC resort was booked) and loved it, but it's not an every year place for us but maybe once every few years.  Loved the Omni pool setup and being next to the beach.  That's generally what we are looking for, nice pool, nice beach, lots of fun water related activities (fishing, sailing, maybe getting kids into scuba), just relaxing with a Mai Tai and listening to some music reading a book soaking up the sun.  

Any tips on buying a week vs points?  How flexible is owning a week, for example if I want to stay for spring break each year but the week of spring break changes each year?  For years we cannot go, or want to try something else, how hard is it to trade and go elsewhere?  For DVC points, it's easy to stay within the DVC system, and difficult to go through RCI for something else.

For points, how hard is it to get what you want?  We mostly plan a year out for vacations, but our jobs require that long of a planning time.  Our friend frowned about the point setup but didn't have many details on why.

Any tips on who to use for a resale purchase?  I found many sites online but it's hard to tell who is trustworthy.

I tried to talk to MVC directly to get some information but they need my wife and I both on the line and that is tough timing wise.  I was also hoping to have some type of incentive discounted vacation offer where you sit in a presentation but they only offered Bonvoy points.  We collect Bonvoy but not enough to be that useful.  We mostly collect Chase points and use those for vacations (including the last Omni Hilton Head trip).

Thanks for any help.  Edited for more detail.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 6, 2021)

Just a quick partial answers- you’ll get more advice from others!

MVC no longer sells weeks. To buy a week you will get it from the resale market. Resale weeks can’t be enrolled in the Destination club points program with out making a significant purchase directly from MVC- that is another option.  You can also buy points resale and MVC will try to sell you points directly for a much higher cost if you talk to them.

Most MVC weeks are floating- you buy a season and then each year you need to reserve a week within that season to either stay at your owned resort (exception is Florida club) or deposit into interval International to exchange- MVC does not have an internal exchange- it uses II.

My personal experience is I have had great success exchanging my MVC week on II.  I reserve the highest TDI week in my season, deposit it into II and immediately place a request for travel in the future (usually 9 months plus in advance).  I have a lock off unit so even if I wanted to stay at my home resort (I don’t) I would still deposit into II and exchange in with one portion of my lock off and have the other piece for another exchange.
If you are exchanging through II it won’t matter when you spring break is- easy to know when Easter is each year and place your request early. If you just wanted to stay in your owned week as long as your break always falls in the same resort season that works fine to change what week you reserve form year to year.


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## TravelTime (Apr 6, 2021)

MVC sells hybrid packages which includes a week and points or just a week that is enrolled. You can convert the week to points when you want to use points. A resale week is cheapest so if money is a concern, you can buy a resale week. I am a proponent of points because I like the flexibility of going wherever I want and  choosing my view and unit size. If you buy a resale week, you a limited to booking where you own or using II. I am not a proponent of II because it is hard to get high demand weeks at desireable locations assuming you can get the location at all. You can by resale points resale as well. I have purchased both resale points as well as a hybrid package.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

Do you have to buy a hybrid package direct from MVC, or are there resales available?  Is there a couple of trustworthy sites to look at current resale offerings?


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## dioxide45 (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Do you have to buy a hybrid package direct from MVC, or are there resales available?  Is there a couple of trustworthy sites to look at current resale offerings?


Hybrid can only be purchased direct.


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## rthib (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> How flexible is owning a week, for example if I want to stay for spring break each year but the week of spring break changes each year? For years we cannot go, or want to try something else, how hard is it to trade and go elsewhere? For DVC points, it's easy to stay within the DVC system, and difficult to go through RCI for something else


Most weeks are floating, so the good news is you are not stuck to a specific week. The bad news is you do not have a guaranteed week.
If an owner owns more than one week than they can book their week 13 months out, so it is harder to get that specific week.
For instance I own multiple weeks at Canyon Villas so I am always able to get spring break/spring training. But this year I didn't book ahead so decided to see what it looked like at 12 months and while I can book in season, Spring Break was not available.

Trading is easy but depends on when and where. If you are stuck to school breaks then you are competing with everyone else who is trying to go school break.
Add on top of that if you are trying to go somewhere popular during that time, the weeks owners may find it better to rent vs trade.

The points program is similar except that non time-share stays (trips, cruises etc...) are not as good a value.

If it is not a financial stretch, a hybrid purchase is a good strategy since it should get you points at a lower MF and you can get a week somewhere you like.

But I always caution families on time share purchases because of the flexibility issues. 
We bought when we had kids but I had no issue taking the kids out of school for vacations so we could go when we wanted.
And I bought places I would still want to go when kids were gone.


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## vol_90 (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I've been trying to read up here to learn a bit on how MVC works.  A friend of ours owns a week at Frenchmans Cove and that inspired us to look into the idea.  He is a proponent of owning a week vs the newer point system.  A bit about us:
> 
> ...


One bit of information that may help with advice on purchasing a Marriott Timeshare(s) is what is your budget if you were to buy?  This will help with options given the information you gave us above.


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## stslc (Apr 6, 2021)

I'll share our experience.  Hope it helps.  We are in a similar family situation just a little further down the road.  I have three 17 year old boys so we have been limited to family travel only when our kids have breaks from school.  We own two weeks, both purchased on Ebay.  A gold Mountainside ($450) week purchased early enough to enroll in the points system (only used points one time) and a Maui Lahaina Villas week($10K) that we have never used because it rents for enough to cover all our expenses for both units.  My strategy has been to use the two weeks to access the 13 month booking window to get good summer weeks for both.  I split the mountainside and use exclusively for trading.  
We just spent spring break in Maui using the Mountainside weeks for a trade into a two bedroom MOC garden view.  In addition to that awesome trade, we have been to Spain twice, France, Ko Olina, Waiohai twice, MOC twice, Newport CA three times and multiple Ski weeks in Park City including President's Day week.  It has been a great ride using only a $450 Mountainside week.  

I have come close to buying points a couple times to get me to Presidential status for some of the discounts and flexibility but the reality is that with two resale weeks, we've been able to take some really great trips in two and three bedroom units around the world.  

It does take some work and patience to make all of this happen using Interval and Marriott's booking system.  For us, it has been worth the time spent learning and using the system without ever paying full Marriott price for anything.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

vol_90 said:


> One bit of information that may help with advice on purchasing a Marriott Timeshare(s) is what is your budget if you were to buy?  This will help with options given the information you gave us above.



I'm not certain.  Maybe $15,000.  It depends as we may also buy a few resale DVC points so we can stay in larger units.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

stslc said:


> I'll share our experience.  Hope it helps.  We are in a similar family situation just a little further down the road.  I have three 17 year old boys so we have been limited to family travel only when our kids have breaks from school.  We own two weeks, both purchased on Ebay.  A gold Mountainside ($450) week purchased early enough to enroll in the points system (only used points one time) and a Maui Lahaina Villas week($10K) that we have never used because it rents for enough to cover all our expenses for both units.  My strategy has been to use the two weeks to access the 13 month booking window to get good summer weeks for both.  I split the mountainside and use exclusively for trading.
> We just spent spring break in Maui using the Mountainside weeks for a trade into a two bedroom MOC garden view.  In addition to that awesome trade, we have been to Spain twice, France, Ko Olina, Waiohai twice, MOC twice, Newport CA three times and multiple Ski weeks in Park City including President's Day week.  It has been a great ride using only a $450 Mountainside week.
> 
> I have come close to buying points a couple times to get me to Presidential status for some of the discounts and flexibility but the reality is that with two resale weeks, we've been able to take some really great trips in two and three bedroom units around the world.
> ...



That's interesting.  Where do you rent the Maui location at?  Like a VRBO type place?  Is it easy to rent out a deeded week?  We have never tried to rent out our DVC points yet.


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## stslc (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> That's interesting.  Where do you rent the Maui location at?  Like a VRBO type place?  Is it easy to rent out a deeded week?  We have never tried to rent out our DVC points yet.


We've used Redweek full service.  Relatively inexpensive and I don't have to do anything but change the name on the reservation.  MOC has been great for renting.  One of these days we're actually going to use our week.  
There are a lot of resale units available as well if you eventually end up deciding to purchase a resale week.  Pick a resort that you actually want to use if you end up not being able to trade.  With a 15K budget, you could pick up two weeks which will give you a 13 month booking window which is crucial at hot resorts during hot weeks.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

stslc said:


> We've used Redweek full service.  Relatively inexpensive and I don't have to do anything but change the name on the reservation.  MOC has been great for renting.  One of these days we're actually going to use our week.
> There are a lot of resale units available as well if you eventually end up deciding to purchase a resale week.  Pick a resort that you actually want to use if you end up not being able to trade.  With a 15K budget, you could pick up two weeks which will give you a 13 month booking window which is crucial at hot resorts during hot weeks.



Thanks.  I'm look at different resale sites.  It's hard to decifer the difference.  Some show a floating week for $25,000 and others $2,500 at the same resort.


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## TXTortoise (Apr 6, 2021)

Asking prices often reflect the owners perception of value, rather than market value. Floating weeks are commodities, so while a week may be rare, once there are two or more of the same exact week, lowest price wins. You might also look at ROFR.net for examples of actual sales.

Points are a pure commodity, so just offer $2.25 at Resale and if they don’t pass ROFR, then go back with a $2.50 deal, etc. 
https://vacationpointexchange.com/resale/

For week resales, once you narrow down your target resort, many here can help refine what might be possible.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

Thanks.  Looking at the options, it would most likely be Frenchman.  Possibly one of the Aruba locations, but likely Frenchman's as being easier to get to.  If we got a second contract I'd likely get one of the Hilton Head sites.  I'd say Hawaii but we would not go there regularly due to the difficulty to get there.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Thanks.  Looking at the options, it would most likely be Frenchman.  Possibly one of the Aruba locations, but likely Frenchman's as being easier to get to.  If we got a second contract I'd likely get one of the Hilton Head sites.  I'd say Hawaii but we would not go there regularly due to the difficulty to get there.


Be sure to check the resort calendar to determine what season you plan to stay during if you want to stay in your owned week rather than exchanging on II. As I said above I always exchange, never stay at my home resort so it really doesn’t matter where I own, just a matter of looking at trading power vs. maintenance fees.


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## rthib (Apr 6, 2021)

If you are looking at Aruba, make sure to read the thread https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/event-weeks-at-marriott-resorts.204519/


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

It appears that spring break for St Thomas or Aruba is a Platinum week.  June however is a Gold week.  Does that mean that I'd have to use ii to trade if I needed a gold/June week?


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## rthib (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> It appears that spring break for St Thomas or Aruba is a Platinum week.  June however is a Gold week.  Does that mean that I'd have to use ii to trade if I needed a gold/June week?


You can only reserve in your season, so if June is not in your season than you would need to trade.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> It appears that spring break for St Thomas or Aruba is a Platinum week.  June however is a Gold week.  Does that mean that I'd have to use ii to trade if I needed a gold/June week?



And if you are going to end up exchanging read some of the many threads on buying a resale trader.

If you own points you can reserve when and where you want- subject to availability.


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## RookWDW (Apr 6, 2021)

So, if my primary goal is to get spring break week every year at Frenchman's, which option makes that most likely or easiest to ensure happens?  Points or a platinum week?  Trading is a whole addition depth I'll have to figure out, but at least for the next 8 or so years spring break is the main vacation to a warm location.  Trading would come in for the odd year that work does not allow a spring break trip and we would need to move to June.  Unfortunately I don't think we can take kids out of school.  After kids, likely our trips to warm beaches will be January / February which would still be a platinum time frame.


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## Mlvnsmly (Apr 6, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So, if my primary goal is to get spring break week every year at Frenchman's, which option makes that most likely or easiest to ensure happens?  Points or a platinum week?  Trading is a whole addition depth I'll have to figure out, but at least for the next 8 or so years spring break is the main vacation to a warm location.  Trading would come in for the odd year that work does not allow a spring break trip and we would need to move to June.  Unfortunately I don't think we can take kids out of school.  After kids, likely our trips to warm beaches will be January / February which would still be a platinum time frame.


Definitely buy a resale St Thomas platinum week.  That will get you your 8 years there and if you want, you can get rid of it down the road and buy into the point system.  You may end up liking trading, but if your not flexible, trading becomes more difficult.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 7, 2021)

I agree, buy a resale platinum week there! That's the easiest way to get what you want for now, you can worry about the future later and save a lot of money.


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## RookWDW (Apr 7, 2021)

So, my next problem is that I've not been to any of these places.  How do you decide between Frenchman on St Thomas, the place on St Kitts, or either place in Aruba?  They all have the beach island getaway concept we are looking for.  All different islands and islands we have yet to be to.  All look nice.  Aruba appears at least to be a busier area (we prefer less busy if possible) but I know many people love Aruba.  All three appear to be similar for flights with one stop and around 7-9 hrs depending on layover with St Thomas being a bit higher priced.


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So, my next problem is that I've not been to any of these places.  How do you decide between Frenchman on St Thomas, the place on St Kitts, or either place in Aruba?  They all have the beach island getaway concept we are looking for.  All different islands and islands we have yet to be to.  All look nice.  Aruba appears at least to be a busier area (we prefer less busy if possible) but I know many people love Aruba.  All three appear to be similar for flights with one stop and around 7-9 hrs depending on layover with St Thomas being a bit higher priced.


Rent privately and give the one that you are thinking as the first choice a try.  I wouldn't buy blindly with the goal of staying there routinely.


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## Mlvnsmly (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So, my next problem is that I've not been to any of these places.  How do you decide between Frenchman on St Thomas, the place on St Kitts, or either place in Aruba?  They all have the beach island getaway concept we are looking for.  All different islands and islands we have yet to be to.  All look nice.  Aruba appears at least to be a busier area (we prefer less busy if possible) but I know many people love Aruba.  All three appear to be similar for flights with one stop and around 7-9 hrs depending on layover with St Thomas being a bit higher priced.


I would probably rule out the Aruba properties if you're looking for more laid back.  Renting first is a good idea also.  Another thing you could do is search this forum and you will find plenty of info and opinions on the places you are considering.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 7, 2021)

I agree with Dean if you plan to buy to return every year you need to test drive.
But do you really want to go to the same place every year? Does the family? Will it change as the kids get older- my experience is yes (youngest is about to graduate college!).
Because if you are not planning to stay your ownership most years you may as well buy a trader with lower maintenance fees.


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

Pamplemousse said:


> I agree with Dean if you plan to buy to return every year you need to test drive.
> But do you really want to go to the same place every year? Does the family? Will it change as the kids get older- my experience is yes (youngest is about to graduate college!).
> Because if you are not planning to stay your ownership most years you may as well buy a trader with lower maintenance fees.


I'd agree in general but they're looking specifically at Spring break and a 2BR for this issue which makes trading more risky.  Even if they had a good trader situation and listed all 3 locations I'm not sure they could consistently get what they needed.  Points resale would be another option maybe with renting points along with owning a smaller number of points.  They certainly could try with a well placed trader and kick the can down the road for a few years then reevaluate.  Their other focus is summer (late June/July) Beach north of FL like HHI which I also don't think is a good option for using a trader.


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## RookWDW (Apr 7, 2021)

Mlvnsmly said:


> I would probably rule out the Aruba properties if you're looking for more laid back.  Renting first is a good idea also.  Another thing you could do is search this forum and you will find plenty of info and opinions on the places you are considering.



The nice thought about Aruba is the long beach to walk.  We enjoyed that on our HHI trip.  The down side I think is that it's a flat desert island.


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## TheTimeTraveler (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So, my next problem is that I've not been to any of these places.  How do you decide between Frenchman on St Thomas, the place on St Kitts, or either place in Aruba?  They all have the beach island getaway concept we are looking for.  All different islands and islands we have yet to be to.  All look nice.  Aruba appears at least to be a busier area (we prefer less busy if possible) but I know many people love Aruba.  All three appear to be similar for flights with one stop and around 7-9 hrs depending on layover with St Thomas being a bit higher priced.





One thing you may want to consider is the flight costs and time to reach these island destinations.  Some think of it as easy, but flying to St. Kitts takes a lot of time and a lot of money (or air miles).

Personally?  You may want to consider easy to reach beach destinations such as Marriott's Crystal Shores (Marco Island) or Marriott's Oceana Palms (near West Palm Beach) in Florida.   Also keep in mind that these can be accessed via automobile (without the absolute need to fly).



.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 7, 2021)

Dean said:


> I'd agree in general but they're looking specifically at Spring break and a 2BR for this issue which makes trading more risky.  Even if they had a good trader situation and listed all 3 locations I'm not sure they could consistently get what they needed.  Points resale would be another option maybe with renting points along with owning a smaller number of points.  They certainly could try with a well placed trader and kick the can down the road for a few years then reevaluate.  Their other focus is summer (late June/July) Beach north of FL like HHI which I also don't think is a good option for using a trader.


I agree certainly not the easiest trades- but I have gotten Aruba for April break with my lowly old Harbour lake by requesting far in advance, and we traded to someplace warm most April breaks.
My experience ( which I recognize may be different for others) is as the kids get older they want to go new places, bring friends and have some say in where they vacation and so the planned intentions may not pan out.  
But if they can afford the maintenance on St. Thomas, etc. and find a good resale that is probably the best bet.


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

Pamplemousse said:


> I agree certainly not the easiest trades- but I have gotten Aruba for April break with my lowly old Harbour lake by requesting far in advance, and we traded to someplace warm most April breaks.
> My experience ( which I recognize may be different for others) is as the kids get older they want to go new places, bring friends and have some say in where they vacation and so the planned intentions may not pan out.
> But if they can afford the maintenance on St. Thomas, etc. and find a good resale that is probably the best bet.


The event week for spring break, as for Aruba SC, will be far more difficult than April I'm sure.  If it coincides buying the spring break week at ASC will be more but would guarantee availability if that week matches their usual calendar.  Certainly looking at a 3 BR , esp for St. Kitt's or FC would be an option and give them volume flexibility.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 7, 2021)

Dean said:


> The event week for spring break, as for Aruba SC, will be far more difficult than April I'm sure.  If it coincides buying the spring break week at ASC will be more but would guarantee availability if that week matches their usual calendar.  Certainly looking at a 3 BR , esp for St. Kitt's or FC would be an option and give them volume flexibility.


Yes, everyone’s school spring break is different too so it’s definitely a personal evaluation if buying to use or looking at trading power.

I‘m no expert and I certainly don’t insist my way is the best way for everyone. I just comment here because I’ve read posts on these boards where people don’t understand interval or feel it won’t work or it’s a huge hassle and I have had nothing but success from my own point of view.  Also, as a recent empty nester I like to point out that time flies and things change and in 4 years OP’s 14 yo will be off to college and when is that break and will they align, etc. and there might need to be exchanging.


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

Pamplemousse said:


> Yes, everyone’s school spring break is different too so it’s definitely a personal evaluation if buying to use or looking at trading power.
> 
> I‘m no expert and I certainly don’t insist my way is the best way for everyone. I just comment here because I’m read posts on these boards where people don’t understand interval or feel it won’t work or it’s a huge hassle and I have had nothing but success from my own point of view.  Also, as a recent empty nester I like to point out that time flies and things change and in 4 years OP’s 14 yo will be off to college and when is that break and will they align, etc. and there might need to be exchanging.


Absolutely.  Us batting these things around will help the OP, anyone else reading and truthfully we all frequently learn something from such discussions.  I'm a big fan of planning 5-10 years down the road and not worrying much about next year nearly as much.  I'm not a big fan of those new to the system buying mostly to trade until/unless they have a thorough and in depth knowledge of the ins/outs of doing so, esp for options that are likely to be difficult to almost impossible.  One of my mantras in timeshares is "things change".  And they do so with each resort, the system and our personal circumstances.


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## RookWDW (Apr 7, 2021)

Our spring break is the week leading upto and ending on Easter.  It does look like Frenchman or Aruba both trade fairly well if we want to try other locations.

EDIT: I have no idea what we will do when one is in HS and one in college as they will definitely be on different weeks.


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## vol_90 (Apr 7, 2021)

Dean said:


> Absolutely.  Us batting these things around will help the OP, anyone else reading and truthfully we all frequently learn something from such discussions.  I'm a big fan of planning 5-10 years down the road and not worrying much about next year nearly as much.  I'm not a big fan of those new to the system buying mostly to trade until/unless they have a thorough and in depth knowledge of the ins/outs of doing so, esp for options that are likely to be difficult to almost impossible.  One of my mantras in timeshares is "things change".  And they do so with each resort, the system and our personal circumstances.


Kudos to Dean and his knowledge, as I have learned so much from his posts.  That's why I wanted a budget figure from the OP.  Key here is $15K initial buy in plus ongoing MF's what is the optimal place(s) to purchase and commit to given the OP information provided.  Unfortunately I don't have an answer at this time.  I do like the test before you buy....way cheaper than committing yourself to something you may regret.  Disclaimer I am biased to Marriott Timeshares!


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

vol_90 said:


> Kudos to Dean and his knowledge, as I have learned so much from his posts.  That's why I wanted a budget figure from the OP.  Key here is $15K initial buy in plus ongoing MF's what is the optimal place(s) to purchase and commit to given the OP information provided.  Unfortunately I don't have an answer at this time.  I do like the test before you buy....way cheaper than committing yourself to something you may regret.  Disclaimer I am biased to Marriott Timeshares!


Thanks but I think these things are a group effort and we all learn from each other.  I own DVC, Bluegreen and MVC all with volume and use them each for what they work best for in my situation.


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## RookWDW (Apr 7, 2021)

Question:  The 13 month booking policy is only if you own two weeks AND you are booking the two weeks in a consecutive week booking?  So, just owning two weeks at different resorts and time frames does not get you the 13 months?


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Question:  The 13 month booking policy is only if you own two weeks AND you are booking the two weeks in a consecutive week booking?  So, just owning two weeks at different resorts and time frames does not get you the 13 months?


Correct, consecutive or concurrent bookings from different weeks.  Locking off and reserving the individual components does not qualify otherwise.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Question:  The 13 month booking policy is only if you own two weeks AND you are booking the two weeks in a consecutive week booking?  So, just owning two weeks at different resorts and time frames does not get you the 13 months?



The weeks can be from different resorts. But they have to be consecutive or concurrent.


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## 2rebecca (Apr 7, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> I tried to talk to MVC directly to get some information but they need my wife and I both on the line and that is tough timing wise.  *I was also hoping to have some type of incentive discounted vacation offer where you sit in a presentation but they only offered Bonvoy points. * We collect Bonvoy but not enough to be that useful.  We mostly collect Chase points and use those for vacations (including the last Omni Hilton Head trip).


I too have been looking at the MVC system and just returned from HHI on one of the discounted vacations.  I paid $299 for 4 days/3nights, but we got that deal in Sept 2019 for a 2020 vacation that was bumped to 2021 due to pandemic.  The sales lady said they don't offer it anymore.  She offered us an Encore package to come back again.  Those prices varied from $995 to $1595 for 5 day/4nights and we could get either 50k bonvoy points or $300 prepaid VISA.  Not as nice as $299, but depending on the location it might still be valuable.  Aruba was on the list of destinations available, but it was for a "guestroom".  She said they would extend this offer to our friends and family.  Would you like her name/number?


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## rthib (Apr 7, 2021)

Dean said:


> Correct, consecutive or concurrent bookings from different weeks.  Locking off and reserving the individual components does not qualify otherwise.


Just to be clear you can lock off different resorts for 13 month. So Studio at Resort A and Studio at Resort B, just not Studio at Resort A and Master at Resort A.
And also remember that if you work it right it is 13 month and 1 week. Say you want Week 14. Book Week 13 and also Week 14 at Week 13 and thirteen months.


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## Dean (Apr 7, 2021)

rthib said:


> Just to be clear you can lock off different resorts for 13 month. So Studio at Resort A and Studio at Resort B, just not Studio at Resort A and Master at Resort A.
> And also remember that if you work it right it is 13 month and 1 week. Say you want Week 14. Book Week 13 and also Week 14 at Week 13 and thirteen months.


I booked July HHI a few weeks ago.


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## DJmonkey (Apr 8, 2021)

dioxide45 said:


> Hybrid can only be purchased direct.


If I already own a week and bought points resale would that achieve the same result as buying hybrid from the developer? Or would I lose any benefits?


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## csalter2 (Apr 8, 2021)

DJmonkey said:


> If I already own a week and bought points resale would that achieve the same result as buying hybrid from the developer? Or would I lose any benefits?



If your week is enrolled in the Destination Club and you buy resale points.  That is a hybrid.  There are no loss of benefits because resale points are the same as points sold by Marriott.  The extra $3.00/point you pay to Marriott for your resale points gives you full entry of the points just like they were bought from Marriott.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 8, 2021)

DJmonkey said:


> If I already own a week and bought points resale would that achieve the same result as buying hybrid from the developer? Or would I lose any benefits?



I may have missed something, but there is one difference. You already own an enrolled week or an unenrolled week? If the latter, then, there is a difference though not necessarily a big difference. If you bought a hybrid package (or just points) from MVCI, it is possible that might qualify you to enroll your already owned week.

OTOH, your week may be old enough to enable enrollment without any purchase, in which case the answer is there is no difference. 

I own plenty of resale points and have lost nothing vs MVCI purchased points. They have always behaved the same for me.


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## csalter2 (Apr 8, 2021)

Steve Fatula said:


> I may have missed something, but there is one difference. You already own an enrolled week or an unenrolled week? If the latter, then, there is a difference though not necessarily a big difference. If you bought a hybrid package (or just points) from MVCI, it is possible that might qualify you to enroll your already owned week.
> 
> OTOH, your week may be old enough to enable enrollment without any purchase, in which case the answer is there is no difference.
> 
> I own plenty of resale points and have lost nothing vs MVCI purchased points. They have always behaved the same for me.



On another thread he said many years ago he paid $1495 to enroll the week.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 8, 2021)

csalter2 said:


> On another thread he said many years ago he paid $1495 to enroll the week.



Yeah, so, not cross-referencing, lol. Thanks for clarifying. Since he has an enrolled week, resale points are identical to developer points (other than price). Of course, not the same as a hybrid since that allows weeks usage or points usage. But from a points view, again, identical. A hybrid merely has the potential to lower (from a purely points view) cost per point, it will still be higher than resale in almost any case. Yes, there's an edge case here and there (like one of mine).


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## DJmonkey (Apr 8, 2021)

Steve Fatula said:


> I may have missed something, but there is one difference. You already own an enrolled week or an unenrolled week? If the latter, then, there is a difference though not necessarily a big difference. If you bought a hybrid package (or just points) from MVCI, it is possible that might qualify you to enroll your already owned week.
> 
> OTOH, your week may be old enough to enable enrollment without any purchase, in which case the answer is there is no difference.
> 
> I own plenty of resale points and have lost nothing vs MVCI purchased points. They have always behaved the same for me.


The current week I own was enrolled a few years back.


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## DJmonkey (Apr 8, 2021)

csalter2 said:


> If your week is enrolled in the Destination Club and you buy resale points.  That is a hybrid.  There are no loss of benefits because resale points are the same as points sold by Marriott.  The extra $3.00/point you pay to Marriott for your resale points gives you full entry of the points just like they were bought from Marriott.


Do I need to enroll the resale points or is there a way to use them without enrollment? I doubt it but just curious. I think the current enrollment fee is up to $750 per beneficial interest.


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## csalter2 (Apr 8, 2021)

DJmonkey said:


> Do I need to enroll the resale points or is there a way to use them without enrollment? I doubt it but just curious. I think the current enrollment fee is up to $750 per beneficial interest.



When you buy the resale points, they will have all of the benefits of points bought through Marriott. They will be enrolled after you go through the escrow process and close on the points. Your additional $3.00 per point that you will pay to Marriott will be your enrollment fee.


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## RookWDW (Apr 8, 2021)

Is the benefit of a hybrid package that since you have points and a week you can convert an annual week into points and use via the point system?  But, you need to have an enrolled week to so, thus for a new buyer like me the only way to get that is direct from MVC since they don't allow current resale weeks to be enrolled?  There are a lot of rules and tricks compared to the DVC system.


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## rthib (Apr 8, 2021)

The advantage of hybrid is if you are purchasing a large amount of points to get to status. The MF for hybrid may be less than just the straight points MF. And also gives you a little more flexibility since you have the option of week or points. They actually made a pretty attractive offer for me to pick up another week at the resort I own (and like) and points to get me to Chairman level. Didn't do it but price was around $7/point and I would end up with another week and someplace I liked.


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## RookWDW (Apr 8, 2021)

I'm trying to understand the difference in buying a week vs points.  Let me know where I'm off base or missing something.

Buying a week looks less costly upfront.  However, you can only use your week at that location and in that time period (platinum, gold, etc).  Unless you trade your week into the II system.  No borrowing/banking weeks.

Buying points means you can use those points at any MVC resort and any time so long as you have enough points, including borrowing/banking.

Both weeks or points can book 12 months out.  Do they book from the same pool of availability?  Meaning if I have a Frenchman platinum week, could I miss out if all the points owners book up the open weeks during my platinum time period?  Or, as a week owner are there enough weeks during the platinum time period that you are virtually guaranteed to get a week, just maybe not the desired week?

Thus, it appears the value to a week is lower cost, and the value to points is more flexibility, but otherwise they work the same?


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## Dean (Apr 8, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> I'm trying to understand the difference in buying a week vs points.  Let me know where I'm off base or missing something.
> 
> Buying a week looks less costly upfront.  However, you can only use your week at that location and in that time period (platinum, gold, etc).  Unless you trade your week into the II system.  No borrowing/banking weeks.
> 
> ...


That's true for a resale week vs points (either retail or resale).  It is not absolute however as there are sometimes ways to get resale weeks enrolled with an additional retail purchase.  They do not book the same inventory.  For a given resort you've got points inventory and weeks inventory unless the resort were sold only under points (like some of the newest resorts).  But there is crossover from both directions as weeks owners that are enrolled elect for points or points owners reserve from the weeks that have been elected from points.  The only prohibition is that weeks owners cannot ever reserve from the points inventory (or the enrolled inventory where points have been elected).  

Both have areas of value and for many, the weeks is a better choice even if they were the same cost.  Remember you're only competing with others who own the same season and resort on the weeks side but you're competing with every points owner and every weeks owner who has elected for points.  Plus resorts routinely prioritize unit assignments to those that actually own weeks at a given resort and are using their actual week.  They really are different animals and for many, myself included, they can complement each other as can exchanges within II.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 8, 2021)

If you deposit your reserved week into II it is available to exchange to any resort that comes up available to you for 2 years so that’s similar to “banking”.
If your week is not enrolled you do need to pay for your II membership and pay an exchange fee (reduced to Marriott properties).

If you buy points you pay DC  club dues which include an II membership to but you can only use II to exchange to non MVC properties.


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## RookWDW (Apr 8, 2021)

Thanks.  I'm looking at various weeks for rent and sale to get some ideas.  I found a Frenchman's Cove week that is listed as EOY - Even week.  But, Frenchman is not on the list of properties that offers EOY.  Scam, or is an owner able to bifurcate their week that way?

Also, reached out to a couple rentals to see if I can get the week I want to rent.


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## rthib (Apr 8, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> I'm trying to understand the difference in buying a week vs points.  Let me know where I'm off base or missing something.
> 
> Buying a week looks less costly upfront.  However, you can only use your week at that location and in that time period (platinum, gold, etc).  Unless you trade your week into the II system.  No borrowing/banking weeks.


Some would consider II as banking and/or borrowing since you can deposit at 2022 week to book for 2021 and also be able to trade until 2024



RookWDW said:


> Buying points means you can use those points at any MVC resort and any time so long as you have enough points, including borrowing/banking.


Big if, is if their is availability. Popular weeks at popular locations are also hard to get with points. And points cost are more during popular times.





RookWDW said:


> Both weeks or points can book 12 months out.  Do they book from the same pool of availability?  Meaning if I have a Frenchman platinum week, could I miss out if all the points owners book up the open weeks during my platinum time period?  Or, as a week owner are there enough weeks during the platinum time period that you are virtually guaranteed to get a week, just maybe not the desired week?
> 
> Thus, it appears the value to a week is lower cost, and the value to points is more flexibility, but otherwise they work the same?


Different pools, but if an enrolled week owner converts to points than that week belongs to MVCI to use however, points, rent etc...
Yes you will get a week during your time period. Some small times no such as you wait too long and nothing is still available - E.g. You season is Jan-May 2021 and you wait until today to book. There may be no weeks left but a Jan week was available you just missed it. Reason you can book in advance.
And 12 months is true for single week owner and lower status, remember multi week owners can book 13months out, same for higher status point owners.




RookWDW said:


> Thus, it appears the value to a week is lower cost, and the value to points is more flexibility, but otherwise they work the same?


True, other big difference on points is you can book an number of nights 1,2,3,5,7,10...  That's where value is. Booking a Sun-TH saves points.
Also the destination escapes can be a big point saver too.

A Week is always a week.


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## csalter2 (Apr 8, 2021)

I would also look out for hybrids in which Marriott will allow you to buy one week from a non trust eligible week from resorts in Europe and the Caribbean along with another week in the system in which you could buy resale.  The maintenance fees for the two weeks would be at the weeks prices and not the per.point maintenance fee rate which is usually higher.  

This works well if you want a high number of points.  I was able to purchase two weeks valued at about 9500 points for what would be $2:50 on Redweek, then add Marriott’s $3 per point for a total of $5.50 per point.  The two weeks were enrolled weeks.  This to me was a good purchase because I have the flexibility of using points or weeks.  I believe that ENROLLED weeks have some distinct advantages that cannot be overlooked.  This purchase with Marriott also came with several money saving benefits that you cannot get with resale purchases.  

The hybrid purchase using two high point valued platinum weeks can be a very good deal.  I would inquire about such hybrids if at all possible if you want a higher number of points but not too high.  If you want a crazy number of points, I would recommend you buying a quarter share.at on of the Marriott Residences.  This would be a lot more expensive, but you would be paying a much lower cost per point but the upfront cost would be very high.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 9, 2021)

Yeah, the trick is low cost MF/point when buying from Marriott. It can be very nice, despite the higher cost if one likes the points system. I love enrolled weeks as well. At this stage, I wouldn't want non enrolled weeks but it's a different stage of life too.


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## RookWDW (Apr 9, 2021)

csalter2 said:


> I would also look out for hybrids in which Marriott will allow you to buy one week from a non trust eligible week from resorts in Europe and the Caribbean along with another week in the system in which you could buy resale.  The maintenance fees for the two weeks would be at the weeks prices and not the per.point maintenance fee rate which is usually higher.
> 
> This works well if you want a high number of points.  I was able to purchase two weeks valued at about 9500 points for what would be $2:50 on Redweek, then add Marriott’s $3 per point for a total of $5.50 per point.  The two weeks were enrolled weeks.  This to me was a good purchase because I have the flexibility of using points or weeks.  I believe that ENROLLED weeks have some distinct advantages that cannot be overlooked.  This purchase with Marriott also came with several money saving benefits that you cannot get with resale purchases.
> 
> The hybrid purchase using two high point valued platinum weeks can be a very good deal.  I would inquire about such hybrids if at all possible if you want a higher number of points but not too high.  If you want a crazy number of points, I would recommend you buying a quarter share.at on of the Marriott Residences.  This would be a lot more expensive, but you would be paying a much lower cost per point but the upfront cost would be very high.



So you bought two enrolled weeks from Redweek?  I'm not sure I'm following.  I thought you cannot buy enrolled weeks as the enrolled status does not follow the resale.  Or, did you buy weeks direct from Marriott?  9500 points at $5.50 is $52,250.  That's more than we would start with.  I was looking at some decent platinum weeks resale on St Thomas with asking prices at about $4,000-$5000 and MF of around $2,000.  At that price if it ends up not being used as much as I think, it's not much of a loss so it's pretty minimal risk.  Although I'm confident we will use it as we use our DVC points and otherwise travel using the Chase UR points.  My uncertainty is where to get a week and I'm trying to find a rental for next year in St Thomas or Aruba.


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## csalter2 (Apr 9, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So you bought two enrolled weeks from Redweek?  I'm not sure I'm following.  I thought you cannot buy enrolled weeks as the enrolled status does not follow the resale.  Or, did you buy weeks direct from Marriott?  9500 points at $5.50 is $52,250.  That's more than we would start with.  I was looking at some decent platinum weeks resale on St Thomas with asking prices at about $4,000-$5000 and MF of around $2,000.  At that price if it ends up not being used as much as I think, it's not much of a loss so it's pretty minimal risk.  Although I'm confident we will use it as we use our DVC points and otherwise travel using the Chase UR points.  My uncertainty is where to get a week and I'm trying to find a rental for next year in St Thomas or Aruba.



I bought the weeks directly from Marriott which was why both weeks were enrolled. Resale weeks bought on sites like Redweek are most definitely the most economical way to go.


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## JIMinNC (Apr 10, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> EDIT: I have no idea what we will do when one is in HS and one in college as they will definitely be on different weeks.



While every family will be different, we experienced this transition with two kids spaced four years apart, just like yours are. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it may be helpful to see how MVC points have allowed us to adapt as our lives have evolved.

We bought our first timeshare - a non-Marriott property on Maui - in 1999 when our son was four and our daughter was an infant. We used that to go to Hawaii every other year or so, and in the years that we didn't go to Hawaii, we traded through RCI into the Orlando Hilton Grand Vacations properties (an easy trade). While trading Hawaii for Orlando was a poor value, it met our needs and was offset by the significant value we received in the years we did go to Hawaii. Our kids grew up sort of thinking going to Hawaii every couple of years was what everyone did. Without our timeshare, that would have never happened.

Our last family Hawaii trip using that first timeshare was in the summer of 2011. Once our son graduated from high school in 2013 and moved on to out-of-state college at Georgia Tech, family vacations began changing. His spring break changed from Easter to early-mid March, making a whole family spring trip impossible, since our daughter still had an Easter break. Every summer of his college years, he either did a paid internship or summer classes, which eliminated summer vacations for him. Our daughter was in high school by then, and she began wanting summer jobs for the extra spending money. She also reached the age where traveling with Mom and Dad was "boring" and wanted her friends to go along. Drive-to beach trips where her friends could come along were now the best option. We had grown frustrated trying to navigate RCI trading to beach locations, and we were generally unimpressed with the quality of most RCI resorts.

So, we decided to sell our Maui timeshare and buy something closer to our Charlotte home in a quality timeshare system. We knew Marriott owned the timesharing market on Hilton Head Island, with eight properties, so we did one of their $299 promo packages in the fall of 2013. We declined to buy then but returned to HHI on an Encore package at Barony Beach Club with our daughter and one of her friends in Spring 2014. By that time, I had devoured the info available here on the TUG Marriott board, and knew we wanted a Hybrid package of an enrolled week in HHI, plus Trust points for maximum flexibility. That's when we became Marriott owners. We then listed our old Maui property with Timeshare Resales Hawaii and sold it within a couple months.

Having the option to use Points has transformed the way we use timeshares and travel. Our first use year was 2015, so we initially booked a trip to Hawaii in the summer, but wound up canceling it and banking the points to 2016 because our daughter couldn't take a friend along. So, in our first couple years of ownership, here is how we used our new Marriott points:

My wife and a friend of hers spent four nights at Grand Chateau in Las Vegas for a "girls’ trip" in 2016
Also in 2016, our daughter did a three-week summer program for high school students in Washington, DC and she and my wife spent three nights at MVC Pulse at the Mayflower right before her program started to visit a couple of DC area colleges she was considering applying to.
A three-night Labor Day weekend trip with all four of us to Barony Beach Club in Hilton Head in fall 2016
Seven nights at Barony for spring break 2017 with our then high school senior daughter and two of her friends
Once our daughter headed off to University of Florida in fall 2017, empty nest fall/winter/spring vacations for my wife and I became an option for us once again.

A three-night trip to Las Vegas with my wife to see Elton John's Million Dollar Piano show at Caesars in October 2017.
A spring 2018 week at HHI Grande Ocean, where our son and daughter joined us at the end for a long weekend.
A fall week for my wife and I in 2018 at MVC Desert Springs in Palm Desert.
We missed going to Hawaii, so in 2018, we purchased a resale Every-Other-Year Odd 2BR Ocean View week at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club. We bought that to use 100% of the time in odd years in Maui. We also bought a resale Orlando week in the Hilton Grand Vacations Club system, which converts to 7000 HGVC points and could be used to book the Big Island.

In 2019, we used our new Maui week, used MVC Points to book a second week at Waiohai Beach Club on Kauai, and used our HGVC points for a week on the Big Island. We scheduled the Maui week to coincide with our daughter’s spring break from college, and our son was by then working as a software engineer in Atlanta, so both were able to fly out and spend a week with us on Maui.
In fall of 2019, my wife and I returned to Desert Springs in Palm Desert.
In February 2020, my wife and I used HGVC points and MVC Points to book a week on the Big Island and a week on Maui (it was an even year, so we had to use points since our weeks are only odd years). Less than a month after we returned, well, the world went crazy...
In November 2020, my wife and I spent a week using our MVC Points at Marco Island, Florida.
Since our initial 2014 Hybrid package purchase with Marriott resulted in us only having 3375 points every year (total of our Trust points and the point value of the week), we had to use point rentals from www.vacationpointexchange.com to supplement what we owned to make some of these trips happen.

When the COVID pandemic forced us to cancel our planned odd-year Hawaii trip in January/February 2021, because our Maui and Kauai weeks were purchased resale and not enrolled in the point system, we couldn’t roll them over to 2022, so rebooking Maui and Kauai for October 2021 was our only option other than depositing in II, which we try to avoid. That highlighted for us again, the inflexibility of unenrolled weeks when plans have to change. As a result, while at Marco Island in November, we elected to buy 3000 more points from MVC so as to enroll our Maui and Kauai EOY weeks. That also elevated us to Presidential level in MVC. Now we have another usage option for the two Hawaii weeks – convert them to MVC Points – should that be needed in the future.

We recently used our new Presidential 30% points discount inside 60 days to book an early March week at MVC Ocean Pointe in Palm Beach Shores in a great Ocean Front Studio unit for less than 1,900 total points. We added an eighth night at MVC Pulse South Beach in Miami to eat at a favorite seafood restaurant I hadn’t been to in 30 years or so (Joe’s Stone Crab). That trip seemed like a tremendous value to us.
Our daughter will be graduating from University of Florida in about three weeks and asked to go to Epcot on the Saturday after graduation to celebrate with her family and a couple friends. So, a few days ago, I was able to book two units at MVC Grande Vista (a studio and a two bedroom to accommodate our party of six) for one night for less than 500 total points, thanks to the last minute 30% discount.
Ironically, while Hilton Head Island was the initial attraction of the Marriott Vacation Club system for us, we became such a fan of Hilton Head that we bought a whole condo on the island about 18 months ago, so no longer need our Marriott ownership for HHI. We now use our HHI condo many weeks every year and use our Marriott ownership for Hawaii and elsewhere in the MVC system.

Again, sorry for the length of this, but I thought some specific examples of how we’ve been able to adapt and use our ownership over the years as our family situation has evolved would be helpful for you in your current situation.


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## RookWDW (Apr 10, 2021)

Jim

don’t apologiz, that is tremendously helpful. I’ll have to digress that one a few times. It’s interesting to see how you adapted as life changed.


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## Bearster (Apr 10, 2021)

For many people, resale Marriott weeks (rather than points) are the way to go because, as an MVCI owner, if you need extra days or a week with tight II inventory, you can usually rent at a discount from Marriott resorts by calling the front desk.  The discount is often 35 percent off of the rack rate.  
Marriott frequently contacts its weeks owners to attempt to convince them to join the points program:  MVCI really does not have enough rooms inventory in the points trust, and they keep selling more points.  The vast majority of weeks owners do not convert because even average Marriott weeks trade better than would be expected in Interval International and typically come with one or more II bonus weeks. 

Separately, the key to buying from eBay is to check the resort estoppel letter carefully and confirm any matters that raise questions with the resort or corporate office directly.  The process takes a few months, but the Marriott corporate office staff are often a font of good information about matters like lock-off usage (if you are interested in this feature).  I used Timeshare Trade-Ins/Resort Closing Services of Missouri for a Marriott resale week purchase, using the TUG online guidance, in recent years, and the resale company staff were organized and efficient.


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## rthib (Apr 10, 2021)

Bearster said:


> If you need extra days or a week with tight II inventory, you can usually rent at a discount from Marriott resorts by calling the front desk.  The discount is often 35 percent off of the rack rate.


No need to call, you can book and search yourself. In the weeks FAQ
*Owners' discount on cash stays* - Weeks Owners who are not Destination Club Members* are eligible for a 25% discount at Marriott timeshares and, frequently, at non-US Marriott hotels/resorts. The discount is capacity-controlled and based on availability.

Cash discount stays can be booked through marriott.com; in the "Find A Hotel" box click on "Special Rates" and then input the "7VC" code in the box that comes up when you click the "Corporate/Promotional Code" button.


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## skimeup (Apr 10, 2021)

I'm sure it is here but I can't find it.  Can anyone point me to a listing of Marriott points requirements for various vacation clubs and times of year?


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 10, 2021)

skimeup said:


> I'm sure it is here but I can't find it.  Can anyone point me to a listing of Marriott points requirements for various vacation clubs and times of year?


Log into MVC, education and resources, helpful tools, vacation club points charts 




__





						Owners Login | Marriott Vacation Club
					






					owners.marriottvacationclub.com


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## vacationtime1 (Apr 11, 2021)

skimeup said:


> I'm sure it is here but I can't find it.  Can anyone point me to a listing of Marriott points requirements for various vacation clubs and times of year?





			https://vacationpointexchange.com/pointschart/points_charts_2021.pdf


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## skimeup (Apr 12, 2021)

vacationtime1 said:


> https://vacationpointexchange.com/pointschart/points_charts_2021.pdf




Thanks!!!!


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## RookWDW (Apr 15, 2021)

Did a presentation with MVC reps.  A bit of a hard sell but they backed down pretty quickly when I said I wasn't ready.  They really pushed the idea of points vs weeks and claimed that they cannot sell any weeks except for a hybrid package which would be more expensive and more than I likely wanted to spend or needed, but they didn't give an estimate.  Points were offered at $11.94pp (discounted allegedly from $14.94pp).  Also offered some one time use points as a bonus.

They also mentioned that MVC purchased Starwoods and all Starwoods vacation properties would be usable with MVC points on the same basis as Marriotts; specifically mentioning the Westin St John as I asked about St Thomas or Aruba.

They didn't talk me into buying direct, but I am more considering buying used points vs a week.


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## Dean (Apr 15, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Did a presentation with MVC reps.  A bit of a hard sell but they backed down pretty quickly when I said I wasn't ready.  They really pushed the idea of points vs weeks and claimed that they cannot sell any weeks except for a hybrid package which would be more expensive and more than I likely wanted to spend or needed, but they didn't give an estimate.  Points were offered at $11.94pp (discounted allegedly from $14.94pp).  Also offered some one time use points as a bonus.
> 
> They also mentioned that MVC purchased Starwoods and all Starwoods vacation properties would be usable with MVC points on the same basis as Marriotts; specifically mentioning the Westin St John as I asked about St Thomas or Aruba.
> 
> They didn't talk me into buying direct, but I am more considering buying used points vs a week.


As I understand it, the resort sales staff can't sell anything but points or a hybrid with points.  However, the sales staff at the locations that can't do points (like Aruba & St. Kitt's) plus the main sales office can as well as I understand it.  Since a  week will be the same price as the comparable points purchase (and possibly cheaper), the only real variable is the fees.  As long as the fees are cheaper, it's a win win retail.  Even comparing resale points to a retail weeks purchase, you can often make up the difference over time on dues alone if you get a week with a low dues to points ration like an OF or event week in Aruba.  Also, you can create your own hybrid by buying a resale week then a retail purchase likely ending up with a cheaper price and a better underlying week.  You can also do a hybrid (either theirs or the one we just made up) with a qualifying weeks purchase as well.  

Based on your previously stated plans of alternating Spring Break in the islands and possibly HHI summer, I'd estimate you'd need an absolute  minimum of 5000 points but more realistically a minimum of 5500.  To me for this situation I'd get at least 6000 points.  Since Executive with MVC is 7000 points, I'd likely just get to that level if I was going to buy at all.  You'd have a ton more options and flexibility doing so.  Otherwise I'd look at non MVC options or just buy a small points package resale and rent points for the rest.  Buying a resale HHI week that you can use and enrolling with a St. Kitt's or Aruba resale purchase that fits that need might be ideal or just buying both weeks resale and not worrying about points right now since you have fairly specific plans for usage anyway.

It might be worth investigating an overseas purchase like Spain.  I'm not overly familiar with that option so others, like Barry, could give you more information about your options.  The fees can be very good for those weeks.


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## CPNY (Apr 15, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> So you bought two enrolled weeks from Redweek?  I'm not sure I'm following.  I thought you cannot buy enrolled weeks as the enrolled status does not follow the resale.  Or, did you buy weeks direct from Marriott?  9500 points at $5.50 is $52,250.  That's more than we would start with.  I was looking at some decent platinum weeks resale on St Thomas with asking prices at about $4,000-$5000 and MF of around $2,000.  At that price if it ends up not being used as much as I think, it's not much of a loss so it's pretty minimal risk.  Although I'm confident we will use it as we use our DVC points and otherwise travel using the Chase UR points.  My uncertainty is where to get a week and I'm trying to find a rental for next year in St Thomas or Aruba.


MVW will sell you Aruba weeks that come enrolled. You will have the benefit of a deeded week in Marriott surf club or you can elect to use them as points. It’s extremely expensive but you get the best of both. Personally, I’d save the money and buy a true resale from an owner. Weeks are a great way to own but you have to be invested in planning. Points seem to be much more flexible and easier to book multiple trips (if you own enough points)


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 15, 2021)

I’m going to add my own personal experience using points right now and for what’s it worth.
Im having trouble booking a full week, same view, 8-9 months out.  I’m wondering if some of that famous flexibility is working against me? I can get  three or four days in the same view, but then there is a day missing or a switch to different view.
I find searching for points stays very cumbersome- which they would just show what is available anywhere like an II search. I also don’t find the waitlist to be very helpful- you need to be too specific and you can’t just place it yourself.
I find my week exchanging through II to be easier to handle and a better value for me.


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## RookWDW (Apr 15, 2021)

Thanks for the replies.  It's very helpful.  A lot of different ways to go.  I'm still leaning to a resale week as I can get one at a great resort for a couple/few thousand.  At that price it isn't a big loss if we can use it as effectively as we want.  At $35-45,000, I'd be a bit more displeased if it didn't work as we wanted.

EDIT to add:  My wife is more in favor of points I think.  She likes the idea of going somewhere different each time.


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## Dean (Apr 15, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Thanks for the replies.  It's very helpful.  A lot of different ways to go.  I'm still leaning to a resale week as I can get one at a great resort for a couple/few thousand.  At that price it isn't a big loss if we can use it as effectively as we want.  At $35-45,000, I'd be a bit more displeased if it didn't work as we wanted.
> 
> EDIT to add:  My wife is more in favor of points I think.  She likes the idea of going somewhere different each time.


It's not a forever decision but you want to make the one that puts you the closest to where you think you need to be now and in the future.  Buying a week (or two) resale puts you closest to where you want to be for the cheapest price based on your stated goals of Beach in Summer like HHI and Spring Break in the islands.  It also gives you options such as enrolling later.  Realize though that either with weeks that float in a season or points, you'll always have potential reservation issues so you need to be proactive.  

Also, it's not either or.  You can buy a week for your main trips and look at other options for flexibility including II exchanges, II Getaways, private rentals and other options such as buying 1000 points resale and renting points when needed.  Regardless planning more than a year out and paying attention to the reservation windows are key components of any of the plans that seem to fit in.  Otherwise you could just buy a trade and try for a number of options each time but that likely won't get you to a specific week in the islands Spring Break of HHI late June to July, at least not consistently.  

Let us know how it goes.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 15, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Thanks for the replies.  It's very helpful.  A lot of different ways to go.  I'm still leaning to a resale week as I can get one at a great resort for a couple/few thousand.  At that price it isn't a big loss if we can use it as effectively as we want.  At $35-45,000, I'd be a bit more displeased if it didn't work as we wanted.
> 
> EDIT to add:  My wife is more in favor of points I think.  She likes the idea of going somewhere different each time.


Pleae tell your wife I go someplace different every year by exchanging my week on interval.
We’ve rarely been to the same place twice except Orlando when the kids were little.
In my hands I have found it easier to book with points, just often more costly. Your experience may vary.
Good luck.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 15, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Thanks for the replies.  It's very helpful.  A lot of different ways to go.  I'm still leaning to a resale week as I can get one at a great resort for a couple/few thousand.  At that price it isn't a big loss if we can use it as effectively as we want.  At $35-45,000, I'd be a bit more displeased if it didn't work as we wanted.
> 
> EDIT to add:  My wife is more in favor of points I think.  She likes the idea of going somewhere different each time.



To add to what Pamplemousse said, we also go somewhere different every year. We've owned over 20 years, and, I doubt there has been a single year where we didn't go to at least one place we had not been before. This includes international. Owning a resale week does not stop you from doing so. We use both points and weeks as they each have different strong points. Your resale week will likely be able to be enrolled one day should that prove desirable for you. You can buy points later, resale points, as well. But I'd start with a resale week, learn about it, and then decide if more of anything makes sense for you. It's a great way to get your feet wet.

We've been to more than 50% of all MVCI resorts, we're adding 3 new to us ones this year. Most of that was done using owned weeks.


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## RookWDW (Jun 30, 2021)

Okay, back on this idea.

We just got back from a trip to WDW using our DVC points and decided we need more points.  We are going to buy more DVC WDW points, not sure yet but we are thinking about buying Boardwalk Villas so we can get Food and Wine weeks.  But, our plan is to alternate between an annual trip to WDW and a trip to HHI.  We usually do two trips per year so one year we will do WDW one week and either a beach or cruise the other.  The next we would do HHI and either a beach or cruise, etc.  

The question is where to buy for HHI.  We can get DVC points for a 2 bedroom every other year at their HHI villas for around $12,500 with annual fees of $1680.  Plus is that we like the Disney bubble and we could pool our DVC points for other uses in years we didn't want to go to HHI.  The negative is that DVC has limited other properties outside of WDW.  Also the DVC HHI resort only has very limited food options on site and the rooms are not at the beach even though there is a nice beach house with pool.

MGO seems like a nice option, although I've not visited.  It's right on the beach, it gives us access to MVC properties if we want to go elsewhere.  Negative is that although it has food/bar on site it appears to be seasonal, also no lifeguards which we like when visiting DVC pools.  Maybe most HHI options just are not big for on site food/drinks.  I would want a platinum week for summer use so it seems the cost would be around $12-15,000 and fees of around $1,500.  But that is for a week every years vs DVC points would provide me enough for every other year.  That would mean every other year at MGO I could trade for a trip elsewhere.

I've been trying to look into the Hilton next to MGO and it looks nice as well.  But, Hilton has less resorts in areas were would want to visit.  They do have plenty in Mexico, we have never been just because there are many other islands that have less risk than Mexico (yes I know a lot of people go to Mexico with no problems).

MVC we would like to tryout St Thomas, St John, Aruba, Hawaii.  Part of our vacation plan is a trip to Hawaii after our oldest graduates high school and the plan is to use DVC for 5 nights at Aulani and do 5 nights on a different island either paying cash or perhaps other timeshare.

Based on that update, what would you suggest to do or not to do?


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## Dean (Jun 30, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Okay, back on this idea.
> 
> We just got back from a trip to WDW using our DVC points and decided we need more points.  We are going to buy more DVC WDW points, not sure yet but we are thinking about buying Boardwalk Villas so we can get Food and Wine weeks.  But, our plan is to alternate between an annual trip to WDW and a trip to HHI.  We usually do two trips per year so one year we will do WDW one week and either a beach or cruise the other.  The next we would do HHI and either a beach or cruise, etc.
> 
> ...


If you'll use it I'd buy Grande Ocean, Barony or Surfwatch.  If you travel early to mid June, be aware the calendars are different for GO vs the other 2.  Just buy there for direct use, not for points in general for MVC if that's the only volume you need.


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## needvaca (Jun 30, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Okay, back on this idea.
> 
> We just got back from a trip to WDW using our DVC points and decided we need more points.  We are going to buy more DVC WDW points, not sure yet but we are thinking about buying Boardwalk Villas so we can get Food and Wine weeks.  But, our plan is to alternate between an annual trip to WDW and a trip to HHI.  We usually do two trips per year so one year we will do WDW one week and either a beach or cruise the other.  The next we would do HHI and either a beach or cruise, etc.
> 
> ...


I own at Marriott Grande Ocean and can attest that it is an amazing resort.  Last year, we brought our friends who own DVC, and they loved it.  They told me they preferred it to DVC Hilton Head (where they've vacationed a couple times), mainly because it is directly oceanfront, the location is better, and the bikepath is right outside SeaPines and you get a free pass.  My kids love the several different pools and hot tubs at MGO.

_[*Moderator Note:* Ad-like content removed. Note this is the sort of comment that should be sent in a private message - click on "Start Conversation" in the box that comes up when you hover over the User Name of the person you're quoting. ] <-- SueDonJ_


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## dan_hoog (Jun 30, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> Thanks for any help.  Edited for more detail.



I've been happy for many years with weeks, one from Marriott and two resale weeks.  These have generally worked as expected (good units, high demand locations and seasons; very easy to use or rent out on redweek if we want - about 1/3 of the time).

We are long-term planners, so locking in vacations 12-15 months ahead of time is fine.  I doubt it works well if you need flexibility.

We purchased points a couple years ago and had a vacation aborted due to Covid.  Now, in my opinion, the points system is desperately over-committed.  The availability is virtually nil with no end in sight.  I also believe they have sold far more points than can be reliably serviced by the available inventory (including net of trades, point conversions, etc.).  They may be compliant with the letter of the points docs, and assume they are, but the spirit of practical availability and vacation opportunity is in scam territory to me.

In other words, I wouldn't consider any MVC points purchases, even used, and would avoid most weeks given trends I've seen.

It is really disappointing to give this opinion, since we've been a believer and generally satisfied user for so long.  There are good options (e.g., redweek) to rent timeshares when/where you want to go.  You pay for each week but don't need to make a long term commitment.  They offer escrow-like processing now, so renting is pretty safe for all parties.

That's all.  Good luck in your decision.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jun 30, 2021)

As a Disney fanatic myself, I loved Disney's Hilton Head and found it to be extremely comfortable and very much like Old Key West in the feel of the unit.  We were very lucky to get an exchange via RCI.  We own Disney points, but the exchange was cheaper for us.  What a great time we had, and I loved the rocking chairs on the deck.  But it wasn't like Disney.  No characters, no Disney anything, except maybe the store that sold Disney merchandise, and it was a tiny store.  

Then we stayed at Marriott's Barony and I was quite taken by that experience.  I loved it so much that I looked into buying back then.  It's been over six years ago and I stopped looking temporarily.  Now I am considering it again.  We lucked into an oceanfront unit on a top floor via exchange.


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## l0410z (Jun 30, 2021)

My boys  are older (30 and 33) but my wife works in a school so I have been tied to a school schedule since my first timeshare resale purchase in 1996 (they were 5 and 8).  Summer, winter/spring  breaks and Christmas tend to be peak  travel for air fare and high demand for trading/ exchanging.   We are a  beach family and and continue this even today  when schedules permit and  we travels as a family. Over the years we traveled outside of timeshares so a bridge between the two worlds were important to us.   One last point, between the junior year in HS until  college graduation, my wife and I became the boring dopey parents that were too boring to travel.  Translation, it  was too much fun being home with friends when we went away.  It is amazing how smart and how much fun we became after they started funding their own vacations when done so outside the family travel.    I hope it doesn't happen but if it does, you are not that far  away.

Starting point, you can see yourself going to one location every few years., you enjoy beach and you are tied to peak.   You need to buy premium resale week.  If that location you can see yourself going to every few years  is Hilton Head, I would suggest the Grande Ocean.   Great location (near Sea Pines with access to Sea Pines), on the beach and great pools.   It trades well into other high demand locations.  You can get it at a reasonable cost.  I just purchased one for $9,400.    The maintenance fee is  not too bad (abut 1600).   

 You are going to need  maximum flexibility because of your peak travel requirement.  Some people believe points do that and I won't disagree but cash does it better.   The Grande Ocean can be rented for between 2700 and 3000.  You can avoid trading all together and use the cash to rent where you wan to go.  You can also use the cash to travel outside of timeshare.  This was my bridge between the two worlds.  If it is another beach location that you want to go to instead of Hilton Head, great. Just find one that rents well, trades well, and a reasonable cost and MF.    Aruba, St Kitts and Frenchman Cove have high MFs and they are easy trades when it is not the winter.    

I also purchased a pure trader in 1995 and still have one today.  While the actually resort I owned has   changed,, the way I use it hasn't.     A trader is a resort that I will never go to, I got at a inexpensive  price, has a  reasonable MF and is a platinum week that trades well.     95% of the time I trade, I trade  into Marriott's only.   The trader I have is a Grande Chateau but there are other good traders that people can recommend.  So since you have are an experienced timeshare owner, you can minimize your investment and go this route.   I have traded my Grand Chateau for Aruba during the summer, Frenchman Cove April, Grande Ocean summer, Oceanwatch during Easter to name a few.   I just picked up a Grand Chateau 3 bedroom for 3500.  You can trade it as a 3 bedroom or  get two trades, one as a 2 bedroom and one as a  1 bedroom. 

I think you have a lot of options but do nothing until you learn Marriott and doing what you are doing.  Read and ask questions.   Good luck.


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## RookWDW (Jun 30, 2021)

rickandcindy23 said:


> As a Disney fanatic myself, I loved Disney's Hilton Head and found it to be extremely comfortable and very much like Old Key West in the feel of the unit.  We were very lucky to get an exchange via RCI.  We own Disney points, but the exchange was cheaper for us.  What a great time we had, and I loved the rocking chairs on the deck.  But it wasn't like Disney.  No characters, no Disney anything, except maybe the store that sold Disney merchandise, and it was a tiny store.
> 
> Then we stayed at Marriott's Barony and I was quite taken by that experience.  I loved it so much that I looked into buying back then.  It's been over six years ago and I stopped looking temporarily.  Now I am considering it again.  We lucked into an oceanfront unit on a top floor via exchange.



How do you compare the two?  Did the fact that Disney HHI was not on the water make it less enjoyable?  When we were at the Omni this spring we spent all of our time either in the pool, walking the beach, or out to eat.  My concern with Disney is that you need to get to the beach house and that the food service is very limited.


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## CPNY (Jun 30, 2021)

Figure out which islands you want to go to. I’d prefer St. John over st Thomas so I’d buy WSJ points which would give you the ability to book at 12 months. Another option is the ever expensive harborside resort at Atlantis. Although renting may be a cheaper option than owning at that resort. If you want Marriott Caribbean, I’d go with a week at MSU. Im sure when you don’t want to go to Aruba, you’ll get great trades in interval via MVC preference and then Vistana priority.


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## Dean (Jun 30, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> How do you compare the two?  Did the fact that Disney HHI was not on the water make it less enjoyable?  When we were at the Omni this spring we spent all of our time either in the pool, walking the beach, or out to eat.  My concern with Disney is that you need to get to the beach house and that the food service is very limited.


We own DVC and much prefer the 3 Marriott's I mentioned to the DVC resort partly because of location.  It'll also be easier to reserve for summer for the Marriott's but the Marriott's only have 2 BR (plus 3 BR units at Surfwatch and 1 3BR at Monarch).  If you only need a 1 BR or studio then it makes DVC the better choice IMO.


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## RookWDW (Jul 1, 2021)

We can fit in a 1 bed, but prefer 2 bedrooms.  But, DVC HHI is more expensive than MGO at a cost somewhere around $24k for enough points for a 2 bedroom every year.  I'd only buy half that amount and go every other year.  Or buy a week at MGO and trade every other year in order to stay someplace else.


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## Dean (Jul 1, 2021)

RookWDW said:


> We can fit in a 1 bed, but prefer 2 bedrooms.  But, DVC HHI is more expensive than MGO at a cost somewhere around $24k for enough points for a 2 bedroom every year.  I'd only buy half that amount and go every other year.  Or buy a week at MGO and trade every other year in order to stay someplace else.


If you want to pay for a 2 BR I'd put MGO as the first choice of the big 3.


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