# 09/16/12-Vacation Pkg Offer Given To Owners Here At OceanWatch-What Do U Guys Think?



## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi Guys! 

We're at OceanWatch right now and enjoying our 1st vacation here where we used our 2  wks consecutively and I don't know how we'll ever wanna stay just 1 wk again. 

We never really pay much attention to the offers the managers come in and present to us after we meet with our advisor but after thinking about it, we were wondering if it was a good deal and what, if any, fine print there is or potential strings attached to these deals when they offer it.

We got 15,000 MRP for going to the presentation.

We decided not to purchase any points right now but they were offering Owners a special vacation package for $1,800 that included:

*
*45,000 MRP

* 8 Day/7 night stay here at OceanWatch which they say u can use at any time of the year during any season.

* A 1 wk cruise for 2*

They said u had 18 months I believe to use the 1 wk at OceanWatch.....not sure how long for the cruise, maybe 18 mo. as well but I really don't have anymore details on the cruise part of it because like I said, we kinda dismissed it right then but after thinking about it, we were just curious about a few things:



*1. Do u guys think this is a good deal?*


*2. Do u really think u would be able to use the 1 wk at OceanWatch  ANY time?? *


I mean what r the odds that we could get in here in June, July, Aug. esp with the DC Points Program now....?


*3. And has anybody taken advantage of this package and if so, what is the fine print in terms of the details/limitations that we should know, esp. with the cruise portion?*


Our advisor said they had 800+ Owners take advantage of this special package deal since they started offering it.


What say u guys???


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2012)

We were offered the same thing on our tour there. As tempting as it was, we turned it down.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 16, 2012)

I'd want to know what the booking window looked like. Do they restrict you to a certain timeframe such as 60 days, 3 months or 6 months before your arrival date before you can book? What about the cost of just renting a week on the Marriott website or through Redweek, TUG or any other marketplace?

As to the cruise, we received a cruise certificate from Marriott when we purchased our Ocean Pointe week back in 2001. They stated it was good for carribean or Alaskan cruises but, booking an Alaskan cruise was really tricky. They listed them but there was never any cabins available. They finally put us on a call list if/when a stateroom was available. Eventually, we recieved the call but had only 60 days (maybe less, it's been awhile) to book airfare and make plans, arrange for the pets to be watched and request time off from work. If we'd have been interested in a Caribbean cruise, it would have been a lot easier.


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

dioxide45 said:


> We were offered the same thing on our tour there. As tempting as it was, we turned it down.



So u didn't think it was worth it??


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2012)

lwhitt said:


> So u didn't think it was worth it??



Well, not to us, only because we had our plans laid out for the next couple of years. The price sounded good. A lot depends on what you could get with that cruise certificate.


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

dougp26364 said:


> I'd want to know what the booking window looked like. Do they restrict you to a certain timeframe such as 60 days, 3 months or 6 months before your arrival date before you can book? What about the cost of just renting a week on the Marriott website or through Redweek, TUG or any other marketplace?
> 
> As to the cruise, we received a cruise certificate from Marriott when we purchased our Ocean Pointe week back in 2001. They stated it was good for carribean or Alaskan cruises but, booking an Alaskan cruise was really tricky. They listed them but there was never any cabins available. They finally put us on a call list if/when a stateroom was available. Eventually, we recieved the call but had only 60 days (maybe less, it's been awhile) to book airfare and make plans, arrange for the pets to be watched and request time off from work. If we'd have been interested in a Caribbean cruise, it would have been a lot easier.



Thanks for ur personal experience. I was worried about that..i.e cruise availability and window for booking.

I am curious so I am gonna call/e-mail my advisor and ask him to provide me with more details and hopefully get these questions answered.


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

dioxide45 said:


> Well, not to us, only because we had our plans laid out for the next couple of years. The price sounded good. *A lot depends on what you could get with that cruise certificate*.



Oh ok.

And yeah the cruise portion leaves a lot of questions. 

Gonna c what I can find out.


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## KathyPet (Sep 16, 2012)

What cruise line or lines was the cruise being offered on?   Iwill assume that it was for a inside cabin for 2 people?  What length cruise and were there any date restrictions??


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## cory30 (Sep 16, 2012)

We had the advisor look at some actual cruise availability while we were there and it wasn't a good deal for us (the cruise program was through Ice travel I believe). We did agree to a 3 night stay package for $749 and have already been able to make a reservation for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday stay for next June. We made the reservation in August and had no issues.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2012)

Also consider that you would probably have to pay any port fees and taxes that are associated with the cruise you are able to book.


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

KathyPet said:


> What cruise line or lines was the cruise being offered on?   Iwill assume that it was for a inside cabin for 2 people?  What length cruise and were there any date restrictions??




Adding ur questions to my list of things to ask my advisor. When I get a response I'll let u all know. The cruise length though was 7 days.


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

dioxide45 said:


> Also consider that you would probably have to pay any port fees and taxes that are associated with the cruise you are able to book.



good point! Thank u!


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## lwhitt (Sep 16, 2012)

cory30 said:


> We had the advisor look at some actual cruise availability while we were there and it wasn't a good deal for us (the cruise program was through Ice travel I believe). We did agree to a 3 night stay package for $749 and have already been able to make a reservation for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday stay for next June. We made the reservation in August and had no issues.



Oh okay. Good thinking to have them look at availability then and there.

They weren't offering a 3 night package but nice to know u could book it during prime time here w/ no problems.

I was wondering who u had to book through for the cruise.

Ice travel?

Don't know much about them.


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 16, 2012)

I assume this is for one of the back buildings but even so it seems like a good deal to me if you can actually get  summer week.  

How is the 45k points given? Can you pay with the Marriott Visa for an extra 9k points? If you could get a summer week and 54k point overall for $1800 that a good deal in my book and I'm not counting the cruise which isn't of value to me.


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## jme (Sep 16, 2012)

*learn more*

45K Rewards Points are basically good for 2 nights at a category 1-4 hotel, that's all. Not worth much. I get that each year as a gift from Marriott for having my Marriott credit card. In fact, I'm using 2 nights this coming weekend to visit Pigeon Forge,Tn, staying at a Fairfield Inn, category 4.  Big deal....would have otherwise been $100-130 per night, depending on dates.

The cruise is not all it's cracked up to be, given the details already exposed.

And if you think you'll be able to stay at OceanWatch during the summer or "anytime", BEWARE.  What they mean is "anytime available" (which is easy to promise), and that's far different from "anytime", as it WON'T be available, and here's why >>>> OW has a very high owner occupancy rate, one of the highest,  not to mention the many requests to get in using DC points, & also the hundreds of people trying to trade in.  Also add in the 800 or so people you said already bought in........so what are your odds?  You tell me. I say Slim and None, and Slim left town. 

If you're seriously considering, present this challenge:   
Say that since you are very flexible, you'll take whatever summer week they currently have for you, so please go find out which week that is, book your name, and when they return with a valid reservation in hand, you'll talk. And see what happens......


When he returns, 
he'll have one of these looks:       or      or     


And that should be 
an informative exercise for you.    and     (Goodbye)


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## dougp26364 (Sep 16, 2012)

KathyPet said:


> What cruise line or lines was the cruise being offered on?   Iwill assume that it was for a inside cabin for 2 people?  What length cruise and were there any date restrictions??





dioxide45 said:


> Also consider that you would probably have to pay any port fees and taxes that are associated with the cruise you are able to book.



Way back when, it was for an outside cabin for 2 but, I don't recall it being through ICE. There was a travel agency involved so it could have been through ICE, I just don't really remember. As I recall the only other expense was getting there. Port fee's and taxes were included. 

I do recall there was also a limited number of European cruises as well. We weren't interested in them at that time because we didn't have passports and I didn't want to mess with travel arrangements to Europe. We really had our hearts set on going to Alaska and, in the end, that's where we went.


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## BocaBoy (Sep 17, 2012)

Also, don't let Alaska cruise availability from a few years ago influence your thinking too much.  In 2008, shortly before the economic meltdown, most Alaska cruises were sold out far ahead.  That all changed and now it is not nearly so hard to book.

I think the package offered to the OP sounds like a terrific value if one wants to take advantage of the cruise (whether or not port fees are included).


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## tahoeJoe (Sep 17, 2012)

BocaBoy said:


> (whether or not port fees are included).



Be careful of these fees. I got a "free" cruse certificate once and, like Marriott, was required to use a specific travel company. I assumed the fees were the publically available port charges and tax. Not so, the agency wanted to charge me for port fees, tax, AND booking fees, handeling fees, processing fees. These fees add up and usually exceed the cost of the  cruise. In my case, the cruises were limited to some cheapest cabins on the cheapest cruises, in the lowest season. 

In my case it was for an inside cabin, on a 4 night Baja cruise from LA in the first 2 weeks of December on Carnival cruiselines. The published price was $199 per person plus $40 per person tax and port charges, for a total of $239 per person. The agency was charging me $299 in fees per person. This included  their $200 per person booking fee, $50 per person processing fee, $9 per person mailing fee, and $40 per person port charges and taxes. What a deal. :annoyed: 

BTW, I am of the opinion the $1800 packsge deal is NOT a good value. The week you will actually get, the points, and the cruise will not total $1800.


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## tahoeJoe (Sep 17, 2012)

*be careful.*



BocaBoy said:


> (whether or not port fees are included).



Be careful of these fees. I got a "free" cruse certificate once and, like Marriott, was required to use a specific travel company. I assumed the fees were the publically available port charges and tax. Not so, the agency wanted to charge me for port fees, tax, AND booking fees, handeling fees, processing fees. These fees add up and usually exceed the cost of the  cruise. In my case, the cruises were limited to some cheapest cabins on the cheapest cruises, in the lowest season. 

In my case it was for an inside cabin, on a 4 night Baja cruise from LA in the first 2 weeks of December on Carnival cruiselines. The published price was $199 per person plus $40 per person tax and port charges, for a total of $239 per person. The agency was charging me $299 in fees per person. This included  their $200 per person booking fee, $50 per person processing fee, $9 per person mailing fee, and $40 per person port charges and taxes. What a deal. :annoyed: 

BTW, I am of the opinion the $1800 packsge deal is NOT a good value. The week you will actually get, the points, and the cruise will not total $1800.


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## FlyerBobcat (Sep 17, 2012)

jme said:


> 45K Rewards Points are basically good for 2 nights at a category 1-4 hotel, that's all. Not worth much. I get that each year as a gift from Marriott for having my Marriott credit card. In fact, I'm using 2 nights this coming weekend to visit Pigeon Forge,Tn, staying at a Fairfield Inn, category 4.  Big deal....would have otherwise been $100-130 per night, depending on dates.



The point requirements is a little less for those categories below 4... From MR web:

Points Reward for 1 Night Stay

Hotel Category .. Hotel Reward  .. Pt Savers Reward   
1...................7,500...........6,000
2...................10,000..........7,500
3...................15,000..........10,000
4...................20,000..........15,000
5...................25,000..........20,000
6...................30,000..........25,000
7...................35,000..........30,000
8...................40,000..........35,000
(Redeem 4 Nights. Get the 5th Night FREE!)


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## cory30 (Sep 17, 2012)

MOXJO7282 said:


> I assume this is for one of the back buildings but even so it seems like a good deal to me if you can actually get  summer week.
> 
> How is the 45k points given? Can you pay with the Marriott Visa for an extra 9k points? If you could get a summer week and 54k point overall for $1800 that a good deal in my book and I'm not counting the cruise which isn't of value to me.



When we booked our three night package we were told that our reservation was actually for an Oceanside unit (this is also the view category shown when viewing the reservation online). The advisor shared that they had set aside units in all buildings for this promotion but I don't know the ratio. They did indicate they would be happy to place us in one of the back buildings if we preferred being near the Woodsy pool.

The 3-night package also included 50,000 MRP's so we felt this was a pretty good deal for us since we are only a few hours from Myrtle Beach and can do a long weekend pretty easily.

The cruise portal was through Ice travel (advisor pulled it up online and reviewed availability with us). At the time we were offered the free cruise was based upon an inside cabin and didnt include port fees or taxes. It didnt seem like there was a good mechanism for upgrading to an ocean view or balcony room as the out of pocket price for an upgrade made the overall cost comparable to what I could book a cruise directly myself.


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## wuv pooh (Sep 17, 2012)

We just did this for Hilton Head.  Similar idea, but different price points.  I paid $1,499 for a summer week and we could book 10 months out.  I told them the week I wanted and they actually did it early, so we are booked for the last week of July at Barony Beach.

I thought it good deal for a summer week rental and I will use points to add on a Sun-Thur at another resort to stay on for 12 nights.


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 17, 2012)

FlyerBobcat said:


> The point requirements is a little less for those categories below 4... From MR web:
> 
> Points Reward for 1 Night Stay
> 
> ...



I never look at points this way because I would never use them this way. 45K is a big chunk towards a travel package so for us it has good value beyond the 1 or 2 nights free that it represents by itself.


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 17, 2012)

So do you have to attend a presentation to take advantage? I'm wondering if this is offered to select guests depending on their profile because I've done dozens of presentations and have never been offered such a deal anywhere.


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## jdunn1 (Sep 17, 2012)

Hi Joe.  I wasn't offered a deal like this either after my presentation at SurfWatch this past Easter.  I heard other people being sold similar packages (minues the cruise and reward points), so I asked the lady who came in to do the survery about these.  I suppose she would have let me buy one if I was intersted but in my case, I think they saw I wasn't about to buy anything and so they didn't even offer.  Maybe ask about an encore package nex time you go to a presentation.

I know at the Hilton Head resorts the one week for $1,800 that was being offered was not good in the summer.  The week was also not good at at least one of the ocean front resorts.  I can't immagine how the summer weeks at OceanWatch could NOT be exlcuded from whatever encore package is being offered.  I hope the OP at least follows-up with the sales rep to ask for the restrictions on the additional week being offered.  I'd get a statement in writing that a summer week could be booked with the certificate.

I would not buy an encore week unless I could book the summer week for next year right then and there.  



MOXJO7282 said:


> So do you have to attend a presentation to take advantage? I'm wondering if this is offered to select guests depending on their profile because I've done dozens of presentations and have never been offered such a deal anywhere.


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## cory30 (Sep 17, 2012)

We were offered at an "owner update" presentation on our visit last June. One stipulation of the offer is that we meet with our advisor when we make the return visit next summer.


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## jont (Sep 17, 2012)

jme said:


> And if you think you'll be able to stay at OceanWatch during the summer or "anytime", BEWARE.  What they mean is "anytime available" (which is easy to promise), and that's far different from "anytime", as it WON'T be available, and here's why >>>> OW has a very high owner occupancy rate, one of the highest,  not to mention the many requests to get in using DC points, & also the hundreds of people trying to trade in.  Also add in the 800 or so people you said already bought in........so what are your odds?  You tell me. I say Slim and None, and Slim left town.
> 
> If you're seriously considering, present this challenge:
> Say that since you are very flexible, you'll take whatever summer week they currently have for you, so please go find out which week that is, book your name, and when they return with a valid reservation in hand, you'll talk. And see what happens......



Very good idea and advice. 
If you can get a prime summer week, even a low floor garden view, it is a good deal.
But my feeling is that Elvis has left the building.


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## Will33 (Sep 17, 2012)

I don't know how similar this is to the encore package from before, but with the encore I was able to get a 6 night July reservation in 2011, and was put in oceanfront.


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## BocaBoy (Sep 17, 2012)

tahoeJoe said:


> Be careful of these fees. I got a "free" cruse certificate once and, like Marriott, was required to use a specific travel company. I assumed the fees were the publically available port charges and tax. Not so, the agency wanted to charge me for port fees, tax, AND booking fees, handeling fees, processing fees. These fees add up and usually exceed the cost of the  cruise. In my case, the cruises were limited to some cheapest cabins on the cheapest cruises, in the lowest season.
> 
> In my case it was for an inside cabin, on a 4 night Baja cruise from LA in the first 2 weeks of December on Carnival cruiselines. The published price was $199 per person plus $40 per person tax and port charges, for a total of $239 per person. The agency was charging me $299 in fees per person. This included  their $200 per person booking fee, $50 per person processing fee, $9 per person mailing fee, and $40 per person port charges and taxes. What a deal. :annoyed:
> 
> BTW, I am of the opinion the $1800 packsge deal is NOT a good value. The week you will actually get, the points, and the cruise will not total $1800.



I referred to "port fees", not booking fees.  I doubt that there are booking fees in this offer, but of course I do not know.  And the week plus the cruise is definitely worth more than $1800.  The OP said it was a one week cruise, not a cheapo 4 day Carnival cruise.

Did you get your 4 day Carnival cruise from a MVCI promotion?  The terms sound more like the unsolicited "free cruise" promotions that you get from timeshare promoters in the mail all the time.  Those are definitely not worth it.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 17, 2012)

tahoeJoe said:


> Be careful of these fees. I got a "free" cruse certificate once and, like Marriott, was required to use a specific travel company. I assumed the fees were the publically available port charges and tax. Not so, the agency wanted to charge me for port fees, tax, AND booking fees, handeling fees, processing fees. These fees add up and usually exceed the cost of the  cruise. In my case, the cruises were limited to some cheapest cabins on the cheapest cruises, in the lowest season.
> 
> In my case it was for an inside cabin, on a 4 night Baja cruise from LA in the first 2 weeks of December on Carnival cruiselines. The published price was $199 per person plus $40 per person tax and port charges, for a total of $239 per person. The agency was charging me $299 in fees per person. This included  their $200 per person booking fee, $50 per person processing fee, $9 per person mailing fee, and $40 per person port charges and taxes. What a deal. :annoyed:
> 
> BTW, I am of the opinion the $1800 packsge deal is NOT a good value. The week you will actually get, the points, and the cruise will not total $1800.





BocaBoy said:


> I referred to "port fees", not booking fees.  I doubt that there are booking fees in this offer, but of course I do not know.  And the week plus the cruise is definitely worth more than $1800.  The OP said it was a one week cruise, not a cheapo 4 day Carnival cruise.
> 
> Did you get your 4 day Carnival cruise from a MVCI promotion?  The terms sound more like the unsolicited "free cruise" promotions that you get from timeshare promoters in the mail all the time.  Those are definitely not worth it.



All I can say is that when we recieved the cruise certificate from Marriott, it was unlike the cruise/vacation offers you get from timeshare/travel companies or from car dealers who give you a "free" cruise when you buy a car. It was a legitimate offer with no hidden fee's. The only fee I recall was if we wanted to upgrade from the outside cabin to a balcony stateroom. We wanted to but, there was no availability. We did not get a prime location but it wasn't the poorest location either.

It would be hard for me to believe that Marriott would give out something so worthless as a certificate that cost more to use than paying for the cruise outright but, it was 2002 when we used our certificate and much has changed. It would be wise to ask questions before jumping on the offer. Asking about additional fee's and how much those fee's are would be only a smart idea IMHO.


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## skyequeen (Sep 17, 2012)

lwhitt said:


> Hi Guys!
> 
> We're at OceanWatch right now and enjoying our 1st vacation here where we used our 2  wks consecutively and I don't know how we'll ever wanna stay just 1 wk again.
> 
> ...



We bought the Encore package for a 6-night stay when there in July and feared we wouldn't get the week we wanted.  Have successfully booked over July 4 weekend in 2013 to match a week we own.  Will trade 2 other weeks we own for points instead so consider it a cheap way to rent points for other trips.  We are happy.


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## lwhitt (Sep 27, 2012)

skyequeen said:


> We bought the Encore package for a 6-night stay when there in July and feared we wouldn't get the week we wanted.  *Have successfully booked over July 4 weekend in 2013 to match a week we own.*  Will trade 2 other weeks we own for points instead so consider it a cheap way to rent points for other trips.  We are happy.



That indeed is EXTRAORDINARY because for this package there r blackout dates when u can't use the wk at OceanWatch.

*Here are some answers to the questions u all had and advised me to ask about straight from the manager of the Encore Dept that offered this to us:*

*The 7 day/6 ngt OceanWatch pkg... we would have 18 mo. to use it from the time we purchased the package.

*Blackout dates when u can't use ur wk is in prime time when the villas, at least oceanfront r renting he says for $750/ngt....June 9th-Aug. 19th. 

Wouldn't matter to me cuz I would luv to be there end of May, end of Aug or better yet Sept any way after the kids r back in school and the crowds have subsided a bit.

*When u come back to OW is when u get the cruise certificate and the 45K MRP.

*Have 1 yr. after that to then use the cruise for 2 certificate.

* Cruise is through ICE and encompasses many diff. itineraries...Caribbean, Alaska, Europe.

*Does not include taxes and port fees.

* Certficate is transferrable to someone else if u can't use it and u can add more people to ur group to go by using the website.

I didn't ask about the view at OW for the encore wk, but I am sure it cannot be guarenteed but he did say they set aside inventory just for this package so....

*So guys with the new info......yah or nah, so-so...?*


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## skyequeen (Oct 2, 2012)

There did not seem to be a blackout when we booked.  They told us they had about 6 units per week assigned for Encore.  Each week they release another week about 10 months ahead.  I called at least every week for a month just in case the info I was being given was faulty.  We did not really care about getting July 4th week because it is so crowded.  But it starts in June and June was coming up in availability and I wanted to nail down our plans to match one of our existing reservations.  We were told they try to give a good view to the Encore people since they want them to be happy (which makes sense since they want to sell you points).  We have traded our two other summer weeks for DC points so 2 more tuggers might have gotten those weeks.  Good luck to everyone.  We love OceanWatch.


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## tiel (Oct 15, 2012)

When we purchased the MOW encore week in September, we were told we could call in Feb 2013 to reserve our week (with July and most August weeks blacked out).  We didn't care, since we wanted early September anyway, to go with our annual silver week.

At the beginning of October, we received a couple of emails telling us "The time to book your vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC is NOW!".  So I called the number provided to see what was going on.  I told them we were advised we couldn't call before February, and asked why we got the emails.  We were then advised we would be able to make a reservation for the date we wanted (checkin on Sep 6, 2013) the following Friday.  I called back as instructed, and we got a confirmed reservation for checkin on Sep 6, which nicely bumps up against our 2013 week reservation.  

We are happy with this deal so far, and are hoping everything else in package works just as well...but we won't find that out until sometime after Sep 2013!


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## flyboy0681 (Oct 29, 2012)

jme said:


> .
> 
> And if you think you'll be able to stay at OceanWatch during the summer or "anytime", BEWARE.  What they mean is "anytime available" (which is easy to promise), and that's far different from "anytime", as it WON'T be available, and here's why >>>> OW has a very high owner occupancy rate, one of the highest,  not to mention the many requests to get in using DC points, & also the hundreds of people trying to trade in.  Also add in the 800 or so people you said already bought in........so what are your odds?  You tell me. I say Slim and None, and Slim left town.




This is a correct assessment. In 2011 we signed up for Encore at Hilton Head and planned to go back late July, early August 2012 when my son was out of summer session at college. When it came time to book the week, we gave the rep the order of resorts that we wanted to stay at and our fourth choice (Surf Watch) was the one eventually assigned to us, for the second to last week of July. About a month later my son got hold of the summer college schedule and found out finals week was the same as the reservation. I called the rep and there was absolutely nothing we could do to change the date, it was set in stone and that was that. My wife and I landed up going for three days, which were very nice, but having the extra empty bedroom and Marriott's inflexibility really put a damper on things. This worked against the sales presentation because I walked into it with a huge chip on my shoulder and nothing they could have thrown my way would have resulted in a sale.

The gist of this message is, if you do sign up for Encore, make doubly sure that you will be happy with the property they select for you and the week, because in my case, there was no going back.


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