[ 2021 ] Marriott Newport Coast Villas - July 4th week - is it worth it?

[younme4ever]

Does anyone know why the July 4th week is so expensive? Do they have a fireworks show or are there special activities at the resort or nearby that make this such a popular location to be at during this week?

 

[davidvel]

There are fireworks shows just as there are all over the U.S. Planning an entire vacation, and paying a premium, for a 2-30 minute fireworks show makes little sense. I've never understood the obsession with this particular week, other than many get 1-2 days off, so it's a good time to plan a summer vacation.

 

[younme4ever]

There are fireworks shows just as there are all over the U.S. Planning an entire vacation, and paying a premium, for a 2-30 minute fireworks show makes little sense. I've never understood the obsession with this particular week, other than many get 1-2 days off, so it's a good time to plan a summer vacation.

That’s what I was thinking as well but was curious if there was reason that may not be apparent to me. Thanks for your insight.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

That’s what I was thinking as well but was curious if there was reason that may not be apparent to me. Thanks for your insight.

The July 4th week is a "fixed" week during a very desirable time at a Marriott's NCV Resort (which is difficult to reserve during the summer months). Having a fixed week there makes it a sure bet each year (and no 12 month reservations are required).

It may be more expensive, but many think it is well worth it.


.

 

[ljmiii]

Because of the way weeks are allocated across seasons, summer weeks at NCV are very competitively booked. The fixed July 4th week at NCV is therefore *highly* sought after as a way to ensure multi-week owners can ensure getting a summer vacation at NCV. In other words, when July 4th week becomes 'bookable' at 13 months owners can then string behind as many consecutive weeks as they own to get a nice, long summer vacation at NCV.

 

[darius]

We own a week 26 NCV, and have for about 10 years or so. It's the only timeshare (or any property) that our family always wants to revisit, same time - each year. We add a few days before and after using DC points but use this as an anchor week. Worth every penny to us, and absolutely love it - Last year (during Covid) we stayed there for 3 weeks.

There is just so much to do down in Newport we just don't get bored. I think a lot of folks love 4th of July week because the area itself is very patriotic and lends to a fun holiday experience.

 

[davidvel]

The July 4th week is a "fixed" week during a very desirable time at a Marriott's NCV Resort (which is difficult to reserve during the summer months). Having a fixed week there makes it a sure bet each year (and no 12 month reservations are required).

It may be more expensive, but many think it is well worth it.


.

Yes, didn't realize OP was talking about the fixed week. It is definitely an advantage to be assured a week there every year, smack dab in the middle of summer. Really not much different than if it was July 11th week, though.

 

[younme4ever]

The July 4th week is a "fixed" week during a very desirable time at a Marriott's NCV Resort (which is difficult to reserve during the summer months). Having a fixed week there makes it a sure bet each year (and no 12 month reservations are required).

It may be more expensive, but many think it is well worth it.


.

I definitely agree that having a fixed week would make it easier to book a summer week at NCV but wasn’t sure if there was anything “special” that happens there during that week versus being there another week in July. Since the resale price seems to be about $10k more than a platinum week, I was curious about what you can do there.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

I definitely agree that having a fixed week would make it easier to book a summer week at NCV but wasn’t sure if there was anything “special” that happens there during that week versus being there another week in July. Since the resale price seems to be about $10k more than a platinum week, I was curious about what you can do there.

NCV is a beautiful resort in a beautiful area. The weather at that time of year is very nice.

Your best bet may be to try renting there prior to making any purchase commitment so you can check out the area (and resort) yourself.

Renting is nice as it will give you the ability to learn what you do like, but more importantly it could show you what you don't like (and want to avoid). Rent before making the commitment to buy,



.

 

[davidvel]

NCV is a beautiful resort in a beautiful area. The weather at that time of year is very nice.

Your best bet may be to try renting there prior to making any purchase commitment so you can check out the area (and resort) yourself.

Renting is nice as it will give you the ability to learn what you do like, but more importantly it could show you what you don't like (and want to avoid). Rent before making the commitment to buy,



.

Good idea. Most summer weeks rent for about $2,500 through redweek, no fight to reserve (probably deflated a bit due to covid). That should also be factored into the price/decision to purchase.

 

[younme4ever]

NCV is a beautiful resort in a beautiful area. The weather at that time of year is very nice.

Your best bet may be to try renting there prior to making any purchase commitment so you can check out the area (and resort) yourself.

Renting is nice as it will give you the ability to learn what you do like, but more importantly it could show you what you don't like (and want to avoid). Rent before making the commitment to buy,



.

I rented this past March and really loved the area/resort so I just submitted to buy a week during the platinum season (resale) but saw the price difference between the platinum season and the week of 4th of July. So I was curious about why that week was so expensive compared to having the flexibility to book all the other weeks. I assumed there would be a nice firework show but was curious if they had other activities etc. I do like the fact that you are guaranteed a week in July though.

 

[DanCali]

Does anyone know why the July 4th week is so expensive? Do they have a fireworks show or are there special activities at the resort or nearby that make this such a popular location to be at during this week?

Are you asking why it is so expensive to buy on the resale market or just rent the week for a week's stay on RedWeek?

If you are asking about buying I can tell you that we bought 2 regular Platinum weeks 10+ years ago. Although I am persistent enough to somehow always secure July or August reservations (which is what everyone seems to want in a 7 month Platinum season), I eventually decided that it was worth it to just buy a fixed 4th of July week and be able to pretty much guarantee the first 3 weeks in July. I used to get 2 summer weeks but it wasn't always the week I wanted - I would try at 13 months out week after week and then at 12 months out online and via phone... I'd make it work but it was stressful and a huge pain. Is that alone worth a premium of almost 200% (cost is almost triple)? Maybe not, but there is also another reason to do it...

A regular Platinum weeks converts to 3475 points. The 4th of July week converts to 5300 points. While a resale purchase is not eligible to be enrolled, we all know that if you ever consider making a developer purchase it is always good to have a few resale weeks in your back pocket since they will offer to enroll those resale weeks. I haven't done deep research on this, but I suspect there are few, if any, weeks in the points system that offer a better Points/MF ratio (MF + taxes, which are paid to county separately, are about $1600/year). Before we got the week 26, we were at a presentation at NCV and were offered a "combo" deal to buy a PP Week 52 from the developer and 3000 DC points. Week 52 is worth about 4600 points and has a lower rental value so I told them that, while it was a good sales pitch, we'll get a week 26 on the resale market for less than their price for the week 52 and see them again in a couple of years . Of course they said that deal is gone the moment we walk out... But for anyone considering just the points value for a potential enrollment down the road without caring about summer week reservations, the premium on the resale market for a Week 52 over a regular Platinum week is much lower, so that may be a better option.

As for rental value, it does rent a for a 15-20% premium over a regular summer week ($3000+ vs $2500+), and that extra ~$500 or so in rent is by itself a 4%-5% return on the extra $10K-$12K you pay up front above the price of regular Platinum. Remember that the upfront purchase cost is not automatically a huge capital loss like with a developer purchase - I remember that pre-2010 a 4th of July week was around $15K on eBay. I kick myself to this day for not getting that one, especially after the 2010 events... So in the past 11+ years it has actually maintained its value and maybe even appreciated slightly in value on the resale market (I think they go for $17K-$18K today) despite maintenance fees increasing by over 50% during that time. That's in contrast to Platinum weeks that fell in value from $11$K-$12K pre-2010 to $6.5K-$7K today. And for those who can convert to points, the rental value of the 5300 points is actually higher than the rental value of the 4th of July week.

 

[younme4ever]

Are you asking why it is so expensive to buy on the resale market or just rent the week for a week's stay on RedWeek?

If you are asking about buying I can tell you that we bought 2 regular Platinum weeks 10+ years ago. Although I am persistent enough to somehow always secure July or August reservations (which is what everyone seems to want in a 7 month Platinum season), I eventually decided that it was worth it to just buy a fixed 4th of July week and be able to pretty much guarantee the first 3 weeks in July. I used to get 2 summer weeks but it wasn't always the week I wanted - I would try at 13 months out week after week and then at 12 months out online and via phone... I'd make it work but it was stressful and a huge pain. Is that alone worth a premium of almost 200% (cost is almost triple)? Maybe not, but there is also another reason to do it...

A regular Platinum weeks converts to 3475 points. The 4th of July week converts to 5300 points. While a resale purchase is not eligible to be enrolled, we all know that if you ever consider making a developer purchase it is always good to have a few resale weeks in your back pocket since they will offer to enroll those resale weeks. I haven't done deep research on this, but I suspect there are few, if any, weeks in the points system that offer a better Points/MF ratio (MF + taxes, which are paid to county separately, are about $1600/year). Before we got the week 26, we were at a presentation at NCV and were offered a "combo" deal to buy a PP Week 52 from the developer and 3000 DC points. Week 52 is worth about 4600 points and has a lower rental value so I told them that, while it was a good sales pitch, we'll get a week 26 on the resale market for less than their price for the week 52 and see them again in a couple of years . Of course they said that deal is gone the moment we walk out... But for anyone considering just the points value for a potential enrollment down the road without caring about summer week reservations, the premium on the resale market for a Week 52 over a regular Platinum week is much lower, so that may be a better option.

As for rental value, it does rent a for a 15-20% premium over a regular summer week ($3000+ vs $2500+), and that extra ~$500 or so in rent is by itself a 4%-5% return on the extra $10K-$12K you pay up front above the price of regular Platinum. Remember that the upfront purchase cost is not automatically a huge capital loss like with a developer purchase - I remember that pre-2010 a 4th of July week was around $15K on eBay. I kick myself to this day for not getting that one, especially after the 2010 events... So in the past 11+ years it has actually maintained its value and maybe even appreciated slightly in value on the resale market (I think they go for $17K-$18K today) despite maintenance fees increasing by over 50% during that time. That's in contrast to Platinum weeks that fell in value from $11$K-$12K pre-2010 to $6.5K-$7K today. And for those who can convert to points, the rental value of the 5300 points is actually higher than the rental value of the 4th of July week.

I was thinking about buying but wasn’t sure so was curious to see what people’s thoughts were. The plus for me is that I really like NCV and wouldn’t mind going there every year but still want to keep my options open for certain years and think about the trading power and rental values. Thank you for all the details. Helpful to think about things from different perspectives.

 

[younme4ever]

Are you asking why it is so expensive to buy on the resale market or just rent the week for a week's stay on RedWeek?

If you are asking about buying I can tell you that we bought 2 regular Platinum weeks 10+ years ago. Although I am persistent enough to somehow always secure July or August reservations (which is what everyone seems to want in a 7 month Platinum season), I eventually decided that it was worth it to just buy a fixed 4th of July week and be able to pretty much guarantee the first 3 weeks in July. I used to get 2 summer weeks but it wasn't always the week I wanted - I would try at 13 months out week after week and then at 12 months out online and via phone... I'd make it work but it was stressful and a huge pain. Is that alone worth a premium of almost 200% (cost is almost triple)? Maybe not, but there is also another reason to do it...

A regular Platinum weeks converts to 3475 points. The 4th of July week converts to 5300 points. While a resale purchase is not eligible to be enrolled, we all know that if you ever consider making a developer purchase it is always good to have a few resale weeks in your back pocket since they will offer to enroll those resale weeks. I haven't done deep research on this, but I suspect there are few, if any, weeks in the points system that offer a better Points/MF ratio (MF + taxes, which are paid to county separately, are about $1600/year). Before we got the week 26, we were at a presentation at NCV and were offered a "combo" deal to buy a PP Week 52 from the developer and 3000 DC points. Week 52 is worth about 4600 points and has a lower rental value so I told them that, while it was a good sales pitch, we'll get a week 26 on the resale market for less than their price for the week 52 and see them again in a couple of years . Of course they said that deal is gone the moment we walk out... But for anyone considering just the points value for a potential enrollment down the road without caring about summer week reservations, the premium on the resale market for a Week 52 over a regular Platinum week is much lower, so that may be a better option.

As for rental value, it does rent a for a 15-20% premium over a regular summer week ($3000+ vs $2500+), and that extra ~$500 or so in rent is by itself a 4%-5% return on the extra $10K-$12K you pay up front above the price of regular Platinum. Remember that the upfront purchase cost is not automatically a huge capital loss like with a developer purchase - I remember that pre-2010 a 4th of July week was around $15K on eBay. I kick myself to this day for not getting that one, especially after the 2010 events... So in the past 11+ years it has actually maintained its value and maybe even appreciated slightly in value on the resale market (I think they go for $17K-$18K today) despite maintenance fees increasing by over 50% during that time. That's in contrast to Platinum weeks that fell in value from $11$K-$12K pre-2010 to $6.5K-$7K today. And for those who can convert to points, the rental value of the 5300 points is actually higher than the rental value of the 4th of July week.

Thank you. I have had 2 weeks for a few years now but it’s been a pain to call in to try to get the month of July and I keep contemplating about purchasing week 26 so it would be easier. Based on your response, I am thinking that it may be worth it for me to look for a good resale. Appreciate your feedback here!

 

[Greg G]

What was kind of neat, when I stayed at Laguna Surf over the 4th of July, is that you can see fireworks up and down the coast from neighboring towns.

 

[DanCali]

There's a blast from the past - the thread comes back to life!

Our 4th of July is also enrolled so I use it to help with 13 month reservations and then elect points a few week later. 5300 points is too good to overlook and while we like NCV in July, I've never been there on July 4, and it may be a while (e.g. retirement) until I actually use that week 26 there.

 

[Twohsieh]

There's a blast from the past - the thread comes back to life!

Our 4th of July is also enrolled so I use it to help with 13 month reservations and then elect points a few week later. 5300 points is too good to overlook and while we like NCV in July, I've never been there on July 4, and it may be a while (e.g. retirement) until I actually use that week 26 there.

Hello DanCali,
I came across your original post a while ago which helped me make an informed decision into buying a resale NCV week 26. I have read that many people had a hard time booking a summer week with their floating Platinum week.

It has been so easy to book our Fourth of July week-we just need to call into member services to let them know if we would like to reserve for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday check in. I definitely agree that it was worth the extra cost for this fixed week.

I have since added a floating resale Platinum NCV timeshare which I was able to make a consecutive reservation for 2026 with my Platinum Plus week as the anchor at 13 months.

Thank you so much for posting your experience here. I am truly grateful to all the members of Tug who share their expertise and experience about timeshares.