Encore Packages

[travelgirl8]

I signed up for an Encore package. It came with the attached chart. I'm wondering which resorts would be good to try? We have enjoyed both beach and national park vacations. We are on the East Coast and this is a 5 day 4 night package. I would appreciate any recommendations for using this. Thanks!

 

[CaliSunshine]

To be honest, I might consider rescinding if you're within the time limit. For 4 nights it would be over 300 dollars a night to over 600 dollars a night, which is quite a lot.

That said, if you're not within rescission or just want to try the timeshare experience, I'd definitely go with one of the 1 or 2 bedroom options.

 

[CaliSunshine]

Kind of an interesting tidbit: looks like the encore package has both Marriott and Vistana options. I guess this is new post-merger?

 

[claraj]

If Hawaii isn't too far, that might be your best bet. I think the ski ones will be hard to get during ski season. I haven't been but I hear Aruba is really nice and it is on my list to go.

 

[Pamplemousse]

I signed up for an Encore package. It came with the attached chart. I'm wondering which resorts would be good to try? We have enjoyed both beach and national park vacations. We are on the East Coast and this is a 5 day 4 night package. I would appreciate any recommendations for using this. Thanks!

Are you adding extra nights?
Looking to drive?
We are east coast too and enjoy Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in shoulder season- nice weather, not too hot and less crowds.

 

[Hindsite]

St John USVI, its not easy to get by many of the other booking mechanisms and is expensive to rent. Combine it with a booking at MVC St Thomas to get the best of both.

 

[DRH90277]

I have a Encore package, received from OceanWatch following a presentation. Mine has no flexibility in use location. I might add having an Encore for OceanWatch means you will most likely stay in an off-season lower end villa. The ones mentioned in this forum seem to open to other locations. Is my Encore peculiar?

 

[claraj]

The ones mentioned in this forum seem to open to other locations. Is my Encore peculiar?

There are different Encore packages. I was offered two different packages from my last virtual update meeting. One was similar to the one from OP (could even be the exact one) and the other was specific to Westin Riverfront in Avon, CO, which was cheaper and offered higher incentives for the required update meeting upon booking the Encore stay. I went with the package specific to Westin Riverfront. I tried to book something in Jan 2025 but it wasn't immediately available so I settled for first week of December.

The Encore was originally for a studio and they upgraded me to a 1 BR for free.

With regard to staying in a lower end villa, this did not happen to me when I booked an Encore in Marco Island. I was assigned a high floor poolside view villa.

 

[jwalk03]

I have a Encore package, received from OceanWatch following a presentation. Mine has no flexibility in use location. I might add having an Encore for OceanWatch means you will most likely stay in an off-season lower end villa. The ones mentioned in this forum seem to open to other locations. Is my Encore peculiar?

There are different Encore package offers. Just depends which one you purchased.

 

[gln60]

Prices have gone up since 2023 and I notice Marco Island is no longer a choice.

 

[DRH90277]

There are different Encore package offers. Just depends which one you purchased.

My wife and I kick ourselves for the Encore we got. Two things are of note, we could credit our Encore cost to a future purchase and we got some Plus Points at less than the maintenance fees. The dumbest part is that we already own 6 ocean side villas at OceanWatch and another 5 night likely off season substandard villa doesn't add much.

We're obviously not part of the brain trust in this timeshare game yet. Just smile with us.

 

[dioxide45]

I have a Encore package, received from OceanWatch following a presentation. Mine has no flexibility in use location. I might add having an Encore for OceanWatch means you will most likely stay in an off-season lower end villa. The ones mentioned in this forum seem to open to other locations. Is my Encore peculiar?

Generally the ones open to multiple resorts are more expensive and come with lower incentives. Say 50K bonvoy instead of 100K. Yours is probably more of the norm.

 

[travelgirl8]

St John USVI, its not easy to get by many of the other booking mechanisms and is expensive to rent. Combine it with a booking at MVC St Thomas to get the best of both.

That sounds like a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[travelgirl8]

My wife and I kick ourselves for the Encore we got. Two things are of note, we could credit our Encore cost to a future purchase and we got some Plus Points at less than the maintenance fees. The dumbest part is that we already own 6 ocean side villas at OceanWatch and another 5 night likely off season substandard villa doesn't add much.

We're obviously not part of the brain trust in this timeshare game yet. Just smile with us.

It looks like I'm in the same part of the learning curve. I bought this in Hawaii enamored by the beauty of the resort and place. Looks like not my best move. But, I think if I can get St John and connect it to St. Thomas it will be a great trip! On Marriott site a studio goes for about $650 a night. Not too bad if I can get it but it looks like the encore packages are not the best value. Thanks all for responding.

 

[Hindsite]

On Marriott site a studio goes for about $650 a night. Not too bad if I can get it but it looks like the encore packages are not the best value. Thanks all for responding.

If you have II membership MFC (St Thomas) does come up for exchange and you might also find something less expensive on redweek.

 

[DRH90277]

Generally the ones open to multiple resorts are more expensive and come with lower incentives. Say 50K bonvoy instead of 100K. Yours is probably more of the norm.

Again, our Encore is at one of our 5 home resorts. So, our Encore is a bit dumb from the MVC side (as well as ours). First, we own 6 weeks at OceanWatch. Second, we own or can convert to 50,000+ Abound points. Last, our last MVC purchase/enrollment deal was at OceanWatch.

We really like our sales guy at OceanWatch - one of the best and is our friend now. But the poor guy must entertain us for 90 minutes again with little prospect of a sale. Too bad we can't just take him out for lunch.

 

[dioxide45]

Again, our Encore is at one of our 5 home resorts.

I thought you said "Mine has no flexibility in use location."

 

[DRH90277]

I thought you said "Mine has no flexibility in use location."

Was confusing and a good catch, only good at OceanWatch. I equate home resort(s) with the ones where we own weeks. Might be wrong definition but I also don't think point owners have any "home" resorts - they are just like hotel guests

 

[aland0524]

@travelgirl8 - It's not clear from the attachment you sent how much you paid for this Encore Package. Usually, the package for 5 days, 4 nights costs around $1,000 with a $99 processing fee and you pay a pro-rated fee per month for 10 months (in this case, for $1,000, it would be $100 per month). As the attachment you sent shows, it also will have various Tiers that may cost you additional price for different months of the year that you want to go and also where you want to go (sometimes another $300 or $600). We own at MOC-Napili, Nanea and Waiohai but we've used Encore packages to extend our Hawaii vacations or go to NYC (we live in the Midwest) during Christmas time (catch a few Broadway shows, skate at Rockefeller Center, check out the Christmas Tree, etc.). For the money, we think its a good deal. The NYC package is at the Pulse which isn't The Plaza but for the money, even if it has small rooms and no view, it's still a good deal (we usually extend the stay by using Bonvoy points and going next door to the Springhill Suites (and we get upgraded to a great room that has an awesome view of the Empire State building) since we're Titanium Elite. We also have used it to get a 2-bedroom "garden view" at the Kauai Lagoons but still had a great view of the ocean. This coming winter, we already have a reservation at the Sheraton Resort Hotel at Poipu Beach and even though it will be a garden view, it will still allow us to add a decent number of days to our Kauai stay - we move to the Waiohai the week after. You don't buy this for the size or view of the room...

Net, use it to extend stays at your home resort especially if you own in Hawaii or go to places like NYC or San Francisco ... relative to the cost of paying for a hotel room or a villa in the same area, I think you come out ahead. The economics really depends on how much you've paid for the package and the relative cost to reserve (or rent) a similar number of days (hotel rates, Redweek) at comparable places to stay at the same place or near the area.

 

[travelgirl8]

I paid $1195 for the encore package. Sounds like you make good use of Encore packages. Extending Hawaii packages sounds like a good investment!

 

[daviator]

@travelgirl8 - It's not clear from the attachment you sent how much you paid for this Encore Package. Usually, the package for 5 days, 4 nights costs around $1,000 with a $99 processing fee and you pay a pro-rated fee per month for 10 months (in this case, for $1,000, it would be $100 per month). As the attachment you sent shows, it also will have various Tiers that may cost you additional price for different months of the year that you want to go and also where you want to go (sometimes another $300 or $600). We own at MOC-Napili, Nanea and Waiohai but we've used Encore packages to extend our Hawaii vacations or go to NYC (we live in the Midwest) during Christmas time (catch a few Broadway shows, skate at Rockefeller Center, check out the Christmas Tree, etc.). For the money, we think its a good deal. The NYC package is at the Pulse which isn't The Plaza but for the money, even if it has small rooms and no view, it's still a good deal (we usually extend the stay by using Bonvoy points and going next door to the Springhill Suites (and we get upgraded to a great room that has an awesome view of the Empire State building) since we're Titanium Elite. We also have used it to get a 2-bedroom "garden view" at the Kauai Lagoons but still had a great view of the ocean. This coming winter, we already have a reservation at the Sheraton Resort Hotel at Poipu Beach and even though it will be a garden view, it will still allow us to add a decent number of days to our Kauai stay - we move to the Waiohai the week after. You don't buy this for the size or view of the room...

Net, use it to extend stays at your home resort especially if you own in Hawaii or go to places like NYC or San Francisco ... relative to the cost of paying for a hotel room or a villa in the same area, I think you come out ahead. The economics really depends on how much you've paid for the package and the relative cost to reserve (or rent) a similar number of days (hotel rates, Redweek) at comparable places to stay at the same place or near the area.

We are at WDW (that’s Westin Desert Willow, not Walt Disney World, lol) on an ownership stay back to back with an Encore stay which is something I do frequently. This morning I did the obligatory sales presentation, and did not add to my ownership, but I did buy another Encore package as I often do. I think they are usually a great deal.

In the case of the Westin resorts in Palm Desert, the deal is four nights in the larger (Premium 1 br) side of a lockoff at either WDW or WMH, along with 50,000 Bonvoy points ($699) or 100,000 Bonvoy points ($999.). In either case there is a $99 up front fee.

I value Bonvoy points at about 0.8¢ each, so 100K points is worth $800. So essentially you pay $300 for four nights, or $75 per night, which is a great value in my book. The catch is that you have to attend another sales presentation. If you aren’t able stand up to the pressure and you don’t want or need more ownership, then it might not be a good deal for you.

The other catch is that they charge for parking when you’re on an Encore stay so you need to add another $20/night for that.

But I appreciate both the inexpensive add-on nights and the opportunity to top off my Bonvoy account, as I sometimes find very valuable uses for those points.

One other note: when you go to book the Encore stay, you can upgrade to a full 2br lock off unit for $200 (total) which might be an attractive choice for some.

They also usually have a similar deal for the smaller 1 br unit size, it’s maybe $100 or maybe even $200 cheaper. Might be an even better deal if many ways, but I’m spoiled and no longer want to stay in the smaller unit.

 

[dioxide45]

I value Bonvoy points at about 0.8¢ each, so 100K points is worth $800. So essentially you pay $300 for four nights, or $75 per night, which is a great value in my book. The catch is that you have to attend another sales presentation. If you aren’t able stand up to the pressure and you don’t want or need more ownership, then it might not be a good deal for you.

The other catch is that they charge for parking when you’re on an Encore stay so you need to add another $20/night for that.

I think for certain locations they can be okay, but for many where they are sending you somewhere you can book a getaway for cheap, buying a getaway is often better. A getaway is seven nights (not just four) and when you go they are likely to invite you on a presentation and offer 30-40K Bonvoy for free. In places where getaways are $500 or less, I think that is the better way to go. I suppose we all see value differently, I just don't see the value in Encore packages.

 

[daviator]

I think for certain locations they can be okay, but for many where they are sending you somewhere you can book a getaway for cheap, buying a getaway is often better. A getaway is seven nights (not just four) and when you go they are likely to invite you on a presentation and offer 30-40K Bonvoy for free. In places where getaways are $500 or less, I think that is the better way to go. I suppose we all see value differently, I just don't see the value in Encore packages.

One difference is that I’ve had little trouble booking Encore packages during busy periods when getaways probably aren’t available. They do sometimes have a surcharge for the busiest periods and I avoid those anyway, but for example, it’s Coachella time and I was able to book an Encore stay here.

 

[Red elephant]

I think for certain locations they can be okay, but for many where they are sending you somewhere you can book a getaway for cheap, buying a getaway is often better. A getaway is seven nights (not just four) and when you go they are likely to invite you on a presentation and offer 30-40K Bonvoy for free. In places where getaways are $500 or less, I think that is the better way to go. I suppose we all see value differently, I just don't see the value in Encore packages.

I have an encore package and want to use it for Newport in June. I don’t think that would be available in getaways and it’s difficult to get Newport on points during that time so I figured this would be the best way to maximize the package. I used it once for grand ocean and got an ocean view room in the summer and I was dumbfounded.

 

[travelgirl8]

I thought that St John would be a good choice as it is hard to get into and doesn't shoe up much on interval. Hawaii, of course is always a good choice but so far for us as we are in NY. Hilton Head in summer might also be good because hard to get into. It does look like getaways are good if you catch them. Thanks all for the great ideas!