Let’s talk the positives at Marriott Vacation Clubs!

[Lakeshore]

I thought it would be nice to talk about the improvements we have seen at Marriott Vacation Club properties…especially where one owns. I know it’s easy to point out the negatives, but I think it’s good to acknowledge the positives. It’s easy to take things for granted.
As for me, we own at NCV, and I must say every time we come, we cannot stop mentioning how beautiful and well kept the grounds are…they are as gorgeous as they were 20 years ago! And there have been many improvements over the years…the kiddie pool with zero entry and water slide area, the new turf and row of chairs looking out the ocean from the Catalina Pool, which is my favorite spot to relax, the added pickleball courts, the good upkeep of the basketball court, putting green and tetherball areas(even when kids break things…the next day we see them fixed), the cleaned grills, taco nights, beach rentals, karaoke, the friendly associates who make us feel like family everytime we return, and the trolly that transports to and from Crystal Cove when needed. I also appreciate how they have cracked down on people bring pets here and also keeping locals who aren’t guests out. And of course nothing is perfect..but I am grateful for these (and I’m sure others things I’m forgetting right now) positives.

 

[TUGBrian]

am at harbour lake right now and this sort of experience reminds me exactly why people buy timeshares.

would return here...10/10 experience....though admittedly our focus is on our children and this resort was suggested just for that....marriott hit it out the park with this one.

almost makes me want to buy more abound points....almost! =)

 

[aandmrun]

We love going to our Desert Springs I timeshare in Palm Dessert. The units are always kept up and furniture updated. We have been going there since 1994 and are never disappointed. We have the 2 bedroom lock off and have invited many friends and family members on different occasions. They are always happy to join us because they know it will be a great resort vacation.

 

[gln60]

We have have no regrets about owning our Harbour Lake 2 BR Unit since 2000…We have many great memories of vacationing in Orlando with our 2 children and visiting WDW…We are lucky enough to vacation 3 times a year visiting Marriot properties from California to Florida to Aruba..my adult kids and young grandkids also love to travel and vacationing with them is wonderful..We have never had any regrets about owning our Marriot timeshare.

 

[Wanderlustgrl]

We own many weeks and points! Have always been happy! My sister owns and does as well! If age and healthier are not an issue we would be in a unit 8-10 weeks a year

 

[Superchief]

I thought it would be nice to talk about the improvements we have seen at Marriott Vacation Club properties…especially where one owns. I know it’s easy to point out the negatives, but I think it’s good to acknowledge the positives. It’s easy to take things for granted.
As for me, we own at NCV, and I must say every time we come, we cannot stop mentioning how beautiful and well kept the grounds are…they are as gorgeous as they were 20 years ago! And there have been many improvements over the years…the kiddie pool with zero entry and water slide area, the new turf and row of chairs looking out the ocean from the Catalina Pool, which is my favorite spot to relax, the added pickleball courts, the good upkeep of the basketball court, putting green and tetherball areas(even when kids break things…the next day we see them fixed), the cleaned grills, taco nights, beach rentals, karaoke, the friendly associates who make us feel like family everytime we return, and the trolly that transports to and from Crystal Cove when needed. I also appreciate how they have cracked down on people bring pets here and also keeping locals who aren’t guests out. And of course nothing is perfect..but I am grateful for these (and I’m sure others things I’m forgetting right now) positives.

NCV is probably the best run MVC resort that I own. They have consistently maintained high quality standards without significantly raising MF's. Ocean Pointe is the other extreme where money is spent on unimportant things and MF's have gotten out of control. Oceana Palms is only slightly better, but the building next door ruined its appeal for me.

 

[claraj]

I am also enjoying my Marriott ownership as a fairly new owner. I've been able to travel to places I've never been to before through MVC. We've gotten so used to having a kitchen and washer/dryer we now dread staying at regular hotels.

I was in Baltimore for a wedding this past weekend and stayed one night in a Hyatt Regency and it was sooooo poorly maintained I was texting my family how much I missed Marriott villas!

Three years in and there are still properties on my list to visit and several on my list of will-visit-again!

 

[TolmiePeak]

We love the Waiohai and when my mother in law was going to give it back I said we will take it. It was a no brainer since it was free. The maintenance fees are high but this property is outstanding with a nice beach and pool complex. Restaurants are very close. It is easy to get here from Seattle.

 

[Marathoner]

So many good MVC resorts. As a skiing fan, let me give a big thumbs up to Park City Summit Watch & Mountainside, Breckenridge Mountain Valley Lodge, Heavenly Timber Lodge and Grand Residence Lake Tahoe! Vail Streamside Douglas and Evergreen are fairly good, just isn't as convenient with the gratis shuttle ride compared to the others where you can walk to lifts!

 

[billymach4]

Loving my Beach Destinations!

 

[billymach4]

I am also enjoying my Marriott ownership as a fairly new owner. I've been able to travel to places I've never been to before through MVC. We've gotten so used to having a kitchen and washer/dryer we now dread staying at regular hotels.

I was in Baltimore for a wedding this past weekend and stayed one night in a Hyatt Regency and it was sooooo poorly maintained I was texting my family how much I missed Marriott villas!

Three years in and there are still properties on my list to visit and several on my list of will-visit-again!

Well I actually have to Thank You for making it known to me that there is a MVC location in Costa Rica. I have added Los Suenos to my list.

 

[davidvel]

Here are our positives: owning weeks at MVC resorts let you stay way cheaper than renting from owners or Marriott, or using points. We stay in Maui, Oahu, Kauai, go skiing in Park City and Tahoe, visit France, golf in the desert and Newport, all at great resorts almost exclusively in 2BR condos for under $250/night.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Just wrapped up 10 days in Hawaii...Ko'Olina and Waiohai are stunning beautiful resorts with beautiful grounds and top-notch service. The 2BRs really make the experience. We also stay for a month at Cypress Harbour each March and every year there is some kind of improvement that actually improves the experience or the grounds.

No regrets about what we own...now the HOW could have been performed a little better but still a great value proposition to us.

 

[igopogo]

We love our Tahoe ownership, and visit many times per year.

Right now we are enjoying a different perk…a 1br suite upgrade at Marriott Newport Resort World in Manila. Beautiful hotel, excellent buffet, lovely staff. And all for two certificates (one for titanium and one for the credit card) plus a 5K points top off. Feeling like royalty, wouldn’t be possible without our ownership.

 

[ljmiii]

I thought it would be nice to talk about the improvements we have seen at Marriott Vacation Club properties…especially where one owns. I know it’s easy to point out the negatives, but I think it’s good to acknowledge the positives. It’s easy to take things for granted.

I love your post and share your sentiment that our MVC ownership has been a wonderful way to share experiences with our parents and our children and (as @davidvel wrote) do so far less expensively than if we were paying 'out of pocket'.

I just wish I could say the same about improvements at the properties. I can't think of a single MVC location we visit regularly where this is true...and at Waiohai and the Mayflower the changes have been dramatically for the worse.

But I don't wish to harsh on a thread that is positive and so will also note that we are *very* appreciative of the new locations that have opened up for us - Waikoloa, the RCCs SF and St Thomas, and the Westins Los Cabos and St John among others. Happy days.

 

[Cellularguy]

I thought it would be nice to talk about the improvements we have seen at Marriott Vacation Club properties…especially where one owns. I know it’s easy to point out the negatives, but I think it’s good to acknowledge the positives. It’s easy to take things for granted.
As for me, we own at NCV, and I must say every time we come, we cannot stop mentioning how beautiful and well kept the grounds are…they are as gorgeous as they were 20 years ago! And there have been many improvements over the years…the kiddie pool with zero entry and water slide area, the new turf and row of chairs looking out the ocean from the Catalina Pool, which is my favorite spot to relax, the added pickleball courts, the good upkeep of the basketball court, putting green and tetherball areas(even when kids break things…the next day we see them fixed), the cleaned grills, taco nights, beach rentals, karaoke, the friendly associates who make us feel like family everytime we return, and the trolly that transports to and from Crystal Cove when needed. I also appreciate how they have cracked down on people bring pets here and also keeping locals who aren’t guests out. And of course nothing is perfect..but I am grateful for these (and I’m sure others things I’m forgetting right now) positives.

I agree! We’ve been Marriott Newport Coast owners for over 20 yea, owning 4 weeks now. We look forward every year to our August vacations with family and friends. The fees are getting high, but they do a great job with maintaining units, pools, grounds and landscape. It’s still a good value, especially if you vacation in summer when rental rates can triple. A lot of positives compared to some other timeshares.

 

[dioxide45]

While not wanting to be a downer on what is supposed to be a positive thread, I have to disagree about NCV. I am not sure what other people are seeing and perhaps I am missing something. Our experience last year showed that the pool deck surface at the Catalina Pool had to be the dirtiest and poorest maintained of all the resorts we've been to. The same was true of other pool decks and even the concrete sidewalks. They need a pressure washer.

 

[normab]

We like the way Marriott TSs share ideas with each other and implement best practices. We first noticed years ago how Grande Ocean copied upgrades from Surfwatch, and then other things at various resorts over the years. They improved our experience at all the resorts.

We also like the way they reconfigure the pool areas as possible/allowed, so many were too small to start. We LOVE the wristbands. We like when they remove those jetted tubs in the room and make better use of the space. We like the consistency of the timeshare product. We like how CLEAN the rooms are. We like how they maintain things and fix problems promptly (in most cases).

We like the way they change out the living room furniture and make it more user friendly….we like that they don’t us when we break a wineglass.

We like the flexibility the points have given us as our traveling has changed over the years. We can deposit a two bedroom for points and then get two smaller units. That is great just for the two of us. We can reserve in different seasons. And we still use Interval for one of our units that has always been an exchanger.

We love the options for all the different resorts and the different locations that Marriott offer. It’s great that we can exchange into Marriott through Interval and it’s all part of our yearly fee. And if need be, we can re-exchange without paying a dime.

I can’t think of anything else right now, but when I hear someone bash timeshares, I think “that’s because you don’t have a Marriott”.

 

[Mlvnsmly]

Just wrapped up 10 days in Hawaii...Ko'Olina and Waiohai are stunning beautiful resorts with beautiful grounds and top-notch service. The 2BRs really make the experience. We also stay for a month at Cypress Harbour each March and every year there is some kind of improvement that actually improves the experience or the grounds.

No regrets about what we own...now the HOW could have been performed a little better but still a great value proposition to us.

Was there anything new of note at CH this year? We will be headed down soon.

 

[dioxide45]

I just wish I could say the same about improvements at the properties. I can't think of a single MVC location we visit regularly where this is true...and at Waiohai and the Mayflower the changes have been dramatically for the worse.

I don't know about Mayflower, but I think we were told at Waiohai that they recently installed a new water feature below the Quiet Pool. I will say that MVC has continued to add amenities at resorts over the years. The big flat screen TVs by some of the pools. They added a children's playground at Grande Vista. Upgraded activities room at Grande Vista too. They also tore out the fountain in front of the main lobby at MGV and replaced it with a seating area. The fountain was in disrepair.

Of course all these things do come at a cost, it isn't like MVC is paying for these things out of their own pocket. The money comes from the association.

 

[ljmiii]

We like when they remove those jetted tubs in the room and make better use of the space...

We're on the other side of that debate. We understand that jetted tubs require substantial additional housekeeping but wish MVC would replace them with soaking tubs when doing hard case refurbs (as DVC has done).

As for 'better use', at many resorts there is now a tiled handball court in the master bedroom where the tub used to sit. And while there are some that replaced the jetted tub with a walk in shower for four I don't get why that is useful. Well...I *do*...but doubt it actually sees much use ;-)

 

[Big Matt]

I've been with Marriott for about 25 years now. In the beginning they didn't even have granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and barely had art on the walls. IMO, there have been huge changes. I think they key in most cases is how good the GM is at any one property.

 

[claraj]

am at harbour lake right now and this sort of experience reminds me exactly why people buy timeshares.

would return here...10/10 experience....though admittedly our focus is on our children and this resort was suggested just for that....marriott hit it out the park with this one.

almost makes me want to buy more abound points....almost! =)

If you have a chance, can you post or send a picture of the activity schedule? I stayed there during Christmas week with my niece and nephew and they loved the holiday activities (especially reporting the elf on the shelf each day). I’m curious what’s on the schedule for a non-Christmas week. Thanks!

 

[TUGBrian]

I've been with Marriott for about 25 years now. In the beginning they didn't even have granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and barely had art on the walls. IMO, there have been huge changes. I think they key in most cases is how good the GM is at any one property.

is pretty wild when i give out my marriott member number (dad bought in the 80s at hilton head!). they almost always tell me i didnt give them enough numbers.

 

[TUGBrian]

If you have a chance, can you post or send a picture of the activity schedule? I stayed there during Christmas week with my niece and nephew and they loved the holiday activities (especially reporting the elf on the shelf each day). I’m curious what’s on the schedule for a non-Christmas week. Thanks!

of course! ill included in the review as well...here is the activity sheet from this week

ignore the wrinkles from the bottom of the pool bag..