Trading strategy

[CaliDave]

I am going to have a Platinum Horizons Branson, 2bd lockoff (july week) and a Platinum Kauai Beach Club (March week) 1bd 2, 2ba

I’d like to trade for a 2bd at Waiohai.... but I’d need summer. Mid June thru Early Aug for 2009. So yes, I’ll have the request in VERY early. Do you think I have a chance of even pulling it? I would prefer to lock off the Branson week and use my 1bd portion, but will use the full 2bd if I have to.
Do you think the 1bd KBC week would pull a 2bd Waiohai or would the 2bd full Branson week be better? I’d actually like 2 weeks if possible at Waiohai for Summer 09.

Basically, I would like 2 weeks back to back at Waiohai, but would take 1 at KBC and 1 at Waiohai. I could just book my KBC week for summer and trade into Waiohai with Branson if that’s possible. Have I confused everyone enough?

I don’t want to wait until 2 months prior and then have to deal with flights and all that. I’m sure I’d eventually get what I want, but I would like to be confirmed at least 6 months or so in advance.

What my best strategy and odds of getting what I’m looking for?

Thanks
Dave

 

[camachinist]

Why not target one week and rent swap for the other?

I may end up doing this to get us a similar type vacation in Hawaii next year. Target one exchange and then use cash (from renting our NCV) for the other week.

Just a thought.

Personally, I don't think KBC 1BR will pull MAW during that time period but I'm certainly no expert. I'll defer to the Branson experts on the other, but I can tell you that even NCV sometimes has a hard time pulling Hawaii in high season.

In any event, good luck!

Pat

 

[CaliDave]

Thanks Pat,

Yes I might do that.. thats a good idea. I'll get much better rent from the KBC week. However, I think the KBC 1bd would trade better than the Branson 2bd, but who who knows. I'm not sure how much power II gives to the 1bd over the 2bd.

I know the RCI trading power guidelines, does anyone know the order of the II guidelines?

I asked the Marriott II rep about my trades and he thinks my KBC or Branson 2bd would pull Waiohai.. but does he really know?

 

[camachinist]

It seems like for like is more prevalent these days with II. However, one can't discount the pull that a HI week has, even if a 1BR. I remember one "renter" this year who wanted me to give him cash and our NCV Memorial Day for his 1BR KBC. Now that guy had some cajones; hope he enjoyed my silence sandwich

I'd track Redweek and see how the KBC's are renting (how much and how far in advance) and base my strategy on that. If you can do a request-first on both intervals, try that and specifically target MAW (by including nearly impossible trades like MOC and ONP). That way you can have a request in while pursuing other strategies.

Hope some of the exchange experts pop in to help you out. I generally rent-swap and direct exchange so have little current experience with II.

Pat

 

[seatrout]

I was at Waiohai last week. Those time are peak time there. I traded OP 2BR week 53 and requeqed >52WK out to get it. I have two more outstanding request using wk 53 OP for next summer at Waiohai and have not match. It will be a tough match so use your best trader for better chance.

The beach at Waiohai is so so much better than Beach Club. You can surf and snorkle on the reef. So consider it a great uptrade even if you use a 2 BR

 

[Beverley]

Not sure about the trade power but ... according to II season and size of unit are 2 top criteria in trade power.

Since both are platinum, I would be inclined to place a request using the Branson platinum (good summer week) as a "request first". You could also place a request the same way with the Kauai week ("request first"). Watch real closely to find who gets the trade first and then cancel the request on the other one. Have your Kauai reserved for a pivotal summer week that you would use adjacent to the weeks requested with the Branson week. This way you could give Branson a choice of 2 weeks in your request.

If watch-dogging your request is too much work or stress , then I would use Branson and reserve my Kauai for using as the 2 nd week. This way you could also book frequent flyer seats early knowing that you have a Kauai week and just change the dates once you know about the Branson trade.


Beverley

 

[MLC]

Dave,

"I’d like to trade for a 2bd at Waiohai.... but I’d need summer. Mid June thru Early Aug for 2009. So yes, I’ll have the request in VERY early. Do you think I have a chance of even pulling it? I would prefer to lock off the Branson week and use my 1bd portion, but will use the full 2bd if I have to.
Do you think the 1bd KBC week would pull a 2bd Waiohai or would the 2bd full Branson week be better? I’d actually like 2 weeks if possible at Waiohai for Summer 09."


I have traded my 1 bedroom Maui(July 4th week) for 2 bedroom Waiohai several times and did not have a problem. Kauai would have the same trade IMHO, even though it is a 1 bedroom I believe it would trade better than the 2 bedroom Branson. You might want to get Hilton Hawaii village with your Hilton points,do a request first with your Kauai week and try to double up with Hilton at the 9month mark( if you have enough hilton points). I am sure with your experience you have booked the hotel weeks, so as to be able to get your flights and if the week gets confirmed you cancel hotel.

If your Branson gets a bonus week you might be able to pull a Hawaii property
with the AC. You might not be able to stay at the same resort but 2 weeks in Hawaii can not be all that bad. Just food for thought.

 

[short]

Does Horizons get an immediate priority into Marriott?

Dave,

I thought that Horizon had priority into Marriotts at about 20-23 days? Or is the other way around with Marriotts having priorities into Horizons at the tail end of the priority period?

Ongoing request do not always follow the same rules so many be its a mute point.

Short

 

[Dean]

Dave,

I thought that Horizon had priority into Marriotts at about 20-23 days? Or is the other way around with Marriotts having priorities into Horizons at the tail end of the priority period?

Ongoing request do not always follow the same rules so many be its a mute point.

Short

This changed several years ago. At the present time both Horizons resorts function just like any other MVCI property in both the 13 month reservations rules and the II exchange preference.

As for what to do in this situation, here's what I'd do. I'd reserve my 2009 Kauai Beach week for the week that worked best for me. Then I'd reserve the best trading week I could find at Branson and put in a request in one of two ways. Either for the week before and after my KBC reservation OR any week that would work. If I requested any week that would work and you matched with Branson, you could then go to II and do a request first using KBC for the weeks on either side of the other reservation. Other options would be to use your 2008 week (assuming it's not an EOY) for KBC and try to trade it to 2009. Several of these approaches could net you 2 or even 3 bonus weeks. So you could also do a cancelable condo rental and look for a match with a bonus week inside the 60 day window.

You could also try to trade your studio at Branson for the KBC studio and then later combine with a 1 BR reservation or exchange into a 2 BR unit in most cases, arranged on arrival. There are really a significant number of options with some safer and more likely than others. If you were using FF miles, you need to know your dates by 330 days from when you leave the islands.

My GUESS on the likely success of trading a Branson summer week 1 BR (or even the full 2 BR) to Kauai for summer would be moderately low outside the 60 days window and much better for those willing to "let it ride". If you could slide to the last 2 weeks of August or travel the first week of June your chances would be much higher but my guess is you're caught in the school calendar like many people hence the reason this may be so difficult.

 

[CaliDave]

Wow.. thanks for all the great advice.. Now I need to re-read them several times to figure out what everyone is talking about and I'll start to experiment.
I didn't figure Branson would get me into Waiohai

I don't have FF miles, so that's not a worry.

 

[PerryM]

Wow.. thanks for all the great advice.. Now I need to re-read them several times to figure out what everyone is talking about and I'll start to experiment.
I didn't figure Branson would get me into Waiohai

I don't have FF miles, so that's not a worry.

We routinely exchange our Gold Summit Watch into the Maui Ocean Club - all the time. Just got a week 51 (Dec 23 - 30) at MountainSide with the Gold SW. It's not hard to upgrade in II all the time, either season or size wise.

 

[Dean]

I didn't figure Branson would get me into Waiohai

Personally I think it MIGHT so at least give it a shot. One other issue I didn't comment about above is on the reservation side. Give your ownership and plan you could reserve these at 13 months out concurrently or consecutively thus giving you extra time to deposit and have your search in when the first units for HI hit II. You might possibly lose out on a bonus week if you did it this way, but you might not if you started it search first.

I'd decide what weeks you think is best to reserve in HI. I'd then call exactly 13 months and 2 weeks prior to the Friday date for that week #. Lockoff your Branson 2 BR reserving either the studio or 1 BR first, then the other, then the HI week. I'd decide whether to do the studio or 1 BR first based on which is closest to 4th of July and possibly related to availability.

Once you have those reservations, reference all the posts above in this thread. I'd then call II and see if their giving a bonus week for either resort at that time. Do request first for any search that you don't want to give up your week if you don't get, likely your KBC week. Deposit the studio since you won't get a bonus week anyway. It's likely that the bonus weeks won't be in place for 2008 for Branson, and possibly for HI, at the time you are doing this. I think you can anticipate them being offered in July or early August. If that's the case, do request first even if you don't plan to use that week. Then keep checking with II about the bonus weeks. If they later will give you the bonus weeks then deposit any week you don't plan to use personally or rent out privately and RESTART the search. Make sure you deposit anything you don’t plan to use/rent on your own at least 10 months prior. You can try to get II to covert it to a deposit from request first which they USUALLY will NOT do without canceling but if they will, make sure you'll still get the bonus week. If not or they say you won't get the bonus week, simply cancel the search, deposit the week and restart it.

Personally I'm fairly confident that I could make this work. I'd give myself an 80% chance or better of total success as defined by 2 weeks on Kauai in a 2 BR each week. Given all the info above, here's what I'd do to give you more of a real life example. I'm assuming a need for a 2 BR both weeks with one at each resort and no FF miles. I’d reserve 13 months out starting with the Branson Studio week 25, the 1 BR Horizon’s week 26 and KBC week 27 preferably for the Sat start date. I’d deposit the studio and the 1 BR along the lines I posted above to make sure I got a bonus week where possible but do search first in the interim just in case. I’d use the studio (already deposited) to search for a studio at KBC the same dates as I had reserved, you’ll have to call II and make sure they put it as ONLY those dates as you can’t do it this specific on the website. If they say you have to have 3 choices, choose things 2 years out that you’ll never get like DVC Xmas or Easter at BWV, BCV or VWL. I’d then search for the other week at Waiohai for the week before and after using the Branson 1 BR, again you’ll have to call II to make the dates more specific like Sat only. Personally I’d likely take Fri, Sat or Sunday assuming you have a Sat KBC week. That way you lose at most one day or have at most one day in between to get a hotel through priceline. 6 days at your intended resort in a 2 BR is still a major trade up IMO. I’d then do search first using KBC for the other week at Waiohai. If I didn’t get both at Waiohai and got the studio at KBC, I’d ask MVCI to put them together to essentially make it a 2 BR. They’ll tell you it’s a request and not guaranteed but your chances of success would be VERY high.

There are infinite variations of how to approach this. If you had any other timeshares you could also search for weeks through II, RCI and/or several of the independent exchange companies. Using FF miles my approach would be similar other than I’d cut the request to just one week (before OR after KBC) at the time the FF reservation opened up at 330 days out from the date of return.

 

[PerryM]

WM helps with our Marriott vacations...

Here’s my Marriott trading strategy:

We are extremely flexible in our vacations – we always take 2 weeks in Hawaii. When trying for multiple weeks here is what I do (say for Jan – Mar):

If there is a WM nearby I reserve it 13 months out – it’s a worst case scenario.

I place 4 on-going searches:
1) WM search for Jan – Mar
2) WM search for Jan – Mar
3) Marriott for Jan – Mar (Studio)
4) Marriott for Jan – Mar (1BR)

Since we will gladly accept a studio I don’t specify that I need a kitchen.

Then I get a match (let’s say the WM got it) and let’s say it’s a studio week 7 (President’s week), I adjust:

1) WM search for week 6 - 8
2) Marriott search for week 6 - 8
3) Marriott search for week 6 – 8
4) Add new WM search for Jan - Mar

The above are now adjusted to require a kitchen.

Hopefully I get the 1BR side or another studio either side of the week 7.

When I’m happy with my exchange (either a 2BR (Studio+1BR) or 2 consecutive weeks) I dump the WM or change it for the next vacation.

Many exchanges happen 2 weeks before/after the 59-day window and many many happen at 30 days which is enough time for me to get back 100% of the WM credits and recycle.

 

[seatrout]

exchanging

Perry

You are a very good poker player. Usually by 4-6 month out mark, I get nervous and fold, finding another location as back up.

 

[PerryM]

Have a worst case scenario to fall back on...

Perry

You are a very good poker player. Usually by 4-6 month out mark, I get nervous and fold, finding another location as back up.

WorldMark is, to me, the BEST timeshare out there - not that I like their resorts!

I use WM as a "Catalyst" that allows me to try things that I'd never do without WM.

I use my strategy all the time and some of the exchanges that I eventually get just make me laugh so hard that I spend all vacation with a huge grin on my face. Give it a try.

The alternative is to reserve a hotel room somewhere and use that as your worst case scenario - you will find that many great exchanges happen the day after the 59-day mark has come and gone. Folks lose track of time and suddenly realize they missed turning in a unit to II (for a normal exchange) and panic and do it the next day. I grin on those days too.


P.S.
For all those folks who poo-poo WM I just did a search of II and I could be spending Christmas Week (Week 51) at the Marriott's Grand Residence,Tahoe • MGA, in a Studio (Dec 19 - 26, 2008). It would cost me 8,000 WM credits at 4.5 cents each MF or $360 + $135 exchange fee = $495.

I don't even need to own the WM credits - I could rent the 8,000 from another WM owner for about 6 cents each or $480 + $135 = $615 and never own the WM credits!

I could do that 52 times a year if I wanted (not at this one Marriott).

I see things like this all the time that many here believe to be impossible exchanges by WM.

 

[lweverett]

I would think that your worst problem is that II will not let you place an ongoing search for a 2 B/R with only a 1 B/R to exchange.

 

[CaliDave]

I would think that your worst problem is that II will not let you place an ongoing search for a 2 B/R with only a 1 B/R to exchange.

Marriott Waiohai only has 2bd units, so you can search with a studio or 1bd