St. Thomas (May 2020) or Whistler (July 2020)

[klpca]

We have a Tradewinds week booked for next May. I was thinking about extending the week since it's a long trip from the west coast. I am currently holding a week at Frenchman's Cove that lines up almost perfectly with my Tradewinds week. I am using EPlus (but my final retrade) and I currently have a July week booked in Whistler at the Embarc resort. We haven't been to either place. Any opinions on which I should choose?

I can't reach my husband or my friend who advises me on all things Caribbean, lol. I am leaning towards MFC but hate to make such a snap decision.

 

[TravelTime]

Do TW + FC in STT. You will love it!

 

[klpca]

Do TW + FC in STT. You will love it!

Thanks for the nudge. I was afraid that time would run out so I booked it. I figure that if I really change my mind I can always pay for a full retrade but I doubt that I will need to change. I couldn't believe how well the days lined up. Kind of serendipitous.

 

[dlpearson]

I'd recommend the 2nd week in St Thomas as well. You've already paid airfare to get to the cruise; you might as well maximize your vacation costs and stay another week in the area without needing a 2nd airfare expense.

 

[klpca]

I'd recommend the 2nd week in St Thomas as well. You've already paid airfare to get to the cruise; you might as well maximize your vacation costs and stay another week in the area without needing a 2nd airfare expense.

Good point!

 

[GregT]

We have a Tradewinds week booked for next May. I was thinking about extending the week since it's a long trip from the west coast. I am currently holding a week at Frenchman's Cove that lines up almost perfectly with my Tradewinds week. I am using EPlus (but my final retrade) and I currently have a July week booked in Whistler at the Embarc resort. We haven't been to either place. Any opinions on which I should choose?

I can't reach my husband or my friend who advises me on all things Caribbean, lol. I am leaning towards MFC but hate to make such a snap decision.

I'm with the others -- go to St. Thomas, we've been in May and the weather was fantastic -- enjoy it!

Best,

Greg

 

[mjm1]

We have a Tradewinds week booked for next May. I was thinking about extending the week since it's a long trip from the west coast. I am currently holding a week at Frenchman's Cove that lines up almost perfectly with my Tradewinds week. I am using EPlus (but my final retrade) and I currently have a July week booked in Whistler at the Embarc resort. We haven't been to either place. Any opinions on which I should choose?

I can't reach my husband or my friend who advises me on all things Caribbean, lol. I am leaning towards MFC but hate to make such a snap decision.

Thanks for the nudge. I was afraid that time would run out so I booked it. I figure that if I really change my mind I can always pay for a full retrade but I doubt that I will need to change. I couldn't believe how well the days lined up. Kind of serendipitous.

That would have been our choice too. While on St Thomas I would also recommend taking a day trip by ferry over to St John. Especially if you’ve never been to The Westin St John Resort. Have a great time.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[CalGalTraveler]

+1 St Thomas. We stayed at the Embarc Resort when it was an affiliate of HGVC prior to the Diamond acquisition (Intrawest Whistler). It was a great ski in, ski out location next to the Fairmont. Because we used it for skiing, I honestly don't know what one would do for an entire week in the summer there (however I haven't researched it). The hiking is probably great, but that's a lot of hiking for one week. The town is nice but somewhat limited and Whistler is somewhat remote. Perhaps there is a lake close by? The units were nice but everything was in a dated shabby chic style. I would expect it has been updated since our visit in 2015. Definitely would return for skiing for 4 - 5 days because the location is fantastic and Whistler is beautiful.

 

[klpca]

+1 St Thomas. We stayed at the Embarc Resort when it was an affiliate of HGVC prior to the Diamond acquisition (Intrawest Whistler). It was a great ski in, ski out location next to the Fairmont. I honestly don't know what one would do for an entire week in the summer there however I haven't researched it because we used it for skiing. The hiking is probably good, but that's a lot of hiking for one week. The town is nice but somewhat limited and Whistler is somewhat remote. Perhaps there is a lake close by? The units were nice but everything was in a dated shabby chic style. I would expect it has been updated since our visit in 2015. Definitely would return for skiing for 4 - 5 days because the location is fantastic and Whistler is beautiful.

We are definitely the people who will hike for a week, lol. We'll save it for another time though. My husband was fine with the change, but did mention that Whistler is at the top of his list. Our kids went climbing near there in Squamish, I think, and our daughter told us that we would love it, so it is still on the must-do list. Thanks for the info about Embarc. It definitely seems as though it may need an update based upon reviews.

 

[turkel]

Did you rent from an owner for your second Tradewinds cruise or did you join?

 

[klpca]

Did you rent from an owner for your second Tradewinds cruise or did you join?

Neither. We purchased enough points for a single cruise when we did our RCI cruise last year. I thought it was a fair price when we bought then discovered that either we misunderstood the captain or she misunderstood us when I asked "is this the total price?" (she spoke French and her English wasn't the best, so it is possible) but it turned out that we had to pay additional money when we went to book the cruise. Live and learn. RCI is your best option to book (price wise) or do the owner referral or rent.

 

[melissy123]

I don't think you would have been blocked by the 1 in 4 rule when doing other Tradewinds cruises. Are you doing BVI? I had always wanted to do BVI, but after being in St. John this year, noted that the coral has taken a beating and won't return to normal for a long time. Tradewinds and Disney are my only reasons for remaining with RCI.
As to owner referrals, I think you can't do those once you've gone through RCI. But I could be wrong about that...

 

[turkel]

I don't think you would have been blocked by the 1 in 4 rule when doing other Tradewinds cruises. Ar you doing BVI? I had always wanted to do BVI, but after being in St. John this year, noted that the coral has taken a beating and won't return to normal for a long time. Tradewinds and Disney are my only reasons for remaining with RCI.
As to owner referrals, I think you can't do those once you've gone through RCI. But I could be wrong about that...

I believe your correct. No referral available from an owner if you have done an RCI exchange.

Klpca care to share the cost details. Price quoted on boated, and price to book plus AI fees? We are going soon and its great having prior knowledge. If you don’t want to post details could you pm me the details?

 

[klpca]

I believe your correct. No referral available from an owner if you have done an RCI exchange.

Klpca care to share the cost details. Price quoted on boated, and price to book plus AI fees? We are going soon and its great having prior knowledge. If you don’t want to post details could you pm me the details?

Sure - will do later. My husband wrote everything down and that's at home.

 

[klpca]

I don't think you would have been blocked by the 1 in 4 rule when doing other Tradewinds cruises. Are you doing BVI? I had always wanted to do BVI, but after being in St. John this year, noted that the coral has taken a beating and won't return to normal for a long time. Tradewinds and Disney are my only reasons for remaining with RCI.
As to owner referrals, I think you can't do those once you've gone through RCI. But I could be wrong about that...

Yes, here is the info/itinerary for the BVI's https://www.trade-winds.com/destination/tortola_in_the_british_virgin_islands

My current plan is to use RCI every 4 years and try to do owner rentals on the off years and go every other year - at least for the foreseeable future. I think that the real value with Tradewinds are the "late breaks" where you don't use any points to sail - just MF & AI, and I can't see us being able to use them. But never say never - we may buy in at some point.

 

[chemteach]

We bought Tradewinds summer 2019. Couldn't believe we bought! But so excited we did! It will cost us a little under $5000 including the AI fees, maintenance fees and upfront cost to go on each of 7 cruises. But it gets us around the 1 in 4 rule for 12 years, so we will be able to go as often as we want via RCI exchanges. We bought because we wanted to be able to go on cruises that don't get deposited in RCI. Going to Fiji summer 2021. Can't wait. Will likely go to Tonga on the same trip through RCI. Just waiting for the weeks to get deposited in RCI. One of the things to consider with RCI exchanges is going to a place where they only have the higher end boats: Guadalupe, French Polynesia, and Tonga. If you go on any other cruise through RCI, you are likely to get a cruising class yacht. (Still an amazing trip!!). You do have to pay for diving fees if you use RCI as well. If anyone has any questions about Tradewinds, let me know! 2 of our friends will be joining us on our Fiji trip through the referral program - another perk of owning - you get to go with friends on the luxury class boats. . (Sorry about sort of hijacking the thread. Was searching about Frenchman's Cove and saw all the questions/comments about Tradewinds.)

 

[pianodinosaur]

@klpca:

The cost of airline tickets is so high that it makes good sense to prolong your TradeWinds vacation with a additional week vacation in St. Thomas. We happen to love Meghan’s Bay. It’s absolutely beautiful and the swimming is outstanding.

We celebrated one of our anniversaries at ClubIntrawest, Whistler, now Embarc. We initially flew into Vancouver and stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center. This was a great location to explore Vancouver. After a few days in Vancouver we took the ferry to Victoria, and stayed at the Marriott. Victoria and Vancouver were fun. We took the ferry back to Vancouver and took a train ride to Whistler. This was the most spectacular train ride we have ever experienced. We stayed in a 1 bedroom timeshare for a week. We really enjoyed Whistler for the week. We then took the train ride back to Vancouver and flew back home. This trip was in August about 10-11 years ago and lasted almost 2 weeks. This is just to get you thinking about Whistler in your future plans.

Wishing you many more great times.

 

[klpca]

@klpca:

The cost of airline tickets is so high that it makes good sense to prolong your TradeWinds vacation with a additional week vacation in St. Thomas. We happen to love Meghan’s Bay. It’s absolutely beautiful and the swimming is outstanding.

We celebrated one of our anniversaries at ClubIntrawest, Whistler, now Embarc. We initially flew into Vancouver and stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center. This was a great location to explore Vancouver. After a few days in Vancouver we took the ferry to Victoria, and stayed at the Marriott. Victoria and Vancouver were fun. We took the ferry back to Vancouver and took a train ride to Whistler. This was the most spectacular train ride we have ever experienced. We stayed in a 1 bedroom timeshare for a week. We really enjoyed Whistler for the week. We then took the train ride back to Vancouver and flew back home. This trip was in August about 10-11 years ago and lasted almost 2 weeks. This is just to get you thinking about Whistler in your future plans.

Wishing you many more great times.

What a great suggestion for a trip, especially the train ride! Did you need a car in Whistler?

Yes, I just booked our flights to St. Thomas and I am so glad that @dlpearson mentioned it as well, because I hadn't thought about that (even though I should have)! All that's left to pay for is the AI for Tradewinds, gulp.

 

[echino]

You can no longer ride that train to Whistler.

 

[klpca]

You can no longer ride that train to Whistler.

Easy come, easy go! It sounded amazing. Too bad, but thanks for the heads up.

 

[pedro47]

You are coming to love St Thomas in May. The temperatures are going to be idea; plus the beaches IMO.

 

[pianodinosaur]

We did not need a car in Whistler. I am sad to learn about the train ride no longer being available. I hope something like it returns.