10 month window questions

[ExplorerII]

Hello all! First Thank you so much for all the invaluable info. cbyrne1174 your video on buying the right contract was very helpful. As was everyones reporting in the maint fees. We are buying a 551pt resale Desert Blue. Hopefully will be closed in a couple months.
My question is about booking at the 10 month window. We are hoping to book some 2 bedroom units (PR if possible) ( I know some of these will not have PR but if that is possible that is what we would love to get) at Bonnet Creek , Anaheim, National Harbour, Panama City, The Myrtle Beach Resorts and maybe some Rhode Island. Eventually hopefully St Thomas and Hawaii. The Florida Beach resorts will not be of interest as there is a condo in south florida in the family that we have access to.

We have young daughters in school. So generally we do travel around their breaks. BC in February/March and the rest in Summer time. We are able to plan well in advance so right at 10 months is easy. We also can be flexible and not married to our first choice. My question for you guys is with this amount of points and being that we will not have any ARP is this doable around peak times.

We used to own a Shearton VV prior to the Mariott merger and parted with that as we quickly learned with the amount of points we had we were severely limited on where we could go and when we did bank we always seemed to come up short at booking time.

Ill admit it is more points than I originally wanted to buy but as I said when we had Vistana we came up short so I figured this time to go heavy and bank whatever we did not use and get larger units as the family grows. Just wanted to see everyones experience. Thank you so much

 

[markb53]

Here is what I found. These are all July 7 checkin for 7 nights
Bonet creek
2 BR 224000 points
2 BR Pres 308000 point

Club wyndham National Harbor

1 Bedroom Deluxe 175,000 PTS
1 Bedroom Deluxe with Balcony 189,000 PTS
2 Bedroom Deluxe 224,000 PTS
2 Bedroom Deluxe with Balcony 250,000 PTS
2 Bedroom Presidential 308,000 PTS
3 Bedroom Deluxe 275,000 PTS
3 Bedroom Deluxe with Balcony 325,000 PTS
3 Bedroom Presidential 385,000 PTS

Wyndham Anaheim
1 Bedroom 213,200 PTS
2 Bedroom 262,400 PTS

 

[markb53]

Here is Panama City beach
1 Bedroom Deluxe Lower Level238,000 PTS
1 Bedroom Deluxe Upper 275,000 PTS
1 Bedroom Lower Level 203,000 PTS
1 Bedroom Upper Level 238,000 PTS
2 Bedroom Presidential 450,000 PTS
Studio Lower Level 126,000 PTS
Studio Upper Level 154,000 PTS

 

[MaryBella7]

In Rhode Island, the resorts are older, so points will not be an issue. We usually go over Spring Break and Winter Break without issue. Summers are a bit challenging to in, but if you diligently watch for cancellations, you may be OK. Long Wharf is easier to get in summer than Onshore.

 

[ExplorerII]

Thank you markb53! I really appreciate that and that is reassuring!

MaryBella7 yeah with RI we are close so we would even be ok with long weekends or midweeks in summers will watch once we get our account activated.

Is the general consensus that we will be OK to book things with a decent amount of availability at 10 months?

 

[markb53]

Is the general [/B]consensus that we will be OK to book things with a decent amount of availability at 10 months?[/B]

Yes. The vast majority of the resorts you can book at 10 months. Some of them you need to book right at 10 months to the second. So you have to get online at midnight ET. In the 12 years I have been an owner. I have booked before 10 months at a home resort twice.

 

[55plus]

All the Fairfield Resort that are now under Wyndham Resorts and the older Wyndham Resorts require lower number of points, so they give you the best bang to your buck (points).

 

[Jan M.]

Look on wyndhamdestinations.com. At the bottom of the page in dark blue you will see Publications. Click on it and when it opens click on Club Directory. It has the point charts for all the resorts.

You were smart to buy what you did. Not just for the better maintenance fees but to have more points. Most people underestimate how many points they will need and want. Quite often people base the number of points they think they'll need on just one or two resorts.

Many people think they'll be fine with enough points for a week or a week and a few nights. Sometimes at a lower point resort. And some will be. There are some people completely happy with the very generous 27 week high point season weeks at Cypress Palms or Star Island in Orlando where 77k points will get you a one bedroom suite at CP or for 84k at SI. At both 105k in one bedroom deluxe and 154k a two bedroom deluxe. Star island has three bedroom deluxe for 189k. Btw Bonnet Creek's high point season is only 15 weeks.

Many people once they've experienced staying in the timeshare resorts ending up adding more points. Especially as their family needs grow or they start getting more vacation time.

 

[Jan M.]

When it comes to getting reservations remember this. Luck favors the persistent. Keep looking!

At resorts that are large and especially those that also have 3 and 4 bedroom units, the 2 bedroom units are much easier to find. Often even within a month or two of check.

As soon as you have your account start watching the availability for several resorts you're interested in. Spending some time to gain familiarity with what you can expect will benefit you.

Also don't forget to watch the Owner Travel Deals. There's various discounts offered for some resorts for all owners not just VIP owners.

 

[ExplorerII]

Thank you so much Jan M. yeah this is our third timeshare experience. We had Sheraton VV which we sold, then bought and still currently own most of our DVC points. But when it came to this purchase I originally target 308 points to get us a PR 2 bedroom at BC but then the more I thought about it I really felt like a cushion of points would be nice. Maybe add in a few long weekends. I learned with the last two TS that its always better to have extra points.

 

[ExplorerII]

Appreciate that tip 55plus