- Joined
- Jul 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,144
- Reaction score
- 1,915
- Location
- Carlsbad, CA
- Resorts Owned
- Marriott: Maui Ocean Club Lahaina Villas (3BRx5), Ko Olina, Shadow Ridge II, Willow Ridge, Aruba Ocean Club, DC Points HGVC: Flamingo, Sea World, I-Drive, Starwood Bella (x4), SDO, TradeWinds, Worldmark
All,
Happy Thanksgiving to my TUG family! We have much to be thankful for in our family, and I send glad tidings to each of you.
We are here at the Ritz STT in a 3BR (Lily 4204) that we rented through redweek. We were supposed to do an Aruba trip earlier in November and had to cancel, and this became an attractive alternative.
I reference two other postings that also detail the property, one from JimF, and one from Fluke. Fluke has pictures of the unit, which I will also hope to post when I return.
This property is a great addition to the Marriott Vacation Club. The timeshare units sit to the right of the hotel and have full access to the hotel pool and beach. You can also access the water sports (hobie catamaran, paddleboards, kayaks, windsurfers, snorkel gear) for a fee of $60/day, $165 for three day, or $260 for 5 day pass. We are spending ALOT of time on the hobie catamarans and I suspect any non-serious sailor will enjoy them too. We also did a day trip on Lady Lynsey (53 foot catamaran) to Jost Van Dyke and have visited local beaches (Coki and Magen's Bay) during our trip. St. Thomas is a great island and we are really enjoying our time here.
As noted before, the timeshare units are six buildings, two of which are referred to as Suites and the remaining four are Villas. The Suites lack a full kitchen, but have a free breakfast in to the Palazzo restaurant that sits in Building 6. The Villas do not get the free breakfast, but you can certainly go and pay, it's not private. The Villas are sized similar to the new units of Maui Ocean Club, and the Living Area is the same size as the Napili Villas 3BR living area (16 x 28 sffs). With respect to the suites, I understand that they have changed the second refrigerator in the Suites to now be a freezer, which I think is a positive, however I do not know how small the remaining refrigerator is.
It is important to understand the Suites, and to reference the pictures and comments from the linked threads above, as the majority of units in the Trust are Suites, and not Villas. There is a limited number of units in the Trust, and from watching over the last few months, they fill very quickly. It is similar to the booking pattern for any of the highest demand properties, which require booking right at inventory release. As I understand it, each Interval in the Trust consists of two Winter Weeks and one Summer Week, so there should be reasonable availability between November - April, and then again June - August. I think Marriott is releasing the first winter week 13 months out, and the second winter week 6 months out, but I am not sure. I note in the point chart that it blocks the other weeks (May, Sept/Oct), and I assume that MVC simply rents those weeks for their own business, or does whatever maintenance or renovation is needed.
There are many things to like about St. Thomas in comparison to Maui, which is our home resort. The water here is fantastic, likely 10 degrees warmer than Maui and clearer with that unique blue color that the Caribbean is famous for. The waves (if any) are gentle, reducing your entry/exit risk. The Ritz property itself, and its different water features noted above, have entertainment for all. Maui is much more accessible (from the West Coast) and it is easier to get around via car or via walking, and lacks the poverty that one sees frequently in the islands. And the mosquitoes seems less prevalent -- so advantages to both locations.
The timeshare sales team still pitch this as the Ritz Carlton Destination Club, but admit that it is really just MVC. They tell us sales are fantastic, as visitors come from the east coast, and buy 5,000 - 15,000 points with some frequency and with a 33% success rate. Our sales rep came from MFC, where he said he was closer to a 20% success rate, selling 1,500 - 3,500 points on average. While taking all of this with the standard grain of salt, I believe it, and now that the shock of the integration is over, this property would sell extremely well to well-heeled east coasters.
It is great for us that this property is now in the Trust, as the points chart is now fixed, and we benefit from the contractual access to the hotel. It is unfortunate for the original Ritz owners as they fund the MFs on the property that is now accessible to us ------ this is a little bit like the Harborside at Atlantis situation, where owners of HRA pay the freight for a unique property, and the system rules permit others to access the same property with their StarOptions currency.
I hope this is helpful, and I'm happy to answer any questions. I will hope to post pictures when I return.
Best,
Greg
Happy Thanksgiving to my TUG family! We have much to be thankful for in our family, and I send glad tidings to each of you.
We are here at the Ritz STT in a 3BR (Lily 4204) that we rented through redweek. We were supposed to do an Aruba trip earlier in November and had to cancel, and this became an attractive alternative.
I reference two other postings that also detail the property, one from JimF, and one from Fluke. Fluke has pictures of the unit, which I will also hope to post when I return.
This property is a great addition to the Marriott Vacation Club. The timeshare units sit to the right of the hotel and have full access to the hotel pool and beach. You can also access the water sports (hobie catamaran, paddleboards, kayaks, windsurfers, snorkel gear) for a fee of $60/day, $165 for three day, or $260 for 5 day pass. We are spending ALOT of time on the hobie catamarans and I suspect any non-serious sailor will enjoy them too. We also did a day trip on Lady Lynsey (53 foot catamaran) to Jost Van Dyke and have visited local beaches (Coki and Magen's Bay) during our trip. St. Thomas is a great island and we are really enjoying our time here.
As noted before, the timeshare units are six buildings, two of which are referred to as Suites and the remaining four are Villas. The Suites lack a full kitchen, but have a free breakfast in to the Palazzo restaurant that sits in Building 6. The Villas do not get the free breakfast, but you can certainly go and pay, it's not private. The Villas are sized similar to the new units of Maui Ocean Club, and the Living Area is the same size as the Napili Villas 3BR living area (16 x 28 sffs). With respect to the suites, I understand that they have changed the second refrigerator in the Suites to now be a freezer, which I think is a positive, however I do not know how small the remaining refrigerator is.
It is important to understand the Suites, and to reference the pictures and comments from the linked threads above, as the majority of units in the Trust are Suites, and not Villas. There is a limited number of units in the Trust, and from watching over the last few months, they fill very quickly. It is similar to the booking pattern for any of the highest demand properties, which require booking right at inventory release. As I understand it, each Interval in the Trust consists of two Winter Weeks and one Summer Week, so there should be reasonable availability between November - April, and then again June - August. I think Marriott is releasing the first winter week 13 months out, and the second winter week 6 months out, but I am not sure. I note in the point chart that it blocks the other weeks (May, Sept/Oct), and I assume that MVC simply rents those weeks for their own business, or does whatever maintenance or renovation is needed.
There are many things to like about St. Thomas in comparison to Maui, which is our home resort. The water here is fantastic, likely 10 degrees warmer than Maui and clearer with that unique blue color that the Caribbean is famous for. The waves (if any) are gentle, reducing your entry/exit risk. The Ritz property itself, and its different water features noted above, have entertainment for all. Maui is much more accessible (from the West Coast) and it is easier to get around via car or via walking, and lacks the poverty that one sees frequently in the islands. And the mosquitoes seems less prevalent -- so advantages to both locations.
The timeshare sales team still pitch this as the Ritz Carlton Destination Club, but admit that it is really just MVC. They tell us sales are fantastic, as visitors come from the east coast, and buy 5,000 - 15,000 points with some frequency and with a 33% success rate. Our sales rep came from MFC, where he said he was closer to a 20% success rate, selling 1,500 - 3,500 points on average. While taking all of this with the standard grain of salt, I believe it, and now that the shock of the integration is over, this property would sell extremely well to well-heeled east coasters.
It is great for us that this property is now in the Trust, as the points chart is now fixed, and we benefit from the contractual access to the hotel. It is unfortunate for the original Ritz owners as they fund the MFs on the property that is now accessible to us ------ this is a little bit like the Harborside at Atlantis situation, where owners of HRA pay the freight for a unique property, and the system rules permit others to access the same property with their StarOptions currency.
I hope this is helpful, and I'm happy to answer any questions. I will hope to post pictures when I return.
Best,
Greg
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