Abound Club Points strategy and desired resorts

[dioxide45]

After looking at the point charts you can get almost 2-3 weeks in certain locations off season with a Maui week. That’s even better than renting that week in certain cases. I might just convert my week to Abound and purchase a resale for personal use. Because it’s mandatory I can use one week in Maui and use the other week for Kauai .

That is why many people expect so many Maui owners to take advantage of Abound. It doesn't work out all that well for WKV owners though.

 

[Red elephant]

That is why many people expect so many Maui owners to take advantage of Abound. It doesn't work out all that well for WKV owners though.
[/QUOTE
Yes that’s unfortunately true. But then again developer bought weeks have also lost and mandatory resales gained so it’s a give and take.
As long as you bought where you want to go and your chances of getting your home resort week are the same then we should all be satisfied in some way. I am trying to learn how to make the best of these changes. I will only be buying resales going forward if I do buy. The lies by the sales team is just a turn off.

 

[travelhacker]

That is why many people expect so many Maui owners to take advantage of Abound. It doesn't work out all that well for WKV owners though.

Agreed -- if I owned Maui, I'd convert every year.

In regards to WKV, it doesn't work out all that well for 2BR WKV owners. I think most 1BR owners will be happier with the points they get.

I get why they don't allow splitting the VOI, but it's got to be frustrating to see the separate sides get almost 20% more Abound points.

I'm expecting maintenance fees of about $725 for a small 1 bedroom (about 9% increase). I'll get 2150 points, so my maintenance fees per abound point will be less than 35 cents per point which seems like a pretty solid value.

 

[tomvc]

We own both MVC and Vistana. However, we don't own any MVC enrolled weeks, only resale points. If VSN enrolled weeks work the same as MVC enrolled weeks, it's best to deposit your VSN week into II and not elect Abound points. Deposited MVC enrolled weeks can exchange to MVC, WVC and SVC without exchange fee. WKORV and WKV are too valuable, but this strategy may be worthwhile for SVV (more so if II preference period is combined, but highly unlikely).

 

[Kildahl]

My biggest recommendations are:

1) Study the points charts to travel in off season since points are often half of the high season requirements. People say the Abound points charts are complicated but really it is easy once you get used to it. There is usually a big difference in points based on view category and unit size so you can also maximize points this way. Frankly you can get a lot out of your points if you maximize.

2) For high demand resorts, book at 13 or 12 months depending on what is allowed for that resort. There is no list of when inventory is released i.e. 13 vs 12 months, but you can ask on TUG what is typical and they can tell you. For example, I believe Aruba is released at 12 months. I have actually seen good inventory released in Aruba at 12 months. Some resorts have two releases, one at 13 mo and another at 12 mo.

3) Do searches yourself even if you are not planning to book there yet. That will give you an idea of release patterns and how soon you need to book.

4) For your home resort, it is almost always better to use the underlying week and not points, whether the week is in Abound or Vistana. I anticipate that the home resort booking availability will remain the same. I do not think Abound will try to steal inventory from Vistana. With MVC, weeks owners did not seem to have an issue with not being able to book their home resort.

If I think of any other strategies, I will add them to this list.

Where can I find the new point charts?

 

[tamu_bu]

Interested in abound locations not directly in Vistana - Lake Tahoe, Hilton Head, Park City. Also, living in Arkansas, Branson is a great option. It would be nice not to fly and yet not have a minimum 1,600 mile round trip drive.

I realize interval could have gotten us in to those locations but I only used it once. The Westin locations have spoiled my wife's expectations about accommodation quality (me too). But I think the Marriott locations will fit the bill and perhaps using abound will give easier access to them.

Sweet spots? I don't know. We only own 1, small br, WKV plat we are accustomed to booking at first minute available, traveling non peak season. I always feel Colorado in summer is a steal compared to ski season points.

I think the best values will be found by those that follow the advice of picking the desired destination and timing, plan the trip as if using Vistana/Abound separately (or renting) and compare which system yields the lower "point cost". I believe there will be some scenarios where even with the famous Marriott skim, Abound will be better value. Not many, but some

 

[Westnick]

Have the vistana resorts been assigned abound club pointe values yet? Is there a chart somewhere? I can’t seam to find anything.

 

[dioxide45]

This is the best we have.

Vistana_DC_ConversionRates

docs.google.com

 

[dsmrp]

Where can I find the new point charts?

Here are Marriott's point tables for Vistana resorts.
I think I got them off the FAQs on Vistana website, can't remember exactly.

The Marriott resorts tables are in Marriott forum linked to one of the stickies.
Edit:. I found and attached a file just called "points_charts_2023.pdf" for Marriott resorts.

 

[grrrah]

I'm hoping to get into Kauai resorts and Ko'olina, since I plan to deposit a Maui week at least once. With 2023 not opening to us until late October, think there will be any chances of finding 4-5 days next summer with some flexibility? Hoping to find some scraps and supplement with some SO bookings at Princeville or Bonvoy res on oahu.

I'm also hoping to maximize with Sun-Fri stays and able to do midweek short stays at Newport and the Tahoe spots as they are more local to me.

 

[CPNY]

I can’t wait to see if Ritz inventory is plentiful at 12 months. I think the Ritz and Florida locations are where I’ll be content.

 

[TravelTime]

I can’t wait to see if Ritz inventory is plentiful at 12 months. I think the Ritz and Florida locations are where I’ll be content.

It will not be for anything other than maybe San Francisco. You need to book STT at 13 months. Tahoe and Aspen are hard if impossible for a full week.

I booked 15N this year in STT at 13 months. I booked 8N in STT at about 8 months in 2019 while the island was still being rebuilt after the hurricane. Ritz STT is closed in Sept and Oct.

I booked 8N in April 2021 in Tahoe in 2 bookings closer in a 2BR in but that was during Covid. Still a surprise though since people were traveling to Tahoe en masse during Covid. Ritz Tahoe is hard because they do not have many units. I think I heard about 10 or so but could be a couple more or less. There are only two 2BRs.

Here is a list of what I think are some difficult resorts to book if you are not on at 13 months but others can add their comments too.

Ritz Carltons year round - except San Francisco
Crystal Shores - Marco Island - most of the year
Maui
Hilton Head in summer

 

[CPNY]

It will not be for anything other than maybe San Francisco. You need to book STT at 13 months. Tahoe and Aspen are hard if impossible for a full week.

I booked 15N this year in STT at 13 months. I booked 8N in STT at about 8 months in 2019 while the island was still being rebuilt after the hurricane.

I booked 8N in April 2021 in Tahoe in 2 bookings closer in a 2BR in but that was during Covid. Still a surprise though since people were traveling to Tahoe en masse during Covid. Ritz Tahoe is hard because they do not have many units. I think I heard about 10 or so but could be a couple more or less. There are only two 2BRs.

Ritz STT and possibly a few mid week nights in Vail is what I’d want. If Abound grants some of us owner levels beyond “Owner” level, would Executive be able to book at 13 months or would I need presidential or Chairman?

 

[TravelTime]

Ritz STT and possibly a few mid week nights in Vail is what I’d want. If Abound grants some of us owner levels beyond “Owner” level, would Executive be able to book at 13 months or would I need presidential or Chairman?

You can check the benefits chart for details:

https://www.marriottvacationclub.com/common/vc/en-us/pdfs/OwnershipLevelsResources/benefits_at_a_glance.pdf

How many points will you have? Looks like Executive and above can book at 13 months.

 

[TravelTime]

I'm hoping to get into Kauai resorts and Ko'olina, since I plan to deposit a Maui week at least once. With 2023 not opening to us until late October, think there will be any chances of finding 4-5 days next summer with some flexibility? Hoping to find some scraps and supplement with some SO bookings at Princeville or Bonvoy res on oahu.

I'm also hoping to maximize with Sun-Fri stays and able to do midweek short stays at Newport and the Tahoe spots as they are more local to me.

Kauai and Ko Olina are not super hard to get. Harder in the summer but they are not locations that you need to be right on at 13 months to get.

 

[CPNY]

Kauai and Ko Olina are not super hard to get. Harder in the summer but they are not locations that you need to be right on at 13 months to get.

Don’t know for sure but I may have a tad over 7K. We shall see what comes out when they release the values with Skim.

I probably won’t go to Hawaii at all. I’m going in Feb for the first time and being that it’s such a long flight from NY, I may look into tradewinds and do French Polynesia more than I’d go to Hawaii.

Ritz STT would be nice to add onto a WSJ SO reservation or rental

 

[TravelTime]

I just did a direct comparison between SOs vs Abound points for 2BR WSJ in May. Here is a great comparison:

May 2-9
176K SOs (that equals a 2BR OF WKOVRN)
3675 abound points (that is half the point value of the SOs required)

So folks need to do a good job comparing where, when and what size unit to book to maximize Abound points and get a better value than with VSN.

 

[TravelTime]

Don’t know for sure but I may have a tad over 7K. We shall see what comes out when they release the values with Skim.

I probably won’t go to Hawaii at all. I’m going in Feb for the first time and being that it’s such a long flight from NY, I may look into tradewinds and do French Polynesia more than I’d go to Hawaii.

Ritz STT would be nice to add onto a WSJ SO reservation or rental

I highly recommend French Polynesia over Hawaii. We have been there twice to Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Le Tahaa and a few other smaller out islands. I think the cost is about the same as Hawaii. That is assuming you are comparing Hawaii hotels and not timeshares since there are no timeshares in Tahiti.

Nest year we are finally going to Fiji after 2 previous attempts where we had to cancel for various reasons. Again, there are no timeshares in Fiji but you can use Bonvoy points to stay in a few locations. We are not staying at the Marriott hotel locations when we go because I have other interests and places I want to see.

 

[CPNY]

I highly recommend French Polynesia over Hawaii. We have been there twice to Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Le Tahaa and a few other smaller out islands. I think the cost is about the same as Hawaii. That is assuming you are comparing Hawaii hotels and not timeshares since there are no timeshares in Tahiti.

Nest year we are finally going to Fiji after 2 previous attempts where we had to cancel for various reasons. Again, there are no timeshares in Fiji but you can use Bonvoy points to stay in a few locations. We are not staying at the Marriott hotel locations when we go because I have other interests and places I want to see.

I went to FP on a tradewinds through RCI! It was amazing. That’s my next purchase

 

[sharr7]

I just did a direct comparison between SOs vs Abound points for 2BR WSJ in May. Here is a great comparison:

May 2-9
176K SOs (that equals a 2BR OF WKOVRN)
3675 abound points (that is half the point value of the SOs required)

So folks need to do a good job comparing where, when and what size unit to book to maximize Abound points and get a better value than with VSN.

Your point about making careful comparisons is good but a couple caveats:
-You can book Virgin Grand phase that week for 148K due to weeks being slightly different. Point being even within each system you should educate yourself and book carefully.
-SOs clearly have varying values within Abound so saying its half the value is true of the best (i.e., best point conversion) OF HI units but others with 176K/148K SO may not even get 3500 points so it may make clear sense to book in VSN.

 

[sharr7]

How about Aruba and St. Kitts availability at or past 13 months? And Europe?

Those are the first few resorts I'd probably be targeting to trade into from VSN

 

[TravelTime]

Your point about making careful comparisons is good but a couple caveats:
-You can book Virgin Grand phase that week for 148K due to weeks being slightly different. Point being even within each system you should educate yourself and book carefully.
-SOs clearly have varying values within Abound so saying its half the value is true of the best (i.e., best point conversion) OF HI units but others with 176K/148K SO may not even get 3500 points so it may make clear sense to book in VSN.

Good points. In general, everyone should study the Abound charts vs the SOs charts to decide. I am sure there are sweet spots for other people without Maui units too.

I saw good inventory in the VSN at 8 months today, which was a pleasant surprise. Right before Covid, I did not see good inventory at 8 months. I guess it varies a lot. I wonder why it can vary so much.

In terms of using my Maui unit to book using 148K SOs, I would not do that because then I would only have 28K SOs left and I would end up losing them. So I am better off using Abound points for sure. Plus I would need to book at 8 months using VSN vs 12 months using Abound.

I was just surprised at how ineffective SOs can be for Maui units unless I am booking my home resort And there are some exceptions to this too. For WKOVRN 2BR OF, I am better off using Abound if I am booking the dates below because I get 8325 points and it costs 8200 points to book on any of these dates. People say there is skim but there are also dates when you can use your points effectively and avoid skim.

Jan 6–Jan 26
Mar 31–Apr 6
Apr 14–Jun 1
Aug 25-Nov 16
Dec 1–Dec 21

I do not know the point conversion for anything other than what I own or I could look to see if there are sweet spots for other VSN units.

A caveat to some of my points above. Marriott said there will not be much Vistana inventory in the beginning so I would assume it does not make sense to use Abound points for Vistana resorts until Abound is more developed and has more inventory.

 

[JIMinNC]

It will not be for anything other than maybe San Francisco. You need to book STT at 13 months. Tahoe and Aspen are hard if impossible for a full week.

I booked 15N this year in STT at 13 months. I booked 8N in STT at about 8 months in 2019 while the island was still being rebuilt after the hurricane. Ritz STT is closed in Sept and Oct.

I booked 8N in April 2021 in Tahoe in 2 bookings closer in a 2BR in but that was during Covid. Still a surprise though since people were traveling to Tahoe en masse during Covid. Ritz Tahoe is hard because they do not have many units. I think I heard about 10 or so but could be a couple more or less. There are only two 2BRs.

Here is a list of what I think are some difficult resorts to book if you are not on at 13 months but others can add their comments too.

Ritz Carltons year round - except San Francisco
Crystal Shores - Marco Island - most of the year
Maui
Hilton Head in summer

Remember, for MVC, not all inventory is released at 13 months. They hold as much as half back for release at 12 months. So if you fail at 13, try again at 12. I've actually found the availability for Maui at 12 months to be far more than at 13.

 

[TravelTime]

Remember, for MVC, not all inventory is released at 13 months. They hold as much as half back for release at 12 months. So if you fail at 13, try again at 12. I've actually found the availability for Maui at 12 months to be far more than at 13.

Yes 13 or 12 months. I was saying 13 months but I should have been clear that Marriott also releases a lot at 12 months. For some resorts like Aruba, they release at 12 months and rarely if ever at 13 months. Spain in the summer is another hard one to get.

I missed the 13 month deadline for MOC this year. So I read your posts about MOC and you taught me to try to book at 12 months. Luckily, I was online right at 12 months and got MOC Napili OF 2BR which was exactly what I wanted. The pain point was how many points it cost since it was Easter week and almost the most points of any season.

 

[TravelTime]

I went to FP on a tradewinds through RCI! It was amazing. That’s my next purchase

Tradewinds is amazing. We did it prior to Covid, probably in 2018, in St Vincent and the Grenadines for a Babymooon that failed. We did not have kids in 2018. We were supposed to adopt 2 older kids in Taiwan in 2018 so we booked a last minute Tradewinds cruise through RCI. Tradewinds told us they were kid friendly. So we purchased a package of points and we were all excited to sail with them in the future with the kids. Then I went online and saw how few sailings they had with kids. So we rescinded.

Our story ended well in the end. We adopted 2 other older kids within the US in 2020 through private adoption (not foster care) - during the height of the pandemic! You never know what joy might come out of a disaster like Covid. For several reasons, if it weren‘t for Covid, we would have never tried to adopt again. Now we have 2 beautiful daughters who we got when they were 5 and 8 - now 7 and 10. The joys of our lives.