Anyone have a Marriott Maui 2012 Mug to sell?

[Ann in CA]

When we were there last September we just got the 500 points, no choices offered. Can't think of any MVCI property offering us a choice, just at hotels so far.

 

[cruisin]

Just speaking of this on Disboards would be like declaring all out war. These types of threads usually end in a bunch of name calling and then a moderator locking it in disgust. Glad it doesn't garner the same reaction around here. Though having that little popcorn eating smiley like they have at Disboards would be handy.

I thought the same thing as soon as I read the first post, another great one is to sell Beach Club room keys to people going to Disneyworld so they can swim at Stormalong bay without getting hassled. It makes quite a "Beach Club Combo Pack" when you pair up a room key and a refillable mug.

The Disboards makes the TUG forum feel like escaping from a communist country to the United States.

Actually my example of communism and the United states does not even come close to the freedom that I have on TUG compared to disboards

 

[hypnotiq]

This thread made my night. :hysterical:

 

[tiel]

Usually it is 500 points. But the check in person at MOC showed us a card that had a list of about 5 different options. For sure one was free cabana, but it said "based on availablity". Since DH drinks lots and lots of diet pop we knew the mug was a good choice. It seemed smaller than previous years.

(Our check in date was Jan 16) Could it have made a difference because we were staying on DC points?

We are MR platinum and are currently at MOC, on DC points. We too were offered the option of getting 1 mug free, and additional ones at $25/each vs. the standard $34.95. We were told the offer was for platinum MR members; no mention was made of the offer being for DC points users.

The mug does seem smaller and kind of chintzy, not as "nice" as the ones we normally get at resorts stateside, but maybe that is how they all are this year. With a small/medium soda costing $3 for the first one, and $1.35 for a refill, it works out for us, especially at the discounted price. Didn't plan to get the mugs until we got the platinum offer though.

When we were at KoOlina last week, they made a point of telling us their mugs were good for all of 2012, so if we came back, we could use them again. Here at the Ocean Club, however, they clearly stated it was good for the length of our stay. It seems there should be one policy on this across all resorts, but it appears there isn't.

 

[OldPantry]

Wow, what happened to "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Well, since the soda and coffee aren't free, why is it "not nice" to point out that filling a retread is theft? Comments about hygiene or cheapness of the syrup are irrelevant. A small theft is still theft. Would the poster palm a candy bar too?

 

[MOXJO7282]

Well, since the soda and coffee aren't free, why is it "not nice" to point out that filling a retread is theft? Comments about hygiene or cheapness of the syrup are irrelevant. A small theft is still theft. Would the poster palm a candy bar too?

Please point out where it says cannot be "resold". This has been going on for years with many sold on ebay. If Marriott cared they would have put a stop to that a long time ago like they did with selling hotel certs. So until I read somewhere its illegal to be resold or Marriott clearly states its illegal then it not in my book.

I won't go back and forth on this so if the argument continues we can agree to disagree.

 

[mbeach89]

I'm surprised with the price difference from resort to resort. My DW bought 3 of these last year for the kids for $17.99 or $18.99 each. They felt like bigshots going into the Marketplace getting refills, and the two youngest (ages 7 and 10) still drink out of their "Myrtle Beach Mugs" every day. Turns out these mugs were their favorite souvenir! LOL

 

[GregT]

Now we've finally settled into a conversation that I can sink my teeth into. St Thomas is much better than any of the Hawaii resorts because,

A. All the rooms have Ocean View

and

B. The mugs are only $19.99

and

C. Cape Air doesn't fly to Hawaii

and

D. They don't sell those silly shirts with flowers on them in St Thomas

and

E. When you get off the plane in St Thomas they give you free shots of Cruzan Rum, not some goofy flower necklace

Top that you wimpy Aloha lovers.

Okay, I'll accept the challenge, my Painkiller-loving friend.

Why Hawaii is better than USVI:

A. We have waves
B. Our waves have waves
C. Our coffee is local
D. We have an airline with our name on it
E. Our island was made by a volcano, not just random accumulation of silt
F. Lava is cool -- you should come check it out
G. We have more than 3 islands
H. The locals will help you pull your kayak out of the surf
I. We have U.S. military bases
J. Rescue personnel come quickly if you've been in an altercation at the pool with the boxer guy
K. Non-stop flights from lots and lots of cities
L. Our pools have really big slides
M. You can take a helicopter tour
N. Waterfalls are everywhere
O. So are golf courses
P. You can go skiing
Q. Our music is soothing, not some tinny drum
R. Cool dancing to our music
S. Really neat beach t-shirts
T. We have sacred pools
U. We have Roads to Places (like Hana)
V. Blowholes are cool
W. You can surf in a canoe
X. It's not rare to see a turtle
Y. Disney stuck a resort on one of our islands
Z. The women wear grass skirts

No disrespect intended to USVI (and you know I love it) -- but Hawaii rocks. :whoopie:

Best,

Greg

 

[dioxide45]

No disrespect intended to USVI (and you know I love it) -- but Hawaii rocks. :whoopie:

Best,

Greg

I would agree. We have been to the USVI a few times, the beaches are fantastic and you can actually swim at most of them without worry of being killed. There also are no signs at every beach explaining all the ways swimming there will kill you like the beaches in Hawaii (jelly fish, mans head smacking rocks, etc). Though nothing beats the sheer beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

 

[GregT]

I would agree. We have been to the USVI a few times, the beaches are fantastic and you can actually swim at most of them without worry of being killed. There also are no signs at every beach explaining all the ways swimming there will kill you like the beaches in Hawaii (jelly fish, mans head smacking rocks, etc). Though nothing beats the sheer beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

Or getting eaten by a shark. That's a risk too, unfortunately.

 

[GaryDouglas]

I've been mugged...

Let's take the "Mug" issue from a different vantage point.

Marriott can determine the amount of sodas being dispensed for these annual mugs by subtracting out the single volumes sold from the total volume dispensed. This calculation cannot be made on coffee usage since it is made onsite in an unaccountable way. But the sodas can be monitored from year to year. So you don't need a PhD in economics to see the dynamics here. The increasing volume of unaccountable sodas is the primary (not ony) reason for the rise in annual mug cost. The only restriction on the use of the mugs by Marriott is the year that is inscribed on the mug. Otherwise, the free market is at play here.

We don't buy the mugs unless we are going to be there at least two weeks, and this year we will hand off the mugs to our kids who arrive a couple days before our departure. But there is a cost for this type of behavior by ourselves and others, the volume goes up and so does the cost of the mugs.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, or in this case, a free mug. Somebody pays for it and it's not going to be Marriott...

 

[SueDonJ]

I thought the same thing as soon as I read the first post, another great one is to sell Beach Club room keys to people going to Disneyworld so they can swim at Stormalong bay without getting hassled. It makes quite a "Beach Club Combo Pack" when you pair up a room key and a refillable mug.

The Disboards makes the TUG forum feel like escaping from a communist country to the United States.

Actually my example of communism and the United states does not even come close to the freedom that I have on TUG compared to disboards

Now this one I have never heard of! Wow, what will folks think of next?!

(I don't get the fascination with Stormalong Bay. It was way too crowded during our late-September stay, and it was dirty with lots of little things floating in the lazy river and pools, and lots of trash all over the pool deck. If they could manage to maintain its cleanliness the same way they maintain either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, THEN I'd be much more of a fan.)

 

[Michigan Czar]

Usually it is 500 points. But the check in person at MOC showed us a card that had a list of about 5 different options. For sure one was free cabana, but it said "based on availablity". Since DH drinks lots and lots of diet pop we knew the mug was a good choice. It seemed smaller than previous years.

(Our check in date was Jan 16) Could it have made a difference because we were staying on DC points?

Good to know, thank you! I am plat and I assumed we only had the 500 point option too. I'm going to Maui at the end of March so I will be sure to check out my options because a mug or cabana is worth more than 500 Marriott points.

 

[dioxide45]

Good to know, thank you! I am plat and I assumed we only had the 500 point option too. I'm going to Maui at the end of March so I will be sure to check out my options because a mug or cabana is worth more than 500 Marriott points.

This shows how much those mugs really cost Marriott. 500 points from a cash value standpoint is worth $6.25 if you buy them from Marriott. They are willing to give a way a $35 mug along with a $10 discount on any others? The actual food costs for that mug are probably less than $5 for someone staying a week. They buy the mugs in bulk for a couple bucks.

Even at a discount for a family of four, that is three mugs at $25 each, or $75. I could buy at least ten cases of soda at that price. You could also buy enough coffee at the grocery to get you through the week for less than $10. I don't see any time that buying the mug would be considered a value. It would be for convenience only. I think however, having the extra money in my pocket is worth a little inconvenience.

 

[ilene13]

This shows how much those mugs really cost Marriott. 500 points from a cash value standpoint is worth $6.25 if you buy them from Marriott. They are willing to give a way a $35 mug along with a $10 discount on any others? The actual food costs for that mug are probably less than $5 for someone staying a week. They buy the mugs in bulk for a couple bucks.

Even at a discount for a family of four, that is three mugs at $25 each, or $75. I could buy at least ten cases of soda at that price. You could also buy enough coffee at the grocery to get you through the week for less than $10. I don't see any time that buying the mug would be considered a value. It would be for convenience only. I think however, having the extra money in my pocket is worth a little inconvenience.

We are water drinkers--I add crystal light. We travel with insulated water bottles which we fill with ice and bottled water. They could be filled with soda. I have no idea if any of our timeshares sell these mugs but as Dioxide has stated I could buy a lot of bottled water and soda for $35 pp.

 

[gwhamm]

This shows how much those mugs really cost Marriott. 500 points from a cash value standpoint is worth $6.25 if you buy them from Marriott. They are willing to give a way a $35 mug along with a $10 discount on any others? The actual food costs for that mug are probably less than $5 for someone staying a week. They buy the mugs in bulk for a couple bucks.

Even at a discount for a family of four, that is three mugs at $25 each, or $75. I could buy at least ten cases of soda at that price. You could also buy enough coffee at the grocery to get you through the week for less than $10. I don't see any time that buying the mug would be considered a value. It would be for convenience only. I think however, having the extra money in my pocket is worth a little inconvenience.

I agree thoroughly with Dioxide on this subject. We too are soda drinkers to an excess, but we prefer to buy cans that we can take with us on day trips, excursions or down to the pool in a koozie. For the several days each week that you are not at the resort while visiting attractions you can not drink enough soda in the remaining days to make the cups a affordable value in my eyes.

Also, my adult daughter purchased one at St. Thomas one year and it was filled with coffee at one point and then soda at another. You cannot get the "coffee taste" out of that mug now.

 

[SueDonJ]

We buy the mugs as souvenirs and use them at home all the time. I have two Disney Fort Wilderness mugs from 1993 that kept me in hot tea at the ball fields and in the gym while my kids were playing middle- and high-school sports. So while there's definitely no way you can justify them as a cost savings while you're at the resort, at least you can say they have a use life long past the vacation during which you bought them. Forget eighteen sweatshirts from different vacations - we have a shelf full of refillable mugs!

(By the way, that stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness was our first introduction to staying in anything other than hotel rooms. Full kitchen, access to laundry facilities, separate bedroom for the kids, outdoor space to spread out, good restaurants nearby, nice little boatride away from the Magic Kingdom ... we loved it so much we've stayed there twice since, once with a whole gang of family in six different cabins, and I'd go back again anytime. Great place. )

 

[BocaBoy]

Good to know, thank you! I am plat and I assumed we only had the 500 point option too. I'm going to Maui at the end of March so I will be sure to check out my options because a mug or cabana is worth more than 500 Marriott points.

Another option they offer as a platinum gift in Maui is a $25 dining discount at Longboard's, the ocean front restaurant. Be careful of that one. It is good on food only (not drinks I was told) and is not accepted toward the Sunset Specials. Also, all owners (maybe also exchangers) always get a 15% discount at Longboard's (I think other guests get a 10% discount) BUT the Platinum dining discount cannot be combined with this. So the Platinum gift can only be used on full-price dinners. The restaurant is OK but very overpriced for what it is. We chose this gift when we were at MOC in December and I think it cost us money rather than saving money because we felt compelled to eat a meal there and it was bottom line more expensive and not as good as we would have enjoyed at another of the many restaurants we commonly patronize. Bottom line, it is worth maybe $15 at most (because of the foregone discount) and is a good deal only if you would be eating a full-price meal at Longboard's only. If that is you, then this is one of the better Platinum gift choices available. We arrived yesterday for aqnother three week stay and chose the 500 MR points as our gift.

 

[dioxide45]

Another option they offer as a platinum gift in Maui is a $25 dining discount at Longboard's, the ocean front restaurant. Be careful of that one. It is good on food only (not drinks I was told) and is not accepted toward the Sunset Specials. Also, all owners (maybe also exchangers) always get a 15% discount at Longboard's (I think other guests get a 10% discount) BUT the Platinum dining discount cannot be combined with this. So the Platinum gift can only be used on full-price dinners. The restaurant is OK but very overpriced for what it is. We chose this gift when we were at MOC in December and I think it cost us money rather than saving money because we felt compelled to eat a meal there and it was bottom line more expensive and not as good as we would have enjoyed at another of the many restaurants we commonly patronize. Bottom line, it is worth maybe $15 at most (because of the foregone discount) and is a good deal only if you would be eating a full-price meal at Longboard's only. If that is you, then this is one of the better Platinum gift choices available. We arrived yesterday for aqnother three week stay and chose the 500 MR points as our gift.

I don't think the $25 dining certificate is a platinum gift. One can get it for appearing at the sales gallery desk for their "welcome gift" that includes it. Actually we picked it up our welcome gift at the Marriott storefront in Lahaina. Perhaps it has changed since fall 2010 when we were there and is now a platinum arrival gift?

 

[Janette]

Our mugs were only $17.95 at MFC. They went up to $19.95 last week for all those rich folk who go in Feb. We sure enjoyed our coffee while sitting in "our chairs". I have made reservations for 13 days with points for next Jan and hope to add a couple of weeks with exchanges. To say that we had fun would put it mildly!

 

[Whirl]

I know this might sound naive, i a probably seriously missing a fine point....but what does one put in the mugs...is it just soda?

Wow, I cant imagine how much soda that must be and having to lug it around sounds like a pain....do you take the mug to dinners and everything? I am not getting this concept.

 

[Michigan Czar]

I know this might sound naive, i a probably seriously missing a fine point....but what does one put in the mugs...is it just soda?

Wow, I cant imagine how much soda that must be and having to lug it around sounds like a pain....do you take the mug to dinners and everything? I am not getting this concept.

Soda and coffee. I purchased the mugs in 2002 once but I wouldn't again. They are too expensive, it is better to just buy soda and coffee at a grocery store and bring it to the pool with you.

 

[GregT]

Where are the Cabanas at MOC? All I know are the rows upon rows of chaise louge chairs?

Cabanas sound like a good thing?

Please advise and thanks!

Greg

 

[MOXJO7282]

I know this might sound naive, i a probably seriously missing a fine point....but what does one put in the mugs...is it just soda?

Wow, I cant imagine how much soda that must be and having to lug it around sounds like a pain....do you take the mug to dinners and everything? I am not getting this concept.

Well unless you have a problem with buying one used you can end up getting a good value.

I bought one for $23 and hope to sell it for about the same. My wife is not crazy about Starbucks coffee but will make do with it. My son can get a few drinks during the day so it can be worth it.

 

[BocaBoy]

I don't think the $25 dining certificate is a platinum gift. One can get it for appearing at the sales gallery desk for their "welcome gift" that includes it. Actually we picked it up our welcome gift at the Marriott storefront in Lahaina. Perhaps it has changed since fall 2010 when we were there and is now a platinum arrival gift?

It is now in fact one of the platinum gift choices at MOC. They give Marriott Rewards platinum guests a card at check-in where you elect whether you want to receive 500 MR points,a $25 Longboard's discount, a free mug, a discount on a cabana rental or at the spa, etc.

You are probably thinking of the welcome gift they gave to everyone in 2010, which is unrelated to the platinum arrival gift. This is the history of the welcome gifts at MOC: Originally they had a welcome party where they served unlimited snacks and mai tais to everyone. In about 2008 or 2009 they dropped the welcome party and started giving two drink coupons to each party in their welcome packets. In 2010 they changed to a $20 certificate at Longboard's (which could be used for food or drink), and then in 2011 they changed it so you only got the $20 Longboard's certificate if you agreed to attend a sales presentation. Since we were not eligible for a sales presentation this month (we attended in December), we did not get a welcome certificate this time. I assume (but do not know for sure) that they still give these if you agree to attend a sales presentation.