Do You Use Florida Club?

[Smooth Air]

So, I paid my MF's today. Almost $1400 per week. Ouch! Once again, I looked at the mandatory Florida Club fee per week and thought "What a waste." We never use Florida Club.

Do you use Florida Club? If so, of the following, which resort, in order of priority, would you recommend and why?

1.Grande Vista
2.Legends
3.Doral
4.BeachPlace

I own 2 Plainum weeks at Ocean Pointe
Does Grande Vista have a golf course?

Smooth Air

 

[tompk]

I use my Legends Edge Florida Club week to get a lock-off unit at one of the other Florida Club resorts and then I get 2 exchanges out of it. Grande Vista does have a golf course on site and there is another course very close by that you might also get a discount at.

 

[NboroGirl]

I've owned at Grande Vista for 9 years and never once used the FL Club.

Grande Vista has a 9-hole Nick Faldo teaching course on site, and a 18 hole course (Grande Pines) across the street that's (owned by?) Marriott. Yes, there are owner discounts. Also, if you sign up for a 3-day or 7-day golf package for the on-site course, you get 50% off at Grande Pines.

 

[jimf41]

Never used it or considered using it. Now that the points system is here I'll probably never use it in the future. I think it's more of a benefit for Legends and Doral owners.

 

[dougp26364]

We've never used it but, in reality, the FL Club fee only replaces another fee charged to all Marriott owners. The true "waste", or saving if the Fl Club were no more is only around $4.

We have never used the FL Club and never intend to use it. We purchased our Ocean Pointe week to use and, with the exception of one year, have stayed at Ocean Pointe every year since becoming owners.

Like Jim, with the advent of the DC program, I would tend to use that before using the FL Club. My main reason is that we own silver season at Ocean Pointe. While silver season fits us fine at Ocean Pointe, it would not work as well at the majority of other FL Club resorts. Exchanging into those resorts via weeks exchanges or points exchanges would benefit us more than using the FL Club

 

[dmharris]

We own Grande Vista and have never used the Florida Club and never will because it will only net you what you deposit, no upgrading like you can get through II.

 

[Mamianka]

Never used it or considered using it. Now that the points system is here I'll probably never use it in the future. I think it's more of a benefit for Legends and Doral owners.

We own every odd year at Beachplace - 1 2BR lockoff. We deposit half into II for use in the non-ownership year - and the heck with Florida Club - we can get it a YEAR ahead, instead of 6 months. There are all kinds of old leftover programs kicking around, and some have value, and some are outmoded. When we only owned at Chateau, we paid an extra 3 grand for the *privilege* of being able to trade for Reward Points EVERY year, not just every other. had we only know - dumb, dumb, dumb. We do nto turn in our Beachplace for DC points - we want to GO there every year. Vegas is a long way from NY, and we are not nuts about this - once every 5 years is fine - but it is all Platinum, so a good trader. we have a huge color-coded spreadsheet (OK - 2 retired teachers . . with OCD . . ) that has all our plans for trades through 2015.

 

[dioxide45]

Given the single consolidated fee of being enrolled in DC, I don't see us ever using the Florida Club with our Grande Vista unit. Since we can now deposit and exchange for no exchange fee, there is no benefit of the Florida Club over II. In the past the Florida Club was free when compared to an II exchange fee of $89, $99, $109, $119. That advantage is now gone.

 

[Big Matt]

I've done it once. I was able to get a studio at Beach Place during president's week which was a much higher demand than anything I could have got for my Grande Vista studio. I don't know if it made any difference in what I got in trade from II or not.

The biggest problem is that you have to be six months out to book. Most of the real good weeks will be gone by then, at least 2BRs.

 

[kjd]

In a word, NO. Some folks have reported there is some value in the Florida Club but I've found it is just another charge on your annual statement.

 

[thinze3]

Please remember that the FC fees are "in lieu of" not "in addition too" a fee that non-FC resorts pay. The difference between the 2 fees is something like $6/year. So you are essentially paying $6 more than you would if your resort were not in the FC.


Added:
Have I used the FC before? NO
The only time I didn't convert my Legends edge unit to MR Points was to exchange into Hawaii. Though I though about reserving a platinum week at either BeachPlace or Ocean Pointe, I didn't need to because my trade came through at almost 12 months out.

 

[thinze3]

OK - I just checked my resorts and here is the difference.

The 'owner services fee' of $30.45 and the 'club dues' of $4.00 which are listed at the bottom of the FC resorts 'Assessment Budget' are then added together and put as a single $34.45 line item 'Florida Club Fee' on my 'statement' at both Legends Edge and BeachPlace Towers.

The 'owners services fee' of $30.45 is not added as a line item on my Waiohai 'statement' but instead is simply listed in the middle of the 2012 'assessment Budget'. Either way you pay the $30.45.

The cost for the Florida Club is $4.00 / year! Though I haven't used it yet, I personally would like to keep the option for only $4.00.

 

[Smooth Air]

Interesting. I always learn something here @ TUG!

I did not know that the FC fee is just another name for a fee that everybody else is charged.( i.e., non FC resort owners). So.... what do you get for your fee? Is it "valuable" or "wasted"?

Smooth Air

 

[kjd]

I've never gotten anything out of FC so I guess my money was wasted.

 

[thinze3]

I have no idea what the "owner services fee" of $30.45 is for.

Someone like Minoter who is president at BP would know.

 

[Lee55]

Never used it, but still pay the fee each year..

 

[dioxide45]

I have no idea what the "owner services fee" of $30.45 is for.

Someone like Minoter who is president at BP would know.

I think this is to fund the Owner Services operations, the VOAs, us calling to make reservations, and the online systems.

 

[mas]

I've done it once. I was able to get a studio at Beach Place during president's week which was a much higher demand than anything I could have got for my Grande Vista studio. I don't know if it made any difference in what I got in trade from II or not.

The biggest problem is that you have to be six months out to book. Most of the real good weeks will be gone by then, at least 2BRs.

The six months booking time frame is the main problem, however, I have used the FC to book Ocean Pointe using my Beach Place week. The week I reserved was in February so even with the six month restriction, it is still possible to get a prime week using the FC.

 

[JPrisco]

I used the FC once when DVC was with II. Traded GV for Legends Edge; used LE for a DVC stay. Couldn't use GV because it is within 30 miles of Disney. Worked well for me that one time.

 

[dioxide45]

While we don't use the Florida Club for reservations, having the ability to use the other Florida Club resorts to do trade tests on II is great. You can search with even the strongest 3BR week at Ocean Pointe.

Having this ability for mock searches in II is great as I can use it to determine if we just don't have the trade power to get what we are looking for or determining that what we want just isn't sitting out there.

 

[dms1709]

How do you do a mock search? I use the florida club each year, but next year I think I will have to use the whole 2 bedroom as I would like a summer week in either Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head and am not sure if even that will get me what I want.

Thanks

Donna

 

[thinze3]

How do you do a mock search? I use the florida club each year, but next year I think I will have to use the whole 2 bedroom as I would like a summer week in either Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head and am not sure if even that will get me what I want.

Thanks

Donna

See this thread.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92689

 

[jjluhman]

I used it this year for the first time, and we have owned since 2002. We are enjoying Beachplace right now. Heading up the coast to visit Ocean Pointe and Oceana Palms later today. They would not give us a day pass even though we own there.

 

[Davidr]

We bought a resale GV gold week to use the FC to tie in a second week at OP. We haven't used it yet for that. This year we traded it for MR points.

 

[Smooth Air]

Hello, JJ
I also own at Ocean Pointe. I know they used to grant "Day Passes" to owners. When did that change?

How's the weather there today?

Smooth Air