Florida in January--Fifth Generation Thread

[JLB]

After the sand-replentishment on Longboat Key, the consensus seems to favor Siesta Key, either Calini or Sandpiper.

JLB, Which resort in Sarasota would you consider is the best?

My daughter and son-in-law want to travel to Sarasota to show his grandparents the new baby, which has not been born yet but will be 11 months old in January of 2008!

We are going to be grandparents. Yay! It's about time.

 

[JLB]

At a little less than four months out, the areas still available for Resorts on the Beach for January, 2007, are consistent with past results:

NE (Ormond, Daytona, New Smyrna)-23
Panhandle-4
Tampa-2
SE-1

 

[JLB]

At 15 months out, for January, 2008, there are now 5 resorts available in SW Florida.

At the same time for previous years, here are the figures:

'07-9
'06-7
'05-11
'04-11

 

[JLB]

Question For Others

Do you think the information I posted here, #78, would have more interest on the Exchanging board, because it shows declining RCI availability, or here in my SW Florida thread?

I have been told I have to pick one place or the other.

 

[Walt]

There is an interest for members on both boards.

Do you think the information I posted here, #78, would have more interest on the Exchanging board, because it shows declining RCI availability, or here in my SW Florida thread?

I have been told I have to pick one place or the other.

I think they should put a link on the Exchange Board (with a Sticky) to the Florida Board.

Walt :whoopie:

 

[cluemeister]

My opinion is to leave post #78 on this thread. It is part of the larger, comprehensive picture of availability in SW Florida, not just a one time snapshot.

My 2¢

 

[kjsgrammy]

JLB: What a wonderful thread! Question: I recently deposited a week with RCI to try and obtain a week for anytime between January thru March 2008 for Siesta Key, or Sanibel Island (with the exception of weeks 3 & 4 as we own at Sandpiper Beach Club and intend to use them). Do you think I have any chance in obtaining? I have ongoing search going, but so far, nothing is showing up. Am I dreaming in thinking I will get something? I notice from one of your previous messages that you were able to obtain an exchange for Sandpiper in January, 2008, but that you did this back in May, 2007 (if I'm remembering your correct message.)

 

[JLB]

Thanks. It's always nice to find someone who appeciates similar stuff. There are a few of us around here.

Since I do not rely on ongoing serches, I search for myself every morning, one of the benefits is that I can answer a question like this. I know what resorts have shown up every day I've been home since March 27, 2002, when this became a daily routine.

A couple of others have done similar studies, so they can back me up on what I say.

In SW Florida (Charlotte Harbor on South) I have all but given up hope for ever seeing any of the better resorts during Snowbird Season (January-April). By and large that means the HGVC resorts on Captiva, Sanibel, Marco Island, and the one on FMB (SOB).

In that timeframe you will be able to trade into one of the following:

The Normal Suspects
Lehigh Resort Club
Charlotte Bay Resort & Club
Fishermen's Village Resort Club
Marco Resort & Club
Sea Oats Beach Club
Estero Island Beach Club
Bonita Resort & Club
Lahaina Inn
Royal Beach Club
Kahlua Beach Club
Marina Village at Snug Harbor
Sunrise Bay Resort and Club
Tropical Sands
Englewood Beach Club and Resort
Windward Passage Resort
White Sands Resort Club
Mariner’s Boathouse

As I also search Resorts on the Beach, I can tell you that the first areas to be taken are The Keys and SW FL. Fortunately, the Sarasota area, from Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach down to Siesta Key is still available. As things progress up the Gulf Coast, it will be the next major area to be affected by the escalation in real estate values experienced in the Ft. Myers to Marco Island area. It will be the next area in which the better resorts will become unavailable for Exchange.

It is not quite as temperate as SW Florida and the Keys, but the January through April climate is better than the Panhandle or the NE. Florida has four climate zones and the Sarasota area tends to fall between the central and the southern zone, with the lower Keys being a more temperate zone.

If you study historical temperatures, the difference between Key West and Sanibel, or even the Sarasota area, is that in January it does not cool off as much at night in Key West. It's easy to look up at sites like weather.com or accuweather, but lows in Key West are normally in upper the 60's and in the other areas in the 50's. The daytime highs are about the same.

For now the Sarasota are is still vailable and for 2008 I have still been seeing Sandpiper, Gulf Tides, Little Gull, and some lesser resorts on the beach, stuff like Resort 66 and Siesta Sands. I have not seen Calini or Longboat Bay Club. I wanted to double up on our Sandpiper week, but what has been available is 2 weeks before the week we got.

I have been going to SW Florida since the 70's, my first incarnation, so giving that up will be hard.

Hope that helps.

JLB: What a wonderful thread! Question: I recently deposited a week with RCI to try and obtain a week for anytime between January thru March 2008 for Siesta Key, or Sanibel Island (with the exception of weeks 3 & 4 as we own at Sandpiper Beach Club and intend to use them). Do you think I have any chance in obtaining? I have ongoing search going, but so far, nothing is showing up. Am I dreaming in thinking I will get something? I notice from one of your previous messages that you were able to obtain an exchange for Sandpiper in January, 2008, but that you did this back in May, 2007 (if I'm remembering your correct message.)

 

[kjsgrammy]

JLB: Thanks for info. I, too, do a daily search since depositing our week. I've tried searching under SW Florida since reading your thread, but am not getting any responses. Are you currently seeing anything on the Gulf side (other than the Orlando/Kissimmee area)? I did expand my search out to start the last weekend in December as you explained in a previous post. I'll keep searching and maybe I'll get lucky. Luckily, I don't foresee us having to lose our week, as we are retired and can chose another week if nothing comes up for what I'm searching for in Siesta Key area.

 

[JLB]

I forgot to mention that the last date before Snowbird Season that any of us have seen the better resorts in SW Florida is December 15. Typically it will be Club Regency on Marco or SOB on FMB, but occassionally a Sanibel resort.

By setting the starting date for 12/1/07, right now I am seeing 23 resorts in SW Florida, several on the beach, but only one being Gold Crown. You just have to keep checking to get the better ones, and they obviously are not matching to ongoing seraches, because they are showing up.

I, and another person, have had some discussions with those who are in a position to know, and we are being told that stuff just isn't getting deposited like it used to. Each of us have drawn our own conclusions. I have been told several times that I am seeing everything there is to see.

For the ten weeks starting 1/1/08, I am seeing 5 resorts in SW Florida, all lesser resorts and only one on the beach. For the Sarasota area I am seeing four resorts, all on the beach, but no Gold Crowns.

You might want to check out http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/ because a few there search and post Sightings every day, and SW Florida is one of the areas they do. I believe you have to have posted 15 times to be able to see Sightings on that site, but after that you can see them and there is no charge.

 

[JLB]

I used 12/1/07 as a start date and tried the Sarasota area. Most of the Gold Crowns you would want to see are there.

 

[talkamotta]

I dont see anything about the Bradenton/Anna Marie/Longboat Bay area. Is there good availability there during January?

 

[JLB]

When I say this, "the Sarasota area, from Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach down to Siesta Key," that's the area I'm talking about.

I dont see anything about the Bradenton/Anna Marie/Longboat Bay area. Is there good availability there during January?

 

[JLB]

I have been searching SW Florida for January, 2008 every day for 9 months now and have not seen a Gold Crown. The nearest ones have been on Longboat and Siesta Keys in the Sarasota area.

As far as lesser resorts in SW FL, I haven't seen many of them, either, not for Start dates in January like I used to search. Most of the ones I've seen have been for Dec. 28 or 29 start dates.

 

[JLB]

Settlefor

Based on my years of daily searching, I have concluded that it is now passed the time when we would likely get a nice resort in SW FL for January, 2008.

To complete our January, 2008 plans, yesterday I settledfor a resort being discussed a lot on http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/index.php, Morritt's Grand Resort on Grand Cayman. I would not have known about it's availability without the Sightings being reported.

PS--Two other couples have already said they would like to go with us!

(Bad links removed)

 

[anne1125]

Jim, I don't get anything with these links.

Where are you going?

Anne

 

[JLB]

Me neither. They are Sightings links at TS4Ms, so they may be shortlived. They were all working fine when I posted them.

Try this one, this resort has been a hot-topic on TS4Ms.


http://www.morrittsgrand.com/morrittsgrand.htm

 

[JLB]

Sightings are free and abundant on http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/ but I forgot that you have to have 15 posts under your belt to be able to view them.

By using links you are going there as a guest. That's my guess.

Jim, I don't get anything with these links.

Where are you going?

Anne

 

[JLB]

Someone once said that all good things must come to an end, and people have been repeating it ever since. I don't know why because I can't think of any logical reason why all good things must come an end. Surely there must be some good things that do not come to an end.

But, I suspect my study of SW Florida in January will come to an end, and probably January, 2009 (one more year) will be the last one I document.

That would make six consecutive Januarys I studied, and I was able to document the declining availability in detail. It's probably the only empirical study of it's type.

I can't see any point in continuing it if availability does not reverse itself, because with 2009 I will have shown 4 years of declined availabity.

 

[JLB]

A Slight Increase

There is a bit of an increase this morning in Resorts on the Beach for January 2006. Four more than yesterday, making the total available as high as it's been in more than two months.

Two of the new ones are Gold Crowns, not in SW or the Keys, but not in NE or the Panhandle either.

If you are interested, search for five weeks starting 12/29/06.

 

[JLB]

Anyone Care to Join Us?

If anyone would like to join us, we will be at Morritt's Grand Resort starting 1/5/08 and Sandpiper Beach Club on Siesta Key in the Sarasota area starting 1/12/08.

As of today, there is availability at both Morritt's resorts and in the Sarasota area.

 

[LMD]

Marco Island

Picked up a week this AM on-line at Club Regency for 1/12/08
Lisa

 

[JLB]

That's a keeper! RCI?

I didn't see it this morning, so you musta already got it.

If so, that goes against the inside information I have gotten, that resorts of that nature for that timeframe will not be available on-line because deposits, if there are any, will match to ongoing search requests.

Picked up a week this AM on-line at Club Regency for 1/12/08
Lisa

 

[LMD]

RCI

Yes..RCI..about 7am this morning. I was very surprised to see it there.
Lisa

 

[JLB]

Yeah, the day I sleep in.

Yes..RCI..about 7am this morning. I was very surprised to see it there.
Lisa