GRANDE OCEAN construction update Jan-Feb 2024

[Ixchel]

So we're here at MGO, ocean front Dolphin Bldg. We arrived and had a seamless check-in, then the desk agent proceeded to let us know how many amenities are not available.

We checked the Resort Update about a week ago, but seems like more stuff added to Closed and Repairs, and not all closures are on Resort Hub. South pool closed, Dolphin pool closed, due a leak they can't locate -- this isn't posted.. The large 30 MAN spa is closed until May. The Loggerhead pool bar and restaurant are closed ( Web site says open, but " Seasonal" without mentioning what that actually entails. . The resort garages are full, so occupancy seems good. Unfortunately services are so limited. Our weather is Great!

Dolphin is having repair of trash chutes, and LOUD concrete grinding going on daily from Jan-March on all the floors-- we aren't close to a chute, but our teeth are rattling!

Just be aware if you are planning a visit within the next few weeks, to check Resort Updates, maybe daily. A lot of this isn't announced until it's too late to reschedule, and some is never listed.

At a minimum, stay away from Dolphin bldg if you are noise sensitive.

 

[aklausing]

I don't believe the Dolphin pool is closed. We've been here for several days and people have been swimming in it. In fact, there are kids in the lazy river right now.

The South pool according to Massimo is having the deck resurfaced. It needed grinded in a few spots due to tree roots upheaving areas. I believe the grinding was completed two days ago and now they need a couple days of warmer temps to put a sealing coat on top of the concrete. Apparently, this has been on the list for awhile and the contractor finally got back to Massimo last week that he had a week window where his crew would be available, else they might not be back for several months, so Massimo took the window. Loggerhead Landing had some dry rotted beams on the south end of the roof, so they are repairing those at the same time the South pool is down to reduce total downtime. Supposedly, both should be open in the next week.

When we arrived last week, there was also only two working hot tubs on the whole complex - two by South pool closed because of the resurfacing, the large tub by the indoor pool and large one by the outdoor lap pool on the North side both had motors go bad, the 30 Man pool by Dolphin Pool is being completely replaced due to a leak that could not be repaired. As of today, all are back in operation except for the one being replaced.

Hopefully, you'll get to enjoy a few days of the South Pool and Loggerhead Landing being open before your vacation ends.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Is Loggerhead Landing even open this time of year normally? I know Sea Salts up at Surfwatch is usually closed from like Dec 1st - March 1st, though they'll do a soft open if the weather is warm in late February like it was last year (80s!!!)

 

[Ixchel]

Is Loggerhead Landing even open this time of year normally? I know Sea Salts up at Surfwatch is usually closed from like Dec 1st - March 1st, though they'll do a soft open if the weather is warm in late February like it was last year (80s!!!)

We have been owners for about 30 years. In the past, it opened when weather was warm. There was an awesome bartender we called Pool Bar Jim ( or similar). A while ago he was moved out, to the great dismay of owners.
Now it's not clear when they are open. Just " Seasonal ", whatever that is.

 

[aklausing]

Is Loggerhead Landing even open this time of year normally? I know Sea Salts up at Surfwatch is usually closed from like Dec 1st - March 1st, though they'll do a soft open if the weather is warm in late February like it was last year (80s!!!)

The grill/bar at Barony also closes for the first 4-5 weeks of the year. However, Loggerhead does not close unless weather is bad.

 

[jme]

If any resort has near 100% occupancy year-round, then WHEN is a good time to do maintenance, renovations, refurbishments, etc ???
The answer is surely the time period when occupancy is slightly down, which is NOW for beach resorts, and summer for ski resorts, etc.
Pools (and similar other activity venues) get attention when swimming (or other types of participation) is at the lowest level, and that means when it's cold.
Regarding villa or building issues, like wholesale replacement of appliances for example (happening recently at MGO), has similar scheduling requirements.
What MGO does is shut down one building at a time for that, maybe two, and the process is accomplished on a rotating basis.
Same thought process for all the other resorts, is it not?
Sometimes it involves exterior painting, as seaside resort buildings take on an excessive amount wear & tear abuse from wind and rain,
not to mention the salt air's negative effects.
And the same goes for many amenities that are temporarily suspended------pools need repairs, poolside surfaces need reconditioning, poolside furniture needs replacement,
and resort sidewalks need repair, etc, etc...... And at times when some resort's grills & bars have low participation, or when staffing is short, those are closed "for the season".
Luckily MGO's grill & bar "Loggerhead Landing" is open most of the time, weather permitting.

MGO's lagoon complex must be cleaned out at appropriate times, and that is noisy and somewhat ugly, but for it to be beautiful, and it is, it's a known necessity.
The workout/fitness areas at all resorts have need of attention every now and then, too. Upgrading equipment, or servicing the existing equipment, has a schedule.
To state the obvious, in summer, the greatest % of wear and tear happens at beach resorts, and in winter nobody swims as much, so naturally those
are the times chosen for these things. Like NOW.
Over the last few years, a couple of MGO's pools have undergone retrofitting of equipment for heating.......a huge success.
Not to mention the addition of the popular Lazy River.

We are there at MGO 2 weeks in Jan, 2 weeks in Feb, one week in April, and numerous weeks in June (our 6 MGO ownership weeks are summer weeks),
and often another week in late August/early September.
We've stayed there approximately 110 times since 1998, and the occasions that things are "down" have always been kept to a minimum.
When they do happen, a great effort is made to minimize inconveniences to the owners and guests. We have no problem with it. In fact we applaud it.
Bottom line, Management must manage!

MGO does a tremendous job of balancing tasks that must be accomplished to keep the resort in top shape
with times that will "hurt" the resort's "full experience".
Given Marriott's notable high standards, they put lot of thought into the scheduling of the required upkeep.
Any well-seasoned traveler and timeshare resort patron surely understands this, and when they book supposed "off-season" stays,
surely again they must know to expect temporary suspension of some services and/or amenities.
This practice is the norm for the hospitality industry.

 

[pedro47]

I feel jme post was very accurate with his assessment. Off season is the best time to improve a resort amenities and the resort facilities.

 

[Big Matt]

Well, the beach isn't closed. Pretty sure Sea Pines and Harbor Town are open. Still a lot to do on HHI this time of year (dont' tell everyone).

 

[jmhpsu93]

Not going to quote Marty's post but add on...

It sucks when it's the maybe one week you have a year to enjoy the resort and your favorite amenity is unavailable, but for most of these resorts there is so much more to do and enjoy. And yes, the best time to do the bigger cleaning/maintenance work is off-season when in theory occupancy is lighter (but is it ever really low season anymore, especially in HHI?).

 

[aka Julie]

This is one reason we dumped our silver weeks at Barony. We paid the same maintenance fee but had limited amenities. Of course, they don’t mention that when they sold the silver weeks. Bronze owners are even more impacted unless they always exchange.

 

[Dean]

Not going to quote Marty's post but add on...

It sucks when it's the maybe one week you have a year to enjoy the resort and your favorite amenity is unavailable, but for most of these resorts there is so much more to do and enjoy. And yes, the best time to do the bigger cleaning/maintenance work is off-season when in theory occupancy is lighter (but is it ever really low season anymore, especially in HHI?).

This just underscores the importance of investigating options whether buying or exchanging.

 

[WBP]

I heard Nikki Hayey served dinner, tonight, on HHI.

 

[Ixchel]

I don't believe the Dolphin pool is closed. We've been here for several days and people have been swimming in it. In fact, there are kids in the lazy river right now.

The South pool according to Massimo is having the deck resurfaced. It needed grinded in a few spots due to tree roots upheaving areas. I believe the grinding was completed two days ago and now they need a couple days of warmer temps to put a sealing coat on top of the concrete. Apparently, this has been on the list for awhile and the contractor finally got back to Massimo last week that he had a week window where his crew would be available, else they might not be back for several months, so Massimo took the window. Loggerhead Landing had some dry rotted beams on the south end of the roof, so they are repairing those at the same time the South pool is down to reduce total downtime. Supposedly, both should be open in the next week.

When we arrived last week, there was also only two working hot tubs on the whole complex - two by South pool closed because of the resurfacing, the large tub by the indoor pool and large one by the outdoor lap pool on the North side both had motors go bad, the 30 Man pool by Dolphin Pool is being completely replaced due to a leak that could not be repaired. As of today, all are back in operation except for the one being replaced.

Hopefully, you'll get to enjoy a few days of the South Pool and Loggerhead Landing being open before your vacation ends.

Dolphin Pool was closed when we checked in due to a leak. We saw guys digging big holes trying to locate it.

 

[Ixchel]

The grill/bar at Barony also closes for the first 4-5 weeks of the year. However, Loggerhead does not close unless weather is bad.

Loggerhead was closed last week of January, except for things Activities scheduled. We were advised at check-in by MGO staff.

 

[Ixchel]

This is one reason we dumped our silver weeks at Barony. We paid the same maintenance fee but had limited amenities. Of course, they don’t mention that when they sold the silver weeks. Bronze owners are even more impacted unless they always exchange.

Good point. We have a deeded MGO week, Silver. This time we traded in with DP to a lower season, late January. Was amazed at the difference in amenities available.

 

[Retired2025 aka AlmostRetired]

WHEN is a good time to do maintenance, renovations, refurbishments, etc ???

Easy answer, when someone else is there.

 

[jme]

Update on the construction of Grande Ocean's new hot tub on South side just below the Kingfisher and Sand Dollar buildings,
tucked into the back corner where a smaller hot tub was, near the second set of Southside grills, with putting green to the far left of the photographer
in the other back corner.
The new hot tub is said to be able to seat 30 people at once. Doesn't look it to me, but that's the report.
If there were 29 in there, I think I'd wait, LOL !
These pics were taken Feb 21.

https://owners.marriottvacationclub.com/medias/8806554894366.pdf?context=bWFzdGVyfHJvb3R8MjA1ODI0fGFwcGxpY2F0aW9uL3BkZnxoYWEvaDk2Lzg4MTYyNDg3ODI4NzgucGRmfDEyZjU1YTU3NGY5MDY4ZDk0ODg1MzJhYTRhNDk4OGM2YTdhYWM4YWUzY2M2OGEzZmNmNjUyMTY4YTA2NWZkZjM

Sand Dollar bldg
directly below HERE.......................................................................Kingfisher bldg directly below HERE.....at right angles to each other

 

[Big Matt]

Human soup

 

[pedro47]

Will children under the age of six (6) be allow to use this new hot tube??

 

[jme]

Young children are often discouraged from using the hot tubs because it can be dangerous for them.
They are much more prone to overheating. Age is not really the best determining factor, imho.
The CDC says kids under the age of 5 should not use them, and sometimes resorts say kids under 6,
but if a child is rather small, they shouldn't use them regardless of their age. That was the rule around our house.
I think weight is more important than age. The age limit recommendations, to me, are just a general rule or guideline to bring attention
to the issue for the parents' sake.

That said, I think kids even a few years older than what I mentioned shouldn't be allowed to use them just because at a resort, it's an adult's activity,
and kids are sometimes a huge distraction and can put a damper on the adults' enjoyment and relaxation at resorts.

 

[RookWDW]

Are pool actually open and usable in the winter? We were looking at going the week after Christmas but assumed its too cold and the pools would be closed.