Help please - if you have purchased a float week at a resort with lots of fixed weeks

[Aussiedog]

Hi all -

If I am considering the purchase (resale) of a float week at a resort with a good amount of fixed weeks, is there some way of finding out in advance of purchase the distribution of the float weeks?

Ann

 

[theo]

Beware geography...

Hi all -

If I am considering the purchase (resale) of a float week at a resort with a good amount of fixed weeks, is there some way of finding out in advance of purchase the distribution of the float weeks?

Ann

It's not fair to speak in broad generalities and I suspect that different resorts and different systems all have widely differing situations, policies and criteria, so I'll address just one very specific issue in one very specific geographic area, in case it helps or appplies.

In coastal SW FL, I could name about a dozen resorts (maybe more) at which all "floating" week owners are essentially "blacked out" (excluded) from ever reserving any week between weeks 5-15, inclusive. That's most of the entire winter!

I learned this lesson the hard way years ago, when I bought a "float" week which proved to be worhless for my intended purpose of a winter week in Florida. The seller chose not to disclose that particular severe limitation and I was too inexperienced to ask all of the right questions.

 

[california-bighorn]

Although there are many resorts that have both fixed and floating weeks, I only have knowledge of one fairly new resort in Mexico where I watched their marketing plan over about five years.
First they only sold fixed weeks, then when most, if not all of the desirable weeks were gone and they had difficulty selling the leftover weeks, they batched the remaining weeks and sold this inventory as floating weeks.

 

[Aussiedog]

You are confirming my suspicion...

...that I need to get this information in advance.

Somehow......

Ann

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

...that I need to get this information in advance.

Somehow......

Ann

The best ways to get this info are from a reliable owner who has knowledge of the float characteristics of the specific resort or from the resort itself. It's actually best to cross-check with bith sources of information. But I have generally found that the reservation department for a resort has usually been able to provide good information about the reservation rights associated with a given ownership.

 

[Aussiedog]

Thanks Steve

I will call tomorrow and see what they say.

Ann

 

[Egret1986]

I had the same problem. I thought a float week 1-52 would give more flexibility

It's not fair to speak in broad generalities and I suspect that different resorts and different systems all have widely differing situations, policies and criteria, so I'll address just one very specific issue in one very specific geographic area, in case it helps or appplies.

In coastal SW FL, I could name about a dozen resorts (maybe more) at which all "floating" week owners are essentially "blacked out" (excluded) from ever reserving any week between weeks 5-15, inclusive. That's most of the entire winter!

I learned this lesson the hard way years ago, when I bought a "float" week which proved to be worhless for my intended purpose of a winter week in Florida. The seller chose not to disclose that particular severe limitation and I was too inexperienced to ask all of the right questions.

I also learned the lesson the hard way. Mine was also in Southwest Florida and I needed Spring Break, which ended up being blacked-out for float weeks even though it was supposed to be a float 1-52 weeks. It was EOY. I got rid of it the next year. I had assumed 1-52 float meant just that if I called exactly 12 months out from the check-in date. I also failed to ask the right questions before buying.

Congratulations on being a more informed buyer!

 

[e.bram]

Points, floating weeks, all the same, stay away. It all amounts to FIXED lottery to get a desired week. Selection of weeks(if they even exist) is an opaque process, with managment in control of the keyboard which makes the assignments.

 

[Aussiedog]

Points, floating weeks, all the same, stay away.

Well, I have been very happy with my points packages and my TSs at all-float resorts. I am willing to dive into the pool with everyone else and so far so good.

But I recall reading posts about mixed resorts where the 1-52 floats were really every-week-you-don't-want floats so I thought I would see if there is a good way to find out how the systems work in advance of purchase.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and suggestions.

Ann

 

[timeos2]

Not one size fits all

I also learned the lesson the hard way. Mine was also in Southwest Florida and I needed Spring Break, which ended up being blacked-out for float weeks even though it was supposed to be a float 1-52 weeks. It was EOY. I got rid of it the next year. I had assumed 1-52 float meant just that if I called exactly 12 months out from the check-in date. I also failed to ask the right questions before buying.

Congratulations on being a more informed buyer!

Float weeks or points can be great if the whole resort is under them thus you can get anytime you want by reserving early in the process.

Float time at a resort with a very seasonal demand (for example beach weeks) will tend to have the "good" weeks under fixed and the so-so to bad, low demand times under "float". Not good. Avoid those (unless you get deeply discounted annual fees AND can use the off season time yourself. it will not trade well and is not a good value at full fee)

To say in general float is bad - fixed good is not true. Float (and points) are great when applied across the board AND gives you easy access to different use periods rather than being tied to one. That can be a great feature especially in an area that has nearly year round demand.

 

[e.bram]

Timeos2:
What areas have equal year around demand?

 

[Egret1986]

Yikes, did I say that?

To say in general float is bad - fixed good is not true. Float (and points) are great when applied across the board AND gives you easy access to different use periods rather than being tied to one. That can be a great feature especially in an area that has nearly year round demand.

I had a Southern California float and it worked out fine. I have RCI points now and they work out great and offer the most flexibility for me. I found the particular resort in SW Florida that I purchased at did not actually float weeks 1-52 after the fact and it just didn't work for my needs.

I didn't mean to infer that float is bad - fixed good. Sorry, that's not what I thought I said.

 

[somerville]

Hi all -

If I am considering the purchase (resale) of a float week at a resort with a good amount of fixed weeks, is there some way of finding out in advance of purchase the distribution of the float weeks?

You could probably check with the management company or with whoever handles reservations.

I would be concerned about buying a float week in a resort with a lot of fixed weeks. It could be a sign that the developer converted to a float program after selling most of the high season weeks. If this is the case, then most of the float inventory will be off season and shoulder season weeks.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

You could probably check with the management company or with whoever handles reservations.

I would be concerned about buying a float week in a resort with a lot of fixed weeks. It could be a sign that the developer converted to a float program after selling most of the high season weeks. If this is the case, then most of the float inventory will be off season and shoulder season weeks.

This is an important point. It's pretty common for developers to sell the peak period weeks as fixed weeks at premium pricing, and then bundle the low demand weeks into a float period. Many Mexico timeshares were sold this way. Also in some ski resorts this is common, as there are many skiers who want to ski the same week every year.

 

[sandcastles]

I don't really like float weeks but I have one at Hurricane House on Sanibel. It floats from Week 16 (I think) until week 51. I would prefer a fixed week in Feb. but since it costs about 4 times as much, buying resale from the resort, I settled for float.

You can request your week 1 year in advance. May and Nov. are probably the most popular among the owners, although the best weeks for trading would be the summer weeks. When you request your week you list 4 choices. For the most popular weeks, there is a drawing. In the 15 or so years I have owned I have gotten my first choice (which is mid Nov.) every year except one when I got my second choice.

The resort was very upfront with me when I bought. They explained when I could use my week and the chances of getting what I wanted. In fact they made it sound more difficult than it is.

 

[timeos2]

Fit the ownership to the best use.

Timeos2:
What areas have equal year around demand?

Note the critical "nearly" in that statement I made. Usually you will find them in the warmer climates OR an area where there are plenty of both cold and warm weather activities. New York City comes to mind. Many parts of Florida - hurricane season and January in the northern sections are less so - Hawaii, there are more. None are absolutely flat demand across the year but they are not anywhere near as seasonal as say a ski resort area or a beach town.

When you have - just as an example not "the" example - an area such as Orlando where there is a year round demand for the parks, decent if not great warm weather year round then a float ownership makes great sense. Why be tied to a specific week when you can have a variable use to cover changing holidays, experience different times of the year or simply match up the ideal time for any given year with your use date? By comparison to own a float week in Cape Cod makes almost zero sense as you can easily trade or rent outside of the pure summer weeks each use year. If you don't own the 8-10 prime demand weeks as a fixed use you aren't going to get them easily. Those are erfect fixed week candidates.

There are far more locations that do not offer year round demand than there are those that do. Thats why a fixed weeek OR a good points system is best in most areas - float a good choice in the year round ones.

 

[e.bram]

Timeos2:
How do you get around the school calander, even for NYC.

 

[timeos2]

Flexible is usually a need except for a very limited number of weeks

Timeos2:
How do you get around the school calander, even for NYC.

Many non-school dependent visitors travel to NYC for plays, dining, special events, etc. Far less dependent on the school calendar than most areas where it has mostly kids activites - with good weather required - focus. Plus we are in an aging population. That, plus the lack of coordinated school calendars, means the flexibility of a float or points based use is more important than ever.

This year for example many schools are starting prior to Labor Day. What if you were fixed to that week (which is already tough to do as it moves every year - they don't sell "Labor Day week or 4th or Memorial Day" as a deed). With points or float you can adjust the use to the dates you require.

 

[teepeeca]

Ask the resort and management company exactly what are the fixed weeks. That information should (might) be in the by-laws. Also ask how many fixed weeks have been sold or authorized.

If this is a sold-out resort, that information should be readily available. Also ask if certain weeks are ONLY sold as fixed weeks. As stated earlier, if there is a possibility of an all year float, ask how many floating weeks are available for each weeks usage.

Tony

 

[carl2591]

this was a very eye opening thread for me.. I have looked into resorts that sell both fixed and float weeks.. now I have at least a chance of getting something I might be able to use or trade if I find the right resort..

thanks guys this was very informative to say the least. that what i love about tugs some have fought the wars and lived to tell the rest..

 

[bobcat]

this was a very eye opening thread for me.. I have looked into resorts that sell both fixed and float weeks.. now I have at least a chance of getting something I might be able to use or trade if I find the right resort..

thanks guys this was very informative to say the least. that what i love about tugs some have fought the wars and lived to tell the rest..

Stay away from an open float week. We have one. It was good when we first purchased it, BUT they changed the rules. I take the same week each year and it trades good. I would have to take a March week for one year to receive a better week next year. We can not pick our week till we have our week . It is one year wait time. We have a gold season with Marriott and that works great for us.