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Lock-off Problems

loafingcactus

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I just wrote a review of where I am staying, were I got the full two bedroom unit because I can't stand being in a lock-off.

When I'm in a lock-off, aside from being able to hear way too much from my "neighbors," I contain what I'm doing because I know it would be obnoxious to be crashing dishes around at 3am, for example. It's 6AM and I'm watching a video in the living room. If I had the one bedroom I'd be watching it in the bedroom to not bug the people in the studio.

So what about you? Do you avoid lock-offs?
 
I do not know where you have been staying but all the lockoffs that I have stayed at have excellent soundproofing. We love lockoffs as we can invite friends to come with us and we all have our own privacy.

But we also do not have strange habits of crashing dishes at 3am. If we do get up to watch a live event on TV in the early morning, we prefer to do it in bed anyway.
 
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Gum smackers, chair hogs, line skippers, loud talkers, never yield to traffic, ungroomed, smelly, drunkard, slurping eaters, nail clipping in public, obnoxious knuckle draggers are everywhere. Even in the lockoff next to you from time to time.

That's life. :shrug:
 
Gum smackers, chair hogs, line skippers, loud talkers, never yield to traffic, ungroomed, smelly, drunkard, slurping eaters, nail clipping in public, obnoxious knuckle draggers are everywhere. Even in the lockoff next to you from time to time.

That's life. :shrug:

Wow! You have them all covered:hysterical:
 
I do not know where you have been staying but all the lockoffs that I have stayed at have excellent soundproofing. We love lockoffs as we can invite friends to come with us and we all have our own privacy.

Inviting people you know to share the lockoff is one thing, but I have personally experienced poor soundproofing in several lockoffs, and now avoid them if at all possible, unless traveling with friends or family. The worst was at Disney Vero Beach where we could hear the toilets flush from next door at all hours.

I often book 2 BR units just for DH and myself, and even just for myself on some trips. I just stayed in a 2BR at Marriott Canyon Villas a week ago, and we never used the studio side. (Discovered on check-out day that the power was out in there.) However, I usually prefer a non-lockoff 2 BR to a lockoff one.
 
Inviting people you know to share the lockoff is one thing, but I have personally experienced poor soundproofing in several lockoffs, and now avoid them if at all possible, unless traveling with friends or family. The worst was at Disney Vero Beach where we could hear the toilets flush from next door at all hours.

I often book 2 BR units just for DH and myself, and even just for myself on some trips. I just stayed in a 2BR at Marriott Canyon Villas a week ago, and we never used the studio side. (Discovered on check-out day that the power was out in there.) However, I usually prefer a non-lockoff 2 BR to a lockoff one.

Me too unless is son or daughter staying in lock out.
Silentg
 
Gum smackers, chair hogs, line skippers, loud talkers, never yield to traffic, ungroomed, smelly, drunkard, slurping eaters, nail clipping in public, obnoxious knuckle draggers are everywhere. Even in the lockoff next to you from time to time.

That's life. :shrug:

I laughed so hard....the doctor I work with clips his fingernails in his office ...the sound carries down the hall and has everyone gagging and rolling their eyes. So gross.

Still laughing :hysterical:
 
We have found the lock offs at Marriott's Ocean Pionte to have very thin walls. When we first stayed there, we had the studio side. We could hear, and smell, the people in the 1BR side cooking. Then it was the sound of them eating with forks and knives clanging on the plates. We ended up draping a blanket over the lock off door and closing it. It helped to muffle the sound and reduce the smell.
 
I just wrote a review of where I am staying, were I got the full two bedroom unit because I can't stand being in a lock-off.

When I'm in a lock-off, aside from being able to hear way too much from my "neighbors," I contain what I'm doing because I know it would be obnoxious to be crashing dishes around at 3am, for example. It's 6AM and I'm watching a video in the living room. If I had the one bedroom I'd be watching it in the bedroom to not bug the people in the studio.

So what about you? Do you avoid lock-offs?

When we first started, we learned quickly that studio units weren't our thing. Largely because of a few noisy neighbors. One of which was an elderly couple that appeared to have severe hearing loss. Everything they said was in the form of shouting and they were VERY early risers.

One of our owned timeshares is a 3 bedroom lock-out and is ocean front. We use to trade the studio unit but, lately we've started using the entire unit even though it's often just the two of us. There are 2 reasons for this. Being ocean front, we've had one to many neighbors who will leave their slider open to listen to the ocean. This creates a wind tunnel affect with the gap under the lock-out door. The second reason is I.I. decision to charge a size upgrade fee, something I'd prefer to avoid paying.

We have another 3 bedroom lock-out that we continue to lock-off but, the units are separated by an entrance foyer and not the traditional lock-off door. So it's not a lot different than a non lock-out unit.

As far as exchanges go, we really don't care. We use to always take the full unit when we could get it, even if we didn't need the other side. If we couldn't it was no big deal to take the master bedroom of the lock-out. Now, with the extra size upgrade fee, I won't even consider the larger unit unless I need the space.

Over the years we've offered free vacations to many family members and friends based upon having a unit larger than necessary for the two of us. We've had so few accept out offer that we no longer look to book a larger unit. Many times someone has jumped on the free vacation offer, only to back out a few weeks before the trip. To many people don't value vacation time and will allow any excuse to cancel a trip. Others are forgetful and don't put in a vacation request with their employer until the last minute, then get rejected. A few have employers who don't see the value in allowing employee's to take vacations and rarely grant vacation requests or, wait until shortly before the requested time when it's to late to book reasonably priced airfare. Since so few have accepted our offers, I stopped looking for larger units. I probably would have had more people go with us if we'd have asked them to put some skin in the game by charging them a nominal fee for their space to cover the MF portion of that space but, I didn't want to do that as it could have a negative impact on a friendship should they want to cancel and demand a refund. It was always easier to just shrug the shoulders and use the extra space to store luggage.

I don't mind being respectful or the noise issues presented to those in studio units when I have the master suite. I don't need to watch TV early in the morning nor late at night. It's not a big deal to be careful not to bang kitchen cabinets or rattle dishes loudly. So we've migrated in our preferences over the years and, with I.I. now charging upgrade fee's, it's solidified them a little more.
 
We have found the lock offs at Marriott's Ocean Pionte to have very thin walls. When we first stayed there, we had the studio side. We could hear, and smell, the people in the 1BR side cooking. Then it was the sound of them eating with forks and knives clanging on the plates. We ended up draping a blanket over the lock off door and closing it. It helped to muffle the sound and reduce the smell.

There's a pretty big gap beneath the lock-off doors at Ocean Pointe. It becomes VERY noticeable when you're in an ocean front unit and your neighbor leaves their sliding door open. It creates a "wonderful" wind tunnel effect. We'll put a towel along the bottom edge of the lock-off door and it cuts out the wind effect and a lot of the noise. I wouldn't assume it would do the same with smell.

Ever had the neighbors open their side of the lock-off door, you know, just to check if they could get through? We have. I wonder what they would think seeing a blanket draped over your half as a sound barrier. ;)
 
I had to get rid of a lock off unit I owned because my trading company, Dial and Exchange stopped taking the lockoff studio for exchanges.

They got complaints from exchangers that the studio units are too loud. They sent a high level officer of the company to check in to see if the complaints were valid.

They were valid and I could no longer deposit the studio side. I then bought at Summer Bay where I have a 3br lock off with a 2br and a true 1br. So far I can deposit both sides and I get my four exchanges every year.

I stayed in a 1br at The Historic Powhatan Village, a Diamond resort this past July. The two bedroom unit had space next to me and above. I think they brought some elephants with them and not just their two kids.

They asked me if they were being too noisy and I told them it was loud but not to worry about it, let the kids have fun. I was gone most of the time and when I got back to sleep even the elephants couldn't keep me awake.
 
agree

We have stayed in lockouts where we not only hear everything but smell everything that they cook. We left a resort because of this. Not good.
Some resorts have good separation but most don't.
 
I have several lockout units .... at one resort. I usually take the large size and deposit the studio unit.

Yes, there is noise transfer ... the best was the studio guests who like to spank their partner. Laughing very loud while the action was happening ... stopped the party and no further 'fun' occurred.
 
Lucky I guess

We've only been in a lock off a few times and I guess been lucky. We've booked both sides before when my son was a teenager and brought a friend. The two boys loved it because they felt like big shots. We never heard them and they didn't hear us so it worked out good.
Now a days being older we usually book 2 bedroom units because we each want our own bathroom. I wish most resorts would tell you how many bathrooms because we've stayed in one bedrooms with 2 bathrooms and two bedrooms with only 1 bathroom.
 
I too have never had an issue with a lock-off unit.

That said, you can typically figure out if what you're looking at through RCI is a lock-off and if that's a problem for you, avoid it.

Of course, there is always give and take. If you really want a unit in a particular resort or area, and that's all that is available . . . you either accept it, risking these annoyances . . . or you skip and try to find something else.
 
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