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Marriott Grande Ocean Hilton Head

nanaboat

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Would love to trade two weeks Gold for two weeks Platinum. Every year I have a problem getting my two weeks in the last two weeks of the Gold Season. I call at 9:00 in the morning and still have problems. Anybody have any suggestions. I have been told it is because I have oceanfront.
 
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MOXJO7282

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Are you using the 13 month advantage? I find it hard to believe you can't get what I assume is a early June week. Is that correct? I've never heard a multi-week owner have a problem on a non-holiday week.

Also I've been told its quite easy for GO owners to trade into the last two weeks of August, which to me is a great time to go.

Regards.
Joe
 

thinze3

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You may try to add an inexpensive week that has Thursday check-in such as Ocean Pointe (silver), Grande Vista (platinum) or Horizons at Branson (platinum).

Ocean Pointe silver would let you book the last two gold weeks at Grand Ocean, and you could do so at a week and a day earlier than most two week MGO owners.

Branson platinum could accomplish the same, has lower MF's, and is still one of the few mid-tier MVCI resorts that still received AC's for '09.


Terry
 

nanaboat

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Yes I am using the 13 month and it is the last week in may and 1st week in June. This is not Memorial Day weekend. I could not get it last year and called right at 9:00. Pretty aggravating. Beware don't buy an oceanfront unit.
 

aka Julie

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Yes I am using the 13 month and it is the last week in may and 1st week in June. This is not Memorial Day weekend. I could not get it last year and called right at 9:00. Pretty aggravating. Beware don't buy an oceanfront unit.

I'm probably stating the obvious, but are you calling 9:00 EASTERN time? If you are in another time zone, you have to make sure you adjust your time.

So using the 13-month rule, you should have called on April 29 at 9:00 eastern time for check-in on either May 29, 30 or 31 for two consecutive weeks. Is that the date you called to book for next year?
 
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MOXJO7282

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Yes I am using the 13 month and it is the last week in may and 1st week in June. This is not Memorial Day weekend. I could not get it last year and called right at 9:00. Pretty aggravating. Beware don't buy an oceanfront unit.

I'm honestly surprised because I've never heard a gold, non-hoilday week to be tough at 13 months. I went after and received what I think was a very a popular 2009 gold week, the last week of the summer, which happens to be the first week in the fall gold season. I didn't have any difficulty getting that, so I'm surprised the week you wanted was a problem. I also have oceanfront.

Regards.
Joe
 

Dave M

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Ditto with Joe. I always reserve Labor Day week and never have difficulty, being sure to do it exactly at 9:00 Eastern time on the first day. And by that time, up to half of the weeks are gone to the 13-month people.

Also, I own Oceanfront. I can assure you that the view has nothing to do with your difficulty. A maximum of 50% of the Oceanfront weeks AND 50% of the Oceanside weeks are made available at 13 months. Each group is made available only to owners of that group. Thus, you are reserving from a separate pool of weeks from what the Oceanside owners try to reserve.

If you were unsuccessful when you called last April (13 months), you should have called at 12 months out to try again for each week.
 

thinze3

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According to II, the two weeks that the OP are trying to book, weeks 21 & 22, are substantially better traders than Labor day, week 35.

Terry

week 21 = 125
week 22 = 150
week 35 = 90
 

nanaboat

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I always want the last two weeks available for gold owners, before platinum starts, because thats when I take my grandchildren. Believe me I have owned for 12 years and it is the same thing every year. One year I wrote to the CEO president of Marriott and finally got my weeks. I call continuously from 8:55 until they no longer say the office is closed and god help you if you get someone who does not know what they are doing. Its not the view of oceanfront. Its the amount of units. I have had this argument that perhaps I should have bought ocean view. The Grande Ocean does give you one more week of gold time that the Barony considers platinum week. I just thought maybe someone had some unknown secret in making this easer.
 

nanaboat

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Not if you have grandchildren in school who go on vacation with you!!!!
 

Dave M

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Its not the view of oceanfront. Its the amount of units.
Not true. If someone at Marriott has told you this, you have been misinformed.

The fact is that there are fewer Oceanfront units than Oceanside units at Grand Ocean. But, correspondingly, there are fewer Oceanfront owners than Oceanside owners! Not counting the differences in how many weeks multiple-week owners own, your percentage chances of getting the weeks you want are the same no matter which view you have. If you don't believe it, call Bob Spear, the GM at GO and ask him.

The "secret" is to call - as you have - at 13 months. 13 months in advance of your May week will fall on a Tuesday, which is the date to call. If that doesn't work, have two sets of hands working at exactly 12 months. One set should be working on the phone and the other set should be working on MVCI's online system. You can practice ahead of time for the online part, refreshing your screen every few seconds just before 9:00 Eastern time (at the page with the calendar) 12 months in advance until the week you want shows up with the "available" color. Then quickly complete your reservation.
 

aceinthehole

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I bought a ocean view plat week and a gold ocean front week at Grande Ocean. I have not closed yet. I was planning to get week 23 (Gold) and week 24 (plat) and using the 13 month rule to snag these up...if it is going to be a core to try to get this...I might not close...Is this time of year really that competitive?
 

Dave M

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Yes, getting 23 will be tough at 13 months because other Gold owners who own multiple Gold weeks at GO will have been able to call a week before you do - to book (for example) weeks 22 and 23. Week 23 is the most popular of all of the GO Gold weeks.
 

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I have been able to call thirteen months out for the last two spring weeks of gold season at Grande Ocean for the last two years without trouble. I begin calling about 8:55 on the correct day, this year it was Tuesday April 29, and get exactly what I want and I own oceanfront units. It sounds as though I have perhaps been lucky.
 

ktrick

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Another thing. I don't believe you can book thirteen months out online, only by phone. Or has this perhaps been changed recently.
 

Dave M

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You are correct. Online is not available until 12 months in advance. That's why I suggested above calling at 13 months and, if unsuccessful, calling and using the Internet at 12 months.
 

nanaboat

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It is very competitive because this is the only week when school gets out that is available before getting into the platinum week. I have also been told by marriott staff to book the two weeks before then cancel the first week and then continue the reservation knowing I already have the first week. I have been lucky,too, but this year my luck ran out. This would not be a big deal to many but this is a court ordered time we have with our grandson. This first week in June is not available at the Barony in Gold time - just platinum.
 
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