Marriott's Ocean Pointe Owners and Friends

[gln60]

We have stayed at BeachPlace and complementary chairs have been provided. They are all the same type of chairs and are requested at the pool. You do have to request them. I believe they started providing the chairs when they did the pool renovation as a courtesy to guests since the pool was closed.

We have been going to BPT for years…the only time complementary beach chairs were not available was this past January…because of Covid.

 

[sarizzi]

Thank you for all the relies! I feel that the charge for chairs and umbrellas is pricey. Since we are driving there we will pack own.

 

[enma]

Here now.... chairs and umbrellas are expensive but they are nice. Padded lounge chairs. I find those foldable chairs very uncomfortable. Told myself that if I cant afford the chairs and umbrellas for few days I need to stay home, lol. My whole point of this trip is to enjoy the beach and I spend 8+ hrs there each day so I want a comfy chair where I can nap

 

[Mlvnsmly]

Here now.... chairs and umbrellas are expensive but they are nice. Padded lounge chairs. I find those foldable chairs very uncomfortable. Told myself that if I cant afford the chairs and umbrellas for few days I need to stay home, lol. My whole point of this trip is to enjoy the beach and I spend 8+ hrs there each day so I want a comfy chair where I can nap

We would've preferred the loungers with the cushions, but we'd rather be in front and they don't allow them up there, for whatever reason.

 

[dougp26364]

We would've preferred the loungers with the cushions, but we'd rather be in front and they don't allow them up there, for whatever reason.

They’re heavy enough to be difficult to move, but not heavy enough that the ocean won’t take them out to sea.

 

[Mlvnsmly]

They’re heavy enough to be difficult to move, but not heavy enough that the ocean won’t take them out to sea.

Vs. the wooden chairs, foot rests, and tables?

 

[dougp26364]

Vs. the wooden chairs, foot rests, and tables?

I thought it was the heavy wooden loungers and cabanas you were talking about

 

[Mlvnsmly]

I thought it was the heavy wooden loungers and cabanas you were talking about

They have the folding wooden chairs in the front with mini tables and a small separate foot rest. I should've asked why when I was there.

 

[enma]

The different types of lounge chairs. I personally prefer the ones with cushions even if not getting the front row.

 

[jont]

Hi all, glad I noticed this. I wasn't on the Yahoo group but I do view here regularly. I'm a long time Ocean Pointe owner with a 3 bedroom unit there. I have probably stayed there more than any other MVC resort I own at. I live in NJ, where Governor Murphy just advised residents NOT to travel out of state due to Covid 19 concerns here.
I hope we can all get back to traveling to our favorite resorts soon. Stay well, all!
Brian

Brian
just curious, are there any 3 bedroom ocean fronts in the Kingfish building? or are they all in the main 4 buildings? thx

 

[dougp26364]

Brian
just curious, are there any 3 bedroom ocean fronts in the Kingfish building? or are they all in the main 4 buildings? thx

There are 3 bedrooms in Kingfish on the NE corner.

Here’s a photo album from our last December visit to Kingfish building

Marriott’s Ocean Pointe 12/2020 - dougp26364

3 bedroom ocean front Kingfish building

dougp26364.smugmug.com

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Brian
just curious, are there any 3 bedroom ocean fronts in the Kingfish building? or are they all in the main 4 buildings? thx

Jont; Ocean Pointe has Ocean Front three bedroom Villas in all of the five buildings.



.

 

[jont]

Jont; Ocean Pointe has Ocean Front three bedroom Villas in all of the five buildings.



.

thank you

 

[Keeks]

Hi all! New to the forum having recently taken over management of my parents' owner week at Ocean Pointe now that they're traveling a bit less (they own weeks at several Marriott resorts plus points, and are Chairman level). My family has been vacationing at Ocean Pointe since 2008 when we first joined my parents there for the week. They always requested Kingfish because of its panoramic views of the water and because the zero-entry pool made it ideal for our daughter, who was very young at the time. We also liked that it was more removed from the activity of the main campus, which made it a bit quieter. And we like snorkeling down around the sand pump. It was just the ideal family vacation spot, IMO, and Ocean Pointe/Kingfish/Palm Beach Shores became my favorite vacation destination.

Having said that, we just returned from a week there - our first one as unofficial "owners." It was also the first time we'd been back since 2016 and we definitely noticed some differences from our past experiences there. At the risk of sounding like a pearl-clutching Karen, we just witnessed a lot of rude, obnoxious, boorish behavior throughout the week. People playing loud music around the pools, excessive littering around the property and on the beach (my daughter witnessed a guy in the ocean blatantly throw his empty beer can over his shoulder into the water ), loud and excessive profanity around the pool and on the beach, lots of drinking and drunken behavior at all hours of the day… stuff like that. Everything was basically loud and/or excessive. Plus, our neighbors would burn one down every time they stepped outside on their balcony. Which… look, I personally have no problem with weed, but I don't need to smell it over breakfast while Cheech and Chong wake n' bake next door. And it's a non-smoking property, so there's that.

Again, this is VERY different from our past experiences at Ocean Pointe, where obnoxious vacationers have always been the exception, not the rule. My husband and I were trying to figure out if it was a result of Covid - people being cooped up so long they go a little nuts when they finally get out, like an Amish rumspringa - or if it's a general societal shift. Or maybe it's just the property going into decline or under poor management. Whatever the case, I was just wondering if any other owners have noticed this or had a similar experience. Or did we just catch a bad week?

We plan to trade for points over the next few years to travel to some new places, but I think when we return to Florida, we may try Oceana Palms instead. We checked it out and liked what we saw.

 

[Luvtoride]

Keeks, that is a very detailed account and I don’t doubt that all of the things you reported happened during your stay. We are long time owners at Ocean Pointe and weRE just there at the end of April. We didn’t notice any of that type of behavior at that time but the difference may have been, a) less occupancy and b) we stayed by the “main campus” buildings which perhaps are a bit better monitored by Marriott “loss prevention” folks. Even on the beach by the main buildings things appeared to be calm and fine.
We have never stayed at the Kingfish building.

That is certainly distressing if it’s a trend and an indication of a lack of management attention to the behavior of guests. We are planning to go back in early October and will keep an eye out for how things are then.
BTW, Oceana Palms is very nice as well.

 

[deniseh]

Hi all! New to the forum having recently taken over management of my parents' owner week at Ocean Pointe now that they're traveling a bit less (they own weeks at several Marriott resorts plus points, and are Chairman level). My family has been vacationing at Ocean Pointe since 2008 when we first joined my parents there for the week. They always requested Kingfish because of its panoramic views of the water and because the zero-entry pool made it ideal for our daughter, who was very young at the time. We also liked that it was more removed from the activity of the main campus, which made it a bit quieter. And we like snorkeling down around the sand pump. It was just the ideal family vacation spot, IMO, and Ocean Pointe/Kingfish/Palm Beach Shores became my favorite vacation destination.

Having said that, we just returned from a week there - our first one as unofficial "owners." It was also the first time we'd been back since 2016 and we definitely noticed some differences from our past experiences there. At the risk of sounding like a pearl-clutching Karen, we just witnessed a lot of rude, obnoxious, boorish behavior throughout the week. People playing loud music around the pools, excessive littering around the property and on the beach (my daughter witnessed a guy in the ocean blatantly throw his empty beer can over his shoulder into the water ), loud and excessive profanity around the pool and on the beach, lots of drinking and drunken behavior at all hours of the day… stuff like that. Everything was basically loud and/or excessive. Plus, our neighbors would burn one down every time they stepped outside on their balcony. Which… look, I personally have no problem with weed, but I don't need to smell it over breakfast while Cheech and Chong wake n' bake next door. And it's a non-smoking property, so there's that.

Again, this is VERY different from our past experiences at Ocean Pointe, where obnoxious vacationers have always been the exception, not the rule. My husband and I were trying to figure out if it was a result of Covid - people being cooped up so long they go a little nuts when they finally get out, like an Amish rumspringa - or if it's a general societal shift. Or maybe it's just the property going into decline or under poor management. Whatever the case, I was just wondering if any other owners have noticed this or had a similar experience. Or did we just catch a bad week?

We plan to trade for points over the next few years to travel to some new places, but I think when we return to Florida, we may try Oceana Palms instead. We checked it out and liked what we saw.

We just returned from a week at Ocean Pointe. We stayed in Pompano and other than our neighbors being quite loud with talking a few times(sounded like a young adult) so my guess is just someone not very aware or respectful. It was during the day so not a big problem. We did come down to the pool at Kingfish a few days because we found it quieter there and the pool was cooler and water clearer. I noticed a few times that people left a empty beer can or something like that but overall we didn't experience what you did.

I do think there are a lot of people who did find the past 18 months very stressful for many different reasons so I am hoping like you that was a factor. I hate to think that our society is declining in terms of general respect and care for property and our environment but I do think that is a factor as well.

I felt like the management and property are well maintained although I noticed a bit of decline in their staff acknowledging guests. In the past I have always been impressed with MVC resorts and how whenever you would encounter an employee they would greet you. This time it seemed like that was not happening as often. No big deal, I just noticed it. But both my husband and I have found in our jobs where we supervise employees we have had to tolerate behaviors from employees that we never would have in the past. We just have too hard of a time hiring employees to take a chance in losing employees so we put up with some stuff we would have addressed in the past.

Sorry to hear about your neighbors smoking on the balcony. That would upset me. I would have called the front desk about that.

 

[Keeks]

We just returned from a week at Ocean Pointe. We stayed in Pompano and other than our neighbors being quite loud with talking a few times(sounded like a young adult) so my guess is just someone not very aware or respectful. It was during the day so not a big problem. We did come down to the pool at Kingfish a few days because we found it quieter there and the pool was cooler and water clearer. I noticed a few times that people left a empty beer can or something like that but overall we didn't experience what you did.

I do think there are a lot of people who did find the past 18 months very stressful for many different reasons so I am hoping like you that was a factor. I hate to think that our society is declining in terms of general respect and care for property and our environment but I do think that is a factor as well.

I felt like the management and property are well maintained although I noticed a bit of decline in their staff acknowledging guests. In the past I have always been impressed with MVC resorts and how whenever you would encounter an employee they would greet you. This time it seemed like that was not happening as often. No big deal, I just noticed it. But both my husband and I have found in our jobs where we supervise employees we have had to tolerate behaviors from employees that we never would have in the past. We just have too hard of a time hiring employees to take a chance in losing employees so we put up with some stuff we would have addressed in the past.

Sorry to hear about your neighbors smoking on the balcony. That would upset me. I would have called the front desk about that.

I also noticed a decline in customer service from years past, but like you, it was just an observation. My dad did tell me that general management has changed several times in the past few years alone, so maybe that's a factor.

And yes, in many cases it seemed like people just weren't very aware of their surroundings or respectful of other guests. But a little bit of that here and there added up to a lot over the course of the week to the point that it seemed to become the "norm." Whereas I just feel like if everyone does their part to maintain basic awareness and respect, then it makes for a much more enjoyable vacation for all. But that's just me - I personally just enjoy a more low-key vacation overall.

I did call security re: the smoking. Twice, actually. But they didn't catch them in the act and couldn't prove anything, so it continued. I did come across the manager walking around the property one day and mentioned it to him, and he said he'd look into it - and it did seem to stop after that, so that was positive. He also indicated that bad behavior in general had been somewhat of a problem recently - he alluded to a "rough summer" - so maybe it really is a Covid thing. Or maybe they've had an influx of Encore guests and other non-owners, resulting in a different clientele than usual.

Anyway, thanks for your response - it sounds like you did experience some of the same things we did, unfortunately. It didn't ruin our vacation by any means, but it definitely detracted from it, especially given how much we pay in maintenance fees to own there.

 

[ReinoMOP]

Hi all! New to the forum having recently taken over management of my parents' owner week at Ocean Pointe now that they're traveling a bit less (they own weeks at several Marriott resorts plus points, and are Chairman level). My family has been vacationing at Ocean Pointe since 2008 when we first joined my parents there for the week. They always requested Kingfish because of its panoramic views of the water and because the zero-entry pool made it ideal for our daughter, who was very young at the time. We also liked that it was more removed from the activity of the main campus, which made it a bit quieter. And we like snorkeling down around the sand pump. It was just the ideal family vacation spot, IMO, and Ocean Pointe/Kingfish/Palm Beach Shores became my favorite vacation destination.

Having said that, we just returned from a week there - our first one as unofficial "owners." It was also the first time we'd been back since 2016 and we definitely noticed some differences from our past experiences there. At the risk of sounding like a pearl-clutching Karen, we just witnessed a lot of rude, obnoxious, boorish behavior throughout the week. People playing loud music around the pools, excessive littering around the property and on the beach (my daughter witnessed a guy in the ocean blatantly throw his empty beer can over his shoulder into the water ), loud and excessive profanity around the pool and on the beach, lots of drinking and drunken behavior at all hours of the day… stuff like that. Everything was basically loud and/or excessive. Plus, our neighbors would burn one down every time they stepped outside on their balcony. Which… look, I personally have no problem with weed, but I don't need to smell it over breakfast while Cheech and Chong wake n' bake next door. And it's a non-smoking property, so there's that.

Again, this is VERY different from our past experiences at Ocean Pointe, where obnoxious vacationers have always been the exception, not the rule. My husband and I were trying to figure out if it was a result of Covid - people being cooped up so long they go a little nuts when they finally get out, like an Amish rumspringa - or if it's a general societal shift. Or maybe it's just the property going into decline or under poor management. Whatever the case, I was just wondering if any other owners have noticed this or had a similar experience. Or did we just catch a bad week?

We plan to trade for points over the next few years to travel to some new places, but I think when we return to Florida, we may try Oceana Palms instead. We checked it out and liked what we saw.

Very interesting. We spend the month of May at OP for the past 20 years and this past May was just as you described. It’s not the pandemic or a societal thing, it’s because anyone who wants to vacation in Florida can stay at the Marriott. There are few owners at OP during the summer months so the winter months don’t have this problem. I blame it on the points program. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can spend time during the summer months at OP because of the vacancies and they don’t care about the place or any rules. I called the front desk 2 or 3 times during our stay because of loud cursing, smoking in the hot tub etc. I believe we met 4 owners during our entire stay. So, my response is, no, you didn’t catch a bad week. My guess is it happens every week May through August but management wants/need to fill rooms

 

[Keeks]

Very interesting. We spend the month of May at OP for the past 20 years and this past May was just as you described. It’s not the pandemic or a societal thing, it’s because anyone who wants to vacation in Florida can stay at the Marriott. There are few owners at OP during the summer months so the winter months don’t have this problem. I blame it on the points program. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can spend time during the summer months at OP because of the vacancies and they don’t care about the place or any rules. I called the front desk 2 or 3 times during our stay because of loud cursing, smoking in the hot tub etc. I believe we met 4 owners during our entire stay. So, my response is, no, you didn’t catch a bad week. My guess is it happens every week May through August but management wants/need to fill rooms

That is very interesting. But not entirely surprising - the manager I spoke to alluded to as much. And my husband and I commented several times how few guests seemed to be owners (or at least seemed to act like owners). Also, we chatted with a sales rep at Oceana Palms who was nice enough to give us a tour of the model unit there, and he said Marriott is considering doing away with the presentation rewards because so many people are abusing the system. I'd be in favor of that, and that's having taken advantage of several presentation and Encore packages in the past.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that your stay was plagued by several of the same issues as ours. Lesson learned, I guess - no more summer stays at Ocean Pointe, at least until Marriott reconsiders the system. We really liked Oceana Palms - even our daughter, who's 11 (almost 12). She thought the activities schedule for kids looked more fun and diverse than the one at Ocean Pointe - which is ironic because Ocean Pointe is supposed to be the more kid-friendly resort. My husband and I were likewise more impressed with the adult-oriented activities schedule at Oceana; the activities at Ocean Pointe during our stay were lacking. We figured it was due to Covid until we saw the Oceana schedule - so apparently it's just a difference in activities directors. We also liked the beach better at Oceana and the fact that the chairs were complimentary. (I saw the earlier discussion about the chairs at Ocean Pointe and agree they're a ripoff. We ended up buying two cheap chairs at Wings and just leaving them behind when we left.)

I just really do love the inlet views at Ocean Pointe/Kingfish. That's one thing I think I'd miss at Oceana.

 

[Luvtoride]

Also, we chatted with a sales rep at Oceana Palms who was nice enough to give us a tour of the model unit there, and he said Marriott is considering doing away with the presentation rewards because so many people are abusing the system.

I find that statement hard to believe! They would have no prospects to sell to if they did away with rewards/ gifts for attending.
I think the biggest abusers are probably us owners who attend with no intention of buying anything else directly from Marriott (right Tuggers?).

Maybe MVC should be more selective as to whom they recruit to attend and scale the rewards appropriately. Not just an issue at Ocean Pointe but at all MVC properties.

 

[Keeks]

I think the biggest abusers are probably us owners who attend with no intention of buying anything else directly from Marriott (right Tuggers?).

Ha! I can agree with that - guilty here. But that's what he said. I can't see them doing away with it entirely, but I agree with your thoughts on modifying the recruitment and/or awards criteria.

 

[PsuFrh]

Maybe the people coming to OP in the off peak seasons are there on points and not owners. I think there is less of a feeling of it being "their" property when they are not owners at OP. In any case, management should be taking steps to improve the atmosphere year round.

 

[deniseh]

I also noticed a decline in customer service from years past, but like you, it was just an observation. My dad did tell me that general management has changed several times in the past few years alone, so maybe that's a factor.

And yes, in many cases it seemed like people just weren't very aware of their surroundings or respectful of other guests. But a little bit of that here and there added up to a lot over the course of the week to the point that it seemed to become the "norm." Whereas I just feel like if everyone does their part to maintain basic awareness and respect, then it makes for a much more enjoyable vacation for all. But that's just me - I personally just enjoy a more low-key vacation overall.

I did call security re: the smoking. Twice, actually. But they didn't catch them in the act and couldn't prove anything, so it continued. I did come across the manager walking around the property one day and mentioned it to him, and he said he'd look into it - and it did seem to stop after that, so that was positive. He also indicated that bad behavior in general had been somewhat of a problem recently - he alluded to a "rough summer" - so maybe it really is a Covid thing. Or maybe they've had an influx of Encore guests and other non-owners, resulting in a different clientele than usual.

Anyway, thanks for your response - it sounds like you did experience some of the same things we did, unfortunately. It didn't ruin our vacation by any means, but it definitely detracted from it, especially given how much we pay in maintenance fees to own there.

I agree, and like you we didn't let it ruin our vacation. I am glad that it didn't for you either. But understand your concerns. We did go to the owners group that met on Tuesday morning where all the managers were introduced. It seems as though they do have a good group of managers. I am sure their jobs are not easy.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Hello @Keeks and welcome to the forum. While not an owner at OP per se, we've stayed there several times over the past three years through Florida Club, DC points, and exchanges, and we treat it like we are owners and are treated as such by the staff. I've noticed the MJ smoking problems a little and it's tough to figure out where it's coming from sometimes. Last time we were there in late May we had to call down because a bachelorette party was rocking a room below us at about 10:30 at night (and while I'm fine with Ke$ha's music, their karaoke version of it left something to be desired... ) Loss prevention came quickly and they stopped without a fuss.

I've also noticed a degradation in behavior in guests over the 3+ years we've been in the Marriott system, and not just at OP. It's probably a mix of the increase in entitlement culture, normalization of boorish behavior, and COVID frustration, plus maybe a little bit of inventory dumping to get heads in beds. Marriott also doesn't outline the terms of stay when you check in (like service animals only - there's a long thread around here somewhere if you want to go down that rabbit hole - reminders about the no smoking policy, noise restrictions, etc.). It's like they're so worried about offending somebody they don't enforce anything.

 

[Seaport104]

The different types of lounge chairs. I personally prefer the ones with cushions even if not getting the front row.

Before they were using the white strap loungers, the wooden ones they now use exclusively for the front row now had cushions before and were super comfortable. I tried both last month and while I love a front row placement, the lack of cushions on the wooden ones was not worth it. I opted for 2nd row with cushions for the rest of the week