MVC Encore Package?

[RookWDW]

Howdy all,

We just stayed at MGO on a Redweek rental week which we paid $3600 for. While there we attended the presentation and received $225. While on the presentation we signed up for an Encore Package that was $1799 plus $99 booking fee for a 7 night stay at MGO and set it up for July next year as it seemed like a decent deal. We were told they have around 20 units available the week we want, and we are number 7 on the list so MGO is all but guaranteed. I have 5 days left to cancel.

Questions: Any issues I should be concerned about with this Encore Package? I'm sure there are things they are not telling me. Should I have tried for a better deal? Any tips and tricks to make this work better?

 

[VacationForever]

You can't negotiate on a Encore package. Since your direct comparison is $1799+99 vs. $3600, it seems to a good deal.

 

[jme]

Wow, I think your rental was much too high at $3600........maybe the listed fees were such that it was the lowest at the time, but I own 6 MGO summer weeks
and rent out a couple each year, and my fees have NEVER been that high. So anyway, my condolences on that.
And the $225 incentive was abysmal...they could have done far better!!!

For $1799 + $99 next year it sounds like it's a great deal for 7 nights compared to what you just paid......
that will be far less than other listed prices should you do a straight rental on Redweek, for sure.
I would take it unless you can get it for less, but I would tell them you're wanting MGO exclusively. Barony would be a good option if MGO isn't available,
but maybe at a slightly lower fee. Stick to those two.

 

[RookWDW]

Wow, I think your rental was much too high at $3600........maybe the listed fees were such that it was the lowest at the time, but I own 6 MGO summer weeks
and rent out a couple each year, and my fees have NEVER been that high. So anyway, my condolences on that.
And the $225 incentive was abysmal...they could have done far better!!!

For $1799 + $99 next year it sounds like it's a great deal for 7 nights compared to what you just paid......
that will be far less than other listed prices should you do a straight rental on Redweek, for sure.
I would take it unless you can get it for less, but I would tell them you're wanting MGO exclusively. Barony would be a good option if MGO isn't available,
but maybe at a slightly lower fee. Stick to those two.

The $3600 was the lowest available on Redweek. I tried offering lower on a couple listings but was rejected. Clearly I'm doing it wrong as most of the rentals I have been searching on Redweek are listed pretty high compared to dues. EDIT to add: It was an oceanfront as well. We had a great view in room 8444.

Can you negotiate better deals on the incentive to sit for a presentation?

 

[tschwa2]

I don't think they negotiate those deals too much and the time for dealing is before you sign. They aren't going to renegotiate you terms now. If you are within 5 days you can likely cancel.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Is the view guaranteed on an encore?

 

[Fasttr]

Can you negotiate better deals on the incentive to sit for a presentation?

Are you asking if you would get a better deal if you agreed to sit for another presentation upon your return.....if so, you need to read the fine print because that’s what these Encore packages are geared toward....your agreement to return for another presentation so they can take another swing at making a sale.

 

[Fallenone]

I take the encore packages whenever they are offered to me. The only catch AFAIK is to sit through a sales presentation.

 

[kozykritter]

Is the view guaranteed on an encore?

I recall from previous posts about room assignment pecking order, guests staying on an Encore package are right near the bottom of the list and often receive the leftovers. Ok, I found the post I was thinking of...

Villa Assignment by Ownership Type Observations

I noticed this topic being discussed in the St. Thomas Ritz thread and believe it is worth starting a new one. The Marriott Vacation Club has changed dramatically over the last few years and the integration with Vistana will create more complexity. The poor people who are assigning villas have a...

tugbbs.com

 

[LAX Mom]

We stayed at Newport Coast Villas on an encore package and received the worst room assignment I've ever had there. We overlooked the trucks, dumpsters & Newport Coast Drive.

 

[Pamplemousse]

I’ve never done an encore myself but a friend you did said they got low floor no view- wasn’t sure if that was the norm.
OP might want to consider that given they said they enjoyed their oceanfront stay.

 

[jme]

Doing a presentation and ending up loving the resort but hating the view you receive is actually one incentive for buying so you can return as an owner
and receive a beautiful villa with a great view. After all, they did give you (or anyone doing an Encore Pkg) a great deal on a stay far below the true cost,
so that alone should be worth something. We've done several Encore Packages and knew going in what to expect, so there were no disappointments.
They do hold out inventory for presentation guests, but NOT the premier views. You're always way down the pecking order, as it should be.
If anyone thinks they'll get a fantastic view for doing an Encore package and only staying 3-4 nights, over the privileges of an owner, they are delusional.
The Encore deals are such that it's enjoyable and less expensive, but one must be realistic about WHY they are there, and supposedly what to expect.
What would you do if you were an owner, got a lousy villa assignment, and realized some guest doing an Encore Pkg received a top floor with direct ocean view
for a 3 night stay? Frankly that possibility does not ever discourage me from buying an Encore Pkg.

 

[dioxide45]

I generally find Encore Packages to be a bad deal. They may be better in places like HHI or Hawaii, but for places like Orlando where a 5 day 4 night packages costs $899+$99, it is a rip off. They say they give you 100,000 Bonvoy points, but I can instead book a getaway through II for about $400. When there on the getaway they will invite me to a presentation where I get 30-40K Bonvoy points for nothing more than my time. Time which I would have had to spend on an Encore Package anyway. I say to avoid Encore Packages unless you know you will be buying from the developer to enroll a post 2010 resale week. Here is the strategy.

1. Buy a resale week that has a good MF to Club Point ratio.
2. Visit a timeshare and take them up on a presentation.
3. At the end say no.
4. They then offer the Encore.
5. Buy it.
6. Return at a time they are offering their annual promotion to enroll post 2010 resales.
7. Buy the points you need to enroll.
8. They will then take the cost of the Encore off of the purchase price and still give you the incentives for the Encore as well as any first day purchase incentives.

You are effectively getting the Encore package for "free".

Edited to Add: You also don't get any Bonvoy Elite night benefit from Encore stays and if a resort has a parking fee, you have to pay that too.

 

[RookWDW]

The encore sales guy did say they have inventory that is just for the encore program. It varies by week but he said there is around 20 rooms the week we are going between the various HHI resorts. He also made it clear that the change to get a good view is low, but added a few of the 20 will be ocean front so there is a chance. We booked it primarily because we want to go back, have yet to buy a week, and the price seemed reasonable. I have until Aug 15 to cancel if I can find a direct rental instead.

 

[RookWDW]

1. Buy a resale week that has a good MF to Club Point ratio.

Is there a chart showing the Club Points that each week is worth?

This is an interesting idea. We are looking to buy a week at MGO, and recently bought a week at MGC. So, it's possible that we could look to get an enrollment deal. Or if they find can offer a hybrid MGO/ minimum points deal we might consider that.

 

[dioxide45]

Is there a chart showing the Club Points that each week is worth?

This is an interesting idea. We are looking to buy a week at MGO, and recently bought a week at MGC. So, it's possible that we could look to get an enrollment deal. Or if they find can offer a hybrid MGO/ minimum points deal we might consider that.

You can use this chart to see what the best option might be. Enrollment of a post 2010 week is usually better than a hybrid/bundle deal, at least when looking at the overall cost per point. But it will vary depending on the resale week you are enrolling.

 

[RookWDW]

I recall from previous posts about room assignment pecking order, guests staying on an Encore package are right near the bottom of the list and often receive the leftovers. Ok, I found the post I was thinking of...

Villa Assignment by Ownership Type Observations

I noticed this topic being discussed in the St. Thomas Ritz thread and believe it is worth starting a new one. The Marriott Vacation Club has changed dramatically over the last few years and the integration with Vistana will create more complexity. The poor people who are assigning villas have a...

tugbbs.com

Interesting. thanks. We were renting and yet we got forth floor Seahorse directly facing the ocean. It was a great view and we sat out there for hours. The person we rented from is Chairmens Club level, I wonder if that impacted it?

 

[kozykritter]

Interesting. thanks. We were renting and yet we got forth floor Seahorse directly facing the ocean. It was a great view and we sat out there for hours. The person we rented from is Chairmens Club level, I wonder if that impacted it?

Yes I've had similar experiences when renting from Chairmans Club owners including before I became a Marriott owner myself. In fact when I checked in we had to update all the information in the record to be mine because his was still there so it's likely they used the owner's information for room priority.

 

[gln60]

Is the view guaranteed on an encore?

We purchased an Encore Package a few years ago that we used for Crystal Shores..when I called to book, I asked what view we could expect, they said it would be an Island View..so we added 3 nights Island view using DC Points,to make it a week.

 

[RookWDW]

You can use this chart to see what the best option might be. Enrollment of a post 2010 week is usually better than a hybrid/bundle deal, at least when looking at the overall cost per point. But it will vary depending on the resale week you are enrolling.

Thanks. Great information. Much to digest in there. Quickly looking, so you are suggesting that if looking purely financially the lower the cost of MF per point, the better? Just on that one stat an ocean front is going to be much better than ocean side, but then you need to factor in the extra up front cost for the ocean front. Barony ocean front is a better cost/pt than MGO.

 

[dioxide45]

Thanks. Great information. Much to digest in there. Quickly looking, so you are suggesting that if looking purely financially the lower the cost of MF per point, the better? Just on that one stat an ocean front is going to be much better than ocean side, but then you need to factor in the extra up front cost for the ocean front. Barony ocean front is a better cost/pt than MGO.

Generally a better view will get you a lower MF/Point. When buying resale, a better view will cost you more, but you should be able to sell it for more down the road. If all things go well, you won't lose money on the resale. You do of course want to consider upfront and opportunity costs. But in the long run the lower MF/Point will make more economic sense.

 

[michael49]

One thing that has worked for us with respect to the view on an Encore package is to tack the Encore days on to the back of a weeks/points reservation. We have never been moved and have always received the view (ocean view) that was provided as part of the earlier reservation.

 

[Luvtoride]

One thing that has worked for us with respect to the view on an Encore package is to tack the Encore days on to the back of a weeks/points reservation. We have never been moved and have always received the view (ocean view) that was provided as part of the earlier reservation.

We’re actually “tacking on” an Encore package in front of a DC points reservation for Xmas/ New Years week in South Florida.
I’m not sure how much it would have cost $$$ wise or what availability using points would have been, but we are staying at Ft. Lauderdale Beachplace Towers for 4 nights from the day after Xmas. We then have a previously booked (with DC points) an 8 night stay at Ocean Pointe in West Palm starting on the 29th of Dec.
In this way, we have made it into an almost two week vacation over Xmas break/ New Years in South Florida.
Yes, we will have to do the presentation while there, but we also will get a ton of Bonvoy or DC points as well (I forget the exact number).


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[Red elephant]

I

The encore sales guy did say they have inventory that is just for the encore program. It varies by week but he said there is around 20 rooms the week we are going between the various HHI resorts. He also made it clear that the change to get a good view is low, but added a few of the 20 will be ocean front so there is a chance. We booked it primarily because we want to go back, have yet to buy a week, and the price seemed reasonable. I have until Aug 15 to cancel if I can find a direct rental instead.

I went to MGO on an encore package and got oceanfront room with a big balcony. It was really nice. Went on one in Marco Island and got another nice room but the ocean was on the side but still very nice. The worst was at Ocean Point but the tour was at Ocean Palms and I was like why did not I not get to experience this if it’s what your trying to sell me.

 

[Luvtoride]

Red, they are trying to sell you points not a specific property. At least you got to see both properties. Many here prefer OCean Pointe vs Palms.


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