New to this, looking for some knowledge

[madsr]

Hi all!
I'm new to the forum and new to the idea of a timeshare..
I am looking for advice on the advantages/disadvantages of buying a resale unit at Crystal Shores as opposed to buying points from Marriott directly. Also looking for opinions on the Orlando properties as far as amenities and services and which one(s) are better in your opinion.

Thanks!

 

[GreenTea]

I think resale weeks are great. I started with a small point sale from Marriott. Now I wish I just had a few resale weeks. I picked on in the season and location we knew we would be happy going to yearly. I know there are some that are great if you plan to trade it yearly, but I'm not that advanced in it yet.

 

[rthib]

Hi all!
I'm new to the forum and new to the idea of a timeshare..
I am looking for advice on the advantages/disadvantages of buying a resale unit at Crystal Shores as opposed to buying points from Marriott directly. Also looking for opinions on the Orlando properties as far as amenities and services and which one(s) are better in your opinion.

Thanks!

As for time share - depends on when/where you want to go.
Are you looking at Crystal Shores to visit, if so when? If not, where/when do you want to trade.

Points are a nice add-on, but for me it is always better to own somewhere as you at least are guaranteed you can go to your home resort during your home season.

As for Orlando, depends on what you are looking for - kids, teens, adults - quiet, resort like, high end. Each has there strengths and weekness.

I love Cypress as it is quiet and just what we want. But this year we have the grand kids so we going to Habour Lakes.

Grand Vista is very Marriott Vaction Club like - big, lots of activities and people.

Lakeshore is next to JW and Ritz so more of the high end hotel feel.

The Palms are big and have access to World Center (which for some is good and some is bad).

 

[madsr]

Thanks for the insights!

I am going to Marco Island in November, we love it there so would be a great place to have the home resort. We are also thinking about Orlando because we have kids and would love to bring them but not on an annual basis. I have heard that it can be difficult to trade with Marriott on a resale unit or there are some disadvantages to it, just wondering what those are. We are also looking for a unit in New Orleans as we go there every year for Jazzfest, that is proving to be difficult as well because those are prime weeks.

 

[davidvel]

Thanks for the insights!

I am going to Marco Island in November, we love it there so would be a great place to have the home resort. We are also thinking about Orlando because we have kids and would love to bring them but not on an annual basis. I have heard that it can be difficult to trade with Marriott on a resale unit or there are some disadvantages to it, just wondering what those are. We are also looking for a unit in New Orleans as we go there every year for Jazzfest, that is proving to be difficult as well because those are prime weeks.

No difference in trading a resale unit vs. developer purchase, although moot as Marriott doesn't sell (standalone) weeks anymore.

 

[JIMinNC]

I think the primary advantages of points bought from Marriott is in the flexibility they offer to go to many different resorts in the Marriott system without some of the uncertainties and hassles of II trading; plus, points offer the ability to book shorter stays than a traditional 7 day timeshare week. If traveling often to multiple places or staying less than a week is important, you should definitely study and consider the points system.

But, if your goal is to find a home resort that you want to go to most years and only rarely or occasionally go somewhere else, then I think owing a resale week at a resort you like and want to use is much better than points. If you are only wanting to go elsewhere infrequently, then you probably don't need the flexibility of Points, and their extra cost is probably not justifiable. For those few times you want to go elsewhere you would just trade through Interval International. I am not a fan of trading and prefer the points booking process, but if it was something I only did infrequently, I would accept the inconveniences of trading in exchange for the lower cost of the traditional weeks-based system.

 

[AlmostRetired]

If you have kids, you have years of prime time travel when your kids are off from school. This is often the most challenging time to trade weeks so back to the point of owning at a resort you enjoy going too.

You should think about the financial differences between owning resale weeks, resale points or buying points direct from Marriott. I will use the Grand Ocean in HHI as an example. You can pick up a summer week Oceanside for say about 15000. Using points from Marriott it would cost 54000. Buying resale points, it would cost 30000. You can pick other resorts and the numbers would scale down but the ratio will remain the same.

Keep in mind with points your privilege for usage is tier based (to get to higher tiers require more points ownership) so depending your level, your flexibility experience can be different.

Weeks or points buy resale. Good luck.

 

[JIMinNC]

Keep in mind with points your privilege for usage is tier based (to get to higher tiers require more points ownership) so depending your level, your flexibility experience can be different.

True, the privileges are tier based, but as an owner in the lowly "Owner" tier - the lowest there is - we are still very happy with the Points product. So far it has met our needs for travel flexibility much better than weeks ownership. Would we have more flexibility in the Executive level or above? Yes. But even down at the bottom the points product still meets our needs - especially when paired with an enrolled week that can still play in the weeks system when we want to do that.

 

[AlmostRetired]

True, the privileges are tier based, but as an owner in the lowly "Owner" tier - the lowest there is - we are still very happy with the Points product. So far it has met our needs for travel flexibility much better than weeks ownership. Would we have more flexibility in the Executive level or above? Yes. But even down at the bottom the points product still meets our needs - especially when paired with an enrolled week that can still play in the weeks system when we want to do that.

My mention for the tier level was one of awareness because experiences are different. If it didn't make a difference Marriott would not make a bid deal of it. This being said, I have no clue how/ if those differences might impact the OP.
Living on LI, our short stays were Baltimore, Boston, DC and Phili. If I had to drive 5 hours plus or get on a plane, I was going for a week.

When I retire my gut tells me points might be beneficial. Based on what you know about DC points and your experience on usage, do you think lowest tier during prime time travel is a viable strategy for the OP plus kids?

 

[JIMinNC]

My mention for the tier level was one of awareness because experiences are different. If it didn't make a difference Marriott would not make a bid deal of it. This being said, I have no clue how/ if those differences might impact the OP.
Living on LI, our short stays were Baltimore, Boston, DC and Phili. If I had to drive 5 hours plus or get on a plane, I was going for a week.

When I retire my gut tells me points might be beneficial. Based on what you know about DC points and your experience on usage, do you think lowest tier during prime time travel is a viable strategy for the OP plus kids?

Based on the shopping I did on the DC points system from September 2014 through the first half of June 2015, I was able to see 2015/2016 availability just about everywhere I looked on the day the 12 month window opened. I don't know how long the inventory lasted after that first day, but on that day there was a lot out there. This included all the Hawaii resorts in January-March prime time as well as the first two-three weeks of June. I also browsed around looking at Caribbean destinations and was able to see good availability in most resorts there during their winter prime time months.

Since we booked a summer 2016 vacation in Maui this past June, after that, I did not have enough points to shop. But before I booked I was able to see excellent availability in Hilton Head for early June 2016. There was also June 2016 availability if you could be a little flexible on the exact check-in date at Marco Island, and plenty of space at the two Singer Island resorts. I didn't look at Orlando, but I would assume if these other higher demand spots were available, Orlando would be easy.

We booked an OF 2BR at Maui Ocean Club for next summer and could have had Lahaina/Napili towers if we had wanted to use that many points. We combined 2015 and 2016 points, plus a few rented points.

I can't address prime time availability in June-August for shorter stays, since our short stay bookings have all been off-season. Plus, we used up almost all of our 2015/2016 points in June before the 10 month less-than-a-week booking window opened for summer 2016.

 

[kds4]

Hi all!
I'm new to the forum and new to the idea of a timeshare..
I am looking for advice on the advantages/disadvantages of buying a resale unit at Crystal Shores as opposed to buying points from Marriott directly. Also looking for opinions on the Orlando properties as far as amenities and services and which one(s) are better in your opinion.

Thanks!

From our own experience, we first purchased a resale week at a place we wanted to use as a home resort (and trade when we wanted to go somewhere else, which is about 50% of the time). For us, that home resort is Grande Vista (MGV) in Orlando, Florida. We love the size and amenities there. To maximize trading power, we wanted a 3BR lock-off unit, and our MGV unit never disappoints as a trader. We usually do lock it off to get 2 deposits (2BR/Studio) with Interval International that we can exchange for 2 different future trips.

While we've since added both DC points and more resale weeks, we have found that a resale week was the best starting point for us. You can find 2BR MGV resale units available for $5k to 3BR MGV resale units for $7k at places like Redweek.com (or potentially less on eBay). That's a much smaller investment than jumping into Marriott's Destination Points program at a level that you can actually do anything with (which will be at least $25,000) and that still would not be enough to get you to MGV in the summer using points.

Good luck.

 

[Quilter]

For the most flexibility find rentals for a few stays until you are sure of a home resort or the flexibility of points. Be sure to rent directly from an owner and not someone who has an II exchange.

 

[JIMinNC]

For the most flexibility find rentals for a few stays until you are sure of a home resort or the flexibility of points. Be sure to rent directly from an owner and not someone who has an II exchange.

Renting direct from an owner is certainly the cheapest option and is a popular option on TUG, but since the OP said they were new to all this, I will simply point out a few cautions:

1) When you rent from an owner, the actual reservation will typically not be in your name. It will still be in the name of the owner and you will just be listed as an additional guest on the reservation.

2) Renting from an owner will require some judgment on your part to assess the trustworthiness of the owner, due to #1 above.

3) Cancellation options are often more restrictive with rentals by owner (upfront payment required; no refunds) than they are with typical hotel rentals done through the hotel web site or condo rentals from real estate management companies.

Primarily due to #1 and #3, on the rare occasions that we rent, we always rent from Marriott.com (and Hilton.com, etc, etc). Most Marriott timeshares are available as nightly rentals on Marriott.com, although not every room size or view category is available through that channel. Prices are usually quite a bit higher, but cancellation terms are liberal, the reservation is 100% in your name, if you're already a Marriott Rewards member you get full credit for the stay, and there is no risk of a dishonest owner.

In the final analysis, while we prefer to rent direct from Marriott when we rent, renting direct from an owner is a risk/cost/flexibility tradeoff that most on TUG are comfortable with. You just need to assess where you are on that price/risk/flexibility continuum.

 

[m61376]

Crystal Shores was designed a bit more upscale, and priced a lot higher, than the Orlando properties. I don't know their resale market, but I'm sure the price differential is somewhat attenuated. That said- are you looking for that type of resort and that location vs Orlando? If you want a more upscale Orlando property, although not as convenient to the parks, you might want to consider Lakeshore Reserves.

A 3 BR Grande Vista unit is a great trader- use the entire 3BR when you want those very hard to make trades, and lock-off the rest of the time, either using the larger unit and trading the studio for those Orlando trips, or trading both sides. It would be a relatively inexpensive entry point into the system.

That said, Marco units are sparse in II, so if that's where you want to go, then you may need to go the DC points route. If you post when you're looking to routinely go, hopefully others will indicate what the availability generally is using points for those timeframes. Booking a November week using points is far different than looking for a school vacation week. Despite what the salespeople tell you, it won't be easy to book a week 7, 51 or 52, for example, and will cost a lot of points to boot. Make sure you fully understand the system before you buy anything.

Good luck, and welcome to Tug . Feel free to ask questions- most of us were newbies once, and we all learnt from each other. Most of us love our ownerships, and find it's an amazing way to travel with family and friends, and despite some of the annoyances, most of us would do it again. Just take the time to really understand what it's all about and your many different options, so you can make an informed decision as to what will suit your family's needs now, in five years and in ten years, since family dynamics change as children grow (and then re-shift once life's little dividends appear- AKA grandkids ).

 

[BocaBoy]

The Palms are big and have access to World Center (which for some is good and some is bad).

Actually the Palms are very small. Sabal Palms, for example, has only 80 units. You are correct, however, in the sense that the whole World Center complex is very large.

 

[madsr]

From our own experience, we first purchased a resale week at a place we wanted to use as a home resort (and trade when we wanted to go somewhere else, which is about 50% of the time). For us, that home resort is Grande Vista (MGV) in Orlando, Florida. We love the size and amenities there. To maximize trading power, we wanted a 3BR lock-off unit, and our MGV unit never disappoints as a trader. We usually do lock it off to get 2 deposits (2BR/Studio) with Interval International that we can exchange for 2 different future trips.

While we've since added both DC points and more resale weeks, we have found that a resale week was the best starting point for us. You can find 2BR MGV resale units available for $5k to 3BR MGV resale units for $7k at places like Redweek.com (or potentially less on eBay). That's a much smaller investment than jumping into Marriott's Destination Points program at a level that you can actually do anything with (which will be at least $25,000) and that still would not be enough to get you to MGV in the summer using points.

Good luck.

Crystal Shores was designed a bit more upscale, and priced a lot higher, than the Orlando properties. I don't know their resale market, but I'm sure the price differential is somewhat attenuated. That said- are you looking for that type of resort and that location vs Orlando? If you want a more upscale Orlando property, although not as convenient to the parks, you might want to consider Lakeshore Reserves.

A 3 BR Grande Vista unit is a great trader- use the entire 3BR when you want those very hard to make trades, and lock-off the rest of the time, either using the larger unit and trading the studio for those Orlando trips, or trading both sides. It would be a relatively inexpensive entry point into the system.

That said, Marco units are sparse in II, so if that's where you want to go, then you may need to go the DC points route. If you post when you're looking to routinely go, hopefully others will indicate what the availability generally is using points for those timeframes. Booking a November week using points is far different than looking for a school vacation week. Despite what the salespeople tell you, it won't be easy to book a week 7, 51 or 52, for example, and will cost a lot of points to boot. Make sure you fully understand the system before you buy anything.

Good luck, and welcome to Tug . Feel free to ask questions- most of us were newbies once, and we all learnt from each other. Most of us love our ownerships, and find it's an amazing way to travel with family and friends, and despite some of the annoyances, most of us would do it again. Just take the time to really understand what it's all about and your many different options, so you can make an informed decision as to what will suit your family's needs now, in five years and in ten years, since family dynamics change as children grow (and then re-shift once life's little dividends appear- AKA grandkids ).

Interesting, I will take a closer look at Grande Vista for our needs. When you trade the unit(or lock off and trade both), are the options pretty open to stay anywhere, or do you have to add more points for say a trip to Maui?
What are the costs associated with trading the unit in general?

Sorry for the newbie questions! Thank you all for your input, I am learning!

We will be visiting Crystal Shores when we are in Marco Island in November, I am happy that I will be armed with some good info before we walk in!

 

[JIMinNC]

Interesting, I will take a closer look at Grande Vista for our needs. When you trade the unit(or lock off and trade both), are the options pretty open to stay anywhere, or do you have to add more points for say a trip to Maui?
What are the costs associated with trading the unit in general?

Sorry for the newbie questions! Thank you all for your input, I am learning!

We will be visiting Crystal Shores when we are in Marco Island in November, I am happy that I will be armed with some good info before we walk in!

I want to make sure you understand completely how the Marriott system works. Marriott is now essentially two systems in one - 1) a legacy system of weeks-based ownership that was sold from the mid-1980s until June 2010; and 2) a new points-based ownership system that was overlaid on top of the weeks system starting in June 2010.

In June 2010, Marriott put all of their remaining unsold U.S. inventory into a land Trust and stopped selling individual weeks at resorts. All new-build resorts also go 100% into the Trust - no individual weeks sales there. After that point, all new U.S. sales were simply interests in the Trust, not ownership at a specific resort. The Trust ownership interests were monetized as "Points" and that is all Marriott sells now. Current prices per point are $12.92/point although those are often discounted into the $10 - $11/point range if you buy enough points. There is also an alternative bundle where the price per point can drop to $7 - $8/point. Search this forum for "Hybrid bundle" for more information on that. On the resale market, it appears you will need to pay around $5/point to pass Marriott's right of first refusal and then you have to pay $2/point to Marriott to activate the points and your new account - so total cost is around $7/point.

Owners who owned weeks bought prior to June 2010 could still use their weeks at their home resort or in the weeks-based trading system through Interval International. When people on this forum talk about "trading power" and trading a lock-off for a 1BR etc., they are talking about utilizing this legacy weeks-based trading system - not Points. You deposit the week into Interval International and make a request for the resort you want to travel to. You then usually have to wait for Interval to find a match. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you don't. A higher season, larger unit has more "trading power" than an off-season smaller unit. For many people, this old system still meets their needs.

Marriott did offer owners of weeks bought prior to June 2010 the opportunity to "enroll" their week(s) in the Points system. Each week is assigned a points value and the owner can elect to convert their week to points in any given year, at their option. For example, an enrolled owner may elect to use or trade their week in the old weeks-based system in 2015, but then in 2016, they might opt to convert to points. Or they could convert to points every year - or never convert to points - it's their choice. These owners essentially have the best of both worlds - the opportunity to use the old weeks system or the opportunity to use points.

People who bought resale weeks on the resale market after June 2010 have historically been limited to trading in the old weeks-based system, and do not have access to the points system. Marriott is now, for a limited time, offering folks with resale weeks bought after June 2010 but prior to August 15, 2015 the opportunity to enroll their week for points, IF they also buy at least 2,500 points in the Trust for about $26,000.

I suggest thoroughly reading these two stickies at the top of this forum:

FAQ - MVC DESTINATIONS Points Program

FAQ - Marriott Vacation Club Weeks System

Those should help you get the feeling for the two systems within a system.

 

[m61376]

So to additionally clarify your question- if you were to buy a 3 BR unit, you'd be trading in II. If you wanted to go to a high demand destination, then you could offer your 3BR for a 2BR exchange, and it would be a dynamite trader. For less difficult trades you could lock off- use or trade the 2BR side and trade the lock-off. Esp. in Flexchange (59 days or less before travel) you'll be able to uptrade that lock-off, and likely get 2BR's in most of the Orlando resorts if you search hard enough even before then.

That said, if Marco is what you want, trades there happen but are infrequent, since a lot of the units were put into the Trust (and booked with DC points).