Surrey Grand Crowne Resort Questions

[suzanne]

I have a chance to pick up 100,000 points annually for $100.00 this includes closing costs. I understand that this is considered a 5 Star with II and the sale also includes II annual membership. MF's are $566.00 per year.

I know nothing about how points work as my other timeshares are floating weeks. Is this a good deal and how do points work with II? I would only buy this as trade stock, I would probably never go there. I need advice please. I have 24 hours to decide.

Suzanne

 

[smcintos]

This deal sounds funny to me. I own at Grand crowne and I am looking at my point book and it does not have a 100,000 point week. The smallest A unit is 68500 for a red week and 47500 for yellow weeks 1-9. Next is C unit which is 78500 & 55000. Last is B unit the largest which is 97000 & 68500. Of course you can combine A-B or B-C or A-B-C but that would all cost over 100,000 points.
Also maint. fees are charged per bedroom owned, 1 bed = $ 402.00, 2 bed = 604.00 and 3 bedrooms are 806.00 so you maint fee seems off.
Check it out and find out more detail and I will be glad to help. Right now it just does not seem right.

Steve

 

[suzanne]

Thank you. I will go back and ask about the points and the MF's. I will let you know what I find out. Since this would be my first points purchase I sure don't want to mess it up and not get what I thought I was getting. I will let you know what I find out.

Suzanne

 

[Bernie8245]

Suzanne,
According to my points book, it sounds like it is a mid-season (week 1-9)two bedroom B unit in building G, H or I at the Carriage Place. The maintenance fees are a little lower there than at the Grand Crowne Country Club. The sales price is right but I have seen better buys out there when you compare maintenance fees to the number of points you are getting. The maintenance fees of the 2 bedroom unit is the same whether it is a prime season week or a mid-season week but the number of points for a prime season week in that unit is 150,000 points compared to 100,000 for the mid season week. Recently a 3 br penthouse unit sold on E-Bay for $1136 + $549 for closing costs and transfer fee. The number of points was 375,00 points (It must be one of the new Royal Suites which we were shown at the owner update) and the MF is $812. The initial cost is higher but for only $246 more in maintenance fees you would get 375,000 points instead of 100,000 points. If you exchange through II in prime season it takes 47,500 points for a studio, 68,500 points for a 1 br, 148,000 points for a 2 br and 221,000 points for a 3 br. I think the points per maintenance fee cost is more important than the initial selling price.
Bernie

 

[suzanne]

Thank you both for your help. I went back and asked and you are right Bernie, the unit is deeded thru Carriage Place for a two bedroom unit. I also asked if its deeded thru Carriage Place how can he sell it as The Surry Grand Crowne. I am waiting to hear back from him on that question. I understand that they are both owned by the same Company, but they are still two seperate properties right?

Suzanne

 

[smcintos]

Yes they are separate a few miles apart. Some buildings have the same unit floor plans. Check out the web site http://www.grandcrowneresorts.com/ they have great photos under the accommodations tab of all the property. I would just wait and get enough points to cover at least a 2 bedroom in red season. Everything is Red except weeks 1 - 9.

Steve

 

[JoeMO]

No II with Carriage Place

Suzanne,

Bernie is right on everything he said. Also, Carriage Place does not include a membership in II. That is why the maintenance fees are lower.

Carriage Place used to be an RCI Gold Crown resort but was downgraded to Silver a couple of years ago and last year it was downgraded even further to just a regular resort. I don't know if the resort is going to do what is needed to get it back to a Gold Crown resort.

All things considered it is a great resort and you get a lot of value for your money.

 

[freewheelin01]

Just booked 4th of July week, 1 bedroom at Carriage Place for next year...Reservations stated that they will not assign a specific unit until check in. She also said something about Carriage Place being more "homey" than Grand Crowne, rooms have more wood accents vs. wrought iron, etc.. Not sure if that is a good thing.

I have seen varying reviews of Carriage Place vs. Grand Crowne, but all the room pictures on the Grand Crowne website look very similar. I am not seeing that "homey", "wood accents" that the reservation person mentioned.

Are the room pictures on the website all Grand Crowne, not Carriage Place? Is Carriage Place really not as nice as Grand Crowne? Will I be disappointed? Should I change my request to Grand Crowne?

I used 74,400 of my 78,500 points - not sure what type of 1 bedroom that will get me...Any help, reviews, suggestions, pictures, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bernie8245]

Suzanne,

Bernie is right on everything he said. Also, Carriage Place does not include a membership in II. That is why the maintenance fees are lower.

Carriage Place used to be an RCI Gold Crown resort but was downgraded to Silver a couple of years ago and last year it was downgraded even further to just a regular resort. I don't know if the resort is going to do what is needed to get it back to a Gold Crown resort.

All things considered it is a great resort and you get a lot of value for your money.

Joe,
I own at the Carriage Place and I get a free II membership. I originally bought a fixed unit that exchanged through RCI but later on upgraded to the points membership which exchanges through II. My understanding is if it trades through II and has been converted to points, the II membership is included. If I remember correctly the reason Carriage Place has lower maintenance fees was the Surrey Phase IV Owners Association (Carriage Place) voted for a lower amount for the Annual Reserve fee for each bedroom than the other 2 Owners Associations.
Bernie

 

[suzanne]

Thanks everyone for all your help. I decided to hold off on buying, as there just were to many questions that the seller avoided answering. In fact he did not respond to my last question about the difference between the two resorts.

Suzanne

 

[smcintos]

This sounds like a fair deal. Ebay item # 200239115518.
I have a point package like this and get lots of options when I search first with II.

Steve

 

[JoeMO]

Carriage Place and II

Bernie,

You are right. I forgot about that. My week at Carriage Place has never been converted, but I could trade with II if I joined.

Guess who won that 375,000 point Grand Crowne week? Let's just say that I am now a happy points owner. I can't believe that someone sold a Royal Suites week.

Do you know how much they would charge me to convert my old week to points? Do they still give you the original purchase price if I traded my week in on the purchase of a new week?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Bernie8245]

Bernie,

You are right. I forgot about that. My week at Carriage Place has never been converted, but I could trade with II if I joined.

Guess who won that 375,000 point Grand Crowne week? Let's just say that I am now a happy points owner. I can't believe that someone sold a Royal Suites week.

Do you know how much they would charge me to convert my old week to points? Do they still give you the original purchase price if I traded my week in on the purchase of a new week?

Thanks,
Joe

Joe,
So that was a Royal Suites week. I seriously considered bidding on that but I need to get rid of a couple weeks before I buy any more. I'm glad a fellow Tugger got that week. It sounds like you got a great deal.
Bernie