Trouble booking MCV and Trade

[dr.debs]

I have owned a MCV EOY 2 BR Lockoff since 2007. I had no problem booking spring break in 2008. I called the week it opened and found a reservation immediately. 2011 another story. I had to take a reservation for January 8th and deposit to II. Gratefully, after a 6 month wait, It finally traded for a 2 BR at the Kona Island Resort Phase II for July of this year . This year I was prepared: I began calling at 5:57am on March 22, with both my landline and Cell, as well as trying on line. I got through to a rep at 6:27am on my landline and the only reservation available was March 24th 2013 for the lockoff, and Feb 8th for the 1 bedroom. Everything else was booked. Boy am I annoyed. My recent trade has mollified the situation as prior to the confirmation I was ready to sell. I looked into coverting it to the Marriot point system but when the rep explained it to me I realized the points I would get for my week would be insufficient to book in a similar resort, for a similar sized unit, at the times I wished to go... ie cost more money. I really bought the unit (resale, ebay) to use at the home resort during spring break. Any suggestions appreciated...

 

[hcarman]

Not being able to get into your home resort for the week you want seems to be more of a problem this year. I have always been able to get into prime weeks - as long as I was on the computer at 9:00 AM eastern time at time of booking. This year I was on at that time and could not get into the system - it was overloaded. Calling in on the phone did not work either - got an agent at 9:10 AM, but everything was already booked. We also bought our unit to use for Easter week.
I was frustrated (I have a previous post on this subject) as I had taken off from work to make the reservation and had nothing to show for it. A supervisor at Marriott was no help. I even sent them an e-mail expressing my frustration that their system can not handle the capacity and people are getting locked out of their weeks, do you think I ever heard back? No.

We had an encore package we also have to use up and we were going to attach it to our week next year, but we can't get in before it expires. This AM I could not get off work right at 9 AM, as I had done that last week - this time. So, I managed to get away and get on by around 10:30 AM - everything is already gone for the week, I guess because it is still spring break. My only option is to try and trade through Interval to get back into my own resort - I am told the fee is waived for Destination Club members making Marriott to Marriott transfers. That is probably your best bet.

We had the same problem with Points - our week would cost 4700 points, but we only get 2900 points for it. Downright crazy - 4 nights instead of 7 - for the same exact week, resort, and unit??????

Good luck. There are a lot of folks in the same boat. This is the part sales people or prior owners never tell you. And, the booking seems to have gotten worse..................takes a lot of fun out of planning a vacation when you have to be at your computer at 9 AM - often having to take off from work - just to try and get a room. Wish there was another way I could suggest. Some resorts do offer fixed weeks - but not Marriott anymore (unless resale) - and not sure Canyon Villas (my resort) ever had fixed weeks at Easter?

 

[Love2TS]

Not being able to get into your home resort for the week you want seems to be more of a problem this year. I have always been able to get into prime weeks - as long as I was on the computer at 9:00 AM eastern time at time of booking. This year I was on at that time and could not get into the system - it was overloaded. Calling in on the phone did not work either - got an agent at 9:10 AM, but everything was already booked. We also bought our unit to use for Easter week.
I was frustrated (I have a previous post on this subject) as I had taken off from work to make the reservation and had nothing to show for it. A supervisor at Marriott was no help. I even sent them an e-mail expressing my frustration that their system can not handle the capacity and people are getting locked out of their weeks, do you think I ever heard back? No.

We had an encore package we also have to use up and we were going to attach it to our week next year, but we can't get in before it expires. This AM I could not get off work right at 9 AM, as I had done that last week - this time. So, I managed to get away and get on by around 10:30 AM - everything is already gone for the week, I guess because it is still spring break. My only option is to try and trade through Interval to get back into my own resort - I am told the fee is waived for Destination Club members making Marriott to Marriott transfers. That is probably your best bet.

We had the same problem with Points - our week would cost 4700 points, but we only get 2900 points for it. Downright crazy - 4 nights instead of 7 - for the same exact week, resort, and unit??????

Good luck. There are a lot of folks in the same boat. This is the part sales people or prior owners never tell you. And, the booking seems to have gotten worse..................takes a lot of fun out of planning a vacation when you have to be at your computer at 9 AM - often having to take off from work - just to try and get a room. Wish there was another way I could suggest. Some resorts do offer fixed weeks - but not Marriott anymore (unless resale) - and not sure Canyon Villas (my resort) ever had fixed weeks at Easter?

You seem to have 2 marriott TSs, not sure why you did not take advantage of the 13 month reservation window?

 

[NWL]

You seem to have 2 marriott TSs, not sure why you did not take advantage of the 13 month reservation window?

Doesn't mean he/she didn't try. I have not been able to book prime weeks at the 13 month mark for the past 2 years. I had no problem in prior years. For the past 2 years I had to wait for the 12 month mark to book my weeks.

The reservation revisions issued last year for my resort states they can institute a lottery system to ensure all owners have equal access to prime weeks. Not sure if this is being implemented, but based on other threads concerning difficulties making reservations, it is a possibility.

 

[hcarman]

Which resorts now have a lottery system for prime weeks? I was not aware of that, but sounds interesting?

Also, to the poster that wondered why I did not book at the 13 month mark with my two Marriott timeshares - they are different seasons. My gold season Marriott does not start until almost a month past the Easter week I was trying to book - so the consecutive week thing would not work. I am guessing at Canyon Villas, booking at the 13 month mark would still be very difficult. I understand only 50% of the inventory can be booked at 13 months, and we have spoken to many people that stay there for a month or two over the winter/spring season - so competition would be stiff.

 

[Love2TS]

Which resorts now have a lottery system for prime weeks? I was not aware of that, but sounds interesting?

Also, to the poster that wondered why I did not book at the 13 month mark with my two Marriott timeshares - they are different seasons. My gold season Marriott does not start until almost a month past the Easter week I was trying to book - so the consecutive week thing would not work. I am guessing at Canyon Villas, booking at the 13 month mark would still be very difficult. I understand only 50% of the inventory can be booked at 13 months, and we have spoken to many people that stay there for a month or two over the winter/spring season - so competition would be stiff.

The reason I asked is because when I booked 13 months out I was able to lockoff my unit and get 2 weeks in March at Canyon Villa and I did not even call exactly 13 months out. But of course my marriott weeks are both platinum so that helped.