Which Marriott to choose

[Vacationsarefun]

Thank you so much for all the information. This is indeed helpful. I will definitely check into Worldmark as well.

So far Manor Club or one of the Palm Springs properties seem to be the best choice for us.

I do like the trading power of the Las Vegas property (and getting there would be easy enough), but don't really see me taking the kids there repeatedly. Not sure I want my first timeshare to be one we will not visit.

CV sounds nice but is maybe a bit too remote for us.

We are actually going on a trip to California next week and will probably visit the Palm Springs area for at least a couple of days. That way we will see how we feel about the desert in summer (some seem to hate it while others enjoy the heat). Hopefully, that will help us in making a decision.

I am still uncertain about which season to get though if we were to decide on DS or SR. I know everyone says to get Platinum but that would pretty much mean that we always HAVE to trade (unless we decide to go over Easter which is probably hard to get). For the most part we would travel around weeks 32-35. However, everyone says not to buy a blue week... Does it trade that bad?

No one has mentioned any resort in the Hilton Head/Myrtle Beach area. Are they not a good option?

 

[slum808]

WM works a little differently than other time shares. We can choose any size unit to search with. We pay the amount if points according to what we match to. For this reason it makes the most sense to always search with what is refered to as a "3 bedroom float". It has very good strength, because its a 3 bedroom. We'll pay 12k, 10k, 9k or 8k points depending on if we match to a 3,2,1 or studio. Flexchange trades are only 4k points or about $300 in mf.

 

[Beefnot]

I am still uncertain about which season to get though if we were to decide on DS or SR. I know everyone says to get Platinum but that would pretty much mean that we always HAVE to trade (unless we decide to go over Easter which is probably hard to get). For the most part we would travel around weeks 32-35. However, everyone says not to buy a blue week... Does it trade that bad

The summer weeks trade decently enough because they are Marriotts. I dunno, thing is, summer Palm Springs can be had on II getaways for $400-$600 or so, and I am talking 2brs. I might think about it like this:

Scenario 1 -- summer Palm Springs Marriott Ownership
~$1,200 annual MF
$89 II membership
$119 - $169 exchange fee
In years you occupy, you are paying $1,200 + $89 = $1,289
In years you trade, you are paying $1,200 + $89 + $149 xchg fee = $1,438
Let's say you exchange every other year, so that would be $2,727 every two years

Scenario 2 -- If you bought II getaways for summer Palm Springs:

Year 1: $500 getaway + $89 = $589
Year 2 breakeven compared to Scenario 1: $2,727 scenario 1 total spend - $589 scenario 2 year 1 getaway - $89 II membership = $2,049 that could be used toward renting in year 2, or toward MFs ($1,900) and exchange fee ($149) on another owned property.

I dunno, I like scenario 2 ten times out of ten. I just don't see the value in a summer Palm Springs TS.

 

[Vacationsarefun]

The summer weeks trade decently enough because they are Marriotts. I dunno, thing is, summer Palm Springs can be had on II getaways for $400-$600 or so, and I am talking 2brs. I might think about it like this:

Scenario 1 -- summer Palm Springs Marriott Ownership
~$1,200 annual MF
$89 II membership
$119 - $169 exchange fee
In years you occupy, you are paying $1,200 + $89 = $1,289
In years you trade, you are paying $1,200 + $89 + $149 xchg fee = $1,438
Let's say you exchange every other year, so that would be $2,727 every two years

Scenario 2 -- If you bought II getaways for summer Palm Springs:

Year 1: $500 getaway + $89 = $589
Year 2 breakeven compared to Scenario 1: $2,727 scenario 1 total spend - $589 scenario 2 year 1 getaway - $89 II membership = $2,049 that could be used toward renting in year 2, or toward MFs ($1,900) and exchange fee ($149) on another owned property.

I dunno, I like scenario 2 ten times out of ten. I just don't see the value in a summer Palm Springs TS.

Thanks so much for taking the time for such a detailed analysis!

Put like that it seems clear enough BUT the problem is I can't book an II getaway because I am not a timeshare owner. So I have to buy some timeshare (and pay the mfs that come with it) in order to get to scenario 2.

Now it seems a (summer) Marriott Shadow Ridge is about as cheap as it gets as far as initial purchase is concerned. I would probably always lock off the second unit (we don't really need a 2 br), even in years that I occupy - either to spend two weeks at the resort (unlikely) or to exchange the second week.

So my calculation would be
1200 annual mf
89 II membership
120 lock off fee (not sure how much it is but I believe somewhere around there?)
225 trading fee on average (let's say 150 in years I occupy for one week, 300 if I trade both parts)

Total of around 1700 for two weeks.

If I bought a platinum/gold week my cost would be higher because of the higher initial purchase price AND I would always have to trade as we probably won't travel during that time.

I guess the question is whether 1700 is a good price for two weeks - it would definitely depend on the trades I could get. Also, the question is whether I would be able to get the same trades either with lower mf/fees or get better trades with the same mf/fees.

The II membership and the trading fees would basically stay the same if I bought either a different Marriott or two separate timeshares so I guess they don't really impact the comparison (please tell me if I am wrong as I am fairly new at this and might be way off). The lock off fee would not apply if I had two separate timeshares.

Still, the question is whether around 1200 annual mf would be a good deal for the kind of trades I would be likely to get with a summer SR. Would I do much better with something else at about the same cost or could I get the same quality with a lower cost?

The way the seasons are split up at the Palm Springs area Marriotts are my main problem (if I buy a better season I can't use it) so maybe a different Marriott (in which red/platinum season is at a time we can actually use) would be better.

Thanks again for all the help! It is really helping me to figure this out.

 

[m61376]

Since you want multiple week vacations, if you decide you like Palm Springs in the summer you might be better off using the Getaway as a second or third vacation week and buying something else.

I know you mentioned liking DVC, but would you consider MGV 3BR units? Splits into a 2BR and a lock-off (not as ideal as the # BR in Vegas) but has good trade power, relatively low purchase cost, and people love the resort to use. For those times you want a really hard to get trade, the 3BR unit will be at the top of the heap, but for most trades you can lock off.

 

[Steve A]

To OP: You do realize how hot it will be in Palm Desert in August and September? It will really be hot. Really, really hot. You will know without a doubt that you are in the desert.

 

[jdunn1]

I see that you asked about Hilton Head and/or Myrtle Beach. If you plan to travel in the summer, and buy in cost are an issue, then neither of these locations are an option. Summer Carolina weeks go from $15k - $28k give or take a couple thousand, even in today's market. Gold weeks are a bit cheaper but you are still looking at around $10k for those weeks. Also, the Carolinas are not fly to destinations -- they are drive to destinations for about half of the United States, so there are no big airports in that area. Also, no matter what you buy, I wouldn't plan on being able to trade into these resort over the summer. Not many people ever get a summer carolina trade, though the end of August is an exception.

Also, I totally get your concerns about buy in costs -- and frankly I think buying cheap is a good way to go but when you buy cheap, you run the risk of being stuck with a timeshare that will take years for you to even give away. You should also give serious thought to the dues.

My first Marriott was a platinum Willowridge week which can be had on ebay for 1k or less. It's a platinum lock off and dues are currently at $900 a year. This is the cheapest platinum Marriott to own both in terms of buy in cost and yearly dues. It violates the buy where you want to go rule, but too often that rule only serves people who can afford to pay more in buy in costs for the premium locations. I bought knowing full well it was a trader and so far things have worked out very well. Not perfect, because I can't get into summer Carolina weeks, at least not with just the one bedroom or studio portion, but just about everything else I can get into with my Willowridge week.

I think the Marriott desert weeks are expensive in terms of dues. Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I think those weeks also get hit with a seperate property tax fee each year. If your goal is to visit the desert most summers then you can own any other week and get that trade 100% of the time. My advise is not to buy a summer desert week just because it matches the buy where you want to go rule. Honestly, you can buy anything else and get that trade, and you will save a lot of money -- even with trade fees.

If you buy a desert week, you would be much beter served getting at least a gold/white week, and best yet, a platinum week. I value the buy where you want to go rule, that is why I stepped up and bought a summer beach week, but an equally valuable piece of advise is to buy the cheapest lock off platinum week you can find.

If you buy into WorldMark, you don't have to worry about any of this as you are esentially buying a platinum plus week, just without any kind of Marriott or Starwood preference. You can buy into the system for less than 2k and rent as many points as you need for as many trades as you want and you can even pick your unit size.

Good luck, lots to think about, I know.

 

[jont]

No one has mentioned any resort in the Hilton Head/Myrtle Beach area. Are they not a good option?

The South Carolina Marriott resorts are great, as is Newport Coast in California. The only reason I did not mention these resorts is because they are not lockoffs, which was part of your criteria stated in your OP.

If you want to go the II getaway option you may consider buying a Marriott Every other year (EOY) unit and pay only half the maintenance fees. Canyon Villas and Vegas both have EOY weeks, but i'm not sure about Palm Springs. There is a gold EOY CV unit on ebay right now at about $300. maintenance fees would be about $500 a year. Just another thought.

 

[Deb from NC]

I don't think any of the Marriotts on Hilton Head are lockoffs, are they?
FYI..we went to Shadow Ridge in February and loved the weather then..but
it was already 70's and 80's. I wouldn't go there in the summer!

 

[EKniager]

You could get into Harbour Point at Shelter Cove (on HHI) inexpensively. We got Week #21 (Memorial Day week most years) for ~$750, including closing costs. It is not the typical amenity filled Marriott, it is not directly on the beach, they do not have lock-offs, and it probably rents for only slightly more than MF's. From their you could travel to Savannah, Charleston, St. Augustine, Kiawah, Amelia, Beaufort, etc., although a week staying put there would make me very happy.

 

[SMB1]

Thanks for all the input. Let me give some more background.

Ideally I would like a timeshare that I could use about half the time and trade the other half. Right now I am thinking of a lock off unit which should give me two weeks per year (right?) if I split it. Adding on another week with an II getaway or similar would get me three weeks.

I don't really want a huge up-front cost (unless it really gets me some MAJOR advantages). Yearly mf shouldn't be much more than 1,000.

I would prefer buying a timeshare that I would like to visit at least occasionally - just in case the future holds major problems with exchanges.

In recent years we have visited mostly Florida and California. I don't really see us spending too much time in Arizona or Las Vegas in the next five to ten years.

I would say we would probably visit the US about 2 in 3 years (the third year either banking the timeshare use for the next year or using it in Europe). We would probably alternate between visiting California and Florida/East Coast.

In California I am mostly interested in Southern California. In Florida maybe a split between Orlando and a week at the beach. I don't want to mess up our chances for DVC but it isn't a major goal either.

Thanks again for all the help!

Our Lakeshore Reserve unit locks off into two 1 BRs which trade very well within II. No need to trade when you go to Orlando. Not a DVC property but a very nice resort with 20 minute drive to the parks. 5 Min to Seaworld.

 

[Beefnot]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I think those weeks also get hit with a seperate property tax fee each year.

Oh thats right, the property taxes are billed separately at around $60-$100 or so annually. Another cost into the equation

Put like that it seems clear enough BUT the problem is I can't book an II getaway because I am not a timeshare owner. So I have to buy some timeshare (and pay the mfs that come with it) in order to get to scenario 2.

Oh, yes, true.

Now it seems a (summer) Marriott Shadow Ridge is about as cheap as it gets as far as initial purchase is concerned. I would probably always lock off the second unit (we don't really need a 2 br), even in years that I occupy - either to spend two weeks at the resort (unlikely) or to exchange the second week.

So my calculation would be
1200 annual mf
89 II membership
120 80 lock off fee (not sure how much it is but I believe somewhere around there?)
225 trading fee on average (let's say 150 in years I occupy for one week, 300 if I trade both parts)

Total of around 1700 for two weeks.

If you go in summer, in a 1br, you are looking at $300-$400 per week on getaway, say, $800 for two weeks. You may still be better off buying a L/O trader elsewhere, like Grande Vista in Orlando or Willow Ridge in Branson.

So, take Branson at $1000 MF ($900 plus amortizing a $1000 purch price, using jdunn1's example, over ten years). If you locked off and traded into PS for two consecutive weeks (and you will almost certainly get 2brs in exchange for each week...nice bonus), it would cost you $1000 + $80 + $89 + $149 + $149 (although I think Marriott to Marriott xchg fee is $119) for $1,467 per year.

In your example, you would be spending $1200 + $80 + $89 + $60 property tax = $1429 in years you completely occupied. You would spend $1200 + $80 + $89 + $149 + $60 = $1,578 in years you occupied one week and xchg one week. You would spend $1,200 + $80 + $89 + ($149 x 2) +$60 = $1,737 in years where you xch both sides.

Another yet another option is to buy a 1br trader, and buy getaways for Palm Springs summer.

If I bought a platinum/gold week my cost would be higher because of the higher initial purchase price AND I would always have to trade as we probably won't travel during that time.

Yes, it would be questionable to purchase a plat PS to have to trade into summer Palm Springs.

 

[Vacationsarefun]

Again thanks for all the information! I already know a lot more than when I first asked the question.

Okay, I realize now that Myrtle Beach/Hilton Head are too expensive and not lock-offs so they are definitely out. Our summer vacations typically run from August to about mid-September so we might be able to get an exchange there sometime in the later part of the vacation if we really want to (maybe trading a 2 bedroom for a 1 bedroom?).

I know the desert will be hot - just not sure if it would be too hot for us. As I mentioned before we will probably go there for at least a couple of days this August. Even if we don't care for the heat it shouldn't be too horrible this once and at least then we definitely know it isn't something we would use regularly.

Right now I have put together the following short-list:

Prefered:
Ocean Pointe, Shadow Ridge/DSV , Manor Club
Again, the desert properties depend on how we like it when we actually visit and which season to buy remains a problem. Ocean Pointe seems to have really high mfs. It is probably also expensive to buy - not sure what the seasons are there? Manor Club sounds interesting but again not sure about purchase cost.

Possible:
Timber Lodge or Beach Place

Maybes:
Grand Chateau (pretty much only for trading) or Branson

I have still kept out the Orlando properties but will think about that some more.

If anyone has some additional information about the above resorts (purchase cost/likelihood to find on ebay/trading power/general) I would very much appreciate it!

 

[dougp26364]

Thanks so much for taking the time for such a detailed analysis!

Put like that it seems clear enough BUT the problem is I can't book an II getaway because I am not a timeshare owner. So I have to buy some timeshare (and pay the mfs that come with it) in order to get to scenario 2.

Now it seems a (summer) Marriott Shadow Ridge is about as cheap as it gets as far as initial purchase is concerned. I would probably always lock off the second unit (we don't really need a 2 br), even in years that I occupy - either to spend two weeks at the resort (unlikely) or to exchange the second week.

So my calculation would be
1200 annual mf
89 II membership
120 lock off fee (not sure how much it is but I believe somewhere around there?)
225 trading fee on average (let's say 150 in years I occupy for one week, 300 if I trade both parts)

Total of around 1700 for two weeks.

If I bought a platinum/gold week my cost would be higher because of the higher initial purchase price AND I would always have to trade as we probably won't travel during that time.

I guess the question is whether 1700 is a good price for two weeks - it would definitely depend on the trades I could get. Also, the question is whether I would be able to get the same trades either with lower mf/fees or get better trades with the same mf/fees.

The II membership and the trading fees would basically stay the same if I bought either a different Marriott or two separate timeshares so I guess they don't really impact the comparison (please tell me if I am wrong as I am fairly new at this and might be way off). The lock off fee would not apply if I had two separate timeshares.

Still, the question is whether around 1200 annual mf would be a good deal for the kind of trades I would be likely to get with a summer SR. Would I do much better with something else at about the same cost or could I get the same quality with a lower cost?

The way the seasons are split up at the Palm Springs area Marriotts are my main problem (if I buy a better season I can't use it) so maybe a different Marriott (in which red/platinum season is at a time we can actually use) would be better.

Thanks again for all the help! It is really helping me to figure this out.

If you purchased a platinum DSV week, my bet is it would be easy enough to lock-off the unit and trade back into a summer week. Yes it would increase you costs but, the increase in exchange power would be well worth it IMHO.

The only experience I have with trading back in scenario's would be with our Ocean Pointe unit. It's very easy for me to do a search using our studio unit to see opportunities to exchange back into Ocean Pointe during the summer months.

I would not expect DSV to be difficult to trade back into during the summer. the desert is a hot dry place and there are a lot of units to fill. When wanting to travel to you're home resort I think trading back in would be as easy as falling of a log and when wanting to trade out, having the platinum week should make exchanges to tougher locations that much easier. Plus, platinum weeks should be more desirable (easier to sell) and have a higher resale value.

 

[jdunn1]

You have a good list and I think you have received a lot of valuable insider information. Honestly, any resort in the United States should be a pretty easy trade in late August or early September. That is back to school time, here and along the East Coast, that is Hurricane season. Any Marriott deposit should get your desired trade, so I wouldn't buy an expenisve Marriott week, both in terms of buy in costs and ongoing maint fees.

The marriott in vegas is nice becuase the 3 bedroom locks off into a one bedroom and two bedroom. With II, the size of your deposit matters a lot. A studio often doesn't pull larger size units during peak times, whereas a one bedroom usually pulls 2 bedrooms, even during peak seasons/weeks. The down side to the Vegas property are the buy in costs which will probably cost upwards of 5k - 7k for a 3 bedroom (but I could be way off on this price) and the dues, which are close to $1,700 a year and will only go up by about $100 a year.

Beefnot gives some good numbers to think about and with all the advice others have given you, there is a lot to take in.

Regardless of what you buy and when you choose to buy into the system (if ever), I think you will really like it. Trading is so uncertain and is a game best learned by doing. All the advice in the world will not even come close to your actual experiences.

If you stick to your plan of traveling in late August and/or early September, you should get some great trades. It's when/if you decide summer or holidays work better that you will run into problems more time than not if you do not own one of the more expensive Marriotts -- and even then you will still have problems.

 

[dougp26364]

You have a good list and I think you have received a lot of valuable insider information. Honestly, any resort in the United States should be a pretty easy trade in late August or early September. That is back to school time, here and along the East Coast, that is Hurricane season. Any Marriott deposit should get your desired trade, so I wouldn't buy an expenisve Marriott week, both in terms of buy in costs and ongoing maint fees.

The marriott in vegas is nice becuase the 3 bedroom locks off into a one bedroom and two bedroom. With II, the size of your deposit matters a lot. A studio often doesn't pull larger size units during peak times, whereas a one bedroom usually pulls 2 bedrooms, even during peak seasons/weeks. The down side to the Vegas property are the buy in costs which will probably cost upwards of 5k - 7k for a 3 bedroom (but I could be way off on this price) and the dues, which are close to $1,700 a year and will only go up by about $100 a year.

Beefnot gives some good numbers to think about and with all the advice others have given you, there is a lot to take in.

Regardless of what you buy and when you choose to buy into the system (if ever), I think you will really like it. Trading is so uncertain and is a game best learned by doing. All the advice in the world will not even come close to your actual experiences.

If you stick to your plan of traveling in late August and/or early September, you should get some great trades. It's when/if you decide summer or holidays work better that you will run into problems more time than not if you do not own one of the more expensive Marriotts -- and even then you will still have problems.

FWIW, in 2006 the 3 bedroom MF's was $1,130.80. At that time there was still a developer subsidy of $211.56. Without the subsidy the MF would have been $1,342.36.

MF's for 2012 $1,635.56. The increase in fee's from 2006 to 2012 would be $293.20 or $48.86/year average if you take into account the initial fee's were reduced significantly by the developer subsidy.

Grand Chateau has a stagering reserve funding of $435/year per 3 bedroom unit. For the life of me I can't explain why a resort that lacks the extensive amenities of other Marriott resorts would require a cash reserve so high.

 

[hcarman]

With the exception of the maintenance fees, I would suggest buying a Silver Season at Ocean Pointe - or possibly one of the other South Florida Marriott properties. Silver Season should be the time the OP is looking for (September/end of August). And, being in the Florida Club it is easy enough to trade into some Orlando properties, the Panhandle, and Fort Lauderdale - I believe. It also trades very well in Interval - AC is often offered for a full or master unit trade.

My Mom owns Silver - we have been told by several folks - Marriott and non-Marriott - that Silver at Ocean Pointe is one of the better deals out there. Includes some time in May and early June - and then the fall/early winter. Don't remember whether Thanksgiving is included?

I don't know where overseas the OP lives - but if it is Europe, the East Coast would be an easier trip.

Just a thought.................but, then there are maintenance fees that are over 1000.

 

[hcarman]

Just a follow up on my previous - Ocean Pointe is a great resort for kids as well. It is pretty extensive (a lot of units spread out over the property) and they have a lot of activities for both kids and adults. The surrounding area also has a lot of activities.

The other thing we hear about Ocean Pointe - it is one of the highest owner occupied resorts in the Marriott system - so they really listen to comments and suggestions the owners have. Recently put in a mini golf course, shuffle board, and a water play area.

 

[jont]

Just a follow up on my previous - Ocean Pointe is a great resort for kids as well. It is pretty extensive (a lot of units spread out over the property) and they have a lot of activities for both kids and adults. The surrounding area also has a lot of activities.

The other thing we hear about Ocean Pointe - it is one of the highest owner occupied resorts in the Marriott system - so they really listen to comments and suggestions the owners have. Recently put in a mini golf course, shuffle board, and a water play area.

Ocean Pointe is a great resort! I've been there 4x in the past 2 years. Trying to get there for this upcoming Christmas. I wished I owned there. Late August thru early September is a good time to go as most kids are back in school.

 

[Vacationsarefun]

Thanks again - things are getting clearer!

I guess the Palm Springs timeshares really won't work well for us due to the way the seasons are set up.

So right now the best choices for us seem to be:

Ocean Pointe, Manor Club, and Willow Ridge (with Grand Chateau and Beach Place as possible alternatives)

I could see us using Ocean Pointe fairly regularly, Manor Club probably a bit less, and Willow Ridge rarely.

Willow Ridge would probably be cheapest (both mf and purchase). I haven't found much information about prices for Manor Club yet. Ocean Pointe has high mfs and the purchase price is higher than for Willow Ridge.

Does anyone know how the trading power of a platinum Willow Ridge and a silver Ocean Pointe would compare? Also, how does exchanging work with Marriott - would I reserve a week to deposit or does Marriott choose? Also, could someone point me towards a calendar that shows how the weeks correspond to a regular calendear (i.e. when week 35 for example is)? It seems every timeshare company uses their own version...

 

[mstoyanov]

Hi,

Yes I had identical search with 2BR SDO gold plus [1-52 floater] and 3BR Worldmark and WM got the trade and SDO did not.
I also have true platinum SDO [1-21, 50-52 floater] but I didn't had a chance to try it for identical searches.
When I am searching for something more difficult I often run these identical searches as I own many different resort chains and units to try to compare them. It costs you nothing since when you cancel the redundant search you get your trade fee back. And difficult trades are usually not fulfilled by bulk banks. The only risk in doing this is if you get a match on both searches and forget to cancel the second one but usually for difficult trades I can always find a friend that will cover the cost of such unit and use it. In fact my friends are extremely happy if I get such extra unit.

I think the reason why 3BR WM out trades 2BR SDO 1-52 floater is that II put more emphasis on the unit size. It is definitely the other way in RCI where season trumps unit size but in RCI SDO gets mediocre TPU assignments due to stupid arrangement between Starwood and RCI. WM arrangement with RCI is much better - you can exchange for any unit available in RCI for a fixed amount of points. Basically you always have enough TPU with Worldmark even if it is Manhattan Club unit that is otherwise valued 60 TPU. You still exchange for it as a 1BR with the same points cost as 1BR in Podunk will cost you. Of course this is disadvantage for WM when trading for off season units in RCI - in this case you are overpaying with credits (except for 45 day flex trade) but that is why for such trades I use fixed weeks in prime season lower quality resorts (they get high TPU assignment for low MFs).

Are you saying that you use a 2BR SDO and a 3BR Worldmark to search for the same 2BR property in an ongoing search? It sounds like apple and orange. Also, is your SDO a platinum week?

I know this thread is about Marriott but I am curious about the comparison that you have highlighted here.

 

[Beefnot]

Also, could someone point me towards a calendar that shows how the weeks correspond to a regular calendear (i.e. when week 35 for example is)? It seems every timeshare company uses their own version...

Click here.

Got it from the Tug2 timeshare resources page.

 

[SueDonJ]

... Does anyone know how the trading power of a platinum Willow Ridge and a silver Ocean Pointe would compare? Also, how does exchanging work with Marriott - would I reserve a week to deposit or does Marriott choose? Also, could someone point me towards a calendar that shows how the weeks correspond to a regular calendear (i.e. when week 35 for example is)? It seems every timeshare company uses their own version...

Don't know how the two compare for trading power. With Marriotts, yes, you choose what to reserve and deposit in II; most people try to book whichever weeks are assigned the highest TDI value in II. This link is TUGger dioxide45's compilation of Marriott resort calendars.

 

[mstoyanov]

Trade power of platinum Willow Ridge will be higher than silver season in Ocean Pointe but do not underestimate the value of having something to use without the trade. If you plan to use Ocean Pointe during silver season more than 30% of the time I would advise you to get this instead of Willow Ridge.
Trading rules changes quite frequently and lately many of the good exchanges in Marriott are in the flex change season in which finding a cheap airfare will be difficult (except if you can get such flex-change in Europe resorts that are closer to you). And the price of air is probably an order of magnitude higher than cost of lodging.
If you can book unit where you want to go an year in advance you have a whole year to hunt for bargain prices on tickets. I am not even sure if owning is a good idea for you. I would think that in your case you may be better renting. Off season weeks can be often rented for almost the MFs (sometimes even less) and renting is much more flexible. If you concentrate on finding the cheapest airfare then you should be able to rent exactly the dates you find cheap air for without the risks and hassle of ownership and exchanges.
Exchanging works best for people with good flexibility (and works great for resorts in driving distance).

Thanks again - things are getting clearer!

I guess the Palm Springs timeshares really won't work well for us due to the way the seasons are set up.

So right now the best choices for us seem to be:

Ocean Pointe, Manor Club, and Willow Ridge (with Grand Chateau and Beach Place as possible alternatives)

I could see us using Ocean Pointe fairly regularly, Manor Club probably a bit less, and Willow Ridge rarely.

Willow Ridge would probably be cheapest (both mf and purchase). I haven't found much information about prices for Manor Club yet. Ocean Pointe has high mfs and the purchase price is higher than for Willow Ridge.

Does anyone know how the trading power of a platinum Willow Ridge and a silver Ocean Pointe would compare? Also, how does exchanging work with Marriott - would I reserve a week to deposit or does Marriott choose? Also, could someone point me towards a calendar that shows how the weeks correspond to a regular calendear (i.e. when week 35 for example is)? It seems every timeshare company uses their own version...

 

[dougp26364]

FWIW, Ocean Pointe Gold season is the summer months of June, July an August. Silver season encompasses the month of May, Sept, Oct, Nov and the first two weeks of December. Silver season does not work so well if you have to travel during the months of June, July and August.

On the other hand, I can usually see 1 and 2 bedroom units during the summer months using my studio lockoff section of our 3 bedroom silver season unit. Marriott did about as poor of a job of judging the seasons at Ocean Pointe as could be done. All one has to do is compare Ocean Pointe's seasons to Oceana Palms seasons to see the adjustments Marriott made. Oceana Palm is a short 1 mile walk up the beach from Ocean Pointe. Once can also look at the point values for different weeks on the DC points chart. Many of the silver season weeks require more points than the gold season weeks.

We have only exchanged our lock-off unit but, when doing online searches I've always been pleased with what I could find. I don't know that I'd give my whole hearted recomendation to purchase this particular season if a person wants to use it heavily for exchanges.

Also keep in mind that when using the Florida Club it's season for season (silver for silver, gold for gold, platinum for platinum). While silver season may be a great time to go to Ocean Pointe the silver season at other resorts aren't always as desirable. I would look very closely to see what matched up and what doesn't before jumping on that band wagon.

We own both Grand Chateau and Ocean Pointe. It's easier for us to exchange our Grand Chateau week into Ocean Pointe silver season than it is to exchange our Ocean Pointe silver season into Grand Chateau. If you're looking at trade power, my opinion is you'll get the best bang for your buck with the Grand Chateau 3 bedroom unit.

We also own a non-Marriott in Branson, MO. It trades surprisingly well so long as we elect a summer week but, it doesn't out trade Grand Chateau. Of course, the resort we own is nowhere near Marriott quality or demand. Keep in mind that there isn't an international airport near Branson's Willow Ridge. The closest would probably be either Chicago or Dallas.