WKORV & WKORVN questions [merged]

[maggiesmom]

Shuttle service ??? & Request First time frame??

Does anyone know if KAA, KAN have a shuttle(Bus) service into town ??. And What Car Rental company is at the airport. Thanks. Is it to early to Request First for May 2014 or Nov 2014???. Let me know.
TIA


maggiesmom

 

[K2Quick]

There's a shuttle that takes you to Lahaina and another that goes to the Sheraton Hotel and to Whaler's Village. All of the major car rental companies are at the Kahului airport.

 

[DeniseM]

WKORV has a free shuttle to Lahaina, and the Sheraton and Westin Hotels. It's not a grocery run though - you need a car for that.

As far as what car to rent, we go by price - cars are expensive and vary widely in Hawaii. We usually go with www.discounthawaiicarrentals.com They are a consolidator and will find you the best price - you don't have to provide a credit card or pay until you pick up. We make the Resv. with them right away, and then shop online to see if we can find a better price. We usually can't. If you find a better price, just respond to their email to cancel your resv.

 

[ocdb8r]

WKORV has a free shuttle to Lahaina, and the Sheraton and Westin Hotels. It's not a grocery run though - you need a car for that.

Has this changed recently?

When we were there last, the Lahaina shuttle stopped atthe Safeway on the way to Lahaina and the grocery store accross Honoapiilani Highway (Foodland Farms?) on the way back from Lahaina. Granted, the shuttle may not be ideal for a grocery run given it doesn't wait so you've just got to catch the next one back, but it certainly worked fine for us the one time we went without a car.

 

[maggiesmom]

I Deleted and move the question to original post.

maggiesmom

 

[ocdb8r]

Is it to early to Request First for May 2014 or Nov 2014???. Let me know.
TIA


maggiesmom

II only lets you put in a request 2 years in advance so you've still got a few months before May 2014 is available...and quite a few before November 2014.

 

[maggiesmom]

ocdb8r,
Thanks , I'm looking forward to putting in my Request. Thanks again .

maggiesmom

 

[DavidnRobin]

Does anyone know if KAA, KAN have a shuttle(Bus) service into town ??. And What Car Rental company is at the airport. Thanks. Is it to early to Request First for May 2014 or Nov 2014???. Let me know.
TIA


maggiesmom

Check out Costco for rental rates - with some search you may be able to improve somewhat, but not without effort - or going with a no-name off-airport agency. We use Alamo - you can pick your car. I check the manufacture date (inside driver side door) and make sure it has a mini RCA adaptor for the stereo (AUX) to play my iPod. Rental cars have gone up in price - and 33% of the price is in taxes or use fees. We usually get a convertable - but they went up by 50% from our previous visits.

The shuttle does take you close to food shopping - FoodLand by Hilo Hatties off of Papalaua Rd is better than Safeway (IMO and Robin's), but make sure you get a savings card as it will save quite a bit.

 

[maggiesmom]

Has anyone taken a taxi from the Airport to the WKORV????.

maggiesmom

 

[paluamalia]

Has anyone taken a taxi from the Airport to the WKORV????.

maggiesmom

We just did Speedishuttle..it was about $70 including tax and tip for 2
They only had 2 stops before us so it was quick. The last time we took a taxi from the airport was 2008 and it was $95 then, so,probably about $30 more by now.
You can rent a car after you arrive at the villas if you like.
We prefer to do,without a car, most of the tours will pick you up and we enjoy walking when we can. The shuttle is great and the traffic and parking is difficult, not to mention $4.70 a gallon for gas

 

[Ken555]

+1 for Costco. Their new(er) travel site makes renting cars via the website much easier. No more need to worry about the coupons...the site compares all available from all rental companies and displays the options for you to choose. Also don't forget that with Costco you can have two drivers at no additional charge (most rental companies now charge $10/day for the second driver).

Also, instead of a taxi from the airport consider a one-way rental. There is a rental location within walking distance from the resort (close enough I could see it from building 7) for National, Alamo, and a couple others. This is for the west Maui airport. We've done this in the past, and got great rates.

 

[DeniseM]

Has anyone taken a taxi from the Airport to the WKORV????.

maggiesmom

You really need a car on Maui - you will want to get out and explore. It's about 45 min. to the airport, so it's more cost effective to rent there, than to pay for a shuttle and a rental car, both. Or a shuttle and multiple tours. Tours are very expensive.

I always check Costco and www.DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com, and DHCR always beats Costco in Hawaii. I just booked our summer trip, and Costco was $200+ more than DHCR. BTW - we always get Alamo through DHCR, but they search all the companies and give you the best price - DHCR is a consolidator.

When I said that the shuttle is not a "grocery run" I meant that it isn't a dedicated grocery store run like some resorts have.

Did you know that you can also have your TS stocked with groceries in advance for a small fee? I'd choose that over the shuttle.

 

[jarta]

Deleted post - wrong thread

 

[Negma]

Denise, thank you for that reminder. I have been watching rental rate for June 30-July 14. I had a rental through Costco at Alamo for 550. Hotwire rates have been 620+. Through your post just got a ressie for 470 at Alamo !!

Yay Denise!!

 

[maggiesmom]

I wondering, Which of the Westin Ka' anapali - Ocean Resort Villa or North.
Which one do you like better over the other .
Is it the resort it's self??, the rooms, view, size, kitchen,bathroom .
What make you think "oh yeah:rofl: , I really like this one than the other" .

maggiesmom

 

[DeniseM]

The two resorts are side-by-side on the same property and share all amenities. They are nearly identical in layout and design. If you are going during high season, I'd request both resorts to increase the odds that you will get an exchange. If you are going during the off-season, when there is more availability, I'd request just the north side, to avoid the parking lot views from the back of building 4 - south phase. The North side has no parking lot/highway views.

Here is a post describing the 2 phases of the resort: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=521693&postcount=13

Here is an aerial view - South = Bldg. 2-4, North = Bldg. 5-8

 

[maggiesmom]

Thanks DeniseM,
What months are the off season.
Thanks again

maggiesmom

 

[DeniseM]

Here is the travel demand index for Hawaii:

 

[maggiesmom]

So, only week 47 is off season or are the ones in the middle considered off season??

maggiesmom

 

[DeniseM]

So, only week 47 is off season or are the ones in the middle considered off season??

maggiesmom

No - the off season includes all the weeks that have lower demand.

The farther a week is to the left, the less demand there is - the farther it is to the right, the more demand there is.

Weeks 35-50 have the lowest demand.

Weeks 26-30 have the highest demand.

Also, Starwood doesn't deposit holiday weeks.

 

[maggiesmom]

I'm hoping to put in a request first.

Week : 20
May 16 - 23,2014
May 17- 24 ,2014
May 18 - 25,2014

If the odds are better for week 35 (starts Aug 29,2014) to week 50 (Dec 14,2014 last week), I'll look more into that time frame. Thanks again.


maggiesmom

 

[DeniseM]

I'm hoping to put in a request first.

Week : 20
May 16 - 23,2014
May 17- 24 ,2014
May 18 - 25,2014

If the odds are better for week 35 (starts Aug 29,2014) to week 50 (Dec 14,2014 last week), I'll look more into that time frame. Thanks again.


maggiesmom

I would not limit your request to just 1 week - that really limits your chance of getting an exchange.

I would request a much broader time frame, to increase your chances of getting an exchange.

From the II FAQ at the top of the forum:

Tips for putting in your exchange request

The most successful strategy for a II exchange includes:

1) Put in an on-going request as early as possible (12 or more mos. out) so it's in place BEFORE the deposits are made, and ahead of other exchangers.

2) To put in an on-going request for a 2 bdm. - you must deposit a 2 bdm., but with an instant online exchange you can sometimes trade a smaller unit for a larger unit.

4) You have priority for trades into other Starwood resorts - before non-Starwood owner.

5) Request a wide-range of weeks.

6) Request as many resorts as possible

7) Even though the online inventory is the leftovers, sometimes gems pop up, so it's worthwhile to keep checking it, even when you have an on-going request in place. If you see something you want, you can still grab it online, which will automatically cancel your on-going request.

Strategies that will decrease your chances of getting a trade:

1) Only requesting school holidays
2) Only requesting one specific week
3) Only requesting the very top resort in an area (which you may not have the trading power for)
4) Not requesting Starwood resorts

Also - note that you don't have to put in separate requests for the Fri., Sat., and Sunday of the same week - II automatically defaults to those days - however, WKORV & N do not have Thurs. check-in.

***If you need a specific check-in day, you must call II after putting in your ongoing-request online and specify the day of the week. Otherwise, your on-going request automatically defaults to Thursday no matter what day you request, so your check-in day could be Thurs., Fri., Sat., or Sun. The Rep. can change it in the system for you, but the request will not show in your online II Acct.

 

[maggiesmom]

Thanks, I can pretty much go from week 20 to week 50 in 2014, but was looking into off season- not as crowded.

I'm kind of leaning to staying at WKORV (KAN), because it doesn't have open air hallways, and if I stay at North - I would have to have a ground floor or first floor only.

So, 3 different weeks are better than just one, good to know. Maybe I should put in for 1 wk May,1 wk Aug, 1 wk Nov, at both resorts or only 1 resort.

maggiesmom

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks, I can pretty much go from week 20 to week 50 in 2014, but was looking into off season- not as crowded.

I'm kind of leaning to staying at WKORV (KAN), because it doesn't have open air hallways, and if I stay at North - I would have to have a ground floor or first floor only.

So, 3 different weeks are better than just one, good to know. Maybe I should put in for 1 wk May,1 wk Aug, 1 wk Nov, at both resorts or only 1 resort.

maggiesmom

WKORVN = KAN
WKORV = KAA

The more weeks you request, the better your chances are. Why not put in for all of May, Aug., and Nov.? My choice would be May, Sept. and Oct. - off-season w/less rain.

What is your concern about the hallways?

What do you mean by - "I would have to have a ground floor or first floor only.."

Be aware that Nov. is the beginning of the rainy season - if that is an issue for you.

hawaiigaga.com

 

[maggiesmom]

I have acrophobia, so being on the ground floor or only the first level I can dpen walkways make my sick to my stomach :ignore: .

I'll remember to put in for all of May ,Sept & Oct 2014.

I have my 2013 SDO in II already. How soon can I put in this Request First?.
maggiesmom