Anyone to Atlantis Harborside via Interval in summer

[Ursula's Mom]

I apologize if this was discussed previously, but for some reason I cannot use the search function to get an answer.

Has anyone ever gotten an exchange for Atlantis in July or August? Thinking of putting in for it for 2009 or 2010 but do not want to tell the family if there really is no chance at all for getting it.

Anyone ever done this with success? Or any other caribbean destinations for the summertime? Please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Tracy0729]

I have a search in for the whole summer of 2009 heard nothing yet. From what I hear from other people on the board it will be very hard if impossible to get that trade.

 

[Ursula's Mom]

Thanks Tracy for letting me know.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Kinda off topic... I was on a cruise last week and we stopped at Atlantis to look around. Very, very beautiful. But, and this is a big BUT.... very expensive. Wow. I did happen to win $300 at the casino so that was really fun.

 

[tinker_me_happy]

My friend is waiting to hear on Hershey for the summer. The rep told her they have an 85% match rate (getting the request you want). He also told her it would be 98% match rate if they took Atlantis OFF the exchange list. Apparently they get about 100 requests A DAY for that exchange. My guess is you are probably going to be out of luck, but HEY GO FOR IT anyway! The worst case is you won't get it and if that is what you are expecting then you won't be disappointed. The down side would be not being able to book something else. Maybe you should give yourself a cut off time that will allow you to also book something else. I don't know if they are able to handle both requests at that time: ie I want Atlantis, but if that doesn't happen by X date book me in my 2nd choice of Y.

 

[Ursula's Mom]

Hi Minnie - congrats on your win on your cruise! Sounds like you had a great time!

And tink - thanks for the info and advice! I guess that I will put in the request for Atlantis for 2009 and if I hear nothing by the time summer draws near, I will move on and plan something else (or maybe head west to Disneyland).

Let me know how the Hershey thing works out. I thought about using points for Hershey, but when discussing with my DH, he thought that 270 points seemed alot to use for one week to stay near that particular theme park. IMHO, I think WDW is way better than Hershey and you can use alot less points to stay at WDW for the same time of year (summer). But I am in NY and to go to Hershey is something people around here can do often (we can drive there). There are probably people in central FL that would think 200 points to go to WDW in December is too many points.

I do hope that your friend gets her week in Hershey that she requested, and when she gets back, she can give us her review of the Suites at Hershey and all its amenities.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[AnnaS]

I hope Hershey is one of the ones added for the new 3/4 short stays with Interval. I would definitely consider using points for 3 nights (driving distance from here too).

Good luck with your searches - I have one in also for Cancun in 09.

 

[bnlbebes]

He also told her it would be 98% match rate if they took Atlantis OFF the exchange list. Apparently they get about 100 requests A DAY for that exchange. My guess is you are probably going to be out of luck, but HEY GO FOR IT anyway! The worst case is you won't get it and if that is what you are expecting then you won't be disappointed.

As a recent Atlantis resale owner - I have learned that due to the high Maintenance fees, very few Harborside Atlantis owners deposit their weeks into II. You just can't get an equal trade. If you'd like to go, I'd suggested the old rent out your DVC strategy and rent Harborside timeshare directly from an owner. You might try a trade on a website such as Redweek.com.

 

[tinker_me_happy]

I'll let you know how the Hershey thing works out. She wasn't able to fly to florida this year so needed a vacation destination within driving distance too. I like the previous posters suggestion for renting directly from an owner too!

 

[tomandrobin]

I am a Westin owner. Harborside is owned by Westin. Summer months are pretty much impossible totrade into Atlantis. Even as an owner, the best I have been able to get is early June.

There are two problems with Harborside in the summer. First, as previously metioned, the maintenance fees are very high. So owners rent instead of trading thru II. To trade vie II the owners are trading down.

Second, that ownership season runs from May 1st to until labor day. Most of the owners are trying to trade for July and August when the kids are out of school.

 

[El&Asmom]

Not to hijack, but how hard is it to trade into Harborside any other time of year. Our kids are still little, so we'd be willing to take them out of preschool for a trip to Atlantis.
Is there better luck going in the fall/winter/spring?

 

[tomandrobin]

The easiest time to get into Harborside is September. Peak hurricane season and the kids have all started school.

 

[Tink10]

I know II very well and I feel pretty comfortable saying that it's going to be extremely tough (if not close to impossible) to get Atlantis. I agree with tomandrobin that the easiest time to get Atlantis is September. I can count on one hand how many times I've seen it available. Exchange advisors can't see the request success rate, so I can't even guesstimate on the percentage of requests that get matched.

I also think that Hershey will also be very tough to get. The 85%/98%match rates are, in my opinion, a pretty exaggerated. I did a search for Hershey with a very valuable week for a 2 year period & there was no availability at all. I can't imagine the success rate is anywhere near 85% unless there was an area included in the request that was much easier to get. There's only 1 resort in Hershey & that has limited exchange activity.

In regards to tinker_me_happy's question

"I don't know if they are able to handle both requests at that time: ie I want Atlantis, but if that doesn't happen by X date book me in my 2nd choice of Y."

When a request is placed with II, there can definately be multiple areas, but there is no way to designate a first, second or third choice. The first thing that becomes available is automatically confirmed.

 

[TXdeVille]

The easiest time to get into Harborside is September. Peak hurricane season and the kids have all started school.

How about December? We are new DVC members who just returned from WDW last month and of course need to use our Developer points within a year. We were originally going to go to Cancun OOP before DVC but since joining thought Atlantis would be nice, and nicer than what Cancun has to offer. IMHO I thought the all-inclusive we were looking at was nicer than the Royal resorts.

 

[tomandrobin]

How about December? We are new DVC members who just returned from WDW last month and of course need to use our Developer points within a year. We were originally going to go to Cancun OOP before DVC but since joining thought Atlantis would be nice, and nicer than what Cancun has to offer. IMHO I thought the all-inclusive we were looking at was nicer than the Royal resorts.

Early December isn't unrealistic, but your best chances are September and October.

 

[HeatherAnne]

A little off topic but I just thought I would make another trade suggestion........
Another great place to trade DVC for is Aruba! The Marriott Surf Club is a great trade! The place is brand new, huge and great for kids. It has an amazing pool complex with a lazy river. The weather is perfect all year round and the food is fantastic! There is also a Marriott Ocean Club right next door which is a really nice place to trade into as well. We did a search through DVC and ended up getting a 2 bedroom Villa for around 144 points! It was a great trade! We even had points left over to go to Disney that year too. Plus - we loved the resort so much that we ended up buying the Surf Club timeshare while we were there!
Feel free to ask me any questions.....Good luck and Have Fun!

HeatherAnne

 

[mommacat56]

You might try a trade on a website such as Redweek.com.

This is a great suggestion! Redweek.com is a subscription (very inexpensive) e-listing of many timeshares for sale or for rent directly from the owners. They have a HUGE list of available rental weeks posted for Harborside as well as resales. They also have resales and rentals from ALL over the world on that site. It really is a great resource especially if you have your heart set on Harborside. A private rental may be the only way to get you there when YOU want to go. FYI, the rents are pretty high, so just sit down before you browse .

 

[Dean]

Early December isn't unrealistic, but your best chances are September and October.

Actually the first 2 weeks of Dec are even easier for the Caribbean, MX and HI and most everywhere else.

 

[Ursula's Mom]

Thanks everyone for all of your help and suggestions. I think we will need to sit down and re-group. I like the idea of trying for Aruba. But since Atlantis is not an option on points, some in my family are now saying that maybe we should go to England and then make a stop at Disneyland Paris (how did my idea for a beach vacation turn into a trip overseas?)

At least I now know that Atlantis is not something to consider via points (but pay cash instead if that is what we decide to do).

Again, thanks to all that posted. I am so glad that I have this resource whenever I have questions!

Kathy

 

[tomandrobin]

You can trade into Harborside if you are not set on July and August. The last week in August, Labor Day weekend is possible, since most kids are back to school. Late spring and fall are your most promising times to get a trade to Harborside.

Another option is to either find a direct trade with a Harborside owner or rent your points and rent from a Harborside owner. You can find rentals at redweek.com or just do a search.