Anyone to Atlantis Harborside via Interval in summer

[TXdeVille]

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.

What are your feelings about mid-March? Seems like such a great place to go. I would love to be able to get the kids there at some point. Part of me thinks it might even be worth it to risk a hurricane. Just plain craziness there.

Can anyone remind me of what was mentioned about Thanksgiving time??

 

[buzz5985]

Another Disney Cruiser that went to Atlantis on the stop in Nassau. Only I rented a room at the Days Inn accross the street for $116/night (special code rate I googled) and received use of all the amenities at Atlantis. I was there in October - and it was mobbed. My DH and DS waited in line for 45 mintues to get down the slide, when they got up the top they were told that DS was too short.

If I was staying at Atlantis - I wouldn't step foot off the grounds after dark. A lot of boarded up buildings, etc in the area. Creepy during the day never mind the night. But Atlantis was well guarded. You were not getting into the hotel pool areas without the wrist bands. I was glad I was getting back on the cruise ship. And I promised myself the next cruise that went to Nassau - I wasn't even going to get off the ship.

 

[tomandrobin]

What are your feelings about mid-March? Seems like such a great place to go. I would love to be able to get the kids there at some point. Part of me thinks it might even be worth it to risk a hurricane. Just plain craziness there.

Can anyone remind me of what was mentioned about Thanksgiving time??

Mid-March is the middle of peak season. I think the chance of a successful trade depends on where Easter falls in a particular year. All major Holidays and when the kids are out school (Summer) trades are tough.

 

[Dean]

What are your feelings about mid-March? Seems like such a great place to go. I would love to be able to get the kids there at some point. Part of me thinks it might even be worth it to risk a hurricane. Just plain craziness there.

Can anyone remind me of what was mentioned about Thanksgiving time??

Xmas to mid April will be peak time with a secondary peak mid summer. May, Sept, Oct and early Dec will be the easiest times.

 

[TXdeVille]

Mid-March is the middle of peak season. I think the chance of a successful trade depends on where Easter falls in a particular year. All major Holidays and when the kids are out school (Summer) trades are tough.

Stupid question for most, but unfortunately, not me. I'm really new to this How do I get a resort picture, say AKV, in my signature line? It won't let me upload images to my sig.

 

[tomandrobin]

Stupid question for most, but unfortunately, not me. I'm really new to this How do I get a resort picture, say AKV, in my signature line? It won't let me upload images to my sig.

Right click on the image on my signature. Copy the address of the image. Open your user cp, go to edit signature and paste the address from the image.

 

[alldiz]

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

I'm seriously thinking about Aruba....are there any supervised kids activities.
What time of year did you go for those points

Are there any other really good trades in the caribbean that are possible
to get?
Thanks
Kerri

 

[HeatherAnne]

Hi All Diz,
The Marriott offers all kinds of Kids Camps and activities. In all the years we have gone there though we have never used them - but I hear they are great! There is a schedule every day of the activites at each resort. Feeding the Iguana's is a popular one. I think they have treasure hunts too. There are THREE Marriotts right next to eachother - two of which are timeshares so there is plenty to do with the kids.....Only thing though...If you want to use the "lazy river" at the Surf Club you must be staying there....they have gotten pretty strict about that because so many people were using it from the other two Marriott's and it was getting crowded.......

I put the search into DVC for Aug, Sept and Oct for Aruba. I believe we went in Sept. I put the search in Aug and it came thru in March so it took about 7/8 months. I would put a search in at least a year in advance for when you want to go.....

I hear the Westin in St. John is an amazing resort too.....

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

HeatherAnne

 

[tomandrobin]

I hear the Westin in St. John is an amazing resort too.....

St John is amazing, but you will never get an II trade with DVC into St. John. You need to know an owner and trade directly or rent. But for younger kids, there are many more resorts better suited then St. John.

 

[tomandrobin]

I'm seriously thinking about Aruba....are there any supervised kids activities.
What time of year did you go for those points

Are there any other really good trades in the caribbean that are possible
to get?
Thanks
Kerri

I will second the Surf Club, very nice resort. Every time I check II, there seems to be availability most of the time. Right now there are two bedroom units for the folling dates on II:


Apr 11 2008 - Apr 18 2008
Apr 25 2008 - May 02 2008
Apr 26 2008 - May 03 2008
Sep 05 2008 - Sep 12 2008
Sep 06 2008 - Sep 13 2008
Sep 07 2008 - Sep 14 2008
Sep 12 2008 - Sep 19 2008
Sep 13 2008 - Sep 20 2008

 

[TXdeVille]

I suppose it is fairly unheard of to call to get an II reservation and get it on the spot....a search is usually required, right?

 

[tomandrobin]

I suppose it is fairly unheard of to call to get an II reservation and get it on the spot....a search is usually required, right?

Not sure about Disney, but with a normal II account its an instant match. If inventory is available.

 

[Dean]

I suppose it is fairly unheard of to call to get an II reservation and get it on the spot....a search is usually required, right?

It is unusual to get the good stuff when you call, it almost always happens with an ongoing search. If it's just sitting there you are likely paying too much using DVC points.

 

[mmmcq]

I have to admit, I've been "away" from the boards for awhile and I feel like a newbie with training wheels. I could use some help.....esp from tomandrobin.

We took a long WDW trip in Nov 2006 and a day trip to Disneyland in early Feb.....so we are looking to trade out this summer.

How does one do a search on II? On the DVC site? I don't recall finding that function when I was on it last week. I'm interested in Mexico and Aruba.

Thanks

PS UrsalasMom....my best friend just got back from a week at the Atlantis and I believed she stayed in the hotel across the street as well with full access to the Atlantis. I understand it's better because you don't have to deal with the elevators. I'll get more scoop later this week and let you know.

 

[alldiz]

Hi All Diz,
The Marriott offers all kinds of Kids Camps and activities. In all the years we have gone there though we have never used them - but I hear they are great! There is a schedule every day of the activites at each resort. Feeding the Iguana's is a popular one. I think they have treasure hunts too. There are THREE Marriotts right next to eachother - two of which are timeshares so there is plenty to do with the kids.....Only thing though...If you want to use the "lazy river" at the Surf Club you must be staying there....they have gotten pretty strict about that because so many people were using it from the other two Marriott's and it was getting crowded.......

I put the search into DVC for Aug, Sept and Oct for Aruba. I believe we went in Sept. I put the search in Aug and it came thru in March so it took about 7/8 months. I would put a search in at least a year in advance for when you want to go.....

I hear the Westin in St. John is an amazing resort too.....

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

HeatherAnne

Thanks for the great info.....the place looks and sounds awesome

I will second the Surf Club, very nice resort. Every time I check II, there seems to be availability most of the time. Right now there are two bedroom units for the folling dates on II:


Apr 11 2008 - Apr 18 2008
Apr 25 2008 - May 02 2008
Apr 26 2008 - May 03 2008
Sep 05 2008 - Sep 12 2008
Sep 06 2008 - Sep 13 2008
Sep 07 2008 - Sep 14 2008
Sep 12 2008 - Sep 19 2008
Sep 13 2008 - Sep 20 2008

If I'm flexible with dates....Can MS tell ME what is available at the
surf club....or do I have to give a date....
BTW......how can I look up what dates are available.
Are 1BR harder to get than 2B?.
Thanks
Kerri

 

[tomandrobin]

If I'm flexible with dates....Can MS tell ME what is available at the surf club....or do I have to give a date....
BTW......how can I look up what dates are available.
Are 1BR harder to get than 2B?.
Thanks
Kerri

I only trade in II, not with DVC, so I am not sure what they see or how thier process works.

From my limited experience, the larger the room, the harder the exchange. But Dean is really the expert on trade availability and when/how to request.

 

[tomandrobin]

How does one do a search on II? On the DVC site? I don't recall finding that function when I was on it last week. I'm interested in Mexico and Aruba..

With DVC, as of now you are not allowed to search II yourself. You call MS and they will put the request in for you. As far as your two locations, Aruba may be tough for this summer. Mexico may be easier. This morning at Surf Club there was availability April,may, and Sept. Nothing for the summer. There was a one bedroom for June 13-20 at the Renaissance Aruba Beach Resort, nothing else.

For Mexico (Cancun) I only saw one summer week in a studio at all of the Royals

PS UrsalasMom....my best friend just got back from a week at the Atlantis and I believed she stayed in the hotel across the street as well with full access to the Atlantis. I understand it's better because you don't have to deal with the elevators. I'll get more scoop later this week and let you know.

Its the Comfort Suites Paradise Island, has full access to Atlantis. LINK
Here is a trip advisor link.

 

[mcqueengroupie]

Hi, I'm an owner at Harborside, it is a Starwood Property, (they own Westin, sheraton, St. Regis, just to name a few), and let me tell you it is extremely hard to get into Harborside using II. Just as hard as it was for us to deposit Harborside and get into Disney.(we never did get inot Disney so we bought into SSR) The way Haborside works is that your week is automatically booked for you every year. You can travel whenever you like, but your week is booked first, so at any given time the resort looks completely booked, even when people haven't decided if they are going to Harborside or not. Hence it's impossible to get into!! And now Harborside will rent your villa for you, and you get half the price that they rent it for. Really what happens is that Atlantis books it just like a hotel room, if you go to the atlantis site, you probably can book the villas at Harborside, but you are paying a ton of money for them.

 

[tomandrobin]

Hi, I'm an owner at Harborside, it is a Starwood Property, (they own Westin, sheraton, St. Regis, just to name a few), and let me tell you it is extremely hard to get into Harborside using II. Just as hard as it was for us to deposit Harborside and get into Disney.(we never did get inot Disney so we bought into SSR) The way Haborside works is that your week is automatically booked for you every year. You can travel whenever you like, but your week is booked first, so at any given time the resort looks completely booked, even when people haven't decided if they are going to Harborside or not. Hence it's impossible to get into!! And now Harborside will rent your villa for you, and you get half the price that they rent it for. Really what happens is that Atlantis books it just like a hotel room, if you go to the atlantis site, you probably can book the villas at Harborside, but you are paying a ton of money for them.

For the most part, I will agree with the above post. Phase 1 weeks are fixed, phase 2 weeks float, except for event weeks. Also, the maintenance fees are really high at Harborside, which discourages many owners from trading. They are better off renting thier weeks.

 

[mcqueengroupie]

I own in the first phase and as long you can get a resservation, we are free to travel anytime, of course in the winter we only get 5 days, the late spring and summer (which we technically own) we get a week, and hurricane season, fall, we would get 10 days. To be honest, as owners we almost didn't get in this coming summer. We didn't want to go during our week so the "canceled" our ressie before booking another week and at first we couldn't get in. We had to contact a manager to clear up the mess. The maintenance fees are unbareable, so we will rent if we don't go one year.