Has Anyone Traded for Atlantic City, NJ?

[bjakmom]

Quote: "IF, the exchange is through the Marriott Seaview property in Somers Point, NJ; you will not be staying in AC, but actually in a very, very nice resort, in a very, very nice town outside of Atlantic City with a wonderful location to many shore destinations."

The Marriott Seaview is not in Somers Pt, but is in Absecon (or Galloway? - I forget exactly which it is considered) - which is also a very nice, basically residential area. DH and I just spent a night there and it is a nice hotel -old but elegant - we did think the pool area was rather small - it is known for it's golf facilities.

I have to agree with most about AC, though - don't know how long it's been since your wife's been to the AC boardwalk - but it sure has changed !!! We enjoy going to concerts/dinners at the casinos and being inside the casinos can be great fun. A few weeks ago I gave up my concert ticket to my son's friend who was a huge fan of the band playing at the Taj Mahal - I decided to drop the boys off and take a walk on the boardwalk (hadn't been up there in probably 12 years!). My daughter (who works at Trump Marina) made me promise to get off the boards before dark - I must admit that I was shocked at the atmosphere and condition - very dirty, trashy, and tacky - a far cry from the days of my youth when we actually slept out overnight to be first in line for a great Steel Pier show!!! I did have a very nice dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.

I live near Ocean City and there the boardwalk and beaches are very clean and family oriented - if you have a car you could also make a day trip to Wildwood and/or Cape May beach/lighthouse. The new Borgata is beautiful and Harrah's and Trump Marina are both close by - Brigantine has great beaches - the ball park is a lot of fun - AC looks better from across the water !!

 

[NJmouse]

Our family had friends in AC that we visited once a year when growing up, we would walk (it was safe then) from their house to the boards and have fun at all the piers. Now most of that family has past away and the rest of the family moved out of AC to Ventnor ( a shore town just south of AC). I live 25 mins from AC and only visit the casinos maybe once every other month only for about 3 hrs at the most. We do NOT go on the boardwalk there is nothing there to do and not very clean. The piers are not like they used to be.
My DH and I drive a little further south and visit Ocean City every weekend. There is always something going on at the music pier. Yesterday there was an art show on the boards. The people are much friendlier and the boards are much cleaner. If you want to visit AC I also suggest you stay somewhere else and drive in to AC for the day. If you want to stay at a casino sometimes they offer discounts on their websites. If you stay at the casino and never leave its property then do it for a night. Do not waste your points at the Jersey Shore.

 

[Patty3]

I have a question about Wildwood, NJ. DH and I grew up in NE Philly and would vacation in Wildwood. Around the late 70's, Wildwood changed and was not the family place we used to go to. There was drugs on the boardwalk, you could smell the pot, and it seemed to have a low life atmosphere. We now live in Virginia and friends have told me that Wildwood is back to the family atmosphere it used to be. So much in fact they are buying a condo right down the block from the Strand movie theatre. They said that alot of the old boarding houses have been torn down and new condos are being built in their locations. I would really love to buy a place at the beach. There is nothing affordable for us at the Outer Banks. She says that Wildwood is the only affordable, low $300,000, area left. She says that N Wildwood and the crest are out of reach. Do you think this is a good investment, we would be staying there and not renting out for the most part. DH still remembers the center of Wildwood as a wild party place, with kids urinating on the side of buildings, is he wrong? Thanks.

 

[offtheice]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
You can rent bikes and ride down the boardwalk. There are some small amusement rides, lots of shops, and plenty of restaurants. The one problem with AC is you can not really leave the boardwalk area, security would be a problem if you do. I haven't been down there since CT got their own casinos. There are shows you can see in the casinos of course. Gambling is the number one thing to do there. If you are not a gambler then I would not recommend the place.

Ac is a city . In citys , they have crimes. In small towns they have crimes. If someone stays off the casinos on propertys , they will have no problem driving to different spots in the city . Parking is plentyfull in the Casino Garages and filled with security. If you want to walk on a dark street through some of the tough neighborhoods ,then ofcourse you may run into a problem. There isnt just Ac boardwalk. Ocean city Board walk is 15 min south which is a pure family town where you can walk in the streets with no problem. Plenty of rides for kids and lots of salt water taffy and fudge. Night life is perfect too ,with somers pt being right over the bridge or even you could go back to AC for that too..

 

[offtheice]

Originally posted by sueg
Sorry to be a spoil sport, but DH & I hate AC. We have to go there for one weekend per year because our office convention is held there. The dining is so-so & I completely agree with the safety concerns. The convention cautions us about straying away from the immediate boardwalk area.
I do agree that DVC flexibility allows each DVCer to use points in a way that suits their family's needs. Many people disagreed with our decision to use some of our points when we stayed at Grand Californian in DL. But I can't imagine any place in AC being worthy of DVC pts.

This is funny reading from someone who is talking about security problems , living in northern jersey.. There is no more crime in Ac ,then any other place including disney. Murders happen in the inlet areas which is far from the casinos. 90% of the murders that happen in Ac, happen over drug deals. If your dealing drugs, then worry. There was 16 murders last yr. Not bad for a city..

 

[Kath816]

Patty,

My sisters recently bought a 2 family in Wildwood Crest. We frequently look at the real estate listings. It is getting very pricey in the area. But, there are a LOT of condos & townhouses being built in the Crest too, mostly knock downs of older motels. I find Wildwood is a little too crazy for my taste. Driving for ice cream this summer, a kid threw a can off a deck & hit our car, not far from the boardwalk. It's very crowded and busy. There was a mixed bag of people on the boardwalk. It's something I'd only do once or twice during the summer, early in the evening due to crowds. But I do think you could buy a small house for in the $300,00 range in the Crest. They do go very fast. Townhouses on the beach block started in the $600,000 range last summer.

I would absolutely not use points for Atlantic City or that area. I'd move south to more safe & family areas also, i.e. Ocean City, Wildwood Crest or Cape May.

JMHO

 

[dg39]

Go to the Borgota casino, gamble alittle, have dinner, maybe a show, stay for the night and then goooooooo. AC=not a vacation spot.

 

[senecabeach]

IMHO....AC "is" as stated ....so many times here...a terrible place to vacation!!

Ocean City is a great family oriented location.

Pt. Pleasant ,which is my favorite and wonderful for families, with daily weekday evening happenings , ie...great boardwalk, pristine beach, radio Disney on the beach, fireworks, storytelling, concerts on the beach..etc.
Pt P inlet accesses the bay & ocean and has many water activities from fishing, dinner cruises, para-sailing.

If you are specificly looking for a gambling experience I probably would suggest Vegas.

Hopefully this helps and best of luck in whatever you decide.....
Please dont waste your prime DVC points in NJ

 

[palmtreegirl]

If you decide to go to AC don't use your DVC points it's not worth it, there are too many good deals on hotels down there just look around.

I've only been o day trips there but my parents just went to AC for the weekend and had a great time, it's definitely not a family place though.

Wildwood & Cape May are all family places and short drive to AC too.