on search list for kauai, have some ?'s

[nitsirk987]

hello,

2 weeks ago i called and had our name put on the search list for a week in kauai for oct '05. i was just looking at my paperwork, all stuff i just jotted down while talking with m/s, and noticed that i wrote that there are 2 different amounts of points that could be use for the stay.. 137 pts or 160 pts. they didn't ask me or tell me which amount we would be using.. anybody know when they tell or ask you?? and what is the difference of the points, views??? i just thought it was weird... i thought all membership getaways were 160 points??

thanks for your help!!

kristin

 

[Dean]

That means you are looking for a studio or 1 BR. That eliminates likely two of the three best choices for Kauai, the Embassy and the newer Marriott from your list. The only ones remaining on the DVC lists worth taking with 1 BR units are the other Marriott, MAYBE Club Intrawest and Hanelei Bay. The 1 BR units at HB are quite marginal, IMO. The resort itself is hit or miss but overall worth considering. Most of the 1 BR units don't have much of a view compared to the 2 BR. The rep told me that 75% did not have an ocean view where most of the 2 BR units did. Remember CI only has check ins on Sunday.

As for the points, it is determined by each resort, DVC and II. Basically the resort decides what their exchange status is. One week could be the higher and another the lower points. One resort could be higher and another lower for the same week. I personally would avoid Worldmark (looks like it was taken off the list recently anyway), Cliff's Club and Lawaii Beach for a DVC exchange. The points costs could be 124, 144 or 160 for a 1 BR. For a studio, the numbers are 106, 123 or 134. Generally HI will be the higher number but occasionally you'll get one for less. And with an ongoing search, it's possible to get a 2 BR and only pay for a smaller unit in some cases. I hope this helps.

 

[nitsirk987]

hi dean,

now i am really confused!! you metioned that there are 2 marriott's on Kauai?? my book only has one.. and ms didn't mention anything about a choice of which one we would want. they just said the "marriott on kauai". and i said yup? are there 2 different ones??

now when do i tell them what type of room that i am looking for? they didn't ask anything about a studio or 1 bedroom or anything!

thanks for the help

 

[dianeschlicht]

Sounds like you should have given them more information about what you were searching for. When we did our Hawaii search, we said 1 bedroom or more, so we knew we would not get a studio size unit. I would have preferred a 2 bedroom, but 1's were all we were offered.

 

[nitsirk987]

it kind of makes me mad. i told the man that i was talking to that it was my first time going onto a search. he didn't offer me any info and also didn't ask anything either!!! and thank god i was listening because right before we got off the phone, he quickly said the search is in the system for oct '05 for the marriott on maui!!! i said did you say maui??? it supposed to be kauai!!! he said "oh, i'll switch it then". now i think i am calling them back in the morning and asking them when i tell them the room size i want and to make sure that i get the "marriott kauai beach club" and not the "other one". now i am nervous, if they didn't ask me anything, how did they search for it? i wish they were open now.....

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by nitsirk987
it kind of makes me mad. i told the man that i was talking to that it was my first time going onto a search. he didn't offer me any info and also didn't ask anything either!!! and thank god i was listening because right before we got off the phone, he quickly said the search is in the system for oct '05 for the marriott on maui!!! i said did you say maui??? it supposed to be kauai!!! he said "oh, i'll switch it then". now i think i am calling them back in the morning and asking them when i tell them the room size i want and to make sure that i get the "marriott kauai beach club" and not the "other one". now i am nervous, if they didn't ask me anything, how did they search for it? i wish they were open now.....

Follow this link to the DVC Kauai exchange listing. You'll be able to see what resorts have what unit type except for the Embassy which only has 2 and 3 BR units. The Marriott Kauai Beach Club only has hotel conversions with a minikitchen. It has studios, 1 and 2 BR units. The Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club only has 2 BR units. If it were I, I'd list the two Marriott's, Embassy and maybe Hanelei Bay and Club Intrawest. Even if it's only two people. Tell them the smallest unit you will take. They will call when they get something and ask you if still want it. BTW, if you got the Marriott Maui Ocean Club, that is the top option in HI, bar none. Expect a match at about 2-6 months out IF you get anything.

You made the classic DVC exchange mistake. You assumed since it's Disney, you could just leave everything up to them and not worry about it. YOU must explore your options so you get what's best for you and your family. If you take what you get, you get what you take and the blame is on you. Anyone that exchanges and just assumes because it's Disney, you don't have to check around and get all the info, is asking for trouble. You have to learn enough to tell DVC what you want, not wait for them to prompt you. They don't really know much about the resorts and even less about exchanging in general. Be prepared. Good luck.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

BTW, if you got the Marriott Maui Ocean Club, that is the top option in HI, bar none.

Dean or anyone else,

You think this is better than the 2 Marriots on Kauai? Would you might telling us why?

Also, if someone owns both Marriott and DVC points are you better off trading Marriott for Marriott? Would it be a pipe dream to get a week in Maui and a week in Kauai back to back?

Thanks!

 

[JimC]

I am happy that the Marriott Maui Ocean Club is so well thought of. We are going there for a week in a one bedroom ocean front this September. Used Marriott points to get it.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by CoolDisneyCat
Dean or anyone else,

You think this is better than the 2 Marriots on Kauai? Would you might telling us why?

Also, if someone owns both Marriott and DVC points are you better off trading Marriott for Marriott? Would it be a pipe dream to get a week in Maui and a week in Kauai back to back?

Thanks!

To many, this is the top Marriott in many ways. It would be difficult to get back to back weeks but not impossible. If one wanted to do that, I'd recommend other ways in addition to the DVC exchange, like looking for a private exchange(s) on TUG and the DVC RENT/TRADE board.

 

[nitsirk987]

So here is another question....

if i call ms back and tell them to add more of a hotel choice to our search are they going to ask for another $75.00?

 

[llp479]

Marriott's Kauai Beach Club is in Lihue, and the new Marriott Waiohai is on Poipu Beach. We were fortunate to stay at Waiohai in December on a trade from Kauai Beach, which is where my parents own. Both are beautiful resorts. We liked Waiohia so much we're considering a purchase there.

 

[nitsirk987]

so you think because they didn't ask me which one we were interested in, that they have us down for both? if not, if i call back do they charge again to add another hotel selection?

anybody else have an opinion on what marriott is nicer?? are they both on the water?

 

[Dean]

My guess is they only added you for the Kauai Beach Club as the other is a new resort on the DVC list added a few months ago. I'm sure you will not have a new fee. They charged the fee up front but will refund it if you cancel. You can make as many changes as you want.

As I tried to get before, what unit size did you need or ask for and what time of years are you hoping to go. What I'd recommend is you get the info together before you call back then tell them you want X resorts and what weeks. That way you'll only have listed what you will accept. No one choice will work for everyone.

As for the nicer Marriott, it's a matter of taste. If you like OKW, you'll likely prefer Waiohai which has only 2 BR and a full kitchen. If you are more a hotel person, golf, eat out and the like; you may prefer the Kauai Beach Club. From my taste, I'd list Waiohai first, Embassy second and Beach Club Third; but any would be great. The Embassy is very nice, maybe not quite as upscale as the Marriott be we really liked it.

You should join TUG (Timeshare Users Group) and look at the review info for all the resorts in question. Search the net and look at the info you can find. TUG also has direct exchange listings and adds, you might be able to make arrangements with an owner at a resort you want. This gives you unit assignment preferences and you might, or might not, be able to get it for less points. Still, it's one other option available to you.

 

[pluto109]

forget using points .stay at the princeville resort you will not be disappointed..just got back from there

 

[nitsirk987]

i wish we could, but when my husband and i decided to buy into dvc, we decided that we would use it for our vacation for each year. we really don't have enough of an income to pay for the timeshare and on top of that, pay for another vacation... esp now, i have been battling cancer and have another surgery coming up next month, and we are living on one income for now until i can go back to work..

thanks for the info though.

kristin

 

[nitsirk987]

dean,

to answer your questions, when i called and talked with m/s to put our name on the search list, he (mike) didn't ask what size unit we wanted. we also didn't ask how many people in our party.. and for the time of year, i told them the last 2 weeks in oct '05.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by nitsirk987
dean,

to answer your questions, when i called and talked with m/s to put our name on the search list, he (mike) didn't ask what size unit we wanted. we also didn't ask how many people in our party.. and for the time of year, i told them the last 2 weeks in oct '05.

October is one of the best times to ask for looking for HI. How many people will be going and how many points are you prepared to use?

There is another approach you could add to your arsenal. While many of the resorts in HI are not worthy of a DVC exchange based on the points table or because of the way they treat exchangers; many of them are fine enough resorts. Plus there are other non II or non DVC list choices that are perfectly fine. You may want to consider other resorts as direct exchanges. If you give less points than a DVC exchange would cost, many resorts become reasonable. Especially if you can get them with an owners preference by direct exchange. And don't forget there are a number of other exchange companies out there where one might have access to other resorts and additional inventory at resorts already on your list. Some of these are free to join and some will do an ongoing search and only take your reserved unit if you find a match. If you're set on doing this, you should keep all your options open. A resort that might not be worth 270 DVC points for a 2 BR might be worth 160 or 200. There are many resorts in HI in this category IMO and the principle holds for any resort you'd stay at for free if given the chance. Of course you should never accept a resort you know you'll be unhappy with no matter how cheap it was.

 

[pluto109]

rent your points and pay cash for the princeville..?

 

[nitsirk987]

hi dean,

i just want to thank you for your help!!!

there will only be my husband and myself, so 2 of us... we are planning on going there for our 4th anniversary. we need to get away for a while, it's been a hard year... i would like to just have a one bedroom instead of a studio.

points: lets see, i banked 80 points from 2004 and will get another 200 in feb. we were also planning on booking 3 nights on maui through the consierge collection, so we would be borrowing points from 2006. we plan on having a child sometime in 2006 so will prob end up renting out our points that we have left for that year or letting a family member use them...

again, thanks for all the info

kristin

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by nitsirk987
hi dean,

i just want to thank you for your help!!!

there will only be my husband and myself, so 2 of us... we are planning on going there for our 4th anniversary. we need to get away for a while, it's been a hard year... i would like to just have a one bedroom instead of a studio.

points: lets see, i banked 80 points from 2004 and will get another 200 in feb. we were also planning on booking 3 nights on maui through the consierge collection, so we would be borrowing points from 2006. we plan on having a child sometime in 2006 so will prob end up renting out our points that we have left for that year or letting a family member use them...

again, thanks for all the info

kristin

Then a 2 BR would be overkill. Ask for the resorts that fit your needs otherwise that have 1 BR units. That way if you do get a 2 BR, you will only pay the 1 BR price. I agree with Pluto, one of your better options might be to rent your points and pay cash for a timeshare or condo. Do you have Marriott reward points, if so, that's another option. I think the Kauai Beach Club and Hanelei Bay will be the two best options for a 1 BR through DVC with Club Intrawest if you can do a Sunday start. I'd still recommend the direct exchange and indepenent exchange companies to augment your choices, you have nothing to lose. You can use all measures until something comes up then cancel the rest with no risk or penalties in most cases.