Using Interval this coming weekend

[GADisneyDVC]

My family will be doing our first trade this coming Saturday. We are staying at the Marriott Desert Ridge Villas in Phoenix. We are very excited although we know that it will be very HOT! We do live in Georgia, though, so we are hoping that we can cope with the heat. We have indoor plans for the heat of the day most days. This is a graduation trip for our son who will be heading off to college soon. We wanted to do something totally different and none of us has ever been out west. I know some people want to know about doing trades and hopefully after this one is complete I can share some good info if anyone is interested. We have already had the Marriott people call us and ask if we had any special requests or questions. They also wanted to know if we would like to do the 90 minute tour! If anyone has any suggestions for things for us not to miss, I would love to hear them. I will post more as we go through our trade!

 

[bonnielynn]

I can't wait to hear how things go.. so you already booked the marriott? Did you do it via the interval site?

 

[GADisneyDVC]

It was very easy to do through MS. We called probably 8 or 9 months ago and we had several places we were interested in. We just told them where and when and they matched us up. 120 points for the week and it is affiliated with the JW Marriott right there where we can use the facilities. They have a lazy river and a spa that are calling my name

 

[glennbo123]

We're thinking about someday doing a trip out west also, so I am looking forward to reading your report. Thanks!

 

[nikkistevej]

Keep us posted on how things go there.

 

[tinker_me_happy]

Looking forward to how it all goes. Trying to decide between exchanging through MS or renting points and paying cash for my trip in 2010.

 

[nikkistevej]

I looked at their website, it looks awesome!! Have a great time!

 

[bonnielynn]

It was very easy to do through MS. We called probably 8 or 9 months ago and we had several places we were interested in. We just told them where and when and they matched us up. 120 points for the week and it is affiliated with the JW Marriott right there where we can use the facilities. They have a lazy river and a spa that are calling my name

Wow really sounds nice!

 

[Eeyore2142]

I have stayed at that hotel on business (not the villas, but the main hotel). It is amazing. I highly recommend eating at Roy's - so yummy. The lazy river is great too.

 

[utahkennedys]

It should be a great time. We did an Interval exchange (not with DVC) into Westin Kierland in Scottsdale for Feb. 09 but considered the Marriott too and they both sounded great!

 

[bwvBound]

I highly recommend eating at Roy's - so yummy.

What ... doesn't everyone have a Roy's w/in walking distance of their home?? (Guess I'm just lucky!)

TIP: 5000 American Express Membership Rewards points = $50 Roy's Gift Card.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I was at the hotel section in January for a conference. Wonderful place! I'll have to see if we can get a trade in sometime. The spa called my name too - a very relaxing place and Roy's is a must for dinner. When I went to check out the spa one day I saw a Segway tour going on just like Disney has. They also have a lot of other activities - I got a new sheet everynight from housekeeping at turn down.
In January I was sitting out at the pool and using towels as a blanket so I can't tell you what the lazy river was like! I just took a look at the weather forecast - I was surprised. We've generally been pretty cool out West this spring other than 1 week. But it really is a different heat than Georgia so I don't think you'll melt. Have fun!!!!

 

[GADisneyDVC]

Thanks for all of your positive comments. We are really looking forward to it. I think DH and DS may do the Segway tour and I would love to visit the spa. We will see. We have plans to go to a Diamondbacks game, do a desert tour and several other things. We were so lucky to be able to use DH's skymiles and even got an upgrade to first class for the trip out there. My DD is more excited about that than just about anything. We will definitely try to do Roys.
Thanks for the info.

 

[kimberh]

Looking forward to hearing what all you did while you were there.

 

[MAO]

If you go driving by yourself (i.e., not with a tour guide,) invest in a cheap cooler and take some water. The first time I went to Phoenix was via DVC (stayed at the Biltmore) and we would throw a bottle of water in the trunk. By lunchtime it was literally too hot to drink!

The Heard museum is pretty interesting. There's another one within a block or two of it that I can't remember the name of, but my parents liked it even more than the Heard.

I doubt that this will affect you, but there have been some problems with salmonella in Arizona grown tomatoes lately. If you're buying your own at a store, especially the Roma or large round ones, be sure and wash them thoroughly. The grocery store I work at has actually pulled them from the shelves, so you may not even be able to find any.

If you don't have a cooler in the car, with plenty of ice, I don't recommend taking anything home to the hotel from a restaurant. It's 8 p.m. here (about 2 hours SW of Phoenix) and it's still 102 degrees. The inside of a car will be HOT! Even if you have to walk a little bit extra, look for shade in a parking lot when you go somewhere. You'll be happier, trust me.

Enjoy your trip!