Marriott Ocean Pointe- Thanksgiving 2011- Good time to there?

We are Marriott owners but just traded into Ocean Pointe with our non-Marriott week. We got Nov 19-26, 2011, which is Thanksgiving week. We have 24 hours to cancel this exchange, so would appreciate any insights from owners at OP or people who have traded in at this time of year.

I understand this is Silver season. If the temperature is usually in the mid to high 70's that would be great for us as we aren't real big on high temps with high humidity.

It also sounds like the resort is being updated and should be done this fall.

We have never spent any time in southern Florida and this sounds like a very nice area in general, allowing for a day trip to Miami, etc.

Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.

I usually stay on Singer Island in early November and find it to be a great time to visit. Thanksgiving should be slightly cooler, but still very nice. Although this is silver season at Ocean Pointe, it is considered Platinum at Oceana Palms which is only about a mile away.

There are several great restaurants in the area, including Carmine's which is one of our favorites. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for your insights.

Our confirmation from II indicates the following regarding the room:

Unit No: OVTM
Size: 1 bedroom

From reading the information on Marriott's website for OP, the room that was assigned to the owner who reserved and deposited it to II, is what we will get. Any insights as to the unit noted and this policy? As I mentioned earlier, we are Marriott owners, but didn't trade a Marriott unit for this exchange. I know there are several buildings at the resort.

Ocean Point is great year round.

Check this link for great restaurant tips:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111647

Singer Island Marriott

Is great, any time of the year!!!!

Florida is great anytime.

Okay, I may be a little biased but November is really our best weather.

So come on down.

I wouldn't be caught dead in the water in November but I know you snowbirds don't mind it.

Thanks for everyone's insights. We are looking forward to the trip. Too bad it is over a year away.

With regard to OP, which building would you suggest? I confirmed with the resort that we will have an ocean view room, which is on the side of the building. It will just be my wife and I, so which building would you suggest and why? Also, I understand it is best to request a room above the 4th floor, if possible, for a better view.

One other question, which airport usually provides the better flights and airfares? We will be flying from Northern California.

Thanks.

We always fly into PBI b/c it is only about 20 minutes from OP

All of the buildings are great!

We love OP!

Thanks Smooth Air.

mjm1 said:

Thanks for everyone's insights. We are looking forward to the trip. Too bad it is over a year away.

With regard to OP, which building would you suggest? I confirmed with the resort that we will have an ocean view room, which is on the side of the building. It will just be my wife and I, so which building would you suggest and why? Also, I understand it is best to request a room above the 4th floor, if possible, for a better view.

One other question, which airport usually provides the better flights and airfares? We will be flying from Northern California.

Thanks.

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Ocean Pointe usually has high owner occupancy rates and therefore owners will have location priority. Families with younger children usually prefer the Dolphin or Sailfish building, so you may have a better chance of getting a higher floor in the Pompano building. This is located next to the adult pool and fitness center. Some people do not like the south side of this building because it overlooks the 'pink' condominium next door, but we have never had a problem with this location (the building is almost empty). As long as you are on the 4th floor or higher, you should have a view of the ocean, so being on a higher floor should be your priority. The Kingfish building ocean view rooms are limited, so I would suggest not staying there.

I agree that PBI airport is highly recommended over FLL. Traffic can be bad on I95 to FL, and that airport is very busy due to the cruise port nearbye. Have a great trip.

Agreed that views at Kingfish are compromised BUT it is at the end of the strip, thus away from all the fray and constant activity of the other buildings. Hubby and I have stayed there twice, the first time it is where we were assigned but the second by request. The pool is quiet and you can walk up to the other bldgs for more pool action, if so desired. I suppose it all depends on the experience you seek.

Enjoy - it is one of our favs and hopefully we'll get back there this winter !

radmoo said:

Agreed that views at Kingfish are compromised BUT it is at the end of the strip, thus away from all the fray and constant activity of the other buildings. Hubby and I have stayed there twice, the first time it is where we were assigned but the second by request. The pool is quiet and you can walk up to the other bldgs for more pool action, if so desired. I suppose it all depends on the experience you seek.

Enjoy - it is one of our favs and hopefully we'll get back there this winter !

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It is my understanding that all of the South facing villas in Kingfish are classified as Ocean Front, and I had heard that the Ocean View rooms faced North and did not have very good views and were configured differently than those in other buildings. I own Ocean View, but have never stayed in Kingfish for that reason. Do you know if this is true?

Superchief said:

It is my understanding that all of the South facing villas in Kingfish are classified as Ocean Front, and I had heard that the Ocean View rooms faced North and did not have very good views and were configured differently than those in other buildings. I own Ocean View, but have never stayed in Kingfish for that reason. Do you know if this is true?

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You are correct as far as the south and east facing units being ocean front. As far as the north facing units if you are on the 3rd floor or above you have the best oceanview of any ocean side units in the resort with the possible exception of the north side of Sailfish. Thanksgiving week is fairly popular with owners so I wouldn't expect much as far as the view from the room is concerned. There are about ten criteria at Ocean Pointe that they use to determine who gets the best rooms. Trading in from a non-Marriott is near, if not at, the bottom.

Thanks again for everyone's insights. We will request a high floor and see what happens. I was told by the resort to call in about one month before check-in to make a request. Is this the normal timing you would recommend or should I call earlier? If earlier, how many months would you recommend?

I requested and received a high floor one bedroom - it was the very back unit and the view was out of the living room side window - however, it was nice enough that I did not feel claustrophobic in any way. If this is your first time to Florida, you might want to tag something in Miami/Ft Lauderdale or even the keys in addition to your week. In that case, you would want a car and to go to FT Lauderdale airport. If you just want to stay at resort, that is not necessary. I had arrived early and at first they gave me a first floor unit overlooking the parking lot. I very sweetly suggested another room and stated that I was more than happy to wait for the cleaning crew to finish. He put me in the higher floor room, I came back in a few hours and all is well that ends well. Funtime

We'll also be there Thanksgiving Week

Anyone that has been there over Thanksgiving before, know the answer to this:
Sailfish Marina usually has the outdoor fair on Thursdays. I'm assuming it will not be held on Thanksgiving. My question is, do they have it on another night that week? We look forward to it every year and I'm afraid we'll be missing it this year. Maybe I should try asking on the Ocean Pointe Groups board too.