Bluegreen - Club La Pension

_ombe115 · Jan 15, 2015

Hi all! I found a listing on ebay for a timeshare in New Orleans for Club La Pension. before bidding and committing to wanting to buy it, I wanted to research more into how Bluegreen works. i've found useful info but am still confused about certain things:

i've been reading about Points. what are these, how do they work, how do you earn/accumulate them?
do i have to buy/have points in order to use the timeshare i purchase?
i read that Bluegreen is affiliated with RCI. is that through Points or Weeks?
what's the exact process of booking?
what are the approximate fees i should be mindful of? all the ebay listing mentions are maintenance fees. but i'm assuming there's the Bluegreen Club fee and is there a fee to participate in RCI?
Any other experience or advice with Bluegreen? Or with Club La Pension?
The listing mentions it's a floating week with some blackout weeks. Am I guaranteed the unit though every time i want to visit (ie. 2bd 1.5ba)?

Thanks in advance!!

geekette · Jan 15, 2015

I don't know much about this property (it came to the network just a few years ago) but from what you describe it is not part of BGVC (BG points), it's a floating week you are buying. If your ownership comes with RCI membership it is probably Weeks. For a float, I'd say that you are not guaranteed A Specific Week but you are guaranteed usage that year.

Sorry can't be more help but my ownership is vacation club. I can tell you for sure that using RCI, there will be charges.

My experience with Bluegreen is great, but club ownership vs fixed/float are very very different. Most of what you read online will be about the vacation club (points).

_ombe115 said:
Hi all! I found a listing on ebay for a timeshare in New Orleans for Club La Pension. before bidding and committing to wanting to buy it, I wanted to research more into how Bluegreen works. i've found useful info but am still confused about certain things:

i've been reading about Points. what are these, how do they work, how do you earn/accumulate them?

do i have to buy/have points in order to use the timeshare i purchase?

i read that Bluegreen is affiliated with RCI. is that through Points or Weeks?

what's the exact process of booking?

what are the approximate fees i should be mindful of? all the ebay listing mentions are maintenance fees. but i'm assuming there's the Bluegreen Club fee and is there a fee to participate in RCI?

Any other experience or advice with Bluegreen? Or with Club La Pension?

The listing mentions it's a floating week with some blackout weeks. Am I guaranteed the unit though every time i want to visit (ie. 2bd 1.5ba)?

Thanks in advance!!

ronparise · Jan 15, 2015

geekette said:
I don't know much about this property (it came to the network just a few years ago) but from what you describe it is not part of BGVC (BG points), it's a floating week you are buying. If your ownership comes with RCI membership it is probably Weeks. For a float, I'd say that you are not guaranteed A Specific Week but you are guaranteed usage that year.

Sorry can't be more help but my ownership is vacation club. I can tell you for sure that using RCI, there will be charges.

My experience with Bluegreen is great, but club ownership vs fixed/float are very very different. Most of what you read online will be about the vacation club (points).

If you own one one of the old floating weeks you have nothing to do with blue green points. Bluegreen picked this place up from the heirs of the original developer. What they got was the unsold inventory and the management..

The old weeks didnt change from what they were ...floating weeks.

They took the unsold inventory and put them into their points program A guy named Josh Koht sells them on site. Ill give you his number if you want to talk to him

The new points owners can use there points here or anywhere in the blue green system and points owners from other places in bluegreen can use their points here (thats all I know about BlueGreen points)

The weeks are floating weeks, they float over the whole year except the 2 Mardi Gras weeks, the 2 Jazz Fest weeks Sugar Bowl and the French Quarter Fest week in early April. Mr John sold these as event weeks and they guarantee the owner the specific event, although event week owners can take another week if they want (not another event week)

This is a great property, When Blue green took over they closed the place for a year, each weeks owner was assessed a 1500 special assessment and they rebuilt the place. Its actually 5 interconnected buildings that date back to the early 1800's. that are as good as new now

heres a link to the original condo docs as amended

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u80usxxdy...imeshare And Condominium Declaration.pdf?dl=0

_ombe115 · Jan 15, 2015

thanks for the responses! since i now have some clarity, i guess my real questions would be:

if i buy from eBay, will i/will i not automatically be a part of the BG vacation club?
what does being in the vacation club entail/what are the benefits? would it hurt if i'm not a part of the club?
what i REALLY want to know is if i'll have the option to exchange my week for different destinations, whether they are BG or through RCI (if i become a member and pay the fees)
when the listing says its a 2bd place, does that mean every time i want to travel there and use Club La Pension, i will get a 2bd unit? i just want to make sure

Saintsfanfl · Jan 16, 2015

_ombe115 said:
thanks for the responses! since i now have some clarity, i guess my real questions would be:

if i buy from eBay, will i/will i not automatically be a part of the BG vacation club?

what does being in the vacation club entail/what are the benefits? would it hurt if i'm not a part of the club?

what i REALLY want to know is if i'll have the option to exchange my week for different destinations, whether they are BG or through RCI (if i become a member and pay the fees)

when the listing says its a 2bd place, does that mean every time i want to travel there and use Club La Pension, i will get a 2bd unit? i just want to make sure

No it will not be part of the BG club because as Ron mentioned the unit in question does not belong.

I only have II and it is a member so perhaps it is dual affiliated.

It's a 2 bed 1.5 bath unit. That's what you get when you book.

If your primary goal is exchanging then it's not really a great unit to own in II. A $700 non-lock-off is a bit high. It would be close to $1,000 a year on an exchange. You could do better, but you could also do worse. In my opinion New Orleans is a place to own for usage and maybe renting out, but most visitors don't want a full week.

csxjohn · Jan 16, 2015

The BG points chart I have does not list that resort so as the others have said, it's probably not part of the Club.

If it were me I contact Ron and talk to the fellow down there who handles the BG sales. He should be able to tell you what you'd be getting into.

ronparise · Jan 16, 2015

http://www.bluegreenonline.com/points.pdf

page 8 is club la pension

csxjohn · Jan 16, 2015

Oops, thanks Ron, somehow I was looking under N for New Orleans instead of L.

If the op finds that this unit is in the BG vacation club there will be a club fee every year, $129 I think, and this covers the RCI membership as well as other administrative costs. This is on top of MFs.

Saintsfanfl · Jan 16, 2015

I am pretty sure the OP is referring to the listing by J&J. It's the only La Pension I see listed. They are a very reputable reseller and would be able to answer the question on the points. The listing makes no mention of points of any kind, no club, no extra dues, not even RCI. It looks like a traditional week but a quick message to J&J would answer it. It's one of John Kushman's companies.

ronparise · Jan 16, 2015

Saintsfanfl said:
I am pretty sure the OP is referring to the listing by J&J. It's the only La Pension I see listed. They are a very reputable reseller and would be able to answer the question on the points. The listing makes no mention of points of any kind, no club, no extra dues, not even RCI. It looks like a traditional week but a quick message to J&J would answer it. It's one of John Kushman's companies.

And John is good people

geekette · Jan 16, 2015

OP, depending on what you are really wanting in Exchange, you might want BG Vacation CLub (BG points) to stay in-network, including this place, and have easy RCI access. It's a very flexible ownership and reasonably priced also. You can get points very cheap or you can buy via developer for other benefits (worth it or not is your call).

I think your main consideration right now is which BG ownership gets you where you want to go, when you want to go, and what does it cost annually, and what is the "hassle factor" (ease of booking, nuisance fees, etc).

Timeshare Kahuna would be my suggestion of who to talk to in making a decision such as that, and they have inventory to resell. They want to fit you to a vacation ownership that actually fits you via customer svc vs hard sell as they may help you determine what you want isn't something they have and they are ok with that.

The original question is about a floating week, NOT BG Points. You would go thru traditional week for week exchange with RCI or any other exchange co, paying for that membership yourself (I believe). BG Vac Club dues include RCI membership.

With BG Points (BGVC), you could "exchange" in-network with no fees (after paying maintenance fees and club dues, correctly mentioned as around $129/yr; reservations easy online or by phone for up to 11 months before check-in... ). SUper easy to use. Book and go, no new money. Mf billed in Oct, paid in Nov; club dues required in month of your anniversary ("gain date" for new points that are granted annually; my gain date is March 1, my club dues are due in Feb, paid maint in Nov)

So, help us help you - what are your travel priorities? when/where, for how long, how many usually in your travel party, etc? We can help you figure out if you want BGVC or a fixed/float (this resort or other?) to trade and sometimes use.

Is it the resort that appeals to you, the city or the price??

Check out the BG points chart. The ad you are looking at Does Not get you that. Decide if you want the NO week in the ad or points for NO time and more.

_ombe115 · Jan 16, 2015

thanks for the responses! so it seems like since its a week and not points, its not as easy to exchange, either with RCI or II? I mean, I know most likely I will use it every year to visit NOLA itself but it'd be nice if I also had the option to exchange it if I wanted to, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not? And I agree, most people wouldn't want to stay for a whole week in NOLA unless its Mardi Gras but those two weeks are blocked off, naturally.

_ombe115 · Jan 16, 2015

geekette said:
OP, depending on what you are really wanting in Exchange, you might want BG Vacation CLub (BG points) to stay in-network, including this place, and have easy RCI access. It's a very flexible ownership and reasonably priced also. You can get points very cheap or you can buy via developer for other benefits (worth it or not is your call).

I think your main consideration right now is which BG ownership gets you where you want to go, when you want to go, and what does it cost annually, and what is the "hassle factor" (ease of booking, nuisance fees, etc).

Timeshare Kahuna would be my suggestion of who to talk to in making a decision such as that, and they have inventory to resell. They want to fit you to a vacation ownership that actually fits you via customer svc vs hard sell as they may help you determine what you want isn't something they have and they are ok with that.

The original question is about a floating week, NOT BG Points. You would go thru traditional week for week exchange with RCI or any other exchange co, paying for that membership yourself (I believe). BG Vac Club dues include RCI membership.

With BG Points (BGVC), you could "exchange" in-network with no fees (after paying maintenance fees and club dues, correctly mentioned as around $129/yr; reservations easy online or by phone for up to 11 months before check-in... ). SUper easy to use. Book and go, no new money. Mf billed in Oct, paid in Nov; club dues required in month of your anniversary ("gain date" for new points that are granted annually; my gain date is March 1, my club dues are due in Feb, paid maint in Nov)

So, help us help you - what are your travel priorities? when/where, for how long, how many usually in your travel party, etc? We can help you figure out if you want BGVC or a fixed/float (this resort or other?) to trade and sometimes use.

Is it the resort that appeals to you, the city or the price??

Check out the BG points chart. The ad you are looking at Does Not get you that. Decide if you want the NO week in the ad or points for NO time and more.

thanks so much for the thorough answer! i really appreciate it. let me start by answering your questions

it isn't necessarily the resort that appeals to me, it's the city. i love NOLA. i've only been once and going again this weekend and i plan on trying to go at least once every year. the thing that does kind of throw me off though is the maintenance fees. although $700/year isn't extremely high (i've seen some that are $1000+), i'm not sure if it's worth it.

my travel priorities:

when i travel: if i'm going to NOLA, it would be sometime between october and april. if i'm going anywhere else, i don't mind. i like traveling anywhere really
the location would determine how long i intend to stay. for a place like NOLA, even though i love it, i can't really see myself staying for an entire week. if it's casual travel, like just exploration, sight seeing, first time going there, etc...my trips are usually between 3-4 nights (2 nights if its somewhere "local" meaning driving distance).
i'll try to go places with a group but thats actually a lot harder so it's most feasible for me to find one other person to go with me. by group i mean average between 4 and 6 people. the only time i can see a big group of people (10+) going is if its for a winter or spring break kind of trip or close enough that we could road trip.

from your explanation, it does seem like Points might be better for me. it also seems like Club La Pension is included in those points as well. it would be nice to have the flexibility to travel to multiple destinations during any time period. i don't really like the idea of a fixed week.

so would it be better to buy points instead? does the location/resort of what the points are for really matter? since they are "transferable" to other resorts? do people buy points for a resort they don't really "want" but exchange it for a different location?

Saintsfanfl · Jan 16, 2015

Price ended about right with it having free usage. I recently overpaid a bit for another 2BR lock-off at the Quarter House.

ronparise · Jan 16, 2015

_ombe115 said:
thanks so much for the thorough answer! i really appreciate it. let me start by answering your questions

it isn't necessarily the resort that appeals to me, it's the city. i love NOLA. i've only been once and going again this weekend and i plan on trying to go at least once every year. the thing that does kind of throw me off though is the maintenance fees. although $700/year isn't extremely high (i've seen some that are $1000+), i'm not sure if it's worth it.

my travel priorities:

when i travel: if i'm going to NOLA, it would be sometime between october and april. if i'm going anywhere else, i don't mind. i like traveling anywhere really

the location would determine how long i intend to stay. for a place like NOLA, even though i love it, i can't really see myself staying for an entire week. if it's casual travel, like just exploration, sight seeing, first time going there, etc...my trips are usually between 3-4 nights (2 nights if its somewhere "local" meaning driving distance).

i'll try to go places with a group but thats actually a lot harder so it's most feasible for me to find one other person to go with me. by group i mean average between 4 and 6 people. the only time i can see a big group of people (10+) going is if its for a winter or spring break kind of trip or close enough that we could road trip.

from your explanation, it does seem like Points might be better for me. it also seems like Club La Pension is included in those points as well. it would be nice to have the flexibility to travel to multiple destinations during any time period. i don't really like the idea of a fixed week.

so would it be better to buy points instead? does the location/resort of what the points are for really matter? since they are "transferable" to other resorts? do people buy points for a resort they don't really "want" but exchange it for a different location?

If its New Orleans Id suggest a floating week at Wyndhams Avenue Plaza Resort Its not on the edge of te French Quarter like Club La Pension but there are so many other features of this ownership that make sense for your listed needs

This place is in the Garden District about 2 miles from the French Quarter. Its right on the streetcar line, The french Quarter is about a 10 min ride

unlike Club La Pension this place has a heated pool, hot tub, gym, "gathering room" with several computers and free icecream one afternoon a week, roof top deck

Mf for a studio is $575 and a one bedroom is $700, a cool feature is that your week can be split into a 3 day and a 4 day stay with any day check in

with for each week you own you get to use a second week (of either size)...just pay the mf and this week can be split too

So a one week ownership can give you 4 weekend reservations a year Some folks rent 2 for enough income to cover mf...can you say free vacations?

or since Splits can can overlap You can use reserve a studio and a 1 bedroom for the same time frame and effectively have a 2 bedroom unit. maximum occupancy for every room is 4, so 8 for the pair.

Valet parking is onsite for $12 a night..The best deal in town (club la pension is $30)

No other timeshare in New Orleans gives you the flexibility of these floating weeks at Avenue Plaza and did I mension they are really cheap on ebay.. I bought 3 more recently with 2015 mf paid and 2015 usage is mine I dont think I paid $500 for all of them

You could also buy Wyndham points or Worldmark Credits to use at Avenue Plaza (or with Wyndham Points , La Belle Maison,) and all the other Wyndham resorts but MF will be more as will the cost to purchase, The advantage to points and credits is that you can get to the weeks that are blacked out for the floating weeks owners

Bluegreen - Club La Pension

_ombe115

geekette

ronparise

_ombe115

Saintsfanfl

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

ronparise

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

Saintsfanfl

ronparise

geekette

_ombe115

_ombe115

Saintsfanfl

ronparise