At WKORV this week

I arrived on Saturday. Weather has been quite good - very warm (high 80s) and humid. The mornings and early afternoons are usually very sunny with little breeze. Late afternoons, it starts to look like rain is coming it and the wind picks up, but so far no rain.

We got an absolutely wonderful unit - top floor of building 4 in the corner. Plenty of ocean views around us, even though this is an IV unit. Construction is on the other side of the resort, very visible and audible, but not intrusive (I'm glad I'm not in the closest building facing that side though!). I'm with friends who are using the main part of the unit while I'm in the lockoff. They have two little kids and I can't hear a single thing through the walls.

Resort is not crowded - plenty of room at the pool and elsewhere. Pools are on the cold side (I haven't gone yet, but heard it from several others).

Concierge service is terrific - friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable. The desks are staffed extensively. We even have one in our building (not sure if there's one in every building), so we don't have to stand in line in the lobby.

I'm signed up for the owners' update on Thursday afternoon. If anyone has questions for me to ask, post here.

Hi Pam,

I was just thinking it would be nice to be on Maui right now! Lucky you!

Can you ask about the pool heat? We'll be there in December and it had better be nicely warmed up. It was cold in 2003 and better in 2004 and chilly in 2005. I thought they were working on their heaters...

I can't remember...did you buy IV from the developer or resale?

Also, I'm curious if they are selling WKORV-N EOYs to current owners, and for what prices/incentives.

Have a great week!

pvangordon said:

We got an absolutely wonderful unit - top floor of building 4 in the corner. Plenty of ocean views around us, even though this is an IV unit.

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Congratulations! That's the unit I was in (assuming it's the corner overlooking the pool) and I thought it was significantly better than those I saw of generic "ocean view" in the other buildings (and I saw a few). Larger unit, much bigger patio (with 2 lounges and 2 chairs), and ocean views from the living room... That's the unit I'm going to specifically request when I return next. Enjoy your stay!

Have a great week Pam.... We are all jealous that you are there and we are here. Keep up us updated on the pool thing. We plan to visit Thanksgiving 2007.

Ken555 said:

Congratulations! That's the unit I was in (assuming it's the corner overlooking the pool) and I thought it was significantly better than those I saw of generic "ocean view" in the other buildings (and I saw a few). Larger unit, much bigger patio (with 2 lounges and 2 chairs), and ocean views from the living room... That's the unit I'm going to specifically request when I return next. Enjoy your stay!

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Is that corner unit considered a Deluxe Lockoff? Sounds like it with the larger lanai. Is it considered an ocean view? There are some ocean views in that Building.

The corner units are considered the deluxe units. All of the corner units in the IV building actually have a ocean view. The back unit closest to the lobby has the least ocean view now that WKORV-N is going up. The corner unit looking over the pool is an IV (at least it was) and the one looking over the public beach is the ocean view.

Pool heat: The friends I'm with mentioned it was cold and when we talked with the concierge about it, she said it was a common complaint. Not sure why they keep it that way. Must be really cold if it's still noticeable even in this warm weather!

Our units are 4619/21. I would love to get this same unit again but it might be harder in busier seasons. I just asked for a unit as high up as possible and away from construction, since I'm working during the days. I was actually astounded to get such a great view. Yes, it's the 2 bdrm deluxe with full lockoff on the corner. It has a private keyed entrance with separate keyed doors to each section. I cannot hear a PEEP out of my friends when we're both in our units, nor have I heard any noise on the other side, and I'm extremely sensitive to neighbor noise. I like the double patios; both units also have jacuzzi tubs with shutter doors that open to the bedroom, king sized Heavenly beds, and all the other standard amenities. I've actually been cooking in the lockoff kitchen!

I'll check on the pool heat and North incentives for EOY.

Also, we stopped at Costco on the way in and my friends bought a boogie board on a recommendation from another friend who was here recently. Unfortunately there are no waves on the beach. The concierge suggested checking the beach area by Whalers Village and the Westin hotel, but said it's likely we won't see any. So no boogie boarding this week. One of my friends did try some snorkeling right off our beach and said it was terrific.

FYI - Went today to the "owners update" (aka "sell more weeks to owners update"). It was actually useful to the extent that I knew nothing about North. The complex looks much larger than South, with a very different layout; buildings are angled for better views and there are no units overlooking the parking lot. Also they are only selling 2 bdrm lockoff units, no 1 bdrm standalone units (and actually it's fewer total units than South). The main IV units are facing inward towards the pool with an angle. There are 3 pools, including a kiddie pool with a ship structure and adult pool. Units all have 2 balconies and 3 flat screen plasmas. This is probably old info, but just posting what I learned.

All standard IVs are sold out now. They are selling OF and OV, annual and EOY, as well as some premium weeks. I only checked pricing of regular weeks.

OV annual = $57,900
OV EOY = $37,900
OF annual = $68,900
OF EOY = $39,900

The OF EOYs are selling the best because they are only $2k higher than OV. Here's what I was offered for an OF EOY to offset my current week:

$39,900 - $5,400 (special owners discount) = $34,500
120k incentive points + 30k owners + 80k 2007 points (for addl $1675) = 230k points

Also, when I bought a year ago, I asked whether the other half of my EOY would be available. At the time they said no because it was based on inventory. They called me back after my meeting to say they had the inventory and could sell me the other odd week (actually they would take back my current week and give me an annual) for about half what I paid on the EOY. No incentives though - they usually just give the difference between the incentives available on the purchases and in this case, they've gone down.

Salesperson was pushing points and hotel stays very hard, even initially telling me that if I purchased the OF EOY, I could get a 15k credit against my Marriott ownership to give me Elite. Then he double-checked and found out that was not the case - have to own at least 3 EOYs or 1 annual.

Anyway, it was entertaining for 45 minutes and 4500 SPG points!

Thanks for the updated info!

Pam,

45 minutes...that's good for 4500 SPG points! Thank you for posting all of the updated information. Did they say how sales are going and when they hope to sell out? Is the resort crawling with happy prospects? Did you buy another week?!?!

Is anyone doing anything about the pool heat besides acknowledging that a lot of owners complain? Can they heat it for my December visit ?

How is the weather? My DH was asking because it's rainy here and he was thinking about Maui in October.

Actually I didn't bother asking him about the pool. I figured he wouldn't have much to add to the issue. Hopefully it will be okay when you're here.

Weather has been fantastic all week. Not a drop of rain. A couple days it looked like it might rain and we'd see dark clouds in the distance, but it never hit us. Temps were quite warm all week, easily in the high 80s/low 90s with humidity. Some days were breezier than others, but all of the days were beautiful. I think October was a great time to come - not very crowded, good weather, cheaper flights, and plenty to do.

The salesperson said they expect to sell out of North within 2 years of first releasing it, so they're getting close. I'm surprised the IVs sold so fast. He said sales were very brisk and actually showed me about 10 purchase contracts signed within the last couple days. He deals only with existing owners and 90% of them buy more time. Of course, he's supposed to say that, but I did get the impression sales were steady. I didn't buy - yay, me!