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MVCI Owner - Experience at Vistana Harborside Resort (Including Mini Presentation)

NYFLTRAVELER

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Recently returned from a stay at Vistana’s Harborside Resort at Atlantis - Bahamas.

This was my first experience at a Vistana property. We had a “1br Premium Unit” which had a full kitchen, washer/dryer, king bed in master, queen sleeper sofa and a small balcony with 4 chairs.

Going in, I was expecting the Harborside property and villa to be on par with MVCI properties. Unfortunately that was not the case. While the appliances were new as were the TVs, the room itself (which was in a “renovated building”) was somewhat dated, particularly the bathroom shower. The room had an odor of cooking spice from previous guests, the tile floors were somewhat grimy and the paint was chipped on the outdoor furniture.

The building itself showed signs of age and wear and tear as there were patches of stucco missing in places and evidence of rust.

The pool area was not bad, with a large pool, plenty of chairs/umbrellas, a snack bar and restaurant and a children’s playground. However, unlike MVCI properties, I did not see any daily activities exclusive to the property and the lobby/check in area was rather small.

I did pop into the sales gallery and was willing to “tour” to hear whether they had anything to say about linking up the MVCI and VSE programs. The “tour” incentive was $100 gift card or 18,000 Vistana points. While they had no “tour” openings which fit with my schedule (first thing in morning or late in day) and I told them I had no plan to purchase, they did accommodate me by giving me an express (20 minute) presentation of sorts (no gift).

I asked a series of questions about VSE in general, the Harborside Resort and whether there were any plans to integrate MVCI and VSE.

In response to my inquiry about future potential program integration , the sales mgr stated that VSE and MVCI are working on plans to internally integrate the two programs (ie. MVCI owners can stay at VSE properties by converting DC points to Star Options points and VSE owners can stay at MVCI properties by converting “Star Options” points to DC points). However they stated that this can be a year and a half to 2 years out of it were to happen.

I then made a general inquiry about ownership in the VSE network. The “deal” they were trying to push was a purchase a 1br Premium Unit at Harborside during Platinum season for the “low cost” of $38,600. Maintenance on this unit is $1850 annually and the week converts to 81,000 Star Options points (which can be used for stays at this or other VSE properties depending on availability and season), or 151,200 Marriott Rewards (Bonvoy) Points or could be deposited into II as a high powered trader. The “deal” also included a one time bonus of 200,000 MR points and waiver of the VAT on the purchase price. It appeared they were really pushing the value of MR (Bonvoy) Points vis-a-vis VSE ownership.

At the end of the 20 minutes, we exchanged pleasantries and I went on with my day.

All in all, I would say that from my experience at this property, the MVCI properties are cleaner and more luxurious.
 

mjm1

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Recently returned from a stay at Vistana’s Harborside Resort at Atlantis - Bahamas.

This was my first experience at a Vistana property. We had a “1br Premium Unit” which had a full kitchen, washer/dryer, king bed in master, queen sleeper sofa and a small balcony with 4 chairs.

Going in, I was expecting the Harborside property and villa to be on par with MVCI properties. Unfortunately that was not the case. While the appliances were new as were the TVs, the room itself (which was in a “renovated building”) was somewhat dated, particularly the bathroom shower. The room had an odor of cooking spice from previous guests, the tile floors were somewhat grimy and the paint was chipped on the outdoor furniture.

The building itself showed signs of age and wear and tear as there were patches of stucco missing in places and evidence of rust.

The pool area was not bad, with a large pool, plenty of chairs/umbrellas, a snack bar and restaurant and a children’s playground. However, unlike MVCI properties, I did not see any daily activities exclusive to the property and the lobby/check in area was rather small.

I did pop into the sales gallery and was willing to “tour” to hear whether they had anything to say about linking up the MVCI and VSE programs. The “tour” incentive was $100 gift card or 18,000 Vistana points. While they had no “tour” openings which fit with my schedule (first thing in morning or late in day) and I told them I had no plan to purchase, they did accommodate me by giving me an express (20 minute) presentation of sorts (no gift).

I asked a series of questions about VSE in general, the Harborside Resort and whether there were any plans to integrate MVCI and VSE.

In response to my inquiry about future potential program integration , the sales mgr stated that VSE and MVCI are working on plans to internally integrate the two programs (ie. MVCI owners can stay at VSE properties by converting DC points to Star Options points and VSE owners can stay at MVCI properties by converting “Star Options” points to DC points). However they stated that this can be a year and a half to 2 years out of it were to happen.

I then made a general inquiry about ownership in the VSE network. The “deal” they were trying to push was a purchase a 1br Premium Unit at Harborside during Platinum season for the “low cost” of $38,600. Maintenance on this unit is $1850 annually and the week converts to 81,000 Star Options points (which can be used for stays at this or other VSE properties depending on availability and season), or 151,200 Marriott Rewards (Bonvoy) Points or could be deposited into II as a high powered trader. The “deal” also included a one time bonus of 200,000 MR points and waiver of the VAT on the purchase price. It appeared they were really pushing the value of MR (Bonvoy) Points vis-a-vis VSE ownership.

At the end of the 20 minutes, we exchanged pleasantries and I went on with my day.

All in all, I would say that from my experience at this property, the MVCI properties are cleaner and more luxurious.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We’ve stayed at Harborside twice including this past April. Our experience with the unit was similar to yours, but we enjoyed our stay. The major feature that attracts people to the resort is the access to the water park at Atlantis. That definitely elevates the attractiveness of staying there. Without it I don’t think we would go to the island. However, I don’t think this resort is reflective of Vistana resorts, especially the Westin resorts.

Best regards.

Mike
 
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controller1

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I will have to say that of all the Vistana resorts we've stayed in, Harborside was the shabbiest as far as the villa. If not for the location and amenities provided by Atlantis, I can't imagine why anyone would stay in those villas.

Please don't make your comparison of the entire Vistana system based on your stay at Harborside. I assume there are MVC properties that you would also not want me to compare and associate with the entire MVC portfolio.
 

NYFLTRAVELER

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Thanks for sharing your experiences. We’ve stayed at Harborside twice including this past April. Our experience with the unit was similar to yours, but we enjoyed our stay. The major feature that attracts people to the resort is the access to the water park at Atlantis. That definitely elevates the attractiveness of staying there. Without it I don’t think we would go to the island. However, I don’t think this resort is reflective of Vistana resorts, especially the Westin resorts.

Best regards.

Mike

I would like to hope the Harborside Resort is not reflective of the rest of the Vistana portfolio, because if it is/was, I was very disappointed. I will not be returning there as Atlantis itself (other than the Cove) is quite dated.

If you had to rate the top VSE resorts (other than Hawaii - which I do not plan on traveling to), what would they be?
 

mjm1

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I would like to hope the Harborside Resort is not reflective of the rest of the Vistana portfolio, because if it is/was, I was very disappointed. I will not be returning there as Atlantis itself (other than the Cove) is quite dated.

If you had to rate the top VSE resorts (other than Hawaii - which I do not plan on traveling to), what would they be?

I can only rate those we have stayed at- Kierland Villas, where we own, Westin St John, Lagunamar, and Westin Desert Willow. All 4 of them are very nice. St John is very hard to trade into with StarOptions. All four are highly rated by Tuggers, as noted in the link that Denise posted. It just depends on where you would want to go.


Thanks Denise.

Best regards.

Mike
 

CPNY

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786B6582-BC0F-436D-BC9A-0798A6F14D86.jpeg

Enjoying the balcony after a day at a nice beach (by the cove) is what I like. Couldn’t care about the shower tiles. The TVs are new but the quality from the satellite is what gives it the dated appearance. I do wish there were ovens but it’s all fine. Are there better? Yes, but having access to Atlantis is pretty sweet.
 

CPNY

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The resort was only included with the Starwood program wasn’t for the Harborside, it was for the Atlantis. I just wish they put as much effort into building these units (fit and finish) as they did when they built the Atlantis. It feels like it was developed as a rush job.
 

NYFLTRAVELER

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Don’t get me wrong, I do think that having access to most of Atlantis is a benefit of Harborside (along with the views you posted).

My point was that I was expecting more of a higher end property (including within the units themselves) based on what I had known about VSE.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Yes, Vistana is lower quality compared to MVC. Especially in HI, St. John and Mexico where there is an evil wizard. Stay far far away (so we can keep it to ourselves!) LoL
 
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Fasttr

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Good bait and I'm happy to see after nine hours there have been no takers! ;)
We know BS when we smell it. The sad thing is out of context, somebody will believe the post, which is why posts like the one you quoted are not helpful to the group as a whole.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Ha yes it was in jest. I will edit so people know it's in good humor. :)
 
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pchung6

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I totally agree MVC is higher quality. Should stay with MVC, that's no brainer. Westin or Vistana doesn't live up to MVC standards.
 

DannyTS

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But seriously now folks, what is happening at Harbourside that they cannot maintain a Vistana quality?
 

HenryT

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The biggest issue with Harborside is the high maintenance fee. If the money isn't going to enhance the quality of the resort where is it going?

I guess I need to review my maintenance bill.
 

Dean

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But seriously now folks, what is happening at Harbourside that they cannot maintain a Vistana quality?
It's actually the highest rated on TUG of the non Westin Vistana resorts.
 

DannyTS

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Isn't Harbourside actually owned by Brookfield Asset Management and not by Vistana? Would that play a role?
 

mjm1

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There must be some other type of ownership arrangement because you don’t earn elite night credits with Bonvoy l8ke you do with other Vistana and MVC resorts.

With regard to the relatively high rating on TUG it must be because of the access to the Atlantis water park.

Best regards.

Mike
 

pchung6

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There must be some other type of ownership arrangement because you don’t earn elite night credits with Bonvoy l8ke you do with other Vistana and MVC resorts.

With regard to the relatively high rating on TUG it must be because of the access to the Atlantis water park.

Best regards.

Mike

Not only you don't earn elite night at Harborside, they don't recognize your Marriott status either when check-in. HRA has much higher MF and quality is not at MVC standard, we should stay at Aruba instead.

The same goes to Westin Ka'anapali. WKORV/N has higher MF and location is not good, guest service is sub par. Marriott MOC is better, it is just located next to the whaler's village with a lot restaurants and it is oceanfront building with no garage view. It's no brainer to stay at MVC.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Not only you don't earn elite night at Harborside, they don't recognize your Marriott status either when check-in. HRA has much higher MF and quality is not at MVC standard, we should stay at Aruba instead.

The same goes to Westin Ka'anapali. WKORV/N has higher MF and location is not good, guest service is sub par. Marriott MOC is better, it is just located next to the whaler's village with a lot restaurants and it is oceanfront building with no garage view. It's no brainer to stay at MVC.

Will disagree with you on WKORV/N. MOC and the Westin's have their pluses and minuses but they are both nice in different ways. Perhaps you had a bad experience. YMMV. But I am not going to run this thread longer; different strokes for different folks.
 

pchung6

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Will disagree with you on WKORV/N. MOC and the Westin's have their pluses and minuses but they are both nice in different ways. Perhaps you had a bad experience. YMMV. But I am not going to run this thread longer; different strokes for different folks.

No, as WKORVN owner, I am 100% sure MOC is way better, we should stay at MVC. So I can keep my WKORV/N to myself. WKORV/N and Nanea are not good, MVC people will disappoint and not happy.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Ha! @pchung6 LOL. Forgot to mention the evil wizard...he serves drinks by the pool.

(Seriously, both are nice. First world problems...)
 

Fasttr

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Will disagree with you on WKORV/N. MOC and the Westin's have their pluses and minuses but they are both nice in different ways. Perhaps you had a bad experience. YMMV. But I am not going to run this thread longer; different strokes for different folk..
Thanks for trying to combat the Fake News posted with the sole intention to confuse.
 
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DannyTS

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There must be some other type of ownership arrangement because you don’t earn elite night credits with Bonvoy l8ke you do with other Vistana and MVC resorts.

With regard to the relatively high rating on TUG it must be because of the access to the Atlantis water park.

Best regards.

Mike
Right, my point is that Vistana may have a limited say in the management of the property so it should not be blamed if the quality is not at par with MVC or even with other Vistana properties. I think it is not uncommon in other timeshares (like HGVC) where the affiliates are at a slightly different standard than the resorts managed by the developer. As long as they do not deviate too much from the required quality and they are still a net plus to the network they are allowed to stay.
 
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