[ 2014 ] Resignation from Cypress Pointe Resort Board

[Stu]

To all CPR owners and fellow TUGgers,

At the last business meeting on 6 Dec 2014, I announced that I am selling my CPR timeshare unit, and therefore was resigning immediately, both as an officer and director of the CPR Association Board of Directors.

My wife and I had owned at CPR since 1997, visiting frequently when our children were in school, and using the resort for RCI exchanges after they went to college. We no longer had the need for our unit any longer, hence the end of an era for us. We still have our other timeshare in Myrtle Beach, SC that we now use and enjoy every year.

I'll always have fond memories of the things we as a Board and Association accomplished during my 14 years as advisor or director on the Board, the friends and acquaintances we've made, and the frequent lively discussions with fellow owners and exchangers both here at the Yahoo group and on the TUG and TS4MS websites.

(and a special farewell to Dr.Waco!)

I will still remain a member of TUG and TS4MS.

In the meantime...
My best regards and wishes of happy timesharing to all!

Stu Schwartz,

Former VP/Treasurer & Director
CPR@LBV Condominium Ass'n

 

[AwayWeGo]

Heartfelt Thanks & Sincere Farewell -- From Another Ex-Owner.

At the last business meeting on 6 Dec 2014, I announced that I am selling my CPR timeshare unit, and therefore was resigning immediately, both as an officer and director of the CPR Association Board of Directors.

Thanks, Stu, for all you did in keeping Cypress Report Resort strongly independent & steadily improving for such a long time. You & Ralph & Don & Mike & John & (later) Jim racked up an amazing record in fending off the corporate timeshare powers for a good long time, steadily improving the quality of the resort all along, moderating the inevitable cost increases while never sacrificing features & amenities. It is a great record. Everyone who helped bring it about can be rightly proud of that long string of positive accomplishments.

Meanwhile, The Chief Of Staff & I are now likewise ex-owners at Cypress Pointe Resort, & I am no longer participating with the HOA-BOD's owner advisory committee. It was great while it lasted.

Our history with Cypress Pointe Resort goes back to 2002, when we bought in (resale) after falling in love with the idea of Orlando timeshare vacationing yet wanting no part of overpriced full-freight timeshares sold by timeshare companies. We churned our (pardon the expression) "portfolio" a bit, selling Cypress Pointe & buying other timeshares before buying in again at Cypress Pointe in 2006.

We not only enjoyed playing the timeshare game (recreationally, not competitively), we also formed strong feelings of friendship with John Chase, president of Cypress Pointe Resort's homeowner association board of directors since before we met him, continuing until his death in April 2014.

John's illness & death pretty much marked the end of Cypress Pointe as an independent, owner-controlled timeshare resort. It's still an outstanding Orlando vacation destination, but it is on course now to become just another link in a just another corporate timeshare chain.

Much of the resort's appeal to us was the way it successfully bucked the corporate tide, maintaining its independent character for such a long time. That's what we'll remember, along with the splendid record of John & Stu & the rest of that group in making & keeping Cypress Pointe what it was for as long as it was.

-- hotlinked --​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[rickandcindy23]

I know John Chase is missed by all of us here on TUG. I will never forget his wisdom on several subjects. He was fun to debate too. Life can be way too short.

 

[pedro47]

I can only say Thanks you for all that you did for the owners at this resort. We are not owners here but we enjoy this resort.

Enjoy your life each day and relax with your love ones.

 

[TUGBrian]

Thank you for your efforts serving on the board for other owners!

I have also stayed at the resort, and would do so again =)

 

[Dori]

A big Thanks, Stu, for all of your hard work and dedication. We also had the pleasure of staying at CPR and had a wonderful experience. You played an important role in making that happen for us and so many others.

Dori

 

[Maple_Leaf]

What!?

John's illness & death pretty much marked the end of Cypress Pointe as an independent, owner-controlled timeshare resort.

AwayWeGo, what's the story here? Have the owners lost control of the Board?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Nothing Stays The Same.

Have the owners lost control of the Board?

Looks like it's heading in that direction.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[chalee94]

too bad. i always appreciated the updates from stu and wished more resorts would do that...

 

[pedro47]

AwayWeGo, what's the story here? Have the owners lost control of the Board?

I agree this a golden opportunities for DRI to take full control of this resort.

 

[johnrsrq]

I agree this a golden opportunities for DRI to take full control of this resort.

I think the Grand Villas are enough! But who knows Pedro?

from the description on Grand Villas on the DRI website which does not list Cypress Point Resort as one of DRI's:

Please note: This resort was formerly called Cypress Pointe Grande Villas

 

[rickdl]

Stu sorry to hear that you left the board and are selling your timeshare. Was also extremely sad to hear about John Chase's passing.

We purchased our Timeshare at Cypress Pointe back in 2005 and have always appreciated the great communications and management the Board of Directors have been doing looking after our best interests.

I'm sorry to see that changing. Since you've left communications seems to have fallen off a cliff. Does anyone know what's currently going on at Cypress Pointe? Board meetings? Board meeting minutes? Weekly reports? Is the HOA still going to be VRI ? Has Diamond truly taken control and is the board no longer an independent as it once was?

 

[rapmarks]

I just found out that RCI exchangers are being charged $70 a week amenity or activity fee. started Jan 1, but when i booked the exchange it didn't exist.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Information Not Intended For Me.

The Chief Of Staff & I are no longer owners at Cypress Pointe. We gave our unit to the timeshare company late last year -- so late that we're still on the official mailing list used to send out meeting notices, proxy forms etc. Our copy is going straight into the recycle bin, except to note some of what's on it.

Of the 5 candidates for HOA-BOD, 2 are people I know from working with them when I was on the Cypress Pointe owner advisory committee. The other 3 are unknown to me, maybe meaning nothing or possibly meaning that they are company men like the 2 who showed up on the ballot last year (& got elected).

A proposed by-law amendment cuts the 7-member HOA-BOD to 5 members -- to save money & add efficiency, according to the ballot language.

Fortunately, none of this is any of my business. I only note it in passing. So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[pedro47]

John wants told me never take anything from ....... not even a cup of coffee. That was the best advice I learned from John. John RIP.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Still On The List.

The Chief Of Staff & I are no longer owners at Cypress Pointe. We gave our unit to the timeshare company late last year -- so late that we're still on the official mailing list used to send out meeting notices, proxy forms etc. Our copy is going straight into the recycle bin, except to note some of what's on it.

We still receive mailings sent out via the Cypress Pointe Resort mailing list even though we have been ex-owners since December 2014.

Yesterday's mail delivery included a 1-page form letter addressed to Cypress Pointe Resort owners revealing that the HOA-BOD is switching from VRI management to DRI management, effective 1-1-2016 but phasing in right away with DRI taking over floating week reservations as of 10-6-2015. (Reservations already booked via VRI are being converted to DRI reservations.)

The letter says VRI will honor existing VRIety exchanges plus existing VRI Vacation Tyme bookings, but no more of those will be taken starting Oct. 6.

DRI is handling billing & collections for 2016 maintenance fees, with bills set to go out in a couple of weeks.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[pedro47]

We still receive mailings sent out via the Cypress Pointe Resort mailing list even though we have been ex-owners since December 2014.

Yesterday's mail delivery included a 1-page form letter addressed to Cypress Pointe Resort owners revealing that the HOA-BOD is switching from VRI management to DRI management, effective 1-1-2016 but phasing in right away with DRI taking over floating week reservations as of 10-6-2015. (Reservations already booked via VRI are being converted to DRI reservations.)

The letter says VRI will honor existing VRIety exchanges plus existing VRI Vacation Tyme bookings, but no more of those will be taken starting Oct. 6.

DRI is handling billing & collections for 2016 maintenance fees, with bills set to go out in a couple of weeks.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

They are now in control of both resort. John C. has turned over in his grave.
The next resort DRI will be going after is Royal Dunes in SC.

 

[Maple_Leaf]

They are now in control of both resort. John C. has turned over in his grave.

That's too bad. John C told me some stories about DRI takeover tactics that would make your skin crawl.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Still Getting Bills.

We still receive mailings sent out via the Cypress Pointe Resort mailing list even though we have been ex-owners since December 2014.

Last year, when we got a bill for 2015 maintenance fees, that was understandable in view of how recently we deeded back our Cypress Pointe unit. It would not have been realistic to expect the deedback paperwork to catch up to the billing operation that fast.

But by a full year after that, the billing records surely should have caught up with the ownership records -- except that they didn't.

Not a problem for us -- we're no longer owners, so they can send bills to the wrong people at a wrong address all they want. Mox nix as far as anything to do with us.

We not only have our copy of the signed deed, we have all the paperwork received from DRI's Las Vegas NV offices last year instructing us how to proceed. Plus, the recorded deed turning our week over to DRI, which was recorded in Orange County FL, is viewable on-line.

Even though it's nothing to us, as a courtesy to DRI I phoned the billing folks to let'm know we're still getting bills 12 months after deedback was completed.

The billing folks didn't quite get it -- thought I was asking them to help me with a problem. "No, no," I said. "It's nothing to me. I'm trying to help you get your billing records in line with your ownership records. It's nothing to us if you keep billing us for fees on a timeshare week we no longer own. I'm just calling it to your attention so you can fix it if you care to."

After a while I called a different number -- the 1 of the official who signed the letter last year sending us the deed to sign over. The person who answered caught on right away & asked me to fax back a copy of the bill so they'd recognize where it came from & know whom to contact to get'm to update their records. No problem, I said. I hooked up a fax machine & zapped'm the bill.

Maybe that takes care of it. Maybe not. This time next year, we'll see.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Maple_Leaf]

The billing folks didn't quite get it -- thought I was asking them to help me with a problem. "No, no," I said. "It's nothing to me. I'm trying to help you get your billing records in line with your ownership records. It's nothing to us if you keep billing us for fees on a timeshare week we no longer own. I'm just calling it to your attention so you can fix it if you care to."

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Ahhh...an example of economies of scale being realised throughout the DRI system. It's a blessing that Cypress Pointe is finally under the control of Las Vegas types who really look out for things on behalf of the owners.

 

[carl2591]

that a dam shame to hear Diamond now controls both Cypress Point and Villa locations.. I was such a nice place to stay.

I agree about John C rolling over in his grave.. he fought them for a while and it was a good fight to the end.. RIP John you are missed now more than ever.

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Deterioration Continues.

John's illness & death pretty much marked the end of Cypress Pointe as an independent, owner-controlled timeshare resort. It's still an outstanding Orlando vacation destination, but it is on course now to become just another link in a just another corporate timeshare chain.

Cypress Pointe Resort formerly had an attractive & useful & fun web site that stood out from many others because of its collections of great resort pictures & loads of helpful content.

No more. The web site is still there, & its opening screen has some resemblance to the former 1st class site. But the content is gone, replaced by a bunch of dead links & emptiness.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[carl2591]

Cypress Pointe Resort

No more. The web site is still there, & its opening screen has some resemblance to the former 1st class site. But the content is gone, replaced by a bunch of dead links & emptiness.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

dead links and emptiness.. sorta like the folks that took it over. Guess a website does reflect the "person/company" behind it. "dead and empty".

RIP John C., gone but not forgotten.

 

[kaboom]

Deleted no response

 

[AwayWeGo]

At Cypress Pointe Resort, the traditional large round Cypress Pointe emblem in the landscaped island in front of the porte-cochère has been replaced by a generic round Diamond Resorts sign the same size as the old sign, as though the timeshare company wants to erase as much as it can of the resort's former distinctive look. (But the famous Volcano Pool is still there.) Not only that, the clubhouse's pinkish color is gone, painted over by a pleasing if unoriginal pastel yellow. As if that weren't enough, the condo buildings are no longer painted in different tropical pastel colors. When we drove through in January 2019 (for old time's sake), we noted that all the condo buildings are now painted the same, a pale grey with narrow light greenish accent at each building entrance going up the full height of the building. The distinctive building names -- Turtle Cay, Wickham Cay, Parrot Cay, etc. -- are gone. In their places are large plain numbers (Bldg. 1, Bldg. 2, etc.). The canvas canopies sheltering the condo building entrances are just gone, replaced by nothing. Across the street at the Grande Villas Resort (formerly Cypress Pointe Phase Two), the pastel colors of the condo buildings have likewise been uniformly painted over in the same pale grey. Jolting as that may be to people expecting the resorts to look the way they always used to look, it is nevertheless fair to say that the new color plain scheme gives both complexes a clean, updated look that is attractive & inviting.

Full Disclosure: The Chief Of Staff & I were Cypress Pointe owners in 2002 & 2006-2014. It was our 1st timeshare, bought sight unseen, resale (via TUG connection). I was a member of the resort HOA-BOD's owner advisory committee for 2 years, ending with the DRI takeover.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​