Bluegreen premier benefits (changes)

[Maggie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maggie]

The booking of free weeks is going to be based on the usage of coupons which you download on the internet, but they don't have the website working yet so the reservationist currently has to get a code number for you. A Platinum member can only have 3 coupon reservations at one time. And I am guessing that will not issue more than 3 coupons per year.

The first reservation I made was for March of next year and at that time the agent told me it would be one of my 2009 reservations and I could do (3) 2008 reservations. That isn't exactly correct. I then booked two (1) week reservations at Myrtle Beach for mid November and figured I could still have one more reservation for 2008 so today I tried to book a December week at Daytona and was told that since I already had 3 reservations booked I could not book another until one had been used.

So they are working on the system.

What I can tell you is that I'm very happy I did the update that I did last January. I've had very good luck getting the reservations I want and I don't have many left over points. I'm actually thinking of going ahead and paying my 2009 maintenance fees so I can start booking next July and August since my anniversary date is May 1. But I really like to leave the summer high red weeks to those with school age children who must vacation at that time.

I have a grandson who is named on our ownership and the thought that he can use bonus time to book a Presidential Suite at Long Creek is awesome. He lives in Kansas City and owns a boat and taking it down to Table Rock Lake and having a boat slip with a Presidential unit is just too kewel.

[CMVer Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CMVer]

I was told by a BG reservation person that the units at long creek are NOT presidential units and thus do not qualify for the bonus time pricing. Any idea if that is true?

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I was told by a BG reservation person that the units at long creek are NOT presidential units and thus do not qualify for the bonus time pricing. Any idea if that is true?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I believe it. The point table calls it a Patio Home. If you look at Club 36, there are Presidential units. Same with Daytona Seabreeze.

I just assumed that Long Creek Ranch would be Presidentials. I guess not. We will see when someone knows for sure.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Here are the bonus time rates for Long Creek Ranch. Just got them:

Platinum: $179/night

Gold: $219/night

Silver: $269/night

Bronze: $299/night

Standard: $399/night

what a great deal. Given the point cost, there will probably be available all the time.

Jim

[spectacularone Member Find all posts View Profile Close spectacularone]

So, where is a current points table with Long Creek on listed on it? I need a current points table.

[mrspigdoc Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrspigdoc]

platinum : free blue and white weeks

I called to book a free white weekend in Williamsburg for Dec 08, and the very nice, well informed woman told me that I had two more for this year. I said that I didn't think that I would use the rest of them this year, and then she said that I could book a reservation and deposit it in RCI. Cool. I don't know if my Christmas week at Shorecrest I will pull much, but it cost me NOTHING, so if I get an exchange, great. I'm thrilled to be platinum. My husband and I go to Williamsburg every Dec for a weekend, and now it will be free. Hugh perk I think. If I had to start all over with timeshares, I wouldn't buy my Fairfield/Wyndham and have double Bluegreen.

Any idea how many of us are platinum on the yahoo group and this group?

Count me in...thanks Jim.
Teresa

[gondep Member Find all posts View Profile Close gondep]

Friends & Family bonus time question

Do you get an additional villa of the same size you booked? Or is it always a 1 BR? Or always a studio?

Are there any known exceptions/complications that always seem to bite me.

The PDF that Boca posted is exactly what I hate about BG. They give you about 20% of the info that you need to make use of your "benefits". If BG was really interested in helping me as opposed to distributing marketing tools then that PDF would be about 10 pages defining what each row in that table is and give examples on usage.

Sorry, I'm happy with the new program (based on my 20% knowledge), it just seems like I need a full-time assistant to keep up with everything I need to know about timesharing/exchanging in order to just get the minimum from this "wonderful opportunity to travel the world and exchange into thousands of resorts world-wide" that I purchased.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Do you get an additional villa of the same size you booked? Or is it always a 1 BR? Or always a studio?

Are there any known exceptions/complications that always seem to bite me.

The PDF that Boca posted is exactly what I hate about BG. They give you about 20% of the info that you need to make use of your "benefits". If BG was really interested in helping me as opposed to distributing marketing tools then that PDF would be about 10 pages defining what each row in that table is and give examples on usage.

Sorry, I'm happy with the new program (based on my 20% knowledge), it just seems like I need a full-time assistant to keep up with everything I need to know about timesharing/exchanging in order to just get the minimum from this "wonderful opportunity to travel the world and exchange into thousands of resorts world-wide" that I purchased.

yeah, it's frustrating. Hang around here and you will have 100% of the information you need to make good decisions for your family.

Friends and Family bonus time can be of any size. You use it just like regular bonus time, but you can put a friends name on the reservation. You do need to be there to check them in and it's a no-no to rent it.

[gondep Member Find all posts View Profile Close gondep]

Uh...turning ... into ... the ... HULK

yeah, it's frustrating. Hang around here and you will have 100% of the information you need to make good decisions for your family.

Friends and Family bonus time can be of any size. You use it just like regular bonus time, but you can put a friends name on the reservation. You do need to be there to check them in and it's a no-no to rent it.

So do I pay for it or is it free? I assumed it was free since it says it is limited to 1 per year (for me 1 per year since I am bronze).

How is it at all different from bonus time if I have to pay for it?

The word "Additional" implied to me that the scenario would work like this: I make a reservation for a 2 BR unit at resort x for date y. At some point in time I could request an "Additional Villa" at resort x and date y so that a friend or a family member could join me on my vacation. I can do this once a year and it would be free of charge or reduced rate.

Now I'm thinking that again what I thought was a "benefit" is actually just marketing smoke and mirrors.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

Bonus time is never free.

[AGRADELEOUS Member Find all posts View Profile Close AGRADELEOUS]

Using bonus time you pay a nightly rate rather than using points. It's a decent rate though, still better price and accomodations than a motel stay.... If you can get it when you need it!

[gondep Member Find all posts View Profile Close gondep]

Bonus time is never free.

Exactly!!!

So what is this new benefit that is called "Friends & Family Bonus Time"?

How is it any different from bonus time?

Here's an example:
I'm going to Harbour Lights in August. We have a 1 BR that I used my points for. I got online and bought an additional 1 BR for the same week at the same resort for my in-laws to stay in.

Now under the new Premier Benefits that was just unvailed, how would this scenario change? What could I do differently? That's what I want to know.

Is the only difference that instead of 2 rooms booked under my name, I could book one under my name and one under my father-in-laws' name? Where is the benefit in that? In case my father-in-law decides to trash the room, I'm not liable for it?

Either there is something that I don't understand or this is just fancy marketing to make an insignificant change seem significant. Am I wrong?

[Maggie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maggie]

The difference of benefit is this. Before you were limited to one unit for yourself and possibly one for your spouse if you were both on the deed but both would have to be present. In order to use Bonus time it has to be used by the member. You've always been able to get around this by simply checking them in, but you were supposed to be on premise.

This isn't really much different except you can legitamately get multiple units even if you are the only "member" going.

For example let's say I'm Gold and I am the only person on my deed. I want 3 units at the Fountains for a 4 day weekend in October and I check and there are plenty of untis available. Before I would be limited to 1 unit now I can rent up to 4 units at $79.00 per night. 4 nights = $280.00 for 1 unit as opposed to 9000 points per unit. That's a very nice deal. To rent 3 units with points would take 27,000 points instead I can do it for less than $1000.00 I'm assuming that the people using the other units will re-imburse my expenses plus maybe kick in a little extra. It's a great way to plan family get to gethers.

[santoape Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close santoape]

I am a gold owner at big cedar and yes the long creek is 219.00 a night bonus time for gold.They are running a fantastic deal for gold owners right now, they called me and ask if i wanted to stay there in the next few months for minimum points, july 26th for 4 nights only 10900 points i cant wait to see the inside of these units. I have drove by them but have not seen the inside, will post some photos in a few weeks.

[Lindetech Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lindetech]

Maggie
I nearly had a heart attack while reading this post. The gold level has a typo. You have it listed as starting at 25000 points, but it should read 35000. I started breathing again after a couple minutes.
Mark