Advance questions for Fairfield chat 4/18

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

To prepare for the chat on Fairfield, 4/18/07, if you have any questions about buying or using Fairfield points or fixed weeks, that you would like answered, please post them in this thread.

We would like to know what you are curious about before hand so that the chat can be useful to you.

We have several FF owners who are willing to assist in preparing for the chat. There are some very experienced FF owners here who use its point system very successfully.

Thanks!

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

Instead of me emailing people, here is one:

I've decided for a number of reasons not to purchase more FF points.

I may be, and am interested in renting points at times. The only organised place to do that, that I am aware of is the Yahoo FF group. Are there any other venues.?

Worldmark seems to have it down and I don't see the same with FF, is there a reason for that.

[acesneights Member Find all posts View Profile Close acesneights]

Do you want more than the number of points owned for $5/K?

If not rent from FF for $5/K.

Stan

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

Are there any loopholes for getting to VIP level using the new Pahio Resorts?

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

I am a relatively new Fairfield owner and the website is the worst in the industry. I guess their developers came from RCI. When compared to the WorldMark website, Fairfield is a cave and WorldMark is Trump Tower.

What is the best way to get a feel for availability in Fairfield resorts given how bad the online system is?

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

I think I will be using the strategy of making small deposits into RCI and trading back into Fairfield resorts.

Which resorts is the strategy most effective with? I care about Hawaii Resorts, Bonnet Creek, Grand Desert.

What size deposits are the best? Which to use generic or visible?

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

Are there any loopholes for getting to VIP level using the new Pahio Resorts?

Let's hope Shopgirl reports back on what FF has to offer her after their trip to Hawaii. I thought they were going there sometime this spring. There was another thread / discussion MSHATTY and I had with her on this topic. We'll see how piped in they are to owners that purchased resale at the Pahio resorts.

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

I think I will be using the strategy of making small deposits into RCI and trading back into Fairfield resorts.

Which resorts is the strategy most effective with? I care about Hawaii Resorts, Bonnet Creek, Grand Desert.

What size deposits are the best? Which to use generic or visible?

The best approach to trading back into the FF resorts is to watch the Exchange Opportunities board on this forum or OY. FF prohibits owners from using their ARP to spacebank a week at their UDI resorts. Only Fixed Week owners are allowed to spacebank weeks into RCI - BC and GD are UDI resorts. FF's Hawaii resorts are a mixed bag (their Kona Hawaiian Resort and Royal Sea Cliff have both UDI and Fixed Weeks). FF Waikiki Beach Walk is a UDI resort.

Generic weeks work best, as lower value RCI blue and white visible weeks are harder to come by and their trading power is questionable. Some indicate that FF only gives out visible deposits that they have deposited close to the check in date - therefore their trading power is weak.

I'd recommend having one or two 28K generics available so that you only need to call the RCI line for FF owners once a FF resort spacebank is posted. Hawaii can be had for 28K if you're alert for jumping on a spacebank and are flexible. Kona (5971) has been bulk spacebanked each of the last three years.

Alternatively, start a search first request with a 28K blue studio and work your way up to either a 42K or 70K depending on the number of units available and the season you're trying to book.

If you really want Hawaii and aren't willing to wait for a spacebank or last minute cancellation, then I'd recommend depositing either a 70K Red studio or a 105K Red one bedroom generic deposit and putting in an ongoing search.

Grand Desert is spacebanked each year (dates usually include May - September). If you're patient it can be had with a low value RCI deposit (28K or 42K).

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

The best approach to trading back into the FF resorts is to watch the Exchange Opportunities board on this forum or OY. FF prohibits owners from using their ARP to spacebank a week at their UDI resorts. Only Fixed Week owners are allowed to spacebank weeks into RCI - BC and GD are UDI resorts. FF's Hawaii resorts are a mixed bag (their Kona Hawaiian Resort and Royal Sea Cliff have both UDI and Fixed Weeks). FF Waikiki Beach Walk is a UDI resort.

Generic weeks work best, as lower value RCI blue and white visible weeks are harder to come by and their trading power is questionable. Some indicate that FF only gives out visible deposits that they have deposited close to the check in date - therefore their trading power is weak.

I'd recommend having one or two 28K generics available so that you only need to call the RCI line for FF owners once a FF resort spacebank is posted. Hawaii can be had for 28K if you're alert for jumping on a spacebank and are flexible. Kona (5971) has been bulk spacebanked each of the last three years.

Alternatively, start a search first request with a 28K blue studio and work your way up to either a 42K or 70K depending on the number of units available and the season you're trying to book.

If you really want Hawaii and aren't willing to wait for a spacebank or last minute cancellation, then I'd recommend depositing either a 70K Red studio or a 105K Red one bedroom generic deposit and putting in an ongoing search.

Grand Desert is spacebanked each year (dates usually include May - September). If you're patient it can be had with a low value RCI deposit (28K or 42K).

Wow. Thanks Dave. You just saved me a week in research time. I've got a long way before I master Fairfield. I've stayed at a lot of FF Resorts since I've done a lot of direct exchanges. So, I know many of the resorts. Can't wait to start.

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

Mike here's a question for Tom Cornelius...

Which FF/Wyn resort gives the best bang for the buck if one buys a resale fixed week intending to convert it to FF points? Also what would be the approximate fee charged by FF/Wyn to convert?

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

Two questions:

1. We've considered buying FF but we've been put off by what seems to be an INCREDIBLY complicated point system. Is there anywhere I could see a simple, yet realistic overview of how FF points can really be used? (I'm a member of the FF Yahoo group and I find that even more confusing, btw.)

2. Any news on Shawnee in Pennsylvania? What are FF's plans for that resort?

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

Just a bump. Please post any advance questions for the FF Chat coming up this week!!

[PeterS Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close PeterS]

Having paid to move up to Plus Partners... the benefits seem to have diminished... Cruises, cars, air all extremely overpriced and the only decent benefit.. RCI Nightly Stays is now open to all FSP members...

What is the future for the Plus Partners program?

Thanks,
Pete

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

Another question: What is the future relationship between El Cid and FF/Wyn...or are their days in partnership numbered?

[SOS8260456 Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close SOS8260456]

The costs to convert fixed weeks to points are 2395 for the first week and 995 for each additional week up to 5 total. The 6th week then goes back to 2395. No additional point purchase is needed in order to do this. However, you can convert for 189 a week with a 63,000 developer point purchase per week. Most resorts cannot do a point conversion without the additional point purchase. The flat out conversions can be done through Fairfield corporate sales.

I would be interested to know what Tom's thoughts are on the best way to deed a Fairfield purchase.

One thing that I learned from Tom when we first got into converting fixed weeks is how best to pay the maintenance fees. When you have a converted fixed week, you are required to pay the fees in advance. You can chose to pay those fees monthly or at a one time payment. If you pay monthly, all of your monthly payment in 07 would be for 08. If you decide to do a one time payment, FF would make you think that you must do it in January of 07 for 2008. Well, you can actually chose any month of the year to make that one time payment up until November. So you can make that one time payment in November of 07 for the 08 fees. This greatly helped us to keep those maintenance fees very close to the traditional payment schedule plus we were not giving our money to FF a year in advance.

Do we need to register for the chat? I am looking forward to the chat.

Lisa