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Re: Marriott Going to Point Syst (by Megan W.):

I wanted to let folks know that the new program does actually work for some as most of the blogs are so negative. We own Maui, EOY Shadow Ridge, and DSII Palm Desert - so 2 1/2 weeks. We were hesitant to join based on all the negative feedback I was reading and the pushy horrible sales presentation we listened to. However, after thinking about it more and realizing we had 30 days to cancel, we enrolled. It was an entirely different experience talking to one of the Destinations Advisors on the phone. Helen Baird was extremely knowledgeable, courteous and even explained more benefits to our enrollment vs our pushy sales person who said it was not worth it for us to enroll if we didn't buy more points. We tranferred our Maui into the points program (5,550) and were able to book Spring Break for next year in the desert (the week prior to Easter) with no problems. The property is no longer available through normal reservations (with or w/o MOD rate) nor is it available through Interval but we got it immediately upon request. We have enough points to book Spring Break the following year as well. Upon enrollment, we also received 800 points which covers the $695 we paid. We historically use Interval once a year for trade or getaway so the $199 club dues for us are equal to what we've been paying. Again, it is not a program for everyone and if someone doesn't ever use Interval, it is probably a push. Legacy owners in my mind still have the best deal. But for some, especially with highly desirable properties such as Hawaii, it will actually save us money (assuming we don't use our legacy week). I really appreciate how much I learned from everyone's input on this forum as it helped me ask very specific questions.