Swapping with Harborside

Swapping with Harborside

Please share your experiences trading KOR for Harborside?

I am considering it -- we have 2 bed oceanfront KOR and need to sleep 6 at Harborside. I called once at the beginning of the 8 month window and was told waitlist only -- but that was for a holiday (spring break).

Is it only possible to get hurricane season units? Are 2-beds impossible? Are Pres. Week / Spring Break ever possible?

Positive and negative experiences welcome.

Thanks. Jan

PS Sorry for posting this onto the end of another thread by accident.

We traded our 2 bedroom ocean view at KOR for Harborside in April 2008--not a fair trade at all. The interior of the rooms is the only thing comparable to KOR. Our 2 bedroom lock off was very large, nice furnishings, kitchens were not as nice as KOR but still good. The lock off unit actually had a bedroom unlike the lock off at KOR, which was nice, so we could have slept 8. The balconies are recessed into the buildings so our view was of a unit directly across from our unit. There are very few units with any view at all. The entry way to our building was odd, you had to walk behind a wall to get to the elevator. The entry way was dirty, there were stagnant puddles of dirty water you had to walk over. The pool for the owners is just ok. Atlantis itself was a little dingy, bird poop everywhere, on awnings, on chairs and tables, just very unkempt. There was garbage in the bushes. It seems no one is paying attention to the grounds or the facilities. Atlantis was packed with families and lots of kids and strollers and buggies, etc. The restaurants are over the top expensive. The service at Harborside and Atlantis is very, very slow and inattentive. If you're expecting an experience similar to KOR, this is not the place.

Barbara

We own at both Ka'anapali Ocean Villas (2BR Deluxe top floor, corner, oceanfront, weeks 51 and 52) and Atlantis Harborside (3BR Top Floor Waterfront, Week 44)....so we have first hand knowledge of what to expect. These are two very different resorts. The Atlantis is designed as a huge Theme Park, people everywhere, casinos, very "Northeast" type crowds....whereas Hawaii is far more low-key, concentrating more on a viseral, cultural, Hawaiian type experience. Please don't expect an apples to apples comparison between these two resorts....it's not fair. Mom and Dad prefer Hawaii, our young kids prefer Atlantis.....Atlantis is only 4 hours from home for us, too....as we live in NJ....

Hi, don't know if you have all the opinions you want on this one....We own in Maui, 2 2 bedroom lockoffs. We usually use only one and rent the other....I exchanged a studio in KORVN for a 2 bedroom at Atlantis in Nov. 2009. I charged the tenants 2,000.00 and they paid it happily.

I've been to both and they are a completely different experience..Atlantis is very "Northeast"...lots of stuff for the kids to do and gambling and eating for the adults. So, yes I've found that you can exchange in the off season. If you go to Atlantis, bring lots of money...believe it or not it is more expensive than Maui..more like NYC prices.... Marie

We finally got into Harborside for Pres. Week 2010 by calling in January. It took several tries. We never meant to try to compare with KOR but the kids did want to try Atlantis. The resort is nowhere near as nice as KOR - our 2 bed unit had torn carpet and very dated furnishings but a nice view of the giant yachts at mooring and there is so much to do. We were lucky that hardly anyone was there ... So yes the service and attention to detail was sloppy but at least the lines were short. The kids enjoyed the Trainer for a Day and the dolphin swimming and we splashed out on those as we don't expect to go back any time soon. Maui is magic enough for us.