It’s been just over a year since I posted about Chairman Only Tours. If you aren’t familiar with them, let me remind you of what they are.
These tours are designed only for Chairman level owners, including Vistana Owners who elect for Club Points. The tours are through Collette, the tour agency who handles all of the Marriott Owners Tours. The tours are high-end, both in what you experience and what you pay to go. Groups are small – only 14-24 people total. A PLUS that Collette does with Marriott Owners is that they don’t require a minimum number of reservations to carry the tour. Currently, there are 6 Chairman Only Tours, with one just being added.
The new Chairman Only tour just added is “Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent”! I KNOW!!! Even the most seasoned traveler has probably never been through Drake Passage and cruised around Antarctica. This is the most expensive tour of any other tour available through Marriott – by a long shot! It takes 60,000 Club Points for a couple, (no, that is not a typo). As with any Collette Tour, Chairman level owners receive $200 credit PER PERSON towards any tour expense.
You will enjoy the “Paris of South America,” Buenos Aires, before flying over Patagonia to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Begin your Antarctic expedition aboard the fully equipped National Geographic Explorer by crossing the Drake Passage. Explore vistas of blue-white glaciers and busy penguin rookeries. See breaching whales crashing and scenes of pure ice walls as you observe from the deck of the ship. Explore on shore with our passionate ship’s naturalists and learn about the local populations of penguins, seals, and humpback whales. Join a National Geographic photographer for photo tips during your close encounters with Gentoo penguins. Feel the glacial ice crunch as your expedition ship makes its way through a pack of ice with its hull strengthened to “ice class.” Return to Buenos Aires for an evening before departing home. The tour is 14 days and 34 meals are provided. Access the website by going here: Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent Tour
Anyone who follows me, knows that I focus on VALUE for your Club Points. Interesting to know that this tour has the best VALUE of any of the other Chairman Only tours. But even with it being the best value of the 6 Chairman Tours currently available, it still only provides 54 cents per Club Point. Not a good way to use your points. But if you have 60,000 Club Points, you’re probably not looking at stretching points as far as you can. The retail value of this tour is $32,600 for a couple — $21,400 for a single. BEST way to experience an amazing Collette tour?? RENT your timeshare, and use the money to pay for the tour. Not as convenient, but MAXES your ownership.
Current Chairman Only Tours Available, listed in order of VALUE.
| Tour | Length/Meals | Points Required | Retail Price | Value/Point |
| Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent | 14 days/34 meals | 60,000 Points | $32,600 | 54 Cents |
| Croatia and Its Islands | 12 days/19 meals | 15,000 Points | $7,000 | 47 Cents |
| Flavors of Portugal & Spain: featuring the Douro and Rioja Wine Regions | 16 days/21 meals | 17,000 Points | $7,600 | 45 Cents |
| Italy: Amalfi Coast to Puglia | 14 days/18 meals | 16,500 Points | $7,400 | 45 Cents |
| Patagonia: Edge of the World featuring Argentina, and Chile | 14 days/24 meals | 23,500 Points | $10,400 | 44 Cents |
| Japan: Past & Present A Cultural Journey from Tokyo to Osaka | 14 days/19 meals | 26,500 Points | $10,000 | 38 Cents |