Questions about a few of the Maui towers

I'm going to Maui in December using Marriott Reward points (not to be confused with the dreaded timeshare points I'm reading about!) and I have some questions about the property since I've only ever stayed in a timeshare property once. We're going 1st week in December, which is usually not overly crowded. Has anyone else gone that week? If so, did you find that it was a good time to go? We were on Hawaii one year and it was the perfect time since it was all Christmasy yet it wasn't yet overly packed since schools were still in session and Thanksgiving was long over.

Since all 5 (is it 5?) towers share one pool area, is it completely mobbed? I'm worried that it will be so crowded it won't be fun for my little ones. I have twin toddlers and a 6 year old, so they can't quite fend for themselves yet if it's jam packed.

I believe our room will be in the Molokai, Maui or Lanai towers. Have they all been updated? I've read some reviews on other sites about smelly musty rooms that have been damaged by previous storms, etc. Maybe this is just lower floor rooms, but I'm still a little concerned about it.

For those of you who own, have you felt like it's been worth your investment? I'm not planning to buy but I figured since I'm at a site full of experts on the topic, I might as well learn as much as I can.

And what's the deal with the mugs? Once you buy one you can refil it endlessly with soda and coffee? If not, are soda and coffee prices outrageous if you buy individually or is that not even an option?

Thank you in advance for any info you can share with me.

Aloha!

Okay, two more questions...

- How far a walk is the beach and how is the beach overall? It's been 15+ years since I've been to Maui and I don't know which stratch of Kaanapali it's on.

- How far a walk is it from the various rooms to the pool area? I can't find a map of the property with the towers designated, which I'd love to see if anyone can point me to one. Being that the kids outnumber us, it's nice to know which tower would put us closer to the beach and/or pool.

We are owners and have gone the past five years. Anytime is a good time to be on Maui. We like February because it is the middle of whale season, and slightly cooler than summer months. We have never seen the main pool too crowded during school months, even after the two new towers, Napili and Lahaina, were completed.

We took our 5 yr old and 9 yr old grandkids in February and they cannot wait to go back. The ocean was a little cool for them, but you can get KoreDry tops from Victorykd.com to take the edge off.

You can find a picture of the resort at http://mauimarriottrental.com/marriott_resort. It will give you some idea of proximity to the beach. As you can see, the beach is just a few steps away. The main pool is between the two center towers. Left of the pool is Molokai, right is Lanai, and Maui is the low connecting wing in the center. Try for a room on the pool-side of any of these wings to be closest to the main pool.

We have not encountered a musty smell in any rooms. All rooms have been very nice. We bought from an owner, and saved a bundle. We always go back to MMOC, and found no benefit in buying from Marriott. We find it is an easy, relatively inexpensive way to guarantee a fantastic experience at one of the world's most desirable locations.

Soda and coffee is expensive. Buy mugs.

Thank you kindly. Your information really helps a lot. I'm glad to hear it's not mobbed during school months. We were on the big island a few years ago the exact same week we'll be there this time, but where we stayed was really low key so I wondered since this is Maui and a more populated area of Maui if it would be a completely different scene, but it's nice to hear that we'll have a little elbow room at the pool.

Thanks for the tip on the mugs. I was on the fence, but I think I'll do it now. I'll probably wait and try to get a better deal towards a later part of the year, at least after summer is over. Trying to budget as much as I can on all those little thinigs that add up!!

Thank you again. This is great forum. I've learned a lot, especially about things I hadn't even considered yet.