Club Waiting Lists
 

(Putting this in its own thread to not derail the other thread.)

Umm... Sorry, but no. One of the big marketing thrusts of TV is the lifestyle. They use all the clubs & activities available to attract people. If people move to TV and then find the clubs they want to join have multi-year waiting lists, the activities they want to do have hour long waits (and then you can't get in), basically if TV can't provide the infrastructure to support all the activities they use to sell themselves, then that is a problem.

For example, my wife is a Disney fan. I know of two Disney clubs in TV. Both are full. There is one beach visiting club on TOTV's club list - it is full. If full clubs & long waiting lists are problems, then TV needs to figure out a way to help Villagers create chapters or some other mechanism to handle high demand.

The rec center activities being overwhelmed is another issue that also needs attention.

And I recognize that these problems can be seasonal due to the large number of snowbirds.

You do know that you can start your own club, right? Start a third Disney club. From what you say, you'd fill up within a month.

Exactly, you can start any club you want. As far as the long lines for scheduled activities, I know there is a lot of open space in the rec centers. If you can get somebody interested to lead the activity, approach the recreation department about space etc.

https://districtgov.org/departments/...ortunities.pdf

You do know that some clubs require a facility to conduct their activity,right?

Not everyone wants to be in charge. Not everyone is any good at it. Many people enjoy joining and participating in what other people have started, and don't want to be responsible for a club's creation and upkeep. I'd say that's probably why both Disney clubs are full, in fact. I'd also say creating a club is a wonderful thing, for those with the impetus and skill to do so. But saying "start a third club" to someone who wants to JOIN a club - is dismissive of the concern.

The concern is that it's activities and clubs that are two of the MAIN selling points when you go to the sales office to discuss the idea of living in The Villages. It's in the brochures, it's in the monthly advertising magazine, it's on their website. The Lifelong Learning college was one of the MAIN attractions as well - I was very interested in that, and now it's gone. Joining clubs is another main interest to me, but "waiting in line or sitting home waiting for someone to tell you that there's finally room to join" is not of interest to me, at all. We were told there was now over two thousand clubs I could join. But judging from some of these posts from full-time residents, visitors, and snowbirds, there are over two thousand clubs - but you can't join many of them because they are full. And of all the hundreds of structured daily activities The Villages offers every day in their rec centers, you might have to get there an hour early just for the privilege of waiting in line, and even then, they might shut the door on you when you get to the front of the line because the room's full already.

These clubs and structured daily activities were a highlight of their sales pitch. If they are not readily available due to overcrowding - even if it's only for three months out of the year, then they need to either a) stop including them in their advertising as a main selling point or b) create more of them. That's on the developer, not on the homeowners. If the developer is using these things in their advertising it's their responsibility to ensure that these things are available. Not just existing, but not available due to overcrowding.

I don't know of course, but I doubt that any of the clubs were started by the developer. Maybe some were back in the initial stages, but from what I've seen in the last 12 years of researching TV and then living here, it is resident initiative that has caused clubs and organizations to start and grow. To me this is a little like the difference between equal opportunity and guaranteed result. We all have the opportunity to join (or start) clubs and organizations. That doesn't mean we can all do it the moment we want to. Sometimes we have to wait. We can't all get tee times when we might want them either, but with some planning and persistence you can play a lot of golf. I have no problem with the developer using these opportunities to market the property. Had they not, we probably wouldn't be here, and that would be a real shame. I doubt there is anywhere in the world where a person can do exactly what he or she wants exactly when he or she wants to do it. Just my 2 cents.

I haven't seen anyone writing/saying that (feel free to point me to them). What I've seen is a FEW clubs are full & have waiting lists. And clubs that require facilities provided by TV - such as the woodworking club, the archery club, and the air rifle club; if they have very long waiting lists it shows the developer underestimated demand. I understand it takes time to try to meet that demand (and it sounds like they are with the woodworking club by building another workshop).

As an outside prospective Villager, I have no idea how widespread the problem is, and I wouldn't expect TV salespeople to give an honest representation. So I am here.

Agreed. But there's a difference between "you need to reserve tee times a week in advance" vs "tee times in Feb & March are full for the next two years". Or "the Wed 9am Zumba fills up fast, if you're not there an hour early you won't get in, but Thu @ 11am has lots of space" vs "if you don't show up for ANY Zumba class at least two hours early you won't get in".

In the case of the woodworking club, a three year wait list seems excessive. It's nice to hear TV is working to supply another facility. Maybe it's something they'll decide to build more of as TV expands.

I am on a wait list for the Clayers. (I may not be, I haven't checked in a long time) I use the Art Room with the Kiln. (All Regional Rec Centers have Art Rooms with Kilns) I use the room at Laurel Manor on Wednesday for Art Studio, on Thursday for Crafts and on Saturday for Ceramics. There is lots of room in all of those classes. I go to Saddlebrook Rec Center on Mondays for a Sketching Class and there were lots of spaces this week in the high season.

You are wise to be skeptical of people selling you anything, but not so much of the Villages reps I know.

Jim McLaughlin was the Villages rep who we used both times we bought a new home here. He has no need to embellish or hold back. There are people waiting to buy homes and no one needs to "sell" them or lie to them. The Village we live in now, all the view lots sold out in seven hours.

Jim McLaughlin is now our friend. I think he and his wife Patty are living in their seventh home in Fenney.

I admit I was shocked that the first home we liked eleven years ago was gone an hour later. We bought the one next to it and those owners in the home we wanted first became our close friends. We reminded them frequently they were living in the house we really wanted.

Every single one of the activities I attend or have attended including our once a month social from our Village are organized and run by Villager Volunteers for NO money.. You request a space, and the one nearest you is not always available at the time you want it, so you may have to be adaptable, and you have to show clearly what you plan to use the room for and you must sign that you will be responsible for the room and leave it clean and at the time specified and realize that you will lose possession of the space unless there are a certain number of people show up for a certain number of times, (They do check your I.D.s)

So if the group you want to join is full, then you can apply for a room to start another one, but the room must be reasonably used and have enough people show up or you may lose it. If you don't want to be the leader and take responsibility you can hope someone else will, or you can wait...and whine. I like it the way it is and I am not complaining.

There is NO charge for the room as long as your group is 100% Villagers with the exception of AA. If someone wants to rent a room from The Villages and there is space, say for a wedding reception, then there is a charge for renting the room, ditto for any money making activity. Use by Villagers is a priority. Don't see rooms rented often.

I hope that your wife has put her name on the waiting list as it does move pretty fast. You can't move in on the high season and expect to walk into everything but if you put your name on a waiting list you may be surprised how fast she may get in. I have joined many clubs in my 8 years here with anticipation of a wonderful time and it ended up not being for me so I didn't renew my membership and therefore made room for someone else. January is usually the club renewal time so she may have to wait till next year but she needs to put her name on the list, no one will come knocking on our door to join...make an effort and it will happen. In the mean time try new things even things that you may not think you would like...it may surprise you. Good luck

It is true if a club is full interested parties can feel free to start up another one. I used to belong to a club that was popular when it started and the required list filled up to capacity (for the room) immediately. BUT when the time came the room wasn't full, nor was it ever and other clubs of the same interest began (scattered throughout T.V.). I eventually stopped going to said club due to health issues but as far as I know the attendance is still small.

Some clubs are more popular, thus needing the waiting lists. I somewhat agree that it's frustrating to wait---especially if it's something one really wants to do. BUT there are good reasons they can't continue to add people. As the community grows MORE
volunteers need to come on board. I never felt our arms were twisted by our sale's associate with "promising" anything. They only suggest what's going to be available. They didn't push us into buying a house---ever.

Wait lists, full clubs and another 20,000+ homes being built right now. My experience has been, if you can't get into the club you want right away, step up and start a new one. The process is simple and then you can run it any way you want. Sorry, but I'm realytired of hearing "I just want to do things and not be the leader". If that's your position, then your only choice is to get on a waiting list and wait for someone else to put in the time to run it. Sorry for the rant.

Hey Nature Boy! We aren't in TV yet, but should be there by summer. We love Disney and would start a new Disney club, but maybe do something a little different with this. I don't know what could be different yet, but I'm game to try something!

Also, the Second Honeymoon Club is one that I've seen online that would appeal to both of us as we are incurable romantics and love to travel. Since membership is very limited in that one as well, we may have to start another one!

I see the possibilities as unlimited...my view of the world may be through rose colored glasses, but if I don't try, I'll never know.

and remember.....The Villages isn't for everyone.