Confused

[Charles Thring]

Thank you for your reply.... I am really leaning toward a dolphins timeshare, it seems it would be a good fit. Now, just to keep my fingers crossed and eyes open in the event one becomes available.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[VegasBella]

Ok....so. What is best...deeded fixed....deeded float...points......

Just really depends on your needs and your preferences.

We like our fixed weeks because we like going to those resorts year after year during the same time of year. We own a SoCal Summer week and a NOLA Mardi Gras week. I could see us getting another timeshare in the future through a points system but not yet as I feel the fixed weeks are a better value - generally speaking there's more inefficiency in the weeks system than in the points system so that's one reason why most timeshare companies are moving to points. To get the best value from weeks systems your best bet is to buy a week in the prime season (whichever season is in highest demand). The inefficiency lies in the fact that for almost all weeks-based timeshares the MF is the same per week regardless of season. Plus since you buy it resale (and perhaps negotiate the price down a bit) you're not paying the premium that was originally commanded for the prime season. So generally, you pay less for your high demand week than the market would set the price in a points system. There are, of course, exceptions the this rule and the masters of either type of system know where to find the inefficiencies and thus pay the lowest rates.

Just remember that there are more things to consider than just getting a good deal. For instance, I belong to a gym that charges astronomical rates compared to other nearby gyms. But the facilities are MUCH better at my gym. And it's closer to my home. So I pay the high rates. Many Tuggers who own certain timeshare ownerships feel the same way - particularly the ones who own Disney. They pay more than they might pay for similar accommodations right outside the park but to them it's worth it - all the little Disney extras are worth the higher prices. I would not rule out Disney if I were you and could afford it. If you really LOVE Disney then you might really love staying in their resorts.

 

[Charles Thring]

What are the going rate so for Disney properties? I have some grandkids I could sell...lol

 

[presley]

What are the going rate so for Disney properties? I have some grandkids I could sell...lol

Google DVC resales and all the reputable resale agents will come up. They show all their inventory and pricing on the site. You do need to do your own research. It takes months and even longer to learn everything about all of your options. Asking questions here is helpful, but you'll only get the opinions of a handful of people vs. doing your own research where you can find out everything there is to know about everything.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Charles, as Presley and others have alluded, this whole timeshare thing is incredibly detailed, complicated, and confusing--as the title of your thread implies. I want to encourage you by saying that you're doing a number of things right: 1) you haven't (like so many of us did) bought first from a developer at a grossly overpaid price and asked questions later--nice going!; 2) you're trying to unpack this whole timeshare thing and learn what it's all about; 3) you've come to the right place--TUG is a tremendous resource.

You also should understand that it's complicated for a number of reasons: 1) there are many developer companies, all of which have developed their own systems, their own points scales and pricing, and their own rules about reservation windows, upgrade opportunities, cancellation policies, and the like; 2) it actually behooves the developers to make their systems complicated, because they are first and foremost motivated by profit--and if they can keep their owners from fully understanding their systems and squeezing every last penny out of their ownership, that tends to work to the advantage of the developer; 3) the market is dynamic--so that just when you feel like you've got a good handle on things, the rules get changed or new programs are introduced that must be learned all over again. This is happening now within both the Wyndham and Hyatt systems, for example.

Presley's advice is sound. It really will take you months to read and absorb how these systems work. TUG moderators have provided very useful stickies at the top of each of the various systems' BBS boards which will help familiarize you with how the systems work, property locations and points and seasons charts. You should read and absorb those, as that will also help you to begin to narrow down which system or systems you think will best meet your needs for future vacations. Once you've done that, I advise you to just dig into the BBS of the system(s) you prefer. Your questions will begin to be more pointed, more precise and less general, and you'll have more confidence about making your first purchase.

 

[Charles Thring]

Ok, Just got home and my wife and I have been discussing our wants and desires.
My wife (Tracy), made a valid point. We would like a place that we have a guaranteed week with availability in Anaheim, and Dolphins Cove seems to fit the bill. We are worried about having to book many months in advance without a guarantee of vacancies, and the deeded week is something we can count on each year.
Is there a place on this site where I can place a "looking for" ad to try and find a spot at Dolphins Cove?

 

[Karen G]

Ok, Just got home and my wife and I have been discussing our wants and desires.
My wife (Tracy), made a valid point. We would like a place that we have a guaranteed week with availability in Anaheim, and Dolphins Cove seems to fit the bill. We are worried about having to book many months in advance without a guarantee of vacancies, and the deeded week is something we can count on each year.
Is there a place on this site where I can place a "looking for" ad to try and find a spot at Dolphins Cove?

Yes, you can place a "want to buy" ad in the TUG Marketplace. Go to the Marketplace and look for the box on the lower left that says "want to buy." When you click on the ads up near the top is a button to click to place your own ad.

 

[presley]

We are worried about having to book many months in advance without a guarantee of vacancies, and the deeded week is something we can count on each year.

If you buy a fixed week, you are guaranteed that particular week each year, unless they have some weird requirement to reserve by a certain date.

If you buy a floating week, you still have to play the game of reserving months or a year in advance. If you wait too long to reserve all the weeks are you are available can already be booked. You can own a floating week, pay your annual fees and still not get your week if you don't plan very far ahead.

 

[Charles Thring]

Lol...this has been an adventure so far....it's almost like taking "craps" lessons in Las Vegas ..... tons of rules, and the odds aren't always in your favor, but it sure is fun playing!!

 

[VacationForever]

I checked... if you own Worldmark, you can also book Worldmark Dolphin's Cove...

 

[Charles Thring]

That's why I thought a fixed week would suit us better. Plus Anaheim should be easily tradable for a week in Vegas if we so choose.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[VacationForever]

That's why I thought a fixed week would suit us better. Plus Anaheim should be easily tradable for a week in Vegas if we so choose.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Not trying to sell you Worldmark, but you should read up about Worldmark. It is low cost and very flexible. It also does not nickle and dime you to death. No booking fees, no cancellation fees, no guest fees and it has more than 80 locations, mainly in the city and on the West Coast of the USA, that you can book without any additional fees. I own Worldmark points, Vistana (formerly known as Starwood) and Marriott timeshares. If I have to own only one, it will be Worldmark. If you want to go outside of Worldmark locations, you can use RCI or II to exchange into non-Worldmark resorts, with membership and exchange fees of course. Exchange Companies have become very expensive and costs are escalating each year.

 

[Charles Thring]

I guess that's the part I don't understand. Can I own worldmark without deeded property? Sounds intriguing, but I honestly don't know where to start. Thanks to the wonderful folks on this site, the blinders are slowly lifting.
If I can just buy worldmark points....what is cost, benefit, and how would I start.
It seems to me that the worldmark points I have seen, are somehow tied to a home resort.

 

[VacationForever]

I guess that's the part I don't understand. Can I own worldmark without deeded property? Sounds intriguing, but I honestly don't know where to start. Thanks to the wonderful folks on this site, the blinders are slowly lifting.
If I can just buy worldmark points....what is cost, benefit, and how would I start.
It seems to me that the worldmark points I have seen, are somehow tied to a home resort.

Worldmark points are not tied to a home resort. It is a pure point system and you can book as many nights as you want provided you have enough points. Worldmark also has all sorts of cash system that as an owner you can book, often at not much more than the maintenance fees, sometimes less. I have never been unable to book at any of their resorts at 13 months out, including highly sought after ones like Depot Bay, Marina (near Monterrey). Go to wmowners.com to read more about the system. Current resale market price is about 30 cents to 40 cents per point/credit. That pricing has held steady for the past 4 years since I have been an owner. Higher price (40 cents) for fully loaded contracts... go to wmowners.com to learn the terms. It will also recommend several established resellers that specialize in Worldmark points only. There are also owners who will try to sell their "contracts".

 

[geist1223]

Occasionally you will see a Worldmark Account for Sale on EBAY that lists a specific Resort. This is due to an old EBAY requirement that an actual Resort had to be listed. There is no Home Resort. There are about 80 or 90 Resorts that you have direct access - Fiji, Cabo, 2 on Maui, 1 on Kauai, 1 on Hawaii, 2 near Disney Anaheim, at least 1 near Disney World, Victoria, Vancouver BC, 3 in San Diego, Windsor (Sonoma County), San Francisco, Park City, Yellowstone, Seattle, New Orleans, etc, etc. You can go to www.worldmarktheclub.com and on the left margin is a heading that says something like Resort Gallery. If you have Flashplayer installed you can click on it and it will bring up a Map. But be careful because a number of Wyndham Resorts have Dots but if you buy resell you will only have access to the Worldmark Resorts. I think they are the Blue Dots. I don't use Flashplayer as it is one of the least secure Programs/APP around.

The more Points you own the actual Maintenance Fee will increase but the actual cost per Point for Maintenance Fees goes down. Also Maintenance Fee are set in 2,500 Point Brackets. But a person might own 10,001 Points but pays the same total Maintenance Fee as a person owning 12,500 Points. I do know that when we were trying to make up our mind as to buying 63,000 Points it was Pointed out to us that the Maintenance Fee for 65,000 was the same as 63,000.

We have greatly enjoyed our 15 years with Worldmark. Like many others we own in a couple systems.

 

[Charles Thring]

Thank you very much. So how many points would you suggest for average 1 trip to Anaheim and one to Las Vegas yearly, and what would be expected yearly costs?
I'm liking the sound of this

 

[VacationForever]

Thank you very much. So how many points would you suggest for average 1 trip to Anaheim and one to Las Vegas yearly, and what would be expected yearly costs?
I'm liking the sound of this

You should go to worldmarktheclub.com and from resort gallery, you can drill down on the resort and credit values (credit values link is on the right side of each individual resort). Credit values will show desired size of units, each night's credit values - basically the lowest points are for Mon-Thu, and more for Sun, and then most for Fri-Sat. Each resort is different but most resorts require 10000 points for a 2BR one week stay. I don't remember if you said it is just the 2 of you. If so, you may want 1BR or a studio. I normally prefer the largest of the 1BR for the 2 of us because we like space. 1BR usually runs around 9K, Studio is at 8K. Not all resorts have all the sizes. Some have 3BR as well. I own 10K credits and it is plenty for the 2 of us but we normally stay 7 to 10 nights either at the same resort, back to back or separately. You may want more. If you will go back and read what Tuggers have posted about Worldmark, you will read that Maintenance Fees is a step function. My 10K contract is the same MF as a 8K contract. So make sure you buy a contract that is at the highest point value for that step function. Again, I strongly advise you spend time to look at worldmarktheclub.com and wmowners.com. You learn and absorb much more when you spend time researching as opposed to us just trying to educate you in our posts.

 

[theo]

Ok....so. What is best...deeded fixed....deeded float...points......

There is no "best" and there is no "one size fits all". It's "different strokes for different folks". Lots of options, each with different benefits (and limitations).
Maintenance fee amount is relevant to all of them of course, since the maintenance fees will be an obligation long after the initial acquisition (i.e., forever).

I would recommend reading and learning and then reading and learning more before proceeding with any purchase. It's easy to acquire a timeshare, but not easy to divest later. Take it slow and make a well informed choice once you've established more of a knowledge base. Just my opinion and $0.02 worth.

 

[dagger1]

There is no "best" and there is no "one size fits all". It's "different strokes for different folks". Lots of options, each with different benefits (and limitations).
Maintenance fee amount is relevant to all of them of course, since the maintenance fees will be an obligation long after the initial acquisition (i.e., forever). ...

Here's a question about TS MF's being "forever" and difficult to get rid of when no longer desired. I have known several people who have written letters to the TS companies and then just stopped paying MF's. That's it. They are still in our neighborhood, still seem to be living normal lives, and seem to be nonchalant about their action. One person's explanation was that the TS company made a business decision to continually raise the MF's and make it harder to use, so he made a business decision to hand it back them. I am sure there was some kind of credit hit, but it doesn't seem to have affected these folks at all...

 

[rhonda]

Here's a question about TS MF's being "forever" and difficult to get rid of when no longer desired. I have known several people who have written letters to the TS companies and then just stopped paying MF's. That's it. They are still in our neighborhood, still seem to be living normal lives, and seem to be nonchalant about their action. One person's explanation was that the TS company made a business decision to continually raise the MF's and make it harder to use, so he made a business decision to hand it back them. I am sure there was some kind of credit hit, but it doesn't seem to have affected these folks at all....

I'd suggest this question is best served as its own thread -- or as a recent bump to past threads discussing exit strategies.

That said, as it might add another data point to the OP's thinking process, I'd suggest that the outcome of method you propose will vary depending on the resort in question. A smaller timeshare with limited budget may not pursue it beyond a couple of strongly worded messages from the Board. If better equipped/prepared, it might go to the resort's legal and collections departments. A large timeshare system could, likely, do some serious damage to one's credit if they chose to pursue it. However, a timeshare system that still has active sales might be willing to accept the deed in lieu of foreclosure and be happy to turn it around as a new sale to someone else. It all depends.

 

[dagger1]

I'd suggest this question is best served as its own thread -- or as a recent bump to past threads discussing exit strategies.

That said, as it might add another data point to the OP's thinking process, I'd suggest that the outcome of method you propose will vary depending on the resort in question. A smaller timeshare with limited budget may not pursue it beyond a couple of strongly worded messages from the Board. If better equipped/prepared, it might go to the resort's legal and collections departments. A large timeshare system could, likely, do some serious damage to one's credit if they chose to pursue it. However, a timeshare system that still has active sales might be willing to accept the deed in lieu of foreclosure and be happy to turn it around as a new sale to someone else. It all depends.

Your right, I was just responding to the post above mind about MF's being forever. Thanks for watching!

 

[theo]

I was just responding to the post above mine about MF's being forever.

I deliberately overstated the case simply for emphasis by using the word forever. I should perhaps have simply said that maintenance fees are a legal, contractual obligation, to have and to hold (and to pay) for as long as you remain the owner of record.

 

[Charles Thring]

I have no qualms about the "forever" part, I do have fears of a "forever" mistake. I have begun studying the worldmark end of things and the cobwebs are slowly lifting.

All the great responses are greatly appreciated

 

[rickandcindy23]

Because of housekeeping fees with WM resales, I would consider buying 20K points for the two HK fees annually. You get one per 10K points. You can easily go to Disneyland and Las Vegas each year on the 20K points. I don't know anything about the Vegas WM resort, but you can always add an exchange company and use it for exchanging into Vegas.

We have owned WM for a while, and I need to read more about it. I cancelled a confirmation today and got the message that my 13,000 points were returned to my account, but 800 of those expired in February of this year, so unless I use them today, I will lose those points. I had no idea. I don't know how far out I can book to use those points. I need to read. I am not happy about reading about those 800 points. I would rather read my book.

 

[VacationForever]

Because of housekeeping fees with WM resales, I would consider buying 20K points for the two HK fees annually. You get one per 10K points. You can easily go to Disneyland and Las Vegas each year on the 20K points. I don't know anything about the Vegas WM resort, but you can always add an exchange company and use it for exchanging into Vegas.

We have owned WM for a while, and I need to read more about it. I cancelled a confirmation today and got the message that my 13,000 points were returned to my account, but 800 of those expired in February of this year, so unless I use them today, I will lose those points. I had no idea. I don't know how far out I can book to use those points. I need to read. I am not happy about reading about those 800 points. I would rather read my book.

I had a post on WM forum about almost losing more than 3K points.... I believe you need to book something that you will use/stay by Mar 31st of 2018.