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New to this... advice?

Sunshine Wanted

Sunshine Wanted

Tug Review Crew: Rookie
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Hello everyone. I've been reading your forum now for a few weeks, and am interested in HGVC. We just got back from HGVC Waikoloa in a 2bdrm/2ba 3rd floor unit over xmas. Wonderful! Yes, we did go to the presentation. No, we did not buy. I told my hubby the montra for us to keep in mind was, "Do not buy direct, buy resale." We did take advantage of the trial program using the 5000 points (probably shouldn't have done that after reading more of the forum today, but we will enjoy the 7 day vacation to be sure).

We are very new to this topic of timeshare. We do travel quite a bit. Usually taking 3 trips a year. The biggest trip is mid to late June; then a week or so over xmas break and often something over spring break; and IF I can fit it in, a small trip in early August. I'm in the education field - can you tell? So, limited around traditional school vacations... It seems like timeshare would be a good idea for us.

Favorite places: tropical paradise! Living in Alaska, we do seek the sunshine. We also like to sail, and noticed that through RCI you can trade with Festiva and/or Tradewinds Sailing. I read somewhere that Moorings Yacht Charter is affiliated with HGVC as well. The salesman said that they were, but did not have any experience doing that type of trade as he does not like boats. Has anyone done this type of trade before and is it true that Moorings Yacht Charter is affiliated with HGVC? We often will vacation in the same location 3 to 4 years in a row, before moving on to somewhere else. Lately it has been the Southern Caribbean, and about half of those trips have involved sailing. It would be ideal if we could use a timeshare as a vehicle for our love of sailing too!

Now to try to clear up some of my confusion: I'm still confused over where to purchase. We originally had thought Hawaii, but it seems that if everything is point based - maybe you should go for a cheaper package into Vegas perhaps. Is it all based on where you would want to go back to? For example, I would rarely want to use a Vegas property (grew up in CA, and had relatives in Vegas forever), so getting the 12 mos reservation window would not help me out in trying to get to paradise, and the 9 mos window to trade to Hawaii (for example) might be too late to get a holiday week. So, if that is the case, then it seems I would want to pay more and go for a property that I could use every bit of assistance I could get to obtain a holiday week in a popular location. Even though it may run a bit more money... Am I right in my thinking here?

Also, the salesman said that since it is all point based, you should get into a smaller unit (to lower cost), and then bank/borrow your points to get into a unit you would like (2 bdrm). How true is that thinking?

I've been doing some searching of timeshare resales today and came up with a list. It seems that the comparable one bedroom unit at Kings is only about $2000 more from the developer than what I've found on resales. Could this be correct? And, if it is correct then for the additional $2000 would it make sense to go through the developer and get the bonus points he offered?

Now, about seasons... Does the season really matter if everything is point based? When I started this, I was looking for 2 bdrm, Platinum season (holiday weeks). But, if all is point based, does it really matter between platinum or gold? Or, should you be going for as many points as you can? Realistically, how many points would be a good starting point for us?

Well, I will stop with that last question, as I have about a million more :) Don't you hate us newbies? I'll keep reading and researching. Thanks in advance for the words of wisdom.
 
Hilton has a great product, but you can buy a TS in Hawaii (and other places) for a fraction of the cost. Maybe Hilton is the only way to go for you, but I just bought an ocean front unit on Kauai for a total of $98. A year ago I paid $1,300 and $1,500 for two ocean front weeks in the same resort, and thought it was a steal! Now it's not a Hilton, but it's on the same property as the Kauai Hilton and it is a full ocean front unit. All I'm saying is too look at all your options, before you decide. This is a buyers market and there's never been a better time to buy a timeshare.

Vacations - I'm a teacher too, and the weeks you want to travel are the absolute hardest to get in any system. Trying to buy in Las Vegas and use points to get into a holiday week at 8 mos. is going to be tough. Plus, LV is overbuilt and has poor exchange value if you deposit it. If I was you I would consider two every other year purchases - maybe one Hawaii and one Caribbean. That way you would have an owner's priority to make a reservation during high season and the variety of owning in two different areas. You might also want to look at fixed weeks if you have to travel at Christmas, because Christmas is so difficult to reserve - at many resorts weeks 51 & 52 are sold as fixed weeks and only those owners can reserve them. People who do a lot of exchanging, both inside and outside their systems, usually have very flexible travel plans, and teachers just don't have that luxury.

Exchanging into a yacht: Most of those kinds of exchanges are not great deals. You give up your timeshare plus pay an all inclusive fee that's often around $1,000 per person. You get the most out of a TS, if you use it for timesharing.

Here is my advice for buying your first timeshare.

One last thought - TS sales people will tell you whatever it takes to sell you their product. I'm glad you didn't "bite."

GOOD LUCK!
 
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Denise stated a few things which have been bouncing around my head for several months, and I think it's worth elborating on.

I've been at this a whopping two years now, so I'm a baby in TS years compared to many here at Tug. We however got "the bug" and have been applying ourselves at being skilled with the system(s) we are in.

That stated, HGVC was our first & second TS we purchased, both resale and we've been very happy. HGVC treats it's resale owners with the same high regard as those who bought through it's developer sales. You don't hear the hassels and complaints about the system as you do here about other places. Through TUG we learned the the most effective ways to work the HGVC system to book where we want to go, when we want and get the most use of our points. We also paid a premium for the HGVC points, even resale when compared what you can get outside of the HGVC system. We did our purchases through Seth, and got very good deals with him, but there is a limit to how low you will get something through HGVC resale before they excercise ROFR.

We have 2-1/2 weeks of other non-HGVC weeks. The 1/2 week was for an every-other-year use week in Maui. HGVC doesn't have Maui, we stayed at and loved the place we eventually snagged for a couple hundred $ plus closing costs.

Another week we own at San Clemente Inn, we got off ebay, sight unseen for under $100. I was interested because it's a 90 minute drive from us, it's near the beach and within a couple minutes of a prime surfing spot here in S.Cal. As it turns out it's a jewel of a resort. Small to medium size, family oriented, friendly, clean and one of the lowest maintenance fee's charged in S.Cal.

Neither San Clemente or Maui are anywhere close to HGVC standards, but they are both clean solid places with great locations. I tend to prefer low rise apt/condo type places over high rises and these both fit me well.

Our most recent purchase has been our most complicated, Summer Bay Desert Club LV. This property is sort of odd in that it was a string of old apartment complexes approximately 50 years old which were turned into a timeshare resort behind Harah's, Imperial Palace and Flamingo hotels. It eventually had financial issues, a bankruptcy and Harah's (Ceasars Palace) got the development rights to the land SB sits (sat) on. Negotiations took place with the present mgmnt company and the HOA with Ceasars and an adjacent apartment complex Ceasars owned built maybe 20 years ago was swapped for the SB property along with approximatey 45 million $ to renovate and move to the adjacent complex. That move has occurred and they've turned SBDC into a Gold crown (HGVC) quality resort. It's beautiful and I'd even say it's as nice as the buldings at HGVC Waikola, less the golf course and Hawaii part. :hysterical: It's complicated however as they had to do a two step transfer process with the deeds. I bought resale from an owner who hadn't previously gone through the conversion process with the developer so effectively we got at the end of the line of approximately 26,000 deeds which had to be converted...then transferred, eventually to me (just one deed that is). I paid a couple hundred for this one as well (plus closing costs) and a perk is this week is in RCI points which provides some features which are similar to HGVC's points system.

If you are still with me here, where I'm going with this is if you include the closing costs we spent on these non-HGVC weeks, we paid roughly the equivalant of a 3400 point gold unit at HGVC LV Hilton, for all 2-1/2 weeks combined. On the other hand, one 3400 point week has one MF. The 2-1/2 weeks have 2-1/2 annual MF's. As Denise indicated the buyers market is really here now and there are all kinds of steals out there to be had.

One word of caution though as Denise and many others, and I'll include myself in this, are very experienced at working the time share systems. We know how to get the most value from our weeks and work the angles. It's taken well over a thousand hours on my part here reading and asking questions on TUG to get to this point and it's a bit of work...albeit, fun work.

If you don't have the time or don't want to invest that sort of time figuring out the pitfalls of various TS, buy an HGVC week resale in Vegas or Orlando, spend the 25-50 or so hours on-line here it takes to completely understand that system and enjoy yourself. If you do have the time and want to spend 1/10th the cost of an HGVC week, then hang out here for at least six months, identify the systems or resorts you are interested in and then learn everything about them you can from those here who have them already. The folks here on TUG offer what amounts to an advanced education on the realities of timeshare...the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now if you are still with me, I'll appologize as I don't know anything about the sailing options, but that HGVC may offer something like this is another plus to their system.

Get comfy and don't do anything for awhile without pouring through the threads here. Welcome!!!
 
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I own at Tradewinds Cruise club. So I can provide info about cruising vactions.

The yacht vacation is a completely different animal. You either love it or hate it. It is a completely relaxing decompression kind of vacation. There are no TV, newspapers, phones (limited cell coverage in places). The cabins are small compared to any other timeshare accommodation. However my husband and I enjoy sailing and scuba diving and this trip is the perfect escape for us. This is a very relaxing, stay in your bathing suite 90% of the time kind of trip. No makeup, no blow dryers, no jackets or collared shirts required, just relax.

We think it is worth the price, but as owners we get diving included in the price. Yes you pay an all inclusive price, but that include food and drink (including alcohol). There are 2 dinners that are not included and you just choose an onshore restaurant for dinner. There are referrals allowed at Tradewinds, contact me for more info.

I also know about Moorings and I looked into the HGVC arrangement and it is not worth it, in my opinion. For 4,750 points you get $500 credit. Well you have to look at much MFs you paid for the 4.75K? Do you pay more than $500 than it is not a good use of your points. On the other hand if you were going to have the points go to waste, then and only then, I would consider it as an alternative. However a Crewed Yacht Vacation is expensive, about $2K per person, depending on size and season. The Tradewinds alternative is less than a Crewed Yacht vacation at Moorings, in my experience.

Moorings has both Bareboat or Crewed Yacht, depending on your skills and confort level. A Bareboat might be cheaper per couple, but now you have to sail and cook and find friends to share the cost with.

So it all depends. Some people feel that the cruising options are not value added, as the AI is too much for them. But considering what kind of vacation you get, and the costs of obtaining that same experience on the Travel Market, then Tradewinds is a good alternative.

I have not sailed on Elite Island Yachts, so I can't speak about the experience on board. However they are affiliated with Festiva and I do not like Festiva's operations.
 
Sailing

Sandy Lovell said:
I own at Tradewinds Cruise club. So I can provide info about cruising vactions.

The yacht vacation is a completely different animal. You either love it or hate it. It is a completely relaxing decompression kind of vacation. There are no TV, newspapers, phones (limited cell coverage in places). The cabins are small compared to any other timeshare accommodation. However my husband and I enjoy sailing and scuba diving and this trip is the perfect escape for us. This is a very relaxing, stay in your bathing suite 90% of the time kind of trip. No makeup, no blow dryers, no jackets or collared shirts required, just relax.

We think it is worth the price, but as owners we get diving included in the price. Yes you pay an all inclusive price, but that include food and drink (including alcohol). There are 2 dinners that are not included and you just choose an onshore restaurant for dinner. There are referrals allowed at Tradewinds, contact me for more info.

I also know about Moorings and I looked into the HGVC arrangement and it is not worth it, in my opinion. For 4,750 points you get $500 credit. Well you have to look at much MFs you paid for the 4.75K? Do you pay more than $500 than it is not a good use of your points. On the other hand if you were going to have the points go to waste, then and only then, I would consider it as an alternative. However a Crewed Yacht Vacation is expensive, about $2K per person, depending on size and season. The Tradewinds alternative is less than a Crewed Yacht vacation at Moorings, in my experience.

Moorings has both Bareboat or Crewed Yacht, depending on your skills and confort level. A Bareboat might be cheaper per couple, but now you have to sail and cook and find friends to share the cost with.

So it all depends. Some people feel that the cruising options are not value added, as the AI is too much for them. But considering what kind of vacation you get, and the costs of obtaining that same experience on the Travel Market, then Tradewinds is a good alternative.

I have not sailed on Elite Island Yachts, so I can't speak about the experience on board. However they are affiliated with Festiva and I do not like Festiva's operations.
Click to expand...

Hi Sandy. Thanks for the great information. We are not new to sailing, and have bareboated before. But, yes - you do have to find the people to go with, and we haven't been now for too long to bareboat without refreshing our skills. I did not mind the cooking/ boat handling part - the planning of the cooking and provisioning prep prior to our trip was actually quite fun. (I love to spend hours planning trips & planning for trips - I think I should have been a travel agent in another life. I did great planning for our first time...)

We actually have already scheduled our first TW cruise! (member referral rate) We go to Bequia in June for a week. Wouldn't you know - when we are not wanting to bareboat, we found enough friends that want to go - so we have the whole boat booked! If we wanted to bareboat and were looking for friends to go, we wouldn't be able to find them - it always seems to work that way. But, TW seems like a good alternative for us since we don't sail enough to feel comfortable doing this on our own this time. We can't wait for June!! A week on the sailboat (can't ask for more, but sailing is NOT for everyone...); and then a week in Grenada (have been there four summers in a row now). We are interested in finding out more about the TW program.

So, Moorings doesn't sound like the best deal at all... How often can you trade your HGVC points into TW?

Thanks again for the info!
Patty
 
Trying to buy in Las Vegas and use points to get into a holiday week at 8 mos. is going to be tough. Plus, LV is overbuilt and has poor exchange value if you deposit it.
Click to expand...
This is true for most TSs, but isn't true for HGVC. When you own at any true HGVC resort, you trade generic HGVC points not a week tied to any resort. So when you trade in HGVC, every owner has exactly the same very good trading power.
also, the salesman said that since it is all point based, you should get into a smaller unit (to lower cost), and then bank/borrow your points to get into a unit you would like (2 bdrm). How true is that thinking?
Click to expand...
IMHO, is is only kind of true. Yes you will spend less when you buy BUT IMHO, I'd buy at least a 5000 pt week ( either the 4800 pt one bed platinum or 2 bd gold week) Then you have a vacation every year or a big vacation EOY. Personally, I'd buy a 7000 pt plat week in LV or Orlando and get the biggest bang for your buck.


Good Luck
 
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UWSurfer said:
Denise stated a few things which have been bouncing around my head for several months, and I think it's worth elborating on.

I've been at this a whopping two years now, so I'm a baby in TS years compared to many here at Tug. We however got "the bug" and have been applying ourselves at being skilled with the system(s) we are in.

That stated, HGVC was our first & second TS we purchased, both resale and we've been very happy. HGVC treats it's resale owners with the same high regard as those who bought through it's developer sales. You don't hear the hassels and complaints about the system as you do here about other places. Through TUG we learned the the most effective ways to work the HGVC system to book where we want to go, when we want and get the most use of our points. We also paid a premium for the HGVC points, even resale when compared what you can get outside of the HGVC system. We did our purchases through Seth, and got very good deals with him, but there is a limit to how low you will get something through HGVC resale before they excercise ROFR.

We have 2-1/2 weeks of other non-HGVC weeks. The 1/2 week was for an every-other-year use week in Maui. HGVC doesn't have Maui, we stayed at and loved the place we eventually snagged for a couple hundred $ plus closing costs.

Another week we own at San Clemente Inn, we got off ebay, sight unseen for under $100. I was interested because it's a 90 minute drive from us, it's near the beach and within a couple minutes of a prime surfing spot here in S.Cal. As it turns out it's a jewel of a resort. Small to medium size, family oriented, friendly, clean and one of the lowest maintenance fee's charged in S.Cal.

Neither San Clemente or Maui are anywhere close to HGVC standards, but they are both clean solid places with great locations. I tend to prefer low rise apt/condo type places over high rises and these both fit me well.

Our most recent purchase has been our most complicated, Summer Bay Desert Club LV. This property is sort of odd in that it was a string of old apartment complexes approximately 50 years old which were turned into a timeshare resort behind Harah's, Imperial Palace and Flamingo hotels. It eventually had financial issues, a bankruptcy and Harah's (Ceasars Palace) got the development rights to the land SB sits (sat) on. Negotiations took place with the present mgmnt company and the HOA with Ceasars and an adjacent apartment complex Ceasars owned built maybe 20 years ago was swapped for the SB property along with approximatey 45 million $ to renovate and move to the adjacent complex. That move has occurred and they've turned SBDC into a Gold crown (HGVC) quality resort. It's beautiful and I'd even say it's as nice as the buldings at HGVC Waikola, less the golf course and Hawaii part. :hysterical: It's complicated however as they had to do a two step transfer process with the deeds. I bought resale from an owner who hadn't previously gone through the conversion process with the developer so effectively we got at the end of the line of approximately 26,000 deeds which had to be converted...then transferred, eventually to me (just one deed that is). I paid a couple hundred for this one as well (plus closing costs) and a perk is this week is in RCI points which provides some features which are similar to HGVC's points system.

If you are still with me here, where I'm going with this is if you include the closing costs we spent on these non-HGVC weeks, we paid roughly the equivalant of a 3400 point gold unit at HGVC LV Hilton, for all 2-1/2 weeks combined. On the other hand, one 3400 point week has one MF. The 2-1/2 weeks have 2-1/2 annual MF's. As Denise indicated the buyers market is really here now and there are all kinds of steals out there to be had.

One word of caution though as Denise and many others, and I'll include myself in this, are very experienced at working the time share systems. We know how to get the most value from our weeks and work the angles. It's taken well over a thousand hours on my part here reading and asking questions on TUG to get to this point and it's a bit of work...albeit, fun work.

If you don't have the time or don't want to invest that sort of time figuring out the pitfalls of various TS, buy an HGVC week resale in Vegas or Orlando, spend the 25-50 or so hours on-line here it takes to completely understand that system and enjoy yourself. If you do have the time and want to spend 1/10th the cost of an HGVC week, then hang out here for at least six months, identify the systems or resorts you are interested in and then learn everything about them you can from those here who have them already. The folks here on TUG offer what amounts to an advanced education on the realities of timeshare...the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now if you are still with me, I'll appologize as I don't know anything about the sailing options, but that HGVC may offer something like this is another plus to their system.

Get comfy and don't do anything for awhile without pouring through the threads here. Welcome!!!
Click to expand...

Hi UW Surfer. Thanks for the info and shedding an important light on MF's. Definitely something to keep in mind. So, having both types of products (HGVC + other weeks) what do you think the best way to get into this is?

I know it will take time to figure out "the system" and the ins and outs of getting what you want and making the most use of your points. The developer sales person played this card on us - if we buy through him we have him to help us learn the systems, etc... We both said when we left that we could learn on our own (with TUGS help of course). Is there a section of the forum that helps to learn, or just keep reading posts like I'm doing already?
 
Sunshine Wanted said:
I know it will take time to figure out "the system" and the ins and outs of getting what you want and making the most use of your points. The developer sales person played this card on us - if we buy through him we have him to help us learn the systems, etc...
Click to expand...

Maybe he is the exceptional salesman who really means what he says but 1) he wanted to make the sale, he makes no money by working with you after the sale, 2) Most salesmen don't know much about using their own system, again, their job it to sell timeshares, not manage them, so I think that was just fluff.
Is there a section of the forum that helps to learn, or just keep reading posts like I'm doing already?
Click to expand...

Yes - our advice page, linked at the top of the board in the red bar is a great place to do your homework and also the FAQ's at the top of most of the individual boards. Also, if you become a TUG member, you can access zillions of resort reviews written by TUG members in the TUG Member's only review section.
 
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UWSurfer said:
buy an HGVC week resale in Vegas or Orlando, spend the 25-50 or so hours on-line here it takes to completely understand that system and enjoy yourself.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, it took me less than an hour to learn how to use and maximize the HGVC system before I ever found TUG--it's that straightforward and easy.

And even though I don't own in Hawaii, I spend most of my points there. I've never not been able to book there when I want, but I'm not tied to a school schedule. However, I have seen availability during holiday weeks.
 
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Sunshine Wanted said:
How often can you trade your HGVC points into TW?
Patty
Click to expand...

1 in 4 applies to all bases. So if you have gone once through RCI you have to wait 4 years before you can go again to any base. You can only go as a referral once, period. So you have used up your referral. You can't be referred by any other member.

We too had the same issue of trying to find enough people to line up their scheduled to all get together to Bareboat charter a boat. I am too tall (6'0") for most galleys, so cooking is not fun for me, I usually keep hitting my head. Beside I would rather be on vacation, so having a cook and a captain is nice. That being said you can captain the boat if you like. I think I was at the helm for over 4 hours in one stretch. I sailed from Jost Von Dyke to The Indians in British Virgin Islands (BVI).

We have managed several trips where we did some sort of sailing. I have heard others say they got to motor sail only. I have only had that happen on one trip in Antigua where we were in irons (into the wind) the entire trip. We sailed around Antigua and 1/2 way around the island the winds shifted. That was the worst case senario. Into the wind on the way out and into the wind on the way back. That is why I like the multi island settings better, BVI, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) or St Martin (SXM).

We did a Delivery trip on TWCC from Antigua to Bequia in SVG. TWCC needed the yachts in for servicing in Bequia. Boy did we do some sailing. It took us about 5 days. We did some night sailing, sailed through some squalls with really good strong winds. You actually have to have sailing experience to do these trip as it is a working sail, as you are under sail, often at night, you have your own shift and the captain is sleeping. They do NOT offer this trips as RCI exchangers, these trips are for owners only. But they are a nice departure from the regular trip if you to get some more sailing done.
 
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sailing

Sandy Lovell said:
1 in 4 applies to all bases. So if you have gone once through RCI you have to wait 4 years before you can go again to any base. You can only go as a referral once, period. So you have used up your referral. You can't be referred by any other member.

We too had the same issue of trying to find enough people to line up their scheduled to all get together to Bareboat charter a boat. I am too tall (6'0") for most galleys, so cooking is not fun for me, I usually keep hitting my head. Beside I would rather be on vacation, so having a cook and a captain is nice. That being said you can captain the boat if you like. I think I was at the helm for over 4 hours in one stretch. I sailed from Jost Von Dyke to The Indians in British Virgin Islands (BVI).

We have managed several trips where we did some sort of sailing. I have heard others say they got to motor sail only. I have only had that happen on one trip in Antigua where we were in irons (into the wind) the entire trip. We sailed around Antigua and 1/2 way around the island the winds shifted. That was the worst case senario. Into the wind on the way out and into the wind on the way back. That is why I like the multi island settings better, BVI, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) or St Martin (SXM).

We did a Delivery trip on TWCC from Antigua to Bequia in SVG. TWCC needed the yachts in for servicing in Bequia. Boy did we do some sailing. It took us about 5 days. We did some night sailing, sailed through some squalls with really good strong winds. You actually have to have sailing experience to do these trip as it is a working sail, as you are under sail, often at night, you have your own shift and the captain is sleeping. They do NOT offer this trips as RCI exchangers, these trips are for owners only. But they are a nice departure from the regular trip if you to get some more sailing done.
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That sounds like a lot of fun Sandy. I've sailed off and on for a number of years, but never enough to be "confident". One question we did ask before we signed up for our June '09 cruise was could we sail... and of course the answer was yes, as much as you want. That will make my hubby happy - he loves to be at the helm and it will give us both more time on the water (which we need since our last bareboat was 2005).
 
Sunshine Wanted said:
I know it will take time to figure out "the system" and the ins and outs of getting what you want and making the most use of your points... Is there a section of the forum that helps to learn, or just keep reading posts like I'm doing already?
Click to expand...

Each year, Hilton sends its members these nice-looking guides filled with artsy photos and charts, and rules tucked away in the back. Just read them thru a few times. You'll quickly learn the basics and likely be able to teach the salesman a few things.

The primary thing to know is that, of all the options one has, the best use of points is for their principal purpose, which is reserving stays at HGVC and its affiliated resorts. All other options, while nice to have as an enhancement, is a less efficient use of your points.

This forum is an invaluable resource for some of the more estoteric issues, like whether you can or should use rescued points, deposited points or borrowed points for any particular purpose. Rest assured that the kind folks here are experts at point manipulation and can offer you some sage advice.
 
There are alot of options when working the HGVC system.

I dare say that if you want to understand and potentially utilize the different options available to you it takes more than an hour to get one's head around it and the terms related to each. That isn't to say you can't just book a stay with the points system within an hour of getting your HGVC guide, but there's quite a bit more available to the HGVC member.

I'm very happy with HGVC. I say that time and time again. I'm looking at heading back to Key West ahead of our family spring break trip to Orlando and the least expensive way to stay in the Keys at this time has me looking at converting some HGVC points into the HHonors system to book a couple nights at the Doubletree, a hilton brand hotel. I can't do that with my other weeks and for me in this particular circumstance looks to be a good use of points.

I think as a teacher, whose vacation time is based around school schedule, HGVC is something to give serious consideration to. The biggest complaint you'll hear on Tug is HGVC doesn't have alot of resorts in their system with the primary HGVC's located in Vegas, Orlando & Hawaii. There are more than 30 affiliates in their system which exchange the same way the "big 3" do, but may not have the entire resort committed to HGVC. Again it comes down to working the system.

However now that we've been to the HGVC's in Hawaii, have stayed at all three Vegas properties and will have stayed at I-Drive in Orlando, I'm now focusing our next couple years working our RCI points and seeing what we can get out of them and how we use them.

Given our present cluster, I could see a time in the future where we could sell one or both of our HGVC weeks if we find we are getting to the places we want to go with the RCI points. It certainly would save us some $ in maintenance fee's as well as make back some $ from the sale...but we're not in the market and this is not the market to be selling these right now.

Stick around, read through the HGVC boards as well as the others which catch your eyes, ask questions and be like a sponge. TUG is a valuable resource and the people here are incredible.
 
I love my membership with Hilton. It has really improved the quality of our lives. If you are going to buy resale, I would suggest contacting Seth Nock, who is an authorized HGVC resale agent. I wish I had known about him prior to purchasing direct from Hilton because I would have saved a mint. However, Hilton has delivered everything it promised and then some. The again, without people like me who purchased directly from the developer, people like you would not be able to purchase resale nor would the developers continue to build new TS resorts. Good luck whatever you decide and welcome to TUG.
 
Thanks

Thank you Liz. I just e-mailed the owner asking some questions. It is at the Bay Club, and I worry a tad bit about the Bay Club as I know it is an older property... it seems easier to get into though for decent prices! Should I be worried?

Do you know if you buy in the Bay Club, when you go to book your resort if you get the Bay Club as your home resort, or is it listed as HGVC Waikoloa?
 
Dig into the HGVC board a bit and you'll find a few threads on Bay Club. Bay Club is an affiliate and as such has a bit of a different relationship with HGVC. If you are interested in HGVC, Bay Club may leave you with some undesirable limitations with your access to HGVC.

Seth Nock is the man to speak with. You really should sit on your hands a bit and not rush into buying anything at this moment. Give it all some time to sink in and get a feel for what's available. In the end you'll be much happier with whatever you get.
 
Sunshine Wanted said:
Thank you Liz. I just e-mailed the owner asking some questions. It is at the Bay Club, and I worry a tad bit about the Bay Club as I know it is an older property... it seems easier to get into though for decent prices! Should I be worried?

Do you know if you buy in the Bay Club, when you go to book your resort if you get the Bay Club as your home resort, or is it listed as HGVC Waikoloa?
Click to expand...

The Bay Club would be your home resort, NOT HGVC Waikaloa, that is a different ownership. There are restrictions on your Bay Club account, like you must pay for your MFs before you can use your points. Other HGVC let you borrow next years without paying your MF in advance, provided you are a member in good standing. Not a big deal, pay your MFs in advance and get your points. That is the only limitation I have discovered, and I own Bay Club.

People here keep speculating now that Hilton has its own properties on the Big Island that they will drop Bay Club. There is just speculation and as far as Seth (hope I am not misquoting you) and others have commented here, that is likely NOT going to happen. The land that HGVC developed on in Waikoloa, was land that was originally owned by the Bay Club developer. So there are some deep ties between the two organizations. See this thread for more dropped discussions....
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73091

Bay Club does resale cheaper, because of the lingering rumor/threat of being dumped by HGVC, but I think that is people reading something into it. Bay Club also does NOT have ROFR which I think is the primary reason why prices are cheaper. It is also an older property, with many owners who are NOT in HGVC. I am hoping for an update to some of the units which I think is planned. In reality the Bay Club units are very very large compared with the HGVC built units. They just don't have the granite and nice finishes that the much newer HGVC built properties do. Still a nice property just not as fancy.

Bay Club was NOT built as timeshares, but rather build as wholly owned condos. But when the Japanese market dropped in the 90s, they converted the ownership to timeshares. There are still a few units that are wholly owned. You can usually tell these when you are there as they have different window treatments an lanai funiture from all the others.
 
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It's easy to trade INTO Bay Club. I wouldn't buy it. I am a teacher - there was a ton of Bay Club availability with our Seaworld points - it took getting up at midnight to get into Hawaiian village - exactly 12 months out. So if you want to go to Oahu every year, I'd buy Hilton Hawaii. but it sounds as though you're interested in lots of places. Don't necessarily get Hilton - though I love it! Come over to the Marriott board and learn a little over there, too. Manor Club (Seth can get this) trades amazingly and it's inexpensive right now. I am not suggesting you should buy that - I am suggesting that you are so new - read, read, read!

I'm so glad you found TUG and didn't buy developer. You are rescinding that VIP, right?
 
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