# Canadians who timeshare



## hellolani

I'm not sure if this is the place to post, but I've been wondering for a while now - 

Where do other Canadians like to holiday?  With our dollar now relatively weak compared to USD and both exchange companies charging in US fees, I've gotten more interested in the "Own where you want to go" principle.  

I own 2 US timeshares and trade via II into Mexico primarily, because once you get there our dollar still goes a long way.

But now with my 2nd kid about to turn 2 and have to pay for airfare, I'm interested in where other Canadians own to go and own to trade, especially if you have a young family.

Really appreciate your responses or suggestion of where this post should go.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

Hi Hellolani ,
Non AI resorts in Mexico make a lot of sense for the reasons you outlined .

For Vancouver you also get to add Alaskan Air / Seattle as a good airline choice to Mexico 
as well as Westjet & Air Canada . In Ontario - Sunwing and Air Transat can have good prices 
and are non stop / 5 hours to the west coast resort cities in Mexico .I am not sure how much they offer from BC or the west . 
We went  to Mazatlan in 2010 and it was full of Canadians from west of Winnipeg .
Since ElCid , Pueblo Bonita and  others are based there the shoulder week deals on RCI  
seem pretty good .

My MF for a Mayan Palace one bedroom suite is  currently $ 700 USD .
This year I used  both our weeks for a February - ( winter  is too  cold ) in PV / NV
 ( two weeks =1  flight / In 2015 we did Cancun Feb & PV April = 2 flight ) the change was partly due to cost and a desire to try 
2 consecutive weeks away from winter / the downside - it is a long time until May and nice weather at home .

Both MF went on credit cards that had points that could be used to lower my net cost in loonies .
My  original TD card is now point burned out .so I am now using a new TD Aeroplan  with the hope that that will reduce next years flight cost . This years flight used some Alaska Air miles - so we paid about $ 600 cdn  per ticket (2) to PV . 
The Capital One Aspire gives the best points ( 2 per $ ) so all our groceries go on that , as well as big dollar stuff like dentist bills ( my $ 1800 root canal) 
I am hopping it will knock about $ 3-5 hundred off the $ 900 in loonies cost when we book our 6 month advanced window / residence week in August .

While in Mexico  we used the Chase Canada / Marriott rewards Visa because it has no foreign transaction fees and has generally given me a better exchange rate than I see posted at PV banks while there .
The cost per Marriott point is only OK but it comes with one free night for the $ 120 annual fee . We have been using those free nights for a one bedroom suite at USA Residece Inn by Marriott where the per night is generally over $ 150 USD 

Anyway - those are the kinds of  exchange rate choices that have been working 
for us .

We have a cottage near Lake Huron so our TS use is for winter at this time .

When  we retire in the next 5 + years - the cottage probably becomes our primary residence and I could see using RCI last call etc for late fall in the USA or Mexico  . We have a  Canadian based Vacation Club that averages  17 TPU when deposited . It was how our TS  adventure started  and while the  TPU' s are only OK , it is member directed and works hard to keep MF at $ 699 USD .It is a RTU that ends before we are 80 - so no  complicated legacy issues .

Our 2 children are over age 25 - so they do their own travel,. That said - they have both joined us in Mexico at least once .  Family  vacations and memories are a good reason to use timeshares with any age  family members . 

.I hope other Canadians add to your  thread 

.


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## Pardytime

I retired last year, DH is semi-retired and although not in the same age bracket as you, we do travel a lot with our extended family. 

We have enough points through HGVC and Wyndham for about 5 weeks in a 1 Bdrm, and we burn through them no problem every year.  We stay in timeshares in Las Vegas every year, usually meeting up with adult family members who live in BC and Alta.  We just came back from 3 weeks in Orlando, having exchanged through RCI into DVC, which was really a treat.  Our Wyndham home resort is Old Town Alexandria, my favourite timeshare for urban location and we usually drive there. 

We have not yet exchanged into or rented a timeshare in Mexico, as I am usually able to find an all-inclusive at an acceptable price via one of the travel websites.  We do not restrict our travel to timeshares, though. For example, I went on a couple of cruises this past year with family members, and rented an apartment in Rome pre and post cruise.  We also rented a house in Phoenix before Christmas, as our group was too big.
I don't know about Vancouver, but it is becoming very challenging to find direct flights from Ottawa to anywhere in the US or Mexico.  I find we are now staying longer in places that we fly to, as it seems like one day each way is given over to travel status. 
Happy travels.


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## Tacoma

Hellolani

We have been timesharing since our kids were fairly young but we also had a trailer at a lake in BC for 11 summers while the kids were little. They are now 20 and 22 and they loved summers at the lake. They had lake friends and school friends and are still in touch with some of their lake friends. 

For holidays we too had to consider the low Canadian dollar and that is part of the reason we started timesharing. Just being able to cook many of our meals kept the costs down. Another way to save was we drove to many locations and only booked airfares every 18-24 months. Our kids got used to very long road trips. We drove to Califorernia twice, Utah, from Ottawa to Calgary etc. A few times we would fly to one location and then drive to a second location(Orlando and Hilton Head).

I know it's local for you but we love Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler. I also agree with Mexico where the Canadian dollar does not seem so low. 

Joan


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## kalima

*Hi from Qualicum Beach, BC*

We do our summers here on the Island where we live and also go to Oliver BC for a week. We live in one of the most beautiful areas of Canada IMO and I cannot justify going somewhere else when we live in our own little paradise. We like to camp at local lakes etc. Quadra Island near Campbell River is a big favourite as we have family there. For TS trips we go to Maui every other year. Yes quite crazy with the exchange rate but we own a week at an oceanfront resort in Lahaina and we also have friends who own a condo outright in Kihei...we do a week at each place. The great deal we get at our friends condo helps to make up for the crappy exchange rate a little. I collect travel points with my credit card so it usually pays for our plane flights. Nice to see a Canadian Thread on the go!!


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## bizaro86

We have 2 kids, 2 years and 7 months. We haven't done Mexico with them yet, but have done Hawaii, twice with the older one. I find eating in and doing free activities (beach/pool) helps keep costs down.

We're also planning some drive to mountain vacations, lots of TS options in the rockies, and we are thinking of renting out our SDO and then using getaway/last call for shoulder season in the mountains.

From vancouver, one option might be a 3-4 day one way cruise to or from California. They are often as cheap as flying, and you get 3 days of meals and entertainment as well.


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## ChrisandBeth

*Nanaimo says hi too*

we use our Worldmark and Vacation Internationale TS for overnights in Victoria and Vancouver frequently. We also still,travel to the US but this year we have cut back on US travel because of the dollar. And if Trump is elected I will only travel to the continental  US for meetings. 

I am not yet  fully retired and don't really care for Mexico so DW and girlfriends travel to PV once a year.

I don't think the USD/CDN dollar spread will stay this wide forever, and in 2-3 years I expect to see within 5 points of parity.

If the dollar were to stay at current levels forever I would curb my travel but given I can easily recover my MF by renting out points to other WM/VI owners I don't plan on selling. I have a Mazatlan  week that the RTU expires next year. I doubt I'll renew or replace it. 

Chris


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## kalima

*Hello back to Nanaimo!*

My hubby plays in a band at The Well a few times a year...ever go there? Mid Life Crisis is the band, classic rock. He lived there for many years and his family is still there...next gig is June 25th actually!....have a great day!


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## Greg G

kalima said:


> We do our summers here on the Island where we live and also go to Oliver BC for a week. We live in one of the most beautiful areas of Canada IMO and I cannot justify going somewhere else when we live in our own little paradise. We like to camp at local lakes etc. Quadra Island near Campbell River is a big favourite as we have family there. For TS trips we go to Maui every other year. Yes quite crazy with the exchange rate but we own a week at an oceanfront resort in Lahaina and we also have friends who own a condo outright in Kihei...we do a week at each place. The great deal we get at our friends condo helps to make up for the crappy exchange rate a little. I collect travel points with my credit card so it usually pays for our plane flights. Nice to see a Canadian Thread on the go!!



kalima

I can see why you live and summer on Vancouver Island.  That is one amazing place.  I've been there twice and can still see myself going back many,many times in the future.

Greg


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## Finntastic

I live in Northern Ontario. We are about 7 hrs north of Toronto.  We only use our timeshare right now in the winter for one week. While the Canadian dollar right now is a factor in travelling we still have to pay our MF so may as well use the week and enjoy it. We spent very little money while we were there. We went to South Carolina and had a great time. In the summer we generally only vacation in ontario. We have a cottage( or camp as we call them) in Northern Ontario 45 min from home. We also like going to southern ontario about every other summer and Ottawa in a new regular vacation place now as our son (17) is moving there in September and one lived their for 6 months this yr.  I do plan on taking one or two day trips into Michigan this summer regardless of the dollar because I love Michigan!


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## Quadmaniac

You can never go wrong with Hawaii ! This is where I mostly go. I've been to all the islands and Maui was my favorite until I discovered Ko Olina on Oahu. It's like being in Kaanapali without the crowds, easier to trade into, cheaper and more variety of restaurants close by, more things to see if we want to go explore. 

I found Kauai to be really quiet and if that is your thing, its really peaceful except for all the roosters that start squawking at 5 AM every morning outside. You wouldn't believe how many times I thought they should be on my plate instead of outside my window.

The Big Island is vast and alot of nature to be had, but the resort we had was not the same quality as Marriott or Westin and it was not at the beach so we had to pack up the vehicle to go to the beach. The Volcanos were great to see, but not really an island I am running back to. 

The great thing about Hawaii is that it is paradise, everyone speaks english, its safe to wander at anytime of the day, and people are so friendly/welcoming. 

I've been to Mexico a few times and it is nice as well, but not the same comfortable feeling of being able to go anywhere you want to go explore in your car. I remember being pulled over in Cancun by the Mexican Police trying to shake down another tourist. Good thing is that I kept saying I didn't understand him and he finally gave up on trying to get money from us. I didn't drink any of the local water and was very careful about not having ice cubes in my drinks. I drove to see all the ruins, but you do have to be careful. Driving can be hairy down there. Going through the hassle of Mexican customs and some of the incidents of late, meh, I would rather not if I had a choice. I'll pay a couple extra bucks to feel safer personally and the food/water around me.

Disneyworld / Disneyland is always a kid's paradise and a good travel option when the kids are a bit older but expensive to get into the parks and the food there.


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## Dori

We bought our first timeshare week in 1992, and 2 more within a few years. We have completed over 100 exchanges, almost all of them in the US. We have been to Hawaii, and many other places in the US, from California to Florida. Over the years, we found it was often cheaper to fly from Buffalo than to travel within Canada. It is just in the past few years that we have begun to stay in timeshares in Ontario, so we can easily take our two grandchildren (ages 7 and 5) away for a summer week.

For many years, we used our weeks for Florida at March Break with our kids. Six years ago, we bought a mobile home in a 55-plus community, just south of Orlando. Now we use our timeshare weeks for Vegas, Arizona, etc., during the early fall. Life is good!

Dori


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## happymum

We've owned timeshares for 16 years now and have had a ton of great experiences. Within Canada we've enjoyed Mont Tremblant for a ski week, Clear Lake Manitoba for "May long", Lethbridge for a golf getaway,Banff for both summer and winter getaways, Radium, Panorama and Whistler for ski weeks and Pacific Shores on Vancouver Island for a great touring base. Also did a week in Uclulet, but I don't believe that resort is available anymore.
Additionally we have enjoyed visiting many places in the US and Carribean that we would not have considered otherwise. (Sedona, the Berkshires, Long Island,Carlsbad, St Lucia, Grand Cayman, USVI... ) Yes, the state of the dollar sometimes makes things more difficult, but we tend to cut back on eating out and activiies rather than not going at all. By using Aeroplan and Air Miles for flights and watching air fares carefully, there are some savings to be found. One February break we were able to get 11 Air Miles seats to Grand Cayman from all over western Canada. Another possibility is using the WestJet companion fare ticket for the more expensive flights. (Through the RBC Mastrcard. The yearly fee may be less than the cost of the airfare and then your luggage is free)


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## happymum

Another possibility is to look at doing direct exchanges with other Tuggers with your weeks. This eliminates the exchange fees, which are considerable!


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## ValHam

We live in timeshares and hotels 6 months out of the year - The last few years we have travelled to Asia for 7 weeks - staying in timeshares in Thailand -We also traded for timeshares in Bali for a few years - really low cost holiday - 

Last year we returned to Vancouver after Asia for 7 weeks - We stayed here shortly and went off to the Grand Mayan Riviera for 3 weeks - used extra holidays and Alaska Airlines credit card - 2 for 1 airfare

Returned to Vancouver for 3 weeks and off to Europe and Africa - Stayed in timeshares in Scotland - timeshares in Paris - did all inclusive in Marrakech - In Sorrento Italy we used extra holidays with Interval.

Europe is expensive compared to Asia - Marrakech was cheap.

This year we go off to P.V. for 2 months - home again and to the Middle East -
Israel is expensive - Greece seems so so - Petra seems expensive - good luck


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## Sugarcubesea

I love this thread because I'm considering exchanging into a eastern Canadian TS next summer. I only want to drive 5 hours Max from MI and found some really nice resorts and I'm trying to figure out where to go. Thank you for starting this thread.


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## raygo123

Sugarcubesea said:


> I love this thread because I'm considering exchanging into a eastern Canadian TS next summer. I only want to drive 5 hours Max from MI and found some really nice resorts and I'm trying to figure out where to go. Thank you for starting this thread.


Québec is a must.  The center of town  artisans and cobble stone ways, and the restaurants on the grand Blvd, if you go in the may you can get some of the best strawberries.  

AND, most importantly when you pick up your wine and beer, don't forget to get some weed

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## Sugarcubesea

raygo123 said:


> Québec is a must.  The center of town  artisans and cobble stone ways, and the restaurants on the grand Blvd, if you go in the may you can get some of the best strawberries.
> 
> AND, most importantly when you pick up your wine and beer, don't forget to get some weed
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk



Can you recommend a good TS near Québec?   thanks


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## raygo123

Don't remember the names off hand, but there is a cluster of TSs east of the city about 20. Miles east along the river.  They are across from ile Orleans, and about 5 miles north of there. French names of course.  They are actually in the start of the skiing area.  That make the arrangement off season nice benifit if your really there to see the city.  There is a lake way up there, so you can go mountain biking in heavy forest.  Not for old farts. 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## ValHam

I have also used extra holidays for vacation weeks in Banff.  Extra weeks and last call is usually available in Kelowna.  - Lots of options close to home. We also live in Vancouver.


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## Ironwood

Sugarcubesea said:


> Can you recommend a good TS near Québec?   thanks



There really isn't a great exchange near Quebec.  They are all located near Mont Sainte Anne, the ski hill about 50 minutes north of the city, and the accomodations are ski country basic.  You would not stay there to visit the old town Quebec.  As aging skiers, we've stayed in a couple over the years.  One had serious stairs to climb to get to the unit.  In Quebec earlier this spring we found a great B & B which we would return to.  Beautiful area though in all seasons!

The only quality TS resort in the whole province was Intrawest Mt. Tremblant, which is off the system and is now Embarc Mt. Tremblant.  The units can be rented through any hotel aggregator, but are just too pricey.  Location is great for golfing, biking and hiking, but not ideal for skiers.


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## tashamen

Ironwood said:


> The only quality TS resort in the whole province was Intrawest Mt. Tremblant, which is *off the system* and is now Embarc Mt. Tremblant.  The units can be rented through any hotel aggregator, but are just too pricey.  Location is great for golfing, biking and hiking, but not ideal for skiers.



What do you mean by "off the system"?  All former Intrawest resorts (now Embarc) still trade in II, and there are bulk deposits made in II periodically which are posted in Sightings.  There are still summer 2017 units available in Embarc Tremblant from the last bulk deposit.


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## Ironwood

tashamen said:


> What do you mean by "off the system"?  All former Intrawest resorts (now Embarc) still trade in II, and there are bulk deposits made in II periodically which are posted in Sightings.  There are still summer 2017 units available in Embarc Tremblant from the last bulk deposit.



Thanks tashamen....I knew it had switched from RCI to II years ago but while biking in Tremblant in early August I was told as we cycled by the tennis courts that it was now a rental complex.... and I've gone on line to check it out as we've traded in there three times over the last 15years and had wonderful stays.   Glad to hear it is still available through II.


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## Maple_Leaf

*Spend US dollars in the US*

When we bought our US timeshare years ago we put aside several years of MF in a US dollar account.  When the loonie is low we draw on that.  When the loonie is high we replenish it.  It's what a lot of snowbirds do so we replicate it on a smaller scale.  Now the big green bank has a branch in Hilton Head and US-domiciled accounts for Canadians so our strategy is easier and less costly to implement.


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## oceanvps

*Hi from White Rock*

Hi,

We own worldmark, vi and a marriott week.
Was liking it more when the dollar was at par but oh well, now we can't vacation in anything less than a condo.  We have a newly 7 year old. Got the timeshares 3/4 years ago she thinks its weird if we don't have a kitchen and separate bedrooms when we vacation.

we do hawaii a lot because the flight is so easy from vancouver, for some reason the good deals from seattle are pretty much the same so we tend to fly out of vancouver. 

worldmark and vi both have canadian resorts so whistler, victoria, going to to canmore/banff.  worldmark and vi are both heavy on the west coast so use it for california, oregon, washington resorts.

rbc has a us affiliate so i do the same as above, if the us drops a bit then i buy and dump it in the RBC US Based accounts.

Joanne


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## geist1223

When we are in San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico during January or February it seems like everyone else is from Canada.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

geist1223 said:


> When we are in San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico during January or February it seems like everyone else is from Canada.



Same in PV - Canada , Wisconsin , Minnesota  etc.

REAL winter will do that .


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## Finntastic

*Thanksgiving vacation Plans*

We are heading to the cottage Friday night ( or Saturday morning).  Weather looks so so.  Colours very pretty in Northern Ontario.  I will actually welcome cooler temps this week end so we can light the wood burning stove. 

Keep calm and gobble on!


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## gnorth16

Finntastic said:


> I live in Northern Ontario. We are about 7 hrs north of Toronto.  We only use our timeshare right now in the winter for one week. While the Canadian dollar right now is a factor in travelling we still have to pay our MF so may as well use the week and enjoy it. We spent very little money while we were there. We went to South Carolina and had a great time. In the summer we generally only vacation in ontario. We have a cottage( or camp as we call them) in Northern Ontario 45 min from home. We also like going to southern ontario about every other summer and Ottawa in a new regular vacation place now as our son (17) is moving there in September and one lived their for 6 months this yr.  I do plan on taking one or two day trips into Michigan this summer regardless of the dollar because I love Michigan!



With the CAD/USD, we gave away one TS, have another on the Bargain Deals and have one listed for rent to offset costs.  That being said, flight costs out of major cities are relatively inexpensive, especially like Cabo that was subsidized after Hurricane Odile in 2014.

I am an exchanger, as we like to try different resorts and areas.  We used to go to Orlando for a week with a week on the coast to unwind after Disney every year, but as the kids got older, we needed a change.  Now, I like a week in Vegas or Phoenix with buddies for golf or whatever and a 1-2 weeks in Mexico with the wife and kids.  

Cabo is a favorite - easy availability to exchange, cheap flights, nice resorts, still have amenities like home (Coscto, Walmart) but still have some local culture if you know where to look for it. Kids are happy to chill by the pool, play board games/cards and relax, so the costs down there are minimal.  

P.V/N.V is nice, Cancun less so -but its still Mexico!  Loved Colorado in the summer, Hawaii is nice - it's just far and expensive...

A direct flight is nice, one stop okay, two or more is doubtful and I will not travel for 20+ hours to go on vacation by plane and will avoid Chicago O'Hare at all costs!!!  Not many within a days drive, but have driven to Clear Lake, MB, Beaver Creek Colorado, Wisconsin Dells WI and Invermere BC.  

Wish list: Victoria BC, Oregon, New Orleans, Florida Keys, San Diego, San Francisco.


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## Finntastic

We have driven to Wisconsin dells. We really enjoyed it. Did a water park.  This year we are doing cruise out of Miami. Got excellent deal on flights through spirit. I have not done any exchanges. Limited with vacation time at present.


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## falcon

There are a lot of good points here. We too have a U.S. account and U.S. credit card.  That has been a life-saver!  I feel the same about lack of Canadian timeshare options. Most often, if driving, we will go to New England, Myrtle Beach, Florida or Tennessee. We have coordinated flights and timeshare to the nicer Carribean islands such as St. Maarten, Bermuda and Barbados and it was much cheaper than doing a package. I find with Dominican/Mexico...it's not the same, probably better off with an all-inclusive package.  Interval has some resorts in Muskoka but the only time I've seen them available is off-season.  Carriage Hills at Horseshoe Valley is where we own and it is truly lovely.  Very quiet and peaceful. For an owner, it's very flexible because it's a two-bedroom lock-off that we can use as a studio, 1 bedroom OR 2 bedroom.  I agree that Quebec is a great city to visit. We have stayed at a resort outside Tremblant YEARS ago, that was pretty run down even then. Calabogie Resort is about an hour from Ottawa and supposedly really nice.  Going east there is also one in Nova Scotia, but again, I'm sure availability in peak time is tight.


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## Ironwood

We are in central Ontario and have booked our two exchanges this year through RCI in Eastern Canada.....driving trips.  The US/CDA exchange rate has made stateside trips just too expensive....and the CDN $ is down a cent and a half in the last two days.  We'll wait until we get back to the 90 cent range before we head south.


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## moonstone

geist1223 said:


> When we are in San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico during January or February it seems like everyone else is from Canada.



We are in Corozal Belize for the winter and keep meeting more & more Canadians here along with many Americans. I think there are almost as many visitors & expats here than there are locals!
We are driving a little north of town this afternoon to a community started in the 80's by a Canadian (from Kitchener, ON) & the whole subdivision seems to be Canadian & Americans with a few Europeans from what we saw there last year.

Guess we aren't the only ones fed up with winter! As mentioned above our dollar makes it nearly cost prohibitive to spend the winter in the south of the USA. We are using our timeshare week in Florida on our way home this spring then will probably book some ON or PQ weeks for later in the year to use up our points.


~Diane


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## raygo123

moonstone said:


> We are in Corozal Belize for the winter and keep meeting more & more Canadians here along with many Americans. I think there are almost as many visitors & expats here than there are locals!
> We are driving a little north of town this afternoon to a community started in the 80's by a Canadian (from Kitchener, ON) & the whole subdivision seems to be Canadian & Americans with a few Europeans from what we saw there last year.
> 
> Guess we aren't the only ones fed up with winter! As mentioned above our dollar makes it nearly cost prohibitive to spend the winter in the south of the USA. We are using our timeshare week in Florida on our way home this spring then will probably book some ON or PQ weeks for later in the year to use up our points.
> 
> 
> ~Diane


Ummm, are you also from America?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## Jan M.

Finntastic said:


> We have driven to Wisconsin dells. We really enjoyed it. Did a water park.  This year we are doing cruise out of Miami. Got excellent deal on flights through spirit. I have not done any exchanges. Limited with vacation time at present.



If you didn't purchase your bags when you booked your flight, do it now. If you wait until you get to the airport to pay for your bags they are extremely expensive. Checked bags (40 pounds) are cheaper than carry on bags and the only thing that is free is the personal item that fits under the seat. 

We use Spirit a lot and purchased Lucas wheeled under the seat bags as meet they dimensions for the personal item with Spirit. You can fit a surprising amount of stuff in them and we have gotten a great deal of use out of ours. I think I ordered them from either Luggage Pro or eBags. We have had them for about 5 years and they still look like new despite the heavy use. I made 7 round trip flights with mine in 2015 and 8 round trip flights in 2016. And we usually take at least one of them on the 6-8 trips a year here in Florida that we drive not fly.


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## Ty1on

raygo123 said:


> Ummm, are you also from America?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


Huh?


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## raygo123

Ty1on said:


> Huh?


Isn't Canada in America

Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk


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## Ty1on

raygo123 said:


> Isn't Canada in America
> 
> Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk



Oh, nice! 

We 'mericans have sort of co-opted the America name, haven't we?


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## moonstone

Ty1on said:


> Oh, nice!
> 
> We 'mericans have sort of co-opted the America name, haven't we?



Most of the Canadians I know do not consider Canada as being America, in North America yes. We refer to citizens of the USA as Americans and citizens of Canada as Canadians.


~Diane


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## T-Dot-Traveller

But in Mexico - we are all " gringos " 

In the best sense of the word


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## Ty1on

T-Dot-Traveller said:


> But in Mexico - we are all " gringos "
> 
> In the best sense of the word



Or the worst.  It's all about context.


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## Ironwood

moonstone said:


> We are in Corozal Belize for the winter and keep meeting more & more Canadians here along with many Americans. I think there are almost as many visitors & expats here than there are locals!
> We are driving a little north of town this afternoon to a community started in the 80's by a Canadian (from Kitchener, ON) & the whole subdivision seems to be Canadian & Americans with a few Europeans from what we saw there last year.
> 
> Guess we aren't the only ones fed up with winter! As mentioned above our dollar makes it nearly cost prohibitive to spend the winter in the south of the USA. We are using our timeshare week in Florida on our way home this spring then will probably book some ON or PQ weeks for later in the year to use up our points.
> 
> 
> ~Diane


Diane....we used to live just off line 6 and could see the slopes of Mt. St. Louis from our back deck, but downsized and moved back to the edge of the metropolis just south, a little over 3 years ago.  We are in the midst of a mild spell, but it won't last.  Winter is far from over back home.


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## moonstone

Ironwood said:


> Diane....we used to live just off line 6 and could see the slopes of Mt. St. Louis from our back deck, but downsized and moved back to the edge of the metropolis just south, a little over 3 years ago.  We are in the midst of a mild spell, but it won't last.  Winter is far from over back home.



We look at (on the internet) the weather back home often ( & laugh!) - that's why we wont be home (just off the 7th) until the middle of April! 


~Diane


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Private Beach and Marina*
The private licensed beach is open during the summer season (weather permitting) to all in-house guests. The beach is set with beach towels, chairs, tables with umbrellas, a bar, and food service options. There are 12 complimentary boat slips available for registered in-house guests connected to the Hooded Merganser Bar & Grill.

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## PaddyMac

Hello from Southern Ontario...

We have owned at Sheraton Vistana in Orlando since 1993, up to 3 weeks there now. Lots of good advice here about getting US credit cards and using point cards to maximize your value. We have gone through expensive exchange rates (1.60CDN:$1USD) and almost parity. Whenever the pendulum swings to the expensive side we usually try other locations outside the US. 

With Sheraton's 19 resorts it's helped spread our stays around and we have also exchanged with RCI and II. With SPG points we have also stayed in hotels in Europe for some great value. With the exchange swinging back to expensive, it's not just the MFs it's also the other expenses that go with it, airfare, food, activities. Our schedule over the next two years looks like this: Orlando, Vancouver, Mexico, Bahamas, New Orleans and East Coast of Canada. 

It's been a great journey so far and looking forward to the next 20 years of vacations wherever our TS will take us.


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## Mosescan

We also have 2 small children so flights can get expensive. It doesn't help that we are on Vancouver Island so that adds extra cost and connections to any flight. Believe it or not, I like Las Vegas for march break/spring timeframe. Much warmer that California. We own with HGVC and the Flamingo HGVC property has a heated pool that is open even when the Flamingo pool is not open for the season yet. Renting a car is cheap, parking is free and there are lots of great places to visit. Red rock canyon, hoover dam, grand canyon, lake Mead. Lots of golfing. Some of the Casino exhibits are fun for the kids like Sigfried and Roys tigers and the aquariums at some of the Resorts.

The downside is that you can't really enjoy the night life with 2 young kids in tow, but if you're content to go on a few hikes and sit by the pool then it's not too bad of an option.

My wife would definitely disagree as she is not a big fan of Vegas. LOL! Lots of places in the States that you can drive to for a great vacation. Just pick one and go for it.


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