# Hi, I'm new here!



## DeniseM (Nov 4, 2009)

We suddenly have a lot of new posters who are posting regularly - WELCOME!   

A lot of the regulars kind of "know each other," but there are so many new folks that I don't know.  I thought it would be nice to do some introductions.

My name is Denise (big surprise!)  I am a high school teacher, I live in Northern CA, and I have been a SW owner and a TUG member for about 10 years.  I bought at WKORV - preconstruction FROM THE DEVELOPER!   (That was BT - before TUG!)   Since then I picked up a couple of resales - SDO and SVR.  I own 3 Starwood units and 4 non-Starwood units.

We rent, use, and exchange our weeks - I've never converted to Starpoints or Staroptions.  Right now, renting our extra weeks is working really well for us, and converting to SP's or SO's isn't in our game plan.

*If you are a new poster - please introduce yourself (and it would be great if  you old regulars would chime in too!)* 

Except Nodge - you are officially "excused."  - FYI - Nodge in under deep cover...


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## l2trade (Nov 4, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> We suddenly have a lot of new posters who are posting regularly - WELCOME!
> 
> A lot of the regulars kind of "know each other," but there are so many new folks that I don't know.  I thought it would be nice to do some introductions.
> 
> ...



Denise, Thanks for the Welcome!  This section of the board feels more welcoming than the Lounge.  I've read TUG from time to time for years now, but I am a complete newbie as I just started posting online.  I'm unhappy about the recent Starwood/II changes, so I decided I must speak out and add my voice to the mix.  I request to be "excused" from public disclosure.  See, I'm also under deep cover.  You won't find me on Facebook.  Yes, a few folks here know me privately.  From your posts, I trust you Denise and will be happy to introduce myself privately.  Please continue to respect my privacy.  Shhh, quiet, people are reading...


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## DeniseM (Nov 4, 2009)

Not even a first name?


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## nodge (Nov 4, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> *If you are a new poster - please introduce yourself (and it would be great if  you old regulars would chime in too!)*
> 
> Except Nodge - you are officially "excused."  - FYI - Nodge in under deep cover...



Hi, I’m nodge.  

I enjoy reality TV, cop shows, game shows, ice cream, contests, jewelry parties, 80's movies, begging for upgrades, 70's music, 80's music, coded messages, finding clues, and  . . . . oranges.

Welcome newbies!  

If you need to reach me, I'll be in the SVO villa next to the dumpster.

-nodge


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## jerseygirl (Nov 4, 2009)

Hi,

I'm jerseygirl ... also under deep cover as I believe Starwood may have a contract out on me.  I've been involved in Timesharing and Tug since about 2002.  Since then, I've also been "texasgirl" and "ohiogirl," but have kept the jerseygirl handle.

I've worked in financial services (wall street) for the last 27 years and am currently taking a year off ... it's been wonderful!!!  Since my last day of work on June 30th, I've traveled to Las Vegas, Savannah, Tampa, Estero/Bonita Springs, Key West, Marco Island, Panama City, New Orleans, St. John ... and taken a cruise.  I'm off to Las Vegas again in a few weeks, then to Harborside right before Christmas and to Riveria Maya, Bonita Springs and Key West right after Christmas.  

I've only just begun planning for my last 6 months of freedom ... so far, Greece in March ... and my last four weeks of "freedom" will be spllit between Hawaii and St John.  I still have lots to fill in (February, April and May).  I'm loving those 7500 point RCI weeks!

At last count, I owned 13 timeshares ... about 1/2 Starwoods (a combination of mandatory and voluntary resorts).  I use SOs with one of my inexpensive mandatory units, use my HRA and WSJ units, and trade the rest (formerly through II, but I'm on strike from them unless the new trading restrictions on non-SVN weeks are rescinded).  I've been selling a few weeks lately ... with maintenance fees spiraling out of control, and great rental rates, I'm starting to doubt that I'm getting my money's worth on a few of my weeks.  But, I haven't lost all faith.  Two of my favorite weeks are at a little, independent resort ... maintenance fees ~$700 for both weeks and II gives me an AC for one of them.  Three weeks for $700 -- now, that's still a timeshare bargain!   

Not much else to tell --- I have a lovely daughter who is about to graduate from college.  In addition to collecting timeshares, I collect art (it's gotten so bad that a few beautiful pieces are now stored in closets and I've banned myself from going inside galleries  ).  My house in on the market ... would love to move somewhere warmer.  The latest "lookers" want to buy the art.  I told my realtor that they could have it all for a cool million ... I think she thought I was serious!     It's not worth even a fraction of that ... but it is to me!   

I'm delighted to meet all of the new Tuggers.  Stick around.  This is a great group -- and, if you pay attention, you'll learn how to travel like a king on a shoestring budget!

-- Jerseygirl


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## pointsjunkie (Nov 4, 2009)

hi, all,i own only Starwood timeshares and am still reasonably happy with my purchases. i do love to travel. just finalized 2010 except for March.

i do convert to starpoints with at least one of my units every year. 

i rent out many units and have had my MF's paid for from my rentals for the past 2 years. that is as long as i own all the ts's.

started a blog on how to fly for free. still working on that. now that i am home for a few weeks i will update it.

i give a week of timeshare to Make a Wish every year around Mother's day.

i run a children's theatre program for the last 15 years and during the summer i am the director of a theatre camp. love what i do.i am also an accountant part time.

so, welcome to TUG.

barbra


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## Lulubelle (Nov 4, 2009)

Well, I mostly lurk, obviously from my post count.  But I am a regular on the DisBoards.

My name is Linda, I work for a manufacturing company in Southern Ca.  I am in charge of Human Resources.  We have owned our Westin TS for 8 years and last year bought 2 DVC contracts - AKL & GCV.  My DD used to be a CM so I got her 20% discount.  We love to travel, have been to most of the Starwood timeshares and loved them all.  Harborside & St John were favorites.  

Lastly, I would like to thank all the regulars who post and keep people like me informed and up to date.  And to our Miss Denise who keeps all the ducks in a row. We all appreciate it.

Welcome to all the newbies.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 4, 2009)

*Regular Old Old Folks For Sure.*




DeniseM said:


> it would be great if you old regulars would chime in too


Shux, practically my whole life is spelled out right here on TUG-BBS, in detail. 

Plus, my (mostly complete) timeshare story is on the Internet.  Click here for that. 

I don't claim to be the oldest person on TUG-BBS, but I _am_ old any way you shake it (late 60s) -- not that there's anything wrong with being sr. citz.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## YYJMSP (Nov 4, 2009)

*Hidy ho*

I'm another long-time lurker, recent poster.

I'm an IT consultant, based in south-western Canada.  Wife and 6yr old daughter, everyone addicted to travelling the world -- the little one has already been to 20 countries, and actually frowns at Best Westerns.  We're pretty sure she was conceived at a Westin...

We've owned at WKORV and WKORVN for 5 years now.  We are in the process of closing at SVR, and are looking at WLOR.  We have never stayed at any of our units so far -- we are planning on an extended family get-together in Hawaii this coming year.

We exchange our units for SPG points, and use them to stay at Starwood-branded hotels...


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## WalnutBaron (Nov 5, 2009)

*Fairly New Sometime Contributor*

Hi Everyone, 

I have been a TUGger for about a year and a half now and am a regular reader and semi-regular poster.  I'd post more, but the more I read, I realize I have about 5% of the knowledge of Denise, 3% of the charm of Alan and 2% of the wit of nodge!  Therefore, I am happy simply to post when there is something I can substantively contribute.

I own at Westin Princeville, which my better half and I love.  Next April, we'll be there with at least two (hopefully all three) of our sons and their wives/fiances (depending on which son we're referring to) to help celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

I am an ambivalent Starwood owner.  I love the resorts.  But Starwood management has decided to make its TS owners an ongoing profit center through its confiscatory increases in maintenance fees, as well as its continual downgrade of ownership value in policy changes that make owning an ever less attractive proposition.

I'm also an owner in the Hilton system and have found Hilton's management to be much more owner-friendly and owner-responsive.  (Just compare the reservation systems to get a small hint of what I'm talking about.)

To all new TUGgers and posters on the Starwood boards, welcome!


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## tropical1 (Nov 5, 2009)

Hello everyone.  I have been soaking in Tug and all of you really knowledgeable regulars for about 8 months. My husband, Ted and I  purchased all our weeks from the developer before I found Tug.  We purchased to use our resorts (except Florida) and to exchange Staroptions.  We purchased our timeshares to share vacations with our DD, a senior in college, parents and brothers and sister and their families.  We have so enjoyed our vacations.  We were lucky enough to trade into WSJ in 2008 and fell in love with it.  Spent 2009vacation at WKORVN.  We have been an owners since 2006, first year use in 2007.

We have never used II so I'm pretty lost with all the specifics of exchanging.



Susan


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## SDKath (Nov 5, 2009)

*Hello!*

I am Katherine and DH and I found TUG right before we bought our first timeshare, thank goodness!!!  Actually we found TUG in 2004 and almost signed on the dotted line to buy an OFD unit at WKORV back then (preconstruction I think!).  I got pregnant, had complications and was placed on bedrest so suddently travel seemed low on the priority list.

I came back to Tug about 1 1/2 years ago and started learning the system.  Thanks to the wealth of knowledge on these boards and the tremendous patience of the many members, I learned the ins and outs and went from no star to 5* platinum in about 6 months.  I also managed to keep my "investment" to the bare minimum.  All thanks to TUG.

I am always excited to help others with their plans of ownership, whether it means buying 1 week or 10 weeks.  New rules and many new changes to exchanging have dampened my spirit somewhat but I still think Starwood is a very nice timeshare system.  I am also a big fan of StarPoints (that only folks who buy from the developer or requalify resale units have access to).  I love the nearby luxury hotels for quick getaways and we are always flying for free thanks to our SPs.

Thanks and happy learning!   

Katherine


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## Neil (Nov 5, 2009)

My name is Kurt. I am both a CPA and CFP. I have been a TUG member for many years and have been reading the BBS off and on for the past 3 years. Your advice and comments have been very valuable, so thank-you very much. I have passed on your advice to many of my clients, saving them $$$.

My wife and I enjoy traveling and have owned timeshares for 10 years. Last week we visited the Hilton Waikoloa Vacation Club on the Big Island of Hawaii. We currently own at Emerald Bay (paid $2,900), Wyndham Kauai Beach Villas (paid $2,100), and Summer Bay (paid $102). We are also Starwood members. As you can see, we have only purchased resale. I am looking to upgrade our Kauai resort to a Westin (mandatory resort), so I am patiently watching e-bay. I have made bids on Kierland, but have always been outbid, which is okay with me as I continue to see prices drop. As much as we would like to own on Maui, I have concluded that Kierland seems to be a smart move.

I look forward to contributing more when we get our first Westin resort.


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## DeniseM (Nov 5, 2009)

Very nice!  Thanks folks!    

How about a few more? - you can still share a little about timesharing and stay under deep cover  personally, if you want to !


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## DanCali (Nov 5, 2009)

*Hi*

Hi, I'm Danny - until today known as DannyM but, given the recent events, I decided to change my username until further notice...

I am relatively new to timesharing and found TUG about three hours after committing to buy from Starwood directly. Needless to say, we cancelled and ended up going the resale market route. We bought both to go to our properties as well as exchange within SVN. This has become quite a hobby and I am currently looking at other TSing systems to "diversify" away from Starwood...

I transitioned quite a bit betwen work and school and obtained several degrees in the process. I work in the financial services (investment management) industry. We love to travel, but don't get to do it more than 2-3 weeks a year due to work commitments. Best resort we ever stayed at: Hayman Island in Australia. We haven't been to WSJ or HRA, but Hayman is pretty hard to beat - at least the way we remember it from a decade ago... Favorite TV show (for both me and my wife): Friday Night Lights - it runs on Direct TV now, and NBC in the winter. Critics also love it but it has a small (but very passionate) following so we hope they keep running it... Daughter's favorite TV show: Calliou!


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## Jesse N Kristina (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi,

My name is Jesse. My wife and I live just outside Sacramento with our 9 year old daughter, goofy lab, and wild kitten. I am originally from the Santa Barbara area. Kristina is from the Sacramento area. 

I am an unemployed bank manager transitioning into the real estate industry. Kristina works for her cousin who is a race promotor and manages two race tracks in Northern California. I get to help out and watch the races when I can. It is dirt track racing at it's best. There are several classes, but Sprint Cars are what the fans come to see. The World of Outlaws series comes to the Chico track twice each year. I am also a driving instructor at Thunderhill Raceway. I teach people how to drive their expensive sports cars very fast. I eventually hope to have a race car of my own someday.

Our daughter's soccer season is wrapping up and softball starts in January. We love basketball and football. I still play in a basketball league and lift weights five days per week to stay in shape.

We love sushi and collect and drink wine, too much wine. 

Until five years ago I had very little experience vacationing. We have had the financial ability to travel much more and now own two TS. We purchased them to improve our ability to travel and to share our love of travel with our friends and family. We fully plan to purchase more TS, but the next one will be a resale. I wish I had found this site two years ago. We could have saved a lot of money. I have lurked here since June and I have learned a lot. I hope to one day be as knowledgeable as many of the TS veterans that post here.


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## LisaRex (Nov 5, 2009)

My name is Lisa and I became an alcoholic shortly after I bought my first Starwood timeshare.  

Seriously, I'm a Budget Coordinator for one of the divisions of a Fortune 50 household goods manufacturing company located in Cincinnati.  (Connect the dots if you want.) My role is to track and contain overhead costs. My husband is a financial advisor aka a stock broker.  We are both in our 40s and have two teenage daughters, the oldest of whom is in the middle of her senior year in high school.  Not looking particularly forward to the empty nest. 

We were born and raised in Ohio.   I love to travel.  Haven't traveled outside of the Americas yet, but all in time.  In recent years we've gone to San Diego, Phoenix/Sedona, Hilton Head, Gatlinburg, Maui, St. John and Seattle.  Looking forward to visiting the Big Island in the summer of 2010 for the first time. 

I own exactly one timeshare with no plans to buy another.  I do look forward to enjoying the Getaways on II more frequently once we have been emancipated from the school calendar. 

Welcome aboard and happy travels!


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## jarta (Nov 5, 2009)

My name is Jim and I am an attorney in Chicago.  I will be 65 next month.  I intend to retire at 70.

I got into timesharing because I got cancer 5+ years ago.  At first I thought that, if I survived, I would be debilitated and have to move to a warmer climate and commute in to supervise my 3 businesses every now and then.  But, when I fully recovered, I had to decide whether to follow that course.  Chicago is a great place to live - but only for about 8 months a year.  Winters are notoriously brutal.

I decided that buying a place somewhere warm would be a waste of assets.  I looked around and decided that Starwood was the most flexible luxury timeshare system.  So, with TUG's help and a couple of retros, I quickly got to 5 Star Elite.  Rather than having invested $200K - $400K (and probably now being upside down on a large mortgage in Phoenix or Florida or somewhere else warm and paying 12 months of taxes for 3 months of use), it cost me about $140K to acquire 6 weeks of 2-br (or larger) Platinum Starwood weeks at mandatory resorts and 3 new Lagunamar that have a carrying cost of about $7.5K per year.  My wife and I leave for WKV this weekend and we will be gone - in and out - from Chicago 11 weeks before next April 20.

We enjoy traveling and have done so here and abroad since our kids have grown.  We take a 2 week cruise each summer.  Starwood fits our standard of travel.  5 Star Elite, IMO, was worth it.  As an example, just this summer I converted 180K Starpoints to air miles and purchased 3 round trip business class tickets from Chicago to Istanbul (value $15K+) and still have enough air miles from the conversion to purchase 2 more round trip business class tickets to Europe.

I feel that Starwood is like any large corporation - arrogant, bottom-line oriented and sometimes completely wrong.  But, it is not evil or rapacious - as it has been portrayed on TUG.  Moreover, there is much speculation posted that passes as fact on TUG.  But, I don't like defending a huge corporation that is arrogant, bottom-line oriented and sometimes wrong against what I consider to be an unjustified torrent of criticism.  So, now I lurk and take the TUG good (and there is a lot of good) with the TUG bad.  

But, Starwood works for me - as a vacation destination and vacation planner.  However, no timeshare is really a good investment.  It's all how you decide to spend your disposable income.      ...   eom


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## cherrysaw (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi All,
My name is Sue. I am married 22yrs with 4 kids & live in PA. We bought a VV 2bd EOY. Like many others I wish we knew about TUG prior to the purchase as we were pressured into it from the developer & paid way too much for what we got. I regret the purchase immensely but what can you do. We have stayed once at VV, traded to SBP in Myrtle & just last month went to Harborside which was fabulous. Now we don't have to worry about what to do till 2011. I have learned so much here on TUG from everybody. It is truly a wonderful forum.
Sue


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## jerseygirl (Nov 5, 2009)

jarta said:


> Chicago is a great place to live - but only for about 8 months a year.  Winters are notoriously brutal.



Jim, I lived in Wilmette (lovely town) in the 90s.  I think you have that backwards -- Chicago is a WONDERFUL place to live -- EXCEPT for about 8 months of the year.  

I'll never forget arriving (from Texas, in shorts) in early April and the temperature was 30 below with the wind chill factor.  We left my d's poor little hermit crabs in the car overnight by accident -- and then had to keep them in the house for weeks as she was convinced they would thaw.   

I'm surprised the School District didn't call Child Services -- the poor kid had no "Chicago worthy" winter clothes.  In May, it would start out a nice day (60s), so I'd send her to school in her "Texas" clothes.  By late afternoon, it would be 30 again and she would be freezing to death.  We couldn't get the "timing" down to save our lives.  Due to leaving the house in what appeared to be nice weather, I think we bought about 40 jackets/coats in the first three months!

My office was right next door to the Sear's tower.  One day, a few weeks after arriving, I decided to brave the cold and actually go out to lunch with a co-worker.  I asked him where the Sear's Tower was.  He laughed so hard as he pointed to the building that was literally right next door.  But, it was so damn cold (this was April, mind you), that I never looked up as I walked from the train.  I kept my face buried in my coat ... and therefore that somewhat imposing building had escaped my attention!

When we made the decision to leave a few years later (truly because of weather), my boss told me he understood.  His exact words were, "That's okay -- we understand.  If it weren't for people like you (meaning those who can't take the weather), Chicago would be LA.  And we like it just the way it is."  (We had a great relationship -- he was just giving me a hard time for not being hearty enough to handle those 8 month-long winters!).

So, although I think your fine city is one of the most beautiful in America, I now only visit from late June to mid-September ... your good months!


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## tomandrobin (Nov 5, 2009)

My name is Tom, Robin is my darling wife who supports my vacation addiction. We own five Starwood weeks and are 5* Elite. We are also big Disney fans and own 1260 DVC points. I am an Electrical Engineer and partner/co-owner of an Engineering firm. 

We bought our first timeshare in 2005, at Westin Keirland. We looked at timeshares for two reasons. First, as a means to save and stretch our vacation dollar. Second, to allow us to vacation to places we had only dreamed about prior to owning timeshares. We feel that our timeshare purchases have accomplished both.

We use our weeks, rent our excess weeks, use staroptions, traded on II, and done some very nice exchanges...all with our Starwood ownership. Eventually, we would like to use our timeshares for retirement getaways from the winter months. 

Timeshares is not suppose to be looked at as an investment, but that is exactly how we use our ownership. We manage it like a business, tweaking as necessary to get the most production from our investment. 

We look forward to many more years of vacationing and hopefully with our Starwood ownership.


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## yumdrey (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi, my name is Helen, I am self-employed and mom of 3 boys.
I had decided to purchase timeshare right after I paid over $400 per night (it was Wyndham Bonnet Creek) when we visited Orlando in 2007. 
One of my friend purchased RCI points resort directly from developer, and I had heard her regrets so much, so I did research for resales and all my purchases are from resales - one from resale broker, two from individual owners, three from ebay (westin mission hill is one of them). 
Being a 5* elite was quite tempting, but after I found out starwood is not much owner-friendly, change the rules with no notice and they don't listen to owners' voice, I decided not to buy any more starwood and currently looking for good resales of Hilton in NYC.
I travel 5-6 weeks per year plus couple more weekend trips, and mostly travel during spring break, summer and winter break, so it makes sense owning timeshares for me.
My family loves enough space, their own bedroom(s) and mom's cooking during trip, now we cannot imagine staying in a tiny hotel rooms anymore.
Many, many thanks to timeshare gurus in TUG, I learned so much from you!


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## hefleycatz (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi there.   My name is Lee (to make my poor mother happy, it's really LeeEllen,:rofl:  but I have been Lee since 7th grade, now 47) and hubby is Allen - 55.  We have 2 dd's - 23 and 18.   We live outside St. Louis in a great little town called Wildwood and are originally from Indy.    We moved over here 15 years ago when Allen's work required it (Formally Colonial/Earthgrains, now Sara Lee)  I have been doing child-care out of my home for the past 14 years.  We are the slaves to six cats  (hence the name Hefleycatz).

We were always work-aholics and hardly ever took time off for vacations, only 3-4 day quick trips close by.  When our oldest daughter graduated high school 2004 we took a family 5 day vacation to St. Pete Beach in Florida, we were having so much fun we stayed for 1 more day (cost out the nose to change everything and add on, but that's how we are).   That fall my oldest daughter (18 at the time) had a Pulmonary Embolism and we almost lost her, we were extremely thankful at Thanksgiving to still have her alive.  That Christmas my parents came over from IN for the holidays and my mother (84) ended up in the hospital here and pasted away that Jan.  

We did not vacation in '05 due to we were busy getting things in order for my father to come live with us here.   Really sunk in that life is very short, time passes too quickly and some plans never get realized.  2006 we went back to St. Pete Beach for a week-long trip and decided that we would really work hard at making time for fun.

DH and I took a short trip at Christmas 2006 to WKV and to make a long story short, we decided to jump in with both feet and learn along the way.  We ending up buying a 2bdrm l/o at SVV.  Since it was short notice, we went thru II for our first vacation and made ressies in Feb. 2007 for vacation in May 2007 and went to Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa in NV Mexico.   It was a first for all of us and it was spectacular.  

Went to our home resort in '08 (hubby had a serious broken leg) and Harborside '09.  We're taking a quick spring-break trip to SVR in March, we are booked for Lagunamar in June '10   and hopefully to see the new Westin Desert Willow in the fall.  

We are fresh into the TS scene, but so far it has been peachy.  Yes, I wish I would have found TUG earlier, but I'm just happy I did.  It's so hard to chime in with an opinon when there are so many here that have so much knowledge.  I have become a sponge and am just absorbing as much as I can.   Thank you Denise for starting this thread!!  

To l2Trade:  Welcome to Tug.   Please don't feel hurt from your recent post.  There are really a ton of very nice people here at Tug.  For whatever reason, you just struck a nerve with some and it kinda spun out of control.  I think  nerves are just a little frayed with recent SW/II mis-doings and you were just the messenger.  That is the thing I love about this place is that everyone has a voice.   You were just making a statement and some people thought you were pointing fingers.  It started a good, honest thread, and thats what we are here to do.  Talk things out.  Welcome again.


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## komosatp (Nov 5, 2009)

I'm Tim.

I live and work in the DC metro area.  I've worked in residential real estate finance for 10 years, five on the single-family side, five on the apartment/multifamily/commercial real estate side.  Previously, I worked as a economic consultant within a law firm, so I'm not a lawyer, but I know my way around, and I have an MBA. I was on the board of my condo for several years.  I have a wife and young daughter.

So far I have just one timeshare at HRA.  I'll likely be buying into the DVC sometime in the near future.  I'm a theme park/casino kind of person, so these will likely be my only purchases.

I have one specific beef with Starwood, otherwise I've been pretty pleased with SVO and HRA management.


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## James1975NY (Nov 5, 2009)

*Not a member ~ yet!*

Well hello all.

My name is Jim and while I do not own any Starwood timeshares, I am a former employee of the company. I started my employment with them when the company was Vistana Management. I answered phones making reservations and providing customer service for the owners of Vistana Resort, Vistana Beach Club and The Oak Plantation. To say the least, it was a very simple world then. My last position with the company (by then SVO) was the owner services manager. 

I am currently involved in the secondary market and like to share whatever and whenever knowledge I can. Mostly information on processes, how their systems work and from time to time, I am actually able to share some usage strategies that have not been shared before on TUG.

I do own a nice EOY week in Key West (odd years) and use the fixed week every year. I will keep the resort location private....what happens in Key West, stays in Key West - except for the few pictures of me and my sisters mooning Sloopy Joes from accross the street :hysterical: 

Cheers!


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## Maui_ed (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi.  My name is Ed.  My wife and I have been timeshare owners for only a few years now.  All 3 of our units are Starwood.  We are currently still happy Starwood owners.  We have enjoyed some of the flexibility of trading within the Starwood system and coverting to points for airfare and hotels in Canada and Europe.  We hope to do more travel abroad and will use either the II Getaways and Starpoints (or both) to enable that.

I will second WalnutBaron's disclaimer - I have less knowledge than most other posters on TUG, and certainly less wit and charm.  I prefer to pass along personal experiences where relevant or helpful and try to refrain from passing along advice or instruction.  The others here are much better qualified and able to do that.

Welcome all newcomers.


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## Loriannf (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi, I'm Lori and my husband and I own 2 3 bedroom Westin St John pool villas, both bought from the developer (one even after I found TUG!).

We discovered Starwood 10 years ago when I took a vacation to St John to escape the dreaded Cleveland winters, which I must say are worse than the Chicago winters I lived through.  I hated Cleveland so much and I'd developed SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and we needed a place to go which was sunny.  The previous fall we'd been to Maui but that was a long long plane ride from Cleveland.  I found St John, took the tour, and bought a week; although I must admit I made them write into the contract that we could rescind if my husband came down and hated it.  He didn't, and we've owned 4210, week 17 since 1999.

We bought the pool villa because we loved St John and anticipated having a family and bringing extended family with us.  Well, we only have one child, now 8, who actually took her first steps in our St John unit.  We've visited every year but one, but that one year we tried to trade and found it nearly impossible.  So, a few years later, we bought another unit (4310, week 18) thinking then we would still have a week in St John and another week elsewhere.  I knew about TUG then, and had been reading and trying to find a resale week either before or after the week we owned for about 2 years.  Couldn't find one, so we bought another week from Starwood.  

Still love St John, but hate the ever increasing, and in my mind unjustified, maintenance fee increases.  Don't really like the SVO system, because our StarOptions never until this year afforded us enough to get an equivalent trade.  We did a couple of StarOptions trades (one to Vistana Villages, another to Myrtle Beach) which weren't really equal but were done to make extended family vacations easier.  We tried for years to get into Harborside, but were unable to with StarOptions, so a couple of years ago we managed a direct exchange with another owner for our St John week.  I truly think that's the best way to utilize our extra St John week so that we can attempt equivalent trades.

That's our story.

Lori


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## Negma (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi, I am Rick, and bought our first timeshare at DVC 10 years ago and have enjoyed every minute of it. In fact with my youngest of 4 as senior in high school we are going to try the food and wine festival next year. We are also looking forward to not being tied down to school vacation calendars. I am in the biotech business (spell negma backward to figure it out).

My misfortune was to find TUG after many of our purchases, but I have learned many tricks of the trade through TUG (and tried to share some). 

I probably read the site every day but leave most of the posting to the experts. I have met several Tuggers live and you are all truly a great group of folks. My family constantly gives me grief that I spend the majority of my free time planning out next excursion. 

We have found our timeshares to be a great way to vacation and I would do it all over again (except buy resale). I still like Starwood but as others have said, a corporation that is at times at odds with what works for the customer (can I run for office now?).


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## mscarboroughusa (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi - my name is Matthew and I am a banker in the Baltimore area - I have a great wife and (2) children - girl age 7 and boy age 4 -  we bought a 2-BR platinum WMH unit in 2002 after rescinding on a 1-BR Westin St. John November week (essentially getting nearly 3x as many Staroptions for the same upfront cost) -  Overall, we have been very happy and actually have only used within Starwood resort system - I suppose I have been lucky, as we have had no real issue trading to St. John (we have traveled there 4 times and are going again in January) , and have also stayed @ Harborside, WMH, and Kaanapali -  I also own (2) SVV 2-BR units that I purchased re-sale in order to increase my options (rent to offset MF, convert to Starpoints, or use for additional vacation) - 90% of my travel involves Starwood properties and I have found that loyalty has its benefits.  Starwood AMEX has afforded me ALOT of great vacations.   Like another poster, I utilize the cash + points option when it makes sense.

I have NEVER used II for an exchange but am thinking of banking (1) of my SVV weeks (it is a 2-BR 67k Staroption week) for some future travel -  I have been a bit scared off b/c I would likely want AT LEAST a Marriott trade (say Aruba or other Caribbean destination), and doubt I would get it.    Any advice on dealing with II ??

And thanks for all the good advice and insight from the poster(s) on this site.


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## DanCali (Nov 5, 2009)

James1975NY said:


> Well hello all.
> 
> My name is Jim and while I do not own any Starwood timeshares, I am a former employee of the company. I started my employment with them when the company was Vistana Management. I answered phones making reservations and providing customer service for the owners of Vistana Resort, Vistana Beach Club and The Oak Plantation. To say the least, it was a very simple world then. My last position with the company (by then SVO) was the owner services manager.



James - since you were formerly a Starwood insider I can guess that (i) you had better information than the general public and (ii) you had incentives to buy SVO timeshares for yourself which not available to general public.

I'm going to make a financial markets analogy - many times investors read into company insiders buying their own stock as a good sign and if they sell it's a bad sign... So can we infer anything from the fact that you actually do NOT own a Starwood timeshare (even though you possibly could have gotten it at a favorable price)? I had to ask...


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## mlpmd56 (Nov 5, 2009)

*Great Board*

Greetings fellow TUGGERS.  I love TUG!
I am an OB/Gyn, married to a public radio manager, and we have 5 canine children (3 Golden Retrievers & 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels) but no human kids.  I bought our first timeshare (from a resale broker on Maui) and we have LOVED the Maui Schooner and the trades we have gotten for the last 7 years.  The incentive for this purchase was a $350/night room (and this was in 2002!) that had only a sliver of ocean view if you craned your neck on the lanai, had flooded due to bad air conditioning, was on a major crosswalk with everyone looking in our door, had a queen bed (my husband and I are both "physically enhanced"--smile), and walls so thin that we could hear every word coming from the condo next door.  I was SO annoyed I bought the cheapest (should I say least expensive?) 5 star on Maui that I could find, and that was the Maui Schooner.  Paid $5900 and don't regret a cent of it, despite the killer prices currently on ebay.  At that point maintenance fees at the Schooner were $490 for a 1 bedroom, so $70/night for a 5 star ocean front condo.  Remember those days?  Since then I bought a second Schooner week, this time a 2 bedroom, on ebay, for even less than my 1 bedroom.  This past January we were on St. Martin (again one of those killer trades) when a WKORV came up on ebay.  Rob (husband) and I had stayed at WKORV on a promo deal, and really liked it but weren't interested in paying the high prices, neither developer or resale.  I had been trying to "snipe" an ebay Westin for awhile, but always got WAY outbid.  So anyway, since we were in St. Martin, and the seller was in California, the sale ended at something like 2:30 am St. Martin time.  Rob could not BELIEVE I was setting the alarm to get up and try to snipe.  I did and GOT IT!!!!  So, we are planning to go to Harborside as our first Star Options trade and have a reservation for January 2010.  A few months ago I sniped a Kauai Beach Marriott, and I am waiting for that to close.  I know maintenance fees are high in Hawaii, especially Maui, but I would be glad to go back every year.  Any time away from my practice is money lost, so I want my vacations to be as annoyance free as I can arrange them to be.  Renting might be cheaper, but I always want a good view of the ocean, if I can get it.  So we'll see how I feel in a few years, but right now I feel I got a fantastic deal on all my timeshares, I love to vacation, and I am gratefull for all of the worthwhile knowledge I have obtained from TUG.  Thanks to the moderators all, and ESPECIALLY Denise!   Marcy


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## DavidnRobin (Nov 5, 2009)

*DavidnRobin*

OK-OK... DavidnRobin is entirely David - the ornery one of the two, Robin is the pretty and gentle one - and therefore tends to be the muse of my many photos and videos - since who wants to see my sorry ass.  She is the Yan to my Yin.

I am a Scientist (yes - actually my job title) at a very large BioTech company (now way too large) and I specialize in the clinical pharmacology aspects of oncology drug development.  I tried not to be my profession, but I was unsuccessful in that (goes with the territory).  To that end - I was lucky enough to find Robin - fall in love - get married (engaged in St John, and married at sunset on Kapalua Beach in Maui - barefoot - surrounded by family/friends - with live acoustic music - this says alot about who we are...) - and decided it was time for more vacations and less work.  It was the 2nd marriage for both of us - we are both in our early 50s.  Robin is a grandmother twice over (hard to believe...).

While we were vacationing on a SVO resort package at the Poipu Sheraton (Kauai) in Dec 2004 - we were sucked into buying a 2Bd LF OF at WKORVN for $74K (!!!).  Luckily, being a researcher, I found TUG in time and rescinded.  My first post was replied to by DeniseM (her 1000th post) back before she was a Mod and we had a dedicated Starwood Forum - she probably regrets it to this day - lol.

Having dodged that SVO TS bullet - we decided that we liked the Westin SVO product and after some research decided to buy resale WKORV Dlx OF as a present to ourselves. A good deal at the time (plus we saved $1000s due to our rescinding WKORVN) - no longer - water under the bridge - but we have had many great stays at WKORV since then.  Except for the 1st year when my folks stayed in the studio for our wedding cermony - we have rented the studio side to offset the MFs (I guess that is over also...).

A few months later I bought a WSJ 2Bd Townhouse (June) villa on eBay - it was a poor ad - and I got it for an excellent price (again at the time, but it has held pretty steady since then). I had been to St John in the early 90s - and loved what I saw on the island (soft sand beaches - warm water - remote).  We went with my brother and finace the first year with the plan to get married as a surprise, but since she had been divorced it was too difficult to pull it off as a secret (I was confident she would say 'yes') - so I surprised her with a ring while in Great Cruz Bay at WSJ (yes - while in the water) - I wanted to do it at Trunk Bay - but couldn't wait.  It turned out to be a good place since now we can look down from our balcony and see 'our spot'.

Since the WKORV we had bought was reserved during Thanksgiving week - we decided to get married there (as stated above) - and have Thanksgiving celebration at the same time (2 birds with 1 stone). Great fun for all.

After researching more on TUG and getting more involved - we had decided to buy 81K SOs (1 Bd Plat/Prem) at WKV since we are SF Giants Fans (Spring Training) and my folks live outside of Scottsdale.  During our week stay in March 2007 at WKV - I went into negotiations to buy an EOY odd at WPORV and broke a few 'so-called' SVO rules at the time.  This experience is well-documented in dukes'  requal thread - essential we requaled our EY WKORV with an EOY purchase, got 3*, used same day Exporer package, SVO Owners EOY price at 1/2 EY price (we weren't SVO Owners) for $24.3K, and picked-up 225K SPs in the process (which using fuzzy TS sales math - paid for itself - lol).  We had bought EOY odd because we had a planned 8-week vacation in 2009 (that we just go back from - talk about pre-planning...).

anyway... this is turning out as long as our Trip Reports - lol

We bought another WKV week - since I felt that it is one of the best SVO deals on the resale market - and that way we could stay, rent, SVN exchange - since then we have rented our WKV weeks except this year where we used one week to exchange into WKORV.

We picked-up an adjacent week at WSJ from the Owners that sold us our first week indirectly - they had donated it - and was how it ended up on eBay by the Tarpey Bros. in the first place.  I arranged the sales agreement - and the title change with the Owners who sold us the 2nd week for less than our first week (and reimbursed us for back taxes - wonderful people).  Now we had back-to-back weeks at WSJ.  Living in the SF Bay - it was too far to go for 1 week - and 2 weeks on STJ is many times better than just 1 week.

OK-OK - enough - more than you probably wanted to know.  One more thing though - do not put up with the BS that SVO has recently pulled - the squeaky wheel does get the grease - and if we stand together to fight these battles - we will make headway (eventually - hopefully).  You do not need to be a majority - just a very noisy minority - I found this out when we fought back against the WSJ HOA and MF issues (why I started the WSJ thread...).  Do not let others fight these battles for you - we all need to get involved.  Write your HOAs or SVO/SVN, and demand real answers.

Peace to all.


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## DeniseM (Nov 5, 2009)

WOW!  Thanks for the wonderful posts!  Keep 'em coming!    



> My first post was replied to by DeniseM (her 1000th post) back before she was a Mod and we had a dedicated Starwood Forum - she probably regrets it to this day - lol.



Oh Yeah!  I should have just banned you for life the first day I became a Mod!  :rofl:

(NOT! )

Nov. 19th will be my second anniversary of being the Mod on the absolute best board, with the absolute best people, on TUG!  (Except for a few of you, and you already know who you are!  )


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 5, 2009)

*I Resemble That Remark.*




DeniseM said:


> Except for a few of you, and you already know who you are!


Nobody's perfect. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## DeniseM (Nov 5, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> Nobody's perfect.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Well, there's the first one!  :hysterical:


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## gregb (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi,  
I'm Greg and my DH is Chris.  We live in Cupertino, CA (In the SF Bay area and home of Apple computer.).  Chris and I grew up in Michigan and are both alumni of Michigan (so we know about how cold it is in the Midwest in the winter.  You guys complaining about the cold are wimps!   Oh yeah, we moved away many years ago.     In the first 5 months after DH retired, we were traveling 9 weeks, so I guess you could say we like to travel.

Our 23 year old son graduated from Cal Poly in 2008 and lives and works nearby (Yeah!).  We both worked in High Tech as software engineers/managers.  I "retired" in 2001, and Chris last year.  We have lived in Michigan; Dallas, Texas; Fort Collins, Colorado; Grenoble, France, and Sunnyvale, California.  

We have been to all the main Hawaiian Islands and like Maui the best.  We had stayed on Maui several times (three times on TS preview trips) before we finally succumbed and bought WKORVN from the developer in 2006 (I think).  It was just before the North side opened.  We have stayed there three times and will be going back the first two weeks in Feb of 2010.  (The whales are amazing.)  We have only used StarOptions once.  This year we exchanged a week in our Studio for 9 days in a 1 Bed Dlx at SVV this October.  Recently returned from that trip.  It was great but I don't think we will be exchanging too much.  Since it is just the two of us for now, we like the lockout feature that allows us to spend two weeks in Maui for one week of ownership.  Anything less that two weeks seems like a waste of the high air fare to get there, and also it is way to short.  So I guess if we want to do more TSing, we will have to purchase another unit somewhere (Yes I know, resale!).

We have used some of the StarPoints we got when we bought our unit, and from the AmEx card, but have found that Starwood hotels are not found in many of the places we visit.  Guess we have to plan a return to Europe to use up the rest of our points.

I found out about Tug about 9 months ago and have been reading posts since.  I requested the Owners Manual for WKORVN (it was not given to us when we purchased!) and have read all of it.  Some parts multiple times to try to understand it.  But that was some time ago and now it is fading into the background.


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## mariawolf (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi and welcome to all the "newbies"! We own two weeks at Harborside--one bought very early on before the models were opened--both platinum weeks--and the second also bought from developer as we were specifically looking for a week 52 to use with grandchildren once they were older and not able to take out of schools.
Having bought at Harborside with the ever increasing fees we never trade. I am a strong believer in what so many folks here post--buy where you want to go.
We also bought a Marriott timeshare at Frenchman's cove in Saint Thomas--again very early on so no resales!. We like St John but honestly I am a kind of plant myself in a lounge chair with a drink in my hand so going to all the gorgeous beaches with no lounge chairs  just isn't  for me. Frenchman's cove gets me to the warmer climates--I hate winter!
For those of you that ever get to Trip Advisor I am a destination expert for Paradise Island--my children (3 boys aged 28-38) find this all very amusing that their computer challenged mother is on both these sites!
I live in Maryland just out of DC and I am a real estate agent. We like to get away in the winter and we have a house in Bethany Beach Delaware that works for us in the summer!


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## Transit (Nov 5, 2009)

​Hello everyone,I'm Frank and I didn't want anything to do with timeshares at first. A while back we stayed in relatives timeshares and did some presentations.I enjoyed staying in timeshares but still wasn't convinced.My wife Stacy really wanted this much more than I did and finally convinced me that we should buy.I've been hooked ever since and now have 3 Starwood timeshares. I did not buy exactly where I want to go because I want to go everywhere. I think I enjoy the hunt for a great vacation ( Or what others would call "gaming the system" ) as much as I like going on vacation. Now my wife has no interest in the details of ownership but she and my son love to give the thumbs up or down on our next destinations. I'm also addicted to TUG......


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## gregb (Nov 5, 2009)

Hey Denise,

I suggest you "sticky" this thread so that it will be easy to find.


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## grgs (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi,

I'm married with 2 daughters (ages 13 & 9).  I'm a librarian and my husband is a GIS person.

We bought our first timeshare (WKV) in 2004.  We went to a tour at WMH.  My husband would have bought then and there, but I wanted to research first.  I read and asked questions on TUG.  I still ended up buying direct (my husband was impatient and there weren't resales at that time), but bought WKV instead of WMH as I found out about mandatory vs. voluntary from TUG.  

We considered Marriott, but really like the flexibility of Staroptions.  We traded our WKV unit for 12 days in Maui in 2006.  For next year, we traded our WKV unit for 16 days in Harborside in June, and still had enough options left over for another week there!  We also would have considered Hilton, but the limited number of locations didn't appeal to us.

I then bought a second week resale at SDO which I requalified with another Kierland purchase.  In the process of doing that, I ended up with two "accident" units--another SDO and one SVR.

Overall, we've greatly enjoyed our Starwood vacations, and I find staying in a timeshare (love the kitchen and w/d) so much more pleasant than staying in a hotel--especially with kids.

I am concerned with the rapidly increasing mf and other Starwood actions of late.  My fear is that Starwood isn't as committed to their timeshare business as Marriott is.  With the pressures of bad economy, I think Starwood is willing take whatever short-term profits that they can out of the system.  Marriott (based on what I've read on the Marriott board) takes a longer term view.

Glorian


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## jerseygirl (Nov 5, 2009)

Hey Frank --

I love the "thrill of the hunt" too.  I had some leftover hyatt points getting close to expiration and today I was able to snag Thanksgiving weekend at the Hyatt in Carmel for my brother.  It made my day!  Better than .... well, maybe not.   

- Jerseygirl


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## fasha39 (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi, my wife and I along with our two kids (10yr old son &7yr old daughter) live in Western Canada and we can tell a few stories about cold winters that make Chicago or Michigan seem tropical.  But we love where we live and our country so wouldn’t dream of moving anywhere else.  I work in the consumer goods manufacturing industry and my wife works in the oil and gas industry.  We are both in our early 40’s busy shuttling the kids to ballet, sports and we love to spend time as a family travelling (to warm places).

About a year ago we seriously considered buying a second home in the U.S. somewhere warm but decided against it after finding out the tax/estate implications for non- U.S. citizens and TSing seemed to suit our needs more.  Part of my business is in the hospitality industry, I’ve had long term corporate relationships with most major banners (Marriott, Starwood, Four Seasons etc.) and using this background as well as drawing on our own experiences (and couldn’t afford Four Seasons) we decided Starwood was for us.  Luckily found TUG before we bought and couldn’t be happier with our purchases. We are in the process of adding more weeks with an eye to using them as a winter escape for retirement. 

Having worked in large corporations for most of our careers we both have a decent understanding how they work and see Starwood’s warts but for us the warts are benign.

Although I’ve been accused of being a Starwood employee, Jarta’s alias and other things I do enjoy TUG, I have learned many things and I’m sure to learn more.

We are off to WKV tomorrow for a week of *GOLF* and R&R!  

Jeff


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## Courts (Nov 6, 2009)

Hello, I'm Jack and own three (hopefully two soon  ) starwood properties. 

My first "brush" with timesharing helped me immeasurably.....see link in my sig.  

The first TS I owned was in NC and I never stayed there but traded to a number of good places. Had to get rid of it in the 80's recession.

Bought two Starwood properties resale then one from developer for the Staroptions and Starpoints. I know I did it backwards but I'm happy with the decision. 

I like the Starwood properties, but hotels are often in better locations than the TS properties or even any TS properties.  Considering the price of hotel rooms vs MF's I'm thinking it's about time to reevaluate. 

I'm retired but work part time for my wife in her Insurance Agency.  

.


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## botham (Nov 6, 2009)

How y'all doin?

I'm Tim and i'm from the UK.

I own 1 week at Vistana Resort and have visited the resort 3 or 4 times since my purchase about 10 years ago. I have been a Tugger for several years, but don't visit that often.

I'm generally happy with the location, but have been very concerned with the increased costs of ownership.

Several times I have thought about selling, but have stuck with it. Up until now we have been restricted by school terms, which has made exchanging particularly difficult, especially in the limited number of European resorts.

We plan our next visit in 12 months time in conjunction with a cruise on Carnival Dream.


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## James1975NY (Nov 6, 2009)

*WoodMFs2Hi said:


> James - since you were formerly a Starwood insider I can guess that (i) you had better information than the general public and (ii) you had incentives to buy SVO timeshares for yourself which not available to general public.
> 
> I'm going to make a financial markets analogy - many times investors read into company insiders buying their own stock as a good sign and if they sell it's a bad sign... So can we infer anything from the fact that you actually do NOT own a Starwood timeshare (even though you possibly could have gotten it at a favorable price)? I had to ask...



I believe that I had a 10% - 15% discount on purchases through SVO for timeshares. 

I did not buy a Starwood timeshare for two reasons.
1.) I had access to employee discounted rates.
2.) I have a timeshare in Key West that I use every other year (odd).

Additionally, my family and I travel quite a bit together each year and we tend to favor rental houses to give us that "compound" feel. We can be a bit roudy at times and like the privacy of having the full lot to ourselves.


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## mitchandjeanette (Nov 6, 2009)

*mitchandjeanette*

Like DavidnRobin, "mitchandjeanette" is Mitch...  Jeanette is too busy being mom to our three wonderful kids (13 year old boy, 12 year old girl, and our "unexpected blessing" 6 year old boy) to be on the computer much....  
We got sucked into this TSing thing in October 2005.  We went to a WMH preview package, and bought WLR the day Wilma hit Cancun, yes *THE DAY WILMA* hit. The picture below is what was on TV when we returned to our room.   




You would think that we would have noticed a few, ok one HUGE RED FLAG (rescind, buy resale), but oh no, they had us hook line and sinker.   
Oh well live and learn, just wish we had learned first.
We bought SVV and SVR resale before finding TUG, but once again we "lived before learning" and could have done better with TUG's help. 
We have never seen our Orlando properties, but have been to WLR using SO's and loved it.  Using II trades we got, WKORV (3x's),  a week in Lake Tahoe, a week in Palm Springs and an upcoming Easter week in Williamsburg.  I know that doesn't seem like much to some of you, but to us, it is a lifestyle change.  
Simply put, married in 1991 honeymooned in Hawaii, back to Hawaii in Jan, 2005, but nothing but weekend trips here and there between 1991 and 2005.
I am still trying to sort out all the II changes,  but to this point have been very happy with our "forced vacations." 
Some more about us.  We live in S. Cal and to this point have been fortunate for Jeanette not to work and just stay home. :whoopie:  Not sure why she needs all these vacations all she does is stay home.  
All kidding aside, she is wonderful and works 24/7 being the world's best Mom and Wife.  If she was to get paid what she was worth, we could be making developer purchases and not thinking twice about it.  
Somehow we have been able to mix our "forced vacations" into our "normal life" of church, school, soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, vbs, etc…  Thanks to Starwood for getting us started and thanks to all the TUGers who continue to share their knowledge, and last, thanks to our A/E card for flying us around.  (I know it's not the best way to use SPG points, but it's really difficult to drive to Hawaii.)

mitch


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## DeniseM (Nov 6, 2009)

Mitch - I think the AMEX is a great way to use SPG points.  We use it for free tix to Hawaii every year.  If we want to stay in a hotel we use Priceline and pay less than $100 per night for a 3 or 4 Star hotel.


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## HenryT (Nov 6, 2009)

Hello. My name is Henry. I have been time-sharing for over 13 years. All my purchases were resale as I found out about resales early on. My first purchase was a 3 bed Diamond unit at Cypress Pointe which I purchased to trade. It has actually been an excellent trader over the years. 

My 7 year old son went on his first T/S vacation at the ripe old age of 6 months (to Puerto Rico). He now thinks everybody goes on 4 vacations per year in timeshares.

I purchased many T/Ss over the years but 3 years ago with the increasing fees to exchange and increasing difficulty in getting exchanges I started buying only where I wanted to go. Since I like to go to different places I currently own 13 timeshares. I brought and sold to get to my current position. I go on 4 vacations per year and I rent my remaining units. Every other year I organize a family reunion which requires me to get up to 5 units for the week at the family reunion location.

I found Tug a few years back but I have mainly just listened in. I have gained a significant amount of knowledge lurking here.

I own 3 Starwood resorts (Westin St John, Harborside, and Sheraton Broadway Plantation), 2 Marriotts, Worldmark, Wyndham, and others.

I love traveling and I love timeshares. I can't imagine staying in a hotel anymore. Thanks Timesharing and thanks Tug!


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 6, 2009)

*I Resemble That Remark.*




HenryT said:


> My first purchase was a 3 bed Diamond unit at Cypress Pointe which I purchased to trade. It has actually been an excellent trader over the years.


Same here -- except we bought ours for going to instead of for trading.  That was in 2002.  

In 2003, we sold it for the same amount we paid for it & bought a 3BR Diamond unit at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas right across the street -- for approximately $1*,*500 _less._ 

Yesterday, 1 of our TUG-BBS colleagues bought a Cypress Pointe 3BR Diamond unit via eBay for $1. 

Times change, no ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## DavidnRobin (Nov 6, 2009)

Mitch - that photo is fantastic - love the look on her face. - David


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## CestLaVie (Nov 6, 2009)

The title of DeniseM's thread prompted me to join and chime in. (It felt so welcoming  ) I have been lurking on this board for the past couple of months looking for answers to questions that I have about the 2BR LO EY use at WPORV that I purchased from the developer in March of 2008. 

This is my first vacation ownership and, though I could have bought it as a resale  , I'm making do with it the best I can until the economy improves. Earlier this year, I converted my annual star options to star points and applied a large portion of them to two rooms at the Westin Times Square in NYC for use this summer. I wouldn't have been able to do this if I had bought a resale.

Thanks to all the helpful TUG-gers on this board who generously provide so much information to newly-inducted TS owners like myself.


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## Jesse N Kristina (Nov 7, 2009)

CestLaVie said:


> The title of DeniseM's thread prompted me to join and chime in. (It felt so welcoming  ) I have been lurking on this board for the past couple of months looking for answers to questions that I have about the 2BR LO EY use at WPORV that I purchased from the developer in March of 2008.
> 
> This is my first vacation ownership and, though I could have bought it as a resale  , I'm making do with it the best I can until the economy improves. Earlier this year, I converted my annual star options to star points and applied a large portion of them to two rooms at the Westin Times Square in NYC for use this summer. I wouldn't have been able to do this if I had bought a resale.
> 
> Thanks to all the helpful TUG-gers on this board who generously provide so much information to newly-inducted TS owners like myself.



Funny! We also bought WPORV from the developer in March of 2008 when we stayed at the Westin Maui. We haven't visited WPORV yet, but we likely will in 2010 or 2011.


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## 85degrees (Nov 7, 2009)

*Hi Everyone!*

I joined a few weeks ago, and am amazed at the wealth of helpful info on this site.  Wish I found you sooner!  We live in the Boston area (also hate the cold – I grew up in Chicago, and Boston is no better) and ever since I learned to manage my extreme fear of flying with hypnosis and meds, I realized I love to travel!  

We purchased with SVO because we love Starwood’s hotel/resort properties and their loyalty program. We own WKV (since ’04) and WLR (’08), which are both beautiful properties, and we have used SO to visit WSJ, and WKORV. I too am frustrated by how hard it is to trade into WSJ and HRA – we’ve been trying for those for next summer, but have booked WDW (love the heat!) as a backup.  I also detest the MF – we were told 1% average increase/year when we made our first purchase!  We did buy through the developer, which I now realize was a mistake, but we justified it by using our incentive SPG points to take our 2 kids to Europe for 2 truly fabulous vacations – London and Italy with the WVK incentive points, and France and Spain with the WLR incentive points.  We used FF miles, and stayed at some wonderful Starwood properties for free or cash and points.  We also like to visit new places, so we really need the SO.  

I do have one (stupid?) question – why is it that everyone is aware of the Mandatory/Voluntary resort thing except for me?  I had no idea about this, and still can’t find any mention of it in the documents we signed.  Clearly the sales people forgot to mention this in their presentation.  I did some research ahead of time, and was aware that TS are not investments, and we would never be able to sell these properties, but I hoped that if the time came, and we couldn’t use them or afford the MFs, we could sign them over to our kids to enjoy. I guess it’s not an issue with WKV, but I hope they like Cancun.


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## HenryT (Nov 7, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> Same here -- except we bought ours for going to instead of for trading.  That was in 2002.
> 
> In 2003, we sold it for the same amount we paid for it & bought a 3BR Diamond unit at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas right across the street -- for approximately $1*,*500 _less._
> 
> ...



It's a good thing that Cypress Pointe is a well managed resort. At the current selling price it is definitely worth more to own than to sell. Given that it has very reasonable maintenance fees it still makes sense to keep it. I have gotten my money's worth from this resort so even if I had to sell it for $1 it wouldn't be a loss.


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## DeniseM (Nov 7, 2009)

85degrees said:


> I do have one (stupid?) question – why is it that everyone is aware of the Mandatory/Voluntary resort thing except for me?  I had no idea about this, and still can’t find any mention of it in the documents we signed.  Clearly the sales people forgot to mention this in their presentation.



Welcome to TUG!  

I don't think most of us knew about it before we came to TUG.  These terms both relate to resales, and sales people don't even want you to know that the resale market exists, so they very carefully avoid anything related to it.


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## DanCali (Nov 7, 2009)

85degrees said:


> I do have one (stupid?) question – why is it that everyone is aware of the Mandatory/Voluntary resort thing except for me?  I had no idea about this, and still can’t find any mention of it in the documents we signed.  Clearly the sales people forgot to mention this in their presentation.  I did some research ahead of time, and was aware that TS are not investments, and we would never be able to sell these properties, but I hoped that if the time came, and we couldn’t use them or afford the MFs, we could sign them over to our kids to enjoy. I guess it’s not an issue with WKV, but I hope they like Cancun.



The mandatory/voluntary thing is not something Starwood advertises. If it was up to them all resorts would be voluntary but they couldn't change the mandatory designation of the initial resorts. 

The reason they have voluntary resorts is that if you are at a sales presentation previewing say Princville Villas and dare to ask the salesperson about the resale market, they tell you that resale units can't trade in SVN and have no StarPoints (the 5 mandatory resorts are the exception regarding SOs and a nuisance to Starwood in that sense but there is no reason to tell you you can buy in Orlando or Scottsdale and trade into Princeville...). So that reasoning apparently convinces many people to buy, without necessarily realizing that, because the unit they paid $55,000 for is voluntary, it is worth close to nothing on the resale market (a good salesperson will even convnce people the units appreciate in value as Starwood raises developer prices).


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## tlpnet (Nov 7, 2009)

85degrees said:


> I do have one (stupid?) question – why is it that everyone is aware of the Mandatory/Voluntary resort thing except for me? I had no idea about this, and still can’t find any mention of it in the documents we signed. Clearly the sales people forgot to mention this in their presentation. I did some research ahead of time, and was aware that TS are not investments, and we would never be able to sell these properties, but I hoped that if the time came, and we couldn’t use them or afford the MFs, we could sign them over to our kids to enjoy. I guess it’s not an issue with WKV, but I hope they like Cancun.


 
Actually, if you're transferring to immediate family, StarOptions and StarPoints conversion do transfer on Voluntary resorts, so those benefits will transfer for WLR as well.

-tim


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## Ken555 (Nov 7, 2009)

*Once upon a time...*

Hi all. I've been a member of TUG for four years. I got serious about timeshares when my cousin purchased a unit in Mexico. He's a pretty smart guy, and I thought there must be something to it since he decided to purchase. Of course, he overpaid by a lot - but that's another story. Until then I had not been traveling as often as I wanted, was constantly stressed out at work, and could not schedule a vacation. The idea of timeshares resonated with me as a way of forcing myself to get out of town on a regular basis. Long story short, it's worked very well for me.

I spent some time researching timeshares online and came to realize that I needed to see them for myself before purchasing. I found a very nice resale agent who offered to rent me a few nights in Palm Springs at one of the timeshares. While I wasn't too happy with the timeshare that I stayed at,  it gave me an appreciation of the "average" timeshare. I visited all the Marriott's in Palm Springs and the Westin Mission Hills. At that time, in 2005, Starwood was selling Westin Mission Hills North. I bought preconstruction, which required $1000 and the remainder once construction began. After a year, I requested a refund and, as many of you know, that property never developed. Starwood did offer me every other year at Maui instead at the same price of about $21,000 but I declined. At about this time I also rented a week at the Marriott Custom House in Boston -- which is a fantastic building and a great location.

When I returned home from Palm Springs I did some more research online and found a resale unit for Westin Mission Hills every other year summer week. I bought this at (what was) a great price, of about $4000. This was my first unit which allowed me to get my feet wet and truly experience what timeshares are all about. I learned fairly quickly that my ownership was best used by trading in Interval since I could rent weeks at Westin Mission Hills for less than my maintenance fee as a getaway week. Starting in 2005 I have split the week and deposited two, 1-bed units in II. As some of you know, I've been able to get some incredible trades with these units. I've used these 1-bed deposits to get: WKORV twice in 2-bed units, Grand Timber Lodge in a 2-bed and 3-bed, and Marriott Timber Lodge in a 2-bed. (GTL 3-bed is next month!)

After my first stay at Westin Mission Hills, I decided to purchase a Westin Kierland Platinum 2-bed with the intent of using the SOs to trade and visit other resorts in the off-season. This has worked out extremely well for me as my ability to travel is not restricted by school schedule. I sympathize with all of you that have calendar restraints on your vacation timing. I've been to Maui three times, Lagunamar, Princeville, Mission Hills, Scottsdale (Kierland), and Harborside twice using these StarOptions in four years for a total of 71 nights (mostly in 1-bed premium units) and an average of $62.89/night in MFs/taxes.

For various reasons I decided to purchase two Sheraton Vistana Resort units last year. I'm actually quite happy I did, as I was able to obtain two 2-bed Harborside units for last month via II (just returned from that trip last week, where we had a small family reunion of 12 people that everyone enjoyed immensely). I also found that one of these purchases included an extra week at Interval (which was used for one of the Harborside reservations), which was a very nice bonus. For 2010 I've exchanged these units for a 1-bed unit at WKORV in January and a 2-bed unit in May via II.

There's a lot of discussion right now about II and Starwood which impacts our ability to trade in the future. None of us know how it's going to work out, but I have confidence that our ownership will continue to provide valuable holidays that we will enjoy immensely. In addition, I have been quite happy with the ability to purchase getaway weeks. Over the years, I've purchased weeks for myself, friends and family at Westin Mission Hills, Marriott Timber Lodge, Marriott Grand Château, Four Seasons Residence Club in Scottsdale, and Harborside.

With prices as low as they are I'm still giving thought to changing my ownership makeup. Even selling my SVR weeks for $1 would be fine since the value for my Harborside trades makes up for any maintenance fee and special assessments that I've paid to date. So I'm thinking of getting rid of those weeks and perhaps replacing them with another brand -- Marriott or  Hyatt most likely. On the other hand, I'm not against purchasing another mandatory Starwood unit to get more StarOptions. 

I'm definitely of the opinion that there is no good reason for me to purchase any timeshare from any developer. I don't see any advantage -- to me -- for the "perks" that the developers try to include with a sale as compared to ownership rights on the resale market. I applaud all of you whom have reached elite status with Starwood and know that the hotel upgrades and other benefits you receive are exactly what you desired when purchasing. Timeshares are a great and fairly flexible method of vacationing. Unfortunately, they also include bureaucratic and somewhat incomprehensible policies which make us question the managements goals. If we were simply renting we wouldn't have these questions but then we would most likely spend more money to have these great vacations that we rave about. I'm looking forward to many more years of utilizing my timeshares and I'm sure you are, too! 

Welcome to all the new TUG members, and sorry for all the rambling!


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## blackfly (Nov 8, 2009)

Hello, my name is Jim and I joined TUG earlier this year at the advice of Barbara (PointsJunkie), who I met poolside at WSJ. My wife and I had just taken the timeshare tour and were considering the developer’s offer when Barbara swam up and began sharing her (vast) knowledge of the timeshare business. Thankfully, we didn’t sign a thing that day—except the bar bill. 

Once back home, we began looking on the resale market and with the help of Jim (James1975NY) found a great (?) deal on a 1-bedroom. David (DavidnRobin) kindly offered some poignant advice on the state of affairs at WSJ, as well a closing attorney on nearby St. Thomas. After a protracted closing period (you all know the story about the taxes down there) we became owners about a month ago. 

I have found TUG members to be incredibly friendly and forthcoming with information. I log on every couple days to see what’s happening – and undoubtedly learn something new each time. Someday, I hope to return the many favors. Until then, it will have to be a free round of drinks poolside at WSJ – week 16.


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## folashade (Nov 8, 2009)

Hi my name is Folashade and I live in NYC. I work for a financial services company and travel a ton for work. Around 25 weeks out of the year. But since its less than previous yrs I'm ok with it. I also love to travel for personal trips as well as often as I can. I've been a member for a while but rarely post

I purchased at VV 4 yrs ago from the developer.  If I knew then what I know now  more than likely I would not have purchased from the developer.  But it works for me since I seem to have a ton of family reunions in Orlando, Myrtle Beach and have been able to use my TS over those long wkend dates.  I also have used it for days in Phx and at Harborside.  Right now I'm thinking of picking up a sml SDO timeshare and test the waters

I'm still looking to learn more about the timeshare industry and admit to being a Starwood junkie which also played a factor in purchasing my first timeshare.  I am unhappy with the changes on the timeshare front but we shall see.

Since I travel so much I'm fortunate that I have a ton of airline and hotel points for various companies and have a ton AMEX pts and Starwood points from the Starwood Card that I use to defray the cost of all my personal trips

Upcoming travel plans include Rome a week from tuesday for 5 days (Starwood property free due to points and used points for the air) and three weeks in Peru in Feb


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## SCMom (Nov 8, 2009)

*Introduction*

Hi Everyone,

My name is Emily and I live in San Clemente, CA.  My husband and I have four boys, ages 8, 5, 3 and 2.  I am a CPA, but now a stay at home, homeschooling mom.

We bought our first timeshare at HGVC MarBrisa in 2006.  It was, of course, from the developer, but at least it was pre-construction pricing.     We didn't know anything about timeshares at the time, but we were there on a promotional trip to Legoland.  Our two nights in the hotel room were kind of crazy -- we had two kids in travel cribs and I had just found out I was pregnant with our fourth.  At 7:30 we turned out the lights and we just lay there, hoping the kids would go to sleep.  The next morning, room service breakfast was almost $50 from a reasonable priced adjacent restaurant, after we ordered milk for sippy cups and all such things.  

Then they took us on the tour of the proposed units -- there were bedrooms, and a kitchen and a whirlpool bath!  I couldn't believe that I could vacation like that instead of the hotel room scenario.  Our timeshare saleslady was very nice, not at all pushy and we really liked her.  She was a CPA who also used to work in public accounting and she owned several timeshares that she loved and told us all her stories about her fun vacations.  We did not want to buy under a time limit, but her manager said that the offer was only good until we walked out the door.  Well, we walked, but decided the next day that we would like to do it.  And, surprise, the offer was still good!:hysterical: We thought we would come to San Diego each year from our home in Ventura County, CA.

Our first trip was with our bonus points to the San Luis Bay Inn in Avila Beach, CA, near some family.  We loved it.  In the meantime, we had moved to San Clemente, only about 25 minutes from Carlsbad.  So it seemed funny to vacation somewhere that we could easily drive to.  Our first HGVC trip was last June to Vegas.  We went in gold season and used our points to book a five night stay for us, along with three to four night stays for family friends, my sister and her family and my dad.  It was great and we loved the Hilton property.  We went to the "update" and were shocked to have a pushy, weird salesman that we did not like at all.  We were enjoying our time at the resort, and would have considered adding to our membership, but were surprised to see that the offer was for over $30,000 for a week!  My husband was not working at the time, so we said, "No thanks!"  We got the hard sell and left with a bit of a bad taste in our mouths.

From our room, I googled resales.  Because our MarBrisa is set up so that HGVC points don't transfer to resale owners, I had always assumed that all timeshares were like that.  However, I soon found out that was not the case when I found TUG.  I started researching like crazy...

Since June, we have purchased an additonal 5,000 HGVC package on ebay which is due to close next week and a 2 bedroom at SDO, also on ebay.  The HGVC is great for extended family vacations -- in May we are going to Waikaloa on the Big Island and have three two bedrooms booked.  I love the flexibility of the points and the ability to borrow and roll forward points and to maximize based on lower seasons.  

The SDO is great for just our family trips and having access to more locations that HGVC.  We just got back from a week at the Hyatt Pinon Pointe in Sedona, AZ.  In January we are going to the Hyatt High Sierra Lodge.  Each of those trades are a one-bedroom SDO to a two bedroom.  My husband's aunt is going to WPORV in January courtesy of half of our 2010 week.  I know things are crazy and up in the air with the new rules, but SDO has been working well for us so far.  

I can't believe it has been only 5 months since I knew nothing about timesharing.  Thanks to all of you who share your knowledge on this great forum!

Blessings,

Emily


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## Captron (Nov 9, 2009)

Greetings all,

Here goes...
The family is me,  DW Kami, Kalina (4yrs), Kianna (2yrs), and Kaya (10wks). We live in Salt Lake City (metro area) and we both work in health care, me in cardiology and DW in pharmacy (MICU/Professor). (That is right - it is Dr. and Mr. - and never shall I live it down) I work for the "Intermountain" Obama keeps referring to as a model. HA! I am pretty sure I have you all beat on the cold front. I am a Canadian boy. "Home" is Edmonton Alberta Canada. I finally left when I decided I had seen -40 deg (C or F  - it is the same at that point) too many times for one persons life time. (One time after leaving for a long weekend and skiing when the temp at the BOTTOM of the hill was -32degC I returned to find the grease in the bearings of my car frozen solid so I had to wait for it to warm up before moving it and shattering everything!) 5 yr pit stop in NC for DW to get her doctorate then here to SLC the summer before the Olympics (nice timing).

Twelve years ago or so I bought my first TS pre-construction from this "Embassy" company in MB, SC. (~$10.2k EY 2BR LO) I had just had a terrible car accident and thought if I had to have long term issues (T 9/10 disk herniation, etc) I might as well get some long term pleasure out of the settlement. Following that purchase I came online to learn more and happened across a guy selling his mothers TS in Orlando (Origingal Vistana Courts owner) (~$3500 inc. closing and transfer). I upgraded that to a Vistana Cascades EY 2BR LO for ~$8.5k (contracts written as 1 odd, 1 even). Sheraton then got involved and took over management of both properties. About 5 yrs ago at an "Update" :hysterical: at SVR I bought PGA EOY 2BR (~$10k)  an achieved the retro of all retros. With one EOY unit they rolled all 3 contracts into SVN. 2 yrs later I actually stayed at PGA and although I am a golfer and  the property is nice it was SMALL. On the same trip we upgraded that to a EY SVR Fountains 2BR (post SA) (again ~$10k). (I should have just bought it for $12.5k and kept PGA and had something else to retro - but OH WELL)!  I have since added Grand Pacific Palisades 2BR ($450) for west coast quick hops from SLC and SDO EOY 2BR LO trader - JUST IN TIME FOR THE RULE CHANGE!!! . I guess that puts me in for about $33k purchase prices/upgrades for 4.5 wks/yr, not the best but not too bad!

We have had some truly terrific vacations because of TS. We have stayed in properties we NEVER would have stayed in at locations we likely would not have visited. We have exchanged 1BR SBP for Hawaii 2BR three times,  we have been to Orlando ~12x, Florida beaches 2x, So Cal. beaches (San Diego/Carlsbad) 5x, SBP 2x with one more coming next spring.

I was another of those people who did not vacation regularly. I now spend A LOT of time "figurin'" our next trip or one after that or one after that etc. (I have started planning 2014 folks!) School schedules are going to make things more challenging soon but we will do well regardless. I DO call (religiously) exactly at 12 months or 8 months (13 mos for my CA property) to get the place I want at the time I want.

I too despise what SVO management is doing to my ownerships. THEY DO NOT OWN THE PROPERTIES!!!  I was going to buy some more units for more SO to have 2 weeks of 148k options BUT NOT NOW!!! (Lurkers you see this???) I am currently considering Worldmark ownership. I like the number of west coast properties and the CAP ON MF INCREASES!!! Please PM me if you have anything about Worldmark - tips, tricks, the good, the bad or the ugly - all is welcome!

To those new in these here parts WELCOME!  Have fun! Please realize that these are TERRIFIC properties in GREAT locations! It is the upper mgmt that SUCKS and unfortunately that is reflected in a lot of negativity here. Weed through the emotion. Take what you can learn - there is LOTS to be learned from these people. Enjoy your ownership and TREASURE the memories you have/will create with your family. This IS an investment - it just pays back with lower stress, INCREDIBLE experiences and FANTASTIC memories (rather than $$$ you can't take with you in the end anyway). PLEASE, NEVER hesitate to PM me to ask a question or for clarification or to CORRECT me  about a comment made. I am far from the most experienced here and still have lots to learn. I try to share what I can.

See you on the boards!


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## sherilah (Nov 9, 2009)

Hi!  I'm Sheri, and I've been on Tug for over a year.  We own at Lagunamar, and visited there this past July.....and loved it!  We've done 2 trips WMH, with a 3rd in December, and just got back from WKORVN a few weeks ago (and loved it as well).  

We reside in Southern California (both my husband and I are natives), about a half a mile from the beach.  Currently, I'm a stay at home mom....taught 1st grade for 5 years prior to having my son, worked in the music biz prior to teaching for 8 years. One of my hobbies (though it used to be the center of my life) is playing the drums.  Back in the late 80's, I toured the country with an all female rock band! 

I love Tug.....especially since I'm inquisitive by nature!!!  I had a taste this am of just how tough it is to get into Harborside.  My alarm clock didn't go off, so I woke up 1/2 hour past 9 am eastern time....they had nothing!!!  At least I was able to book Lagunamar as a back up.  

Looking forward to more great trips, and hopefully, some new properties in the future....


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## tomandrobin (Nov 9, 2009)

sherilah said:


> Back in the late 80's, I toured the country with an all female rock band!



Ah, would love to meet up poolside at a Starwood Resort and hear that back story!



sherilah said:


> I love Tug.....especially since I'm inquisitive by nature!!!  I had a taste this am of just how tough it is to get into Harborside.  My alarm clock didn't go off, so I woke up 1/2 hour past 9 am eastern time....they had nothing!!!  At least I was able to book Lagunamar as a back up.



For that very reason is why we bought a Harborside unit last year. We were tired so trying every week and getting shut out.


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 9, 2009)

When I first saw this topic, I thought Denise had gone mad, saying she is new here.   Then I thought it was just for new folks.  We just got back from Disneyworld late Friday, so I am late to post.  

We have owned timeshares for 28 years, and we bought our first and second from the developer.  I wish we could go back and undo those two purchases.  :rofl: We could have bought a very nice car back then for what we paid for each week.  The first we bought in 1981, the second in 1984.  

Found TUG after a salesperson for Wyndham mentioned it, and I am ever so grateful.  I have been addicted to both this site and to timeshare ever since. We already owned ten weeks when we joined TUG, and now we own many more.  Rick thinks I am nuts, and our grown daughter and sons call this some kind of obsession.  Insulting!   But who gets to stay in Disney and various Hawaii resorts because of MY obsession?  THE MARRIED KIDS DO!  :rofl: 

We own too many weeks, some of which are at Sheraton's Broadway Plantation, and then just one EOY even at Sheraton's Desert Oasis.  We bought SBP to stay in Myrtle Beach sometime, originally, but now we have enough to stay there 2 1/2 weeks a year, and we will never do that.  What to do, what to do?


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## LisaRex (Nov 9, 2009)

sherilah said:


> I love Tug.....especially since I'm inquisitive by nature!!!  I had a taste this am of just how tough it is to get into Harborside.  My alarm clock didn't go off, so I woke up 1/2 hour past 9 am eastern time....they had nothing!!!  At least I was able to book Lagunamar as a back up.



You were better off sleeping in. I can say with 100% confidence that you'll never get into Harborside (or WSJ) during the summer with StarOptions.  Why? 

1) Let's assume HRA's 2010 MFs will be around $3k. That's nearly double what you pay at WLR.  The only resorts a lot of HRA owners would even consider trading to are the ones that have equivalent MFs because otherwise they'd be far better off financially simply renting their unit out and then renting where they want to go.

2)Summer is coded as gold season at HRA. That means that if an HRA owner did decide to check out other SVN resorts, here's how many SOs he'd be given: 

3 bdrm lockoff: 125,900*
2 bdrm lockoff: 95,700
2 bdrm: 81,000
1 bdrm premium: 51,700
1 bdrm: 44,000

So a 3 bdrm summer HRA owner, who pays double what you pay in MFs, isn't even allotted sufficient SOs to trade into a 2 bdrm at your resort during the summer.  Nor will he be given given enough SOs to trade into a 2 bdrm in Arizona, California, Colorado during high season, or Hawaii ever. 

Now, they could _theoretically_ get into WSJ, because they've been allotted the same crazy low number of SOs.   But for the same reasons that scare away HRA owners, WSJ owners aren't budging either. End result is a stalemate with everyone wanting to get INTO these resorts and very few owners crazy enough to trade OUT.  

"Honey! Instead of using our 3 bdrm villa in Atlantis this year, we're going to trade for a 1 bdrm in Cancun!"

3) Take heart.  Even HRA owners who own gold weeks have difficulty getting into their own resort during the summer weeks.  How frustrating would that be? 

Enjoy WLR! I've heard it's beautiful.


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## tomandrobin (Nov 9, 2009)

LisaRex said:


> You were better off sleeping in. I can say with 100% confidence that you'll never get into Harborside (or WSJ) during the summer with StarOptions.  Why?



I hate to tell you this, but we got a room this morning at HRA. :whoopie:


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## Transit (Nov 9, 2009)

tomandrobin said:


> I hate to tell you this, but we got a room this morning at HRA. :whoopie:



It pays to be persistant.


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## grgs (Nov 9, 2009)

tomandrobin said:


> I hate to tell you this, but we got a room this morning at HRA. :whoopie:



Great!  What size unit?  I don't think it's impossible if you're persistent, but larger units seem hard to come by.

Glorian


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## pointsjunkie (Nov 9, 2009)

blackfly said:


> Hello, my name is Jim and I joined TUG earlier this year at the advice of Barbara (PointsJunkie), who I met poolside at WSJ. My wife and I had just taken the timeshare tour and were considering the developer’s offer when Barbara swam up and began sharing her (vast) knowledge of the timeshare business. Thankfully, we didn’t sign a thing that day—except the bar bill.
> 
> Once back home, we began looking on the resale market and with the help of Jim (James1975NY) found a great (?) deal on a 1-bedroom. David (DavidnRobin) kindly offered some poignant advice on the state of affairs at WSJ, as well a closing attorney on nearby St. Thomas. After a protracted closing period (you all know the story about the taxes down there) we became owners about a month ago.
> 
> I have found TUG members to be incredibly friendly and forthcoming with information. I log on every couple days to see what’s happening – and undoubtedly learn something new each time. Someday, I hope to return the many favors. Until then, it will have to be a free round of drinks poolside at WSJ – week 16.



hi jim, how are you? won't be there next year. will be at wkv for 3 weeks in feb. doing a ot of timesharing in 2010.5 trips all timeshares.


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## GrayFal (Nov 9, 2009)

tomandrobin said:


> I hate to tell you this, but we got a room this morning at HRA. :whoopie:





Transit said:


> It pays to be persistent.


The squeaky wheel!

Hi, I have been a TS owner and TUGger since 2001 - my first 4 weeks of ownership were developer purchases with Marriott, I have sold two of those weeks and bought a third platinum week.

After two years, I realized I needed different ownerships to see different resorts - I wanted an RCI trader and now have 2. And after staying at Westin Mission Hills, I realized I liked the Starwood family and looked for a resale week. I purchased PGA first but sold it as it did not trade as well as other Starwood weeks.
I currently own 2 SBP which I use to trade to other Starwood properties thru II - I did not feel the need to buy direct because we are empty nesters and can travel during non-school holiday times. I am writing this from my lovely room at Westin Lagunamar  

I will be very disappointed if the current SVN/II situation continues as I can't see me depositing with II in a 'generic' way - SVN doesn't own my week, I do and I will decide what I do with it. 

I own a week right on the ocean in St Thomas and purchased Wyndham points to be able to spend more time there.
Same with the Morritt's Tortuga - I have 4 oceanfront weeks - paradise! (sound famiiar DeniseM?)

Over the past 8 years, I have bought and sold many weeks as my needs change - I could probably stand to get rid of a few but I like them all for various reasons  

There are worse addictions, right ???


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## DeniseM (Nov 10, 2009)

> I have 4 oceanfront weeks - paradise! (sound famiiar DeniseM?)



Oh yeah....once you've had ocean front....you'll never go back!  

I just need to sell my DH and buy one with more Vaca time!


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## Troopers (Nov 10, 2009)

Hi, I’m Troopers.

My DW and I have a preschooler daughter and an 18 month old toddler son.  We live in the SF Bay Area.  I’m a land use/land development consultant and my DW works parts time in the consumer goods industry.  We are both in our early 30s and relatively new to timesharing.

Our first timeshare (WKORV OV) was purchased several years ago.  Thanks to TUG, we were fortunate to have purchased resale.  Within the last year +/-, we have added a WKORV OFD (resale) and DVC points (retail) to our portfolio.  We purchased our weeks primarily because my DW and I are religious about our kids sleep (we actually hired a sleep consultant)…we needed the extra rooms and bathrooms TS offered.

Despite the various issues with Starwood, we’re quite happy with our ownership.  The issues are non-issues for me.


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## sherilah (Nov 10, 2009)

I knew I should've set the alarm this am.  I just had knee surgery and can't bare any weight on my left leg, so I'm a bit out of sorts!!!

Sheri


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## LisaRex (Nov 10, 2009)

tomandrobin said:


> I hate to tell you this, but we got a room this morning at HRA. :whoopie:



You own there!


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## K2Quick (Nov 10, 2009)

Hi All,

I'm 38 (for a couple more weeks), married to a lovely wife and have a one-year-old.  I was born and raised in Spokane, WA, went to school at BYU, worked in Salt Lake for three years after graduation, then in Southern California for about seven years, and returned to Utah about five years ago after the skiing bug hit really hard (it's nice to be 30 minutes to the best skiing on the continent).  Currently I work for a large credit card company in accounting.

I've never stayed in a timeshare before - bought the first one (SDO) this summer after researching here on TUG for a few months and traded into WKORV for this coming January.  Our goal is to get into Maui or Kauai once a year.  I've never attended a timeshare presentation in my life because I always felt my time was too valuable and I had heard they were very high-pressure and I didn't want to ruin good vacations with that.  I realize I've signed on with Starwood at an interesting time.  In spite of the pain, it makes for interesting theatre on TUG.

What this thread has really done for me is straightened out that DavidnRobin is really David, TomnRobin is really Tom, and I think RicknCindy is really Cindy.  I don't know why that mattered.


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## DeniseM (Nov 10, 2009)

K2Quick said:


> What this thread has really done for me is straightened out that DavidnRobin is really David, TomnRobin is really Tom, and I think RicknCindy is really Cindy.  I don't know why that mattered.



Bingo!  We have a winner!


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## DavidnRobin (Nov 10, 2009)

Troopers said:


> Hi, I’m Troopers.
> 
> Despite the various issues with Starwood, we’re quite happy with our ownership.  The issues are non-issues for me.



Hi - I am also happy with the vacation part of our TSs, but the issue of a MF increase (25% this year and 2x over the last 5 years) is a non-issue?  Why is that?


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## kcgriffin (Nov 10, 2009)

Hi,

I'm Ken and my wife of 33 years is Jan.  We started going to St John when it was a Hyatt Resort, we loved it and when Starwood offered TS weeks we bought week 52 in one of the 2BR 3BA townhyome villas, although in retrospect I sould have bought directly from one of the original fractional ownership folks, who owned six weeks in each unit.  Even so we got a real deal!

We have owned Marriott Sabal Palms since pre-construction, maybe 1985 or so.  We also own a 1BR condo in Door County Wi. (all 52 weeks) the neat thing about it is we can trade each week as a timeshare, use them, give them to the resort to rent, or rent them ourselves (maximum flexibility!).  This gives us an almost unlimited number of TS weeks from that one resort.  

I retired from Bell Labs (Lucent) ten years ago, and Jan and I love to travel.  We have been all over the world, between my work and vacationing.  We love TUG, and have been members for years.

Thanks for all the postings, we appreciate all your help and guidance.  You can never get enough information!


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## Troopers (Nov 10, 2009)

DavidnRobin said:


> Hi - I am also happy with the vacation part of our TSs, but the issue of a MF increase (25% this year and 2x over the last 5 years) is a non-issue?  Why is that?



Because life is good.

Added:  Also, I didn't expect the MF to increase gently.


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## DavidnRobin (Nov 11, 2009)

on second thought - nevermind... not worth the effort. Enjoy. Make sure you write to SVO to thank them for meeting your expecations.  Perhaps next year the will exceed your expectations and make life even better.


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## Maui_ed (Nov 11, 2009)

K2Quick said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I've never attended a timeshare presentation in my life because I always felt my time was too valuable and I had heard they were very high-pressure and I didn't want to ruin good vacations with that.


 
We have been to 3 presentations from Starwood - 2 at WKORV and one at WKV.  None of them were high pressure, although the first one came close. Being new to timesharing, I initially thought it would be a way to find out about new properties that Starwood was developing - such as Aruba and Cabo - and other changes in the Starwood program - such as elite membership level requirements changes.  It didn't take long to find out that the sales people generally knew very little about those things.  Especially true of the sales people in Maui who are only allowed to sell Maui and Kauai, and don't really care to talk about the other properties too much.  I have read stories here on TUG about some presentations that were contentious if not confrontational.  I guess all you can say is YMMV.


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## gregb (Nov 11, 2009)

Maui_ed said:


> We have been to 3 presentations from Starwood - 2 at WKORV and one at WKV.  None of them were high pressure, although the first one came close. Being new to timesharing, I initially thought it would be a way to find out about new properties that Starwood was developing - such as Aruba and Cabo - and other changes in the Starwood program - such as elite membership level requirements changes.  It didn't take long to find out that the sales people generally knew very little about those things.  Especially true of the sales people in Maui who are only allowed to sell Maui and Kauai, and don't really care to talk about the other properties too much.  I have read stories here on TUG about some presentations that were contentious if not confrontational.  I guess all you can say is YMMV.



I have attended four TS presentations, three at WKORV and one at SVV.  None were high pressure.  I think part of it may depend on your attitude when you take the "Owners Update".  For us, politely saying we are not interested in buying another unit, and saying it with assurance, seems to work.

I believe that Hawaii law prevents the Maui/Kaui teams from any selling time shares other than those in Hawaii.  It may have to do with licensing or registering the other TS in Hawaii, which no one wants to do for any TS except those in Hawaii.

Greg


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## Darwin (Nov 11, 2009)

Hello, I am really Darwin. I am married to Elaine for 12 years and have 4 children 10 and under. We are self employed and live in the country on a small farm.

We were interested in a timeshare because of the size of our family. Motel rooms were to small and Elaine and I would need a vacation from our hotel vacation.  

We own at Marriott Canyon Villas in Phoenix and on Maui at WKORV. Both were pre construction purchased from developer. Found TUG to late. We've stayed, rented, and exchanged for points both locations. We are staying at WKORV over Christmas and New Years. We will not be spending any money in Hawaii ( because of the property tax issue)  . 

I have been on TUG for a few years. I post very little. Other people have more knowlege and expertise than I. TUG is a great resource. Now If only we can change the Maui Real Property Tax Division's illegal increase in valuation methology.


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## krj9999 (Nov 13, 2009)

*Hi I'm Keith*

New to timesharing and new to SVO.  I've bought 3 timeshare weeks in the past 9 months; an August week at an older resort in DE, a week 52 Grandview in Vegas, and Platinum SDO week - all 1BRs and all via Ebay for a very good price.

I'm 41 and work for a consulting company in MD.  My SO and I have no kids, so can travel off-season, and she likes Hawaii a lot.  Mostly expect to trade, and spent a lot of time reading the boards before bidding on Ebay.  Still toying with the idea of RCI points or SBP if I see a great deal, but will probably hold off for now.

Being new here and hitting in the middle of a lot of complaints about RCI and II/SVO, I guess I'm not sure how things used to be.  So far, I'm pretty happy about my trading power in both II and RCI.  Already made 1 trade via RCI to Waikiki (HGVC unit) with my DE week; I see the 2BR units at WKORV via my SDO deposit; and my Grandview deposit can see a good amount of Disney, even 2BRs (I'm guessing same trading power as Nodge's SDO Easter week).

Appreciate all the info I've gained here, and hope to contribute in the future.



DeniseM said:


> We suddenly have a lot of new posters who are posting regularly - WELCOME!
> 
> A lot of the regulars kind of "know each other," but there are so many new folks that I don't know.  I thought it would be nice to do some introductions.


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## TrojanRickus (Aug 22, 2010)

*Hello*

Hello,

My name is Rick and I am new here.  I am trying to learn about Timeshares and how all this work. You guys are great and I am learning lots from surfing this boards.  Thank you.


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## M&JJ (Aug 22, 2010)

*new to Starwood*

Hi all.  I'm Mitch from Alberta Canada -the M in M&JJ - and have been lurking around for a few years.  I found TUG on my quest for knowledge on timeshare and am so thankful to all of you for your wealth of knowledge that has saved me a bundle of money.  I currently own 1 week at Summerbay Desert Club and 2 weeks at Polo Towers.  I have used the Polo Towers weeks as trade on II and stayed at the Westin Kierland.  My wife and I have a blended family with 5 children ranging from 17 - 10 and then on top of the yours / mine we have an ours who is 7 months.  Not being a Starwood owner I didnt really pay much attention to what was happening in this part of the timeshare world.... until last night...

The kids would love to spend some time in California and I saw a 2bdrm lo at the Westin Mission Hills for basically the cost of the transfer, listed on ebay.  I was doing so good in not buying more timeshare for the longest time but this one really caught my eye so I picked it up.  Now comes the pleasure of investigating everything about Starwood.  

I would be ever so grateful if you knowledgeable could share your wisdom on this property and how it plays in the Starwood system.

Thanks


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## DeniseM (Aug 22, 2010)

M&JJ said:


> I saw a 2bdrm lo at the Westin Mission Hills for basically the cost of the transfer, listed on ebay.  I was doing so good in not buying more timeshare for the longest time but this one really caught my eye so I picked it up.  Now comes the pleasure of investigating everything about Starwood.



Hi and welcome to TUG!

Just so you know, if this turn out to be something you decide you don't want, ebay timeshare auctions are NOT binding, and you can legally back out, if you do so before you send them any money.

The first thing I recommend is that you read the Starwood FAQ at the top of the forum - that will answer a lot of your questions - then come back and tell us what you don't understand.

The #1 thing you should know upfront, is that a resale at this property cannot be traded in Starwood's internal trading system - the Starwood Vacation Network (SVN) and cannot be converted to Starpoints.

So your options are to:
-Use it within your deeded season
-Deposit it in II
-Rent it (but there is not much demand for rentals)

What season did you buy? - That's also very important.


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## M&JJ (Aug 22, 2010)

I believe it is the Silver Season that we purchased (weeks 28-35) which is perfect for us with school age children and summer vacation.  our intention is to use this rather than trade or rent.  I know it is not ideally located to take advantage of the theme parks but still gives us a home base to enjoy some of what california has to offer.


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## pkyorkbeach (Aug 22, 2010)

Hi Everyone
I am new but NOT a NEWBIE.  Thank goodness I found TUG BEFORE getting into timesharing.  Although I am new I am addicted.  I believe I have an addictive personality, so now it is TUG and Timeshare info.  

My friend let me use her Star Island TS in June, she has owned it for nineteen years.  It was a great vacation-I LOVED the TS.  When I came home she quit claimed the TS to me.  It is EOY.  JOY!! for me...

Someone else owned a timeshare at Holly Tree Cape Cod.  Had it for twenty years.  It is now mine.  EOY.

MY DH loves the beach and loves Maine.  I am in the final process of purchasing Inn Seasons At The Falls in Ogunquit.  It is for a Christmas Gift.

I have a dog adopted from SPCA, had a Greyhound before this one and a Doberman before that.  I LOVE to read but do not allow enough time for it.  Trying hard to get on an excercise regiment-water aerobics...I am not addicted to it like I am to TS.

Thank you to TUG and everyone for all the great advice...It is enlightening to say the least.  You make me laugh too!!!

Pam


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## DavidnRobin (Aug 22, 2010)

Hi Mitch - a downside to consider is that the MFs are the same for the unit no matter which season you buy.  So you are paying a heavy MF for WMH in Silver.  Make sure you check out TS rentals for CA during the time and location you want to go.  You may find renting (or II exchanging with something that has lower MFs) to be a better value than buying WMH (even free).

Good luck and welcome to TUG.


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## DeniseM (Aug 22, 2010)

M&JJ said:


> I believe it is the Silver Season that we purchased (weeks 28-35) which is perfect for us with school age children and summer vacation.  our intention is to use this rather than trade or rent.  I know it is not ideally located to take advantage of the theme parks but still gives us a home base to enjoy some of what california has to offer.



Just so you know, the summers are very, very hot here, and it's a long drive to Anaheim, San Diego, the beach, etc.  The maintenance fee is high ($1,500) and Starwood has a history of increasing maintenance fees every year.  Getaways at this resort are available on II starting about half the maintenance fee - $742 a week, with lots of availability.

If you want a CA base, I'd buy in San Diego or Anaheim, or some place closer to the ocean.  Unless you plan to use this unit every year, you will have a hard time figuring out what to do it when you aren't going to use it because it will have low trade value and low rental value.


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## grgs (Aug 22, 2010)

DavidnRobin said:


> Hi Mitch - a downside to consider is that the MFs are the same for the unit no matter which season you buy.  So you are paying a heavy MF for WMH in Silver.



Mitch,

I agree with David--you should take a bit of time to think about this.  I think WMH is a great resort and have stayed there several times.  However, the mf are quite high--especially for summer which is a relatively easy trade (it's the desert and 100+ degrees--I like it, but it's not for everyone!).  At a minimum, I would consider buying a Gold season unit since those are also going for not much.  You'll still get some summer weeks in that season, and I think those units would have a bit more trade power in Interval.

Another option would be to look at a Sheraton Desert Oasis (SDO) or Sheraton Broadway Plantation (SBP) unit.  Much lower mf and with the internal Starwood preference, you shouldn't have trouble trading into WMH.  As an example, the mf on my small 1 bedroom SDO Plat unit are about $500/yr.  I used that unit to trade into a 2 bedroom WMH unit via Interval.  Even with the Starwood to Starwood $119 exchange fee, that's still much less than the WMH mf are.  You should be able to pick up a SDO or SBP unit for almost nothing.

Best wishes,

Glorian


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## DeniseM (Aug 22, 2010)

Good advice, Glorian!

Did you know that the darn exchange fee just went up again July 1!  :annoyed: 

The lowest fee is $119 now.

Made over the Phone-
Domestic - $159
International - $174

Made Online-
Domestic - $139
International - $154

(You get a $20 discount when you do a Starwood to Starwood exchange.)


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## M&JJ (Aug 22, 2010)

thanks very much for all of your great advice!!!


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## grgs (Aug 22, 2010)

DeniseM said:


> Good advice, Glorian!
> 
> Did you know that the darn exchange fee just went up again July 1!  :annoyed:
> 
> The lowest fee is $119 now.



I thought maybe they had gone UP--just couldn't remember.  

Thanks for the correction, Denise, and I correct my post above.

Glorian


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## caterina25 (Aug 22, 2010)

Hi All,
My name is Paula.I am a nursing director of a school health program.I love to travel.I purchased my first timeshare from Marriott about five years ago(poor me)and bought 2 more Starwood resales this year(happy me),thank's to tug.I love being a part of this knowledgeable group and sharing stories and information.We're all in this together.This is the only site I chat on and love when I could share information that may be needed.I also appreciate all the help that has been shared with me and a special thanks to Denise for answering the same questions over and over.I see the teacher in you.Teachers are my favorite people next to nurses ,of course.Paula


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## levatino (Aug 23, 2010)

[text deleted at request of poster]


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## K&PFitz (Aug 31, 2010)

Hi, We're Kevin and Pat, and although I registered two years ago, we're new here, because I forgot about this BBS.  I wish I had paid more attention, before I bought three timeshares from Starwood, but that's water under the bridge, and we've used our weeks for some great vacations.  We leave for WKORV in 11 days, and will spend two weeks in a one bedroom.  We wouldn't think of making that trip if we were paying cash for the room.  When we bought our first at SVV, a 2 brm in Bella, the salesperson said, "owning a timeshare will make you go on vacation."  We have gone from taking a week every once in a while to taking a couple nice trips a year.  We used to think Hampton Inn was top of the line.  We had never stayed anywhere as nice as that 2 bdrm in SVV in 2003.  So, we've spent more than we should have, but it's worked out just fine.  

We've used Staroptions in Scottsdale, Myrtle Beach, Orlando many times and now Maui.  We've used Starpoints in Rome, Tokyo and Seoul.  

I finally started reading a lot here at this bbs a few weeks ago, and look forward to participating.  We'll log in from WKORV and try to provide some timely answers.  Thanks for all the wisdom you've all shared.


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