# Help me buy my first timeshare [merged]



## RamblerPA (Mar 2, 2014)

If my travel goals include visiting different countries every few years, is purchasing an Orlando timeshare a bad idea? We would love to have a home resort there, since we know we would always be happy to use it, but would like to exchange for Europe every few years.  I keep reading that exchanges to Europe can be tough, so now I am not sure.
For the record, I am fine with staying outside cities, but with a child I would need to travel in summer.


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2014)

If I wanted a European Trader, I'd buy a Marriott TS, because Marriott has TS's in Europe. That will give you the Marriott to Marriott priority in II. 

Unfortunately, a TS is Florida has low trading power (more supply than demand) and it's not going to do the job in Europe, where availability is limited, especially during the summer - when EVERYONE wants to go to Europe during the warm summer mos.


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## RamblerPA (Mar 2, 2014)

If not Florida, what areas trade high? We live in PA, and want our home resort to be drivable and someplace we like.


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2014)

RamblerPA said:


> If not Florida, what areas trade high? We live in PA, and want our home resort to be drivable and someplace we like.



As I said in my first post: If I wanted a European Trader, I'd buy a Marriott TS, because Marriott has TS's in Europe. That will give you the Marriott to Marriott priority in II. 

I don't know if a Marriott TS in Orlando would do the trick, but I can move this thread to the Marriott forum, if you like.  You will get expert help there.

Marriott resorts:  http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/marriott-vacation-club-collection.shtml


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## RamblerPA (Mar 2, 2014)

Thank you. I would appreciate that.


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## SMHarman (Mar 2, 2014)

RamblerPA said:


> If my travel goals include visiting different countries every few years, is purchasing an Orlando timeshare a bad idea? We would love to have a home resort there, since we know we would always be happy to use it, but would like to exchange for Europe every few years.  I keep reading that exchanges to Europe can be tough, so now I am not sure.
> For the record, I am fine with staying outside cities, but with a child I would need to travel in summer.



Where I'm Europe?  Europe does not have many city timeshares so if by Europe you mean London, Paris. Rome etc then exchanging there is really tough. Almost impossible with school age kids. 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk


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## Passepartout (Mar 2, 2014)

I just use a fairly ordinary RCI Points TS to acquire the points to go to Europe on. As you are aware, one needs to have well grounded expectations, and be prepared for some driving or use of public transport. That said, we have had very satisfactory European vacays in Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Greece. No question, Marriotts are more located in cities, and give you a more 'American resort' experience, but we travel to experience other cultures, not make it as familiar as possible.

Diff'rent strokes.....

Jim


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2014)

Jim - he needs school holidays, which I think will be nearly impossible with no Marriott priority.


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## Passepartout (Mar 2, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Jim - he needs school holidays, which I think will be nearly impossible with no Marriott priority.



I don't know how this thread got into the Marriott forum. You're the one who brought up Marriott. I don't think the OP specified, nor does s/he own (yet). I realize that playing the 'exchange game' without some kind of priority to get school holidays in any underserved location. is even more of a crapshoot than not. But frankly, exchanging in any system is the same. Take your advantages where you can get 'em.


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2014)

Hi Jim - I suggested Marriott, and he asked me to move it to the Marriott Forum.  That is no reflection on your post. 

With the Marriott to Marriott priority in II, he would have first dibs on European deposits.  Just sayn' that's what I would do in his shoes.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 2, 2014)

The problem with Marriott in Europe is that there are only four resorts, three of which are in Spain and the other near Disneyland Paris.


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## KathyPet (Mar 2, 2014)

The issue with European time shares is that MOST of them are not in the locations that we would go as tourists.  just like here in the US most of them are where Europeans would go to vacation so proximity to major European cities is problematic.
If you are planing to visit major European cities and stay in a timeshare you will find very little to choose from. There are no timeshares in Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Seville, London or Dublin.  looks like there are a couple in Paris but not MVCI.  The one MVCI in France is a hour train ride from Paris.


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## lch (Mar 2, 2014)

RamblerPA said:


> If my travel goals include visiting different countries every few years, is purchasing an Orlando timeshare a bad idea? We would love to have a home resort there, since we know we would always be happy to use it, but would like to exchange for Europe every few years.  I keep reading that exchanges to Europe can be tough, so now I am not sure.
> For the record, I am fine with staying outside cities, but with a child I would need to travel in summer.


We actually just bought a timeshare in Orlando with a somewhat similar plan. We bought a Starwood property, which as you may know has a certain number of Staroptions and Starpoints associated with it. The Starpoints can be used for hotel stays all over the world. Exercising the Staroptions is a much better use of your purchase, but we like having the Starpoints option to use periodically (i.e., once every few years) worldwide. Additionally, we got an additional deposit of Starpoints when we purchased, and then again when we signed up for the Starwood Am Ex. Now we continue to get a Starpoint for each dollar spent on the credit card (more when spent at Starwood), which we now use like a debit card (i.e., pay for everything with it, pay off bill every month). Not suggesting this is a good approach for everyone, but for us, especially given that we're getting starpoints for buying things we were otherwise just using a debit card to buy (e.g., groceries, gas, etc.), it has made sense. We bought directly from the developer, which we won't do again now that we are more educated, but apart from realizing we should have bought resale, we have been happy with our decision.


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## FractionalTraveler (Mar 2, 2014)

I would not recommend buying a timeshare in the USA for possible exchange into Europe.  The timeshares in Europe are not the same as in the USA (size, location, amenities, etc.)

Vacation rentals of timeshares in Europe are typically available throughout the year except for Summer Season.  The typical European timeshare owner does not vacation like we do and rarely exchanges.

Your better off with renting a house, flat, or B&B depending on how much time you want to spend abroad.  You can get really good properties with a 1 month minimum in the summer.  The countryside of Italy and France are especially nice for a month long stay.

FT


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## BocaBoy (Mar 2, 2014)

We much prefer using Marriott Rewards points to stay in top flight hotels when we go to Europe.  Thinking timeshares there is in my opinion trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, so to speak.  And if you have Gold or Platinum status, the concierge lounges and other perks for MR elite level members are fantastic at most of the European hotels.


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## DeniseM (Mar 2, 2014)

> We actually just bought a timeshare in Orlando with a somewhat similar plan. We bought a Starwood property, which as you may know has a certain number of Staroptions and Starpoints associated with it. The Starpoints can be used for hotel stays all over the world.



As stated, you have to buy from the developer at full price to get Starpointss, and the conversion to points is a terrible value....


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## RamblerPA (Mar 2, 2014)

Honestly, if I can trade for Europe I don't care if the accommodations are small and in the country. I have no problem renting a car. Germany is where we most want to go. I hate that we have to work around a school schedule, but that's the breaks with a kid. Once she is out of school I would be fine with traveling shoulder seasons.


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## ArubaMon (Mar 2, 2014)

If you're focused on Germany, a Marriott TS probably won't work well at all.  I would echo the advice of a couple responses ago and focus on a hotel reward program (Marriott or Starwood or another) that gave me some good choices for hotels in Germany.  Then, get that program's best credit card and charge your way to a bunch of points (both spouses getting separate cards for the extra points, etc) that you can use at the hotels.  Then, if you want to stay in one place for a week or more, rent a villa or flat in a particular locale that you like.  Sounds like fun!


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## Passepartout (Mar 2, 2014)

You piqued my curiosity. So I screened RCI Points for Europe with check-in dates between 5-30 and 9-2-2014. There are 298 available check in weeks. They are all over from Spain to Turkey with quite a few in Austria and Hungary. Not definitive, but it indicates that even a few months before move in there is some availability. There is much more if you look further out.

Jim


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## answeeney (Mar 2, 2014)

As a European timeshare owner I have to say that it is a major frustration that there are so few really good and available European timeshare locations compared with the US. The European Marriott's are excellent and up there with the best US based timeshares but they are hard to get into at peak season and quite likely impossible without a Marriott preference. That said, spring or autumn (gold season) might be possible and is a nice time to go.

There may be some other European timeshares up there with Marriott quality too but I have yet to find them. Whenever I have exchanged into a European (non Marriott) property I feel a bit cheated (unless I have used the studio portion of a lock off to get a bigger unit, in which case I get philosophical about the down side).

Also, most timeshares tend not to be in the best locations for someone interested in immersing themselves in the local culture. The Marriott's in Europe do have some good touring opportunities but all four are a good car journey away from the really good cultural stuff. They are, though, very good chill out/golfing destinations, which I think that most other European locations aspire to (but don't always achieve). If you want to do European culture then city locations might be better, in which case, hotels might give you better options albeit with, most likely, a less roomy experience.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 3, 2014)

I've never been able to trade our Harbour Lake into any of the Spanish resorts, especially not in the summer. We've been successful with Paris one August but that was good luck rather than the norm.

The problem is also compounded by the European resorts not being particularly good traders for some reason despite being better (in my opinion) than any of the US one's we've stayed at. Consequently many owners won't trade because the system isn't working in their favour.

I haven't stayed in a non-marriott TS in Europe, mainly because I haven't found any that appeal to me and the TS scene here has a poor reputation.

Personally I would consider using Homeaway or VRBO and rent somewhere for the same or less than you'd be paying in maintenance fee's particularly if you're considering Germany. There aren't many German TS's because most Germans prefer to take their hollidays in Spain, Greece, Turkey etc.


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## bazzap (Mar 3, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> I've never been able to trade our Harbour Lake into any of the Spanish resorts, especially not in the summer. We've been successful with Paris one August but that was good luck rather than the norm.
> 
> The problem is also compounded by the European resorts not being particularly good traders for some reason despite being better (in my opinion) than any of the US one's we've stayed at. Consequently many owners won't trade because the system isn't working in their favour.
> 
> ...


It is interesting to hear of your experiences.
Over the years, we have often traded our St Kitts, Grand Chateau and Phuket Beach club weeks into the Spanish resorts without too much problem.
We have also often traded our Spanish resorts into these Caribbean and Asian resorts without too much problem.
We have found it taking a lot longer since the introduction of the DC Points programme and we are veering more towards using points (and direct owner exchanges) rather than II exchanges in future.
Our first experience electing our Spanish resorts for Points and reserving Caribbean weeks worked very quickly and effectively for us.
We do seem to get relatively good value in points for our Club Son Antem and Playa Andaluza weeks (we do own 3 bedrooms in each though and mostly will be happy exchanging into 2 or even 1 bedrooms), so hopefully this should work out quite well.

We have stayed at 3 non Marriott resorts in Europe through Getaways and ACs.
These have been OK for trying different places, but I don't believe they match Marriott standards!

The  Radisson in Malta
http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=IRD&parentResortCode=IRD#.UxTRk5IgGSM

And two more local ones in South West England
http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=CTS&parentResortCode=CTS#.UxTR4ZIgGSM
http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=WFD&parentResortCode=WFD#.UxTSN5IgGSM


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## stmartinfan (Mar 3, 2014)

We've traveled several times to different European destinations with school aged kids.  We have very little trading power in our TS, so only once traded for a time share, trading into the Costa del sol area of Spain.  We could get that because we went very early in the summer before  the Europeans were traveling and were at a resort without air conditioning.  That was one place where there was plenty to do for a week close to the timeshare.  But we spent 2 weeks in Spain, so rented apartments or apartment-style hotels for several nights in Madrid, Seville, Grenada and Barcelona, which allowed us to really see the other cities we wanted to visit.

For places like Paris, Amsterdam and London it's really much better to rent an apartment in the city center and really be close to everything.  We've found lots of nice places, and most will rent for a few nights, so you aren't restricted to spending a week somewhere.  for our family of four, it was much better than regular hotel rooms.   The major things to see in Germany are pretty spread out, so you really do need to travel further than a day trip to get the most out of a visit there.


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## Janette (Mar 3, 2014)

We have stayed in timeshares in England and have also stayed in hotels and B&B's. By far, B&B's were our favorites. Getting to know the hosts and having breakfast with other travelers give you a wealth of information. We felt like we experienced the countries much more in those stays than when we were in a timeshare by ourselves.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 4, 2014)

bazzap said:


> It is interesting to hear of your experiences.
> Over the years, we have often traded our St Kitts, Grand Chateau and Phuket Beach club weeks into the Spanish resorts without too much problem.
> We have also often traded our Spanish resorts into these Caribbean and Asian resorts without too much problem.]



Thanks Barry,

Were these trades during peak school holiday season? Our Andaluza is gold and I've just done an exchange search from the end of July this year to the beginning of November to cover the summer and October half term and none of the Spanish Marriott's come up, neither do the popular Hilton Head resorts or Newport Coast except in November. Also, none of the Caribbean Marriottt's appear either.

If beach resorts are your priority for a summer holiday then buying a gold Andaluza week is not advisable  if you want to trade!


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## bazzap (Mar 4, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> Thanks Barry,
> 
> Were these trades during peak school holiday season? Our Andaluza is gold and I've just done an exchange search from the end of July this year to the beginning of November to cover the summer and October half term and none of the Spanish Marriott's come up, neither do the popular Hilton Head resorts or Newport Coast except in November. Also, none of the Caribbean Marriottt's appear either.
> 
> If beach resorts are your priority for a summer holiday then buying a gold Andaluza week is not advisable  if you want to trade!


I do believe you have identified the difference.
No, we only ever trade for shoulder season now that our children have fled the nest.
We own Platinum in Grand Chateau (L/O) and Phuket, Gold in St Kitts and Son Antem, Silver in Playa Andaluza (L/O).
I guess we are lucky that we can avoid peak season and our European Gold/Silver trade well then, even the Lock Off.
We have actually exchanged our silver Playa studio for 2 bedroom apartments in St Kitts and St Thomas in both Nov/Dec and Apr/May, which are still good times to go.
As I say though, this is getting more difficult, but we have also elected our European weeks for points and got more than a week in exchange in the Caribbean at these times.
So we will probably use that approach more in future. 
I appreciate that neither may really be a viable option for peak season though, unfortunately.


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## ronparise (Mar 4, 2014)

I dont know Europe but I do know the TUG rule of thumb, and that is buy where you want to travel.

I would take a look at Hapimag, with a resort in Orlando. and lots in Europe, it seems a perfect place to start looking

http://www.hapimag.com/


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## Big Matt (Mar 4, 2014)

I echo this post.  Go with hotels and try to figure out how to get elite status with Marriott (or Starwood, or Hilton.....).  There are lot of good choices even with the Courtyard brand in Europe.  Going to a European destination can be a headache if you can't speak the language, stay in a timeshare outside the city, and need to waste time commuting in via public transportation.  I'd rather stay right in the middle of everything and walk to most places.  

Now if I had a month or six weeks of time, I'd mix in a timeshare or villa for sure, but for a week or two you will waste a lot of your calendar going back and forth.  I guess the exception would be the Marriotts in Spain where they are a destination themselves.



BocaBoy said:


> We much prefer using Marriott Rewards points to stay in top flight hotels when we go to Europe.  Thinking timeshares there is in my opinion trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, so to speak.  And if you have Gold or Platinum status, the concierge lounges and other perks for MR elite level members are fantastic at most of the European hotels.


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## SMHarman (Mar 4, 2014)

Big Matt said:


> Now if I had a month or six weeks of time, I'd mix in a timeshare or villa for sure, but for a week or two you will waste a lot of your calendar going back and forth.  I guess the exception would be the Marriotts in Spain where they are a destination themselves.


The Marriotts in Spain are destinations like the Marriotts in Orlando, just without WDW and Universal.  I suppose more like Cancun than Orlando but you get the picture.


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## RamblerPA (Mar 7, 2014)

*help me buy my first timeshare!*

Thank you for any help!



DeniseM said:


> *Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs.
> 
> If you click on QUOTE at the end of my post, the questions will open up in a new window for you to answer:
> *
> ...


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## RamblerPA (Mar 7, 2014)

*Holiday inn for international travel?*

Trying to do my homework, and was curious about Holiday Inn Vacation club. Does it have more international flexibility? Does it have it's own exchange company or is it part of RCI?


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## LannyPC (Mar 7, 2014)

RamblerPA said:


> Trying to do my homework, and was curious about Holiday Inn Vacation club. Does it have more international flexibility? Does it have it's own exchange company or is it part of RCI?



Did a timeshare salesperson try to sell you on the idea of converting your TS to the HIVC?  If so, chances are it's not worth the money.


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## BoraBora (Mar 7, 2014)

I have a Holiday Inn Club Vacation TS in Myrtle Beach (South Beach) and earn 176,000 points every odd year.  It is affilitated with RCI but I roll the points over to IHG because of the flexibility.  Most recently, my family and I used the points to travel to Tahiti and Bora Bora!  Stayed at the the Intercontinental Thalasso Resort and Spa in an overwater bungalow... Incredible!


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## RamblerPA (Mar 7, 2014)

That is where my confusion is. I have been trying to research and keep reading RCI, then IHG.... Is it just that I can choose which I prefer and it is not locked to either?


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## RamblerPA (Mar 8, 2014)

*Points or weeks best for me...*

I initially like the idea of buying a fixed week, so if I ever decide exchanging is not worth it, I know exactly what I have and when I have it. But since exchanging is something I am interested it, I find that when looking resale you can at least see how many points you are buying, while with weeks you don't know what TPU you will get.
Of course it seems RCI can adjust either to mess with you.

Head is spinning!!!!!!


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## DeniseM (Mar 8, 2014)

You have 4 different threads going on this topic - I'm going to merge them, so the readers can see what's already been asked and answered.

I also recommend that you go back and read everything that's already been posted - it takes awhile to absorb it all.

Also - These is no ONE timeshare that is the perfect home resort AND the perfect trader, so you should probably focus on one or the other.   A home resort in Orlando FL or Gaitlinburg TN may not be your best trader.

Are you really going to go to Europe on a regular basis?  Airfare alone is very expensive.  For a trip to Europe every 5-10 years, it might work better to just rent.

I think you need to fine-tune your goals here.


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