# Welk Platinum Points Program



## mjm1

We are owners of a fixed week at LWR in Escondido (a summer week) and attended a presentation on Monday to convert to the points program.  We bought our week on the resale market for approximately $5,500 in th eyear 2000.  The cost to convert to points is approximately $4,000 and the cost to add 60,000 points to get to 300,000 points is approximately $7,000 more.  The discounted cost that we were quoted for an entirely new points package of 300,000 would cost approximately $34,000, so they are giving us credit for $23,000 of equity in our current week.  This sounds like a good deal.

A few questions:

1.  Is this points system a good program?  It sounds like it would give us more flexibility but only 28% of fixed week owners and 25% of Villas on the Green owners have switched at this time according to owner services.

2.  What are the advantages and what are the potential downsides to making the switch to points?  

3.  Since we currently have a high demand summer week would we be losing trading power when we want to exchange through II.  Also, II doesn't use points, but Welk is only using II for this program.

4.  We have been told, and given a letter separate from the purchase agreement indicating that we have access to our original unit and week if we want it as long as we reserve it 12-15 months before the date.  Is this a common practice and will they actually deliver?

We have until Monday to finalize our decision.  We would appreciate any insights you can provide regarding our questions and any other thoughts you may have.

Mike


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## ajlm33

mjm1 said:


> We are owners of a fixed week at LWR in Escondido (a summer week) and attended a presentation on Monday to convert to the points program.  We bought our week on the resale market for approximately $5,500 in th eyear 2000.  The cost to convert to points is approximately $4,000 and the cost to add 60,000 points to get to 300,000 points is approximately $7,000 more.  The discounted cost that we were quoted for an entirely new points package of 300,000 would cost approximately $34,000, so they are giving us credit for $23,000 of equity in our current week.  This sounds like a good deal.
> 
> A few questions:
> 
> 1.  Is this points system a good program?  It sounds like it would give us more flexibility but only 28% of fixed week owners and 25% of Villas on the Green owners have switched at this time according to owner services.
> 
> 2.  What are the advantages and what are the potential downsides to making the switch to points?
> 
> 3.  Since we currently have a high demand summer week would we be losing trading power when we want to exchange through II.  Also, II doesn't use points, but Welk is only using II for this program.
> 
> 4.  We have been told, and given a letter separate from the purchase agreement indicating that we have access to our original unit and week if we want it as long as we reserve it 12-15 months before the date.  Is this a common practice and will they actually deliver?
> 
> We have until Monday to finalize our decision.  We would appreciate any insights you can provide regarding our questions and any other thoughts you may have.
> 
> Mike



Hi Mike,

Here is my "two cents" worth of answers to your questions. BTW, I purchased 300,000 points back in 2006 right after they started offering the program. Welk Escondido is a great resort, and close to home. The new mountain villas look terrific.

In my opinion, the program is a good value and meets my needs (I also own three Marriott properties and have exchanged into other resorts so I have a little bit of perspective on Welk vs other TS).

1. I think the point system is good in that it gives you flexablity within the Welk Resort system locations, that is Escondido, Branson, Palm Springs and Cabo San Lucas (future). You use your points whenever and where ever you want without regard to location or season. All points spend the same no matter the location. You only spend the points you need for the unit size you need. This is obviously different from a fixed week in a fixed location.

2. The upside is flexability, the downside is additional cost to you to convert and then the "loss" of your fixed week in Escondido. 

3. If you deposit your "points" week (1 or 2 bedroom points value) into II, Welk gives you a prime trading week (at least they did for me) as well as an AC for an additonal week. I have only done one deposit of a one bedroom and the deposited week is pulling all kinds of super high quality trades including Marriotts thru II.

4. Don't know the answer to this one as I purchased points direct and didn't have a Welk unit to trade up.

It's going to cost you $11,000 to get 300,000 points in addition to the increase in your MF. My MF for 2008 for the 300,000 points was just over $1,000 so you will have to take that into consideration also.

In my opinion, if you are looking for flexability with Welk, it is the way to go and considering the current "buy-in" price of 300,000 points, you seem to be getting a good deal.

Good luck with your decision.


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## Bill4728

I didn't even know that welk had a points program.

BUT, with any covertion of a deeded week to a points program, you need to assess a couple of things:
- Will I be using the other resorts in the sytem or just my one resort? If you'll mostly just be using the same week at the same resort, it is unlikley that this would be a good move. 
- How many choices of resorts will the point system get me? Currently there are just a few Welk resorts. Palm Springs and Branson are extremely easy to trade into so again I'm not sure if giving up your summer week at Escondido is worth getting into PS or Branson. 

Personally, I had a similar choice with a week at Dana point ( Riviera Shores). We choose to convert to points, But had problems getting into the weeks we used to easily get at the resort because now we weren't deeded owners at the ocean front resort but just one of many MGV point owners want to stay at Riviera Shores. 

Hope that helps.


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## mjm1

*Welk Resort Platimum Program*

Thanks for your perspectives (both of you).  We are new to tug and this seems like a great way to share insights with other TS owners or prospective owners.

The flexibility of the points system even if we just come back to this resort is a positive.  One good thing is that we have the ability to reserve the exact unit/week we are giving up (for 240,000 points) if we do it 15-18 months before the date.  Otherwise, it is open to all points owners.

We have a few more days to consider our options.  Thanks again.

Mike


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## Icc5

*Not for us*



mjm1 said:


> Thanks for your perspectives (both of you).  We are new to tug and this seems like a great way to share insights with other TS owners or prospective owners.
> 
> The flexibility of the points system even if we just come back to this resort is a positive.  One good thing is that we have the ability to reserve the exact unit/week we are giving up (for 240,000 points) if we do it 15-18 months before the date.  Otherwise, it is open to all points owners.
> 
> We have a few more days to consider our options.  Thanks again.
> 
> Mike



We too own at LW and bought about 15 years ago for $3200 resale.  We love it the way it is and the new offering didn't sound like any advantage to us.
In our case, why give them the extra money?
Bart


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## tmcquiddy

to mjm1 : We were there at Welk last week too, and are owners of a fixed week at LWR just like you and got the "same" offer as you did.. altho' it was presented to us as "an old offer from 2006 made to owners from the fixed week group." and since we had not heard of the points system before , we are being given a special opportunity to get into this "expired" offer at the bargain pricing level... like you, I have only a few more days to accept the offer or decline it ..

I'm glad you asked the questions you did because it gave me some good answers..

and I have another question for you .... which unit and week do you own?
We own week #47 (usually Thanksgiving week, but not always) unit #201, overlooking the 9th green.  we love it!! 
The reason I ask is that we also want to go to Welk the week of July 4th .. (Grandson's BD  and they live in SD) .. and would like to find other owner's interested in trading their weeks without having to deposit and pay trading fees (II is alright, ... RCI ... well,I cannot put my comments in print...)

Like you, I bought my Welk week on the resale market(which is the "only way" to buy most timeshares at a reasonable price) and bottom line is Welk wants an extra $4300 to "convert it to points (240,000)" .. but to exchange it for any of the other Welk 2-bedroom properties, I would need 300,000 points. (and that costs $10,295 .. that's 3 times what I paid for my nice 2-bedroom unit !) .. so I'm struggling with the decision to change what I have... I'm wondering if there are Welk points for sale on the secondary market. It would be nice to start up a Welk Owners contact list , so we could exchange weeks and share experiences..

Mike McQ.


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## honeybunney

I just bought Mountain Villas EOY and I contacted them with a question about reserving their Cabo location when it's construction is completed.  They told me that with the point system, I can reserve any of their resorts without extra fees nor making any deposits into II.


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## mjm1

*Lawrence Welk Platinum Program*

To tmcquiddy:

We own unit 218 in the Oliver building (2nd floor), which overlooks the 8th tee, so our units are pretty close together. The concept of trying to find trading partners is a good one, but could be time consuming.  We only use II or Trading Places for exchanges and it sounds like you do the same.  We have already traded our 2009 week, so it wouldn't work this year.

I haven't seen any Welk points on the resale market and Welk has a first right of refusal if an owner wants to sell their points.  That will help keep the prices from falling too far.

Our main thought for making the switch to points is to be able to stay in the new Mountain Villas.  We actually went up there on our own and one of the workers let us take a peak.  The units are very nice and certainly on par with those of Marriott and other high-end resorts.  What you would expect of Welk too.  Our kids are in college now and we have tended to vacation on our own, so a one-bedroom may work well for us rather than using 1/2 of a 2-bedroom villa.  With the new system, we could stay in the one-bedroom units (180,000 for the big one and 120,000 for the smaller one), so get two weeks out of it.  Or we could exchange both with II and get two additional weeks from them for a small fee (4 weeks in total).  Of course, with the other timeshares we own, we don't have time to use all of these for the next several years.  However, once we retire in 10-12 years or so, we would be set.  We also have the option to reserve our old unit/week if we do it 15-18 months before check-in and it would only cost 240,000 points.  Of course, that won't make alot of sense to do very often since we will have paid $12k to get to the 300,000 point level.  

We don't see the ability to reserve time at Desert Oasis in Cathedral City as an advantage as that resort is not the same quality as Escondido (in our opinion).  We haven't stayed there but we have stopped by to see it.  Even though Welk built it (from what a sales person at Escondido told us) it looks more like a converted apartment complex.  It is a premier resort in II and I know Welk has been in the process of remodeling the units, so that should be an improvement.  However, the exterior and location are nothing like Escondido.

The upcoming resort in Cabo sounds pretty good from what I was told the other day.  Please note that the following comments are what I was told by a representative of Welk, but I cannot confirm them. They bought a hotel on a 60 foot cliff that has steps down to a semi-private beach and looks back toward the Arches in the ocean.  They demolished the hotel and are building a new resort.  Apparently, they started construction, but it was badly damaged by a hurricane last year.  So they are starting over.  My initial concern with this resort is that if a hurricane hits it after it is built, the owners will have to pay for any rebuilding not covered by insurance.  This may not be an issue if the proper insurance is acquired, but the resort we own on Kauai was badly damaged in a hurricane in the 90's and we had to pay a special assessment of about $900 to cover the damages.  Again, it may not happen, but it is something to be aware of if you own property in an area subject to natural disasters.

The other thing that the rep told me is that the Cabo resort may require 360,000 for a 2-bedroom unit.  Someone else told me it would be 300,000.  The bottom line is that each resort can require a different level of points for the same size unit.  For example, the Branson resort only requires 240,000 for a two-bedroom.  By the way, my wife and I visited the Branson resort in April when we were in town on an II exchange.  Welk wasn't open yet, but we asked to see a unit and it was very nice.  Very similar to the Mountain Villas at Escondido but even more of a mountain like feeling.  We enjoyed Branson and would certainly encourage anyone to go the Welk resort there.

We were also told that Welk is also looking to have a property in Hawaii, probably Maui.  It sounds like they are trying to acquire as many units as possible at a resort there, so it may take time.  Apparently they don't plan to build one, probably due to the cost of land there.  They are also considering something in Northern California.  The rep mentioned they looked at Santa Barbara, but again the cost of land is prohibitive.  I also wouldn't consider that to be Northern CA.  Apparently they are looking into other locations that are truly in NorCal.  Of course, all of this is conjecture at this time and they specifically have language in some of the paperwork that one is buying into the points program based on the resorts currently in the program.  It sounds like Welk would like to own 7-10 properties over time, which would provide a good number of units for Platinum owners to use.  My recommendation to the rep was to focus on quality and location as I have seen some the resorts that some other systems own and I didn't think they were all that nice.

I have talked with a couple of relatives who have points-based programs and they are happy with them as it provides more flexibility (one BR vs two BR, different times of the year, etc.).  However, I have also seen some threads in tug where people aren't as happy with it.  This is really a personal preference and neither system is right for everyone.

We have until Monday to make our final decision, so if anyone has any other information or insights, we would certainly appreciate hearing from you.

To all:  enjoy your vacations and your timeshares.

Mike


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## mjm1

*Welk Resort Platimum Program*

Well, we decided to cancel our purchase of the points system.  However, they called me back and reduced the price and are looking into a couple of concerns I raised.

Can anyone confirm how the trades with II work with the Welk Platinum program?  Because you are now in the corporate membership of II, it sounds like they just deposit a week from their bulk weeks, so you don't request a specific week and then trade with II.  If that is true, I am concerned that my trading power would not be as good as it is with my current summer fixed week in Escondido.  You are also limited to using II for trades rather than considering RCI, Trading Places, etc.  What experiences have you had in trading?

The other concern is that because the II membership is a corporate account, we may not be able to include our other 2 non-Welk weeks in that membership.  Neither of them are corporate accounts, so it may be possible, but I haven't received a clear answer yet.  They are looking into it.  And if they do allow us to put them all under the II membership with Welk, will we have to go through Welk to trade the other weeks?  I suspect not as Welk doesn't deal with our other resorts.

Thanks.

Mike


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## Bill4728

mjm1 said:


> Can anyone confirm how the trades with II work with the Welk Platinum program?  Because you are now in the corporate membership of II, it sounds like they just deposit a week from their bulk weeks, so you don't request a specific week and then trade with II.  If that is true, I am concerned that my trading power would not be as good as it is with my current summer fixed week in Escondido.  You are also limited to using II for trades rather than considering RCI, Trading Places, etc.  What experiences have you had in trading?
> 
> The other concern is that because the II membership is a corporate account, we may not be able to include our other 2 non-Welk weeks in that membership.  Neither of them are corporate accounts, so it may be possible, but I haven't received a clear answer yet.  They are looking into it.  And if they do allow us to put them all under the II membership with Welk, will we have to go through Welk to trade the other weeks?  I suspect not as Welk doesn't deal with our other resorts.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Mike


I can't comment directly but most of the corporate II accounts ( like the one starwood owners get) can not include weeks at any other resorts ( or weeks at the resort but not "corporate" weeks). So most owners with a corporate account will have to have 2 II acoounts. One their corp. acct. and one for weeks not in the corp. acct.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

We bought into points, too, and like the flexibility, but on second thought, the cost is higher than we should have spent. We also owned a fixed week, week 27 unit 231, that we loved. You can book a week you want to put into II, but you have to pay your mfees early (May or June) and then request, say a July week, to be put into II. One thing we were able to do is carry over 60,000 points from one year, combine them with another year of 60,000. Use that within the Welk system for Palm Springs area next spring break and then still have to one bedroom weeks for trade this year. So if you do one bedrooms, you can potentially get 3 every other year, without counting the AC's. I'm trying to remember if that carry over had to be used in Welk, as opposed to a deposit.

I haven't asked them about my Gaslamp week that could trade with II or RCI or SFX etc.

I haven't seen Marriott's pop up, but it may be because I am looking at school vacation times.


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## Jaybee

We converted to the Platinum points when we were at Welk last year.  At first, I was not feeling too positive.  We'd essentially spent $10,000 for the privilege of increased MFs. I'm feeling a lot better about it now.  We paid $3000 for our villa in '03, and used it every year.  We like the idea of the additional weeks we can access now, and we've reserved in Mountain Villas for Sept. of next year. We can also use our old villa any year, and roll over the other 60,000 points for a one BR somewhere.

I was interested to read about what's happening with the Cabo project.  The employees don't even know what's going on there...or even what the name will be.

We do now have two II accts. now, and that was confusing at first.  Keeps the ol' brain active.   Jean


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

Jaybee, you should be able to cancel the other II account and get back any money not yet used. That's what I did, because we had just subscribed to II before switching to points. How many points does Mountain Villas use? Do they have one bedrooms or are they all two? It may be a while before we want a week there, but I'm curious about the new units, haven't seen them yet.
Liz


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## Jaybee

Hi, Liz....My other II acct. is the one with our Marriott TS, and when I deposited part of my Marriott last time, I was told I'd need to renew my membership, and I did...Dummy me!  I could have used SFX or another exchange program.  My brain was obviously asleep.  (What else is new?)  Jean


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

Can't you incorporate your Marriott into your Welk II account?  Welk tends to indicate you must deposit with II, but that's not true. You can pick a week and deposit it into RCI or SFX or DAE or anyone else. But when you deposit into II, it is a bulk banking and I found out that I had to prepay my mf early, like May or June, to be able to deposit a July week into II.
Liz


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## ajlm33

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> Can't you incorporate your Marriott into your Welk II account?  Welk tends to indicate you must deposit with II, but that's not true. You can pick a week and deposit it into RCI or SFX or DAE or anyone else. But when you deposit into II, it is a bulk banking and I found out that I had to prepay my mf early, like May or June, to be able to deposit a July week into II.
> Liz



I tried to consolidate my Marriott and Welk II accounts and was told by both Welk and II "NO".

They said that as the Welk account was a corporate account and paid for directly by Welk (that is as part of my MF) it has to be separate from any other II account and could only contain Welk properties. If this is not really the case, I would love to know more.....

Thanks


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

Well, I haven't tried to deposit anything else, (which would be my San Diego Gaslamp), so you are probably right about that. I will use other places for Gaslamp anyway, I think. It seems absurd to have to have two memberships for two systems, though. Even though it's part of our mfees, you know we're paying for it.
Liz


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## mjm1

I spoke with both II and Welk about putting my non-Welk weeks into my corporate account if I switched to the Platinum program.  II told me that it is unlikely that it could be done as Welk will not want to combine them.  However, after much persistence, I got the rep to tell me that if Welk approves, it can be done.  I spoke with the Welk rep and she confirmed that "yes" they would approve combining my other non-corporate II TS's into their corporate account.  We would then get a prorated refund of the II membership dues we have already paid.

That was a nice feature, but in the end, we cancelled our purchase of the Platinum program.  Primarily because of the cost and the fact that we have a summer week that is the highest demanded week at LWR.


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## honeybunney

*Trading Power*

Ooops.  Meant to PM and not post it here.  Sorry.


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## JordynMari

mjm1 said:


> 3.  Since we currently have a high demand summer week would we be losing trading power when we want to exchange through II.  Also, II doesn't use points, but Welk is only using II for this program.
> 
> 
> Mike



Welk does not only use II for this program. You can deposit with any company you wish. Welk has a contract with II so that is why they give you a corporate membership.



ajlm33 said:


> Hi Mike,
> 
> 
> 1. I think the point system is good in that it gives you flexibility within the Welk Resort system locations, that is Escondido, Branson, Palm Springs and Cabo San Lucas (future). You use your points whenever and where ever you want without regard to location or season. All points spend the same no matter the location. You only spend the points you need for the unit size you need. This is obviously different from a fixed week in a fixed location.
> 
> 
> It's going to cost you $11,000 to get 300,000 points in addition to the increase in your MF. My MF for 2008 for the 300,000 points was just over $1,000 so you will have to take that into consideration also.
> 
> 
> Good luck with your decision.



All points don't spend the same. Two bedrooms at LWR are less expensive than two bedrooms at Villas on the Greens or the Mountain Villas. Branson is the most cost effective using your points (and the rooms are larger than Escondido)-plus the number of points you spend at Branson is based on the time of year you travel.



mjm1 said:


> Well, we decided to cancel our purchase of the points system.  However, they called me back and reduced the price and are looking into a couple of concerns I raised.
> 
> Can anyone confirm how the trades with II work with the Welk Platinum program?  Because you are now in the corporate membership of II, it sounds like they just deposit a week from their bulk weeks, so you don't request a specific week and then trade with II.  If that is true, I am concerned that my trading power would not be as good as it is with my current summer fixed week in Escondido.  You are also limited to using II for trades rather than considering RCI, Trading Places, etc.  What experiences have you had in trading?
> 
> The other concern is that because the II membership is a corporate account, we may not be able to include our other 2 non-Welk weeks in that membership.  Neither of them are corporate accounts, so it may be possible, but I haven't received a clear answer yet.  They are looking into it.  And if they do allow us to put them all under the II membership with Welk, will we have to go through Welk to trade the other weeks?  I suspect not as Welk doesn't deal with our other resorts.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Mike



The bulk system at Welk is a benefit to you. They deposit the weeks early to ensure higher trade value for you. Call the resort for a complete explanation-it's too much to type on a post.

Some resorts are compatible with the Welk corporate account and some are not. You should call Welk directly to find out about the other resort you own. I know Marriotts are definitely NOT compatible.


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## ajlm33

JordynMari said:


> All points don't spend the same. Two bedrooms at LWR are less expensive than two bedrooms at Villas on the Greens or the Mountain Villas.



I respectfully disagree with you on this point. You are comparing "apples and oranges". In comparing the two locations at Welk Escondido, the more points you spend the better the amenities, as it should be.

The LWR are 2BR, non lockoff in the older part of the resort and they should be valued at fewer points. The 2BR at the Villas on the Green ARE lockoffs and are newer, have two full kitchens, a jacuzzi tub, are close to the Canyon Springs area, etc. It does cost 60,000 more points for the Villas on the Green 2BR units for a week but you get quite a bit more flexablilty and value, IMHO.

FWIW, I have stayed in both locations in the Escondido resort, and I actually prefer the quaintness of the LWR over the "newness" of the Villas on the Green. But then again, maybe I'm just getting old and expect and settle for much less nowadays


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## JordynMari

ajlm33 said:


> I respectfully disagree with you on this point. You are comparing "apples and oranges". In comparing the two locations at Welk Escondido, the more points you spend the better the amenities, as it should be.
> 
> The LWR are 2BR, non lockoff in the older part of the resort and they should be valued at fewer points. The 2BR at the Villas on the Green ARE lockoffs and are newer, have two full kitchens, a jacuzzi tub, are close to the Canyon Springs area, etc. It does cost 60,000 more points for the Villas on the Green 2BR units for a week but you get quite a bit more flexablilty and value, IMHO.
> 
> FWIW, I have stayed in both locations in the Escondido resort, and I actually prefer the quaintness of the LWR over the "newness" of the Villas on the Green. But then again, maybe I'm just getting old and expect and settle for much less nowadays




I did not think you realized the difference because you had stated "regardless of location." I prefer the LWR myself. The lockoffs have too much of a separation and the layout of the small one bedroom leaves much to be desired.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

I'm one who also appreciates the older units of LWR more than Villas on the Green. We did own a fixed week at the LWR, which we loved, but we switched to points as it gave us two weeks for not that much more in maintenance fees and we rarely really need the two bedroom. We used some points for a reservation at the Cathedral City Welk resort for 2009 spring break, something we couldn't have done with just our fixed week. I would love it if Welk would expand locations. They are building in Cabo, but that's not high on my list, and it's also easily available through SFX.
Liz


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## mjm1

Well, we are back at Welk in Escondido and considering the points program again.  They offered us pretty much the same deal as last year, but this time we can also liquidate our Cliffs Club in Kauai for $10,000 toward the purchase of an additional 240k points in the Welk System.  In addition to the 300k we would get for switching our Welk Resort Villas to points, that would give us 540k points.  Can anyone share their experiences with the Welk Platinum Points System now that it is a year older?  The good, the bad, etc. Thanks.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

What would your cost be? What would your mf's be? One thing suggested to us, (after the fact of course) had to do with buying an every other year), less mf's and as we don't go there every year, works well for trading. Do you really want all your timeshare money tied up with Welk?  We did it, just the conversion and adding 60,000 points to get to 300,000, but it cost a lot ($10,000) and was not one of our smartest moves.
Liz


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## mjm1

The cost to switch from the Villa fixed week to 300k points is approximately $10k-11k.  The additional 240k points cost $27k (10k for our Cliffs Club week and $17k cash).  Total management fees for 300k points is $1095.  The total for 540k points is $1598.  The fees we pay at the Cliffs Club is just over $1,000, so the fees for that portion would be less than currently paid.  A main reason for switching is that our kids are grown, so we travel by ourselves most of the time.  This would give us the flexibility to get one-bedroom units rather than 2 bedrooms, which is what we own at both resorts right now.  Also, why do feel your move to points was not a wise move?


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## luvsvacation22

I am very interested in hearing about Lawrence Welk Resort. We are staying here at the moment and went on a tour of the new development Mountain Springs. They wanted to sell us the 300 point platinum package for approx. $45,000. It was a buy now or lose it deal. We declined and had to sigh a waiver for the platinum package. I asked the rep if upgrades were given to previous owners, and thus any owner who purchased resale...he said no. You had to buy direct to be offered the program. 

I am interested in possibly owning here but definitely not at those prices.


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## mjm1

Hi Luvsvacation22.

We bought our Resort Villa about 9-10 years ago as a resale.  They offered to let us convert to the Platinum points system and give them our current week.  As far as I know they don't have a right of first refusal on the older Resort Villas, so you may be able to buy one as a resale and then go through the tour next year.  They say prices may go up, but you never know in this economy.  We went on the tour last year and probably signed a waiver too, but they gave us almost the same offer this year.  There were definitely people buying into the Platinum program while we were there last week.  We love the resort, no matter which part of the resort you stay in.


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## Danette

Merry Christmas everyone!  DH and I bought 240 eoy direct a few years ago and recently bought an additional 300 ey from ebay - transaction still in process.  We are working on getting the points combined, so I am waiting to see if there are any problems with that  
We love Cabo so will be excited when Welk finishes there!  I will let you know if/when we get the points combined and if Welk gives us any problems with that.

Danette


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## Jaybee

As I said last year, we were questioning our move to platinum membership at first, but now it seems to be working well, as long as I can keep my brain in gear to use the points correctly.
We are pleased that they offered owners some time at Sirena del Mar at a reduced points rate, so we'll still have 186000 points to work with.  
They still keep trying to sell us more points when we go to Welk, but at this stage of the game, if you'll pardon the pun, there's no point.


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## Jaybee

We had company arrive in the middle of my last note, and I didn't really finish. 
We have 4 nights reserved at Sirena del Mar the first part of March, and are looking forward to that.  It cost us 117,000 pts. for a 1 BR villa, and they didn't charge a split week fee.  That's part of the offer for the opening.

We did spend a week at Mtn. Villas last July, and it was very nice.  We were right across the street from the pool area, and my great granddaughter was delighted and thrilled with the pool and the water slide.  She's 8 yrs. old.
I'm with Liz on a preference for the old villas, and that's how we plan to use the rest of our points, but our stay at Mtn. Villas may be repeated next year.  We've never cared for Villas on the Green...too chopped up for us.

I forgot to mention that we'd bought our original LWV from Transaction Realty, and that was our best ts purchase ever.


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## Greg A

*Welk Platinum Points*

Hey Mike:  The Cathederal City Welk resort is the old ROYAL HOTEL that is on leased Indian land, and the Indians are very hard to deal with...  
be VERY cautious!!   I have attended several points conversion dog and pony shows, and have caught the sales MANAGER (June, 2010) in 
several lies!!  The way they presented the "benefits" didn't sound right, and he wasn't telling the truth.   

I complained to resort management, they said "boys will be boys (chuckle, chuckle") which angered me.   Who wants to invest major dollars 
then find out you can't get what was promised??   Also, the price keeps moving, this last time they RAISED it.  I asked, what makes you think 
if I turned down $4,000 a year ago, I'd pay $8,000 now??   Makes you wish Lawrence Welk was still with us, he would not tolerate this kind 
of crap!!  

Add, they offered to "Take" our Maui timeshare off our hands, but would not give us anything for it. Claimed we were getting FABULOUS 
savings because we didn't have to pay maint fees any longer...      How stupid do they think we are??     Greg


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## mjm1

Thanks Greg.  I actually stopped by the Welk Resort in the desert a few weeks ago.  We have never stayed there, but had seen it a few years ago.  They have updated the rooms and the pool area.  I don't know that we would ever stay there as we have other favorites in the area, but we love the Escondido resort and look forward to going to Cabo some time.  We have also seen the resort in Branson, which is very nice.  Very similar to the Mountain Villas at the Escondido resort.  Overall, Welk has very good quality resorts, but the desert location is not up to the same standards.


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## nazclk

*Points for sale*

There are 300,000 points for sale on ebay with no bites.


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## awelkuser

*Welk Timeshare Points*

We are resale owners at LWR Escondido.  I checked out this discussion following a conversation with Platinum Points agent who told me that they wanted to set up a time to meet to give me my options; there would be no sales pitch.  Since he refused to give me the basics, I went online and have to comment.  If other posts are correct, it will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to have the opportunity to trade for 4 other Welk properties (maybe more down the line) without trade fees.  As a math teacher, let me share some numbers.  Assuming trade fees are $200 per year between trade and membership, and a $5000 cost, it will take you 25 trades to recoup your $5000 and start saving.  Obviously, it will take 50 trades if the cost is $10,000. While I am not a fan of either Interval International or others which are even worse, their model saves you a lot of money and gives you thousands more destinations to chose from (granted, sometimes hard to get).  For $200 we are spending a week in Tahoe for spring skiing.  Hard to justify a conversion within Welk with only FOUR destinations.


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## mjm1

awelkuser said:


> We are resale owners at LWR Escondido.  I checked out this discussion following a conversation with Platinum Points agent who told me that they wanted to set up a time to meet to give me my options; there would be no sales pitch.  Since he refused to give me the basics, I went online and have to comment.  If other posts are correct, it will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to have the opportunity to trade for 4 other Welk properties (maybe more down the line) without trade fees.  As a math teacher, let me share some numbers.  Assuming trade fees are $200 per year between trade and membership, and a $5000 cost, it will take you 25 trades to recoup your $5000 and start saving.  Obviously, it will take 50 trades if the cost is $10,000. While I am not a fan of either Interval International or others which are even worse, their model saves you a lot of money and gives you thousands more destinations to chose from (granted, sometimes hard to get).  For $200 we are spending a week in Tahoe for spring skiing.  Hard to justify a conversion within Welk with only FOUR destinations.



We debated quite a bit before we switched to the platinum points program. For us the main advantage is to have more flexibility in how we use our ownership.  We owned in the Resort Villas, which we enjoyed a lot.  However, our kids are grown and we vacation on our own most of the time. We now have the ability to use different sized units, different weeks, etc.

That said, $10k can get you into other programs that offer other options as well.

It doesn't hurt to listen to what they have to say.  However, we have found that their sales approach is much more aggressive than it used to be. Needless to say, we like the resorts a lot more than we do the sales people. Good luck with your decision.


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## jft310

*LWR resales of Platium Points*

Just google Welk Platium Points resale . You will find multiple firms selling Weld points for $1500/2500, there are some transfer fees $295 and commissions of $395 but a heck of a lot cheaper than buying direct . We are at Welk Lake Tahoe this week and it's quite nice . We prefer fixed weeks to the same resort and a second set to trade . Both work well for us . If I were to buy points so would buy 300,000 points on the resale market. Why pay the salesman mortgage ???


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