# TUG get-together again January 18th 2017 in Orlando!!!!!



## ronandjoan (Aug 3, 2016)

PLAN TO COME!!!

Once again we will be hosting our "annual TUGGERS get-together " at the Golden Corral , this year on January 18 th. Save the date!!!

We ve had so many good times during these informal gatherings so hope you can join us this year too!!!

Details forthcoming .


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 3, 2016)

*Woo-Hoo -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  Can Hardly Wait !*




ronandjoan said:


> TUG get-together again January 18th in Orlando!


We will be there -- looking forward to it with major serious enthusiasm !

We are even more enthusiastic for January 2017 after missing out in January 2016 because of surgery (new hip -- works great -- glad I've got it).  

Meanwhile, we are heading to Kissimmee FL next week for a week at Vacation Village At Parkway, our 1st timeshare vacation since January 2015.  

Looking ahead for January 2017, we're signed up for a week at Wyndham Cypress Palms, followed by a week at Magic Tree Resort (on the west side of the Disney Gap).  We were very happy with both those timeshares when we stayed there previously. 

The Chief Of Staff & I are really eager to see lots of our TUG friends again Jan. 18, 2017. 

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


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## silentg (Aug 9, 2016)

ronandjoan said:


> PLAN TO COME!!!
> 
> Once again we will be hosting our "annual TUGGERS get-together " at the Golden Corral , this year on January 18 th. Save the date!!!
> 
> ...



Baring any unforeseen circumstances . I will be there! Maybe DH too?
Silentg


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## am1 (Aug 10, 2016)

I will be in Orlando in January but not sure which dates but probably cannot attend as my kids turn 4 the next day but why is the Golden Corral chosen?  Orlando has lots of restaurants offer much better food for not much more.


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## BellaWyn (Aug 12, 2016)

am1 said:


> .......my kids turn 4 the next day ....



Goodness!  Did that time go by super fast?


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 14, 2016)

*Why Golden Corral?  (Other Than Tradition, You Mean?)*




am1 said:


> I will be in Orlando in January but not sure which dates but probably cannot attend as my kids turn 4 the next day but why is the Golden Corral chosen?  Orlando has lots of restaurants offer much better food for not much more.


Golden Corral has a sr. citz. early bird special that appeals to a significant part of the crowd (i.e., us old folks).  

Plus, Golden Corral does not mind how long we hang around chatting & eating -- never any pressure to eat up & clear out.  

Also, the TUG get-together starting time usually works out so that we pay the lunch price to get in & get started, & then the dinner items are brought out while we're still there. 

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


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## silentg (Aug 14, 2016)

AwayWeGo said:


> Golden Corral has a sr. citz. early bird special that appeals to a significant part of the crowd (i.e., us old folks).
> 
> Plus, Golden Corral does not mind how long we hang around chatting & eating -- never any pressure to eat up & clear out.
> 
> ...


Another reason is it is a big enough venue if a lot of people show up. I went a few years ago, maybe more than a few, and am going to try again next January, in case any of you are concerned, this is NOT a sales presentation in disguise.
Silentg


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## ronandjoan (Aug 15, 2016)

Thanks for clarifying everyone !  We usually stay some 4-5 hours and Golden Corral staff has always been  great . ( Consequently we do try to give them a nice tip.). It's just a very informal gathering... I guess the only (new) "rule" is that we try to change chairs whenever we get a new plate ("musical chairs") so then everyone gets to talk to everyone.  That has really worked out well in the past few years.

Hope to see everyone there this year, both old and new!!


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 15, 2016)

We cannot go this year, and I was hoping to meet Alan Cole, so it's very disappointing we will miss it.  

We are going to be in San Antonio at that time.  We are finally letting the Disney passes expire for a year or two.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 16, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We cannot go this year, and I was hoping to meet Alan Cole, so it's very disappointing we will miss it.
> 
> We are going to be in San Antonio at that time.  We are finally letting the Disney passes expire for a year or two.


Sorry those dates don't work for you this time.  It was so good meeting you last year.  Maybe next?


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## littlestar (Aug 16, 2016)

We will be in Orlando during that time.  I'd like to attend as long as plans work out. We have a daughter that has a baby due February 10th so we should be safe on our dates in January.


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 2, 2016)

*When Is The Official Arrival Time For The TUG Event ?*




ronandjoan said:


> Once again we will be hosting our "annual TUGGERS get-together " at the Golden Corral , this year on January 18 th. Save the date!!!
> 
> We ve had so many good times during these informal gatherings so hope you can join us this year too!


What is the official start time for the TUG gathering ?

I remember that the start time is shrewdly calculated to get us in on the Golden Corral late lunchtime price & have us all still there when the dinner menu items are added -- but I forget what time that is. 

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


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## silentg (Sep 2, 2016)

AwayWeGo said:


> What is the official start time for the TUG gathering ?
> 
> I remember that the start time is shrewdly calculated to get us in on the Golden Corral late lunchtime price & have us all still there when the dinner menu items are added -- but I forget what time that is.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



I though 2?


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## ronandjoan (Sep 3, 2016)

silentg said:


> I though 2?



YEP!

Hope to see everyone there again

2 pm

Golden Corral
8707 Vineland Avenue
Orlando, FL
(407) 938-9500


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## Carol C (Oct 6, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We cannot go this year, and I was hoping to meet Alan Cole, so it's very disappointing we will miss it.
> 
> We are going to be in San Antonio at that time.  We are finally letting the Disney passes expire for a year or two.



I got to meet Cindy last year after many years on TUG. I will look forward to seeing Alan again and of course Joan and Ron and everyone else. I am definitely saving the date...Jan 18!


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 6, 2016)

*Fret Not.  In Person I'm Just An Old Boring Guy.*




rickandcindy23 said:


> I was hoping to meet Alan Cole, so it's very disappointing we will miss it.


I was hoping to meet you, too.  I'm sorry we won't get the chance next January.  Maybe at another TUG Florida meet-up later on. 

Meanwhile, most of the semi-interesting stuff I'm involved in turns up right here on TUG-BBS. 

Still, the occasions when the _World Of TUG_ intersects with the world of regular people out there in reality are special times. 

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


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## Dori (Oct 8, 2016)

Sorry, but we won't be available this year. We were really hoping to attend this year's meet and greet, but we will be in Vietnam, awaiting our new grandson's birth on the 20th. We are so excited, and will also be able to help out with our 3 year old granddaughter while we are there. 

Have a great time, everyone!

Dori


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## Jan M. (Nov 1, 2016)

I wrote it down so I don't forget. I'm really hoping to meet all of you. And hopefully hear about the resorts you've stayed at outside of Florida. My husband will be retiring at the end of Summer in 2017 and we are looking forward to staying at lot of new places that we've not been to before.


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## dagger1 (Nov 1, 2016)

My wife and I are complete Timeshare newbies.  Our journey began by accepting two nights and $300 AMEX cards to attend a Wyndham TS presentation in San Antonio in August.  We were sold on the concept and were very enthusiastic about the ability to rent 2-4 BR condos (La Cascada was very nice), but the $76K for 400,000 points and the "today only" pressure made us walk out with our AMEX cards.  That evening I found TUG.  What a revelation!!!  I'm a daily visitor to TUG and have read back years of your conversations.  We have now purchased 3 contracts on eBay for 884,000 CWA points, and the first one (420,000) should be in Wyndham under our new member number next week (we have received the Wyndham transfer of acceptance documents, they were signed, notarized, and mailed back to Wyndham yesterday.). So, finally, to my question:  having these first points available by 11/11 (hopefully), what are the chances of my wife and I getting any kind of a room mid January to join you all at your annual Orlando gathering?  You have saved us a small fortune and we would like to meet some of our benefactors.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 1, 2016)

*Early January In Orlando Is Off-Season.*




dagger1 said:


> So, finally, to my question:  having these first points available by 11/11 (hopefully), what are the chances of my wife and I getting any kind of a room mid January to join you all at your annual Orlando gathering?  You have saved us a small fortune and we would like to meet some of our benefactors.


The beginning of your timeshare story is like ours -- took a sales tour, said _No Thanks_ to the pressure & the prices, then discovered resale timeshares & the rest is history. 

One big difference in our stories is that when we took the resale timeshare plunge (thanks to TUG & TUG-BBS), we did not get into Wyndham -- went another direction, built up gradually, downsized quickly, & ended up where we are today with minimal ownership (eBay 1BR Grandview At Las Vegas triennial points unit), which suits us fine.  If we want more, we'll look for more eBay bargains. 

Surprising as it might be, early January is apparently still offseason for the Orlando-Kissimmee resorts & hotels & tourist attractions.  People are broke & resting up after the holidays, so Orlando traffic is light & crowds are (relatively) sparse by contrast with peak vacation times. 

That means odds are better for getting nice timeshare accommodations.  Using RCI Points, we reserved back-to-back 2BR timeshare units for Jan. 7-21, starting with Wyndham Cypress Palms (Jan. 7-14), then moving over to Magic Tree Resort (Jan. 14-21).  

If Wyndham Bonnet Creek is full up, maybe Wyndham Cypress Palms will still have openings for you, I don't know.  (Wyndham Cypress Palms is a perfectly nice timeshare in a good location, but completely overshadowed in popularity by Wyndham Bonnet Creek.)

For January 2017, we broke pattern & went ahead with straight-points reservations instead of waiting for RCI _Last Call_ & special sales on RCI _Extra Vacation Getaways_.  Main reason we did that was to make sure we got 2BR timeshare units.  Last January, all we could get were 1BR units even though we were able to snag 2BR timeshare reservations in prior years. For 2018, who knows ?

I hope your new Wyndham points will come through for you with nice January reservations -- & I look forward to meeting you with the rest of the TUG crowd on Jan. 18, 2017.

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


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## dagger1 (Nov 1, 2016)

Thanks for the great reply!!  It will only be my wife and I, so a studio will do...  I will get a search underway as soon as we are set up and hopefully we will find something!  And once again thanks for the sharing help and advice of TUGGERs!


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## ronandjoan (Nov 2, 2016)

dagger1 said:


> what are the chances of my wife and I getting any kind of a room mid January to join you all at your annual Orlando gathering?  You have saved us a small fortune and we would like to meet some of our benefactors.



Welcome - we'll look forward to meeting you!

How long did you want to stay?  There are certainly units available now to book for mid-January!!!--  Have you got your account with Wyndham available so you'll be able to book?  Sometimes it takes a while for Wyn to process your papers.

We can hope! -


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## dagger1 (Nov 2, 2016)

ronandjoan said:


> Welcome - we'll look forward to meeting you!
> 
> How long did you want to stay?  There are certainly units available now to book for mid-January!!!--  Have you got your account with Wyndham available so you'll be able to book?  Sometimes it takes a while for Wyn to process your papers.
> 
> We can hope! -



We will drive over from Houston, hopefully 2 nights in New Orleans, and then possibly a week in Orlando.  Then over to Daytona for a couple of days, then head back west to Destin for several days, another stop in New Orleans,  then home by the end of January.

Wyndham should have all the signed/notarized papers by tomorrow or Friday, hopefully they will open our membership by the end next week.  They said they have received the paperwork for our second contract, but we haven't received the transfer paperwork from Wyndham in this one yet.  If both contracts are transferred by mid to end of November, that will give us 679,000 CWA points to use.  Our third contract hasn't been received by Wyndham yet, but should arrive any day (it was mailed by SumDay on 11/19.)


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## Junie (Nov 27, 2016)

Sounds good to me!  I should see you there.


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## northovr (Nov 28, 2016)

We will  be in orange lake that week so my wife and I will try to attend 

Thanks
Daniel Northover


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## silentg (Dec 21, 2016)

So it's the 18Th?


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## ronandjoan (Dec 22, 2016)

Yes, for 2017, the date is the 18th.  Looking forward to meeting everyone!


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## Jan M. (Dec 30, 2016)

dagger1 said:


> My wife and I are complete Timeshare newbies.  Our journey began by accepting two nights and $300 AMEX cards to attend a Wyndham TS presentation in San Antonio in August.  We were sold on the concept and were very enthusiastic about the ability to rent 2-4 BR condos (La Cascada was very nice), but the $76K for 400,000 points and the "today only" pressure made us walk out with our AMEX cards.  That evening I found TUG.  What a revelation!!!  I'm a daily visitor to TUG and have read back years of your conversations.  We have now purchased 3 contracts on eBay for 884,000 CWA points, and the first one (420,000) should be in Wyndham under our new member number next week (we have received the Wyndham transfer of acceptance documents, they were signed, notarized, and mailed back to Wyndham yesterday.). So, finally, to my question:  having these first points available by 11/11 (hopefully), what are the chances of my wife and I getting any kind of a room mid January to join you all at your annual Orlando gathering?  You have saved us a small fortune and we would like to meet some of our benefactors.




Did you find anything yet? I have a two bedroom lock off at Star Island reserved for three nights starting on January 17th. I won't be using the other side of the lock off if someone else would like to use it.


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## Jan M. (Dec 30, 2016)

ronandjoan said:


> YEP!
> 
> Hope to see everyone there again
> 
> ...




Is this still on? Just made my reservation at Star Island for 3 nights starting on the 17th so I can attend. If someone else would like to use the other side of the lock off, it is available.


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## 3kids4me (Dec 30, 2016)

We will be leaving Orlando on the 14th - wish we could have joined!


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## ronandjoan (Dec 30, 2016)

Jan M. said:


> Is this still on? Just made my reservation at Star Island for 3 nights starting on the 17th so I can attend. If someone else would like to use the other side of the lock off, it is available.


How nice!  Hope someone can, always more fun to be together.
See you then!


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## silentg (Dec 30, 2016)

Ok, do I have the date correct January 18,2017 at 2 pm?


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## cph.carol (Dec 31, 2016)

ronandjoan said:


> PLAN TO COME!!!
> 
> Once again we will be hosting our "annual TUGGERS get-together " at the Golden Corral , this year on January 18 th. Save the date!!!
> 
> ...


Marty and I plan to come since we'll be in Orlando.


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## ronandjoan (Jan 2, 2017)

Wonderful!  See you there!
Happy New Year everybody!


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## cph.carol (Jan 2, 2017)

cph.carol said:


> Marty and I plan to come since we'll be in Orlando.


FYI now it's only me. Marty will be busy. Look forward to meeting all of you.

Carol


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## thecoops (Jan 7, 2017)

*We literally have been members on tug off and on for YEARS!!! JANUARY 18th is our 10th wedding anniversary!!! I would give anything to meet all of you wonderful people!!! I am just getting back on tug after going through some major set backs n our personal life we even had to rehome  our precious timeshares we loved so very much. Finally we are getting to the point where I am looking to hopefully own again very soon. That's why I just saw this meet up. I hope yall have a great day...know we will be there in our hearts*


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## silentg (Jan 7, 2017)

Happy Anniversary


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## ronandjoan (Jan 13, 2017)

Looking forward to seeing everyone next Wednesday!
2 pm

Golden Corral
8707 Vineland Avenue
Orlando, FL
(407) 938-9500


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## silentg (Jan 14, 2017)

silentg said:


> Baring any unforeseen circumstances . I will be there! Maybe DH too?
> Silentg


Oops! Sorry to say we will have to miss the TUG get together this year. DH is having surgery on Monday and will need my help recouping. Please keep him in your thoughts Monday. Minor surgery on his back. Thanks to all of you for advice. We will try to be there next time.
Silentg


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## ronandjoan (Jan 14, 2017)

silentg said:


> Oops! Sorry to say we will have to miss the TUG get together this year. DH is having surgery on Monday and will need my help recouping. Please keep him in your thoughts Monday. Minor surgery on his back. Thanks to all of you for advice. We will try to be there next time.
> Silentg


So sorry about the surgery and that we'll miss you again.
Best to your husband.


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## silentg (Jan 14, 2017)

Thank you!


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## pedro47 (Jan 15, 2017)

Wishing everyone a great TUG's fellowship gathering.


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## ronandjoan (Jan 18, 2017)

So sorry so many people are not able to come after all.  Everyone wants to see Alan and Carol Cole!  They'll be there.  Come on if you can!

Hope you all can come next year... - start planning now!


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## silentg (Jan 19, 2017)

ronandjoan said:


> So sorry so many people are not able to come after all.  Everyone wants to see Alan and Carol Cole!  They'll be there.  Come on if you can!
> 
> Hope you all can come next year... - start planning now!


So? How was the TUG get together yesterday?


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## ronandjoan (Jan 19, 2017)

Thanks for asking!  We had a great time together; 18 people were there and so many were new-comers form TUG -- they were very interested in all news about time-sharing, and they came from many different states.  Many are staying long term in FL.  I'll be posting photos  soon.


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## TUGBrian (Jan 19, 2017)

fantastic, glad it was another successful event!


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## silentg (Jan 20, 2017)

Glad it was a successful get together!


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## Dori (Jan 22, 2017)

silentg said:


> Glad it was a successful get together!




So happy it was a great time for all! We are here in Vietnam, celebrating the birth of our grandson, Sam. He arrived on Thursday, and he is so beautiful!  Life is good!

Dori


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## silentg (Jan 23, 2017)

Congratulations Dory!


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## pedro47 (Jan 23, 2017)

ronandjoan said:


> Thanks for asking!  We had a great time together; 18 people were there and so many were new-comers form TUG -- they were very interested in all news about time-sharing, and they came from many different states.  Many are staying long term in FL.  I'll be posting photos  soon.



We are all waiting on your awesome pictures of the Tug gathering . Thanks in advance for taking and posting your message.


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## Dori (Jan 25, 2017)

silentg said:


> Congratulations Dory!




Thanks, silent! We are so blessed. Vietnam is beautiful, and we are having a wonderful time.

Dori


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## ronandjoan (Jan 25, 2017)

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## ronandjoan (Jan 25, 2017)




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## ronandjoan (Jan 25, 2017)




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## ronandjoan (Jan 25, 2017)

Sixteen people were there and it was super nice - we trade chairs when we get a new plate so everyone got to chat.  Some of us were there 5 hours!  Some had to drive back to Tampa that evening.


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## Inhislove (Feb 18, 2017)

I want to try to make next year's meeting!!


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## pedro47 (Feb 19, 2017)

Ron&Joan thanks for sharing your photos; Looks liked a happy group of TS Tuggers.


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