# East Coast Worldmark owner experiences?



## Bxian (Jan 30, 2021)

We own 3 HGVC weeks.  It has been a great experience overall.  In the "before times," we spent a fair amount of our recent vacations out west.  Worldmark ownership has always looked interesting, but I have been torn.  On the one hand, it would allow us to continue our west coast exploration and would provide us with a way to trade within II.  On the other hand, WM does not seem to have many east coast resorts.  I would be curious to hear from other East Coast WM owners to see whether it has been a worthwhile experience.  I would also like to know how easy it is to piece tother a trip using a booked week with last-minute Worldmark deal add-ons.  Finally, if I rent WM credits, would I be eligible to book any f the WM last minute deals?  For context-we are both retired (I am actually semi-retired, but can work from anywhere).


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## dgalati (Jan 30, 2021)

Bxian said:


> We own 3 HGVC weeks.  It has been a great experience overall.  In the "before times," we spent a fair amount of our recent vacations out west.  Worldmark ownership has always looked interesting, but I have been torn.  On the one hand, it would allow us to continue our west coast exploration and would provide us with a way to trade within II.  On the other hand, WM does not seem to have many east coast resorts.  I would be curious to hear from other East Coast WM owners to see whether it has been a worthwhile experience.  I would also like to know how easy it is to piece tother a trip using a booked week with last-minute Worldmark deal add-ons.  Finally, if I rent WM credits, would I be eligible to book any f the WM last minute deals?  For context-we are both retired (I am actually semi-retired, but can work from anywhere).


I live in Ohio and find Worldmark works out very well for my travel habits. The last minute deals using bonus time is great if you are flexible when or where you travel. You can also buy points from other owners. I just came back from a trip in Pompano Beach Sea Gardens 1 bedroom deluxe booked 2 weeks out. I also booked a trip to Pompano Beach Santa Barbra in Dec at 3 weeks out. Bonus time can be cheaper then using your own points and paying a housekeeping credit also. No reservation transactions also with Worldmark. If you really want to book all Wyndham east coast resorts just find a VIP owner to rent from that passes along the 50% discounts and free room upgrades. Renting from a VIP owner is 1/2 the cost of paying maintanace fees if your flexible with travel plans and can book in the 60 day discount window.


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## samara64 (Jan 30, 2021)

Worldmark is great. I am now in Seaside, OR. Vacation was booked only few days ago. Now this is a low demand time (winter on the beach) but I did it also in red season.


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## geist1223 (Jan 31, 2021)

You have to have at least a small Worldmark Account to rent Worldmark Points. You can rent in/out twice the size of your Account. So if you have a 6K Account you could rent in 12k per year. Also with an Worldmark Account you could use the cash options - Bonus Time, Monday Madness,  and Inventory Specials.


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## arch53 (Jan 31, 2021)

I live in Maine and  own  a Worldmark 7,000 credit account. Not many Worldmark locations in the eastern US. I  have used the account almost exclusively for trading in II because of the flexibility of using either the deposit first method (lower credits but a bit of a gamble) or request first (10,000 credits for 2 bedroom but 4,000 credits within 60 days of check in).  I have been very happy with this use since I have kept my expectations modest (mainly off-season in hard to get locations). Since my kids now live out west we are planning to use Worldmark resorts for the first time and have been pleased by the flexibility of the internal Worldmark booking systems with Monday Madness specials, Inventory specials and the ability to rent credits (but not housekeeping tokens). With these benefits combined with a maximum annual maintenance fee increase of 5%, Worldmark has suited our needs even though there are few East Coast resorts. But it really comes down to what your expectations are since the  HGVC resorts --which you own-that  we have stayed in or rented are a bit of an upgrade in quality although Worldmark has resorts in far more western US locations and for us the quality level is fine.


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## Bxian (Feb 6, 2021)

I guess I will have to look at the number of points needed for a 1 bedroom.  I watched a few of the Timeshare Travler's YouTube videos showing Worldmark resort stays. I am claustraphobic and don't think I could handle a Murphy bed in a studio unit.  I think we'd be fine on quality-we have traded our Hilton points in RCI and have never had a bad experience.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 6, 2021)

I’ve uploaded the latest WM Resort Directory and fees to the TUG sticky thread








						WORLDMARK INFORMATION and ADVICE ARTICLES
					

Worldmark the Club Information and overview! - TUG Advice Article  Worldmark Program Guide and Resort Directory 2018 . - Booking guidelines/rules start on pg. 327.   WorldMark Resort Info and Point Charts. FYI -Point charts at the bottom of each resort page.  Worldmark Owner Education -...




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NOTE: The resort directory will indicate whether a specific WM resort don’t have air conditioning, stairs but no elevators, etc.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 6, 2021)

I’m a NJ owner.

I bought 6,000 credits with WorldMark (WM) back in 2007 however I’ve never stayed at a WorldMark resort.
As a HGVC owner, I wanted a decent trader with Interval International (II) so I could exchange into the other hotel based timeshares systems every other year.

Worldmark met our needs.
- low maintenance fees
- low purchase price
- access to both II & RCI
- banking and borrowing
- flexibility to exchange into any size unit
- allows members to rent additional credits from other members.

_I figured if the rules change at any time, then I would simply sell my trader and move on._

So far, I've only used my WM credits for trading with Interval International (II) and RCI.
With II, you have access to the other timeshares such as Marriott, Westin, Four Seasons and Hyatt.
With RCI, you can use it to exchange into the Disney and the HGVC resorts including HGVCs Hawaii resorts.
_NOTE: WM Resale owners only have access to RCI weeks (not RCI Points)._

Also with RCI & II, it only cost WM owners
- 8,000 credits for a studio
- 9,000 credits for a one bedroom
- 10,000 credits for a two bedroom
- 12,000 credits for a three bedroom

Depending on the location, you can book better accomodations via an exchange for the same amount of credits or less (of course, you'll have an exchange fee but it's worth it for Westin, Marriott, Four Seasons and Hyatt). Trading works well for me since I can travel anything during the year and prefer to travel late Spring and Fall. I also setup ongoing search requests well in advance.

Other WM PROs
WM owners also have the advantage of reduced credits for exchanges made during flexchange period (RCI is within 45 days/ II is within 59 days). It's only 4,000 credits for any unit size.
NOTE: If you have the flexibility to book during the Flexchange timeframe, you can catch some very good deals.

WM owners also have online access to RCI's Extra Vacations & Last Call through the WM portal (HGVC owners have online access to Last Call). If you get a II membership, you'll also have online access to II's Cash Getaways and II Bonus weeks (aka Accommodation Credits) as well.

My current thinking
I’m thinking about giving up my trader (WorldMark). It has served me well but things have changed during my 10+ years of ownership.

I’ve purchased Vistana which also offers a flexible point based system (similar to HGVC and WM). Vistana dues includes a corporate Interval International membership. I’ve used my Vistana week so far for both internal and external exchangers. With my Vistana week, I can also take advantage of additional features II has introduced such as paid upgrades and paid retrade options as well as priority exchange access into Vistana & Marriott sister resorts. The II retrade option is very cumbersome to use with WorldMark (link).

Over the years, I’ve also used WorldMark with RCI for Disney and HGVC exchanges but both systems have added resort fees in additional to the escalating RCI exchange fees making them less desirable. WorldMark is also going through negatives changes as well, such as limiting the number of credits that can be rented and not adequately staffing their backend offices to resolve exchanges issues and process ownership transfers. It shouldn’t take a ridiculous amount of time to process the transfer of ownership.


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## Bxian (Feb 6, 2021)

Thanks for the detailed information everyone has provided and for the link from Alwaysonvac!  With a Vistana ownership, do you have to buy into the Marriott points system in order to trade into Marriott? And am I correct that the Worldmark credit renting is used when you don't have enough points in the current year (akin to our HGVC 'borrowing")?


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## alwysonvac (Feb 6, 2021)

Bxian said:


> With a Vistana ownership, do you have to buy into the Marriott points system in order to trade into Marriott?



Marriott hasn’t announced how the two systems will integrate in the future. But there has been some talk about developing a "common points currency".

For now, the only way for a Vistana owner to trade into Marriott is via an Interval International Exchange.

Vistana and Marriott are completely separate timeshare systems.
Both Vistana and Marriott have an exclusive II priority preference window for exchange into sister resorts within their separate systems. In January 2020, Marriott introduced a 2nd II priority preference window to allow Marriott and Vistana owners exclusive exchange access into all Marriott/Vistana deposits before all remaining II deposits are released to all II members.

For Vistana Owners, this means in II we have
1st Priority Preference Window - exclusive access to Vistana sister resort deposits for a select period
2nd Priority Preference Window - exclusive access to both Marriott/Vistana resort deposits after the 1st window expires.
3rd Window - All II members have access to both Marriott/Vistana resort deposits after the 2nd window expires.

Here’s an example posted on the TUG Sightings forum


			https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/ii-marriott-vacation-club-pulse-san-fran-april-may-vistana-marriott-preference.300753/
		


Here’s a copy of the official announcement regarding the II change starting in January 2020.


> "_With an Interval International® Internal Exchange, you can now stay at available Marriott Vacation Club® resorts and properties (previously an External Exchange) and enjoy exchange fee savings. That gives you 75+ distinctive vacation resorts to choose from - all using what you already own.
> 
> MORE SAVINGS Through Interval International, you can enjoy exchange fee savings for exchanges to available Marriott Vacation Club resorts and properties. Savings based on Interval International fees for External Exchange and Internal Exchange and vary based on your count of residency. Please refer to intervalworld.com for details.
> 
> ...






> And am I correct that the Worldmark credit renting is used when you don't have enough points in the current year (akin to our HGVC 'borrowing")?


No, regardless of your credit balance, you’re given the option to choose during the reservation process. See sample screen captures below.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 7, 2021)

One more thing...

*WM resale owners don’t have access to the following*

WorldMark’s TravelShare which includes RCI POINTS membership, ways to use your WM credit for non-timeshare travel, etc - https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/education/pdfs/TravelShare_Program_Guide.pdf
Worldmark South Pacific resorts in Australia and New Zealand - _mentioned on page 283 in the 2021 Resorts Directory _
Wyndham resorts (via Club Pass) - _mentioned on page 212 in the 2021 Resorts Directory  _

Definitely spend some time reading the various TUG threads. Here’s some:
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						Considering Purchasing Worldmark
					

I live in Colorado, having moved from the Southeast.  I have points with HICV, which don't have a lot of locations in the West.  I'm thinking about buying Worldmark points on resale to use in the West and Hawaii.  What are the advantages with Worldmark?    I also have Hyatt points.  Should I add...




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						How hard is it to book bonus time/inventory specials?
					

Hi!  I recently "inherited" my grandmother's worldmark timeshare, and we're going over all of our options with it.   The most appealing thing to me appears the ability to book inexpensive stays using Bonus Time and Inventory Specials, but I'm wondering if this just sound too good to be true...




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						On Megarenters - and why hasn't Worldmark fixed this...
					

I purchased Worldmark recently, and from the short experience I have had with the online system, it's pretty clear that whatever Worldmark has done with housekeeping fees and guest certificate fees - it may have impacted the bottom line of megarenters, but they are just as active now (concluded...




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_​
WORLDMARK OWNERS forums is another resource for additional information

_


			WorldMark Owners • View forum - Timeshare Tips & Tricks
		

_​


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## geist1223 (Feb 7, 2021)

In addition to reading the Worldmark Forum on TUG also check out www.wmowners.com/forum. It is not as active as it use to be but there is still a lot of good informarion on the Site and WM owners are happy to help.


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## Bxian (Feb 7, 2021)

Alwaysonvac-thanks so much for taking the time to provide all those links and to explain the Vistana/Marriott tiers. Lots to think about!


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## alwysonvac (Feb 8, 2021)

Bxian said:


> Alwaysonvac-thanks so much for taking the time to provide all those links and to explain the Vistana/Marriott tiers. Lots to think about!



You’re welcome. Yes, lots to think about. 

Buying into a mini system definitely has its benefits. With most, you’ll gain direct booking access into sisters resorts vs hoping for an exchange within your desired travel window. I own HGVC and Vistana mandatory resorts so I can have access to availability anytime during the year.

Interval International can also work very well for someone who has the flexibility and willingness to travel during lower travel demand periods. This is why Interval International exchanges/getaways/bonus weeks (aka Accommodation credits) have worked for me. Families will be competing for peak travel periods (anytime the kids are out of school - holiday, spring/summer/winter breaks) and snowbirds will be competing for warmer destinations looking for escapes from the cold winters.

For example in 2021, I have back to back stays booked on Hawaii.

May - Vistana reservation (Westin Maui) followed by an II exchange (Marriott KoOlina). I released my HGVC reservation once my Marriott exchange came through 
Sept - Vistana reservation (Westin Maui) followed by a HGVC Reservation (Hilton Hawaiian Village)


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## Bxian (Feb 13, 2021)

Nice Hawaii trips!   Do you fly out of EWR or PHL?  We are in Burlington County, so we use both-and occasionally venture down to BWI if we are traveling during the NJ teacher's convention weeks because the airlines increase the PHL and EWR fares then.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 13, 2021)

We‘re in Hunterdon County. We generally fly out of EWR.

For Hawaii, we take United’s non-stop flight from EWR to HNL. For years, we took United’s nonstop redeye flight home (HNL-EWR) but now we prefer to break it up with a restful overnight stay in California to avoid the jet lag.

We took Hawaiian Airline‘s nonstop from JFK once because there was a huge fare difference but we prefer EWR.

Yes, airfare during the annual November teacher’s convention is crazy. Thankfully we don’t normally travel during that time unless it’s an extended family trip with my nieces.


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## Bxian (Feb 13, 2021)

We've taken Alaska to Kauai.  if you have their credit card, you get an annual companion pass.  Used to allow it for first class-so when we visited Kauai, we splurged and got 2 first-class tickets for less than paying for 2 economy because we had the companion pass. I miss California, Hawaii, and Paris these days.......


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## cbyrne1174 (Feb 15, 2021)

Bxian said:


> We own 3 HGVC weeks.  It has been a great experience overall.  In the "before times," we spent a fair amount of our recent vacations out west.  Worldmark ownership has always looked interesting, but I have been torn.  On the one hand, it would allow us to continue our west coast exploration and would provide us with a way to trade within II.  On the other hand, WM does not seem to have many east coast resorts.  I would be curious to hear from other East Coast WM owners to see whether it has been a worthwhile experience.  I would also like to know how easy it is to piece tother a trip using a booked week with last-minute Worldmark deal add-ons.  Finally, if I rent WM credits, would I be eligible to book any f the WM last minute deals?  For context-we are both retired (I am actually semi-retired, but can work from anywhere).



You would probably get more use out of Club Wyndham than Worldmark. The last minute Worldmark inventory only lets you book 4 nights at a time. Club Wyndham has cheaper MF than HGVC and lower resale buy in costs. Wyndham Grand Desert is the same as Elara when it comes to having low MF. The reservation fee for Club Wyndham is $19 instead of the $49 that Hilton charges, so you can take more 3-4 night stays with Club Wyndham. When buying a resale deed with Club Wyndham, you don't have to worry about the underlying week/season like you do with Hilton. Most deeds are undivided interest. Just avoid a converted fixed week unless you know what you're doing. 

The quality difference between Worldmark and HGVC is greater than with Club Wyndham and HGVC. Worldmark maintenance fees per week are lower than Club Wyndham, but the quality is also lower. If you are looking for another system to join, I would just get a Club Wyndham ownership (resale of course) and decide later on down the road if you want Worldmark. I'm adding Worldmark to my ownership mainly for West Coast travel and Florida bonus time. I'm only adding the minimum number of credits (5,000) because I know I can always rent the amount of credits that I actually need off other WM owners on WMowner.com


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