• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Would Love Suggestions/Ideas

kashicaat

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2012
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
California
Hi there - I've been reading and researching this amazing website for a couple of months now. There are so many options out there and I've filled out the form below to help generate some feedback what may be good fits (or NOT go fits) in a TS for our family.

We did buy DVC and I'm very happy with that purchase. We are looking for something with more locations and flexibility to compliment what we already own.

1) Where do you want your home resort to be? Somewhere close to us, I think - so California.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? I'd prefer to trade and travel to different places and locations.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
West Coast (California, Vegas), Mexico, Hawaii (but with Disney - not sure if this is still high up on the list), other spots -not sure yet!

4) How many people do you usually travel with? It will either be hubby and I OR our family of 6 plus my mom.

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? We are locked into a schedule for big trips, but open for weekends and three day trips (Fri-Sun)

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yep

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Sometimes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5 star

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? Less than 10,000 right now - 10,000 would be topping out of our cash budget.

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year? $2000 a year.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner? yep

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yep
 

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
28,463
Reaction score
17,214
Points
1,299
Location
Twin Falls, Eye-Duh-Hoe
Take a look at this mini system. www.vrireorts.com We own at one of theirs, and are very happy. They have their own exchange system for low-cost exchanges ($99 iirc) and they ar upgradeable as in if you need a 2br and only have a 1br to exchange, for a price- and with availability- they can be had. They also have an RCI rep onsite so interchanging is easy- though not as cheap as Vri*ety exchanges.

Daily stays are a no sweat deal as are (fairly) low cost extra day rentals.

You wrote that you wanted 4-5 star resorts and VRI ones might be a little short, but I'd give all of them that I have been to 4 stars, just no real top-shelf Marriott or Disney type places.

On the other hand, your MF will be far less (actually less than half) of the $2000/yr you targeted as desirable.

You can't just buy VRI, you just buy at one of the resorts managed by VRI. and it's a done deal.

Jim Ricks
 

Tacoma

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
1,213
Reaction score
515
Points
473
Location
Calgary,Ab, Canada
Worldmark would be my suggestion if they are high enough quality for you. My main reason is the number of resorts you can trade into without paying an exchange fee. You also indicate that you want to take vacations of less than a week sometimes. Although you have to book a full week in red season more than 3 months out if it is available a strategy is to wait until the days you want are booked and then wait list. You will wait list a week but often only a few days will come up. Then you can continue to wait for more days or take your miny vacation. Another thing I love is the ability to stay 3 days at one resort and 4 at another making it a week. it also trades well.

Joan:)
 

theo

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
9,032
Reaction score
2,268
Points
648
Location
New England Coast
Change in the wind?

Take a look at this mini system. www.vriresorts.com We own at one of theirs, and are very happy. They have their own exchange system for low-cost exchanges ($99 iirc) and they ar upgradeable as in if you need a 2br and only have a 1br to exchange, for a price- and with availability- they can be had. They also have an RCI rep onsite so interchanging is easy- though not as cheap as Vri*ety exchanges.
<snip>

Four of my owned weeks are at three different VRI-managed resorts; I agree with Jim's observations above. That said however, I would point out that just over month ago VRI was bought out by Interval Leisure Group (...the parent company of "exchange" entity Interval International). It remains to be seen how / if this acquisition might change (for better or worse) the internal VRI exchange program known as VRI*ety. :shrug:
 
Last edited:
Top