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Are Timeshares REALLY Needed In Orlando?

Captpan6

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When I went to Orlando with my wife many years back, it was for the singular purpose of visiting the theme parks like Disney. We never spent more than an hour or two in our room except for sleeping and Facetiming family. Every day we were at a theme park, and Orlando has A LOT. Even if you're not experiencing the ever-growing Disney World collection, Sea World and Universal provide some variety.

This made me think: how necessary is it to have all the amenities like a kitchen, balcony, or other things a timeshare provides if no one is home to use them? After all, Orlando isn't exactly along a shore where you can walk from the beach to the room to get something and then come back, so those amenities likely don't see a lot of use. And even if you were to forego the expenses of theme park food, I can't imagine taking the time to cook meals to take with you will save money given you'd have to stock up on a lot of ingredients.

I'm curious what value that Orlando timeshare holders receive that staying in something far simpler like, dare I say it, a hotel room wouldn't do worse at. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying the appeal of the city but all the better for me to learn where.
 

CPNY

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When I went to Orlando with my wife many years back, it was for the singular purpose of visiting the theme parks like Disney. We never spent more than an hour or two in our room except for sleeping and Facetiming family. Every day we were at a theme park, and Orlando has A LOT. Even if you're not experiencing the ever-growing Disney World collection, Sea World and Universal provide some variety.

This made me think: how necessary is it to have all the amenities like a kitchen, balcony, or other things a timeshare provides if no one is home to use them? After all, Orlando isn't exactly along a shore where you can walk from the beach to the room to get something and then come back, so those amenities likely don't see a lot of use. And even if you were to forego the expenses of theme park food, I can't imagine taking the time to cook meals to take with you will save money given you'd have to stock up on a lot of ingredients.

I'm curious what value that Orlando timeshare holders receive that staying in something far simpler like, dare I say it, a hotel room wouldn't do worse at. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying the appeal of the city but all the better for me to learn where.
Actually it makes the parks that much more enjoyable when you can come back to a room that is spacious. I’ve taken mid day breaks from parks. Cooking breakfast also helps. Not to mention on non park days the resorts, especially Marriott properties have so much to do. Grand vista has a huge screen and they show movies all day which makes pool time different. Not everyone spends every single day in the parks. Don’t forget there are many other things to do in Orlando besides Disney world or universal studios. Also, there are people who vacation there often so they don’t have to be in the parks all day every day. Was just there for 6 weeks and enjoyed the resort very much
 

Captpan6

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Not everyone spends every single day in the parks. Don’t forget there are many other things to do in Orlando besides Disney world or universal studios. Also, there are people who vacation there often so they don’t have to be in the parks all day every day. Was just there for 6 weeks and enjoyed the resort very much
When my wife and I were there we had 11 days, which is a far cry from the 6 weeks you stayed so in that instance yeah, your timeshare makes much more sense. I suppose I'm more adjusted to single-week vacations.

Although I'm curious what other things there are to do in Orlando? Immediately coming to mind are the Orlando Magic and live performances, although I don't know what regular live shows are present with the exception of Cirque du Soleil which we saw at Disney World.
 

CPNY

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When my wife and I were there we had 11 days, which is a far cry from the 6 weeks you stayed so in that instance yeah, your timeshare makes much more sense. I suppose I'm more adjusted to single-week vacations.

Although I'm curious what other things there are to do in Orlando? Immediately coming to mind are the Orlando Magic and live performances, although I don't know what regular live shows are present with the exception of Cirque du Soleil which we saw at Disney World.
6 weeks was an anomaly due to COVID. Usually I do week vacations and truthfully anything over three nights I want a timeshare. I enjoy the kitchen, the space and washer dryer etc.
 

canesfan

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It depends on how you’re vacationing. That argument could be for Hawaii too, if you are an on the go person how much time are you spending in the room?
Personally we have enjoyed the timeshare experience in Orlando. In the few times we have used it there we were with extended family. Much easier than a bunch of hotel rooms with no common space. We enjoyed coming back to the room to relax. On non park days we enjoyed the pool & amenities. Not every day is a park day.
Also found it great to use when my son played at World of Sports. It was awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

win555

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When I went to Orlando with my wife many years back, it was for the singular purpose of visiting the theme parks like Disney. We never spent more than an hour or two in our room except for sleeping and Facetiming family. Every day we were at a theme park, and Orlando has A LOT. Even if you're not experiencing the ever-growing Disney World collection, Sea World and Universal provide some variety.

This made me think: how necessary is it to have all the amenities like a kitchen, balcony, or other things a timeshare provides if no one is home to use them? After all, Orlando isn't exactly along a shore where you can walk from the beach to the room to get something and then come back, so those amenities likely don't see a lot of use. And even if you were to forego
the expenses of theme park food, I can't imagine taking the time to cook meals to take with you will save money given you'd have to stock up on a lot of ingredients.

I'm curious what value that Orlando timeshare holders receive that staying in something far simpler like, dare I say it, a hotel room wouldn't do worse at. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying the appeal of the city but all the better for me to learn where.

Most likely the hotel room will be more expensive and less sq. ft. than a timeshare. Most nice hotels have resort and parking fees on top.
 

elaine

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I've done a hotel stay onsite with me and 2-3 kids for 3-4 days with parks everyday and it's fine. But, normally we don't do parks everyday or only do a 1/2 day. we eat breakfast in room and cook dinner many times if we have a 2BR, because that means we have 2-4 kids/teens with us and eating out is tiring and cost a lot of $$. I'd rather cook/grill out with a glass of wine and kids in the pool/relaxing than be sitting at a restaurant, esp. when they were younger. And it's really not a vacation with 2 kids in your room, lights out at 9pm! We use the resort amenities also. Even if onsite at WDW, we would prefer at least a 1 BR.
OTOH, is O overbuilt--yes!
 

TamaraQT

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Orlando is my favorite vacation spot. We usually go every year, but missed 2019 and of course this year was cancelled due to COVID. I have a 14 year old daughter and we take a relative/friend to share the fun with her. We went to Disney when she was 1, 5 and 9. When she was 5 and 9, she enjoyed going to the parks but she was always looking forward to getting back to the timeshare resort to participate in activities and pool parties. So, IMHO, YES....timeshares are really needed in Orlando. The onsite activities are part of the vacation. There is so much more to Orlando than Disney and theme parks. It's because of Disney that the area is so great. We have recently discovered a 14 day unlimited park visit to SeaWorld/Aquatica/Busch Gardens/Adventure Island. We stay in Orlando for 2 to 3 weeks so driving to Tampa area twice is part of the fun of the vacation. SeaWorld and Aquatica are right there in Orlando. My daughter, niece and hubby are huge rollercoaster fans. They enjoy SeaWorld and Busch Gardens far more than Disney and Universal Studios. But staying at a timeshare resort gives the benefit of having space AND privacy. It's nice for kids to have their own room to laugh, and be silly while adults can have a glass of wine, margarita or whatever on the balcony. A timeshare is part of the vacation as well. Convenience of washer/dryer is also a plus. Needless to say there isn't much difference in cost for timeshare vs. hotel but for the slight difference, you get far more space and far better amenities.
 

nerodog

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We enjoyed Orange Lake one year with friends so we had a 3 BR. When we weren't at the parks or often split up, we liked having the golf course and amenities of the resort. Having the space and conveniences made it pleasurable for all.
 

pedro47

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To the OP, I am curious why did you visit this website and post your thread ?
 
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bnoble

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We never spent more than an hour or two in our room except for sleeping and Facetiming family.
I go to Orlando a lot, typically for a week at a time, often more than once a year, and spend part of every day in a theme park. We do lots of other theme park destinations too, Disney and others. I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. I can count the days that look like this on one hand.

We’ve learned that the vacation overall is a lot more enjoyable if we treat the parks as a marathon, not a sprint.
 

TamaraQT

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We enjoyed Orange Lake one year with friends so we had a 3 BR. When we weren't at the parks or often split up, we liked having the golf course and amenities of the resort. Having the space and conveniences made it pleasurable for all.
Orange Lake is a favorite resort of my family. One year we rented an owners River Island unit/week. Let me tell you, I wanted to buy in to Orange Lake after that stay!! But the Mfees are too high for my preference and the resorts are easy to trade into or rent for far less than their Mfees. We have stayed in West Village and for the past 2 years we were intending to try North Village. Hopefully next year we will be able to resume our family Orlando vacations.
 

jmhpsu93

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If your only purpose of visiting Orlando is to visit Disney or Universal, then maybe going hotel is the way to go (we've done the on-property thing at Universal, which was fun but the room was meh). If you want to do ANYTHING else, especially hang out at your resort, then TS is the way to go. Even before we bought into timeshares we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Resort through the equivalent of getaways in a "blast from the past" thing called a "coupon book" that had 5-night stays in a 2BR for $400-500. Took my mom and my very-young-at-the-time daughter and we had a blast both times. The personal space really makes it.

Then there's Disney Vacation Club, which gets you the on property experience and TS...just a little spendy for us and we tend to go to Universal more anyway.
 

nerodog

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Orange Lake is a favorite resort of my family. One year we rented an owners River Island unit/week. Let me tell you, I wanted to buy in to Orange Lake after that stay!! But the Mfees are too high for my preference and the resorts are easy to trade into or rent for far less than their Mfees. We have stayed in West Village and for the past 2 years we were intending to try North Village. Hopefully next year we will be able to resume our family Orlando vacations.
We loved it too..at the time we had a family of four visiting from England so we met in Orlando!! We didn't stay in West V..I can remember if it was North. It was a beautiful condo and they really enjoyed it. I'd love to return too!!!!
 

Captpan6

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To the OP, I am curious why did you visit this website and post your thread ?

I've been visiting the website for a while to get a better understanding of vacation-ownership systems and this is only my second thread. The reason I posted it was because I couldn't see the point to owning a TS in Orlando given the way our last vacation was conducted there and a lot of replies have helped to enlighten me to some of the benefits.
 

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I guess it depends-if you are a go-go-go parks all day/every day--then a TS may not make much sense. It also depends on family composition: we have 3 kids so unless we wanted a higher end hotel onsite at Disney to sleep 5-offsite TS was better. We have done the onsite stays at Disney and Universal-but it is usually for less than a week if all of us go. If just me and hubs or me and one kid-we will stay onsite at the parks resorts (Uni or Disney).
But after our last all 5 of us onsite vacation at Disney - We stayed Caribbean Beach and Beach Club for 3 days each-husband said never again - he wants the extra room if all of us go of a timeshare.
Plus if you go during busy weeks (we've gone over New years, Thanksgiving and Christmas) staying in a spacious timeshare resort with much much much less crowded amenities is a huge respite from the masses of humanity at the parks/onsite hotels (in normal years). Especially the year we went over Thanksgiving we only spent 1/2 days in the parks and the rest of day at the Resort-Hoping to do same this year if I can snag Cypress Harbor again!
Now that we will be down to just one kiddo at home this fall it may or may not make sense to trade a week for a timeshare. But with AC's it may still be worth it-you cannot find a 2 bed/2bath at a gold star resort for a week for <$400 otherwise.
 

vacationtime1

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I guess it depends-if you are a go-go-go parks all day/every day--then a TS may not make much sense. It also depends on family composition: we have 3 kids so unless we wanted a higher end hotel onsite at Disney to sleep 5-offsite TS was better. We have done the onsite stays at Disney and Universal-but it is usually for less than a week if all of us go. If just me and hubs or me and one kid-we will stay onsite at the parks resorts (Uni or Disney).
But after our last all 5 of us onsite vacation at Disney - We stayed Caribbean Beach and Beach Club for 3 days each-husband said never again - he wants the extra room if all of us go of a timeshare.
Plus if you go during busy weeks (we've gone over New years, Thanksgiving and Christmas) staying in a spacious timeshare resort with much much much less crowded amenities is a huge respite from the masses of humanity at the parks/onsite hotels (in normal years). Especially the year we went over Thanksgiving we only spent 1/2 days in the parks and the rest of day at the Resort-Hoping to do same this year if I can snag Cypress Harbor again!
Now that we will be down to just one kiddo at home this fall it may or may not make sense to trade a week for a timeshare. But with AC's it may still be worth it-you cannot find a 2 bed/2bath at a gold star resort for a week for <$400 otherwise.

^^^^^^ This is why a timeshare makes sense in Orlando.

We used to take the kids to Disneyland (Anaheim) when they were small. The ability to leave Disneyland mid-day for a few hours, to retreat to our unit for lunch, snacks, pool, and naps, is invaluable when travelling with kids.
 

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We insist on extra room even for just the two of us. I'm a bit of a morning person, my wife is a bit more of a night owl. Having a 1BR allows us to each be awake when the other person would rather be asleep, without either sitting quietly in the dark or waking the other person up.

And, when our kids were younger, having a door between them and us that locked was essential, because it was our vacation too. ;-)
 

pedro47

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To the OP, you do not have to own a timeshare to stay in an Orlando timeshare. There are so many other places you can purchase a timeshare and that you and your family members / or friends can vacation to. Liked hotels, timeshares are located in the Caribbean, Hawaii, North & South America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Finally, you do not need to purchase a timeshare to vacation in a timeshare resort.. You can rent a timeshare from many sources. Example: TUG.

Wishing you many, many happy vacations either in a hotel, a condo, a rental home, RV, a campground or a timeshare.
Remember: Knowledge is Power is By Bacon.
 

chellej

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Orlando is a big part of why we bought timeshares. Our first trip we stayed at a disney hotel, I don't recall which one. The kids were 2, 5 and 7. we shared the double beds and had a roll away. After all day at the park the kids were tired and cranky and so was this mom. Even though Disney makes everything special it just wasn't enough room. The next 2 trips we rented hotels that were more like suites with a division for kids and kitchenette. Better but having a 2 or 3 bedroom timeshare was even better and we enjoyed many more trips in timeshares......it just makes the whole experience better.
 

elaine

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Captpan6 welcome. lots of good info and advice here. definitely research A LOT before buying a TS. IMHO, I'd just rent on TUG, redweek, or other sites for travel to Orlando rather than buying.
 

TamaraQT

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We insist on extra room even for just the two of us. I'm a bit of a morning person, my wife is a bit more of a night owl. Having a 1BR allows us to each be awake when the other person would rather be asleep, without either sitting quietly in the dark or waking the other person up.

And, when our kids were younger, having a door between them and us that locked was essential, because it was our vacation too. ;-)
Exactly!!! Like I always say...vacation with the kids by day. At night putting them to bed in their own room lets the adults vacation at night. A cramped room with a couple of beds and 1 bathroom is not my idea of vacation. Needless to say the advantages of having a full kitchen to make adult snacks and drinks is beneficial. A balcony to enjoy them on. Get maintenance/housekeeping clean/disinfect the jets like my hubby does and the private jacuzzi can become part of the vacation too. Those are not standard amenities included in standard hotel rooms.
 

dougp26364

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When I went to Orlando with my wife many years back, it was for the singular purpose of visiting the theme parks like Disney. We never spent more than an hour or two in our room except for sleeping and Facetiming family. Every day we were at a theme park, and Orlando has A LOT. Even if you're not experiencing the ever-growing Disney World collection, Sea World and Universal provide some variety.

This made me think: how necessary is it to have all the amenities like a kitchen, balcony, or other things a timeshare provides if no one is home to use them? After all, Orlando isn't exactly along a shore where you can walk from the beach to the room to get something and then come back, so those amenities likely don't see a lot of use. And even if you were to forego the expenses of theme park food, I can't imagine taking the time to cook meals to take with you will save money given you'd have to stock up on a lot of ingredients.

I'm curious what value that Orlando timeshare holders receive that staying in something far simpler like, dare I say it, a hotel room wouldn't do worse at. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying the appeal of the city but all the better for me to learn where.

Everyone vacations differently. What works for you, staying out all day, would never work for us. We’ve gone to Orlando once. We enjoyed the parks, but didn’t spend the entire day there or spend all our time at the parks. We relaxed, spent time around the pools et.....

We take several trips per year and have for a couple of decades. In the early years we tried to cram everything in we could cram. We’d run so hard we needed a vacation from our vacation. Then...... we stopped. We came to understand we don’t have to do it all. So we relax more. Thus, we enjoy the amenities offered by the nicer timeshares. I get up early, my wife sleeps in. A hotel room doesn’t work that well for us.

Vegas is another example of where many feel a timeshare isn’t necessary. All those cheap hotel rooms and so many people that use them only for a nap and to clean up. And yet, they still sell timeshare there and people still use them. We love Vegas, but, we need a little time away from the casino. I absolutely LOVE standing in front of the floor to ceiling looking out at the city.

Everyone vacations differently. that’s what there are hotels, timeshares, house rentals, all inclusive resorts and cruise ships. What works for you would never work for us.
 

pedro47

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For us the best time to visit the parks are after 6PM, less crowds, the temperatures are lower and you can ride more attractions because there are less people at the park. IMHO.
 
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