• 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!

Disillusioned with this whole timeshare thing...

MichaelColey

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
4,914
Reaction score
108
Points
299
Location
Mansfield, TX
Regarding school schedules - we pull our kids OUT of school for a week or so, if need be, to travel shoulder and low seasons. ... And we always try to make each vacation "educational" if possible - even Disney (Epcot center "world" section comes to mind).

The day the schools refuse to allow our kids to miss a week or two for family travel, is the day we begin homeschooling!
Theme parks are a great education on physics, engineering, etc. There's no better way to learn geography than by traveling.

We already homeschool, for other reasons, and the flexibility is a great perk.
 

tzvecl97

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2011
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
111
Location
Monmouth Junction, NJ
Thanks for the advice everyone. We deposited our week hoping for a two bedroom in Gatlinburg....and just got one at MountainLoft Resort. It has spotty reviews, but I think it will be fine. Next time we use, we now know to choose a location, deposit and submit for exchange request, and then wait.
 

wackymother

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Messages
5,644
Reaction score
1,363
Points
598
Location
NJ
Do your resorts exchange only through II, or could you exchange through RCI?

RCI gets bashed here, and often rightly so, but we are also limited by the school calendar and we also live in NJ, and we get some very nice exchanges through RCI. There's quite a bit of summer Massanutten availability in RCI, too.

In fact, we had a membership in II and we gave it up because we found that if you're in the Northeast, and you want to travel mainly in the Northeast, then RCI has many many more resorts and much more availability. It works for us. Good luck!
 

MichaelColey

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
4,914
Reaction score
108
Points
299
Location
Mansfield, TX
In general, from what I've seen, RCI has much more selection while II has higher quality resorts. Obviously there are some quality resorts in RCI and some areas where II has better selection, but that's the general observation I've made.
 

bogey21

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
9,455
Reaction score
4,662
Points
649
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
We've been owners since about 1998 and I have owned at least 22 timeshares. I am currently down to one after selling some and giving a few away. Timesharing was the best thing going for years......(

Same for me although my first TS Week was purchased in the late 80s. I too am down to one, a ski week used by my Son. It was a great run while it lasted. I'm just glad I got out while the getting was good.

George
 

hypnotiq

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
1,359
Reaction score
66
Points
258
Location
Redmond, WA
Regarding school schedules - we pull our kids OUT of school for a week or so, if need be, to travel shoulder and low seasons.

My daughter is not quite two and this is already the opinion I have (as it was the opinion my parents have). If I want to take my kids out of school for a week to vacation, we will. Of course there is a little school work to be done while on vacation but not so much it spoils the vacation. :)
 

SueDonJ

Moderator
Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
16,612
Reaction score
5,778
Points
1,249
Location
Massachusetts and Hilton Head Island
Resorts Owned
Marriott Barony Beach and SurfWatch
My daughter is not quite two and this is already the opinion I have (as it was the opinion my parents have). If I want to take my kids out of school for a week to vacation, we will. Of course there is a little school work to be done while on vacation but not so much it spoils the vacation. :)

When the kids were young, in elementary school, I didn't have any problem with pulling them out for a week, and if I gave enough notice to the teachers they were pretty good about sending work along. But as they got older, into middle school and then especially in high school, I gave the kids some say in it and allowed them to decide how much of an impact they could tolerate. There came a time when they thought it would be too difficult for them, and that was that.
 

ronparise

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
12,664
Reaction score
2,134
Points
548
Theme parks are a great education on physics, engineering, etc. There's no better way to learn geography than by traveling.

We already homeschool, for other reasons, and the flexibility is a great perk.

Right

and drinking beer is a great education in human biology..brain chemistry and kidney function especially
 

Beefnot

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
3,779
Reaction score
62
Points
284
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Right

and drinking beer is a great education in human biology..brain chemistry and kidney function especially

That is hilarious
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
A.E. Housman (1859-1936).

drinking beer is a great education in human biology..brain chemistry and kidney function especially
According to A.E. Housman . . .

Malt does more than Milton can
To justify God's ways to man.​

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