First Post: Wyndham Discovery (trial) member, help? [MERGED]

[vacationhopeful]

It also is generally when the KIDs are out of school ... like summer time and major holidays. And PRIME time tends to be a bigger window in the Member Directory than the actual BOOKED solid time.

Most of us tend to travel more because we really learn to USE our timeshares.

Last weekend, I went 65 miles from home to stay 2 nights at a Wyndham resort and soak about 4 hours in their outdoor hot tub (and in the rain ... wine was involved ). Just to vegetate.

This coming weekend, I will go 140 miles to another Wyndham resort ... to take care of some minor business but to also float in their indoor pool. But this is MORE of a work weekend trip.

 

[katieg]

Thank you to everyone who has replied BTW. I'll go back and reply individually in a little bit. I appreciate the insight.

Re: why we haven't booked yet. We are in a bit of a debate in my household as to how to use these points.

We originally planned to use the 300k for two trips. The "big" trip was going to be Disney (Bonnet Creek) in December 2016. Not Christmas week. Early Dec. Then we were just going to use whatever points were leftover to plan something for summer 2016. Our summer travel is always the 3rd or 4th week of august. Wasn't planning on changing that time frame. We wanted to get two full weeks out of the points so we would just pick something "cheap" on points for the summer 2016 trip.

Then my husband started looking into staying on property at Disney instead of doing Bonnet Creek. Same time period - early Dec 2016. He thinks it will be a better deal to do a full package via Disney with the lodging/meal plan/tickets combined. I dunno...

Anyway, now we have 300k points and the only time we can realistically use them is late August 2016. We have two kids in school and juggling our leave time from work.

We already have a family visit trip booked for 2 weeks in March (spring break) where we are staying with family. It will take us until August realistically to have the leave time and discretionary funds to travel again while also saving for Disney.

Started revisiting the discovery book to look for something in the 300k range to use all the points in a single trip. Sooo confused now and can't decide what we will do...it's of no use to us to get a bigger unit to blow the points when we don't tend to spend much time in our room. I'm much more inclined to pick a better destination and get as sparse of a room as possible.

And husband isn't ready to say yes or no and make a firm decision about going Disney on property or Disney via Bonnet Creek.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Hawaii ... 2 island will easily burn thru 300K in August fast.

South Florida (Pompano Beach) for 2 weeks in August.

Myrtle Beach is usually booked in early August ... but the southern schools start early and northern kids sports programs start in late August ... another good candidate for summer beach vacation.

 

[DeniseM]

And husband isn't ready to say yes or no and make a firm decision about going Disney on property or Disney via Bonnet Creek.

My experience: Vacation planning by committee does not go well.

Tell DH - "Let's set the date and I will make the arrangements," and then do it.

Paralysis by analysis is deadly - it will delay you so much that you can't get the reservations you want.

 

[WinniWoman]

#1- Prime time is what most would consider high demand time. As Linda said- whenever schools are closed- summer, spring break, XMAS- that is when most families can travel so that is Prime Time and books quickly. Also- the south in winter; the north in summer or ski resorts Jan- March- snow season. Anytime there is more demand is Prime time. You could even argue that even Fall in new England is in demand, although not as much as summer and winter ski season.

#2-I would do the Bonnet Creek if I were you. You already have the points so the lodging is taken care of. Anytime we have gone to Disney we have stayed at a timeshare resort nearby and it was just fine. We rented a car. We got to the parks first thing in the morning at opening time. In many ways, it was nice to get away from Disney and the overload at the end of a busy and hot day. We have stayed at Orange Lake, Sheraton Vistana- very nice resorts and I am sure it was less expensive than staying on site- again because you get away from it. We had our breakfasts in and most dinners- not all- when we got back. We could just chill in the resort pool and rest quietly later in our unit. We did a few other excursions like Sea World and some more low key things like renting a fan boat- things not associated with Disney. Went to Universal also.Just book it and enjoy. I wouldn't agonize over it.

 

[WinniWoman]

It also is generally when the KIDs are out of school ... like summer time and major holidays. And PRIME time tends to be a bigger window in the Member Directory than the actual BOOKED solid time.

Most of us tend to travel more because we really learn to USE our timeshares.

Last weekend, I went 65 miles from home to stay 2 nights at a Wyndham resort and soak about 4 hours in their outdoor hot tub (and in the rain ... wine was involved ). Just to vegetate.

This coming weekend, I will go 140 miles to another Wyndham resort ... to take care of some minor business but to also float in their indoor pool. But this is MORE of a work weekend trip.

Linda- those short little excursions sound wonderful!

 

[paxsarah]

#2-I would do the Bonnet Creek if I were you. You already have the points so the lodging is taken care of. Anytime we have gone to Disney we have stayed at a timeshare resort nearby and it was just fine. We rented a car. We got to the parks first thing in the morning at opening time. In many ways, it was nice to get away from Disney and the overload at the end of a busy and hot day. We have stayed at Orange Lake, Sheraton Vistana- very nice resorts and I am sure it was less expensive than staying on site- again because you get away from it. We had our breakfasts in and most dinners- not all- when we got back. We could just chill in the resort pool and rest quietly later in our unit. We did a few other excursions like Sea World and some more low key things like renting a fan boat- things not associated with Disney. Went to Universal also.Just book it and enjoy. I wouldn't agonize over it.

I second this. You would find a Disney on-site package more convenient (and during the holidays, more "magical"), but I doubt that it would be a better value. And I think Bonnet Creek (if you're a Disney person) is a perfect example of what Wyndham timeshares have to offer. It's a very nice resort, both inside and outside, and the location really can't be beat. It's closer to some of the parks than many of Disney's own resorts. My feeling is, you have this opportunity with the discovery points and that is the perfect time to use it.

 

[travelplus]

I have been to Timeshare Presentations and have been offered the Discovery Package which to me is a waste of money. As others have said I did my homework and bought resale and we enjoy the resort even more. We are not with Wyndham but I have been to the Wyndham presentation a few years back.

One idea you may look into is if you purchase the Discovery Package and then find a sizeable Wyndham resale points package and rent out your points to cover the cost of the Maintenance Fee and perhaps even some of the Discovery Package.

When I added up the number for the Discovery Package I found out that we could purchase three weeks for less than the package in a 2 Bedroom. We own at Diamond Villa Mirage, Ridge Tahoe and Marriott Desert Springs. The Diamond and Ridge were going for $1200 with closing costs and our MFs are around $1,000 for each week. The Marriott Week was inherited from relatives but that week was bought for $9,000 dollars. I would never fathom spending that much for resale.

My point is if you buy resale you at least will use weeks without feeling guilty about the cost. I feel so sorry for the couple who sat next to me at a timeshare presentation who bought a package for $25,000. I was shaking my head and told my sales person that No I will not spend $25,000 for your package. They brought it down to $21,000 and I said NO and walked away.

The couple must have heard what I said because as soon as they realized what they got into they pulled me aside outside and I told them about how to rescind and go onto TUGS and Redweek.com. I even told them if they don't want to pay MFs then to rent out a week for $900 a week or even more but at least they don't need to be on the hook for special assessments. They thanked me and went to rescind.

Can you believe the sales people asked the couple to cover the cost of the bottle of Sparkling Wine they pop when they make a purchase? Never again.

 

[ob1knorrb]

Sell Discovery points?

Is it possible to sell, or perhaps give away, the points from a Discovery package?
We bought a 200,000 point package for around $2000 last spring when we were in Maui.
Since then my wife has gone back to school full time and the Canadian dollar has tanked.
There aren't any Canadian locations in the Discovery Directory and no US destinations within driving distance of Alberta, so we are thinking of getting rid of the package if possible.
Has anyone had any experience in doing this?
I haven't tried calling the Discovery reps yet, I thought it would be good to get some advice here first.

Thanks!

 

[montygz]

BTW someone asked what we paid. We paid $2,500 for 300,000 points. This sounds like the same market price you are talking about?

Your $2,500 would go a lot farther if you just rent stays from current owners, especially for a place like Orlando.

I suggest you look at what the resorts you want to stay at are renting for on redweek and ebay.

You may "discover" that you are paying a premium over just renting.

The good thing is that you haven't committed to buying from the developer and can research the true costs of ownership.

 

[ekajun1957]

One bit is to look at Bonnet Creek for Thanksgiving, even though high time for Dsiney it is not prime time for Wyndham. Check out the points for that week, we go quite often.

 

[ronparise]

One bit is to look at Bonnet Creek for Thanksgiving, even though high time for Dsiney it is not prime time for Wyndham. Check out the points for that week, we go quite often.

The early December weeks at bonnet creek are halh the points of prime time

 

[Cheryl20772]

As a whim traveler, you may find that the discovery package is as troublesome for you as owning a timeshare would be.....Getting what you want where you want sometimes requires advanced planning and the vigilance to call at the first moment of the first day a check-in date becomes available to you.

This is one great feature of the Discovery package. Better than renting, it helps the user see how timeshare works when booking vacation stays before the actual commitment that comes with owning. Unfortunately I suspect Discovery might give a somewhat warped view when it sets aside inventory to enhance the Discovery experience. Discovery is not all bad. Just remember you are not obliged to attend a sales meeting or even sign any papers at the end of the Discovery contract.

 

[Cheryl20772]

Is it possible to sell, or perhaps give away, the points from a Discovery package?
We bought a 200,000 point package for around $2000 last spring when we were in Maui.
Since then my wife has gone back to school full time and the Canadian dollar has tanked.
There aren't any Canadian locations in the Discovery Directory and no US destinations within driving distance of Alberta, so we are thinking of getting rid of the package if possible.
Has anyone had any experience in doing this?
I haven't tried calling the Discovery reps yet, I thought it would be good to get some advice here first.

Thanks!

I'm sorry to tell you, but no, it can't be sold. If you look at your contract, unless the contracts have changed since 2007, it's the first item near the bottom of the first page under Conditions.

The points can be used by anyone in your 'immediate family'. Perhaps you have a parent or sibling who is free to travel?

You can appeal to the mercy of Wyndham (fat chance of getting any!). The only contractual legal way out was to cancel within the initial 10 day rescission period. That is unless you have some law in Canada that otherwise protects you against deals gone bad in the US.

Best wishes for some kind of happy resolution. Glad you found TUG!

 

[asista]

Im interesting knowing did you use your points and how was it in terms of getting the reservations in the locations you desired and the availability. Who has used the Discovery Program?

We have been timeshare owners for years at VV but we often don't have enough points to go or get the locations we want. We decided we needed more points and wanted to purchase outside of our current resort, so we visited Wyndham. Because Wyndham owns RCI we thought this was a good choice. We purchased the Discovery Trail Program. 400,000 points for $3500 plus tax. We have until July 2018 to use our points. Is this worth keeping? If we purchase we only plan to buy 124000 points. That may not be enough considering the trail period of 400,000 points. Feedback please. I do have time to resind, but should I?

Hope I am in the right place. I am completely new to timesharing.

Family and I are not new to timeshare presentations - we've attended a couple in past vacations where there was an incentive given to go (free or greatly reduced tickets to something we wanted to do or see). At those times we went and did not purchase anything. Got our tickets and left.

We just got back from a vacation where we attended a Wyndham presentation for the same purpose of getting discounted tickets for our activities on our trip. This was the first timeshare presentation we've seen that was points based and not weeks based. It is also the first one we've seen that offered a trial membership without full commitment of ownership right off the bat. So we took a leap of faith and purchased a trial "Discovery membership" of 300,000 points that now must be used by 04/2017.

We didn't even take a second glance at the information about what we have purchased until we got home a few days ago. I am now going through everything and trying to acclimate myself to the culture and language of timeshares and understand how it all works. All I have ever heard are rumors that timeshares are a "scam" and that they aren't a good deal at all due to fees, not enough availability and the fact that you can't cancel them. I don't know how true any of that is. I've caught a lot of flack so far from everyone I have told about our purchase, so I'm really hoping I didn't make a bad decision!

For anyone who is familiar with a Wyndham "Discovery" membership (or please direct me to where I would find those folks), I have some basic questions:

1. During our presentation we were told that points can be used to purchase non-lodging items like flights, tickets to Disney and rental cars. Is this not true for Discovery members? (The real reason I bought the discovery membership was to help offset the cost of a trip to Disney next year for our family.) How do I find out what non-lodging items I can buy?

2. I am hoping that by traveling to Disney during off peak times, we will have enough points to use the 300,000 to get us two trips next year. It looks like this is going to be nearly impossible now that I am trying to piece together the logistics of when we can reasonably take two trips (one will have to be during peak season, requiring more points than we have). How do most timeshare owners handle this? Is this a common issue?

3. How do you purchase more points if you need them? Say you are only a few hundred short...do you have to upgrade your plan to have that many for each year in the future or can you purchase points for a one time use?

4. If you are or were a Discovery member, how did you like it? Did you decide to go into an ownership after? Why or why not?

5. Any other tips and tricks for a newbie are appreciated!

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Jan M.]

Im interesting knowing did you use your points and how was it in terms of getting the reservations in the locations you desired and the availability. Who has used the Discovery Program?

We have been timeshare owners for years at VV but we often don't have enough points to go or get the locations we want. We decided we needed more points and wanted to purchase outside of our current resort, so we visited Wyndham. Because Wyndham owns RCI we thought this was a good choice. We purchased the Discovery Trail Program. 400,000 points for $3500 plus tax. We have until July 2018 to use our points. Is this worth keeping? If we purchase we only plan to buy 124000 points. That may not be enough considering the trail period of 400,000 points. Feedback please. I do have time to resind, but should I?

Rescind! Immediately! Then look into buying resale. You can get a lot for $3500 and that will be permanent points not one time usage like the Discovery points.

 

[asista]

Rescind! Immediately! Then look into buying resale. You can get a lot for $3500 and that will be permanent points not one time usage like the Discovery points.

Thanks, for your quick response! Where should I look for resale?

 

[Jan M.]

Thanks, for your quick response! Where should I look for resale?

Here on TUG and on eBay are two places to start. Keep checking the Bargain bin under the Buying, Selling and Renting forum. You can find people giving deeds away. If you see something you think you might be interested in send a private message if you have questions. It's not a great idea to alert everyone that you've found what you think is a good deal and give yourself competition for it!

I personally prefer to have deeded points CWP, Club Wyndham Plus, over CWA, Club Wyndham Access. You have a contract with Wyndham for the use of x number of points with CWA instead of owning something that has a deed like with CWP.

There is a thread in the top about the maintenance fees at the various resorts. I also prefer to own where the maintenance fees are low. However if there is a resort you must have and will need a three or four bedroom unit there then it is probably wise to purchase a deed at that resort to have ARP, advance reservation priority, there.

 

[cayman01]

I would agree with Jan. Rescind as soon as possible. Then begin reading up on Wyndham. Find out where you might want to go and find out what it takes in terms of points to stay there. Then you will have an idea of what to look for in the resale market.

Right now Wyndham is having all sorts of problems with their reservation system software. It is creating havoc. This should lead to lower prices on the resale market as people will decide to leave Wyndham. Which means an opportunity for buyers.

Software problems aside Wyndham does have very nice resorts and lots of them. Spread out across the country it is the reason we chose Wyndham. Plenty of variety. Once we get past the software debacle I feel we will truly enjoy Wyndham.

 

[asista]

Thanks all! Ive researched Wyndham for the last few days and the information received on this site has been the most valuable. You are much appreciated! I'm rescinding today!

I would agree with Jan. Rescind as soon as possible. Then begin reading up on Wyndham. Find out where you might want to go and find out what it takes in terms of points to stay there. Then you will have an idea of what to look for in the resale market.

Right now Wyndham is having all sorts of problems with their reservation system software. It is creating havoc. This should lead to lower prices on the resale market as people will decide to leave Wyndham. Which means an opportunity for buyers.

Software problems aside Wyndham does have very nice resorts and lots of them. Spread out across the country it is the reason we chose Wyndham. Plenty of variety. Once we get past the software debacle I feel we will truly enjoy Wyndham.