Gatlinburg Timeshare Tour Freebies.

[AwayWeGo]

We're heading off to a timeshare week in Gatlinburg TN in a just few days. Is Gatlinburg considered a timeshare hotbed? Are there any Gatlinburg timeshare tour freebies specially worth signing up for?

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

 

[johnmfaeth]

I think Bluegreen has a property their. Can always get some Dollywood soaps

 

[geekette]

Bluegreen has one in Gatlinburg and one in Pigeon Forge. I'm going to be staying in Gat myself, Thurs/Fri nights, so me and the gal pals can go river rafting.

In most of their touristy leaflets, there are warnings about timeshare sales folks in Gat, so I think you could probably take a dead cat to swing and have several options. Pick what sounds like the best deal!!! It's not unlike Branson with the mix of shows and attractions and a zillion dining establishments.

 

[John37130]

Crown Park Resort

We received an offer from Crown Park Resort today in the mail. Three days/two nights in Gatlingburg (at a hotel); two tickets to Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Country Tonight or Ripley's Aquarium; and a $50 gift certificate to NASCAR Speedpark or Tanger Outlet Mall -- for a package price of $39.95. If we arrive Sunday through Thursday, they would throw in $25 dining certificate to Lineberger's Seaforod or Damon's Grill. I thought this was a pretty good deal, although I doubt that we will use it.

When we were in Gatlinburg last December, Crown Park had several booths set up along the strip offering freebies if you take the tour. (I don't remember what they were, but given the offer they sent us in the mail, I would think they would be pretty good.) Although Crown Park was right next to where we were staying (Gatlinburg Town Square), we decided not to do a tour/presentation. We had young kids with us, and didn't want to take them or leave them by themselves.

John

 

[AwayWeGo]

Hey, That's Where We'll Be Staying.

Although Crown Park was right next to where we were staying (Gatlinburg Town Square), we decided not to do a tour/presentation. We had young kids with us, and didn't want to take them or leave them by themselves.

We're signed up for Gatlinburg Town Square, so if we interact with the Crown Park headhunters, we'll tell'm you sent us.

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

 

[ratt34]

gatlinburg

we stayed at the bluegreen resort last 4th of july and my wife booked us a crown royal tour, thwey gave us 100 bucks cash, and if they could have sold my bluegreen timeshaere, i would have bought theres.

 

[John37130]

We always enjoy our time in Gatlinburg, especially the Smokey Mountain National Park. One of the nice things about staying at Gatlinburg Town Square is that it is very easy to get out of town and into the national park.

Be sure to stop at the visitors center right after you enter the park. They can give you a map of the park with all of the trails and points of interest. The view from Klingman's Dome is pretty impressive (although you have to park your car and walk the last quarter mile up a pretty steep incline). The Cade's Cove loop is also a nice drive. We went to Ripley's Aquarium on our last trip. Normally, I'm not a fan of the Ripley's attractions, but the aquarium is worth a visit.

Have a great trip!

John

 

[TheFlush]

I have received $120 cash from Crown Park, $100 from BlueGreen Mountainloft, and $120 worth of Dixie Stampede tickets for $30 from Wyndham Smoky Mountains. They all also gave me vouchers for 2 or 3 night hotel stays that I will probably never use.

Crown Park was over 2 years ago before the resort was open. Wyndham and BlueGreen were this summer. Crown Park and Wyndham were high pressure, while BlueGreen was not. Crown Park (G-burg) and Wyndham (Pigeon Forge) are downtown locations and are closer to most attractions, while Mountainloft is a few miles from town and is quieter, better views, etc.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Thanks For The Freebies Tips.

We absorbed $100 from Crown Park, $100 from Gatlinburg Town Square, & $120 from WestGate Smoky Mountain Resort.

The WestGate tour was the most interesting of the 3 -- specially their super-nice indoor water park, although the rustic-theme units were extremely attractive too. In retrospect the other 2 seem more like your typical generic resort-town timeshare units -- not that there's anything wrong with those, because they were very nice also.

Across those little salesroom tables, only the WestGate guy was heard to utter the word mooch. (Hearing that from a representative of WestGate, I take it as a compliment.)

Typically we're good for just 1 or maybe 2 timeshare tours during 1 timeshare week. It must have been the Gatlinburg mountain air that invigorated us for 1 extra timeshare tour.

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

 

[Tom52]

We absorbed $100 from Crown Park, $100 from Gatlinburg Town Square, & $120 from WestGate Smoky Mountain Resort.

The WestGate tour was the most interesting of the 3 -- specially their super-nice indoor water park, although the rustic-theme units were extremely attractive too. In retrospect the other 2 seem more like your typical generic resort-town timeshare units -- not that there's anything wrong with those, because they were very nice also.

Across those little salesroom tables, only the WestGate guy was heard to utter the word mooch. (Hearing that from a representative of WestGate, I take it as a compliment.)

Typically we're good for just 1 or maybe 2 timeshare tours during 1 timeshare week. It must have been the Gatlinburg mountain air that invigorated us for 1 extra timeshare tour.

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

I figured Gatlinburg Town Square was sold out since they haven't built anything in about 10 years. What are they selling at a timeshare presentation?

 

[AwayWeGo]

R.C.I. Points.

I figured Gatlinburg Town Square was sold out since they haven't built anything in about 10 years. What are they selling at a timeshare presentation?

They were offering RCI Points, & showing prospects an attractive lock-out 2BR unit up on the 6th floor.

As I understand it, they can't just conjure up points out of thin air -- any points they sell have to be based on actual timeshare property. So either they're not sold out or I completely don't understand the basis for timeshare points.

BTW, the timeshare right next door was also selling RCI Points. The sales guys there say construction will begin on a new Crown Park phase later this month.

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

 

[tombo]

Points are hard to verify

I have never understood how a sold out resort such as Town Square can suddenly start offering points and set up a sales force to sell to non-owners. I understand trying to convince you to pay extra 1000's of dollars for something you already own, ie a week at the resort. But how can they offer tours and sell points when the resort was already 100% sold out? I don't trust points and think they are a house of cards. I will still go to some presentations if the offer is good enough, but I will never buy points, or allow them to convince me to swap my weeks to points. A week is a week, points can change or disappear at any time.

 

[acesgame]

We were just there and got 5 aquarium tickets from bluegreen and 5 memories theater tickets from Wyndham. Both sell points and both said the points amounts for a week are set in stone and can't change willy nilly. Of course there mouths were moving....

 

[Tom52]

I have never understood how a sold out resort such as Town Square can suddenly start offering points and set up a sales force to sell to non-owners. I understand trying to convince you to pay extra 1000's of dollars for something you already own, ie a week at the resort. But how can they offer tours and sell points when the resort was already 100% sold out? I don't trust points and think they are a house of cards. I will still go to some presentations if the offer is good enough, but I will never buy points, or allow them to convince me to swap my weeks to points. A week is a week, points can change or disappear at any time.

When we stayed at TreeTops in Gatlinburg in Sept. we were asked to meet with RCI who wanted to conduct a "survey" with exchangers. I was skeptical but I knew this resort had been sold out for years, so we took the bait. This was a very thinly disguised attempt to sell an RCI points resort, I believe it was through the Berkely Group or something similar. I was totally not interested in the sales pitch and scare tactics so I did not pay a lot of attention but the price of $20,999 stuck in my memory. TreeTops is privately owned so I assume it is through their affiliation with RCI that they allow RCI to try to sell far-away points resorts to their guests. Maybe this is the same thing being done at Gatllinburg Town Square