New abound “family” …

[rickandcindy23]

I don't really like point systems. For Maui, we bought where we want to go. We own five weeks oceanfront, only two are Westin, the other 3 weeks are at an older resort about 1.2 miles from Westin. I would like to buy more OF Westin via resale. Syed Sarmad can help you with that: advantagevacation.com

Marriott Abound is a product/system that I haven't cared to own. We do own Marriott weeks, which we can exchange into through II for a nominal cost of $164, Marriott-Marriott, Marriott-Vistana (Westin/ Sheraton), Vistana-Vistana. It's a bargain.

No matter what a timeshare salesperson tells you, they are just trying to make money for themselves. They aren't there to help you with anything that benefits you in any way.

Westin 2 bedrooms, island view, can be had for a very low price, if you don't care about oceanfront.

 

[rthib]

Points work best if you are flexible and/or like to spend shorter times.
They work great for us in Hawaii because we Island hope, we are spending 16 days, 2 Nights on Oahu then 4 Nights on Big Island, Maui and Kauai.
Othe times that make a great add on to a week stay, points are cheapest S-Th night,
There are some great deals on destination escapes Too.
But if yiu are buying points because you want to stay at x resort during x holiday yiu will find it expensive and frustrating.
Like all things time-share it can be great or a disaster depending on what you buy and how you want to use it.
My personal opinion is that getting 2000 or less points is going to be frustrating experience and getting more is going to be expensive,
Unless you have a lot of spare change and get get one of the good hybrid packages at around $7/point that is enrolled weeks and points, I would suggest finding a different way into the system.

 

[AH1984]

One thing to remember with the points system is that just because there's a points chart doesn't mean there will ever be inventory for where and when you want to travel. Some locations and seasons have lots of inventory others little to none.
With club points you can't use them in II to exchange back into any MVC, Sheraton and Westin resorts, and it's generally an expensive way to get exchanges in II vs a resale week when you compare the maintenance fees for what you have to deposit.
There's a lot more twists and turns to any decision on what and where to buy so take your time.

This discounted rate available seems to be the real draw for II rather than actually paying a fee and converting your points

 

[davidvel]

This discounted rate available seems to be the real draw for II rather than actually paying a fee and converting your points

You can get an II account by acquiring a free timeshare week with low MF that trades in II. This has nothing to do with buying points. Have you RESCINDED YET?

 

[Hindsite]

Do you know if there is an excel version of this ?

Sorry I don't know.

 

[AH1984]

We have rescinded.
Thanks everyone for your messages, looking forward to finding the best and most cost effective path for our needs

 

[claraj]

@TUGBrian In case this wasn't on your radar...

 

[TUGBrian]

ty! grats on saving 23k!

 

[davidvel]

We have rescinded.
Thanks everyone for your messages, looking forward to finding the best and most cost effective path for our needs

Congratulations. Now that we got that out of the way, please don't be a stranger. Everyone will be happy to help you find what works best for your situation. As with most new endeavors, and what the salespeople pray on, is that you don't know enough to know what you don't know. Ask lots of questions with specifics of your likely travel plans/patterns (dates/views/locations/size). Don't forget to plan for a growing family.

 

[AH1984]

Thanks all!
I have some good info and websites to do some more research on

I believe someone mentioned a hybrid option but I don’t want to be locked into one location…

I still believe points will be the best way to go for our needs but now that I have the point charts and will be able to plan out our needs better, I will have a much better idea of the $$ involved to fulfill it

 

[davidvel]

Thanks all!
I have some good info and websites to do some more research on

I believe someone mentioned a hybrid option but I don’t want to be locked into one location…

I still believe points will be the best way to go for our needs but now that I have the point charts and will be able to plan out our needs better, I will have a much better idea of the $$ involved to fulfill it

Do a plan like you are an architect. make a chart of what you think you want/will do, then add up the points. You'll be shocked at the price in most cases.