You’ll learn more by asking questions here and looking up your account on DRI’s owners web site than you will ever learn from an “orientation” or “update”. There are a lot of sales staff that don’t even own, or own only a token amount of points, in the system. They really do t have a clue how things actually work beyond what their sales manager tells them. As an owner you are more likely to pull a “senior” sales rep, and they’re more likely to own, but it’s always questionable that they really know the ins and outs of the system. You’ll get more accurate and realistic info here.
It’s not just DRI. Every timeshare management group has a ploy to get you to attend another sales presentation. Most are owner updates. They tell you there have been a LOT of changes since your last update, but there typically hasn’t been anything note worthy. These are all just sales presentations.
Our original purchase was with Diamond Resorts in 1998 when the only resort they owned was PoloTowers and long before there was ever any trust points. We left Diamond several years ago due to their fees. They’re a decent company, have nice resorts and desirable locations.
Just put the brakes on before increasing your ownership. They use a lot of Voodoo math that, once you leave the sales floor, you’ll realize doesn’t add up (all timeshare companies do this as well).
Be aware that timeshare is NOT like booking a hotel room. To get the most from your purchase you need to plan in advance. There is value in last minute trips, but you’ll find inventory and dates can be limited, it’s best to plan, at a minimum, 6 months in advance. Some locations and views will require you book as far in advance as possible. Hawaii, for instance, always required we book at the earliest possible month (10 months I think it was when we were owners) to get a deluxe unit at Ka’anapali. Some of the resorts they show you are affiliated resorts and have very limited availability, so do t cou t on getting anything/everything you want on the dates you need.
I plan our vacations out approx 18 to 24 months out. For us this is a rough sketch of places we’d like to visit, how we’ll get the reservation (exchange or internal reservation), what system we’ll use (we own more than one) and how we’ll get there. With Marriott we can book 13 months in advance and, if it’s a popular destination like Hawaii or S. Florida in the winter, we book that far out. With Hilton we book 9 months out (furthest I can book with that group). We book our home week 12 months in advance in Breckenridge, CO. When we go to Branson, it can be as little as 3 months in advance but is generally 6 months and it’s usually just a long weekend trip. Over time you’ll figure out which are the difficult times and destinations that require more planning g and which are the easier destinations that are easier to obtain.
