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New to Timesharing, lots of questions :)

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1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Orlando area

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? we are hoping to do about 6, 3-night trips a year to Orlando; 2, 3-night trips somewhere else in the US; and 1 week-long trip to various places each year

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Orlando
Branson
Anaheim
Colorado


4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? The 8, 3-night trips a year will be me and my husband, The 1 weeklong trip each year will be 6 adults

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? anytime

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? yes, if needed, but we would also like to plan a couple of last-minute trips if possible

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? not usually

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 3-5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 2k

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year? 2k

11) Are you a detail-oriented planner? yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees until you do? yes

I just stumbled across this site a few days ago, and I have been reading as much as possible. I am SO thankful for the information and advice everyone has given so far.
Timesharing is new to us. We had originally thought about buying a small condo down in Orlando and just going there every month or two for a 3-4 night getaway. But we aren't sure we want to go down the route, for many reasons. We enjoy the resort lifestyle and amenities as well.

A couple of additional questions:

13) I have been looking at Wyndham Club Access as a possibility since we would have more options of resorts, and not just "stuck" in one place, even though I know we could exchange and trade in points, etc. The WCA just seemed easier with as many trips as we are planning each year.
The question is...are there any limits to how many trips you can make each year with points without having additional fees, etc.? It seems that timeshares are set up to be more suited for a family taking an annual one-week long trip each year to the same destination.

14) If we go the WCA route, how many points, in general, do you think it would take to rent a studio/1 bedroom for the above mentioned 3-night trips and a 3 bedroom for the above mentioned week-long trip each year?

15) I see that it is possible to add more timeshare points at a later time with Wyndham. Do the 2 timeshares then merge as one larger total with the same anniversary date, or do you then have 2 separate timeshares to deal with, with different anniversary dates?

16) It seems that it takes a while to get the transfer completed when buying resale timeshares. Is it reasonable to think we would be able to use the points in 2020 for at least one trip if we bought timeshare points in the next couple of months?

17) Have you found it possible to book a short trip, 3 nights or so, within a month of wanting to travel?

Thank you all in advance for your help and input. We are excited to get started on this journey!
 

CO skier

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1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Orlando area

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? we are hoping to do about 6, 3-night trips a year to Orlando; 2, 3-night trips somewhere else in the US; and 1 week-long trip to various places each year

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Orlando
Branson
Anaheim
Colorado


4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? The 8, 3-night trips a year will be me and my husband, The 1 weeklong trip each year will be 6 adults

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? anytime

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 2k

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year? 2k
WorldMark by Wyndham would be a very good fit for you. It has resorts at all of your top locations. You may explore the locations using the dropdown menu here:

https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/resorts/

Or the summary here:


Credits are issued annually on the first of the anniversary month of the account and are good for two years. Not being tied to the school calendar allows you to buy enough credits for your once/year trip, then use the cash options (which do not require a housekeeping charge) to book your shorter trips.

Bonus Time (BT) is up to 14 days in advance, limited to 4 nights per reservation and 1 BT reservation at a time unless reserved within 48 hours of arrival. Charge is currently $0.072/credit with $80 minimum per night.

Inventory Special (IS) is up to 60 days in advance, limited to 14 nights per reservation and up to 6 IS reservations at a time. Charge is currently $0.072/credit with $80 minimum per night.

Monday Madness (MM) is up to 11 months in advance, limited to 6 MM reservations at a time. Charge is $0.10/credit with $80 minimum per night.

Here is a rough idea of the per night costs at the 2020 cash rate for a 1 bedroom. Tax is additional and runs about 10-13%.

Monday – Thursday $80-$100

Sunday - $80-$120

Friday and Saturday - $105-$150


So, 20 nights per year plus the annual maintenance fee will be more than $2,000, but it will be difficult to find a better deal than WorldMark, imo.

You could become an owner for 5,000 – 6,000 credits, but the recommendation is 10,000 credits and 5,000 credit increments after that for maintenance fee efficiency. One free housekeeping is included with every 10,000 credits of ownership awarded annually. Housekeeping charges are included in BT, IS and MM specials and do not count against your annual allotment. Annual maintenance fee for 10,000 credit ownership is currently $915. Plan for 5% increases per year.

It is easy to buy a 10,000 credit WorldMark membership on eBay for about your target price of $2,000. Be sure to deal with sellers that have an extensive, positive history. For peace-of-mind, there are a number of reputable brokers that specialize in WorldMark where a purchase may be made for not much more than on EBay.

The transfer process takes about 4 months. Any available credits that transfer may be used immediately for arrivals up to 13 months in advance. An ownership may be expanded by purchasing additional accounts and combining. One time use credits may also be rented and transferred from other owners

WorldMark owners think WorldMark offers the most flexibility of any timeshare.
 
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RNCollins

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The WorldMark and Wyndham ideas sound good.

You might also want to consider purchasing a timeshare in RCI Points. If you get a large enough points contract, you might be able to get nearly all of the time you want. I think resort availability opens to all members at 10 months out.
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
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Welcome to TUG! Orlando is full of timeshares. Compare the costs of timeshare maintenance fee and resale buy-in cost to renting for your family. There are many timeshares (including Worldmark and Wyndham) you can rent via Redweek and Tug at these locations. If the cost of the timeshare is significantly lower then it is worth the risk to being locked into a maintenance fee every year. If equal to or more expensive then do not buy - rent.

Also consider a combo of a low cost/low point resale timeshare in Florida and renting/hotels for the rest of your locations where you are not accommodating 6 people. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Good luck!
 
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JohnPaul

TUG Review Crew: Elite
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I would go with Worldmark or Wyndham vs RCI Points since you want a number of short trips. For short trips through RCI you get exchange fees and often get housekeeping fees as well.
 
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