New to Welk!

[NanaT]

Hello All!

So glad I found this site as I am still within my 7 days rescind window. I was a Welk auditions member, and was able to use what I paid for my auditions package (about $3500) towards a 120,000 point purchase and paid an additional $8992. Now, I have found a cheaper offer on Ebay and am looking into that at the moment).

I have a few questions though.

For those of you that have Welk, do you like it? Can you really get those great hotels through RCI that they boast in the presentation meetings? I am worried about the ease of use...is it hard to get/ book dates at good hotels? They sold me on the ability to book at Disney hotels and those amazing Hilton/ Marriott? Grand Luxe and other amazing hotels...does that ever actually work out?

Also, is the day use (Escondido location) really easy to use, or do they make it hard to use?

I know people who love their timeshare, and we are really excited about it but also worried and anxious that it'll be difficult to use. I am a teacher and only get 2 weeks off during July, and 2 weeks off during December.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[mjm1]

I and others on TUG would recommend you rescind your purchase immediately and then do research to determine which system would work best for you.

We used to own Welk, first as a fixed week owner and then as a points owner. We sold it back to them and own other systems now. Their resorts are nice but not in ideal locations for us. Also, 120,000 points will only get a small one bedroom unit in Escondido each year. I don’t have any experience with their newer programs with the hotels, so can’t speak to that feature.

You can definitely save a lot of money buying on the resale market. You have seen eBay, but also look at redweek.com and the TUG Marketplace. Joining TUG is a good idea and the minimal membership fee is well worth it.

To rescind, do exactly what the paper work says.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[sue1947]

I have a few questions though.
Can you really get those great hotels through RCI that they boast in the presentation meetings? I am worried about the ease of use...is it hard to get/ book dates at good hotels? They sold me on the ability to book at Disney hotels and those amazing Hilton/ Marriott? Grand Luxe and other amazing hotels...does that ever actually work out?

First, make sure you rescind and then do your homework on what to buy. With your limited vacation time, you need to be extra careful about the details. You can only vacation during the most popular times so you will be competing against lots and lots of people for units; more requests than there are units. I think you are a good candidate for a fixed week unit at a location you like.
Timeshare sales are the main reason that timeshares have such a bad reputation and the lines they gave you are a good example. They like to show you the entire RCI catalog and imply that you can get any unit you want at any time. Nope. You can only exchange into a week that has been deposited AND you have to have the best deposit in time/quality or location. What constitutes higher demand is somewhat hazy within each system, but at any location, regardless of high or low end resort, the most demand will be school holidays. As such, you will need to deposit early so you are first in line and then hope for the best. Do not expect a mud week at a ski resort to trade into the Christmas holidays. You might get into a desert location in the summer, maybe. The owner of the unit you want has to decide to deposit it as well. For the weeks you want, they are more likely to use it themselves or to rent it out for more than their maintenance fees. As a result, there are fewer weeks deposited and more people chasing it.
Timeshares are great options. However, given your limited timeframe, I would not look at any points product. Find a fixed week at a resort you like and then start by using it and then, as you learn the ropes, exchange.

Sue

 

[turkel]

My sister owns at Welk and does use her day use easily as she lives close by. I believe you have to buy directly with Welk to get day use though. She told me she doesn't trade her unit but uses it for spring break each year.

Not sure how it trades but you should know that Hilton and Disney trade in RCI while Marriott trades in II. Welk recently switched affiliations from II to RCI although II will still accept a Welk trade.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Welk trades very well within II. Now that Welk is aligned with RCI, I suspect it will be the same though too early to tell. Welk Resorts have high trade value, but--as a previous poster has pointed out--only a handful of locations. One thing that has certainly broadened Welk's appeal is its access to about a dozen other resorts not within the Welk system, including Disney Aulani and Saratoga Springs, Four Seasons Aviara and Troon, and several others. I also like the flexibility of being able to save and borrow points from one year to the next, with up to a four-year window to use saved points.

All that said, Welk is heavily oriented toward the Western United States, with just one of its locations east of the Mississippi at Branson.

As for the access to the luxury hotel rooms, you'll never get those with only 120,000 points.