First and foremost, this is my first time exploring the timeshare market. I had previously done just a tad of research from the NTHC and TUG, so I had a bit of knowledge going into the presentation.
Full disclosure, the resort is roughly 30 minutes from our home. While we like it, we wouldn't want that to be our home resort, because of how close it is to us already (granted, no airplane tickets to get there, but I would feel weird taking a vacation so close to our home).
The tour itself went quite well, felt very little pressure, and we walked out without buying (after mentioning the resale market, TUG, etc). The salesman did make a few comments that I'm not sure I quite understand, and was hoping to get some clarification.
The resort we toured was Massanutten (which I think is part of Wyndham). We of course told the salesman we wouldn't purchase a timeshare there, because of the proximity to us already. He said not a problem, we can exchange at other resorts through RCI, and the real money saving comes from when the resort is paid off. He broke down the math like this (excluding the monthly payment for the unit; assume we bought resale, so this is 0):
~$220 exchange fee to use our week at another resort (he said the exchange fee also allows us to pick a week WHENEVER, regardless of which week we bought. Unsure if this is the case?).
~$100 for RCI membership
~$400 for maintenance fees
So in total, looking at around $720 for a week's vacation at any other resort. He said he personally uses it at Sandals, which is an all inclusive resort, and it costs him nothing. I just nodded and said that sounds great, but surely that can't be the case, right?
I guess my questions are about if the above is actually correct, or if there's something else he's leaving out (which is what I'm leaning to). Additionally, he said RCI has great discounts on airfare, so it's completely worth it to sign up with them and get airfare through them; is this also true? Are resold units even eligible for the RCI membership?
Thanks for bearing with me, hopefully these questions aren't too stupid. The ultimate goal for us is to have the most enjoyable vacation, for as little as possible.
Full disclosure, the resort is roughly 30 minutes from our home. While we like it, we wouldn't want that to be our home resort, because of how close it is to us already (granted, no airplane tickets to get there, but I would feel weird taking a vacation so close to our home).
The tour itself went quite well, felt very little pressure, and we walked out without buying (after mentioning the resale market, TUG, etc). The salesman did make a few comments that I'm not sure I quite understand, and was hoping to get some clarification.
The resort we toured was Massanutten (which I think is part of Wyndham). We of course told the salesman we wouldn't purchase a timeshare there, because of the proximity to us already. He said not a problem, we can exchange at other resorts through RCI, and the real money saving comes from when the resort is paid off. He broke down the math like this (excluding the monthly payment for the unit; assume we bought resale, so this is 0):
~$220 exchange fee to use our week at another resort (he said the exchange fee also allows us to pick a week WHENEVER, regardless of which week we bought. Unsure if this is the case?).
~$100 for RCI membership
~$400 for maintenance fees
So in total, looking at around $720 for a week's vacation at any other resort. He said he personally uses it at Sandals, which is an all inclusive resort, and it costs him nothing. I just nodded and said that sounds great, but surely that can't be the case, right?
I guess my questions are about if the above is actually correct, or if there's something else he's leaving out (which is what I'm leaning to). Additionally, he said RCI has great discounts on airfare, so it's completely worth it to sign up with them and get airfare through them; is this also true? Are resold units even eligible for the RCI membership?
1) Where do you want your home resort to be?
Florida, probably near Orlando or Kissimmee.
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?
If we would be able to do what the salesman said above, we would totally rather trade our use for a week at an all inclusive resort. Assuming there's a catch to that, we would most likely use our home resort half the time. Main gain for us is to have somewhere near Disney we can go to, with decent accommodations and a low price. Given 6 nights at $150/night, anything under $900/yr total would be a gain for us.
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
<Unknown> We would primarily use this for Disney, though if we could use our trade for something in the Caribbean, we would be happy.
4) How many people do you usually travel with?
This is tough; we have 3 of us, though my in-laws like to come to Disney with us. So if it's just us, 3-5 (assuming expansion in family), but up to 11 if we include the in-laws.
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
Can travel pretty much any time of the year. I like planning out my vacations though, so not having to plan within 30 days of travel (eg. the bonus weeks) would be great.
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes, but would prefer to make them 3-6 months ahead of time.
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Absolutely.
8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
3-4 (my wife would want close to 4)
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
Prefer under $500. I don't know if that's a stupid low or stupid high answer, given that some people are basically giving away their timeshares. Obviously the closer to $0, while matching our desires would be awesome.
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?
$400-600. As detailed above, we'd be looking at ~$900 for a 6 night stay near Disney, so I *think* that should be the range I'm looking for.
11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Mostly. I like to know what's happening before we get there, and not have to worry about availability.
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 do have a question about this though; the salesman indicated we could just "give back" the timeshare. I sniffed BS, as I've never heard of that, but didn't question him further. Maybe I just misunderstood?
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Thanks for bearing with me, hopefully these questions aren't too stupid. The ultimate goal for us is to have the most enjoyable vacation, for as little as possible.