Second Timeshare System

[raptor78]

Welcome to 2012 All!!

So I managed to successfully get past my first and second timeshare purchases... Picked up a nice Grand Deserts and also a Smoky Mountains package on Wyndham -- Chose these due to maintenance fees, location and of course the Wyndham flexibility in terms of options overall...

The downside -- 1.2M points, already have them booked for the year and still looking for some additional travel dates...

While I continue to watch eBay and the likes for a steal on another low MF, high point package -- I have started broadening my horizon a little and started wondering about augmenting my portfolio with a different system...

I am avoiding Hilton and Marriott for the time being, as they are a little higher due to the ROFR these use... So I started looking at a few of the other systems, GeoHoliday, Monarch, Bluegreen, etc...

When looking at properties, quality of property generally comes first with location select coming in second -- and everything else after that...

Any experienced TS buyers out there care to recommend a second system worth spending my time researching? I can grab anyone and start reading and learning - I would like a suggestion or two to cut the list down to a manageable level of research time/learning... No rush, just want to start the learning process over with something different to hopefully enhance... Oh, strong international trade would be a plus too -- Like heading international a couple times a year and something that has a strong international network would be a plus (not just Mexico or Caribbean, but overseas would be nice)...

Any thoughts anyone might want to share?

Mike

 

[alexadeparis]

I just bought into Shell Vacations Club - nothing international, but it does come with a membership in Interval International. The MF are high, but the quality is excellent and has daily tidying. I started a thread on the "All other timeshare systems" board a while back. I am happy that I got a cheap points package to explore with. I also own and enjoy Wyndham.

 

[raptor78]

I just bought into Shell Vacations Club - nothing international, but it does come with a membership in Interval International. The MF are high, but the quality is excellent and has daily tidying. I started a thread on the "All other timeshare systems" board a while back. I am happy that I got a cheap points package to explore with. I also own and enjoy Wyndham.

Thanks for the advice -- I'll look into SVC a little more -- I had historically avoided due to the high MF -- but if the properties are good that may justify the higher MF -- Since you own Wyndham as well, how do you think the properties, on average, compare to Wyndham?

Mike

 

[MichaelColey]

Do you necessarily need to be in a mini-system for your second "system"?

How many additional weeks of travel are you looking for?

If you're looking for 2-4, you might consider 1-2 good lockoffs that trade in RCI Weeks. Splitting and depositing separately, you could get 2-4 weeks (or more or less depending on what exchanges you're looking for).

If you're looking for 10+ more weeks, you might want to research Christmas Mountain Village UDIs. It's a unique ownership that lets you make (and deposit) quite a few reservations every year. There's a bit of a learning curve and it takes a bit of work to get the most out of it, but it can work very, very good.

Working through both Wyndham and RCI Weeks seem like they would really complement each other well. Wyndham is great for nearer term reservations and shorter reservations. RCI has much more diversity and a lower cost per night (if you own a resort with a low TPU cost), but you need more planning (to get the best resorts) and full week stays.

Most of my timesharing has been through this combination. I don't own Wyndham, but I rent from several different Wyndham VIPs. Most of my stays are RCI exchanges, but I supplement with Wyndham stays.