What do you think of your Wyndham timeshare?

[Stephanie Henderson]

Wondering if purchasing was the right decision. Would love to hear your honest opinions.

 

[jumoe]

Staying in them? LOVE IT.
I now loathe when I have to stay in a hotel that has 2 beds and a bathroom. Residence Inn type of unit will work - but otherwise I dread hotels and can't wait until the next time I get to stay with a kitchen and living room.
It is also getting me to plan a vacation with my family at least once a year.

All that being said - if you are asking if it is worth it to buy more from a developer - no. Resale or rent from an owner works just fine.

 

[Free2Roam]

We've enjoyed a bunch of great, memorable Wyndham vacations since 1998... but in the past 6-7 years we've expanded beyond just Wyndham. As a matter of fact, we now rent out most of our Wyndham points and use fixed (summer beach) weeks or RCI Points for our travels... mainly because Wyndham doesn't have resorts in all the places we like to travel.

 

[Stephanie Henderson]

When/how can you rent your points? Do you need a deed to a specific resort?

 

[Free2Roam]

When/how can you rent your points? Do you need a deed to a specific resort?

Sometimes I book easily-rentable reservations (e.g. summer holiday weekends at the beach) or book on request for family or friends. The deed doesn't need to be a specific resort unless you need ARP to book high demand reservations.

 

[Jan M.]

Yes, you seriously overpaid and no, 85,000 points isn't very much. But you didn't do anything that many of us also didn't do so welcome to the club! Many of us bought a lot more points and spent a lot more buying directly from Wyndham than you did. Don't get hung up on what you spent vs what resale costs. For many of us we wouldn't have discovered how great having a timeshare is if we hadn't made a developer purchase. Learn the system and make the most of what you have. Pick up some cheap or even almost free resale deeds here in TUG or eBay when you are ready. You will have many years of wonderful vacations. Wyndham has a lot of great resorts.

I think you've already found out that like the rest of us you love staying at the resorts with a fully furnished condo/apartment instead of an expensive hotel or cheap no frills motel and even they aren't always that cheap. Most of us eat at least some of our meals in our units and some eat almost all of their meals in their units. Being able to do either saves you a tremendous amount of money. Since you have a child it is so much easier not to have to eat in restaurants all the time. They get restless, bored, cranky and tired. Many resorts have great barbeque and picnic areas. Another thing that is really great is that you have a washer and dryer in the unit at most of the resorts. You don't have to worry about making sure you packed enough clothes for everyone and if any of you get something on your clothes you can throw a load in the washer. That is another thing that is particularly great with kids and adults too for that matter. Since you pay for bags with many airlines not having to take as much saves you money. People my husband worked with would ask how we could afford to vacation like we did and he would tell them we have a timeshare. Most of them had never heard of points based timeshares and didn't understand that everywhere we went we used our timeshare.

I've been bringing our now 7 year old granddaughter from Ohio down here to Florida for her vacations with us since she was 2. She loves Bonnet Creek and there is enough for kids and adults too there that some people don't even go to the Disney parks. Star Island worked great for us too. We always requested a unit in one of the buildings close to the playground, the pool and the miniature golf. The playground there is very nice, it was less crowded and easier for us to be in the pool with her, and less walking to get to those things. Her younger sister is now 2 and will be having her vacations with us so we will stay at Star Island with her until she's a couple of years older. But the 7 year old will be happy to go back there when she is here with her sister. At either one of these resorts, in some but not all seasons, you can book one bedroom units for a full week with the number of points you have.

 

[ecwinch]

You bought something and it is in your best interest to learn how you maximize the value you get out of it. What you have booked sounds like more than you can do on 85k a year. Depending on the season.

 

[bnoble]

I've owned for a bit over a dozen years now. Becoming a timeshare owner was among the better decisions I've made. Wyndham has a number of resorts that I find appealing in interesting locations. Wyndham's balance between luxury and ongoing costs fits my style. The ability to stay in a condo rather than a hotel room or two has made our vacations much more enjoyable.

But, those aren't really the reasons I'd do it again. The real reason: it's a commitment to vacation. There is a limited window in which to use each year's allocation, so using it becomes a priority. I'm moving my youngest into his freshman college dorm later this morning. We've averaged about three weeks/year of vacations over the last decade, and the trips we took with him and his older sister over the years made indelible memories.

I also own a couple of fixed weeks that I've used to exchange to many other wonderful locations. I happen to have bought all of my timeshares through resale. But, even if I'd bought them from the developer, it's hard to imagine a better use to which to put that money.

 

[Avislo]

When/how can you rent your points? Do you need a deed to a specific resort?

For 88,000 points renting them is probably not a good use of points. Using them or using a guest pass for family and friends is a better way to go. Both Club Wyndham Plus and Club Wyndham Access have a guest pass system. Club Wyndham Access is points based and does not involve owning a deed directly.

 

[Avislo]

When/how can you rent your points? Do you need a deed to a specific resort?

For 88,000 points renting them is probably not a good use of points. Using them or using a guest pass for family and friends is a better way to go. Both Club Wyndham Plus and Club Wyndham Access have a guest pass system. Club Wyndham Access is points based and does not involve owning a deed directly.

 

[Braindead]

Both Club Wyndham Plus and Club Wyndham Access have a guest pass system.

???

 

[ronparise]

Wondering if purchasing was the right decision. Would love to hear your honest opinions.

Best thing I’ve ever done

 

[Avislo]

Do not own any re-sales. There are a number of ways to get ownership in Wyndham Club Pass/Access. Even with the problems with Wyndham, I do not regret it. Especially the feature where their is a procedure for transfer of ownership interest to family members etc. and retain developer status on points/contracts that have that status.

 

[ecwinch]

It's a loaded question.

Imagine the response would you get if you walked into a bar and asked if drinking was a good decision. And then walk across the street to a church holding an AA meeting and ask the same.

 

[bnoble]

Imagine the response would you get if you walked into a bar and asked if drinking was a good decision. And then walk across the street to a church holding an AA meeting and ask the same.

In my experience, you'd be surprised at the answers you hear in both.

 

[bestpal38]

I love my timeshare. I paid nothing for it, I have 513,000 points, gold VIP, and I also love "Owners updates", though most don't. Now, would I pay for a Wyndham timeshare? Oh hell no. OK maybe resale yes, and I may someday soon. All the resorts I have been to are very nice, and I like the product. I only like the updates for the perks, and my personality is such, that nobody gets to me, when the sales weasels push, I push back harder. Been called a lot of unflattering names, but while I'm spending my gift cards, I get the last laugh.....

 

[Avislo]

You are right, sometimes s/he who laughs last laughs best.

 

[Jan M.]

I love my timeshare. I paid nothing for it, I have 513,000 points, gold VIP, and I also love "Owners updates", though most don't. Now, would I pay for a Wyndham timeshare? Oh hell no. OK maybe resale yes, and I may someday soon. All the resorts I have been to are very nice, and I like the product. I only like the updates for the perks, and my personality is such, that nobody gets to me, when the sales weasels push, I push back harder. Been called a lot of unflattering names, but while I'm spending my gift cards, I get the last laugh.....

Did a family member buy this originally and it was given to you or did you inherit it? I'm always appalled when we get questions from people who get the opportunity to have something like what you have and think timeshares are worthless, their family member was a fool to buy it and they whine about being burdened with it and the maintenance fees.

If you have gold VIP you aren't paying for transaction fees or housekeeping credits. If you are using your 35% discount at 60 days and free upgrade at 45 days as much as possible then you are making excellent use of what you have. You might consider reading the threads about making a small purchase from corporate telesales and adding two PIC weeks to get platinum.

 

[bestpal38]

Did a family member buy this originally and it was given to you or did you inherit it? I'm always appalled when we get questions from people who get the opportunity to have something like what you have and think timeshares are worthless, their family member was a fool to buy it and they whine about being burdened with it and the maintenance fees.

If you have gold VIP you aren't paying for transaction fees or housekeeping credits. If you are using your 35% discount at 60 days and free upgrade at 45 days as much as possible furniture you are making excellent use of what you have. You might consider reading the threads about making a small purchase from corporate telesales and adding two PIC weeks to get platinum.

My step father bought it. Paid cash. Nobody in the family wanted it. I did some research, and I jumped on it. Best decision ever. I vacation a lot. The Maint fees are a little high, but well worth it to me.

 

[Jan M.]

My step father bought it. Paid cash. Nobody in the family wanted it. I did some research, and I jumped on it. Best decision ever. I vacation a lot. The Maint fees are a little high, but well worth it to me.

You were smart to do the homework! Nice for you that nobody else in the family realized the value in having a Wyndham gold VIP ownership. Many families share an account and the points but they might not have even been interested in doing that. Are you in contact with them and do they know that you vacation a lot with it? Do they regret their decision or still not have a clue what they passed up?

 

[bestpal38]

You were smart to do the homework! Nice for you that nobody else in the family realized the value in having a Wyndham gold VIP ownership. Many families share an account and the points but they might not have even been interested in doing that. Are you in contact with them and do they know that you vacation a lot with it? Do they regret their decision or still not have a clue what they passed up?

They know I use it, so far they have no idea what they are missing out on. If a family member wants a room, I will more than likely get them one. I still think they are pretty oblivious to what they could have had.