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What should I buy

John W

newbie
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Messages
2
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Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Looking for some help, again as you all have already saved me from a major error this past week in Myrtle and you saved me thousands! Thank you!!! We tend to visit Myrtle Beach 2-3 and sometimes 4 times a year so it got me into the timeshare thinking. I was up in the air on a TS or purchasing a place and renting it majority of the time. But I like the idea of a TS so when we go to Disney, we can use points there as well. Just trying to see what the best route will be for much of our time visiting Myrtle and every other year a trip to Disneyworld for our girls. And maybe sneak in Hawaii every 4-5 years and maybe a Cancun every now and then. Thanks for reading and thanks for saving me once already. I have repaid the favor with the $15 fee to join to help support TUG!!


1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? We frequent Myrtle Beach 2-3 times a year for a total of 10-15 days a year. Our travel falls in all seasons.

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? Travel here probably 75% of the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Disney - Orlando is our other place that we visit every other year.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 2 adults and 2 kids

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes but I like to reduce it when in Myrtle, kids have me pulling my hair out after day 5 :)

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 5k preferred

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? 1k'ish

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
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Messages
799
Reaction score
475
Location
St. Louis
Resorts Owned
Welk Resorts
I would think Wyndham or Woldmark would be a good choice for you. I believe they get some preferred access to Disney deposits on RCI for trades.
 

Tacoma

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
1,265
Reaction score
577
Location
Calgary,Ab, Canada
Worldmark is mainly out west while wyndham is mainly in the east so based on your location wyndham would be better. I'm not sure they are quite up to scale of accomodation levels. Most people consider worldmark a 3 star club. I'm sure Marriott and Hyatt etc people will chime in.
 

goaliedave

Guest
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
1,298
Reaction score
855
Resorts Owned
Raintree, Diamond (bought by Hilton), Shell (bought by Wyndham), Sheraton (bought by Marriott), Palace Resorts, a few independants
Diamond Resorts. 400 locations without exchange fees. Also rumoured to be buying Hilton resorts to enhance their Embarc brand.

Sent from my SM-A505G using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Messages
799
Reaction score
475
Location
St. Louis
Resorts Owned
Welk Resorts
That's a good point @Tacoma . I don't take the "5* preferred accomodations" too seriously as most resorts aren't 5* rated by the official raters.

@goaliedave there are a lot of Diamond resorts that are rather poor quality. But they are expanding, no doubt and according to the New York times as of August '19, Diamond's parent company, Apollo Global Management offered to by Hilton Grand Vacations. I can't find anything new on the buyout of HGV but Diamond did buy some chunks of two NYC hotels, Park Central and Westhouse.
 

SteelerGal

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,758
Reaction score
837
Resorts Owned
WKV, SDO, HPP, Bay Club
I would look into HGVC. It’s a great points System and they treat resale owners very well. . The stickie will give you background as well as suggestions where to purchase. There are many HGVC locations in the US as International.
If you do purchase HGVC, you then can trade into DVC since DVC is traded w/in RCI.(I am not a DVC expert so please research).
Also before purchasing into Diamond, read the stickies as well as reviews. Apollo is an investment firm that charges ridiculous management fees which increases MF however does not improve the actual properties. Hilton is actually concerned that a purchase by Appollo will tarnish the hotel brand. So if there is such a purchase, who knows if HGVC will keep the Hilton name.
 

louisianab

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
399
Reaction score
318
Location
Michigan
Resorts Owned
SVV and Vacation Village at Williamsburg.
A points based system is better if you don't want to go full weeks. I do enjoy Wyndham's with my medium sized children and the price is pretty reasonable.
 

SteelerGal

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,758
Reaction score
837
Resorts Owned
WKV, SDO, HPP, Bay Club
Research, rent and then buy. We all have different needs and desires when it comes from vacationing. I currently own w/in 4 Systems as well as own Independents. However even I still research other options based on our vacation needs.
 

CPNY

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
7,635
Reaction score
4,510
Resorts Owned
Harborside Resort at Atlantis
SVV - Key West/Bella
WKV
Regal Vista at Massanutten
Looking for some help, again as you all have already saved me from a major error this past week in Myrtle and you saved me thousands! Thank you!!! We tend to visit Myrtle Beach 2-3 and sometimes 4 times a year so it got me into the timeshare thinking. I was up in the air on a TS or purchasing a place and renting it majority of the time. But I like the idea of a TS so when we go to Disney, we can use points there as well. Just trying to see what the best route will be for much of our time visiting Myrtle and every other year a trip to Disneyworld for our girls. And maybe sneak in Hawaii every 4-5 years and maybe a Cancun every now and then. Thanks for reading and thanks for saving me once already. I have repaid the favor with the $15 fee to join to help support TUG!!


1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? We frequent Myrtle Beach 2-3 times a year for a total of 10-15 days a year. Our travel falls in all seasons.

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? Travel here probably 75% of the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Disney - Orlando is our other place that we visit every other year.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 2 adults and 2 kids

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes but I like to reduce it when in Myrtle, kids have me pulling my hair out after day 5 :)

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 5k preferred

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? 1k'ish

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
While DVC is in RCI it could go back to Interval, if you want Myrtle beach I’d buy in a resort that you would want to stay there. While I like vistana properties a lot, I’m not a fan of Sheraton broadway plantation. Buy where you want to go in this case since more than 75% of the time you plan on going there.

hilton I think has beach front property in myrtle if I’m not mistaken. They also have orlando resort and can trade into DISNEY in RCI as of now, if DVC stays in RCI which I think they would.

Marriott also has beachfront resort in myrtle. But if they do you can exchange within interval for all Marriott properties and they have 6 in Orlando (I love the orlando Marriott properties) you’ll also have interval membership and can score two bedroom getaways (full week intervals) for as low as 400 for the week (done it 4 times in the past two years) you’ll also have access to Cancun with the priority exchange in interval for Westin lagunamar. Availability maybe limited. However there are plenty of Cancun properties in interval.

not so familiar with Wyndham it they do have properties in Orlando and MB. They also trade in RCI. many will tell you II has much better properties than RCI but again, everyone has their own preferences.

Since you wanted 4-5 star resorts, I’d recommend Marriott ocean watchvillas at grand dune. You can also pick up a small vistana unit that comes with star options to book westin lagunamar or other resorts. But I’d look into the Marriott myrtle beach since you want 4-5 star resorts. You’ll also get better resorts in interval to exchange for what you’re looking for.
 

Mongoose

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2012
Messages
2,232
Reaction score
1,210
Location
Colorado
Resorts Owned
Hyatt Pinion Pointe, HGVC The Bay Club, HGVC Elara, Worldmark
Looking for some help, again as you all have already saved me from a major error this past week in Myrtle and you saved me thousands! Thank you!!! We tend to visit Myrtle Beach 2-3 and sometimes 4 times a year so it got me into the timeshare thinking. I was up in the air on a TS or purchasing a place and renting it majority of the time. But I like the idea of a TS so when we go to Disney, we can use points there as well. Just trying to see what the best route will be for much of our time visiting Myrtle and every other year a trip to Disneyworld for our girls. And maybe sneak in Hawaii every 4-5 years and maybe a Cancun every now and then. Thanks for reading and thanks for saving me once already. I have repaid the favor with the $15 fee to join to help support TUG!!


1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? We frequent Myrtle Beach 2-3 times a year for a total of 10-15 days a year. Our travel falls in all seasons.

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? Travel here probably 75% of the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Disney - Orlando is our other place that we visit every other year.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 2 adults and 2 kids

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes but I like to reduce it when in Myrtle, kids have me pulling my hair out after day 5 :)

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 5k preferred

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? 1k'ish

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
Check out HICV resale points at South Beach, Smoky Mountain and Lake Genvea. You can pick them up cheap and they are very flexible. Great from Texas on East. Nothing in the Rockies, but locations in NV and AZ.
 

RNCollins

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
3,336
Reaction score
1,202
Location
Borscht Belt
Resorts Owned
Tradewinds, Quarter House, Casa Ybel
Hi John W, welcome to TUG!

Below I have attached the links to the 2 major exchange companies, RCI & Interval International. You can do a search of the Myrtle Beach area and get an idea of what timeshares exist there. Right now RCI exchanges with Disney. Your resort will have to use RCI as their exchange company for you to be able to exchange into Disney. If you buy a timeshare within the Orlando/Kissimmee area you will not be allowed to exchange into Disney.


RCI currently has Hilton, Disney, WorldMark and Wyndham affiliated with them.
Interval has the Marriott’s, Vistana’s, Hyatt, Four Seasons and Diamond timeshares. I’m sure there are more so I’m sure others will chime in.
Some will say that the quality of the resorts are better with Interval.

 
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Messages
799
Reaction score
475
Location
St. Louis
Resorts Owned
Welk Resorts
The big reason why I think people, including myself, tend to say the II has better resorts, is because they tend to have more updated pictures of their resorts. Wyndham, Hilton, Welk (dual affiliated), and other big name companies that are on RCI have very nice properties but a lot of the smaller ones look like they haven't renovated since the 80s. I always go to the resorts home page to look for updated pics and amenities.


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Panina

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
6,928
Reaction score
10,281
Location
Florida
Resorts Owned
Hgvc Anderson, Blue Ride Village Resort
Looking for some help, again as you all have already saved me from a major error this past week in Myrtle and you saved me thousands! Thank you!!! We tend to visit Myrtle Beach 2-3 and sometimes 4 times a year so it got me into the timeshare thinking. I was up in the air on a TS or purchasing a place and renting it majority of the time. But I like the idea of a TS so when we go to Disney, we can use points there as well. Just trying to see what the best route will be for much of our time visiting Myrtle and every other year a trip to Disneyworld for our girls. And maybe sneak in Hawaii every 4-5 years and maybe a Cancun every now and then. Thanks for reading and thanks for saving me once already. I have repaid the favor with the $15 fee to join to help support TUG!!


1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? We frequent Myrtle Beach 2-3 times a year for a total of 10-15 days a year. Our travel falls in all seasons.

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? Travel here probably 75% of the time.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Disney - Orlando is our other place that we visit every other year.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 2 adults and 2 kids

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes but I like to reduce it when in Myrtle, kids have me pulling my hair out after day 5 :)

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? 5k preferred

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? 1k'ish

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
My suggestion would be HGVC. I would look for Anderson for as many points as you can get. It is the most reasonable to purchase In HGVC Myrtle Beach. I would stretch your budget or save some more and aim for 7000 to 8400 points. You will have the option to use your home week which you most probably will not do at this point.

At this point 5 days is where you had enough, taking 4 night/ 5 day vacations within the system Monday to Friday will let you maximize your points. Week nights are much less then Weekends thus you will have multiple vacations
 

CPNY

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
7,635
Reaction score
4,510
Resorts Owned
Harborside Resort at Atlantis
SVV - Key West/Bella
WKV
Regal Vista at Massanutten
I’d go further and say buy vistana mandatory resorts, you can use star options for myrtle beach in Sheraton or exchange in interval for Marriott ocean front grand dune. You can then use the options in vistana villages or book getaways for orlando and still use star options for Westin lagunamar Cancun. Great idea
 
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