What should I buy?

[stcyn]

Help! I've been wanting to purchase timeshare points for a few years now, but everytime I start to research it, i get freaked out by the amount of information and then my head starts to spin and I give up! Any help or advice you have would be greatly appreciated! Here's my answers all the suggested questions:

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
No, we rarely go the same hotel twice that's why we are thinking about purchasing points vs. a particular location. We spend a lot of money on nice hotels and I'm hoping buying timepoints would save us money. The locations we want like to travel to are: Cabos San Lucas, Colorado Mountains for skiing, Estes Park - Colorado, Grand Lake - Colorado, New York City, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Australia, Italy.

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?
Trade more than 1/2 the time

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Cabos San Lucas, Colorado Mountains for skiing, New York City, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Australia, Italy.


4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
2, but would love option to invite friends and family

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

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Usually not

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes, prefer 10-14 days

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
5 star luxury.

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
I am hoping to get a free (or close to free) time share and plan on paying only maint fees.

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
No limit, but the only reason for buying a time share vs. just hoteling is to save money vs. hotel costs. So, we want the cost to be less than money we would spend hoteling.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes, but it's a pain to plan our vacations. I wouldn't mind having a some nice places that are locked and loaded and ready to go without doing much planning.

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?
I do. However, if you think i'm way off base thinking this will be a less expensive option than hoteling it, please let me know. We typically go on two 7-14 day vacations per year. If this isn't a way to save money, then please let me know.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[Passepartout]

A couple of issues. First, there is no such thing as a 5-star timeshare. There are some nice places, like Marriott or Hilton, but they aren't 5 star. Second, international TSs are not up to US/Mexico standards., so temper your expectations there. Third, timesharing only works (Y'know, low cost stays?) with near 100% occupancy, and that means more owners than rooms, so, in order to get the top choices in the best seasons- like Colorado/Utah skiing, and holiday weeks- like President's day someplace like Key West, you HAVE to book up to a year-or more in advance or either you get no availability, or you get a parking lot or dumpster view.

That said, if you buy enough points with a pure points TS play- not a deeded place where you have to parlay what you own to have enough points to afford the exchange with another resort. Also, EVERY exchange (when you don't stay at your home resort) whether for 3 nights or 2 weeks will cost an extra $200-$300 in fees.

With timeshares there are ALWAYS fees. And count on them going up at around the rate of inflation, every year.

It's no problem getting your foot in the door cheaply- even free, but the cost of use is still pretty steep.

Happy hunting!

Jim

 

[ABCTravels]

Regarding #11- Timeshares are not typically all-inclusive vacations. We have kitchens in our suites that allow us to eat meals in the room, which is great for my family with food allergies, but otherwise the vacation still requires me to make plans for things like activities, rental cars, excursions and tours, etc. At sales presentations, they will offer that travel services can give you a fully planned trip, but those services through Hilton, which we own, is a waste of points. I have not used their travel services offer to arrange any of our vacations. Perhaps others who have will share a different view.

 

[jp10558]

Yea, I don't think there's many (or any) 5 star timeshare locations, and without planning a yearish in advance you're not going to be able to book the best locations cause they'll already be booked. The exchange fees vary based on the specific exchange. By that I mean there are systems. Let's take Wyndham for an example. In Wyndham you can buy CWA which is pure points for average MFs and you can often get them for near free resale. Any points booking in Wyndham on their site doesn't cost anything beyond the points (unless you add insurance or a guest certificate, or run out of housekeeping credits). This is great if you want to go to a Wyndham location and there's availability and you've got the needed points.

Then there are the exchange companies - Wyndham uses RCI. You can book on RCI with your Wyndham poins, but there's a $299 exchange fee AND a listed resort fee that varies by destination resort. RCI has way more locations however. RCI also has 2 tiers of cash stays where you just pay cash, no points and no exchange fee. These are limited locations but you can use them if you find them cheaper than the points or have run out of points. The difference is how far out you can book.

Now - another way you could do things is buy one specific location and just use it inside of RCI or II for trades - these are what @Passepartout is talking about with there always being a fee there - because you're doing an exchange unless you stay where you own specifically. Sometimes this can be extremely cost effective, but it can also not work out at all.

And with any of the systems or exchanges, you need to look up the resort you're going too cause there's no "only 5 stars" really - the vast majority of locations IMHO are 3-3.5 stars.

Honestly, if I were you - I think until I wanted to totally change where I want to go for the vacations to the locations that have good timeshare options - I'd probably instead look into a hotel chain loyalty program to earn free nights or maybe something like TravelZoo / online travel agent to find discounts and deals at hotels.

EDIT: Oh, and if you are into all inclusive stuff you might be one of the people that Unlimited Vacation Club would work for - but there's very limited info out there to really know IMHO. You might spend a few thousand buying resale to find out it isn't useful for you.

 

[vail]

Continue to stay in nice hotels if you want 5 start--timeshares are fast becoming 3 star at best.
If you must--just rent the weeks you want.
You can do that right up until departure almost.
Otherwise if you own, there is nothing if you wait until you want to travel.

 

[claraj]

I don't know if someone already said this but some of the services and amenities you would expect at a 5 star hotel are usually not available at a time share, such as room service, on-site full restaurant, daily house cleaning and bell-hop service (we stack up our own luggage carts when we arrive). Depending on whether this is important to you, time shares might not be a good fit. The extra space and full kitchen (my nephew has an eating disorder) is what is important for my travel needs and time shares checks those boxes.

 

[zentraveler]

I don't know if someone already said this but some of the services and amenities you would expect at a 5 star hotel are usually not available at a time share, such as room service, on-site full restaurant, daily house cleaning and bell-hop service (we stack up our own luggage carts when we arrive). Depending on whether this is important to you, time shares might not be a good fit. The extra space and full kitchen (my nephew has an eating disorder) is what is important for my travel needs and time shares checks those boxes.

Agree about the 5* service being a lot of what makes them 5*, but a lot of the "hard product" of Marriotts and Westins, for example, are very nice resorts with the units themselves being close to 5*, i.e. great linens and beds, full kitchens with all that you need to cook in them, TV's in the living and bed rooms etc. And saving money on eating every meal out is a great plus as well as not requiring to be a restaurants all the time.

I do agree that you need to learn the game of planning ahead for getting reservations at popular places at the times you want them like ski resorts. But we have had many fabulous vacations for a fraction of the price of hotels. Even renting TS (which we have done when we can't get what we want in Hawaii) where you want to go may not save much money but you get lots more space and a kitchen.

 

[stcyn]

A couple of issues. First, there is no such thing as a 5-star timeshare. There are some nice places, like Marriott or Hilton, but they aren't 5 star. Second, international TSs are not up to US/Mexico standards., so temper your expectations there. Third, timesharing only works (Y'know, low cost stays?) with near 100% occupancy, and that means more owners than rooms, so, in order to get the top choices in the best seasons- like Colorado/Utah skiing, and holiday weeks- like President's day someplace like Key West, you HAVE to book up to a year-or more in advance or either you get no availability, or you get a parking lot or dumpster view.

That said, if you buy enough points with a pure points TS play- not a deeded place where you have to parlay what you own to have enough points to afford the exchange with another resort. Also, EVERY exchange (when you don't stay at your home resort) whether for 3 nights or 2 weeks will cost an extra $200-$300 in fees.

With timeshares there are ALWAYS fees. And count on them going up at around the rate of inflation, every year.

It's no problem getting your foot in the door cheaply- even free, but the cost of use is still pretty steep.

Happy hunting!

Jim

Good Info, thanks Jim!

 

[stcyn]

Yea, I don't think there's many (or any) 5 star timeshare locations, and without planning a yearish in advance you're not going to be able to book the best locations cause they'll already be booked. The exchange fees vary based on the specific exchange. By that I mean there are systems. Let's take Wyndham for an example. In Wyndham you can buy CWA which is pure points for average MFs and you can often get them for near free resale. Any points booking in Wyndham on their site doesn't cost anything beyond the points (unless you add insurance or a guest certificate, or run out of housekeeping credits). This is great if you want to go to a Wyndham location and there's availability and you've got the needed points.

Then there are the exchange companies - Wyndham uses RCI. You can book on RCI with your Wyndham poins, but there's a $299 exchange fee AND a listed resort fee that varies by destination resort. RCI has way more locations however. RCI also has 2 tiers of cash stays where you just pay cash, no points and no exchange fee. These are limited locations but you can use them if you find them cheaper than the points or have run out of points. The difference is how far out you can book.

Now - another way you could do things is buy one specific location and just use it inside of RCI or II for trades - these are what @Passepartout is talking about with there always being a fee there - because you're doing an exchange unless you stay where you own specifically. Sometimes this can be extremely cost effective, but it can also not work out at all.

And with any of the systems or exchanges, you need to look up the resort you're going too cause there's no "only 5 stars" really - the vast majority of locations IMHO are 3-3.5 stars.

Honestly, if I were you - I think until I wanted to totally change where I want to go for the vacations to the locations that have good timeshare options - I'd probably instead look into a hotel chain loyalty program to earn free nights or maybe something like TravelZoo / online travel agent to find discounts and deals at hotels.

EDIT: Oh, and if you are into all inclusive stuff you might be one of the people that Unlimited Vacation Club would work for - but there's very limited info out there to really know IMHO. You might spend a few thousand buying resale to find out it isn't useful for you.

Thank you! I will check out unlimited vacation club!

 

[4TimeAway]

If budget is no issue, look at Four Seasons, there is resale through Tri-West. Seems like a good value to me, but others may differ......

We settled on HGVC and tried a discounted stay (you could rent). The places are not everywhere you want, but might still be somewhat good enough. Please do not by RETAIL... Seriously, please. Fallback is Marbrisa, it can have GPX. I like to dream of more time off and GPX is not healthy...

Sorry... We are using our HGVC points through RCI for Cabo Azul. Had 2- 2-bedroom units, but that went sideways when family could not make it. It was cancellable no issues.

Hawaii is also in the cards. I'd say 4-ish stars. A kitchen I can cook in is +2, so my math is off.


Do not rush in. You mind will change on what you "want" and "need."