Worldmark Points

[Spring Training Fan]

What is everyone's opinion on Worldmark points? I own DVC, but would like to get another points membership and have been looking at all of them a little. It seems just by checking out eBay that Worldmark points sell fairly well on the resale market and they are heavy out west. I live in the east, but it looks like a pretty good club with pretty low maintenance fees. Does anyone have a feeling about Worldmark? Also, do they offer any bonus time or weeks like Bluegreen or something like that? And are their resorts on the same quality as Fairfield or Marriott? Last question: Is 6000 points enough to start with? It looks like that wouldn't get me a week in prime time anywhere, but it could get me 4-5 nights staying away from the weekends.

 

[RichM]

PerryM will probably chime in that 6000 is definitely enough since you can rent unlimited points from other owners for just a bit more than the permanent credits would cost you in annual MF's. However, renting credits from other owners is something you have to arrange on your own, with the other owner, so some people simply purchase extra permanent credits to avoid the hassle.

There are credit rental forums on www.wmowners.com/forum and the Trendwest-run WorldMark forum at www.worldmarktheclub.com. The credit rental section in the latter is only open to WorldMark owners and prices may only be discussed in private. Both forums also offer a lot of information specific to WorldMark although the Trendwest forum has mostly resort-specific info whereas wmowners.com has more info on tips & tricks to maximizing usage. I'm sure others will follow this reply with their own opinions on the two forums.

TUG also has a "Wyndham resorts" section further down, just above the TUG Lounge, where there is some discussion on WorldMark the Club, although it is not owned by the new Cendant spinoff, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, but is managed by and resorts are developed by/new accounts sold by Wyndham-owned Trendwest Resorts, Inc.

Bonus Time is available within 14-days of check-in, for owner usage, and 5-days for guest usage, currently for 4.2cents/credit, with some restrictions on weekend usage. There are also Inventory Specials available at under-booked/off-season resorts that vary month-to-month and can be booked up to 60 days out for the same rate as Bonus Time.

I've never stayed at a Fairfield or Marriott but many people have suggested that WorldMark resorts are not on par with those in quality. Personally, I'm happy with most of the resorts I've visited and as long as I have a comfortable place to stay with a good pool I'm usually happy. Fancy furniture, fancy kitchens, fancy whatever doesn't particularly add to my vacation experience although everyone's different.

There's an "Owner Education Handbook" which includes Club Guidelines that is available here: http://www.worldmarktheclub.com/education/pdfs/OwnerEdHandbook2005.pdf
which will help answer many questions about booking guidelines, etc.

___________________
WorldMark Owners' Community -

- www.wmowners.com

 

[3Js]

With Worldmark points you can also book several Fairfield resorts; there about 6 in the East Coast.
Not sure how the Worldmark resorts are compared to Marriott's, but we have been very satisfied with all of the resorts we had visited (Big Bear, Oceanside, Clearlake, Windsor, Marina, Solvang, Angels Camp).

 

[PClapham]

The one on Kona leaves much to be disired.
Anita

 

[Judy]

I am a Worldmark owner who also lives on the east coast (although we spend ski season in Colorado).
As an east coast resident with transportation issues, bonus time can be difficult to use because it's only available 14 days in advance (except exotic bonus time in places like Fiji).
Less-than-one-week reservations can be a challenge for those of us who have to make plane reservations, because they're only available 60 days before check-in during red season.
Also, realize that most Worldmark resorts are designed as "drive-to" resorts and are often not located conveniently for those of us who fly-in. Worldmark Steamboat, for example, is located too far from restaurants, shopping, and the free shuttle to walk during the winter. The resort does run its own shuttle to the ski area, but only during the hours that the ski lifts are operating. After that, you really have to have a car.

 

[cotraveller]

Does anyone have a feeling about Worldmark? . . . And are their resorts on the same quality as Fairfield or Marriott?

We have stayed at 20 different WorldMark resorts, 1 Marriott, Horizons by Marriott in Orlando, and 1 Fairfield, Oceanwalk in Daytona Beach, which now also has WorldMark units. I would rate those particular Marriott and Farifield resorts as comparable to the high end WorldMark resorts. It's not that there are any problems with the WorldMark resorts, but to me it seemed that the Marriott and the Fairfield offered more amenities and activities. More on a par with the new WorldMark Las Vegas resort than with some of the smaller or more casual WorldMark locations.

I don't find that to be a problem, we don't need the fancy surroundings or resort activities. The WorldMark resorts meet our needs quite well and we are very happy with them. Living in Denver we can drive to most of the WorldMark resorts, although it usually involves a two day trip to get to our final destination. We are also retired so scheduling a trip two weeks in advance based on bonus time availability is not normally a problem. I can see where flying to each resort or having to schedule within work constraints would place a different perspective on how they were viewed.

 

[Spring Training Fan]

Thanks everyone for the information. It really helped. I think I may go with Fairfield mainly because the initial cost is cheaper and there are more in the east. I know thier fees are more, but I would drive mostly also, so having more resorts close is better for me.