Despite all the annoyances, I *love* timesharing

[Anne1125]

I couldn't say it better myself. I feel very spoiled and love it!

Anne

[rikkis_playpen]

Love it.. My kids are so spoiled! They expect to stay in a villa no matter where we go... Last time we were in a hotel- the baby kept opening all the doors trying to find the other rooms! Too funny!

My parents are another fantastic example.. When I first got into this business about ten years ago- my parents used to introduce me as the son "involved in real estate" and would hardly ever speak the word "timeshare".

Then, we took them on vacation with us... Suddenly- the word timeshare started popping up in their conversations, and now they hit me up for rentals at least every few months.. Just recently- they went to Tybee Island and I couldn't find a Tybrisa owner for a rental. I asked them about a motel on the island- and after a few minutes of silence on the other end, they asked me for the number of a local realtor..

Turns out they rented a little beach house for the week and paid a pretty penny!

Timeshares truly do provide incredible vacation opportunities.

[PHILL12]

Most of the unhappy owners are the ones that probably bought from a developer at high prices. Now during hard times they make payments plus maintenence fee payments and just want out.


We owned in PV,Mexico years ago (LOS TULES) and only sold it because we hated trying to work decent trades with RCI. We bought in Lake Tahoe where we went for many years staying in Harrah's few days at a time. We finally went up and bought at the Ridge Tahoe and loved it and had many good exchanges.

After about five years we sold and left timesharing and had good times in many top hotels. Wife missed her kitchens and after ten years we ran back and bought again at the Ridge Tahoe and have not regretted it once.

Like I have said many times buy where you want to stay every year and exchange is just another option and these are the owners that like timeshares!



PHIL

[JWC]

We have been timesharing for 20+ years and have had many great timeshare vacations. However in the last few years,since I retired, we far prefer to take non-timeshare trips. Unless the timeshare is a full blown luxury resort like the Grand Mayans, with all of the amenities then we would much rather stay in a luxury hotel/resort. We want the niceties like room service, full concierge service, etc. We never cook when we vacation so we don't need a kitchen though a small refrigerator is nice. We usually stay in a suite at the hotels which is plenty of room for the 2 of us. Many hotels today have suite hotels with units as large as any timeshare but far more amenities. Hilton's Homewood Suites are pretty good. We also want the flexibility that hotels offer both for scheduling and location. Often we will decide to take a trip on the spur of the moment.

Timesharing was great for us for a few years when we would take my mom, kids or meet with other relatives. Now our kids have their own families and schedules so timeshare vacations with them are not feasible though we do a lot of things together. We don't like to travel with anybody other than our kids as we like the freedom of doing what we want, when we want.

There are timeshares like the Grand Mayans, Royals, etc. that do offer the luxury resort experience and we have visited them many times. However, many timeshares are nothing more than condos which don't appeal to us anymore.

One other big factor is the comfort of the beds. That has become a very competitive item for the hotels, not just the quality of the mattress but also the sheets and pillows. Some hotels let you select the type of pillows you want. We have never found a timeshare that offer that same comfort.

We sold one of our timeshares and now just keep one which we will probably sell in the near future. We have many use weeks banked at SFX which we will give to our kids if it meets their schedules.

[MargeS]

My husband is an early riser, I am not. The TS is perfect for us, in that he can have coffee and watch the news and not disturb me in any way.

Our granddaughters (Marley 5 & Madison 9) have been "raised" on TS's. We usually take 2 trips a year with the kids and grandkids. Last year, we were in our TS, and a friend was staying at the Disney Polynesian. We went over to their room to meet for dinner. My M&M's took one look around and whispered to me " Gramma, they aren't as lucky as we are."

The M&M's aunt and uncle took them away for a weekend. When they got home and called me, they said they had fun, but "with attitude" told me they had to stay in a hotel!

Last month we were in a 4 bedroom and the girls were thrilled not only to have their own room, but an extra room for their dolls! The place was very large, and I went looking for them for dinner. Where were these girls with all of the space... playing in the closet of their dolls room!

So, yes, for many reasons we do enjoy our TS and consider ourselves lucky to vacation the way we do!

[1950bing]

I couldn't just sit here and not chime in on this one!
It is great for all the ones here that love their timeshares, I'm happy for them. They have learned to get the system to work for them.

I wouldn't give a dime for a box full of timeshares. That is what I have said all along and I offer the different viewpoint. They are not for everyone !
This July I will have been timeshare free for 5 years, NO FEES !!!!! I have fun adding up the money I saved each year.

I vacation when I want,where I want and much cheaper than constant increasing and new fees. B & B offer great vacations for me.

Due to the economy, the best way now is to rent timeshare places. When you leave you are done. You don't have to worry about paying for your part of the roof or pool. Many .com places are offering great deals now. Timeshare places are tight for money too so to rent for something is better than letting the place sit empty. Last minute deals are out there and some will even bargin. When I rent from timeshare places I always grin. I stayed there just like the ownes do but I don't have a lifetime binding contract.

Have a great vacation/s .

Bing

[Luanne]

Originally Posted by Holly

HA! Mary Quin, who is now 5, walked in to our "first night in Orlando" room at the Hyatt airport and said, "Mommy, where are we going to eat?"

Some kids play "house"...she plays "condo"! It's hysterical.

All of our kids are spoiled. Mine pulled this on us when we were staying at a B&B in Carmel. She was about 4. Walked into the room and wanted to know where "her" room was. I explained we'd all be sleeping in the same room. Heavy sigh. Then she wanted to know where "her" bed was. I said she'd be sharing a bed with her sister. Another heavy sigh. Next question was "Where is the kitchen". I said there wasn't one. Last comment "I'm going to starve!!!!"

[bnoble]

B & B offer great vacations for me.

Out of curiosity, what is your typical nightly rate?

[dolly1504]

It's great to hear the positives of timesharing. We went to Williamsburg this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. With the Wyndham discount and upgrade I paid the value in maintenance fees of about $100 for the three nights in a two bedroom. So for two couples that's $50 each. Not bad!!

I've also gotten spoiled with the space and amenities. We travel many weeks during a year and probably would not be able to do if we ate all of our meals in restaurants. We're happy owners.

Joyce

[Lisa P]

Originally Posted by Holly

HA! Mary Quin, who is now 5, walked in to our "first night in Orlando" room at the Hyatt airport and said, "Mommy, where are we going to eat?"

Some kids play "house"...she plays "condo"! It's hysterical.

Originally Posted by JWC

We want the niceties like room service, full concierge service, etc.... Many hotels today have suite hotels with units as large as any timeshare but far more amenities. Hilton's Homewood Suites are pretty good.

John, I agree with you on the flexibility of paying cash for hotels but not on the amenities and sizes of hotel suites... at least not for the price. We've stayed in Homewood Suites, Amerisuites, Hampton Inn and Suites and the like, usually brand new whenever we've been there. They're still just mid-range hotel rooms with an in-room kitchenette wall and perhaps a simple breakfast included. Usually, there was not even an actual wall/door separating the BR from the sofa/desk/kitchenette area (couldn't call it a LR), the bathrooms are tight/basic, the pools are pitifully small and sometimes lacking heat or a hot tub, and there are NO grounds at all. Most have had no room service either. There's been absolutely no comparison between these places and the experience of staying in a good timeshare resort, IMO.

If you are talking about true suites in nicer hotels with room service and concierge, upscale amenities, bedding and service options, well those are nowhere near the price of a Homewood Suites-type hotel nor are they anywhere near the price of the maint fees we pay on our resale timeshares so it's really not an apples-to-apples comparison. There's always a trade-off.

Originally Posted by MargeS

My husband is an early riser, I am not. The TS is perfect for us, in that he can have coffee and watch the news and not disturb me in any way.

After over a decade of timesharing with our family, we're wrapping up our first week-long vacation without any kids or friends along. I wondered how we'd feel about the timeshare thing when we knew we'd do minimal meal prep and we wouldn't need a larger condo or more BRs. The verdict, for us, is in!

We love it!!! We realize, yet again, that we unwind more quickly in the home comforts of a condo than we do in a hotel room. Our different sleep patterns is part of this. But we also like having a sofa for watching the nightly news or weather on TV or for surfing the 'net. We use our balcony for waking up with our morning coffee. We appreciate having the kitchen and the washer/dryer, whether we use it a little or a lot. The bedroom is further removed from the sounds of passers-by in a hotel corridor and quieter. And we actually relax in the jacuzzi when there's no one just outside the BR door. Further, the outdoor amenities here (Wyndham Ocean Blvd) are so much better than any hotel room that we'd choose to pay for on the beach here.

Originally Posted by 1950bing

It is great for all the ones here that love their timeshares, I'm happy for them. They have learned to get the system to work for them.

So true. It's really important to only buy what you expect to use and which will realistically get you what you're seeking. For us, B&Bs lack privacy and/or amenities and the ones we've liked have been too expensive; cheap hotels lack amenities; nicer hotels and suites are too high-priced; camping is fun but usually too much work or too subject to weather problems. We do like to vacation in different places and often for a full week (though not always). We enjoy the amenities offered at nice timeshare resorts (including Wyndham, our favorites, or an occasional Marriott or HGVC). So for us, timesharing is just a good fit.