On the Fence

[Skylark157 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Skylark157]

My wife and I have this ongoing conversation about if a time share is right for us, more specifically the points kind. The conversation all came to a head this past weekend during our latest trip to Disney World when she found out that RCI points can be used at the DVC locations. In the spirit of full disclosure, I believe that time share is good for many families, we just do not happen to be those families. I noticed that there are some happy time share owners on this forum and some not so happy owners and before buying anything, I would like to see which group my family has more in common with.

My family is currently three, my wife and I are in our mid 30s, our daughter is five and we have one on the way. We live in West Palm Beach Florida and while we have season passes to Disney, we live too far away from Orlando to go there for just the day. As such, we generally take multiple, short stay vacations ranging from an overnight getaway to a three day stay, but nothing long term. So anything we look at would need to allow for points to be used for just a couple of days.

We mostly go to locations in Florida: Orlando, Key West, and St. Augustine etc. but while staying with family up north, we might also try to use our time share points to say in New Hampshire or Maine for a night or two so any plan would have to have places in those areas.

While we don’t stay at flea bag hotels, we don’t feel the need to stay at luxury hotels either. We generally feel that it is better to save a little $$ on the hotel costs and stay longer than to stay one night at a great hotel. We have gotten rooms at Bonnet Creek, Liki Tikki and Sheridan Vistannia at very good 1-2 night rates. As such and being the boring a "Finance Guy", my feeling is that by the time we pay for the annual maintenance fee, we could have paid for a nice hotel room, maybe twice over. That does not even take into account the cost to buy the points. So what are the advantages?
I was going to give in and buy some points, maybe RCI, and test things out but I am just not convinced that this is right for us. Not only if RCI is the best way for us to go, but also about the entire thing.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

It does sound like points would work well for you. I own weeks, not points so I can't advise on what type of program would work best for you. However, I'm going to try to give you some good and bad points of ownership.

My husband was adamantly opposed to owning a timeshare. I bid on one on eBay, not thinking I'd ever win with my bid. But I did. My husband has become a real convert because we love the extra room that we have with a TS. We have a kitchen so we can have meals and snacks at our leisure and contain costs. We have been able to visit many places using our TS for exchanges. We have never been to our own TS, but we have exchanged or used bonus weeks.

However, keep in mind that once you own, you will have a yearly bill for maintenance fees, and sometimes you may have a special assessment to cover major renovations or repairs. If you rent, you only have to pay a fee if and when you want to take a vacation. Can you easily afford to pay these fees each and every year? You will probably get many years of vacations from owning a TS. But some years you may not want to. Do you have the energy to try to rent it out? Also, keep in mind that eventually you will want to sell it. Lately this has become very difficult for many people.

It appears that you have already found and appreciate staying in timeshares. Whether to own or not, is your decision. It works for most of us here, but you'll have to decide if it's the right thing for your family. There are some real bargains out there!

Best of luck with your decision. Welcome and please ask lots of questions before you make your final decision.

Sue

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I own a points system timeshare and like the flexibility of not only the ability to take short stays but to adjust the size of the accommodation.

I found travelling with small children very different to travelling with teenagers. IMO it is quite easy to have a family with small children in a hotel room but more difficult as they grow. By the time my son reached 12yo he was taller than me and no longer fitted on the hotel stretcher beds - we started to feel cramped. We changed to 1br accommodation and he slept on the sofa bed but that soon became uncomfortable as he progressed into his teens and wanted his own space. The lounge area was filled with his luggage, clothes etc and he wanted some privacy too. We have started booking 2br accommodation and it works well - he has his own space, can bring a friend, and we have some privacy too. Very soon he will probably not want to accompany us on all holidays and we can once again adjust the size of our accommodation.

We can only travel in school holiday breaks right now and everything is double the price (flights and accommodation). It is definitely much cheaper for us to book 2 br apartments through our points system and every saving is a bonus when you have teenagers. We went skiing/snowboarding last year for the first time and will do the same this year, the peak period accommodation costs would have been prohibitive for us without the timeshare.

It really depends on how much travelling you intend to do as to whether a timeshare will suit you and your family. There is an old saying "the family that plays together, stays together" and we tend to do more "playing" on holidays. IMO timeshare needs to be viewed long term and if you wish to travel with children, it could work very well now and into the future.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

Good for you for doing this analysis!!! Too many people jump in too quickly.

I don't own RCI Points, and don't feel the need to. I personally have problems with how RCI treats its members and it's propensity to take away bennies over time while increasing owner costs.

That said, they have an extensive network of timeshares. Mostly SE, so a good contender for you.

I own Bluegreen, which I would suggest you take a look at (bluegreenonline.com) They have 2 Orlando resorts, St Aug and Marathon Keys. A new resort in Atlantic City is as far NE as you'll get in-network, but, you can always trade out. They have A LOT of resorts in FL.

Benefits of Bluegreen, as concerns your travel habits as defined, mid-level quality, and consistent at that. Some resorts are older, including many motel conversions, but they keep them up (IMO). Staff is almost always top-notch (don't know how they keep those on-site resort folks happy, but I've never found one I would ding for anything).

No reservation fee. You own points, just book what you want, no extra $. Want a second unit for same time period? No problem if it's available, you can have it, put Aunt Linda's name on it, and she checks in. No fee for that.

Book full weeks, partial weeks, whatever. That's the beauty of a point system, after all. I like very much the ability to use what I paid for without additional charges.

As it sounds like you might do a lot of weekend stays, I have to warn you that Fri and SAt nights are much more expensive, point-wise, than midweek stays. Here's where another benefit comes into play: Bonus Time. This is $ instead of Points for stays. CHEAP, too. I think it starts at $59 for a studio? goes up $10 for each "unit size jump". This benefit is only available via developer sale or thru authorized reseller, Pinnacle. So "the deal" on ebay will probably not get you this benefit (there are other bennies to 'buying their way' also but I think this is the most valuable).

There is an annual "club fee" that is roughly $130 that takes care of the admin side (reservations, RCI membership and such), and maint fees, of course, but those are pretty reasonable. I'd call them mid-range also.

Here's what I consider one of the best parts: if you want to trade to go to NH or Maine, depending on the season, trading power will come into play (with RCI at least). Low season? Book a lower-point unit thru BG to trade into RCI. Need Prime Time, Prime Location? Use more points to book a unit for deposit.

BG lets you deposit to any exchange company that will accept the unit. This allows you to use RCI, II, SFX, DAE, TPI, HSE, ... whatever exchange company you want to utilize (and they all have their different benefits, mostly hinges on where you are trying to go).

BG pays my membership fee to RCI, so I'm in it whether I use it or not. I do use it. and have seen exchange fees go up way too high, way too fast. But they are a major player, so, I use them when it suits me.

I don't think you can see points charts on their general site, so here's a frame of reference:

St Aug, one week, from 5000 "cheapest week" 1 br sleeps 4 to 15000 most expensive week, combined 2 BR sleeps 8

Marathon, from 7000 cheap week studio, sleeps 2 to 21000 high side, 2 BR sleeps 6

Orlando, all 2 br, sleeping 8 or 10, 9000 to 16000

Do consider how your family will change, and thereby change your vacation habits. Think 5 years, think 10 years. Will you stay put in FL, will you grow weary of Disney (or will the kids simply "age out"?) Depending on your domestic proximity to their resorts, you could also score 'day use' at a resort near you, giving you a bit of a country club benefit. MAybe 'out of town guest overflow' accomodations (I soooo wish we had one near us for this purpose!).

Anyway, check it out, keep asking questions. Join us on the Yahoo Bluegreen Group, check out the Bluegreen forum on this board.

Whatever you decide, do run those numbers. glad you have that mindset, as cost vs benefit is a far better way to figure this out than emotional gut feel!

Good luck!

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

Take the time to visit some of the TS you are considering. You'll need to stand your ground against the sales presentations - the sales personnel are quite persistent and don't like to say no. Don't fall for the "one-day only" supposedly fabulous deal they will offer. If you buy outright, you're going to pay a considerable amount more than if you buy resell. IMO, points systems offer much more flexibility than owned weeks. We own with DRI - not necessarily the best, but it's what we bought into. With planning, I can get double the number of rooms I would normally have access to. If I don't use all my points, they can be carried over to the next year and used for larger accomodations, extra units, or to extend our week (this year, we are staying 8 nights in Florida, rather than the standard 7). DRI points can also be used to pay MFs and a few extras, like airfare and cruises. But, this isn't a very efficient use of the points. Narrow your choices down to a few resorts, then ask for opinions from other owners. There are plenty of people here to help you. We took a long time to make our purchase too. But we have found it to be so much better than booking hotels. And it forces us to take a vacation because most of the cost is paid for (the MFs) at the beginning of the year.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

my feeling is that by the time we pay for the annual maintenance fee, we could have paid for a nice hotel room, maybe twice over.

Certainly possible. It all depends on the annual fee level, when you are wanting to go, and what you consider "a nice hotel room."

For reference, my "out of pocket" nightly costs run anywhere between $40-$130. It depends on where I'm staying, and what I'm using to book (internal reservation, exchange, extra vacation, etc).

I'm not willing to stay in a single room (studio/hotel room) under any circumstances if my two kids are with me. I might if it's just my wife and I, but generally prefer at least a 1BR instead. I generally won't stay in only a 1BR unit with the kids along unless it's a special circumstance---the extra bathroom and bedroom make for a much more pleasant stay. Given those as constraints, my nightly costs compare favorably to open rental market prices for "equivalent" properties.

Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

[tennisWalt Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tennisWalt]

Check out The Beach Club of St. Augustine Beach

If you like St. Augustine, check out The Beach Club at St. Augustine Beach. It is a Beach Front Resort with Ocean Front and Ocean View Units. There are 2 Bedroom and 1 Bedroom units. There is a membership into the Atlantic Beach and Tennis Club included in the use of the timeshare week. This means there is no charge for court time. There are 10 clay courts.

You can own as a Week's owner or as a Point's owner with RCI. It also has membership into II.

It is an older Resort but well maintained with the Board members all being owners. The MF is about $496 for a 1 bedroom.

Cunningham Property Management is the management company for The Beach Club, Gulf Tides of Longboat Key, Little Gull Cottages, Longboat Bay Club, Calini Beach Club, Siesta Sands Beach Resort, Englewood Beach & Yacht Club, Sea Oats Beach Club, and the Palm Beach Resort. This means that you have maximum trade power with RCI trading into these resorts.

I own 6 weeks and use 3 or 4 weeks and trade the others with RCI and II.

I will be there for 3 weeks starting next week.

The Beach Club at St. Augustine Beach.

The Beach Club at St. Augustine Beach

Sales:

The Beach Club at St Augustine Timeshare Vacation Resales

Walt

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

You can rent the timeshare place too!!!! Last minuet deals are out there. Some places would rather rent than let it sit empty. Lots of time you can offer what you will pay. You have no yearly increasing maint. fees,SAs, pay for parking and laundry or no clubs to join ( for a fee ) just to exchange and when you leave, that's it ! You are not paying for some roof or pool redo.
Check into it, it has worked for me several times.