Want a different vacation spot each year....

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

Okay, yes, I'm a newbie. (Sigh...grumble grumble)...

I have a family of 4 (2 kids...6 and 3) and we're looking at purchasing a timeshare. We want the freedom of moving around to different resorts every year and the weeks are flexible as well. I've looked into RCI only because I knew their name. Haven't talked to anyone yet because I'm still doing a load of research.

Does anybody have a suggestion on which company to look at to help me fullfill my goals of a different vacation every year?

I have one nagging question about points though. If I buy a timeshare based on points, why do I have to have a home property? Or do I? I guess it wouldn't matter to me where I buy a timeshare because I don't plan on being there every year? I'm confused about that. Please help.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Stay away from RCI- they really suck and sooner or later will be a big disappointment. Maybe your best bet would be to rent- sometimes you can do it more cheaply than trading and you are not locked-in.

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

Yes do avoid RCI like the

black plague!

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

Okay, I know I'm going against the grain here but a good RCI points package can be a great value. Especially if you want Disney VC or can do last minute trips.

I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket so to speak if I were you so
from what I've learned over the years of being a TS owner is that:

1. Points systems are probably better if you don't want to go to the same place all the time but you need to watch your overall costs.

2. You need to study all the different points systems to decide what works best for you and your family especially if you have to follow the school calendar.

3. Owning a mix of biennial or triennial systems and alternating and maximizing them is probably the cheapest way to go for those not wanting to make a huge investment.

Not knowing all your details, I'd probably recommend an RCI points package maybe a triennial one, and a biennial Wyndham points package.

Where do you live? That will probably determine what points system you buy into. I get great use out of my RCI points and hopefully with my new Wyndham points too. I also own DVC and now HGVC because one size does not fit all when it comes to travelling. I'm just careful to buy biennial units these days instead of annual ones to keep my costs in check.

There are so many other points systems out there so do some more research before deciding.

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

Points systems can sometimes restrict you from using the independent exchange companies, which often offer better value. I would avoid a points scheme.

The best bet would be to buy something on the resale market that you can trade through all of the major independents. The one that is particularly stickey about what they will accept is SFX, and they generally only take prime red weeks at gold crown resorts, although there are a few exceptions. Most other independents take about anything. Orlando is one of the easiest exchanges out there, but urban timeshares in places like London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Venice, etc. are difficult with any exchange company.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Points are the way to go if trade is the #1 goal

Okay, yes, I'm a newbie. (Sigh...grumble grumble)...

I have a family of 4 (2 kids...6 and 3) and we're looking at purchasing a timeshare. We want the freedom of moving around to different resorts every year and the weeks are flexible as well. I've looked into RCI only because I knew their name. Haven't talked to anyone yet because I'm still doing a load of research.

Does anybody have a suggestion on which company to look at to help me fullfill my goals of a different vacation every year?

With that criteria a good points based system is the best choice. They ae set up from the ground up to go to different places every year. They are the most flexible and make it as easy (never REALLY easy) as possible to maximize value of your purchase.

Trying to trade a week for week ownership, even a great time/location, is nearly impossible as one week simply isn't equal in most cases to another. Thus you are either lookig to trade up significantly, often nearly impossible, or you are giving away 100% of your annual value for maybe 40-60% in trade. With points you can adjust the amount needed to get the trip you desire and either have points left for other trips OR combine points to take a "special" one time, high value excursion.

With the theory of using the right tool for the job if nearly 100% of your use will be to different resorts a good points system makes the most sense for ownership.

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

I own both fixed weeks (that trade through RCI and II) and Wyndham points. If I were only going to own one, it would be the Wyndham points---one of the "points systems" John is talking about above. It's easier to book where, when, and what I want internally in Wyndham than it is to obtain it through exchange in either RCI or II. Exchange systems depend on (a) someone depositing what you want and (b) you having sufficient trade power to acquire it. Patterns of deposit, methods of computing trade power, etc. are all subject to change over time. Sometimes week-for-week exchange can nab you great deals, and other times it is very frustrating. With point-based mini-systems, things are a lot more stable---you don't have as many opportunities to "trade up", but you aren't forced to "trade down" just to make use of your time.

There are some specific situations in which the independent exchange companies will serve you better, because each seems to specialize in some speicfic areas, but in general they seem to offer fewer options just due to sheer size.

Of the point systems, the three main players which can be purchased resale seem to be Wyndham, WorldMark, and Bluegreen. It would be worth looking at each system's portfolio---ignoring "affiliate" locations---to see which one has more resorts of interest to you. If I were advising a friend or family member about to make their first timeshare purchase, I'd recommend they start by considering Wyndham if they lived in the eastern US, and WorldMark if they lived in the western US. To really get value out of week-for-week exchange takes some effort to learn how the systems really work, and I don't think that's a good place to get started. Rather, add something like that to your portfolio if you find that timeshare is more of a "hobby" for you that you are willing to spend some time on, once you have a little bit of experience.

There is also RCI points, but that's not a "points system" with its own inventory so much as it is an exchange system using points as a currency---I'll leave it to others to describe its pros and cons.

Not all point systems have a notion of home resort, but most seem to. That primarily determines what you pay in fees, for the most part, though some systems also offer a home resort booking advantage.

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

We have been timesharing for 22 years and have had great success with owning weeks at floating weeks resorts. We have absolutely no interest in points nor fixed weeks. Our resorts are independent resorts and not one of the big chains.

We have always been able to reserve the best prime weeks, typically July 4th, with no problem. We reserve our week and deposit it with SFX that gives us 2 bonus weeks each year. We then make our requests for where we want to exchange. For example, we have confirmed reservations for Hawaii in April and New York City in August. We have always received whatever we requested. That is no guarantee that somebody else will.

Regardless of which system you decide on, be it fixed week, floating week, or points, there are some basics that apply across the board.

1. NEVER buy from the developer period.
2. Always buy quality in high demand areas that are not over built. Our resorts are Gold Crown Coastal California.
3. Watch the maintenance fees. I have a rule of thumb. If the annual cost of the maintenance fees + exchange fees + membership fees exceed $820 ( $110 /nt ) then I will not want to own it.
4. Don't go with RCI. Regardless of people's opinions, they have some restrictions such as limiting exchanges to the same resort to once every 4 or 5 years.
6. Whatever system you decided on, learn how to maximize your use of it.

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

I have one nagging question about points though. If I buy a timeshare based on points, why do I have to have a home property? Or do I?

You don't "have" to have a home property. There are points systems where you don't have a home property (I think because you're leasing the points for x-number of years rather than actually buying a timeshare). In the Bluegreen system, you can reserve your home property 12 months out and it'll function as a regular Timeshare - you get it that week, guaranteed. If you don't claim it 12 months out, then at 11 months it goes into the common pool, and you get the points it's worth in that system instead. Your home property is basically what you're trading for your points. But people so rarely make use of their home property this way that there are Bluegreen salespeople who don't even know it's an option, because basically, points are points.

In the unlikely event that Bluegreen folds, you'd still own that property and would have the rights to that week, but you'd be dealing with the resort's home owner's association instead of with Bluegreen. If for some reason you got tired to dealing with the points (say Bluegreen got bought out by another TS system that "nickels and dimes you to death" to use it), then you'd have that week to play with anyhow. But basically ownerships are tied to particular properties (when they are) as a tracking method.

I guess it wouldn't matter to me where I buy a timeshare because I don't plan on being there every year?

Correct, in most cases. Some people buy Bluegreen Big Cedar properties because it can be tough to reserve at Big Cedar for some dates or in some units and they want to be dead sure they can get that unit on that week, but generally speaking people want the points, not the particular resort, and it doesn't matter where you buy them. With the Bluegreen system, you can make use of "bonus time" at your home resort even with "unauthorized" points (most resale points are unauthorized), so if you want bonus time at a particular resort but don't want to pay for authorized points (which are more expensive), then your home resort would matter.

Can't say for other points systems, but there may be other reasons to prefer a particular home resorts. If special assessments for things go to that particular resort rather than into the system I'd want to avoid a home resort in hurricane country, for example, but with Bluegreen that sort of thing is generally spread over all points owners and I'd guess that's how most points systems work.

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

The good thing about having a home property is having some control of things. Personally, I would avoid any timeshare that lacks homeowner democracy - and HOA board in charge that is elected by timeshare owners, not controlled by a developer or management. In some of the chains, you get a vote in theory but the universe of voters is so large from multiple properties that the developer is always going to be in control as a practical matter, and the members are going to be subject to what is in the developer's interest, not their own.

As to trading, the mini-systems are far too restrictive on the number of locations offered. Finding a good resort that trades in the major independent exchange companies, including SFX, which is the pickiest, and is homeowner-controlled rather than developer-controlled or management-controlled is the best bet.

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

Obviously one size does not fit all so do your homework before you dive into timeshares.

I think in the end you will probably end up buying a combination of systems if you are anything like the rest of us on this forum.

[daileyad Member Find all posts View Profile Close daileyad]

We are new to timesharing...

but we just bought a EOY Sheraton Desert Oasis. We like have the name brand and starwood priority. Plus it trades in II and RCI. We plan on doing II for now but like that we can switch to RCI if we want DVC. Plus it is accepted by SFX. Course that's all just the way things stand now, I figure any or all of this could change in the future.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

With young kids you will be tied to school vacation calendar for a long time. Prime vacation weeks are very hard to exchange into no matter which exchange company you use, better to own something you can reserve for yourself - a points system makes sense if you want different options provided the system you buy into has the locations you want and you can plan far enough in advance. I would NOT recommend RCI.

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

I have two (2) suggestions. One purchase a resale timeshare; with enough points to exchange when the kids are out of school for the summer months.

Suggestion # 2 purchase a timeshare within a four (4) hours drive from your home residence to cut down on expenses liked having to purchasing air lines tickets and very long drive to your home base timeshare.

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

a different vacation spot......

Very good information was given, but how does the Marriott vacation clubs factor into all of this? Can I purchase a timeshare in New Jersey and exchange to Aruba, or buy in Aruba and exchange in New Jersey? Am I correct in surmising that once you purchase in a specific area you are stuck in that area if it is not a "highly desired" spot?