How Do You Currently Feel About Your Timeshare Ownership?

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

DW just asked me how I voted.

She pointed out the 100-plus great vacations we have had and I pointed out the wording of the poll, how you feel right now.

Were it not for the atrocious business model of the exchange company(ies), where we know good stuff is going to people other than owners, and the fact that non-timeshare owners can get the same that we get (if we can get it) for less than we have in it, and with no purchase and no ongoing obligation, I would be much happier now.

The poll has had an amazing number of responses for the first day.

We are pretty happy about the whole picture but it is expensive. We have not had too much trouble getting what we want since Hawaii and Lake Tahoe are our favorite destinations. DRI has large resorts in both places and very little trouble getting in. We are looking at going to Italy in the next couple of years and I don't see too many options. The quality of the Diamond resorts is mostly good and the exchanges have been good also with the exception of Sea Mountain on Hawaii (very isolated). The quality of our vacations has improved a lot since getting into timeshareing.

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

How do you go from timeshare places to regular hotels? Seriously....I think I am spoiled.

We generally do not stay in regular hotels. We like all the amenities and service of luxury resort hotels that generally don't exist in timeshares. We want housekeeping, room service, restaurants, etc. We don't care for condo like living. If we wanted it to be like home then we would simply stay at home. We almost always stay in a suite. We have stayed in many hotel suites that were larger and much more luxurious than timeshares. In fact we just stayed in a luxurious huge 1 BR suite at a luxury hotel last week in Rancho Mirage, CA. There is no timeshare that even comes close to it. When we stayed in NYC last time, we spent a week at the Manhattan Club timeshare and 5 nights in a suite at the Michelangelo hotel just a few blocks away in Manhattan. The hotel suite was much nicer and more elegant than the MC. We don't cook meals when we travel so have no need for a kitchen. All we want is a refrigerator for snacks and drinks. Hotels either have them or will give you one.

It is true that many of the Mexican timeshares do offer all the amenities and service as a luxury hotel resort. We have stayed 10 weeks at the Grand Mayans in Riviera Maya and Nuevo Vallarta. We have also stayed at several others in Mexico including the Royal Mayan in Cancun. The Grand Mayans are true luxury resorts and we love them. However, we have no interest in visiting Mexico anymore.

Now, sometimes there are not any luxury hotels where we go so we have to plan accordingly. We always decide where we want to visit and then look for accommodations.

Timesharing did suit us for quite a few years as we always had somebody else with us such as my mother, our kids, or other relatives. But there are just the 2 of us now and our preferences are different now.

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

But honestly, we usually find the hotel rooms such a step down, even in the quality of the bedding..

I don't know where you usually stay but our experience is just the opposite. The worst beds, furniture etc. has always been in the timeshares, not hotels. Mattress and bedding quality is a very competitive item with hotels.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

A few of the comments here are things that the TS industry should pay attention to. For many it is work to stay in a timeshare, work they do not want to do when on vacation.

It seems the TS industry could change that.

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

We generally do not stay in regular hotels. We like all the amenities and service of luxury resort hotels.

Perfect example of how no one vacationing style will suit all. We cannot afford luxury resort hotels. If we could and that's where we stayed, we may have the same response as yours. For us, it would mean that we could only afford to vacation for less than a week per year. We'd rather timeshare for 3 weeks through the year.

If we wanted it to be like home then we would simply stay at home.

For us, there's no rest for the weary at home... 4-6 adults live here at various times of the year, all with very busy work schedules, some on rotating shifts, most in undergraduate or graduate studies, people and pets coming and going, church and volunteer activities, long lists of chores, errands and home/auto repairs that we feel compelled to do whenever we've got a free day or hour. So we really appreciate the home-like setting at timeshares... BUT they're quiet and clean, usually with a nice view and fun amenities that we don't have at home... and NO chores list. Ahhh. Seems that we differ not only in vacation styles but also in home lifestyles.

We always decide where we want to visit and then look for accommodations.

Same here.

I don't know where you usually stay but our experience is just the opposite. The worst beds, furniture etc. has always been in the timeshares, not hotels.

LOL, see above. Wyndham and Marriott timeshares have had better pillowtop mattresses and double-sheeted blankets while Amerisuites-type hotels have had extra firm, basic bedding.

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

LOL, see above. Wyndham and Marriott timeshares have had better pillowtop mattresses and double-sheeted blankets while Amerisuites-type hotels have had extra firm, basic bedding.

You can't compare Amerisuites with Marriott or Wyndham. Amerisuites is a Hyatt budget property.

We stayed in a 2BR, 2BA deluxe unit at the Wyndham Waikiki Beachwalk Timeshare in Hawaii this past April. The furniture, mattress, and bedding were definitely not of very good quality. The bed at the Kona Coast Resort was so bad I had to sleep on the sofa which wasn't very comfortable.

I agree that everybody has different preferences and they change over time. Our lifestyle is not the same as it was 20 years ago. We don't work and our kids are grown with their own families so we can pretty well do what we want now.

[mrspigdoc Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrspigdoc]

I wish I didn't own as many...the exchange fee on top of the annual maintenance fee doesn't make it a good value to me anymore. If I had to do it again, I would keep my Bluegreen and Wyndham, and wish I never owned the RCI pts, and numerous fixed weeks.
Teresa

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

We are mostly happy. However, I wish DRI had more options in the mid-Atlantic area. We take more driving trips because there are usually at least 5 of us traveling together and airfare is way too expensive. Next year we are taking a cruise to celebrate my DDs and her boyfriend's (hopefully soon to be fiance!) graduation from college. With my limited vacation time, it means we will not be able to use our TS next year. We will carry over as many points as we can and offer the remaining to friends.

[pkfox Member Find all posts View Profile Close pkfox]

It goes both ways.

Some in our family will not go to a timeshare because they are spoiled by the daily service and pampering provided by hotels. Simply put, when they go on vacation they do not want to have to do daily chores . . . cooking, cleaning, laundry, taking the trash out, making beds, etc.

They like for all that to be done for them.

Seriously, I think they are spoiled.

Timesharing is great!!

Some timeshare resorts have restaurants, some even have room service. All of the ones we have visited will provide daily maid service for a fee, if usual cleaning is only midweek. I think this is a better option to being charged a daily housekeeping fee whether the service is used or not.
Call housekeeping for a new trash bag, send full one away with them when they leave (if you cannot remember to carry it out on your way to the beach. If a laundry service is not available onsite they front desk should be able to direct you to on nearby.
Most areas have chefs that will come to your unit and cook meals if you do not care to experience local establishments.

I would hope HOA's maintain properties and offer services that the majority of the owners of their specific property want and expect. [COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]It is up to the timeshare purchaser to find a resort that is managed to their expectations.[/COLOR]

Timesharing is great
There are resorts that cater to everyones needs/desires from the luxurious to bare bones. Most popular locations have units nearby. Prime weeks to shoulder weeks to why would you want to go now. [I]It is up to the timeshare purchaser to decide which location and season they want.[/I]Do you want to be downtown in a busy city? Do you want to be by a less busy area? Do you want to be on the beach? The choice is yours.

Timesharing is great, the possibilities seem endless, but most people spend less time in choosing a timeshare than purchasing an automobile. Why?

If you want to go to Hawaii every year, buy in Hawaii. If you want to go to Scottsdale, buy in Scottsdale. If you want to travel to Mexico in March why did you buy winter in Iowa? You may have been given a good sales job but you signed on the line. If you do not like where you own rent it out and go to a hotel where you want to go. Oh yeah, who wants Jan in Iowa, Duh. Who bought that one?

We love timesharing. We have access to 17 weeks (if we break up the lock offs). Some do not have mandatory maintenance fees and some we rent. We are having a great time using our weeks with friends and relatives.

Did I mention we think timesharing is great

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

PKfox:

You have obviously gone to different places than we have in our 110-plus exchanges. Good for you.

Over 21 years, I spose I could forget a thing or two, but I don't recall ever having daily anything . . . maid service, towel exchange, etc.

I can only recall one where they took our luggage to our unit . . . and no, I don't mean the one where a golf cart guide takes you to your unit and hands you the maintenance survey.

So, your timesharing is different than ours.

Ours is pretty much vanilla RCI.

[bezerk Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close bezerk]

I am mostly happy with my timeshares. There are two I could do without and well right now I am overloaded with weeks to use etc. d/t a year of illness and that is hard to figure out a way to not lose your money etc. I have one almost rented, giving one to son for ski vacation, and friend wants to rent one for Italy, so that should help out, if I can arrange it all.

Timeshares for me are the only way to go, just do not have too many in case something happens ....LOL

[glypnirsgirl Member Find all posts View Profile Close glypnirsgirl]

I am totally happy

maybe it is the anti-depressants.

elaine

[SPG900NY Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SPG900NY]

Totally happy! We bought a $1 off ebay, then upgraded once we got to the resort last year when they gave us full market price for our TS for a week/unit that better fit our schedule and needs.

This is the first year I have taken ALL my vacation in ten years at my company. We got two mini off-season vacations, regular week at our resort, and 1/2 our maintenace fees back from another rental (three-way lockoff) from our purchase.

We don't know how we'd ever go back to hotels/motels, and we've made memories that will last a long time! Our toddler loves going to the "vacation houses."

Used up all my vacation and points for this year, but looking forward to doing it all again next year! In fact, the addiction has taken hold and I'm always scouring ebay and the boards here for new deals on some extra points.

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

I put "mostly happy." I can always think of ways something could be better, or ways it might be a liability, so I'm never totally happy with anything.

We're in a points system; I don't think I'd like it if we had a regular TS. Wouldn't want to stay in one place every time, and wouldn't want to be dealing with RCI on a regular basis, either. But we researched before we bought, and had a pretty good idea what we wanted going in, which helps I'm sure.

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

We're in a points system; I don't think I'd like it if we had a regular TS. Wouldn't want to stay in one place every time, and wouldn't want to be dealing with RCI on a regular basis, either. But we researched before we bought, and had a pretty good idea what we wanted going in, which helps I'm sure.

Why do you think that an owner of a regular TS has to deal with RCI? I stopped dealing with RCI 20 years ago. There are many alternatives to RCI for exchanging.