How Do You Currently Feel About Your Timeshare Ownership?

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

Totally happy

Our points system is right for us. Love the flexibility of being able to choose the size of unit and number of days for each holiday. Lots of locations to choose from and currently paying less than half the cheapest internet price available. It's encouraged us to get organised, plan in advance, consider locations we didn't know existed and also research costings of holidays we assumed were beyond our means.

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

Mostly Happy - but disappointed with Marriott

I'm very happy with my FWM 2 bedroom lock off week 27 and my Wyndham and DVC points. Although I'm down to only 100 DVC points right now.

But I'm really disappointed with the point system that Marriott rolled out. I can't make up my mind on whether I'm going to keep my Marriott EOY Gold week or not. It is a lock-off, so my husband says he wants to keep it for that reason alone and continue to trade it in II. I guess the lifesaver for Marriott for me is I do adore their resorts (hopefully their upper management doesn't mess that up, too).

I hate daily housekeeping so timeshares are wonderful for us. As Greta Garbo used to say, "I want to be left alone." I like the space and the pretty grounds and atmosphere at timeshare properties that we stay at.

I'm still doing pretty good at trading our EOY lock-offs. Our FWM (Fairways of the Mountains) week locks off into two one bedrooms and II usually gives me two bonus weeks for it, too, so my nightly cost with all fees is less than $45 a night. I was surprised to see that Pat has her Week 25 FWM for sale - I'd have to think long and hard about ever letting my Week 27 go.

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

Mostly Happy

I am mostly happy about my timeshares. I still like my Marriott Ko Olina because it is such a beautiful property. I also like it because it is a strong trader. I am going to join the points system because I like having that extra flexibility. I also own DRI and can work with it well along side the Marriott system. I like DRI because fo the large number of resorts around the world. I plan on really exercising my timeshares during retirement. That's not to say that I am not having fun with them now because believe me I most certainly am.

The only thing I am not happy about are the maintenance fees that are ever increasing with both companies.

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

I put mostly happy, but it's probably closer to totally happy. It's just that I'm never totally happy with anything, because I'm always too aware of the problems or of something else I might be happier with.

We researched timeshares before buying in, which has something to do with it, but OTOH the first system that interested us is the one we bought into. They did their presentation and totally sold us on the basic premise, but while I didn't know anything about timeshares, I was sure there was a cheaper way of going about it. So we ended up buying in through resale.

I always knew I would not be happy with a traditional timeshare; don't want to stay in the same place every year and don't want to vacation for a week at a time and don't want to deal with RCI much. We're in a points system, though, and just today hubby was saying he's been spoiled and hates the fact that we're going to be staying in a hotel while visiting relatives over Christmas. All we'll be doing there is sleeping and having breakfast, but even so he's thinking he'd be so much happier in a timeshare.

[swestrngrl@msn.com Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swestrngrl@msn.com]

We love going to Cabo, just have never understood what the fees really go to as the regular room rates are so much less that what we really pay for if you break down the "rising" cost of the MF each year...especially in this market, our fees should be going down with the market.

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

I voted 'mostly happy' because I am with my timeshare ownership...fairly stable m/f and very good to middlin' exchanges.

My biggest area of unhappiness is exchange company rental practices and increasing fees. But I can't control those, so I'm learning to deal with other options.

[bjones9942 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bjones9942]

Totally happy!

My eBay $1 timeshare in Mazatlan has made me totally happy! It's not one of the 'Grand' resorts, but it's cozy and the people were great. I even have daily maid service (which I really don't need when I'm alone). The MF's are less than what I'd pay for a hotel room and I always know my unit will be waiting for me every week 28. And if I can't make it, someone in my family will be happy to take my place

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

.

Increasing MFs and EFs and Membership Fees are making timeshare less and less of a bargain to own.

This sums up my feelings. With the increase in all the fees you can often rent cheaper that owning.

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

This sums up my feelings. With the increase in all the fees you can often rent cheaper that owning.

I second this.. I cannot get to my TS and failed to rent it this year so I am eating my Maint Fee. I Have to lose this albatross before it chokes me

Would love to know who has had success with selling. One company I called said they would be happy to transfer it to themselves for the mere fee of $1300... wasnt that grand of them?

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

Unwanted timeshares can always be offered free on our Freebies forum. Sure beats getting caught by the upfront fee con artists and the post card con artists which will cost you even more.

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

Huh. Looks like my computer didn't seize up on my first post back there, after all. Ooops!

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.

You're right; I should have just said I'm too lazy to deal with the hassles of trading. Since I tend to research like a fiend whenever we're going somewhere, one of the advantages of a point system, for me, is that it directs my energies. We don't have any "dream destinations", and like going back to places we've been before (I always find more stuff to do than we could do in a month, so there's always something I missed, while hubby and the kids like to do some of the same stuff again), so the points system gives us both variety and familiarity.

I also like having floor plans and resort maps to look at before we go, which can be a challenge to track down if you're trading. Some resorts just don't offer those, and some of the points systems only offer them to owners. All of which to say that, even when we rent, so far it's been within our own system.

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

After selling our second unit to another owner well up at our resort July 4th week it seemed nice to take the cash and use it for bills!

Then wife tells me she misses the fact we should have been up at Lake Tahoe this week in the unit and kind of wishes we had not sold our Naegle unit.

She got over it quickly by spending what would have been our M/F 2011 on airline tickets Nov 22 to Texas so we can spend the week with our daughter who just moved there.

We now just own the Tower for even years and already booked for 2012 in Aug.
I explained to her that with just the two of us sitting in a 1450 sq ft two bedroom was just crazy. We can still use bonus time next year at a third of the price of what our M/F's would have been and only thing we lose is guarantee of a Naegle unit which we wouldn't need unless DD coming up for the week from Texas.

With our ownership on even years we get our Tower unit and still have day use and bonus time when needed.
Few weeks ago we went back up to Harrah's in Lake Tahoe comped at $29.00 a night or Harvey's free if wanted. We still went up and used our resort spa and had dinner at the Hungry Bear.

With just the two of us we can now run up to Reno or Lake Tahoe and get comped at Harrah's, Altantas or Peppermill for couple days instead of a week. We left II after many years because of being jerked around about renewing and the fact with only one unit now would never exchange.
I told the wife if we wanted to go some place for seven days we could just rent from a Tugger.

Wouldn't you know it the first month we sold I found a ridiculous ad for a odd year in our building that would have fit with our even year and as I mention it to the boss she told me no buying for couple years. She started giving me all the reasons I gave her and I couldn't argue with her since it came out of my mouth.

For now we will just do with even year and see how it works for us! I do know we would be lost if not owning at least one unit at this resort. We left timesharing for ten years and well staying at a great high price hotel in Maui the wife made her mind up that we needed to go buy our timeshare back in Lake Tahoe which we did within a few months. Its nice to know we can always go some place we love and at our resort.

PHILL12

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

I second this.. I cannot get to my TS and failed to rent it this year so I am eating my Maint Fee. I Have to lose this albatross before it chokes me

Would love to know who has had success with selling. One company I called said they would be happy to transfer it to themselves for the mere fee of $1300... wasnt that grand of them?

Grand plus $300.

But, on the positive side, the price of unloading them seems to be coming down.

[brucecz Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close brucecz]

We have those at our Lindo Mar ownership in PV and they even wash the dishes.

Bruce

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.

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

One company I called said they would be happy to transfer it to themselves for the mere fee of $1300...

How many more years of paying MFs and not using the unit would it take to get you to $1300?

If you can't give it away here on TUG, perhaps that's a reasonable option.