New Members - Please Introduce Yourself!

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

Hello,
I've been reading these threads for a while and finally decided to create an account and join int he fun.
I'm particularly interested in New York Timeshares (i'm considering buying a week from a resale website) and have joined up to ask a few questions and get feedback from others who have bought in NYC before.
Thanks,
Bad Barry

Hi Barry,
I'm not sure how many here own in New York but I do know that many here go to New York City very often but mostly thru exchanging. Stick around here for a while and you can learn how to get into those NYC timeshares without paying those exhorbitant maintenance fees to own there.

Recently Manhattan Club and Hilton Club were available in RCI for exchange. There are also other independent companies like SFX who can get you into NYC timeshares much cheaper than owning there.

Welcome to the forum and glad you decided to come out from lurkland.

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

Hello, I am Jack.
I was introduced to TS in 1994 when I was 24.
A buddy of mine and I were lured to a "Free 3 night stay" at Massanutten resort.
With barely enough credit to my name we bought our first white week at The Summit @ Massanutten together for $9000 from the developer. The following year we returned and bought a 2nd week for $8900 againfrom the developer so that when we got families of our own we would each have 1 week and wouldnt have to alternate years.
We spent many years asking ourselves why we were wasting our money paying off the timeshares and these stupid maintenance fees, but ultimately decided that we would never recoup anywhere near what we paid for the 2 weeks we owned and it would be better to pay them off and keep them.
Boy are we glad we did!
We traveled on many vacations with friends, mostly for Ski trips, and played host, which we loved.
When I got married we continued to travel together and I spent a lot of time getting to know the ins and outs of exchanging with RCI.
We have traveled to Poconos 2x, White Mountains of NH 2x, Orlando 4x.
My kids have been on at least 1 family vacation per year since the day they were born. Heck, my daughter has been to WDW 4x before she was 5!
Right now we are in Love with WDW and cruising, but will still visit our home resort every couple of years or so to save money.
It has been one of the smartest investments I could ever have made because of all the memories we have built and all the friends and family I have been able to host on vacation. Also, we never have had to stay in a cramped hotel or motel room, unless we were arriving a day early or leaving a day late.
I am considering buying into DVC, so someone please talk me out of it, it seems very expensive.

I'm gonna enable you here a little and just say that right now buying resale into DVC is going for as low as $40 a point and is passing ROFR so if you ever wanted in this might be a good time.

Who knows how low it will go but I've been tempted to buy in myself. Not that I need another TS but I do love the flexibility and options available to you if you own some points.

I live close to Orlando so can go for weekend stays. If I budget my points right (I own only 150 points) I can squeeze 18 days out of my ownership in studios. That's a great deal for someone who wants to stay onsite and do frequent short stays at Disney and is thus the reason that I bought into DVC. I was getting nervous about staying in Kissimmee with the rising crime rate but still wanted to feel the "Magic", so I found myself under Tink's spell and the TS saleslady sprinkled Pixie dust in my eyes. Next thing I know, I'm signing on the dotted line and haven't looked back.

There is a forum for DVC fanatics like me and they'll help you know everything you ever wanted to know about DVC. MouseOwners.com - The Web's Most Friendly and Reliable Source for Information on the Disney Vacation Club (DVC)

Of course here you will learn how to get into DVC for 1/3 the price of owning thru RCI so stick around and ask lots of questions. We love Disney and we love newbies.

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

Hello Everyone

Greetings everyone.

My name is Robert, and I am strongly considering buying a timeshare, but as of late I have only rented here and there. My parents bought 2 timeshares for my sister and I back in the 80s and we used to use one week every summer. They bought the timeshare through a company called NACO, but I believe the company went belly up and mother had a bear of a time getting rid of them after my father died. Needless to say she never passed them on to us and she's not a fan of owning timeshares, but as a kid I had great times and I still have fond memories of going on that vacation every summer.

I have most recently rented a week at the Palm Canyon Spa and Resort in Palm Springs, CA and the activities for the kids were great, but the rooms had great room for improvement. The rooms look liked the furniture and carpets hadnt been updated since the 70s and it even smelled like it. I definitely wont be buying there, but I recently went to a Wyndham presentation and I like their point system, but wanted to get some feedback from current Wyndham owners to see how they like the service. I was planning on buying in at the Ocenside, CA property which is a newer property and its right on the ocean.

I do like renting weeks from current timeshare owners and if I do buy, I would rather buy a timeshare from a current owner than directly from the company in order to help out someone who wants to rid themselves of those pesky yearly maintenance fees.

Nice to meet everyone and I look forward to chatting.

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

Welcome, Rob. Please read and ask lots of questions before you decide to purchase. I prefer points systems, too. I currently own DVC and just started to buy WorldMark - both are points based systems.

You can also watch ebay to see what resale Wyndhams are going for. I know you won't be purchasing with the intent to sell it later, but it is still helpful so that you don't get yourself in a bad situation.

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

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking around at various places on the net to see what current owners are selling their Wyndham timeshares for. Yeah, I wouldnt be planning on selling it later, but who knows what life will throw at us in the future. I will check e-bay as well.

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

Hi from Washington State!

My husband and I finally took the plunge and joined Worldmark.

Right now I'm just researching and researching on how to get the most out of it.

I'm familiar with the traditional timeshare of a given week, as my husband's grandparents had one that they let us use every time we visit my family in Florida. We just paid their annual dues and would get a beachfront condo in Daytona Beach.

Also have been able to use their Leisure Time camping membership quite frequently, but thought it's time to strike out on our own so we're not tied to other family members' schedules. Plus, we're getting spoiled as time goes on and mostly camping just doesn't quite cut it anymore - even with a fifth wheel trailer!

With two kids still in school, we'll have to stick within their schedules, but watch out when they graduate!

But we're so excited to give it a try soon!

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

HI

Hi Everyone,
My name is Teena and my husband and I are looking to purchase our second timeshare. Would love advice on websites that are selling resales.
Thanks.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Welcome and congrats!

WorldMark is a great program, and still provides one of the best values in the industry. You should find it a great addition to your camping membership. I just spent the summer at a camp resort in Old Orchard Beach and had a fantastic time.

There isn't much on this forum about camping, so perhaps you'll be able to add some information for campers in the future to the website.

Welcome!

Hi from Washington State!

My husband and I finally took the plunge and joined Worldmark.

Right now I'm just researching and researching on how to get the most out of it.

I'm familiar with the traditional timeshare of a given week, as my husband's grandparents had one that they let us use every time we visit my family in Florida. We just paid their annual dues and would get a beachfront condo in Daytona Beach.

Also have been able to use their Leisure Time camping membership quite frequently, but thought it's time to strike out on our own so we're not tied to other family members' schedules. Plus, we're getting spoiled as time goes on and mostly camping just doesn't quite cut it anymore - even with a fifth wheel trailer!

With two kids still in school, we'll have to stick within their schedules, but watch out when they graduate!

But we're so excited to give it a try soon!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Remember to watch the freebies on this site!

Hi Everyone,
My name is Teena and my husband and I are looking to purchase our second timeshare. Would love advice on websites that are selling resales.
Thanks.

You can find free timeshare offers by clicking HERE.

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

Thanks!

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

My name is Katy. I bought into WorldMark up in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2005.

Because of the way my schedule is, I more often rent out my points than use them myself. I've rented out to people about a dozen times over the past couple of years. I'd rent it out a lot more if it were possible to get into WorldMark Anaheim or Dolphin's Cove at the last minute -- that's the number one rental request I receive!

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

allow me to introduce myself!

Hello, TimeshareForums! My name is Stuart. I just moved to the Tampa area from San Jose. My wife and I are former timeshare owners (a few spots along the Gulf Coast) and are looking to...get back in the game?
Just joining in hopes of grabbing up some free advice that current owners might have for someone who hasn't owned since the mid-90's! Thanks for indulging an old man!

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

Hi!

My name is Melissa. My DH Tony and I just purchased a timeshare ysterday and came here hoping to figure out what the heck we got ourselves into Please feel free to give me pointers or direct me to helpful links throughout the forum!

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

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

What did you buy? Did you buy from the developer or buy resale?

If you did not buy resale, you paid too much!

The best thing would be to rescind your contract and then spend some time reading the forums so you can decide what (if) you want to buy.

Good luck!

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

I'm right there with you @missyraf. I'm a former time-share owner, but as with any other industry I'm sure there have been many changes since my time. I'm looking forward to seeing the way this conversation between you and the likes of @puppymommo plays out. I'm here to learn! Meanwhile, if you need any information we can offer, (not sure how helpful a couple of San Jose carpet cleaners will be!) feel free to ask!