Marriott Orlando trading power-a good idea?

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

Hello
I am in need of some of the expert's advice from this forum.

I have been shopping for a 2 BDR/LO Orlando Marriott resale...Platinum Season only at either Marriott Grande Vista or the Marriott Harbour Lake.

My husband and I have 2 young children 6 and 3 and plan to visit Orlando several times over the next bunch of years. By the way, at this time, we only take one vacation a year.

I know that Orlando is loaded with timeshares, therefore, I do understand why it is not the best place to purchase. But to be honest, with my young ones, the majority of our vacations would mainly be to Orlando, Hilton Head, Virginia or Aruba. Out of these destinations, it seems that the Marriott's in Orlando are the most affordable (for Platinum) and that is why I am targeting that area.

Now I guess my main question would be...how well would one of these Marriott's in Orlando (Grande Vista or Harbour Lake) trade for Hilton Head, Virgina or Aruba for a summer week? I ask because if the majority of timesharers out there have had lots of trouble, I may have to rethink if owning a timeshare is for us.

I appreciate any help I can get - thank you!!!

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

If you only take one vacation a year, I wouldn't bother with a timeshare. You can always rent, Orlando rates are low because of the oversupply, you can probably rent for an amount equal to or less than your MFs/exchange fees/membership fees would add up to (considerably less depending on where you stay and whether you could book on short notice), without the upfront payment or the potential liability in terms of ongoing commitment and potential Special Assessments. You also wouldn't be able to take advantage of the "bonus" weeks and other "extra" vacations available to exchange company members.

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

By Virginia, I assume you are primarily interested in Williamsburg? If so, that is another relatively easy area to get to, so Glitter Brunello's suggestion might still have merit. It kind of depends how often you want to go to HHI and Aruba as trading an Orlando T/S for either, if trying to do so in prime time (summer for HHI and winter for Aruba) might be problematic.

If you are looking to go to Orlando 3 out of 4 years in the foreseeable future, renting might be the most economical. If you are looking at HHI or Aruba for half the time, now might be a good time to see what you can get resale with a good HHI unit. It would probably have a strong enough trade power to pull Aruba with a 12 month lead and would easily pull Williamsburg and Orlando units. With today's depressed market, you might still want to check into Orlando resale. I can't quote specific numbers, but I seem to remember Marriott properties going for around $1K or even less on some E-Bay auctions. Problem is even Orlando MFs are around $800 which would cover most Getaways from II if memory serves me correctly.

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

First off, I want to thank you very much for your responses. I am so happy that there is a forum out there for people like me who want to put their toe in the water before they jump right in.

Responding to both of your posts, yes, I agree. If I were ONLY to vacation annually in Orlando, then I can quite easily rent a 2 bedroom at one of my Marriott preferences for a reasonable price. I would save myself the upfront cost of the timeshare, the annual maintence fees and the time it takes to manage it.

But my grand plan if I purchased a platinum Marriott in Orlando (Grande Vista or Harbour Lake) would be to expand our wings away from Mickey from time to time. Rentals for Marriott's in Aruba, Hilton Head or even Myrtle Beach during prime time is quite costly. So me and my bright ideas was hoping that my Platinum Orlando Marriott would work its magic. I thought I understood from reading many posts that if you own a good Marriott week, you usually could get another Marriott. If you hadn't guessed by now, I am almost exclusively a Marriott vacationer.

Also, FYI, Platinum Marriott resales in Orlando are still in the 3,000-6,000 range selling on Ebay. Hilton Head (Marriott Grande Ocean) Bronze and Silver are next to nothing, but a Gold or Platinum is still over 10k....too steep for me at this time, but have stayed there and it is beautiful.

Curious if there are any Marriott Grande Vista or Marriott Harbour Lake owners (specifically) out there who have had these experiences with exchanging and can share their thoughts...?

Again, cannot thank you enough for your help!

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

How flexible will you be with the weeks you want in HHi or Aruba? While I might agree that Marriott is the way to go on HHi, I would also argue that there are alternatives on Aruba that would broaden your horizons from a rental perspective. Given that travel rentals should be at an all time low for a while, I would still advocate renting to someone who only travels once a year.

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

As my kids get older, I would be less flexible on my travel weeks as I wouldn't want to take them out of school. therefore, summer weeks and school breaks would be our travel range. By the time my kids are old enough for my husband and I to vacation alone during non prime seasons, we will be quite elderly and moving into the nursing home.

So renting just may be my route. I appreciate your perspective and will definitely take my time and think this through as I do realize that timeshare is not for everyone.