Curious about Diamond

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

We travel a lot for business and pleasure and are tired of staying in hotels with limited amenities. We heard about timeshare a long while ago at a presentation but don't recall the details. We are interested in learning as much as possible about how the system works and how to get the most from it. If it proves to be beneficial, we would be interested in buying points and getting involved. Is this a system that could work for someone looking to stay for only a few days at a time or would we have to commit to a full week? Honestly, how's the availability?? Black-out dates? Can we stay where we want, when we want? Any other good tips for us novice timesharers? How does this compare to other timeshare systems? Thanks.

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

Welcome! There are many people here who are better informed than me, but since no one has jumped on this question yet, here's my two cents:
I like the flexibility of points. I can make a reservation at any time of the year and stay for as many days as I have points to cover the stay. For example, this summer, I stayed two nights in Williamsburg and 8 in Kissimmee. With many fixed weeks, you have to go at that time every year or hope you can trade your week for another time. The points system also enables me to vary the size of the unit I choose. If I have two people, I may choose a 1 BDRM unit. But if I bring friends, and have enough points, I may choose a 4 BDRM unit. Or, I can use my points to get two weeks vacation time.
On the negative side - using points for less than seven days costs more than using them for the full week. So you will burn through your points faster this way. At most places (possibly all?) there is a minimum two-night stay. So you won't be able to use your TS points for an overnight stay on your way to another destination.
Availability of resorts varies. For popular places at peak times, you will most likely need to book 11 months out. It seems to be very difficult to get into some places, no matter how far out you look.
Check out the locations of the DRI resorts. Depending upon where you live, you may have to travel a great distance to get to your TS. There is limited availability of DRI resorts on the East Coast.
Be aware of the rising cost of maintenance fees. These have skyrocketed over the past few years. You may pay $1000 or more annually, depending upon the number of points you have, and whether you join the club and the trust. In many cases, it's still cheaper to get a hotel with a suite or rent a TS than to buy and pay the MFs. You really should make a list of where you stayed last year and compare costs of the motels against the cost of point ownership.
Finally, DON"T BUY FROM DRI. There are plenty of resales available for pennies on the dollar. Read the posts on this forum to gain as much information as you can before you make the plunge.
I am very happy with my DRI ownership, but it's not for everyone. Too many people have purchased without really looking into the pros and cons and then realizing it's not for them. Good luck!

[fnewman Member Find all posts View Profile Close fnewman]

Here are a few additional comments

I like the flexibility of points. I can make a reservation at any time of the year and stay for as many days as I have points to cover the stay. True, depending on availability. On the negative side - using points for less than seven days costs more than using them for the full week. So you will burn through your points faster this way. At most places (possibly all?) there is a minimum two-night stay. So you won't be able to use your TS points for an overnight stay on your way to another destination.Not exactly - within DRI if you book a 5 night stay (Sun-Thur) you get them for 1/2 points. In many places you can also book fewer 'non-weekend' nights the are cheaper.
Availability of resorts varies. For popular places at peak times, you will most likely need to book 11 months out. It seems to be very difficult to get into some places, no matter how far out you look. Very true, but not just with DRI - however, early planning is almost always required unless going to a major T/S area such as Williamsburg, Orlando, etc.
Be aware of the rising cost of maintenance fees. These have skyrocketed over the past few years. You may pay $1000 or more annually, depending upon the number of points you have, and whether you join the club and the trust. In many cases, it's still cheaper to get a hotel with a suite or rent a TS than to buy and pay the MFs. You really should make a list of where you stayed last year and compare costs of the motels against the cost of point ownership.Timeshare ownership probably makes the most sense when your vacation plans could require more than one room or if you want to prepare a lot of your own meals.
Finally, DON"T BUY FROM DRI. There are plenty of resales available for pennies on the dollar. Read the posts on this forum to gain as much information as you can before you make the plunge.You can buy resale, but you will still have to buy something from DRI to get into the Club (points).
I am very happy with my DRI ownership, but it's not for everyone. Too many people have purchased without really looking into the pros and cons and then realizing it's not for them. Good luck!

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

Thanks for adding to my comments! There are so many things to consider with TS ownership.
RE: At most places (possibly all?) there is a minimum two-night stay. So you won't be able to use your TS points for an overnight stay on your way to another destination.Not exactly - within DRI if you book a 5 night stay (Sun-Thur) you get them for 1/2 points. In many places you can also book fewer 'non-weekend' nights the are cheaper. --
I meant to say you can't use points to stay just one night (*sorry if I wasn't clear about that). Perhaps there are exceptions to this rule, but I've not seen any. I guess if you have a lot of extra points, you could book the two nights and simply leave a day early, but that's a waste.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

One option to look at might be to buy an inexpensive ownership in a resort managed by VRI. As an owner at a VRI resort, you can reserve at other resorts in the VRI system at discounted rates; at most resorts nightly rentals are available.

The rentals are of two categories. One is out of the conventional rental program; these can be booked anytime. For the most part this is inventory that was reserved by an owner, and the owner placed the time into the rental pool rather than using it themselves. The other is VacationTyme, which is bonus time that is available because no one reserved the time. VacationTyme is generally available 15 days before check-in and offers some great rates. For example, last Labor Day weekend a one-bedroom unit was available at Whispering Woods outside of Portland, OR for $65/night.

I've used VacationTyme by booking a cancellable hotel reservation, then cancelling the reservation and taking VacationTyme if VacationTyme becomes available.