Offsite TimeShares

[Queenmum]

Does anyone have any information or are owners of timeshares or Condo's with Bluegreen or Floridays Orlando. I really am interested in purchasing one and I would like to do some research on the subject. I have a presentation with bluegreen 8/30/06-9/02/06 and I am staying at the Springhill Suites by Marriott on Universal. I have read all the horror stories about Westgate and I am not interested in that property. I am trying to research information about DVC does anyone know of any good sites about DVC in order to get some good solid information. I would like to also hear from current owners if possible. Thanks.

 

[swilshire]

You would be well advised to spend a lot of time at www.tug2.net before you visit the timeshare property. The folks there are experts in all things timeshare.

The general consensus will probably be that you should only buy Orlando if you plan to vacation there most years. Orlando is easy to trade into except during the most prime weeks, and annual fees are high there. It usually makes more sense to buy elsewhere if plan to exchange your weeks.

I own three Orlando weeks because we like to go there often, but my fees ARE higher than average. I pay them for the convenience of knowing I can get Spring break or Christmas week in a nice resort with no hassle. If not for that, I'll sell them in a heartbeat.

Sheila

 

[MiaSRN62]

I am trying to research information about DVC does anyone know of any good sites about DVC in order to get some good solid information. I would like to also hear from current owners if possible. Thanks

I'm a DVC owner......
Here are some great places to start research :
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/dvc/1_Forward/forward.htm

http://www.wdwinfo.com/dvc/DVCpoints.shtml

http://web.nalu.net/~wneth/dvcplanner.htm

If you choose to buy directly from Disney (and not resale), you must purchase a minimum of 150 points which will run you about $13,000. DVC is currently promoting the SSR resort but they may have other "home" resorts available if you are interested. Most DVC Members will urge you to purchase the "home" resort where you intend to stay most often. Even though you can trade into any non-home DVC resort at 7 months prior, having the 11 month booking window can prove invaluable especially during prime Member vacation times (Nov and early Dec as examples). You can also purchase less than 150 points on the resale market (you can find alot of information on the DVC boards here on the DIS).
If you buy 150 points to start, every year you will receive 150 points deposited into your account during your "use year" month. The month or use year can vary and it really makes no difference in how you make reservations, but affects when you can bank points and when your points expire. Usually DVC just assigns a random month to you but you can request a certain month if you choose. Check DVC point charts to try and determine how many points you will need. Weekend points are much higher than weekday. Alot of Members don't even like to use their points on the weekends and book cash nights for those days. Certain times of the year will be more or less points. OKW has the lowest point charts and the largest rooms. SSR follows next for the amount of points required and BWV, BCV & VWL have higher point charts and smaller units. But it does seem to be more difficult to get into BWV/BCV/VWL based on the fact these are smaller resorts/less rooms and many feel they are in more ideal locations. i.e. you can walk to Epcot/MGM from BWV & BCV. You are a boat ride away from the MK at VWL. So, if you really feel these resorts are where you want to spend most of your time, you should buy there and make them your home resort. I own at OKW because we desire larger rooms and larger balconies and lower points. I have had some success in trading into other DVC resorts and stayed at BWV and VWL. We do this just for some variety every once in awhile. There really is so much to learn and discuss. You should really go to the DVC boards and research Membership a little more and then ask specific questions. Technically, this board is for Orlando hotels/attractions.

You can order a free DVC DVD from the main disney site here :
http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/index?bhcp=1

Additionally, we also own an offsite Orlando timeshare (Vistana). I agree with Sheila in that they are more difficult to trade out and do have higher maintenace fees. But we spend most of our vacations in FL anyway so it hasn't been a real problem for us. But if your plans are to exchange out often, DVC and Orlando based timeshare probably won't work as well for you. DVC is recommended for those who plan to stay in WDW. You can trade out, but choice are not as vast as with some other timeshare companies (i.e. Marriot or Fairfield) and it will cost you higher points.

Good luck in your decision and I highly recommend TUG as well.

 

[spiceycat]

I own at DVC too.

First - if you are not a Disney nut.... another words if going to WDW every year or every other year is not a high priority....

don't buy DVC.

It is expensive, it's maintence fees are expensive. It best deal are only at DVC resorts. It does not charge extra no matter if you stay with your home resort or go with one of the other DVC resorts.

you can stay for a little as a day or as long as a few months with enough points and availablity at a DVC resorts.

It is the most flexibility plan out there.

here is some information on blue-green
http://www.bluegreenonline.com/explore/searchResults.aspx?Dest=Panama+City+Beach,+Florida

the resort I own is listed on their page - but they are not the managers

they did not do a great job of managing (at least I think) so my resort went to
http://www.vriresorts.com/

oh forgot to speak to people who are experts on bluegreen

www.yahoo.com

under groups - ask to join - bluegreen

I also would go with tug - you will learn aton from this site.

don't buy from the developer - go resale if you can.

 

[mbb]

Ditto everyone else

Lots of great info, everyone

Let us know how you make out!!

 

[dylansmom1]

I don't know anytjing about bluegreen but I do know about Floridays. Floridays is a condohotel not a timeshare. You actually buy the Unit starting at 300 K. It comes furnished and you can live there year round if you want. The property is managed for you and rented out for you and you get a percentage of the profit. It's a vacation home basically. It's going to be really nice when they finish the property and it's sort of in between Disney and Universal so it's pretty decent location. Of course there is condo fees. There are several condotels being built in Orlando right now including a highrise complex in downtown.

Unless you want a second home (it's a Tax write off), I'd say look at them. We looked at the plans and took a "tour" last November. If you don't have that kind of cash, get a timeshare. Do your homework. Personally I like Marriott and Hilton timeshares. Both timeshare tours I've had with them have been Low pressure and friendly. they were not pushy at all but we may have been lucky.

Jane

 

[ralphd]

I agree with the previous post advising using the TUG website to check out any timeshare. Go to: ' http://www.tug2.net/ ' .
Check out other owner/guest comments about the resort.
The site has a classified ad site to buy/sell timeshares and a list of resalers that sell timeshares. The resaler will save you 40-60% on most purchases.

 

[Sherri]

We own DVC and Westgate. We love the trading power Westgate gives us and we love DVC because we don't trade it.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We love the trading power Westgate gives us

Hi Sherri,
Is your Westgate week Orlando based or other ? Just curious what some of the trades were that you have gotten ? Were the accomodations up to standards ? Thanks

 

[Lisa P.]

Does anyone have any information... Condo's with Bluegreen... I really am interested in purchasing one and I would like to do some research on the subject. I have a presentation with bluegreen 8/30/06-9/02/06

You've gotten advice on DVC. Here is the Bluegreen Resorts webpage so you can see where they have their resorts. Bluegreen salespeople sometimes describe Bluegreen as the "working person's timeshare" - meaning that they are nice & comfortable & slightly lower-priced than other developer purchases but they may not have all the deluxe touches you expect to find at the high-end resorts. In Orlando, the Sunshine Resorts are okay - nice but not deluxe, IMHO, and very near the I-4 interstate up International Drive. They fit the profile.

The Fountains, OTOH, is a very nice resort on S. Int'l Drive with a bit more of the deluxe treatment. It used to be called Oasis Lakes but Bluegreen took over the management and renamed it for new developer sales there. That'd be a great place to stay! Nice indoor/outdoor pool overlooking a small lake, nice fitness center and billiards room, pretty rooms. Bluegreen's flagship property seems to be their Wilderness Club at Big Cedar in Branson, MO.

Bluegreen uses their own points system and they trade through RCI. Learn about these before you go to the presentation. Make sure you know how many BG points you would need for a terrific annual vacation in the unit size you desire at the actual destinations you would like. Then look for a good resale on that many BG points and save at least 50-75% of your purchase price! See my sig below for a link to TUG to research on your own. HTH!

 

[Mom to 2]

I really cant help you but just wanted to say my husbands aunt has a timeshare through BlueGreen and is extremely happy with it. We have stayed with her in a few different places and they are very nice places. She has a huge book on all the places around the United States where the timeshares are located. And best of all it stays in the family so it will be passed to my husband and his brother, and then onto our kids, and so on.


Lory

 

[kimberh]

I own Bluegreen and DVC and one in Pigeon Forge that I have traded all over the carribean. I own the Bluegreen in Charleston, the city I live in and it is a Beautiful historic resort property that they refurbished. We have used our points with BG for Aruba and by the night in Charleston and Gatlinburg. There new resort in Orlando is suppose to be really nice. I added on to my BG off of Ebay and got it really cheap. I have also turned some of my BG points in for a week and received a 2 bedroom at Vistanna the week before Christmas through RCI. I am still deciding if I am going to rent it or not. I would get one close to where I live so that I would use it a lot and then get a ultra red week so you will have high trading power, if you don't go with one that is points.