A lot of people ask about timeshare presentations, how long they take, and if they are worth it. We have gone on 2 this trip (I'm in our room now waiting for my wife to get dressed so we can go out dancing).
Mystic Dunes
This is a timeshare you can book at Universal Studios (the others there now are Westgate and Holiday Inn). We did this for $70 cash. Total time from when we left for the presentation to when we got back to our hotel was 4 hours. They give you breakfast or lunch, depending on what time you go. Barely edible but free if you are on a budget. The salesman noticed my wife had a designer bag and sunglasses and when it came time for the sales pitch he used that to say that if she could afford that designer she could afford this timeshare. They started at $29,000 and gave up when it was $11,900, still way more than a resale would cost. Fairly high pressure but not as bad as Westgate. If this were a job my wife and I were making $8.75/hour to sit through this
This is really a sign of the times in Orlando. The value of the gifts has come way down yet more people are taking advantage of it as a way to save money. We could have gone on similar tours but passed on it, not worth it at this time.
Sheraton Vistana
This was booked through our hotel. We didn't get money we actually had to spend it but we got 2 adult Disney Magic passes and 1 Child for $355. That is 2 days in the parks plus either a water park or Disney Quest. That's a significant savings and we are giving them as gifts to my stepdaughter and her family when they come to visit next year. Total time was 2 1/2 hours (If we had expressed an interest and started asking questions this could have stretched out far longer since we didn't even look at any of the units). Hot breakfast was better than Mystic Dunes but if you had to pay for it you'd feel you got ripped off. Low pressure, just watch a video then tell the salesman yes or no. We thought that was it but they take you to another room where a different salesman tries to sell you hotel rooms for $1500. The only other thing we got besides the Disney tickets were 2 certificates good for 50% off the rack rate at any Sheraton hotel. That would be nice if it wasn't for Priceline.
Mystic Dunes
This is a timeshare you can book at Universal Studios (the others there now are Westgate and Holiday Inn). We did this for $70 cash. Total time from when we left for the presentation to when we got back to our hotel was 4 hours. They give you breakfast or lunch, depending on what time you go. Barely edible but free if you are on a budget. The salesman noticed my wife had a designer bag and sunglasses and when it came time for the sales pitch he used that to say that if she could afford that designer she could afford this timeshare. They started at $29,000 and gave up when it was $11,900, still way more than a resale would cost. Fairly high pressure but not as bad as Westgate. If this were a job my wife and I were making $8.75/hour to sit through this
This is really a sign of the times in Orlando. The value of the gifts has come way down yet more people are taking advantage of it as a way to save money. We could have gone on similar tours but passed on it, not worth it at this time.
Sheraton Vistana
This was booked through our hotel. We didn't get money we actually had to spend it but we got 2 adult Disney Magic passes and 1 Child for $355. That is 2 days in the parks plus either a water park or Disney Quest. That's a significant savings and we are giving them as gifts to my stepdaughter and her family when they come to visit next year. Total time was 2 1/2 hours (If we had expressed an interest and started asking questions this could have stretched out far longer since we didn't even look at any of the units). Hot breakfast was better than Mystic Dunes but if you had to pay for it you'd feel you got ripped off. Low pressure, just watch a video then tell the salesman yes or no. We thought that was it but they take you to another room where a different salesman tries to sell you hotel rooms for $1500. The only other thing we got besides the Disney tickets were 2 certificates good for 50% off the rack rate at any Sheraton hotel. That would be nice if it wasn't for Priceline.
However this thread is directed at those of us who do go or are interested in going so they can decide if it's really worth it.
