Anyone ever do Timeshare Tours for Tix??

[DanaHesson]

There is a website where you can tour the timeshare and get two one day tickets. Have any of you Dis'ers done this? I can get discounted Universal and Seaworld tickets through work, and was thinking this might be a way to be able to do more for less. Anyone tried it out?

 

[Leota]

My parents did one a couple years ago. Mom said never again. They committed to a 1.5 hour sales pitch, which extended to about 3 hours. They said the sales person was nice enough, it was just too much. Also, every time they stopped back at the resort, they were "worked", so it didn't feel all that relaxing to them. She said it wasn't a nightmare or anything, but that next time, it wouldn't be worth the savings. (They've been several times with us onsite & liked that much better)
Oh, theirs was a cheap resort stay & a couple one day passes. Made for a cheap trip for them.

 

[paigevz]

We did last trip. We wanted to go to Universal, and had not stayed off-Disney before, so thought this would be the way to go. We stayed at the hotel they put us up at (Holiday Inn Sunspree)...........not great, but clean. We did our 90 minute pitch which lasted 2 1/2 hours...........salesperson we got was great, but when we refused to buy, gave us a supervisor who was sort of mean, and took off herself, we never saw her again...........basically, supervisor implied we wasted their time, actually told us we wouldn't be welcome back, on and on..............and were told to go to the desk to get our tickets. Having been treated courteously and shown everywhere, now we were told to find our own way, which we did.
We thought we'd be able to handle this better, but have also decided it's not worth it. It took a whole day of our vacation, we stayed off-disney which wasn't as nice an experience, and being treated badly wasn't fun on vacation.

 

[boucheresq]

we did and I thought my dh (bf then) was going to kill me. it took all morning (although they said only about an hour) and when we told them we couldn't/wouldn't buy (we were both still in law school) - they were VERY rude. NEVER AGAIN!

 

[DJR]

We did it ourselves a few years ago when my wife was at a conference. I don't remember which resort it was, maybe Marriott, and it was nice, but we were very upfront with them that we already owned at DVC and were not interested in buying another. Once they heard that, there was no pressure at all. I guess they realized they can't beat DVC, or maybe we just had a nice saleperson, I think he was a supervisor. He kept us for a couple of hours because he said he needed to put in the time for the record. After getting a tour we got 2 tix to Universal. I don't know if I would do it again, though; it's just not worth the hassle.

 

[Jridou]

We've done it before and found it to be an easy way to get free tickets. We did it at the Sheraton Vistana and I want to say the Marriot. Each time we've signed up for the 7:30 am tour which gave us a free breakfast and held the rep to his 1 1/2 hours since there was a 9 am showing. Nobody's ever been rude to us either. I'd totally do it again.

 

[jmclester]

I've never had a good experience with time sharing pitches. Very high pressure (lots worse than car salesmen) and the "supervisors" are always condescending and rude. They make you feel cheap if you don't buy into their deal. Would rather pay list on tix and hotel and then try to save money elsewhere.

 

[ilikemike]

I cannot say it enough DON'T DO IT!!!! They are extremely HIGH pressure salespeople a LOT worse than used car salesmen!!!! I am a very aggressive loud-mouthed if you will person that has noooooo problem whatsoever saying no and speaking my mind. The salespeople I dealt with were EXTREMELY tough. Don't get me wrong, I knew going in I wasn't going to buy into anything they were selling but they are very insistent on you buying and their 1-1/2 pitch turns into 2-1/2 to 3 hours and they just keep you "stuck" with them with no escape!!!! DON'T DO IT - - it's not worth wasting valuable vacation time listening to their drabble and feeling like a cornered animal!!!!

 

[2Disneybuggs]

We own a timeshare but did a tour at MArriott looking to buy a second week and get tix to Universal.After being very nice when we told me we weren't buing he was actually mad. He tried to lecture us on how we were making a big mistake not buying.I wanted to cpmplain abot him because Marriott reps are never like that but we just let it go. I would do another tour for tickets though.

 

[lark]

Just make sure you're absolutely prepared to stick to your guns. These guys sell a lot of timeshares to people who think they are just going for the free tickets. Buying timeshares from the developer is such a ridiculous financial move that they only way they can really sell them is either to trick you or pressure you. The one approach I've heard work is to say, right off the bat, that you hate the resort, don't think you'd come back to it, and if you're going to buy a timeshare would prefer to buy one you like instead of hoping to "trade" out of their piece of crap. If they know you're this negative to start, they might see it as a waste of time. If you're thinking you're going to walk in and say, "we just did this for the free tickets so don't give us the hard sell," they have a 300 page book about how to "handle" you. It's true that you might not be pressured, but at least be prepared for the possibility that this will be very unpleasant. One other thing to do is find a good resale website like redweek.com and print out a list of all the weeks at the resort that are for sale on the resale market for about 20 percent of what the developer is trying to charge you. Show them the list. They will have some canned responses ready to go, but if they know you're this well informed, they'll know you're a lost cause and leave you alone eventually.

 

[zalansky]

I say don't do it either! We did it at Sheraton Vistana Villages the last week of November for a discounted rate AND our choice of 2 adult Sea World, Universal, or Disney tickets. We had to also commit to the 90 minute sales pitch. We found it to be very high pressure, every time we said no they offered us another deal. When our 90 (or more) minutes was up, our salesman asked up to come back the next day to give "our final answer." Like fools, we agreed instead of giving it right then & there and ended up with another sales pitch from his supervisor the next morning. My DH and I agreed it was not worth it. The time and pressure just were not worth it.
Now, when we toured Disney Vacation Club at SSR and got $100 disney dollars, that was a great experience. NO pressure at all and the Guides are the best! We didn't buy DVC either by the way, but want to.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

I guess I am the only one who has had a positive experience in relation to the timeshare promo type deal. Around the end of september '02 I was cruising the web one evening and came across this promo on the Marriott website : "5 days/ 4 nights studio at Grande Vista and 2 Discovery Cove tickets for $598." I looked into it the next day, and shortly afterward booked a package for $798 ( we paid to upgrade from studio to two bedroom ). Due to our change to two bedroomm we ended up staying at Cypress Harbour instead.

Fast forward to June of '03. Check-in, pick up our tickets and enjoy a wonderful family day at Discovery Cove [ our daughter's 10th birthday ], and several other days at Seaworld. Several days later we did the timeshare presentation. We were treated very professionally, and did not feel pressured. I actually was interested in the Marriott product, but my wife and I agreed that we did not want to obligate ourselves financially at this time, as we had just paid off all but the house and she had left work to be a stay-at-home mom. We thanked them for their time and courtesy, and rejoined our daughter at the resort.

Needless to say, with what D/C tickets cost we made out like a bandit. I've never seen a promo like this one since then, but would like to again.

 

[MelessaG]

My parents bought into Marriott mostly because, according to my Dad, they were so professional and non-pressuring. It must be true because I've seen my Dad walk away from things he wanted to buy if he felt like he's being pushed too hard. That's just how he is. We got four free Universal tickets and 5 nights in a one-bedroom at the Residence Inn for $200. (Horizons was so new, there were no rooms yet)

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

We did a timeshare tour when we were staying at the Vistana Resort. It was for a check for $100. It was suppose to be a 90 minute presentation. I told the woman upfront that we were only there for the check and weren't interested in buying (I think my husband was a bit embarrased...). She was very, very nice and only took about 30 minutes of our time, and we still got the check. I think if you are honest, they won't waste your time or theirs. I would even consider doing it again, depending on what they are offering. However, there are some salespeople who can be rude about it and give you a hard time, so be careful about where it is, and try to find out what others have experienced on the presentations.

Jen

 

[Sarahsal]

IMHO it is not worth the risk of getting a hard sell. We once went to a Fairfield presentation, and we were actually interested in buying. Our 90 minute presentation went on for 3.5 hours, and the man was so rude-when I voiced a concern I had he basically said I was stupid, and my DH agreed! I was livid, but my DH swore to me later that he just wanted to get out of there and would have agreed with anything the man said. And then we weren't through-we had to talk to a supervisor, who now says "you know, we have packages that don't cost as much." Well, had we been told that in the beginning, we might have purchased. So he starts showing us where we can trade, and I say "what about Disney World?" The man says, with a straight face, "well Disney only has one resort on sight-the GF." Huh? Now I know he is lying to me, and we get out of there. It took almost 4.5 hours of our time-and I was angry with my husband for a lot longer than that!