Can someone suggest a good timeshare near WDW?

[cgcruz]

I like DVC, but I'd like something permanent. I'm not looking for anything too expensive or overly luxurious. Something close to WDW would be nice. As things are right now, I wouldnt need anything more than a 1 bedroom timeshare. We'd prefer something around Early March. Any suggestions as to a resort that would match my expectation? Am I looking into speding as much as DVC ($15,000) for decent accomidations?

 

[cgcruz]

I was looking at the timeshare store website. They have a listing at Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista in the Falls Section. A 2 bed 2 bath for $2,600 red season, fixed week 6. Does that sound good? Anyone know anything about Vistana Resort? What is Red Season? Are they lifetime ownership?

 

[poohbear200202]

Vistana is a great resort. We stayed there last year with a friend's timeshare and loved it. 7 pools onsite, minature golf, kids activities and the list goes on. We liked it so much we are going back this year even though we are not going to disney. So I think we are going to look at buying a timeshare there. The room we had last year was in the Lakes. 2br/2ba. Very spacious and clean. This year we are staying in the CAscades section(which is the newer section of the resort). Let you know after Sept how that was.

 

[luvdisney14]

What is the timeshare website you are looking at. Last year stayed at vistana and loved it.

 

[cgcruz]

www.timeshareresale.com They are sponsors on Disboards.

 

[utahkennedys]

Check out www.tug2.net in their classifieds section. I see very inexpensive Orlando timeshares there all of the time. I have heard good things about Orange Lake and Vistana (but be careful which sections of Vistana, some are old, some are new), and also Vistana Villages. Also, I see Marriott Cypress Harbour deals for around $7k. You can also watch eBay. However, having said that, we got a great deal at Old Key West DVC and absolutely love it...you don't have to pay $16k to buy DVC. If you go to the DVC boards on this site, at the top is the sponsor DVC reseller and they are great.

 

[spiceycat]

the difference between DVC and other timeshares is staying on property not off.

I don't know if I would recommend any timeshares in Orlando. there are so many of them that they don't trade as well as cheaper timeshares elsewhere.

where do you live? certain timeshares will allow you visiting rights. another words you don't have to stay there to use their facilities & amenities - just be an owner.

any beach timeshares will out trade most of the timeshares in Orlando. (not DVC, HGVC or Marriott - but most of the others yes)

so if you live near a beach - near to me is 6 hours or less. then I start looking there.

you should be able to get a good timeshares in Orlando for $4,000 or less.

to get one elsewhere $2,500 or less - plus generally maintence fees are less outside of Orlando.

tug is a good place to start looking and ask questions. Some of the tuggers will know your part of the country better and might have much better suggestion.

a big hint - always and I mean always check the maintence price with what you can rent the unit you are looking for at the time you want it.

some places it is actually less money to rent than to own. DVC will never do this. but most places don't have the CRO to rent them out....

Westgate is a bad example of this - that is one reason why Westgate is so under the market. they rent (BIG time) for less than you can own with them.

so definitely mark Westgate off your list.

one of the closest is to WDW is Cypress Pointe - it gets good reviews - but the rental rate is close to the maintence fees. It is less than a mile (might be a little more) from OKW.

be carefully!

also look at

http://www.timeshareforums.com/
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php
http://www.timesharegateway.com/forums/

after you decide what you want to buy look
www.myresortnetwork.com

 

[spiceycat]

oh if you want to trade into DVC possible (but not with an Orlando timeshares) - then make sure the timeshare is with II (interval international) not RCI (the other big exchange company).

 

[MiaSRN62]

I agree with everything Spicey said. Particularily if you are looking to trade out frequently, Orlando timeshares do not do that well. Maintenance costs seem higher for Orlando timeshares as well.
As for Vistana. We own there in the Fountains I/II section. The Falls section is one of the oldest section (2nd oldest actually). They are the only section that does not have 2 double beds in the second bedroom-----they have 2 singles. They will not appear as modern/updated as the newer sections (especially the Lakes and Cascades). They are a life time deed. Week 6 is fixed and it means you would have to vacation that week all the time. I believe this is around the 2nd week of Feb ? Don't have a calendar handy. I also don't believe it's Pres Week ? The price sounds good.....but just check the maintenance fees and make sure you're prepared to vacation in Feb every year and might have some trouble trading out for certain seasons/resorts.

 

[swilshire]

If you want early March, you don't want a fixed week 6.

We love our floating Vistana week because we have used it most years. I agree that maintenance costs are relatively high in Florida, but if you will using your own week each year, it is worth it to avoid exchange fees.

If you don't want to travel at peak times like Spring break and Christmas, you can also buy somewhere else with lower fees and consistently exchange into resorts in Orlando, particularly the smaller 1br units. That lets you try various resorts.

Also, in the off season it is probably cheaper to rent units than to own and pay the maintenance fees.

I would only recommend buying Orlando to those that really want to go there most of the time and are restrained by schedules to peak seasons.

Sheila

 

[MiaSRN62]

I would only recommend buying Orlando to those that really want to go there most of the time and are restrained by schedules to peak seasons.

I agree.....for us, it works. We vacation primarily in FL. We also have several family members living in the state and our timeshare is no more than 90 min from any of them. We've only traded out once in 12 years of ownership---to Williamsburg, VA. But I have heard of people having trouble getting trades into very popular areas like Hawaii. But even DVC doesn't always trade so well there.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

My parents own at Marriott. They have, I believe, six resorts in the WDW area. They're also part of the Interval network. We've stayed there with them many times, and they're really beautiful places.

 

[spiceycat]

marriott has 6 in orlando - they are still building grande vista - but I would pick Cypress Harbour (better management)

Imperial Palms
sabal Palms
royal Palms
Grande Vista
Cypress Harbour
Horizons

Hilton Grand Vacation Club has 2 - International Drive and across from Seaworld.

you know about Disney.

 

[JudyS]

I agree with what SpiceyCat and Sheila said. For most people, owning a timeshare in Orlando doesn't make sense. There are so many timeshares in Orlando that they often trade poorly, and at least one of the two main exchange companies doesn't allow Orlando timeshares to trade into other Orlando timeshares. This prevents Orlando timeshares from trading into the DVC. Also, in the long run, the annual fees (for management, upkeep, utilities, taxes, etc) are generally more important than the purchase price of the timeshare, and annual fees tend to be quite high in Orlando.

Owning in Orlando only makes sense in a few circumstances -- if you buy at the DVC, for example, or if you want to go at Christmas and buy a fixed Christmas week (week 52.)

I was looking at the timeshare store website. They have a listing at Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista in the Falls Section. A 2 bed 2 bath for $2,600 red season, fixed week 6. Does that sound good? Anyone know anything about Vistana Resort? What is Red Season? Are they lifetime ownership?

I don't know all the answers here, but I will tell you what I know!

The Sheraton Vistana Resort is the world's largest timeshare, with 2,000 units. Most of it is very nice but there are some older sections that are not as nice. (These might be getting renovated -- not sure.)

Red season is the term that timeshare exchange companies use to indicate that a week falls in a tourist season, as opposed to shoulder season or offseason. (An example of a location with distinct tourist, shoulder, and off-seasons would be Cape Cod -- many tourists go there in summer but few in winter.) However, Orlando is considered red all year around, because the theme parks are open all year. Therefore, all Orlando weeks are considered red, regardless of whether they fall into a busy time such as Spring break or a slow time such as September.

Timesharing can be a way to get great vacations very inexpensively! I've used my timeshares to trade into Orlando four times in the past year and a half. I stayed at the DVC three times, and I also got a 3 bedroom Cypress Pointe for Christmas week. Timeshares can be complicated, though. I will PM you with more timeshare information.

 

[mickeymousemom]

We are members of BlueGreen and they have a couple of places in Orlando...the Sunshine Resort(closer to US/IoA) and the Fountains(They also have places all over the country and we are deeded in Virginia, but have never used our points anywhere but Florida). The Fountains is beautiful..we've already stayed there twice this year, just got back a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for and I can be a little clueless on how timeshares can work, but we have been really happy with what we've bought thru BlueGreen. I don't feel they are high pressure when it comes to buying and we have points that we use all over the place. We really love to stay on WDW property at least once a year, but having the timeshare allows us to go down to Orlando on a whim. We also have unlimited bonus time thru them so if we don't want to use points we can stay at any of the condos for $59 a night. The Fountains is very close to WDW property and is fairly new...they still have a couple more buildings to go up. The pool is nice and in the future they'll have a small waterpark for the residents. Not sure if I've helped or not, but at any rate, good luck in finding something!

 

[Lisa P.]

Do look at TUG (see my sig below) and consider joining so that you will have access to the timeshare reviews there. It will greatly help you to narrow your field to the resorts that most closely fit your preferences.

If you plan to use it yourself most years, I think it's great to own at the resort of your choosing so you don't have to worry about trade power, trade fees (always rising) and whether you will get your preferred resort. Another option is to buy points within a points system (like Bluegreen, mentioned above, or Fairfield or Worldmark) that has resorts you like but at a home resort with lower fees than most Orlando properties. They usually allow you to reserve at other resorts within their system without an additional exchange fee - I know that Fairfield allows this. Make sure that anything you buy is annual, not EOY (every-other-year). Also, FL properties don't normally include properties taxes in their maint fees so you are billed separately (usually combined in other states). When comparing costs between resorts, factor in both (maint & taxes).

To give you an idea of cost... most of Fairfield's resorts in the Orlando area are listed as "prime" season in early March. To reserve a 1BR Deluxe condo at FF Bonnet Creek (next door to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort), it's 166,000 points. A 1BR Deluxe at FF Star Island or FF Cypress Palms is 128,000 points. A 1BR Suite (no jacuzzi, much smaller rooms) at either of the latter two resorts is 94,500 points.

It's possible to buy FF points resale through reputable brokers for ~3¢/pt or ~$5,000 purchase for the 166K. Look for a package with maint fees ~$3-$4/1,000 pts or ~$500-$675/year maint & taxes. This is probably cheaper than buying points to stay in a 1BR at DVC every year. In years when you want to stretch your points, it's easy to deposit an offseason 1BR (63K) or a high season studio (70K) and trade up to what you want in Orlando. Then you use the rest of your points to reserve another vacation, trade another week, add extra days at a resort to lengthen your stay in Orlando or even at the beach in FL (FF has resorts in Daytona, Ft. Lauderdale & Destin) or along the drive home in SC (Myrtle Beach or Edisto). This kind of trading is possible with both II and RCI so whichever is the exchange company for your home resort doesn't matter so much - though we personally prefer RCI for it's destinations, variety and more FF Gold Crown properties.

Bottom line: learn more about resale timeshares on TUG; see what appeals to you; choose the option that you think best fits you; don't pay more than $6,000 for a prime week with maint fees that you can afford. And yes, most timeshares are for life and may be willed to heirs - if you want that (we did), get it.

 

[gjw007]

The Sheraton Vistana Resort is the world's largest timeshare, with 2,000 units. Most of it is very nice but there are some older sections that are not as nice. (These might be getting renovated -- not sure.)

Not attempting to get nitpicky, but this isn't quite correct. Vistana Resort is a nice resort and it is on 135 acres. As you mentioned, it has roughly 2000 units (I had heard 1,700 but I'm not going to say my information was correct). Orange Lake currently has over 2,500 units with plans to expand up to 4,500 units. It also is on over 1200 acres with over 100,000 owners. Some people like the larger resorts because they offer so much more activities on property but some people don't like them.

For the OP, I've never been a fan of the mantra of buying someplace else just to trade into Orlando. It is true that many of them have lower maintenance costs, at least until some special assessment is charged, but you are no longer guaranteed access to a resort that you like (many of them have a restriction to a 1-in-3/4 rule where you can only trade into the resort once every fourth year) but if you don't mind (forced) to go to different resorts every year, it is workable. You need to review what you are looking for and why. If you plan to use it to go to Orlando, then look at the type of resort that you would like to stay at, and consider owning. If you are looking for maximum trading power with only occassional uses in Orlando, it makes sense to look at resorts with maximum trading power if you can accurately determine what that is. RCI and IIs guide don't really provide a comparison as as all red weeks are not the same. Example, you can go to www.rci.com, look up a resort such as Vacation Village at Parkway (Sheraton's Vistana will also work) and check out the points totals for each week. Even though every week is a red week, you will see that there are different points totals for different weeks. Oh, I think week 7 is President's week (also Daytona week).

It would be wise to use a resource like www.tug2.net to learn about timesharing and make up a decision on your own. There are many surprises that could disappoint you if you are unaware. As an example, the points-based resort may promise you the ability to check in at any time and for any length of stay but some still force you to check in on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and use a week of points. Others may let you stay 1 or 2 nights but there is a cleaning charge that is applied for stays under 5 days. It is best to learn these type of things before purchasing rather than after. Good luck on your decision.

 

[JudyS]

Not attempting to get nitpicky, but this isn't quite correct. Vistana Resort is a nice resort and it is on 135 acres. As you mentioned, it has roughly 2000 units (I had heard 1,700 but I'm not going to say my information was correct). Orange Lake currently has over 2,500 units with plans to expand up to 4,500 units. It also is on over 1200 acres with over 100,000 owners. Some people like the larger resorts because they offer so much more activities on property but some people don't like them.

For the OP, I've never been a fan of the mantra of buying someplace else just to trade into Orlando. It is true that many of them have lower maintenance costs, at least until some special assessment is charged, but you are no longer guaranteed access to a resort that you like (many of them have a restriction to a 1-in-3/4 rule where you can only trade into the resort once every fourth year) but if you don't mind (forced) to go to different resorts every year, it is workable.....

By "largest timeshare", I meant number of units. When it comes to acreage, I would guess that one of the ski resorts has the most acreage. I stayed at Boyne Mountain in Michigan last week, and that resort is 5000 acres.

I hadn't realized that Orange Lake Country Club has that many units -- were some of them built recently? So, OK, then Orange Lake Country Club is probably the world's largest timeshare, in terms of how many units it has. The fact that these two enormous timeshares are in Orlando points out just how much timeshare availability the Orlando area has!

If a person really likes one particular timeshare, and would rather stay there than at any other timeshare in the area, then that would be a good reason to buy at that resort rather than trying to trade in. However, that didn't seem to be the situation that the Original Poster was talking about. (And even when you own at a resort, you still have to worry about booking in advance to get the week that you want, unless you own a fixed week.)

As for maintenance fees and special assessments, there's no reason to think that resorts in Orlando will be less likely to have a special assessment than a resort anywhere else. I say that one of the main reasons for the high annual fees in Orlando is the taxes. My DVC contract (barely enough points for a one bedroom) costs about $150 a year in real estate taxes. I have a 2 bedroom in another state that costs only $10 a year in real estate taxes!

I don't worry at all about 1-in-4 rules. (For those new to timesharing, a 1-in-4 rule is a rule that some resorts have, that says you are only allowed to exchange into that resort once every four years. Sometimes the time limit is actually once in 3 years or once in 5 years.) I don't run into problems with this rule because only RCI allows resorts to have 1-in-4 rules. And, for that matter, 1-in-4 rules are currently enforced only in RCI's Weeks program, not RCI's Points program. Interval International doesn't have any 1-in-4 rules, and neither do any of the independent exchange companies. I'm a member of 5 exchange programs -- RCI Weeks, RCI Points, Interval International, San Francisco Exchange, and Dial-an-Exchange (these last two are independent exchange companies) and I would say that Interval is generally the best exchange company for exchanging into Orlando. Most Marriott weeks and virtually all DVC weeks exchange through Interval. The RCI Points system is also good for Orlando, if you want a last-minute week at a nice resort like a Hilton or Sheraton (but not DVC and generally not Marriott). RCI Weeks would be my last choice for exchanging into Orlando. So, I never run into the 1-in-4 rule because I don't use RCI Weeks for my Orlando trades.

About Fairfield and Bluegreen, which several people have mentioned on this thread, these are both fairly large points-based timeshare systems that have several resorts in the Orlando area. I've looked into both of them, and have come pretty close to buying points in each of them at various times. What has stopped me is two factors. One is initial purchase price -- even on the resale market, Bluegreen and Fairfield cost more than most other non-hotel-based timeshares. The other factor is how these systems work their "VIP" or "Preferred Member" benefits. Both systems want you to buy a ton of points; if you own only enough points for one week's usage a year, then you miss out on their VIP or Preferred Member benefits, which can include big discounts and first crack at all the really desirable reservations. And, Fairfield only gives their VIP benefits to people who buy at least some points at high prices directly at Fairfield. Bluegreen hasn't started denying Preferred Member benefits to resale buyers, but they keep saying that they will. (I was just on a Bluegreen sales tour last week.) Also, both systems, especially Fairfield's, are quite complicated. (I don't what to have to deal with housekeeping credits!) Still, I know some very satisfied owners at both systems, and it's quite possible that I'll buy points in either Fairfield or Bluegreen in the future. Bluegreen is more likely than Fairfield, because Fairfield's system is quite similar to RCI Points, which I already have. (Fairfield is owned by the same company as RCI.)

Worldmark is another good system that has many satisfied owners, but their resale purchase price is even higher than Fairfield's and Bluegreen's, and they currently are having a conflict with some of their members over the fact that Worldmark is "diluting" the value of Worldmark points by adding cheap timeshares in out-of-the-way places such as as Galena, Illinois. Plus, Worldmark generally also makes you keep track of housekeeping credits.

OK, can you tell that I am obsessed with timeshares!

(edited to add Worldmark info)

 

[Lisa P.]

If a person really likes one particular timeshare, and would rather stay there than at any other timeshare in the area, then that would be a good reason to buy at that resort rather than trying to trade in. However, that didn't seem to be the situation that the Original Poster was talking about. (And even when you own at a resort, you still have to worry about booking in advance to get the week that you want, unless you own a fixed week.)

This is true. Though I do think the OP alluded to wanting a comfortable home base resort for their Orlando vacations and some predictability may be desirable.

This poses the classic fixed-vs.-floating or weeks-vs.-points argument. Fixed weeks afford predictability and assurance of a preferred week's vacation. Floating time or points afford flexibility but they require the owner to plan ahead and reserve early when they want to vacation during the most popular times for a given resort or destination.

Points and floating weeks are usually not a problem in most programs if one is not seeking the very most popular times. In a mega-resort or a system with multiple resorts in an area, it's really not much of an issue. The OP mentioned early March: This is a fairly popular time but it's not Easter week so probably not an issue for points or floating weeks, IMHO.

I say that one of the main reasons for the high annual fees in Orlando is the taxes. My DVC contract (barely enough points for a one bedroom) costs about $150 a year in real estate taxes.

Is your home resort one of the Epcot resorts? They seem to have higher taxes compared to other area properties (DVC & others), IIRC, though I agree that taxes in the greater Orlando area are clearly higher than in many other, non-urban locations. Resort labor there is also rather expensive due to the heavy tourism industry needs. Insurance is very high throughout FL.

I don't worry at all about 1-in-4 rules.

I don't either. We trade through RCI and there are so many beautiful resorts in the area that's it's a non-issue for us. Plus, when trading back into a Fairfield (home resort or home system for us), the 1-in-4 rules don't apply.

About Fairfield and Bluegreen... how these systems work their "VIP" or "Preferred Member" benefits.

We are not VIP w/FF and it doesn't bother me at all. The only reservations that I may find difficult to obtain would be July in Myrtle Beach or Destin and perhaps any time in St. Thomas (limited availability). FF has the "Rotating Priority List" for an early reservation request to help with this, if I wanted. So even that is possible. DVCers have a similar problem if they want July at the HHI resort. Home resort owners get first chance to reserve and it's usually booked before other owners get their chance. But w/FF & DVC, most people are still able to get what they want for most times of the year when they call early in their respective open reservation windows.

Also, both systems, especially Fairfield's, are quite complicated. (I don't what to have to deal with housekeeping credits!)

Very true. Again, it's a trade-off, this time with simplicity of points usage vs. cost of annual fees. With DVC, it simple to use but you pay higher annual maintenance to manage a program and resorts where all (reservation management and housekeeping) costs are rolled together and divided among the members in higher per-point annual fees. With FF, it's more complicated as they've allocated a certain amount of services per owner (according to the # of points owned), and owners who use more services (more frequent shorts stays w/more frequent reservations made and housekeeping services required) run out of their allotment and need to then pay for the extra services rendered in a year's time (a la carte fees, if you will). Again, it hasn't been a problem for us, even w/multiple vacations and w/o VIP. But FF certainly is complicated for new owners to learn!!!

 

[Lisa P.]

I'm not looking for anything too expensive or overly luxurious. Something close to WDW would be nice. As things are right now, I wouldnt need anything more than a 1 bedroom timeshare. We'd prefer something around Early March. Any suggestions...?

Week 10 would provide you with early March (sometimes the first week, sometimes second week of March, depending on the year). A fixed week could be a good option if you prefer a particular resort. Perhaps you could narrow your choices after reading reviews of the most highly rated resorts (good management & upkeep). Then, on your next Orlando trip, you might consider setting aside a day or two to drive around and visit several to look for yourself. You may or may not be given access to a condo unit to see but certainly, you could see the main recreation/pool area and chat with guests, see how the staff treats you at check-in.

You said you're not looking for something overly luxurious - is that due to the perceived cost or because you prefer simpler and quieter? The costs may not be as different as you'd think, especially in a sold-out resort.

For a quieter, peaceful resort w/in a 10 min. drive to WDW, look for a smaller place or one that's set back from busier areas. Go with a resale! Some good ones that come to mind are:

Marriott Royal Palms (only have 2BRs)
Marriott Sabal Palms (only 2BRs)
Marriott Imperial Palms (only 3BRs)
These Marriotts (above) are on shared property w/MOWC hotel but set back. The location is close to WDW.
HGVC at Int'l Dr. (studios to 3BRs)
Sheraton Vistana Villages (1BRs & 2BRs)
Fairfield points to use at Bonnet Creek (1BRs to 4BRs)
These above options may be a bit on the higher price side but they are very, very nice resorts and close by. The latter 3 are still growing, so may not remain quite as quiet in the long term.

Others that may cost less, but are also nice, well-maintained in general, peaceful and w/in ~10 min. drive to WDW may include:
Vacation Village at Parkway (1BRs & 2BRs)
Orbit One (1BRs & 2BRs, I think)
Cypress Point (studios to 3BRs)
Silver Lake (1BRs & 2BRs) - also growing

Within 10-20 min. drive to WDW, consider also:
Marriott Grand Vista (studios to 3BRs)
Hilton GVC at Sea World (studios to 3BRs, I think)
Sheraton Vistana Villages (1BRs & 2BRs)
These brands above may be on the higher price side.

Others that may cost less, are quiet, well-maintained within 10-20 min. drive to WDW may include:
FF Cypress Palms (1BRs & 2BRs, weeks or points - a favorite resort of ours)
The Fountains (1BRs to 3BRs, weeks or points)
Sunterra Polynesian Isles (1BRs & 2BRs)
These all have some amenities and resort things to do but not as much as the bigger places. People often comment that they've appreciated the peacefulness and good upkeep at these resorts so they may be just what you are looking for.

For more activity at the resort, consider Orange Lake, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Marriott Cypress Harbour or Horizons (especially w/young kids). HTH! Visit TUG!