Help me feel better

[la79al]

My mom bought a timeshare a few weeks ago, at Vacation Village Parkway. She has been on the fence about whether it was a good idea or not so I have been trying to be encouraging. I know one of her big reasons was that my sister and I are Disney crazy. We are already planning a trip for 2013 and now my sister is talking about doing one next year. The problem is that I love staying onsite. We stayed in my grandparents timeshare in 2005 and it was okay, but since then we have done several trips staying at the values. I know I should be happy to just be going to Disney but I am going to miss EMHs and the DDP (not the transportation though, with 2 little ones, buses are out of the question). Tell me I am crazy and I just need to adjust my planning methods and everything will be fine. My sister is coming over this weekend so we can figure out how this timeshare thing works and start early planning. I want to make sure I come across as super positive so my mom feels okay about her purchase.

 

[hammie59]

Be happy. You're going to Disney. Just roll with it.

 

[Detailor]

My mom bought a timeshare a few weeks ago, at Vacation Village Parkway. She has been on the fence about whether it was a good idea or not so I have been trying to be encouraging. I know one of her big reasons was that my sister and I are Disney crazy. We are already planning a trip for 2013 and now my sister is talking about doing one next year. The problem is that I love staying onsite. We stayed in my grandparents timeshare in 2005 and it was okay, but since then we have done several trips staying at the values. I know I should be happy to just be going to Disney but I am going to miss EMHs and the DDP (not the transportation though, with 2 little ones, buses are out of the question). Tell me I am crazy and I just need to adjust my planning methods and everything will be fine. My sister is coming over this weekend so we can figure out how this timeshare thing works and start early planning. I want to make sure I come across as super positive so my mom feels okay about her purchase.

A couple of things that you'll get with this offsite timeshare resort: more living space and villa amenities than in any of the Disney hotels and certainly a lot more than in a standard Value hotel and a much, much lower lodging cost. For me, both of those are much more important than being on site. And the resort is only about a mile and a half further from the MK parking lot than All-Star Movies is.

While I hope that your mother purchased a re-sale week rather than buying directly from the developer/resort manager, if she paid a price that she's okay with then you definitely should be happy for her, and you and your sister, with that purchase.

You can find out a lot about how timesharing works at the Timeshare Users Group website - www.tug2.net. If your mother's timeshare interval will be used at the home resort - Vacation Village Parkway - then it's likely a pretty straight-forward transaction (pay the annual maintenance fee and show up for your week if it's a set week or pay MF, book your week and show up if it's on a "points" basis).

Have fun!

Dick Taylor

 

[Brian Noble]

There are three things you might want out of your lodging on a Disney vacation:

1: To be onsite.
2: To have plenty of space and amenities.
3: To spend a reasonable amount of money.

In general, you can only have two of those three things. VV@P will give you #2 and #3. And, with two little ones, the space, the kitchen, and the washer/dryer will become increasingly important. You could give me a single Value room for the four of us FOR FREE, and I wouldn't take it---cramming us into a 260 sq. ft. box with two double beds and one bathroom is not my idea of a vacation.

VV@P is not my absolute favorite timeshare in the area, but it is a very nice and well-regarded property, and I enjoyed my stay there. Its location is really great; you are only one traffic light away from World Drive, so commute times to the parks are very very quick.

In all my trips to Disney, I have never, not once, spent as much out of pocket just eating what, where, and when I want as the appropriate dining plan would have cost. Usually, that's because I don't eat quite the "right" number of meals, and I have less expensive breakfasts in the condo. But, even when I do eat "the right" number of sit-down meals, some of them are inevitably less expensive, because those are the places we enjoy. In five weeks spent in onsite resorts, I've been to precisely two EMHs. One (an AK AM) was really pretty fun. The other (a DS AM) was a nightmare. It's not at all hard to have a good time skipping them entirely.

 

[bankr63]

Another big Timeshare booster here. We love the lifestyle and flexibility that a TS provides. Without the cost savings, I expect Disney would have been a very rare treat; now we go nearly every year and enjoy not just Disney, but everything else that Central Florida has to offer!

As for missing EMH, pick up an Undercover Tourist guide and read a myriad of reasons why EMH days are "avoid that park" days. Sure the first hour is fun, but the rest of the day suffers. We are quite happy to make rope drop and enjoy ourselves at another park while the throngs are overwhelming the Disney Resort Guests at the EMH park.

No "free" DDP? Only available if you pay full "rack rate" for the accommodation. That is NOT "free", or even a good value. Paying for DDP? I'm sure we pay a lot less to eat our normal healthy (and allergen free for my DS) meals than the DDP costs. We go out for a few good restaurant meals too, and now have the choice to eat on-site or off. Still saving money...

No sir-ee, I don't miss the little "magic" extras we gave up for the opportunity to get a major dose of the overall Disney magic (and Universal, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Legoland (soon), coastal beaches , state parks) every single year. One more point; Disney is really good for the young 'uns, but as my kids get older they seem to like offsite more and more - bigger better thrill rides. (I will NOT ride Duelling Dragons again, I will NOT ride Duelling..., oh look, Rip Ride Rocket!)

Feel good about the decision, rejoice in it, and squeeze every ounce of fun out of that big ripe Florida orange of Orlando!!!

 

[Leajess99]

I have to say that while I do like staying onsite, I love the options that come with staying in a resort offsite. The money you save, the washer and dryer in many of the offsite units, the ability to cook if you want, and MORE space.

Our experience with EMH was never good with the amount of people that were in the park. The DDP was nice but for my family, we don't eat a lot when we are busy or when it is hot. This trip we have one breakfast reservation planned and nothing else as my kids do not want to do sit down meals at Disney. Easier to grab and go and many times we share meals that way.

Enjoy your trip and you never know you may remember what you liked about staying offsite especially with little ones.

 

[shalom]

We are already planning a trip for 2013 and now my sister is talking about doing one next year. The problem is that I love staying onsite.

Keep your focus on the positive, whether that's having a washer and dryer in the unit, or the nicer pool, or the jacuzzi, or the hot tub, or the larger unit -- just tell your mom (and yourself) whatever it is about the TS that you like, that the Disney units you've stayed in didn't have.

One of the advantages of staying offsite, especially if you've got a timeshare, is that you end up going more often. And I suspect that's one of the reasons people who stay offsite tend to have more "relaxed" vacations -- you know you're going to be coming back, so you don't get so wound up about doing "everything." For a lot of people, that more relaxed approach means they enjoy what they do get to do, even more. And that relaxed approach can mean seeing a lot of the resorts, too, and enjoying the resort grounds and restaurants without feeling like you're losing time at the parks.

Going at rope drop to a non-EMH park can get you the same advantages of a morning EMH, and you don't have to get up as early to get them! Avoiding the EMH parks generally means a better day overall.

Getting free of the DDP can also mean a more relaxed vacation, although if you've been getting the CS plan the difference is not as pronounced. Eating offsite gives you more variety and, according to many, better food at a better price.

If you want to get the best use of your mom's Timeshare, I recommend TUG and Timeshare Forums:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/

In my experience, people in both places are glad to help, whether you're looking for restaurant reviews or more information on resorts or whatever. You can also learn how to trade your TS week in and try out some of the other resorts -- you can't trade into DVC if you own in Orlando, but I don't know of any other limitations besides availability, and even that isn't usually a problem unless you have your heart set on a particular resort. I don't think I've ever checked for a resort in the Orlando area and not been able to find a 2 BR with a 4 star (out of 5) RCI rating either with Last Call or a cheap Extra Vacation (the RCI cash options).

So even if it turns out VV at Parkway doesn't excite you, don't give up hope because you can try out some of the other resorts in the area and, who knows, maybe a particular resort will quite excite you. Although in my experience, the risk there is that the kids will fall in love with one first, and always be demanding that one.

Timeshares may not be Disney, but they can definitely be an adventure. Hope you end up enjoying them as much as we do.

 

[casjen]

We just got back froma week at Vacation Village Parkway. A co-worker gave us her week and this is what was available. We just loved it there. It is super super close to the parks and plenty of room. It was quiet, although the people above us were freakihsly loud. We never took the time to swim but the pool looked nice. We stayed in a newer building and it was so nice. I would stay there again without hesitation, and our last trip was onsite.

While I did miss hopping on a bus the space we got in the villa was much much better.