Is it worth getting tickets for free from the timeshare people?

[jenr812]

I have done these tours in the past and here is what you want to look for. You should get at least two theme park ticket, $100 cash, or the equivalent. In Florida the law is quite clear that if they tell you 90 minutes that the “presentation” can only be 90 minutes. However, as stated earlier you may find yourself waiting for a shuttle or something.

Is it worth it? That’s a personal question only you can answer. When we were younger and money was a little more tight we thought it was, but now we are not sure.

What ever you do, DO NOT BUY, from them. Trust me I own a Timeshare at Vistana and it was the best thing our family ever did, but never buy from the developer. No matter what they say or offer you just tell them no. If you think that a timeshare may be for you, go home and do some research. You can but a timeshare on the resale market for a fraction of what you pay the developers. A good place to start is www.tug2.net.

Thanks for the info

 

[tinan]

Just watch with bringing young ones to these timeshare presentations. Almost always they have a seperate area in which they want the children to wait without being able to see them. That way the children aren't there nagging you and you aren't being distracted. Unless you leave your children in the children's area, you will not be able to take the tour nor receive your free whatever. There are several years between my brother and I. When he was maybe 6 and I was not on vacation with them, my parents decided to take one of these tours in VA beach. Well my brother remembers being left in that room for what seemed like days to him. He's 22 now and still tells my parents that he was tramatized from that one event.

 

[mum4jenn]

We have always taken our daughter with us. They try to get us to leave her in the play room they have but we always tewll them that she must come with us. She is now 7 so she was six when we went on our last time share and probably 4 or 5 when we did the first one. We just explain that there is no way we are leaving her with strangers and they always abide by our wishes. Of course she is really a pretty quiet and reserved child and knows how we expect her to behave in public. We have taken her everwhere with us including restaurants from the time she was a week old.

 

[CheapMom]

Hi Mum4Jen- I would do it. Since you will be going to Myrtle Beach to take your mandatory tour - it won't eat into your Disney vacation time. Are the park tickets Disney?

I have done these things 4 times now (never in Florida)- I have never been even remotely tempted to purchase. But we have gotten some good stuff.

I would never do it during my Disney vacation- I can't imagine wasting the better part of a day of my vacation fending off high pressure sales persons. Not worth it.

 

[Wahorn]

Can someone list all the timeshares and whatthey are offering you to do thier presentations?

No means no so no matter what, they can't get blood from stone to get you to sign up!

Thanks

I'm heading down on April 23 and will be doing a timeshare presentation at Summer Bay Resort for an awesome deal on tickets:
2 adult 5 day basic tickets (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and MGM) for $109 each.
Also getting a discounted 5 day child ticket for $150.
TOTAL: $368

I found the deal off of ebay. The current deal they're offering is 2 4-day adult tickets for $249:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16071&item=6522007418&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[Marseeya]

I'd say a day's worth of tickets isn't worth it. My sister and her hubby went to a timeshare presentation for 90 minutes (Ramada? Radisson? Something with an R) and they ended up getting several days' hotel stay, plus 3-day tickets. They made a nice little vacation around that.

 

[Grand2me]

Oh my...DON'T DO IT( )! We did one on our trip last year. I really wish that I would have known about that little Florida law about the 90 minutes. The guy took us on a tour of the property, to lunch and was really a nice guy. His co-workers were the ones who got their heads bitten off. We told the first guy no. Then we told the second guy no. Then the MANAGER rolls up and we tell him No. So then the manager tells us that we can go and get our "little tickets" like we wasted his time . I was pretty annoyed by this time, as was my husband. So we go up to the front for "survey" and ANOTHER guy is trying to sell us a Timeshare. I told the guy "If we JUST told your other friends NO, what exactly makes you think that I am going to tell YOU yes?" He told us that we weren't allowed to take anything out and walked away. I tracked him down and asked him how we were supposed to get back to our car(HUGE HUGE MISTAKE!!! Don't EVER get into somebody else's car when you have no idea where you are going). He told us that we had to walk. Oh my...oh my this was a bad move. It was not pretty... at all . I walked up to the first guy who was sitting with the manager and some of his co-workers and UNLEASHED the fury(lol) on them. It's funny now but I was LIVID then. Needless to say they brought us back to our car but there were loads of people walking back. DON'T DO IT!!! It is probably a better bet to just spend the money and buy the tickets. We didn't know what we were getting into. We will never do it again.

 

[amwhitaker]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never do another one! Had a horrible experience. I looked away from the presenter for a moment and he said to my husband "I'll continue when your wife can pay attention". That just did it for me! I wanted to strangle the guy. It's not worth it to me.

 

[pearlieq]

The other thing I would watch out for is that a lot of those "free" trips have either very limited dates, upcharges for more preferrable dates, or a "booking fee" in order to take part.

Make sure free is free.

We've only done this twice--once for DVC (we didn't get anything, and it was a pretty short, boring tour) and once in Vegas for Mariott. In Vegas we had a good sales rep who didn't apply much pressure. Still, I was so stressed and defensive walking in that it wasn't that pleasant. We got a (bad!) dinner and show tickets out of it, but it was questionable whether it was worth it or not, and we had a pretty good experience as timeshares go!

 

[ROCK1472]

Hey Guys;

This is the Rock; I'm a DVC member . I have recommended this to everyone . The amount of 50 years worth of vacationing ( for a lot less) .It is equal to 3 trips to Disney, you can pass it to your friends & family to use (during the 50 years ). Also ,you could choose when, where ,& when you want to go (not just Disney,but anywhere) . Ask for Humberto Santos (Senior DVC manager) in Saratoga Springs for info .Tell him that H.S. in NYC referred you . He will take care of you .
Have fun..........................

 

[LMC]

OMGAAAWWWDDD!!! Sounds like our nightmare! It was with a place called W*stg*te. It was our first and LAST timeshare presentation EVER!
It was alot more than 90 minutes of our time from the time we walked in til we left. I guess they don't count the time you wait and serve an awful b'fast nor the time they insult you at the end when you tell them you are not buying. I guess we had a 90 min tour/presentation and a couple more hours of torture. I am not joking we got there at 7 am and left at 10:30 (with two small kids in tow). I don't like to say never but we will NEVER do this again. Then when it was time to leave the point you to a door and you are left to your own devices. We just assumed we were near where we parked, WHOA, were we wrong. That place is HUGE. We had to walk forever to find our car and weren't even sure we were going the right direction.

Don't let the "sales person" who talks people into going convince you to do it. They make it sound like a breeze and make a killing while you have just wasted hours and for what??? Not much.

Oh my...DON'T DO IT( )! We did one on our trip last year. I really wish that I would have known about that little Florida law about the 90 minutes. The guy took us on a tour of the property, to lunch and was really a nice guy. His co-workers were the ones who got their heads bitten off. We told the first guy no. Then we told the second guy no. Then the MANAGER rolls up and we tell him No. So then the manager tells us that we can go and get our "little tickets" like we wasted his time . I was pretty annoyed by this time, as was my husband. So we go up to the front for "survey" and ANOTHER guy is trying to sell us a Timeshare. I told the guy "If we JUST told your other friends NO, what exactly makes you think that I am going to tell YOU yes?" He told us that we weren't allowed to take anything out and walked away. I tracked him down and asked him how we were supposed to get back to our car(HUGE HUGE MISTAKE!!! Don't EVER get into somebody else's car when you have no idea where you are going). He told us that we had to walk. Oh my...oh my this was a bad move. It was not pretty... at all . I walked up to the first guy who was sitting with the manager and some of his co-workers and UNLEASHED the fury(lol) on them. It's funny now but I was LIVID then. Needless to say they brought us back to our car but there were loads of people walking back. DON'T DO IT!!! It is probably a better bet to just spend the money and buy the tickets. We didn't know what we were getting into. We will never do it again.

 

[swilshire]

The only reason i wouldn't do it now is because of my 2 young children, but actually bringing 2 young kids would get me out of there faster LOL.

A dirty diaper got us out of one of these pretty quickly a few years ago LOL!

We have been timeshare owners for a decade or so. Almost every place we stay offers some sort of incentive for a meeting with them. If we have a very busy vacation planned, we skip it. If we have a week with a lot of free time, sometimes we go.

Just yesterday we got $50 cash for about half an hour in Williamsburg VA. We were waiting for Busch Gardens to open for a quick visit before heading home (after a weekend of cold and rain) so we weren't delayed by much.

Our 6yo was looking through the window into the kid's room just itching to be in there before we sent him in. They had snacks, video games, and movies. He was very sorry that we were out of there so quickly.

Be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you can say NO and mean it before signing up for one of these deals. Some of the salesmen could sell anything and leave you wondering what you were thinking when you get home later.

If you have the time, go for it. If your vacation time is worth more than the incentives offered, I'd say enjoy your vacation and find the money some other way.

Sheila

P.S. Someone mentioned Westgate above. They have the WORST reputation in the industry and I would never go on one of their tours again. We did go to one in Gatlinburg and they were quite rude to us. Even had an argument with them before we got started because they recruited us at a local event near my home, then were upset that we weren't staying in a hotel. Apparently their headhunter made an error and it took a bit of an argument during which an employee grabbed our paperwork out of my hand (just before I grabbed it back and ask to see her supervisor).

 

[etwinchester]

We did Westgate and some other one on our last trip (not DVC). We did get like $100 for each one, but I'd NEVER do them again. We went on a family trip (10 of us) and my grandmother paid for most of the rental house, food, etc... We still wanted extra spending money since the trip was only 6 months notice for us. Not enough to take the amount of money we really wanted to.

Anway, we did 2 timeshare visits. One without our daughter (age 3) and one with. Didn't matter if she was squirming or not, they wouldn't let up!

I easily said "NO" but they would keep bringing a different person in. We had to say "NO" to like 3-4 different people and it was rediculous. Took even more time for the next person to come to you.

Then, they'd keep lowering the price. Some people gave in because they would shout and make announcements when someone signed up. This also took additional time of being interrupted.

Anway, not my idea of a nice relaxing vacation and I'll save my own money up for tickets or extra spending money next time. NOT WORTH IT...in my opinion.

 

[mum4jenn]

We did the Summer Bay one last year. They were pretty nice. They sell LOTS of time shares everyday because they truly truly do have a great deal going. We were very tempted and we have no problem saying NO!! They were not at all high pressure. They will either let you walk to see the condos or you can ride. We chose to walk to see the grounds and then we were picked up in a shuttle to get us back to the front. You park at the area where they do the promo so you don't get stuck. We were not there for any tickets though just the great deal on staying there for a week at Easter. Also they had a GREAT breakfast for us. Lots of choices that were fresh(most came from Publix) and several cereals and beverages to choose from.

 

[CJDJ]

Well here's a positive one. We've been doing timeshare presentations for several years and here's what we do. We always book early give yourself 2 hrs. before the park open. We eat breakfast there and as we're walking around the resort we stretch to warm up for the park and we don't ask them questions (Do not seem interested or they'll thrive off of you and if one person seems intested and the other doesn't. they'll play you against each other) If they ask you what can you afford say nothing Disney took all our money If you tell them you could afford $100 a month. They'll do the darndest to hook line and sink you. Keep your kids with you and clock them. If it's getting close to your ending time cut them off. You agreed to a 90 min tour and that's it. We only do the cash offers and we don't allow it to interfere with our trip. When the leave our table for my husband and I to talk we talk about what we're going to do with their money. Cleared $400.00 & didn't interfere with our trip and helped with our Disney expenses. Just remember. "WE'RE NOT INTERESTED!"

You know the deal

Meet your host
show your ID
Sit to eat with your family and SHARKIE LOL
I hate to eat with people I don't know...
talk about the history of timeshare Location, Location, Location
and how Florida is in demand (red week all year long)
and how you can will this 1 week property to your kids because you get a deed. Meanwhile 51 other people have your same villa (oh, you gotta love it!)
Listen do as many timeshares as you can. Come back home and put that money on your mortgage. Then you'd have something worthwhile to leave to your children.
Tour the facilities
Sit with Sharkie and tell him your not interested and wait for two more people to drop by. Someone who just got a great deal for YOU!! Just now. Oh my goodness, Could you believe it!! Sharkie has never seen a better deal in his whole 12 years working at ?????? and he's shocked you're not biting!!!
Then the final person who wants to make sure everything is ok and everybody treated you ok. Blah, blah, blah and the gift..... Show me the money.... After doing them so much it becomes a part of you. We actually get excited about doing them because the moneys there it's just a tug of war which way will it go........... Be firm and pay off your motgage!!!

Carol

 

[jenr812]

Well here's a positive one. We've been doing timeshare presentations for several years and here's what we do. We always book early give yourself 2 hrs. before the park open. We eat breakfast there and as we're walking around the resort we stretch to warm up for the park and we don't ask them questions (Do not seem interested or they'll thrive off of you and if one person seems intested and the other doesn't. they'll play you against each other) If they ask you what can you afford say nothing Disney took all our money If you tell them you could afford $100 a month. They'll do the darndest to hook line and sink you. Keep your kids with you and clock them. If it's getting close to your ending time cut them off. You agreed to a 90 min tour and that's it. We only do the cash offers and we don't allow it to interfere with our trip. When the leave our table for my husband and I to talk we talk about what we're going to do with their money. Cleared $400.00 & didn't interfere with our trip and helped with our Disney expenses. Just remember. "WE'RE NOT INTERESTED!"

You know the deal

Meet your host
show your ID
Sit to eat with your family and SHARKIE LOL
I hate to eat with people I don't know...
talk about the history of timeshare Location, Location, Location
and how Florida is in demand (red week all year long)
and how you can will this 1 week property to your kids because you get a deed. Meanwhile 51 other people have your same villa (oh, you gotta love it!)
Listen do as many timeshares as you can. Come back home and put that money on your mortgage. Then you'd have something worthwhile to leave to your children.
Tour the facilities
Sit with Sharkie and tell him your not interested and wait for two more people to drop by. Someone who just got a great deal for YOU!! Just now. Oh my goodness, Could you believe it!! Sharkie has never seen a better deal in his whole 12 years working at ?????? and he's shocked you're not biting!!!
Then the final person who wants to make sure everything is ok and everybody treated you ok. Blah, blah, blah and the gift..... Show me the money.... After doing them so much it becomes a part of you. We actually get excited about doing them because the moneys there it's just a tug of war which way will it go........... Be firm and pay off your motgage!!!

Carol

 

[shame711]

Oh my...DON'T DO IT( )! We did one on our trip last year. I really wish that I would have known about that little Florida law about the 90 minutes. The guy took us on a tour of the property, to lunch and was really a nice guy. His co-workers were the ones who got their heads bitten off. We told the first guy no. Then we told the second guy no. Then the MANAGER rolls up and we tell him No. So then the manager tells us that we can go and get our "little tickets" like we wasted his time . I was pretty annoyed by this time, as was my husband. So we go up to the front for "survey" and ANOTHER guy is trying to sell us a Timeshare. I told the guy "If we JUST told your other friends NO, what exactly makes you think that I am going to tell YOU yes?" He told us that we weren't allowed to take anything out and walked away. I tracked him down and asked him how we were supposed to get back to our car(HUGE HUGE MISTAKE!!! Don't EVER get into somebody else's car when you have no idea where you are going). He told us that we had to walk. Oh my...oh my this was a bad move. It was not pretty... at all . I walked up to the first guy who was sitting with the manager and some of his co-workers and UNLEASHED the fury(lol) on them. It's funny now but I was LIVID then. Needless to say they brought us back to our car but there were loads of people walking back. DON'T DO IT!!! It is probably a better bet to just spend the money and buy the tickets. We didn't know what we were getting into. We will never do it again.

I would love to know what resort this was!

 

[jenr812]

P.S. Someone mentioned Westgate above. They have the WORST reputation in the industry and I would never go on one of their tours again. We did go to one in Gatlinburg and they were quite rude to us. Even had an argument with them before we got started because they recruited us at a local event near my home, then were upset that we weren't staying in a hotel. Apparently their headhunter made an error and it took a bit of an argument during which an employee grabbed our paperwork out of my hand (just before I grabbed it back and ask to see her supervisor).

Bumping this up because Westgate just called me this morning to try to get me to come to Gatlinburg and I thought of this thread

 

[mking624]

Both my inlaws and my grandparents did the whole timeshare tour in order to get tickets and both were treated absolutely horribly from start to finish. My grandparents were even verbally abused...and I mean they were cursed at and berated and even call some pretty vulgar & racially offensive names (they are hispanic). They got their tickets, but both grroups (particularly my grandparents) said it was not worth it. They said they would have rather paid triple the ticket price rather than go through that experience again. So learning from their experiences, I refuse to do any timeshare tours ever. The only one I'll be doing is the DVC because we're interested in that.

 

[jenr812]

Both my inlaws and my grandparents did the whole timeshare tour in order to get tickets and both were treated absolutely horribly from start to finish. My grandparents were even verbally abused...and I mean they were cursed at and berated and even call some pretty vulgar & racially offensive names (they are hispanic). They got their tickets, but both grroups (particularly my grandparents) said it was not worth it. They said they would have rather paid triple the ticket price rather than go through that experience again. So learning from their experiences, I refuse to do any timeshare tours ever. The only one I'll be doing is the DVC because we're interested in that.

We are interested in DVC too. What kind of incentives (if any) do they offer for these tours? OTher than the "padding the Michael Eisner retirement fund" incentive that is