Marriott timeshare in Orlando?

[MrsPete]

We're considering buying a timeshare at the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. Does anyone here own a Marriott timeshare? It sounds like a good deal, but I'm investigating thoroughly before we take the plunge.

Positives (or my just-started-considering-this version of the positives):
Stay in a great 2-bedroom condos for the price of a value/moderate hotel.
Can "trade" our Orlando week for a week at 250+ resorts worldwide for a $79 fee.
If we get a 2-bedroom lock-out, we can "split" the week into two weeks in a 1-bedroom (useful for after the kids are out of the house and we don't need 2 bedrooms).
Can rent /gift the week to someone else if we can't use it.
Can leave the timeshare to our children in our will; they can continue to take inexpensive vacations as long as they pay the yearly fee.

Negatives:
Initial cost is high (but we wouldn't have to finance it).
If we don't plan to vacation one year (which could happen once we're older -- sickness, etc) we'd still have to pay the maintenance fee /taxes.
Can't justify staying on Disney property any longer
Maid service costs extra.

I'd be interested in hearing stories about time share experiences -- Marriott or other -- positive or negative. We're not considering Disney Vacation Club because Marriott has more choices worldwide.

 

[yearlightbuzz]

Are you thinking about buying from Marriott or resale? You can save A LOT of money by going with a resale. I'm no expert but I would go to the TUG website and educate myself before buying from Marriott. TUG stands for Timeshare Users Group. The website might be www.tug1.org or something close to that (do a search). You have to pay to access some of the sight, but I heard it's well worth the money compared to what you are about to shell out. Good luck.

 

[disneygals]

Please join www.tug2.net and read, read, read before you buy! Everything is not always as great as it seems money-wise. If you factor in your original purchase price and not just the maintenance, the cost is quite high and rentals are available. It is not always as easy to do an internal trade as they say.

We bought a resale floating Vistana week in 1998 for 5500. They have since been taken over by Sheraton. They keep trying to get us to "upgrade" and many of the things they promise are just not true. You need to know the facts.

Good Luck

 

[webprinter]

I would recommend purchasing a less expensive timeshare. There are many in the area that are very nice and cost much less plus have lower maint. fees. I also emphasize that no matter what you buy, buy resale!!!! Only buy in Orlando if you plan to use it in Orlando every year. It is very easy to trade into Orlando, (even all of the Marriotts). We own a points system (Worldmark and Fairfield), and have had our choice of all the Marriotts every time we trade in. Also, with Fairfield, along with other points resorts, we can go anywhere they have resorts in the country without paying an extra fee. Some of the other brands have that advantage also. I would research many different resorts before you buy and decide which you prefer. I also agree that you should join TUG. By reading the past posts and reviews, it will give you an idea what is best. If you are not in any hurry and are headed to Orlando in the near future, you can do some timeshare tours and see many of the resorts out there and what they are like. Just remember the word "resale". It will save you thousands of dollars. We have also traded into DVC off season. We love timesharing and own more weeks than we can possibly use in a year, but we purchase resale and look for a nice resort with a low maint fee around $300-$450 per year. Debby

 

[swilshire]

I agree with the suggestion to go to www.tug2.net and do a lot of research. I own five timeshares, three in Orlando. Marriotts have very high maintenance fees and I would never buy one unless it was a lockout unit. I've exchanged into two of them, and while they were nice, they were not as nice as some of the non-Marriotts I've stayed in.

Timesharing is great if you are the right kind of vacationer, but do a lot of research before you buy. They are much easier to buy than sell.

Sheila

 

[nikkinac@netzero.com]

Hi, we own at Horizons by marriott. I like the location and the property. Too bad I did'nt know about the timeshare resale site. Oh well. We did get a bunch of marriott points when we bought and also got 100.00. Were going on a cruise with the points this year so I guess It worked out o.k.It also appears the prices have gone up slightly since we bought so hopefully when and if we sell we'll at least get what we payed. After we pay the maintenece fees, I figure we spend less then 100.00 a night. We Have'nt used the lock off option but I think that will be nice too. Good luck. Happy vacations.

 

[pirateparrot]

We're considering buying a timeshare at the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. Does anyone here own a Marriott timeshare? It sounds like a good deal, but I'm investigating thoroughly before we take the plunge.

I think this has been mentioned in another post but I think it is important. Orlando is the timeshare capital of the world and there are so many there, it would be hard to trade out of there or sell it in the future. You may want to post something on the DVC Community Board asking for advice because there are some very knowledgable timeshare folks there.

You should also consider buying any timeshare on the resale market because timeshares do not retain their value and a purchase from Marriott would likely lose anywhere from 30 - 70% as soon as you bought it. Others would likely lose even more.

 

[Kellydelly]

I would never buy a timeshare. I don't see the point . You can rent a beautiful 3 bedroom pool home for less money ($100 or less if off season per nite) and not be locked into anything.

 

[JerJan]

We're considering buying a timeshare at the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. Does anyone here own a Marriott timeshare? It sounds like a good deal, but I'm investigating thoroughly before we take the plunge.

Positives (or my just-started-considering-this version of the positives):
Stay in a great 2-bedroom condos for the price of a value/moderate hotel.
Can "trade" our Orlando week for a week at 250+ resorts worldwide for a $79 fee.
If we get a 2-bedroom lock-out, we can "split" the week into two weeks in a 1-bedroom (useful for after the kids are out of the house and we don't need 2 bedrooms).
Can rent /gift the week to someone else if we can't use it.
Can leave the timeshare to our children in our will; they can continue to take inexpensive vacations as long as they pay the yearly fee.

Negatives:
Initial cost is high (but we wouldn't have to finance it).
If we don't plan to vacation one year (which could happen once we're older -- sickness, etc) we'd still have to pay the maintenance fee /taxes.
Can't justify staying on Disney property any longer
Maid service costs extra.

I'd be interested in hearing stories about time share experiences -- Marriott or other -- positive or negative. We're not considering Disney Vacation Club because Marriott has more choices worldwide.

I noted that you stated that "We're not considering DVC because Marriott has more choices worldwide." Did you know that DVC can make trades with II through their World Passport Collection? You really should "snoop" around on the DVC boards......you can get alot of info there as previously stated. Good Luck!

 

[shelly3girls]

We did a little research into the Marriott although not a lot. I remember that there is significant downside to buying resale that is specific to Marriott. I think you get lots of bonuses when buying through Marriott. I know the resale is much cheaper but I think it is fair for what you get (no Marriott points, they don't transfer). I have also heard that the Orlando location for Marriott is not a great trade b/c of the over-availability of cheap timeshares in that area. Again, I do not know this from experience just from what we have heard. Although we have not tried to trade our DVC we have been told by outside sources that DVC has strong trading power b/c of the location inside WDW.

 

[swilshire]

I would never buy a timeshare. I don't see the point . You can rent a beautiful 3 bedroom pool home for less money ($100 or less if off season per nite) and not be locked into anything.

It depends on your travel needs. If you can travel in September and January (for example) when the kids are in school, you're absolutely right that you can rent in Orlando for less than the maintenance fees on a timeshare. If you're locked into school schedules, however, it's a different story.

My Orlando weeks do have higher maintenance fees than the others, but if you want to go there for Christmas/New Years or spring break, the convenience of knowing the week is always there for you is well worth it.

I also have exchanged my weeks into some very nice other places. For example, I exchanged into the Marriott Custom House in Boston in June. My total out of pocket cost ran less than $100 a night. Find anything nice in Boston (particularly a block from Quincey Market) for that price including taxes. I also exchanged into a 3 br beach cottage on Nantucket Island for about $300 total out of pocket for the week. $300 might get you one night on the island if you rent.

As for the benefits of buying Marriott from the developer, the only real difference is the ability to trade your week for Marriott Rewards points. Some people think that is worth the extra money upfront. Some don't. Only you can determine the value to you.

Sheila

 

[VickiB31]

We own at Grand Vista and are totally happy. We recommend it to everyone who actually takes their vacations (I know several people who don't use their weeks every year.) When we signed up, the points we got as a bonus for purchasing were enough to send us to Hawaaii for two weeks . As far as trading, remember that Marriott owns a controlling share in Interval International (the trade/exchange company.) Marriott guests often get preferrential treatment when requesting exchanges. Getaways are another way to extend your number of trips wach year. They are easy to use by going on the Interval website.

All in all it comes down to this: If you re going to travel at least once or twice EVERY year, it's worth it. If you don't use it, it's a colossal waste of $$

 

[MKCP5]

Speaking of Marriott Grande Vista, we will be there in 11 days We bought a week from friends who own Marriott timeshare. Does anyone have any good info for me about the property or what there is to do there? Which building to request, etc? Thanks very much for any info you might have

 

[Franne]

We own at Grande Vista too, love it! It makes us take a vacation every year where if we didn't have it we wouldn't.
The big draw for us was the lock off option, that way we get 2 weeks for the price of 1. We haven't had any problem with trades yet, traded twice (studio lockoff) for a 2 bedroom in Hilton Head, (grand Ocean, and now Barony Beach, we are going in a couple of weeks.) Maybe we have been lucky, but to trade a studio and get a 2 bdroom, we are thrilled!!

 

[MrsPete]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I appreciate it.

Yes, we're looking into re-sale properties. The prices are significantly lower! We're also looking at an "even year" or "odd year" property instead of an "annual" property because the lower maintenance fees.

We're only looking at the 2-bedrooms with lock-out features because this allows for greater flexibility. By using the lock-out feature we could use the 1-bedroom every year -- that's just right for us, though I like the option of being able to have the larger space if we want to take friends. What if we ever want to use a 3-bedroom? Can we "upgrade" just for one visit?

So do I understand that buying in Orlando might not be the best option? I don't really understand why. The salesperson told us (yeah, I know -- not the best source of information) that Orlando is the best place to buy because there's essentially no "down season" and the units are always in demand. We would probably use the Orlando property about every third year, and we'd "trade" for other locations the other times.

We live in NC, and Orlando is an eight-hour drive for us (and we don't mind driving at all). Would we be better off buying a Marriott time share in Hilton Head, which is about half the distance? I'm sure Hilton Head is also a "good trade". I'd appreciate more advice on this topic!

We've been reading tug.com and redweek.com -- thanks for those hints! The biggest positive that we got from these sites is that the buyer is in the driver's seat. Right now there are 33 2-bedroom lock outs in Grande Vista for sale. That tells me that the product I want to buy is not rare, and we understand that there's no reason to hurry; that's not exactly the perspective that the Marriott salesperson gave us!

 

[MrsPete]

One more question . . . can anyone tell me something about making the actual reservations (assuming we go through Marriott)? How far in advance can they be made? I understand you can make reservations at your "home site" X number of months in advance and a "visiting site" Y number of months in advance?

Assuming you plan ahead, how difficult is it to get the places that you want to stay?

Okay, two questions . . . Right now we're 40-ish, in good health, and have jobs that are fairly predictable; however, those things can change. What if we reserve a time share week, then we have an emergency? What's the cancellation policy?

Thanks for the help!

 

[LoveToDisney]

MrsPete
Although we don't own at Grand Vista, we have stayed there through II (before we owned DVC) and it is an absolutely lovely resort. Best wishes on getting a good resale deal. We would stay there again (and other Marriott properties) if we couldn't get enough time in Orlando thru our DVC points. I also liked that it's location is halfway between Disney and Universal since we enjoy both theme parks and it made it easy to enjoy Universal part of the day and finish up at Disney.

 

[PrincessDadx2]

MrsPete,

We own two Marriott weeks. Trading power is based on supply and demand. Orlando has great demand, but also huge supply so the relative trading power is less. How much less is subject to debate. For Marriott you have an internal trading preference with Interval, which will allow you to get most trades you want. If you are happy in Orlando and trading every once in a while then you will do fine. If you want to trade to Maui every Christmas then you should buy there. You will not be able to consistently trade into high demand/holiday weeks at other resorts. You may get one, but it is not as easy as the salesmen make it sound.

Lock outs are great. We own one in Williamsburg and I was able to trade for 2 weeks at Horizons and 1 week at OKW last year One with my 1br, one with my studio, and one with a bonus week for my 1 br. Total cost was $1,132 for the 3 weeks and the OKW alone was worth 160 points or $1,600 at the current rental rate. It was like getting 2 weeks free this year

We also own a week at Horizons just because we love the resort and the staff and are treated very well there.

The only difference between resale and buying from Marriott is the ability to trade your unit in for Marriott reward points every other year and the incentives that Marriott gives you to purchase. The incentives I received were about 15-20% of the cost, which reduced the gap with resales quite a bit. I think Marriott is being stingier with incentives because demand has picked up.

We decided to buy direct because I do quite a bit of business travel and am able to earn Marriott points. You can really get great deals with Marriott when you can accumulate a lot of points and trade for their travel packages. I also got a Marriott Visa, charged the purchase and paid it off the next month to earn another 60,000 points.

One other thing, you can reserve a year in advance and really need to be able to plan in advance to take maximum advantage of the system. There are also some great deals at 60 days or less when Interval drops all trade restrictions. If you like to plan about 4-6 months out things will not work well for you.

We love our Marriott and would not go back to hotels for anything. The quality is great and the vacations are tremendous. We have been all over in great accomodations and all for about $100 a night including our initial capital outlay.

 

[DisneyForLife]

I will be staying at the Grand Vista in September. It sounds like I am going to love it. Does anyone know how much it costs to take a taxi from the Orlando airport to the resort?
Thank You

 

[MrsPete]

Trading power is based on supply and demand. Orlando has great demand, but also huge supply so the relative trading power is less . . . You will not be able to consistently trade into high demand/holiday weeks at other resorts.

Okay, that sounds acceptable to me. I do want to go to Maui someday, but not every Christmas. I feel that I'm getting a handle on this concept now.

Lock outs are great.

We're only considering lock-outs. Right now we have two small girls, and the idea of being able to choose between 1 and 2 bedrooms (depending upon whether it's just family or whether we're bringing extras along) makes sense. Eventually it'll be just the two of us again, and the one-bedroom would allow us twice the number of weeks.

One question: Every resort doesn't have the lock-out option. If we're "trading into" a resort with no lock-outs, then we're just out of luck for that particular vacation and we have to take the two-bedroom, right?

We decided to buy direct because I do quite a bit of business travel and am able to earn Marriott points.

We don't have the chance to earn lots of points. We're looking at buying the even-years or odd-years on resale right now. With the lock-our feature, we can still have a one-bedroom every year, and we see this as a way of "getting our feet wet" without committing quite so much. If we're happy, we'll pick up another even-years or odd-years package at a different resort (Hilton Head probably -- it's near home). Does that sounds like a good plan?

One other thing, you can reserve a year in advance and really need to be able to plan in advance to take maximum advantage of the system.

No problem -- we're planners. I'm a teacher, and I lilterally know my work schedule for the next three years; my husband's job is less predictable, but he generally can get off work when he wants to do so.

Thanks for your post, PrincessDadX2. It filled in some blanks for me.

One more question -- for PrincessDadX2 or anyone else -- we understand that we're expected to pay the maintenance fee each year. No problem. Do we also pay property taxes? Does Marriott ever send out "special assessments" for something like the building needing a new roof? I've heard that some companies do that.