Offsite timeshare to compliment DVC

[DanenRox]

This may be the wrong forum and if so....sorry...but weighing all of our options which include an add-on to DVC, I'd like to consider alternative timeshares in the Orlando area. Wondering if anyone has experience or information about other properties....

 

[littlestar]

We also enjoy staying at the Marriott Vacation Club resorts in Orlando (as you can see from my signature). As we are pretty much resort snobs, I typically like to stick with Marriott. Our favorites are in this order: Marriott's Cypress Harbour, Horizons, and Grande Vista. I've heard the Palm Marriotts are nice, too (they are being refurbished) and have access to the Marriott World Center which is close to Downtown Disney. The World Center has an indoor pool, a large feature pool and numerous restaurants and shops at the Marriott World Center.

We actually bought a resale every other year (lock-off 2 bedroom) Marriott Horizons Branson timeshare (gold season) for about $2,400 with closing. We pay Marriott $75.00 to divide our 2 bedroom into a 1 bedroom and studio and that gives us 2 units to trade through Interval International back into Orlando. Our Horizons maintenence fees run around $345 a year and the trade fee to trade back into Orlando is $89 for Marriott to Marriott trades. I'm usually able to upgrade into 2 bedroom Marriotts, too, since we travel off season. So if I include my II membership $100, my Horizons maintenance fee $345, and my trade fee of $89, I'm looking at right around $534 for a Marriott 2 bedroom stay.

With our II (Interval International) exchange company membership, we also like booking the cash Getaway weeks for Orlando for extra non-Disney trips or if we have a large family group and I run out of DVC points. The cash Interval Getaways at Marriotts in Orlando run anywhere from around $400 a week to $1,000 (depending on season and unit size).

Good luck with your search. You should take a look over at the tugbbs.com forums. There's lots of information on timesharing over there.

You probably should tack on a night or two after or before a DVC stay at some of the other Orlando properties to make sure you would like being offsite. That's what we did. We stayed 2 nights at Marriott Horizons Orlando a couple of years ago and loved it and that's when we decided to add Marriott, too, to our ownership.

 

[tink6137130]

I am also a owner at Sheraton Vistana...haven't had a chance to use it yet though. Got it from a co-worker.

 

[Laxmom]

Marriott's Grande Vista owner here. Love my Marriott's almost as much as DVC!

 

[bwvBound]

Why not consider a drive-to (nearby) timeshare property affiliated with either RCI and/or II? Use the local property for all its worth (day use, split week stay, bonus time, discounted golf program or other perks) and book off-property Orlando resorts via Extra Vacations (RCI's rental pool) or Getaway Weeks (same from II)?

 

[Dean]

Orlando timeshares are cheap and available for all uses including to buy, rent or exchange into. Personally I'd look at a none Orlando timeshare if I were interested in doing part of my trips other than using DVC points. For this fall we'll be in a 2 BR Hilton unit trading through RCI with a unit that had a value of between $150 & $300 plus the exchange fee. So for around $300-400 total we're in a top notch resort 2 BR. Could have gotten a 3 BR for some weeks but not the week that worked best. Last year we stayed at Marriott's Grande Vista resort in a 2 BR trading the lockoff (studio) portion of our Marriott trading unit. We've also traded off property (non Orlando) into DVC over 10 times in the last 3-4 years all for 1 or 2 BR units (save one at BCV).

There's no one best option, it depends on your situation, planning abilities, where you live, unit size you need, what other vacations interest you have and the like. Assuming one doesn't need a 3 BR, there are only 3 weeks of the year you can't easily get a TOP 2 BR unit in Orlando with about any old trading unit, those weeks are Easter and the week of Xmas and NY. For most situations I'd buy non Orlando for either a cheaper unit where I had trading priority to other resorts (Marriott or Westin) or a points system where I could reserve directly and/or trade in (such as Bluegreen or Wyndham). Given that Orlando generally doesn't trade nearly as well as any comparable resort from somewhere else, I'd only own in Orlando other than DVC if I needed a unit I couldn't count on getting like a 3 or 4 BR or if I never planned to trade it for anything else in which case I likely wouldn't buy at all but rather rent privately.

 

[ldo]

If you need 2 BR or larger at peak times, then a non-DVC would be more economical. I would consdier MArriott for this, nice properties and you get Marriott preference when trading with II.

For us, we decided on a non-Orlando TS. It compliments our DVC well. Ssometimes tag on a DVC visit either before or after our HHI visit in the summer for a 2 week vacation--sometimes, the kids and I go down to DVC and then meet DH the next week in HHI. If we have gone to DVC for Easter, then we just do HHI for the week in the summer.

 

[Laxmom]

If you need 2 BR or larger at peak times, then a non-DVC would be more economical. I would consdier MArriott for this, nice properties and you get Marriott preference when trading with II.

For us, we decided on a non-Orlando TS. It compliments our DVC well. Ssometimes tag on a DVC visit either before or after our HHI visit in the summer for a 2 week vacation--sometimes, the kids and I go down to DVC and then meet DH the next week in HHI. If we have gone to DVC for Easter, then we just do HHI for the week in the summer.

We have that too but every other year on both. It has worked out well for us. We bought Grande Vista with the intention of staying there but have gotten such good trades with it that we have only stayed 2 nights that we rented before a cruise. The HHI we go to eoy because it is drivable for us.

 

[Brian Noble]

with about any old trading unit, those weeks are Easter and the week of Xmas and NY.

You might also add President's Week to that list---especially in RCI.

 

[Cruelladeville]

You should check eBay for a cheap timeshare, once you know what kind of timeshare you want. I bought a HH Marriott from there for $230! It's a crummy week, but, doggone if it doesn't trade well anyway! I have been able to use it to trade in to SSR both times. My sister bought a cheap Williamsburg from there, too. Just make sure sellers have hundreds of sales under their belts, because you can be scammed. Also, be aware that many timeshares in the Orlando area don't trade with Orlando, except at their own resorts. Vistana trades with everyone, but Marriott and Hilton don't.
I love my Marriotts almost as much as my DVC--ALMOST!

 

[Dean]

You might also add President's Week to that list---especially in RCI.

That has not been my experience for II for Marriott to Marriott, even got that week for a bonus week a couple of years ago.

 

[LoriMomx5]

We have Bluegreen points and love the flexibility of both DVC and bluegreen combination. Lori