Timeshare Help!! :)

[Hazel'smommy]

Hi everyone! I used to frequent this board a few years ago and have since forgotten my old user name. But, now I am a mommy and ready to take my baby girl down to Disney World, yay!!

My husband and I actually want to tour a variety of timeshares (not DVC) to see which one we like best so that we can purchase. We tried calling the Starwood Resort people to stay at the Sheraton Vistana Resort, and it turns out we can't stay and try it out for size unless we are referred. It seems so silly..wouldn't you want to test drive a car before dropping tons of money on it?

Anyway, if anyone is interested in referring us to stay there, that would be great. Other timeshare referrals or suggestions are also welcomed. There are just so many of them!!

Thank you!

Heidi

 

[lesroi]

Howdy!

As a former timeshare salesperson I can tell you there are a few reasons why most don't do the "try and stay" thing.

One reason is that they want to put you up in a motel so you can see the difference of 4 walls, a bed and a TV versus a resort.

The second (and more important) reason is that it is actually to keep rooms available for owners. How would you feel if you were an owner and you called up last-minute to come down and they said "Sorry, we have some tire-kickers staying at the resort so there's no room for you!"

Hope this helps!

Oh! Almost forgot, recommendations: DVC, of course and secondly Fairfield Bonnet Creek. (You can get Fairfield on the resale market, though it won't be deeded at Bonnet Creek.) DVC doesn't do a "try before you buy" unless you rent from an owner or buck up and pay for the room. Fairfield sometimes has promos where you can stay onsite, but I believe they either have discontinued it or will be shortly.

Have fun trying them out!

Tracy

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

when we purchase, we will be buying Marriott. Next to DVC, I think it's the best option available. We went to the Marriott Bay Point in Destin and really enjoyed our time there...and a deed there is less expensive than a deed at several other Marriott properties.

 

[kimszath]

Hi Hazel'smommy--There are SO many to choose from! Until I bought into DVC, I used to stay at my Mom's timeshare in Lake Buena Vista--Blue Tree Resort. It's just a couple of miles from Downtown Disney, and a stone's throw from the restaurant row area there with Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, and there's a Winn Dixie not a mile away with NORMAL grocery store prices! Mom's unit is a 2-bedroom, 2 bath deluxe, which means it has the king-sized bed and huge jacuzzi--the nicest unit they offer. Not restricted to a week either--all red weeks. She's about to let her's go for a song, since she's getting to the point that she can't use it every year, and we don't have enough vacation time to use her week in addition to what we bought with Disney. If you do check out a bunch of them, including this one, let me know if you're interested. She'd love to sell hers this year!!!

 

[Hazel'smommy]

Thank you all so much for your responses! The Blue Tree looks quite lovely. When we are down on our trip, we will check it out and let you know what we think. We ended up booking a trip with Westgate Lakes with a referral from my Dad. I know about the heavy sales pitch and we are up for dealing with it. I am not psyched about the long check in or the possibility of a dirty unit (I have never experienced this in the past with them, but I have read some pretty icky reviews)

If you have any other suggestions for a good resort, please send them my way.
Thanks!
Heidi

 

[mickeysgal]

To learn about the various ins and outs of the many timeshares out there, I would suggest joining TUG which is the Timeshare Users Group. They're at www.tug2.net. Some parts of the site are free, but other info requires membership. I can't remember how much it costs, but its very low (like $15 or something like that). Its worth it's weight in gold and it analyzes just about every timeshare resort and company out there. The message board alone is worth it as the members there have a vast knowledge of timesharing that they are very happy to share with others. Good luck.