What timeshare is best for

[bonnielynn]

resorts that are non disney... anyone a member of another timeshare that is willing to share their stories?

 

[Dean]

There have been quite a number of posts over time on this subject. There are owners of just about every larger system that are members of this BBS and DVC owners esp Marriott, Bluegreen, Westin, Wyndham, RCI points, Hilton and Hyatt to name some of the more prominent. Each has it's place for the right person and situation, what & where would you be looking to use it for? For most people I end up recommending Marriott, Wyndham and BG but you should investigate and see what's best for you. TUG (Timeshare Users Group) at www.tug2.net is a great place to start.

 

[tryntje]

You can use DVC points at non-Disney properties around the world. We stayed in what was essentially a two bedroom apartment in NYC (Shelburne Murray Hill). It appeared to have been an apartment building that was converted to a hotel. It had a lot of charm to it. My DH is very frugal, so it isn't the kind of place we'd pay to stay at (I believe it had a rack rate of $360 a night on posted) so it was a real treat. The location was good (we could walk to the subway and avoid having to use a cab for getting to JFK) and there were plenty of restaurants in the area.

We're planning either an Australian or Hawaiin vacation in a couple of years. Much easier than trying to figure out where to stay -- I'm letting Disney decide for me.

 

[Lisa P.]

BonnieLynn, we love our timeshares. Have 7 weeks in WI, NC, TX plus points with Wyndham. Several our weeks are managed by VRI so they get some trade priority into other VRI resorts when trading through RCI. Some are dual-affiliated and they're strong enough in II to trade into DVC and Marriott (after the Marriott-owner-priority has passed, of course). We love our Wyndham points for short stays to add to weeklong exchanges. Since we live in the southeast US and Wyndham has many nice resorts in the southeast, it works well for us. Depending on where you live and where/how you want to vacation, a different company may offer more to you.

ALL of our weeks and points were purchased cheaply as resales. It's rare to need to spend more than $5K on a great resale - ours were less than $2K apiece. If you want to vacation regularly at non-DVC resorts, choosing a good resale week or points is a great idea. If you want to stay in many of the destinations offered by a particular company or system, it's best to get into that system. If you want the flexibility of points (able to vary unit size, time of year and resort location with every reservation), then research the points programs. None are quite as flexible as DVC but few are as expensive either, as resales.

If you plan to use it for occasional stays at your home resort, choose a place you'd love and make the trading a secondary consideration. Many think this is wise. If you want to use it exclusively to exchange to a wide variety of destinations, it makes sense to see if any mini-systems offer the destinations you're seeking. Otherwise, a good, low-cost, strong-trade, resale week can be a low risk way to enter the timeshare market.

I second Dean's suggestion of learning more on TUG before you buy. TS4Ms - Timeshare Forums is another good one. Feel free to email or PM with other questions.