Original Message:
Re: We are thinking about a Timeshare Purchase, whats your honest opinion??? (by Steven R.):
We have 7 timeshares, 3 of which are in the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). The other timeshares are the various fixed, float and points types. If I don't want to use the DVC timeshares this year, I can rent the points to several companies that will pay well above the maintenance fees. In my case, I could rent the DVC points I own, and use the fee I received to not only pay all my DVC maintenance fees, but also the maintenance fees for 3 of the remaining timeshares, leaving me with only 1 maintenance fee to pay. As the 3 timeshares are all lockoff units, I can effectively get 6 weeks of usage for zero costs.
I recommend to my friends who want to travel that they should seriously consider owning a single timeshare that can be exchanged into an external exchange system, such as RCI, because of the lower cost of extra getaway weeks. Having said that, I would also steer them towards a reputable timeshare company, and away from too many of the underhanded timeshare companies that are out there.
My wife and I both agree our DIsney Vacation Club purchases were well worth the cost in several ways, but especially one way. For too many years, when vacation time came around, we stayed home and did chores around the house. Now, we take 5 weeks of vacation a year, all over the country, and bring friends and family with us on most. There is something to be said for not waiting until you are too old to enjoy life, and the timeshare units have been encouraging us to release the grip we had on working, or maybe it was the grip work had on us, and relax. We took friends to the gulf for Mardi Gras this year, we are taking our kids and grandkids to the beach for spring break, and to Disney World in summer, we are planning a family reunion in the mountains, and we are finally going to Orlando for a weeks getaway, just the 2 of us. We couldn't afford to do the types of vacations we do, especially taking other families with us, without having the timeshares we have.
I have 1 lockoff timeshare that I wouldn't buy now, if I knew what the actual unit's layout was when I bought it. I like the A side, but not the B-side unit. But it's a summer week that trades very well. I exchanged both A and B units separately and in return, garnered a 4 bedroom unit in spring, and a 3 bedroom unit in fall, both my favorite times of the year to vacation.
Would I honestly buy a timeshare again, if I knew then what I know now? Yes, without question.