Buying a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway

Hi,

My husband and I just got back from a trip to Orlando where we stayed at Vacation Village at Parkway for 1 week at a reduced price in which we did the timeshare tour.

The thing is, we are very interested but from all our reading here and elsewhere are extremely confused. We did manage enough courage to say no thanks to the salesman and their tactics, but we did actually fall in love with the location and amenities.

So we are interested in finding a resale, and am looking for info about "floating" weeks etc. The salesman offered us a 2 bed lookout and went on about RCI will treat this as 2 weeks...If the guy had been nicer he probably would have got a sale from us, he lost us solely on his rudeness and the fact that I knew it would be better for us to buy a resale...we were using this trip to see if we like Orlando and the venue - all of which we do.

So any words of wisdom or should we run for the hills?

If you loved Vacation Village @ Parkway and you plan to use the timeshare every year (or trade it with an exchange company), then go for it ... just be sure to peruse all the timeshare resale sites for that location for the best price. And, yes, a lockout is considered two different units. You were wise not to buy from a developer salesperson. There's not a dime's worth of difference in a resale vs a developer bought timeshare except for the tons of money saved.

janellen4 wrote:

Hi,

My husband and I just got back from a trip to Orlando where we stayed at Vacation Village at Parkway for 1 week at a reduced price in which we did the timeshare tour.

The thing is, we are very interested but from all our reading here and elsewhere are extremely confused. We did manage enough courage to say no thanks to the salesman and their tactics, but we did actually fall in love with the location and amenities.

So we are interested in finding a resale, and am looking for info about "floating" weeks etc. The salesman offered us a 2 bed lookout and went on about RCI will treat this as 2 weeks...If the guy had been nicer he probably would have got a sale from us, he lost us solely on his rudeness and the fact that I knew it would be better for us to buy a resale...we were using this trip to see if we like Orlando and the venue - all of which we do.

So any words of wisdom or should we run for the hills?

Concrats on being smart and saying NO!

Now you know you love the resort you can take your time and watch for resales on these forums.

It is nice to hear from the families that come on these forums to learn and follow through as you did.

You saved a lots of money and ticked off a salesman at same time, good job!

We won't be hearing you back here complaining about being scam.

Love these kind of post!

PHILL12

I got my first time shar given to me from my sister, we love using it, kind of spoiled actually, I do wish we sould have just rented everyone elses for the extra vacations we want to use, but we bought 2 more, we are now VIP and they do take away some priviledges if it is not bought thru them. My way of looking so what I just want to stay where I want to stay when I want to stay. Mine are points system so I can simply check for availability and book. I can book further out to more or less guarantee a certain place and time due to the ownership, that is the only up side I see, but how many times do we know we want to vacation 1 yr in adance and where, things change and so do plans. I would probably suggest buying from resale and one sight is always sending me updates with sales, I have deleted all the info for now sorry. Anita

janellen4 wrote:

Hi,

My husband and I just got back from a trip to Orlando where we stayed at Vacation Village at Parkway for 1 week at a reduced price in which we did the timeshare tour.

The thing is, we are very interested but from all our reading here and elsewhere are extremely confused. We did manage enough courage to say no thanks to the salesman and their tactics, but we did actually fall in love with the location and amenities.

So we are interested in finding a resale, and am looking for info about "floating" weeks etc. The salesman offered us a 2 bed lookout and went on about RCI will treat this as 2 weeks...If the guy had been nicer he probably would have got a sale from us, he lost us solely on his rudeness and the fact that I knew it would be better for us to buy a resale...we were using this trip to see if we like Orlando and the venue - all of which we do.

So any words of wisdom or should we run for the hills?

=========== Vacation Village at Parkway is part of the Daily Management Co (www.dailymanagementresorts.com). They manage 15-16 resorts...some good ones, some mediocre ones. Based on availability, you can exchange into these resorts for a fee, which I believe is $99. This resort is an RCI Points resort. If you buy a prime week you will get a good number of points for you to use if you want to exchange. It also provides more flexibility in your plans. If you decide to buy and plan on doing a fair amount of exchanging, be sure that you will be part of the Points system, and the unit is not part of the traditional "weeks" system. Otherwise the resort might try to entice you to pay a few thousand $$ to convert to Points. Good Luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions. There are many knowledgeable members here on RedWeek. Mike

Thank you for your responses everyone. We are currently looking at a posting on one of the many sites that is for a "floating" week. Now correct this newbie if my perception is wrong. A floating week means that I can go anyweek if I book plenty of time in advance? Or is it better to have a fixed week?

Mike - see this is where I get confused with all the talk about points...isn't that what RCI does, alot your week a certain number of points...or does each resort also have a point system?

janellen4 wrote:

Thank you for your responses everyone. We are currently looking at a posting on one of the many sites that is for a "floating" week. Now correct this newbie if my perception is wrong. A floating week means that I can go anyweek if I book plenty of time in advance? Or is it better to have a fixed week?

Mike - see this is where I get confused with all the talk about points...isn't that what RCI does, alot your week a certain number of points...or does each resort also have a point system?

=========== A floating week doesn’t necessarily mean you can go any week during the year. A resort may have various floating week periods. For example, a resort may have a period of floating weeks that cover non-peak periods. These usually cost less and are perfect for retirees or couples with young or no children. I own at a resort in NH that has four different floating week periods A, B, C, and D. The ‘D’ period allows an owner to book any week of the year, while the ‘A’ period allows an owner to book only one of thirteen weeks of the year. I’ve heard some resorts do not allow floating week owners to book certain prime weeks, such as Christmas, as these are reserved for fixed week owners. Keep in mind that units that have usage restrictions will cost less, but they may have less trading or renting power. Just be sure to find out if there are any floating week restrictions before you buy. I like floating week for the flexibility; others like fixed weeks because they like to travel to the same location at the same time each year. Fixed weeks are also good if you don’t like to go through the hassle of remembering to call the resort to book a floating week.

As for your second question the answer is yes to both parts. Some resorts like Sunterra have their own point system. RCI allocates the points for Vacation Village at Parkway and you as an RCI member use those points towards vacations. I previously mentioned that you should be sure the unit is part of the Points system, and not part of the traditional "weeks" system. I say this because if a unit was previously a traditional “weeks” unit, the resort would’ve charged the owner $$ to convert to points. If the owner resells the unit, it MIGHT revert back to weeks, whereby you would have to pay again to reconvert back to points. Just want to caution you to check out that situation. If you have any specific RCI Points questions, you can do a search of the RedWeek site or feel free to contact me at mgnacn1@yahoo.com.

Good Luck

janellen4 wrote:

A floating week means that I can go anyweek if I book plenty of time in advance? Or is it better to have a fixed week?

If your timeshare is in a popular location during a popular time period, then yes you need to confirm your floating week well in advance.

As far as your question ... is a floating week better than a fixed week (or vice versa) ... it depends on if you want to go to the same timeshare unit every year at the same time or if you would rather go at a different time (floating). With a fixed week, you know what you're getting every year and in what unit. Many floating weeks don't necessarily have a fixed unit when making reservations.

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

claudiuc wrote:

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

If you are still within your rescission period (10 days for FL), rescind like your life depends on it! Follow the rescission instructions to the letter including what type of method to deliver your rescission letter.

Rescind, rescind, rescind!

Timeshare sales people lie like you would not believe. NEVER buy a timeshare straight from the developer.

There is absolutely no way on God's green earth that a VV@P timeshare (in Orlando at that) is worth $18000. Many owners of timeshares in the Orlando area are having trouble even giving away their timeshares.

lancec13 wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

If you are still within your rescission period (10 days for FL), rescind like your life depends on it! Follow the rescission instructions to the letter including what type of method to deliver your rescission letter.

Rescind, rescind, rescind!

Timeshare sales people lie like you would not believe. NEVER buy a timeshare straight from the developer.

There is absolutely no way on God's green earth that a VV@P timeshare (in Orlando at that) is worth $18000. Many owners of timeshares in the Orlando area are having trouble even giving away their timeshares.

claudiuc wrote:

lancec13 wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

If you are still within your rescission period (10 days for FL), rescind like your life depends on it! Follow the rescission instructions to the letter including what type of method to deliver your rescission letter.

Rescind, rescind, rescind!

Timeshare sales people lie like you would not believe. NEVER buy a timeshare straight from the developer.

There is absolutely no way on God's green earth that a VV@P timeshare (in Orlando at that) is worth $18000. Many owners of timeshares in the Orlando area are having trouble even giving away their timeshares.

Hi lancec13,

Thank you so much for your timely response. I will send in my cancellation notice tomorrow asap.

What are some recommended ways in which to buy into timeshares so I can avoid this bad experience next time? Are certain resorts better than others as far as getting the best bang for the buck? I heard most resorts in the Orlando area are a safe bet.

claudiuc wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

lancec13 wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

If you are still within your rescission period (10 days for FL), rescind like your life depends on it! Follow the rescission instructions to the letter including what type of method to deliver your rescission letter.

Rescind, rescind, rescind!

Timeshare sales people lie like you would not believe. NEVER buy a timeshare straight from the developer.

There is absolutely no way on God's green earth that a VV@P timeshare (in Orlando at that) is worth $18000. Many owners of timeshares in the Orlando area are having trouble even giving away their timeshares.

Hi lancec13,

Thank you so much for your timely response. I will send in my cancellation notice tomorrow asap.

What are some recommended ways in which to buy into timeshares so I can avoid this bad experience next time? Are certain resorts better than others as far as getting the best bang for the buck? I heard most resorts in the Orlando area are a safe bet.

I'm not Lance but I will try and answer your question ..... the old saying from the pros is to never buy in Orlando since it's such an easy trade .... buy elsewhere and trade into Orlando, however if you want to go to Orlando every year and are not interested in trading then I would buy in Orlando.

Always buy on the resale market as you're getting the exact same product as a developer purchase for pennies on the dollar. As for a recommendation, there's no easy answer .... it depends on your needs as an individual .... do you prefer same week, same unit every year ..... or do you prefer floating ..... do you prefer being in a points system.

To tell you the truth if I were to ever get back into timesharing I would buy into a points system for the flexibility, but I know absolutely nothing about the different point systems and would have to study up on all of them. When we owned we owned fixed weeks.

You can look in Redweek's or Tug's bargain basement for some fantastic deals .... also look for timeshares on Ebay for some great deals (many timeshares are being given away in this economy).

One other suggestion is to rent a timeshare through this site or another one. You can rent some for less than what the owner pays in maintenance fees and not have the obligation of paying maintenance fees for the rest of your life and exchange fees. That is the way I would go and find out if you really want the commitment. You can also call the resort and ask if they have a rental program. Some rent units for the owners.

Claudiuc, I hope you have canceled that purchase. I own deeded weeks; and renting (or using one of the travel websites) is the best advice I can give you. I'm not sure there are any honest actors left in the ts industry.

What are some recommended ways in which to buy into timeshares so I can avoid this bad experience next time? Are certain resorts better than others as far as getting the best bang for the buck? I heard most resorts in the Orlando area are a safe bet.

If you really liked the resort that you stayed at, Vacation Village, you could buy a time share that is deeded at The Cove over on Ormond Beach, which is in the Club Navigo points system. VV@P is in this same system, run by Island One Resorts as Club Navigo. You get both an internal exchange system, and an external exchange system, which is Interval International.

A 2Br at VV@P costs 2700, 3600 or 4500 Navigo Points depending on the season/week you select.

I recently purchased a 2Br at The Cove in the South Tower, which cost me less than $3000 total, and comes with 6000 points each year. You could easily stay 2 weeks in a low season week, instead of just one week, and up to 5 weeks every two years in low season weeks. You also have the option of buying extra points if you are short points for your stay, So if you wanted to stay both a low season and mid season weeks, and are short 300 points, you can simply buy them, at around .25 -.30 each; or less than 100 for the added points.

A low season week at The Cove in the North Tower is only 2000 points in low season weeks for a 2Br, ocean front, and 800 points for a studio that sleeps 4 in low season.

This all gives you a lot of versatility to stay at different resorts or different weeks. The key is getting the best unit as your anchor, and then if you, like I, enjoy traveling in the lowers seasons to avoid the crowds, you get more for your money.

The ability to bank a week into Interval International's exchange system also allow you to travel the world, and enjoy other locations throughout the US and the World. You make a reservation through the points system, but have the reservations deposited into your II account. You then log onto the II web site, and it shows you what resorts around the world you can exchange into. In some cases, you might get two weeks at a resort, in exchange for your single week.

Contact me directly if you would like to get more detailed advise. I have purchased 8 time shares, two from developers, and the rest in the secondary market. There is no difference in the benefits between the two types of purchases, and the secondary market is pennies on the dollar compared to the developer.

The only reason to buy from a developer, is if you want to get an event week, such as those over in Daytona Beach / Ormond Beach. These are almost always grabbed back by the developer if a person wants to sell, as they almost always have a Right of First Refusal clause in the deed. The event weeks are nearly always booked full, as they are associated with big events like the Daytona 500 race and the like.

Click on my icon next to the message if you want to contact me directly, instead of trading messages on the board.

claudiuc wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

lancec13 wrote:

claudiuc wrote:

Hi,

I bought a timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway from one of the sales presentations. At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal since the sales person told me that I was getting a deed that is worth ~$23k for only $18k and change. After doing a bit of research once I returned from my trip, I realized that I may not have gotten such a deal since I don't have a floating week that I can choose every year. I have the same week every year, though I can change it through the internal exchange program for any other week. Also, this is a weeks system and not points system. I assume that I can't choose to have stays shorter than 7 days, like I would be able with a points system.

Lastly, the other reason I thought I did the right thing by buying from the developer is because I was offered an Extra Vacations program, whereby I get an extra 2 weeks to use in the RCI system. The only catch I believe is that these 2 weeks, unlike the ones bought through the developer are subject to various limitation on season and units to use.

I have a few days left in which I can cancel my contract and I would like to gather enough facts to help me decide whether getting out of the contract is a good idea.

Thanks, Confused Buyer

If you are still within your rescission period (10 days for FL), rescind like your life depends on it! Follow the rescission instructions to the letter including what type of method to deliver your rescission letter.

Rescind, rescind, rescind!

Timeshare sales people lie like you would not believe. NEVER buy a timeshare straight from the developer.

There is absolutely no way on God's green earth that a VV@P timeshare (in Orlando at that) is worth $18000. Many owners of timeshares in the Orlando area are having trouble even giving away their timeshares.

Hi lancec13,

Thank you so much for your timely response. I will send in my cancellation notice tomorrow asap.

What are some recommended ways in which to buy into timeshares so I can avoid this bad experience next time? Are certain resorts better than others as far as getting the best bang for the buck? I heard most resorts in the Orlando area are a safe bet.

stevem532 wrote:

What are some recommended ways in which to buy into timeshares so I can avoid this bad experience next time? Are certain resorts better than others as far as getting the best bang for the buck? I heard most resorts in the Orlando area are a safe bet.

If you really liked the resort that you stayed at, Vacation Village, you could buy a time share that is deeded at The Cove over on Ormond Beach, which is in the Club Navigo points system. VV@P is in this same system, run by Island One Resorts as Club Navigo. You get both an internal exchange system, and an external exchange system, which is Interval International.

A 2Br at VV@P costs 2700, 3600 or 4500 Navigo Points depending on the season/week you select.

I recently purchased a 2Br at The Cove in the South Tower, which cost me less than $3000 total, and comes with 6000 points each year. You could easily stay 2 weeks in a low season week, instead of just one week, and up to 5 weeks every two years in low season weeks. You also have the option of buying extra points if you are short points for your stay, So if you wanted to stay both a low season and mid season weeks, and are short 300 points, you can simply buy them, at around .25 -.30 each; or less than 100 for the added points.

A low season week at The Cove in the North Tower is only 2000 points in low season weeks for a 2Br, ocean front, and 800 points for a studio that sleeps 4 in low season.

This all gives you a lot of versatility to stay at different resorts or different weeks. The key is getting the best unit as your anchor, and then if you, like I, enjoy traveling in the lowers seasons to avoid the crowds, you get more for your money.

The ability to bank a week into Interval International's exchange system also allow you to travel the world, and enjoy other locations throughout the US and the World. You make a reservation through the points system, but have the reservations deposited into your II account. You then log onto the II web site, and it shows you what resorts around the world you can exchange into. In some cases, you might get two weeks at a resort, in exchange for your single week.

Contact me directly if you would like to get more detailed advise. I have purchased 8 time shares, two from developers, and the rest in the secondary market. There is no difference in the benefits between the two types of purchases, and the secondary market is pennies on the dollar compared to the developer.

The only reason to buy from a developer, is if you want to get an event week, such as those over in Daytona Beach / Ormond Beach. These are almost always grabbed back by the developer if a person wants to sell, as they almost always have a Right of First Refusal clause in the deed. The event weeks are nearly always booked full, as they are associated with big events like the Daytona 500 race and the like.

Click on my icon next to the message if you want to contact me directly, instead of trading messages on the board.

Thank you for your detailed response!

jayjay wrote:

I'm not Lance but I will try and answer your question ..... the old saying from the pros is to never buy in Orlando since it's such an easy trade .... buy elsewhere and trade into Orlando, however if you want to go to Orlando every year and are not interested in trading then I would buy in Orlando.

Always buy on the resale market as you're getting the exact same product as a developer purchase for pennies on the dollar. As for a recommendation, there's no easy answer .... it depends on your needs as an individual .... do you prefer same week, same unit every year ..... or do you prefer floating ..... do you prefer being in a points system.

To tell you the truth if I were to ever get back into timesharing I would buy into a points system for the flexibility, but I know absolutely nothing about the different point systems and would have to study up on all of them. When we owned we owned fixed weeks.

You can look in Redweek's or Tug's bargain basement for some fantastic deals .... also look for timeshares on Ebay for some great deals (many timeshares are being given away in this economy).

Thank you, jayjay, for your insights.

claudiuc;

Get out of that contract......... I own at this resort and didn't pay that for 4 weeks there......