Cookies Galore
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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
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Post by Cookies Galore on Feb 12, 2015 9:22:50 GMT -5
My Dad has a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare. Hubs and I used it to go to Aruba last year. I like that my dad has a timeshare to offer. :-) We chose the resorts we liked and the month we preferred, and my Dad booked our trip.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Feb 12, 2015 9:28:07 GMT -5
pretty stupid unless you plan to travel every year to the same specific places.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 9:44:43 GMT -5
Time shares are one of those things that should be a good idea, but somehow aren't. When you guys talk about the fees - 700, 2000 (MPL -was that each or both? I'm assuming 1k each?), I'm assuming that that is per week? so - like 36k-50k for 52 weeks per unit. I'm just not seeing how that much in fees is corresponding to actual ownership - if someone bought a condo for the full year - what would those assessments be like? I had to text her to check...I guess they're not at the same place (still both in Key West). $850/year on one and $1500/year on the Hyatt. The fee has to cover more than normal condo stuff. There is a cleaning staff, and they furnish and decorate the interior. Condos fees wouldn't replace all your appliances and furniture every few years. Still...$1500/week. That's a lot of hotel rooms!
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Feb 12, 2015 9:52:07 GMT -5
My parents have one - it was great when we were kids and went on a lot of trips, but it hasn't gotten used in some time (I think my parents used it when they went to the Super Bowl a few years ago). I want a Disney Vacation Club timeshare very badly (mainly so I have an excuse to go there all the time).
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Feb 12, 2015 11:06:52 GMT -5
They might be BSing me, but I feel like the people that I know that own Timeshares love them. Although, I'm sure that people that have it paid for aren't really considering if it was ever a good financial investment.
Disney Vacation Club owners seem to universally love that timeshare program, but that one is still a really long payoff. Plus, you can always rent points from other owners so you don't really need to buy the timeshare.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 11:28:10 GMT -5
My parents own two at the Hyatt during the most popular week of the year in Key West, so they have no trouble trading and getting extra weeks during the off season at other places. They are retired and definitely use theirs. Still, I'm not thrilled that I'm set to inherit one of them. Last I'd talked to her the maintenance fees were over 2K/year. Ugh. Well Zib did give you an idea. If you never take it out of her name but continue to pay for it while it suits you what exactly could they do if you just decided to drop it? Who knows though. If there's is that good a date and place you might have no trouble renting it out for the cost of the fee plus still get to use it for a vacation or two. True. I will also be sharing both the timeshares with my two stepbrothers, so the fees will be divided between us. However, I sure as hell hope I don't end up getting screwed as the one making sure everything is paid while they use them all the time.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 11:36:21 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, ownership in the Disney Vacation Club is not forever. It expires or something.
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justme
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Post by justme on Feb 12, 2015 11:45:36 GMT -5
I believe it's sometime in 30s or 40s. They have just built a lot more villas those, not sure if those will have the same date or if they'll start with the full term. Eta www.mouseowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24985 looks like the first does in 42 the one opening this year will expire in 66.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Feb 12, 2015 11:46:22 GMT -5
I like mine but I get a lot of use out of it for what I pay. Plus, I can use more for very little money if I ever stop dealing with health issues. I've heard of ones that are the same time and place every year but that's not what I have. One week at a nice place more than compensates for my fee. I can end up with up to 4 weeks depending on bedrooms requested. I've skiied and sunned and been in two foreign countries with them. I can bank them if I have a bad year, like last year. I can use it for Paris or even a cruise. If I get tired of it and no one wants it, well, the owner is dead. Oh, well.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Feb 12, 2015 12:15:33 GMT -5
Bonny, have you ever use VRBO? Yes, several times. Have you? No. DW looked into VRBO for a week in Paris. Wouldn't work because places were too small to accomodate five of us. But, VRBO looks like an interesting way to travel. And it seems like the participants take a very professional approach to their rentals. Since you have used them and recommend them, it would appear that you're happy with your experiences with VRBO. We're going to have to give it a try!
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gooddecisions
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Post by gooddecisions on Feb 12, 2015 12:29:08 GMT -5
Yes, several times. Have you? No. DW looked into VRBO for a week in Paris. Wouldn't work because places were too small to accomodate five of us. But, VRBO looks like an interesting way to travel. And it seems like the participants take a very professional approach to their rentals. Since you have used them and recommend them, it would appear that you're happy with your experiences with VRBO. We're going to have to give it a try! It's hit or miss. The one I used last year was a big disappointment. The place smelled like piss and the owners nickel and dimed everything.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2015 14:10:33 GMT -5
Crone I don't see why you'd need the upkeep, the costs, the worries of a timeshare.
You are free as a bird, you have the money, so why not just go wherever you want, whenever you want? You don't have young kids so you can travel outside of school holidays without paying extra to travel during those times.
We have used the French or European equivalent of VRBO for many years, without any problems. The biggest problem we had was last summer in Spain, it was a 3BR house for 6 people, but the outdoor table only seated 4, and there were only two fans. It was hot and we wanted fans in the LR and in all 3 bedrooms. I complained, the owner told me that although it was a 3BR house big enough for 6 people, they had never had more than 4 people rent it before us, so he hadn't realized (it was only the second summer they had rented the house out). He said he lived 2-3h away and asked if we'd mind buying a bigger garden table and the two fans ourselves, and he'd reimburse us. So that's what we did.
It IS better to have even a small kitchen, IMO, but you don't need a timeshare for that.
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 12, 2015 16:10:07 GMT -5
Well Zib did give you an idea. If you never take it out of her name but continue to pay for it while it suits you what exactly could they do if you just decided to drop it? Who knows though. If there's is that good a date and place you might have no trouble renting it out for the cost of the fee plus still get to use it for a vacation or two. True. I will also be sharing both the timeshares with my two stepbrothers, so the fees will be divided between us. However, I sure as hell hope I don't end up getting screwed as the one making sure everything is paid while they use them all the time. Gah. I was trying to think of a worse investment/situation than owning a timeshare and now I realize that things could always be worse... like owning a timeshare that's shared between 3 siblings.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Feb 12, 2015 16:46:50 GMT -5
tskeeter we've never had a bad experience with VRBO. Now let that statement doom me!
ETA: We've also booked stuff through Trip Advisor and that worked out well too.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Feb 12, 2015 16:50:25 GMT -5
I am seriously thinking of getting in shape then taking amazing trips alone. I was thinking time share just because they are more likely not to be scary. I took a Mexican vacation once and the hotel was unacceptable, and I don't have high standards. The man I was with paid to move us to a good hotel. I am looking at Victoria Falls in Africa and the hotels make me wonder if they are as nice as the pictures and if I would feel safe alone. So now I am looking at a cruise to Australia one of them takes 79 days so has a few stops but it avoids airplanes then I would have to find another cruise home so at least another 29 days. Expensive to have my own private room but I don't want a roommate. It might be fine I could read, wander around the ship, eat sticking to my diet without strange food maybe swimming to seeing entertainment then wander around ports so get some exercise. Seems better than trapped on airplane breathing used air and maybe getting blood clots from not moving enough. I don't have a fear of flying just don't enjoy it so no 17 hour flights. A cruise ship should be able to offer food without salt, lower carb, whole grain, no sugar even if only salad. I need to watch salt, sugar and fat but that doesn't seem that odd that they can't handle it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Feb 12, 2015 17:00:49 GMT -5
I used vrbo for a long term rental. There was no laundry in cottage like picture showed and next to a noisy busy street 24/7 which made sleeping not fun.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2015 13:25:22 GMT -5
Heck no on timeshares. A few years ago in Hawaii we went to a presentation, I made sure to have a few cocktails beforehand and DW said I put on quite a show railing on timeshares and how I would invest in more real estate ventures when hell froze over given the crash. I even provided income and city preferences that even the agent couldn't make work given their offerings. Got $400 knocked off our excursions though.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Feb 14, 2015 9:22:17 GMT -5
Dh and I ended up going to a timeshare presentation by accident. (We weren't thinking much about why someone would give us a free car to go to breakfast at a resort. Duh.) The sales tactics were annoying, but we went along all the way to the end when they started talking about costs. ONLY $1000/month with fees included for 2 weeks/year anywhere in the world. I started cracking up - it was more than we were paying in rent at the time. The sales guy was not pleased...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2015 9:44:08 GMT -5
Crone, 1) it's amazing how unprocessed food is outside of this country. You will probably find yourself eating better elsewhere with little problems. 2) as someone said, just research hotels well... And hey, you've been wondering how to treat yourself and spend some money, opt for the better starred hotels when you travel alone. More amenities. Less risk.
Tripadvisor usually has a good bank of reviews.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Feb 14, 2015 9:59:56 GMT -5
Crone, 1) it's amazing how unprocessed food is outside of this country. You will probably find yourself eating better elsewhere with little problems. 2) as someone said, just research hotels well... And hey, you've been wondering how to treat yourself and spend some money, opt for the better starred hotels when you travel alone. More amenities. Less risk. Tripadvisor usually has a good bank of reviews.When I'm looking at VRBO I'll cross check with reviews from Trip Advisor. There are some other sites like Booking.com that also have reviews. Bonny knocks on her wooden head.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2015 10:14:15 GMT -5
Tripadvisor usually has a good bank of reviews. We use them all the time; they've never steered us wrong. Particularly useful for non-chain hotels and B&Bs, where you can get superb or awful. I've got a ton of reviews up there under the name I use here (Athena53).
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