I can’t afford to take a vacation!  In this economy how can we go on vacation?  Where has all my money gone– NO vacation this year!

We hear these statements frequently from friends and family and would like to discuss some of the ways you can take a cheap timeshare vacation every year.  You need it and deserve it!

First, let’s talk about buying a timeshare week.  Do NOT purchase a week from the developer, as they are very expensive and you will get very little of your money back when you go to sell.  We have bought several of our timeshares off eBay.  You need to follow several auctions that are going on and only bid on ones that are using a closing company.

The closing company will take care of everything needed for the closing and the transfer of the deed.  They will hold the money in an escrow account until you have the deed, before they will release money to the seller.  Also, expect to pay a closing fee of around $300.00 to $500.00; sometimes you can split this with the seller.  We also call the resort on any listings we are interested in (before we bid) to make sure it is a free and clear week with no back taxes, special assessments, etc.

You can also check with friends, co-workers, etc. in reference to weeks they are not using.  Perhaps they would be interested in selling.  Right now, with the poor economy, people are even willing to give a week away for free just to get out from under the maintenance fee. You can also talk to a resort and possibly pick up a week that is in foreclosure.

Look closely at the maintenance fees that you will be required to pay every year.  Our cheapest one-week maintenance fee is only $411.00 per year. Some can run over $1000.00 per week.  This makes a week fairly expensive if you are trying to take a cheap vacation.  In the long run you will save a lot if you can get a week with low fees, and if the week trades well (if it is in a good location) you can trade into more expensive resorts.

Once you have a week, you can begin to plan your vacation.  If you bought a fixed week at a resort, you simply go to the resort the week that you own and enjoy your vacation. If you want to trade the week, you need to join RCI or II to trade– which one will depend on the resort you purchased at.  You can then trade your week to go to different resorts and/or at different times of the year.  You can often take a one bedroom week and trade it for a larger unit.   We just recently traded a studio for a three bedroom in Myrtle Beach during spring break, using RCI.

If you bought points in say, the Wyndham system, you can trade these points through RCI for another week.  You can also use your points to stay at any Wyndham Timeshare and they have a lot of resorts all over the country.  You use more points for weekend stays vs. weekday stays. You use more points for a larger unit, like a three bedroom, vs. a small unit, like a studio.  Finally, you use more points for travel in a high demand season vs. off-season. So look at the resorts and plan to get the most out of your points.

Now that you have your vacation scheduled, let’s cover some of the ways to save money on your cheap timeshare vacation.  First of all, if you drive, it is almost always cheaper than flying and renting a car. Sometimes you have a large enough unit that you can invite friends along and charge them to cover some of the cost.  Also, because most timeshares have a kitchen, you can save a lot of money by fixing meals rather than going out for every meal.  We usually do a little of both, which cuts costs.

Most timeshares have excellent amenities, so you can save money by enjoying the resort rather than spending money on local attractions. The resort usually provides activities for kids, and that  helps out with planning entertainment.  In addition, they frequently offer discounts to area attractions or activities that also save money.  Many resorts offer tours of the area or sights, and they provide transportation for a fee.  Instead of paying so much per person to do this, simply drive your group to the site and tour by yourselves.

We travel a lot and enjoy cheap timeshare vacations.  You can too!

It’s time to create another timeshare meal for the family. What can you cook that’s quick, easy, uses few ingredients and tastes good?  It’s too expensive to feed everyone at a restaurant for every meal, and often the kids don’t like their food, anyway. Obviously, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is always better than restaurant mac & cheese, right???  (No, it isn’t homemade, but I bet your kids think it is!)  Even fast food becomes expensive after a few days, and it’s pretty monotonous after awhile.  So let’s check the recipe file for some timeshare cooking stand-bys.

Here are three main dishes that require a minimal amount of effort and are undoubtedly more nutritious than Happy Meals. Add a vegetable or salad and bread of some kind, and you’re good to go! These can all be thrown together ahead of time, and then quickly baked or served when you get back from sightseeing or a theme park.

Savory Chicken

1 envelope Herb & Garlic Soup Mix
3 T. water
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
2 large red cubed potatoes
1 large onion, cut in wedges

In large, resealable plastic bag, combine soup mix and water.  Add chicken, potatoes and onion and toss to coat.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or all day.  Pour all into greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serves 4-6.

Pizza Pasta Pizza

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (or dried, minced onion)
1 28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. spiral pasta cooked & drained
2 C. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces sliced pepperoni (cut smaller, if desired)

Cook and drain ground beef and onion on stove or in microwave.  Stir in pasta and spaghetti sauce.  Put in 9 x 13 greased baking pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Top with pepperoni.  Bake @ 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes.  Serves 6-8.

Crockpot Chicken & Noodles

Some who timeshare always take a crockpot along if they are driving to their destinations.  Many resorts offer them for your use, but you have to ask to borrow them.  They are not normally stocked in the kitchens.  If you don’t get a chance to make this while staying in a timeshare, try it at home—it’s really good!

4-5 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 15-oz. cans chicken broth
1 package frozen Reames egg noodles
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Put raw chicken chunks into crock pot and coat lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste.  Add soup and broth, and cook on Low for 8 hours.  Add uncooked noodles and turn to High.  Cook another 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  If you want to add a bit more color and taste, you can add pimento and mushrooms during the last phase, but they’re not really needed.  This probably serves about 8, and is good re-heated.

We’re always looking for new timeshare cooking ideas, so please let us know if you have some!

Are you a Wyndham timeshare points owner? Or are you thinking of buying some Wyndham timeshare points? Do you want to better understand the points system for Wyndham or other timeshares which operate using points?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then this post is for you.  We will try to get you up to speed on using the points system for your greatest benefit.

When timeshare shares were first sold, your only option was to buy a fixed week.   As most of you are probably aware, many timeshares have now gone over to some kind of points system. This was done to give owners greater flexibility in using their timeshare purchases.  The beauty of these systems is you use more points for larger and nicer units, for example, a three bedroom vs. a studio.  Also, you use more points for prime travel time vs. off seasons for a given area.  You can also go for part of a week using less of your points.  So with that background information, let’s take a look at the Wyndham point system.

Example of point chart for Wyndham Nashville, Nashville, TN:

If you take a look at the point chart above, you can get an idea of how the system works.  You can see the weeks and the seasons along the left side of the chart, and if you look at the points you need, you can see how you can save points by traveling in off- seasons. Resorts have from one to four different levels of seasons.   Look at the above example to see the points needed for quiet, value, high and prime seasons.

Also, you can see the points needed for a Friday or Saturday stay, and the Sun-Thur nights.   Again, more points are needed for weekend days.  If you follow across the top you can see the room size and the point difference for the different sized units.  Some resorts will require different amounts of points based on the view.  You would need more points for an ocean view or for a high floor with an ocean view. In the example above, they have some presidential units which take more points.  You need to study the chart very closely for the resort you wish to travel to, and match what you want and need with the number of points you own or would like to buy.

Many people ask, “ how many points do I need?“  We suggest you start with around 105,000 to 154,000 points.  Use these for a couple of years to get an idea on how you like the system, and go on from there.  This number of points will not get you to some of the new higher points resorts, but it gives you a chance to get some nice timeshare vacations.

If you use the information on the chart, you can get more vacations for your points if you plan accordingly. Select the smallest unit you can for the number of people traveling, try to stay away from the weekends, and see if you can travel in one of the off- seasons.

Points chart using Wyndham points in RCI:

Season Demand Studio 1BR 2BR 3BR or more

RCI Red            Greater              70,000     105,000       154,000           254,000

RCI White        Average           42,000       77,000 128,000           189,000

RCI Blue           Lesser                 28,000      63,000         77,000             154,000

This chart shows how many Wyndham points you need to get an RCI unit to deposit into their system and use it to search for a vacation.

Another option you have with your Wyndham points is to take some points and make a deposit into the RCI System.  If you put them into RCI you can trade to resorts all over the United States and the world.  Also, when you deposit them, they will last for two years which gives  you a longer time to plan your vacation.  You can deposit a smaller amount, let’s say a studio in blue time, which only takes 28,000 points.  You can then search the RCI inventory and often get a 1 or 2 bedroom unit. You will need to pay the RCI exchange fee, but again you can get more vacation days for less Wyndham points. You can use these deposits with RCI to trade back into the Wyndham system, usually with far less points than if you would have booked directly with Wyndham.

This should give you a good overview of the Wyndham points system.  Keep reading this site as well as the Wyndham User Group site and enjoy many timeshare vacations.

When you purchased your timeshare, you probably never really considered that there might be a day in the future when you’d want to sell it.  The reason for selling could be one of many.  Perhaps your health has deteriorated, and traveling is just too much of an effort.  Or, perhaps you have made a permanent move into the area in which your timeshare is located, and since you now live in paradise, you have no need for a timeshare there.  Maybe you’ve found that the system in which you own your timeshare is just too complicated, or takes too much planning in advance.   Perhaps you feel that the maintenance fees are too much of a financial burden.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to sell, rest assured that you are not alone.  Many people come to the conclusion that they would be better off without their timeshare, just as many people decide they want to sell a house, or a piece of  property.

However, unlike those other items, a timeshare is going to be worth significantly less than what you paid for it when you go to sell it. You need to realize that you can only recover somewhere between 5-10% of the original cost, if that.  Even if you purchased your timeshare on the resale market, given the current economic conditions you can not expect to get what you paid for it.  Some timeshares, like Disney Vacation Club, sell for higher prices because Disney can exercise the right of first refusal (ROFR).  This means that if they feel the offer is too low, Disney will buy it back for that price, and the buyer is out of luck.

Possibly after researching what you might get for your timeshare, you might better learn how to use it and enjoy some wonderful vacations.  We love timesharing and on this site we try to help people get the most out of their timeshares. Think about it!  But if you have given it some thought and decided to sell, what is the best way to accomplish your goal of selling your timeshare?

1. Sell it to family, friends, or coworkers. If you enjoyed it, why not let others know how you used it for great vacations and they also can enjoy great trips.  Talk to family members, friends, and people you come in contact with and see if any of them are interested.  Post it at work, in church bulletins, etc.

2. Try to sell it locally. List it on Craig’s List.  Put an ad in all local newspapers and on the radio in your area and surrounding towns.  You might just get lucky.

3. Sell it to someone at your resort. If you go to your resort, talk to people and see if anyone is interested. People have  sometimes announced at a welcome breakfast that they have a week to sell. Also, people have posted a sign or even a 3×5 card with the information around the resort.

4. Contact the resort. They often have a newsletter where they list weeks for sale.  Also, many resorts have a local realtor that does resales for the resort.

5. Sell it on eBay. We have written a post on selling your timeshare on eBay that you should read.  Just click to read that post.

6. Post it on some timeshare sites. They might cost you a little to run an ad, but again you might just luck out.  Try Tug,  Red Week, Bid Shares or Vacation Timeshare and Rentals.

7. Contact some timeshare resale companies that will work with you to sell your timeshare. DO NOT pay any fees upfront. There are many timeshare people and companies who are a big rip off.  They take your upfront money and run and you are left with your timeshare and loss of your money. Talk to people who have sold or bought with some of these companies and go with one that gets a good report.

It really is possible to sell a timeshare, but it is not easy. You might also consider donating it to a charity organization.  Yes, you’d be out the money that you paid for it, but at least you’d be free of the maintenance fees.  Good Luck!

Technology is supposed to make life easier and help us to be more productive and organized. I don’t always think that is the case, but we can have a lot of fun working with it and trying to use it to make our timeshare travels more enjoyable.  Let’s take a look at the iPhone and iPod and see how we use it before, after and during our timeshare travel.

First some background: The iPhone has been around for a while and has gone through four generations of upgrades. It is first of all a phone.  You must sign a two-year contract with AT&T, the only company that Apple has licensed to use it as a cell phone. The contract is expensive and many areas do not get a good AT&T signal. It would not be my choice for a cell phone.

Shortly after the iPhone was launched, Apple came out with the iPod. The iPod does NOT work as a cell phone, nor does it have a camera built into it, like the iPhone does. The cost runs around $200.00 and can be purchased in several  different stores. The new iPad is larger, but works much the same as the iPod.  I don’t like the size of the iPad, but enjoy the portability of the iPod. You do NOT have a monthly charge or any contracts to deal with.

The iPod it what we own and use on a daily basis, as well as what we use when we timeshare.  We would like to take a look at some of the applications (often called apps) we use and enjoy.  All of the applications we use either came with the iPod or we have purchased them for a small fee from Apple, using the iPod itself. Most of the applications run $.99 and can be purchased for both the iPod or the iPhone.

Internet use: If you have a wireless connection in your home, or if you get to a WiFi hotspot, you can use the iPod and access the internet. Many resorts have free connections in the rooms or the lobby. We also find free hotspots at McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Panera’s, as well as several other restaurants. You can use the iPod to check and send eMails, check the news (both national news as well as news back home), check the weather (which is great for planning your weekly activities), get maps and directions,  look for attractions in the area you are traveling to, as well as anything you normally might use the internet for.  It’s great!

iXpenselt-This is a finance app which tracks monthly and daily expenses.  You set up a budget and then input what you spend and it keeps track of everything.  It is very useful in seeing what you spend on your vacation and in what areas you are spending.  We also use it to plan future trips, and year-round to keep us on track with our finances.

Music-You can download music off your CD’s as well as buy music from the Apple iTune store. Then you can play your music over speakers or with headphones.  We carry a cord which hooks the iPod up in the car as well as to most CD players at the resorts.

Urbanspoon-This app can help you select a good restaurant. It gives you a list by type, cuisine, price or neighborhood.   It also has ratings and reviews from fellow eaters.

Tripit-This is an organizer for all your travel plans. You eMail your plans and it takes care of the rest. It is great for the frequent traveler. It shows your schedule, and keeps you on track for your trip.

Games-There are thousands of games you can install and play all day long. Many are free and some cost $.99. There are games of every kind and for every age group, and are great for traveling. Kids can spend hours playing in the airport, airplane or car. It’s a great device for adults to keep you entertained when you have to wait, just like the kids.

General travel-There are all kinds of additional travel apps.  They have apps for many of the major cities which give you attractions, maps, etc. There are apps for the National Parks, Flight Tracker, Disney World, Universal Orlando, eCurrency, Translator, and on and on. RCI has come out with its own app. It’s nothing great, but does have some useful features.

It should be obvious that we enjoy the iPod and find it very useful when we travel. There are hundreds of additional applications that you can download based on where you are traveling and your interests.  We highly recommend that you get one and start having fun!!!

It seems that the timeshare world is surrounded by negativity. Recently, USA Today did an extensive article that pretty much dumped on timesharing.  A financial “guru” that writes a column that runs in our local newspaper has also warned of the dangers of timesharing.  Even some of our close friends question the wisdom of our timeshare purchases based on what they have heard, rather than their own actual experience.  The following cartoon, courtesy of GoComics, says it all:

The Flying McCoys by Glenn and Gary McCoy

When we talk to people that we meet while timesharing, this negativity does not seem to be present. Yes, there is sometimes frustration and confusion surrounding the usage of their timeshares, but overall they are happy with the vacations that owning timeshares provides. So, we decided to accentuate the positive aspects of timesharing  in this post. Here are 21 reasons why we like timesharing:

1. Timeshares allow you the flexibility to travel all over the world.

2. Timeshares force you to take vacations yearly.

3. Timesharing is cheaper per night compared to most motels.

4. Timeshares provide deluxe accommodations.  Staying in a timeshare unit is like a home away from home.

5. Timeshares provide plenty of room so that you can invite family and friends.  Most timeshares sleep at least 4.  Some can sleep as many as 12, depending on the size of the unit.

6. Timeshares are good for your health.  See our previous post—–

7. Timeshares have cooking facilities so that you can save money by not eating out as often.

8. Timeshares allow you weekly stays which give you more time to explore an area.

9. Timeshares allow you partial week stays if that is your desire.

10. Some timeshares allow you nightly stays.  This comes in handy if you are traveling or need a “tweener.”  A tweener is a night in between—for example, if your timeshare accommodation ends on a Friday and your next timeshare week doesn’t begin until Saturday.

11. Timeshare resorts generally have more amenities than motels.  Most have pools, hot tubs, playgrounds and exercise rooms.  Some have basketball and tennis courts, mini-golf, etc.

12. Most timeshare resorts employ an Activities Director, who organizes games, crafts and social opportunities for kids, teens and adults.

13. Because of all the social opportunities and activities, it is easier to meet people at a timeshare resort.  This allows for sharing travel experiences and information about the area.

14. Timesharing allows you to plan ahead.  (Not everyone would see that as a positive thing, but it works for us!)

15. Owning a timeshare is much easier than owning a vacation home.  Someone else has to do all the maintenance work, yard work and upkeep.

16. Timesharing allows you to vacation in numerous, different locations, rather than returning to the same vacation home again and again.

17. If you buy resale, timesharing is a lower cost investment than buying a second home.

18. Timesharing wins over RVs—see our post —

19. Most timeshare resorts offer informative talks about the area—what to see and do.  They often provide discounts to area attractions.

20. Most timeshares consist of deeded property that can be passed down to family or friends.

21. Timeshare resorts lend themselves to special events like birthday celebrations, reunions, etc.  They provide a comfortable, home-like and fun atmosphere for extended family or friends.

As you can see, we are positive about timesharing, and hope that you are, too.  These are just some of the reasons that we love traveling this way—probably you can come up with others that we haven’t mentioned.  What do ‘ya say? Should we design a bumper sticker that says “HONK IF YOU LOVE TIMESHARING!!?

We love to go on timesharing vacations.  When we tell folks that we own 11 or 12 timeshares and we use those to go on 18 weeks of timeshare vacations every year, they are surprised and always ask, “How do you do it?” In one of our recent posts, we had a reader ask the same question. so we will try to answer that question in this post.

If you own one or more timeshares, or if you are thinking of buying one, your goal should be to get the most out of your purchases. Carefully study the system you are buying into in order to determine how you can get more vacation days for your money.

You also should be searching the internet for help in using your timeshare.  There are some excellent groups out there that are more than willing to assist you.  We have made reference to a number of them like:  TUG, Wyndham user group, and the DVC section of Disboards.  I am sure there are others.  Also, when you travel, ask other folks at the resorts you stay at how they use their timeshares.

We thought it would be helpful to go through some of the ones we own and explain just how we try to use them to their maximum potential.  Let’s start with the Hilton Grand Vacation Club.  In the Hilton system you purchase points.  We own 7,000 points in Las Vegas, which is a two bedroom in red time.  So if you want to stay in a 2 bedroom during prime season, it will cost you 7,000 points.  But if you can go in one of the off seasons it costs you fewer points. Also, if you could stay in a studio or 1 bedroom, that will save points.

We sometimes only stay for part of a week, and if you can stay during the week rather than on the weekend, you use far less points. In addition, if you use your points to trade through RCI, it takes less points– only 4800 for a 2 bedroom in red time and 3400 for a 1 bedroom, as opposed to 7000 for a 2 bedroom or 4800 for a 1 bedroom in Hilton.

You can then use that RCI trade to book back into the Hilton system, if there is availability.  As you can see, we can use our one week of Hilton timeshare and end up getting two or more weeks of vacations.  Hilton currently charges $49 to make an internal reservation.  The RCI exchange fee of $189 would apply if you book through them.

The Disney Vacation Club works on the point system as well.  So again, travel off season and in small units and you can get more days of vacation.

Many timeshare people are into the RCI Points system, so let’s take a look at how to work that system to your benefit.  Because it is also a point system, the information above and the same ideas would apply.  Also you can get last minute vacations for 8,000 to 9,000 RCI points for any unit that is open in the 6o days or less window. So if you can travel on short notice, it is an excellent way to get more timeshare vacations for not many points.

The RCI Weeks system can also be used to your advantage.  They do have some last minute deals but they charge for these, and we have not had much luck finding anything we would be interested in. You can deposit your week into the system and quite often get a larger unit, or a unit in a better season than the one you are depositing.  So if you own a week in off season or in a small unit, give it a try and see what you can get.

This can be done online and it’s great fun to explore looking for new places to go or just to see what you can pull in the RCI Weeks system.  We do this using Wyndham points, which we explain in more detail in the next section.

The Wyndham system  is also a points system, so again, the explanation for using points would apply to their system as well. Wyndham lets you take small deposits from their inventory and turn it over to RCI—again, trying to get something better than what you give.  You can take a weeks’ worth of points in the Wyndham system and very easily turn it into four or five weeks of vacations from RCI.

Also, your Wyndham deposits have good pulling power in getting other Wyndham resorts, so you can trade back into a Wyndham resort with very few points.  You do have to pay the exchange fee, but you are getting more vacation days for your one week of Wyndham points.  Probably our best “deal” was trading 2 28k weeks back into Wyndham for 2 weeks at the Kona Hawaiian Village.  Had we gone with straight Wyndham points, it would have cost us 462,000 points instead of 56,000!

If you own enough points in the Wyndham system, you achieve one of three VIP levels (Platinum = 1,000,000 points; Gold = 500,000 points; VIP = 300,000 points). Then, you get a reduction in the number of points you need to book a resort within 60, 45 or 30 days of travel, depending on your VIP level.  Within the same window you can upgrade your reservation if they have units available.  So if you booked a 1 bedroom and they have a 2 bedroom unit, you get an upgrade.

So you can see how we can take a few weeks of timeshare we own and turn them into more days of vacations by using each system to our benefit.  Feel free to ask questions or relate some of your own experiences. Again, study the timeshares you own and work the system.  Enjoy!

Almost nothing can spark more controversy in the timeshare community than the 1 in 4 Rule. If you have never heard of this rule, then you are probably relatively new to timesharing.  In that case, this post will serve as an introduction for newbies, as well as a refresher for those who are familiar with it.

The 1 in 4 Rule refers to how often a non-owner can trade into a resort—in other words, once every 4 years. Not all resorts have this rule—in fact, only a fairly small percentage do.  There are various reasons for having this rule, and there is also a lot of conjecture about why this rule exists. Some feel that resorts adopt the rule to motivate you to buy at their resort—as a sales tactic.  Likewise, some feel that having a 1 in 4 Rule makes a resort more desirable and more difficult to trade into (perhaps this keeps the resale value higher?)

Some resorts that apply this rule include The Rushes, in Door County, Wisconsin, the Massanutten Resorts in Virginia, Rams Horn, in Estes Park, Colorado, and the Hilton Grand Vacation Club Resorts.  What can be confusing here is that some systems include all of their resorts in the 1 in 4 Rule (like Hilton), but others may apply the rule to only a few of their resorts.  An example would be the Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village on the Big Island.  Most of the other Wyndhams do not fall under the rule.

What can also be confusing is that, generally speaking, if you own in the system, but not at the 1 in 4 resort, you are exempt from the rule.  We own several Wyndham points, but not at Kona, and we can stay there any time, even if we trade in through RCI.

Another aspect of this rule is the 1 in 4 (or 1 in 3) Area Rule. This has some different twists to it.  If you own a non-Disney resort in the Orlando area, you cannot use that resort to trade into a Disney resort more than once every 3 years, if it is within a 30 mile radius. This is just an example, and we could list others, but let’s move on.

Supposedly, the RCI Points Resorts have decided not to adopt the rule. (Our research included through 2009, so should be fairly accurate?)   However, if you are a points owner, and you book a weeks resort, the rule will apply. If you book a Last Call or Extra Vacations unit, it is up to the resort to enforce the rule.  Can this be any more confusing???

Are 1 in 4 Rule resorts better than those not having the rule? In our experience, no.  We have never been to a crummy 1 in 4 resort, and, in fact, all of them have been extremely nice.  But we have also been to many excellent resorts that don’t have the rule.

Who enforces the rule? Well. . . no one really seems to be sure. In some cases  it is the resort’s  responsibility, in some cases it is RCI’s.  There are horror stories about families traveling hundreds of miles and showing up to check in at the resort only to be told that they’re in violation of the 1 in 4 Rule, and can’t stay there.  Also, there is confusion about when the rule is enforced. Hopefully, it would come to light earlier than in the above example.  Would that be at the time of booking?  Or 2 weeks before your trip?  There don’t seem to be any sure answers.

We once booked a week’s stay at the Marcus Vacation Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (now an Orange Lake property). We traded in, and had stayed there 2 years previously.  We knew they had a 1 in 4 Rule, but decided to say nothing and see what happened.  Our week unfolded without a hitch, and sometime in the middle of it, we decided to ask the desk people about their 1 in 4 rule.  They had never heard of it, and had no idea what we were talking about!

So, how do you deal with this rule?

Obviously, this rule has a lot of problems, and we’re not even sure who can fix them! The best advice we can give is to communicate with the RCI counselor if you are booking via telephone, and read everything over carefully if you are booking online. The Rule should be in the Urgent Information section when you book.   We always call the resort about a week before a trip to make sure they have our reservation and that everything is in order.  This is also a good time to make requests if you want a high floor or a room by the pool, or whatever.  Often things are already set in stone, but our requests have been honored about 75% of the time.

If you go to the Timeshare User Group (Tug) website, and do a Google search for the 1 in 4 Exchange Rule, many informative posts will come up. This post is meant to give basic information and a cautionary warning to be aware of the rule. The 1 in 4 Rule can be somewhat annoying, but it shouldn’t stop you from having some great timeshare vacations!

Okay, so we all know that not all timeshares are created equal.  But isn’t it reasonable to expect that when you trade into a timeshare, it should be nicer than a hotel , fairly clean and comfortable?  Especially if it’s a Gold or Silver Crown?

Not necessarily.

Most of us who have timeshared for any length of time have experienced at least one place that we don’t ever want to go back to.  One place that, even if someone paid us, we would not return to.  For us, that place is the Storyville Hotel (it’s really a timeshare, despite the name) in New Orleans. At the time, 2 weeks before Katrina hit, this timeshare was rated Gold Crown by RCI.

Before we book a timeshare that we’ve never been to, we always, always, ALWAYS check the reviews on TUG. Except that time we didn’t.  I can’t remember if there were no reviews, or if we just neglected to check, but we reassured ourselves that this WAS a Gold Crown Resort, so how bad could it be?

Pretty bad.

To begin with, the building was on the edge of a questionable neighborhood, so no walking out there at night.  The French Quarter was a 10-minute walk, so we always made sure we were back before dark, or had to take the car (parking was horrendous wherever we went) or a cab.

But that wasn’t so bad compared to the place itself.  The once-beautiful gardens were overgrown.  The unit was large, with a decent-sized living room, small kitchen and one bedroom.  All of the living room carpeting was wrinkled and stained.  There were mouse droppings in the pots and pans. One day, a very large cockroach-looking thing greeted us when we returned. The bathroom fixtures were very old, with splatterings of something all over the wall.  Sitting down in the stained tub was kind of scary, so I didn’t.

The owner, or person in charge, sat us all down the first evening and told us all about things that we could do in New Orleans.  This was nice, although it did go on for about 2 hours or so.  There are only 5 or 6 units, so we’re not talking a lot of people.  The owner lives in one of the units, and he gave us his cell phone number in case we had any questions or problems.  A few days later, we called him about a minor issue, and he acted somewhat put upon that we would bother him.  We never saw him again, after the first evening.

This place is still listed as a timeshare in the RCI Resort Directory, although when I browsed the internet, it actually seems to be more of a rental place.  Some of the reviews were even okay. Apparently the place was sold, or is under new management as of 2008-2009.  Other reviews indicated that it hadn’t changed that much since our 2005 experience.

Our main goal here is not to “badmouth” any resort, but to stress the importance of reading RCI and TUG reviews before you book—and even then, you may have a bad experience.  Obviously, what’s important to one person may not be important to another in your timeshare travel.  Someone might get really upset over small televisions, while we could care less.  Likewise, we prefer quiet accommodations while someone else may like the party atmosphere.  The important thing is to gather as much info as you can before you commit.

Our other goal is to see if anyone else has a “timeshare horror story.” –that way we can alert others. Let us know your vote for worst timeshare and why!

Most of us are interested in getting the best vacation for our dollars. We hear many who think they can get more bang for the bucks doing the RV thing. Being timeshare folks, we also hear many who say that they can go more and get a better vacation for their dollars using their timeshares.  We thought we would try to break down some of the numbers and look at both sides of the coin in reference to timesharing and RV’ing.

The first area we might take a look at is the accommodations. RV’s come in numerous sizes, so it can be a little hard to compare with timeshares. Clearly, the larger they are, the more they cost.  Many are well- equipped and provide nice accommodations for a small family, while others are simply a pop-up tent on wheels. Everything is very compact to make use of all the available space.  Some people feel cramped. But on the plus side, you pack it up at home and do not have to hassle moving in and out of a hotel or timeshare. Many have a small kitchen, and you can prepare meals at a savings vs. eating out for every meal.

When we compare this with the timeshare accommodations, there are some clear differences. Timeshares are usually larger, with more square footage. Most come with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, TV’s in each bedroom, large living room and dining area.  There is plenty of room for a family. You can get  1-3 bedroom units that works great for extended families or friends.  We have, on some occasions,reserved more than one unit to include more people.  The timeshare wins in this area with better accommodations.

Let’s look at the amenities and activities at both the timeshare resort and RV park. Many parks and timeshares have pools, playgrounds, basketball courts, etc. They are all a little different but seem to have nice facilities for folks to use as they wish. Some parks and timeshares have very few amenities. You should be aware of what each has and book your stay according to your needs and desires. Some provide all kinds of activities for all ages, and on the other end you can find both parks and timeshares that don’t offer much. I think I would call this one a draw.

Location is another area which we should cover. There are parks and timeshares all over the country. There are also timeshares all over the world, which expands the places you can go as you can trade through your exchange company. It would be hard to take your RV out of the country.  Also, you can fly to locations to get to your timeshare, but your only choice with an RV is to drive. If vacation time is an issue, the RV has its limits when you have a long way to drive. Also, you have the hassle of driving a large rig with the RV and some people might find this difficult. Many have the problem of towing a car along to provide transportation when they reach their destination.  It seems that timesharing wins here.

We’ve just scratched the tip of the iceberg here with our RV and timeshare comparisons. Stay tuned for our next post in which we’ll discuss the financial issues.