SDO or Worldmark

Hello everyone,

I currently own at Kierland 2 bd platinum. I have been renting out the lockoffs
and getting getaway weeks from II for our family vacations.

I'm considering a different strategy for our family vacations.

Purchase SDO - for $3500-$4000 + $720 MFS and separate the lock offs and exchange for 2bds for good resorts in the off season.

(What is the likelihood of the above scenario?)

or

Purchase Worldmark 5000k for $3500 + $430 MFs and rent more points (ala PerryM) and exchange within 45 day window to other 2 bedrooms via II.

I'm at a fork in the road and need to commit to a route.

Thanks ahead of time for your input. All input is welcomed.

cbcjs said:

Purchase Worldmark 5000k for $3500 + $430 MFs and rent more points (ala PerryM) and exchange within 45 day window to other 2 bedrooms via II.

Click to expand...

II actually has a 59 day window during which Worldmark owners can exchange for "anything" available, including any size unit, for 4000 credits. Since you belong to II, you already have a pretty good idea of what your last minute choices would be.

Keep in mind that II's downward quality filter remains in effect during the 59 day window. If II considers a resort "not good enough" for Worldmark owners, we cannot exchange for it, even if it's available.

With the Starwood TS (SDO) you will have a 3 day priority period when only Starwood owners can see Starwood deposits. SDO owners have reported seeing 2 bdms. at high demand Starwood timeshares like Maui and Kauai during this preference period.

For more info., see the TUG Sightings Board. For more info. about Starwood and II, visit the TUG Starwood Board. There is an advice article about Starwood and II posted in the Owner Resources sticky at the top of the board.

BTW - At the top of the TUG Starwood board there is a sticky listing current prices on ebay.

I would do both and add a Marriott, too, to get Marriott preference.

59 day window - 4000 pts

Judy, will I see more units if I request first with a 3 bedroom WM
than if I say request first with what I currently have (1 bed. kierland)
or 1 bed. SDO?

Because 4000pts is more equivalent than 2bd kierland or 2bd SDO.

Or does what I exchange even matter at 59 days?

4000 WM points is only what you use when you want to do short notice exchanges only. Because they are short notice exchanges, trading pwoer is waved and not part of the equation.

How much you see is determined by the II quality filter which is likely highest for WKR, then WM & SDO.

The biggest thing about what you're taking about is late minute exchanges / short notice exchanges is that with WM you get a significant discount in the points used. With the typical TS it doesn't matter if it's a late minute exchanges if your TS has enough trading power to get it before the late minute time period.

So IMHO I'd go with SDO, if you're going to do regular exchanges and WM if you're mostly going to do late minute exchanges.

Do you know where you might want to book 2 bedrooms in the off-season? How much notice will you need to book airfare, plan vacation time, etc.?

I don't own a trader (yet, working on it ), but from what I think I understand, a SDO 1 bedroom could probably see an off-season Starwood 2-bedroom Starwood online during the 3-day preference period. However, I think that an ongoing request with a 1 bedroom can only match a 1 bedroom, so if you want to match a 2-bedroom with an ongoing request, you'd need to deposit a 2-bedroom.

If you want to trade into non-Starwood 2 bedrooms, I think you'd need a 2-bedroom deposit, unless any size deposit can see anything at 60 days out, but I'm not sure about that.

See, I don't know anything about trading, but I'm trying to learn . Others can chime in and tell me that I am misinformed :whoopie: !

cbcjs said:

Purchase SDO - for $3500-$4000 + $720 MFS and separate the lock offs and exchange for 2bds for good resorts in the off season.

(What is the likelihood of the above scenario?)

or

Purchase Worldmark 5000k for $3500 + $430 MFs and rent more points (ala PerryM) and exchange within 45 day window to other 2 bedrooms via II.

I'm at a fork in the road and need to commit to a route.

Click to expand...

cbcjs said:

Judy, will I see more units if I request first with a 3 bedroom WM
than if I say request first with what I currently have (1 bed. kierland)
or 1 bed. SDO?

Because 4000pts is more equivalent than 2bd kierland or 2bd SDO.

Or does what I exchange even matter at 59 days?

Click to expand...

It is pretty hard to find a 5000 WM account, but 6000 accounts are very easy to find, and at 60 cents - 65 cents per credit (the market price) they would cost $3,600-$3,900. MF is $444.89 effective June 1.

Each year's credits will be good for 2 years. You may borrow one year and also rent additional credits.

With 6,000 credits, you can do the following :
1) Book WM resorts: From 2 weeks in a studio or 1BR in low season to 6/10 of a week in a 2BR in high season, or some other combination of size and season, at many pre-Cendant resorts.

2) Use the 3BR Float to Request First regular exchanges at the following credit values:
Size...........Red.......Yellow(White).....Green(Blue)
Studio........8000......6000..................4000
1BR............9000......7000..................5000
2BR............10000.....8000..................6000
3BR............12000.....9000..................7000

The WM 3BR Float has one of the best trade values in II. You use its trade value to search, but only pay for what you get. Yes, it's at least equivalent to a 2BR Kierland, except for the Starwood preference.

3) Use the 3BR Float to Flexchange into any resort during the last 59 days and pay 4,000 credits.

4) Do Deposit Firsts (at the above credit values). You have to take whatever week WM gives you, but it would have about a 3-year life. You can always find a week that would work well for you, at discounted credits, e.g. 4,000-6,000 credits. You can do ongoing searches against deposits.


WM has a very liberal cancellation policy: you can cancel up to 30 days (or less in certain circumstances) before check-in without any penalty. So you can book a WM resort, make all the travel arrangements (air tickets, etc.), and substitute with an exchange week up till 30 days before.