Hellolani, it looks to me you are doing due diligence; I wish more folks that attend the presentation would do that.
This brings up some interesting questions: Does Vidanta ownership ever make sense? Does traditional timeshare ownership ever make sense? I believe the right answer is it all depends on what you want, but if you don't really think through your goals, you will probably be disappointed.
Certainly, on Tug, the answer is generally: Vidanta ownership makes no sense and traditional timeshares and related exchange ownership makes good sense. For me, traditional timeshares make no sense if it includes a yearly obligation that goes on forever. Times change, interests change, timeshares deteriorate; people often just want out.
So how about Vidanta ownership; does it ever make sense? You certainly can see millions of posts on Tug that Vidanta ownership is worthless; just trade in. Well, it's really not that simple to many.
Consider:
- Some (like me) don't have a timeshare to trade in and have no desire to get one (even free)
- Ownership versus non ownership becomes a simple process as it is nothing more than prepaid vacations. Are you willing to pay this amount to get these benefits? What are those benefits? Well it depends on what you negotiate. Tom, in the above post, mentioned a bunch of possibilities and there are others. My guess is that all of the Vidanta regulars on Tug have all got something different customized to their individual goals. I like that and feel like I have a great contract not only for my wife and me - but also our kids and grandkids for the future. Every time I go, I look for opportunities to enhance my contract for the family.
- To be honest, most of us got our contracts preconstruction - but that is still going on to a lesser degree as Vidanta expands; we have already added access privileges for the Cirque d'Soleil theme park for grandkids.
- The question now is whether ownership still makes sense today since it is relatively easy for people to trade in - but will that continue and at what costs. Vidanta purposely makes it easy today as they release excess inventory to get people in the door - but they are and will continually raise the rates. While I have no crystal ball, it will be interesting to see what it costs and the availability after the Cirque theme park is in place.
- The bottom line is that ownership has worked well for us and for many others. Vacationing is expensive (just got back from a river cruise, ouch!); spend your money wisely not on a whim.
Mike