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What to buy?

Jacksonad

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I’ve never owned, but love to vacation and I have always wanted to have a timeshare without the outrageous costs of buying retail. I’m ready to buy, but really would love some advice on how I should go about it. There are just so many out there! Answers to my survey questions below. Thanks in advance!

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?

If I were to buy a week, it would be Tahoe or Newport Beach in the summer.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?

I want to do both! But realistically, if I had Newport or Tahoe I would stay there more than half the time. If I wanted to deposit for points, though, I’m not sure how that would work, how many points I would get, or how long I’d have to spend the points through.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

I’d like to go to any of the Hawaiian islands once in a while during summer or winter break. Besides that, Palm Springs or Arizona in peak season.

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

I’m the dad in a family of four, including a 2- and 5-year-old, but we’d like to also travel with other families with children.

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?

School schedule.

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?

Yes.

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?

As long as it’s during the school schedule.

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?

4-5 (otherwise I’d just get a hotel)

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?

$12k, but could go higher with the perfect option.

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?

$2k

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

Yes, but also like spontaneous trips, especially during school breaks.

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?

Yes.
 

Railman83

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I’ve never owned, but love to vacation and I have always wanted to have a timeshare without the outrageous costs of buying retail. I’m ready to buy, but really would love some advice on how I should go about it. There are just so many out there! Answers to my survey questions below. Thanks in advance!

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?

If I were to buy a week, it would be Tahoe or Newport Beach in the summer.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?

I want to do both! But realistically, if I had Newport or Tahoe I would stay there more than half the time. If I wanted to deposit for points, though, I’m not sure how that would work, how many points I would get, or how long I’d have to spend the points through.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?

I’d like to go to any of the Hawaiian islands once in a while during summer or winter break. Besides that, Palm Springs or Arizona in peak season.

4) How many people do you usually travel with?

I’m the dad in a family of four, including a 2- and 5-year-old, but we’d like to also travel with other families with children.

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?

School schedule.

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?

Yes.

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?

As long as it’s during the school schedule.

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?

4-5 (otherwise I’d just get a hotel)

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?

$12k, but could go higher with the perfect option.

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?

$2k

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?

Yes, but also like spontaneous trips, especially during school breaks.

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?

Yes.


Worldmark.
 

DeniseM

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4-5 (otherwise I’d just get a hotel)

Worldmark has a wide range of quality - it is not consistently 4-5 Star.

For 4-5 Star quality, you want one of the hotel affliated systems: Marriott, Vistana (formerly Starwood), Hyatt, Hilton.

Marriott has very nice timeshares in Newport Beach and Tahoe, and several in Hawaii. If you buy a resale at Marriott's Newport Beach Villas, you can occasionally exchange it with Interval for Hawaii - in Interval you will have the Marriott to Marriott priority for exchanges.

* I would go with Newport Beach Villas as a home resort, because there are no other 4-5 Star timeshares in Newport Beach - in fact, I don't know of any other timeshare in Newport at all.
 
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taterhed

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Well, you describe a Marriott by locations, quality and price.
But, that's for a 'legacy' week and not an MVC points purchase.
MVC points are expensive to buy and expensive to own (MF's).

So, you've got a bit of a conflict there.

If you did purchase a Marriott Newport (or Tahoe), you could exchange via Interval Intl. for other locations. You can get very good trades with such a high-value trade--including Hawaii and Ski weeks. But, that takes a great deal of planning, searching and some flexibility (late matches <90 days out etc...).

If you belong to interval, you will get offers for reduced price weeks (Accommodation certificates) and 'Getaways,' which are discounted rentals. This would probably get you what you desire....

You could lock-off your unit (2br becomes 1br and studio) and use the 1br (big enough for family of 4) and deposit the studio into Intvl--hoping to trade for another week/location...... but you can't comfortably put much more than a family of 4 into a 1br (capacity varies, but it gets busy quick).

Worldmark might get you exactly what you want--good cost/value, points flexibility, lots of locations, II or RCI for exchanges etc--but Worldmark is NOT 4-5 star quality. It varies. The exchanges can certainly be 4-5*, but that's a lot of work, planning, searching etc..... Not for everbody.

Having a Marriott week and a Worldmark account (especially living on the West Coast) works out very well. Short-vaca's, last minute shots at skiing or beach. You can be flexible with the quality if you really just want to go skiing this weekend, right? And, you could buy a Marriott week and a Worldmark account and still be under your numbers. But again, that's a large leap that is best researched and though-through very thoroughly.

Just some ideas. Me, I'd buy the Worldmark account, learn the ins/outs of the trading exchanging game and then consider what might be best for me.
 

vacationtime1

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I would opt for Marriott for its predictable quality and that it has resorts at both Tahoe and Newport Beach.

But I would pick Tahoe (Timber Lodge) for my home resort. I have no firsthand knowledge, but there are many complaints about the very long platinum season at Marriott's Newport Beach resort (mid-June to December) meaning that even owners cannot always reserve summer weeks.
 

DeniseM

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Since Newport Coast Villas is harder to get into, I think that is even more reason to make it his home resort, because it will be harder to exchange into NCV through Interval. I also think that NCV is a better home resort with small children.

*If you make the NCV reservation as early as possible, and are flexible about your summer date, I don't think it's impossible. I have a friend who reserves his 4 summer weeks there every year.
 
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Jacksonad

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You all are awesome with advice. I really appreciate it.

I have a couple followup questions:

* If we were to go with Newport, I see that one just sold for $7,400 (plus transfer fees) on eBay. Is that pretty common for a platinum resale week at the Newport Marriott?

* If I bought a platinum Newport Marriott that starts in 2019, does that mean that I can’t book the room until then? Or can I book as soon as the sale goes through?

* If I book a year in advance, will it be an issue getting a summer week? I really wouldn’t be able to use any other week except during Thanksgiving or Christmas.

* Is membership to II included with my maintenance fees, or will I need to do that separately at additional cost?

Thanks again!


Worldmark has a wide range of quality - it is not consistently 4-5 Star.

For 4-5 Star quality, you want one of the hotel affliated systems: Marriott, Vistana (formerly Starwood), Hyatt, Hilton.

Marriott has very nice timeshares in Newport Beach and Tahoe, and several in Hawaii. If you buy a resale at Marriott's Newport Beach Villas, you can occasionally exchange it with Interval for Hawaii - in Interval you will have the Marriott to Marriott priority for exchanges.

* I would go with Newport Beach Villas as a home resort, because there are no other 4-5 Star timeshares in Newport Beach - in fact, I don't know of any other timeshare in Newport at all.
Worldmark has a wide range of quality - it is not consistently 4-5 Star.

For 4-5 Star quality, you want one of the hotel affliated systems: Marriott, Vistana (formerly Starwood), Hyatt, Hilton.

Marriott has very nice timeshares in Newport Beach and Tahoe, and several in Hawaii. If you buy a resale at Marriott's Newport Beach Villas, you can occasionally exchange it with Interval for Hawaii - in Interval you will have the Marriott to Marriott priority for exchanges.

* I would go with Newport Beach Villas as a home resort, because there are no other 4-5 Star timeshares in Newport Beach - in fact, I don't know of any other timeshare in Newport at all.
 

taterhed

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Just for giggles....

Right now I can see Timber lodge availability--1br--for Nov, Dec, Jan on Interval.

That's with my Worldmark.
 

taterhed

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expand the quote below to see your answers in red.....

You all are awesome with advice. I really appreciate it.
RED
I have a couple followup questions:

* If we were to go with Newport, I see that one just sold for $7,400 (plus transfer fees) on eBay. Is that pretty common for a platinum resale week at the Newport Marriott?
There was a cheaper one than that recently. Check the ROFR thread for Marriott....or look at the low-ball listings on Redweek. (or call a trusted broker)

* If I bought a platinum Newport Marriott that starts in 2019, does that mean that I can’t book the room until then? Or can I book as soon as the sale goes through?
Some units sold with 2018 use....booked or not. You can book up to 1 year in advance with Marriott. The previous owner can book/transfer res. to you....or you can book up to 1 year out as soon as ownership goes thru... If sold with 2019 use, it would be 50/50 as to when the sale completed....but probably soon enough to book July-Sep (maybe June).

* If I book a year in advance, will it be an issue getting a summer week? I really wouldn’t be able to use any other week except during Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Try posting in Marriott forum thread.......
* Is membership to II included with my maintenance fees, or will I need to do that separately at additional cost?
Additional. Varies based on membership level. FEES for II

Thanks again!
 

Jayco29D

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If you absolutely want to stay at Newport Coast, I would buy that as my home resort because it is a bit difficult to trade into. However, it does not offer lockouts and does not offer view categories. The summer season appears to be very high demand and I think it is expensive. Sometimes, I have seen them on shoulder seasons as Getaways for reasonable prices.

It is not that hard to get many places in Lake Tahoe in the spring and fall (shoulder season) and probably some parts of the summer. So if you want to visit Tahoe in summer season, you would probably occasionally get an exchange or Getaway.

Hyatt High Sierra, which is my favorite resort in Lake Tahoe for spring and summer due to nature, peace, restaurants, views and private beach, has a lot of availability in shoulder seasons for Getaways or exchanging. Hyatt High Sierra is very popular for 6 weeks in the summer and the selling prices for summer weeks reflect that.

Right now, I am seeing Marriott Timber Lodge for spring and summer Getaways for under $600 a week so I would not recommend buying a summer week there. Also, this might be my bias, but South Tahoe is a lot less desirable than North Tahoe. It is the Las Vegas of Tahoe. North Tahoe and Northeast Nevada around Lake Tahoe are the most upscale parts of Tahoe.

Palm Dessert appears to be very easy to trade into almost all the time. It has so many time shares. In the summer, it is very easy due to the heat.

While this may seem completely off track for you, you did mention an interest in Hawaii. You might consider a Marriott Ko Olina 2 bedroom lock off Every Other Year. That was the first timeshare we bought since it was so "cheap" relative to value. An ocean view unit sells for $5000-$6000 and MFs are $1100 per year. Mountain view sells for less but MFs are the same. I bought an ocean view unit and it has incredible trading value. I am about to deposit the studio portion and get 2 ski weeks in 1 and 2 bedrooms because II is having a promotion now. So I will be getting a week in Ko Olina is a one bedroom in 2018, and one ski week in a one bedroom in 2018 and one ski week in a 2 bedroom in 2019 for less than $3000 total - $2200 MFs plus upgrade fee of $59 for 1 bedroom, $119 for 2 bedroom, $59x2 for E-plus (which is optional) and whatever taxes and accommodation certificate fees are charged. Also I have access to II's Getaways which are very reasonable, in my opinion. The nice thing about Marriott Ko Olina is it is Platinum so you get weeks 1-50. If you like 4 and 5 star resorts, you need to be careful with your home resort and make sure it is a place you are happy staying at and that it has excellent trading power so you can get equivalent or better trades. I think MKO offers a nice blend of "buying where you want to say" with the option of depositing the studio to get two weeks extra.
 
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Trudyt623

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I love the Newport Coast Villas and am currently watching the prices on Redweek. $8,500-$9,000 are the approximate prices. I am not an Ebay shopper, I would rather deal with a reputable agent. From what I have been reading on this forum getting a summer week reservation without the 13 month benefit will be tough but not impossible.

Good luck.

Trudy
 

Jayco29D

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Just out of curiosity, since I live in California, what makes Newport Coast Villas so special? We just closed on 2 odd weeks at Four Seasons Aviara for $4000 (including ability to convert for Four Seasons hotel points - although that is not a great deal, it’s a good back-up plan) and those units are huge and amazing. We are buying DC Points and can stay in Newport Coast if we want so would love more info about Newport Coast so we could decide if we want to do some combo vacations with Disney Grand Cal, Four Seasons Aviara and Newport Coast plus we own at Pismo Beach too.
 

DeniseM

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It's a very nice resort with ocean views, and there are no other timeshares in the area - closest is Disneyland.

Do you own at Disney Grand Californian? Very hard to get in.

Four Seasons Aviara is really nice, but people are often disappointed because it isn't near the ocean.
 
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Jayco29D

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Yes we own at Grand Cal and Four Seasons Aviara. We are closing on Marriott DC Points any day now. I heard people are disappointed at Newport Coast bc it is far from the beach and you need to take a shuttle and not all rooms have an ocean view. I have friends who rent there for low prices and are not overly impressed. They say it is far from everything. Also, you can’t select a view and there are no lock offs. Otherwise we would have bought a week there. I think it is competitive to get in because the California culture, especially in the LA area and other big cities, is ultra competitive. People think California is a laid back nirvana. LOL Only in the downturns! In fact, Californians are very competitive and trendy. If they hear something is popular, everyone jumps in. We are sheep here in California. Follow the herd. Sad but true.
 

DeniseM

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It's not that complicated - NCV is simply the only TS resort in the area.
 

Jayco29D

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All I am saying is that I have been told the Newport Coast Villas are just okay and the location is okay. It is not actually on the beach. I am sure it is nice for visiting certain parts of Orange County but it is an hour from Disney and far from LA too. My friends who are Orange County connoisseurs are not all that impressed with it when I asked their opinion. They are from Palo Alto and own property in Orange County and have stayed there. Of course, this is just hearsay. I need to visit myself and form my own opinion. From the information, photos and map views, I do not think I would buy there myself.
 

DeniseM

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I wouldn't buy there either - but if you want a timeshare in that area - it's the only game in town, and that is why the demand is so high.

BTW - I do own an Anaheim timeshare, but we bought it specifically to be close to Disneyland, and I got it for free.
 

Jayco29D

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I suspect demand is high for other reasons
 

Trudyt623

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As someone from the East Coast living on an island, I love the weather in Newport, not too hot and not too cold. I like that the area is beachy but not directly on the beach. I enjoy the serenity of the area, the family feel and did I mention the weather... :thumbup:. I don't think I will ever move to California (unless my children move their) but I can see myself one day spending a few weeks a year in Newport.
 

Jayco29D

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I guess the thing is when you live in California in gorgeous homes in top communities, it takes a lot to impress. I think there is an “image” of California as nirvana by many non-Californians so perhaps Newport Coast at a Marriott is their nirvana. Marriott Newport Coast is not my idea of nirvana, although I love Newport Beach and the coastal towns. I probably would prefer the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel. It is the “in place” in the Newport Coast area. It is directly on the ocean. It is not a timeshare but that is the place to stay if you can afford it. It is a gorgeous resort. Tuggers need to remember that timeshares are really not that upscale in general. They are at most 4 star, if you are lucky. If you want 5 star, you need to stick mostly with hotels, rent their suites and pay mega bucks.

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/laguna-niguel#Resort
 

taterhed

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One Man's Home is Another Man's Castle....
 

Colt Seavers

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I heard people are disappointed at Newport Coast bc it is far from the beach and you need to take a shuttle and not all rooms have an ocean view. I have friends who rent there for low prices and are not overly impressed. They say it is far from everything. Also, you can’t select a view and there are no lock offs. Otherwise we would have bought a week there.

All I am saying is that I have been told the Newport Coast Villas are just okay and the location is okay. It is not actually on the beach. I am sure it is nice for visiting certain parts of Orange County but it is an hour from Disney and far from LA too. My friends who are Orange County connoisseurs are not all that impressed with it when I asked their opinion. They are from Palo Alto and own property in Orange County and have stayed there. Of course, this is just hearsay. I need to visit myself and form my own opinion. From the information, photos and map views, I do not think I would buy there myself.

Wow, I don't know that I have ever seen a more inaccurate and biased assessment of a property, especially for someone who has never been there. The fact is that Newport Coast is among the better Marriott timeshares in terms of accommodations and amenities, and I am not aware of a better timeshare anywhere on the California coast.

It is not on the beach because the entire coast in that area is a state park. Instead it is as close as possible to the beach and you can walk there in about 20 minutes or take a 5 minute shuttle ride. Most people see that as a plus because they can enjoy miles of beautiful beach without crowds and other hotels in the area.

If your priority is Disney you should stay close to Disney, but it is usually only a 35 minute drive and traffic is busy in the opposite direction at the times you would be driving. If you want a beach vacation with a couple of days at Disney there is simply no better location.

You claim that "not all" units have an ocean view but almost all do have good ocean views and I have yet to find a decent-sized property with a higher percentage of ocean view rooms. This ties into the room layout issue as adding lock off units would reduce the availability of ocean views.

You complain that is it expensive yet you compare it to the Aviara which is nice but twice as expensive in annual dues, very much farther from the beach, and has no ocean view from the units. You also compare it to the Ritz in Laguna Niguel which is actually on a cliff, is farther from most of Orange County and LA, and a standard hotel room with no ocean view runs up to $1,000 per night.

For a $1,300 annual maintenance fee I am not sure there is a better deal anywhere for the unit and location. For $10,000 a week I would hope the Ritz would be a bit better, but I find it hard to believe the extra cost would be worth it for about 99% of the population.
 

tschwa2

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Another option in s. California, Wyndham Oceanside Pier in Oceanside California.
 

VacationForever

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Just out of curiosity, since I live in California, what makes Newport Coast Villas so special? We just closed on 2 odd weeks at Four Seasons Aviara for $4000 (including ability to convert for Four Seasons hotel points - although that is not a great deal, it’s a good back-up plan) and those units are huge and amazing. We are buying DC Points and can stay in Newport Coast if we want so would love more info about Newport Coast so we could decide if we want to do some combo vacations with Disney Grand Cal, Four Seasons Aviara and Newport Coast plus we own at Pismo Beach too.

Jay, I have been to both Four Seasons Aviara (once) and Newport Coast (multiple times) and we just do not want to go back to Four Seasons Aviara. I know you must love the latter to want to own it.

When we timeshare, 3 things are important to us besides view if there is one at the resort:
1. Nice restaurants. Lots of options at Newport Coast and fairly limited at Four Seasons Aviara unless you want to eat at the Hyatt hotel or drive to San Diego. The restaurants in neighboring town of Carlsbad were letdowns for us. We feel that Carlsbad is too sleepy for us. We will be going to Newport Coast again this early September on an II exchange and we will be adding a few days to it using DC points.

2. Golf. Green fees are ridiculous at Four Seasons Aviara. We did not find other inexpensive options around the area. At Newport Coast area, golf price at Pelican Hill is ridiculous so we don't golf there but there are many cheaper options around the area.

3. Service. Maybe we got our expectations up at Four Seasons but we felt it was lackluster. Newport Coast has the consistent Marriott service, not fabulous but good.

We enjoy Palm Desert very much between November to February, in particular, Marriott's Desert Springs. The 2BR at DSV I is 1650 sq ft and we own 2 units there. Weather is mild during the winter and it is perfect for golf. Lots of inexpensive options. Views are great - golf course + mountain in a distance. It is right next to JW Marriott which also has fabulous restaurant options.

For summer, we strongly prefer Newport Coast for mild temperature and drivable distance.
 

Kevin Fun

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LOL. I own several at Newport Coast and live in Newport. If I get on it soon enough I get the best weeks and can rent them for double the dues. I am snatching them up so if I ever leave the area I can come back in the summer for peanuts vs what it cost to live here. Or if my 3 kids move away when they are older they can bring their families here to stay. Call me crazy but it works, at least has so far!!!
 
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