What to Buy?

[JCCA]

Hi - So glad we found this online community! We recently returned from a week stay at WKORVN and listened to the presentation. We did not purchase from the developer (selling Nanea). We want to purchase a timeshare as we have 2 young kids (toddler and baby) and want to make memories with them. After doing some research online and reading many threads on this website, we have narrowed our selection to 2/2 WKORV, TBD on the view, TBD on annual or EOY.

We would like to be able to travel to the other resorts in the Vistana program, especially the ski resort villas in Colorado. As an example, we want to use our Staroptions as 1 year in WKORV and another year at a ski resort. Would that be a good use of my Staroptions? I was getting the impression that using Staroptions for a stay at ski resort would be a poor use, because of high Maui MF? Can somebody explain that a bit more? I should also add we will probably want to visit ski resorts during the Christmas time because of school schedules.

Is there a better purchase option I should consider for my family? How should I be maximizing my ownership in WKORV? Thank you!

 

[Markus]

Hi - So glad we found this online community! We recently returned from a week stay at WKORVN and listened to the presentation. We did not purchase from the developer (selling Nanea). We want to purchase a timeshare as we have 2 young kids (toddler and baby) and want to make memories with them. After doing some research online and reading many threads on this website, we have narrowed our selection to 2/2 WKORV, TBD on the view, TBD on annual or EOY.

We would like to be able to travel to the other resorts in the Vistana program, especially the ski resort villas in Colorado. As an example, we want to use our Staroptions as 1 year in WKORV and another year at a ski resort. Would that be a good use of my Staroptions? I was getting the impression that using Staroptions for a stay at ski resort would be a poor use, because of high Maui MF? Can somebody explain that a bit more? I should also add we will probably want to visit ski resorts during the Christmas time because of school schedules.

Is there a better purchase option I should consider for my family? How should I be maximizing my ownership in WKORV? Thank you!

Hello and welcome to Tug!
I will offer my opinion. You will find Christmas time is a difficult reservation to make unless you own weeks 51 and 52. These weeks were sold as even weeks in Hawaii, and if you own other than these weeks, making a reservation at the 8 month mark with your StarOptions, is a tough one. The same hold for the Ski weeks. So if you buy resale, you are looking for these specific deeded event weeks.

Markus

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Welxome to Tug. You are asking all the right questions. You might want to consider:

1) EOY Maui and EOY Week 51 or 52 ski resort. This will ensure you get the weeks you want and will optimize your maint fee rather than paying extra for Maui on the ski week year and playing reservation roulette.

2) renting one or both of EOY units instead of buying if the rental premium is not much more than MF. Maui prime makes owning more cost effective. Not sure about Maui shoulder seasons. Not sure about event ski weeks. Run the numbers. Redweek is a good source for maint fee and rental comps to evaluate.

3) If you are opting for Island View, WKORV North units face resort grounds so odds of decent view are better. WKORV South could have parking lot view. Both are mandatory

 

[vacationtime1]

If you want WKORV or ski weeks over Christmas vacation or Presidents' Week on an ongoing basis, you need to buy them as deeded weeks. You will not get then as StarOption exchanges at the eight month mark (they will all be reserved by owners) and the rents will be high for those particular weeks.

 

[DannyTS]

As others said, because of the high maintenance fees and initial cost, using Hawaii for Staroptions is not an economical option. For example, for a 2 bdr at Westin Kirkland platinum you would pay 50% of the maintenance fees that you pay in Hawaii and they have the same number of annual Staroptions.

If you want to travel only to the locations and time you mentioned, buy a deeded contract in those locations. If you may travel to other locations as well (and Vistana has plenty of nice resorts), you can buy an EOY in Hawaii or Vail, and another EOY in Westin Kierland or Sheraton Vistana Villages (only Bella and Key West that are mandatory). Maybe a Sheraton Flex or Westin Flex are also options to explore although they are much more restrictive than the mandatory resorts.

By the way, a question for the administrators: I do not see an option to look for Westin Aventuras or Westin Flex in the marketplace (or Redweek). Is there a reason for that?

 

[Smithsingeneva]

Hi - So glad we found this online community! We recently returned from a week stay at WKORVN and listened to the presentation. We did not purchase from the developer (selling Nanea). We want to purchase a timeshare as we have 2 young kids (toddler and baby) and want to make memories with them. After doing some research online and reading many threads on this website, we have narrowed our selection to 2/2 WKORV, TBD on the view, TBD on annual or EOY.

We would like to be able to travel to the other resorts in the Vistana program, especially the ski resort villas in Colorado. As an example, we want to use our Staroptions as 1 year in WKORV and another year at a ski resort. Would that be a good use of my Staroptions? I was getting the impression that using Staroptions for a stay at ski resort would be a poor use, because of high Maui MF? Can somebody explain that a bit more? I should also add we will probably want to visit ski resorts during the Christmas time because of school schedules.

Is there a better purchase option I should consider for my family? How should I be maximizing my ownership in WKORV? Thank you!

I was in a similar situation when I found TUG while by the pool at WKORV with my family six years ago. We loved the resort in Hawaii, and we wanted to ski as well (albeit at Spring Break). The other resorts in the network were a draw too.

We have been to Sheraton Mountain Vista for skiing three times, Lagunamar twice, Harborside once, and to Sheraton Vistana Villages in Orlando many times (as my kids enjoy Disney, Universal and the water parks) on Staroptions.

We chose WKORVN as our home resort and bought a 2BR OV resale. It clearly is not the most economical option. However, finding that WKV in Platinum Plus season for the right price is not easy. Hawaii has one season (other than the Event Weeks mentioned by the other posters), all you need to worry about is your view, and they are easy to find at any given time. Part of the reason we wanted a timeshare is it simplified the vacation planning process, and hunting for the absolute best deal wasn’t worth the time and effort - especially given other factors.

It was important to us to be guaranteed the ocean view when we did go to Hawaii - that is not the case if you trade in on Staroptions (unless you pay the premium and go ocean front).

I also considered the old timeshare adage of “buy where you want to vacation” as you never know what will happen to the network and the other resorts. We have been to Maui four times using our timeshare, and my kids have a connection to the island since we own there. This has been a very pleasant surprise - they talk about our “second home” frequently. They like the other places we’ve visited - but they know that we were just visiting.

You do need to consider what is important to you - this is simply my opinion. I figured I had already saved enough by finding TUG and buying resale, and Hawaii was the most important of the vacation options to me. To my family, the network is a bonus of - not the reason for - our purchasing at WKORVN.

We just returned from our first trip to Harborside. Every time we travel, my wife asks if I regret buying the timeshare. My answer is always an emphatic “No.”

Good luck!

 

[ontilt]

Hi,

I'm considering buying into the Vistana (Starwood) program and have read through the Intro and FAQ and exchange information. I just wanted to bounce my initial thinking here to make sure I understand things correctly.

If purchasing a Vistana timeshare and the property is "voluntary", there is no in-network exchange for other Starwood properties. We could use II for exchanges, but net net, you definitely want to be happy with your home resort.

Alternatively, purchase a timeshare at a "mandatory" property and get the ability to exchange within the SVN network.

Some questions:

1) Do folks have a fair amount of success exchanging through II for other Starwood properties?

2) If we purchase a contract from a "mandatory" property and have other contracts from "voluntary" properties, are there restrictions on the number of points we have available to exchange through the SV network?

3) Is re-qualifying for Elite worth it and how much does it cost?

Thanks for any help or thoughts here.

 

[vacationtime1]

1. Interval exchanges happen frequently, although not for prime weeks at prime properties on a predictable basis. For example, an inexpensive Vistana trader will pull one bedroom shoulder seasons in Hawaii -- something we do frequently (we don't see two bedroom Hawaii units any more; they were common). One thing that helps a lot here is the Vistana-to-Vistana preference (many units are "invisible" except to Vistana exchangers for ~21 days; this is obviously huge). Exchanging requires some patience and advance planning, but it is a strategy used by many of us.

2. No. And you can combine StarOptions from different mandatory properties to make reservations.

3. imho, no.

 

[ontilt]

Thank you! One more clarifying question regarding #2 -- can you combine StarOptions from mandatory properties and voluntary properties to make reservations? Based on your above answer, I suspect no, but just wanted to double-check.

Thanks,
Harold

 

[echino]

You do not get StarOptions from a voluntary property, so there is nothing to combine.

You may make a Home Resort reservation at your voluntary property, and then add days before or after that week by using StarOptions from a mandatory property. But that would be two separate reservations.

 

[ontilt]

Interesting. So, an ad claiming 81,000 VSE points/home week on a voluntary property could not be accurate? Or are VSE points different than StarOptions?

Or is this the Home/Flex Options offering? Sorry, and last question, it looks like the "Options" don't transfer on resale which answers the above, and a $0 transfer would also qualify as a "resale" as well?

 

[DannyTS]

Interesting. So, an ad claiming 81,000 VSE points/home week on a voluntary property could not be accurate? Or are VSE points different than StarOptions?

Or is this the Home/Flex Options offering? Sorry, and last question, it looks like the "Options" don't transfer on resale which answers the above, and a $0 transfer would also qualify as a "resale" as well?

some ads are not accurate, sometimes the seller may have bought from the developer and does not know that some of the features do not transmit to the new owner

 

[jabberwocky]

Interesting. So, an ad claiming 81,000 VSE points/home week on a voluntary property could not be accurate? Or are VSE points different than StarOptions?

Or is this the Home/Flex Options offering? Sorry, and last question, it looks like the "Options" don't transfer on resale which answers the above, and a $0 transfer would also qualify as a "resale" as well?

If it is Flex (which is voluntary) then the options can be used anytime from 12 months out to book at one of the Home Resorts (different resorts included for the Sheraton/Westin Flex programs). The StarOptions can only be used to book at any of the other resorts in the Vistana system starting at 8 months out. If it is a single voluntary resort week then there are no StarOptions included unless purchased from a Developer (or brought in with a retro transaction - but that is advanced timeshare ninja stuff)