I just got back from Orlando and even though I swore I would never buy a timeshare, after going to their presentation it just seemed so great. We purchased the Horizons Marriott at Orlando. If you have purchased a Marriott Timeshare and love it or hate it, PLEASE let me know your experience. We have 6 days left to cancel without any penalties.
Thanks so much!!!!
Thanks so much for all the information. We have looked at our budget and have decided to pay it off in 6 months. Therefore, we will end up paying around $9000 instead of $17,000 (if we were to finance for 10 years). We are in the red season so we can exchange to any marriott for $89 and any non-Marriott for $135 domestic and $149 international. The maintenance fees are approx $389. I was advised that they go up about 1.5% to keep up with inflation/CPI. I did look at the possibility of purchasing from another person but we wouldn't get the benefits of points/concierge/etc and apparently there is alot of fraud so I don't want to deal with that. We do take vacations every year so we have decided to keep it. YEA! This will also encourage my husband to be sure to take vacation with us...he is such a workaholic.
My parents own 5 with Marriott and we love them. They are VERY nice and you can trade it in and go anywhere. We were just in Orlando too, but we were at the other Marriott location up the street. My parents have owned there for about 12 years and we've only gone to that particular one 3-4 times.
I own with another one in East Texas, but I really like Marriott the BEST.
Good luck. It really makes traveling more afforable!
hey there! we have been to several Marriott timeshare presentations and have not actually bought one ourselves. however my parents bought in Maui and Kauai and love it. we have avoided buying mainly because we don't want to go to the same place all the time. my mom had a couple of weeks she wasn't going to use this year and gave one to us - we exchanged for Paris and just got home. we loved it - it was one of the best vacations we've ever had. the Marriott property there is wonderful. we are actually considering purchasing - it would be worth going back. I would suggest checking the exchange value of your location to see which other properties are equally exchangeable in case you decide you don't always want to go to Orlando. either way, I think it is a great investment - enjoy :)
We've owned with Marriott for 5 years and love it! We own 2 weeks in West Palm Beach and just recently bought a week in Vegas. Marriott it great, will work with you and have beautiful properties. We just traded one week for spring break 08 at Horizon's in Orlando. We are looking forward to it. We bought so that when we are older and have time and money to travel we will have 3 weeks (6 weeks with the lock off) paid for. We trade weeks for the points and then when we want to take a quick family outing we use our points and stay for free.
My husband and I went to BlueGreen in Plano this year, and if we hadn't felt like we were being hit from every direction with our bills, we would've bought with them ON THE SPOT! They have locations across the country, and you are not "tied" to just one area when you want to take a vacation! My husband works in the hotel industry, and he was very impressed by the company (which is very hard to do!) If your timeshare limits you to *just* using the Orlando Horizons, I would seriously reconsider. Orlando is great, but so are other areas in the USA :)
(BlueGreen also has resorts in the Orlando area, too.) We loved the fact that we could "buy in" at BlueGreen at a lower level timeshare, and then upgrade to a higher level at any time in the future. We were told most people do so within their first year.
Hope you get all the info you need to make the RIGHT decision for your family! :)
My family owns timeshares two of them or rather two weeks with home base in Fl. We do exchanges every year and deposit those that we don't use.
Something for you to consider:
1. What are the exchange fees? Ours are $150 domestic, more for international
2. Are you always going to use the Orlando facility or do you want to exchange for other places.
3. Also what is your mainteance fees every year - you know, they go up every year.
After answering these questions, I think you will know better whether you want to continue with your timeshare. If you have a family and children, a timeshare offers many luxuries you otherwise could not have in a hotel room; however, after you add up the exchange fees/maintaince fees for the year and what you paid, you are not really getting a good deal. If you have just money to spend on a timeshare and you love the place that you staeyed at. We stayed at the location you spoke of this year as well, then I say go for it. But its amazing what those things cost now adays, you be sick to know what we paid over 10 years ago (that is my mother paid 10 years ago). I think they are in hindsight a rip off - but offer some conveniences like I said, that you could otherwise, not get a hotel.
Best of luck in your decision making process,
K.
