Ever since Time began, people have been trying to sell things to other people.  Initially, these encounters were very informal, and sometimes did not even involve the spoken word.

Fast forward to modern times, where people are actually put through training, and sometimes have college degrees in marketing to help them sell their products.  And, as in any job or field, there are those who are very good at what they do, and those who—-AREN’T.

A case in point:  when we were first married, a guy selling vacuum cleaners came to our door.  We immediately told him that we would not buy his machine, because we had just purchased a vacuum cleaner a few weeks before.  He then proceeded to tell us that his company would still pay him his salary if he did a 45-minute presentation, even if we didn’t buy.

He seemed like a nice enough guy, and we weren’t in a hurry to do anything else, so we told him to go ahead.  For the next 45 minutes, he threw dirt, salt, and heaven-knows-what-else on our carpet.  He outlined in great detail the wonders of an Electrolux, and attempted to convince us that we should return our other vacuum and buy his product.  When all was said and done, and he had cleaned up the mess, he waited for our answer.  We said “no—we told you at the beginning that we weren’t buying.”

Instead of picking up his stuff, thanking us and leaving, he proceeded to act like somewhat of a spoiled brat.  “Well, why won’t you buy my vacuum cleaner?”, and “I spent all this time with you, why won’t you buy?” were just a few of the annoying and embarrassing comments that he directed to us.  Maybe he had a wounded ego, but we were frustrated because we had been honest with him from the beginning about our intentions.  When we finally got rid of him we decided no more “playing Mr. Nice Guy” with salesmen.

In spite of the fact that timeshare sales people have kind of a poor reputation, the real truth is that there are good ones and there are not-so-good ones.  We have encountered many of both in our travels, although probably more of the not-so-good ones.  We have heard horror stories from people who have been victims of arm-twisting, manipulation and lies.  Not that this is an excuse, but to some extent the whole timeshare culture may be partially to blame.

In an attempt to explain this last statement, look at these issues:

• When purchased from the developer, timeshares are very expensive.
• People are brought into a timeshare presentation (“hooked”) and promised money and/or gifts worth anywhere from $25-$200 for 90 minutes of their time—NO OBLIGATION TO BUY
• Most people who do a timeshare presentation have no intention of buying.
• Most people who do a timeshare presentation do it only for the free gifts.
• Many people who buy a timeshare have no idea how to use it; thus, word spreads, making timeshares even less desirable.
• Many people do not understand that maintenance fees are forever—another reason not to buy a timeshare.

With these kinds of negative attitudes inherent in the timehare culture, it’s not surprising that some salespeople would resort to less-than-ethical tactics when they try to sell their product.  Add to that the fact that most of them work on a commission basis, which thus puts more pressure on them to achieve more sales.  It seems that unless this culture can change, then timeshare salespeople are generally doomed to bad reputations.

So, in this negative timeshare culture, is it even possible to run into good timeshare salespeople?  Of course it is, and here are some of their characteristics:

• They are friendly, courteous, and respectful, always.
• They ask questions, and they LISTEN to your answers.
• They present information in a forthright and direct manner.
• They answer questions to the best of their abilities, seeking other help if they don’t know the answers.
• They assess your needs and wants, and personalize the presentation.
• If you decline to buy, they remain courteous, friendly and respectful.
• If further communication is necessary, they follow through.

We know of 2 outstanding salespeople in the field.  One is Fred Weber, who works as a realtor in the Traverse City, Michigan area.  One of his duties includes selling resales for Pinestead Reef Resort, which has been sold out for a number of years.  His “presentation” consists of speaking at a Welcome coffee for about 5 minutes and handing out a list of available properties.  He knows many of the owners by name, keeps everyone informed of good bargains, and is extremely easy to work with.  He knows the area and is always quick to respond and follow through.  We have purchased 2 or 3 properties from Fred, and never had a problem.

The other salesperson is Trish Panzarella, who worked at Treetops Resort in Gatlinburg,TN.  (I believe she has moved on to other things–namely, raising and working with show dogs.)  Trish ran a very efficient resale office at the resort using no hard-sell tactics.  They later sold RCI Points as part of the Berkeley Group.  Trish ran some excellent seminars (not connected to sales)  for Treetops guests to help them maximize their points.  We purchased from her, also, and we were always treated with courtesy and respect.  Hopefully she and her husband have retired to a beach in Florida and are enjoying their canine friends.

In summary, I guess we can say that not all timeshare salespeople are bad:  some are awful, some are mediocre, and a few are really good.  What’s important for you is to realize which kind is sitting across the table from you within the first 15 minutes of your presentation.  Then you can strategize how you want to have YOUR needs and wants met—not his or hers.  If buying is what you want, fine; if not buying is what you want—fine— if information is all you want—fine–but YOU will be in control!

Well, the answer to that question can be compared to many other things:  Do you shop for your clothes at more than one store?  Do you watch more than one TV program?  Do you go to several different restaurants when you eat out?  Do you go to more than one casino in Las Vegas?  (Well, some might never get out of one casino, but that’s the exception—it’s probably the same person who thinks that Orlando  is synonymous with Disney!)

The answer is YES, there is PLENTY to do in Orlando besides Disney!!!  In fact, you could probably vacation there for at least a month and never go to Disney World because there are so many other things to do!  We are not necessarily advocating this approach, especially for a family that includes young children.  However, every time we end up in Orlando, we discover more and more options, many that are much cheaper than a day in the Disney Parks.  (A family of 4 can easily drop $500-600 a day there, to include tickets, parking, food and souvenirs.)

So, when planning your vacation, make sure that you look into the non-Disneyfied activities that are available and choose wisely, depending on the ages of people in your party, their mobility and your budget.  And, it goes without saying that you need to consider everyone’s interests as well.

One of our last Orlando trips included John and myself, our children (all 30-something), grandkids and my 88-year old mother.  Obviously, we had a wide range of ages and interests.  We planned 2 days for the grandkids at the parks (ages 3 and 7) under the supervision of various adults.  We stayed at Disney’s Old Key West Resort and took advantage of numerous amenities and activities right onsite.  We only stayed for 7 days, but had so much to do that we would have been hard-pressed to add another Disney day. Our off site activities included seeing Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, visiting Downtown Disney and the outlet malls.  You can read about our trip in more detail here, if you wish.

So, what else can you do in Orlando besides Disney?  Take a look at these lists—and this is just a sampling and is by no means all-inclusive.

IF YOU ENJOY SHOPPING:

Millenium Mall

Old Town

Florida Mall

Downtown Disney

Premium Outlet

Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores

IF YOU ENJOY THEME PARKS:

Universal Studios (same price range as Disney)

Sea World

Wet & Wild

Old Town Amusement Park

IF YOU ENJOY HISTORICAL/CULTURAL THINGS:

Orlando Science Center

Kennedy Space Center

The Titanic Experience

Harry P.Leu Gardens

Jurassic Park Discovery Center

Cirque du Soleil La Nouba

Fort Christmas Historical Park

Mennello Museumof American Folk Art

Orange County Historical Museum

National Vietnam War Museum

Motor Sports Museum

The Holy Land Experience

IF YOU ENJOY ANIMALS AND THEIR HABITATS:

Gatorland

Discovery Cove

Florida Dolphin Tours

Manatee Tours(Crystal River, FL)

Amazing Exotics

Orlando Zoo Adventure

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

AND IF YOU ENJOY JUST PLAIN FUN:

Ripley’s Believe It or Not

Sak Comedy Lab

Disney Quest

Haunted Grimm House

Medieval Times (dinner show)

Arabian Nights (dinner show)

Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theater

Orlando Ghost Tours

Hot Air Balloon Rides

There are always special events happening in Orlando, so be sure to check local listings as well.  Depending on your time frame, there could be any number of plays, guest entertainer appearances, exhibitions, dance performances, etc. etc.

If you are into sports, you may want to check the home schedules of all those Florida teams—the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays (baseball), the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic (basketball), the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning (ice hockey) and the Jacksonville Sharks, Orlando Predators and Tampa Bay Storm (arena football). Florida is also home to many major league baseball teams during spring training season.  Check here for a listing.

And, of course, there are over 25 golf courses in the Orlando area as well as numerous parks and spas.  And don’t forget the famous Florida beaches, on both the gulf and the Atlantic coasts. One of the closest is about an hour from Orlando) and is also a favorite: Cocoa Beach.

Should you want to venture a bit farther, the Tampa area would be excellent for a day trip.  The area offers many options, including the famous Busch Gardens Theme Park. Sarasota is also a great place for a day trip, where you will find over 35 miles of beautiful beaches and the Ringling Museum of Art (free on Mondays).

So, tuck your mouse ears away, at least for a day or two, and experience some of the other wonderful and fun activities that the Orlando area offers—you just might save some money, and you’ll have a great time, too!

Our first timeshare consisted of 7000 points in the Hilton Grand Vacation Club deeded at the Flamingo Hilton Timeshare in Las Vegas back in 1998.  We were on a vacation to Las Vegas and got trapped into a timeshare sales presentation, which was really okay, because we were curious about timeshares.

We loved everything about the Hilton timeshare:  its location, accommodations, activities and the concept of trading into other locations– but we didn’t like the price.  We came very close to buying, but kept our cool and said we would think about it.  We went home, did our homework, and ended up buying resale.

We still own that timeshare and use the points every year.  It does a number of things for us that none of our other 14 timeshares can do.  For example, if you want to get into Marco, Sanibel or Captiva Island timeshares, about the only way to do it without actually owning there is by owning in the Hilton system.

We have also used it to get into the Hilton timeshares in Hawaii, both on the Big Island as well as Oahu.  Traditionally, they were hard trades to get, although it has recently become easier because more systems have built there. But it has worked well for us.

We have written a couple of articles about our stays in Hilton timeshares that you might find interesting:  Click here to go to our category Hilton Timeshares.

You can also borrow points ahead or bank your points forward.  This gives you greater flexibility in planning your vacations.  Another nice feature is you can turn your points into Hilton Honor Points and then use those points to stay in Hilton hotels where there are no timeshares.  We have done this on a couple of vacations and it worked great.

The system is points-based and is very easy to use and understand.  All of their timeshares are top-of-the-line and include around 20 resorts and 30 affiliated resorts. They have resorts in Orlando, Las Vegas, New York, South Beach, California, Colorado, and Hawaii. The affiliated resorts are located in additional areas in Florida, Mexico, Portugal and Scotland.  The maintenance fees are somewhat high– about $900.00 for our points, per year.  We can usually use the points to get two weeks of vacation time a year, so when you look at it that way, the fees are not really that high.

You can also, like most large timeshare systems, use your points for airline travel, cruise travel, etc.  We have not done any of these and don’t think that is a good use of your points.  HGVC has the usual time table for booking into resorts:  12 months out for your home resort, 9 months for all other Club resorts and a 30-day window where you can stay for points or cash.

We think you should purchase the most points in a unit that you can afford as the maintenance fees in the Hilton system are based on the unit, not on a per point calculation. Thus, for a 3 bedroom in red time (about 9200 points), you would pay the same maintenance fees as for a studio in blue time (about 3600 points).

Hilton Grand Vacation Club is associated with the RCI trading system.  You can move your points into RCI and book some two years out with over 4000 additional resorts available to you.  It is easy to trade into the RCI system using the following Hilton points to trade:  4800 points for red time in a 2 bedroom, 3400 points for red time in a 1 bedroom and 2400 points for a studio.  These points vary if you book in white time, blue time, or do nightly stays.

The current resale price for Hilton Grand Vacation Club is running $1.00 to $1.50 per point.  There are various resale sites on the internet, as well as eBay.  We have heard good things about resales from Seth Nock with http://www.myresortnetwork.com/.

When you buy from the developer, they are running about $4.00 per point, depending on the resort, with some bonus Hilton Honor points thrown in. There seems to be little advantage to warrant buying from the developer.  They do have an elite status that you get if own 1400 points, all bought from the developer, not resale.  You do get a few perks with the elite status, but it’s not worth it in our opinion.

We have enjoyed our Hilton Grand Vacation Club timeshare over the years and look forward to many more great Hilton vacations.  If you have questions, let us know, and we will try to help.

2012, the start of the New Year!  We think it’s helpful to take a look at what we have done with our “Timeshare Tidbits” blog for the year and to project where we are headed in the New Year.  Also, as you know if you read our posts, we love to timeshare.  We think it is important to summarize our timeshare trips during 2011 and look forward to another year of great vacations.

First let’s take a look at “Timeshare Tidbits”.  We have written over 50 posts during the year.  We usually write one a week and post every Sunday evening, or as close to that as possible.  We write about issues in the timeshare world, share our experiences, do resort reviews and try to give helpful tips to make your timeshare vacations great. We also added a button for you to enter your email and get our posts delivered to your inbox every week.  If you have not signed up, we recommend that you do, so you will not miss out on any new info.

Some of more popular posts of the year:

Can you enjoy a Timeshare Vacation on a Shoestring Budget?

Timeshare Scams and How to Avoid Them

Wyndham Timeshares and Trading in RCI-Times are a Changing!

RCI Trading Power: a New System

The What, Why, and How of Timeshare Maintenance Fees

The Ten Secrets of Successful Timesharing

Some basic posts you might have missed that we think are good:

Timeshare Cooking-Take a look at the category, some great cooking ideas

What to take on a Timeshare Vacation

The Definitive Guide to Selling your Timeshare

A number of posts on the Wyndham Timeshare System

We look forward to continuing to write interesting and informative articles for you.  We think the one post a week works well for us and our readers.  Look ahead to more great information to include the following:

Basic principles of buying a timeshare

Update on the Hilton timeshare system

A timeshare cost calculator

Buying a timeshare vs. a vacation home or condo

Update the guide to selling your timeshare

If I had it to do it over again

The good, bad, ugly of timeshare sales people

Do you really want to buy a timeshare?

More great timeshare cooking posts

The usual trip reports and reviews of new timeshares we visit

Next let’s do a quick review of our timeshare vacations.  We own 15 timeshares and this year we were able to use those to vacation 19 weeks.  We had numerous great vacations, some with family and friends, and many just by ourselves.  We went to most of our favorite places like Traverse City, Smoky Mountains, Wisconsin Dells, Myrtle Beach, Marco Island, Orlando, Nashville, Las Vegas and Sedona.  We also like to go on a couple of vacations to new areas that we have not been to in the past. This year we did trips to Washington State, Whistler, Canada and Alaska. We have written posts on most of our trips and if you are interested, you can read them on our site.

If we do a review of the costs of all those vacations, we have to conclude that timesharing is a great way to travel. Adding the costs of our maintenance fees, dues to RCI and booking fees, then dividing by the number of vacations, we get a cost per week of $427.00.  If we further break this down by the day, we come up with $61.00 per day for lodging.  We think this is excellent, considering the level of accommodations and amenities we get at timeshare resorts.

We are busy planning vacations for the coming year and already have three weeks booked in Florida, a Hawaii trip plan (where we have two weeks booked and looking for another), a trip out east to Rhode Island  and Cape Cod, a week with the family in Wisconsin Dells, and several weeks up north in Michigan at Traverse City.

We hope you are working on your own timeshare vacations– enjoy!

I don’t really know how many couples/families travel to timeshares over the New Year holiday, but I suspect that it’s more than I think.  One year, we tried to get into Pinestead, our Traverse City resort, for a few days after Christmas.  It never happened, because there was no availability.  Usually we don’t enjoy being away from the family, anyway (check out our post on holiday travel), but that time it was supposed to be us, kids and grandkids.

In thinking about it afterward, that made sense.  After all, the kids are on vacation from school, a lot of businesses shut down for the holidays, and even if they don’t, parents often take time off to be with the kids.  This year, our grandkids are off until January 9—so what better time to take a trip to a cozy timeshare and leave behind the dust and clutter at home left by all the Christmas celebrations?!

Over the years, we have usually enjoyed our New Year’s Eves with 2 other couples, who are long-lasting dear friends.  We keep it simple—the hosts provide champagne to toast in the New Year, and everyone brings 2 or 3 appetizers to share.  Because of this custom, we have compiled some wonderful recipes—every year, each of us tries at least one new recipe.  So here are some of our best and easiest to whip up in your timeshare!

CHEESY OLIVE PUFFS

2 C. (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/4 C. flour

1 stick margarine (melted)

1 2 oz. jar small pimiento-stuffed olives (or cut larger ones in half)

 Work cheese and flour together until crumbly.  Add butter and mix well with fork.  (If dough seems dry, work with hands.)  Mold 1 tsp. dough around each olive; shape into ball.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour.  Bake 15-20 minutes @ 400 degrees.  (Courtesy of Carol Mattens)

PINEAPPLE CURRY

If you want impressive, this recipe is it!  I once won a prize in the appetizer category of a newspaper cooking contest with this one!  And it’s so easy! 

1 8 oz. bar cream cheese

¼ C. chopped chutney

¼ tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. curry powder

½  of a fresh pineapple

Toasted almonds

Crackers

 Beat the cream cheese and add the chutney, mustard and curry.  Mix and chill about 4 hours.  Put in the half of a pineapple, and top with toasted almonds.  Serve with crackers, or extra pineapple.  (Courtesy of Carol Rasmussen)

HOT SHRIMP DIP

I don’t care for hard-boiled eggs, but you don’t really taste them in this recipe.

8 oz. cream cheese

¼ C. mayo (not Miracle Whip)

2 T. grated onion

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine

1 4.5 oz. can tiny or broken shrimp, drained

Cream together cream cheese and mayo.  Add onion, 1 egg, and shrimp.  Put into small casserole dish and top with remaining egg.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until bubbly. 

TACO PICK-UP STICKS

This is a fun one that the kids will like.

3 cans (7 oz. each) potato sticks

2 cans (6 oz. each) French-fried onions

1 can (12 oz.) salted peanuts

1/3 C. melted margarine

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

In a large bowl, combine potato sticks, onions and peanuts.  In small bowl, combine margarine and taco seasoning.  Mix well, pour over potato stick mixture and toss to coat.  Place in 3 ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pans.  Bake uncovered aat 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Makes about 24 cups.  (Courtesy of Kathy H., Dallas, Texas)

HOLIDAY TURKEY TWIRLS

This one requires a bit more effort, but you can make it ahead and serve hot or cold!

1 8 oz. cream cheese

1 C. shredded cheddar or Mexican style cheese

¼ lb. deli turkey, chopped fine

2 T. chopped, dried cranberries or cherries

2 T. chopped pimiento-stuffed olives

2 T. salsa

½ to ¾ tsp. chili powder

4 10 in. flour tortillas

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Stir in cheese, turkey, cranberries, olives, salsa and chili powder.  Spread ½ C. mixture over each tortilla, and roll up tightly.  Wrap in Saran Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Unwrap, and cut into 1-inch slices.  Serve chilled or bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes.  Makes 40 appetizers. (Courtesy of Taste of Home, 2009)

And last, but not least, a sweet-treat beverage for New Year’s Day:

LOVELY LATTES

1 C. half and half

4 T. brown sugar

4 T. caramel ice cream topping

1 ½ C. hot coffee

whipped cream

Stir brown sugar into half and half.  Whip with a small whisk or spoon.  Warm this a little bit (not too much) in the microwave.  Pour coffee into 4 mugs and stir 1 T. caramel topping into each.  Pour equal amounts of the half and half mixture into each mug, and top with whipped cream.  Makes 4 lattes.  (Courtesy of  Kraft Allrecipes?)

These are really good, and no fancy coffee equipment required.  If you enjoyed these recipes, check out some of our other Timeshare Cooking ideas:

However you choose to celebrate the holidays, we hope that you will have fun, be safe, and reconnect with family and friends.  From Barb and John at Timeshare Tidbits, have a peaceful and happy New Year!

The Diamond Resorts International is a timeshare company based out of Las Vegas, Nevada and they either own or manage more than 200 resorts.  They are located in 25 countries, and own some 70 resorts and 130 affiliated resorts. For a complete list of Diamond resorts you can go to their website.  They have over 400,000 owners, making them one of the biggest timeshare companies– and they are continuing to grow.

We had the pleasure of staying at one of their resorts recently, that being Sedona Summit in Sedona, Arizona– if you are interested, view our post about that resort.  We took time to attend a sales presentation given by Diamond Resorts International and thought we would share some information about the Diamond system in this post.

We also bought a discovery package of some 10,000 Diamond points to use in the next 18 months.  These points will give us a chance to stay at a couple  more Diamond resorts and, more importantly, allow us to book a Maui Diamond resort for our up-and-coming trip to Hawaii.  We have found it very hard to get to Maui with our current timeshare ownerships.  We also plan on using some of those points to stay at a Diamond resort in Avila Beach, California on another future trip.

Diamond Resorts International bought out the Sunterra Corporation, a timeshare company which has had many financial difficulties over the years.  They have since been buying other struggling timeshare companies and bringing those resorts along with their owners under their wing.  These owners have the option of keeping their deeded weeks, or coming over to “The Club” of Diamond Resorts International. 

It might be helpful to look at the differences between ownership in a Trust/Club or the typical deeded week of a timeshare resort or timeshare company.  If you own a deeded week, you have a given week at a resort and typically own a given unit number.  This affords you ability to go to that resort at that time or to trade your week.  A number of resorts or companies have assigned your deed so many points and, again, you can vacation during your week or use your points to trade into their system or into other timeshare trading companies.

Once the resort is sold out, then the Homeowners Association has that responsibility for running and maintaining the resort.  You have a chance to become involved in the resort by running for the board or in voting for board members.  Also, based on the bylaws, you sometimes have to vote on other issues concerning the resort.  One should consider this a real estate purchase with responsibility.  Some resorts or companies are well-managed and keep maintenance fees low.  Others have struggled with high maintenance fees and poor management.

The other approach is the Club/Trust arrangement where the resort is deeded to the developer or to a non-profit Trust that the developer has created. In this case, decisions about fees, upkeep and amenities are made by the developer. Since owners are not real estate owners, the fees are calculated as a part of the upkeep and running of the resort.  This keeps the resort operation in the hands of the developer.  They tend to keep costs under control and maintain nice resorts with good amenities to attract new owners into the Club/Trust. But in the real world, reviews have been mixed: some owners are happy to have less responsibility in the running of the resort, and others are upset about excessive maintenance fees.

Clearly Diamond Resorts International is of the Club/Trust variety and any new purchases in the resort are tied to the Club.  Older owners have the choice to keep their deeds, add new points in the Club, or convert their deeds for a cost into the Club. You do not acquire the Club status if you buy a resale.

If you wish to trade into other Diamond Resorts, you must be in the Club, and the only way to be in the Club is to buy from the developer.  They also say that you can only buy from the developer at the time of your Diamond timeshare presentation. This is their way of locking out re-sale purchases.   This also prevents people from attending Diamond sales presentations over and over again and getting more freebies.  You can buy a “Discovery Package”  (like we did), in which they give you 10,000 points to use within 18 months.  They also lock in the price for that time period.

If you end up buying, you get points in the trust and you can use those points like cash to stay at Diamond resorts or to trade them for other vacations. They are tied into the Interval International timeshare trading company and have made the trading into II much easier by dealing directly with Diamond folks.

Like any timeshare system, they have a number of ideas that you would need to understand if you bought into their system, such as reservation times based on home resorts ownership, discounts in points with last minute reservations, ability to rent rather than use points 21 days out, and usage of points for cruises, rental cars, etc. 

Diamond Resorts International seems like a good system with a number of excellent resorts. They have figured out some of the resale problems, at least from the developer’s standpoint.  But think carefully before buying, and do your research. We have written a number of posts about buying timeshares and suggest you read some of them.  Also the Timeshare User Group (TUG), on their timeshare community forums, has some information about the Diamond system that would be good reading before you buy. We will keep you posted as we stay in two more Diamond Resorts.  If you are an owner,  let us know what you think of the Diamond system.

One of our previous posts on Sedona highlights what a beautiful, magnificent area this is to visit.  Our recent trip, two years later, will reiterate that sentiment, and focus on some new things that we experienced.  But first, let’s talk about the resort, Sedona Summit.

We traded into this resort using RCI points, and we were delightfully surprised to find that we enjoyed it more than the previous two where we had stayed.  No, it wasn’t perfect (for one thing, the internet connection was awful!) but it has many plusses that make it a great vacation destination.

Sedona Summit is one of several Diamond Resorts in Sedona, consisting of about 450 units.  It is located right next to the Cultural Park, where we drove last time to enjoy some beautiful sunsets.  So, it is very close to town, without actually being right in it.

We had called about a week ahead to check on our reservation and request a mesa view away from the road.  Imagine our surprise when we were given exactly that—and an upper unit, to boot!  We were in Building 29, unit 278, which looked right out on some gorgeous red rock formations.  We felt extremely lucky, as many of the units had views of parking lots and other buildings.   Also, because the resort developed slowly over time, there are many varying styles of units, with different amenities.

Our unit was a 1-bedroom that sleeps 4 that had recently been redone.  There were stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and granite countertops.  The dining area was adjacent, with round table and four chairs.  There was also a breakfast bar with 2 comfortable stools.  A door close to the entrance in the kitchen revealed a washer and dryer.

Both the living room and dining area furniture featured Native American designs, which was very attractive and appropriate.  The 2 leather living room chairs were comfortable, but the sofa-sleeper left something to be desired.  We remedied that by grabbing a few bedroom pillows to provide extra support.

The living room also featured a large, flat-screened TV and a switch-controlled fireplace.  A large, sliding glass door opened onto a small balcony complete with 2 chairs and a table.  This would provide ultimate viewing of  the rock formations, but it was too cold to sit outside so we mostly ooh-ed and ahh-ed in the living room.

Our bedroom sported a king-sized bed, dresser, flat-screened TV, nightstands, and a large, walk-in closet.  The bathroom is separate from the bedroom, and also has an entrance from the living room for those sleeper-sofa guests.  There is a glassed-in shower and a Jacuzzi tub.  Our only 2 complaints were that the unit tended to be quite dark, and we had to turn lamps on even in the morning.  Probably, we should have just gone out and bought some brighter bulbs.  The other complaint, of course, was the quirky internet service.

The resort features 3 pools, several hot tubs, numerous gas grills, a playground and a fitness room. The central lobby/check-in and concierge area also has a fireplace and gathering area.  There is a small café with self-serve hot beverages. Many of the activities are held here, or in Studios A and B located in a building behind the lobby building.  The arts and crafts classes take place here, next to one of the on-site laundries for those in units without washers and dryers.

Speaking of activities, of the 3 resorts that we have stayed at in Sedona, this one wins the prize for the most activities.  They are also quite diverse in nature.  There are some fun craft classes for children and adults, which include making blessing feathers and smudge fans. I learned how to make a beautiful silk scarf.  I also made an arrow complete with beads, leather and a real arrowhead, for my grandson.  There is a stained glass class, a leather handbag class, and on and on, and most have a minimal charge.

A native flute player came one evening and gave a wonderful and informative concert—never knew there was so much to learn about flutes! On another evening an expert spoke about vortexes, explaining some of the history and myths surrounding these phenomena.  Cowboy Bob entertained us with his guitar and cowboy jokes and stories,  There are also the usual yoga and exercise classes, WII tournaments, and a photography and jewelry display and sale.  There are also several tours to places like the Montezuma Well and Jerome;  the price includes transportation.

There are so many things to do in Sedona, and since we’ve been there several times, and the resort offers so much in the way of amenities and activities, we kind of opted to relax more than on our previous visits, just enjoying the red rock formations and the shopping.  We did take a day to visit Jerome, the “miner-hippie-artist” town that is so unique.  We ate lunch at the Haunted Hamburger—talk about an interesting history!  The food was excellent, and we saw a beautiful rainbow.  (It had snowed heavily that morning).

We also visited Crescent Moon State Park for gorgeous views of Cathedral Rock, and Chapel Hill, one of our favorites.  A new experience for us this time was a ride on the Verde Valley Canyon Railway, which takes you on a 4-hour train ride through the Verde Valley where the scenery is magnificent!  This is an extremely popular activity, so make reservations early.  This was worth every penny, and we wished that we had done it sooner.  The neat thing is that every season gives you a different scenic experience—the fall was fabulous, and we can’t wait to go back and ride during a different season.

We enjoyed our sojourn to Sedona, and if you’d like a closer look at Sedona Summit, a Diamond Resort, watch our video.

Planning a vacation should be a fun and rewarding activity, not something that is hectic and stressful.  It should be a time of gathering information, looking at different dates and scenarios, and plugging in all the who, whats, whens and wheres, so that down the road the end-product will be an enjoyable one.  We’ve written some other posts about planning timeshare trips that you might find helpful (Timeshare Calendar-Scheduling Your Vacation, Plotting Your Timeshare Vacations, Timeshare Weeks, and Timeshare Travel on a Holiday-Yes or No), but in this post we’re going to deal with the Timeshare Calendar, and how it affects vacation planning.

Because we are retired, our calendar might look very different from yours if you are still working.  When we were teaching, our possible vacation weeks were much more limited.  But regardless of what your situation is, there are going to be certain weeks that would be great to travel and other weeks that travel would be virtually impossible.  That is true of our situation, also.

Since we retired, our travel has fallen into some definite patterns.  Usually we prefer to go somewhere warmer than Michigan after the first of the year.  Exactly when that happens depends on what else is going on.  We like to go for about 3 weeks, and usually end up in Florida, Las Vegas, Texas or Hawaii.

If we follow that pattern, we usually arrive home sometime in mid-winter, hopefully having escaped some of the worst snowy weather.  Then, sometime in late spring we go somewhere for about 2 weeks.  Spring brings our granddaughter’s Spring Break, Easter, and our daughter’s birthday, and we like to be home for those occasions.  We might sneak in a trip somewhere in late Spring, but always arriving home in time for Mothers’ Day.

We could continue with the rest of the year, but you can probably see that we are working around certain activities and occasions where being on the homefront is important to us.  Every year is a little different, depending on what is happening.  This coming year (2012), Easter is early, and we’ll also be celebrating a First Communion, so those events will affect our travel plans.

Since not every year is exactly the same, we’ve found it helpful to use a Weeks Calendar Chart listing all of the weeks of the year.  After setting this up, we block out any times that we want to be home for special events and occasions.  We pencil in our fixed weeks, if we plan to use them as such.  We then pencil in our “wish list” places and how we plan to get there (RCI Points, Wyndham Points, Hilton Points, Disney Points, RCI Weeks trade, etc.)

Once that is set up, we begin working on getting those places booked, and keep track on a Vacation Worksheet.  Of course, depending on which system we’re trying to use, the time parameters are going to be different. (Examples:  if we’re talking using Hilton points, you can book 9 months out;  Disney points would be 11 months out for your home resort, 7 months for any other Disney resort, etc., depending on the system).  We also record the dates that we can book different resorts on a Timeshare Calendar.  Here is a Vacation Worksheet from several years ago so you can see what it looks like.

Jan. 20-Feb. 17                         Hawaii

March 28-Apr. 4                       HHI  Coral Reef

Apr. 4          -Apr. 11                 NashvilleWyndham

Apr. 26—May3                          Myrtle Beach Ocean Blvd.

May 3-10                                   Gatlinburg , FF Smoky Mtns.

June 1-8                                     Landmark,Door County

June 8-13                                  GlacierCanyon (Dells)

Aug. 17-24                                 Treetops, Gatlinburg

Sept. 7-14                                   Pinestead Reef

Oct. 7-11                                    Sanibel—Shel l Island Beach

Oct. 11-18                                  Surf Club, Marco Island

Oct. 18-22                                  Wyndham Ocean Palms ?   (Search beginning in January)

Nov. 9-16                                   HGVC or Wyndham?  (Search beginning in January)

Nov. 15-22                                St. George, Utah?  (Keep checking RCI Points)

Once a resort is booked, the exact dates are put on the Vacation Worksheet, along with the trades/bookings we are still working on.  The bookings also go on our master calendar, which hangs in the kitchen, the aforementioned Timeshare Calendar, and my pocket calendar.  Periodically, we print out the schedule and give it to other family members.

Once we have a paper resort confirmation through mail or email it goes into a large, gold envelope with the trip dates written on the outside.  We also put other items in this envelope, such as car rental confirmations, airline info, show tickets, etc.  When we’re ready to begin the trip, all the info is right at our fingertips and goes with us.

To summarize:

Step 1:  Set up a Weeks Calendar Chart.  Block out times when you need/want to be home.  Pencil in wish list places and/or resorts.

Step 2:  Set up a Vacation Worksheet with tentative dates/parameters.

Step 3:  Set up a Timeshare Calendar and write in when you can book your dates, depending on the timeshare system you are using.

Step 4:  Once a resort is booked, put it on the Timeshare Calendar and any other calendars that you feel are necessary.  Designate an envelope to put in relevant paperwork.

Some of this may seem redundant, but it works for us.  The important thing is to set up a plan that you can work with, especially if you own multiple timeshares and travel frequently.   Check out our video below for further clarification of the steps we use:

Good luck, and happy planning!

A calendar is a somewhat necessary and useful tool that we use in varying degrees to plan almost every aspect of our lives.  In the timeshare world, it is essential to consult a calendar for planning purposes—in fact, it is often the very first step in the vacation process.

We frequently meet people who complain that they can’t seem to trade into resorts that they want at the time of year that they want to vacation.  In fact, this is probably one of the most common complaints of timesharers everywhere!  This problem will most likely always exist, as many people want to go to the same most desirable places during the most popular seasons.  Thus, certain places like Hawaii, Sanibel Island, and San Francisco are difficult trades to get, while some of the more overbuilt places like Branson and Orlando are relatively easy to book into.

Understanding and using the timeshare calendar will not solve all these problems, but it will go a long way toward easing your frustration in planning your trip.  We will attempt to explain some things about the calendar, and point out some other things that you need to be aware of.

When timesharing started they needed a system to keep the weeks of the year in line with the actual days of the year.  It is unclear as to how, or who, set up the first timeshare calendar, but every resort, resort system and exchange company uses a calendar showing the weeks of the year along with the current year’s dates.  They usually also show the dates and weeks for  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday check-in days.

Lets take a look at a calendar from the Wyndham system for the year 2012.  Any calendar that you look at cautions you to check with your resort to make sure they agree with the calendar you are using.  We have found some differences, so check carefully.

If we look at the chart, we can make some observations:

The timeshare calendar shows the starting dates of weeks for the next 10 years. They are listed in three sections: weeks that are for Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday, and Sunday to Sunday. An extra week occurs in some years when Week 1 begins on January 1 or 2 and Week 53 begins on December 30 or 31. Check with your resort to see how they handle Week 53. If your timeshare starts on a different day of the week, then you can subtract or add the numbers of days needed to get the correct dates. Be sure to confirm the exact dates with the resort or the owner of the week.

If you own a fixed week, say Week 36, you’ll want to check the RCI calendar every year to see when that week falls.  Our Week 36 at Pinestead Reef in Traverse City often begins the day before Labor Day—but not always.  Sometimes we miss the holiday altogether.  This can be a little tricky for planning  purposes. As mentioned earlier, every few years, a Week 53 pops up on the calendar.  When this occurs, folks who own Week 52 get an extra week to trade or use at their resort. They were made aware of this when they purchased, and may have paid extra for it.

Okay, so far this is all pretty uncomplicated.  Now, we’ll muddy the waters.  In addition to consulting the RCI calendar, you also need to be aware of the “seasons” that are assigned by RCI and those assigned by the individual resorts.  These “seasons” determine the varying numbers of points needed to book the vacation (trading power), and the initial purchase price of the timeshare.  RCI designates red, white and blue time, with red being the most desirable, prime time. To illustrate:  let’s say you own at a ski resort in Colorado in January.  RCI would designate this week as red, because it’s the most desirable season in that location.

That means that if you owned this week, you would get the maximum in trading power points.  If you did not own the week, and wanted to trade in, you would need the maximum number of points to do so. If you owned a July week at this resort, it would be designated blue, because July is off-season for skiing.  You would get a minimum number of trading points for this week.  If you wanted to trade in, it would be much easier than snagging a red week and wouldn’t require a lot of points.  But you wouldn’t be able to ski! To complicate further, many individual resorts and/or systems have created their own point and season calendars, which may be somewhat different from that of RCI.

For example, Wyndham uses the terms Prime, High, Value, etc. to designate seasons.  The problem here is that every Wyndham resort designates different weeks within the categories, requiring varying amounts of points. Disney Vacation Club operates in much the same way, only their categories are Premier, Adventure, Magic, Dream, etc.  Most timeshare systems have similar kinds of categories and point amounts.  It might be helpful to know that if you are trading within RCI, Hawaii is Red all the time, as is Orlando.

So that, in a nutshell, is the Timeshare Calendar.  If you’d like some tips on how to apply all of this to real-life vacation planning, tune in to our next post:  Timeshare Calendar—How WE Plan OUR Vacations!

Well, it’s just about Thanksgiving time, and maybe you’ve made the decision to be somewhere other than home right now—perhaps on a vacation and staying in a timeshare.  We discovered a long time ago that we really don’t like to be far away from family and friends at holiday time—like the Thanksgiving we spent in Waikiki.

Or, maybe your family and friends have accompanied you on vacation, which makes for some special “togetherness” at holiday time—that is, until you think about having to feed them!  And so, the rule then is “everyone pitches in.”  One resort, Rams Horn in Estes Park, Colorado, has a unique way of handling this by staging a Thanksgiving Potluck. Check out this post for our timeshare holiday adventures:  “Timeshare Travel on a Holiday-Yes or No?“.

So, if you are snugly tucked in your condo, with or without guests, here are some recipes to see you through.  They may not be gourmet, or even full-scale holiday meals, but they are easy, taste good, and use few ingredients.

TURKEY AND SWEETIE TATERS

4 turkey breast tenderloins (about 8 oz. ea.)

2 T. margarine

2 cans (2.5 lb. ea.) sweet potatoes, drained

2/3 C. dried cranberries

2/3 C. maple syrup

½ C. orange juice

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 T. cold water

In large skillet or frying pan, brown turkey in margarine.  Arrange sweet potatoes around turkey.  Combine the cranberries, maple syrup, juice and cinnamon, pouring it over the turkey and sweet potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Place turkey and sweet potatoes on serving platter.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth, then add to pan.  Bring to boil, then cook and stir 1 minute until thickened.  Serve with turkey and sweet potatoes.  (Serves 8—can be halved).  Modified, Nov. 2008, Simple & Delicious

Or, maybe you prefer pork?  If so, here’s an easy one:

PORK CHOP/CRANBERRY COMFORT FOOD

6-8 pork chops

1 T. cooking oil

½-1 C. flour

2C. fresh or frozen cranberries

¾-1 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

½ C. water

Dredge pork chops in flour, then brown in cooking oil.  Place in a 7 x 11 or 9 x 13 pan.

Mix cranberries, sugar, water and orange peel.  Pour over chops.

Cover pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover, and bake another 25-35 minutes.  Makes 6-8 servings.  (Modified, The New Cooking With 4 Ingredients)

And, for the ground meat enthusiasts--

NOODLE STROGANOFF

3 C. uncooked noodles

1 lb. ground beef

1/3 C. chopped onion

1 8-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces

1-1/4 C. water

2 envelopes brown gravy mix

2 C. sour cream

Cook noodles according to directions and set aside.  In large frying pan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is done.  Drain.  Stir in water and gravy mix and bring to a boil.  Add mushrooms.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.  Serve over noodles.  Makes 4 -5 servings.  (Modified, Simple & Delicious, Jan./Feb. 2009)

And, let’s not forget dessert!  This is a spinoff of the ever-popular Eagle Brand 7-layer bars:

CRANBERRY OR CHERRY COCONUT DREAMS

1-1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (about 24)

½ C. melted margarine

1-1/2 C. vanilla chips

1-1/2 C. dried cranberries or cherries

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 C. flaked coconut

1 C. pecans or walnuts

Combine graham cracker crumbs and margarine and press into a 9 x 13 pan for form a crust.  In bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Spread this mixture over the crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until edges are golden.  Cool and cut into bars.  Makes 3 dozen, or 2 dozen, depending on how large you cut them!  I like to leave out the nuts and just add more vanilla chips and cranberries.

Happy holiday cooking and baking from Timeshare Tidbits!