One of the greatest advantages to timesharing is the availability of activities at most resorts. When you compare your “downtime” at a motel to your “downtime” at a timeshare resort, there is simply no comparison—the timeshare wins, hands down, because of the organized, family-friendly activities that are offered. In fact, many families plan their sightseeing around the activities at the resort, because they are so appealing.
Most timeshare resorts have an Activities Director, and some larger resorts will also employ an Activities Staff. One of the criterion that RCI uses to rate resorts is whether or not activities are offered. Your Gold and Silver Crown Resorts will almost always have them. If they don’t, it’s probably because they rate so highly in other areas that those areas offset the lack of activities.
Sometimes the location of a resort will determine whether or not there are many organized events for guests. In some cases, if there is a lot to do in the area, or lots to see, the resort almost uses it as an excuse not to have many activities. For example, we recently visited 2 different Wyndham resorts in Washington DC—Alexandria, and National Harbor. Both are great resorts, but National Harbor definitely catered more to families, had more kid-friendly amenities, and lots of activities for all ages. Alexandria offered very little, supposedly because of the abundance of things to see in the Capitol City, and the easier access to the Metro System. We’re not finding fault with this—actually, maybe their owners prefer it this way—but the comparison points out that reading reviews before you book a resort can let you know what to expect.
Most of the larger resort companies like Hilton, Disney, Wyndham, etc. usually have good activity programs, making exceptions for some individual resorts within those systems. If you own Wyndham you can go to the member home page, bring up the different resorts, and click on Activities. Most staffs will also willingly share information over the phone.
Occasionally we have visited a resort that is fantastic in every way, but cries out for a lack of activities. Obviously, we don’t know the budget constraints or the inclinations of the owners, but we do fill out survey forms and RCI rating forms to make suggestions. If it is actually YOUR resort, then your written wishes probably have a lot more clout, and you can possibly be instrumental in changing the situation. Chatting with the resort director is probably a good idea, too.
In our 14 years of timesharing, we have stayed at close to 80 resorts. Some, we have stayed at several times. The following 2 lists are subjective, as they are our opinion, only. Of course, if you have any questions, or would like to add to these lists, please feel free to email us.
SOME RESORTS THAT HAVE OUTSTANDING ACTIVITIES (in no particular order)
Wyndham Branson at the Meadows
Wyndham Nashville
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Village
Disney’s Old Key West Resort (probably all the Disney resorts are great–we’ve just stayed at two of them)
Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village
Wyndham Grand Desert
The Rushes
Massanutten Resorts (somewhat costly–see our previous post)
Eagle’s Nest (Marco Island)
RESORTS THAT HAVE SOME UNIQUE ACTIVITIES
Treetops, Gatlinburg, TN—Potluck dinner and country band
Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village, Kailua-Kona, HI—Nature walk, lei-making, ukulele lessons, Hawaiian h’ors d’oeuvre party, other cultural activities
Surf Club, Marco Island, FL—potluck wine and cheese appetizer party
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Village, Buena Vista, FL—African restaurant tour, with samples, Fireside storytelling, African craft-making, many cultural activities, especially for kids
Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Buena Vista, FL—Name That Tune in the Pool, Downtown Disney cruise, many crafts for kids
Wyndham Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC—Pottery making, Murder Mystery Snack Party
Ram’s Horn, Estes Park, CO—welcome heavy appetizer party the first night, nature trip to see elk-mating
Wyndham Branson, Branson, MO—Simple, inexpensive meals with local entertainment
Wyndham Nashville, Nashville, TN—Free concert by Joanne Cash Yates (sister of Johnny Cash). She and her husband are also Wyndham owners.
Pinestead Reef, Traverse City, MI—Free Hamburg/hot dog cookout in the summer, pizza party in the winter
Many resorts vary their activities periodically or seasonally, so the ones that we’ve mentioned might not always be happening. Also, these are just some that we, personally, have found to be enjoyable. We would be interested in hearing from you if you would like to share some of YOUR favorites!
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The Charter Club of Marco Beach:
1. Monday morning free breakfast and raffle with prizes from local vendors.
2. Fashion show/sub sandwich party on Wednesdays.
3. Ice cream sundaes one day.
4. Margaritas another day.
5. Daily kids activities.
Loved your post!
Thanks for mentioning this resort! The. Fashion show/lunch is definitely junique!
I mean “unique.”
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