I haven’t written about this before, mainly because what we did cannot be replicated anymore and I don’t want people spending money on this because of my suggestion. However, it is a big part of how we afford to travel as a large family, so I thought it was time I did a post on it. Please do your own research on what works best for your family and financial situation.
Several years ago, when planning a trip to Disneyworld, I came across the ability to trade timeshares in RCI for Disney DVC properties. (FYI – it is VERY difficult to do this now and 2 bedrooms are almost unheard of these days, but not back when I did it). I researched different companies – as buying DVC was way too expensive for us – and decided on a timeshare company that worked for our family and for our area of the country.
I then searched for the best deal on a “used” timeshare. We did not buy new from the company. I found a reputable resaler for this timeshare company and got a great deal.
This is the KEY! We bought resale at a fraction of the cost.
We paid $2500 for the timeshare that came loaded with enough points to ENTIRELY pay for an entire 2-week stay in 2 bedroom DVC resort. Go ahead and google what ONE night in a 2 bedroom DVC resort would cost. Yeah – this was a great deal. Heck, we could use it for this trip and then just re-sell it if we decided we didn’t want to keep paying the annual maintenance fees. Spoiler Alert – we still have the timeshare.
For the $2500, we stayed one week in a 2 bedroom SAVANNAH view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. We stayed a second week in a 2 Bedroom Pool View room at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. It was AMAZING!! We even had 1000 points left over after those two stays! An amazing deal!
A few months later, We stayed for a week at Disney’s Aulani Hawaii in a 2 bedroom OCEAN VIEW condo for what came out to be $700 in points. YEAH! Google what ONE night there costs….
I will tell you, that is is extremely difficult – if not impossible – to trade into those rooms in RCI anymore, so don’t expect to. Alas, we have still found value in our Timeshare. We pay $680 a year for our annual allotment of points. When we no longer see the value in that, we will sell.
When we went to the Big Island of Hawaii – we traded in RCI again. Stayed at the AMAZING Hilton Waikoloa Kings Landing. A 2 bedroom Condo for a week was approximately $800. Try to find that amazing of a resort in Hawaii for that cheap for 8 people! (heck, try to find a cheap hotel in Hawaii for that much!)
We stay at our company’s Disneyland timeshare – close to a parking lot at Disneyland – for a week is about $800 for a 2-3 bedroom. Another fantastic deal that is very close to Disney!
Our last trip to Disneyworld – since a 2 bedroom DVC is nearly impossible now – we stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek for about $700 a week for a 2 bedroom. It is closer to the parks than some of the Disney Hotels. It was a great resort!
We stay at the beach often with our points – at least once a year. Have stayed at ones in Central Oregon. Stayed at the Las Vegas resort for $90 a night for a 2 bedroom. Have the one booked near Olympic National Park in October.
We have owned it for about 5 years now and are still extremely happy with our purchase. It has afforded us to stay in large Condos at VERY expensive resorts at an affordable price. We have had some very luxury vacations that we normally could never afford because of it and have found it to be a very affordable solution for our big family.
This is not for everybody, but can be a good solution for big families – especially if you plan early like me! You have to plan to get the good places! Some of our stays have been booked over a year in advance! Please do your research before considering this and make sure it is a good investment for your family and needs. We obviously would come out way ahead, even if we decided to sell it (or heck, give it away), so FOR US, it has been an excellent investment. Please, only buy on the resale market and do lots of research to find one that works for you – if this is something that is of interest to you.
