posted 05-27-2005 11:43               

That said, I love our Worldmark membership. It's not complicated to use, but does take some time to become familiar with it if you want to use it to its fullest potential. For instance, if you want a high demand resort for a specific time frame, you need to make sure that you are making your reservations right at 13 months out. But the perks of bonus time, inventory specials, wait lists, etc. are extremely beneficial. And it is extremely flexible as to accommodation size -- for instance, if I will be travelling just me and my husband, I can reserve a one bedroom or studio. With my whole family, a two, three, and in some resorts, four bedroom. The appropriate number of credits for whichever room I choose in the corresponding resort is then deducted from my account. ISome of the newer resorts, and especially those that are now coming on in the higher cost urban areas do require more credits to reserve. To learn more about the club, go to www.wmowners.com. There are many nice folks on that board, which is designed by and specifically for Worldmark owners if you really want to know about Worldmark.

posted 05-27-2005 11:56               

Now, if I run out of credits, I have the option of renting credits from another owner. The price varies with whatever you can negotiate, but I find it pretty reasonable. So reasonable, in fact, that this year I've rented enough credits to: have a 1 week stay in a 2 bedroom during ski season in Tahoe; am on the wait list for a 2 bedroom this summer at another resort on a lake close by; am going to Cabo this summer for a 1 week stay in a 3 bedroom penthouse; traded enough credits for a Florida 2 bedroom Marriott in Palm Beach. And that's just 2005. Between my other two timeshares and what I have planned with Worldmark, I may just have to quite work in 2006, and I'm on my way to planning 2007.

You don't actually have a deed in hand, as the premise is that the owners own a piece of the entire Worldmark network -- all of the resorts. There is also something called Residence Club where you own 4 weeks -- one in each season -- at a specific resort, specific week, specific room. I'm not sure if that is deeded, although I imagine it would be.

posted 05-31-2005 12:41               

As a happy Worldmark owner myself (was just at our Steamboat resort yesterday, by the way), I firstly want to assure you that Worldmark is not a new "fad" from a fly-by-night developer that is at risk of evaporating tomorrow. There are something like 250,000 families that own a Worldmark flexible "points/credits" timeshare membership. It's large, established and well respected.

Although you don't hold the 'deed', the deeds to 4,000 condos (of various sizes) in 55 resort locations are held by the "club" separately from the developer. So, rest assured, that if Trendwest were to go bankrupt, our condos are supposed to be safe. (I confess, I've not read the full documentaion/fine print). It is a perpetual ownership, not an RTU. Because you're buying 'points/credits' in such a "club", there are lower transfer costs than if recording a deed...

Worldmark (and a few other points-based timeshare systems) were devised to offer a niche to timeshare owners wanting more flexibility than the conventional fixed week in a fixed location. You basically own an undivided interest in all 4000 condos, 52 weeks per year....thus own a tiny percentage of all 200,000 or 250,000 timeshare "weeks" in the Club. That's a lot of flexibility. Just reserve the unit size/location/dates you want for a particular trip, first come first served, as long as you have enough points/credits to pay for that vacation. Usually 10,000 credits gets you a 2br/red season at most locations (some require 12,000 or more). With restrictions, you can sometimes take a partial week stay. You can use a small membership to take a grand vacation every other year, for example. Others stretch a normal "week's worth of points" into 2 or 3 vacations by traveling offseason. If you want a family reunion, perhaps book 3 condos at the same times/resort every third year.

(with flexibility, comes a few club rules to make the first-come, first-served system equitable for all 250,000 owners) Naturally, a 3br should cost more than a studio, and red ski season should be more than blue "mud season" in UT/CO, for example. That's all the points tables and rules are about. Not that hard to learn. And, because not all 250,000 members know it as well as the savvy TUGGERS do, you have an advantage if you learn the rules and get the best vacations.

Worldmark's flexiblity costs more than a conventional timeshare. So, if you don't need the flexibility, you can probably get a cheaper vacation elsewhere. If you don't like the 55 resort locations or if you don't need to have "goldcrown/5star", Worlmark may not be for you.

Good news is, that you said "no" in the TW/Worldmark sales presentation...now you can buy WM resale for about $.80/credit everyday. So, the 10k credits size is about $8,000 resale, whereas your in-laws likely paid $16,000 for theirs. (and if they ever need to sell it, it's only worth $8,000 now).

So....what you going to do with the $8,000 you saved today by finding TUG?!??!?!