posted 12-11-2004 03:17               

I don't think I would buy at Vistana, because I already own at the Disney Vacation Club and don't have much use for another Orlando timeshare. Can I tour Vistana to learn about SVO in general, or are Sheraton/Westin tours geared towards buying only at that particular resort?

It would be nice if there was a gift available for touring. I already have a timeshare to stay in, so a discounted stay isn't needed. Does anyone know if there are current promotions for touring Vistana / Vistana Villages? I'm particularly interested in StarPoints.

Also, if I receive a gift for doing a tour, how long do I have to wait until I can get a promotional stay or other tour benefit again? I'd hate to do a tour now, and then hear of some great promotional stay at a SVO property that my Vistana tour makes me ineligible for.

Ok, one last question. How high-pressure is the sales pitch likely to be? Even if I were pretty sure that I wanted to buy SVO from the developer, I'd want to think about the options before signing up. I don't want an experience where they berate me for refusing to sign up that day. I might buy an Explorer Package, though, depending on exactly what was offered.

posted 12-11-2004 11:29               

We have been through two sales presentations with Starwood at the same resort. One was very pleasant and informative and we didn't feel pressured, but the other one was pretty nasty, and the guy let us know we were wasting his time, so it really depends on the salesman.

Even thought they will tell you that their offer is only good for that day, other owners will tell you that in reality, you can get the same offer any time. That is just a trick to get you to buy immediately...

We own a Starwood developer unit and a resale unit and frankly, I think you should take the tour for info. and the incentive, but then buy resale at a mandatory resort. If you really want Harborside, then you should look for a resale unit there. You will save a lot of money and avoid the difficultly of trying to exchange into one of the 3 most popular properties.

posted 12-12-2004 05:24               

It turns out that I just stayed at the Sheraton Vistana and got a tour of the Sheraton Vistana Villages property as part of their owners program even though I rented the unit. This was one of the subjects of my comparison of DVC onsite vs. offsite.

We received $40 cash plus a 50% coupon for any Starwood hotel property with availability. So, it was worth $40. It was not a high pressure sales pitch at all and the information was 6 or 7 out of 10.

In addition, we got one of those telemarketing calls for a 3 night stay in Sheraton Vistana Villages. We bought it for $161. And, they told us that if we take the timesharing pitch that they will give us back $100. So, 3-days in Sheraton Vistana Villages 2br unit for $61 including tax. We will probably be going in March.

In the past 2 months, we have attended 3 pitches in Orlando. OLCC was $50 cash. Silverlake Resort was $60 cash. Sheraton Vistana was $40 cash. As they said in the Wimbledon finals match up of Pat Cash and Ivan Lendl.... Cash is better than a Czech. lol.

BB

posted 12-13-2004 22:57               

quote:

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Originally posted by BocaBum99:
We received $40 cash plus a 50% coupon for any Starwood hotel property with availability. So, it was worth $40. It was not a high pressure sales pitch at all and the information was 6 or 7 out of 10.

In addition, we got one of those telemarketing calls for a 3 night stay in Sheraton Vistana Villages. We bought it for $161. And, they told us that if we take the timesharing pitch that they will give us back $100. So, 3-days in Sheraton Vistana Villages 2br unit for $61 including tax. We will probably be going in March.

In the past 2 months, we have attended 3 pitches in Orlando. OLCC was $50 cash. Silverlake Resort was $60 cash. Sheraton Vistana was $40 cash. As they said in the Wimbledon finals match up of Pat Cash and Ivan Lendl.... Cash is better than a Czech. lol.

BB

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I'm surprised the incentives are so low. Given how much it costs me to get to Florida in the first place, I don't think I'd consider giving up 2 hours of vacation time for $40, even to find out more about SVO. I'd just research it from home instead. Unless maybe they offer more to folks from out-of-state?

I have two weeks at resorts in Orlando booked for the upcoming months. So, $61 for three nights at Vistana is a great deal, but I don't have a use for it.

Maybe I won't have to talk Dh into that timeshare presentation after all!

posted 12-30-2004 23:41               

quote:

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Originally posted by BocaBum99:
Judy,

It turns out that I just stayed at the Sheraton Vistana and got a tour of the Sheraton Vistana Villages property as part of their owners program even though I rented the unit. This was one of the subjects of my comparison of DVC onsite vs. offsite.

We received $40 cash plus a 50% coupon for any Starwood hotel property with availability. So, it was worth $40. It was not a high pressure sales pitch at all and the information was 6 or 7 out of 10.

In addition, we got one of those telemarketing calls for a 3 night stay in Sheraton Vistana Villages. We bought it for $161. And, they told us that if we take the timesharing pitch that they will give us back $100. So, 3-days in Sheraton Vistana Villages 2br unit for $61 including tax. We will probably be going in March.

In the past 2 months, we have attended 3 pitches in Orlando. OLCC was $50 cash. Silverlake Resort was $60 cash. Sheraton Vistana was $40 cash. As they said in the Wimbledon finals match up of Pat Cash and Ivan Lendl.... Cash is better than a Czech. lol.

BB

[This message has been edited by BocaBum99 (edited 12-12-2004).]

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That does seem a low. I just took the tour early December and choose $75 instead of the 2 park passes they were offering as I was only going to be in Orlando for one additional day.

posted 12-31-2004 06:35               

1. Don't buy into SVN just to trade into Harborside. While I was lucky my first time out and got St. John, this board is full of people who complain that getting into the top 3 Starwoods (Hawaii, St. John and Harborside) is difficult to impossible. A common theme from the people on this board who are "in-the-know" is to buy where you would like to go 3 out of 4 years, and then to be very flexible the fourth year! I very much look forward to returning to Scottsdale and in five years, my wife retires from teaching so, hopefully, the increased flexibility for vacations may make it easier. But you simply can't count on it.