Timeshare VS RV Vacation
As I’m writing this we have the RV Parked in Storage. Danielle’s parents have a timeshare that they pay each year and have used it a couple of times in the past ten years. I wonder how common it is that people sign up for vacation packages and then fail to utilize them.
They had “use it or lose it” points that had to be spent by the end of the year so they allowed us to use them and we stayed in Williamsburg, VA for 3 weeks or so at 2 different timeshares.
The Powatan Resort and the Great Wolf Lodge. 
It was fun to notice the differences in this vacation vs our vacation lifestyle in the RV. Here’s a few of the pros & cons we experienced while staying in the Diamond Resorts Timeshare.
Pros
- We had a hot tub in our room. Seriously, in our room!
- It comes fully furnished and ready to live in.
- Nice amenities.
- People clean up after you (or your kids).
Cons
- You know that hot tub we mentioned that was in our room? Yeah there was a moment where there was some nakedness and stuff happening in that hot tub. It was the same moment when the maintenance guy knocked on our door and when we didn’t answer the door he came right in. It was going to freeze and they were making sure the heat was turned on so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. It turns out we didn’t see each other until he was about 3 ft away from us (I’m not sure who was more surprised) and he found out it wasn’t just the heat that was turned on…
- We had to buy all new condiments, food, etc.
- We had to pack everything for our entire family; set it up just to pack it all back up when we left.
- It wasn’t a secluded experience where you’ll connect with nature unless you visit a nearby hiking trail. You won’t be relaxing by the campfire.
- Pets aren’t allowed in most Timeshares.
Overall we loved our experience and it was awesome to be able to see what timeshares are all about and what they have to offer. Have you stayed at a timeshare before? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
We sold our timeshare which had considerable maintenance costs and bought an RV. The timeshare we used in Hawaii–the only difference is the RV can’t cross water–but we go more places, more often, for less $$ AND we can take our puppy–who loves to go. Besides the continental U.S. has everything that can be found around the world and we spend our $$ here at home.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Timeshares are good for some, not for others. My parents had one they went to every year. They loved it except for the getting packed up to go and unloading everything. Before they bought it my Dad gave me the documents to review and asked for my opinion. I told him it was expensive, he could put that amount of money in savings and stay at a resort each year on the interest. (This was when rates were much higher) He said buying it would force him to go every year and knowing my Dad that made sense. They went every year for nearly 20 years. For them it was perfect, for me I prefer the RV.
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