Timeshares and Discount / Free Tickets - Orlando / Florida Guide

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One of the most expensive parts of holidaying in Orlando is the cost of Parkand Attraction tickets, but it is something you really cannot do without. Evenbefore you get there you may have seen internet sites offering absurdly lowprices - but beware - look at the small print at the bottom where it probablywill say that, in order to qualify for these cheap tickets, you must attend apresentation. Sounds easy, doesn't it? But as with everything, you get what youpay for - nothing is free! And it could end up costing you more than half a dayof your precious holiday in Orlando - if you add that into the equation it maywell not seem so cheap!  I hope these tips will help you to understand what youmay be, unknowingly, getting yourselves into, if you decide to try to get cheaptickets! Note that the tickets sold on this site have no strings attached, areare NOT timeshare tickets.

Everywhere in Kissimmee, along the 192,  you will see shops and boothsoffering cut price tickets. You won’t even escape them in the shopping mallseither, and it is very tempting to think that you can get really cheap Disneytickets. However, you should take care, as, in reality, you don’t get anythingfor nothing, and these offers normally require a visit to a timesharepresentation! They will promise you that you can be in and out in an hour and ahalf, and they may also try to entice you with an offer of a free meal at thetime share itself. It can seem too good an offer to miss, and, after all, what’san hour and a half, compared to the enormous savings they are offering?

In fact you will be VERY lucky if you escape after an hour and a half. Expectto lose half a day of your holiday, at the least. They do their level best tokeep you there in order to persuade you to buy a week’s time share option – ormaybe they will call it a ‘holiday club’ (a rose by any other name would smellas sweet!).   Although the time shares/holiday clubs do vary in the extent towhich they put you under pressure, they all follow a similar format. You will beasked to book an appointment, and probably asked to give a deposit which willeither be refunded, or set against the final cost of your ‘gift’.

When you arrive at the time share you will be introduced to a salesperson(though they will not be called that) who will be extremely friendly, veryinterested in you, and who will do their level best to put you at your ease.They will take you into a large room with tables and chairs, and you will beoffered refreshments – these vary from a cup of coffee and a muffin, to a fullbuffet meal. You will sit at a table and just chat for a while, whilst thesalesperson may tell you the story of their life, or you may end up telling themyours, but it is all designed to ‘warm you up’. Then they will take out theirquestionnaire and go through a series of questions, designed to tell themwhether or not a time share would be of use to you (and guess what, they alwaysare!) These questions will include how many times you go away, what you spend,and all importantly, where you would ideally like to go. Don’t say Florida, orHawaii, or any of the well-known places, because they have time shares in all ofthem. We find the Galapagos Islands are a good destination, as so far they havenot been allowed to build there! The idea is to persuade you that instead ofspending ‘x’ amount each year you should buy it ‘up front’ and save thousands ofdollars in the process. They are so persuasive that you may well feel that it isthe bargain of a lifetime.

However, there are ongoing costs such as maintenance, and administrationcosts which they are strangely vague about. This can add up to $499 per weekplus $120 administration cost. Having paid $28,000 for your ‘vacation dream,’should you later need to sell it, expect it to raise less than a quarter ofthat, if you are lucky!

They will probably also promise you cheap flights – but they will never giveyou any prices, or availability.

They may then take you to see a very boring film showing large Americanfamilies extolling the virtues of staying in one of their time shares, beforetaking you on a trip round the resort, ending up in an apartment. At about thistime you are beginning to think it must be nearly over, and you can get back tothe shops or the parks or whatever, but it is only just starting. You will beasked constantly if you like it, and if it would be great for your family. Youcan begin to feel that you would be really mean if you didn’t provide thiswonderful experience for the whole family to enjoy.  Not only that, but yourhost has been so charming and helpful that you feel guilty if you tell him youdon’t really like his apartments, and your family doesn’t really want to sleepon a sofa in the lounge for a fortnight!

After this, they will take you back to the main room, which is usually verynoisy and claustrophobic, where dozens of little groups are huddled roundtables.  Every so often, one of the ‘mangers’ stands up and asks you for silencewhile they announce that ‘Mr and Mrs Bazinski from Pennsylvania’ have justjoined the big happy family of ‘holiday clubbers’, and you will be asked toapplaud enthusiastically as they stand up and are introduced to everyone. Theymay hand over a bottle of champagne to the happy couple who look thoroughlybemused after their 2 and a half hour hard sell.

Now comes the crunch. The questionnaire has revealed that, surprise,surprise, you are the ideal candidates for a time share, and you really can’tafford not to accept the offer of a lifetime of idyllic holidays, all over theworld, for a really nominal sum. And how much is all this going to cost you mayask? Well, of course, that depends on the time of year, but let’s say $28,000for a peak week. Gulp! You really can’t afford that? Well, now is the time foryour friendly salesperson to go and consult his/her manager, just in case thereis anything HE can do to ‘facilitate’ your purchase. It’s also the time for youto be really firm about not wanting to go any further. And of course, theirfriendly manager CAN do something – he can offer you a discount so it will beonly $18,000. Surely this is a bargain? Still too much? Well what would beaffordable? They will drop the price, little by little, enticing you to acceptthis truly remarkable, never-to-be-repeated, opportunity. They will offer youenticing deals on credit, but beware of the interest rates! And if you still say‘no,’ then it can get a bit unpleasant. (We have worked out that they are taking$1.5 MILLION for each apartment so no wonder they can give you a couple of cheapDisney tickets!)

There is one timeshare organisation which is really quite scary. Set amid atop class golf course, it is undoubtedly a wonderful place, but it is one of theworst time-shares (holiday clubs!) that we have ever experienced.  First of allthey usually keep you waiting for some time in a crowded foyer, for your turn. Then they ‘spin’ it out unendingly, with you hoping that you can be on your way. But, if, at the end of the sales pitch, you regretfully decline, youroh-so-friendly salesman will suddenly turn into a snarling beast. If you do notrespond to more pressure he will go and get his ‘Manager’ who is one of the‘heavies’ who looks like something out of an Al Capone movie, and he will comeand sit down and interrogate you over why you won’t buy. At this stage youreally DO have to be firm, stand up and say ‘NO, I’m going’. Let the kids loose,if all else fails – tell them this is the one time they have permission towhinge, whine, throw tantrums on the floor, scream, yell or insist on going tothe bathroom at once! However, you have fulfilled your side of the bargain andare entitled to your cheap or free tickets, but it may not be easy to escape.The better time shares will accept that you have said no, and will gracefullyallow you to leave. You may feel like the poor relation but at least you willget your tickets and be on your way!

Should you still want to enter the world of presentations and holiday clubs,there is just one tip – when you start, make a point of setting your watch,asking what time you should be finished, and firmly stating that you will beleaving at exactly that time and not a minute later. But our advice is, don’twaste your time – or the sunshine – go for a reputable site, such as OV. Atleast you will get great prices and no pressure!

Page added on: 21 July 2004
Author: Paul and Rita Fraser (Villa link: www.orlandovillas.com /florida-vacation-rental-576.aspx)

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