When we were first learning about timeshares, we were not really thinking about anything except Disney. Then, we started exploring different ones. We were looking at luxury and deluxe resorts. Marriott came up. We started researching the resorts and learned that they have the most resorts for timeshare ownership. With 63 resorts throughout the U.S.A and the world, their resorts range from beach, theme park, golf, ski, to Europe and much more! This was a game changer for us! We started dreaming about traveling the world with our family. (By the way…recently, within the past couple of years, Marriott has acquired Vistana Signature Experiences that include Sheraton Vacation Club and Westin Vacation Club. They have also acquired Hyatt Residence Club and now as of this past month, Welk Resorts.)
At this point, we called Marriott direct and started talking to them about ownership. Having bought DVC through resale, we didn’t know yet if there was a large resale market for Marriott or if there was, what it looked like. We were quoted some astronomical cost for points. After which, we looked at each other and said, “No way!” We started researching resale more and more and learned that there are 2 types of ownership within the Marriott system. Well, really 3.
- Destination points which work a lot like DVC. They provide the most flexibility at the highest cost.
- Legacy weeks which is a deeded ownership to a specific resort with a specific season and the only ability is to book your own resort at your season/week or exchange into other resorts through II (Interval International) which is a timeshare exchange company. (I will discuss it in another blog post.)
- Enroll your legacy week through Marriott into the destination program. It gives you the best of both worlds. BUT, this is not always available without a direct purchase from Marriott. This enrolled week would provide you lower annual maintenance dues, the ability to choose whether you want to use your week as points OR book your season/week.
We own both legacy weeks that are enrolled and also not enrolled. We enjoy and use them for different reasons. We use the legacy week that is not enrolled to stay in resorts that we know we want to stay in. We use the enrolled weeks to travel to resorts that we don’t own at. We will teach you how to make your legacy weeks more flexible when we start talking about the rental market.
The resorts we have visited so far have been amazing and funny enough, while we were on our last Marriott Vacation in Myrtle Beach at OceanWatch Villas Grand Dunes, I asked Vadim to book the next vacation at the same resort before we even left. It was that amazing. The rooms are spacious, the beds are super comfortable, beautiful amenities, thoughtful staff, the kids clubs (pre covid) were amazing! (Stay tuned for awesome videos on YouTube about other Marriott properties that we will be visiting this March)
We truly enjoy the Marriott system. It has been a wonderful addition to our vacation portfolio and I hope this post was helpful and gave you a little insight into this timeshare. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out or leave a comment below.
Timeshare Explorers 