Since we won't be able to go away on any longer mini vacation like we had planned, we decided to do a couple of smaller once here in Florida.
But we are trying to save money and don't want to splurge. The daughter wants theme parks! We want... to pay as little as possible... What to do?
Orlando is a tourism Mecca like few other places in the world. But visiting all those theme parks can get expensive, even though we as Florida residents get a discount... Sea World is like $75 for adults and Disney close to that as well! And if you want to stay overnight, well that is yet another expense.
So what to do if you are on a budget? Well, behold the world of timeshare freebies!. Not as in actually buying a timeshare (a fractional ownership in a vacation resort), but attending a timeshare presentation. (This is common in other vacation hot spots all over the world as well). To qualify you usually have to attend as a couple and have a combined annual income of at least $40,000.
Mind you, attending a timeshare presentation might not be for the very easily persuaded, but if you think you can sit through a 1½ to 2 hour sales pitch for buying a timeshare (sometimes they drag out a bit longer), there are a lot of freebies to be had! (After all, all you really need to do is say NO.)
The resorts knows the majority of the people who attend these presentations are just there for the freebies, but there is about 1 % of the attendees who actually DO buy, and that is all they need to turn a profit (never mind you could actually buy a timeshare as resale from a private individual and save a few thousand dollars).
So what incentives do they offer to sit through this? Well, first of all, there are TONS of people trying to sell similar timeshares in Orlando; in fact, you will find them pretty much everywhere you go there. But not all are of course recommended.
Stick with a resort affiliated with one of the major vacation property owners, these chains are usually accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and they thrive on their good reputation, which means, even if you don't buy a timeshare, they want you to like what you see so much so you will tell your friends...
If you ever go to Orlando you can recognize these timeshare vendors by their advertisements; "Get your discounted theme park tickets here!", "Get free dinner tickets here!" and so on...
But these are not the really good offers you should go for. After all, if you are going to have to endure sitting down and listen to a sales spiel for 2 hours, the freebie better be good.
The best offers can most often be found on places like eBay. Again, verify that the agency and the resort you choose are reputable, but the eBay feedback is also a good clue.
So what can you get? Well, what about a 2 night stay at a 5 star luxury 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1200 square foot resort condominium, and 2 free adult Disney tickets for $69?!?! That is an approximate value of $700. That is what I call a bargain.
Some eBay vendors even start out at 99 cents and offer free hotel nights plus tickets, but these are usually the most popular and go fast. Other areas you can find similar deals for are the Caribbean and Mexico (but you would have to fly there yourself).
Did you ever wonder how your neighbors seem to be able to afford fancy vacations every year? This might be why. I know I was a bit surprised when our friends told us, I always thought they must be loaded since they always seemed to be heading off on some kind of vacation. Glad they let us in on their secret!
Most resorts limits you to one presentation once a year, since there are people who actually makes a sport out of going to as many presentations they can. But since there are so many timeshare properties, there is always lots of opportunities to get more freebies, of course.
And all you need to do is attend a presentation for a couple of hours on your second day at the hotel (free breakfast or lunch buffet included), say thanks-but-no-thanks and enjoy your third day at the theme park!
I got the tip about the online deals from the above mentioned friend who has gone several times, twice to the above mentioned property in Orlando, and we are going to try this our selves. I checked reviews from other people that have been at this particular resort too, and apart from being kind of boring to attend the presentation, none of them felt pressured to buy and they really enjoyed their stay. Hey, so why not?
Did I mention this is a 5 start vacation resort, with their own tropical island water park and other fun stuff? Condos with fully equipped kitchen, three plasma TVs, Jacuzzi, private balcony....?
I will sacrifice a couple of hours of my time for that... We will see how it goes!
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