Earlier this month, Sell My Timeshare NOW announced that it has become Authorized Reseller for The Crane, a resort built on a Barbados beach that Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous calls “One of the ten best beaches in the world.”

If you own property at The Crane Resort, and you are interested in reselling your timeshare, then the involvement of Sell My Timeshare NOW, and Timeshare Broker Services (the company’s timeshare brokerage arm) is great news because it affords you the best visibility possible for exposing your vacation ownership resale to potential buyers (or renters). Even if you never want to resell your timeshare, knowing that other timeshare units will be owned by people who are actively using and enjoying their timeshare is good news too, reflecting a vibrant ownership base.

The Crane is a true “old luxury” resort, with new luxury facilities. On property, you can enjoy the pool, tennis courts, health club, and restaurant. Very nearby you’ll find scuba diving, windsurfing, fishing, boating, horseback riding, dining, shopping and golf. And overall, and unforgettable place to rest, relax and restore. The Crane Resort means rare and unique elegance in a setting that is both breathtaking and affordable, thanks to timesharing opportunities in vacation ownership.

Click here to read more: Sell My Timeshare NOW Named as Authorized Reseller for Luxury Barbados Resort

Changes to the Marriott timeshare points program were the subject of much speculation long before the new program came into effect late last month. Marriott timeshare owners and prospective owners, however, continue to have questions about how the program actually works.

While there is no indication that guidelines for the program will be revised again in the future, let’s assume that no timeshare program is written in stone and there is a possibility that Marriott could make changes to it. But unless Marriott does implement such changes, future timeshare resale owners cannot participate in the new timeshare points program.

Are You Already a Marriott Timeshare Resale Owner?

If you owned your Marriott timeshare resale before June 21, 2010, then you have the option to join the new points program. Anyone who buys Marriott timeshare resale after that date cannot enroll, and the restriction appears to apply even to anyone who closes on a Marriott timeshare resale after June 21, 2010, even if the transaction commenced before the deadline. You can still buy and sell Marriott timeshare resales, getting great deals and ideal vacation opportunities, but at the time of resale, any Marriott timeshares that are part of the new points system and are closed after the cutoff date, simply revert to deeded timeshare.

Follow this link to learn more about Marriott Vacation Club points through the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program and remember that while not all Marriott timeshare owners are happy with the new program, it is not mandatory to enroll in it, neither is it the only Marriott points program option.

More from The Timeshare Authority Blog:

• Timeshare Points at Marriott Vacation Club are Changing – Timeshare Owners Still Have Questions
• More Details on New Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Timeshare Points

It’s July, and you know what that means, soaring temperatures in many parts of the country. And while beachside timeshares are definitely among the most popular, you don’t always have to visit an ocean to turn your timeshare vacation into something “really cool”. Consider vacationing at a timeshare that includes an on-property water park, where you and your family can relax, splash, slide, and swim without ever leaving the resort.

A few of the timeshares that now offer on-property or adjacent water parks include:

• Massanutten Resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, featuring The Pipeline for surfing; the Frog Pond for tiny swimmers; The Blue Ridge Rapids; Massanutten Meltdown (complete with water cannons); Avalanche Falls; Tube Slides; a hot springs, and more.
• Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida, with the 12-acre River Island water park, designed to appeal to all ages. The massive water park is lush with tropical scenery and offers a 1,200-foot lazy river-style pool and a 168-foot-long waterslide, as only a few of the ways you can beat the heat during your Florida timeshare vacation.
• Split Rock Resort & Golf Club in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, which includes a $23 million, 54,000 indoor water park along with a bowling alley and a theater.
• Wisconsin Dells timeshare, where you can enjoy over twenty indoor and outdoor water parks. Known as the Water Park Capital of the World, the Wisconsin Dells offers more than seventy acres of cool, clean, vacation fun.

And no timeshare resort with water park list would be complete without mentioning Disney’s newest venture currently under construction in Ko Olina, Hawaii, The Aulani Resort, which promises a salt water lagoon for snorkeling, water slides, and a lazy river.

It may be a long hot summer. Why melt down when you can splash down?

Did you tune in this week to hear Dave Thackeray of Today’s Timeshare interviewing Harry Taylor, CEO of TATOC, The Timeshare Association? It was a timely discussion as the United Kingdom Department for Business (BIS) has just announced its upcoming consultation on “how the EU Timeshare Directive will be transpositioned into UK law.”

Harry Taylor talks about ways the timeshare industry can work together creating positive change, and why doing this is so important. As he points out, most people who own timeshare, like timeshare. What they don’t like is not knowing how to sell timeshare they no longer want to own; they want to be a timeshare owner, enjoying the benefits of timeshare, without being responsible for that timeshare product “in perpetuity”.

With a call for the timeshare industry to re-think its products and services, Harry offers great insight and enthusiasm. He also talks about how TATOC is already involved with the UK Department for Business and more ways it will be getting involved in the near future, regarding the EU Timeshare Directive.

If you are interested in the future of timeshares and vacation ownership, you will definitely want to listen to this broadcast. Follow this link to play the podcast now: Play in new window