Author: Staff Contributor

Cry wolf enough times and people start to ignore you. Let’s hope that’s not what is happening with regard to the new US passport laws. For several years now, the US government has been saying that American travelers to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean will need valid passports to re-enter the country. They have set deadlines, only to delay their enforcement repeatedly because they could not handle the processing overload the new laws created. But June 1, 2009 looks like the ‘real’ deadline.

Unless the rules are delayed yet again (which does not seem likely), beginning next month, US citizens will not be allowed to leave the country without a valid US passport to use when they re-enter the country. So just because your timeshare ownership gives you great exchange privileges at a Mexico timeshare, a Canada timeshare ski resort, or a Caribbean timeshare for sun and surf, doesn’t mean you can take advantage of this unless you have a passport. And the rules apply whether you walk across the border, arrive by plane, or via cruise ship.

Marriott Timeshare Alerting Timeshare Vacationers

Marriott timeshare officials (as well as other timeshare resorts, cruise lines, and hoteliers) have been trying to alert their timeshare owners and timeshare renters, reminding them of the new passport laws.

In an interview with NYDailyNews.com Ed Kinney, vice president at Marriott Vacation Club International, said, “Our Aruba properties are visited by timeshare owners who are typically avid world travelers and who already have their passports. However, we also open our properties to non-owners interested in staying at one of our timeshare properties instead of booking a traditional hotel. When these less-savvy travelers make their reservations, we’ve been alerting them of the new passport regulations to avoid any last-minute problems.”

Kinney adds that he does not anticipate that the new laws will have too much impact on Marriott timeshare owners, explaining, “The people who will be impacted the most are US citizens who don’t currently have a valid passport and who will need to acquire one prior to their next trip. The new rules will help bring consistency and less confusion to international travel.”

Your Mexico Timeshare, Caribbean Timeshare, or Canada Timeshare Vacation

With all the excellent opportunities in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada, don’t be caught off guard over this new passport law. Remember that the price of applying for a US passport also increases on June 1, so if you plan to travel outside the US, now is the time to get your application submitted. And if you get caught in a bind, or find that Caribbean timeshare rental or maybe Mexico timeshare resale that you just can’t resist, there are companies that, for an additional fee, will speed the processing of your passport documents.

In a recently published online article, BabyBoomer-Magazine.com says for seniors who like to travel, a timeshare may be a better option than an expensive hotel room. And just in case that sounds to you like old people on the road, remember that baby boomers include anyone born between 1964 and 1946, and that the typical adventure traveler in the US today is a 47-year-old female.

And here are some of the reasons BabyBoomer-Magazine.com recommends timeshare resorts:

• Timeshares offer worldwide locations.
• Membership (or timeshare exchange company membership) allows access to many different resorts.
• Timeshares give you the flexibility to choose the size unit that fits your needs.
• Variety, variety, variety. As the article says, “There are condominiums on the beach, upscale suites overlooking an award winning golf course, villas secluded by tropical foliage, or a home next to a private lagoon, complete with a private boat dock and swimming beach.”
• Costs are more reasonable for a timeshare (especially if you buy on the timeshare resale market or rent timeshare) than staying in a hotel, and it becomes more cost efficient the longer you stay.
• Timeshare resort tours offer you a great low-cost way to check out the property before you buy.

Timeshare Vacations a Multi-Generational Solution

You’ve read these same facts here on The Timeshare Authority blog many times before, and with the growth of ‘multi-generational’ travel, timeshares seem a better choice than ever. The Family Travel Forum explains that the advent of the sandwich generation (all those families who are caring for aging parents and growing children simultaneously) is one of the factors giving rise to the rapid increases in multi-generational travel.

In 1999, 21 percent of all travel involved grandparents, but that included trips made to visit the grandparents. By 2005, more than 35 percent of all grandparents were taking at least one annual trip that included their grandchildren. And as Tourism ROI tells us, by November 2008, 50 percent of all baby boomers traveling, were traveling with a grandchild.

Multi-generational travel can also ease the cost of the family vacation. When more adults are vacationing together, often the cost per person is reduced as both the parents and the grandparents may be contributing.

Timeshare resales and timeshare rentals have always been a good deal in vacation travel, but consider the possibilities if you share the cost between the parents and the grandparents. It’s another way to keep family vacations affordable and may be the perfect idea if you are already planning to vacation together anyway.

Disney timeshare’s newest accommodations are open at the Disney Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The new Disney timeshare, the Kidani Village, is an extension of the timeshare lodging already available at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The timeshare resort’s name comes from the Swahili word for “necklace” and references the physical layout of the resort.

Of the 340 timeshare units that are part of the resort, approximately 60 percent are now in use. The remaining Disney timeshare units (also called Disney Vacation Club) are scheduled to be available by the end of the summer. By converting the existing rooms within the Animal Kingdom Lodge to timeshares, (a project that is already completed) the property will feature nearly 350 timeshare units at build-out.

What to Expect in a Disney Timeshare at Kidani Village

Timeshare resort amenities include a restaurant that serves African cuisine infused with the flavors of India; a water-play area; and the Samawati Springs Pool that features a 128-foot water slide and two whirlpool spas. Other onsite facilities and services include: a pool bar, merchandise shop, room service, fitness center, arcade, community hall, tennis courts, and valet parking.

Timeshare units at Kidani Village Disney timeshare offer: studios; one-bedroom timeshares, two-bedroom lockoff timeshares; two-bedroom timeshare units; and two-story, three-bedroom grand villas. Occupancy ranges from four to twelve adults.

Disney Timeshare Better than Ever with Group RCI, Timeshare Exchange

Remember that Disney timeshare is now part of Group RCI, which gives Disney Vacation Club members access to non-Disney timeshare resorts through timeshare exchange at RCI, as well as allowing owners at other timeshare resorts to exchange their timeshare weeks or timeshare points for a Disney resort.

To learn more about timeshare exchange for Disney timeshare through Group RCI, visit The Timeshare Authority post: Disney Vacation Club Timeshare to Affiliate with Group RCI

And for a YouTube video tour of the new Disney Timeshare Kidani Village, click here:

Spain is always a popular destination for vacationers from the US and the UK, and Spain timeshare is typically some of the most beautiful in the world. This year, Spain timeshare is looking more attractive than ever.

At last week’s Loving Andalucía British Tourist Trade Forum, held in the beautiful port city of Malaga in southern Spain, Spanish Tourist Board Director, Ignacio Vasallo, said that the region, including the Costa del Sol, welcomed nearly half a million British vacationers in the first quarter of 2009. This represents an 18 percent decline over last year and tourism officials think it reflects how the pound is struggling against the Euro. Overall, UK visitors to Spain have declined by 17.7 percent over last year.

During the conference, officials urged some 100 Spanish hoteliers in attendance not to raise prices to compensate for the decline in bookings, but instead to lower them to help balance the challenges of exchange rates. Logical advice, but often hard to follow when hotel management must find a way to pay bills, just like everyone else.

Travel Weekly UK reports that travel and tourism industry experts including the Association of Independent Tour Operators’ Derek Moore says, “Spanish hoteliers had already been too slow to react to the economic crisis, which took off last autumn by refusing to reduce prices then. ‘The damage has already been done’.“

Monarch Group’s overseas director and head of purchasing, Hugh Morgan agreed: “A lot of hoteliers have been really complacent, they take the view that the British will come. They’ve taken us for granted.“

Spain Timeshares are an Obvious Consumer Solution, Especially Spain Timeshare Resales

When the big picture deals with economic recession on a global level and the challenges of exchange rates, you are dealing with problems that are not quickly resolved. As corporations, economists, and political leaders struggle to find solutions, an immediate answer for helping the consumer is already available and waiting.

Spain timeshare resales and Spain timeshare for rent are an attractive, affordable vacation accommodation option. The prices are competitive, the resorts are elegant, and the charm of a vacation to Spain can be too tempting to pass up.

Whether hotel rooms in Spain hold their price or hoteliers are forced to bring prices down in order to continue to fill beds, hotels are not likely to ever be genuinely comparable with the opportunities in Spain timeshare resales and Spain timeshare for rent.