Author: Staff Contributor

More than 120 representatives of the timeshare sales and timeshare resales industry met June 2-3 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to learn how they can play a proactive role in saving the environment.

The event was the 2008 ARDA New England Regional Meeting, and was opened by Ray Sirois, IT Director for Wright-Pierce, a civil engineering firm in Topsham, Maine. Sirois is one of approximately 2000 people worldwide who have been trained to give the presentation about climate change that Al Gore gave in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Here are some of the disturbing facts that Sirois shared with the group:

• Nine of the past ten years have been the hottest on record.
• At the current rate of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, Massachusetts will have the same climate as present-day South Carolina and sea level will rise by 2 feet by the end of the century.
• Nationwide, the production of electricity is the number one contributor to greenhouse gasses; but in New England, transportation is the number one culprit.
• Researchers at Princeton estimate that carbon emissions can be cut in half by 2050 by using technologies that already exist, but need to be put into place. The solution must include a combination of technologies (solar power, wind power, etc.) because the problem is so great and so pervasive.

The message was clearly that the time for change is now. Timeshare companies must step up as leaders in the hotel and leisure industry to show that we are taking responsible actions ourselves, and that we are setting an example for timeshare buyers, sellers, and timeshare renters.

To read the full Sell My Timeshare NOW press release on the meeting, follow this link.

And in case you have missed seeing An Inconvenient Truth, here is a YouTube link to the film’s trailer.

Sadly, I have been updating you on the news, and often the lack of news, about the Royal Oasis timeshare resort for more than three years. Here are links to the blog posts written within the past year on this subject. Their titles alone suggest that most of the news about this struggling timeshare resort has not been good.

• Uncertain News about Royal Oasis Timeshare Resort
• Royal Oasis Timeshare Resort: A Litany of Problems
• Important Information for Royal Oasis Timeshare Owners
• Updates about Royal Oasis Timeshare
• Optimistic News about Bahamas Timeshare Resales
• Recent Announcement Regarding Royal Oasis Timeshare
• The Other Victims of the Royal Oasis Timeshare Owners Fiasco

The short version of the problem is that hurricane damaged suffered in 2004 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for this already struggling timeshare resort and resulted in its closing. Workers, timeshare owners, and all the ancillary network of people connected to the timeshare resort, such as vendors and suppliers, were all deeply (and negatively) affected.

In February, it seemed there was a ray of hope for Royal Oasis timeshare owners, when the property owners, Harcourt Development announced that Foxwoods Development Company (FDC) would manage the Royal Oasis timeshare resort property. But as of yet, the Royal Oasis has not reopened.

Now, in an unusual twist, the owners at Royal Oasis have found a way to annoy timeshare owners at a different property—one that isn’t even owned by them!

Unhappy Timeshare Owners Protest at Royal Oasis Timeshare Resort

This week, timeshare owners from the Freeport Resort and Club, protested in front of the Royal Oasis timeshare resort. The Freeport Resort and Club is a charming timeshare resort located about 300 yards from the Royal Oasis timeshare property. And therein lies the problem.

For many years, the timeshare owners at the Freeport Resort and Club were permitted to use a walking path that leads from their resort to the famous shops and open market, the International Bazaar. They have also had direct access to the beach, and playing privileges at two golf courses. But all of this is being denied because of the closing at the Royal Oasis timeshare property.

According to a report in the Freeport NEWS, Freeport Resort and Club President Jack Grobowsky, alleges that, “…certain rights of the timeshare owners have been taken away and they have been trying for more than four years to have those rights restored, but nothing has been done.”

Timeshare owners at the Freeport Resort and Club believe they were guaranteed these rights in the Bahamia Prospectus, and that golf privileges and the replacement of the former Bahamia Beach Club path are not being adhered to per the terms of the Prospectus.

Grobowsky explained, “We are here because we love Freeport and we know that it is not the Bahamian people that is doing this. It is the fault of developers who choose not to deliver on their promises and we believe that the Port Authority and the government make them follow through with the promises they make…We simply want our privileges and amenities returned to us, especially the shortcut access to the International Bazaar.”

Hope for Freeport Resort and Club Timeshare Owners

The Freeport Resort and Club timeshare consists of 52 timeshare condos in 6 circular buildings, which architecturally, could probably be classified as Midcentury Modern. The resort is not palatial, instead it is quaint and appealing with a beach décor and plantation shutters on the wall of windows that surround each timeshare unit. Ceiling fans and rattan furniture tell you this is a place to track in a little sand, laze by the pool, or try your hand in the kitchen making conch fritters with the fresh seafood you bought from a street vendor.

Obviously many Freeport Resort and Club timeshare owners love their vacation ownership, and for plenty of good reasons. If you are interested in owing timeshare at a casual resort in the Bahamas, this might be the perfect place for you, and I wouldn’t let the issue over the walking path or even the golf access be a showstopper.

Earlier this week CanadianBusiness.com published an article on timeshares and timeshare resales, written by D G Southen. I wasn’t familiar with Southen’s writing before, but he sure captured my attention with an article entitled, “Confessions of a Timeshare Junkie.”

Southen blames the bad reputation that sometimes haunts timeshare sales on, “…the dubious ways they’re sold. Developers entice you to presentations with come-ons such as ski-lift tickets, cheap accommodation, even cash — and once you’re seated, the developer’s sales staff put the hard sell on you.”

Then he goes on to explain how he has avoided the heavy-handed developer sales approach, and at the same time, avoided paying too much for timeshare. He buys timeshare resales! As Southen explains, “Instead of paying thousands for the rights to spend a week once a year in a resort condo, I’ve paid as little as $150. I have an annual March Break reservation in Grand Cayman where I bought into a gorgeous 110 sq m (1,200 sq. ft.), two-storey unit with full eat-in kitchen, three full baths, two bedrooms and a full balcony overlooking the ocean. I paid less than $2,000 for it — and I can use it every year for the rest of my life.”

I’m quoting the author’s words exactly, because I simply could not explain the opportunities for timeshare ownership and fabulous vacations that timeshare resales affords, any better myself. Southen writes about attending a timeshare presentation and turning down the $8000 timeshare week offered at a ski resort, only to buy the same thing shortly thereafter as a timeshare resale for the ‘whopping’ price of $865.

Valuable Insights for Buying Timeshare Resales

What makes this author such an authority? He’s owned 20 timeshares, and he admits that sometimes he has made buying mistakes. So here’s a summary of this self-proclaimed timeshare junkie’s do’s and don’ts:

Buy at a resort where you want to vacation. Southen’s says it’s easier than buying elsewhere and trying to exchange timeshare for the location you prefer.

If your heart is set on timeshare exchange, buy timeshare at a resort that has properties in different parts of the country or different parts of the world. That way, you’ll be exchanging within a brand’s own network of timeshare resorts.

Shop around. While Southen suggests eBay, I suggest a timeshare advertising and marketing company, like Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Research maintenance fees. Timeshare maintenance fees that are too high will keep coming around to bite you, making your good deal not so good. Fees that are too low suggest a timeshare resort is not keeping up with repairs and necessary updates to the property.

And lastly, the author advises you to be patient about timeshare closings. Expect them to take at least three months.

To learn more about safe and economical ways to buy timeshare, read “Timeshare Resale Buyers FAQ,” from Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Perennial timeshare resort favorite, Orange Lake, makes Sell My Timeshare NOW’s HOT 100 list as property number 98. Located in Kissimmee, Florida, approximately 25 miles from Orlando International Airport, beautiful Orange Lake is a timeshare resort oasis at the hub of Central Florida’s favorite tourist attractions.

So close to the Walt Disney World vacation area, part of the Orange Lake timeshare resort property borders Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Of course, the many on-property amenities are all some vacationers ever need, which makes Orange Lake timeshares and timeshare resales a perfect choice for family vacations or reunions that call for lots of recreation options at one location.

At Orange Lake timeshare resort you will find a 120-seat movie theater, an arcade, mini-golf, pools (including a lazy river style pool), restaurants, sports bar, fishing, boating, waterskiing, tennis, an exercise room, whirlpool, playground, live entertainment, and outstanding golf.

Orange Lake’s East Village Timeshare Resales for Your Next Golf Vacation

The golf alone is plenty of reason to become an Orange Lake timeshare owner or plan a timeshare rental vacation there. Courses include the nine-hole Crane’s Bend, a beautiful executive course that winds around the lake; The Reserve, an eighteen-hole course, recently redesigned, and formerly known as The Resort Course; and the showpiece at Orange Lake: The Legends Course.

The Legends Course is an eighteen-hole masterpiece. Designed by Arnold Palmer, The Legends includes both links style holes and classic fairways lined with oaks and pine. The course plays 7,072 yards from the back tees and is both challenging and beautiful. And since Central Florida is home to more professional golfers than anywhere else in the world, don’t be surprised when you run into some of the pros tuning up their game on this first-rate course.

What to Expect at Your Orange Lake East Timeshare

The timeshare condos at Orange Lake East are studios, or one, two, and three-bedroom timeshare units. A three-bedroom timeshare condo sleeps up to 12 people and has dining table seating for six. Each of the three bedrooms has a television, plus there is a television in the living area. Two-bedroom timeshare condos are designed to accommodate up to eight people, while a one-bedroom timeshare at Orange Lake East sleeps up to four adults. Each timeshare unit has a washer and dryer and a fully equipped kitchen. Many have spa tubs and in-room safes. A baby crib is available at no charge. If you need a second crib, there is a $20 per week (or $5 per day) charge.

Options in Orange Lake Timeshare Ownership

Orange Lake timeshare resorts can also be found in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Ascutney, Vermont; and Panama City, Florida. For more choices in timeshare exchange, Orange Lake timeshare is part of RCI and available for exchange by timeshare owners who are current RCI members.

Orange Lake timeshare resort in Orlando/Kissimmee is divided into four complexes: Orange Lake’s East Village; Orange Lake’s North Village; Orange Lake’s River Island; and Orange Lake’s West Village. Excellent opportunities are available in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at each of these complexes through Sell My Timeshare NOW.

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Want to know what it’s like to play The Reserve course at Orange Lake timeshare resort? Here’s a hole-by-hole fly over from YouTube: