Today, Holiday Inn Club Vacations goes online with their newest program. From their press release "Starting today, travelers who are seeking a richer vacation experience can rent vacation villas online at www.hiclubvacations.com, a dedicated website where consumers can book a spacious one-, two- or three-bedroom villa just like they would any Holiday Inn hotel room."

In addition, owners of Orange Lake Country Club will have benefits from the Holiday Inn franchise. Everyone will benefit: Orange Lake owners, Holiday Inn Club owners, and the general public. It will combine the availability of RCI resorts (4,000 resorts), Holiday Inn Club some 4,100 hotels, plus the direct availability of Orange Lake resorts.

Orange Lake Country Club has long been one of my favorites. Not only is it well located near all the Orlando attractions like Walt Disney World, Sea World, Epcot, and Universal Studios, but it has one of the most fabulous on site pool complexes in Florida. Orange Lake also happens to be one of our best selling timeshares on the resales market. So, you really can't go wrong with this improved owners' package of benefits - especially when you buy your timeshare at a discount.

Check out these deals on Orange Lake Country Club timeshares for sale by owners!

By the lake at Orange Lake Country Club, timeshare in Orlando Florida.

Announced by the Orlando Sentinel, as of January 1st, 2009 Disney timeshare owners will be exchanging their DVC points with RCI. They will be able to use their DVC points for exchanges within RCI and RCI's 3.6 million members will now be able to trade into a Disney timeshare.

This is huge news, especially for those who are members of RCI. Sure reservations may be tough to get, but the possibilities are great. And, as you can imagine, owning a Disney Vacation Club timeshare will carry significant exchanging abilities with other RCI resorts.

Disney Vacation Club presently offers the following resorts:

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

Disney's Beach Club Villas

Disney's BoardWalk Villas

Disney's Old Key West Resort

Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

But, whatever you do, don't run out and pay a retail price for a DVC timeshare. Buy your lifetime of dream Disney vacations at a significant discount through the timeshare pro's at www.rpmls.com .  They have the experience, size, and systems to get the job done - and with a personal touch.

Disney's Beach Club Villas timeshare

"What is my timeshare worth?" "Do I need an appraisal on my timeshare before I sell it?" "What is my timeshare's value?" I hear these questions and other variations of it every day. Everyone who is thinking of selling their timeshare wants and needs an answer in order to come up with the best strategy for selling their timeshare.

Stroman Realty, Inc's website www.timesharelink.com has an in depth study of that very issue. You can find the entire article here: "Setting your timeshare sales price".

Long held industry advice is that the average timeshare will sell for about 25% to 50% of the current retail price from the resort developer. The problem with averages is just that - they are averages. An average will not take into account specific locations, supply and demand, amenities, developer's reputation, and many other things.  For example, a timeshare that gives you a fixed week during peak ski season in Breckenridge will be worth more than the same unit and resort during off season. Or, a Manhattan Club timeshare that guarantees you New Year's eve will be worth more than the same timeshare two weeks earlier.

The quality of service the resort gives to the owners also comes into play. Interval International and RCI rate their resorts with the quality of service being a large factor in deciding if they are a Gold Crown or Five Star timeshare. That will also influence the value of a timeshare when you get ready to sell it.

How about "a room with a view"? The article found at www.timesharelink.com says "A room with a view is not limited to areas near the beach or ocean. Some resorts may have rooms on one wing that is obstructed by another building while an adjoining wing may have a view of the downtown area. A resort may also have multiple views where one area of the resort gives owners a view of a mountain landscape, while another view overlooks a lake or the heart of the city."

Ultimately the value of a timeshare is in the memories of great vacations you have enjoyed by owning it. But when it comes time to sell it, it is harder to put a dollar amount on those memories. And, what if you never even used the timeshare? You'd have little or no emotional investment in it and would likely just prefer to get rid of it.

Either way, take a look at the guide I mentioned if you need help in figuring out what your timeshare is worth. Now that would be time well spent!

Last week RCI announced it was adding two more timeshare resorts to their collection in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. These resorts are Vista Royale Resort and Encantada.  The news article describes them as being in the RCI Points program. The president and CEO of RCI Group claims that they have over 4,000 resorts, 60,000 vacation rental properties, and more than 1 million subscribing members.  (source)

While RCI continues to dominate the timeshare exchange world, how are those "1 million subscribing members" doing?  And, where did those 60,000 "vacation rental properties" come from? For the most part, they get good reviews from happy timeshare exchanging members.  But where do all our/your banked weeks end up when you don't get what you request?  And, are those our weeks on redweek.com, travelocity.com, expedia.com, weather.com, vrbo.com, and all the other online travel brokers?

And, who controls what those "points" are worth today, next year, or ten years from now?

That week #1 in Acapulco is starting to look better and better. When you buy a timeshare, consider your usage rights, location, amenities, and chances that you will use that resort many times for your vacation or holiday.  That, in the long run, will be your better value.

Just my 2 cents.

Your thoughts?

As summer approaches, many families find themselves without a plan for their much needed and deserved vacation. School is almost out, kids are already day dreaming about sleeping late and having summer fun. Chances are at this late date, finding a good deal in a great place are dwindling fast. If you were a timeshare owner the plans would already be made and an awesome condo would be waiting for you in Destin, Tahoe, Cabo or even in Hawaii or Europe. Owning a timeshare can save you money buying tomorrow's vacations with today's dollars.

Most resorts offer far more amenities than your typical hotel in addition to much nicer units with full kitchens and even washers, dryers and fireplaces.

Timeshare is here to stay with Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Wyndham and Disney -- some of the major timeshare players in today's industry. Not only do you get your very own Condo year after year but you have access to try new places. Most timeshare resorts are included in an exchange company (Interval International or RCI) affiliated with hundreds of resorts to trade into when you want to try a new destination.

Don't let it happen to you again next year--when there are many excellent choices to choose from.

-Posted by Ed