Timeshare Information

Timeshare Gems

Vacations You Dream About!

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The Timeshare Gems
T.U.L.I.P.
(Timeshare User Learning and
Information Program)

The TULIP program covers most of the important aspects of timesharing. It will give you an excellent overview of timeshares, units, exchanging, all of the basics. We will be expanding the program as we go along and adding new features often.

Why we think timesharing is great

Timesharing is a great way to have a certain level of vacation, with a huge amount of flexibility built in for a very low price. There are literally thousands of resorts around the world that, as a timeshare owner, we have access to. Yes, we own timeshares ourselves and use them for vacations. My next one is going to be at the Sapphire Beach Club, in St. Maarten. For an exchange fee of $170 I traded a week on the beach, in Maryland, in February, for July in St. Maarten in the fabulous Caribbean. I booked a second banked week with Interval World for only $149.00!! Two weeks at 5 Star/Gold Crown resorts for under $350. Unbelievable? Not if you talk to the people at Timeshare Gems!

Timeshare is the best way to ensure vacations while also being able to control some of the costs involved in a vacation.

Timeshare Basics

Exchanging

This is the reason most people buy a timeshare; the ability to trade it for a comparable week somewhere else is the world. Let's say you own week six in Park City, Utah. Your personal timeshare is a 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bath townhouse that sleeps 10 in beds. Your resort is a Gold Crown resort in the RCI system.

Your family decides that nine cold winters in Utah are their limit, and next year they want you to take them The Florida Keys. They want a suntan instead of windburn. If you are a member of one of the timeshare trading organizations, you can trade your week for thousands of units around the world. Sometimes getting your ideal resort has to be planned. But the flexibility is amazing. Your Gold Crown unit in Utah should trade for something very nice in The Keys, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and plenty of other warm climates. The following year you are free to go back to Utah and start another nine year run in the snow.

The BIG players

	RCI - Resort Condominiums International - They have thousands of member resorts.
	II - Interval International - They also have thousands of member resorts
	Fairfield and other large companies

Timeshare Awards

	Gold Crown Resort, RCI - A select number of RCI-affiliated resorts that have attained the highest level of excellence in resort accommodations and hospitality.
	5 Star - 5 Stars is the very best resorts that II has to offer.
	RID - Resort of International Distinction. These are resorts that have achieved high ratings. They are a step above a regular unit, and a step below a Gold Crown Unit. RIDs are only found at RCI affiliated resorts.

Timeshare Colors

RCI and II have their own color systems to make it quite easy to read the status level of a unit.

	Red in either system is the very best weeks that resort has to offer. You will also notice lots of resorts that list themselves as Red from January 1 to December 31. There are always some weeks within a color that are better than others depending on the individual owners needs.
	White (RCI) - Yellow (II) Usually decent weeks but they obviously don't have the appeal that Red weeks do. These weeks can be good trading weeks. Especially if you have a week in a place in high demand, or a special unit.
	Blue (RCI) - Green (II) The lowest rung on the ladder. Off season weeks that can be gems! That's right. Traded far enough in advance, or at the last minute, these weeks can be excellent for exchange purposes. But you have to be more creative.

How to capitalize on timesharing

The best way is to plan in advance. The next best way is to be very flexible. Timesharing has literally thousands if not millions of people involved with it each day. Vacations are planned, some are cancelled. With the internet you can reserve weeks and plan vacations. Of course both RCI and II provide live people on toll free numbers to answer any questions you might have.

Need more info?

Timeshare Gems Contact Page

or check out these pages:

RCI frequently asked timeshare questions

Interval International frequently asked timeshare questions

RCI - Timeshare Common Terms