Drink Check
 

Be nice. Looks like PLF had a tough night.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2307056/detail.html

Drink Check
 

That's why we keep him around.

That and his impeccable taste, love of spinning hippie girls, and disgust for people who misuse "irony."

QUESTION
 

My parents have one of the Marriott things. Last year they combined their two weeks so the whole family could go together to Park City. I can't speak to the cost issues, since I wasn't paying, but the accommodations were just okay--hotel-room feel rather than condo feel. However, if we'd just rented a house we wouldn't have had access to the great pool/hot tubs etc., and we wouldn't have had rooms shouting distance from the lift for the alpine slide. There are tradeoffs.

tm

Drink Check
 

True. But can anything make a pleasingly trivial conversation that ambles into a long discussion on foreign policy or the need for health care reform more palatable, spirited, and free than a couple of drinks?

I think not.

QUESTION
 

Meaningless lawyerly intro: you might like it, depending on your needs.

My SO's parents had a Marriott timeshare and last I heard, they were planning to sell it. I think they didn't find it to be worth the cost because they didn't get as much use out of it as they anticipated. That's probably because when they travelled, they had specific places in mind that they wanted to go to, and specific times that they wanted to go.

If you just want to be able to use it once a year and would be happy with any one of a number of different tropical/ski/metropolitan destinations, you might find it to be worthwhile.

We used the timeshare one August for a week in Puerto Vallarta. We were flexible about our destination and the week we traveled, so it worked out nicely. As I recall we had a surprisingly good selection of places from which to choose -- including Maui, Aruba, Paris (suprising for August). Of course all the places were on the Internet, so we weren't flying blind. I picked PV only because I couldn't coordinate affordable airline tix to any of the other places, and we ended up getting there on frequent flyer miles. Call me a prole, but it was the perfect vacation.

The place (a 1 bedroom apartment) was great -- not ultra luxurious and not decorated to my taste, but clean, comfortable, and waterfront (the sunsets were incredible). The resort itself had all we needed, including a concierge who arranged all of our water sports and outings, etc., internet access, pools, bars, restaurant, etc. Having a full outfitted kitchen was enormously convenient, even though we ate most of our meals out. It spoiled us for staying in cramped hotel rooms without even a fridge to keep some fruit or juice in.

If you want more details I can talk to my SO's parents and PM you.

Drink Check
 

Yeesh. Maybe you need fewer drinks and more interesting friends. ;)

Edited to add: last night we discussed the texas law firm scandals, tennis, the nba draft, 4th of july parties, alcohol preferences, and took bets on which women the single guy would be taking home.

Drink Check
 

How many women did he end up taking home? I need more interesting friends, too.

Drink Check
 

Two.

Drink Check
 

How many contenders were there?

I definitely need more interesting friends. Living vicariously through the friends of imaginary internet friends (we are friends, right?) is a just little too attenuated!

Drink Check
 

deleted because the picture won't load, and I have no other point than the picture

QUESTION
 

I haven't been to the meeting. I was looking online. I've heard different things from different people. Some say they love their timeshare, others, like you think it's a waste. The opinions definitely vary widely.

And Marriott was just what I was looking at. I hear RCI is big too.

TM

Drink Check
 

There were two single women in the entire bar.

He made late plans with the one with whom he already had an arrangement, and took the other home while the rest of us split for various dinner obligations. Quick work for happy hour, but he is a professional.

K Day
 

Anyone notice that today should be a K day for both the politics board (where everyone else was left chasing the Trane) and the FB? Has this ever happened before? This is too much excitement for the day before a holiday. No doubt just as exciting a time as was had by that young man at the bar.

QUESTION
 

Well, I'm going to agree with others who have said that it depends on your lifestyle. If you go skiing at the same place every winter then it may be worth it. But really, we did the math and for what they want for "initial fee" "change fee" "maintenance fee" etc., we calculated that we currently spend less than that per year. And we usually stay at Marriotts and Hiltons for the points. We've taken the tours through the condos and they are very nice, we just didn't like the confinement of staying at the same place or hassle of paying a change fee to stay in another place. We're more the Expedia - let's go in 2 weeks kind of people.

QUESTION
 

Have a friend who has parents who have owned them and traded for other time shares, they have loved it.