Oh man pp that sounds painful. Like constructive kidnapoing.

I though the timeshare idea was brilliant when I was in Mexico a few years ago. Going to it would give is free tickets to Xcaret. I assumed we would listen to a presentation then say No and be on our way. It was not like that at all.

We were picked up from our resort in a bus and driven almost an hour away, stopping along the way to pick up other unsuspecting tourists. Taken to a really nice resort where we had a tour one on one with a salesperson. The tour was probably a good hour. It was a family resort and we kept trying to say it probably wouldnt work for us as a gay couple because we preferred adults only vacations, We didn't want any awkward looks from kids while holding hands etc.
After they tour we were sat down in a large conference type room and the sales pitch began in ernest. First one person came over and tried to sell it, then another one, then another one. Each time they dropped the price and made is seem like we were getting an amazing deal. It was probably another hour and totally draining. We stood our ground and they seemed super pissed off.
We couldnt leave until all the people that were on our bus were ready.

So we wasted about 4-5 hours total time of our vacation to get the free tickets.

I would never do it again.

We camp. We are cheap. We have the gear, and we love it. Once I packed a certain way (in tubs, in an organized area of my basement), the prep time went way down and it became enjoyable.

That said, we have a Marriott credit card and a Chase Reserve credit card. The points from these two things (we charge everything and pay it off every month) pay for our trips. We don't take annual expensive trips, mind you. But we do take trips with airplanes and hotels and we pay for none of it.

Hope that helps! I am not offended by your title. I'm with you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the time share presentation idea is clever, especially dragging along 3 kids. Great excuse to get out of there (sorry, the kids are hungry/tired).

So I've never been to a timeshare presentation and didn't realize you could get a hotel somewhere for free. If you say had active two year old twins with you as pp suggested, would that cut down the time wasted for the presentation?

Wondering the same thing, hypothetically, except with twins who are a bit older. Also, do these timeshare companies share names or can you get away with this more than once?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the time share presentation idea is clever, especially dragging along 3 kids. Great excuse to get out of there (sorry, the kids are hungry/tired).

So I've never been to a timeshare presentation and didn't realize you could get a hotel somewhere for free. If you say had active two year old twins with you as pp suggested, would that cut down the time wasted for the presentation?

No, the sales guys could care less. They will keep talking. In fact, having a 2 yr old backfires bc the sales guy will put pressure on you to just sign the forms so you can finally leave with your bored toddler.

Someone has already mentioned Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster Co. PA. Good for young kids. Also nearby is the Pennsylvania Railway Museum and the Strasburg Railway where you can ride to Paradise.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think that DW is a vacation, lol. At least, not for the parents.

How about exploring cities within driving distance like Philly, Richmond, Atlanta, Greenville SC, etc.

I'm a parent, and I LOVE DW. It's so manageable with little kids, plus there's other fun little kid stuff in and around Lancaster. Depending on the ages of the kids, Hershey is good too (and you can usually find discount tickets somewhere).

Also, agree with OP about camping - not interested, not going to do it.

Anonymous wrote:I've reported the title.
Not cute, funny or okay OP. But you knew that already.

Lol, you the poster who tells every one that you are reporting their threads? Yet Jeff never deletes them, lol.

Anonymous wrote:Here's what we do: staycation but hire a nanny for part of the week. That way DH also get time to ourselves while the nanny takes the kids to fun events. Best thing ever!!

Meant to write "DH and I"

Here's what we do: staycation but hire a nanny for part of the week. That way DH also get time to ourselves while the nanny takes the kids to fun events. Best thing ever!!

Go on to Google maps and look at the small beach towns. You can find amazing deals in little tiny towns south of OBX but north of Charleston and then south of Charleston down through parts of Florida (Amelia Island, St. Augustine etc).
Take some puzzles, games and movies with you to do at night, play on the beach, the pool, you can pack a cooler with meals ready to go.. we take our bikes with us everywhere.

When we went to Blue-Green resort, we learned that in some states it's actually illegal to make people sit through the presentation -- and it goes by where you're from, not where the timeshare is. The people from Maryland got to go to some desk and pick up a brochure, but didn't have to sit through the presentation.

Usually there's a slide show and then you have to talk to two salespeople. Depending on how rude you're comfortable being, you can get the people to only talk for five or ten minutes, and that way you're out of there in an hour and a half. Bring the kids along, let them scream and eat the free donuts.

Anonymous wrote:I think the time share presentation idea is clever, especially dragging along 3 kids. Great excuse to get out of there (sorry, the kids are hungry/tired).

So I've never been to a timeshare presentation and didn't realize you could get a hotel somewhere for free. If you say had active two year old twins with you as pp suggested, would that cut down the time wasted for the presentation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We often went to a place near Wilmington, NC but I've since learned it has been massively developed, whereas 30 years ago it was pretty pristine.

Wrightsville is hyper fancy and expensive now, but quite nice despite development. if you can deal with traffic/parking situation, you can stay on the cheap in wilmington and drive to the beach. topsail beach is much cheaper, and not as popular, but has suffered more from the development (e.g. - they can't afford to do much about the beach erosion there). Carolina Beach is overdeveloped and a bit ruined. though maybe fun for little kids.

Kure Beach is next to Carolina Beach and very inexpensive compared to OBX, but its also a little...seedier?

Is it crazy to be paranoid about the beaches near Cape Fear after all the pig farm floods this fall?

You can pick up the Room Saver coupon books at rest stops. They're free and you can find some pretty good deals on hotel rooms.