Well, we’ve decided that we just can’t afford the vacation to Miami in May. I’m very bummed, but we need to be fiscally responsible right now, and spending $1K+ on a vacation is not the way to do it.
The timeshare thing is weird though – I’m having problems. When we originally received the Premium Bonus Week and booked it, we had minor issues because they couldn’t find the redemption code in their system. But they made the reservation for us anyway, marking in there the promotion we were using (free red week anytime anywhere through December 2006).
So today when I called to find out about cancelling the reservation but using the week later in the year, the woman on the phone said that if we cancelled we’d only be able to rebook through June. I explained that the original Premium Bonus Week offer said through December 2006. She mumbled something about how the week we have booked is off-limits to most timeshare owners because it’s a “hurricane week”, meaning it is strictly to be used for those who own timeshares in locations that suffered from the hurricanes and could not use their timeshares because of the damage.
She put me on hold for a few minutes then came back and told me to call my parents (who technically “gave” us the timeshare even though we are considered the owners in deed) and find out how they got the bonus week. I spoke to Mom and she said that the week was given as a gift for buying the timeshare week in the first place and recommended I call the timeshare directly to find out details on the bonus week they gave us.
I’ll do that later today. In the meantime, we have a couple options – my mom said that if we have to rebook through June, they would take the week for us, return our $199 deposit to us, and take a trip sometime in the next few months. And if we have the opportunity to rebook through December then I may transfer it over to my sister and her husband so they can go somewhere themselves since they enjoyed their honeymoon so much (also a timeshare).
Either way for us it means we’re not going anywhere anytime soon, but that’s okay. I’m glad to know that we’re being responsible.
