Are Timeshares Worth It? I’ll Tell You About My Experience in Hawaii

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Thanks to a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Wyndham hotel points, my mom and I were fortunate enough to make a trip to Kauai.  We transferred our Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines for the flights and stayed at the Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu using Wyndham points (although that’s now a Marriott hotel).

My favorite use of the rewards I earn with many of the best credit cards for travel is to vacation with family.  And what better place to relax than Hawaii?

What was particularly interesting about this specific trip though, was that it was my mom’s first experience taking part in a timeshare presentation.  It took a LOT of convincing to get her there.  But after the fact, I’m pretty sure she was happy we’d done it because we both got a free cruise around the Na Pali Coast, Kauai’s most well-known feature!

I’ll share our experience in case you’re ever presented with the opportunity to attend a timeshare presentation.

Attending a Timeshare Presentation In Hawaii

On the second day of our trip to Kauai my mom and I were wandering around downtown Koloa just perusing the shops and grabbing a bite to eat.  At some point, a man approached us asking if we’d like two free tickets for a boat tour of the Na Pali Coast.

Having attended a timeshare presentation before, I knew exactly what he was up to.  But I let him give us the spiel.  We weren’t on any strict itinerary, but I had looked at the cost of various island cruises and knew that they were pricey.  So again, I wanted to see what he had to offer to decide whether it’d be worth our time.

He eventually divulged that he was, in fact, out there to get folks to attend a timeshare presentation.  I asked him when it was, how long it would take, and what they were offering in return.  My mom and I enjoy going to open houses in our hometown, and I told her we could just pretend this was another open house – but we’d get a free cruise out of it in the end!

She was hesitant, but I signed us up anyway.  The presentation was at a nearby resort and it was scheduled to start at 9:30 am.  I figured that would give us plenty of time afterward to still enjoy our day.

What Happened During the Presentation

We decided to walk to the resort from our hotel because exercise helps when you’re faced with a potentially stressful situation. 😉 I reminded my mom that I’d done this before and that the way to survive was to politely say “no” to everything.

Notice I use the word “survive” there.  And I’m not kidding!  Sometimes you feel like you’re swimming with sharks when you’re surrounded by high-pressure salespeople.

During the presentation, they showed us a slideshow of the property and then took us on a tour to view a couple of the rooms at the resort.  I must admit, I wasn’t impressed at all.  And I couldn’t stop thinking to myself, “Why would anyone want to vacation here?”

After the tour, they broke the group up and sat us down at individual tables.  A sales rep then came over to go cover the ins and outs of purchasing a timeshare.  This is when things got a little uncomfortable.  They’d decided that they were going to target my mom and push the sale on her.  Maybe it was her age?  Whatever it was, I ended up having to intervene and basically walk her out of the room.

All in all, we spent just shy of 2 hours there but left with meal vouchers for a nearby seafood restaurant and 2 free tickets for a Na Pali Coast snorkel and sightseeing tour.

If you check prices online you can see that these sorts of tours easily cost $165+ per person.  And including the meal vouchers, we easily saved over $400! 

Was It Worth It?

Meh.  This particular presentation was more intense than others I’ve attended before.  And I feel slightly guilty for subjecting my mom to it.  But the math still works out in my opinion!  So I’d say it was a success.  I can assure you we’d forgotten all about the pushy salesman when we were cruising through the turquoise blue water watching the dolphins pass by!

Have you ever attended a timeshare presentation?  I’d love to hear about your experience below!