Hello! I got a telemarketing call from Hilton the other day trying to sell me a 3 night stay voucher for $199 (which she discounted again to $149 and included some kind of gift card). They include the Bonnet Creek and Lake Buena Vista Hiltons in the deal. You have to sit through a time share presentation as part of the promo rate. I am generally nice to telemarketers because I did that for a summer during college (no better way to get comfortable talking on the phone IMHO!) but said no and always say no to that kind of thing.
But then I got to thinking…
My BFF turns 40 this year and we have always talked about a moms only trip. I wouldn’t do a time share promo as a way to get a discounted vacation if I was with my family, but for an adults trip… And we could try hacking a convention ticket as well… Along with the companion voucher in my Delta account I have to use by Jan 2023… could be a super cheap super fun trip??
Has anyone done the time share promo thing to stay in a DS area Hilton? How long and painful is the presentation and do they give you lunch, and is it on site at the hotel or do you have to go somewhere and be trapped? Do you like the DS area Hiltons? Is this a crazy idea?
I can’t answer directly, hopefully someone has the experience you’re looking for, but I can tell you a little about the Hilton promo I did in a different location. If you’re staying in the DS area you will likely have to travel to one of the timeshare locations which is where they’ll have their sales office and they’ll want to give you a tour [there are three HGVC in the Orlando area]. You’ll arrange the time of the presentation before the trip and you’ll have some flexibility on when you go. There’s a time requirement (60 or 90 min I can’t remember) and you can be firm with them about leaving at the end of the time but by the time you include travel to/from and check-in you’re looking at a chunk of time. I haven’t found the Hilton folks to be too bad- I’ve done it twice- but their job is to sell you on the timeshare. No lunch but probably some snacks.
Yes! That was my gateway WDW visit back in 2015! So I have done it, but it was a long time ago.
First, that location is great. It is a very short walk to Disney Springs - you can"t get any closer. The buses to the parks are reliable - though each bus goes to two parks amd they run every thirty minutes. I would stay here again if looking for an offsite property.
This was exactly my experience. I got to choose the day and if it would be morning or aternoon. They did not areange our travel, we had to get there so took an Uber. So add travel time - just assume the half day is shot…
Agree with this. I have never had them pull the mega guilt trips, but theu are friendly and persistent. When your amswer is a firm no, they will try to sell you a one time vacation, so be ready to say no to that too. At the beginning they will tell you what is exoected of you, and then what you will get in return. Feel free to set your watch when the pitch starts and then politely tell them you are finished when the time is up.
The prices are great - if it gets you an extra trip I say do it!
Is the time requirement something that you learn on the front end when you buy the discount package, or something that you are told at the event? We are both attorneys and will be looking to enforce the fine print
I remember sitting through some of these as a kid / being at a kids club while my parents attended. Wondering if having a car would help if the actual presentation is in a different location (or if that negates the cost savings lol). My BFF is DVC (she has taken over her moms DVC) so would get parking at the parks for free (do I have that right???) and I think the Hilton package includes hotel fees (not sure about parking fees but would ask).
You should be able to get that information on the front end- be sure to get the answer before you buy the package! Also, it occurred to me after my last response that if you’re married they will likely require your spouse to attend the presentation. Depending on your situation that could make it a no-go for a BFF trip.
We did it 15-16 years ago as our first multi-day DIS trip. So I’m sure some things have changed, but overall it sounds much the same. First the Hilton is a nice business type hotel and well located by DS. We arranged the presentation Saturday morning - both my wife and I had to go - we knew how long it would take up front. They provided transportation then but that was before Uber/Lyft was a thing. The advice to plan on it killing a half day is probably right - think we struggled to meet someone at MK by 11 IIRC. Overall it wasn’t a terrible sales experience - not high pressure - just sucked away time from what you really wanted to be doing…
The biggest downside is the bus service to the parks is once an hour - if staying there now I would likely just plan on Uber/Lyft to the parks…
Yes both of us are married and leaving husbands at home. Hmm… I guess we could either say we are single or married to each other? What do they do if you show up and don’t have your family in tow, or don’t show up at all? Charge your card?
I haven’t stayed there yet, but I bought one. Originally we were to do that as park of a split-stay for our DisneyWorld trip. They were fine about us postponing it. It was during the covid-stuff and we didn’t have a new date yet. Maybe they thought we might forget about it. Our DW plans changed and we wanted to stay elsewhere, and they were perfectly fine with us changing locations. We had to pay a slight upgrade price since Carlsbad, CA is more expensive. I can’t speak to the stay since we haven’t stayed there yet.
We are also supposed to be getting a $200 Hilton voucher for somewhere else, and a dining credit of some amount. Although, those offers change.
Yes I think the $200 extra is Hilton credit (I was hoping it was something we could use while there but it is for a future stay). When I was looking at the Orlando promotions, the presentations are at different locations than the Hiltons at DS, and you don’t find out until you get there which one, so that may be something to look into and factor in. If we have to pay for rental car or Uber (so as not to rely on them if we aren’t planning to buy) then that kind of defeats the cost savings to do this. For us anyway (assuming I could even find a way to attend without my husband without being penalized).
