VacationVip.com is a discount travel site that offers low cost vacations like, 4 day 3 night Las Vegas vacation packages. We take a look at some of these VacationVip getaways to learn what they offer and to see if if VacationVIp is legit or not. I will also look at some other Vacation VIP reviews to come to a conclusion so you can make an informed decision. I shot a little video, come back and watch it after you read the review.
Why write a Vacation Vip Review?
I wrote this review because I was tired of answering questions about this program. I wrote a review of BookVIP and now all of my friends think I am an expert about every program. BookVIP and VacationVIP may share some similarities but they are also different. I will point out some of those differences here.
Getaways with VacationVip
VacationVip getaways seem to be focused to North America based on their FAQ page. However, that may not be the case. We will dig a little deeper in just a bit. Here is an image directly from the website.
The problem I have with the site is that they do not go into to much detail about the program. For example, I cannot find what the deals are or where the deals are. The closest I can come is finding a list of partner hotels on their “About” page. But that does not tell us much either. Are all hotels included? Do the hotels require a timeshare presentation? What are the costs by location? Just about the only thing that was clear was that it would cost $9.95 a month after a 30-day free trial. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find out some information!
I am a blogger and any good blogger makes use of tools to help them focus their blog. So, I fired up my favorite research tool and did some digging. Using this information I was able to piece together what they really offer and what they charge. I did not spend too much time researching Vacation Vip, but I spent enough time to get the general idea. So, what did I find out? Read on and find out!
What I learned about Vacation Vip
From the initial look it appears they offer inexpensive vacation getaways with their $9.95 membership cost. Prices varied, but I was able to find $99 vacation deals on their site. I found a 4 day and 3 night stay at Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for $99. Another one of the vacation packages I found for $99 was in Branson, Missouri. Other deals I found included Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Williamsburg and others. You get the picture.
I mentioned that on the FAQ page it mentioned VacationVIP partners with hotels in North America. So, I was a little surprised to find some Cancun deals for as little as $399 for 4 nights at an all-inclusive resort. Just so you know, that is an incredible deal for an all-inclusive vacation. At this point, I decided I had done enough research.
So, what’s not to like? After all, we have 3 night domestic stays for $99 and we have at least one 4 night international stay for just $399. What’s the catch? Read on and find out.
VacationVip.com Terms of Service
I found out how VacationVip.com offers such cheap vacation getaways by clicking the terms of service link. It looks like these vacations require a timeshare presentation, much like BookVIP does. Similarly, the packages come with taxes and resort fees, which is not uncommon in the resort industry.
Other terms include a refundable deposit to secure the vacation and certain eligibility requirements. For example, the resort I am looking at now requires the following:
- Resident of the US or Canada
- Cohabiting or Married couples must be at least 28 years of age
- Both attend the sales presentation
- Be employed and earn $50,000 gross household income or retired
- Carry and active credit card
- Speak, read and write English fluently
- Cohabiting couples must have ID’s with the same address
- Singles must be at least 28 years of age
- Carry and active credit card
- Have a gross income of $50,000
There are a few other terms and conditions relating to eligibility requirements, cancellation policies, group travel and disclaimers. I did not look into too many of the other properties in detail except to confirm they were also timeshare deals. They were.
Is Vacation VIP Real or a Scam?
I definitely am going to review the site at the end and even show other Vacation Vip reviews. But first, I want to give you my general outlook of timeshare travel deals.
I do not have any issues with timeshare vacation deals at all. In fact, I have done a handful myself. These discounted travel deals end up saving travelers quite a bit of money if they can handle the presentation. I personally have been able to save thousands of dollars on just one trip by doing this. That extra money paid for tips, souvenirs, excursions and more. In fact, there was enough left over to do a few more trips exactly the same way.
I know what you are thinking. “Yuck, timeshare presentations are horrible and they keep you forever!”. That really depends on you and your mindset. If you know you are not going to buy the timeshare, then focus on that. By sticking to your guns and not showing interest you will be allowed to leave after the required time has passed. If you are soft, show interest or start asking questions, then you will be there longer. In fact, I wrote a whole post on saying no to the timeshare sales pitch. That by itself is not a reason to decline a getaway at that price.
Truth be told, I would do more of them if I could find more near great SCUBA spots. When we go on a SCUBA vacation we tend to stay 2-3 weeks at a time. What is 90-120 minutes of my time to save more than $1500 when I’m there 2 weeks anyway? The problem is I can’t find many of these deals in Cozumel and I can’t find any in Bonaire, Roatan, Aruba or Curacao. But it’s review time.
Vacation VIP Review: What I Like
VacationVIP.com offers many of the same deals that I have seen on other sites. These getaways VacationVip offer can quite literally save you thousands of dollars in exchange for two hours of your time. I know, because I have done them and would do more.
I also like the layout of the Vacation VIP website. It looks clean, it is easy to navigate and the site looks professional. I also like their sales pages. They have nice bright colors with the destination in the background and really classy graphics of the actual resort in the background. They definitely know how to create a sense of excitement and value on their offer pages.
Vacation VIP Review: What I Don’t Like
Even though I do not have any problems with timeshare vacation deals, I really do not like how this site executes their business model. I am sure they do not really care, because they are probably making loads of money anyway.
Vague Information
The first thing I had a problem with is how vague the site is. There really isn’t anywhere on the main page to find out they are doing timeshare promotions. I assume this is intentional because they have the homepage, about us page, testimonials, why join and a contact page. Nowhere on any of those pages could I find any mention of how they do business. I bounced around the links on the site and could find nothing. Believe me, I was looking. Do you know what was easy to find? The sign up form! Every one of the pages i mentioned has a “Join Now” button. That is super easy to find. To their credit, I was able to find the $9.95 monthly fee. Which brings me to my next point.
Charging Membership Fees
I cannot believe they actually charge a monthly fee to send people on these vacations. Not that there is anything wrong with them. As I said above, I have no problems with timeshare deals. But collecting $9.95 a month to do it? I could, and have received the very same deals without a membership. They may or may not offer additional benefits, but how am I supposed to know? There are no details about what kind of value joining VacationVIP brings. I truly do not understand the cloak and dagger routine here. I guess it must be working, because they have been in business for at least 3-4 years and their Facebook group is HUGE. They are also spending quite a bit of money on Social Media ads, so I am guessing they are not a small operation.
Is Vacation VIP Legit and More VacationVIP.com Reviews
So, is Vacation VIP legit? Yes? No? Maybe? Heck, I don’t know for sure. They probably are a fine company that does everything the right way. The problem is, how am I supposed to know? I looked for Vacation VIP reviews and was able to find some. Most of the Vacation VIP reviews were positive. That is a good thing, of course.
The issue I have is, I am a pretty experienced blogger and it took me using my research tool to uncover the deals and locations. Sure, I found some clues by looking up Vacation VIP reviews on Google, but why should it come to that?
Another thing that jumped out at me was why the subscription fee? What does this fee get me that just going to BookVIP does not? I could go directly on their site, see the deals, read the terms and make a decision without having to use my super sleuth skills.
Based on the information I have and most importantly, I DON’T have, I would stick to using BookVIP to get the same deals. And if you want a travel membership to save on regular travel I would choose a service like Marketing Boost, which is a tool designed to help business owners, but includes a discount booking tool, access to discounted meals and services and you can even send yourself on a FREE vacation! That feature alone more than pays for the membership for almost 5 years!
Resources
So, there you have it. The answer to VacationVIP getaways, If Vacation VIP is legit and my Vacation VIP review. If you want to read more Vacation VIP reviews you can find some here. You can learn more about Marketing Boost here. And of course, if you just want to see great deals with no mystery, you can visit BookVIP here.
Oh, and if you want to check out my nifty research tool, you can find it here!
