Getting a 65$ debit card by listening to a presentation. Should you join Club Newport?

Club Newport vacation and travel company presentation

Staying at the Park Inn resort in Kissimmee, Florida, next to Orlando, all guests are offered as a welcome package to listen to a presentation of a travel club, for which they are offered a 65$ debit card to use in the US.

All we have to do is visit the welcome desk, book a meeting, and give a 20$ deposit that will be given back on the debit card, along with the 65$ credit.

I did book a meeting and went there. In short, the  travel club   is too expensive to join, their prices are worst than what can be find publicly on  WhereCanIFLY   or other websites, and in my case there is no reason to join it at all, it is only a big loss of money.

Club Newport presentation

I arrived and checked in at the counter in front of the meeting room. After filling in a few forms, a representative came to find me, and took me to the meeting room, in which we were all offered some refreshments: coffee, juice, and also some donuts.

After taking a donut and a cup of coffee, I sat down with the representative, which asked about my travel profile. I told her that I live on the road, taking a hundred flights a year, and staying more than 300 nights in hotel per year. I must be what looks like a good client.

She then introduced me the Club Newport, using some presentations that did seem very cheap and old: catalogs were worn out, copies on which she was writing were printed in black and white. It all seemed pretty cheap.

After a while, we moved from the table to a screen on the wall, to which a computer was attached, and starting having a look at their main product, a website on which we can book hotels, flights, cruises, and what they call week, specific availabilities at selected properties, advertised with amazing prices that cannot be found out.

Well, as a professional traveler, this is what interested me the most, and we took a deeper look at some travels that I actually intend to do.

Flight from Tahiti to New Zealand

Papeete to Auckland on May 1st was sold for 417$ on the Club Newport vacation owner website, against 385$ with wcifly.com.

This isn't too big of a difference, but during the presentation, I couldn't get to check anything, but instead took pictures to compare later on my computer.

Right there on the spot, the prices did seem good, but I couldn't have any idea on how good or bad they really are.

Hotel price in Auckland

The Devereux boutique hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, is sold for 386$ from May 4th until May 11th with Club Newport, also called vacation owners, which is more expensive than the price found on  WhereCanIFLY   at 276$.

Again with this second test, the club is not useful at all, not even considering the fact that you have to pay to access their prices which aren't good at all.

Hotel week check in Las Vegas

As I do need a hotel in Las Vegas for 5 nights on the week after, I propose to have a look at hotel prices on their websites.

We look in detail one of their week deals, which is for a full week while I need only 5 nights. However, the full week costs 604$ on the Club Newport website, which is a little cheaper than on  WhereCanIFLY   at 646$.

But, as I only really need 5 nights, I could just book them on wcifly.com for only 303$... or twice as cheap as on Club Newport. Again, they lose the price deal comparison, and it is not worth joining the club at all.

Another hotel week check in Las Vegas

We then keep looking for deals in Las Vegas, and stumble on the Vacation Owner website on the Hard Rock hotel Las Vegas, which sells on their website for 700$ for a whole week.

It is a little better than the public price of 715$, but, again, I would only really be using 5 days... the representative tells me it doesn't matter, as I have great price, I can come and go wherever I want.

Well, I do only need these 5 nights... which costs only 450$ on Where Can I FLY website, or about 25% less than what I would pay with the vacationowner.com website.

Hotel comparison in San Francisco

We then check hotels in San Francisco, as I need a 3 nights stay at the end of the month. We find the Warfield hotel for 186$, which seems to be a nice deal.

However, the public price of 202$ is pretty close... and again, doesn't show the necessity at all to pay to join their clubs, eventually save a few bucks somewhere, and lose a lot of them at many other occasions.

But then, their cheapest price is for the non refundable tariff, probably without breakfast... their refundable option, which goes for 202$ on Where Can I FLY, sells at 210$ on Club Newport vacation owner website, more expensive in the private club than in public prices on Internet.

Club Newport packages

After having had a look at their website, we sat down, and I've been presented with the prices. There is a 295$ admission fee, and different packages, from 6000$ a year to 10000$ a year.

The package type selected will define how many of their weeks are accessible... and not even paid for yet.

So, as it is necessary to pay to join a club that offers packages that are more expensive than what is available online on good  comparison websites   such as  WhereCanIFLY   on  wcifly.com,   it is not worthy joining the Club Newport vacation owner program at all.

I said to the representative that I wanted to think about it, and they kept pressuring me into getting into the program right now without waiting anymore, by offering me to pay only half price, have no administrative fee to join the club, have unlimited access to weeks, not having any fee for delayed payment, but all these features should actually be standard to even make the club interesting.

Leaving presentation

This, and not pressuring me - this is definitely a no go for me, trying to get me to buy something I don't want.

I managed to leave the presentation, and got a voucher to redeem a debit card, on which my initial 20$ pre payment for the meeting, plus a 65$ gift, would be credited.

After taking the voucher, thanking goodbye the people, I went to the holiday counter, which would exchange the voucher for a debit card credited with the money, and can be used anywhere on US territory.

Is the WestGate vacation travel club a scam

The WestGate vacation ownership club is extremely expensive, for very few positive return, if not none. The prices they are offering might be interesting, but would only be worth it if there was no fee to join the WestGate vacation  travel club   at all.

The standard price of the hotels, flights, and cruises are far cheaper than the ones found on the WestGate  travel club   website, once we take off the extremely expensive fee to join the club.

Think about it: what makes a travel cheap, is to have as less intermediates as possible. Travel agencies, travel agents, travel clubs, and all other intermediates, are all taking a share on top of the hotel, flight, or cruise price, therefore making it more expensive than booking the exact same trips by yourself, using a good comparison website such as Where Can I FLY.

Before joining the WestGate vacation travel club, read carefully all the WestGate cruise and travel complaints on Internet, and also some WestGate cruise and  travel club   reviews, on top of more Club NewPort  travel club   reviews. They should give you a good idea on wether joining the WestGate  travel club   can be good for you or not.

But remember: the WestGate vacation ownership  travel club   is more expensive than booking the trips yourself, as more intermediaries are added to the final cost.

After our experience, our Westgate cruise and travel reviews show that it is not worth joining the Westgate travel club.

Have you tried? Share with us in comment your own Westgate cruise and travel reviews and let us know how your experience went.

Club NewPort  travel club   reviews:

• Club NewPort travel club reviews on Better Business Bureau
  
• Club NewPort travel club reviews and complaints on Pissed Consumers
  
• Club NewPort travel club reviews on Reddit
  
• Club NewPort travel club reviews on TripAdvisor
  

In any case, read carefully these Club NewPort  travel club   reviews along with ours, before considering seriously joining the club.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should attendees consider before joining Club Newport or similar offers, and what are the potential benefits and drawbacks?

Attendees should consider the terms of the offer, potential membership costs, and the credibility of the organization. Benefits include incentives like debit cards, but drawbacks might include high membership fees or limited utility.