What Are Fixed, Floating & Fractional Timeshare Weeks?

What are fixed, floating and fractional timeshare weeks? Some people have a place that is very special to them that they look forward to traveling back to year after year and like fractional or fixed weeks better. And then some people like to go somewhere new every time they go on vacation and prefer floating weeks.

Why Choose One Type Over Another And What Are They?

The following are definitions for fixed, floating and fractional timeshare weeks. No matter which option is most appealing to you there are packages that you can custom create for your specific wants and needs!

• Fixed Timeshare Week: The exact same vacation week at the exact same property every single year.
• Floating Timeshare Week: You own the rights to a week, usually at your home resort where you purchased from.
• Fractional Timeshare Week: Similar to a fixed week, except better for extended stays and long vacations.

Fixed timeshare weeks are the most simple to understand. It is when you own the exact same timeshare week at the exact same property. A fixed week means that you own accommodations at a specific vacation resort, during the same specific week, every single year.

For example, you might like to take an annual family trip with the kids to the theme parks in Orlando every third week in June, or you might own the first week in July at the Hilton in Orlando to celebrate your kid’s birthday at the Disney theme parks every year.

In both cases a fixed timeshare week would be perfect for you. A fixed timeshare week can be a good option because you know what you are getting every time you travel or vacation. Fixed weeks are almost always deeded, meaning you own it in perpetuity and can eventually pass it on to your children.

The only con, or downside to owning a fixed timeshare week is that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are not able to travel one year, then you risk "losing" your vacation week.

A floating timeshare week is going to have a little more flexibility than a fixed week when it comes to the dates that you can travel. Floating weeks are typically given at your home resort where you originally purchased your timeshare week and is allowed to be used during a specific season.

With a floating week, you will typically own "a week" and be given the option to choose which "season" you would like your floating week to be available for use in. Every timeshare company will have their own calendar where they can show you how their seasons are determined.

These seasons are predetermined by a specific set of weeks, and these can vary between the different resorts. For example, you might be able to use your week any time between weeks 8-16.

With some ownership, you may have a floating week during all 52 weeks of the year. You might even be able to use your floating week at resorts other than just your home resort.

Floating timeshare weeks can be deeded or right to use (RTU). Right to use meaning that although you don’t own it, you do have the right to stay at and utilize the property.

Most timeshare resorts base their floating week "seasons" on periods of high demand. For example, a beach resort will be more in demand in the summer months, while a ski resort will be more in demand during winter months.

A lot of resorts have also created a timeshare week color system to help better differentiate between high, mid and low season. Different resorts and exchange companies use different color coding systems to represent their floating week seasons.

For example, two really well known timeshare exchange companies are Interval International, and RCI.

Interval International uses red to represent high demand, yellow for average demand, and green for low demand, while RCI uses red to represent high demand, white for average demand, and blue for low demand.

So if you own a floating week, it will be in your best bet to contact the specific timeshare company you own with, or would like to own with so there won’t be any confusion with what you own.

Fractional timeshare weeks are similar to fixed weeks, except that fractional weeks are good for travelers looking to stay somewhere for a more extended period of time.

A fractional week is when a few buyers (usually limited to 6-12 owners) each own an equal part of the title to a purchased property. Each buyer owns partial equity in a valuable asset without having to having to pay outright for the entire property, maintenance expenses, property taxes, etc.

Fractional weeks are great for the vacationers looking to spend a few weeks or months in an upscale home or condo, or otherwise looking for a long term stay, typically upwards of 6 weeks or more.

For example, maybe you want to spend a month in a beautiful log cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains for an extended period of time, a fractional timeshare week would be the best choice.