# RCI And Interval International



## bshanebowl (Jul 14, 2022)

Reading what I think is an old Washington Post article about the top timeshare properties. Looks like Disney, Marriott, Sheraton, and Hyatt all trade through Interval (or will, in the case of Disney). Hilton and Wyndham trade through RCI. At the time of the article Disney, Sheraton, and Hyatt had a satisfactory rating from the Better Business Bureau. Marriott, Wyndham, and Hilton were unsatisfactory. This all leads me to the question of if you can buy any of these brands for free or pennies on the dollar, plus transfer fees. How likely is it you can trade them in a satisfactory manner? Certainly those properties trading under II appear to be nice. Do they also have a certain amount of threadbare properties? What is the trading experience like with II? With RCI I have been happy so far with what I traded into but it does appear like there may be a slightly disproportionate amount of less than stellar properties that you have to workaround with RCI. Also my Grandview Las Vegas 2 bedroom week will get me at least a few weeks or better of vacation exchanges through RCI. If you buy one of the properties exchanged through Interval, can you get extra trading power through them.


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## VacationForever (Jul 14, 2022)

First of all, throw out BBB ratings.  BBB targets businesses to pay them membership and they will then get an A+ rating automatically.  Stop reading BBB.  Negative timeshare reviews come from direct purchase buyers.

All the timeshare brands that you have listed run great timeshare operations.  You cannot buy most of these for free unless they are in the shoulder/low seasons, but yes, some of them maybe at 10 to 15% of retail cost.  I used to trade with RCI, from 1996 to 2007, and then switched to II and never looked back.  If you want to buy a timeshare to trade in II, look to buy either a Marriott or Westin/Sheraton, because they have a priority period which allows them to see newly deposited weeks of their own brand, and the period is about 24 days.  If you want to trade into Marriott/Westin/Sheraton with with another brand of timeshare, you will mostly see leftovers, after other owners have done their pickings.

Just like RCI, there are threadbare properties in II, and they are not from the big brands. 

In II, a week is a week, well, if you lock off a 2BR, you can get 2 weeks out of it for trading.  Trading power is blind and there is no assigned TPUs like RCI.  A week for a week.  You can pay for a size upgrade, say, you use a studio and you trade into a 2BR, you will need to pay 2 upgrade fees.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 14, 2022)

@bshanebowl You own Grandview, so you probably already use RCI for trading, correct?


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## bshanebowl (Jul 14, 2022)

That is some good information to process but my initial takeaway for someone like me is that even though I might find a good deal on a cheap sale for a deeded II week if I look hard enough, what I'm looking for is a low maintenance fee, more than one week for the week I am banking, and generally looking for more value to make my vacation dollar stretch further both economically and time wise. RCI should probably be my preferred exchange partner under those circumstances. I do think it might be more likely that II might provide a better singular experience though. But not enough to overlook being able to flex my RCI membership the way I like. I might prefer II if money or price was no object.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 14, 2022)

rickandcindy23 said:


> @bshanebowl You own Grandview, so you probably already use RCI for trading, correct?


Yeah. It's worked out really well so far but I'm always wondering if there might be another option out there I may want to explore. I don't think this is it, though. If one even exists.


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## montygz (Jul 14, 2022)

From my study of RCI vs. II, it seemed like you could get more value with an RCI points unit. For example, my 2-bedroom 98K points unit could get me 13 weeks if I get units at 7,500 points. There are even cheaper units 1 bedroom deals.

Obviously, you'll be doing a lot of last-minute booking and paying many exchange fees. Most of the cheap units are lower-quality resorts, but I have gotten a few great exchanges for cheap points.

With II, if you own a lock-off 2-bedroom unit, the most you can get out of it is two weeks. Maybe the II equivalent of last calls is better than the RCI version.

Now, there may be additional tricks about maximizing II that I don't know about since I don't own in that system. I have been considering getting a trader in II to get some Marriott and DVC weeks.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 14, 2022)

I'm sort of coming down on your side of the fence on this but I am curious if II does have some kind of version of last call because there is a contingent of people who just join rci for the least amount of skin in the game possible and just strictly flex last call. It would be interesting to see if there is an II equivalent and what you could get.


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## VacationForever (Jul 14, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> I'm sort of coming down on your side of the fence on this but I am curious if II does have some kind of version of last call because there is a contingent of people who just join rci for the least amount of skin in the game possible and just strictly flex last call. It would be interesting to see if there is an II equivalent and what you could get.


You need to own a week which trades in II in order to get an account.  You can simply buy Getaway weeks in II.


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## rboesl (Jul 15, 2022)

II Getaway weeks are not equivalent to RCI Last Call weeks. You can book II Getaway weeks with a long lead time (more than 45 days prior to check in). RCI Last Call weeks are available up to 45 days prior to check in using points.

RCI does have weeks that can be booked without exchanging points but they are not called Last Call. 

RCI also has weeks available for 10,000 points or less.


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## Link (Jul 15, 2022)

My experience exchanging with both II and RCI is that II tends to have higher quality resorts overall. Both systems also have many low quality or fee-heavy resorts as well. With DVC moving to II, the primary benefit I see in RCI is their higher quantity of resorts, especially in certain locations.

For example, RCI has many more resorts in the northeast that I can drive to, and it’s very common to be able to book a week during ski season in New Hampshire with only a few weeks notice.  It won’t be a Marriott by any means, but it will generally be clean and convenient.

As far as RCI’s last call deals, I feel that the II bonus AC’s are very similar in both cost, timing, and inventory.  I would consider them to be pretty much equivalent.


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## kanerf (Jul 15, 2022)

I have both.  I use my RCI for cheap weekend stays in Williamsburg which is few hours drive away.  I also usually stay there for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I have II through DVC and HICV.  I have done an exchange yet, but will probably use my HICV for that.  DVC is far to easy to rent out if I am not going to be using it.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 15, 2022)

All good know. Looks like I will be sticking with RCI but I wonder if someone could give me an example of what kind of II week I could just straight cash purchase for a vacation, and what would the total cost be. No points or trade or anything. This assumes I just find the cheapest way to get into II initially. For instance right now in RCI I could just pay $287 for a 1 bedroom with a full kitchen at a gold crown 4 star in Sedona AZ for a week at the end of August. Just cash, no points or anything. Doesn't touch my week. What's the II equivalent of that? If there's something good, I might just get one II El cheapo and utilize it when appropriate.


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## VacationForever (Jul 15, 2022)

It is called Getaway as I have posted above.  For less desirable locations, resorts and season, you can pay about $300 for a week.  For more desirable weeks, it can go up to about $1000 for say, a Marriott resort, during Christmas in Palm Desert.

II also drops a couple of "AC", Accommodation Certificates" which cost under $350 to trade, where you can exchange these free ACs into extremely limited locations and resorts.


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## Link (Jul 15, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> All good know. Looks like I will be sticking with RCI but I wonder if someone could give me an example of what kind of II week I could just straight cash purchase for a vacation, and what would the total cost be. No points or trade or anything. This assumes I just find the cheapest way to get into II initially. For instance right now in RCI I could just pay $287 for a 1 bedroom with a full kitchen at a gold crown 4 star in Sedona AZ for a week at the end of August. Just cash, no points or anything. Doesn't touch my week. What's the II equivalent of that? If there's something good, I might just get one II El cheapo and utilize it when appropriate.


I don’t see anything in Sedona, but this would give you somewhat of a comparison.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 15, 2022)

That really doesn't seem too bad compared to what most people spend when they stay at a place like that. I guess the real question is what is the least amount it would cost me to put myself in a position to get a deal like that should I want it. I mean if I I'm just paying a transfer fee to get any kind of Interval International property given to me and maybe there's something out there with a really low maintenance fee oh, if I was going to use that several times a year it would probably be worth it but is the scenario I'm talkin about actually in existence?


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## bshanebowl (Jul 15, 2022)

Some people in a fb II users group have suggested I just get the cheapest thing with the lowest mf I can find on redweek or ebay that's associated with II and go from there.


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## VacationForever (Jul 15, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> Some people in a fb II users group have suggested I just get the cheapest thing with the lowest mf I can find on redweek or ebay that's associated with II and go from there.


Sure, if your goal is to be able to trade into just any resort, buy Getaways or make use of the Accommodation Certificates.   It is very likely that such a week will never get to trade into difficult-to-exchange places like Four Seasons Aviara.  It should still be able to trade into a smaller unit of Marriott or Sheraton during shoulder season.  For me, trading power is very important.  I don't want to stay at "threadbare" properties.


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## e.bram (Jul 15, 2022)

With II you can look first before you deposit. With RCI you have to deposit first.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 15, 2022)

Good point but until this moment I had never considered having or using enough trading power to get into the four seasons, anyway. Although I'm sure it would be nice. Takes away from the most possible time I may want to be vacaying. However, I do know I can probably get a place where my brother in law and sister in law live in Morgantown West Virginia, which sort of captures my style a little more accurately.


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## Link (Jul 15, 2022)

If that is definitely what you want to do, you might look for triennial contracts with resorts associated with II.  I believe there are some in Vegas and Williamsburg that would fit the bill. Just keep in mind that an II association isn’t guaranteed forever, like when DVC switched away, and most recently switched back.


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## escanoe (Jul 15, 2022)

If looking for mid-range resorts in my part of the country (Mid-Atlantic), I would go with RCI over II. But there is significant geographic variation on this.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 16, 2022)

Link said:


> If that is definitely what you want to do, you might look for triennial contracts with resorts associated with II.  I believe there are some in Vegas and Williamsburg that would fit the bill. Just keep in mind that an II association isn’t guaranteed forever, like when DVC switched away, and most recently switched back.


Very true but ultimately what I want to accomplish is to be set up for the near future when we'll be traveling more by having enough rci points to plan a few nice significant things and then have the other II Getaways and RCI Last Calls available to sort of enhance the space in between since doing a half dozen of those would be much cheaper than having a half dozen deeded weeks. On my budget, mf money detracts directly from spending money so these cheap weekly's are like putting money in my pocket. Whatever changes in the future will just be something I roll with. And for what it's worth I'll be with both of the main traders anyway.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 16, 2022)

At this point all I'm really looking for is someone to direct me to the cheapest triennial that is associated with II. Preferably one where they are giving it away and the mf is under $150-$300. A couple of folks have suggested already.


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## Link (Jul 18, 2022)

Off the top of my head, Tahiti Village or Vacation Villages Williamsburg might fit what you are looking for.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 18, 2022)

Although I am trying to follow up on a couple of other things, the best deal I seem to be able to find currently is a fixed eoy one bedroom in Maine for $552 in the year of use. Sounds like a fair deal to me so far but if I can get something even cheaper to get into II, I'll be checking it out. Here is the link to the resort, I think. https://www.intervalworld.com/web/c...entResortCode=FAO&showVideo=true#.YtXi46QpBPx


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## bshanebowl (Jul 18, 2022)

Link said:


> Off the top of my head, Tahiti Village or Vacation Villages Williamsburg might fit what you are looking for.


It's been a little harder than I expected to find the II eligible resorts. Not the most intuitive process but between help on tug. The II Facebook group, the II resort directory, the bargain basement info, it looks like I'll manage to find the best choice.


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## BJRSanDiego (Jul 18, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> At this point all I'm really looking for is someone to direct me to the cheapest triennial that is associated with II. Preferably one where they are giving it away and the mf is under $150-$300. A couple of folks have suggested already.


If you want to see if a resort is associated with Interval, just go to interval website. IIRC, You can look at the Resort Directory without a logon.


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## escanoe (Jul 19, 2022)

BJRSanDiego said:


> If you want to see if a resort is associated with Interval, just go to interval website. IIRC, You can look at the Resort Directory without a logon.



The OP you are quoting says in the post you are quoting he is using the II directory as a resource. It is true it is free, but it is not hassle free looking up resorts in it.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 19, 2022)

I have cross referenced everything available on tug bargain basement that has low maintenance fees and inconsequential pricing. Just took the better part of all the time I devoted over 2 days. Hopefully what I managed to finally drill down on will finally get me what I want.


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## BJRSanDiego (Jul 19, 2022)

escanoe said:


> The OP you are quoting says in the post you are quoting he is using the II directory as a resource. It is true it is free, but it is not hassle free looking up resorts in it.


You're right. I missed that.  I was replying to his earlier comment "At this point all I'm really looking for is someone to direct me to the cheapest triennial that is associated with II".  I thought that he should have been able to figure out which triennials were associated with ii by looking in the directory, rather than relying on others to do his own "leg work".   And, you're right, he does have access to the directory.  I missed that.  

Incidentally, he didn't mention that he was accessing ii "in the post _ was quoting" - - it was actually an earlier post that I had overlooked.  But that doesn't really matter.  I was trying to be helpful.  I hope that he is able to find his ideal candidate timeshare.  

My own parting thought - - the cheapest timeshare might be the one of which is the most expensive to eventually dispose.  He may also want to consider his exit strategy and select a timeshare that accepts deed backs._


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## bshanebowl (Jul 19, 2022)

You know I thought for a while I was a member of a community where people would share their experiences in order to assist others who are looking for information to help guide them in making good decisions but instead I'm some dude that wants everyone to do my leg work for me. I would like to take a moment to thank those who messaged me about examples that worked for them. That's been very helpful, and also the others who strained their brain to come up with "there's a directory" because I never even could have imagined such a thing on my own. Thanks again. Seriously. Truly.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 19, 2022)

I don’t think anyone mentioned II’s Platinum Escapes.  They typically have getaway sales 3-4 times per year available only to Platinum members. It is limited to specific resorts at around 6-10 destinations, but can be great deals.   They usually advertise them starting at $27ish, but that is at mandatory all-inclusive resorts.  The non-AI resorts go for $100-$150/week.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 19, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> I don’t think anyone mentioned II’s Platinum Escapes.  They typically have getaway sales 3-4 times per year available only to Platinum members. It is limited to specific resorts at around 6-10 destinations, but can be great deals.   They usually advertise them starting at $27ish, but that is at mandatory all-inclusive resorts.  The non-AI resorts go for $100-$150/week.


Unless something changes with someone suggesting a ts that is lower cost than the ones I've sorted through to come up with the best option for me currently, I've decided on one in particular that appears to be $550ish to $560ish every other year. I spoke with II and platinum sounds like the deal for me. I just want to make sure I poke and prod in every corner before I lock it down, to avoid overlooking something. Assuming I do 4 getaways a year, that will still give me some great vacays in $500 range.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 19, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> Unless something changes with someone suggesting a ts that is lower cost than the ones I've sorted through to come up with the best option for me currently, I've decided on one in particular that appears to be $550ish to $560ish every other year. I spoke with II and platinum sounds like the deal for me. I just want to make sure I poke and prod in every corner before I lock it down, to avoid overlooking something. Assuming I do 4 getaways a year, that will still give me some great vacays in $500 range.


You should also remember that II might have regional blocks in some areas.  For instance, if you own in Orlando, you might not be able to exchange into Orlando.  Personally, I would be leery of purchasing a timeshare with maintenance fees that low just to trade into II.  Since Disney moved to II I've noticed a decrease in trading power with my unit and it is a premier-rated resort.  (Premier is their 2nd highest tier.)  Since you are familiar with RCI, I recommend getting a timeshare that trades in both RCI & II.  At least that way if you don't like your trading power in II you can deposit it in RCI the next year.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2022)

VacationForever said:


> First of all, throw out BBB ratings. BBB targets businesses to pay them membership and they will then get an A+ rating automatically.


I agree with the overall sentiment of reviews (not just BBB reviews), but your statement here does need correction. Paying for BBB accreditation does not get companies an A+ rating. Resolving complaints filed with BBB does get them better ratings. They may not always resolve complaints to the customers satisfaction but the process of working through the complaints and responding is what helps a company's BBB rating, not if they pay for accreditation.

BBB reviews and ratings are also different things. MVC has a 1.18/5 BBB review but they are A+ rated because they respond to complaints. They are not BBB accredited.








						Marriott Vacation Club International |  Better Business Bureau® Profile
					

This organization is not BBB accredited. Vacation Timeshare in Washington, DC. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more.




					www.bbb.org


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## VacationForever (Jul 19, 2022)

dioxide45 said:


> I agree with the overall sentiment of reviews (not just BBB reviews), but your statement here does need correction. Paying for BBB accreditation does not get companies an A+ rating. Resolving complaints filed with BBB does get them better ratings. They may not always resolve complaints to the customers satisfaction but the process of working through the complaints and responding is what helps a company's BBB rating, not if they pay for accreditation.
> 
> BBB reviews and ratings are also different things. MVC has a 1.18/5 BBB review but they are A+ rated because they respond to complaints. They are not BBB accredited.
> 
> ...


When we ran our own business, BBB called us regularly to ask us to pay for membership, promising A+ rating.  We passed on that and we still got A+ rating because we did not get any complaints.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2022)

VacationForever said:


> When we ran our own business, BBB called us regularly to ask us to pay for membership, promising A+ rating.  We passed on that and we still got A+ rating because we did not get any complaints.


Why would they call you promising an A+ rating if you already had an A+ rating? I know Yelp utilizes the practices you are mentioning.


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## VacationForever (Jul 19, 2022)

dioxide45 said:


> Why would they call you promising an A+ rating if you already had an A+ rating? I know Yelp utilizes the practices you are mentioning.


Exactly.  Even if we didn't have A+ rating, we would not have paid them.  Their calls were mostly about guaranteeing A+ rating and how consumers would trust our company more because we would be a member.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2022)

VacationForever said:


> Exactly.  Even if we didn't have A+ rating, we would not have paid them.  Their calls were mostly about guaranteeing A+ rating and how consumers would trust our company more because we would be a member.


The thing is, I am not aware that accreditation guarantees an A+ or any type of rating rating. I suspect they have some unscrupulous sales people who would promise it in order to make a sale but in the end you could end up with a bad rating by not responding to complaints. I beleive a business without any complaints is considered NR (not rated).


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## bshanebowl (Jul 19, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> You should also remember that II might have regional blocks in some areas.  For instance, if you own in Orlando, you might not be able to exchange into Orlando.  Personally, I would be leery of purchasing a timeshare with maintenance fees that low just to trade into II.  Since Disney moved to II I've noticed a decrease in trading power with my unit and it is a premier-rated resort.  (Premier is their 2nd highest tier.)  Since you are familiar with RCI, I recommend getting a timeshare that trades in both RCI & II.  At least that way if you don't like your trading power in II you can deposit it in RCI the next year.


Ironically if I move forward with the one that is currently at the top of the list, it does trade in both.


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## escanoe (Jul 21, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> Since Disney moved to II I've noticed a decrease in trading power with my unit and it is a premier-rated resort.  (Premier is their 2nd highest tier.)  Since you are familiar with RCI, I recommend getting a timeshare that trades in both RCI & II.  At least that way if you don't like your trading power in II you can deposit it in RCI the next year.



What do you own and how do you think DVC coming to II may have devalued your trading power? Own something in Orlando and think people want to trade into DVC instead?


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## bshanebowl (Jul 21, 2022)

That is an interesting observation. I am trying to rationalize how that change impacts trading, which I guess means that if the person is in II they are not getting what they used to for it since folks will now be able to get some Disney opportunities in II next year. Don't really get the correlation but I guess it's possible. In the meantime I have found a ts that trades in II, eoyo, mf 552 year of use. $400 transfer fee. Floats. Weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are available, fairly popular, and supposed to be quite nice due to a great number of holiday festivities throughout the area. Probably doesn't really make a difference since all I really want to do is join II platinum and try to get several deals on getaways each year.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 21, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> Ironically if I move forward with the one that is currently at the top of the list, it does trade in both.


An every other year small one bedroom sheraton broadway plantation trades in both and has a MF of $235.91 (every year with every other year usage).


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## bshanebowl (Jul 22, 2022)

tschwa2 said:


> An every other year small one bedroom sheraton broadway plantation trades in both and has a MF of $235.91 (every year with every other year usage).


I cannot find this resort in the II resort directory, maybe someone could clarify.


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## bshanebowl (Jul 22, 2022)

tschwa2 said:


> An every other year small one bedroom sheraton broadway plantation trades in both and has a MF of $235.91 (every year with every other year usage).


I cannot find this resort in the II directory


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## bnoble (Jul 22, 2022)

I typed “interval sheraton broadway plantation” into a search engine and it was the first hit after the ads.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 22, 2022)

bshanebowl said:


> I cannot find this resort in the II directory











						Look at this beautiful resort I found on IntervalWorld.com.
					

Sheraton Broadway Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC, United States



					www.intervalworld.com


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## 2rebecca (Jul 22, 2022)

escanoe said:


> What do you own and how do you think DVC coming to II may have devalued your trading power? Own something in Orlando and think people want to trade into DVC instead?


I own a 2-bedroom at Tahiti Resort in Las Vegas (premier rating in II).  In the past, I could see 2-bedroom Elite resorts w/a slightly lower TDI than mine or Select resorts with high TDI.  I used to be able to see probably 80% or more of the inventory posted on the TUG sightings.  Now I'm lucky if I see 30% of what is posted.   I can't see things that I've traded into in the past.  The main thing that has changed this year is the addition of Disney into II.   I think II adjusted their secret algorithm to accommodate Disney owners and some of us got knocked down a notch or two (or 3)!


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## tschwa2 (Jul 22, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> I own a 2-bedroom at Tahiti Resort in Las Vegas (premier rating in II).  In the past, I could see 2-bedroom Elite resorts w/a slightly lower TDI than mine or Select resorts with high TDI.  I used to be able to see probably 80% or more of the inventory posted on the TUG sightings.  Now I'm lucky if I see 30% of what is posted.   I can't see things that I've traded into in the past.  The main thing that has changed this year is the addition of Disney into II.   I think II adjusted their secret algorithm to accommodate Disney owners and some of us got knocked down a notch or two (or 3)!


A lot of the sightings on TUG have a Marriott or Vistana preference or are extremely high demand and sometimes only last a few minutes.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 22, 2022)

tschwa2 said:


> A lot of the sightings on TUG have a Marriott or Vistana preference or are extremely high demand and sometimes only last a few minutes.


True, but most of the time folks note if it is in preference.  Occasionally I'll ask if it isn't noted.  I've seen a big change in what I can pull.  At the beginning of the year, I had two units deposited and my older 2021 deposit could see more than my 2022 deposit.  In the past, the newer deposit could always see more.  I'm confirmed into Disney for the first week of October, but for the last 1-2 months I haven't been able to see any Disney even for early Sept which has a lower TDI than the week I already have.  I don't think I've seen any Hyatt units this year.


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## escanoe (Jul 23, 2022)

The chance that your trading power shrinkage has something to do with DVC joining II is close to zero. IMHO


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## bshanebowl (Jul 23, 2022)

dioxide45 said:


> Look at this beautiful resort I found on IntervalWorld.com.
> 
> 
> Sheraton Broadway Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC, United States
> ...


Well after everything was said and done, from an economic standpoint this would have been the thing to buy if I could have found one but my wife preferred innseason at ogunquit Maine to actually use every now and then so I worked out a deal with a lady that has a floating odd year week there and we should be able to go between Thanksgiving and Christmas for the holiday festivities from time to time plus join II for the getaways, all for $552 mol every other year. I can deal with it. Both the resort and the town seem to be very well reviewed. Splitting the cost of transferring.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 23, 2022)

escanoe said:


> The chance that your trading power shrinkage has something to do with DVC joining II is close to zero. IMHO


I’m curious as to what you think caused the sudden decrease in trading power if it isn’t Disney. I’ve been a member of II since 2003 and something definitely changed this year.


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## Eric B (Jul 24, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> I’m curious as to what you think caused the sudden decrease in trading power if it isn’t Disney. I’ve been a member of II since 2003 and something definitely changed this year.



Perhaps there’s a lot more demand for travel post-pandemic that has resulted in folks exchanging in the preference periods.  The addition of Disney to II would be a supply side change that I would think would have the opposite effect and make perceived trading power into non-Disney resorts better.


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## escanoe (Jul 24, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> I’m curious as to what you think caused the sudden decrease in trading power if it isn’t Disney. I’ve been a member of II since 2003 and something definitely changed this year.



A lot has changed this year on travel. And the last couple of years have all been out of the ordinary.

II does its best to make trading power a black box. It is not even easy to determine if you have lost trading power or if other circumstances have changed. To the extent you have truly lost trading power, here is what I believe to be most likely.

1) The resort you are trading is perceived by the II system as having less value than it did. (This could be based on geography, recent measures of the resort, or something else.)

2) The resorts you want to trade into are perceived by the II system as having greater value than they did previously. (Kind of the inverse of the factors above.)

--------------------------

I still have not heard a theory of causation from your POV of how DVC entering II could have impacted your trading power. It seems what you are trading would have few connections to DVC inventory now being in II. It seems to me any change in trading power you have experienced is likely to have another cause.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 24, 2022)

In 2022 owner deposits are down but members still have banked weeks to use. Les supply and more demand. Probably also means fewer Marriott and Vistana weeks get out of the priority period.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 24, 2022)

escanoe said:


> A lot has changed this year on travel. And the last couple of years have all been out of the ordinary.
> 
> II does its best to make trading power a black box. It is not even easy to determine if you have lost trading power or if other circumstances have changed. To the extent you have truly lost trading power, here is what I believe to be most likely.
> 
> ...


I agree both 1 & 2 are possibilities.  Since II’s secret formula for trades is hidden from us we have to make some assumptions about how it works.  Obviously TDI & quality of the resort play a huge part, but after that it is a gray area…timing of request, # of timeshares in a region, size of unit, preference periods, etc.  Personally, I don’t think of trading power as a definitive number, but rather a ranking.  In terms of trading power it doesn’t matter whether my resort was decreased or others have increased, both end in a lower ranking for mine which equals lower trading power.  I think when Disney came into the system they were put up towards the top of the rankings.  In order to have high quality resorts available for them to exchange into, some of us got knocked down a notch and no longer have access.  I’m not suggesting that I should have access to all the same stuff as Disney owners.  My unit is not the same quality.  My point to the OP is I wouldn’t purchase a cheap timeshare just to trade in II, because trading power may change over time and it might be rather abrupt.  I also think there is other quirks with their system in terms of what I could see last month vs this month, but that is for another thread.


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## 2rebecca (Jul 24, 2022)

Eric B said:


> Perhaps there’s a lot more demand for travel post-pandemic that has resulted in folks exchanging in the preference periods.  The addition of Disney to II would be a supply side change that I would think would have the opposite effect and make perceived trading power into non-Disney resorts better.


Yes, I suspect there is a huge demand for travel right now.  I also agree there is likely a lot more units being snagged during preference period than in the past.  When I mention not being able to see units, I’m referring to units on the sightings board that are noted as being out of preference.  I posted above on how I think Disney negatively affected my trading power, so I won’t repeat it.  It is always good to read others opinion on the topic.


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## tlguinn_2000 (Nov 30, 2022)

2rebecca said:


> Since you are familiar with RCI, I recommend getting a timeshare that trades in both RCI & II.  At least that way if you don't like your trading power in II you can deposit it in RCI the next year


I have two resorts that both have dual memberships (RCI and II).  I am currently in RCI in both.  What is the process to change to II?  What happens to RCI points?  RCI dues are coming up soon.


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## tschwa2 (Nov 30, 2022)

tlguinn_2000 said:


> I have two resorts that both have dual memberships (RCI and II).  I am currently in RCI in both.  What is the process to change to II?  What happens to RCI points?  RCI dues are coming up soon.


with rci weeks all you have to do is not deposit and you can deposit in II.  You can pay to belong both if you want to.  With rci points, you have to unenroll it in the points program and that needs to be done at least 13 months prior to your fixed week.  For a float week, I believe it is either 13 months prior to your next use year or 13 months prior to the first week in your float season.  By 12 months it is already auto deposited into rci points.  It is likely too late for 2023 but you can do it for 2024.


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## Carolinian (Nov 30, 2022)

If you are primarily looking for better t/s resorts, then SFX should also be considered as an exchange company.  They only take good quality resorts, GC or equivalent into their exchange system.  And they have free membership, so you can use it as an extenstion of one of the other two companies.

www.sfxresorts.com

I have used them to trade into London, twice, something I had had searches in with RCI for years on but never matched.


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 30, 2022)

SFX has not been good for me, and I don't recommend them.  Maybe @Carolinian you have had success because you have a certain person at SFX that bends over backwards, but I haven't had that experience at all.  I let deposits expire.


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## escanoe (Nov 30, 2022)

Carolinian said:


> If you are primarily looking for better t/s resorts, then SFX should also be considered as an exchange company.  They only take good quality resorts, GC or equivalent into their exchange system.  And they have free membership, so you can use it as an extenstion of one of the other two companies.
> 
> www.sfxresorts.com
> 
> I have used them to trade into London, twice, something I had had searches in with RCI for years on but never matched.



My complaint with SFX: It is 2022, there is no reason people should not be able to search online for available exchanges. Having to call and talk to someone to book an exchange is at least 20 years out of date. RCI also dealt them a blow negotiating an "exclusive" exchange agreement with HGVC ... so Hilton owners can no longer deposit their resorts with SFX.


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## pedro47 (Nov 30, 2022)

There have been two (2) major changing since this thread started. July 14, 2022. IMHO.
Disney is now back with II and Hilton have acquired all of the DRI Resorts.


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## Carolinian (Dec 7, 2022)

escanoe said:


> My complaint with SFX: It is 2022, there is no reason people should not be able to search online for available exchanges. Having to call and talk to someone to book an exchange is at least 20 years out of date. RCI also dealt them a blow negotiating an "exclusive" exchange agreement with HGVC ... so Hilton owners can no longer deposit their resorts with SFX.



Good point.  That is certainly a drawback.

Very few remember which exchange company first put their timeshare inventory online for their members.  It was one few of us even remember - the Swedish based timeshare exchange company Timelinx.  The concept was thought up as a Business grad school project by a group of Swedish business grad students, who went on to actually create the company after graduating.  The company picked up a lot of timeshare members in Scandanavia, and generally throughout Europe.  It developed a new timeshare resort at a chateau in France, which only exchanged through Timelinx, and there were plans for more of that. They sold a franchise to operate Timelinx in Asia, but those running that franchise did some things that were not kosher and the franchise was cancelled.  Then a buyer turned up and offered them big bucks for the company, so they cashed out.  The new buyer was not interested in the exchange business, but instead wanted to use the company's credibility for some shady dealings in timesharing.  I remember looking at their website after the new buyers took over and the only reference to exchanging was a short statement that they still did exchanges for members of the "old company" and an email address to contact for exchanges.  It was a sad loss of an exchange company that had real promise.

In those days, RCI offered a 2 credits for 1 deposit deal for timeshare owners in most Europe countries for European deposits and exchanges outside Europe, but Timelinx, which did not do that, still made great headway against RCI.


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