# ongoing search for River Island



## jbuzzy11 (Nov 17, 2007)

Anyone know if it will be a tough trade to get Orange Lake's River Island for Late Aug 2008? I am using my 2 bedroom OLCC East village week #3.
 We like the Idea of walking down the stairs to the pool, we did this last Aug and it was great being able to go to the room for lunch and not having to drive. there is some weeks available but not river Island at this time. Just wondering if there have been any requests filled for river island.
                            Thanks, Johnny


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## gjw007 (Nov 17, 2007)

jbuzzy11 said:


> Anyone know if it will be a tough trade to get Orange Lake's River Island for Late Aug 2008? I am using my 2 bedroom OLCC East village week #3.
> We like the Idea of walking down the stairs to the pool, we did this last Aug and it was great being able to go to the room for lunch and not having to drive. there is some weeks available but not river Island at this time. Just wondering if there have been any requests filled for river island.
> Thanks, Johnny



While I don't know what the odds are, they have to be better than there were for last year as OLCC is currently building the 2nd of 3 buildings at RI.  While these will be put into GoGlobal, all new sales are, rather than owners exchanges through RCI there should be some developer units available through RCI.  I would think that it would be open by next summer.


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## JLB (Nov 18, 2007)

This morning I checked RI for 10 Weeks beginning 5/15/08.

RI was not available at all.

However, there were some 2 and 3 bedroom units available at some other very nice Gold Crowns.


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 18, 2007)

There is no other place in Orlando for my family, OLCC has it all. I got a resale from eBay just so I can trade back into OLCC. I got a 2 bedroom in the East village for week 3 for $1400 and it was the best purchase I have ever made! I can trade into Orange Lake for the week I want but RI isnt available. we like that everything is right there for the kids and you dont have to drive.


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## bnoble (Nov 18, 2007)

It seems to me that OL's bulk banks happen a lot earlier.  You may be too late for summer '08.


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## JLB (Nov 18, 2007)

Pretty much what I have told folks.  OLCC is an easy trade, has low resale value, and is easy to rent into.



jbuzzy11 said:


> There is no other place in Orlando for my family, OLCC has it all. I got a resale from eBay just so I can trade back into OLCC. I got a 2 bedroom in the East village for week 3 for $1400 and it was the best purchase I have ever made! I can trade into Orange Lake for the week I want but RI isnt available. we like that everything is right there for the kids and you dont have to drive.


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## JLB (Nov 22, 2007)

Very interesting, maybe.

This morning I am seeing what you say you have an ongoing search for.  If you have not been notified that you have a match, you need to go online and see if you do.

If you do not, you need to see if you can see what I can see.  If you can, you need to question why your ongoing search did not match to it.  If you cannot see what I can see, as an OLCC owner you need to question why that is.

For anyone interested in River Island, I searched through the end of July, 2009.  I believe it was available for 29 dates.  It is frequently available for the summer of 2009, including 2 bedroom units.  

In a another little personal test, a lesser trader saw only one of the 2009 summer dates, but, at least, did see it.

If you would like to see the dates I saw it available, drop me an email.

Happy Thanksgiving, the day to count our blessings, like, perhaps, a 2-bedroom at RI for late August, 2008.


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## JLB (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm somewhat disappointed.   

Normally when someone posts wanting something specific, they check back frequently and timely, knowing someone, somewhere is probably trying to find what they want for them.

You don't always find it, but in this case there it was, exactly what was wanted, plus a couple dozen other dates.

It's likely gone to someone else by now.


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 25, 2007)

sorry I missed your response. I check RCI each day for what I want and I didnt see this. im going to check into what you said.


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## JLB (Nov 25, 2007)

Do you check online?

Why not search just for RI?  10 weeks at a time it doesn't take long.

I'm still seeing it:

Orange Lake's River Island  (#8881) 
2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/31/2008  



jbuzzy11 said:


> sorry I missed your response. I check RCI each day for what I want and I didnt see this. im going to check into what you said.


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## BarCol (Nov 27, 2007)

*Just did a check on November 27*

This is what I found with a 1 bedroom July 4th beach week:
Exchange Unit(s) Available


Unit Options Select  Unit Type  Max Occ/Privacy  Kitchen  Check-in Date  Check-out Date  
   2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/31/2008  09/07/2008  
   1 Bedroom  4 / 2  Full  08/31/2008  09/07/2008

2009 fares slightly (but not much) better:
Unit Options Select  Unit Type  Max Occ/Privacy  Kitchen  Check-in Date  Check-out Date  
   1 Bedroom  4 / 2  Full  08/02/2009  08/09/2009  
   2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/07/2009  08/14/2009  
   1 Bedroom  4 / 2  Full  08/07/2009  08/14/2009  
   2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/28/2009  09/04/2009


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## DaveNV (Nov 27, 2007)

I just searched for River Island with a Hawaii summer week.  I saw this:

Select  Unit Type  Max Occ/Privacy  Kitchen  Check-in Date  Check-out Date  
   2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/15/2008  08/22/2008  
   2 Bedrooms  8 / 6  Full  08/31/2008  09/07/2008  

(You asked for "late august 2008" and mentioned a 2BR, so that's what I'm showing.  I deleted the 1BR units and non-August 2BR units that came up in my search as well.)

So it seems to me that what you want is right there in plain sight.  I'd get on the phone to RCI and ask what's up with your search.  Claim what you want while you can.

Dave


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 27, 2007)

wow thats not right at all.... im an owner there and I dont see any of the below :annoyed:   

 should I get preference over others that dont own there?

 1 Bedroom 4 / 2 Full 08/02/2009 08/09/2009 
2 Bedrooms 8 / 6 Full 08/07/2009 08/14/2009 
1 Bedroom 4 / 2 Full 08/07/2009 08/14/2009 
2 Bedrooms 8 / 6 Full 08/28/2009 09/04/2009


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## DaveNV (Nov 27, 2007)

Is there some sort of rule against trading back into your own resort family?  I know some areas won't let you exchange to another resort in your same area.  Does OLCC have that sort of thing?  

I'd call them and ask what's up, but I'd START by calling RCI while these weeks are there.  Your Ongoing Search could be messed up somehow.  You don't want to let those weeks get away.

Dave


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 27, 2007)

Just got off the phone with RCI and they told me that even though I own at OLCC I dont own at riverIsland and have no preference over others so I guess my week stinks in there eyes. I have preference if I wanted to get into the eastvillage because im an owner there but not RiverIsland, they said the resort is now 4 different propertys and I dont own at riverisland  
dirt bags...


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## Carl D (Nov 27, 2007)

jbuzzy11 said:


> dirt bags...


Who's the dirt bag, RCI or OLCC?


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 27, 2007)

never thought of it that way, Im going to say they both are...


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## timetraveler (Nov 27, 2007)

Sorry buzzy.  I've been away.

The reason you cannot get into RI is that you do NOT own in it.  OL has been up front with owner's on that issue from the beginning.

Since you purchased resale...and are a new owner to boot...I'm sure you were just unaware of that restriction.


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## gjw007 (Nov 28, 2007)

timetraveler said:


> Sorry buzzy.  I've been away.
> 
> The reason you cannot get into RI is that you do NOT own in it.  OL has been up front with owner's on that issue from the beginning.
> 
> Since you purchased resale...and are a new owner to boot...I'm sure you were just unaware of that restriction.



Vickie,

I don't think it is quite that simple.  As a non-owner of the resort (isn't that what some people on here wanted, OLCC to be split up into separate resorts and now people are getting what they asked for), she has no priority in getting a unit at the resort but I think Buzzy's problem is that others (non-owners) are seeing availability whereas she is not.  If other, non-OLCC Family of Resorts owners can make a reservation into RI, it would seem only fair that an OLCC Family of Resort owner also has that option.  

The problem that I see is that Buzzy is looking to exchange a low demand week (week 3) for a mid to high demand week and it appears that RCI is saying that week 3 doesn't have enough trading power to pull a late August week at RI.  I'm not sure that the non-owner issue is playing a role in getting into RI.  This may be more in keeping with some of the comments made about not seeing some of the resorts that others have been able to pull in the past.


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## Holly (Nov 28, 2007)

I said the same thing when I had my "stinky" experience in the East Village last week.  Now that they have split OLCC into separate resorts, the East Village is sure to suffer.  (Sorry about that).  OLCC is a great place, but I would never risk an exchange into the East Village because it's just too close to Disney's sewage treatment facility.  Once the RCI comment cards begin to be broken up by "resort", you'll start to see various ratings for the different sections.  Your week probably does stink, unfortunately.




jbuzzy11 said:


> Just got off the phone with RCI and they told me that even though I own at OLCC I dont own at riverIsland and have no preference over others so I guess my week stinks in there eyes. I have preference if I wanted to get into the eastvillage because im an owner there but not RiverIsland, they said the resort is now 4 different propertys and I dont own at riverisland
> dirt bags...


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## timetraveler (Nov 28, 2007)

I'll double check it Gary.  But I haven't heard of this policy being revisited.

From the beginning the resort said that if you own a week in any OL village other than RI...you cannot exchange into RI.  We own in multiple villages....but not RI.  I cannot exchange into RI.  I'm totally fine with that.  I have had the opportunity to convert  to RI so that I could exchange into it....but frankly....it's just not a hot button for us.


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 28, 2007)

thanks for all the replys, I booked the week I wanted but in the West village, I guess ill have to drive to the pool... Ill survive. It was just nice when we could walk down to the pool and up for lunch. last Aug I used a SA Club Mykonos week to get into the same week at RI.  Maybe ill cancle and do a search with one of those weeks again.


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## Lisa P (Nov 28, 2007)

timetraveler said:


> From the beginning the resort said that if you own a week in any OL village other than RI...you cannot exchange into RI.


Many resorts may restrict owners from making internal reservation changes or unit reassignments between villages.  This could entice some owners to make an upgrade purchase.  So that may make sense.

But, isn't this a question of limiting or restricting owners from using *RCI* to trade back in???  After all, most timeshare owners get a trade power _boost_ when using RCI to trade into a sister property.    It seems RCI would want to continue this or risk losing deposits.  Really, why pay an exchange fee to RCI if there's no benefit?

Also, while week 3 in Orlando is not exactly red hot, it is MLK week and part of the snowbird season.  Late August in Orlando cannot be _that_ much more in demand, since a good part of the country has returned to school.  Is there something else messing up the trade power of this deposit?  Was it deposited very late?


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## jbuzzy11 (Nov 28, 2007)

it was deposited a few months ago when I purchased the unit from eBay but I also deposited 2009 and dont see any of the RI stuff for 2009 thats posted above, I do see a few things for RI but not much so there go's the truth about not being able to trade into RI if you dont own it.


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## JLB (Nov 28, 2007)

Sounds like your best bet is to get a crappy week somewhere else so you can trade into RI.   

Oops, reading further, I see you already have one, and it gets you in.
- - - - - - 
Speaking of the East Village (again) jperkins and I played golf today.  We got paired with a guy I've seen around, but never met.  As we talked, first he said they go to Florida in January, and I said we do, too.  He said they take a motorhome, and park in Disney Wilderness something.  

I said we timeshare, and he said they do to.  He said they own at OL, Week 52.  I said we've been going there for 20 years.  I ask what village he owned in and he said the East Village.  Really, said I, we've stayed there a few times, the last time last Christmas Week, the second building on the left when you go into the East Village. he said they were there, too.

Six degrees of separation.


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## gjw007 (Nov 28, 2007)

timetraveler said:


> I'll double check it Gary.  But I haven't heard of this policy being revisited.
> 
> From the beginning the resort said that if you own a week in any OL village other than RI...you cannot exchange into RI.  We own in multiple villages....but not RI.  I cannot exchange into RI.  I'm totally fine with that.  I have had the opportunity to convert  to RI so that I could exchange into it....but frankly....it's just not a hot button for us.



Vickie,

I understand that but it was also at a time when OLCC was one resort, not 4.  Also, the first people to use RI were exchangers, not owners.  It seems wrong to me to allow other non-RI and non-OLCC owners to exchange into RI but deny other OLCC owners the same opportunity.   I would think that all non-RI owners would have equal opportunity to exchange into RI.  Given the relatively small number of units and that most of the owners are probably in GoGlobal, there should be few exchanges available making it somewhat difficult to exchange into for the moment.  I still wonder if this is more a result of the changes in RCI exchange power rather than it being another member of the OLCC Family.


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## Holly (Nov 29, 2007)

Exactly.  My guess is that the various villages within OL will have varying trading power within RCI.  As time goes on, they will probably become more pronounced.




gjw007 said:


> Vickie,
> 
> I understand that but it was also at a time when OLCC was one resort, not 4.  Also, the first people to use RI were exchangers, not owners.  It seems wrong to me to allow other non-RI and non-OLCC owners to exchange into RI but deny other OLCC owners the same opportunity.   I would think that all non-RI owners would have equal opportunity to exchange into RI.  Given the relatively small number of units and that most of the owners are probably in GoGlobal, there should be few exchanges available making it somewhat difficult to exchange into for the moment.  I still wonder if this is more a result of the changes in RCI exchange power rather than it being another member of the OLCC Family.


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## gjw007 (Nov 29, 2007)

Holly said:


> Exactly.  My guess is that the various villages within OL will have varying trading power within RCI.  As time goes on, they will probably become more pronounced.



I was thinking more in tune with the fact that the week that is looking to be exchange is week 3, a low demand week, for a higher demand week.  Ther emay be some variation in trading power among the OLCC resorts, but not today as the split doesn't really occur for trading until 2009.


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