# exhanges into gold crown resorts



## LexieW (Aug 3, 2009)

Is it just me or am I in the dark regarding exchanging with RCI into a gold crown resort?  I don't like the idea of depositing Wyndham points with RCI and only getting less-than gold crown resorts because we want to go in prime (summer) season.  

Is it an unspoken rule that gold crowns in prime season are off limits?  Are these resorts in prime season always going to take the full points (105K wyndham for 1 bedroom; 154K wyndham for 2 bedroom) or can some of the smaller point exchanges return good gold crown results?   

Thanks,


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## e.bram (Aug 3, 2009)

Prime red week owners use or rent they usually don't deposit. No deposit = no availability= no exchange. end of story.


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## LexieW (Aug 3, 2009)

Wow, so all the pitches from the timeshare reps that say anywhere anytime really are lying!  They should be made to say that you can go anywhere as long as your willing to stay somewhere out of season (when your kids are in school) and at a place that you could find just as nice on expedia.  I'm glad I have Wyndham.  At least with them I hear that exchanges are reasonable as long as you book 10 months out.

Thanks again


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## Bill4728 (Aug 3, 2009)

e.bram said:


> Prime red week owners use or rent they usually don't deposit. No deposit = no availability= no exchange. end of story.


While this is true, it doesn't mean that it is true all the time. If you want to travel in Aug of 2010. RIGHT NOW!! is the time to be making that request. If you do, you may get a top quality resort during peak travel season. But if you wait, your chance goes from very little chance to no chance at all you'll get a great resort.


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## DeniseM (Aug 3, 2009)

LexieW said:


> Wow, so all the pitches from the timeshare reps that say anywhere anytime really are lying!



That about sums it up....  

People who own the top resorts use them or rent them out for big $$$.  Depositing a top resort with an exchange company is kind of like trading your Mercedes for a Chevy, so not many people do it.


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## e.bram (Aug 3, 2009)

Bill4728:
You sound like a TS salesman. Try Cape Cod or Key West beachfront for Aug2010.


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## tschwa2 (Aug 3, 2009)

e.bram said:


> Bill4728:
> You sound like a TS salesman. Try Cape Cod or Key West beachfront for Aug2010.



I didn't know there were any RCI "gold crown" resorts in Cape Cod or Key West?


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## Bill4728 (Aug 3, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> While this is true, it doesn't mean that it is true all the time. If you want to travel in Aug of 2010. RIGHT NOW!! is the time to be making that request. If you do, *you may *get a top quality resort during peak travel season. But if you wait there is much less chance you'll get a great resort.





e.bram said:


> Bill4728:
> You sound like a TS salesman. Try Cape Cod or Key West beachfront for Aug2010.


I did say "may get" a top resort.   BUT you're right, the top resorts seldom trade their very best weeks into the exchange companies. So these weeks are very, very difficult to get.


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## Mel (Aug 4, 2009)

LexieW said:


> Wow, so all the pitches from the timeshare reps that say anywhere anytime really are lying!  They should be made to say that you can go anywhere as long as your willing to stay somewhere out of season (when your kids are in school) and at a place that you could find just as nice on expedia.  I'm glad I have Wyndham.  At least with them I hear that exchanges are reasonable as long as you book 10 months out.


This absolutely true - timeshare salesment stratch the truth as far as they can.

But also consider what you asked in your original question - do you need to make a better deposit, or can you get a Gold Crown with a smaller deposit?

The basic premise behind exchanging timeshares is to get back equal value.  Gold Crown resorts are supposed to be the best resorts (OK, not all are that great, and not al great resorts are Gold Crown).  If you want one of the best resorts in one of the most popular seasons, why should you expect to get it in exchange for something less?

If you want a high-season week in a 2BR unit in a Gold Crown resort, deposits enough Wyndham points to secure a 2BR unit during high season - I bet that will pull whatever Gold Crown resorts are available.   While it might be nice to think any deposit can pull any exchange, think about how that would work - you still wouldn't get your Gold Crown, because it would have already gone to whoever requested it before you did.


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## sandkastle4966 (Aug 4, 2009)

Do NOT deposit 154k points.  It has been shown again and again that 105k trade no differently than 154k points.  (in fact 70k is trades pretty close to a 105k....but the 105k does get a few more larger units.)

The bottom line is that Wyn points (105k) is a second tier trader.  No level of Wyn points deposits trade at the "top tier".  You will not see DVC, Manhatten Club, Ocean front summer beach, prime ski,  etc with a Wyn deposit.  You can get perfectly nice Gold Crown resorts - just not the top desired places in the prime season. 

The weeks that back up those deposits are not the prime weeks are Wyn properties, so you won't get back "primo time".  

Wyn points are fantastic for those 28k trades in off season, they just aren't good for the primo places in high demand time.


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## sfwilshire (Aug 4, 2009)

Don't get too bogged down in the Gold Crown designation. Some of my favorite resorts have no status and some of the Gold Crowns I've been to didn't impress me. I read the TUG reviews and form my own opinion.

Sheila


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## geekette (Aug 4, 2009)

e.bram said:


> Bill4728:
> You sound like a TS salesman. Try Cape Cod or Key West beachfront for Aug2010.



Seems to me that both those areas are extremely low on supply to start with so would be outliers in this theory.


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## geekette (Aug 4, 2009)

sfwilshire said:


> Don't get too bogged down in the Gold Crown designation. Some of my favorite resorts have no status and some of the Gold Crowns I've been to didn't impress me. I read the TUG reviews and form my own opinion.
> 
> Sheila



I agree completely with this.  The designations do not mean much.


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## LexieW (Aug 4, 2009)

*Making sure I get what your saying*

Makes sense; but if I may clarify. . . Beach front is considered prime property . . . would a wyndham beachfront (daytona or myrle beach) be considered prime (first tier) property or would the wyndham name always carry second tier?:annoyed:


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## Jeff Pierce (Aug 4, 2009)

*Getting Prime RCI Weeks*

I've been exchanging my 1 Bedroom summer week in a non-ranked resort in  Whistler for Gold Crown resorts for 20 years now.  To say that all, or a significant amount of Gold Crown or prime Red week owners don't deposit their weeks because they're either using or renting them is nonsense.

The number one reason people buy a timeshare in the first place is to exchange it.  Certainly the owners of the very best RCI affiliated timeshare resorts are less likely to bank, especially prime weeks, but we're only talking about 1-3% of the nearly 6,000 resorts out there.

As for timeshare owners renting out their weeks, in the more than 20 years I've been in the timeshare business I've only worked for only one company that had a rental program-Lawrence Welk. 

Neither the Four Seasons, Westin Cabo San Lucas, Fairmont Heritage Club Ghirardelli Square, Sol Mar or Sheraton Hacienda del Mar had a rental program and these are all high quality properties.  Renting a timeshare out on your own is difficult and not very profitable so few people are successful at it.  Try it yourself.

I just used RCI's Enhanced Search feature to pull a bunch of Gold Crown, prime red weeks with my least powerful week.  It also pulled August 2010 weeks in Hyannis, South Yarmouth.  It did not pull Key West for August of 2010 but it did pull every other high demand beach area in Florida except Sanibel and Captiva Islands.  

That doesn't mean that if I started a search now for those areas I wouldn't get it.  I know I would from past experience. The availability is going to increase from now until March of next year because most timeshare owners haven't deposited their August 2010 weeks yet. Timeshare owners are always going to want to exchange rather than continually going back to the same place year after year.

Also, *you can forget* the "like for like" basis on exchanging timeshares.  It rarely pertains as evidenced by all of the great exchanges I've gotten in the last 20 years.  My week just pulled a Gold Crown 3 bedroom at the Club Velas Vallarta in March of 2010.  And it also pulled plenty of other Gold Crown, 2 bedroom units in Florida, including the Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Cancun, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas in March as well.  All this with a 1 bedroom in a non-ranked RCI Resort.

Many Tug members contribute excellent insights, some of the best around, when it comes to timeshare.  My hat's off to those members.  But don't listen to all of the nay-sayers and people who give bad advice about exchanging.  Obviously getting a good exchange is harder than your salesperson made it seem and I've neither exhibited nor condoned that kind of behavior in the past.  Timeshare is an excellent product for many people and can be sold honestly.

There are many steps to learn on how to get good exchanges but many people just aren't doing them right.  Don't let the whiners drag you down but learn what it takes to do it right and you'll enjoy your timeshare much more.


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## bnoble (Aug 4, 2009)

> would a wyndham beachfront (daytona or myrle beach) be considered prime (first tier) property or would the wyndham name always carry second tier?


It's not quite that simple.  (You'll find that you hear that a lot as you learn more about timeshare )

Wyndham controls all deposits on its owners' behalf.  So, if a Wyndham points owner wants to exchange through RCI, Wyndham chooses the week, not the owner---and that week can come from any resort in the system, during any time within the chosen season.  Wyndham's "deposit strategy" is generally to give owners using the internal reservation system first crack at the weeks, and only deposit things that it looks like the owners won't book up internally in short order.

Generally, the things that the owners do want to book internally are things everyone else wants too.  The things that the owners aren't in such a hurry to book internally are things that other people aren't super interested in either.  As a result, Wyndham tends to deposit "lesser" time, on average.

That term "on average" is important, because most Wyndham deposits are "generic" deposits---a credit for a certain number of points in your RCI account, not a "real week".  Roughly speaking, the generic deposits are computed based on the average of deposited units for that size/season.

Finally, when last anyone was able to check, RCI tends to put relatively little weight on unit size, and relatively more weight on seasonal/area/resort supply and demand---that's why there is scant difference between a 1BR red and a Studio red, and none that anyone has found between a 2BR and a 1BR.  It would be interesting to repeat this experiment, because it seems as though "new" RCI, post 6/1/09, seems to give more weight to unit size than "old" RCI did.

My summary of Wyndham: it's a pretty solid performer used to book things internally in terms of price/performance.  You can use it through RCI to make very low-cost shoulder-season exchanges, or prime-time exchanges into over-deposited areas.  You can also often get Wyndham-deposited time at a discount, thanks to an apparent internal preference in RCI.

If you are looking for one of those three things, Wyndham will be a good choice.  If you are looking for something else---a cost-effective way to get prime-time exchanges in areas that are not over-supplied---then you are best served to look elsewhere.


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## LexieW (Aug 4, 2009)

*This stuff makes my brain hurt!*

Thanks you-guys for all of the advice.  I've been trying to look at things realistically and educate myself.

Of course, it would be nice to feel pretty comfortable knowing that I was going to be able to get a summer week at the different places my family wants to go.   As I've been told, weeks are necessarily sold through Wyndham anymore.  

In a thought, I considered purchasing time at a/the resort(s) that my family and I are most likely to circulate our travels; however, with the point system, just because one owns at a popular, nice resort doesn't necessarily mean that one is going to get the week one wants--even with a 13 month advantage. ?!

My family is newer to the timeshare business and my father-in-law never really learned his system; he just travels where there's availability (must be nice to be so leisurely).  I hate the idea of trying to rent weeks if I buy them.  I've heard nightmares about that.

There's mixed reviews on whether Wyndham can really get you in where you want if you take advantage of the 13 or 10 months time frames.  Should I not buy at these other resorts we'd be likely to travel?  Should I just stick with what I have and be content with using only the Wyndham internal exchange and pray for a good week?


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## bnoble (Aug 4, 2009)

Let's step back a minute---it sounds like you are now talking about Wyndham-internal reservations, not RCI exchanges.  For Wyndham-internal reservations, for the most part, points are points, and booking is easy as long as you can plan ahead----i.e. at the 10 month window.

Can you give me an idea of a few places where you think you want to go?   Are these Wyndham resorts, or non-Wyn?

Edited to add: for example, right now there is plenty of availability for a week checking in June 4th, 2010 at the Myrtle Beach resorts, Alexandria, National Harbor, etc.  All you need is enough points.


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## bnoble (Aug 4, 2009)

One more point that might help clear things up: in Wyndham-speak, the word "exchange" means going through your Worldwide Exchange company, either RCI or II.  The word "reservation" means using your points internally within the Wyndham points system.

I'm getting the sense that you are talking about making a "reservation", not an "exchange."


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## LexieW (Aug 4, 2009)

Sorry for the confusion.  I own at Wyndham and have heard that sometimes even Wyndham internal exchanges are difficult.  You are saying, No.  That makes me feel better.  I also just talked with a VC with Wyndham who agreed with you and stated that as long as I booked exactly 10 months out at a Wyndham resort that I should be okay.  She confirmed that I would most always get what I want at my home resort using the 13 month advantage.  You agree?

My frustration comes from exchanges outside of the Wyndham resorts.  Believe it or not, there are some places that don't house a Wyndham resort.  My family is lazy and don't like to drive to where we are going--we want to stay where we are going.

For example, we have considered Cocoa Beach and some of the beaches on the gulf side of Florida (not Panama).  We've considered some inter-city stays like New York, Chicago and northern California.  

It sounds like we may have some difficulty exchanging with RCI during prime season if we want to stay at some of the more popular resorts.


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## Carolinian (Aug 4, 2009)

In the TUG advice section, there is a copy of the brochure that RCI sends to resorts on the requirements to be GC or RID (now SC).  I obtained that and TROglodyte scanned it and put it up.  It has now been superseded by a newer one that has not changed much.  You might take a look at it, as to what is really required to be GC.  It is not as much as many timesharers think.


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## sandkastle4966 (Aug 4, 2009)

If you want to go to  Seawatch and Westwinds during the summer,  or Alexandria for Cherry Blossoms or for summer toursit season,  or Bonnet Creek for Spring Break/Easter,  then you will need to own there.  You will not get MB at 10 months (maybe Ocean Blvd as it is not sold out.)  

Your home resort looks like you are good at 13 months (smokey mountains).

Everything else you can most likely get at 10 months when "points are points".

As far as RCI goes,  if you are looking for NYC (Manhatten Club), or other primo resorts in High season, then you will have difficulty.   Florida locations in the summer are not too bad and should be doable.  For July 2010 there are 200 units available through out florida for either a 48k or 70k equiv deposit.   

Just depends what you are looking for.

(and i concur on the gold crown title comments - my favorite ski resort is not a gold crown. I cannot get it with any size Wyn deposit, and have to use my tiger trader to get in)


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## bnoble (Aug 5, 2009)

> If you want to go to  Seawatch and Westwinds during the summer,  or Alexandria for Cherry Blossoms or for summer toursit season,  or Bonnet Creek for Spring Break/Easter,  then you will need to own there.  You will not get MB at 10 months (maybe Ocean Blvd as it is not sold out.)


Even some of these aren't as hard as they used to be.  I don't know for sure about Alexandria, but I bet with National Harbor coming on line, things will get easier there.  I've seen plenty of summer Ocean Blvd units available at 10 months (though mostly at Tower 4) and even some at Westwinds if you're on the ball checking daily.  I personally booked Easter week in '09 at Bonnet Creek---now that five of the six towers are up, it's pretty easy to do at 10 months.  The new Panama City resort has made summer panhandle doable too.  

Wyndham has been pretty good at adding capacity in areas that have been popular---the newer resorts are more expensive in points, but resale points are so cheap, who cares?  At "typical" MF costs, they're still fairly reasonable for 2BR units in prime locations, and the resorts themselves are very nice.


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## Don (Aug 5, 2009)

Jeff Pierce said:


> I've been exchanging my 1 Bedroom summer week in a non-ranked resort in  Whistler for Gold Crown resorts for 20 years now.
> 
> Also, *you can forget* the "like for like" basis on exchanging timeshares.  It rarely pertains as evidenced by all of the great exchanges I've gotten in the last 20 years. .....  All this with a 1 bedroom in a non-ranked RCI Resort.



I agree.  Much of it depends on location of and time of deposit.  It has been several years since I deposited my Sands Ocean Club, one bedroom, week 6 in Myrtle Beach with RCI.  But the last time I did, I had deposited it a year ahead.  About five months out I did an all Florida search for a four week span during the summer.  Since my wife teaches, this is the only time that we could actually go.  I pulled about 23-24 resorts and 17 of them were GC.


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