# I just don't bother with RCI and II too much hassle. Anyone else feel this way?



## mamiecarter (Jul 3, 2012)

I own a number of great New England summer weeks. Once in a while I use DAE and Ive gotten the occasional last minute Europe week from them. But I would rather rent out my weeks and make a little money that Mess with the big Exchanges that never have what you want, rent the good stuff out and  let you choose from the junk.
Any one else feel this way?


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 3, 2012)

Heck, yes! I am not renewing with RCI this year. I use my Vermont weeks and rent from other owners for extra vacations, and if for some reason I can't use my weeks I will try DAE or try to rent them out- but my goal is to always use my weeks at my home resort because I love it there! Who needs to deal with the mind numbing points and TPU's and strategics, and problems with the websites, etc. I just pack and go!

By the way, does anyone know how late you can deposit a week with DAE? In other words, can you deposit a week, let's say, a week before its start date or at the last minute?


----------



## RV 16 (Jul 3, 2012)

Yes, I do.
 I am new to TUG but really appreciate the wealth of information found here.
 I own a week here in Vermont that we have never used, but always traded. Finally paid it off last July , thank goodness for that! Maintenance fee goes up every year of course. ( with little to no "owner perks" since numerous changes in ownership of the property)
 RCI is a joke. All they want is your money and I am hoping to not renew next year. My question is how some of you have successfully rented your week without fear of it being trashed. I did not choose my week since it was bought for trading purposes. (big mistake, I know) Although it is a great unit, We have never stayed in it. There are so many great exchange/rent offers here on TUG I am sure that I would find a great place to visit. Thank you.


----------



## Egret1986 (Jul 3, 2012)

*Never been a member of II; been with RCI since 1984*

However, I do not use RCI to the extent that I once did; however, I do use them and with diligence get some great exchanges.

But I no longer deposit weeks on the Weeks side except when I know that I want something specifically and know that I can get a tremendous amount of TPUs for my deposit.  I usually deposit one week per year.  I have a lot of timeshares, so this is a very small percentage of what I own.  I rent out my weeks easily.  

I used to own (4) Points timeshares, but have down-sized to two.  I still get better deals on the Points side than I do on the Weeks side.  I have great points-to-maintenance fee ratios on these two timeshares.

RCI still gives me enough benefit to keep the membership going.  But I no longer do the deposits and exchanges that I once did.  I find renting out my units and renting from others works quite well.  But I still do get some very good exchanges that otherwise would be too costly if renting.


----------



## csxjohn (Jul 3, 2012)

mpumilia said:


> By the way, does anyone know how late you can deposit a week with DAE? In other words, can you deposit a week, let's say, a week before its start date or at the last minute?



The magic number with DAE is 8 weeks.  Once a week is within 8 weeks of check in, it becomes a bonus week.

http://www.daelive.com/helpdesk/faq.aspx#faq71

Look at "what are your terms of deposit."

I always bank first because I know I'll find something I can use.


----------



## dougp26364 (Jul 3, 2012)

We quit using RCI a few years ago. We used them twice for Branson during shoulder season and there just wasn't squat for exchange options. 

We still use I.I. and have had good luck with them. So far it hasn't been a hassle and we've recieved good value for the Branson week we still exchange. 

Otherwise the weeks we own are for personal usage or they're within an internal system that we make good use of. Our Marriott weeks trade for other Marriott weeks and our DRI weeks are exchanged for other DRI weeks. Interestinly enough, both Marriott and DRI utilize I.I. 

For me, renting would be the big hassle. I'd have to advertise, deal with the scammers and then try to deal with renters who might think renting a timeshare is the same as renting a hotel room. I just don't want the hassle and would much rather exchange.


----------



## bshmerlie (Jul 3, 2012)

RCI works for me.  I've owned a  little timeshare for Arkansas for about 7 years now.  I bought it resale for practically nothing and it gives me 44,000 RCI points a year.  I have never been to Arkansas and might even have a hard time picking it out on a map.  But I got it just for the points so I can exchange and go wherever I want. I've been to numerous CA beach resorts, Vegas too many times to count, Hawaii, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. All with my dog of a timeshare from Arkansas.  You can get to the places you want to go you just have to be diligent in your search.  That searching process may not work for everyone because it does take time.  But it works for me.


----------



## DeniseM (Jul 4, 2012)

No, I can't agree - once you learn the ropes, trading can be fantastic - but you have to understand how it works, and put your requests in early.

I like renting too - but earning some money and staying home, is not the same as a great vacation.


----------



## chriskre (Jul 4, 2012)

DeniseM said:


> No, I can't agree - once you learn the ropes, trading can be fantastic - but you have to understand how it works, and put your requests in early.
> 
> I like renting too - but earning some money and staying home, is not the same as a great vacation.



I'm with Denise.  

I love the thrill of the deal with trading and have gotten great value in many of the exchanges that I've done.  

If RCI/II frustrate you maybe you'd do better in a mini like Wyndham or Bluegreen.  Trading in the biggies can be almost an obsession and a bit frustrating at times as well.


----------



## Ron98GT (Jul 4, 2012)

chriskre said:


> I'm with Denise.
> 
> I love the thrill of the deal with trading and have gotten great value in many of the exchanges that I've done.
> 
> If RCI/II frustrate you maybe you'd do better in a mini like Wyndham or Bluegreen.  Trading in the biggies can be almost an obsession and a bit frustrating at times as well.



Although HGVC isn't  a mini, you can still avoid RCI and exchange within HGVC, unlike my Marriott where I have to use II for all of my exchanges even if they are Marriott to Marriott.


----------



## dundey (Jul 4, 2012)

RV 16 - you need to go and stay at your resort!
Bolton Valley is great, especially in the winter if you like to ski, snow shoe or cross country.  Its a little gem of a resort, we go every year.

I've never rented my week there, but have rented other resorts without any problems.  As for exchanging, I used to do it all the time, but with the ever increasing fees and continual errosion of inventory in RCI we mainly use now.  I still have both RCI and II accounts, but will leave RCI as soon as my current TPU's (63) are mostly used.  I will keep II since they offer Marriotts and lower fees then than the robber barons at RCI.




RV 16 said:


> Yes, I do.
> I am new to TUG but really appreciate the wealth of information found here.
> I own a week here in Vermont that we have never used, but always traded. Finally paid it off last July , thank goodness for that! Maintenance fee goes up every year of course. ( with little to no "owner perks" since numerous changes in ownership of the property)
> RCI is a joke. All they want is your money and I am hoping to not renew next year. My question is how some of you have successfully rented your week without fear of it being trashed. I did not choose my week since it was bought for trading purposes. (big mistake, I know) Although it is a great unit, We have never stayed in it. There are so many great exchange/rent offers here on TUG I am sure that I would find a great place to visit. Thank you.


----------



## timeos2 (Jul 4, 2012)

We used RCI extremely successfully for many years but their costs and the tendency to rent all the good stuff rather than ever offer it as trade has killed the usefulness for us. We do use the rentals as they save rather than cost us as trades do. 

II has always been second tier to us for trades - they just didn't deliver. That changed when we got into DRI Club and the associated preference those types of systems enjoy with II. It changed the dynamics entirely and most of our recent trades - few as they have been - have been with II.  As an individual member II makes no sense as you get trumped by all the various preferences for all the sub-systems II grants.  But with those you can in fact get some great trades through them.

Overall trading was never as good a deal as they painted it to be. With the fees now so high and the best being grabbed by systems or rentals it is barely worth considering the big two.  As everything in timeshare it always changes except for your home resort if you bought it to use.  If that was the main goal anything else is gravy to be consumed with a careful appetite. Although we still dabble one way or another with RCI & II if they both went away tomorrow it wouldn't bother us one iota.  We like our resorts and that's all we really need to enjoy timeshare.


----------



## Egret1986 (Jul 4, 2012)

*Gotta Agree!*



bshmerlie said:


> You can get to the places you want to go, you just have to be diligent in your search.



Diligence works!



DeniseM said:


> No, I can't agree - once you learn the ropes, trading can be fantastic - but you have to understand how it works, and put your requests in early.



Once you've learned those ropes, trading works for some really great stuff!



chriskre said:


> I love the thrill of the deal with trading and have gotten great value in many of the exchanges that I've done.



Thrilling indeed!


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 4, 2012)

csxjohn said:


> The magic number with DAE is 8 weeks.  Once a week is within 8 weeks of check in, it becomes a bonus week.
> 
> http://www.daelive.com/helpdesk/faq.aspx#faq71
> 
> ...



Thanks for that. It's good to know that I can deposit my week if something comes up and I can't use it at my home resort, since I am no longer with RCI. If something comes up closer to the check-in date, then I would attempt to rent it out or give it to a friend or family member to use.

As for exchanging- I, too, in a weird way liked the "thrill" of trying to get the exchange I wanted- but now with the high cost of doing so, I don't like being taken and all that thrilling energy I used to get now is wearing and a headache. I always got great exchanges with white/pink weeks way back in the past, but I am lucky that we love our home resort because now I wouldn't want to be bothered with TPU's and all the RCI hassles and wondering whether or not I would get the exchange I really wanted after I already banked my beautiful Smuggs weeks. Paying almost half of what my maintenance fees amount to (in membership, exchange and insurance fees)  in addition to my actual maintenance fees is something I can't justify, when I could rent someone else's timeshare and get an additional weeks vacation. 

Now, I like the thrill of responding to a "FOR RENT" ad and closing the deal to go on a extra vacation to a resort I want to be at. I agree with Denise in that staying home is not an option for me, unless I really needed the money and then I would rent it out if possible. But then, again, we like going to our home resort. If we didn't, then I would try to exchange through DAE and some of the other smaller exchange companies. with lower fees


----------



## dougp26364 (Jul 4, 2012)

timeos2 said:


> We used RCI extremely successfully for many years but their costs and the tendency to rent all the good stuff rather than ever offer it as trade has killed the usefulness for us. We do use the rentals as they save rather than cost us as trades do.
> 
> II has always been second tier to us for trades - they just didn't deliver. That changed when we got into DRI Club and the associated preference those types of systems enjoy with II. It changed the dynamics entirely and most of our recent trades - few as they have been - have been with II.  As an individual member II makes no sense as you get trumped by all the various preferences for all the sub-systems II grants.  But with those you can in fact get some great trades through them.
> 
> Overall trading was never as good a deal as they painted it to be. With the fees now so high and the best being grabbed by systems or rentals it is barely worth considering the big two.  As everything in timeshare it always changes except for your home resort if you bought it to use.  If that was the main goal anything else is gravy to be consumed with a careful appetite. Although we still dabble one way or another with RCI & II if they both went away tomorrow it wouldn't bother us one iota.  We like our resorts and that's all we really need to enjoy timeshare.



You keep saying this but, we have this little no-name resort in Branson, an over-developed region by many opinions, and I'm still getting good trades through I.I. This is a resort with no amenites and isn't even rated premier in a town where almost every resort is rated premier.

I'm starting to wonder who you ticked off at Interval to not be able to get decent exchanges. This little no-name resort (Grand Regency at Thousand Hills) searches as well as my DRI points (we haven't actually exchanged our DRI points with Interval) ever have. Either you were doing something wrong, asking for the impossible or things have changed since 1999 when we completed our first exchange through Interval.


----------



## sandkastle4966 (Jul 4, 2012)

I use RCI extensively every year - I have "built" a portfolio that works well for me - my MF cost per TPU is very reasonable.  I use the system very well and have great vacations - this year - I have 3 units for 2 weeks in Jackson Hole for Christmas-at a cost of about $600 per week.  Can't go wrong with that.  I have 2 weeks in Park City later in the ski season.  Will pop into vegas when I want too, spend a few weeks in aruba also. 

Is it a hobby - I guess so.....takes some time to learn the ropes, and some patience - but it works!


----------



## timeos2 (Jul 4, 2012)

dougp26364 said:


> You keep saying this but, we have this little no-name resort in Branson, an over-developed region by many opinions, and I'm still getting good trades through I.I. This is a resort with no amenites and isn't even rated premier in a town where almost every resort is rated premier.
> 
> I'm starting to wonder who you ticked off at Interval to not be able to get decent exchanges. This little no-name resort (Grand Regency at Thousand Hills) searches as well as my DRI points (we haven't actually exchanged our DRI points with Interval) ever have. Either you were doing something wrong, asking for the impossible or things have changed since 1999 when we completed our first exchange through Interval.



Doug - As I have stated repeatedly over the years we were II members - with high hopes for what appeared to be great resorts - for over a decade prior to joining DRI Club (then Sunterra).  Using the exact same resort / times/unit size we always got top trades from RCI & SFX - nothing but small, wrong date or off season times from II - no matter if we direct request or deposit first, went as far out as allowed, etc.  Yet the same deposit the next try with RCI or SFX got us the holiday periods, the 2-3 bedrooms, etc we wanted - we are always very time/resort/unit size specific and that was where II fell flat. 

Joined DRI & boom - suddenly the exact same resort deposit but through DRI rather than directly with II was able to get the resorts/times / size we requested AND rather than absorbing the whole 3 br and the full week we were using just a tiny amount of the total points our week generated in DRI - we were getting two or sometimes 3 weeks from the one!  It was dramatic.  

I have since come around to II as they currently offer a better chance at trade than RCI (too many rentals depleting the inventory it seems) and the management there seems to have changed for the better.  Perhaps the results for non-preferenced deposits has also changed - but after all those years of trying it and being disappointed  I wouldn't risk even trying that route again. I am happy with the DRI/II hook up and will continue to utilize that.  The new II/VRI relationship may turn out to be a good one as well - time will tell on that.  

When we bought our first two resorts it was to use because we loved them & wanted to return. We expanded to a portfolio of 8 with most of the additional ones based on trading.  That turned for the worst in 2007-2008 and we sold of all of them but those first two we deemed valuable. The rise in super inexpensive rentals - especially from RCI - played a big part in making ownership at "to trade" resorts & systems a noose rather than a value.  Only the resorts we typically use remained a value as it was a simple annual fee & enjoy. We've also found them easy to rent for a small profit over the fees if we need to. No trade hassles or expensive memberships / costs of exchange just pack the bags and head to our favorite places. For us that was timeshare at it's very best & least expensive.


----------



## chriskre (Jul 4, 2012)

Ron98GT said:


> Although HGVC isn't  a mini, you can still avoid RCI and exchange within HGVC, unlike my Marriott where I have to use II for all of my exchanges even if they are Marriott to Marriott.



I consider HGVC a mini as well.  Sorry that I didn't include it.  I wasn't being all inclusive, just giving an example.  I love my HGVC mini.   



dougp26364 said:


> You keep saying this but, we have this little no-name resort in Branson, an over-developed region by many opinions, and I'm still getting good trades through I.I. This is a resort with no amenites and isn't even rated premier in a town where almost every resort is rated premier.



Well I just recently took on one of those CMV UDI thingies and gotta say that I see lots of great places that I can trade into even with that little cabin in the woods.  I just recently went to Ocean Pointe in Palm beach with an II exchange.  I consider that a definite uptrade from my cabin in the woods.  
So for some of us, II and RCI is still great value.  :whoopie: 



sandkastle4966 said:


> I use RCI extensively every year - I have "built" a portfolio that works well for me - my MF cost per TPU is very reasonable.  I use the system very well and have great vacations - this year - I have 3 units for 2 weeks in Jackson Hole for Christmas-at a cost of about $600 per week.  Can't go wrong with that.  I have 2 weeks in Park City later in the ski season.  Will pop into vegas when I want too, spend a few weeks in aruba also.
> 
> Is it a hobby - I guess so.....takes some time to learn the ropes, and some patience - but it works!



Yes it does take patience, but I too scored probably my best exchange so far by accident snooping around the RCI/HGVC portal and scored a New Years Eve week Manhattan Club ressie.   

There is still great value in there you just gotta go fishing.


----------



## Ron98GT (Jul 4, 2012)

chriskre said:


> Yes it does take patience, but I too scored probably my best exchange so far by accident snooping around the RCI/HGVC portal and scored a New Years Eve week Manhattan Club ressie.
> 
> There is still great value in there you just gotta go fishing.



Good catch


----------



## bshmerlie (Jul 4, 2012)

Hmm....it seems like the people with the higher end resorts dont feel like they get a good value trading and often just use their given week. On the other hand the people with the no-name lower end resorts appreciate the ability to use our RCI points and go to the the nicer resorts. So we deem it a great value.   Is that a fair assessment?


----------



## chriskre (Jul 4, 2012)

Ron98GT said:


> Good catch



I'm happy.   



bshmerlie said:


> Hmm....it seems like the people with the higher end resorts dont feel like they get a good value trading and often just use their given week. On the other hand the people with the no-name lower end resorts appreciate the ability to use our RCI points and go to the the nicer resorts. So we deem it a great value.   Is that a fair assessment?



It really depends.  If you are good with renting your unit for more money then I can understand why they'd not deposit those weeks and either use or rent.  

I have units that I only use or rent myself like that such as DVC, but every now and then trading with my HGVC makes sense.  Not often but occasionally.  Usually just use my bottom feeders for trading, although I also own a bottom feeder beachfront unit that RCI will never see since I always use that week myself.  They don't value it like I do.  :annoyed: 

I think it's good to have a mix of everything and is probably the consensus here and why you see that most of us own a portfolio of resorts.  Some to use, some to trade and rent.  One system really can't do everything for you efficiently, at least that's what I believe.  YMMV.


----------



## dougp26364 (Jul 4, 2012)

timeos2 said:


> Doug - As I have stated repeatedly over the years we were II members - with high hopes for what appeared to be great resorts - for over a decade prior to joining DRI Club (then Sunterra).  Using the exact same resort / times/unit size we always got top trades from RCI & SFX - nothing but small, wrong date or off season times from II - no matter if we direct request or deposit first, went as far out as allowed, etc.  Yet the same deposit the next try with RCI or SFX got us the holiday periods, the 2-3 bedrooms, etc we wanted - we are always very time/resort/unit size specific and that was where II fell flat.
> 
> Joined DRI & boom - suddenly the exact same resort deposit but through DRI rather than directly with II was able to get the resorts/times / size we requested AND rather than absorbing the whole 3 br and the full week we were using just a tiny amount of the total points our week generated in DRI - we were getting two or sometimes 3 weeks from the one!  It was dramatic.
> 
> ...



Your luck, or lack of it, with I.I. still just amazes me. To date I have seen no difference in what my Polo Towers weeks would see vs what I see with my corporate DRI account. Of course this is strictly looking at online availabity and not by making exchange requests.

I really think I.I. just didn't like you......or your resort week......for some odd reason. But now that it's a corporate account with DRI you must be the greatest by I.I. standards.


----------



## Kauai Kid (Jul 4, 2012)

I don't think the comparison between RCI and II is fair.

I agree RCI is a head ache waiting to happen.  Stopped using them several years ago.

II works for us.

I like Grand Pacific Exchange and Trading Places more than II.  

Sterling


----------



## Carolinian (Jul 4, 2012)

bshmerlie said:


> Hmm....it seems like the people with the higher end resorts dont feel like they get a good value trading and often just use their given week. On the other hand the people with the no-name lower end resorts appreciate the ability to use our RCI points and go to the the nicer resorts. So we deem it a great value.   Is that a fair assessment?



RCI has patterns of overpointing and underpointing.  If your resort or area is overpointed, then you are likely to be in RCI's cheering section.  If your resort is underpointed, then the smart thing to do is fine another trading venue.  Supply and demand is more about location than about ''name'' of a resort.  The problem with RCI's system is that they too often stand supply and demand on their head in calculating trading power.

I started using DAE as a supplement to RCI, and due to the renting by RCI for a number of years only gave RCI one deposit at a time.  When Points Lite came out, I quit giving them anything.  When my low cost long term RCI membership, acquited through RCI South Africa finally expires, I will be done with them.  Now, I just use them for rentals, which is where their better inventory usually is.  I have also started trading through SFX, and my first trade with them blew me away - a 2BR in London.  I have now also made my first deposit with UKRE, as both of my summer UK weeks get double credits with them.  When I checked summer UK availibllity UKRE had more weeks availible than RCI, II, and DAE combined, although DAE came in second.


----------



## timeos2 (Jul 4, 2012)

Steve - Welcome to SFX! When they say quality and like for like they mean it. We have had great, high end & high demand trades successfully through them although we haven't made any recently (nothing available to deposit right now).  While II preaches quality as it's slogan it's SFX that actually delivers it.  

RCI is strictly for rentals now. We haven't traded with them since 2007.  We left our individual II account a year or two before that except for our ongoing DRI Club link that seems to work very well.  Haven't missed either one as an ex-individual subscriber.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 4, 2012)

We bailed on RCI years ago.  At first I liked the thrill of trading; I was one of the people checking the spacebank pool at the witching hour.  After several yaers, though, the rush wore off. 

By her personality DW is not a good "exchanger"; when we are making plans to go someplace she wants to know where she is going to be staying. The notion of putting in a request and waiting for something to match was something she wasn't comfortable with.

So we found that getting into minis that had resorts where we wanted to get to, combined with using independent exchange companies as necessary worked well for us. We still have access to RCI and II through our minis, and occasionally we do make an exchange that way.  But that's now pretty rare.


----------



## lindner (Jul 4, 2012)

Is the general public souring on RCI as well?  Has anyone tracked if the number of deposits or possible exchanges has been decreasing?


----------



## lindner (Jul 4, 2012)

bshmerlie said:


> Hmm....it seems like the people with the higher end resorts dont feel like they get a good value trading and often just use their given week. On the other hand the people with the no-name lower end resorts appreciate the ability to use our RCI points and go to the the nicer resorts. So we deem it a great value.   Is that a fair assessment?



Also depends on what you want to exchange into.  For example, hard to beat RCI if you want a week in a two bedroom in a fabulous resort in Orlando (or many other overbuilt areas).  You can often pick something up for less than 10 TPUs (sometimes as little as 5 TPUs), which often works out to a cost to you of $400 or less including all RCI fees and your annual dues per TPU.  That's competitive with last call vacations but without the restriction to 45 days out booking.  Hard to argue with less than $60 a night.


----------



## Maple_Leaf (Jul 4, 2012)

*Done with RCI*

We stopped using RCI in 2009.  We successfully used the RCI resort preference for years to exchange a September week into July at the same resort.  Points Lite killed that so we dumped that week when a July week became available for $1.  Now we don't exchange unless for some reason we cannot use our summer weeks, then we will try SFX.

Bye bye, RCI.


----------



## Coach Boon (Jul 4, 2012)

We've not had any problem with RCI. They have had legal issues to deal with which from an ethical point of view paints them in a bad light. I do not like the fact that you pay for a search before you know what you're getting. There's no need for that. Other independant exchange companies don't charge until they delivery so why not RCI.

I've never used an independent exchange company. I did inquire through SFX but my resort was not accepted. My limited understanding here is that perhaps the resort has to approve use of other independent timeshares as well as RCI? Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this one?


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 4, 2012)

Coach Boon said:


> My limited understanding here is that perhaps the resort has to approve use of other independent timeshares as well as RCI? Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this one?


not true at all, though some resorts at times try to assert otherwise. In those case the independent exchange companies are usually quite quick and ready to "explain things" to the resort.

The primary exception to my statement is with club memberships.  Many of those clubs do restrict the users choices for exchanging.


----------



## DebBrown (Jul 4, 2012)

We've been members of II for years but recently the trades have just not been coming through.  I have a number of pending requests with no results.  Sure, I want to trade up to something nice and maybe my expectations are high but it has worked in the past.

Anyway, I recently deposited a week with DAE so we'll see how that works out.  My resort did not want to approve the deposit with DAE.  It took about 10 days for DAE and the resort to fight it out.

We normally rent our summer Swallowtail weeks and trade the others.  Our weeks in Puerto Vallarta are a RTU that will end soon and we'll be down to just three weeks.  I think that will be plenty for us now.

Deb


----------



## VacationForever (Jul 4, 2012)

I love II.  Currently all my ts are Starwood and not only have I been able to exchange into Starwood during Starwood priority, but also trading into Marriott and Hyatt is easy too, i.e., other than some of the prime weeks.  I would counter a TUGger's comment that high quality resort owners are unhappy with their exchanges in II and RCI.  I believe if you own a high quality resort and week you will have enough trading power to trade into alot of high end resorts and weeks and hence you tend to be happy with exchange companies.


----------



## lprstn (Jul 4, 2012)

I guess it depends. I've been very happy with RCI but then I seem to get decent trades, I do ongoing searches and call and check on them bi-weekly. I've made some awesome trades with them.

As far as II goes, I have them too and they are just okay for me since it's been more challenging for me to get trades when and where I want them.


----------



## heathpack (Jul 4, 2012)

sptung said:


> I love II.  Currently all my ts are Starwood and not only have I been able to exchange into Starwood during Starwood priority, but also trading into Marriott and Hyatt is easy too, i.e., other than some of the prime weeks.  I would counter a TUGger's comment that high quality resort owners are unhappy with their exchanges in II and RCI.  I believe if you own a high quality resort and week you will have enough trading power to trade into alot of high end resorts and weeks and hence you tend to be happy with exchange companies.



Also love II and private exchanges.  Mixed feelings about SFX.  I have gotten excellent trades with no internal preference (there is none for Hyatt in II).  II is the most cost-effective way for me to use my Hyatt week, hands down.

H


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 4, 2012)

sptung said:


> I love II.  Currently all my ts are Starwood and not only have I been able to exchange into Starwood during Starwood priority, but also trading into Marriott and Hyatt is easy too, i.e., other than some of the prime weeks.  I would counter a TUGger's comment that high quality resort owners are unhappy with their exchanges in II and RCI.  I believe if you own a high quality resort and week you will have enough trading power to trade into alot of high end resorts and weeks and hence you tend to be happy with exchange companies.



We dropped both RCI and II a number of years ago, and have had many successful exchanges with an independent exchange company. I have to disagree with your comment about "if you own a high quality resort week, you will have enough trading power into a lot of high end resorts etc." That is only in "Theory", not in reality or practice, as many thousands of timeshare owners will attest to. If your comment was correct, why then are there thousands of people that are dissatisfied and don't renew with the big exchange companies? Yes you may have enough trading power, but that's useless unless there is enough availability.

We have owned timeshares long enough to know for a fact, the demand for quality weeks in high season is far greater than availability, except for maybe Orlando and Mexico.

Juli


----------



## VacationForever (Jul 4, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> We dropped both RCI and II a number of years ago, and have had many successful exchanges with an independent exchange company. I have to disagree with your comment about "if you own a high quality resort week, you will have enough trading power into a lot of high end resorts etc." That is only in "Theory", not in reality or practice, as many thousands of timeshare owners will attest to. If your comment was correct, why then are there thousands of people that are dissatisfied and don't renew with the big exchange companies? Yes you may have enough trading power, but that's useless unless there is enough availability.
> 
> We have owned timeshares long enough to know for a fact, the demand for quality weeks in high season is far greater than availability, except for maybe Orlando and Mexico.
> 
> Juli



Knowing how exchange system works is a key part of getting what you want.  Here are a couple of examples, I traded into 2 weeks of Marriott's Newport Coast for week before Xmas this year and another for April next year using a 1bedroom each. Both weeks are exactly the period that I wanted.   I traded into Hyatt Piñon Pointe in June using a 1bedroom for an exact week that I wanted.  All required planning ahead of time.


----------



## heathpack (Jul 5, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> If your comment was correct, why then are there thousands of people that are dissatisfied and don't renew with the big exchange companies? Juli



Maybe for the same reason there are thousands of timeshare owners who do not use SFX or other independent exchange companies- different exchanges work well for different individual scenarios.

H


----------



## Carolinian (Jul 5, 2012)

One of the reasons that RCI does not have the availibility that it used to is that it is renting too many of its good exchange deposits to the general public instead of offering them as exchanges.  They bury the fact that they are doing that deep in the fine print of their T&C where most members will never find it.  The timeshare disclosure laws enacted by states should be rewritten to require that a disclosure of this practice be written in large letters on deposit forms for weeks and elsewhere.  The disclosure laws were written before this rental practice started, so they need to be updated to protect consumers.  Shine enough light on RCI's sleazy practices and the cockroaches will scurry.




JuliGee said:


> We dropped both RCI and II a number of years ago, and have had many successful exchanges with an independent exchange company. I have to disagree with your comment about "if you own a high quality resort week, you will have enough trading power into a lot of high end resorts etc." That is only in "Theory", not in reality or practice, as many thousands of timeshare owners will attest to. If your comment was correct, why then are there thousands of people that are dissatisfied and don't renew with the big exchange companies? Yes you may have enough trading power, but that's useless unless there is enough availability.
> 
> We have owned timeshares long enough to know for a fact, the demand for quality weeks in high season is far greater than availability, except for maybe Orlando and Mexico.
> 
> Juli


----------



## Carolinian (Jul 5, 2012)

heathpack said:


> Maybe for the same reason there are thousands of timeshare owners who do not use SFX or other independent exchange companies- different exchanges work well for different individual scenarios.
> 
> H



The two biggest reasons people do not use independents are:
1) They do not know they can.  Resorts do not do a good job of educating them on the fact that the independents are availible.  Resorts should provide this info to their members.
2) They do not want to exchange at all.  Many timeshares bought to use their week at their home resort and have no interest in exchanging with anybody.


----------



## heathpack (Jul 5, 2012)

Carolinian said:


> The two biggest reasons people do not use independents are:
> 1) They do not know they can.  Resorts do not do a good job of educating them on the fact that the independents are availible.  Resorts should provide this info to their members.
> 2) They do not want to exchange at all.  Many timeshares bought to use their week at their home resort and have no interest in exchanging with anybody.



1.  I know I can.
2.  I want to exchange.

I just happen to get the best exchanges *for me* at the best cost via II.  Considering MF and exchange fees, SFX weeks cost me about twice what II weeks cost.  II gives me bonus weeks for $160, SFXs vary in cost but the one I have right now would cost me $500 to use (which is very unlikely to happen).  It's truly great for you and Juli and others if independents give you great trades at a cost that works for you.  

However, Juli states that there are thousands of dissatisfied timeshare owners that have left RCI and II as proof there is no value in the big exchange companies.  I simply point out the converse- RCI and II also count thousands of very satisfied owners as their customers and I happen to be one of them.  Not out of ignorance but out of an abundance of analysis and the actual execution of trades that work for me.

There is no one-size-fits all solution and IMO its silly to suggest anything less.  RCI, II, SFX, DAE, or "buy-to-use" ALL can be the best strategy, depending on each TS owner's individual paradigm.

H


----------



## VacationForever (Jul 5, 2012)

Well said, Heathpack!


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 5, 2012)

heathpack said:


> 1.  I know I can.
> 2.  I want to exchange.
> 
> I just happen to get the best exchanges *for me* at the best cost via II.  Considering MF and exchange fees, SFX weeks cost me about twice what II weeks cost.  II gives me bonus weeks for $160, SFXs vary in cost but the one I have right now would cost me $500 to use (which is very unlikely to happen).  It's truly great for you and Juli and others if independents give you great trades at a cost that works for you.
> ...



Actually I wasn't trying to state there is "no value" with the big exchange companies. I was "factually" stating that for a fact, thousands of people have dropped out of RCI and II in the last few years, and that demand is far greater than availability for the higher quality properties in high season. Both of these statements are verifiable facts, and not just my opinions. This has been discussed in our resorts board meetings with reps from both companies. This does not negate the fact they do have thousands of happy members, but thousands have still dropped out.

If you are very flexible and avoid the high season, then there are many good trades you can get. But if you want high season and want nicer resorts, then it can become very challenging. 

In Sptung's example, they got 2 great exchanges, one was in a lower season the week before Xmas, and the other was in sometime in June. If it was the earlier part of June before kids are out of school, that is relatively easy. But it really doesn't matter, because Sptung got 2 great exchanges they wanted.

I absolutely agree with you that not one exchange company fits everyone's needs, and you use what works best for you.

I remember when I used to use II, their bonus weeks were only 59 days or less. Is the $160 what you are paying for a 59 days or less week? SFX has bonus weeks from $69 up to around $599 depending on size of unit and how far in advance you book.

You mention a $500 bonus week with SFX, but with those you can request what the week you want, similar to an exchange up to a year in advance. That is a huge difference in value of the SFX bonus week compared to a 59 day or less week. I don't think II lets you request a week in prime time a year out as your bonus week?? I believe you can you book whats left within 59 days? If that works for you, then thats all that matters.

Juli


----------



## Margariet (Jul 5, 2012)

heathpack said:


> 1.  I know I can.
> 2.  I want to exchange.
> 
> I just happen to get the best exchanges *for me* at the best cost via II.  Considering MF and exchange fees, SFX weeks cost me about twice what II weeks cost.  II gives me bonus weeks for $160, SFXs vary in cost but the one I have right now would cost me $500 to use (which is very unlikely to happen).  It's truly great for you and Juli and others if independents give you great trades at a cost that works for you.
> ...



Me too: 1. I know I can and 2. I want to exchange! We hardly go to our own resorts. Our weeks give us such a high trade value so it would be foolish to spend our weeks in our own resorts! We only go there with bonus weeks or last minute but not with regular ones. With one week we can get so many RCI weeks. Even before RCI's new system we were always better off with exchanging weeks.


----------



## mjm1 (Jul 5, 2012)

We have had a lot of success withII over the years (since 1986), but we gave up on RCI a long time ago.  We have used Trading Places a couple of times and that worked well.  Haven't tried SFX yet, but we may give them a try at some point.


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 5, 2012)

I haven't traded with RCI in years, so I don't know what it's like with the TPU's, etc. I used to get good trades with my float weeks. However, my issue is with the fees-the expense of trading. Just too expensive as compared to other alternatives.


----------



## heathpack (Jul 5, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> I remember when I used to use II, their bonus weeks were only 59 days or less. Is the $160 what you are paying for a 59 days or less week? SFX has bonus weeks from $69 up to around $599 depending on size of unit and how far in advance you book.
> 
> You mention a $500 bonus week with SFX, but with those you can request what the week you want, similar to an exchange up to a year in advance. That is a huge difference in value of the SFX bonus week compared to a 59 day or less week. I don't think II lets you request a week in prime time a year out as your bonus week?? I believe you can you book whats left within 59 days? If that works for you, then thats all that matters.
> 
> Juli



Not, it is not correct that one can only book II bonus weeks 59 days out- I know that whats the SFX reps say but it is untrue.  The timeframe varies but it is usually several months.  The key is that my Hyatt week generates several weeks of exchanges that I can put requests in for long-term exchanges and the bonus weeks are little "extras"- typically long weekends that are a good value at $160 but a poor value at $500.  I don't need another week at $500/wk because my Hyatt exchanges cost me around $400/wk. 

I love travelling shoulder season or slightly off prime time.  I hate crowds and try to fly with FF miles whenever possible.  It is way cheaper/easier/better for me to head to Mexico in early April say vs. early March.

That is why I say different exchange companies have different advantages for different people.  II works well for me, SFX works well for you.  Great, thats how life works and IMO these boards should reflect that diversity of reality rather than just try to convince others that what works for me is the best choice overall.  Not that you are doing that- just that folks want there to be a simple answer "RCI is worthless" or "SFX is best" or "buy where you want to stay."  The truth is there's more to it than any 3-5 word phrase can capture.

H


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 5, 2012)

mpumilia said:


> I haven't traded with RCI in years, so I don't know what it's like with the TPU's, etc. I used to get good trades with my float weeks. However, my issue is with the fees-the expense of trading. Just too expensive as compared to other alternatives.



Yeah - when we looked into the minis we compared the added annual cost of being a member of the mini with the cost of paying annual membership fees plus exchange fees.  Since joining the mini also includes exchange company membership, it came down to the fact that we could book directly at a resort without paying an exchange fee and having a confirmed reservation vs.  putting in an exchange request, paying an exchange fee, and hoping for something to come through.  We decided for us the mini made a lot of sense.


----------



## lindner (Jul 5, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Yeah - when we looked into the minis we compared the added annual cost of being a member of the mini with the cost of paying annual membership fees plus exchange fees.  Since joining the mini also includes exchange company membership, it came down to the fact that we could book directly at a resort without paying an exchange fee and having a confirmed reservation vs.  putting in an exchange request, paying an exchange fee, and hoping for something to come through.  We decided for us the mini made a lot of sense.



I also belong to a mini (two in fact), both of which include either RCI or II annual dues.  However, there are times when RCI beats the minis.  For example, want to get a full week in a upper class resort in Orlando (or some other overdeveloped area)?  I can get a week through RCI for less than my minis, often at the same resort that is in the mini!  Including the RCI fees and resort annual dues and combine fees (if needed).  However, for less developed areas, my minis beat RCI.  Having both and knowing how to use both can get you the best vacations.

This does not apply if you are paying high annual dues and getting few TPUs (which is probably the case for many disgruntled RCI users).  In that case, RCI will probably never work for you.  However, if the reverse is true (low fees and high TPUs), you can make out like a bandit and get multiple trades for one deposit or land a huge trade.  Plenty of examples of both have been cited on TUG.


----------



## lindner (Jul 5, 2012)

mpumilia said:


> I haven't traded with RCI in years, so I don't know what it's like with the TPU's, etc. I used to get good trades with my float weeks. However, my issue is with the fees-the expense of trading. Just too expensive as compared to other alternatives.



Perhaps you own a week that has high annual dues for the number of TPUs you get?  Exchanging involves the base expenses (annual RCI fee, exchange fee, etc.) and the TPU fee.  If you have a great trader, the TPU fee can be so small that you can do well with RCI.  If you don't, the TPU fee will make any exchange costly.


----------



## VacationForever (Jul 5, 2012)

I also did a quick analysis, for 2012 exchanges, I paid $3040 in total for MF, exchange fees and II membership and in return received timeshare weeks that cost $6850 in MF.  

In 2013 it gets even better, for what I have traded so far (only 4 weeks in 2013 as opposed to 7 weeks in 2012), I paid $2570 in MF, exchange fees and II membership and in return received timeshare weeks that cost $8400 in MF.   

Bear in mind I did not have to pay for those resorts that I traded into. 

So I am a huge believer of II.


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 5, 2012)

lindner said:


> Perhaps you own a week that has high annual dues for the number of TPUs you get?  Exchanging involves the base expenses (annual RCI fee, exchange fee, etc.) and the TPU fee.  If you have a great trader, the TPU fee can be so small that you can do well with RCI.  If you don't, the TPU fee will make any exchange costly.



I have a great trader with great TPU's. The point is- my annual maint. fees for one week is $750. Then, RCI membership is $89 or so per year. Then to exchange is another $199 and insurance on the exchange is another $89 or so, etc. I can just keep my great trading week and my second floater week at my home resort where I love to go anyway (even off season) and rent an extra week to a place where I want to go without all the hassle, rather than paying almost $400.00 more just to trade. That way, I get 3 weeks vacation instead of spending the $400.00 to trade and end up with only 2 weeks.


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 5, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Yeah - when we looked into the minis we compared the added annual cost of being a member of the mini with the cost of paying annual membership fees plus exchange fees.  Since joining the mini also includes exchange company membership, it came down to the fact that we could book directly at a resort without paying an exchange fee and having a confirmed reservation vs.  putting in an exchange request, paying an exchange fee, and hoping for something to come through.  We decided for us the mini made a lot of sense.



Exactly what I'm saying.....


----------



## heathpack (Jul 5, 2012)

My costs break down thus:

Interval 2009-12
Value of deposits (in MF): $1335
Total exchange costs: $1755 (exchange & bonus week fees) + $0 membership (incl in Hyatt MF)
TOTAL Costs: $3090
Units Obtained/nights used: 1BR Westin Kierland Labor day/4 nights, 1BR Sirena del Mar (Cabo April)/7 nights, studio Marriotts KoOlina (March)/7 nights, studio Marriott Desert Springs Villas (Dec)/3 nights, studio Marriott Grand Chateau (Jan)/3 nights, 1BR Royal Haciendas (April)/7 nights, studio Royal Sands (April)/7 nights, studio Grand Luxxe Rivera Maya (March)/7 nights, 2BR Royal Islander (April)/7 nights, 1BR Planet Hollywood (Dec)/4 nights= TOTAL 56 nights
Average cost/night= $55

SFX 2010-2013
Value of deposits: $325
Total exchange costs: $180 (exchange fee) + $300 Platinum membership (3yr) + $400 bonus week + $100 unit size upgrade less $280 cash card discount + $70 Hyatt reservation/GC fees= $770
TOTAL Costs: $1095
Units Obtained/nights used: 2 BR Grand Mayan Los Cabos (April)/7 nights, 1BR Vino Bello (Sept)/7 nights= total 14 nights
Average cost/night= $78

H


----------



## Whirl (Jul 5, 2012)

mamiecarter said:


> I own a number of great New England summer weeks. Once in a while I use DAE and Ive gotten the occasional last minute Europe week from them. But I would rather rent out my weeks and make a little money that Mess with the big Exchanges that never have what you want, rent the good stuff out and  let you choose from the junk.
> Any one else feel this way?



Agree completely. That is not an apsect of timesharing that is appealling to me. Its a last resort method only. I used to trade a little when I was younger and more flexible, but now I like to be sure about the the quality of the resort in which we are staying, the view, and I dont like the uncertainty of waiting for an exchange to come through. I need to make plans. 

I have sold my last RCI resort and have a few deposits left to use up. Jsut gave a week to a colleague and I am eager to roll it off when my membership expires. It was finally getting interesting, I like the new trading power transparency, but just too little too late at this point.


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 5, 2012)

heathpack said:


> My costs break down thus:
> 
> Interval 2009-12
> Value of deposits (in MF): $1335
> ...



H what are Hyatt reservation/GC fees at $70 for?

Juli


----------



## heathpack (Jul 5, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> H what are Hyatt reservation/GC fees at $70 for?
> 
> Juli



If I deposit a week with SFX other than my owned week, I must pay Hyatt a reservation fee and purchase a guest certificate for the exchanger.

H


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 6, 2012)

heathpack said:


> My costs break down thus:
> 
> Interval 2009-12
> Value of deposits (in MF): $1335
> ...



H, I am trying to best understand your post. Are you saying, based on what you have done so far with both companies those are your costs? Or is this a cost comparison trying to show what the room cost per night with one company is, as compared to the room night cost with the other company?

Juli


----------



## heathpack (Jul 6, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> H, I am trying to best understand your post. Are you saying, based on what you have done so far with both companies those are your costs? Or is this a cost comparison trying to show what the room cost per night with one company is, as compared to the room night cost with the other company?
> 
> Juli



That is all the expenses with each exchange company since we bought our Hyatt week in 2009, divided by the number of nights we've obtained from each exchange company.  Not theorectical, those are actual bookings and the actual cost per night.

For us, SFX is about 50% more per night than Interval.

To use our 2BR Hyatt Tahoe week is about $150/night, about 300% more than Interval.

We have also done quite a few private exchanges, which work out to be similar in cost to SFX.

So Interval is easily our most cost effective use of the Hyatt if we want multiple weeks.

H


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 6, 2012)

heathpack said:


> That is all the expenses with each exchange company since we bought our Hyatt week in 2009, divided by the number of nights we've obtained from each exchange company.  Not theorectical, those are actual bookings and the actual cost per night.
> 
> For us, SFX is about 50% more per night than Interval.
> 
> ...



H I get the part those are your actual costs so far on what you have used with each exchange company.

I certainly am not a wizard with math, but surely the cost per night basis is apples and oranges for a  comparison basis? Obviously if you spend $3,090 for 56 nights, your cost per night basis is going to be a lot less than spending $1,095 for 14 nights.

I know everyone has their own way of doing their math, but in determining the actual room per night cost in a comparison basis, wouldn't it be reasonable to take the same amount of money, $3,090 you spent with exchange company "A", and see how many nights the same amount of money would buy you with exchange company "B"? Wouldn't that give you a more accurate room cost per night, or am I missing something here?

Juli


----------



## Luvstotravel (Jul 7, 2012)

I am amazed at all the jaded travelers on this thread.  Have you guys been all over Europe and the US, including Hawaii?  All over the Caribbean?

Maybe I'm missing something here.

I love checking the RCI site to see all the places we can go.  We received 43 trading power units for a deposit recently, I will get 2, or maybe 3 weeks out of it.  We pay ~$700 maintenance fees, and of course we'll pay the RCI fees too.  Our unit with the ~$700 weekly fees rents for over $120/night, according to their website.  So, we are saving immediately, because our fees come out to just over $100/night.

I have never done an ongoing search, I like looking at what's available, and picking what I want from there.  I can always find somewhere new and exciting to go!

Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, even closer places like Hilton Head, the Gulf Coast, the Rockies, California...so many places we've never been.  And we only need a 1-bedroom unit.  

Because we have to pay the maintenance fees no matter what, I look at it like this:  the RCI fees enable us to go to so many places.  Either we pay ~$700 and use our unit, or pay ~$700, plus RCI fees and go somewhere exotic.  And yes, to us, Lake Tahoe is exotic.  

I have no problem with that.

edited to ask:  how much time do you guys have to travel?  I get 3 weeks per year off of work, and we can't always go somewhere far.  My husband can't take off that much, so we really only can travel 2 weeks each year.  It sounds like you guys are jetting off all over the world, have been everywhere and are bored with it!


----------



## heathpack (Jul 7, 2012)

JuliGee said:


> H I get the part those are your actual costs so far on what you have used with each exchange company.
> 
> I certainly am not a wizard with math, but surely the cost per night basis is apples and oranges for a  comparison basis? Obviously if you spend $3,090 for 56 nights, your cost per night basis is going to be a lot less than spending $1,095 for 14 nights.
> 
> ...



So to some extent, the calculation you are suggesting is meaningless because I typically only want/need 2-3 full weeks in timeshares each year.  Beyond that, I am taking weekend trips and for me to use a TS bonus week for that, it has to be super cheap (like $150/wk).  If its not, I will use hotel points or go sailing (we own a sailboat) instead.

However, if I just made the standard 1BR high season but not holiday week Hyatt deposit into SFX, I would need to use the MF equivalent of $620, plus $180 exchange fee, plus the Hyatt reservation fee/GC of approx $70, plus $100/yr platinum membership, plus $500 for a bonus week.  Or about $1500 per 14 nights.  Thus for the same $3000 cash infusion, I would get 14 two BR nights (automatic upgrade with platinum, but the 2nd BR is rarely meaningful to us) plus 14 1BR (or in cities likely studio) bonus nights with SFX  (total of 28) vs. 56 varied size unit nights with II.  The difference is pretty huge but not an absolute deal-breaker, and SFX is still worthwhile.  It's just mathematically not as good a deal as II for Hyatt owners.

My advice for Hyatt owners is to go with SFX if you are looking for an area they are strong in- SF, London, NYC, Napa- or if you just like them and their methodologies better.  If you are looking for the least possible cost per night, especially if studios work for you, II is a much better value.

H


----------



## Egret1986 (Jul 7, 2012)

*Totally agree.  I am in awe sometimes of all the travel some Tuggers have done.*



Luvstotravel said:


> I love checking the RCI site to see all the places we can go.  We received 43 trading power units for a deposit recently, I will get 2, or maybe 3 weeks out of it.  We pay ~$700 maintenance fees, and of course we'll pay the RCI fees too.  Our unit with the ~$700 weekly fees rents for over $120/night, according to their website.  So, we are saving immediately, because our fees come out to just over $100/night.
> 
> I have never done an ongoing search, I like looking at what's available, and picking what I want from there.  I can always find somewhere new and exciting to go!
> 
> ...



Haven't been to Hawaii yet nor Mexico nor Europe.  We've only been to the Caribbean a couple of times.  We travel about three weeks out of the year.  Even though I may love a place, we rarely return back to the same place, except places within an 8-hour drive (Hilton Head, Virginia Beach, Outer Banks).  So little time, so many new places to explore.  

I attempted an ongoing search recently for the first time.  It didn't last long.  It fell off when I put something on hold and I didn't bother to re-do it.  I also like to plan my vacations by what I find for an exchange.  I recently made two back-to-back exchanges for next year for our 30th anniversary trip.  No way we could have gone to these two resorts by renting from the resort or an owner for the price of our exchanges (maintenance and exchange company fees).  I am a savvy exchanger, have been since we first bought in 1984.  I guess that's why I'm still an RCI member.  In 25+ years, I feel like there was only one time that an exchange wasn't worth what it cost me.  I do use other avenues for vacations, but not the big trips.  Those always end up being exchanges.


----------



## Carolinian (Jul 7, 2012)

I get three weeks vacation and two personal days, although starting this year it will be four weeks. I generally add two or three extras weeks per year from comp time.  Also, I get 11 holidays per year, and have the quirk of being able to pick them.  Each of our offices sets its own holiday schedule as a mix of US and local holidays.  In my office, our local employees have to be given the natioinal holidays of the country we work in, and I am the only ex-pat, so generally my holidays are set around when I want to travel.  If I have a vacation trip, I try to find obscure holidays that fall during that time.  I have put things like Arbor Day, Flag Day, and Confederate Memorial Day on our offices (really just my) holiday schedule.

I have been to 46 US states, including Hawaii, every European country except Belarus, most of the Caribbean islands, and several African countries.




Luvstotravel said:


> I am amazed at all the jaded travelers on this thread.  Have you guys been all over Europe and the US, including Hawaii?  All over the Caribbean?
> 
> Maybe I'm missing something here.
> 
> ...


----------



## VacationForever (Jul 7, 2012)

Luvstotravel said:


> I am amazed at all the jaded travelers on this thread.  Have you guys been all over Europe and the US, including Hawaii?
> 
> edited to ask:  how much time do you guys have to travel?  I get 3 weeks per year off of work, and we can't always go somewhere far.  My husband can't take off that much, so we really only can travel 2 weeks each year.  It sounds like you guys are jetting off all over the world, have been everywhere and are bored with it!



In my prior life working for a Fortune 50 company I have travelled to many parts of the world as I was on the plane almost every week.  My husband and I left the company to run our own business.  We travel as much as we feel that the business will permit us. We have an excellent management team in place so we know we are covered. We still work while we are on vacation, online and available 24x7, and making sure payroll is done each week.  The business that we are in is very high stress and taking 8 weeks off a year is still not enough to de-stress.  It makes my previous job a walk in the park.  We give several of our weeks away to staff: Employee of the year, wedding, just because, etc...

We select where to go on the following factors: quality of resorts and locations.  We had stayed at several crummy places that we had exchanged into while we were using RCI.  Not any more, the past 4 years of exchanging in II had been a blast.  Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt...


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Jul 7, 2012)

Been a Platinum member of SFX for nearly five years and got three weeks for my money.  The new Platinum five-year membership is $339 for me to renew it.  I don't think I will.  My membership expires in October.  I did okay with SFX, but I think we paid $200 for the Platinum membership before.  It's more now. 

With RCI, I get several exchanges with one deposit of a coastal summer week we own.  My exchange cost is very low, even with the $189 fee.  I am really happy with RCI.

I also love II for the Marriott and Starwood exchanges we get.  I love the preference with Starwood and have yet to experience anything with our Marriott.  We plan to use our Marriott next summer, but we will use it in II most years.

II has bonus exchanges too.


----------



## csxjohn (Jul 7, 2012)

Carolinian said:


> ...  If I have a vacation trip, I try to find obscure holidays that fall during that time.  I have put things like Arbor Day, Flag Day, and Confederate Memorial Day on our offices (really just my) holiday schedule..



Here's another for you.  We had United Nations Day as a holiday at one place I worked.  We chose it because it fell between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 10, 2012)

heathpack said:


> However, if I just made the standard 1BR high season but not holiday week Hyatt deposit into SFX, I would need to use the MF equivalent of $620, plus $180 exchange fee, plus the Hyatt reservation fee/GC of approx $70, plus $100/yr platinum membership, plus $500 for a bonus week.  Or about $1500 per 14 nights.  Thus for the same $3000 cash infusion, I would get 14 two BR nights (automatic upgrade with platinum, but the 2nd BR is rarely meaningful to us) plus 14 1BR (or in cities likely studio) bonus nights with SFX  (total of 28) vs. 56 varied size unit nights with II.  The difference is pretty huge but not an absolute deal-breaker, and SFX is still worthwhile.  It's just mathematically not as good a deal as II for Hyatt owners.
> 
> My advice for Hyatt owners is to go with SFX if you are looking for an area they are strong in- SF, London, NYC, Napa- or if you just like them and their methodologies better.  If you are looking for the least possible cost per night, especially if studios work for you, II is a much better value.
> 
> H



Excellent points....thanks.  I didn't know about the the Hyatt Reservation Fee.  So far no equivalent charges from Shell. We've had great luck booking a Shell week then banking it with SFX.  Studios don't work for us, so SFX's accommodations (and service) have been great. The 'elephant in the room' currently, though, is airfare.....especially with strong Hawaii tastes.  Thus a system that can provide multiple weeks (eg. SFX Lifestyle Weeks) strung together is very helpful.   

Hmm...now I'm afraid to do the calculation that Heathpack provided earlier. Perhaps ignorance is bliss....

       Mahalo,
                                     -----Zach


----------



## Missouri44 (Jul 10, 2012)

I am dissatisfied with RCI and have been reading these posts and am now quite confused because I don't understand all of the initials being used.  If possible, please spell out the meaning the first time you use initials in a post, for us newbies.  For example, I don't know what a TPU is, and just read a post with a lengthy explanation of how to best utilize exchanging, which seemed like a really useful one, but I couldn't follow it after a while.   Thanks for understanding and thanks to everyone for taking the time to give your helpful tips on exchanging.


----------



## JuliGee (Jul 10, 2012)

heathpack said:


> So to some extent, the calculation you are suggesting is meaningless because I typically only want/need 2-3 full weeks in timeshares each year.  Beyond that, I am taking weekend trips and for me to use a TS bonus week for that, it has to be super cheap (like $150/wk).  If its not, I will use hotel points or go sailing (we own a sailboat) instead.
> 
> However, if I just made the standard 1BR high season but not holiday week Hyatt deposit into SFX, I would need to use the MF equivalent of $620, plus $180 exchange fee, plus the Hyatt reservation fee/GC of approx $70, plus $100/yr platinum membership, plus $500 for a bonus week.  Or about $1500 per 14 nights.  Thus for the same $3000 cash infusion, I would get 14 two BR nights (automatic upgrade with platinum, but the 2nd BR is rarely meaningful to us) plus 14 1BR (or in cities likely studio) bonus nights with SFX  (total of 28) vs. 56 varied size unit nights with II.  The difference is pretty huge but not an absolute deal-breaker, and SFX is still worthwhile.  It's just mathematically not as good a deal as II for Hyatt owners.
> 
> ...



H, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this in more detail. I can now see it from your point of view. I did some more thinking on this, and wanted to share some thoughts.

Regarding the $620 Maintenance fee. A maintenance fee has to be paid whether you use your time at your resort, exchange it, or if you stay at home and don’t use it. A number of people don’t consider this as a cost to exchange, but it can be argued that this is still a cost that has bearing on what you are paying for your vacation. If you are including the maintenance fee as a cost of your exchange, then you really should also include the purchase price and any interest paid on financing, as that is also a major part of the overall cost of your daily accommodations rate.

But for this example, I will use your example of a $620 maintenance fee as a cost factor of exchanging.

$620 maintenance fee to resort
$159 exchange fee as a Platinum Member (not $180)
$ 70 Hyatt reservation fee
$ 79 year average for a 5 year Platinum Membership (Not $100). You can have a free gold membership and not pay this fee at all.
$500 for a bonus week

I agree based on your numbers above, the $3,000 would get you about 28 nights with SFX. I noticed you used $500 to pay for a bonus week, instead of the much lower prices you could have paid using their life style weeks. I thought I would add the information below as another possibility of how you could have gotten much more than 28 nights for the same $3000 that you had spent. 

EXAMPLE

$620 maintenance fee to resort
$159 exchange fee
$ 70 Hyatt reservation fee
$ 79 year average Platinum sfx membership fee.

$928 Total in fees which include a one week exchange.

Take the same $3,000 you had spent Minus $928 in fees, leaves you with a balance of $2,072

In addition to the seven nights of exchange,  the $2,072 balance will buy you these life style weeks.

210 bonus nights for studio units booked within 30 days. ($69 per week) This is an extreme example. or

 48 bonus nights for 1bedroom units booked within 90 days. ($299 per week) or

 36 bonus nights for 1 bedroom units booked up to 180 days in advance ($399 per week)

 63 nights mix and match. (four weeks in a 1 bedroom unit booked within 90 days and 5 weeks in a  studio unit booked within 90 days).

This does not include any discounting we could get by using our $500 cash card in their last promotion. Also, one big difference for us is that we can request what we want similar to an exchange with our life style weeks and not have to take only what is left over. I am not saying any of this example would have fitted into your plans, but there are many different ways to get a lot more out of this than the 28 days you had given in your example. Even though you can get many more nights using sfx life style weeks than what you could get with I.I., money isn’t always the deciding factor. I agree with you that sometimes it’s just personal preference and being happy.  

Juli


----------



## timeos2 (Jul 11, 2012)

Missouri44 said:


> I am dissatisfied with RCI and have been reading these posts and am now quite confused because I don't understand all of the initials being used.  If possible, please spell out the meaning the first time you use initials in a post, for us newbies.  For example, I don't know what a TPU is, and just read a post with a lengthy explanation of how to best utilize exchanging, which seemed like a really useful one, but I couldn't follow it after a while.   Thanks for understanding and thanks to everyone for taking the time to give your helpful tips on exchanging.



TPU is shorthand for Trade Power Unit. This is the trade value RCI has always assigned to each and every deposit and represents the value (or points) you have to trade to another  location. 

The maximum you can get for a deposit is 60.  When you evaluate an ownership the value you receive in TPU's is a good indication of the rental value / demand that time will also have. It's not exact but a very strong indicator. At the same resort - especially one that is seasonal as most are - you can find weeks with very high TPU value while the exact same unit in mid-March or early January (unless it's a ski type resort) may have minimal TPU value.  It is up to you to find a good TPU to annual fee ratio when you look at a purchase. II and others are not open with their rating systems but they all use something similar unless they allow open trades with no attempt to match up value.


----------



## Larry (Jul 11, 2012)

DeniseM said:


> No, I can't agree - once you learn the ropes, trading can be fantastic - but you have to understand how it works, and put your requests in early.
> 
> I like renting too - but earning some money and staying home, is not the same as a great vacation.



Completely agree!!! I am still getting great trades by planning ahead. Just came back from a great week in Bermuda where any decent hotel would have cost at least $300 per night but most of the nicer hotels were over $500 a night. We met a couple on the beach that was staying at the Elbow Beach resort for $700 per night.

We also needed a couple of extra nights and stayed in a B&B in Hamilton, Bermuda and it was nice but nowhere near as spacious as our 1BR at The St. Goerge's Club and the B&B cost us $250 per night with no pool, no beach and no amenities just a clean place to sleep.

I could go on and on as I almost always trade into places that are very expensive if we were not staying in timeshares.

I also rent out about half of my weeks leaving me with about 5-6 weeks of free vacations.


----------



## Missouri44 (Jul 11, 2012)

timeos2 said:


> TPU is shorthand for Trade Power Unit. This is the trade value RCI has always assigned to each and every deposit and represents the value (or points) you have to trade to another  location.
> 
> The maximum you can get for a deposit is 60.  When you evaluate an ownership the value you receive in TPU's is a good indication of the rental value / demand that time will also have. It's not exact but a very strong indicator. At the same resort - especially one that is seasonal as most are - you can find weeks with very high TPU value while the exact same unit in mid-March or early January (unless it's a ski type resort) may have minimal TPU value.  It is up to you to find a good TPU to annual fee ratio when you look at a purchase. II and others are not open with their rating systems but they all use something similar unless they allow open trades with no attempt to match up value.



Thanks for taking the time to explain.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 11, 2012)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Been a Platinum member of SFX for nearly five years and got three weeks for my money.  The new Platinum five-year membership is $339 for me to renew it.  I don't think I will.  My membership expires in October.  I did okay with SFX, but I think we paid $200 for the Platinum membership before.  It's more now.
> 
> With RCI, I get several exchanges with one deposit of a coastal summer week we own.  My exchange cost is very low, even with the $189 fee.  I am really happy with RCI.
> 
> ...



I have been looking at SFX as an alternative for my 2 BR RCI Points week in Misner Place in Weston Florida.  I was very interested in your thoughts about giving up SFX.  I have traded my Misner Place week for as many as 2.5 weeks in a 1BR in Waikiki and 1.5 weeks in a 1 BR on Kauai so I am pleased with RCI Points.  However, I would like to learn more about SFX and what I would get if I utilized them.  I am a no cost Gold member with them and they have been pursuing me to become Platinum or Diamond tell me I would get better trades and more vacations.  They tried to allure me with the no pre deposit benefit, howerver, with RCI points I always have a pre deposit situation so that is not new, and I have never used my alocated week in Misner Place.


----------



## MN2Travel (Jul 11, 2012)

We are not renewing our RCI since we have not been able to exchange where we want to go for years now. We had the option of doing The Registry Collection, but as far as I can figure they are a more exclusive branch of RCI. You can access RCI inventory and other inventory, but the renewal fee for them is $250 a year plus the trade fee. We can also use SFX, but have never tried them. I posted on here asking for any info on how the trades went with the Registry Collection but got no real response, so we are not renewing that either. We are not allowed to try any of the others since our home resort won't let us. We usually go to our resort, but are not sure if we will continue since no one wants to travel to Mexico with us. I think we will try renting if we want to go other places.


----------



## Margariet (Jul 11, 2012)

MN2Travel said:


> We are not renewing our RCI since we have not been able to exchange where we want to go for years now. We had the option of doing The Registry Collection, but as far as I can figure they are a more exclusive branch of RCI. You can access RCI inventory and other inventory, but the renewal fee for them is $250 a year plus the trade fee. We can also use SFX, but have never tried them. I posted on here asking for any info on how the trades went with the Registry Collection but got no real response, so we are not renewing that either. We are not allowed to try any of the others since our home resort won't let us. We usually go to our resort, but are not sure if we will continue since no one wants to travel to Mexico with us. I think we will try renting if we want to go other places.



Do you know how to use RCI? We have been exchanging with RCi for years now, going to so many resorts always where and when we want to. But ... when we first started with RCI I expected to receive an exchange two months in advance in a very popular resort. And I deposited my weeks at the last minute. So they had less values. So with me it didn't work either. But then I started to get the hang of it, depositing early, planning all exchanges far in advance, often searching, putting in ongoing searches but kept searching active. And it worked. And it works for many other people on this forum. I am afraid that other companies won't work either if you don't know how to use them.


----------



## MN2Travel (Jul 11, 2012)

The resorts that we formerly had were white weeks. We had week resorts, not points. Some of them had been deposited in there for 2 years and when I tried to exchange, it would not work. The resort that we have now is in Mexico and has a pretty good value, but after years of not being able to go where we wanted, I have given up on them. In the past we have not typically been able to plan a year ahead. We now vacation in Feb or March as we live in MN and want to get some sun. Our resort in Mexico allows us to pay our maintenance fee whenever we want during the year, bank the week internally for a year, and if we don't use it, we don't pay any maintenance fees. I guess you could say that we never learned the tricks to exchanging. Before RCI changed all their rules and started renting out desirable units instead of exchanging, we were able to use a white week (low) and exchange into an Orlando red week. That is not going to happen now. We only have one timeshare now and I think renting will be a better option for us in the future.


----------



## juteamup (Jul 11, 2012)

*RCI*

I have a timeshare in Mazatlan Mx.  I having problems selling it and because i don't have maintanence fees on this timeshare could a person book it with RCI for exchange???  I do not belong to RCI.  I thought if I can't sell it I would exchange it for something else.  I am not losing anything because like I said when I bought this I didn't get charge for maintanence fees for 10 years on this.  So, maybe someone can help me???

thanks, Judie


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 11, 2012)

You could bank it with any one of many exchange companies - RCI and I.I. are NOT the only games in town.  Some, like SFX, don't accept all properties (and no studios), but others may be quite receptive and have some nice fringe benefits - bonus weeks, fewer costs, etc.  Some specialize in certain areas (eg. Hawaii Timeshare Exchange), so browse a bit on the different exchange company websites.  In general, once you've banked a week, it's theirs. 

         ----------Zach


----------



## Luvstotravel (Jul 12, 2012)

MN2Travel said:


> We are not renewing our RCI since we have not been able to exchange where we want to go for years now.





MN2Travel said:


> The resorts that we formerly had were white weeks. We had week resorts, not points. Some of them had been deposited in there for 2 years and when I tried to exchange, it would not work.



Questions:

When I read that people can't exchange where they want to go, I wonder:  where do you want to go?  Do you have your heart set on a place with very limited availability?  Are you looking for very specific things, like 3 bedrooms, on the beach, at this resort ONLY, no other resort, during a particular week, and won't consider anything else?

I don't understand when you say, "when I tried to exchange, it would not work."  Why wouldn't it work?  You had trading power units, could you not find anything you wanted?  That's different from "it would not work".  

If I tried exchanging and "it would not work", I'd be on the phone with RCI immediately!  

Can you explain more?  Thanks.

I'm still convinced that those who don't like RCI are just those who have their heart set on trading into very specific places and times, and won't consider staying anywhere else.  Then, when it's not available, they get all upset.  :annoyed: 

Or, they own timeshares that just don't get them much power trading.  Then, when they find out that they can't get a 2-bedroom unit on the beach at Maui because their one-bedroom unit at Orlando doesn't have that much tradability, they get all upset.  :annoyed: 

How is that RCI's fault?


----------



## MN2Travel (Jul 12, 2012)

I didn't really mean it was RCI's fault. When you own white week units with no trading power, you can't get a trade where you want to go. We don't have them anymore so I guess it doesn't matter. But I wanted to join my brother & sister-in-law last Feb. in Cabo. Yes, I know it is a popular destination. I am not going to spend money on a vacation to go somewhere that I can trade into (ie Arkansas in the dead of winter). If I had a week in RCI for 2 years, I would think that I could at least go somewhere I want to go. I work full time and only have a week's vacation, so, yes, I am particular where I want to go. I understand their rules. They just don't work for us. I can't book my vacation a year or two out. As you have read these posts you will hear that RCI rents out a good share of the popular weeks at resorts. I also subscribe to Timesharing Today and they went through the new rules after the litigation was settled. For those reasons, I am not impressed with RCI. Maybe it works for others, but it hasn't worked for us with low trading power. It is not their fault we had those timeshares, but that is a different story. That is why we no longer own those timeshares. Hopes this helps you understand.


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 12, 2012)

I think relative suitability of exchange companies is individual,  like tastes in pizza and golf courses. Everyone has something that appeals more to them than to others.   I think you've nailed it with the RCI eval - probably best for folks who are very flexible in time and location, who enjoy 'getting out of Dodge' periodically, possibly on short notice, to go somewhere different.  Personally, that's not us (at the risk of sounding a bit smug, it's hard to find lots of good reasons to leave Colorado very often). We like to plan well ahead for places we really, really like (unfortunately most of them are in Hawaii.....).  

The variety of options available in the different systems is intriguting, but it takes some research. No better place for that than right here. 

     Cheers,
                       Zach


----------



## Luvstotravel (Jul 12, 2012)

MN2Travel said:


> I didn't really mean it was RCI's fault. When you own white week units with no trading power, you can't get a trade where you want to go. We don't have them anymore so I guess it doesn't matter. But I wanted to join my brother & sister-in-law last Feb. in Cabo. Yes, I know it is a popular destination. I am not going to spend money on a vacation to go somewhere that I can trade into (ie Arkansas in the dead of winter). If I had a week in RCI for 2 years, I would think that I could at least go somewhere I want to go. I work full time and only have a week's vacation, so, yes, I am particular where I want to go. I understand their rules. They just don't work for us. I can't book my vacation a year or two out. As you have read these posts you will hear that RCI rents out a good share of the popular weeks at resorts. I also subscribe to Timesharing Today and they went through the new rules after the litigation was settled. For those reasons, I am not impressed with RCI. Maybe it works for others, but it hasn't worked for us with low trading power. It is not their fault we had those timeshares, but that is a different story. That is why we no longer own those timeshares. Hopes this helps you understand.



Thank you, that does help me understand.  I'd say it's more the fault of the slick timeshare salesmen who tell people that they can trade, without telling them how hard it will be to get a "good" trade.  

Luckily, we own at places where I would be happy to go to for years to come.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 12, 2012)

*RCI has lots of Availability in Hawaii*



Picker57 said:


> I think relative suitability of exchange companies is individual,  like tastes in pizza and golf courses. Everyone has something that appeals more to them than to others.   I think you've nailed it with the RCI eval - probably best for folks who are very flexible in time and location, who enjoy 'getting out of Dodge' periodically, possibly on short notice, to go somewhere different.  Personally, that's not us (at the risk of sounding a bit smug, it's hard to find lots of good reasons to leave Colorado very often). We like to plan well ahead for places we really, really like (unfortunately most of them are in Hawaii.....).
> 
> The variety of options available in the different systems is intriguting, but it takes some research. No better place for that than right here.
> 
> ...



Zach, RCI has lots of availability in Hawaii.  We have RCI points so that may make a difference however, we have used RCI to go to 4 islands of Hawaii and the Big Island and Kauai always have more availability than I can even contemplate.


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 12, 2012)

OOPS....sorry, didn't mean to imply RCI didn't have lots of great locations; we've used them to get into Maui, where Shell's not represented.  But we've found other services to work better for us when we needed a specific place at a specific time. Some also have interesting deposit bonuses.  But programs keep evolving and creating more opportunities for the knowledgeable and flexible. Fun stuff, actually (damn airfares....) 


         ------------Zach


----------



## lindner (Jul 12, 2012)

Luvstotravel said:


> Thank you, that does help me understand.  I'd say it's more the fault of the slick timeshare salesmen who tell people that they can trade, without telling them how hard it will be to get a "good" trade.



What is a "good" trade?  Everyone has a different opinion.  One of the most popular trades is Orlando.  That is a very EASY trade to get.  Great resorts can often be found even on short notice for two bedrooms for often 5 TPU.  The only hard to get trade in Orlando is Disney.  Same is true for other overbuilt places.  Easy to trade into even in peak season, even for great resorts.  On the other hand, try getting even a run down resort on the beach in summer!  Very hard to get even a studio.  Some people actually prefer to travel shoulder season to avoid the crowds and the heat.  For those folks, trading onto the beach is easy.  The point being is that many in TUG will tell you RCI is super while others tell you the opposite.


----------



## donnaval (Jul 13, 2012)

I'm not thrilled with RCI because the exchange fees just keep going up and up and up...but I have to admit that if you can travel at the last minute, and can spend the time at the computer to watch for random deposits during the day, you can snag some great deals.  We're leaving Sunday for the Outer Banks - our net cost with TPUs and exchange fee is just a shade over $500, for a resort that is listed on Expedia et al for over $6,000 for the week.  We're very fortunate that we have extremely flexible schedules and can take advantage of things like this.  If we had to plan far in advance, RCI wouldn't be so effective for us.

I have stopped using RCI altogether for my Wyndham points, though.


----------



## bshmerlie (Jul 13, 2012)

I am just amazed at how picky some people must be when it comes to RCI availability.  So here is a quick example of things that are available for the next 12 months.  All these things I have personally booked, are available right now, or have been available within the last two weeks.


Lets go to:

July 21 - July 28 -  Logonita Lodge lake front(Big Bear Lake) 7,500 points 
                            Bring your boat, they have free boat slips for guests.

Aug 31-Sept 7-     Grandview Las Vegas-Labor day week.
                           RCI special $199 for week no points required.

Nov 16- Nov 23-   Worldmark Indio-Thanksgiving week 30,000 points.
                           Palm Springs area with a lazy river. 

Dec 30- Jan 6th-   GasLamp Plaza San Diego-  New Year Eve in San Diego.
                           33,500 points -studio- max occup (4)

Jan 26- Feb 2nd-  Disney California Grand- 59,000 points 
                           It's Disney who cares if it's January. Animal Kingdom was
                           also available at the same time I booked this.

Feb 15-Feb 22 -   Wyndham Canterbury San Francisco 
                          40,500 points   Presidents day weekend.

Mar 8-Mar 10-     Laguna Surf CA- spend the weekend checking out the fabulous town.

May 9-May 23-   Manhattan CLub -  Two weeks in New York City 160,000 points 

June 28-July 7-   Blue Whale Oceanside -  4th of July weekend  -right on the beach -no steps


----------



## vacationdoc (Jul 13, 2012)

Bshmerlie, Love your travel plans! Enjoy. Judith




bshmerlie said:


> I am just amazed at how picky some people must be when it comes to RCI availability.  So here is a quick example of things that are available for the next 12 months.  All these things I have personally booked, are available right now, or have been available within the last two weeks.
> 
> 
> Lets go to:
> ...


----------



## Margariet (Jul 13, 2012)

bshmerlie said:


> I am just amazed at how picky some people must be when it comes to RCI availability.  So here is a quick example of things that are available for the next 12 months.  All these things I have personally booked, are available right now, or have been available within the last two weeks.
> 
> 
> Lets go to:
> ...



Love your trip! You are just like me. I chose 3 of them as well for our upcoming trip!


----------



## bshmerlie (Jul 13, 2012)

Margariet said:


> Love your trip! You are just like me. I chose 3 of them as well for our upcoming trip!



The only one I didn't actually book was New York.  But about a week ago it came up a couple of times where you could book as much time as you wanted in all of May.


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 13, 2012)

Pretty amazing list - thanks for posting. It whets my appetite for some power-browsing. Question: approximately how far ahead were these requested, or did they come available on the website? Hopefully I.I. (the current Shell affiliation) has some similar desirables popping up. 

        Z.K.


----------



## bshmerlie (Jul 13, 2012)

Picker57 said:


> Pretty amazing list - thanks for posting. It whets my appetite for some power-browsing. Question: approximately how far ahead were these requested, or did they come available on the website? Hopefully I.I. (the current Shell affiliation) has some similar desirables popping up.
> 
> Z.K.



I'm a points member so I can't request them. 

BigBear- just popped up about 2 weeks ago.  Obviously a cancellation.  
Vegas- RCI had a $199 special about 3 weeks ago.
Worldmark- maybe three months ago.
San Diego about a month ago- there are units still available same dates
Disney CA- Less than a week ago.
San Francisco- maybe two months ago..it is also still available same dates
Laguna- Its been awhile...its only a weekend I have some friends flying in to stay with parents who live in town, we are going to catch up.
Manhattan Club in May has been available a couple of times.I check at night.
Oceanside CA for 4th of July next year was booked on 6/27/2012 so exactly one year out.


----------



## Picker57 (Jul 13, 2012)

VERY cool! Thanks again. 

        ZK


----------

