# New Vida Resort fees when booking through II



## tschwa2 (Sep 13, 2016)

RCI still lists the resort fees at $75 per unit per week for international residents.

II is now listing the resort fee as $11 per person per day for guests 12 and older.



> REQUIRED RESORT CHARGES
> REQUIRED SURCHARGES (energy, accommodations/occupancy tax, bed tax, fees or other miscellaneous) ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OCCUPANT AND ARE PAYABLE DIRECTLY TO THE RESORT. Surcharges are subject to change without notice. Effective dates September 1st, 2016. Resort fee: USD 11 per person per day collected at check in. Not applicable for children under the age of 12.



It looks like it is being applied even if you made the reservation before the fee became applicable.      For a group of 6 this would mean $420 in resort fees on top of the additional size upgrade that may be applicable though II.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Sep 13, 2016)

*Good Update*

My comment -

Since II gets you into the Grand Luxxe perhaps Vidanta figures it  
covers the extra cost of GL services for exchanges .

If you want to pay the RCI $ figure you can exchange into to the Grand Mayan .

<and the Grand Mayan  isn't too "shabby" for an exchange  > 

*******

PS - Puerto Penasco Grand Mayan is II not RCI 
.


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## tschwa2 (Sep 13, 2016)

The fees are listed in II for Grand Luxxe  down to Mayan Palace.  I did see one Sea Gardens that did not list the fees.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Sep 13, 2016)

Hi tschwa2,
I only have RCI weeks and I am also a Mayan owner . 

Does the fee vary by Vidanta resort brand ? 

If $ 11 per day per person for any brand - That  is $154' for a couple / for essential Internet and a cab ride to the resort   ( unless I am missing something )

and as you said - a lot more if you have a group


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## pittle (Sep 13, 2016)

Interesting.  I have a November 2016 GM reservation in NV through RCI Extra Vacations and a 2017 Thanksgiving week through II (but, that Getaway was only $359 for a 2 bedroom unit, so I am still ahead of the game compared to the cost of an exchange if you add the MF for the deposited week.)  Hopefully that will change before November 2017.


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## rpennisi (Sep 13, 2016)

I don't understand why Vidanta charges these extra fees.

Vidanta gets the purchaser's price when it sells the TS.
Vidanta gets extra $ anytime a purchaser sells their unit.
Vidanta gets the yearly maintenance fee from the purchaser whether used by themselves or a trader.
Vidanta gets the $ from meals, etc at their resorts whether you are an owner or a trader.
What difference is it to them who is using the unit, owner or trader?  I don't see how it affects them one way or the other.

They should be happy that RCI, II, etc gets them bodies to fill empty units, the users who will then buy meals, activities and possibly a unit from them.
This to me is like the airlines charging all the extra fees in the past fee years, and continue to do so even as their profits rise.

I hope, especially the fees charged by II, will cause the number of exchanges to go down.  That might result in this shortsighted fee gouging to stop.

I have also noticed recently, that II is charging an extra $99 if you choose a unit that is larger than the one you have deposited.  That is also new.


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## blr666 (Sep 13, 2016)

Wow!   That's $620 a week for me and I have two weeks!


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## travs2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Ron

I "understand why VIDANTA charges these resort fees" ....one word GREED!  And I just upgraded today to II Platinum!     Our son is going there at the end of October.  His confirmation clearly stated a $75 resort fee.  How can they change the fees once a reservation is made?


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## blr666 (Sep 13, 2016)

I just looked up my confirmation certificate and it said fees can change at any time without notice.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Sep 13, 2016)

So - Plan B for Exchangers

You will only go to a presentation - if you get a credit equal  (to all but $ 75 of)
 the  fee.

***********
The reason I say all but $ 75 - is that (my guess is) the " hotel side gets charged for some of the expense such as the cab fares; just as I believe the 10% off food etc ( if you go to a presentation ) comes from the "hotel" side .

The other goodies offered ( seem ) to come from a sales promo budget , which is why you can bargain those items .

I am guessing the increase fee $ is going to " corporate " -- and they want you to go to a presentation so you will buy .

START BARGAINING 

.


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## rpennisi (Sep 13, 2016)

What does one get for the $11 per person per day other than the (usual long waited for) bus ride from the airport and the spotty wifi?


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## PamMo (Sep 13, 2016)

Is this new fee only for RCI exchanges? I don't see anything has changed for exchanges through Interval. Can someone verify this?


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Sep 13, 2016)

rpennisi said:


> What does one get for the $11 per person per day other than the (usual long waited for) bus ride from the airport and the spotty wifi?



in Nuevo -Feb 2016  - the wifi was good AND no longer an additional charge .
There was a " streaming " level available for a $ fee . 

PV -Marina still had the everyone pays / contracted out service and there was no streaming level available . I assume it stays that way until the contract is up .

The free transportation to the resort keeps people from being signed up for the competition's TS presentations in the airport " shark tank " - so it actually is a. benefit to Vidanta that you pay for as an exchanger .

The wifi and a cab ride are probably worth the $ 75 Fee that currently comes with a RCI 
exchange . However $ 154 for a couple is steep if using II to exchange 
AND
 Making it per person per day is like a mini AI fee .

.


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## blr666 (Sep 13, 2016)

PamMo said:


> Is this new fee only for RCI exchanges? I don't see anything has changed for exchanges through Interval. Can someone verify this?


I checked and it is on II.   If you start an exchange, it talks about resort surcharges.


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## MuranoJo (Sep 14, 2016)

This imbalance in how an exchanger is treated vs. an owner is very common among resorts.  There have been several threads posted about the topic.
Not saying I agree that Vida should impose these extra fees, but just saying they're not alone in where this is headed.

Edited to add:  The more I read, the more I'm ticked about this.  Mostly because it seems they are indeed changing the fees after confirmations are made.  Really tacky on II's part and/or Vida's part.


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## TrojanRickus (Sep 14, 2016)

Just noticed this in my exchange confirmation.  I have the original from June (when I exchanged) and it did not have it.  Maybe we should let II know how we feel about this since it might of play a role in my decision to exchange into vindata back in June. I am having a family reunion (ouch)


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## MuranoJo (Sep 15, 2016)

For those who reserved before this new fee was imposed (and then get hit with the higher daily charges), I'd make a stink to II as well as the resort.  They should not be making changes that affect your 'all-in' fees when you made the reservation.


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## TrojanRickus (Sep 15, 2016)

MuranoJo said:


> For those who reserved before this new fee was imposed (and then get hit with the higher daily charges), I'd make a stink to II as well as the resort.  They should not be making changes that affect your 'all-in' fees when you made the reservation.



Completely agree!!! Thank you!!!


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## travs2 (Sep 15, 2016)

We just called II and made a HUGE stink......they put us on hold......came back and said they cannot do anything about it and to take it up with the resort.  And we all know how that would go......( I feel so sorry for the young hard working check in employees who have to listen to this stuff and cannot do anything about it as well)......Oh well....no more exchanges or GETTAWAYS to Vidanta for us.....especially since the Canadian $$$$ is so low....this adds quite a bit more to the transaction.  Staying positive......there are many wonderful resorts to go to other than Vida......


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## SmithOp (Sep 15, 2016)

Plan B for me is to use my ePlus to go elsewhere.  I have a 3br booked at GL, it would cost me $88 a day given the 8 people we were planning on taking. $616 plus meal plans, suddenly Mexico doesnt look like a good value.


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## taterhed (Sep 15, 2016)

Let's hope they bleed red on this.

 maybe they'll rethink.

 I was hoping for an exchange in future, but DW will not like the extra charges for 'another Mexican resort'  as she calls them.

 yikes.


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## Lingber (Nov 6, 2016)

Hi Just wondering if anyone who confirmed with the $75 per week resort fee has been to the property since the change to $11pp per day fee? I booked last January in a 1 bed at GL Rivera Maya for my family of four. Will I have to now pay $44 a day??? That's just crazy!


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## MuranoJo (Nov 7, 2016)

I was also curious if those who grabbed a GL via II had to pay these fees...sounds like it.

What about SFX?


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## NiteMaire (Nov 7, 2016)

Bring your confirmation which has the $75 fee and Vidanta will honor it.  It's based on exchange, not stay, date.  The $11/day applies to exchanges made in/after Sep.  I was at GL Sep 23-30 and was charged the $75 fee since I exchanged prior to Sep.  There's a separate thread on this where others have verified the same.



Lingber said:


> Hi Just wondering if anyone who confirmed with the $75 per week resort fee has been to the property since the change to $11pp per day fee? I booked last January in a 1 bed at GL Rivera Maya for my family of four. Will I have to now pay $44 a day??? That's just crazy!





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## Lingber (Nov 7, 2016)

Glad to hear they will honor the $75 per night. I booked a second units as I am taking my parents and niece. I had planned to do a guest certificate for my parents. Since I am platinum with Interval there is no extra charge. Now I am wondering if that will switch the confirmation to the new fees? Thoughts? Do I need to do the guest certificate if I am traveling with them?


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## SmithOp (Nov 7, 2016)

Lingber said:


> Glad to hear they will honor the $75 per night. I booked a second units as I am taking my parents and niece. I had planned to do a guest certificate for my parents. Since I am platinum with Interval there is no extra charge. Now I am wondering if that will switch the confirmation to the new fees? Thoughts? Do I need to do the guest certificate if I am traveling with them?





I had a booking prior to the date of fee increase, my confirmation had the $75 fee.  After the date I went in and requested a resend of the confirmation and it showed the new $11/day fees.  My experience is any confirmation sent after the date will show the new fee, Interval has updated their system.  You don't need a guest cert if you are traveling with them, and if you did I'd bet it would show the new fee.  Hang on to your original confirmation!


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## tschwa2 (Nov 7, 2016)

I wouldn't be so sure about not needing the guest certificate unless someone who specifically booked multiple rooms with Vida through II has experience with this.  

Through RCI which like II, I generally don't book a guest certificate when booking multiple units, Vida (Grand Mayan) specifically says they will cancel concurrent reservations unless there is a guest certificate for the second unit.

Supposedly they are looking at the date the reservation is made.  Worse comes to worse if you are not up to the max capacity in your room say the extras are staying with you (in the $75 per unit per week) and only 1 is staying in the other so that one would be $77 for the week if they try to charge $11 pppd.


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## bjammin (Dec 27, 2016)

I have a confirmed exchange on RCI for the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta for Jan 13th-20th, 2017. My original confirmation email dated 08/17/2015 from RCI details the Resort fee as $75.00 per unit, per week for International travelers. In looking at a confirmation I printed today from RCI's site, under the Urgent information box, Mandatory fees, the resort fee is now listed as $11.00 per adult, per night. I will bring my original confirmation email to Vidanta when I check in and push for the original $75.00 fee.


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## NiteMaire (Dec 27, 2016)

bjammin said:


> I have a confirmed exchange on RCI for the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta for Jan 13th-20th, 2017. My original confirmation email dated 08/17/2015 from RCI details the Resort fee as $75.00 per unit, per week for International travelers. In looking at a confirmation I printed today from RCI's site, under the Urgent information box, Mandatory fees, the resort fee is now listed as $11.00 per adult, per night. I will bring my original confirmation email to Vidanta when I check in and push for the original $75.00 fee.


They've honored the $75 II confirmations made prior to Sep...hopefully they'll do the same with your RCI one.

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## seema (Mar 18, 2017)

I hope that thse fees are not charged to an owner. I bougth a GL loft and NV in Nov 2015. I have not been to NV since.


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## NiteMaire (Mar 18, 2017)

seema said:


> I hope that thse fees are not charged to an owner. I bougth a GL loft and NV in Nov 2015. I have not been to NV since.


My understanding is that the fee does not apply to owners.  I'm not an owner so you may want verification from an owner.

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## pittle (Mar 18, 2017)

We used a SFX Bonus week last year and paid the $75 and we are owners.  We expect to do that this year using an II Get-a-way.  I have my original confirmation, so the cost will be $75.  That includes airport pick-up, WIFI, use of gym and cover charge for Santuario. 

If you are an owner using your week  -not an exchange or Extra Vacation or Bonus week - you are not charged for these extra fees.


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## pittle (Mar 18, 2017)

Lingber - When I have booked several units and family was going with us at the same time, we did not get the Guest Certs.  All the units were in our name but they let the actual occupants put their own credit card on file for charges to the room.


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## esk444 (Apr 17, 2017)

I just got back from the Grand Bliss, my confirmation said a $75 resort fee.  At check in, they told us the $75 fee was for one-way transportation from the airport and internet, but it will be waived if you attend the welcome breakfast.  Then they introduce you to a person that gives you the resort booklet with a map, who tries to pin you down for an appointment for the breakfast and says it is just to help you show to make your existing timeshare work for you better, not a timeshare pitch, and how to avoid yearly maintenance fees.  I declined from his very insistent efforts to sign me up, and the $75 fee was on our bill, along with some extra charges related to bottled water, coffee, and donations to some charity, which they removed at checkout upon request.

I suspect the daily fee will be waived as well and it is just a method of getting exchangers to attend the sales presentation.


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## dioxide45 (Apr 23, 2017)

esk444 said:


> I just got back from the Grand Bliss, my confirmation said a $75 resort fee.  At check in, they told us the $75 fee was for one-way transportation from the airport and internet, but it will be waived if you attend the welcome breakfast.  Then they introduce you to a person that gives you the resort booklet with a map, who tries to pin you down for an appointment for the breakfast and says it is just to help you show to make your existing timeshare work for you better, not a timeshare pitch, and how to avoid yearly maintenance fees.  I declined from his very insistent efforts to sign me up, and the $75 fee was on our bill, along with some extra charges related to bottled water, coffee, and donations to some charity, which they removed at checkout upon request.
> 
> I suspect the daily fee will be waived as well and it is just a method of getting exchangers to attend the sales presentation.


Or perhaps they will waive a portion of it? The new fee works out to $154 for two adults for seven nights. Perhaps they just upped the fee to entice more people to take the "breakfast" aka timeshare presentation? Perhaps enough people weren't swayed by the $75 but more would go for a $154 savings? I know we wouldn't endure it for $75, but $154 could be more tempting.


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## bobpark56 (Apr 23, 2017)

Is Quintana Roo's hotel tax part of your Riviera Maya Vidanta fees...or is it another fee?
And another 'tax' or sorts...if you stay a Grand Luxxe at Riviera Maya, you are most unlikely to get an upper floor (above the jungle canopy) if you are not an owner.


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## dioxide45 (Apr 23, 2017)

bobpark56 said:


> Is Quintana Roo's hotel tax part of your Riviera Maya Vidanta fees...or is it another fee?
> And another 'tax' or sorts...if you stay a Grand Luxxe at Riviera Maya, you are most unlikely to get an upper floor (above the jungle canopy) if you are not an owner.


I believe it is an occupancy tax, so it is paid by the occupant and not the owner. At least that is how it is at the Westin Lagunamar. Paid at checkout.


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## youppi (Apr 23, 2017)

bobpark56 said:


> Is Quintana Roo's hotel tax part of your Riviera Maya Vidanta fees...or is it another fee?
> And another 'tax' or sorts...if you stay a Grand Luxxe at Riviera Maya, you are most unlikely to get an upper floor (above the jungle canopy) if you are not an owner.


The occupancy tax is on top of the Vidanta Fee. The tax go to the Mexican government an the Vidanta fee (the old $75 per week or the new $11 per person per day) go to Vidanta pocket.


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## rpennisi (Apr 24, 2017)

The occupancy tax is a whole lot less than the $11 Vidanta charge per day per person, or than the old $75 Vidanta charge.  The newer higher Vidanta charges are just another way for them to discourage traders who will not either buy their product or attend their sales presentation ("update").  It's a new way to make money for them.  Much like their escalating ownership transfer fees of the past dozen years or so discouraged selling by owners.  Nobody ever said this company wasn't smart.  They adapt to the changing market very well, much to the chagrin of owners and exchangers.


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## travs2 (Apr 24, 2017)

Very disappointed with the II " Getaway" sale today.  Looking to book a 2 bedroom in the Mayan Palace in Nuevo for Feb 2018.


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## dioxide45 (Apr 24, 2017)

travs2 said:


> Very disappointed with the II " Getaway" sale today.  Looking to book a 2 bedroom in the Mayan Palace in Nuevo for Feb 2018.


I notice that the discount for the sale only applies to weeks through June or July?


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## NiteMaire (Apr 24, 2017)

rpennisi said:


> The occupancy tax is a whole lot less than the $11 Vidanta charge per day per person, or than the old $75 Vidanta charge.  The newer higher Vidanta charges are just another way for them to discourage traders who will not either buy their product or attend their sales presentation ("update").  It's a new way to make money for them.  Much like their escalating ownership transfer fees of the past dozen years or so discouraged selling by owners.  Nobody ever said this company wasn't smart.  They adapt to the changing market very well, much to the chagrin of owners and exchangers.


I willingly exchange even with the increased costs. It's extremely well worth it...and I still spend way less than GL MF.

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## rpennisi (Apr 24, 2017)

nitemaire said:


> I willingly exchange even with the increased costs. It's extremely well worth it...and I still spend way less than GL MF.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk



I totally agree.  I have two GL's reserved, for this year (RM) and next year (NV).  My point is the way Vidanta squeezes extra bucks from exchangers while they still get the high GL MF's from the owners of GL.

If the GL owner goes, Vidanta gets the MF.
If the GL owner deposits, Vidanta still gets the MF and more $ from the exchanger than they did in the past.  Like I wrote above, when they incrementally increased transfer fees until it slowed the resale market way down.

Now with trades, they are doing the same thing.  First no extra fee to trade, then $75 for everyone for the week, now $11 a day per person over 12 years of age!


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Apr 24, 2017)

The Vidanta per person per day exchange/ visitor  fee (with RCI exchanges) is less at some of the other properties .

Acapulco & MP PV - Marina - $ 7

Last I looked on RCI -  Mazatlan & Cabo listed specifics - parking , gym etc - but no $ fee pp/pd .

Obviously GL & GB are $!! since they are (currently) only found at NV & RM -
which are also  Vidanta's biggest properties with the most amenities & number of suites .


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## MuranoJo (Apr 25, 2017)

rpennisi said:


> The occupancy tax is a whole lot less than the $11 Vidanta charge per day per person, or than the old $75 Vidanta charge.  The newer higher Vidanta charges are just another way for them to discourage traders who will not either buy their product or attend their sales presentation ("update").  It's a new way to make money for them.  Much like their escalating ownership transfer fees of the past dozen years or so discouraged selling by owners.  Nobody ever said this company wasn't smart.  They adapt to the changing market very well, much to the chagrin of owners and exchangers.



I follow the Buying, Selling, and Renting forum and have to chuckle whenever I see posts which say, "Mexican timeshares are a dime a dozen on eBay...," or to that effect.  Actually, it's really rare to see a Vida resort resale on eBay or anywhere due to the high transfer fees these days.  So, yes, they absolutely are controlling their resale market.  Exchanges are, however, a relatively a good deal for some folks.


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## TheHappyWanderer (Apr 25, 2017)

rpennisi said:


> I totally agree.  I have two GL's reserved, for this year (RM) and next year (NV).



I have yet to see any exchanges available into Grand Luxxe at RM or NV for 2018 on II. Is Vidanta making Grand Luxxe exchanges available for 2018 through exchange companies other than II?


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## rpennisi (Apr 25, 2017)

TheHappyWanderer said:


> I have yet to see any exchanges available into Grand Luxxe at RM or NV for 2018 on II. Is Vidanta making Grand Luxxe exchanges available for 2018 through exchange companies other than II?



My exchanges into GL for 2018 (RM) and 2019 (NV) were both made using II.


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## dioxide45 (Apr 25, 2017)

MuranoJo said:


> I follow the Buying, Selling, and Renting forum and have to chuckle whenever I see posts which say, "Mexican timeshares are a dime a dozen on eBay...," or to that effect.  Actually, it's really rare to see a Vida resort resale on eBay or anywhere due to the high transfer fees these days.  So, yes, they absolutely are controlling their resale market.  Exchanges are, however, a relatively a good deal for some folks.


I guess for most of the owners, since they have a "no stay no MF" provision, there is no real need to sell. They aren't stuck in a cycle of lifelong MFs. They have already lost 100% of their upfront purchase price. Are there ever any resales on the private market outside of EBay? I suspect for the most part, people don't even want or need to buy resale since it seems that exchanges are so plentiful.


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## rpennisi (Apr 25, 2017)

I would think that most of the longer held owners do not have the "no stay, no MF" in their contracts with Vidanta.  That seems to be a more recent addition to many of the newer contracts especially when Vidanta started with GB and GL.  Phyllis would be able to add to that, she is the Vidanta historian in my mind.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Apr 25, 2017)

dioxide45 said:


> I guess for most of the owners, since they have a "no stay no MF" provision, there is no real need to sell. They aren't stuck in a cycle of lifelong MFs. They have already lost 100% of their upfront purchase price. Are there ever any resales on the private market outside of EBay? I suspect for the most part, people don't even want or need to buy resale since it seems that exchanges are so plentiful.



You may find the occasional Mayan Palace on Craigs list etc . I have only spotted a couple on  ebay in the last year- and those listings were a prices no one would pay.

 The contracts  before 2002 (approx) have the one MF transfer fee and the 3% inflation cap on MF .
The MF for a MP 2 bedroom would be less than $ 700 .

Those contracts  have less than 10 years left ( until the 25 year / 5 x MF renewal fee )

If you find one it could be  worth buying if you are  a snowbird looking to stay in Puerto Vallarta  etc for 6 + weeks   (Jan - April season )

The no go / no pay contracts started approx fall 2005  . This is also approx .  when the transfer fees went to 5 x MF


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## rpennisi (Apr 25, 2017)

As T-Dot writes, those older MP 2 bedroom units have only a single MF transfer, and they come with a Vacation Fair trade bonus week.  So for 2 MF's you can stay for 4 weeks by splitting the 2 bedroom units into 4 one bedroom stays.  I met Canadian folks who were doing that for a number of years at NV MP.  The only downside is 2 of the weeks don't have the kitchen available.  Owners of MP do not pay the $11 per person per day charge.  So for around $1400, you get 4 weeks in the sun.  That was my plan before grandchildren and babysitting, lol.  In a few years, hopefully, the original plan will continue.


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## travs2 (Apr 25, 2017)

dioxide45 said:


> I notice that the discount for the sale only applies to weeks through June or July?




Yes, I see that!  Maybe next time a Getaway sale is introduced there may be availability at the Mayan Palace in Nuevo for February 2018.


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## MuranoJo (Apr 26, 2017)

rpennisi said:


> As T-Dot writes, those older MP 2 bedroom units have only a single MF transfer, and they come with a Vacation Fair trade bonus week.  So for 2 MF's you can stay for 4 weeks by splitting the 2 bedroom units into 4 one bedroom stays.  I met Canadian folks who were doing that for a number of years at NV MP.  The only downside is 2 of the weeks don't have the kitchen available.  Owners of MP do not pay the $11 per person per day charge.  So for around $1400, you get 4 weeks in the sun.  That was my plan before grandchildren and babysitting, lol.  In a few years, hopefully, the original plan will continue.



Exactly.  May not be the GL, but some relatively inexpensive bennies for sticking with the old contracts.  They do have value.  I just need to get with the program and exchange into GL like some of you folks, but don't belong to II.


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## MuranoJo (Apr 26, 2017)

dioxide45 said:


> I guess for most of the owners, since they have a "no stay no MF" provision, there is no real need to sell. They aren't stuck in a cycle of lifelong MFs. They have already lost 100% of their upfront purchase price. Are there ever any resales on the private market outside of EBay? I suspect for the most part, people don't even want or need to buy resale since it seems that exchanges are so plentiful.



I'm not sure 'most' owners have the 'no stay no MF' provision.  If it was available, and they knew about it, and were able to negotiate it...yes.  I'd definitely say some of us longer-term owners don't have it as it wasn't available.  There was a short run for a Senior 'no stay no pay' deal for a brief while for certain ages, but I believe you had to be at the resort and physically go in and get it.  Perhaps that was the start of the 'no stay, no pay' offer.

They also don't want or need to buy *retail* since exchanges are so plentiful.  Therein lies the rub.  I think Vida will eventually feel they've had enough 'fresh blood' that they'll make it more challenging to exchange in.  Meanwhile, sure seems there are many who are regular GL exchangers.  Can't blame them.


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## pittle (Apr 30, 2017)

MuranoJo said:


> I'm not sure 'most' owners have the 'no stay no MF' provision.  If it was available, and they knew about it, and were able to negotiate it...yes.  I'd definitely say some of us longer-term owners don't have it as it wasn't available.  There was a short run for a Senior 'no stay no pay' deal for a brief while for certain ages, but I believe you had to be at the resort and physically go in and get it.  Perhaps that was the start of the 'no stay, no pay' offer.
> 
> They also don't want or need to buy *retail* since exchanges are so plentiful.  Therein lies the rub.  I think Vida will eventually feel they've had enough 'fresh blood' that they'll make it more challenging to exchange in.  Meanwhile, sure seems there are many who are regular GL exchangers.  Can't blame them.



The  Senior Certificate was available for about 18 months for folks who owned before November 2006.  That said that when you were  75, the MF were 1/2 Price and at 77, they are free.  They said you had to be the original owner of the contract, but we had 3 original weeks 1 MP and 2 GM (which were from an upgrade with resale weeks) and 2 other resale weeks we had purchased.   

To our surprise, they gave us the Senior Certificates for all 5 weeks.  We did this when on vacation at the Riviera Maya in February 2007.  

A few months later we got letters for the no pay unless you go on all 5 weeks!  (We had those on out 2 GM weeks but not the others.) At the time we did this, we were in the process of buying another MP week, but since it was not finalized we did not add the contract number for the Sr. Cert., so we always had one unit we needed to pay MF on until we upgraded to GL.  

When we upgraded, they kept our Sr. Cert. and No Pay Unless You Go on our new contract.  We felt that because we had so many weeks and had to pay a 5 year fee almost every year, the offer to upgrade to GL was almost a "wash".

The Senior Certificate, No Pay Unless You Go, and extra weeks DO NOT TRANSFER to someone who purchases resale.  

The Senior Cert does not transfer to you Heirs, but the No Pay Unless You Go does transfer to your Heirs.


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## MuranoJo (May 1, 2017)

Great info., Phyllis.
At any rate, I don't have Sr. Certs and couldn't have gotten them with my resale contract.
No worries, I have 'Elite' weeks and easily rent out a holiday week for 2-4x my m/f.
I always chuckle when I see posts warning new owners never to buy in MX.  (Try to do this with most US, including HI locations these days.)
The nuance is holiday weeks and location.


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## judyp2530 (May 8, 2017)

We returned from the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya last week. Love the resorts there and the setting. Loved GL a couple years ago. I traded through II in Nov for GM and was surprised that they actually charged the $11pp/day when we checked out last week. That's a little too rich for us considering the cost of WM credits, MFs, II membership fee, exchange fee have to be included. When we checked in, check in said we may be charged the $11pp and she put $1000 hold on my cc so I thought that it would be like a retainer for excess charges and/or damages but NOT. It's SOP.  We were also charged $19/day for rm tax.


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## dioxide45 (May 8, 2017)

judyp2530 said:


> We returned from the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya last week. Love the resorts there and the setting. Loved GL a couple years ago. I traded through II in Nov for GM and was surprised that they actually charged the $11pp/day when we checked out last week. That's a little too rich for us considering the cost of WM credits, MFs, II membership fee, exchange fee have to be included. When we checked in, check in said we may be charged the $11pp and she put $1000 hold on my cc so I thought that it would be like a retainer for excess charges and/or damages but NOT. It's SOP.  We were also charged $19/day for rm tax.


What size unit did you have? The occupancy tax is based on unit size.


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## scootr5 (May 8, 2017)

dioxide45 said:


> What size unit did you have? The occupancy tax is based on unit size.



We were there in March, and were charged about $4 per day (78 pesos) occupancy tax for a two bedroom.


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## dioxide45 (May 8, 2017)

scootr5 said:


> We were there in March, and were charged about $4 per day (78 pesos) occupancy tax for a two bedroom.


So why was the PP poster charged $19 a day? Or was that $19 peso?


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## T-Dot-Traveller (May 8, 2017)

scootr5 said:


> We were there in March, and were charged about $4 per day (78 pesos) occupancy tax for a two bedroom.



Agree -

 In Feb 2017  a one bedroom Mayan Palace  was  $ 1.97 USD per day / 265 pesos for the week .
RCI exchange to MP - PV Marina


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## rpennisi (May 9, 2017)

I remember once riding on an elevator at the MP, and a person was enraged about the tax until I told her that was in pesos not dollars per day.


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## post-it (Jun 25, 2017)

I just exchanged through II to GL for Jan 2018.  My confirmation states: 
Resort fee: USD 11 per person per day collected at check in. Not applicable for children under the age of 12. To schedule airport transfer to the resort,
https://precheckin.vidanta.com/shuttle/guest.

Is the shuttle to the resort included with the per person fee?  Do I take taxi back to airport?


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## rpennisi (Jun 25, 2017)

post-it said:


> I just exchanged through II to GL for Jan 2018.  My confirmation states:
> Resort fee: USD 11 per person per day collected at check in. Not applicable for children under the age of 12. To schedule airport transfer to the resort,
> https://precheckin.vidanta.com/shuttle/guest.
> 
> Is the shuttle to the resort included with the per person fee?  Do I take taxi back to airport?


Yes.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 25, 2017)

You could also book a transportation service, like USA Transfers, back to the airport.


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## Mike S (Apr 23, 2018)

It’s now $30 pp per day
6 people= $1260
Ouch!


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## krj9999 (Apr 23, 2018)

I take it II finally caught back up to RCI on this change.

Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Guests will receive 25% in resort credits from resort fee, which could be used at restaurants, spa, or golf services. Valet Parking: MXN100 Daily. A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.


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## lorribarnes (Apr 29, 2018)

will this change apply to existing reservations?  I pray to God not.. we have 10 people for 21 days in June


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## scootr5 (Apr 30, 2018)

lorribarnes said:


> will this change apply to existing reservations?  I pray to God not.. we have 10 people for 21 days in June



Generally they honor the fee at the time the reservation is made. Just be sure to have a copy of that confirmation with you.


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## amanven (May 3, 2018)

So with the Grande Luxxe resort fee for 2 people coming to $60US per day, How does that dailyfee compare to other comparable Mexican resorts and for those who have been to Grand Luxxe, is the resort worth the $60/day it will cost me and my husband especially if there are some facility exclusions for exchangers?


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## T-Dot-Traveller (May 3, 2018)

amanven said:


> So with the Grande Luxxe resort fee for 2 people coming to $60US per day, How does that dailyfee compare to other comparable Mexican resorts and for those who have been to Grand Luxxe, is the resort worth the $60/day it will cost me and my husband especially if there are some facility exclusions for exchangers?



1) You pay the resort fee at check in / at check out the front desk applies 25% against restaurant , spa etc charges so your net = $ 45 .  ( 7 x $ 45 = $ 315 ) Add this to your exchange cost and determine if the total $ cost is good value for a Luxe unit with daily full housekeeping and towel replacement and other amenities .

2) Vidanta is non AI but has many restaurant choices on the NV & RM properties .
A comparison resort in NV could be Grand Velas , which is all inclusive  . It has an excellent reputation for quality and amenities . The base price for 2 including daily AI fee would be more .

3) The recent ( and somewhat fluid ) change to owners only : for one pool and it’s associated beach club restaurant in RM  is unfortunate . It is a small part of the entire properties .
If you exchanged into Grand Mayan you never had access to it . Lots of folks are very happy with Grand Mayan .

Examples
Last week (April 2018) Vidanta listed  Grand Luxe NV on the RCI weeks system , with many units available into 2019 ( studios , 1 & 2 bedrooms)  The TPU cost was generally under 20 .
At $30 per TPU this would place the net cost for an exchange in the range of $ 1200 or better .

We prefer Vidanta’s smaller footprint property in Puerto Vallarta - ( Mayan Palace PV - Marina - 200 units approx. ) that has easy off resort access .
I recently booked a 2 bedroom for Feb 2019 for 17 TPU’s . At check in the resort fee will be $20.
We own a 1 bedroom  - but if family join us having the 2 bedroom confirmed is worth it .


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## Eric B (May 3, 2018)

Tom, I don’t think they actually charge the fees at check in; we haven’t been there as an RCI exchange under the current scheme of $30 pppd, but under the old one, the $11 pppd showed up as a charge to the room each day.  Otherwise, I completely agree with your analysis.

For us, in RCI points, getting a GL NV 2 BR week would be 52,000 points for most of the year, though there are some weeks that are listed at 45,500.  With a decent points trader it costs us just under $6 for 1,000 points, which makes the week cost $300 MF + $239 exchange fee + $315 resort fee less the rebates credit, for a total of $854.  If I give up half a day for an update, I can get it down to ~$700 with the typical resort fee discount for doing those.  Of course, that doesn’t get us there between January and March, but is between 1/3 and 1/2 the usage fee for a week I own there.  I can be pretty happy going down there in the off season, which strikes me as a good move for the Mayan World since this lets them manage there capacity better through differential pricing without actually setting different usage fee prices.  I can see why they’re getting a bit of bad publicity from some other owners for exchangers being treated so well for less $ or from exchangers in RM not being treated as well as owners.  I’m hoping they find additional ways to sweeten the pot for owners (e.g., offer senior certificates again), but can live with monitoring what changes they make and adjust my choices to them.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (May 3, 2018)

Eric B said:


> ... I don’t think they actually charge the fees at check in; we haven’t been there as an RCI exchange under the current scheme of $30 pppd, but under the old one, the $11 pppd showed up as a charge to the room each day. .
> 
> .


Possibly a recent change .

When we checked in Feb 2018 the resort fee was charged at check in .
In 2017 it was (likely) at check out  - ( & I wasn't charged since I may have listed as an owner on the computer ) Missed fees may have been why the change to upfront .

Both RCI exchanges were at the Mayan Palace PV- Marina and it was $ 7 pp/pd based on when I booked a 2 bedroom for 2018 .

They did do it pp/pd  since our 2 sons left on Thurs  ( having joined us mid week prior  at the Sea Garden NV)
so it was 2 x 6 x $7 + 2 x 7 x $7 = $182 USD
The front desk also offered to charge it in pesos to our Canadian Credit card . The peso rate was the resort fee  x their posted USD exchange rate ( not the bank rate )


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## hellolani (May 7, 2018)

Oh geez that's going to hurt.  We usually do 2 weeks down here so that's $840 US in charges just for the adults.  We'll have one kid over 5 but she looks younger.  Do they require passports to verify kids ages?  

We have our 2019 reso so at least we can ride that for one more year on $11 pp pd.  After that we may need to adjust back down to Flamingos or Sirena del Mar.


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## rpennisi (May 7, 2018)

I asked II to resend my reservations for GL NV for Jan 2019 and for GB RM for Feb 2019.  They did and both showed the $30 pp/pd.  I was surprised bec I made the reservations months ago.  I only printed the first page when I made the original reservations which didn't show the pp/pd fees.

I just did an email search and fortunately had those original email confirmations for those exchanges.  I printed all of the confirmations out and they both have the $11 pp/pd.  So, I am glad about that.

I will bring those with me and hopefully "only" get the $11 pp/pd (and not $30 pp/pd) as others have reported they honored the lower rate.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (May 7, 2018)

hellolani said:


> Oh geez that's going to hurt.  We usually do 2 weeks down here so that's $840 US in charges just for the adults.  We'll have one kid over 5 but she looks younger.  Do they require passports to verify kids ages?
> 
> We have our 2019 reso so at least we can ride that for one more year on $11 pp pd.  After that we may need to adjust back down to Flamingos or Sirena del Mar.



Hi Hellolani,
Others have posted that if you go to a presentation you can(currently) get it reduced by 50% .and 25% of what you pay  is applied against restaurant , spa etc charges  at check out . So you could net out at $315 for 2 adults for 14 days .

If you have RCI weeks- take a look at the TPU cost .
example : Nov. 2018

Raintree Club Regina PV - Marina : 1 bedroom - 20-21 TPU's
while next door
Mayan Palace PV -Marina : 2 bedroom - 10 TPU's  ( one bedrooms are 9 TPU )

If your cost is $ 25 per TPU - you save $275 / you would then pay the resort fee (it is  $20 / net $ 15 at MP-PV -Marina )
2 people x 7 days x $ 15 net =$210

So  you would save $ 65 - even after paying the resort fee .

**********

There are  2 bedroom Grand Luxxe NV (RCI RB 71) for 12 TPU's  from Aug - end of Oct. 2018


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