# Worldmark or Wyndham/ RCI or II



## MaeMae (Jul 14, 2013)

Which one do you recommend, Worldmark the club or Club Wyndham, for someone that does most of their traveling on the West Coast and maybe to Hawaii once every 5 years? We like to do last minute weekend getaways too. 

Read that II was better but does not allow you to make Disney reservations.


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 14, 2013)

Shell Vacations - is a member of the Wyndham family NOW might be a good alternative. Many ownerships are being given away. 

Wyndham Points do NOT exchange with II.


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## MaeMae (Jul 14, 2013)

vacationhopeful said:


> Shell Vacations - is a member of the Wyndham family NOW might be a good alternative. Many ownerships are being given away.
> 
> Wyndham Points do NOT exchange with II.


I read that Club Wyndham points can in some of the listings on eBay. Are they not telling the truth?

I was actually looking at Shells but noticed that their MFs are higher than WM and Wyndham.


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 14, 2013)

MaeMae said:


> I read that Club Wyndham points can in some of the listings on eBay. Are they not telling the truth? Can be used in II? All NEW member numbers are ONLY set up in RCI. RCI is part of the corporate untity of Wyndham; II is NOT.
> 
> I was actually looking at Shells but noticed that their MFs are higher than WM and Wyndham. Shell is a different system - has great/very nice resorts in locations Worldmark does not have. Shell trades in II - Marriotts, Sheratons, Hyatts, etc. Includes the II membership in the Shell ownership fees.



I got the Shell package from another TUG member - then my brother moved to AZ. I was originally looking for California resorts as I have extended family who lives in California. The CA clan has vacation and income to travel; brother with new job and no vacation; hence, AZ vacation time is already BOOKED for AZ Spring Training 2014 in PHX.

Plus, if you are planning short stays in the Western part of USA, you can get discounts close to checkin for Shell resorts & rent from Shell additional points to use in that discount window (without those HIGHER travel airfare costs).


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## GregT (Jul 14, 2013)

I own Worldmark now and used to also own Wyndham.  I gave Wyndham away because I was frustrated by its escalating program fees.

Both are good systems with 1) good properties 2) friendly reservation systems and rules and 3) are cost effective.  You will be happy with either.

I kept Worldmark because it has many properties on the West Coast, it is a very powerful trading property (through both RCI and II) and also you can transfer credits easily between owners, so you don't need to own a large package of credits.  I used to own 25K, and now I own 10K credits.

I belong to both RCI and II, but if I had to choose, I would pick II.  II has both Marriott and Starwood (and Hyatt) that can be accessed in off-season/shoulder season trades, and you can also do some creative trading in II.   RCI does have Disney and Hilton, and the entire reason I keep the RCI membership is so that I can get Hilton when they space bank.

If Disney is your desired location, it would behoove you to interact with some of the traders on their Disney experience.  I think Michael Coley has visited Disney something like a billion times by trading in via RCI.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Best,

Greg


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## hjtug (Jul 14, 2013)

MaeMae said:


> I read that Club Wyndham points can in some of the listings on eBay. Are they not telling the truth?



We are among the few Wyndham/II traders.  If it is correct that, as stated by vacationhopeful, all new Wyndham accounts are now set up for RCI, then the ads are incorrect.  The seller would not be lying, but would be thinking that existing II memberships still transfer with the sale as they have in the past.


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## PassionForTravel (Jul 15, 2013)

Given that you are on the west coast and specifically mentioned last minutes getaways then you would probably be better with worldmark. They have a feature called bonus time where within 14 days (30 days for exotics, Hawaii, etc) you can book for a very reasonable cash price. We use that 2 or 3 times a year for short getaways.  I do not believe that WVR offers anything like that. Also as Greg mentioned with WM you can rent credits from other owners or rent to other owners this allows you to heavily use WM one year and lightly use it another year. With WM your credits are automatically good for 3years (borrow next years). Finally the ability to trade with both II and RCI. We've found RCI to be more effective for Hawaii but use II more often for continental US.

Ian


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## MaeMae (Jul 15, 2013)

Now I'm torn... I'm looking at worldmark and Shells Vacation Club... Decisions decisions lol


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## PassionForTravel (Jul 15, 2013)

Well that's not to bad having to evaluate two systems. For everything you ever wanted to know about Worldmark check out wmowners.com. For shell I'll have to let a shell owner respond if there is a similar resource.

Which club has more locations that you want to go to? I've never stayed in one but from what I understand shell properties are more upscale with higher MF.

Ian


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## presley (Jul 15, 2013)

Worldmark has more locations and lower annual fees.
However, from what I've read, Shell resorts are a higher caliber.  

Worldmark trades high in both II and RCI.  You could join both if you don't mind pay 2 membership fees.  Then, you have access to pretty much any resort while paying extremely low annual dues.


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## benyu2010 (Jul 17, 2013)

MaeMae said:


> Now I'm torn... I'm looking at worldmark and Shells Vacation Club... Decisions decisions lol



Just get both if you travel a lot. You will use both mor or less, then evaluate your option to add-on...


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## Rent_Share (Jul 17, 2013)

One thing to keep in mind​ 
Worldmark - A single Worldmark account can be affiliated with both RCI *AND* II (Interval International)

http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1500​ 
Shell - Just moved from RCI to II in 2012, there is speculation that Wyndham will return it to RCI since they now own Shell and RCI

Wyndham - There were a few resorts that were dual affiliated, but for all practical purposes they only trade in RCI


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## TravLer21 (Jul 17, 2013)

What do you mean by "II"? I'm not familiar with that term or whatever it is? Thank you.


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## PassionForTravel (Jul 17, 2013)

II - Interval World - Second biggest exchange company


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## PearlCity (Jul 17, 2013)

I was where you were at a few months ago. Shell vs. Worldmark. I went with worldmark, here's why:

Ability to trade into RCI and II
FLexible cancellation policy
No reservation or transaction fees
Low maintenance fees
Wide range of resort locations

Also I noticed that except for prime units in locations like Napa and San Fran. You van rent units from shell for about the same or a little more or the same than the maintenance fees. I also noticed that shell points are practically given away on the resale market. So I figured if I bought wm and it didn't work for us, I can sell it and easily find an almost free shell contract. 

That being said I've been happy with trades I've gotten from wm in rci and II And look forward to my first wm stay next summer.


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## PearlCity (Jul 17, 2013)

Duplicate post


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## benyu2010 (Jul 19, 2013)

Well said, P

If you only wanna own one timeshare, Worldmark is definitely the best option for stay, trade and exchange...


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## momeason (Jul 20, 2013)

vacationhopeful said:


> Shell Vacations - is a member of the Wyndham family NOW might be a good alternative. Many ownerships are being given away.
> 
> Wyndham Points do NOT exchange with II.



There are 5 Wyndham resorts in II. You own 1 Linda. Royal Vista in Ft Lauderdale.
Riverside in San Antonio is another. Shawnee Village in Pennsylvania.
there are 2 more. 
If you buy a contract that was II and you do not own any Wyndham already, you can get an II acct. I had one until earlier this year. Sold it


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## momeason (Jul 20, 2013)

presley said:


> Worldmark has more locations and lower annual fees.
> However, from what I've read, Shell resorts are a higher caliber.
> 
> Worldmark trades high in both II and RCI.  You could join both if you don't mind pay 2 membership fees.  Then, you have access to pretty much any resort while paying extremely low annual dues.



Shell is not always high caliber... their Las Vegas resort gets poor reviews..converted motel units.
Shell's MFs seem high also. They also have a lot of nickel and dime fees.


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## LLW (Jul 20, 2013)

momeason said:


> *Shell is not always high caliber*... their Las Vegas resort gets poor reviews..converted motel units.
> Shell's MFs seem high also. They also have a lot of nickel and dime fees.



I agree. Their San Antonio resort is of motel quality.


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## paxsarah (Jul 20, 2013)

momeason said:


> There are 5 Wyndham resorts in II. You own 1 Linda. Royal Vista in Ft Lauderdale.
> Riverside in San Antonio is another. Shawnee Village in Pennsylvania.
> there are 2 more.
> If you buy a contract that was II and you do not own any Wyndham already, you can get an II acct. I had one until earlier this year. Sold it



Reports are that even with Wyndham resorts that were traditionally affiliated with II, new (resale) purchasers into those resorts are being set up with RCI now. Perhaps there are people who have firsthand experience in the last couple years who can chime in to confirm or deny.


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## uscav8r (Jul 20, 2013)

From the Wyndham website:

"A benefit of CLUB WYNDHAM® Plus includes a valuable membership in an external exchange company, either RCI® or Interval International (II).* Membership is determined by the exchange company affiliation of the resort where you first purchased with Wyndham Vacation Resorts."

Also:

"You will remain with the affiliation of your original contract throughout the life of your CLUB WYNDHAM Plus membership, even if you trade your original contract."

I cannot confirm/deny paxsarah's question with actual experience, but it sounds like the exchange affiliation is perpetually linked to the membership. The contract is only the original determinant as to which way to go. 

My guess is that an original II contract will only confer II affiliation to a _brand new Wyndham member_ if that resort is still part of II. If it has switched to RCI, I suspect the member will get an RCI membership. If the purchaser is already RCI, then the II resort will have no affect on the person's affiliation.


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## momeason (Jul 21, 2013)

uscav8r said:


> From the Wyndham website:
> 
> "A benefit of CLUB WYNDHAM® Plus includes a valuable membership in an external exchange company, either RCI® or Interval International (II).* Membership is determined by the exchange company affiliation of the resort where you first purchased with Wyndham Vacation Resorts."
> 
> ...



Correct. The reality is that Wyndham will try to get you to RCI. If you purchase a contract that has an II affiliation AND you are not a Wyndham owner..ie this is your first Wyndham contract....then it can stay with II,
If you want Wyndham in II, it can be accomplished. It is not the norm.
I bought a resale Wyndham II contract in 2007 and sold it in january,2013.
I traded in II and Wyndham paid for my II account. It was Royal Vista and that resort is dual affiliated..RCI and II. High MFs though..not the cheapest to own. I sold it to someone who wanted the ARP..advanced reservation priority at Royal Vista


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## uscav8r (Jul 21, 2013)

momeason said:


> Correct. The reality is that Wyndham will try to get you to RCI. If you purchase a contract that has an II affiliation AND you are not a Wyndham owner..ie this is your first Wyndham contract....then it can stay with II,
> If you want Wyndham in II, it can be accomplished. It is not the norm.
> I bought a resale Wyndham II contract in 2007 and sold it in january,2013.
> I traded in II and Wyndham paid for my II account. It was Royal Vista and that resort is dual affiliated..RCI and II. High MFs though..not the cheapest to own. I sold it to someone who wanted the ARP..advanced reservation priority at Royal Vista



And that is why, as a Wyndham owner limited to RCI for life, I am branching into Worldmark for the II flexibility and lower mf (amongst other reasons)!


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## paxsarah (Jul 21, 2013)

momeason said:


> Correct. The reality is that Wyndham will try to get you to RCI. If you purchase a contract that has an II affiliation AND you are not a Wyndham owner..ie this is your first Wyndham contract....then it can stay with II,
> If you want Wyndham in II, it can be accomplished. It is not the norm.
> I bought a resale Wyndham II contract in 2007 and sold it in january,2013.
> I traded in II and Wyndham paid for my II account. It was Royal Vista and that resort is dual affiliated..RCI and II. High MFs though..not the cheapest to own. I sold it to someone who wanted the ARP..advanced reservation priority at Royal Vista



So did your purchaser end up with an II account? I am curious if there are any instances of a first-time Wyndham purchaser actually getting that II account in the last, say, two years or so. I have heard that it is no longer done.


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## jhoug (Jul 21, 2013)

*ah yes, but..*

I own both, and Worldmark does seem to have better flexibility with the dual RCI and II thing.  Wyndham and Worldmark both have their own RCI portal that you have to access through their club's site. 
Now that Wyndham owns Worlmark too, I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually all goes to RCI.


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## Rent_Share (Jul 21, 2013)

jhoug said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually all goes to RCI.


 


Cendant (The owner of RCI) corporation bought Trendwest, the parent of Worldmark in 2002

http://www.tstoday.com/members/magazine/issue63/front.pdf

In 2005 Cendant acquired Wyndham

http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/media/press-releases/press-release?wwprdid=53

The developer and management company of Worldmark has been under the control of the parent company of RCI for 11 years, yet the owners are still allowed to join either exchange company

I do believe that an II membership cannot be arranged through a Worldmark sales office. I contacted II directly on my resale account.


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