# RCI Nightly Stays



## rrlongwell (Jul 1, 2012)

Just called RCI for availablity for a short trip under the nightly stay program.  They advised for them to check availablity I had to deposit points into RCI first.

The following shows up through the Wyndham/RCI portal:  "If you are a Gold or Platinum VIP Member, you will have the ability to search and book instantly without having to first deposit available points from your CLUB WYNDHAM® Plus account into your RCI" I am a platium member but this provision does not apply to me when I tried to book through the computer and by calling for a reservation through the nightly stay program.

Oh well, changes march on in Wyndhamland.  I am not giving RCI points on a maybe they have what I want and maybe they do not.   For what it is worth they make a referal to something called Wyndham Travel these days.

Googled Wyndham Travel and this is what came up:

"The Travel Club Network® is dedicated to promoting Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts. This will add exposure to the Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts found in our booking engine as well as feature private owner Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts timeshare for sale and rent."

I used to be able to access the nightly stays program through my RCI Weeks account.  No more.

I wanted the reservaton for a family member.  Just for info.  Sheraden saved the day.  Moral of the Story, I guess, Is call Sheraden.


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## learnalot (Jul 1, 2012)

rrlongwell said:


> Just called RCI for availablity for a short trip under the nightly stay program.  They advised for them to check availablity I had to deposit points into RCI first.
> 
> The following shows up through the Wyndham/RCI portal:  "If you are a Gold or Platinum VIP Member, you will have the ability to search and book instantly without having to first deposit available points from your CLUB WYNDHAM® Plus account into your RCI" I am a platium member but this provision does not apply to me when I tried to book through the computer and by calling for a reservation through the nightly stay program.
> 
> ...



Longwell,
You just got an uninformed rep.  Not uncommon, unfortunately. You can now actually book nightly stays yourself through the online portal.  If you have Plus Partners (comes with developer purchases or available as addon to resales), when you go through the online portal, it will show you everything that fits your dates and location criteria.  It shows all available chexkin dates.  When you click on one, it will show you available checkout dates.  Resorts that don't have a nightly stay option will only show full week stays.  As Platinum, you do not have to deposit points first.


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## Cheryl20772 (Jul 1, 2012)

rrlongwell said:


> For what it is worth they make a referal to something called Wyndham Travel these days.
> 
> Googled Wyndham Travel and this is what came up:
> 
> "The Travel Club Network® is dedicated to promoting Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts. This will add exposure to the Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts found in our booking engine as well as feature private owner Wyndham Hotels and Viva Wyndham Resorts timeshare for sale and rent."


Glad you found a work around.  I wouldn't want to deposit points without knowing first either.  When I was shopping information to use nightly stays in Galveston, I was able to call and ask about availability with no problem.  I'm confused by the reference to Wyndham Travel.  

We have had "Wyndham Travel" for some time now.  Log in to the Wyndham site and look at this page https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/member/services/vacation_break.do

They are who we contact about using points for cruises, car rentals, plane tickets and such; and they don't have anything to do with RCI.  When I wanted to use Discovery Package points for a cruise, the Wyndham specialist had to transfer my call to Wyndham Travel to make that reservation.  This is why I see confusion in what you were told.  Perhaps a different vacation specialist would have a better understanding.


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## pacodemountainside (Jul 1, 2012)

RR: Which voyageur  best describes your escapades  with Wyndham, Don Quixote, windmills  or Sisyphus, rocks?


>Don Quixote ( /ˌdɒn kiːˈhoʊtiː/; Spanish: [ˈdoŋ kiˈxote] ( listen)), fully titled The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (Spanish: El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha), is a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes. The novel follows the adventures of Alonso Quijano, who reads too many chivalric novels, and sets out to revive chivalry under the name of Don Quixote. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza as his squire, who frequently deals with Don Quixote's rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood with a unique Earthy wit. He is met by the world as it is, initiating themes like Intertextuality, Realism, Metatheatre and Literary Representation.
> 
>Published in two volumes a decade apart, in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. In one such list, Don Quixote was cited as the "best literary work ever written".
> 
> 
>The First Sally
> 
>Alonso Quijano, the protagonist of the novel, is a retired country gentleman nearing fifty years of age, living in an unnamed section of La Mancha with his niece and housekeeper. While mostly a rational man of sound reason, his reading of books of chivalry in excess has had a profound effect on him, leading to the distortion of his perception and the wavering of his mental faculties. In essence, he believes every word of these books of chivalry to be true though, for the most part, the content of these books is clearly fiction. Otherwise, his wits, in regards to everything other than chivalry, are intact. He decides to go out as a knight-errant in search of adventure. He dons an old suit of armour, renames himself "Don Quixote de la Mancha," and names his skinny horse "Rocinante". He designates a neighboring farm girl, as his lady love, renaming her Dulcinea del Toboso, while she knows nothing about this.
> 
>He sets out in the early morning and ends up at an inn, which he believes to be a castle. He asks the innkeeper, whom he thinks to be the lord of the castle, to dub him a knight. He spends the night holding vigil over his armor, where he becomes involved in a fight with muleteers who try to remove his armor from the horse trough so that they can water their mules. The innkeeper then dubs him a knight to be rid of him, and sends him on his way. Don Quixote next "frees" a young boy who is tied to a tree and beaten by his master by making his master swear on the chivalric code treat the boy fairly. The boy's beating is continued as soon as Quixote leaves. Don Quixote has a run-in with traders from Toledo, who "insult" the imaginary Dulcinea, one of whom severely beats Don Quixote and leaves him on the side of the road. Don Quixote is found and returned to his home by a neighboring peasant.
> 
>
> 
>The Second Sally
> 
>While Don Quixote is unconscious in his bed, his niece, the housekeeper, the parish curate, and the local barber secretly burn most of the books of chivalry, and seal up his library pretending that a magician has carried it off. After a short period of feigning health, Don Quixote approaches his neighbor, Sancho Panza, and asks him to be his squire, promising him governorship of an island. The uneducated Sancho agrees, and the pair sneak off in the early dawn. It is here that their series of famous adventures begin, starting with Don Quixote's attack on windmills that he believes to be ferocious giants. The two next encounter a group of friars accompanying a lady in a carriage. They are heavily cloaked, as is the lady, to protect themselves from the hot climate and dust on the road. Don Quixote takes the friars to be enchanters who hold the lady captive. He knocks a friar from his horse, and is immediately challenged by an armed Basque travelling with the company. As he has no shield, the Basque uses a pillow to protect himself, which saves him when Don Quixote strikes him. The combat ends with the lady leaving her carriage and demanding those travel with her to "surrender".


******
Sisyphus was son of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete, and the founder and first king of Ephyra (Corinth). He was the father of Glaucus, Ornytion, Almus and Thersander by the nymph Merope, the brother of Salmoneus, and the grandfather of Bellerophon through Glaucus.

King Sisyphus promoted navigation and commerce but was avaricious and deceitful. He also killed travelers and guests, a violation of Xenia which fell under Zeus' domain. He took pleasure in these killings because they allowed him to maintain his iron-fisted rulership. Sisyphus and Salmoneus were known to hate each other as Sisyphus had consulted with the Oracle of Delphi on just how to kill Salmoneus without incurring any severe consequences for himself. From Homer onwards, Sisyphus was famed as the craftiest of men. He seduced his niece Tyro in one of his plots to kill Salmoneus, only for Tyro to slay the children she bore by him when she discovered that Sisyphus was planning on eventually using them to dethrone her father Salmoneus. King Sisyphus also betrayed one of Zeus's secrets by telling the river god Asopus of the whereabouts of his daughter Aegina (an Asopides who was taken away by Zeus) in return for causing a spring to flow on the Corinthian Acropolis.

Zeus then ordered Thanatos, god of death, to chain King Sisyphus down below in Tartarus. King Sisyphus slyly asked Thanatos to demonstrate how the chains worked. As Thanatos was granting his wish, Sisyphus then seized the advantage and trapped the god of death in the Underworld instead. This caused an uproar since no human could die with Thanatos out of commission. Eventually Ares (who was annoyed that his battles had lost their fun because his opponents would not die) intervened. The exasperated god of war freed Thanatos and turned King Sisyphus over to the god of death as well.

Before King Sisyphus died, however, he had told his wife to throw his naked body into the middle of the public square (purportedly as a test of his wife's love for him). This caused King Sisyphus to end up on the shores of the river Styx. Then, complaining to Persephone that this was a sign of his wife's disrespect for him, King Sisyphus persuaded her to allow him to return to the upper world and scold his wife for not burying his body and giving it a proper funeral (as a loving wife should). Once back in Corinth, the spirit or shade of King Sisyphus thereby scolded his wife for not giving him a proper funeral. When he then refused to return to the Underworld he was forcibly dragged back there by Hermes.

In another version of the myth, Persephone was directly persuaded that he had been conducted to Tartarus by mistake and ordered him to be freed.

As a punishment from Queen Persephone for his trickery King Sisyphus was made to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill. Before he could reach the top, however, the massive stone would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again. The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for King Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus Himself. Zeus accordingly displayed his own cleverness by consigning Sisyphus to an eternity of useless efforts and unending frustration. Thus it came to pass that pointless and/or interminable activities are sometimes described as Sisyphean. King Sisyphus was a common subject for ancient writers and was depicted by the painter Polygnotus on the walls of the Lesche at Delphi.

:deadhorse: :deadhorse:


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## rrlongwell (Jul 1, 2012)

learnalot said:


> Longwell,
> You just got an uninformed rep.  Not uncommon, unfortunately. You can now actually book nightly stays yourself through the online portal.  If you have Plus Partners (comes with developer purchases or available as addon to resales), when you go through the online portal, it will show you everything that fits your dates and location criteria.  It shows all available chexkin dates.  When you click on one, it will show you available checkout dates.  Resorts that don't have a nightly stay option will only show full week stays.  As Platinum, you do not have to deposit points first.



I no longer have access to the Wyndham RCI portal.  When I tried to get the issues resolved, that is when I found out the account was changed to something called Wyndam Points.  Once this designation is done, apparently there is no futher ability to use RCI (I am VIP Platinum, however, this makes no difference at this point).  That is unfortunate, because in my case, I have many many contracts that are supposed to give me a free RCI weeks account.  I am fortunate that I do not like RCI and do not use them much.  I will leave others in similar situations to fight the issue.

For what it is worth, I believe this has something to do with the continuing changes.  Specifically, in the area where Wyndham Points come in contract with RCI.  The change to giving Wyndham points to RCI for RCI reservations, what appears to be a review of PIC contracts to identify and eliminate those resorts that went to RCI points, etc.  Now, there appears to be an new account designation called Wyndham Points (this designation does not reconize the Wyndham Patinum Status and requires Wyndham points be deposted prior to disclosing of availabity) instead of the former RCI weeks program and the newer Wyndham/RCI portal system.

As I observed in a earlier post, I was very impressed with the ability of Sheraden to provide a very short notice high demand reservation at the last minute.  (Washington D.C., Alexandria Virginia market).


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## learnalot (Jul 2, 2012)

rrlongwell said:


> I no longer have access to the Wyndham RCI portal.  When I tried to get the issues resolved, that is when I found out the account was changed to something called Wyndam Points.  Once this designation is done, apparently there is no futher ability to use RCI (I am VIP Platinum, however, this makes no difference at this point).  That is unfortunate, because in my case, I have many many contracts that are supposed to give me a free RCI weeks account.  I am fortunate that I do not like RCI and do not use them much.  I will leave others in similar situations to fight the issue.
> 
> For what it is worth, I believe this has something to do with the continuing changes.  Specifically, in the area where Wyndham Points come in contract with RCI.  The change to giving Wyndham points to RCI for RCI reservations, what appears to be a review of PIC contracts to identify and eliminate those resorts that went to RCI points, etc.  Now, there appears to be an new account designation called Wyndham Points (this designation does not reconize the Wyndham Patinum Status and requires Wyndham points be deposted prior to disclosing of availabity) instead of the former RCI weeks program and the newer Wyndham/RCI portal system.
> 
> As I observed in a earlier post, I was very impressed with the ability of Sheraden to provide a very short notice high demand reservation at the last minute.  (Washington D.C., Alexandria Virginia market).



Longwell,
Sorry but you are seriously confused.  You are also confusing so I am not really sure what you did or tried to do...  

Doing some serious reading between the lines, I think that whoever you spoke to was just trying to tell you that you are now able to spend Wyndham points like currency in RCI.  This is not some new or nefarious program that you are referring to as "Wyndham points".  I don't understand when you say you no longer have access to the Wyndham-RCI portal.  I suspect either a technical problem or operator error.  If you don't care to resolve it, that is your choice but please don't post inaccurate or confusing information about it. 

 RCI bookings are quite straightforward to do yourself online.  Gold and Plat VIPs are able to book first with the points subsequently withdrawn from your Wyndham account.  Others must first deposit and then spend.  Either way, everyone can view the inventory without a deposit.  I believe that in order to set up an ongoing search (meaning you are looking for inventory RCI doesn't have yet), you must contact a rep and deposit the points in advance.  I have not done this but it is my understanding.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 2, 2012)

learnalot said:


> Longwell,
> Sorry but you are seriously confused.  You are also confusing so I am not really sure what you did or tried to do...
> 
> Doing some serious reading between the lines, I think that whoever you spoke to was just trying to tell you that you are now able to spend Wyndham points like currency in RCI.  This is not some new or nefarious program that you are referring to as "Wyndham points".  I don't understand when you say you no longer have access to the Wyndham-RCI portal.  I suspect either a technical problem or operator error.  If you don't care to resolve it, that is your choice but please don't post inaccurate or confusing information about it.
> ...



It is nice to see you are part of the slur the person Tug Group.  What I reported was RCIs last postion on the matter.  I just do not think it is worth my time and effort to have their position reversed by complaints or lawsuits.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 2, 2012)

learnalot said:


> Longwell,
> Sorry but you are seriously confused.  You are also confusing so I am not really sure what you did or tried to do...
> 
> Doing some serious reading between the lines, I think that whoever you spoke to was just trying to tell you that you are now able to spend Wyndham points like currency in RCI.  This is not some new or nefarious program that you are referring to as "Wyndham points".  I don't understand when you say you no longer have access to the Wyndham-RCI portal.  I suspect either a technical problem or operator error.  If you don't care to resolve it, that is your choice but please don't post inaccurate or confusing information about it.
> ...



It is nice to see you are part of the slur the person Tug Group.  What I reported was RCIs last postion on the matter.  I just do not think it is worth my time and effort to have their position reversed.

I have read a number of the contracts I have for the right of having a free RCI weeks account.  They said that this disappears if the weeks program goes away.  The RCI weeks as it was known is gone.


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## bnoble (Jul 2, 2012)

Odd that almost all of the rest of us still do have our regular RCI Weeks account, paid for through our Wyndham annual fees.  I know I certainly do, and it was just renewed this past March.

But, even so, it's not the "regular RCI" account that you want, but the Wyndham portal.  Log in to wyndhamvacationresorts.  Click on "My Membership -> RCI Exchanges".  Click on "Search and Book with RCI".  (You will have to agree to a couple of disclaimers.)  This gets you to the Wyndham portal, where you can search available inventory.  If your account is tagged with Plus Partners, that will include Points inventory, much of which can be booked for less than a full week, and that can be done without first depositing points if you are also Gold or better.  (I am neither Plus Partners nor VIP, so I can't check this part personally, but I am told that it works.)


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## rrlongwell (Jul 3, 2012)

bnoble said:


> Odd that almost all of the rest of us still do have our regular RCI Weeks account, paid for through our Wyndham annual fees.  I know I certainly do, and it was just renewed this past March.
> 
> But, even so, it's not the "regular RCI" account that you want, but the Wyndham portal.  Log in to wyndhamvacationresorts.  Click on "My Membership -> RCI Exchanges".  Click on "Search and Book with RCI".  (You will have to agree to a couple of disclaimers.)  This gets you to the Wyndham portal, where you can search available inventory.  If your account is tagged with Plus Partners, that will include Points inventory, much of which can be booked for less than a full week, and that can be done without first depositing points if you are also Gold or better.  (I am neither Plus Partners nor VIP, so I can't check this part personally, but I am told that it works.)



Just for the record, I talked with Wyndham/RCI Tech Support today.  They say the new verison of the RCI account is working as it is supposed to.  It is ashame that the VIP Platium priveledge of seeing deposits before giving the points is gone and the ability to use the Wyndham/RCI portal is now gone under the new Wyndham Points version of the program.

Under the verision I have been placed under, it appears the people that told me it is a deposit points first for the Vacation Counselors to permit information on availability is the one that is in effect for me.


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## scootr5 (Jul 3, 2012)

rrlongwell said:


> the ability to use the Wyndham/RCI portal is now gone under the new Wyndham Points version of the program.



I just logged in to the Wyndham/RCI portal through "My Membership->RCI Exchanges->Search and Book RCI". Are you trying to do it in a different manner?


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## rrlongwell (Jul 3, 2012)

scootr5 said:


> I just logged in to the Wyndham/RCI portal through "My Membership->RCI Exchanges->Search and Book RCI". Are you trying to do it in a different manner?



I am using your way.  Just as a sideline, I hope what I have been put into is not a "beta" of what is to come.  Wyndham/RCI Tech Support indicated that I am not the only one.

When you go through what you describe, a pop up screen comes up where you to are agree to leave the sight.  When that is marked, it does not take you to the other site.  That apparently is how the access is being stopped.


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## bnoble (Jul 4, 2012)

> When you go through what you describe, a pop up screen comes up where you to are agree to leave the sight. When that is marked, it does not take you to the other site. That apparently is how the access is being stopped.


What OS/browser are you using?  This sounds like a problem with your browser not handling the redirection correctly, because that's the same screen we all see.


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## scootr5 (Jul 4, 2012)

bnoble said:


> What OS/browser are you using?  This sounds like a problem with your browser not handling the redirection correctly, because that's the same screen we all see.



My thoughts exactly - try a different web browser (I like Firefox).


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## rrlongwell (Jul 4, 2012)

bnoble said:


> What OS/browser are you using?  This sounds like a problem with your browser not handling the redirection correctly, because that's the same screen we all see.



Thanks for the information.  The browser is not the problem.  If it was, calling in to check for a reservation should not have been a problem.  That is when they told me that I had to make deposits into RCI before I would be permitted to see availability.  Additionally, the transfer to the RCI System works just fine to deposit the points there.


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## scootr5 (Jul 4, 2012)

rrlongwell said:


> Thanks for the information.  The browser is not the problem.  If it was, calling in to check for a reservation should not have been a problem.  That is when they told me that I had to make deposits into RCI before I would be permitted to see availability.



I would think then that you just got an uninformed rep not familiar with the policy as it pertains to VIPs. It happens from time to time in II with Starwood as well (and Marriott I'm sure).


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## bnoble (Jul 5, 2012)

You can lead a horse to water...or a donkey.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 6, 2012)

learnalot said:


> ... RCI bookings are quite straightforward to do yourself online.  Gold and Plat VIPs are able to book first with the points subsequently withdrawn from your Wyndham account.  Others must first deposit and then spend.  Either way, everyone can view the inventory without a deposit ...



Just checked with Wyndham again today.  They are still saying that more than me are affected.  Their position continues to be if your account is one of the them, then points must be deposited first.  Also, please review the following:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174294 post 8

The relevant portion of the post appears as follows:

"I made a deposit of 224k today, hopefully the villas will still be avail tmrw. RCI won't let me search till the deposit is made and it takes 24hrs."

Here is another interesting thread:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174331

Post #1, the following extract is what I found as most interesting:

"If Wyndham wishes to frustrate and obfuscate owners into using Wyndham points on the Wyndham exchange system through making it difficult to engage in online RCI exchanges, ..."

My guess the issue is a beta of a subroutine that if Wyndham gets their desired results will go system wide for the Wyndham/RCI portal.

Here is another one, see posts 4 and 6.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148797

Here is a extract of what I found interesting (note:  this one does not appear to be through the Wyndham/RCI Portal):

"I have given RCI info regarding my RCI exchangeable weeks - which they are now showing in my weeks account as eligible for deposit - but have not actually deposited any weeks. When I try to search for any exchange vacations it shows me absolutely nothing, even though I know my TPUs should be showing me a fair number of possibilities."

Here is another interesting thread

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148797


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## pedro47 (Jul 7, 2012)

Sound like the horse still does not have any direction or a cue where to find the water.

The horse is RCI.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 9, 2012)

pedro47 said:


> Sound like the horse still does not have any direction or a cue where to find the water.
> 
> The horse is RCI.



I now have access through both my regular browser and Google Chrome.  Whatever happened has apparently cleared up for my case.


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