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G

gobble

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Jan 24, 2025
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Resorts Owned
Imperial Hawaii x4
Long time RCI user and brand new with II. I deposited a 1 bedroom Imperial Hawaii and was able to book a 2 bedroom Orlando after paying a $99 upgrade fee.

Does anyone know, if I also deposit my studio Imperial Hawaii in II, can I pay a $99 upgrade fee to a 1 bedroom? Or is a studio pretty much useless in II?

Thanks in advance
 
It all depends on supply and demand.
 
Are you saying that if I deposit both a 1 bedroom week and studio week, at the same resort, a 1 bedroom (say a Marriott) might show up in the search using the 1 bedroom week but not in the search (+ an upgrade fee) using the studio week?
 
gobble said:
Are you saying that if I deposit both a 1 bedroom week and studio week, at the same resort, a 1 bedroom (say a Marriott) might show up in the search using the 1 bedroom week but not in the search (+ an upgrade fee) using the studio week?
Click to expand...

It's possible, but it all depends on a number of factors, such as the demand of your deposited week, the Marriott resort you are looking for, the week you are looking for, etc. It is all sometimes a moving target involving the trade power of your studio vs the trade value of the unit you are looking for.
 
I guess with most things timeshare you don’t know until you try. I may deposit a studio week and see what happens.
 
gobble said:
I guess with most things timeshare you don’t know until you try. I may deposit a studio week and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Once you have confirmed the ownership, I believe you are able to search first before you deposit. I have not tried it on a unit I have never deposited before but I think that will work.
 
The person I spoke with at II was very insistent that I have to have an already reserved week in my studio unit to be able to add it to my account and be able to search with that deposit.
 
gobble said:
The person I spoke with at II was very insistent that I have to have an already reserved week in my studio unit to be able to add it to my account and be able to search with that deposit.
Click to expand...
Have you tried searching online? Do you have a unit placeholder under Exchange-->My Units? If so, you should be able to use the Vacation Exchange button to test out a search. If it asks for a reservation or confirmation number, just use the one you used for the one-bedroom. You just can't actually confirm an exchange with that.
 
The problem though is I have a 1 bedroom unit I've deposited twice and used now twice. I can search that with a made up reservation number, but I want to see the availability if I also deposit one of the three studio weeks I own at the same resort. The question is can I pull a nice one bedroom somewhere with the studio week plus an upgrade fee? Will I see the same availability as the 1 bedroom week but just with the need to pay an upgrade fee for the studio?

If it's at all relevant (and it probably is not), my 1 bedroom gives 56 RCI points for a deposit and the studio 52, so very similar value there with the studio week having something like a $400 lower annual maintenance fee. That's why I bought three of them (for $1 each) but now have way more RCI points than I'll ever use.
 
Do you have a studio unit placeholder in My Units? If not, you probably can't test and would need to deposit first. With our Marriott units, if we deposit one side of the unit, the other side shows up available to deposit or do searches. It might work differently for your resort.
 
I don't have a studio yet in My Units, just the one bedroom. Since my 2026 weeks are already with RCI I'll have to pay 2027 dues in advance on one of the weeks, make a reservation, then deposit it. I don't have much to lose by trying it since I have enough RCI points right now for like 20 weeks of normal exchanges.

If anyone wants a great Hawaii trader that carries only a $900 maintenance fee I'll give one away...
 
In my experience, II gives much more trading power to larger units. You may or may not see larger units (depends on location/season) but it will require a lot more searching to get what you want with a studio, but with enough effort you will find something. You will pay the upgrade fee. Also, setting up an ongoing search (OGS) may help your cause.
 
It's interesting that RCI doesn't discount the studio much from the 1 bedroom (52 vs 56 points). Imperial Hawaii is cheap to buy but a pretty nice place to visit the couple times I've been there. With II, I've been able to snag 2 bedroom units at Disney's Key West and now Disney's Saratoga Springs with my Christmas 1 bedroom Hawaii week. The short-term goal would be to deposit a Christmas studio week and pay to upgrade to a 1 bedroom at either of those places. Possible or am I asking for too much?

BTW, way back when Disney was in RCI it was possible to trade into Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge, Key West, etc. without too much effort.
 
klpca said:
In my experience, II gives much more trading power to larger units.
Click to expand...
Caveat (at least for me). If it is a 4BR lockoff with 2BR sides, one side has nearly identical trading power as the whole thing deposited as a 4BR. The want to get two deposits and exchange fees versus a bigger unit.
 
Please delete. Accidental duplicate post.
 
I’m just basing my opinion on my trading experience when owning 1) a Marriott that split into a 1 bedroom and a studio as well as 2) a studio unit in San Francisco (Club Donatello). Trading the studios was a different beast from a 1 or 2 bedroom. I do much better with a non-branded 2 bedroom that is a strong trader. In my opinion, II gives more trading power to the larger units.
 
gobble said:
It's interesting that RCI doesn't discount the studio much from the 1 bedroom (52 vs 56 points). Imperial Hawaii is cheap to buy but a pretty nice place to visit the couple times I've been there. With II, I've been able to snag 2 bedroom units at Disney's Key West and now Disney's Saratoga Springs with my Christmas 1 bedroom Hawaii week. The short-term goal would be to deposit a Christmas studio week and pay to upgrade to a 1 bedroom at either of those places. Possible or am I asking for too much?

BTW, way back when Disney was in RCI it was possible to trade into Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge, Key West, etc. without too much effort.
Click to expand...
Btw if you join TUG (best $15 you’ll ever spend) there is a section of the message board that has a specific thread related to Disney sightings in II. People who are active on that thread will be able to answer your DVC questions.
 
gobble said:
It's interesting that RCI doesn't discount the studio much from the 1 bedroom (52 vs 56 points). Imperial Hawaii is cheap to buy but a pretty nice place to visit the couple times I've been there. With II, I've been able to snag 2 bedroom units at Disney's Key West and now Disney's Saratoga Springs with my Christmas 1 bedroom Hawaii week. The short-term goal would be to deposit a Christmas studio week and pay to upgrade to a 1 bedroom at either of those places. Possible or am I asking for too much?

BTW, way back when Disney was in RCI it was possible to trade into Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge, Key West, etc. without too much effort.
Click to expand...
DVC, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to require a lot of trading power. I suspect you could get a 1BR DVC using the Hawaii sudio.
 
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