Ever book airfare first and wait for an exchange?

[luv_maui]

Maybe I shouldn't have done this, but I booked airfare for Maui and don't have an exchange in hand. Was hoping slow season, just over a week after Thanksgiving would be slow season and either a westin or marriott (1 br, not studied) might come up from my OGS. I'll have my hotel backup, but wanted to know if anyone else has booked airfare first hoping for that exchange? Also will check timeshare rental availability as I get much closer, because definitely willing to use my hotel backup.

 

[bastroum]

As long as you have the hotel back-up, I don't see an issue. The first 2 weeks of December are the slowest weeks of the year in Maui.

 

[canesfan]

I haven't but as long as I got a good deal, I would do it. You can do a hotel or even rent a TS on here or Redweek.

 

[jacknsara]

Maybe I shouldn't have done this, but I booked airfare for Maui and don't have an exchange in hand. Was hoping slow season, just over a week after Thanksgiving would be slow season and either a westin or marriott (1 br, not studied) might come up from my OGS. I'll have my hotel backup, but wanted to know if anyone else has booked airfare first hoping for that exchange? Also will check timeshare rental availability as I get much closer, because definitely willing to use my hotel backup.

Aloha,
Yes - we have booked airfare prior to having an exchange through RCI for both the Big Island and Oahu (different years and different months). I have no experience with II or Westin or Marriott. As a general phenomenon, people do not plan to cancel but life happens and cancellations close in do occur. As long as it is a non peak period and you have OGS's at timeshares with a combined large room count, you are likely to get a match, but it may not occur until the final weeks before departure.
In both our cases, I actually found what we wanted by checking online. For some reason, both times our OGS in RCI did not grab the resort even though it was in the list of specific resorts we were interested in.
One more pointer from experience with RCI. RCI periodically sends an email saying our search is hopeless and encourages us to make changes. I ignored these. More in this thread: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239319
Jack

 

[dougp26364]

We just did this but, it was using FF miles and, I'll be trying to make a reservation within a system I know reasonably well. While there is risk I believe I my case it's minimal.

 

[cgeidl]

Booked air first many times

We have done this many times for Hawaii and have actually gotten an air trip on a Thursday on a Free space available basis and while waiting for the plane booked a last minute timeshare for under $200 for the week starting Saturday. just had to book one nights hotel.There are always last minute cancellations of trips to Hawaii and as last minute airfare is often high there are few takers.
AT your time of the year you should have no problem at all but it may not be Marriott's.

 

[rifleman69]

Worst case is a hotel...you're fine.

 

[waj80831]

Rule of Thumb: Always reserve your timeshare first. Then book your airfare.

 

[happymum]

Since this is a revival of an old thread, I'm curious to hear how the experience worked out for the OP?

 

[cerralee]

I booked airfare about a month ago for a trip to Honolulu over my grandsons' spring break. He recently moved to Honolulu with my daughter. I have had an ongoing search for about six months with two different exchange companies (DAE and RCI). Nothing was happening with either of them. This morning I got up extra early and searched myself as I often see weeks fall through the cracks of ongoing search. Low and behold I saw two units show up on the RCI search screen. I clicked only they didn't show up in the availability section. I kept logging back out and reclicking with no luck. I changed browsers to chrome. On chrome the rooms showed up. I grabbed the one bedroom at a discounted point rate as the trip is within two weeks, and as I am platinum with RCI, filled out the upgrade options. Twenty minutes later, I refreshed my other browser window and there sat a TWO bedroom for 2 TPU's more. I luckily had enough points left over and grabbed that one as well. Now, my ongoing search should have grabbed the first one bedroom but it didn't. The Platinium upgrade should have secured the two bedrooms, but it didn't. I am planning to call RCI on Monday and see if they will credit my account with the 2 TPU's that the additional two bedrooms cost me. It's not a big deal and I am thrilled but gee....the system should have worked better than this. Guess the early bird does get the worm, even if its last minute. Keep on searching!!

 

[JackieD]

Great for you Cerralee!! Thanks for the hope in finding a unit last minute. I will be in Maui in a couple weeks and did the same thing...bought airfare at a great rate and have a hotel backup. I have been searching every day for something to fall through the cracks (I also have an OGS with no luck). I guess I need to be on Chrome too! Have a great trip.

 

[BocaBoy]

Rule of Thumb: Always reserve your timeshare first. Then book your airfare.

I couldn't disagree more if you are flexible and willing to use a hotel if necessary, especially if you are using FF miles for business or first class or for high demand coach locations like Hawaii. Cash coach tickets I wouldn't necessarily do it because it is usually not necessary.

 

[taffy19]

There are so many good deals on a short notice lately but the problem is that we cannot fly that often to HI as that is expensive!

 

[dreamin]

I booked my airfare 4 months ago for a 5 week Hawaiian vacation. Little by little I pieced together accommodation using RCI, VI, and DAE. I stayed 4 nights at Pono Kai (a VI resort in Kauai) and I am now at Kauai Beach Villas ($800 for a 1 bedroom ocean front unit from DAE rentals booked 24 hours before check-in!). I'll be moving on to Wyndham Ka 'Eo Kai in Princeville (RCI 1 bedroom at reduced points). Next is 2 weeks at Imperial Waikiki (RCI Points). I'll need 2 VI bonus nights or hotel because I couldn't get consecutive weeks there. My last week is at Kapulanikai in Kihei (RCI Points). Initially I had planned on just staying on one island but early on decided I had to be flexible. I had hoped to have everything booked before I left home but had trouble with finding availability for this current week so I was so relieved when I got the KBV and didn't have to stay in an expensive hotel. It's been time-consuming and challenging but so far it has been worth it to be able to spend 5 weeks in Hawaii on a budget!

Yesterday I had a nasty conflict with an RCI supervisor. I had an upgrade request for my Imperial Waikiki weeks. A one bedroom (upgrade from studio) with better check-in dates came available on-line so I reserved it and then phoned RCI to get them to honour the "complimentary upgrades" as a Platinum member. They refused to do it because I had found the upgrade on my own. I was told I had to follow "procedure" and wait for the computer to do the match. I told them I didn't trust RCI's computer system as it had too many glitches and was useless for my OGS. Previously a counsellor had told me that I could find my own upgrades and all I had to do was phone RCI to make the change. After 45 minutes on the phone, they finally agreed to make the change but have documented this on my account so that I would never be able to do this again. I am so fed up with RCI! Cerralee, I hope you have better luck with them when you call with your request.

Off to the beach now!

 

[cerralee]

Same thing happened to me today!! I called to see if I could get a refund of the additional points it took to get the two bedroom. The rep told me the same thing...that because I had confirmed the unit on my own I could not use the upgrade option. He also said that sometimes the upgrades won't match until two or three days before check-in. I was not happy and asked why this Platinum benefit was not explained that oh if anyone else doesn't grab the two bedroom then maybe they will give it to a platinum member. Just curious what the one bedroom dates were. Yours sounds like it might have been within the realm of my ongoing search, did both the ongoing search and the upgrade slip through the computer system? I may call back and fuss a bit. This is perhaps the fifth time I had an ongoing search on and found the unit myself. Only once did I receive a complimentary upgrade, and that was in Orlando in off season. The rep told me I should have waited and perhaps it would have matched on its own. Yeah, sure...I am going to chance losing a bigger unit, which is almost a certainity, waiting for a match.

 

[LisaRex]

I wouldn't book airfare before I secured lodging if I was counting on an exchange. No way, no how.

The beauty of renting a timeshare/villa (for cash) is that it allows me to snag the great air deals when they pop up. In fact, I owned a great timeshare (OF at Westin Ka'anapali) but sold it in part because I hated having to reserve it at 12 months out to get the best view. Airlines don't even let you book at 12 months out.

 

[hurnik]

Yes, and just did it. LOL!

Used up a ton of my airline miles for 2 FC tickets (I'm on east coast). Couldn't get award saver rates, but got "next" rates. But I'm booked out in Feb. of 2018. It's much harder (IMO) to plan award travel at any saver rate, so I took what I could get and we'll deal with the timeshare exchange issues later. Worst case, I'll book a hotel. Unfortunately I realize this DOES put me at a specific week for Maui, but oh well. Honolulu isn't a problem (I can get that with Hilton), and we have friends near Kona to stay with.

Coming from the east coast (not out of JFK), there are no "great" deals to Hawaii. Ever. Prices are almost always the same. $1200 roundtrip for coach or $2200-2400 for FC.

I would say a big "it depends". If you can fly out of LAX or west coast with fairly flexible dates, then I'd probably secure the timeshare first. If you're like me and kinda restricted on the Award travel (I didn't have the points for full value award travel), and it's almost a year away, then I don't see much risk for booking tickets now and waiting. I would (and do) have a backup plan for a hotel.

I might also suggest that you could look at the TUG ads for exchanges and maybe work something out directly with another TUGer? As opposed to waiting for RCI/II/whatever.