Fixed week question

[Rugzyschick]

Ok, maybe stupid question but I'm a newbie trying to understand all this timeshare business, so please bear with me...

SO if say I buy a fixed week, say week 30 a platinum week at condo A and then decide to go somewhere else on an exchange through RCI or II or even to one of their other establishments (like if for example condo A is Marriot or Hilton)....then do I have to go during that same exact fixed week 30?

And if I have platinum fixed week 30 at condo A and then go to Condo B that in which week 30 is a Gold week there, does that mean the exchange rate would be lower because of different seasons? Or are the seasons solely for initial pricing of buying in?

And if I have a fixed week, can I still use said fixed week at home resort AND use points to go somewhere else at some other point of the year?

 

[Passepartout]

(a)If you own a fixed week and deposit it, you can use ANY week that the exchange has an available week. (b)The exchange rate is the same. The season price is based on the fixed week. (c)No. It's either/or. You use your fixed week, OR deposit it and go somewhere else.

 

[Roger830]

We own 3 fixed weeks in Florida, weeks 4,5 and 6, one since 2000, and have never exchanged them.
After paying maintenance fee for a week, plus exchange fee and membership fee, it's can be better to rent.

We own Wyndham points for travelling to various resorts. It's a better system than exchanging.

 

[Rugzyschick]

(c)No. It's either/or. You use your fixed week, OR deposit it and go somewhere else.

So how do you do multiple weeks during the year? Would you have to buy multiple weeks then? Not looking to do multiple weeks every year, just occasionally do a week one place and a week somewhere else during another time of the year.

 

[Passepartout]

So how do you do multiple weeks during the year? Would you have to buy multiple weeks then? Not looking to do multiple weeks every year, just occasionally do a week one place and a week somewhere else during another time of the year.

We own one fixed week (bought resale from a TUGger) that we love. No extra fees, we know which unit, and what date to just show up. We own one week (bought resale) in a big unit that is in RCI Points that we simply have automatically deposit and travel the world., and a travel club week that has about 50 internal resorts from which we can pick at low cost. (bought on eBay for $1.25)

Now the caveat. When we got these, the total MF was about $1500/yr. Now they cost over $2400 a year+ RCI membership, refurbishments, etc, without any airfares or putting a gallon of gas in the car.

So beware of creeping cost increases.

Jim

 

[VacationForever]

So how do you do multiple weeks during the year? Would you have to buy multiple weeks then? Not looking to do multiple weeks every year, just occasionally do a week one place and a week somewhere else during another time of the year.

You may buy getaway or extra vacation weeks that are available to RCI and II members.

Alternatively you may want to look at points systems for flexibility where it allows you to vacation more or less for each year through banking and borrowing.

 

[theo]

So how do you do multiple weeks during the year? Would you have to buy multiple weeks then? Not looking to do multiple weeks every year, just occasionally do a week one place and a week somewhere else during another time of the year.

Not to get your head spinning with information overload, but if you "deposit" a fixed week you own at a RCI-affiliated resort into RCI's "weeks" exchange inventory, you are given a specific "value" (think of it as sort of "artificial currency") called Trading Power Units (aka TPU's) to use for "exchange". The better the week, the more TPU's assigned, generally speaking. It is conceivable (although not highly likely) that a really good high value deposit could yield enough TPU's for two lesser quality exchange weeks elsewhere. "Colors" of weeks (like red, blue, white) don't necessarily correlate well to TPU valuation. I think that virtually everything in Hawaii is "red" for example, but TPU's still vary.

The above being said, let me be clear that I have no use for RCI and gave up my RCI membership (and all participation in the "exchange game") years ago, so please do not interpret my comments above as being any "endorsement" of RCI.

In any scenario, you cannot "have your cake and eat it too". You can use a week that you own, or you can deposit it for future exchange --- but you obviously cannot do both with the same week in the same "usage year".

 

[WinniWoman]

We own 2 fixed weeks at 2 different resorts- week 30 and 31- within 2 hours driving distance from each other (and both a 6 hour drive from our home). We never exchange them- we just show up and enjoy our same unit.

We also own an off season floating week at one of those resorts- the week is pre-assigned to us every year. We used to exchange it when our son was young and in school, but now as seniors we prefer to use it at our home resort as well, except occasionally if it is a really "dead" week- the we exchange it to go elsewhere during a better time.

We haven't belonged to RCI in years. We use Trading Places or DAE or RTX or Platinum Interchange- all free memberships and lower exchange fees. Plus- we don't have to deposit our week first. We can make sure they have something we want and then call and exchange. That said, they have very limited inventory but worse comes to worse we just use our home resort floating week if nothing we want is available, though that has never happened.

 

[bogey21]

We own one fixed week (bought resale from a TUGger) that we love. No extra fees, we know which unit, and what date to just show up. We own one week (bought resale) in a big unit that is in RCI Points that we simply have automatically deposit and travel the world.

At my TS peak I did exactly the same thing times 6. I owned Fixed Week/Fixed Units at resorts in Ruidoso, Deerfield Beach, Myrtle Beach, Biloxi, Galveston, etc. I also owned an RCI Points Week that I used for other travel. Cost for the group was somewhere between $6 and $8 thousand. My MFs ranged between $450 and $600 per Week. Normally, I just showed up and used my Week. On occasion I worked with the Resort Manager to swap my Week for one owned by another individual. This actually worked pretty smoothly.

George

 

[schenriq]

We own one fixed_week/fixed_unit in the same resort where Jim owns too. What I'd like to add is that each resort may have a different way of calculating the calendar dates that belong to a week#. For eg. a week 25 in resort A might actually be week 26 in resort B, assuming the same check-in date. Just do the homework to make sure what you're committing to matches your (date) expectations.

 

[theo]

...each resort may have a different way of calculating the calendar dates that belong to a week#. For eg. a week 25 in resort A might actually be week 26 in resort B, assuming the same check-in date. Just do the homework to make sure what you're committing to matches your (date) expectations.

A good point, to which I'll just add that even the same week number can actually have different beginning and ending dates, depending on the resort.
Some resort weeks are "Friday to Friday", although most are "Saturday to Saturday". Some (Hyatt comes to mind) even have "Sunday to Sunday" weeks.

 

[WinniWoman]

A good point, to which I'll just add that even the same week number can actually have very different beginning and ending dates, depending on the resort. Some resorts have "Friday to Friday" weeks, although most are "Saturday to Saturday". Some (Hyatt comes to mind) even have "Sunday to Sunday" weeks.

We just had that happen to us this summer. Our 2 weeks at two different resorts match up beautifully- Sunday to Sunday week 30 and 31. BUT- this year was a rare 53 week year in the timeshare world and one resort uses the RCI calendar and the other the II calendar. Luckily, the week 31 resort was able to switch me to our very same unit for THEIR week 30 which followed my other week 30 at the other place. So I actually had/used two week 30's this past summer! LOL!

 

[Rugzyschick]

We own 3 fixed weeks in Florida, weeks 4,5 and 6, one since 2000, and have never exchanged them.
After paying maintenance fee for a week, plus exchange fee and membership fee, it's can be better to rent.

We own Wyndham points for travelling to various resorts. It's a better system than exchanging.

So...if you have wyndham points, you can go to any wyndham resort with those points with no exchange fees and just the points? Does this mean you don't have a "home" resort, just an annual points that you pay MF's on??

 

[vacationhopeful]

Rugzychick,
Roger830 has 3 Fixed Weeks numbers (week 4, week 5, week 6 at either at Santa Barbara or Sea Gardens in Pompano Beach). He does NOT have any points with that ownership .. he does not reserve those weeks ... they are HIS, just like your residence which you live in. He has 3 deeds for those weeks. He does NOT trade them via Wyndham Points as THOSE WEEKS are NOT in the Wyndham Points system. If he trades them, it would be thru a exchange systems like RCI. BUT he can RENT those weeks for MORE than the MFs and there is no charge for Guest Certificates. He can NOT change of checkin days.... he owns what he owns and either uses that, rents that or deposits into HIS RCI account .... renting is his best options... cash spends for MANY vacations options like airfare, cruising, Europe, etc.

As for the Wyndham points system, you can deposit YOUR Wyndham points into RCI and there is AN EXCHANGE FEE that you would pay to get another unit. A Wyndham points ownership INCLUDES the annual membership fee to RCI ... I can't say WHAT the 13 months out priority you would have starting a 13 months before check in.

As many others have stated before here on TUG, the BEST use of Wyndham points is to reserve vacation stays at the Wyndham properties via the Wyndham points system. Most owners ONLY deposit into RCI as a LAST RESORT to not lose their points... then try to get stays outside of the Wyndham network of resort properties ... like Hawaii or Mexico.

 

[Rugzyschick]

As many others have stated before here on TUG, the BEST use of Wyndham points is to reserve vacation stays at the Wyndham properties via the Wyndham points system. Most owners ONLY deposit into RCI as a LAST RESORT to not lose their points... then try to get stays outside of the Wyndham network of resort properties ... like Hawaii or Mexico.

That makes sense...so if you have wyndham points and ONLY use them thru wyndham for wyndam properties...there are no exchange fees or other fees...so you basically pay you MF on points received and that's it correct?

I saw on the club wyndham page that they have resorts in Hawaii and Mexico...so if you had points and used them 13 months out, how likely would you get that booking?

 

[vacationhopeful]

Keep reading ... There are 2 Wyndham points CLUBs .. CWA and CWP.

The older CWP are deeded to a RESORT .. like Sea Gardens or Royal Vista for 13-11 months priority booking window. At 10 months before checkin, you can book any available units in the CWP system. CWA are NOT deeded ... where ever there is " any STILL CLUB window OWNED" booking you can book in the 13-10 (+1 day) booking window .. .then 10 months for ANY CWA/CWP points units.

Yes ... slightly confusing for a newbie .. but important for ANY buyer to understand what they are buying. And to get what you want, figure on booking a good year in advance ... a 7 night reservation starting mainly on FRI or SAT. Of course, the NEW reservation system is supposed to allow a more advanced booking and longer window ... like 14 day vacation.

AND Wyndham has created FEES to book and use those points ... the MFs do NOT INCLUDE Reservations Transactions or Housekeeping fees or Guest Certificate fees. Book something and change it the next day, will cost you money (in most cases). Use RCI .. .cost more money.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Looking to book at 45-60 days out in Prime Season ... not likely .. as the VIP discount booking window starts in covering those stays. Booking 14 days, might get a cancellation but airfare might be way higher and rental car fees.

Most Wyndham resorts NEED the guests to rent cars... I can survive in the South Florida beach resorts without a car, but I ride the pubic buses. Bonnet Creek has a 'bus shuttle' to Walt Disney World (for a fee for each rider) ... most families just end up paying the $10 per day parking fee at the parks. My TX sister learned to ride the shuttle bus .. looking for the car was painful in the FULL Disney parking lots... and we were staying onsite at WDW (no parking fee).