• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

[ 2011 ] WWYD -- for a nice family vacation RCI trade

jmpellet

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
370
Reaction score
0
Points
226
Location
Massachusetts
I have a relatively good Cape Cod week that pulls 38 points in RCI. We are all Orlando'd out and wonder what is the best family destination for a family of five. We have a new summer home so I have no trouble combining two years for a total of over 75 points since I don't want to use them for multiple weeks in various locations. I'm hoping that Southwest will soon announce the merger of Rapid Rewards with the Airtran program as we have free tickets and might like to go to the carribean. Any advice? Thanks!
 

elaine

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
5,174
Reaction score
2,093
Points
648
Location
DC
Resorts Owned
HGVC Eagles Nest, DVC-AKV, HHI
for 5 people, you will need a 2 BR for most places. We really liked:
Smugglers Notch, VT
Hilton Head
Outer Banks
Williamsburg
Pacific NW--Whispering Woods, Welches, OR (stayed there 3X--tons to do)
Whistler, BC, Canada
Hawaii--HGVC bulks every year for 15-18 months out--we got 2 weeks @ HGVC for 37 TPUS last May for summer 2012!

We also like Curacao

Would consider:
St Thomas (we go over to St. John for the day)
Aruba (friends take family vacations every year)
 

wackymother

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Messages
5,644
Reaction score
1,362
Points
598
Location
NJ
Yes, we really like Smuggs and Williamsburg, too. I don't know too much about the Caribbean, but we went to Morritt's in the Cayman Islands one summer (June or early July would be best) and our kids loved it. The beach is beautiful there.

We also loved the Wisconsin Dells. There are tons of water parks and amusement parks there, and you can go on boat trips to see the rock formations. We flew into Chicago and spent some time there, then drove up to the Dells. Very nice vacation; my kids still remember it fondly.
 

bnoble

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Messages
11,627
Reaction score
5,364
Points
798
Location
The People's Republic of Ann Arbor
I was going to suggest the Wisconsin Dells as well; we're planning a return trip for next summer, I think. Williamsburg or The Smoky Mountains area are other possible options. None of these will be more than one of your deposits.
 

jmpellet

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
370
Reaction score
0
Points
226
Location
Massachusetts
I appreciate all the suggestions. I wonder if it would be worth my while to combine two weeks to see what I can pull??
 

wackymother

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Messages
5,644
Reaction score
1,362
Points
598
Location
NJ
I appreciate all the suggestions. I wonder if it would be worth my while to combine two weeks to see what I can pull??

You can see everything that's available just by changing your preferences when you go to search. You don't have to combine the weeks to see everything anymore.

The highest point values that I've seen are the Manhattan Club and a couple of other places in the 60-point range. Are you interested in New York? If not, then the Caribbean in the summer, or the Dells, or Smuggs, or Williamsburg, should be attainable for less than 38 points each. I'm not 100 percent sure about the Caribbean...still, I would definitely shop for a while before combining.
 

Corinne

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
231
Reaction score
3
Points
378
Location
Central MA
Things to consider

With a family of 5, if you want to go to the Caribbean the biggest consideration will be travel costs. If you can get free tickets via Airtran/SW, that would be great. Where does Airtran fly? That might be your best starting point. Then find out which of those destinations offer RCI timeshares, and then ask for input on those options.

We live in MA also, and have vacationed on a dozen or so Caribbean islands via timeshare exchanges: St. Thomas, St. John, St. Lucia, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Antigua, Tobago, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Bermuda, as well as Cancun and Play del Carmen, MX. All enjoyable, but it depends on what you're looking for, ages of your children, budget, time of year you want to travel, etc.

Bermuda was one of our favorite vacations - short plane flight, beautiful beaches, very clean and safe, lots of family-friendly activities (Aquarium, Caves, etc) if you don't want to spend the entire time on the beach. Be aware that you can't rent a car on Bermuda, so you'll have to take taxis or the very-well run public buses to get around. We stayed at the St. Georges Club.

Bonaire was another of our favorites, primarily because my husband and I dive and the diving is spectacular. But our daughter participated in a kids club there while we dove, and they did some marvelous activities. They visited the salt works on the island and the donkey sanctuary, saw flamingos in the salt pans, did an intro to scuba class in the pool, and more. There are few beaches on Bonaire, so if miles of soft sand are your goal, this would not be the place for you. Exchanges are hard to come by here. We stayed at Buddy Dive.

Grand Cayman is another place we liked. Again, there are some interesting family activities if you want to get off the beach for a day. Nice beaches, great diving and snorkeling, fair amount of timeshare availability. Clean and safe, too. We stayed at Morritts and Morritts Grand.

We fly primarily AA. Jet Blue has started flying into some Caribbean destinations, and the competition has driven down AA prices, which is great. Jet Blue's presence in Boston has increased significantly, so be sure to look into them for future travel.

There are lots of great timeshare destinations in the US that I think you and your family will enjoy as well - some of them already mentioned by others. I'll add Vancouver Island, Yellowstone, So. California, Alexandria, VA (for visiting D. C.) and if you're skiiers, lots of great skiing out west.

Now, when you decide you're ready to start thinking about Europe, let me know. I have some favorites there, too.

Hope this has helped.

-Corinne
 

WinniWoman

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
10,762
Reaction score
7,057
Points
749
Location
The Weirs, New Hampshire
Resorts Owned
Innseason Pollard Brook
Visiting any of the National Parks is always high on our travel list and when our son was young we traded and stayed in lots of timeshares which were within a reasonable drive to them. Arizona, Hawaii, Yellowstone (although that was a private Worldmark timeshare rental), Florida Everglades, Maine....I usually pick a park and then search out a timeshare close by- but now that our son is older in our case we usually rent an extra week instead of exchange since we love going to our home resorts every year (Smuggs and Pollark Brook).

Williamsburg is also great for families. We exchanged once for Powhatten. Also, Massanutten Resort I hear is really good. We also exchanged into St. Lucia once- the Windjammer. But we are weeks owners and I am not sure about points needed for any of these.
 
Last edited:

silentg

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
6,185
Reaction score
3,260
Points
649
Location
Central Florida
Resorts Owned
Fitzpatrick's Castle Holiday Homes,
Enchanted Isle.
I have a relatively good Cape Cod week that pulls 38 points in RCI. We are all Orlando'd out and wonder what is the best family destination for a family of five. We have a new summer home so I have no trouble combining two years for a total of over 75 points since I don't want to use them for multiple weeks in various locations. I'm hoping that Southwest will soon announce the merger of Rapid Rewards with the Airtran program as we have free tickets and might like to go to the carribean. Any advice? Thanks!

So, have you gone anywhere yet? Florida is not just Orlando, there are many areas you would enjoy. Since you have a summer home I am assuming you are looking for warm weather places in winter on school breaks? Check out the Sarasota area or Ft Myers, beautiful beaches and lots to do. Let us know what you have planned. Then write a review so we can all hear what places you have been.
Silentg
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,087
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
Please note that this thread is from 2011, and a newbie brought it out of mothballs with a rather strange post in #8 - he may be just setting us up for spam.
 

VegasBella

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
3,307
Reaction score
1,017
Points
398
Location
Vegas
Resorts Owned
Carlsbad Inn
Avenue Plaza
Riviera Beach & Spa
Aquamarine Villas
Please note that this thread is from 2011, and a newbie brought it out of mothballs with a rather strange post in #8 - he may be just setting us up for spam.



Thanks for explaining. Post 8 didn't make sense to me and seemed a bit like a bot. Reads like its computer generated
 
Top