A burning Question about RCI

[Gurltech]

New Member here so go easy on me.

Thanks to this group I almost bought a Wyndham Timeshare that would have cost me about 21k when all was said and done. Rescinded the contract using a TUG template and that went very smoothly so thanks again for that information.

Now the only reason we wanted the timeshare was to get in on the RCI Last Call vacations and hotel rooms, since that is usually how we travel last minute and need a room some place or rent a week and stay for 4 days or so.

Question: What is the cheapest timeshare we can purchase on the resell market, that will:

1. be inexpensive to purchase
2. low maintenance fees
3. chances are we will never visit our home resort as we do not like going to the same place twice when the world is so big.
4. If we had purchased retail our home resort would have been Williamsburg, VA absolutely no interest in visiting.

So how do we get in on the RCI or Interval II hopefully both without putting out too much money.

We are anxious and ready to buy if neccessary but we want the best bang for our buck.

About us: No Children,1 small dog, disposable income, late 30's getting time off is difficult as we tend to be on call at different times but we love love love to travel.

So please someone take pity on me and explain my options like I am a 5th grader.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.

 

[presley]

Sounds like a Wyndham purchase on the resale market would be good for you. I don't own Wyndham, so can't answer too much on that, but you may want to post some questions in the Wyndham forum.

If hotels work best for you, you won't want to waste your money on a timeshare. There isn't much inventory last minute and if you have to cancel, you lose what you paid. Last Calls are normally lower quality places in low demand areas.

 

[bogey21]

I've been out of the loop for a while now but based on past experience I would look for a tri-annual either RCI Weeks or enrolled in RCI Points. Just find one with the lowest MF.

Again out of the loop but I used to own a Week at the CasaBlanca in Mesquite, NV. It was II and had an extremely low MF.

George

 

[MichaelColey]

I'm not so sure that timeshares really match up with your circumstances. Timeshares generally work better for longer stays, larger units (families), flexibility, and advance planning. Yes, you can utilize timeshare for shorter stays, smaller units, tough schedules, and last minute, but each of those things makes timesharing more complex and less of a deal.

 

[ronparise]

buy a triennial week at Vacation Village at Parkway the maintenance fees are quite low. You will have to buy an RCI membership but then you will have access to Last Call

or a very small Wyndham contract. I own a 49000 point contract where the mf is just over $200 a year. The minimum program fee pushes it up over $300 but you get an RCI account included

either of these options will get you to the rci last calls


But remember last calls are for a full week and you want to do shorter stays. Personally I dont think thats a big deal when you pay just $300 a week you can check in late or leave early,

For me the bigger deal would be the dog you mention, very few timeshares accept dogs.. Vacation Village is one, and I know of another in Palm Springs and another in Tahoe, Im sure there are others, but your choices are very very limited.

 

[sue1947]

When you add up all the costs of those Last Call stays, they aren't that much cheaper than motel rates you can get elsewhere. The price for the week is great, but don't forget the RCI/II yearly membership fee and the maintenance fees for the timeshare. The latter is the big one; easy to get a timeshare but not always easy to get rid of. The cheap ones to buy are sometimes the hardest to get rid of.
I've had both RCI and II for years and have yet to find a last call that I can use or is worth even the small amount for the week. They work best if you live in an area with a large supply of timeshares that are seasonal. Ski resorts in spring or fall, for example. Orlando in non-school holiday times. You won't find last calls in a large variety of locations. As a result, I think Last Call access should be a secondary issue for the purchase of a timeshare and not the primary one.

You are a good candidate for a point based system that has a large number of resorts; like Wyndham if you are East coast. You can book less than a week in a variety of places. However, and this is huge, the last minute planning thing is a game stopper. By the time you are ready to book at the last minute, most things are booked up by others. Your best bet is if you can travel off season and mid-week. Even then, though, you will be competing with lots of others who want the same thing; the Baby Boom is retiring and traveling off season and mid-week.

Given all your info, I think you are better off renting a timeshare or go through VRBO etc to rent houses etc. There are so many options now that you don't need to lock yourself into maintenance fees for a timeshare if you aren't going to use the timeshare.

Sue

 

[Ty1on]

buy a triennial week at Vacation Village at Parkway the maintenance fees are quite low. You will have to buy an RCI membership but then you will have access to Last Call

or a very small Wyndham contract. I own a 49000 point contract where the mf is just over $200 a year. The minimum program fee pushes it up over $300 but you get an RCI account included

either of these options will get you to the rci last calls


But remember last calls are for a full week and you want to do shorter stays. Personally I dont think thats a big deal when you pay just $300 a week you can check in late or leave early,

For me the bigger deal would be the dog you mention, very few timeshares accept dogs.. Vacation Village is one, and I know of another in Palm Springs and another in Tahoe, Im sure there are others, but your choices are very very limited.

a triennial 1 BR at Grandview @ Las Vegas would do the trick, too. $117 per year, plus of course annual RCI fees.

 

[bnoble]

If the dog travels with you, timeshare is probably not a great option. Renting pet-friendly hotels or private accommodations will serve you better.

 

[Gurltech]

a triennial 1 BR at Grandview @ Las Vegas would do the trick, too. $117 per year, plus of course annual RCI fees.

Thank you I like that suggestion.
But perhaps I am calling what I want from RCI the wrong thing and I can't really recall all they said in the presentation.

Yes I do want points such as Wyndham points.

But what got my attention in the sales presentation was the ability to book a one night stay at a resort or owned hotel say if we hopped a flight to London for a 4 day getaway and not necessarily wanting to stay at the same hotel for the duration of our stay.

Example:

1. we have 4 days off and want to fly Dulles to London one way
Book a hotel room in London now the average room would be 300 a night.
In the presentation they said we would be able to select from inventory and find a hotel room Wyndham or RCI affiliate rate of Around 70 to 100 dollars (exchange rate to euros may be more)

2. Move on to Paris and Book a hotel room there for about the same cost and fly one way back to Dulles from Paris.

(They showed us a thick book with lot's of hotels)
We usually never travel during major Holidays unless they are not celebrated where we a going to....who besides the U.S. celebrates Columbus day?

So the bottom line is we can fly on short notice to wherever we want (sans dog) but the hotels just eats into our budget.

So pretty much we are looking for a way not to always pay 200-400 bucks a night for hotel rooms/resort rooms that are decent and not run down flea bags.

I just recently got back from a 2 day trip to Cabo (Sunset Bonito Resort) paid 600 bucks for a 1 and a half night stay that was crazy and I know my timeshare owning friend ripped me off but it was for a wedding and I had to go.

 

[Gurltech]

If the dog travels with you, timeshare is probably not a great option. Renting pet-friendly hotels or private accommodations will serve you better.

The dog does not always travel most of the time he only goes when we drive or go camping. I think he prefers the doggie spa to traveling with us.

I just meant we are a couple with no children so child friendly places are to be avoided like the plague.

 

[moonstone]

Thank you I like that suggestion.
But perhaps I am calling what I want from RCI the wrong thing and I can't really recall all they said in the presentation.

Yes I do want points such as Wyndham points.

But what got my attention in the sales presentation was the ability to book a one night stay at a resort or owned hotel say if we hopped a flight to London for a 4 day getaway and not necessarily wanting to stay at the same hotel for the duration of our stay.

Example:

1. we have 4 days off and want to fly Dulles to London one way
Book a hotel room in London now the average room would be 300 a night.
In the presentation they said we would be able to select from inventory and find a hotel room Wyndham or RCI affiliate rate of Around 70 to 100 dollars (exchange rate to euros may be more)

2. Move on to Paris and Book a hotel room there for about the same cost and fly one way back to Dulles from Paris.

(They showed us a thick book with lot's of hotels)
We usually never travel during major Holidays unless they are not celebrated where we a going to....who besides the U.S. celebrates Columbus day?

So the bottom line is we can fly on short notice to wherever we want (sans dog) but the hotels just eats into our budget.

So pretty much we are looking for a way not to always pay 200-400 bucks a night for hotel rooms/resort rooms that are decent and not run down flea bags.

I just recently got back from a 2 day trip to Cabo (Sunset Bonito Resort) paid 600 bucks for a 1 and a half night stay that was crazy and I know my timeshare owning friend ripped me off but it was for a wedding and I had to go.

We have used our soon to expire (& already extended for 1 yr) points on hotel rooms (just in the USA) and found that it was sort of a rip-off. In other words we would have been further ahead to just pay for a room. The quantity of points needed translated to more dollars than what we could have booked the room through hotels.com or similar website.

Vacation Villages were mentioned in another post and as owners with them you have access to other Vacation Village properties at a lower cost than RCI exchange rates. We make use of that feature once a year (our limit) in addition to using our week and our points.

Welcome to TUG!

~Diane

 

[Passepartout]

For your example of a one night stay London, move to Paris for another night, timeshare ownership just won't cut it. Better to just load up on hotel points of some kind. It is virtually impossible to do what you suggest. For one thing, there is a housekeeping charge for short stays. ( are you aware that in TSs, daily maids are the exception, not the norm?)

I like the triennial Grandview/VVP idea for access to Last Calls, but know that most of that inventory is off season, 2nd tier resorts. You will never see a Disney, Hilton, ocean front anything, or prime ski season resort in last calls.

With all due respect, I don't think timeshare is your cup of tea.

Jim

 

[presley]

Example:

1. we have 4 days off and want to fly Dulles to London one way
Book a hotel room in London now the average room would be 300 a night.
In the presentation they said we would be able to select from inventory and find a hotel room Wyndham or RCI affiliate rate of Around 70 to 100 dollars (exchange rate to euros may be more)

2. Move on to Paris and Book a hotel room there for about the same cost and fly one way back to Dulles from Paris.

What they showed you is what you could book if it is available. That doesn't mean it will be available. Also, as the poster above me noted, the cost to convert your paid for timeshare points to hotel points is rarely economical. Yes, you can use timeshare points for a hotel, but paying cash for the hotel is usually much less expensive. When you use timeshare points for anything other than a timeshare, you are usually spending a lot more money than if you just paid cash.

EDIT: after reading your post again, maybe Wyndham has something for their owners to use their hotels at an easier rate than using RCI. That would be a good question for the Wyndham owners.

 

[Gurltech]

What they showed you is what you could book if it is available. That doesn't mean it will be available. Also, as the poster above me noted, the cost to convert your paid for timeshare points to hotel points is rarely economical. Yes, you can use timeshare points for a hotel, but paying cash for the hotel is usually much less expensive. When you use timeshare points for anything other than a timeshare, you are usually spending a lot more money than if you just paid cash.

EDIT: after reading your post again, maybe Wyndham has something for their owners to use their hotels at an easier rate than using RCI. That would be a good question for the Wyndham owners.

Yes they were talking cash not points.
Low point low maintenance fee TS in order to be able to book cash hotels or resort stays on short notice provided a hotel is available the book I saw had about 10 or more listed hotels in Paris and about the same in London. They then went online and showed availability and cost which were very reasonable and sold me on timeshares just for that purpose.

They also mentioned banking unused points as they now roll over (maybe just that program) so if we did want to take a longer trip to like Fiji we could use our accumulated points to book about a year in advance when we decide to go.

 

[raygo123]

No still more economical with cash. Wyndham when I checked last was a 20% discount. They still cover thier costs of maintaince at the resort before giving what is called a discount. Same with cruises.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Gurltech]

No still more economical with cash. Wyndham when I checked last was a 20% discount. They still cover thier costs of maintaince at the resort before giving what is called a discount. Same with cruises.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

So just renting a TS from an owner is the better way to go?

Thank you saved me a ton of money for something I could not use the way they explained it to us.

But I am not giving up has to be a better way to get nice inexpensive rooms for people who love to save money and travel a lot.

 

[theo]

<snip>...you saved me a ton of money for something I could not use the way they explained it to us.

Are you implying that Wyndham sales weasels may have lied to you and / or otherwise attempted to deceive or mislead you?
I'm shocked, truly.

 

[Here There]

RTX getaways & savvy hotel choices

... a better way to get nice inexpensive rooms for people who love to save money and travel a lot.

Look into cheap getaway rentals via RTX.travel and if you like their inventory you might not need to own a TS at all:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1722382#post1722382

Better yet, spend the $300 saved from exchange transactions (~$100 membership, $200 exc fee) towards upgrading to a Premium Plus membership which saves you an additional $200 from the Basic rate. I bought 4 getaways since November and saved significantly:

- Charleston (Nov) $400; Palm Springs (Feb) $300; Santa Fe (Sept) $400; Vancouver (Aug) $400.

As far as European destinations: In May I spent 4 days in London before going to Paris. I found a reasonably priced hotel near the Earls Court station on the Piccadilly line which is an easy Tube ride to all the major sights & en route from Heathrow and to the St. Pancras Eurostar station. That my room had a private bath, kitchenette and 2 blocks away from a supermarket made it a reasonable TS facsimile...I'm just relieved that I've found lodging that has made London more affordable. I would have found a similar Parisian counterpart if I didn't have a confirmed TS reservation there. For me, saving money without sacrificing comfort is part of what makes planning for travel fun.

 

[MichaelColey]

Don't go by what the sales weasel told you. It's highly unlikely that Last Call will get you anywhere you want to go, and any hotel discounts you might be able to get probably won't be any better than AAA rates.

When I bought my first timeshare, I had great hopes for Last Call and Extra Vacations (all thanks to the sales weasel). I do find a good one every once in a while, but it's rare.

 

[Steve NH]

Did not see this mentioned:

Find a friend who already owns a timeshare:

Whenever a friend of mine expresses interest in owning a timewhare I tell them - just let me get you the units.

We have numerous friends that we book for thru RCI, only additional cost is a guest pass.

They use "Last Call""Extra Vacations" and "Bonus Weeks" (I have tons of 45 day Bonus Deposits)

If fact RCI has an arrangement where for a small fee we can have an additional name listed on our account so they would never need a guest pass.

Just an option

 

[FLDVCFamily]

Maybe a Wyndham resale? I'm not sure how cheap they are anymore, but I got 203K points at Kingsgate for $700 the first time and then just closing costs the second time...great bargains.

 

[VegasBella]

I agree with many others here that it seems like a TS ownership isn't the best fit for you.

I feel like a better option than buying a TS might be to get a couple hotel credit cards and use them to earn free or discounted hotel stays.

And yes, find a friend who has RCI and ask them to book for you.