Club Wyndham Owners

[DouginSC]

Hi guys,

How hard is it to get a resort that you prefer to stay at being a Club Wyndham member? More specifically the Wyndham at Bonnet Creek in Orlando or any Wyndham at Myrtle Beach? How far out do you typically have to book in advance to get what you want?

Can you also tell me if the Wyndham at Bonnet Creek offers any Disney perks like transportation to the parks, extra magic hours, etc?

TIA
Doug

 

[bnoble]

To your second question: no.

As to the first: I book trips that are important as soon as I am able, typically right at ten months. That has been very successful, and has included some hard-to-get reservations, including ocean view units in Hawaii or Alexandria during Easter/Cherry Blossom. However I have not tried to do that in MB in the summer, and some resorts there may be harder than others.

 

[Jan M.]

Are you looking for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break or peak summer weeks? Do you need 3 or 4 bedroom units? If the answer to those questions is no then you should be able to find something at 10 months or less at Bonnet Creek. Owners book and cancel, a lot, so if you aren't seeing anything, keep looking. Btw many owners who are persistent in checking are able to find those high demand times I mentioned.

Myrtle Beach will be more difficult If you want the summer months. If you aren't tied to school schedules May, September and October have much better availability and the weather is great then.

 

[HitchHiker71]

Are you looking for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break or peak summer weeks? Do you need 3 or 4 bedroom units? If the answer to those questions is no then you should be able to find something at 10 months or less at Bonnet Creek. Owners book and cancel, a lot, so if you aren't seeing anything, keep looking. Btw many owners who are persistent in checking are able to find those high demand times I mentioned.

Myrtle Beach will be more difficult If you want the summer months. If you aren't tied to school schedules May, September and October have much better availability and the weather is great then.

Rather than "keep looking" I'd recommend using the Waitlist feature (when it works). Much easier than manually looking yourself - and more likely to get what you're looking for as well - especially for high demand weeks. My understanding is that Waitlists are processed before inventory is returned to general availability that appears when performing availability searches.

 

[paxsarah]

You'd probably have more luck with Ocean Boulevard in peak summer than with Seawatch or the others, because OB has the highest points requirements in prime season. On the other hand, we were able to get a 3BR lockoff at Seawatch north tower last year starting Memorial Day weekend right at 10 months. So the early part of summer (this was right at the end of high season, not prime) can be doable.

 

[bnoble]

Are you looking for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break or peak summer weeks? Do you need 3 or 4 bedroom units? If the answer to those questions is no then you should be able to find something at 10 months or less at Bonnet Creek.

Just as a data point, right now today at Bonnet Creek, I can book (all Saturday-to-Saturday):

The third week of June in a 1BR or 2BR.
The week of July 4th in a 1BR or 2BR.
Thanksgiving week in a 1BR or 2BR.
Christmas week in a 1BR or 2BR.
NYE week in a 1Br, 2BR or 3BR.

(The last one is just inside the 10-month window, by about a week.)

I am not sure if this is typical, or whether or not the "Owner Priority Period" is contributing to availability (all of these weeks include at least some dates in OPP). But, at least right now, the one and two BRs at Bonnet are not at all difficult, and even the 3BR might be doable if you plan right at 10 months.

 

[troy12n]

I think that's pretty typical. Bonnet Creek is a big resort, and there's 4 resorts in Orlando people can book at. Some people purposely book Star Island or Cypress Palms because they want "fewer points" or a more quiet resort. One time I booked a 2BR DLX at BC the weekend after Christmas and was not only just able to get it, but I got upgraded to a PR room in Tower 6.

You can usually get space at Bonnet Creek or at least a couple of the Myrtle Beach resorts several months out. Possible exception may be spring break or Memorial Day weekend for MB. But I was looking for the week of Mar 30 for Myrtle Beach myself and could get space in mid-February if I wanted to switch resorts. Your mileage may vary.

 

[DouginSC]

Are you looking for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break or peak summer weeks? Do you need 3 or 4 bedroom units? If the answer to those questions is no then you should be able to find something at 10 months or less at Bonnet Creek. Owners book and cancel, a lot, so if you aren't seeing anything, keep looking. Btw many owners who are persistent in checking are able to find those high demand times I mentioned.

Myrtle Beach will be more difficult If you want the summer months. If you aren't tied to school schedules May, September and October have much better availability and the weather is great then.

Travel to Orlando would typically be the week of Thanksgiving and a 2 bedroom. I'm just trying to figure out if we should join Club Wyndham, which now is in charge of sales & marketing at our home resort or just bank our week and try to exchange through RCI. Not sure if joining Club Wyndham gives us better chances at resorts or not.

 

[DouginSC]

Just as a data point, right now today at Bonnet Creek, I can book (all Saturday-to-Saturday):

The third week of June in a 1BR or 2BR.
The week of July 4th in a 1BR or 2BR.
Thanksgiving week in a 1BR or 2BR.
Christmas week in a 1BR or 2BR.
NYE week in a 1Br, 2BR or 3BR.

(The last one is just inside the 10-month window, by about a week.)

I am not sure if this is typical, or whether or not the "Owner Priority Period" is contributing to availability (all of these weeks include at least some dates in OPP). But, at least right now, the one and two BRs at Bonnet are not at all difficult, and even the 3BR might be doable if you plan right at 10 months.

How many points does it take to book this? (Thanksgiving week in a 1BR or 2BR)

 

[bnoble]

You can find points requirements for any resort in the Directory (no login/ownership credentials required).

2023-2024 CW Directory

media.wyndhamvo.com

 

[bnoble]

I'm just trying to figure out if we should join Club Wyndham, which now is in charge and sales & marketing, at our home resort or just bank our week and try to exchange through RCI. Not sure if joining Club Wyndham gives us better chances at resorts or not.

This depends almost entirely on how much "joining" would cost, whether or not your ownership would be considered "VIP eligible", and what level (if any) of VIP status you would qualify for.

 

[tschwa2]

Travel to Orlando would typically be the week of Thanksgiving and a 2 bedroom. I'm just trying to figure out if we should join Club Wyndham, which now is in charge and sales & marketing, at our home resort or just bank our week and try to exchange through RCI. Not sure if joining Club Wyndham gives us better chances at resorts or not.

You would have a better chance but you will likely still be able to get a good orlando 2BR during thanksgiving, maybe not Bonnet Creek but maybe. What $ are they asking to convert? If it is more than a nominal amount than it probably wouldn't be worth it IMO.

 

[DouginSC]

This depends almost entirely on how much "joining" would cost, whether or not your ownership would be considered "VIP eligible", and what level (if any) of VIP status you would qualify for.

Yeah, they're always wanting us to "trade in" our week and purchase the points but I haven't really paid that much attention to them since we have refused the last few times and keep telling them we're satisfied with what we have. Not sure what the costs would be. I know they did offer a pretty good deal for week owners when they first took over sales a few years ago but not sure now. Never could understand why I'd have to pay more for something I already own anyway. ‍

 

[DouginSC]

I agree with you. I was told years ago to not give up our week and I've stuck to that advice so far.

They offered a pretty good deal for week owners in the beginning but not so sure now. I don't really pay attention to them and keep telling them we're happy with our week.

 

[DouginSC]

You would have a better chance but you will likely still be able to get a good orlando 2BR during thanksgiving, maybe not Bonnet Creek but maybe. What $ are they asking to convert? If it is more than a nominal amount than it probably wouldn't be worth it IMO.

I agree with you. I was told years ago to not give up our week and I've stuck to that advice so far.

They offered a pretty good deal for week owners in the beginning but not so sure now. I don't really pay attention to them and keep telling them we're happy with our week.
Quote

 

[paxsarah]

Travel to Orlando would typically be the week of Thanksgiving and a 2 bedroom. I'm just trying to figure out if we should join Club Wyndham, which now is in charge and sales & marketing, at our home resort or just bank our week and try to exchange through RCI. Not sure if joining Club Wyndham gives us better chances at resorts or not.

It would give you better chance at Wyndham resorts, but the nice thing with RCI is there's far more than Wyndham out there. For instance, with Wyndham points directly, Bonnet Creek is an unexpectedly good value on Thanksgiving week. It's a great resort and a fantastic location if you're visiting the parks. But you're very unlikely to find Bonnet Creek in RCI in the past few years, especially on Thanksgiving. You're more likely to see Cypress Palms or Star Island in RCI, along with plenty of other non-Wyndham gold crown resorts in the area.

 

[DouginSC]

You can find points requirements for any resort in the Directory (no login/ownership credentials required).

2023-2024 CW Directory

media.wyndhamvo.com

Thank you!

 

[1Melanie]

Travel to Orlando would typically be the week of Thanksgiving and a 2 bedroom. I'm just trying to figure out if we should join Club Wyndham, which now is in charge of sales & marketing at our home resort or just bank our week and try to exchange through RCI. Not sure if joining Club Wyndham gives us better chances at resorts or not.

Avoid RCI at all costs! Using RCI is like gambling, you give up your resort for an unknown. If with Wyndham and you still want an RCI exchange, you can find what you want first before surrendering your points for exchange. Exchanges for what you want when you want especially in a high demand resorts like Bonnet Creek, New Orleans during Mardi Gras or Daytona beach during race week, are next to impossible to get. You’re better off being part of Wyndham. Unless you want a WorldMark resort, there’s no cost to book a reservation in any of their resorts. The last time we used RCI a looong time ago it was $99. It’s more now. If you can’t use your points this year, you can roll them into the next use year. You can book 10 months out prior to check in or 12 at your home resort. If your TS is now part of Wyndham, join in and take advantage of the increased inventory.
Our initial purchase in1996 with Vacation Break was swallowed up (and improved) by Wyndham. We were grandfathered into Wyndham (then Fairfield). For more flexibility, we paid a fee to convert our fixed week into points and have no regrets. We’ve since added onto our membership with both developer and secondary market points and recently consolidated our ownership to simplify our ownership and reduce MF.
Look at the Wyndham website to check out the resorts that could potentially be at your disposal. If you like what you see, take the plunge and join. Calculate what it would cost to pay RCI for possible exchanges over the next 10-20 years to see if it would be worth it to convert. If you are content with what your original ownership offers then save your money and stay put.

 

[1Melanie]

Yeah, they're always wanting us to "trade in" our week and purchase the points but I haven't really paid that much attention to them since we have refused the last few times and keep telling them we're satisfied with what we have. Not sure what the costs would be. I know they did offer a pretty good deal for week owners when they first took over sales a few years ago but not sure now. Never could understand why I'd have to pay more for something I already own anyway. ‍

We initially felt the same way you do. Points give you more flexibility and does away with feeling pressured into depositing into RCI for an unknown if you can’t use your week. We started out with a fixed week which was very limiting and converted to points when Wyndham took over. Unlike RCI, there’s no exchange fee to use any Wyndham Resort.
Years ago we deposited our 2 bedroom gold crown Resort week into RCI, did an exchange but could only get a 1 BR unit at the location we wanted. Before converting, we checked out the resort catalog (in paper at that time), liked what we saw, (it has grown and continues to grow since then) calculated out the cost over a 10 year period of RCI exchange fees, which were $99 at that time, decided it was well worth paying the conversion fee and became points owners.

 

[troy12n]

Avoid RCI at all costs! Using RCI is like gambling, you give up your resort for an unknown

I would say that RCI can be a total crap shoot when it comes to the quality of the resort. But I will say this. RCI and exchanges exist to fill a need. For instance, you can exchange into a resort that either Wyndham or Worldmark don't have a resort in the area, or they are booked. So your option would be "go somewhere else", or deal with a resort that may or may not be up to your perceived "Wyndham quality" standards. Admittedly, some RCI resorts are lacking when it comes to quality.

But at the same time, believe it or not, there are some instances where a Wyndham owner can actually book a Wyndham unit through RCI for LESS POINTS!

An example is Midtown 45 in New York City. A Wyndham resort, which exists inside of RCI. You can find a 1br unit or hotel room unit through RCI for a fraction of the points that it would be required to book using your Wyndham points. This is not always the case, in most cases it's "cheaper" to book Wyndham units with our Wyndham points. But not always. Also because it's an exchange, it's dependent on availability.

But just saying that there are use cases for exchanges like RCI/II

 

[geist1223]

When I Book through RCI I limit my choices to Gold or Silver Crown.

 

[flindberg]

When I Book through RCI I limit my choices to Gold or Silver Crown.

I agree, best to look for the 'top' resorts. Better yet research reviews. That said, we got a 'meh' Gold Crown in Marbella, Spain. As others say, quality varies widely. We enjoyed the week anyway as it was a good location with free parking. For a ~$300 exchange fee and not a ton of points, it was decent enough.

 

[GoldPointer]

You can find points requirements for any resort in the Directory (no login/ownership credentials required).

2023-2024 CW Directory

media.wyndhamvo.com

Where did you get this directory! I love it! Thank you for sharing the link. You are my hero.

 

[bnoble]

It’s from the Wyndham web site.

 

[1Melanie]

I would say that RCI can be a total crap shoot when it comes to the quality of the resort. But I will say this. RCI and exchanges exist to fill a need. For instance, you can exchange into a resort that either Wyndham or Worldmark don't have a resort in the area, or they are booked. So your option would be "go somewhere else", or deal with a resort that may or may not be up to your perceived "Wyndham quality" standards. Admittedly, some RCI resorts are lacking when it comes to quality.

But at the same time, believe it or not, there are some instances where a Wyndham owner can actually book a Wyndham unit through RCI for LESS POINTS!

An example is Midtown 45 in New York City. A Wyndham resort, which exists inside of RCI. You can find a 1br unit or hotel room unit through RCI for a fraction of the points that it would be required to book using your Wyndham points. This is not always the case, in most cases it's "cheaper" to book Wyndham units with our Wyndham points. But not always. Also because it's an exchange, it's dependent on availability.

But just saying that there are use cases for exchanges like RCI/II

Absolute

I would say that RCI can be a total crap shoot when it comes to the quality of the resort. But I will say this. RCI and exchanges exist to fill a need. For instance, you can exchange into a resort that either Wyndham or Worldmark don't have a resort in the area, or they are booked. So your option would be "go somewhere else", or deal with a resort that may or may not be up to your perceived "Wyndham quality" standards. Admittedly, some RCI resorts are lacking when it comes to quality.

But at the same time, believe it or not, there are some instances where a Wyndham owner can actually book a Wyndham unit through RCI for LESS POINTS!

An example is Midtown 45 in New York City. A Wyndham resort, which exists inside of RCI. You can find a 1br unit or hotel room unit through RCI for a fraction of the points that it would be required to book using your Wyndham points. This is not always the case, in most cases it's "cheaper" to book Wyndham units with our Wyndham points. But not always. Also because it's an exchange, it's dependent on availability.

But just saying that there are use cases for exchanges like RCI/II

i agree that sometimes RCI is good for an exchange somewhere Wyndham does not have a resort. That being said, I wouldn’t give RCI my points until or unless I find what I want first. At one time the only option for preserving unused points was an RCI deposit. Now that we can roll our points into the following use year, an RCI deposit is no longer needed. When traveling internationally, we prefer to take a tour or go on a cruise where we can easily book a tour with an English speaking guide.