First II exchange into Kona Coast Resort - what did I get?

[DaveNV]

I'm in process of understanding my first exchange in II, and a lot of their methods and terms are new for me. I'm not fully sure what I've traded into. I have a few questions.

I did this from their open inventory with my own searching. The availability I saw was the entire complex, I think, listed as "The Kona Coast Resort I and II and Shell Vacations Club at Kona Coast Resort I and II," or something to that effect. I know Kona Coast Resort has Phases, and Shell has units there. II lists the whole place under four different resort codes, KOC, KON, KN1, and KC1.

The resort and exchange dates worked well for me, so I confirmed it. My Exchange History now lists the exchange as "The Kona Coast Resort Interval Ownership" with resort code KOC.

What does that mean, exactly? Is there any way to know what area or type of unit I'll get? I bought E-Plus, which I think gives me some options to change things, since I'm not sure of myself yet, but I don't know exactly what I've done. LOL!

Help?

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

As far as I know, Kona Coast units are pretty much the same. It's Mauna Loa that has a mix of Shell and Wyndham units, so they are decorated differently.

This is probably an owner of a week, managed by Shell but not in the point system.

We received an email recently from Shell, and all Shell inventory for next year will go to RCI. We no longer exchange through II with Shell. It's very disappointing for us. But Shell owners of weeks, not converted to points, those will still be available for exchange through II.

 

[DaveNV]

As far as I know, Kona Coast units are pretty much the same. It's Mauna Loa that has a mix of Shell and Wyndham units, so they are decorated differently.

This is probably an owner of a week, managed by Shell but not in the point system.

We received an email recently from Shell, and all Shell inventory for next year will go to RCI. We no longer exchange through II with Shell. It's very disappointing for us. But Shell owners of weeks, not converted to points, those will still be available for exchange through II.

Thanks, Cindy. I agree about Mauna Loa Village - I used to own there, and know about Shell's Holua units. Quite a bit of difference.

So you think this unit itself is likely to be among any part or phase at the Kona Coast resort? Does it matter? I've never stayed there, but have driven by any number of times. I guess the underlying question I have, is whether this would be considered a "good" exchange, or should I look for something better? Location and dates are great for me, but everybody wants something better, right?

Dave

 

[Panina]

I'm in process of understanding my first exchange in II, and a lot of their methods and terms are new for me. I'm not fully sure what I've traded into. I have a few questions.

I did this from their open inventory with my own searching. The availability I saw was the entire complex, I think, listed as "The Kona Coast Resort I and II and Shell Vacations Club at Kona Coast Resort I and II," or something to that effect. I know Kona Coast Resort has Phases, and Shell has units there. II lists the whole place under four different resort codes, KOC, KON, KN1, and KC1.

The resort and exchange dates worked well for me, so I confirmed it. My Exchange History now lists the exchange as "The Kona Coast Resort Interval Ownership" with resort code KOC.

What does that mean, exactly? Is there any way to know what area or type of unit I'll get? I bought E-Plus, which I think gives me some options to change things, since I'm not sure of myself yet, but I don't know exactly what I've done. LOL!

Help?

Dave

II has this stated for this resort “NOTE: Exchange guests have the option of air conditioning in their units, for which an energy surcharge will be assessed by the resort.” I don’t know the cost but wanted to make you aware of it so you can ask.

 

[DaveNV]

II has this stated for this resort “NOTE: Exchange guests have the option of air conditioning in their units, for which an energy surcharge will be assessed by the resort.” I don’t know the cost but wanted to make you aware of it so you can ask.

The website says they charge ~$8 a day if you want a/c. The exchange is in August, so I'll probably go for the a/c.

Dave

 

[Panina]

The website says they charge ~$8 a day if you want a/c. The exchange is in August, so I'll probably go for the a/c.

Dave

Reasonable enough, make sure to call to reserve if all rooms don’t have the option, don’t assume all rooms have it.

 

[DaveNV]

Reasonable enough, make sure to call to reserve if all rooms don’t have the option, don’t assume all rooms have it.

Good idea. I'm planning to call ahead and ask about room choices, too. All else being equal, never hurts to ask for what you want.

Dave

 

[bizaro86]

One "trick" with worldmark exchanges and e-plus is that worldmark treats it as a new exchange.

That has pros and cons.

If you do an e-plus, II will take new credits from your account, and refund the old ones.

That can be bad if the original credits are close to expiry and the new ones are longer life, as you end up getting older credits back.

But it can work in your favor if you make a last minute change. Maybe you see great last minute availability for the Marriott on the big Island and grab that. If you are within 59 days if checkin, II will only take the flex change credits from you (4000) while refunding your original credits, for a material savings.

If there are multiple codes for what is effectively the same resort, that offers the possibility of switching to save credits with no change in your plans.

 

[Panina]

Good idea. I'm planning to call ahead and ask about room choices, too. All else being equal, never hurts to ask for what you want.

Dave

Enjoy, seems nice enough and keep checking eplus. You never know what will pop up.

 

[DaveNV]

Enjoy, seems nice enough and keep checking eplus. You never know what will pop up.

Is there someplace that describes the ins and outs of e-plus? I've read some threads, but still not sure what it allows me to do.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

One "trick" with worldmark exchanges and e-plus is that worldmark treats it as a new exchange.

That has pros and cons.

If you do an e-plus, II will take new credits from your account, and refund the old ones.

That can be bad if the original credits are close to expiry and the new ones are longer life, as you end up getting older credits back.

But it can work in your favor if you make a last minute change. Maybe you see great last minute availability for the Marriott on the big Island and grab that. If you are within 59 days if checkin, II will only take the flex change credits from you (4000) while refunding your original credits, for a material savings.

If there are multiple codes for what is effectively the same resort, that offers the possibility of switching to save credits with no change in your plans.

That's definitely a wrinkle to think about. Current WM credits aren't enough to cover the exchange, so will be borrowing some from next year. (August anniversary.) If I change the exchange, and WM makes it a new one, they'd all be borrowed. But that should also be fine, since I'm booked on WM till after my anniversary month.

Same question for you about e-plus: Does it offer more than just an option to change THIS exchange? If I find something great (e.g. Marriott) and want to switch to it, do I have to search for it through the e-plus link, or as a new search or ? I think I read nothing is final till I confirm the change, so is there any danger in exploring the "Start E-Plus Retrade" link option?

Dave

 

[Panina]

Is there someplace that describes the ins and outs of e-plus? I've read some threads, but still not sure what it allows me to do.

Dave

Not sure where they document it so I will explain as clearly as I can.

You current exchange is considered confirmed unless you call II within 24 hours to cancel.

If you didn’t prepay for eplus you would have had 5 days to add it. Next time you don’t have to add and pay for eplus until your trade is confirmed.

Eplus does not allow use of an ogs, you have to manually look for what is available. Your trading value will be what you initially traded even if what you got bumped you up for the one trade. It seems at times an ogs bumps up your trading value.

After confirmed to use eplus you would select my history (top right on screen).

Then select the Exchanges tab.

You will see your week that you gave up and what you were confimed into and the number of eplus trades remaining. Your eplus is only good for the week you got it for.

On the right side select the icon that says start eplus retrade.

Now you can select what you want to see. You will only see what is available for your weeks trading power.

Unless you go thru the whole process, where screens show you clearly you are trading into a different place/week, you will not relinquish what you already are confirmed in.

I have gotten many great eplus trades. Also no additional fees for up to three retrades.

 

[Luanne]

As far as I know, Kona Coast units are pretty much the same. It's Mauna Loa that has a mix of Shell and Wyndham units, so they are decorated differently.

This is probably an owner of a week, managed by Shell but not in the point system.

We received an email recently from Shell, and all Shell inventory for next year will go to RCI. We no longer exchange through II with Shell. It's very disappointing for us. But Shell owners of weeks, not converted to points, those will still be available for exchange through II.

Units may be the same, but from what I remember there are differences between I and II. I are the older units, farther from the coastline. II are newer, and closer. We stayed there years ago, in a II unit. It was very nice. There was an extra charge for a/c but we ended up not needing it, and this was during the summer.

I've been trying to find a resort map that will show where the I and II units are located, but I'm not having any luck. Wherever you are I'm sure you will have a great time.

 

[slip]

I have to get back to the Big Island too. On my way back from Molokai, I went through the Big Island airport. I was concentrating on my condo so much I wasn’t paying attention to anything else and was surprised to see the airport under a large remodel. Small airport but it was still a pain.

 

[bizaro86]

That's definitely a wrinkle to think about. Current WM credits aren't enough to cover the exchange, so will be borrowing some from next year. (August anniversary.) If I change the exchange, and WM makes it a new one, they'd all be borrowed. But that should also be fine, since I'm booked on WM till after my anniversary month.

Same question for you about e-plus: Does it offer more than just an option to change THIS exchange? If I find something great (e.g. Marriott) and want to switch to it, do I have to search for it through the e-plus link, or as a new search or ? I think I read nothing is final till I confirm the change, so is there any danger in exploring the "Start E-Plus Retrade" link option?

Dave

You can change to anything that is available through the start e-plus link. It doesn't need to be the same time or place, and I would expect that it most commonly isn't.

 

[Luanne]

I have to get back to the Big Island too. On my way back from Molokai, I went through the Big Island airport. I was concentrating on my condo so much I wasn’t paying attention to anything else and was surprised to see the airport under a large remodel. Small airport but it was still a pain.

Did it look like they were going to enclose the airport?

 

[slip]

Did it look like they were going to enclose the airport?

No it didn’t but I don’t know what phase they were in with the construction/remodel.

I had to go through security again because I landed at gate 8 and was departing out of gate 3.

 

[DaveNV]

Not sure where they document it so I will explain as clearly as I can.

You current exchange is considered confirmed unless you call II within 24 hours to cancel.

If you didn’t prepay for eplus you would have had 5 days to add it. Next time you don’t have to add and pay for eplus until your trade is confirmed.

Eplus does not allow use of an ogs, you have to manually look for what is available. Your trading value will be what you initially traded even if what you got bumped you up for the one trade. It seems at times an ogs bumps up your trading value.

After confirmed to use eplus you would select my history (top right on screen).

Then select the Exchanges tab.

You will see your week that you gave up and what you were confimed into and the number of eplus trades remaining. Your eplus is only good for the week you got it for.

On the right side select the icon that says start eplus retrade.

Now you can select what you want to see. You will only see what is available for your weeks trading power.

Unless you go thru the whole process, where screens show you clearly you are trading into a different place/week, you will not relinquish what you already are confirmed in.

I have gotten many great eplus trades. Also no additional fees for up to three retrades.

Thank you! That tells me what I saw was right when I played a bit with it. I'm still trying to find my way around the II site. After all these years of using RCI and others, it's a bit different.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Units may be the same, but from what I remember there are differences between I and II. I are the older units, farther from the coastline. II are newer, and closer. We stayed there years ago, in a II unit. It was very nice. There was an extra charge for a/c but we ended up not needing it, and this was during the summer.

I've been trying to find a resort map that will show where the I and II units are located, but I'm not having any luck. Wherever you are I'm sure you will have a great time.

So with this confirmation of KOC as "The Kona Coast Resort Interval Ownership," are we presuming I'll end up in the Phase I side of things? Not that it matters - I'm an "on the go" vacationer in Hawaii, and not so much of a "hang around the resort" kind of guy. But views and amenities are nice to have.

Dave

 

[Panina]

So with this confirmation of KOC as "The Kona Coast Resort Interval Ownership," are we presuming I'll end up in the Phase I side of things? Not that it maters - I'm an "on the go" vacationer in Hawaii, and not so much of a "hang around the resort" kind of guy. But views and amenities are nice to have.

Dave

Never plan on getting a view with a trade. Even if you know your room number prior, the resort has a right to change it per your II trade terms. They only have to fulfill the size. Some times you will luck out and get a great view other times you won’t.

 

[DaveNV]

Never plan on getting a view with a trade. Even if you know your room number prior, the resort has a right to change it per your II trade terms. They only have to fulfill the size. Some times you will luck out and get a great view other times you won’t.

Well, sure. I'm saying that if the resort has certain amenities or views, it'd be nice to enjoy those when I'm at the resort. The reason I rarely exchanged as a Weeks owner was because I liked the resorts I owned. It was very hard to beat this panoramic view from the lanai of my oceanfront unit on Kauai.

Dave

 

[Panina]

Well, sure. I'm saying that if the resort has certain amenities or views, it'd be nice to enjoy those when I'm at the resort. The reason I rarely exchanged as a Weeks owner was because I liked the resorts I owned. It was very hard to beat this panoramic view from the lanai of my oceanfront unit on Kauai.

Dave

View attachment 8883

So understand, I rarely trade my waterfront units.

 

[HudsHut]

Yes, you got Phase I. They were the original units, which were sold as private condominiums. They are very large. The furnishings are hard woods, pineapple motif. Base of glass dining table is huge wood carved in a pineapple style.
The top floor phase I units have vaulted ceilings, and some will have a distant ocean view. Phase I are nearer the entrance to the resort. Phase II are further from the entrance, thus, closer to the water. When we arrived, they offered us a choice of 2 or 3 units within Phase I.

It's been 3 or 4 years, but the only thing that looked "old" was the kitchen. It was plain white and very dated. Lots of storage (you can tell it was built for private use.) The whole week, we wondered which switch was for the garbage disposal. We finally stumbled upon it near the end of our stay. It was inside the cabinet under the sink.
Other than the kitchen area, the unit was lovely, and the grounds / landscaping are very well kept.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes, you got Phase I. They were the original units, which were sold as private condominiums. They are very large. The furnishings are hard woods, pineapple motif. Base of glass dining table is a huge wood carved in a pineapple style.
The top floor phase I units have vaulted ceilings, and some will have a distant ocean view. Phase I are nearer the entrance to the resort. Phase II are further from the entrance, thus, closer to the water. When we arrived, they offered us a choice of 2 or 3 units within Phase I.

It's been 3 or 4 years, but the only thing that looked "old" was the kitchen. It was plain white and very dated. Lots of storage (you can tell it was built for private use.) The whole week, we wondered which switch was for the garbage disposal. We finally stumbled upon near the end of our stay. It was inside the cabinet under the sink.
Other than the kitchen area, the unit was lovely, and the grounds / landscpaing are very well kept.

Thank you! This sounds like it'll be perfectly fine for us. We don't cook a lot of meals at the unit, so as long as the kitchen has decent appliances, the rest is just details. I appreciate the info.

Dave

 

[HudsHut]

Start a spreadsheet now that has
exchange #, date exchange was confirmed, Resort Name, 3 letter code, (whether it was during flexchange), date WM points were deducted, number of points, whether you used an HK or paid the housekeeping, etc.