Florida in January--Fifth Generation Thread

[JLB]

Florida, November 2007

I played around a little after my regular daily searches.

This morning there were 64 resorts available through Last Calls for November, 2007, in Florida. The normal suspects and also some very nice places.

Searching through Exchanges there were 100 resorts. Again, the normal suspects, plus more very nice places.

Absent: The Keys or anything on the beach in SW FL. The other areas were represented.

 

[JLB]

SW FL For The Next Two Years

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/rci-exchange-opportunities/48918-sw-fl-next-two-years.html

 

[JLB]

Sudden Surge

For the last couple of months, Resorts on the Beach for Jan, 2009, has been languishing in the upper 40's, hitting 50 once.

Suddenly it has jumped to 58, a 20% increase!

Mostly less desireable areas and resorts, but some good stuff, too.

 

[JLB]

It's time for my annual report on the leftovers, the last to be taken Resorts on the Beach for January (2008).

Today there are 27 available in the following areas:

NE: 20
SE: 5
Pan: 2

Not much of a surprise, except for maybe the SE, which is normally gone by now.

 

[JLB]

As if I have not scrutinized SW FL in January from every conceivable angle, here is another one.

For, January, 2009, now, at 14 months out, there are 3 resorts available. None are on the beach and all are lesser resorts.

A year ago, at 14 months out for Jan. 2008, there were 6-8 resorts.

Two years ago, at 14 months out for 2007, there were 7-9 resorts.

Three years ago, at 14 months out for 2006, there were 6-8 resorts.

 

[cancun dish]

My comments... Although season in Florida is Thanksgiving through Mid April the first two weeks of the year are a bit slower any where in RCI and you should see more availability as more people deposit and less people travel.

Why do we expect any weeks sitting available during this time frame? I would expect lehigh, charlotte resort and club and some others in southwest florida to be available but, would not expect Marco and others as they should in theory be qued (spelling) to those on a wait list.

I would encourage those who want these difficult areas to either choose from what is available or take the plunge for the unseen/unknown by entering an ongoing request. The end results might not be the same (trading power) but, at least you are in the game...

 

[JLB]

Hola! Como esta?

 

[JLB]

A rare occasion . . . today there is the same availability in SW FL for Jan '08 and '09. One resort each year . . . Lehigh.

Perhaps it is an eclipse, and '08 is blocking the view of '09!

 

[JLB]

Predictably, now in the last two months before use date, the settlefors for Resorts on the Beach for Jan., 2008, are being taken. A month ago the totals were in the 30's. This morning it was 16.

 

[JLB]

The 14-Day Window is Wide Open

Here's SW FL for next week check-in:

A Total of 9 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA: SOUTHWEST


including some really, really great stuff.

Here's hoping the window stays open another couple of weeks.

 

[JLB]

Today is the first day a 14-day window search is for next week, Christmas week.

The cupboard is bare.

 

[JLB]

Availability for SW FL in January continues to decline. Now it is not only the better resorts, but also the lesser resorts that are not available.

For January, 2009, the only resort available is Lehigh. This is the earliest the selection has been down to just Lehigh, the most available SW FL resort for January.

In past years at 13 months out I saw 10, 8, and 9 resorts available. Those searches had a start date of Jan. 1. I now use 12/27, to be able to see something, but even adding that week on the front has not helped.

Those in the know will say that this is as it should be, but it wasn't always this way. If this is as it should be, why was it not this way a year ago, or two, or three, or four, or five?

This is a serious decline, a signal that something's up.

 

[JLB]

Surge in Resorts on the Beach

12/16/07

Weekly maintenance produced a surge in Resorts on the Beach for Jan., 2008, beginning with 12/27.

Five days ago there were only 16 in all of Florida, but this morning there are 30. The beginning check-in date is now in the magical 14-day window.

The 30 include a SW FL settlefor that credible sources recommend.

Here are the better resorts/warmer areas:

http://www.timeshareforums.com/foru...january-plus-resorts-beach-14.html#post188816

 

[Neesie]

I deposited my Discovery Beach, week 1 2009 week a couple days ago. But I think it takes them a while to bank it. The folks at my resort usually reject it, based on the fact that they haven't billed me for my 2009 week until Nov. 08! But I over-pay last years fees plus 15% (someone give them a clue!) We do this every year.

 

[JLB]

We pay two years ahead, a requirement to deposit a future week.

In the past our resort has screwed up their accounting also. They claimed I had not paid ahead. I sent them my records back to 1992. For years since 2000 it included the emails involving the transactions, the credit card statements, and the deposits to RCI, all matched up.

In addition, they will not approve a deposit unless the fee has been paid, and they had approved them all.

They eventually conceded that it would take too much effort for them to do what I had done, to try to prove I had not paid.

When I paid this year, it came up again on one of the three weeks. When I offered to produce the same records again, they conceded.

I believe they and we both agree that we are paid up through 2009.

I deposited my Discovery Beach, week 1 2009 week a couple days ago. But I think it takes them a while to bank it. The folks at my resort usually reject it, based on the fact that they haven't billed me for my 2009 week until Nov. 08! But I over-pay last years fees plus 15% (someone give them a clue!) We do this every year.

 

[JLB]

Long range searches don't change much from day to day. Resorts on the Beach for Jan 2009 is around 60 and seldom changes by more than 1 or 2 resorts each day. In recent days it has been 60, 59, 58, 58, 58, 58, 59 and 59. Not many exchanges, realtively, are being booked a year or more out.

The 45-day window is more volatile. In recent days Resorts on the Beach for January 2008 has been 16, 19, 18, 21, 23, 30, 19 and 23. Almost all of what is coming and going is in the 14-day Window. A nice Sighting for 12/22 was reported Over There for earlier this morning, and it was gone by the time I looked a couple hours later.

Despite the efforts of RCI to get people to plan earlier, it appears that human nature is what it is. As dates get close, folks take action.

For those who are flexible, or for those who have confirmed an exchange at a lesser resort and would like to upgrade, the 14-day window can be beneficial.

 

[JLB]

Not Going to Extra Vacations

The way some have talked about RCI the last few years, about how they do just anything they want, you would think the logical thing, the easiest thing, would be for them to offer exchange deposits as Extra Vacations. If they disrespect their members so much, and are not concerned about repercussions, it would make sense to get $800 to $1200 for a deposit for which they would only get $164 as an exchange.

Since EVs are easy to search by location in the new search portal, one can fairly quickly see that EVs corroborate my study of availability, or lack thereof, during Snowbird Season. Except for Greenlink in Naples, which I don't consider to be a regular timeshare resort, there are no SW FL resorts (or other prime FL beach areas) available as an EV until April 5, and then few at that time.

Most availability as an EV is late summer and hurricane season, exactly when you would expect there to be excess inventory.

Or, as the conspiracy theorists would lead us to believe, RCI is just so crafty as to lead us to believe this is the case.

That said, all that I am saying is that the new search format offers no evidence of wrongdoing, but I still feel it is a conflict, too much of a temptation, for an exchange company to also be a rental agent.

It's wrong because it is inherently wrong, even if there is actually no wrong being done, if that is the case.

 

[JLB]

Today I confirmed that I am still seeing all there is to be seen:

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...tml#post189586 (Would Someone Please Search . . .)

 

[JLB]

14-Day Window

Stuff's appearing that hasn't been available for the last two years:

A Total of 6 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA: SOUTHWEST

There's been one or zero resorts for more than three months.

Resorts on the Beach for Jan, 2007, starting next week, also got a boost today, almost doubling. It had been 21 and 19 the last two days, then today it is 41!!!

Last night was weekly maintenance and then all this stuff was there this morning.

Makes you wonder where it's been, or where it's come from.

 

[JLB]

The 14-Day Window Comes Through

Merry Christmas!

This morning a 2-bedroom/2-bath gulffront resort down the street from the 1-bedroom/1 bath that we have for 1/5/08 became available. Since there are four of us, 2 couples, paying another $164 to switch to it is a no-brainer.

It being Christmas Day, I put it on Hold, since I will have to talk to a Guide to do the switch.

So, tomorrow, hopefully, our Windward Passage 1-bedroom for 1/5 should appear online.

 

[JLB]

Now that I have had a chance to look into it further, the switch will also improve the quality a little more than a full point, based on others' ratings of SW FL resorts. It will move us from the bottom of the mediocre SW FL resorts, to the top of the mediocres. There is still a gap between it and the better, HGVC Gold Crowns, but it is close to other upper-mediocre SW FL resorts that we have stayed at, and enjoyed.

It will move us from roughly 20 percentile to 60 percentile in the ratings department.

 

[MILOIOWA]

Congrats!

 

[JLB]

Now we have room for you and yours, on the sleeper sofa in the LR!
- - - - - -
All's well.

I could tell by the sound of his voice when he answered the phone that Mark at RCI was a veteran who could easily handle our switch.

He did.

He sounded genuinely apologetic that we would not get a refund of our last exchange fee and that there would be no grace period on the new exchange.

I went online and printed our new Confirmation.

I got my searcher back, healthy and robust, despite a 1-day diversion from its assigned task.

The only strange thing is that the exchange we gave back has not appeared online.

Congrats!

 

[JLB]

Not Too Late

This morning I checked to see if there is any hope for those who have not diligently searched Florida in January every day for the last two years, to see if they could still go there in the next 30 days, in the event they have a serious case of cabin fever.

The short answer is Yes. There are 67 resorts available to exchange into.

The long answer is that there are also 66 Extra Vacations and 44 Last Calls to Florida for January.

The longer answer is that, yes, some of the same resorts can be obtained by exchange, EV and LC (all three) at some time during the month and at three different prices.

 

[JLB]

Three days til departure, and still looking.

New stuff for both SW FL and Resorts on the Beach is still showing up in the 14-Day Window. One in SW FL and some ROTBs not in the NE or Panhandle.

Today is one of the rare days I can search for 3 years, '08, '09 and 0-10.