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Interval International

pkyorkbeach

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Just found out the Star Island TS that I have is a fixed week and I am NOT allowed to deposit it into RCI-which I joined in October. Star Island only allows II for a fixed week. If I want to deposit it must be with II. So that would be another membership fee. Is it worth it to be a member of both II and RCI. I have one TS deposited with RCI already. When reviewing II and RCI I only wanted to join one exhange company.

Does anyone know if II has a special for membership at this time?

Also, my week is June 9, II said they will not accept the week until 6-8 weeks after applying for membership. This seems like I would be cutting it close.

Thank you for any guidance.
 

SOS8260456

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Well, I like the benefits of having accesss to both companies. I have always liked the quality of the resorts that II has over RCI. But there are just some resorts that I can only get through RCI. Star Island is a very unique property with many different sections and each section has different resort affiliations and rules.

One benefit with II is that you can do instant searches with your unit without having to deposit it first, so you can see what you can get before giving up your unit. You cannot do an ongoing search unless you deposit your week. So you can try it for a year and see if you like it.

If it doesn't work for you, then this may be a case where you need to redefine your timeshare "portfoilio".
 

e.bram

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Problem with a 1 yr membership is that you only look ahead to the expiration date of your membership.
After 6 mos that doesn't leave you much.
 

theo

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It's the resort affiliation, not the "fixed week" that is at issue here...

Just found out the Star Island TS that I have is a fixed week and I am NOT allowed to deposit it into RCI-which I joined in October. Star Island only allows II for a fixed week. If I want to deposit it must be with II. So that would be another membership fee. Is it worth it to be a member of both II and RCI. I have one TS deposited with RCI already. When reviewing II and RCI I only wanted to join one exchange company.

It's not the "fixed week" that's an issue, but the resort affiliation with only II as an exchange company.
In looking at the II and RCI directories, it appears that Star Island is indeed affiliated only with II.
Star Island does not appear in the RCI directory at all, but is listed in the II directory. II independently confirms all ownerships you claim in the application process, so it's no surprise that there is a "time lag" between application and first opportunity to "deposit" your week.

P.S. You can also use independent exchange companies (such as DAE, TPI, Platinum Interchange, etc.) since the "independents" don't care about II and /or RCI affiliation. Given your very narrow time frame remaining for depositing this June 2012 week, maybe that too is an option for you to possibly consider...

P.P.S. II allows (...unlike RCI) "search first" for exchanges, as already mentioned by someone above; a good thing. Then again, I am not at all an objective voice on this topic --- I admittedly and openly despise RCI.
 
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MichaelColey

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I exchange a LOT (about 15-20 weeks a year), and find it marginally useful to be in RCI Weeks, RCI Points and II. With even 3-4 weeks, I have a hard time seeing how multiple exchange companies could be cost effective.

I would suggest researching the exchange companies and figuring out which one would work best for you, then sticking with that one until it looks like it won't work for you any more.
 

SOS8260456

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Star Island does not appear in the RCI directory at all, but is listed in the II directory.

Like I said before, Star Island is one of those unique resorts that has many DIFFERENT sections. At some point in their history (and from what I understand, they have a very interesting history) they were affiliated with RCI and those owners who purchased during that period of time were associated with RCI and continue to be allowed to be associated with RCI. There are a limited number, but they do exist. I have also seen this unique type of situation posted for a small number of other resorts on TUG. I don't understand why this happens or what exactly is written in the bylaws to allow it, but it does happen. I know from personal experience regarding Star Island.

Each timeshare owner needs to determine on their own the cost effectiveness of belonging to various exchange companies. I am fortunate to have free access to both RCI and II through my Wyndham ownership (and before I get comments about Wyndham and RCI - yes, you CAN have a Wyndham ownership that trades through II, it is unique and not the norm, but they are out there).

Michael, if all of your trades are done mostly through the same exchange company, then, of course, there may not be a benefit to belonging to more than one in your case.

The OP now has to determine how to make his Star Island timeshare purchase work for him. If he bought it only to trade and not to use personally, then he has to decide on if it is worth it to keep or not.
 

MichaelColey

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Michael, if all of your trades are done mostly through the same exchange company, then, of course, there may not be a benefit to belonging to more than one in your case.
I'm certainly open to exchanging through other companies, but so far I find what I'm looking for much easier to RCI Weeks. It's not for a lack of trying.

My only point was that if you spread yourself too thin (and I think the OP only has three timeshares), it's hard to effectively use more than one exchange company.
 

SOS8260456

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Just found out the Star Island TS that I have is a fixed week and I am NOT allowed to deposit it into RCI-which I joined in October. Star Island only allows II for a fixed week. If I want to deposit it must be with II. So that would be another membership fee. Is it worth it to be a member of both II and RCI. I have one TS deposited with RCI already. When reviewing II and RCI I only wanted to join one exhange company.

Does anyone know if II has a special for membership at this time?

Also, my week is June 9, II said they will not accept the week until 6-8 weeks after applying for membership. This seems like I would be cutting it close.

Thank you for any guidance.

Just curious....why didn't you know what it was before you acquired the unit? The only reason I am asking is because we had a weird experience a long time ago when we were actually going to purchase a Star Island unit because it traded with II only to find out that this particular unit would only ever trade with RCI. We found out before we purchased it that it would not meet our needs. It was also only a fluke that we found out because we assumed it would only trade with II. But you know what they say about assuming things. At the time, we felt that the trading company was soooooo obvious that it was something we didn't question.

Anyway, after rereading the thread, I realized that none of us really answered your questions.

There were recently some threads about 2 years for the price of one and 3 years for the price of one. Not sure if these were target specific or if they have expired.

ALso, I have never heard of it taking weeks before being able to deposit a week. It will take a few days for II to confirm your ownership, once that is done, you can start searching with the unit. If you decide to deposit the unit, then it takes a couple of days to confirm that your fees are all paid and that the deposit is valid. Also, if you find something when you are searching BEFORE you actually deposit. You can reserve it, but it won't be officially confirmed until II confirms that it was booked with a valid deposit.

If you originally felt that you liked what RCI had to offer better than II, and you don't want to plan on using the unit, then you might want to consider removing it from your timeshare "portfolio". That word sounds so complicated, but that is what I truly believe we all have and it is definately an evolving process.

One last thing though, you may regret not knowing what your experience with II could be. Some people swear by II, some people swear by RCI, others swear by DAE, SFX, etc. But it all comes down to each individual. Personally we hated trading overall and that it why the bulk of our "portfolio" is in a mini system which some people swear by and other hate. But there are some things we can only get through exchanging, so it is a necessary evil. Only you know what your timeshare goals are.

Good Luck!
 

pkyorkbeach

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Thank you for your in put..

When considering Star Island I thought I recall calling Star Island to ask which exhange company they were affiliated with I thought they told me there was was affiliation with RCI and II. But now as they clarify my fixed week is not able to change into RCI. RCI does recognize Star Island it is listed in my RCI account for possible deposit. The Star Island TS that I have is a double unit. My entire family is not able to go this year that is the only reason I need to deposit or rent one side of it.


As the years go by I am learning more and more about TS's. Guess I have some thinking to do....
 

jhac007

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Ko Olina BC, Waioha BC, Crystal Shores (2 Gold), Kierland (Gold Plus), Ocean Pointe, Eagle's Nest, Vistana BC, Villas at Doral, Mizner Place, Windward Pointe, Star Island
Just found out the Star Island TS that I have is a fixed week and I am NOT allowed to deposit it into RCI-which I joined in October. Star Island only allows II for a fixed week. If I want to deposit it must be with II. So that would be another membership fee. Is it worth it to be a member of both II and RCI. I have one TS deposited with RCI already. When reviewing II and RCI I only wanted to join one exhange company.

Does anyone know if II has a special for membership at this time?

Also, my week is June 9, II said they will not accept the week until 6-8 weeks after applying for membership. This seems like I would be cutting it close.

Thank you for any guidance.


My thoughts on this (being a Star Island owner) are....it depends on what you plan to do do in the future years and there is a special on membership but it was targeted for certain resorts. One thing the Star Island should do for you is to trade into some Marriotts and that is worth something especially if you have a lock off unit. That is the main reason I am a Marriott owner today is because I was able to visit (get a taste of) the Marriotts here and there with the SI. This does not mean you can get one any time you wish but it does come up as an option as other locations like the Carribbean, Hawaii etc. So, as I mostly agree with the other comments my main point is if you are going to keep the SI then II is a good bet to give you a lot of options over some of the others!

Jim
 
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