Interval x-change for Cancun and Riviera Maya has become a waste of time

[chalucky]

Almost every resort has mandatory all-inclusive.....I think the Westin is the only on that I would consider that doesn't.
Shouldn't we be able to filter out "mandatory's" when searching? If I want to stay at an all-inclusive I can just book it directly...
offering it on II is a big waste of time. Other opinions?

 

[rpennisi]

Almost every resort has mandatory all-inclusive.....I think the Westin is the only on that I would consider that doesn't.
Shouldn't we be able to filter out "mandatory's" when searching? If I want to stay at an all-inclusive I can just book it directly...
offering it on II is a big waste of time. Other opinions?

One of the same reasons that I stopped using II. With RCI, you can exclude all inclusive mandatory from your searches.

 

[nomadio]

It's been like that for years. II has always been virtually useless for Cancun-Mayan Riviera.

 

[dioxide45]

It's been like that for years. II has always been virtually useless for Cancun-Mayan Riviera.

Does RCI have some non AI resorts in Cancun and Riviera Maya?

 

[dioxide45]

Now that the two voluntary AI Royal Resorts are no longer timeshare, there are really only the two Westin properties left. It would be nice to be able to exclude AI from a search with II but they want you to see them. They earn commission when you exchange for those or book them as a getaway.

 

[chalucky]

Now that the two voluntary AI Royal Resorts are no longer timeshare, there are really only the two Westin properties left. It would be nice to be able to exclude AI from a search with II but they want you to see them. They earn commission when you exchange for those or book them as a getaway.

I own a Royal Hacienda week which I believe allows me to opt out of their mandatory AI (been trading it for a few years and never tried it).
Do the other Royal resorts honor that option for Royal Hacienda owners tp opt out?

 

[chalucky]

I own a Royal Hacienda week which I believe allows me to opt out of their mandatory AI (been trading it for a few years and never tried it).
Do the other Royal resorts honor that option for Royal Hacienda owners tp opt out?

Also does anyone know What happens if I (Interval) trade back in for a larger unit? Will they honor the opt-out option?

 

[WorldT]

The only non-AI in Cancun are:
The two Westins
Villa Del Palmer
Royal Cancun
WIVC

Everything else shows up as AI required.

Also does anyone know What happens if I (Interval) trade back in for a larger unit? Will they honor the opt-out option?

 

[rpennisi]

Does RCI have some non AI resorts in Cancun and Riviera Maya?

All Vidanta Riviera Maya are non AI resorts.

 

[dioxide45]

All Vidanta Riviera Maya are non AI resorts.

True, but their new resort fee structure prices them like they are AI.

 

[ilene13]

Now that the two voluntary AI Royal Resorts are no longer timeshare, there are really only the two Westin properties left. It would be nice to be able to exclude AI from a search with II but they want you to see them. They earn commission when you exchange for those or book them as a getaway.

The Royal Resorts are still Timeshares, I am clueless where you got your information. I own 2 weeks at the Royal Sands ( in fact I just returned from there on Saturday) and 1 week at the Royal Haciendas. Unfortunately both of them have mandatory AI for exchangers. If you rent a week from an owner AI is NOT mandatory. AI is optional at the Royal Cancun.

 

[WorldT]

True, but their new resort fee structure prices them like they are AI.

I felt that way too, which is why I did not include it in the list.

 

[dioxide45]

The Royal Resorts are still Timeshares, I am clueless where you got your information. I own 2 weeks at the Royal Sands ( in fact I just returned from there on Saturday) and 1 week at the Royal Haciendas. Unfortunately both of them have mandatory AI for exchangers. If you rent a week from an owner AI is NOT mandatory. AI is optional at the Royal Cancun.

I am referring to Royal Islander and Royal Caribbean which I thought had optional AI, but perhaps they didn't have an AI option at all.

 

[jp10558]

I've always be flummoxed by people going for the AI at resorts, but apparently enough people go there that it works. The costs always seemed beyond exorbitant to me. Plus, do people really want to be locked into eating all meals at resort restaurants? I've seen enough reports that it's hit or miss that I certainly wouldn't want to be locked in for that reason either, even if I was willing to pay thousands a person in advance for food. I'm sure a big part of that is expected liquor, but most people I travel with don't drink Alcohol, and of those that do, they're not there to get smashed day drinking to make the cost make sense. Maybe if I was with a bunch of 21 year old frat boys or something it would pay out but I'm not.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

You had me at "Cancun ... a waste of time"
as for the All-In "experience" ... go figure. The only time we went to Cancun we did do AI. It was worth it, but only because the hi-end dining at that place was a shuttle-bus away, and the place attracted a young crowd who preferred hanging in the lobby bar and getting drunk. So, we made reservations for the hi-end every night, no problemo. (oh, and it was during a stock-crash, so we got a great deal on it all)
We also had the best piece of beach in Cancun as far as I could tell, so duplicate that trip and we might go back. Cancun overall? No thanks

 

[Beach57]

The only non-AI in Cancun are:
The two Westins
Villa Del Palmer
Royal Cancun
WIVC

Everything else shows up as AI required.

Garza Blanca is optional.

 

[WorldT]

Garza Blanca is optional.

Is Garza Blanca resort available as an exchange or getaway? I can't find it in II or RCI.

 

[holdaer]

Is Garza Blanca resort available as an exchange or getaway? I can't find it in II or RCI.

Garza Blanca Resort & Spa Cancun #DT91 (RCI)​

My account is showing no units available.

 

[Beach57]

RedWeek may have some, and you can negotiate the price.

 

[TravelJoy]

I've always be flummoxed by people going for the AI at resorts, but apparently enough people go there that it works. The costs always seemed beyond exorbitant to me. Plus, do people really want to be locked into eating all meals at resort restaurants? I've seen enough reports that it's hit or miss that I certainly wouldn't want to be locked in for that reason either, even if I was willing to pay thousands a person in advance for food. I'm sure a big part of that is expected liquor, but most people I travel with don't drink Alcohol, and of those that do, they're not there to get smashed day drinking to make the cost make sense. Maybe if I was with a bunch of 21 year old frat boys or something it would pay out but I'm not.

Even then no way can you break even on the alcohol, they will only give you the bottom of barrel liquor. Likewise it is a puzzle how these exist.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

it is a puzzle how these exist

while I tend to agree, to each his own. It would take extraordinary circumstances for me to buy it (most likely b/c the resort is in the middle of nowhere and I don't want to rent a car, and there is no other way to get good dinner reservations).
But, my brother & his wife just got back from Cabo and he said they bought the AI. He isn't loaded, doesn't drink heavily, etc. So, HUH??? But I don't bother asking why. Of course, they were in SJdC, not CSLucas, so they may have been far from restaurants. idk. BUt, people do ...

 

[dioxide45]

Some people prefer to buy a product that they know the full upfront cost ahead of time. No surprises and no worrying about going out to eat. We've gone on cruises with people who have bought the drink package. They just didn't want to worry about signing a slip every time they got a drink and what the final bill would be. Based on what we saw, they probably didn't drink enough to make the cost of the package worth while, but to each their own. For many people, perhaps it is their only vacation a year and they want to just relax and think about as little as possible.

We've only done an AI resorts once as a cruise ship excursion. It was rather lame as lunch was only in the buffet and then it was just hanging at the pool. It was in Jamaica and I wouldn't pay to do it again. That said, we booked one in Cancun for next year. Best of all though, it was free by using hotel points from timeshare tours. So the only real cost was our time sitting through the sales pitch.

 

[WorldT]

Garza Blanca Resort & Spa Cancun #DT91 (RCI)​

My account is showing no units available.

Strange, this is not listed in the resort directory in my RCI account. A search with the resort ID doesn't pull up anything either.
The Puerto Vallarta location is listed but not Cancun or Cabo locations.

 

[Arusso]

Almost every resort has mandatory all-inclusive.....I think the Westin is the only on that I would consider that doesn't.
Shouldn't we be able to filter out "mandatory's" when searching? If I want to stay at an all-inclusive I can just book it directly...
offering it on II is a big waste of time. Other opinions?

I had been going to Cancun-Riviera Maya area for decades (first trip driving by rental car from Mexico City in 1975). A few years ago I was able to exchange using my former DRI points to the Grand Luxxe at Riviera Maya, a Vidanta property. I will not comment on the Vidanta sales pitch as this is covered in other posts by many. However, I specifically sought a non-AI property because such does not make sense in my case. So, after checking in, I drove south a few km south to Playa del Carmen and got groceries for breakfast. The resort has plenty of eateries, bars and restaurants on site.

 

[Cyclone]

I've always be flummoxed by people going for the AI at resorts, but apparently enough people go there that it works. The costs always seemed beyond exorbitant to me. Plus, do people really want to be locked into eating all meals at resort restaurants? I've seen enough reports that it's hit or miss that I certainly wouldn't want to be locked in for that reason either, even if I was willing to pay thousands a person in advance for food. I'm sure a big part of that is expected liquor, but most people I travel with don't drink Alcohol, and of those that do, they're not there to get smashed day drinking to make the cost make sense. Maybe if I was with a bunch of 21 year old frat boys or something it would pay out but I'm not.

We've taken the AI in Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen because we're not going to take a taxi into downtown for every dinner. My home base in Cabo is AI optional, but doesn't allow any transactions such as a cup of coffee, a water bottle, or a single meal. That would leave us to walking next door to the neighboring resort, gaining nothing. Some resorts in these areas may be a $40 taxi to downtown. We also stayed at an AI optional in los Cabos. When you look at the menu prices for the cash payers, they are inflated so much that it is much better to just take the AI even if you go in town for dinner once n awhile. We're not big drinkers either. Even with kids age 12-18, they have to pay adult prices and have plenty of soft drinks. And no, I don't really want a rental car in Mexico as it brings other undesirable risks to the trip.