Is it worth joining interval world

[kmsutra]

Newbie here. Just purchased a timeshare at Westin Lagunamar in Cancun. Received the paperwork and in it is a note stating that I can join Interval World. I went on their website to register and they want to charge me $395. Not sure what I get for that money. Before I sign up, wanted to check if it was worth joining it? Any recommendations?

 

[DeniseM]

Did you buy from the developer or on the resale market?

 

[kmsutra]

resale market

 

[DeniseM]

You can use your timeshare to exchange for other timeshares with II. Unless you want to trade right now, there is no reason to join right away, unless you want to trade your 2017 or 2018 week.

With II, you would have priority to trade for other Vistana timeshares, but no guarantees. Vistana primarily deposits off-season weeks for exchange, so it depends on where you want to go, how far in advence you can plan, and how flexible your dates are. The easiest times to get an exchange at most locations is the fall - and summer in the desert.

The best way to get an exchange in to put in an on-going search at least 12 mos. in advance - this is like wait listing.

There is a yearly fee to join, and a fee for each exchange which you have to pay when you put in the request.

 

[kmsutra]

thanks

 

[DeniseM]

You can also trade for non-Vistana timeshares, but since you have the Vistana to Vistana priority in II, you have far more trading power when you request other Vistana resorts.

 

[dioxide45]

II is good for things other than just trading through. If you are interested in looking at or booking getaways, you will need to sign up. You can sign up for a single year for $89 to try it out instead of investing in a multi year membership.

 

[jabberwocky]

Some of us who have purchased resale units have also received a free 2 year trial membership in II. We received this when we purchased our resale SDO. I won't use as it is an EOY and already booked for spring training next March and we have a corporate II account with our developer unit for booking a getaway. The gesture was nice. Unless you absolutely need to trade immediately I'd hold off and see if you get a free trial.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

How do interval trades work for Vistana? I read the sticky posts but am unclear about value. I remember reading somewhere that it was different from Hyatt.
With Hyatt I can deposit points that are left over , for example enough for a studio. The value is pretty good. With Vistana having a 2 bedroom LO would I be able to deposit SOs or
just the studio or 1 bedroom part. Could I deposit enough for 2 studios and have left over SOs. Sorry for all my multiple questions. Just trying to get a handle on all the ins and outs.
Thank you!

 

[DeniseM]

With Vistana, points/Staroptions are not involved in II trades. You deposit 1 unit for 1 week.

So with a 2 bdm. lock-off you can deposit the studio side, the 1 bdm. side, or the entire 2 bdm. You should deposit the size unit you want to trade for. For instance, to put in an ongoing search for a 2 bdm, you must deposit a 2 bdm.

 

[echino]

Does Vistana preference really exist in II? If yes, then how exactly does the preference work?

I believe the preference may not really exist because I read several posts on TUG that Vistana did bulk deposits in II (for example WKORVN) and the units were instantly available for everyone to grab, not just Vistana owners. If this is true, then buying SDO to trade using Vistana preference is not a good idea, since the same thing could be accomplished by buying a cheaper / lower MF non-Vistana timeshare, right?

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - the Vistana to Vistana priority is a published policy. But, implementation seems to be uneven.

Also - when the weeks are first deposited, they can only be reserved with ongoing searches placed by Vistana owners. They don't go online immediately - for 30 days, in theory. So, unless you got an exchange with your ongoing search, you would never know they were deposited, until they went online.

In July, I got an exchange for my SDO week for a Princeville with an ongoing search, and then later the deposit showed up on the Sightings forum.

Got my exchange - July 29th
Appeared on Sightings Forum - Aug. 21