Is it worth trading with Mexico or the Caribbean

[needtotravel]

Has anyone found it economically feasible to trade when you have to pay for all the food.

 

[VanX]

I’ve seen about 18 resorts in Mexico that are not mandatory all inclusive and those ones would be a good exchange but be sure to double check the “resort fees” and guest fees which can be astronomically high, even without getting fed or watered - Like Vidanta from what I’ve heard.

There are no real deals that I’ve seen by exchanging and then having to pay the mandatory AI and I’ve seen that booking through Expedia is often less expensive that exchanging into those ones and cokes with free cancellation.

Good luck.

 

[dioxide45]

In general, all-inclusive options in Interval International and RCI are bad deals. Most of these are the same resorts you can book through any online travel agent. Often the costs of AI fees when trading are the same if not more than if you just booked the resort online through another company like Vacation Express or Expedia.

 

[easyrider]

I haven't personally looked but some of our family members have been getting ai Mexico deals at Costco Travel. They usually go to the Hard Rock Resorts.

The mandatory ai does make exchanging into Mexico a bummer, imo. I'm not much of a restaurant afficionado because of msg and cheap oils used for flavor.

Bill

 

[Tacoma]

We trade into non all inclusive resorts to extend the one week we own in Mexico with another week in the same area. The airfare is the same for one week or two and we have breakfast and lunch mostly at the timeshare and then go out for dinner. So far we have combined our Buganvilias week in Puerto Vallarta with a week at Villa del Palmar Flamingoes in Nuevo Vallarta (walking distance to Bucerias) and a month ago had a week at the WM in San Jose del Cabo combined with a week at Vista Encantada closer to Cabo San Lucas. We have already got the Buganvilias/Flamingoes combination set up for this December. I like the 2 resort combination to change things up a bit. For me non AI is what works.

 

[CPNY]

Does anyone have any feedback on Sonesta St Martin? when looking into booking a SXM resort using an AC. This is the disclaimer I see before confirmation. I called the reservations line and was given the total price listed here whether its single or double occupancy. When booking via the hotel website, I chose the lower price room, it came out to 500 more than using the AC and paying the AI fee. Not so bad and could be something worth looking into.

MANDATORY ALL-INCLUSIVE FEES. Fees are payable to the resort and subject to change without notice. USD RATES PER WEEK, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY REQUIRED. MINIMUM STAY OF 7 NIGHTS REQUIRED. A 3-night deposit is required upon confirmation. The additional 4 nights are due to the resort at time of check-in. Deposit is fully refundable up until 14 days prior to arrival. Cancellations or no shows within 14 days of arrival, deposit is non-refundable. Rates are as follows: Aug 31 - Oct 25, 2024:USD $1,168. 00. Oct 26 - Dec 20, 2024: USD$1,367. 00. Dec 21 - 27,2024: USD $ 2,955.00. Jan 04 - Apr 25,2025: USD $ 2,195.00. Apr 26 - Aug 29,2025: USD $ 1,595.00. Aug 30 - Oct 31, 2025:USD $ 1,265.00. Nov 01 - Dec 19,2025: USD $ 1,685.00 Dec 28 - Jan 04,2025: USD $ 2,955.00. Children All-Inclusive fees: 0-5 years stay free; 6-12 years USD $385 per child, per week

 

[easyrider]

Moritts Tortuga resort on Grand Cayman wasn't ai through exchange years ago. I haven't checked recently.

I use the filters to only see non-ai resorts. SFX is usually non-ai resorts.

Bill

 

[Red elephant]

Moritts Tortuga resort on Grand Cayman wasn't ai through exchange years ago. I haven't checked recently.

I use the filters to only see non-ai resorts. SFX is usually non-ai resorts.

Bill

How do you filter to see non AI resorts?

 

[pierrepierre]

We do not mind paying for all inclusive....I do NOT go on holiday to do dishes, make food, go grocery shopping, etc. At Palace Resorts there are usually 4 different restaurants to pick from, depending on the size of the resort. At the Grand, Nizuc, Sunrise....you can make that about 20+ restaurants with a short walk or s short shuttle ride that if free. ...and if a sweet tooth, your options are 10++++ for the quality! And with an all inclusive, you know the price ahead of time.

 

[hurnik]

How do you filter to see non AI resorts?

SFX - you don't need to filter as all resorts with SFX are either NON-AI, or OPTIONAL AI.
RCI - there's a pulldown menu item/filter to select NO AI
Interval - there is no option to weed out the AI resorts, unfortunately.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

economically feasible to trade when you have to pay for all the food

So vague. you pay one way or another, but nope, I haven't been to an AI place since Jamaica in my 20s. Oh wait, Club Med in my mid-30s on a great deal when the stock mkt was on its back and the deals were there. They had a v good sit-down dinner that I got reservations at every night. That one was worth it.
The AIs I see on RCI are hilarious, not that I've found anything on RCI that made me pull a trigger while having a free RCI account for > 1 yr now.

Is there any way to get more transparency out of RCI?
I figured out how to see the "power" of the week I would deposit, but not how to see if that would get me anything I'd even consider to take in swap

 

[easyrider]

How do you filter to see non AI resorts?

You choose ai not required in the filter at the top of the page with rci.

Bill