New To The RCI Weeks Game Help [Palace Resorts]

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Hello I have just purchased 2 weeks to be deposited in my account for travel Oct. thru Dec. of 2014 . Can anyone tell me with an RCI weeks account will Hawaii or Aruba be tough to get? I really hate the pay me 500 dollars for this box and then you can see what's inside of it. And does anyone have any tips for the weeks game? Thanks in advance for the info!!!

 

[DaveNV]

I'm not sure what you're describing. Is this some kind of special travel club? Normally, if you own a timeshare week that is deposited to your RCI Weeks account, you have three years to use it, not three months. And the "pay me $500 and you can see inside the box" must be a metaphor?

Can you explain a bit more in detail? There are plenty of folks here willing to help, but we need to understand what it is you're asking for.

Dave

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

I'm not sure what you're describing. Is this some kind of special travel club? Normally, if you own a timeshare week that is deposited to your RCI Weeks account, you have three years to use it, not three months. And the "pay me $500 and you can see inside the box" must be a metaphor?

Can you explain a bit more in detail? There are plenty of folks here willing to help, but we need to understand what it is you're asking for.

Dave

Yes I understand that you have 2 years in my case to use your deposits my question is though if people who own weeks transfers think I will have any problems getting into a unit for a couple of weeks 10 to 12 nonths out in Hawaii or Aruba. We are looking to go to Aruba or Hawaii in Oct.- Dec. of 2014 and I was curious if anyone had used the system to book into thease places 9 to 12 months out if they had any trouble finding inventory to book.
And the $500 to look in the box is a jab at RCI. I find it awfully stupid to ask somebody to pay $500 dollars just to view inventory they may not have in an area you may not want. Wouldn't it make sense to purchase a transfer week to obtain a week if there was someplace you wanted to stay Instead RCI say's purchase your transfer and the we'll let you see the goodies in the box. Basically I've paid to shop before I've shopped. I'm used to checking out and paying after I found what I needed not before.

 

[rapmarks]

if you have already deposited your two weeks, you have not only "paid to shop" but you won't get your weeks back. I believe you will find availability in Hawaii .

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

if you have already deposited your two weeks, you have not only "paid to shop" but you won't get your weeks back. I believe you will find availability in Hawaii .

Is Aruba a Tough Get? Also I'm not sure what you mean by I won't get my weeks back. Also please tell me these are decent resorts and accommodations!!

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks for explaining. I can't speak to Aruba, because i've never tried to exchange there. Hawaii "can" be tough, depending on what you're trying to get.

The thing about Hawaii is the many levels of resorts, and availability on the different islands. There are many more timeshares on Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island, than there are on Oahu, so your odds are better on those other islands. Unit size, resort amenities, and such, will make a big difference of whether something is readily available. Generally speaking, there will likely be "something" available a year out, but it depends on what you need, and what you'll accept. The fancier exchanges, in high-demand resorts, are usually obtained internally, or through Ongoing Searches.

If you are already an RCI member with a weeks account, you can check now to see what is currently available for October to December 2014. Since it's all TPU based, if you know what your deposits will bring, you can figure out whether you'll be likely to see what you want after your deposits are made. And obviously, since the TPU value goes down after passing the 9-month mark, you'll want to plan as far ahead as possible.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[rapmarks]

rci has lots of very nice resorts start looking around on their web site. once you deposited a week with them, it is theirs, you have two years from check in month to make an exchange.

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Thanks for explaining. I can't speak to Aruba, because i've never tried to exchange there. Hawaii "can" be tough, depending on what you're trying to get.

The thing about Hawaii is the many levels of resorts, and availability on the different islands. There are many more timeshares on Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island, than there are on Oahu, so your odds are better on those other islands. Unit size, resort amenities, and such, will make a big difference of whether something is readily available. Generally speaking, there will likely be "something" available a year out, but it depends on what you need, and what you'll accept. The fancier exchanges, in high-demand resorts, are usually obtained internally, or through Ongoing Searches.

If you are already an RCI member with a weeks account, you can check now to see what is currently available for October to December 2014. Since it's all TPU based, if you know what your deposits will bring, you can figure out whether you'll be likely to see what you want after your deposits are made. And obviously, since the TPU value goes down after passing the 9-month mark, you'll want to plan as far ahead as possible.

Good luck!

Dave

Ok So I pay for a membership so that they can be grabbed internally..Wow glad I'm paying for them to have a good time as I may not get what I want.

 

[tschwa2]

Right now there is a hotel unit at a mandatory all inclusive in Aruba for the months you want.

There are 14 resorts in Hawaii in Oct 2014 with 108 different units and 5 resorts with 39 units for Nov 2014.


There are several resort exchange companies that don't charge to look and may even have lower fees. Check them out.

 

[ronparise]

Ok So I pay for a membership so that they can be grabbed internally..Wow glad I'm paying for them to have a good time as I may not get what I want.

I never quite thought of it that way.

The way I see it, is, I deposit a week because I dont want it. Whats the problem if someone else does?... And with a little luck I might find something I do want. but there are no guarantees.

 

[DeniseM]

When you only look at the RCI online inventory, you are only seeing the LEFTOVERS.

Your best bet is to put in a broad ON-GOING request for many resorts and dates. An on-going request is like "wait listing." RCI fills all on-going requests FIRST, before any inventory goes online, and that's why the online inventory is the leftovers.

The other critical piece is how many TPU (trading power units) your timeshares are worth in RCI. If you log onto your RCI Acct. the TPU will be listed in your Acct. Using TPU is just like using dollars - if a trade requires 35 TPU and you only have 34 TPU - you can't make the trade.

You can pre-screen the resorts that you select, by using the TUG Ratings and Reviews. They are grouped regionally, and by exchange company, so it's easy to see what the top resorts are for RCI.

The Ratings and Reviews are listed under TUG RESORT DATABASES at the top of the page, and you must join TUG ($15) to access them. They are a fantastic resources for finding the right resorts for your on-going requests.

 

[DaveNV]

Ok So I pay for a membership so that they can be grabbed internally..Wow glad I'm paying for them to have a good time as I may not get what I want.

That is the reality you're facing when dealing with them. RCI is not your friend, and it can be difficult with them to get the exchanges you think you should be able to get. What you see in the open exchange inventory is the leftovers, after the prime exchanges are given to others.

Using their Ongoing Search model is a better way to get a nice exchange, but it is a cash cow for RCI, (like just about everything else they do), and you may still have to pay even more extra fees once the exchange is made. They routinely assess extra charges at the resort during your stay that other exchange companies do not assess. (Case in point: RCI exchangers to the Manhattan Club in NYC pay a $30 PER DAY fee that non-RCI exchangers do not have to pay. If you agree to take the high-pressure sales pitch, the mandatory fee is magically waived.)

I have moved to using the alternate exchange companies for my exchanges. I don't give RCI my weeks any longer, and when my membership with RCI expires I will not be renewing it.

The new mantra for timesharing is to "own where you want to vacation." I own two timeshares, both in Hawaii. If I don't stay at my owned resorts I can exchange them through one of the alternate companies to get the exchanges I want. And that means I have the pleasure of not directly giving RCI any more of my money. It's not a perfect science, but it works for me.

Dave

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Ok so from this I can take there are other companies that I can use my exchange with. Can somebody recommend some to me?

Am I able to buy trip insurance to get my weeks back if something were to happen medically or the weather goes to poo? (hurricane, Typhoon etc.)

And I have the ability to reject a filled search if I don't like what they fill it with is that correct?

 

[DeniseM]

If you have already deposited your week(s), you probably can't get them back. You cannot deposit the same week, with different exchange companies, at the same time.

Yes - you can reject any timeshare exchange that you don't want, but a much better alternative is to ONLY request the dates and resorts that you DO want.

For Hawaii, I'd use Hawaii Timeshare Exchange - www.htse.net, as an alternative to RCI.

RCI and Interval International (II) are the two big dogs in the exchange company business - no one else comes close to their inventory.

The other small exchange companies will not have nearly the Hawaii and Aruba inventory the RCI does, because the top resorts are exclusively affiliated with RCI or Interval International, and they don't make deposits to the small exchange companies.

Timeshare travel insurance: http://www.vacationguard.com/

Yearly coverage for all timeshare trips, instead of per-trip coverage.

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

If you have already deposited your week(s), you probably can't get them back. You cannot deposit the same week, with different exchange companies, at the same time.

Yes - you can reject any timeshare exchange that you don't want, but a much better alternative is to ONLY request the dates and resorts that you DO want.

For Hawaii, I'd use Hawaii Timeshare Exchange - www.htse.net, as an alternative to RCI.

RCI and Interval International (II) are the two big dogs in the exchange company business - no one else comes close to their inventory.

The other small exchange companies will not have nearly the Hawaii and Aruba inventory the RCI does, because the top resorts are exclusively affiliated with RCI or Interval International, and they don't make deposits to the small exchange companies.

Timeshare travel insurance: http://www.vacationguard.com/

Yearly coverage for all timeshare trips, instead of per-trip coverage.

Luv ya Denise Thanks For The Info!!!!!
In fact Thanks everyone.

One of the problems I've had Denise is they say that I can't see all resort inventory until I deposit

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Right now there is a hotel unit at a mandatory all inclusive in Aruba for the months you want.

There are 14 resorts in Hawaii in Oct 2014 with 108 different units and 5 resorts with 39 units for Nov 2014.


There are several resort exchange companies that don't charge to look and may even have lower fees. Check them out.

Thank You.... So I can't stay at the all inclusive without buying the food package? I would stay there but I don't want the all inclusive part(blah) Only in Messico do I do AI's.

 

[DeniseM]

Luv ya Denise Thanks For The Info!!!!!
In fact Thanks everyone.

One of the problems I've had Denise is they say that I can't see all resort inventory until I deposit

If you review my post above, you will see that NO ONE can see all the inventory, because the best exchanges are all done behind the scenes with on-going requests. The bests deposits never make it to the online inventory - which is the leftovers.

Exchanging is more like betting the horses, than making a hotel reservation:

You do your research to figure out which resort/horse you want, put down your bet (exchange) and hope your horse wins. There are no guarantees with exchanges - period.

 

[DeniseM]

Thank You.... So I can't stay at the all inclusive without buying the food package? I would stay there but I don't want the all inclusive part(blah) Only in Messico do I do AI's.

No - if it's mandatory AI - that is an additional charge.

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Ok How far out can you run a search? And can you run multiple searches?

Also can I accept a find in the querry I run on resorts and then deposit weeks after that to cover it?

 

[DeniseM]

Ok How far out can you run a search? And can you run multiple searches?

Also can I accept a find in the querry I run on resorts and then deposit weeks after that to cover it?

You have to pay the exchange fee to put in the on-going request, so you want to put multiple requests in one On-Going Request.

No, you have to have a deposit in place, before you can put in an On-Going request.

 

[DaveNV]

Ok How far out can you run a search? And can you run multiple searches?

Also can I accept a find in the querry I run on resorts and then deposit weeks after that to cover it?

Ongoing Searches in RCI can be done for up to 24 months before the check-in date.

You have to deposit first. That is how RCI gets your deposit to give to someone else. You also need to have enough TPU on deposit to accept the search if a match is returned.

You may want to spend some time exploring the RCI website. They have online tools in place that will teach you how their system works.

Dave

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

You have to pay the exchange fee to put in the on-going request, so you want to put multiple requests in one On-Going Request.

No, you have to have a deposit in place, before you can put in an On-Going request.

So I have a request in and what I want to do is cover all the resorts I would like to stay at Hawaii Aruba etc. all in one swoop because they limit me to a 10 week time frame in my search. Can I do a multiple search like this in different times over the 2 year period?

 

[PalaceEliteNutt4654]

Ongoing Searches in RCI can be done for up to 24 months before the check-in date.

You have to deposit first. That is how RCI gets your deposit to give to someone else. You also need to have enough TPU on deposit to accept the search if a match is returned.

You may want to spend some time exploring the RCI website. They have online tools in place that will teach you how their system works.

Dave

I have looked at it nothing there is real forthcoming that is for sure when it comes to info half the links don't work. I think for a one week deposit I get 18 TPU which I hear is pretty good That's kinda why I'm here asking questions!!!!

 

[Passepartout]

So I have a request in and what I want to do is cover all the resorts I would like to stay at Hawaii Aruba etc. all in one swoop because they limit me to a 10 week time frame in my search. Can I do a multiple search like this in different times over the 2 year period?

If you have multiple resort weeks to deposit, you can blanket a bazillion resorts, but it's 1 week's deposit=1 week's request. You can't deposit 1 week then request a dozen resort weeks to choose one from.

Perhaps what might help you out with the choosing would be to actually JOIN TUG. It's $15/yr and gives you access to the members only section with thousands of resort reviews.

Jim

 

[DeniseM]

Hi Jim - Maybe it's just the semantics, but you can "request" many resorts/dates with one deposit - but ultimately, you will only get "one" match, from one deposit.

Is that what you are saying?