I let my RCI membership lapse
I know I’m in the minority here on TUG, but I like RCI.
I haven’t really tried to exchange much with it. But RCI has three strengths that keep me paying my RCI dues each year.
1. It has way more availability in NYC than any other timeshare exchange company out there. We really like NYC;
2. It tends to have more availability in the Pacific Northwest (which means places that are driving distance from Portland), albeit many of those places would probably not be considered an “equal” exchange for what I own; and most importantly,
3. It has tons, upon tons, of cheap “extra vacations” / “last call” deals in Florida and Arizona during the winter and spring.
My folks live in the Midwest, and like most Midwesterners, they must migrate to Florida and/or Scottsdale for a few weeks each year to escape the worst of the winter weather back home. RCI’s “extra vacations” are usually way cheaper and more readily available at these locations than anything I’ve seen as an II “getaway” or the like.
Using RCI, I can usually find ‘em a nice place with full kitchen, etc. in Orlando for a week or two, and then another week along one of Florida’s coasts for less than $100/day during peak tourist season. (So far, they have resisted the pressure to sit through any timeshare pitches, which is the biggest risk in all of this).
So all-in-all, even though both of my timeshares are in SVN, and I can also exchange both of them through II, I still consider RCI a valuable tool in my vacation planning arsenal.
I know your circumstances may differ, but just be aware that you need not give up an existing RCI WEEKS membership when you join SVN as a Vistana Resort Fountains owner, and there may be reasons other than exchanging down the road for keeping your RCI membership alive.
-nodge