RCI Getaway/last call vacations

[timesharer]

Many TUG members are saying they renew RCI membership for the RCI Getaway/last call vacations.

How much does Getaway/last call vacations cost? Are they at the very undesirable resorts or season?

Would you please post the Getaway/Last Minute week you got? (cost, resort, week, booking day from the checking day, ...etc.)

Thank you so much!

 

[AwayWeGo]

For January 2022, via various RCI bargain reservations, we booked three -- 3 -- consecutive weeks in nice 2BR timeshare luxury resort condos in Florida & South Carolina for an all-in cost of right about $1,000. That includes a pro-rata share of our ongoing costs for RCI & RCI Platinum membership plus maintenance fees at our triennial points timeshare.

For January 2023, we're hanging tough while checking RCI daily for suitable bargains. Past success does not guarantee future results, but with just a few weeks to go we remain optimistic.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[elaine]

2BR Greensprings in Wllmbg for Grand Illuminations in Dec 2022. Getaway $359, waited for last call at $279. Have also used for Greensprings spring 2021.

 

[noreenkate]

Last calls have come in really handy for my family- and we will be keeping RCI platnium specifically for those- I had adopted a dual enrolled trader that we are dropping in II for trades...since we enrolled it March of last year my youngest has used it 3x since August-

He travels for work and when we can find a location close to where he needs to be he gets a full week for less than the cost of some hotels for the night- plus minimum kitenette and usually access to a washer and dryer....

His last trip was for a 2brd at Holiday Inn Club Vacations Fox River Resort for 2 weeks -

Each week was a just under $350 total exchange and guest certs. We booked and he split the cost of the room, groceries and carpooled with other guys from his union hall...

My only regret is that I didn't buy him the 5 year guest cert/pass thing immediately- it would have paid for itself already...

 

[bnoble]

Are they at the very undesirable resorts or season?

Many of them are, of course. But certainly not all of them.

One exception: locations that are sometimes referred to as "overbuilt"--places with lots and lots of timeshares, but maybe less demand than supply. There are some very nice opportunities at such places at some very nice times of year. Two have been mentioned already: Orlando and Williamsburg. There are a few others (Vegas, the Blue Ridge mountains in VA, etc.)

Another exception: Just because a season isn't popular, doesn't mean it is undesirable. September is an awfully nice place for the northern half of the country, even though most families can't travel then. Likewise for January and the southern reaches.

And finally, you can sometimes grab diamonds-in-the-rough. I had one a few years back. The last week or so of prime-season, 30 minutes from the west entrance to Rocky Mountain NP. The resort was "colorful," but perfectly sufficient for a middle-aged guy wanting to do some mountain hiking and kayaking.

Are you going to get New Year's Even in Las Vegas or Christmas in Orlando for $300? Are you going to get a 2BR in a fancy-shmancy brand-name place for $250 any time of year? Probably not. That doesn't mean it doesn't work.

 

[CO skier]

One exception: locations that are sometimes referred to as "overbuilt"--places with lots and lots of timeshares, but maybe less demand than supply. There are some very nice opportunities at such places at some very nice times of year. Two have been mentioned already: Orlando and Williamsburg. There are a few others (Vegas, the Blue Ridge mountains in VA, etc.)

I was about to post the same point.

There are currently 15 resorts with availability in the Las Vegas area. Choices range from high rise hotel near the action to more "peaceful" resorts. Some examples:

 

[timesharer]

2BR Greensprings in Wllmbg for Grand Illuminations in Dec 2022. Getaway $359, waited for last call at $279. Have also used for Greensprings spring 2021.

What is the difference between Getaway and last call? Do you need to use your deposit points/week or to have the RCI Platinum membership for the last call vacation?

Thanks!

 

[tschwa2]

Both are rentals. Last calls are only within 45 days and also available as an exchange with a trading power around 8tpu's or lower. Last calls are usually less than extra vacations except when extra vacations are having a sale. They are available for regular and platinum rci members. No points or tpu's are required.

 

[Jan M.]

How well a person can utilize what they find in Last Call Weeks is dependent on several factors.






1. How flexible are you in being able to take time off? Are you tied to a school and/or sports/activity schedule that severely limits when you can go? Do you consistently need to plan more than 45 days out? If these apply to you then Last Call Weeks may not be a great option for you. Unless...







2. Unless... you're always up for a trip to Orlando, Las Vegas, Williamsburg, Branson, etc. Don't forget those places like Myrtle Beach or the Panhandle area of Florida before June when the high demand starts and after August when the high demand has passed and the weather is still beautiful.







Hint: Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the typical LCW inventory. For a few weeks mark your calendar to remind yourself to check on the days that are 45 days out from the Friday, Saturday and Sunday check in dates. Don't make assumptions about what you're seeing. You could be looking at a bad time so wait a couple of weeks and try again. As someone pointed out you're not likely to find much Christmas/New Year's week.







3. Do you live close enough to be within 3-8 hours driving distance to any of the locations typically available in LCW? Or close to a major airport that you're able to find cheap flights to any of those locations?







4. If you can use one bedroom units LCW are going to work really, really well for you. You can find some two bedroom units just don't expect to find three bedroom units.







5. How adventurous or picky are you? Do you have normal "must haves"? Things like beaches, hiking, decent pools, amusement parks, shopping (not my thing lol) are all reasonable "must haves".







6. Are you willing to take the time to see what you can find out about a resort? You can cancel a reservation up until 11:59pm ET of the following day and get your money back. That gives you time to read reviews, call the resort to ask questions, ask on TUG and Facebook about the resort.

Hint: Keep in mind when you read reviews that you'll frequently see negative reviews from people who didn't know they were booking a timeshare resort and thought they were staying in a hotel. They expected to have daily maid service, fresh towels every day, room service, several restaurants on site, etc.







You'll also see reviews with people freaking out about "giant cockroaches", palmetto bugs, at resorts in southern states. Palmetto bugs are a fact of life in the southern states but they do freak you out when first encounter them. We've lived in Florida for 11 years and I've adjusted but still not happy to see one see when I turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night. They seem to be drawn to water and we've never had them get into any foodstuffs unlike the tiny pale ants people call sugar ants. Flip-flops are great for whacking palmetto bugs and easily rinsed off afterwards. Yes it's gross, lol.







You're going to see reviews about dirty units. For some of the reviews I truly have to question why some people even travel if they're that phobic! I give a lot of credit to the people who know themselves and come prepared with their cleaning supplies or stop to buy them on the way in from the airport. Yes, a strand of hair will sometimes get missed when they clean. Yes, a Cheerio or a chip might be under the sofa or under the cushions. Yes sometimes the bag of dirty linens gets left behind in the entryway. Just put it outside the door! Or the bag of trash gets left outside the door to be picked up later. Those things don't mean the unit is filthy! Were there dirty dishes in the sink, the beds hadn't been changed, the bathroom hadn't been touched which indicates the unit hadn't been cleaned yet? If so I'd be calling the front desk to say we'd be right down as the unit hadn't been cleaned yet. If we really liked the location of the unit and there wasn't anything ready equal to it I'd offer to wait for the cleaning crew to come to be able to keep that unit.

We travel a lot so I'm going to be honest and say that in the past few years the tile floors in our units are all too often not really clean. Housekeeping doesn't change the water or rinse the mop as much as they should to do a better job. When the floors are really clean we make it a point to speak to the resort manager and compliment the cleaning staff.

 

[luckee37]

[REMOVED: This kind of request is not permitted on TUG. RCI and Interval do not permit any of their products to be rented.]

 

[AwayWeGo]

For January 2023, we're hanging tough while checking RCI daily for suitable bargains. Past success does not guarantee future results, but with just a few weeks to go we remain optimistic.

For January 2023, Last Call did not come through. Likewise, Bonus Weeks & Extra Vacation Getaways were unsuccessful.

We hung tough anyway until eventually we got two -- 2 -- nice RCI 2BR reservations via 7-Night Exchanges Under 10,000 Points.

We check in Jan. 14 At Club Wyndham Star Island, Kissimmee FL.

On Jan. 20, we move over to WorldMark Orlando Kingstown Reef, Orlando FL.

As RCI Platinum members, we put in upgrade requests for 3BR units at both timeshares. If those come through, great. If not, no problem -- we'll still have room for ourselves plus 2 granddaughters & 2 friends.

In our experience, the timeshares available as Bonus Weeks are the same as what we can get via Last Call, except that the Bonus Weeks are about $50 cheaper. Also, there's a 10% platinum discount for Last Call reservations, but no discount for Bonus Weeks. Extra Vacation Getaways also get Platinum discounts.

So far, so good.

BTW, if you'll be in the Orlando-Kissimmee area on Jan. 18, 2023, be sure to amble over to the Golden Corral (8707 Vineland Avenue, Orlando FL 32821)
about 3PM for another all-you-can eat TUG get-together. Click here for details.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​