RCI questions before signing up

[andy25g]

Ok, I hope this isn't to long but have a few questions before I consider signing up with RCI. I own a 1 bedroom EOY at Grand pacific palisades and a 2 bedroom EOY at Carlsbad Seapoint. I have floating weeks at both locations, I think I can choose from weeks 1-25 and 36-52.

My questions are the following

1. What kind of trade value can I expect to get from my weeks, I guess TPU's

2. Can I deposit the week I want with RCI? Or does RCI contact GPR and pick out a week for me

3 lastly, my favorite travel spots are Maui, Lake Tahoe and Mexico, specifically Cabo but I am interested in the Puerto Vallarta area in the future. Does RCI have a lot of selection in these are particular areas?

Thanks, Andy

 

[geekette]

most of your request I cannot help with due to unfamiliarity with your resort, but on the question of What does RCI have in these areas? I believe that you can go to RCI.com and access their resort directory.

 

[rhonda]

andy25g -

Are you also considering using Grand Pacific Resort's internal exchange program, GPX? It seems GPX has options in each of your target destinations.

As for trading with RCI, the GPR Owner Services pages concerning Exchange Options states the following for both GPP and Seapointe: Float owners need to contact their home resort directly to obtain a week assignment before contacting RCI.

RCI Weeks assigns a wide range of Trade Power Units based on the specific week and unit size. Assume most weeks will run 20's and low 30's for the 1BR. Right now, the RCI Deposit Calculator shows 31 TPU for a GPP 1BR week 24 in 2014 while a similar 1BR in week 6 is offered only 20 TPU.

Hope this helps!

 

[presley]

Ok, I hope this isn't to long but have a few questions before I consider signing up with RCI. I own a 1 bedroom EOY at Grand pacific palisades and a 2 bedroom EOY at Carlsbad Seapoint. I have floating weeks at both locations, I think I can choose from weeks 1-25 and 36-52.

My questions are the following

1. What kind of trade value can I expect to get from my weeks, I guess TPU's

2. Can I deposit the week I want with RCI? Or does RCI contact GPR and pick out a week for me

3 lastly, my favorite travel spots are Maui, Lake Tahoe and Mexico, specifically Cabo but I am interested in the Puerto Vallarta area in the future. Does RCI have a lot of selection in these are particular areas?

Thanks, Andy

I own where you own. I haven't deposited them into RCI. I have noticed a huge difference in trading power for different weeks, though. You would want to book your week as either week 25 or a holiday week for the highest trade power. Then, you deposit that week into RCI. If you go to GPResorts owner site, you can fill out on online form to reserve your week and then at the bottom of the form, it asks you what you want to do. Deposit with RCI is a choice. Your resorts will send you confirmation emails - if they don't say that they deposited into RCI for you, you can do that at that point.

i don't know what TPU you will get. My guess is in the low 20s for the 2 bedroom and high teens for the one bedroom. The weeks booked make a really big difference.

I do see a lot of Lake Tahoe in RCI. Is there a particular reason why you want to use RCI? Just asking because I have had really good results using SFX and GPX. I see a lot of Maui and tons, tons, tons of Mexico (Cabo and Puerta) in SFX - pretty much all the time. GPX has Tahoe and Maui, too. Prices are a lot less expensive in those 2 exchange companies, too.

 

[Passepartout]

Also remember that there's a charge to be a member of RCI. About $90/yr.- maybe less if you join for multi-years. Plus there's an exchange fee. I think that's about $189. So to make one RCI exchange a year, that's an out-of-pocket cost of $270ish. Seems like a big drag on the value of an out-of-network trade. If GPX has resorts where I wanted to go, I'd try REALLY hard to enjoy them.

Just my usual $.02 worth.

Jim

 

[MichaelColey]

lastly, my favorite travel spots are Maui, Lake Tahoe and Mexico, specifically Cabo but I am interested in the Puerto Vallarta area in the future. Does RCI have a lot of selection in these are particular areas?

RCI has VERY limited inventory in Maui. Most of their Hawaii inventory is Kauai and the Big Island. I haven't looked at Lake Tahoe inventory, so someone else would need to help you there. RCI has tons of Mexico inventory (as does probably any exchange company).

 

[andy25g]

Thanks everyone for the help, I've used GPX and SFX in the past and was happy with them. I attended last weeks owners day at GPP and when I visited the RCI booth I was informed that it's $59 per year for RCI membership as a GPP owner. That got me interested into looking at RCI as another option.

It's looking like I'll probably pass on RCI, as I mentioned I've used GPX in the past and I think that's my route going forward.

Thanks

 

[rhonda]

Sat 4/21: I was there, too! I sat in the third row on the left side and won one of the raffle items near the end.

 

[andy25g]

Sat 4/21: I was there, too! I sat in the third row on the left side and won one of the raffle items near the end.

Rhonda, congratulations.......hopefully you won something nice. I never had a chance to pay attention to the raffles. My daughter had me going from balloon maker to face painter to jumper area..... I know she really enjoyed it

This was the 1st time I've attended and was surprised as to how nice of an event GPP put on and especially the turnout, it was well attended.

 

[presley]

I attended last weeks owners day at GPP and when I visited the RCI booth I was informed that it's $59 per year for RCI membership as a GPP owner.

You've probably already paid for it. My annual MF bill has it itemized on the bill. I don't think GPP owners are ever not a member of RCI.

I was at the owner's meeting, too. No raffle prize for me. I really, really wanted the Southern California Beach club weekend.

 

[andy25g]

You've probably already paid for it. My annual MF bill has it itemized on the bill. I don't think GPP owners are ever not a member of RCI.

I was at the owner's meeting, too. No raffle prize for me. I really, really wanted the Southern California Beach club weekend.

I thought that I actually might be paying for it also (RCI) membership with my MF fees but I looked at my bill and I called owner services and they confirmed that it hasn't been added to my MF's but they did ask if I wanted he membership added, I declined.

 

[rhonda]

I don't think GPP owners are ever not a member of RCI.

Good point that andy25g may already have that membership by default! Glad you brought it up. FWIW, RCI membership does not show up on my GPP statement as I had declined it on our initial purchase. (I was fresh into a new 10-year RCI membership from our South Africa purchase.)

andy25g: Glad your daughter enjoyed all the activities!

 

[klpca]

We are new owners at Seapointe and the RCI membership fee was an add on to our maintenance fee on the invoice. I know because I didn't pay to join. I'm planning on trying GPX first.

 

[presley]

We are new owners at Seapointe and the RCI membership fee was an add on to our maintenance fee on the invoice. I know because I didn't pay to join. I'm planning on trying GPX first.

Seapointe doesn't auto-charge. I believe only GPP does. If you paid and don't have it, ask for a refund.
Seapointe: https://www.grandpacificresorts.com/owners/CSR_fact_sheet.aspx
GPP: https://www.grandpacificresorts.com/owners/GPP_fact_sheet.aspx

Last paragraph on GPPs page explains the RCI renewals. Andy's contract must have been altered so that he wasn't auto-billed. Mine was recently removed because I have RCI points on another TS and points accounts are supposed to come with free weeks account.

 

[klpca]

Seapointe doesn't auto-charge. I believe only GPP does. If you paid and don't have it, ask for a refund.
Seapointe: https://www.grandpacificresorts.com/owners/CSR_fact_sheet.aspx
GPP: https://www.grandpacificresorts.com/owners/GPP_fact_sheet.aspx

Well that's interesting. I wonder why they do it that way - seems like it would be a pain to track. Thanks for the information.