RCI vs II vs Other

[Kittenkits]

I'll be blunt: I haven't been impressed with RCI. I'm not trying to start anything, I just haven't had great luck, great service, etc.

Taking a tiny step back I bought my TS in 2004. It came with a membership to RCI and II both. At the time we weren't planning any vacations and before we blinked it was up for renewal. Since we didn't have any experience with either and found it costly to maintain both we looked over the directories and went with RCI. 5 star is not important to us. It's fine, we don't hate it, but we are mostly looking for a clean room and a new city to explore. We don't need "on site" activities et al. RCI had more cities.

Of course there was no fine print that said that you couldn't even GO to any of those cities. We've been on the list for NY and DC since '04. They can offer "discounted rates" for other cities like Boston (didn't I get a TS to stop paying rates at all?) Their cruise prices are absurd.

So I'm thinking of switching over to II. But, trying to learn from past mistakes, instead of blindly striking out again I thought I would ask people with experience.

Are RCI and II about the same? Am I looking in all the wrong places in RCI? Do people here just adore II? Or should I start banking my weeks with Bobs Travel Bank - "little inventory, but all honest". Cause I'm really looking for a Bob right now instead of 100s of pages of glossy pictures of things that they only pretend to have available.

Advice appreciated.

 

[aliikai2]

being blunt

, unless you are depositing a prime summer week, none of the trade companies are going to give you the super high demand resort areas you listed here.

The problem supply vs. demand. Williamsburg is over supplied and where you are trying to go is undersupplied, and with most trade companies trying to " level trade" , even though your resort is excellent high quality, well .. I think you get the point.

fwiw, Greg

 

[Carol C]

If you have floating time, reserve July 4 and try banking it with RCI. If that doesn't get you a good trade, bank with II and try them.

 

[Kittenkits]

Of course when we bought we got the whole show about how Williamsburg was perfect demand (he claimed in '03 the city forbade building any more TS so supply would remain low - THAT didn't happen.) We were told that NY was possible, but now I get that really high demand cities are naive.

But where do people suggest then? I have no desire to spend a week in the middle of some random county in Iowa. Where should I set my sights? Where can I actually GET to? I want a catalog of places I can GO. Not places I could have gone if only I was more of a high roller. [Hey - RCI - offer tiered catalogs - you buy X you get X directory. You buy Y you get Y. I'm tired of asking "well how about here" for an hour only to come up blank each time then hang up annoyed, frustrating and wanting my membership fees back. Where CAN *I* go???]

A cruise seemed like a good plan, but my travel agent can beat their rates easy (and without using a week). I thought about Orlando. FL is so glutted that surely I can get there. But then where?

I feel like everywhere is "high demand" and so I can go no where.

 

[PerryM]

II thru WM

We belong to both II and RCI.

However we own WorldMark which is itself a “mini” exchange system with 60+ of its own resorts. I consider II far more “upscale” than RCI. However, “upscale” is in the mind of the beholder.

With our WM we can exchange into II resorts at the 59-day window for 4,000 WM credits which cost about $160 in MFs plus your II exchange. Doing this you have an unbelievable choice of Marriotts, Four Seasons, Westins, etc. It is possible to live in Florida 52 weeks a year in Marriotts if you have enough WM credits.

So my recommendation is WM for their Points (credits) then II for 5-star accommodations at fire sale prices.

Using 10,000 WM credits you can shop on II BEFORE depositing the credits and stay at just about anything that comes up in II. We just spent week 51 at Marriott’s MountainSide and Summit Watch in Park City UT during one of the MOST difficult weeks to get in II.

 

[Spence]

Advice appreciated.

You need to forget about getting anything good with your Wmbg week unless it is with luck at the last minute when someone cancels or deposits late, the advice already proffered, to book 4Jul week, if that is an option, is your only hope (help me Obi Wan) to get anything decent. What week do you own?

You already realize that the salesman did you no favors. Ditch it at a loss and buy something that will trade. It's been discussed here recently that for less than $5K you can easily get Southern California summer or Wisconsin summer that trades like a Tiger and will pull anything that's out there or put you at the top of the heap in the wait for the good deposits. I have these and have no problem getting whatever is seen by anyone in the sightings.

The above observations apply to the big boys, RCI and II. You may have some luck with a summer week with SFX.

 

[geekette]

Sounds like we're enuf like you that maybe my perspective is of some value. We just like to go somewhere different and explore and I don't demand the very best of the best - clean works for me.

Instead of making a narrow request for 2 very hard to get cities, do your own searches and see for yourself what is possible. There are plenty of nice resorts in nice locations that are less popular, and therefore less crowded at peak times (of course, we go off peak to avoid any possibility of big crowds).

You might find yourself in places you wouldn't have gone had you not just done searches out of curiosity.

I strongly suggest you do this before giving up on RCI. At least you will be able to see for yourself and not rely on popular opinion.

Good Luck!

 

[debraxh]

I honestly don't think you'd be much happier with II than you are with RCI. II seems to have less properties available in fewer locations but higher quality resorts. Doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for.

There aren't many timeshares in the big cities which makes it difficult to exchange into them. If you only want to vacation in big US cities, perhaps timesharing is not right for you.

Have you searched online? This should give you a good idea of what may be available. What week are you depositing to trade and when do you need to travel? A prime (summer vacation) week will give you more trade power and there is much more availability in "shoulder" season. If you have a prime week and deposit it a year or more in advance you should have the best luck.

If you haven't done so yet, you might want to read the advice on exchanging, which can be found by clicking on "advice" in the red bar at the top right of the screen, and scrolling down to exchanging.

 

[Judy]

5 star is not important to us. It's fine, we don't hate it, but we are mostly looking for a clean room and a new city to explore. We don't need "on site" activities et al. Advice appreciated.

If your resort is highly rated and you're trying to get into lower rated resorts, that might be part of the problem. You own in an overbuilt area which reduces your trading power. If you have a highly rated resort as well, it's rating will cause both RCI and II to block you from trades into resorts that the exchange companies consider not up to your standards. So you could have the worst of all possible exchange situations.
If you can book a prime summer week, like July 4th, that will increase your trading power somewhat. If you deposit it with RCI or II at least a year in advance, that will help. If you request at least a year in advance of your travel dates, that should help as well.
I recommend either depositing the best week you can get with RCI and then searching online often until you understand what you can pull, or
Joining II and using their search first option to do the same thing, or
Depositing with Dial an Exchange or one of the other independents who don't worry about trading power or quality ratings, or
Exchanging for Orlando or Branson where there's also lots of availability. For Orlando, any time except spring break or week 52 ought to be realistic.

 

[CherylH]

Getting a good exchange

You said:
I have no desire to spend a week in the middle of some random county in Iowa. Where should I set my sights?

Well, I've had a request for just that week in the summer on the lake in Iowa from RCI for two years, and haven't gotten anything, either. I live in Iowa and this would be just a 4-hour drive. I had to scour the resale ads to see if I can become an owner, just to do enjoy a summer week. I am finding fewer exchanges that I want when I can go. I banked a summer week on the beach, but find nothing I think is equivalent. I do suspect the weeks go to a non-member retal as I see those available, but no exchange weeks.

My new plan is to rent the weeks I can't use, through the resort if possible, and use the money I get to look for my own rental somewhere else. CherylH

 

[stugy]

my suggestion is to try one of the independents and I highly recommend DialAnExchange in San Diego. It is hard to get those big cities though but at least you'll get a fair shake. She doesn't use trading power to get what you want. AND most important she'll do anything she can to get you a good trade. We think she's great and very personable.......with your vaction and satisfaction in mind.
Pat

 

[Carolinian]

I have never owned in Williamsburg, but I have always heard that the oversupply situation these is worse in RCI than II.

I would also look at www.htse.net and www.daelive.com

 

[ronandjoan]

Yes, talk to Donita

She will help you PERSONALLY. But remember, she's on the West Coast, so be aware of the time zone because she does not use menus, and only a person answers the phone. They open at 9 a.m. PST.

Just because the DAELIVE.COM site does not list anything available for you, talk to her and tell her what you want; then, she'll handle the search and get back to you. You do not have to deposit with her until you find a trade.

Also, the advice to reserve a 4th of July week with pans to trade it, is the thing to do. Carol C told me about that when I was a NEWBIE and I did not understand it then, but I do now! Thanks, Carol!
Also, as others have said, you did not mention if you have been seearching online, but that is a good way to find out what is available for your resort.