RCI vs II

[LAS24]

Pro's and con's of each? What have your experiences been, and which one do you prefer and why? TIA

 

[Hindsite]

Pro's and con's of each? What have your experiences been, and which one do you prefer and why? TIA

Where are you wanting to travel to? That makes a huge difference in which works better for you. RCI has more volume and II has some of the larger brands like MVC, Hyatt and Disney.

 

[LAS24]

I have not travelled much and am looking to explore the states more, the Caribbean, and Europe eventually. I've got 2 kids (13 and 12) and would ideally be seeking 2 or 3 bedroom exchanges in case additional family or friends come along. My kids are out of the Disney phase, so that is not a huge priority.

 

[HikerBiker]

Pro's and con's of each? What have your experiences been, and which one do you prefer and why? TIA

We belong to both. As Hindsite says, it depends. II has the nicer timeshares while RCI has many more locations . For us, it’s the location as we spend most of our time hiking (Until a few years ago, also, biking). Why don’t we cancel II? Because it’s nice to pamper ourselves and go to a timeshare with more amenities, etc. and we haven’t been able to make that decision of which one should go.

 

[LAS24]

Whether it be RCI or II, I am looking for a timeshare that is a good trader (high points, low MF). I am aware of the Grandview and Massannutten that trade well within RCI. Any others I should be looking into for RCI trading power?

I have not researched properties with high II trading power. Any that you can recommend for II?

Thank you.

 

[Ski-Dad]

If you are looking for a good trader, do not neglect understanding the costs associated with trading. RCI trading costs are materially higher than II. RCI has a larger and more diverse inventory. II has more depth of quality brand name timeshares.

We own in both ecosystems and use our units as traders. We have never stayed even once at any of the four units we own, although I plan to hit Scottsdale at some point.

You have identified some of the best value traders in RCI. Two bedroom lock-offs at Sheraton Broadway Plantation, Sheraton Desert Oasis, Marriott Grand Chateau and Marriott Grande Vista are all known to trade well in II from a value perspective.

It takes work and a lot of reading. Then read some more. If in doubt read some more and ask questions.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Sheraton Gold Plus season at Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Sheraton Desert Oasis. I would try to find a lockoff for a good price, but SBP has 2 bedrooms that trade well.

Also, any Marriott, platinum season week, a week you can lock off. Willow Ridge, Shadow Ridge (or any Palm Desert resort), Grand Chateau, etc.

We are moving away from RCI, as the cost of using RCI has been going up.

Marriott-Westin/ Sheraton, Marriott-Marriott, Westin/Sheraton-Marriott exchanges are $164 in II.

Cost of most exchanges for me averages under $1,400 total with upgrade fees for a week.

There are other good-to-great traders, but I know what I know, and it took 19 years to get here with a few purchases along the way that were not the best for us.

WorldMark is mentioned often here on TUG, and we own that as well. I have traded my WorldMark some, but not as much as we have used it or rented it out.

For the Caribbean, I like the Marriott choices in II. We live in Denver, and we go to Hawaii for our island adventures. II has what we want on the islands. Maybe you should consider buying a Marriott on one of the islands you most like to visit?

Europe doesn't have many timeshares that are nice. Many that are probably decent are not where you would want to be. We stayed in hotels during our most recent trip, plus we did a Mediterranean cruise.

 

[Hindsite]

Whether it be RCI or II, I am looking for a timeshare that is a good trader (high points, low MF).

Please remember that trading in any exchange is a discretionary benefit of ownership, so ensure you have an exit strategy built into your reason for purchasing:
- costs can go up, per Cindy's comment.
- Resorts can move from one platform to another, DVC did this recently, moving from RCI to II.
- Your trading power can be changed, Hyatt, Welk and Diamond just did this and possibly other ownerships that we haven't heard about. Hyatt went form being a very excellent trader, to a good trader.
- Even traditionally good MVC and Sheraton traders have been seeing fluctuations in trading power recently.
Many people have had an excellent run for decades, and that may continue, or it might vaporize tomorrow.

 

[TravelJoy]

Sheraton Gold Plus season at Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Sheraton Desert Oasis. I would try to find a lockoff for a good price, but SBP has 2 bedrooms that trade well.

Also, any Marriott, platinum season week, a week you can lock off. Willow Ridge, Shadow Ridge (or any Palm Desert resort), Grand Chateau, etc.

We are moving away from RCI, as the cost of using RCI has been going up.

Marriott-Westin/ Sheraton, Marriott-Marriott, Westin/Sheraton-Marriott exchanges are $164 in II.

Cost of most exchanges for me averages under $1,400 total with upgrade fees for a week.

There are other good-to-great traders, but I know what I know, and it took 19 years to get here with a few purchases along the way that were not the best for us.

WorldMark is mentioned often here on TUG, and we own that as well. I have traded my WorldMark some, but not as much as we have used it or rented it out.

For the Caribbean, I like the Marriott choices in II. We live in Denver, and we go to Hawaii for our island adventures. II has what we want on the islands. Maybe you should consider buying a Marriott on one of the islands you most like to visit?

Europe doesn't have many timeshares that are nice. Many that are probably decent are not where you would want to be. We stayed in hotels during our most recent trip, plus we did a Mediterranean cruise.

Agree, EU you can do well just looking for independent housing. A few years ago all our EU travel was personal condos/homes found on AirBnB far more cost effective then resorts/hotels. And centrally located to where you want to be, especially if you go to popular tourist areas, there is abundant housing available much like LV, and Orlando.

 

[Panina]

Just for trading I prefer II to RCI. Over the years I got better value (better trades) with II for my good weeks. I felt RCI undervalued some of my weeks.

 

[Ken555]

How much does RCI cost to join and per trade this year? Given the recent devaluation of our ability to trade SDO in II for Hawaii, I started considering depositing one of my weeks in RCI to test it out, but if it’s a lot more expensive it’s probably not worth doing.


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[CaliSunshine]

How much does RCI cost to join and per trade this year? Given the recent devaluation of our ability to trade SDO in II for Hawaii, I started considering depositing one of my weeks in RCI to test it out, but if it’s a lot more expensive it’s probably not worth doing.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

100 for a years membership and 300 per trade

 

[SteveinHNL]

100 for a years membership and 300 per trade

And don't forget to check if the resorts you are exchanging into have daily resort fees, parking charges, etc. Seems like a thing on RCI, not really a thing on II.

 

[noreenkate]

I gotta say I really am liking II better than RCI-

i am sure all of you already know this but the Priceline partnership, has saved me a small fortune lately- i need a last minute room in Manhattan twice in the last 4 weeks. It beat out every other deal I could find

 

[iftravel]

I gotta say I really am liking II better than RCI-

i am sure all of you already know this but the Priceline partnership, has saved me a small fortune lately- i need a last minute room in Manhattan twice in the last 4 weeks. It beat out every other deal I could find

I don't know... what's the big deal of priceline partnerhsip?

 

[noreenkate]

I don't know... what's the big deal of priceline partnerhsip?

I was able to save nearly $75 a night using the interval priceline-as opposed to AAA, loyalty pricing & better than the regular Priceline offers.

 

[iftravel]

I was able to save nearly $75 a night using the interval priceline-as opposed to AAA, loyalty pricing & better than the regular Priceline offers.

Good to know. Thanks. I couldn't find it with the free II account that comes with DVC. Guess I need a personal account to do it.

 

[LAS24]

Sheraton Gold Plus season at Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Sheraton Desert Oasis. I would try to find a lockoff for a good price, but SBP has 2 bedrooms that trade well.

Also, any Marriott, platinum season week, a week you can lock off. Willow Ridge, Shadow Ridge (or any Palm Desert resort), Grand Chateau, etc.

We are moving away from RCI, as the cost of using RCI has been going up.

Marriott-Westin/ Sheraton, Marriott-Marriott, Westin/Sheraton-Marriott exchanges are $164 in II.

Cost of most exchanges for me averages under $1,400 total with upgrade fees for a week.

There are other good-to-great traders, but I know what I know, and it took 19 years to get here with a few purchases along the way that were not the best for us.

WorldMark is mentioned often here on TUG, and we own that as well. I have traded my WorldMark some, but not as much as we have used it or rented it out.

For the Caribbean, I like the Marriott choices in II. We live in Denver, and we go to Hawaii for our island adventures. II has what we want on the islands. Maybe you should consider buying a Marriott on one of the islands you most like to visit?

Europe doesn't have many timeshares that are nice. Many that are probably decent are not where you would want to be. We stayed in hotels during our most recent trip, plus we did a Mediterranean cruise.

Thanks for the info. I have researched RCI way more than II at this point. Can you give me an idea of what gold plus season at SBP or SDO could be traded for on II? Or the Marriott platinum week ones you mention?

 

[tschwa2]

Are you looking to travel mostly in the summer as in late June through early August and major school holidays?
While I like II, and is the hands down favorite if you are flexible and can travel during some of the less popular months like early May and October, etc; prime travel times in 2BR units are much more limited even with ongoing searches. With RCI if I want a beach in the summer in a 2 BR and start a search a year in advance, and have enough points or trading power, you are likely to get multiple hits 12 to 4 months in advance.

 

[LAS24]

Are you looking to travel mostly in the summer as in late June through early August and major school holidays?
While I like II, and is the hands down favorite if you are flexible and can travel during some of the less popular months like early May and October, etc; prime travel times in 2BR units are much more limited even with ongoing searches. With RCI if I want a beach in the summer in a 2 BR and start a search a year in advance, and have enough points or trading power, you are likely to get multiple hits 12 to 4 months in advance.

That's good info, thank you. At this point in my life with kids, travel would be mainly summer months and spring break.

 

[noreenkate]

Good to know. Thanks. I couldn't find it with the free II account that comes with DVC. Guess I need a personal account to do it.

Yeah I don’t see it through my DVC but I can through my platinum account-

 

[bnoble]

Maybe a better question: Do you own any timeshares now? If not, are you choosing primarily based on exchange affiliation? There are lots of factors that might go into choosing a timeshare. Exchange affiliation is probably not one of the top few for most people.

 

[LAS24]

I do not currently own a timeshare but am looking into them. I was looking to potentially obtain a good trader that would open up possibilities of using it for exchanges to meet my goal of travelling way more than I do now. I wouldn't even necessarily be looking to go to my home resort . Maybe I am in the minority but that is why I asked the question regarding RCI vs II. Thanks for the responses.

 

[bnoble]

You might also be well-served with a mini-system where you focus mostly on the resorts in that system. There are several, and they tend to require a much lower investment to learn and understand to use them well.

If you've not done so yet, consider starting a thread with your answers to the "What to buy" survey.

"What to Buy" Questions for New Timeshare Owners

Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs. Suggestion - copy the questions below, and start a new thread entitled "My Survey" or "What should I buy?," or something similar, and answer the questions in a NEW thread. 1) Is there a vacation destination you wish...

tugbbs.com

 

[LAS24]

You might also be well-served with a mini-system where you focus mostly on the resorts in that system. There are several, and they tend to require a much lower investment to learn and understand to use them well.

If you've not done so yet, consider starting a thread with your answers to the "What to buy" survey.

"What to Buy" Questions for New Timeshare Owners

Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs. Suggestion - copy the questions below, and start a new thread entitled "My Survey" or "What should I buy?," or something similar, and answer the questions in a NEW thread. 1) Is there a vacation destination you wish...

tugbbs.com

What are some good mini systems you recommend looking into? I've seen Worldmark mentioned.