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Tell us about your BEST and WORST Timeshare exchanges

DeniseM

DeniseM

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exchange with rci points into The Doatello in San Francisco. Took a while to get had a search on for almost a year but I did get for August which is a hard time of year to be able to get. It was WONDERFUL roof top area where you can go 24 hrs a day with views of the city and tables with chairs and 24 hour coffee machines, newspapers people would order they food and eat there. there is also a wonderful resturant on site if you prefer, front desk cant do enough to help you. great location on union square right by cable cars,walk to Chinatown etc. San Francisco can be sketchy, but not here we felt safe & close to all.
 
Best exchange we ever got was in 2010, back when we were timeshare know-it-alls who thought we had mastered the entire system. For our 2010 off-season January timeshare vacation in Orlando, we snagged back-to-back 3BR-3BA timeshare RCI reservations via what was known at the time as Instant Exchange -- 7,500 points + exchange fee for a whole week (7 days + 7 nights). That got us a fantastic 3BR unit at Grand Beach resort (our 1st & only stay at that resort) followed by an outstanding 3BR unit at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas. Ever since then, the best we've been able to do for off-season January is 1BR & sometimes 2BR timeshare units via Last Call & straight-points exchange & RCI Extra Vacation Getaways on sale.

For January 2018, we did very well also -- even though we did not snag 3BR units. Some months ago, Vacation Village At Parkway & Grandview At Las Vegas (both links in the same timeshare chain) were offering owner-members the chance to reserve an off-season timeshare week free -- no points, no fees, no tax, no nothing, completely el freebo. We grabbed up 1 of those for the 1st of our 2 January 2018 weeks -- a Vacation Village At Parkway "B" unit, as it turns out.

For the week right before that, we snagged High Point World Resort (off Rt. 192 west of the Disney Gap) via RCI special sale. They were offering lots of 1BR weeks for $199 + tax along with fewer 2BR weeks for $229 + tax. As it turned out, a 2BR unit at High Point World Resort was available for the week following our planned free week in Vacation Village At Parkway, so we grabbed that up before it was gone.

Total outlay for the 2 January 2018 Kissimmee timeshare weeks is so low that we splurged on a 4-night Carnival cruise the week before we check in at High Point World Resort -- our initial luxury foray on the high seas. We're looking forward to the luxury cruise, although I have some anxiety that for a bigtime overeater me it will be the something like being trapped 4 days inside Golden Corral. If that's how it turns out, I will have only myself to blame.

Speaking of Golden Corral, our after-cruise week at High Point world resort coincides with the 2018 TUG get-together set for the afternoon of January 17, 2018, at Golden Corral, 8707 Vineland Avenue, Orlando FL 32821, (407-938-9500). Start time for the get-together is 2PM (I think) -- perfect timing to get the sr. citz. lunchtime price (but the TUG crowd doesn't quit till long after the dinner items are brought out).

Reuniting with the TUG folks is always a highlight of our whole January vacation in Florida. No sign-up is required. Just show up & join in the fun. The Chief Of Staff & I are looking forward enthusiastically to seeing lots of our outstanding TUG-BBS friends in January 2018.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
Wyndham Ocean Towers in North Myrtle Beach was very clean, had some nice amenities, was close to the beach, and had a friendly staff. Worse was probably Plantation in Myrtle. Not much nice to say.
 
Best exchange we got was into our home resort Maui Hill, but a different week and unit. We got a 3 bedroom right at the front of the property and saw whales from our lanai every morning.

I can't think of a worst, although there are some I definitely would not choose to go back to.
 
All-time best will probably forever be 2BR Aulani exchange with RCI back in 2015, and received 15th floor ocean view to boot.

<Adding link to the personally exhilarating TUG thread surrounding obtaining that exchange>
 
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Beefnot said:
All-time best will probably forever be 2BR Aulani exchange with RCI back in 2015, and received 15th floor ocean view to boot.
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Gone are those days! I miss these opportunities. Nothing for years at Aulani or VGC.
 
Hmmm, I've really only done one exchange so far, with some coming up in Branson in October. Unless we count internal exchanges and cash getaways which are most of my stays now.
 
hmmm I will perhaps let you know in December.

(Four Seasons in Scottsdale)

Pat
 
Lots of great exchanges over the years although the II exchange opportunities are definitely smaller today than during covid or 10+ years ago. Perhaps one of the most memorable because it was one of our first exchanges where I became more deliberate about exchanging for value (by reading TUG) in Interval was exchanging a random June week in my 2BR Marriott Fairway Villas for a 2BR President's week 7 at Grand Lodge at Peak 7. As a skier, that really opened up my understanding of how I could get value from my timeshares. That also spurred me to buy a lot more timeshares, many where I want to stay (e.g. Marriott Summit Watch & Mountainside) but a few which was for trading (Worldmark, Hyatt Coconut Plantation). Thank you TUG for educating me on timeshare exchanges.
 
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What is the very best deal you ever got in a trade or last minute exchange, extra vacation etc … really curious ❤️👍
 
I’ll start
Tonight I got a 3/3 house at Summer Bay in Orlando for 7500 RCI points and $299 fee.
Private pool and Jacuzzi
 
Our first Extra Vacation was the best dael. I think it was in 1992. We booked a 3 bedroom (10/8) townhouse at The Powhattan Planation in Williamsburg VA for a week for $99. Canadian. My parents were already going to be in the area in their motorhome so they stopped in. They couldnt believe the price was for the week and not per night. We went the next year as well but the price was up to $119. Cndn.

I love the RCI vacations for less than 10K points. We just returned from a week in Spotsylvania VA in a 2 bedroom cabin that was 7,500 points plus the exchange fee.


~Diane
 
moonstone said:
Our first Extra Vacation was the best dael. I think it was in 1992. We booked a 3 bedroom (10/8) townhouse at The Powhattan Planation in Williamsburg VA for a week for $99. Canadian. My parents were already going to be in the area in their motorhome so they stopped in. They couldnt believe the price was for the week and not per night. We went the next year as well but the price was up to $119. Cndn.

I love the RCI vacations for less than 10K points. We just returned from a week in Spotsylvania VA in a 2 bedroom cabin that was 7,500 points plus the exchange fee.


~Diane
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Such haooy memories ❤️
 
There is a thread (sticky) in the Exchanging Timeshare forums that asks about your best exchanges.
tugbbs.com

List your GREAT Timeshare exchanges here. [2009 and forward]

Please post your great exchanges here - current exchanges only please. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would be interested in knowing what trades other Tuggers accepted. We see alot of sightings but that is somtimes different than what we are...
tugbbs.com tugbbs.com
 
dioxide45 said:
There is a thread (sticky) in the Exchanging Timeshare forums that asks about your best exchanges.
tugbbs.com

List your GREAT Timeshare exchanges here. [2009 and forward]

Please post your great exchanges here - current exchanges only please. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would be interested in knowing what trades other Tuggers accepted. We see alot of sightings but that is somtimes different than what we are...
tugbbs.com tugbbs.com
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Sorry
Honestly didn’t realize
Was just excited at what a nice deal I got
Thought I’d bring some happiness to the site as opposed to some of the unfortunate posting that occur … posative attitudes 👍
 
Pennytx said:
I’ll start
Tonight I got a 3/3 house at Summer Bay in Orlando for 7500 RCI points and $299 fee.
Private pool and Jacuzzi
Click to expand...
What are the houses like? I understand that owners are being hit with a $7500/week special assessment .
 
dioxide45 said:
What are the houses like? I understand that owners are being hit with a $7500/week special assessment .
Click to expand...
I’ve actually never had the privilege of staying in one before
I’ve been going there for six years
Can’t wait to see
Your welcome to come visit
I’ll be there October 18 to 25
 
Yes they are being assessed $7500
Maybe that’s why I got such a great deal
 
Hard to beat a house with private pool for that deal (assuming it's been maintained). Got a week in a new 5BR high end house 20 yrs ago in Branson for around $200 through Skyauction. Very nice! But that place only lasted a few years as a timeshare.
 
gravityrules said:
Hard to beat a house with private pool for that deal (assuming it's been maintained). Got a week in a new 5BR high end house 20 yrs ago in Branson for around $200 through Skyauction. Very nice! But that place only lasted a few years as a timeshare.
Click to expand...
Oh wow 😮
I love Branson
That’s an amazing price !!!!!
 
For my 70th birthday I got The Resort at Cocoa Beach. It was about $230/week and I was teased by a friend that for that price it had to be like “staying at a homeless camp”.

I approached the front desk expecting the worst and the clerk said that they had a penthouse for me. It was a beautiful place and we had a nice visit that helped me fight my depression at turning 70.
 
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