Alternate timeshares to use points at..... confused

[ppony]

Hi guys. I promise, I looked through all 5 pages I could access in thie forum and I tried to contact my guide about it but I missed his call and he went home before I could call him. SO. Rather than wait an wodner all weekend....

I see the RCI timeshares throughout the world you are able to use your points at. I understand the red, green, and blue times and how they vary the points needed. What I can't find and don't udnerstand is how you find out how many points are needed at each facility. I wouldn't think a week at a Hilton in Hawaii(all red time) would be the same as a resort in CA or TX during the same red time. Or is it? I've been trying to find that info but keep coming up confused.

Of course, we PLAN on using 95% of our points at a DVC resort, but when one isn't available in the place we would want to go (though w/ them building in Hawaii, I can't think of too many other places I'd want to visit that won't have a DVC resort other than Australia ) then DH specifically wants to know the scoop on that before we buy in.

THANKS!!!!

 

[lark]

Very complicated question.

All trades of dvc points for other tmeshares are, since the beginning of the year, done through a company called RCI, which is a big timeshare exchange company. Basically, you deposit a set amount of your DVC points and they are made available to RCI members who have deposited the weeks they own at various timeshares.

Different deposited weeks in RCI have varying levels of "strength" as traders in RCI. For example, if you own a week at a Park City timeshare during the Sundance film festival, you are likely going to be able to trade for a week in Hawaii, etc. My sense is that very few DVC owners trade their points. They either use them, or they rent them and then use the cash. So there isn't a strong history yet about how strong DVC trades. My hunch is it's pretty good, but the RCI relationship is relatively new, so it's hard to know too much.

With many points-based timeshare systems, what you do is use your point to reserve a week, and then you trade the week. But it doesn't work that way with disney. Once you tell DVC you want to trade your points, DVC packages and gives RCI a portfolio of weeks based on the contract between DVC and RCI, as I understand it. Thus, no specific week is tied to you -- you get a preset amount of trading power based on DVC's agreement with RCI. It's not clear to me whether Member Services already has inventory from RCI that it can offer to you when you call inquiring to deposit your points, or whether you have to deposit it first and then you get to "see" what RCI has that will trade with your deposit. I also don't know the required number of points you must deposit to get access to RCI weeks. Hopefully a member who has done it will answer your question with that info. I'm not sure I would rely entirely on a guide to answer this question -- you're likely to just get a generic answer about how much inventory RCI has.

 

[ppony]

Wow. THANKS for that!
No wonder my guide didn't want to e-mail me. He said we needed to talk on the phone. I see why!

 

[Dean]

Hi guys. I promise, I looked through all 5 pages I could access in thie forum and I tried to contact my guide about it but I missed his call and he went home before I could call him. SO. Rather than wait an wodner all weekend....

I see the RCI timeshares throughout the world you are able to use your points at. I understand the red, green, and blue times and how they vary the points needed. What I can't find and don't udnerstand is how you find out how many points are needed at each facility. I wouldn't think a week at a Hilton in Hawaii(all red time) would be the same as a resort in CA or TX during the same red time. Or is it? I've been trying to find that info but keep coming up confused.

Of course, we PLAN on using 95% of our points at a DVC resort, but when one isn't available in the place we would want to go (though w/ them building in Hawaii, I can't think of too many other places I'd want to visit that won't have a DVC resort other than Australia ) then DH specifically wants to know the scoop on that before we buy in.

THANKS!!!!

A couple of additional notes. If you're truly looking at using 95% of your points at DVC, it likely doesn't matter much as that's one year's use of points every 20 years. However, my past experience tells me that many people looking at buying and also worried about exchangers are really looking at about 20-40% of the time, a totally different ball-game, IMO. Also, exchanges need more planning so it will work especially poorly if you get to the point DVC doesn't have what you want then you look at exchanges. You really need to plan a full year out, better even 2, to give yourself much chance at most desirable options. Make sure you investigate any options you look at thoroughly to make sure it's a good fit for you.

DVC makes is very simply and that week in TX, CA, LV and HI may indeed be the same cost for the same unit size. They only set it up by unit size and 3 seasons (LOW, MID, HIGH) as a grid. MOST exchanges will be MID or HIGH with the Majority HIGH. That means 160 points for a 1 BR for a week and 270 for a 2 BR and the points are gone once you accept an exchange even if you cancel later.

 

[ppony]

likely doesn't matter much as that's one year's use of points every 20 years. However, my past experience tells me that many people looking at buying and also worried about exchangers are really looking at about 20-40% of the time

THANKS for all that info.
Truly, for us it really will be hardly ever. In the past 17 years (how long we've been married), we have never flown to a vactation anywhere else but WDW. We just can't bring ourselves to go anywhere else. Sure, we're curious, but when it comes down to it, we just can't bring ourselves to give up on our favorite place, even for a few years. We usually only take a vacation every 2 or 3 year because of cost. DVC ownership would change that HAPPILY for us. Planning for anywhere else would be a few year thing anyway so the parts you mention about planning would be exact how we'd go. In fact, even w/ a DVC ownership, we still would only expect to be vacationing every 2 years. We think....

 

[Dean]

THANKS for all that info.
Truly, for us it really will be hardly ever. In the past 17 years (how long we've been married), we have never flown to a vactation anywhere else but WDW. We just can't bring ourselves to go anywhere else. Sure, we're curious, but when it comes down to it, we just can't bring ourselves to give up on our favorite place, even for a few years. We usually only take a vacation every 2 or 3 year because of cost. DVC ownership would change that HAPPILY for us. Planning for anywhere else would be a few year thing anyway so the parts you mention about planning would be exact how we'd go. In fact, even w/ a DVC ownership, we still would only expect to be vacationing every 2 years. We think....

Then don't worry about exchanges because they tend to be a bad deal in most cases anyway and will likely be a worse deal when you get around to actually considering them. Just don't buy a lot of extra points looking at exchanging including DCL, DC, CC or RCI and you'll be fine. Then IF you investigate later and a given exchange options seems right for you, all the better.

 

[ppony]

Then don't worry about exchanges because they tend to be a bad deal in most cases anyway and will likely be a worse deal when you get around to actually considering them. Just don't buy a lot of extra points looking at exchanging including DCL, DC, CC or RCI and you'll be fine. Then IF you investigate later and a given exchange options seems right for you, all the better.

Sounds good to me then. THANKS!!! W/ the one in Hawaii being ready in time for our 20th anniversary, that is the only place I can see us possibly venturing to outside of FL. The Mouse has too much appeal.

 

[rentayenta]

We traded 160 points for week in Mexico next March. I will let you know how it works out. Thus far, I am happy with resort, communication with the resort, and our building/room. I don't see trading out a lot but maybe every 5-7 years or so if the option remains available.

 

[lark]

We traded 160 points for week in Mexico next March. I will let you know how it works out. Thus far, I am happy with resort, communication with the resort, and our building/room. I don't see trading out a lot but maybe every 5-7 years or so if the option remains available.

rentayenta (great name, by the way) -- when you called to exchange, did member services give you an indication of what was available for your points before you were required to deposit them? Or did you have to commit first before you were told availability? Did you get the mexico week through member services, or did you have to deal with RCI? Really curious how the process worked.

 

[rentayenta]

rentayenta (great name, by the way) -- when you called to exchange, did member services give you an indication of what was available for your points before you were required to deposit them? Or did you have to commit first before you were told availability? Did you get the mexico week through member services, or did you have to deal with RCI? Really curious how the process worked.

They looked without me paying the $95 or depositing my points. They do not get your points until your reservation is confirmed but I did have to pay the $95 to go on the wait list as none of my weeks or resorts were available. I chose 2 resorts and 6 different weeks we could go. I did everything through Disney's MS.

 

[PrincessDuck]

Just a little about my recent experience trying to get an RCI exchange. We are looking to go to Hawaii in the summer of 2011 and would like to stay at the Hilton on the Big Island. Looking that far out there was nothing available at any of the resorts in Hawaii. We were put on a wait list with that particular resort listed for our request with about 10 weeks that would work for us. At that point we pay the $95 exchange fee. This fee will come back to us if there is no match or we call and cancel our wait list. On our wait list it was noted to please call with other Hawaii resorts that become available during our range of dates. We then have 24 hours to get back with them if we would like that other resort. If the Hilton comes available then we will be automatically booked there and the points taken out of our DVC account. For every wait list there is a $95 fee, that is why they just put a note on the one for other resorts.

Oh, and I know that Disney should be opening Hawaii up in 2011, but there is no guarantee at this point on the date. We are watching that quite closely to try to buy into. So we may cancel the RCI if no match has come up, or we may extend our trip to include DVC Hawaii.

Daisy

 

[rigsby25]

So you are saying you are making plans two years out and you still could not get availability? I wish this process was explained more. I don't know why it should have to be so mysterious. I guess a lot of people don't think a trade is worth it point/dollar wise, but right now, we feel that we have been on every ride and have shopped in every store and have gone to every disney water park in Orlando. Its a good thing we discovered Vero Beach. But we would like to use our points for something different.

 

[Dean]

So you are saying you are making plans two years out and you still could not get availability? I wish this process was explained more. I don't know why it should have to be so mysterious. I guess a lot of people don't think a trade is worth it point/dollar wise, but right now, we feel that we have been on every ride and have shopped in every store and have gone to every disney water park in Orlando. Its a good thing we discovered Vero Beach. But we would like to use our points for something different.

Many resorts can deposit 2 years from RCI's standpoint out but not all do, many don't deposit until 10-12 months out. So you want to be searching as far ahead as possible so you can be as close to the front of the line as possible when the units do come in. For Hilton, it's usually under a year and often at 6 months out, though I don't know their exact schedule.

The system is not really mysterious overall, it's just a different system and mentality than using DVC. RCI, and II, do make your place in line a secret as well as the specifics of how they determine the trade power though the components are obvious (unit size, demand, how early deposited, resort quality, etc).

 

[PrincessDuck]

I did not expect to get a match 2 years out....it would have been great! I am figuring more like a year out, but wanted to be on the top of the wait list for the Hilton resort. From what I have read the other resorts in Hawaii are really not worth the trade. So, I wanted the advantage to get into the Hilton. I agree, it is a totally different system than the DVC system. Maybe it would help to think of it as a third party to many "DVC's". Things go in and out depending on the individual contracts and such. You kind of have to pick a point that you will cancel the waitlist and go with Plan B. For me going from Ohio to Hawaii I will need airline tickets. So I will have to figure out how many months out I will cancel and use the points for something else.

I by no means am an expert......Dean seems to be pretty close. I only own DVC. I have researched on this board and others and have family that own 2 places....one trades RCI and the other trades II. So I have asked many questions of them.