Considering switching to RCI from II so I can stay on property

[WDW_Diane]

Am currently with interval international and want to switch to another company so I can use my week on Disney property. I'm not finding other good places to use it. Who has done this....how has it gone for you? is there another company I should look at to trade with? Not happy with the choices at Interval International for any of the places we want to go. They seem to be sub-par locations.

 

[Lynne M]

I'm going to send this over to the DVC Mousecellaneous board, where you'll find more discussion on trading into DVC with RCI.

 

[WDW_Diane]

I'm going to send this over to the DVC Mousecellaneous board, where you'll find more discussion on trading into DVC with RCI.

Ok, thanks!

 

[littlestar]

Is your timeshare dual affiliated with both RCI and II (Interval International)? We would probably have to know what you own to give more advice. You should also check out the Tug boards (timeshare users group - tugbbs). Lots of information over there on all the various timeshare systems out there.

 

[paults]

Am currently with interval international and want to switch to another company so I can use my week on Disney property. I'm not finding other good places to use it. Who has done this....how has it gone for you? is there another company I should look at to trade with? Not happy with the choices at Interval International for any of the places we want to go. They seem to be sub-par locations.

what happens when Disney switches again from RCI and back to II? Could happen I guess.

 

[WDW_Diane]

Is your timeshare dual affiliated with both RCI and II (Interval International)? We would probably have to know what you own to give more advice. You should also check out the Tug boards (timeshare users group - tugbbs). Lots of information over there on all the various timeshare systems out there.

It is currently with II and we have a couple of weeks banked. I'm considering the move to RCI and not renewing with II.

 

[dvc_john]

It is currently with II and we have a couple of weeks banked. I'm considering the move to RCI and not renewing with II.

But if you're with II now and want to switch to RCI, your resort MUST be dual affiliated with both exchanges. You MUST have a resort that is affiliated with RCI to be able to join RCI.

 

[chalee94]

But if you're with II now and want to switch to RCI, your resort MUST be dual affiliated with both exchanges. You MUST have a resort that is affiliated with RCI to be able to join RCI.

true. most marriott resorts, for example, will only trade through II and cannot be traded through RCI.

 

[disneynutz]

To be clear, DVC was affiliated with RCI, then they switched to II. Later they switched back to RCI.

No guarantees!

Bill

 

[WDW_Diane]

But if you're with II now and want to switch to RCI, your resort MUST be dual affiliated with both exchanges. You MUST have a resort that is affiliated with RCI to be able to join RCI.

Ok, I understand your question now. When I called about switching, the RCI lady asked me what I have and then told me how much trading power I'd have with it, so I guess it is dual affiliated.

 

[WDW_Diane]

Is your timeshare dual affiliated with both RCI and II (Interval International)? We would probably have to know what you own to give more advice. You should also check out the Tug boards (timeshare users group - tugbbs). Lots of information over there on all the various timeshare systems out there.

Currently we are not dual registered, although the resort is eligible at both places. This is an update.

 

[bwvBound]

FWIW, I'm multi-affiliated having multiple timeshares and, thus, relationships with RCI, II, SFX, GPX, DAE, etc. I've been timesharing since mid-2000 and have traded into DVC multiple times: BWV (studio, 1BR, 2BR), SSR (GV, 1BR) and Vero (1BR). We enjoyed two weeks at SSR last summer via RCI (July & Sept).

Yes, DVC properties are available for booking through RCI as both exchange and rental weeks. Inventory is very limited, both by resort selection and dates, and the exchange requirements are high. If your timeshare would trade in RCI Weeks, expect to spend 35 TPU (RCI's Trade Power Units) or more plus exchange fee for a 1BR at SSR for one week. If your timeshare trades in RCI Points, expect to spend 55k - 85k points plus exchange fee. If your timeshare has its own points-based exchange grid, expect to trade out at the highest point level for any given category (resort quality level + unit size +season).

Guests trading into DVC through RCI will pay double the normal exchange fee. You will first pay a fee to RCI for the exchange and, on check-in, you will pay an additional ~$190 to DVC.

Again, inventory is quite limited. Expect "1BR at SSR" as the most common DVC offering. Lately, it seems only resorts with special RCI affiliation are seeing 2BR units. (Welk resort owners have been spotting 2BR units ... but I haven't heard of others? I have no idea on the ingredients of the 'special' relationship.) There have been a few recent sightings reported of AKV and OKW in addition to SSR. Do use an "Open Search" (RCI's waitlist feature) and do manual searches at different times of day. When inventory shows up it is, most often, quickly gobbled up.

Good luck!

 

[WDW_Diane]

Thank you for your very informative reply! I have not added RCI yet, I was hoping to find out if it was worth paying the additional fees. Our resort in question is a 2 bedroom at the original Welk in Escondido, CA.

 

[bwvBound]

Welk in Escondido should trade very nicely depending on the week deposited and, possibly, the specific HOA w/in Welk. I believe Welk also has a special arrangement with DVC for direct trade if your contract qualifies (direct sale vs resale)?

 

[WDW_Diane]

Thank you for this information. I will call Welk to check this possibility about the DVC trade arrangement--that would be great!

 

[bwvBound]

While you are on the phone with them ... also ask:

• Would I be trading through RCI Weeks or RCI Points?
• What is the RCI Resort ID for my ownership? (Each Welk HOA has a different RCI Resort ID.)
• Is my week a fixed week or floating? If fixed, which week is deposited? If floating, how do I pick a week for deposit?

I'm curious to hear what you learn. I'm not far from Welk and have, occasionally, considered picking up a resale week for day-use and trading. I just went online and played with RCI Resort ID 5663-Villas On The Greens By Welk Resorts. The 2BR units there are trading lower than I would have expected; one must be careful choosing which week to deposit to get the best trade power in RCI Weeks. Best I saw was 30 TPU for week 52 and 29 TPU for weeks 17 and peak summer.

 

[WDW_Diane]

I will definitely report back when I can make the call. I am a teacher working from home so it will be a while until I can call. Thank you again for your terrific input!

 

[cutigerlady]

So we trade into DVC with RCI often. I have RCI fixed weeks, so not sure how that compares on the points side. I have several timeshares we bought during the recession with low maintenance fees for this purpose. If you really want to know the details of what is available, the TUG distressed site is the place to go (must pay to be a member for this). The trading power (TPU) for DVC has gone up significantly. We we started trading, I had no problem getting 2 BR units. Now, the vast majority of what is put in RCI is 1 BR. If you want anything other than SSR, you need to submit your ongoing request very early and be prepared to wait over a year for it. The TPU just went up as well. The inventory usually drops into RCI about 7 months in advance and you will need 50-55 TPU for a 1 BR unit for a week. For me, that means I have to pay to merge two weeks of my timeshare in order to exchange it for one week at DVC. You will have to do the math to figure out if you are getting a deal or not. For us, the new TPUs are making it less worth it. By comparison I use to pay 38 TPU for a non-busy week in September for a 2 BR unit.

You can sometimes snag a last minute deal for 10-11 TPU, but it is usually 2 weeks out and they go very, very fast! Inventory gets dropped in periodically as well, but anything more than 2 weeks in advance will require the higher TPU. Also, you can buy protection insurance to preserve your TPU if you need to cancel/change your reservation or if the resort is closed.

 

[WDW_Diane]

My 2-bedroom timeshare week is also a fixed week. I do not know about trading points, really. Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you have learned, it's very helpful, and you know a lot! Since annual maintenance fees are just over $1K a year for this unit, having to trade two years to get one week at Disney would only be worth it at certain resorts.