Hawaii Exchanges

[Dean]

Just a reminder to those looking at exchanges for HI. Kona Coast tends to be deposited at 2 years out so if you want that resort, start the search a full 2 years ahead if you can.

 

[Andrea T]

Dean...Thanks for the heads up. You know we all look to you for our Interval advice!

 

[mkkim]

I am new to exchanges and we are interested in Hawaii, Kona Coast Resort to be exact. Are you saying that if I deposit my points now that I probably will not get an exchange here until about 2 years?! If so.... what other resort on the Big Island do you suggest? And.. will most exchanges take 2 years? Thanks for your help. I am afraid to do exchanges as it is!

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by mkkim
I am new to exchanges and we are interested in Hawaii, Kona Coast Resort to be exact. Are you saying that if I deposit my points now that I probably will not get an exchange here until about 2 years?! If so.... what other resort on the Big Island do you suggest? And.. will most exchanges take 2 years? Thanks for your help. I am afraid to do exchanges as it is!

Not at all. Actually for II through DVC, KCR is the only resort I'd consider. It's a highly rated resort and several DVC members have exchanged there and felt it was a good value. Exchanging is about planning, investigating and then a little or a lot of luck depending on what your specific choices are. Personally I'd consider anything less than 12 months as late on planning but many still get great exchanges at less than 12 months.

One piece of info to know when looking at specific exchanges is to get an idea of when owners deposit their units with II at a resort or area you are interested in. This is especially true if getting an exchange late makes affordable or FF miles air fare a problem. For the Caribbean that means a lot of owners don't deposit until around Dec or Jan when the dues are paid and many at just about 2 months before the week. II allows deposits at 12, 18 or 24 months ahead. Most are 12, a number are 18 (Marriott fixed weeks come to mind) and a few are 24 months (KCR and Paradise island which is no longer on the DVC list come to mind). I look at II on line all the time and the only resort that I ever see listed at around 2 years out that I would have any interest in is KCR. I recall looking last fall and seeing a number of June and early July weeks for 2004. I see a couple of November, 2004 weeks now. That means that a lof of the units that could have been available are now gone.

The problem with waiting is that means many of the deposits are already gone reducing your chances of getting what you want or getting it late. Since DVC will allow you to search 2 years out, that means we can take advantage of this issue. The ability to search first and up to 2 years out is a big one and makes up somewhat for the unequal value of the exchanges gotten compared to giving up DVC.

Another technique is to book your air fare while searching. At the same time looking for a reasonable priced rental or having a hotel or condo backup reservation that can be cancelled. This works especially well for HI.

One should note the way II orders the priority of those with requests. Every time a new members enters into the pool for those wanting what you're looking for, II shuffles the deck and reorders the waiting list from higher priority to lowest. Tie breakers are home resort priority and date of request. You might be first on the list one day and number 5 the next. While DVC has good trade power, a lot of other resorts/weeks do also.

IMO, direct exchanges and working with the smaller, independent exchange companies while at the same time working a DVC search first can enhance your chances tremendously. This past summer I had a DVC request going, regular II search, request with San Francisco exchange and Platinum Interchange while also talking to Trading Places. I ended up getting two 1 BR units at the Embassy on Maui through SFX and a direct exchange with an RCI member for a 2 BR at the Embassy on Kauai for 168 points. I got these early enough to use FF miles for all four tickets. He later offered it for a $900 rental and I asked "where do I send the check". There are so few resorts on the DVC list that by looking at all the other alternatives one can really improve the chances of getting exactly what you want.

 

[Maria395712]

Dean,
how do I get the number or website for san fran exchange and trading places

 

[spiceycat]

here is the sf exchange

www.sfx-resorts.com

 

[Dean]

Here's a link for Fern Modeno's exchange company links page it has those and more.

 

[mkkim]

Wow...! Dean, thanks so much for the terrific information! I have alot to learn about exchanges and you have really helped me out. I am sure I'll have more questions for you shortly!

 

[mkkim]

OK... here is a another question for Dean (didn't take me long!)

I thought I had to depend on DVC to conduct the exchanges for me! Have you ever encountered any problems doing direct exchanges with others?

Do you have an opinion on Marriott's Kauai Beach Club?

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by mkkim
OK... here is a another question for Dean (didn't take me long!)

I thought I had to depend on DVC to conduct the exchanges for me! Have you ever encountered any problems doing direct exchanges with others?

Do you have an opinion on Marriott's Kauai Beach Club?

I've only did the one direct DVC exchange I mentioned and it turned into a rental. I haven't heard of anyone who's had a problem once they had an agreement in place and all the needed units were reserved. The other exchange companies outside of II and RCI don't require the resort to be a member. SFX is mostly Western US, MX and HI but they get things all over. They specialize in 5* and GC resorts and usually don't take studios, at least for Orlando. They will frequently give you a bonus week that trades almost like a regular exchange making it more valuable than the bonus weeks II gives (even though DVC members don't get them). This gives you basically 2 weeks for one deposit.

All of the Marriott's in HI are top notch. Kauai will be much easier than Maui. Don't forget about the other Marriott on Kauai, Waiohai Beach Club which only has 2 BR units. I think Werner and a few others have actually stayed at the Marriott in Kauai so maybe they will chime in. Just remember they only have a mini kitchen, not much more than the studios at DVC and that's for all sizes. Kauai will be much easier to get than Maui but even then it's likely to be at 6 months out or less. Got to Timeshare Users Group where they have 2 different direct exchange listings. You will need to join to see these but at $15 for a year and a free add, it is a bargain.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We did an exchange to Kona Coast and signed up 2 years in advance. We got the exchange in just 5 days, so have no fear! It was a lovely resort! They have lots of tours available to book at their concierge desk. We did go listen to their sales pitch to get a discount on all the tours we took. It wasn't a waste of time though. It is a program similar to DVC, and we got great discounts on the tours we did!

 

[Uncle Buck]

We just put our '04 1BR week on II. Looking for mid-April at BCV, BWV, WLV. Wish us luck.

http://www.vacationclub.com/en-us/v....asp?LOC=DB02*1-I1VI &BCID=link&SID=looksmart

 

[Maria395712]

 

[rocketriter]

We had DVC list us for Kona Coast and several other harder-to-get Hawaii resorts. We wanted a specific week in March of 2005, and we put in our order last December, which was 15 months ahead. A couple of weeks ago we got a call that Kona Coast had scored: 144 points for 7 nights in a 1-bedroom. (Could we have sold those points and searched out a rental condo? I suppose, but we have neither the time nor the inclination to do so.) Anyway, it's possible to score in Hawaii with less than 24 months notice. Just give them as many months as you can, and be flexible either about the date or the resort--or both, if possible.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Uncle Buck
We just put our '04 1BR week on II. Looking for mid-April at BCV, BWV, WLV. Wish us luck.

http://www.vacationclub.com/en-us/v....asp?LOC=DB02*1-I1VI &BCID=link&SID=looksmart

Just remember that disney does not deposit Easter, period. You might have been better off if you had tried for a direct exchange.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by rocketriter
We had DVC list us for Kona Coast and several other harder-to-get Hawaii resorts. We wanted a specific week in March of 2005, and we put in our order last December, which was 15 months ahead. A couple of weeks ago we got a call that Kona Coast had scored: 144 points for 7 nights in a 1-bedroom. (Could we have sold those points and searched out a rental condo? I suppose, but we have neither the time nor the inclination to do so.) Anyway, it's possible to score in Hawaii with less than 24 months notice. Just give them as many months as you can, and be flexible either about the date or the resort--or both, if possible.

You are satisfied and that is fine with me. But for others reading this thread, let me dispell the myth that KCR is a difficult exchange, it is not. The fact it wasn't 160 points confirms that it is not truly a "high season" resort. True, it is a very nice resort and you will enjoy it. Unless one wants that resort specifically, I wouldn't list it or would add it later if things aren't looking good.

 

[rocketriter]

But for others reading this thread, let me dispell the myth that KCR is a difficult exchange, it is not.

That's exactly the point I was making. And yes, we are satisfied. We knew going in (from reading this board, by the way) that KCR was likely for us.

The fact it wasn't 160 points confirms that it is not truly a "high season" resort.

Dean, please explain this. I thought that "high season" referred to a time of year, not a quality rating.

Just remember that disney does not deposit Easter, period.

This is also something I'd like to understand better. It sounds like you're saying that it's impossible to trade out during Premier season at Disney, but I'm not sure. Can you tell us more?

 

[Dean]

rocketriter, I'll try to answer your questions. First I'll correct one statement. DVC under the old rules never deposited Easter or Xmas. Under the new rules they could but are VERY unlikely to do so due to the member demand and high points costs. Exchange seasons are determined by DVC on a resort by resort basis though a single area should have SOME consistency. These are different by far than the regular II designations of red, yellow or green time. Actually HI is HIGH season (160 points for a 1 BR) for most areas and resorts for most of the year from what I'm told. I think it's late Sept and Oct that are different for the entire area. I would have expected KCR to be 160 for March but that's good for you. A lower quality or demand resort might have a shorter "HIGH" season than a higher quality resort but the time of year and location drive the process the most, just as within II.

What DVC deposits does not have any effect on which weeks you can request as long as it's request first and you are requesting weeks that are within the 2 year window. This is not totally true fo deposit first but for different reasons. The fact that they essentially don't give up Easter or Xmas does not mean you can't request those times at other high demand resorts.

I can discuss deposit first separately if anyone wants.

 

[rocketriter]

Dean, great answers! Thank you.