Just back from Mexico on DVC Points

[momsully]

We just got back today from a week at the Royal Mayan using a trade thru II. We had a fantastic time and I really was happy with the point value. I know that trading is not always the best use of points but in this case we really needed a break from Disney, had the points available, and had free plane tickets to Cancun so we went for it. Although we won't trade often I am looking forward to trading again and hope that trading thru RCI is just as easy.

The Royal Mayan is a beautiful resort, with spacious rooms. The only downside is the beach as most of the beach in Cancun was damaged during Hurricane Wilma. Because of the lack of sand most of the beaches had red flag warnings during our visit.

I am not sure if this resort is available thru RCI but if it is and anyone is interested let me know and I will post pictures and details.

 

[DiznyDi]

Sounds like you had a nice time! Thanks for the report.

 

[SLM]

Thanks for letting us know-I think it's a good idea for our family to take a break from WDW once in a while and would consider trying a resort through RCI.

 

[Dean]

Only two of the Royal resorts are potentially available through RCI, the Royal Mayan and VCI. II still gets the bulk of the deposits so I wouldn't hold my breath. There are many great resorts but hard to compete with the Royals. Be careful of the AI (all inclusive) resorts. Unfortunately RCI is not as strong as was II in most of the places DVC members want to go but for MX they hold their own or are better overall.

 

[AnnaS]

Glad you are home safe and had a nice time. We are staying at the Royal Sands this July.

Who did you use for transfers to and from the airport? Did you use Thomas Moore? (which is used by the Royals and listed on the DVC confirmation letter?
Did you have a private car or van? Price? I need to book them soon.

Did you by any chance notice anything or at anytime feel that you should not have gone because of all the violcence that is going on in Mexico. I know it's mostly by the borders and Jaurez(sp?) but my dh and I were discussing this and called MS to see what our options are if we cancelled.

We really don't want to and so far going ahead with this.

 

[momsully]

Who did you use for transfers to and from the airport? Did you use Thomas Moore? (which is used by the Royals and listed on the DVC confirmation letter?
Did you have a private car or van? Price? I need to book them soon.

We used Thomas More and had the private car. It was $95 round trip for the private car, shared service was $19/person round trip. Since we had four people and did not want to stop three other places we went with private. Thomas More was great, but you need to walk by all the people in the airport lobby to the outside. They will try to tell you Thomas More is not there etc and want to sell you timeshare tours. They are very persistant so keep walking. The Thomas More folks were very professional. We booked two other excursions from them when we got to Mexico. Both excursions were very well done and we had a great time.

We were also worried about safety and considered cancelling but there were no issues at all. We waited until we got to Mexico to book excursions since we were nervous but it was fine. We actually rode the city bus down to the hotel zone for shopping one day and no problems at all.

There is a great restaurant next door to the Royal Sands. It is Hacienda Sisal and you get a discount if you let them know you are staying at one of the Royals.

 

[nunzia]

I may have missed this, but was this AI? I know you have to pay a big fee on AI but it may be worth it (imo).

 

[momsully]

I may have missed this, but was this AI? I know you have to pay a big fee on AI but it may be worth it (imo).

No, it was not all inclusive. We actually made breakfast in the condo everyday. For lunch we had some deli meat and made sandwiches for the beach a couple of days. We usually ate dinner out but since it was not AI we were able to try some different places. The food on the property was OK, not great and I would not have wanted to be confined to just eating there.

 

[Dean]

I may have missed this, but was this AI? I know you have to pay a big fee on AI but it may be worth it (imo).

The Royals are not AI though they sometimes offer meal plans. AI are almost never worth it for an exchange. Some are a value if you get the room essentially for free which you often can do.

 

[AnnaS]

We used Thomas More and had the private car. It was $95 round trip for the private car, shared service was $19/person round trip. Since we had four people and did not want to stop three other places we went with private. Thomas More was great, but you need to walk by all the people in the airport lobby to the outside. They will try to tell you Thomas More is not there etc and want to sell you timeshare tours. They are very persistant so keep walking. The Thomas More folks were very professional. We booked two other excursions from them when we got to Mexico. Both excursions were very well done and we had a great time.

We were also worried about safety and considered cancelling but there were no issues at all. We waited until we got to Mexico to book excursions since we were nervous but it was fine. We actually rode the city bus down to the hotel zone for shopping one day and no problems at all.

There is a great restaurant next door to the Royal Sands. It is Hacienda Sisal and you get a discount if you let them know you are staying at one of the Royals.

Thank you. Glad to hear positive reviews for Thomas More and thanks for the warning. We will know to expect him outside. Glad to hear you felt the same way as us and safe there. Of course, like anywhere else, we will be aware of our surroundings, etc.

We will also wait regarding booking any excursions. We want to see what they offer, length, and options if we would need to leave early. My dh has heart problems (is doing very well now) so I am not sure how long he will tolerate heat (first summer/heat trip since his heart problems started (heart attacks, quadruple bypass, another surgery for fluid, etc.).

If you think of anything you could have done/should have done, learned, please post.

Thank you again.

 

[Princess Tink]

Thank you. Glad to hear positive reviews for Thomas More and thanks for the warning. We will know to expect him outside. Glad to hear you felt the same way as us and safe there. Of course, like anywhere else, we will be aware of our surroundings, etc.

We will also wait regarding booking any excursions. We want to see what they offer, length, and options if we would need to leave early. My dh has heart problems (is doing very well now) so I am not sure how long he will tolerate heat (first summer/heat trip since his heart problems started (heart attacks, quadruple bypass, another surgery for fluid, etc.).

If you think of anything you could have done/should have done, learned, please post.

Thank you again.

Anna,
Not the original poster, but maybe I have some information that would be helpful. We are going to Cancun the last week of May...staying at the Royal Caribbean (via II trade), and can't wait. We were lucky enough to get the same trade in 2006 (anniversay trip for DH & I). We feel the Royal Resorts are a great trade option for our precious DVC....and are sad we won't have that option any long (although, I've recently heard the Royal Mayan is an option, Ive also heard its hard to get in RCI). At the Royals, you get daily cleaning, they have lots of onsite activities for young & old, they have great resturants, and the staff is fantastic. You should have a great time.

We used E-Plus for our transfers and excursions. I learned alot from several other forums, including Tug. And I used E-Plus based on many recommendations there. We were very impressed...they offer a private ride to/from the airport at a very competitive price (cheaper than Thomas Moore). I also remember reading many different plcces that when you get to Cancun, many 'timeshare' people will act like they are your driver or offer you a ride...keep walking and just say 'no, gracias'...they will leave you alone. Regarding excursions, we did a trip to Xel-ha & Tulum last time with E-Plus, and had a great time. We also did a trip to Isla Mujeres on our own...thanks to a handy map we purchased online (from mapchick). These maps are awesome....we purchased one for Isla Mujeres & Cancun, they contained alot of valuable information. This time we've booked a private fishing excursion via E-Plus, and we're undecided if we are going to go to Xcaret ot back to Isla Mujeres....we're taking DS11, and we can't decide which he'd like best (we're leaning towards Xcaret). Hopefully some of this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions...and I will try to help.

Micaela

 

[Dean]

Anna,
Not the original poster, but maybe I have some information that would be helpful. We are going to Cancun the last week of May...staying at the Royal Caribbean (via II trade), and can't wait. We were lucky enough to get the same trade in 2006 (anniversay trip for DH & I). We feel the Royal Resorts are a great trade option for our precious DVC....and are sad we won't have that option any long (although, I've recently heard the Royal Mayan is an option, Ive also heard its hard to get in RCI). At the Royals, you get daily cleaning, they have lots of onsite activities for young & old, they have great resturants, and the staff is fantastic. You should have a great time.

We used E-Plus for our transfers and excursions. I learned alot from several other forums, including Tug. And I used E-Plus based on many recommendations there. We were very impressed...they offer a private ride to/from the airport at a very competitive price (cheaper than Thomas Moore). I also remember reading many different plcces that when you get to Cancun, many 'timeshare' people will act like they are your driver or offer you a ride...keep walking and just say 'no, gracias'...they will leave you alone. Regarding excursions, we did a trip to Xel-ha & Tulum last time with E-Plus, and had a great time. We also did a trip to Isla Mujeres on our own...thanks to a handy map we purchased online (from mapchick). These maps are awesome....we purchased one for Isla Mujeres & Cancun, they contained alot of valuable information. This time we've booked a private fishing excursion via E-Plus, and we're undecided if we are going to go to Xcaret ot back to Isla Mujeres....we're taking DS11, and we can't decide which he'd like best (we're leaning towards Xcaret). Hopefully some of this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions...and I will try to help.

Micaela

The RM is in both II and RCI but given II gets most of the deposits, it can be tough. The Royals are often available through SFX, an independent exchange company so all is not lost.

 

[Princess Tink]

The RM is in both II and RCI but given II gets most of the deposits, it can be tough. The Royals are often available through SFX, an independent exchange company so all is not lost.

Dean...tell me more about this SFX. I'm not familiar with 'other exchange co'....DVC is the only timeshare we own. How does it work? And how likly is it that u would be able to make an exchange on 'short notice'....DH and I have seriously thought about turning our 1 wk exchange (RC May 23-30) into a 2 week echange by adding a week at RC, RS, or RH (May 30-June 6). But its just a thought at this time...knowing it was slim to non on the possibility scale.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We have always loved the Royal Resorts. There's a special place in my heart for the Royal Mayan. Really not a big fan of VCI because it's not on the same beutiful beach as the others--nice enough resort though.

It's too bad that DVC stopped trading through II. We've been trading through II for 14 yrs with our other timeshare and it sure seems to me to have better options for the most part. Oh well--we're not trading our DVC for anything!

 

[Dean]

Dean...tell me more about this SFX. I'm not familiar with 'other exchange co'....DVC is the only timeshare we own. How does it work? And how likly is it that u would be able to make an exchange on 'short notice'....DH and I have seriously thought about turning our 1 wk exchange (RC May 23-30) into a 2 week echange by adding a week at RC, RS, or RH (May 30-June 6). But its just a thought at this time...knowing it was slim to non on the possibility scale.

There are quite a few independent exchange companies. They include:

• San Francisco Exchange - Specializes in upscale options.
• Trading Places Intl - HI, MX, Canada
• Dial an Exchange - especially good in Europe and is the only one that does first come first served consistently.
• Trading Place Maui
• HI Timeshare Exchange
• Platinum Interchange
• Redweeks to a degree
• Ownerstrade.com - Marriott direct trade site
• TUG - direct trade listings

SFX seems to get a lot of Royals. They also have liberal bonus week and upgrade rules and allow request first in some situations. www.sfx-resorts.com. Now that DVC will not confirm a week with the exchange company, it's harder to get them to work with DVC but you should look at their info and talk to them.

 

[AnnaS]

Thank you also Princesstink.

Xcaret, Tulim and some other one I can't spell right now are three excursions that everyone seems to do/popular and rave about.

I just want to see/hear length of these excursions first - so we will wait til we are there and explore our options.

We will mostly likely have breakfast in the condo too, maybe a lunch or two but the rest out. We will need to shop for a few things anyway, especially fruit. My dh has fruit all day long.

I need to brush up on my Spanish too. I am assuming most of the staff at the Royal Sands will speak/understand English? I think I should buy a spanish language book.

Will look into E-Plus also. Do you have their link? I will google E-Plus too.

 

[Princess Tink]

Thank you also Princesstink.

Xcaret, Tulim and some other one I can't spell right now are three excursions that everyone seems to do/popular and rave about.

I just want to see/hear length of these excursions first - so we will wait til we are there and explore our options.

We will mostly likely have breakfast in the condo too, maybe a lunch or two but the rest out. We will need to shop for a few things anyway, especially fruit. My dh has fruit all day long.

I need to brush up on my Spanish too. I am assuming most of the staff at the Royal Sands will speak/understand English? I think I should buy a spanish language book.

Will look into E-Plus also. Do you have their link? I will google E-Plus too.

Maybe Chitchinizta (sp?)...rhyms with (chicken & pizza). I've heard awesome reviews on it, but last time we went it was July...def not the best time to go from what I hear. And DH wasn't too keen on the idea of that long of a ride for an excursion. One day I will make it there though!

You can also get information on these excusions from the online tour companies (E-Plus is just one of many out there,,,and Xcaret has their own website as well). The link for eplus is: http://entertainment-plus.net/

The Royal Resorts have a Market right there on property, very conv and I thought very reasonably priced. Some people like to go to the Local Wal-Mart downtown if they are going to cook a lot of meals in....or maybe just for the experience. We have yet to do that, but I hear it's very easy to get to....take a bus downtown, and hire a taxi to come back.

It will be nice to freshen up on your spanish, but you will find that most people in the hotel zone speak perfect english.

Hope this helps.
Micaela

 

[AnnaS]

Maybe Chitchinizta (sp?)...Micaela

Yes, that's it.

I just put the E-Plus website in my favorites. Thanks. Never got around to it this morning. Will browse later.


Thank you so much again.

 

[momsully]

We did two excursions, both were all day - left the hotel at 7 am back by 6 pm. The first one was Tulum and Xel - Ha. The second one was Chichen Iza and a cenote (swimming hole). If you only were going to do one I would recommend Chichen Iza. The ruins are impressive. Be prepared though as it is really hot!

We used the market at the Royal Mayan and it was fine. A little expensive for bottled water and such but much easier than the Walmart. The city bus does go to Walmart but it is a pretty long ride out there. We took the bus to Market 28 which was the same stop as the Walmart and it took a good thirty minutes.

 

[AnnaS]

momsully and princesstink,

Did either of you notice any shorter excursions? Just wondering how and if my dh can tolerate that heat all day.

We have done it many times on vacation in Mexico (cruises), Italy, etc. but this was all before my dh got sick.

I was hoping that I would have been able to do some excursions without dh if my brother's exchange came through also but it did not.

Will have to play it by ear and see how it goes. We mind end up doing a lot of relaxation, lol.