Question about RCI

[Dean]

I'm not sure which state you're looking for, but I just checked July 2013 and there is availability. It also says there is availibility in the US for June and August.

Try these tips when you do your search on the MS website by clicking on the RCI link:

1) Search for the exact week you want. Under the months click on the one you want and then click on the calendar for the exact dates you want. You will then get a list of all of the properties available during that week.

2) If your dates are flexible, click on the month you want and see what resorts are available for which dates.

3) Availability changes daily if not hourly. I usually check the website once a day to see if the resort and week I want have come up. I know it may take more work, but that worked better for me than calling MS everyday and having them check. If you see what you want, book it online(DON'T CALL MS TO BOOK IT!). I did that for one of my reservations and it was gone by time MS went in to book it. Thankfully, it came up again and I booked it immediately. If you don't have enough points in the use year of your trip. MS will call you to see how you want to use your points.

Good luck and I hope these suggestions help.

I think if you look closer you'll see there's very little of interest and very little on the DVC list. For example, If I look for June, US and put in beach as a qualifying factor you get almost nothing. 21 total resorts on the RCI points side (which is where DVC would come from) and 48 on the weeks side. Most of those are in places like Branson and Orlando and only a couple of Gold Crown options and mostly non rated resorts.

 

[cwdefouw]

I don't have actual experience to know if this is true, but it did come straight from an RCI manager on the January Member Cruise...

Although DVC members can only see about 500 properties on the web site, if there is another RCI property that a member desperately wants to go to, they will supposedly work with the member to try to make it happen, "based on availability, of course." This would almost certainly be a major, major trade down as the ones that we have easy access to are supposedly their best properties, but hey, if someone wants to spend their points on it...

During the RCI presentation on the cruise, I got the feeling that RCI is pretty desperate to get people to trade their DVC points to them. The managers giving the presentation seemed to be extremely helpful. I just wish they would show the RCI "Signature Selections" properties on the web site, but when I asked about that, they indicated that there are no plans to show them there in the future.

 

[Dean]

I don't have actual experience to know if this is true, but it did come straight from an RCI manager on the January Member Cruise...

Although DVC members can only see about 500 properties on the web site, if there is another RCI property that a member desperately wants to go to, they will supposedly work with the member to try to make it happen, "based on availability, of course." This would almost certainly be a major, major trade down as the ones that we have easy access to are supposedly their best properties, but hey, if someone wants to spend their points on it...

During the RCI presentation on the cruise, I got the feeling that RCI is pretty desperate to get people to trade their DVC points to them. The managers giving the presentation seemed to be extremely helpful. I just wish they would show the RCI "Signature Selections" properties on the web site, but when I asked about that, they indicated that there are no plans to show them there in the future.

It sounds like you were talking to DVC sales and not RCI. DVD makes the decision which properties to offer and they will consider adding options if you request it but it will take a year or 2 even if it happens. They won't offer properties in the Orlando area or generally new properties. They try to offer the top end options across the range of options. If there's no top end options they will consider second tier options to get something in an area not covered otherwise. My info suggests that you were told incorrectly, they will not offer you options not on the DVC-RCI list.

I also think you were oversold on how important DVC is to RCI. RCI doesn't get desperate over a single or handful of options. As for Signature collection options, I think you want to stay away from those using points given how high they are and that some of the options are easy to get in RCI for regular members.