RCI exchange...please help weeks on hold

[3princes+1princess]

We are a family of 6 and are exchanging through RCI of my grandmas. We have over enough points to exchange...that is not the question.

We put in a request for one week in a two bedroom and 2 weeks in a one bedroom. We have not gotten any two bedroom weeks (I hear these are given to ones who request even a one bedroom if they are first in line). We have had lots of one bedrooms, but they have never matched up.

Right now we have 2 one bedroom weeks at AK....great news, right? Wellllll no....one starts Friday and one starts Saturday. We really wanted to go Saturday to Saturday.

So, the solutions as I see them are follows
1) reject both weeks and hope for the best
2) accept both weeks, ignore the Friday night on the one ressie, do Saturday to Friday in the two rooms, and get a room at a value but never use it and secretly have all 6 in the 1 one bedroom for Saturday night. Seems like a pain. Especially since we are thinking of staying until Sunday then would have to move for one night.

So...on to my questions...
1) RCI said that after I make the exchanges that AK may help me out by giving me both saturday to saturday nights or would upgrade me to a 2 bedroom from the 2 one bedrooms. Is this even an option? I called AK and did a hypothetical with them and they said call DVC.
2) Does the RCI exchange really go through DVC? They were closed when they transferred me there....can they do anything?
3) Is there anything else I am missing to why this wouldn't or would work?

I need some really big help here....all the scenarios are driving me crazy. This process is driving me crazy.

Oh, and btw, right now we have POFQ two rooms ressies with all our meals reserved for the Saturday to Saturday week....if we don't exchange with RCI, its looking like free dining. And really, after all the extra night and two exchange fees, it is about the same cost.....is it worth it to stay at AK??

ETA:!!! I just looked at AKL and if a one bedroom exchanges for a one bedroom...all one bedrooms at AKL sleep up to 6.....would it be that easy?? see...I am crazy...that is club, not the villas...villas only have 5 people max....so how do I sneak one extra person in, lol!!

THANKS!!!

 

[Dean]

We are a family of 6 and are exchanging through RCI of my grandmas. We have over enough points to exchange...that is not the question.

We put in a request for one week in a two bedroom and 2 weeks in a one bedroom. We have not gotten any two bedroom weeks (I hear these are given to ones who request even a one bedroom if they are first in line). We have had lots of one bedrooms, but they have never matched up.

Right now we have 2 one bedroom weeks at AK....great news, right? Wellllll no....one starts Friday and one starts Saturday. We really wanted to go Saturday to Saturday.

So, the solutions as I see them are follows
1) reject both weeks and hope for the best
2) accept both weeks, ignore the Friday night on the one ressie, do Saturday to Friday in the two rooms, and get a room at a value but never use it and secretly have all 6 in the 1 one bedroom for Saturday night. Seems like a pain. Especially since we are thinking of staying until Sunday then would have to move for one night.

So...on to my questions...
1) RCI said that after I make the exchanges that AK may help me out by giving me both saturday to saturday nights or would upgrade me to a 2 bedroom from the 2 one bedrooms. Is this even an option? I called AK and did a hypothetical with them and they said call DVC.
2) Does the RCI exchange really go through DVC? They were closed when they transferred me there....can they do anything?
3) Is there anything else I am missing to why this wouldn't or would work?

I need some really big help here....all the scenarios are driving me crazy. This process is driving me crazy.

Oh, and btw, right now we have POFQ two rooms ressies with all our meals reserved for the Saturday to Saturday week....if we don't exchange with RCI, its looking like free dining. And really, after all the extra night and two exchange fees, it is about the same cost.....is it worth it to stay at AK??

ETA:!!! I just looked at AKL and if a one bedroom exchanges for a one bedroom...all one bedrooms at AKL sleep up to 6.....would it be that easy??

THANKS!!!

Take the two weeks off by one day. Your chances of getting both weeks matching up at the same time is VERY low. In the future it's best to take one at a time when they come. You're still better off even if you have to rent or pay cash for part. You can put 6 in MOST 1 BR (likely all that come through an exchange) but one must be under 3. AKV is NOT going to rearrange you to a 2 BR or Sat to Sat, period.

 

[3princes+1princess]

Take the two weeks off by one day. Your chances of getting both weeks matching up at the same time is VERY low. In the future it's best to take one at a time when they come. You're still better off even if you have to rent or pay cash for part. You can put 6 in MOST 1 BR (likely all that come through an exchange) but one must be under 3. AKV is NOT going to rearrange you to a 2 BR or Sat to Sat, period.

Dean, thanks I was hoping you would chime in. You helped me devise this plan in the first place. I feel bad using two of my grandmas weeks....she has 95,000 points per week and these weeks are only 77,000 so she will have points left over.

Now...how do I pass my 4 year old as an under 3, lol!! Or tell my husband he can't come

I just keep thinking something better will come along....but I know this is a great deal. Even with the effort of paying extra or moving to another resort for a night (so we can stay through sunday), it will be worth it to have a deluxe resort.

Do you know if we do get the 2 one bedrooms, will the guarantee next to each other like at POFQ?

 

[Dean]

Dean, thanks I was hoping you would chime in. You helped me devise this plan in the first place. I feel bad using two of my grandmas weeks....she has 95,000 points per week and these weeks are only 77,000 so she will have points left over.

Now...how do I pass my 4 year old as an under 3, lol!! Or tell my husband he can't come

I just keep thinking something better will come along....but I know this is a great deal. Even with the effort of paying extra or moving to another resort for a night (so we can stay through sunday), it will be worth it to have a deluxe resort.

Do you know if we do get the 2 one bedrooms, will the guarantee next to each other like at POFQ?

No, they won't guarantee they'll even be close but they will try if you request it. There's even a risk (small one) one will be in Jambo and one in Kidani but generally exchanges are in Kidani. The extra RCI points can be banked so they won't be lost. You're getting so much more than you're giving up even with the 2 $95 fees and 2 exchange fees. The other thing you could do would be to keep looking and if you find a better week, call RCI and have them switch it. You'll pay an additional exchange fee but that too might be worth it. The other advantage of two villas is you have a greater chance of at least one being Savannah view. It does illustrate some of the issues of exchanging, esp for a larger group. We have a large contingent coming up (six 2BR units in HH at a Marriott). I just got a call today that they were able to get them all in the same building and 3 on a high floor.

 

[cmwade77]

Dean, thanks I was hoping you would chime in. You helped me devise this plan in the first place. I feel bad using two of my grandmas weeks....she has 95,000 points per week and these weeks are only 77,000 so she will have points left over.

Now...how do I pass my 4 year old as an under 3, lol!! Or tell my husband he can't come

I just keep thinking something better will come along....but I know this is a great deal. Even with the effort of paying extra or moving to another resort for a night (so we can stay through sunday), it will be worth it to have a deluxe resort.

Do you know if we do get the 2 one bedrooms, will the guarantee next to each other like at POFQ?

This is one of the things I like about owning Disney, if I want a week through RCI, I find where it's available and book it, paying the exchange fee.

And no, Disney never guarantees rooms next to each other, if they say they do, be aware that it is a request and they will do all they can, but it is not a guarantees, even at POFQ. It will be in the fine print somewhere.

The only things you get guaranteed are what you pay extra for, such as a king sized bed at certain resorts.

 

[3princes+1princess]

No, they won't guarantee they'll even be close but they will try if you request it. There's even a risk (small one) one will be in Jambo and one in Kidani but generally exchanges are in Kidani. The extra RCI points can be banked so they won't be lost. You're getting so much more than you're giving up even with the 2 $95 fees and 2 exchange fees. The other thing you could do would be to keep looking and if you find a better week, call RCI and have them switch it. You'll pay an additional exchange fee but that too might be worth it. The other advantage of two villas is you have a greater chance of at least one being Savannah view. It does illustrate some of the issues of exchanging, esp for a larger group. We have a large contingent coming up (six 2BR units in HH at a Marriott). I just got a call today that they were able to get them all in the same building and 3 on a high floor.

Thanks again...unfortunately it is a $260 exchange fee....$199 for the exchange, $60 for the guest certificate....per exchange. So it will be about $500....but that is less that one night for one room!

So, I am trying to figure this out. When RCI exchanges, do they just give me 2 one bedrooms and it is up to Disney to figure out where I go? Or does RCI exchange for a certain part of the resort in a certain room? Whos decision is it to get rooms together. I think disney has a rule if there are two adults separated they will do anything in their power to get rooms together.

Hopefully I will have your luck! Having a large family..as they are all mine...is hard at times. Especially at Disney where they really cater to families of 4.

 

[rlovew]

Thanks again...unfortunately it is a $260 exchange fee....$199 for the exchange, $60 for the guest certificate....per exchange. So it will be about $500....but that is less that one night for one room!

So, I am trying to figure this out. When RCI exchanges, do they just give me 2 one bedrooms and it is up to Disney to figure out where I go? Or does RCI exchange for a certain part of the resort in a certain room? Whos decision is it to get rooms together. I think disney has a rule if there are two adults separated they will do anything in their power to get rooms together.

Hopefully I will have your luck! Having a large family..as they are all mine...is hard at times. Especially at Disney where they really cater to families of 4.

They don't have any specific rooms blocked off and Disney may say they will get you near each other or at least as close as they can. I can't remember if they even have 1 bedrooms beside each other or if there will always be a studio in between at AKL. If they have 1 adult and more children than wiull fit in a room they will keep them as close as possible but beside that it all depends on what is open and what else has been requested when you are checking in(by others as well as you). Since your number 1 concern is having the rooms as close as possible make that your only request.

 

[cmwade77]

Thanks again...unfortunately it is a $260 exchange fee....$199 for the exchange, $60 for the guest certificate....per exchange. So it will be about $500....but that is less that one night for one room!

So, I am trying to figure this out. When RCI exchanges, do they just give me 2 one bedrooms and it is up to Disney to figure out where I go? Or does RCI exchange for a certain part of the resort in a certain room? Whos decision is it to get rooms together. I think disney has a rule if there are two adults separated they will do anything in their power to get rooms together.

Hopefully I will have your luck! Having a large family..as they are all mine...is hard at times. Especially at Disney where they really cater to families of 4.

Ouch! And I thought the $89 fee that we have to pay as DVC owners seemed like a lot.

 

[Dean]

Thanks again...unfortunately it is a $260 exchange fee....$199 for the exchange, $60 for the guest certificate....per exchange. So it will be about $500....but that is less that one night for one room!

So, I am trying to figure this out. When RCI exchanges, do they just give me 2 one bedrooms and it is up to Disney to figure out where I go? Or does RCI exchange for a certain part of the resort in a certain room? Whos decision is it to get rooms together. I think disney has a rule if there are two adults separated they will do anything in their power to get rooms together.

Hopefully I will have your luck! Having a large family..as they are all mine...is hard at times. Especially at Disney where they really cater to families of 4.

If you haven't already done so, hold on the guest certs and see if Disney will add the other names to the official owners. Don't forget you'll have a $95 fee per unit in addition. While Disney has the option, I've never known of them changing the start day, unit size or view of an exchange. They treat it just like a member who booked directly and give them to booking category. I've even offered to take a 1 BR when I had a 2 BR reserved but didn't need it and they said they couldn't. Your 2 units will likely be in Kidani but it's possible one could be Kidani and one Jambo. Once you talk to Disney, they can tell you that and the view type. They will likely get the info next Tuesday from RCI,not before. If they are in the same building, and you make the request on BOTH units, they will almost certainly be very close, though with the setup of Kidani, that can be 50-75 ft in some cases, sometimes it's directly across the hall if you have one of each views.

 

[Dean]

Ouch! And I thought the $89 fee that we have to pay as DVC owners seemed like a lot.

It's $95 but you're also giving up DVC points. Even with the exchange fee and $95 resort services fees, while taking into account other timeshare costs including maint fees where applicable, my historical cost for each DVC exchange total has been around $400 on average and going forward looks to be about $600. Of course that's for timeshares I have anyway, the cost on a smaller scale would be more but still far less than buying DVC points while giving a lot more options non DVC.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Back in the day when Disney was promoting grand gatherings (groups over 8 people), we reserved 4 rooms at FQ for our trip (before we tried DVC)...they were not together and one was actually in a different bldg. it took some negotiations with CM and the room assigner the next day, but we finally got four room, same bldg, same floor about 20 rooms away...and when I wrote to Disney, we received two free day tickets as we had to check out and the rooms were not ready, so my husband and I took care of switching all the rooms so the kids could go to the parks...what a nightmare...last check in that first night was 1am, and I had to call the room assigner by 6am the next day! UGH. Btw, we didn't ask to be compensated, but wanted to acknowledge a great CM and let them know their grand gathering option wasn't working very well. Did a second grand gathering a few years later, at OKW that went perfect, of course cause we had a GV!

NEVER expect close rooms even with DVC, perhaps you will be pleasantly surprised, but it depends on the rooms available the day you all check in..they will not hold a room empty the day before just to fulfill your request. They will be firm to tell you...request is no way a guarantee.

 

[babybartione]

3princes+1princess, if I may ask how long were you on the wait list for and during what time of year? I used my points to reserve a week in Nov of 2014 and so far nothing. From what I've heard from the people at RCI is that what you have is what you have. You can still put that you would like the other room saturday to saturday and keep your current reservation.

Good luck

 

[Dean]

3princes+1princess, if I may ask how long were you on the wait list for and during what time of year? I used my points to reserve a week in Nov of 2014 and so far nothing. From what I've heard from the people at RCI is that what you have is what you have. You can still put that you would like the other room saturday to saturday and keep your current reservation.

Good luck

DVC doesn't deposit until inside 11 months out and most inventory is given to RCI at inside 7 months out.

 

[3princes+1princess]

3princes+1princess, if I may ask how long were you on the wait list for and during what time of year? I used my points to reserve a week in Nov of 2014 and so far nothing. From what I've heard from the people at RCI is that what you have is what you have. You can still put that you would like the other room saturday to saturday and keep your current reservation.

Good luck

I am sorry, I just noticed this post. I put in my request about May for a week in mid Nov to mid Dec. We kept getting weeks from Nov 16-24 (15-23) in various resorts. That is the only time frame we got, but probably 10+ weeks for that. No two bedrooms ever and no two weeks at the same check in for the same resort.

Good luck!!

 

[Lisa P.]

I put in my request about May for a week in mid Nov to mid Dec. We kept getting weeks from Nov 16-24 (15-23) in various resorts. That is the only time frame we got, but probably 10+ weeks for that. No two bedrooms ever and no two weeks at the same check in for the same resort.

If you have not yet confirmed anything and your ongoing search for a single 2BR is still active, I would recommend waiting only a couple more weeks, until mid-July. If you still have not matched, you'll only be about 4-5 months out, without a confirmation.

At that point, if you still really want RCI exchanges and if you would be fine with two 1BRs (which may or may not be located super close together) during that pre-Thanksgiving week, then I would suggest confirming a 1BR at AKV/OKW/SSR for your desired check-in date and get RCI insurance on the trade. The insurance is $49 and it does NOT provide a refund of the exchange fee but it will refund your grandparents' points if you cancel later. Then narrow the second ongoing search to only include the specific resort and check-in date, to match your confirmed week. I've seen plenty of 1BR inventory pop up for that pre-Thanksgiving week mentioned in your post, at SSR, OKW, and AKV (in that order). So I think the chances of snagging a second 1BR after someone's cancellation are not too bad. If you really want the trade, it may be worth the gamble of paying the exchange fee for the first unit. As you said, you've seen plenty of 1BRs pop up.

If you're taking the gamble, be sure you ask RCI: when is the last date for you to add a guest certificate to the first confirmed trade? Put a reminder on your calendar to get it then. Don't buy it too early, in case you end up having to cancel the trade. Also, remember, if you do catch a 2BR on the 2nd exchange, you can always cancel the first one and your grandparents would get the refunded points back. You'd be out the fees, though.

You don't have to pay the $95 DVC resort fee (per unit) until arrival. Keep your back-up plan intact, right up until you either confirm a 2BR or your 2nd 1BR. You don't mention the option of using your 2nd search to request a studio unit. If you were to match both a 1BR and a studio for the same resort, check-in date and view category, you could request connecting rooms. Not guaranteed and you'd still have to pay separate exchange fees, guest fees and resort fees. But another way to go. HTH.

 

[lilpooh108]

I am sorry, I just noticed this post. I put in my request about May for a week in mid Nov to mid Dec. We kept getting weeks from Nov 16-24 (15-23) in various resorts. That is the only time frame we got, but probably 10+ weeks for that. No two bedrooms ever and no two weeks at the same check in for the same resort.

Good luck!!

This is good to know, thanks for posting. I put in an ongoing search for my FIL for the same time frame in May for mid Nov to mid Dec and he didn't get any DVC matches, but happened to get one off-site (which we thought was a good trade). I just got my RCI/Wyndham account set up and had been wondering what people were getting if they put in their ongoing searches in "late" (b/c I thought May was pretty late). Interesting....

Dean---I've always wondered. If you do an ongoing search for DVC but also ask for other resorts, do they just give you the other resorts and NOT DVC? I'm sure this is all anecdotal but next time I might just not ask for any alternatives. We had a firm trip date so he was happy with what he got.

 

[Dean]

Dean---I've always wondered. If you do an ongoing search for DVC but also ask for other resorts, do they just give you the other resorts and NOT DVC? I'm sure this is all anecdotal but next time I might just not ask for any alternatives. We had a firm trip date so he was happy with what he got.

Yes and no. They give you what's available but non DVC is far more likely to be available. If they had both at one time I don't know how they'd do that, my guess is you'd get the non DVC.

 

[spears2008]

I had a similar situation, two 1-bed reservations. 1 checking in day after the other. RCI told me DVC would work with me and change to same check in-- NOT SO. DVC will do nothing.

I think getting 2 RCI exchanges for the same week, same resort is quite a success and I would take it! book a studio for the 1 early night or value if you need it, otherwise pack in 1 room if you can.

Congrats on getting two great exchanges. sorry, but I don't htink you'll do any better than this.

 

[Brian Noble]

If they had both at one time I don't know how they'd do that, my guess is you'd get the non DVC.

Now that inventory is added to the system continuously, I suspect it is fairly rare for two units matching a single ongoing search to be added at precisely the same time.

 

[Dean]

Now that inventory is added to the system continuously, I suspect it is fairly rare for two units matching a single ongoing search to be added at precisely the same time.

We don't really know how close they look for this situation. If they review the search matches then they might take the opportunity to match 2 at one time, one that has DVC only to a single DVC deposit and the other to the non DVC. However, given that RCI gets many times the deposits for non DVC than for DVC, it really doesn't matter. If you have a request for non DVC plus DVC the odds of match to DVC drop to almost zero.