Sky-auction

[alecam]

Please tell me what you know about sky-auction!! I would like to use this service in the future, but I've never used it before.

For example:How much of a savings did you experience? Approx how much to bid on certain properties,etc. Has anyone been dissappointed or cheated? Would you use it again?

 

[vmkids]

I too was scared to use skyauction then finall swallowed it and tried it for our last dec vacation. Result... got CPGV for 1/3 the cost from hotelkingdom... same hotel we had stayed in the last two times and everything. Now just kick myself for the other two vacations I through money out the window because of fear. Now I know it runs smooth, check in no problem, and everything... guess what CPGV is hardly on there now. Lesson learnt but just a little too late. I would try it. I did the RSG auction (ready set go) for a week. All went very well.

 

[alecam]

Thanks vmkids,
I think I will keep my eye on it for a while.I am getting a pretty good price for a kidsuite in June, and all of the resorts on skyauction have surcharges of $20-$30/night for my dates, so even if the bid is good, I'm not picking the best time of year to go!
I love going in September, so I will look on there a little closer to then if we decide to go!!
Thanks again!!

 

[vmkids]

You welcome!

If you do bid and win make sure you get your confirmation with the email. We did not so we just called them and they sent it to us by fax. We thought it was faster with skyauction check in then with hotelkingdom.

 

[dbb00]

We've used it a couple of times and got a great deal every time. I think Sky auction is great if you are flexible with your dates. The best deals always seem to be for trips with the dates already set. We have only bid on 7 night packages knowing the price we would normally pay in advance. The daily packages don't seem to be as good of a deal. With the weekly packages you pay $195 fee and $15 transfer fee plus your bid (as long as there are no additional surcharge fees, etc.. you have to watch that). So, the most expensive trip we've taken so far was $254 for 7 nights in a two bedroom condo in orlando. That's less than a Motel 6 and a lot nicer. The condo's have been great up to this point. I think it's a great site, just make sure you are well informed and know exactly what you are bidding on. Have fun.

 

[spiceycat]

I have only bid on known timeshares for the week - I haven't done the ready-set-go ones.

Skyauction is part of RCI (the exchange company) - so you aren't going to be cheated. the worst the request you made is too late and they will refund your money - or you can use it down the road at other exchange.

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

I'll tell you how much I love Skyauction. We wouldn't be vacationing for two weeks this Nov/Dec if it weren't for them.

We won a week at Vistana last year for $310 total.($210 in fees, bid $90) We were able to get this one cheap because it was for a specific week.

Also won Cypress POinte Grand villas (specific week) for $220 total. (Yep, bid $10) Wasn't able to use this because of Hurricane Frances.........rescheduled for this Dec. 3-10.

Won RSG auction, picked Bryan's Spanish Cove, total $271.

Let's see.......that's $801 for 21 nights in a 2 bedroom condo.

I don't know how long these deals are going to last, but I'll take them while I can get them. And actually, if the deals stop coming, we'll probably just rent from an owner..........that's something we would have never done before. I guess we didn't want to take a chance. But now we know what it's like off-site and we like it, so we will probably be in condos from now on. I even get tempted once in a while to buy a timeshare, just so we are sure to get into one of the nice ones(like Vistana or CPGV, Hilton, Marriott, Orange Lake). Maybe in the future, I don't know.

Don't waste your time with "Bid per night" auctions unless you only need two or three nights. The "week" auctions are a much better deal.

 

[ioneblair]

excuse me if this is too duh for you....does one have to attend a timeshare sales presentation if you win an auction? is that what it's about?

 

[spiceycat]

no - you don't have to attend a timeshare sale pitch.

this is according to RCI - their excess inventory (of course tell that to some tuggers) for the area. there are lots of timeshares in Orlando - some are high demand, some aren't. the ones that are high demand only get to skyauction (lately anyway) when they are last minute - Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Orange Lake, and probably soon Sheraton Vistana.

the others are great places - just not high demand for exchangers - so instead of letting them go to waste - the owers of RCI came up with skyauction - then they also let hotels and others use it for a fee.

are you going to find an Atlantis on skyauction - probably not - but who knows you may sometime....

now the bad thing about skyauction - the resorts themselves get nothing - this has made Sheraton Vistana mad enough that last year they started to use II (Interval International) also. they use to put their excess inventory with RCI (then skyauction could get it) - now they use II. RCI changed it policy and decided that whatever a resort put in RCI - it was RCI no longer the resorts....

oh - both RCI and II are exchange clubs.

 

[HappyLawyer]

I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVE skyauction
i got 7 nights 2 bedroom villa for total of 215.00, i use them all the time, they are great, if a presentation is required it will tell you on the auction, you do not have to go, i will usually do one they get me with the 50.00 if free groceries

 

[ioneblair]

thanks so much y'all, I joined skyauction today and am checking it out....thank you for opening me up to this and helping get some understandings....the rest of the research I'm getting into.....

 

[spiceycat]

I forgot about the Fairfield ones that are sales pitches!

but as Happy Lawyer says the ad must tell you.

 

[Sumac]

I'm interested in SkyAuction too. Can anyone tell me if it is reasonable to expect getting a 2 bedroom condo type of deal in Orlando in August? I'm not sure if it is too busy of a time, so that there wouldn't be much excess inventory. I searched but didn't find much for our timeframe.

 

[spiceycat]

yes - I think August will be out there.

I think you are looking to soon.

there are some great March deals out and this is February!!!

you might consider making another reservation that you can cancel - if you get the skyauction - but be careful when making a reservation some places now want to charge you if you cancel as soon as 30 days - you only want to make a reservation with a place that will let you cancel 5 days out with no charges....

 

[spiceycat]

yea!!! got the skyauction.

going to be in Orlando March 4 -11 - at Celebration World with SPICEY - he can stay here for the $50 charge...can't wait!!!

this cost me $224 instead of the $211 - at the last minute someone else decided to bid....

Oh going through the extra vacation on RCI it would cost me over $700...

I am happy!!!

 

[lawgs]

spicey

did you get a two bedroom

or one bedroom with partial kitchen for that cost ??

they tried to put us in a smaller one bedroom when we won our skyauction, even though our confirmation said FULL kitchen

the resort said it was RCI which assigned the room, RCI said it was the resort who assigned the rooms......there was quite a bit of back and forth before they finally got it straight .....

on another note,

looks like RCI is keeping more of the "better" resorts for their own Extra Vacations and not giving up that inventory to Skyauction....Vistana for 500$ is about what Vistana was going for on skyauction....last year

 

[spiceycat]

it was the 1-bedroom with a limited kitchen - in another words a studio (efficiency) - that didn't bother me -

no when I looked the same unit - limited kitchen was going for over $700 on RCI - that is down right silly!!!

I get to kept Spicey with me - was the real I went for that one other than the 2-bedroom villa at Vacation Villas.... It was on March 5 (which would have been better for me) and had no bidders!!!

I love my little friend in the room with me - I wish DVC would come up with a pet friendly resort...

when I say on the comments that I wanted a pet friendly villa - Skyauction actually contacted the resort - they did not know it was pet friendly.... So maybe in the future those ads for Celebration World resort will say pet friendly and it will be more bidders.

It is nice - yes there is construction and yes it has a way to go - but for pet friendly resort - IT IS WONDERFUL!!!! Spicey had a good time here. The only place he liked better was Universal's Royal Pacific - but I think it was there first cat - so they may a big deal out of him. He got so full of himself - that he though I should let him sit in the lobby so everyone could admired him.....

 

[lawgs]

spicey

smilawgs

glad to hear it meets your requirements....and you get to take your "friend" with you....the "excuse" we have seen at some resorts about "pets" is the costs involved in fumigating after the stay .....not sure the charges they are suggesting are reasonable though....

and yes i agree for that type of room for RCI to be charging 700$ is outrageous.....

they do not seem to have any florida resorts in their Last Call offerings....

at least they have offerings for a more modest price than they used to charge for bonus vacations.....

now, if they would only have more exchanges appearing for las vegas.....still hoping for that here...

til then

lawgs

 

[umaangel00]

how does skyauction work? I am really skeptical of things and I'm afraid to use it.

 

[spiceycat]

It is very easy.

if you find one that you want to bid on - you need to register - so they can contract you. then you can bid on one.

these are from RCI - so they aren't ripe offs at all.

right now there is a Silver Lake, March 4 - it had no bids at all - so you could get in for $211 (with a $1 bid on your part) - although I am slowing learning that the later you bid the better....

I would make a bid in the last 5 minutes. Do it slowly - so there is only a minute left in the time. there are some people who will bid against you - not because they want it - just to bid against you....

if you see one you like but haven't heard about it here - just ask. but definitely ask before you bid - not after.