TR: Exchanging to a Rock in the Ocean

[4Pluto]

I thought it might be of interest to post a trip report of my vacation exchange through RCI. Although there weren't any hidden Mickeys, the trip did involve meal plans, themed rooms and even some long hallways.

First off, I wasn't planning on using my DVC points for exchanges. I bought points so that I could invite my parents and my brother's family to an annual vacation in the Florida sun. So, as in years past, in April of 2010 I made reservations for a week at AKV and VWL for spring break of 2011.

Round about the 7 month mark, I contacted my brother to see if he wanted to switch resorts. He said he wanted to think about it. Ok. I figured he was busy.

Round about the 6 month mark, I contacted my brother to give some input into my suggested ADRs. He said they wanted to explore different options. Umm, Ok. We could eat in the room.

Turns out, that between our trips and business trips to Disney, they wanted to go elsewhere. So then came the inevitable question--you can exchange into somewhere else, right? Can we exchange into Aruba? For Spring Break? On 5 month's notice?

The short answer is that I gave it a try for a couple of months, and then made the decision that this year we would go to Costa Rica on Spring Break on cash (for my parents, we needed a destination that we could fly direct from Chicago, and United had direct flights to Costa Rica, but that was a different trip).

Because of some banking and borrowing, this maneuver left me with about 200 points that I had to use by October of 2011. I've gone to WDW by myself on a weekend or two, but I didn't want to spend a whole week by myself there on vacation.

So I went on the DVC website and connected to the RCI site and started digging around for resorts.

Ideally, I wanted to go to Europe. To sightsee, not sit on a beach or ski run. It is a little tough to find many offerings in Europe that are not on the beaches in Spain or the ski resorts in the Alps.

But here is what caught my eye:

This is my photo of the Portugese island of Madeira.

 

[KatMark]

Jim, I'm so glad you started a TR. I am dying to see pictures of the trip and here all about it.

You are off to a great start. What a spectacular picture!

 

[rmonty02]

Ooooo...I'm so interested to hear how it all went.

 

[4Pluto]

Madeira is located off the coast of Morroco in the Atlantic (east of the Azores and north of the Canary Islands). It was one of the first islands that the Portuguese discovered when they launched the Age of Exploration in the 1400s.

Because the settlements date back to the 1500s, it has a very European feel to it. The climate allows for intensive agriculture (originally sugar cane, now bananas, as well as the vineyards from which the islanders make Madeira wine). The climate also allows for cultivating flowers from all over the world. The highways are literally lined with hydrangea and agapanthus lillies, and even at the end of August, trees were in full bloom.

I figured this was a chance for me to spend a couple of days at the beginning of the trip in Lisbon, then spend a week on the island, and then return to Chicago on Labor Day.

RCI lists a number of resorts on Madeira, most of them part of the Pestana Chain. It is a family owned chain of hotels and resorts throughout Portugal. I checked the resorts against the many reviews on TripAdvisor (I just haven't gotten up the initiative to pay the dues to go on TUG, but I will if I decide to do more trading). Then I called MS in January and they had availability at both of the resorts that I had at the top of my list. For scheduling, I chose to stay in a studio apartment at the Pestana Miramar.

As a bonus (at least in my head), when I researched airfares, I found that I could travel either through Newark on TAP or Continental (I really hate coming back into the country through Newark) OR I could travel through Amsterdam on KLM. Even better, I could schedule the flight so that my layover in Amsterdam was 13 hours (7 am to 8 pm), so I booked the flight to Amsterdam (through Delta) and started digging through my travel guides.

Next Installment--Feeling Anonymous at the Checkin Counter.

 

[debbieandroo]

Me, too - glad you're doing an RCI exchange TR. Thanks!

Beautiful picture, too - wow!

 

[4Pluto]

Jim, I'm so glad you started a TR. I am dying to see pictures of the trip and here all about it.

You are off to a great start. What a spectacular picture!

Thanks Kathy. I had a lot of fun taking pictures (I got the camera for Xmas), so I'm anxious to share. Now I just have to make time in the evenings to get the reports written.

Ooooo...I'm so interested to hear how it all went.

Thanks so much for the encouragement.

 

[4Pluto]

Me, too - glad you're doing an RCI exchange TR. Thanks!

Beautiful picture, too - wow!

Thanks so much for tuning in.

 

[rparmfamily]

Interested in hearing more! We haven't used points to go anywhere except Disney properties and the Grand Wailea on Maui.

 

[CarolMN]

I am officially very interested!

Thanks for doing the report!

Looking forward to more!

 

[Tinks "SS"]

OH wow!! that pic is gorgeous. Please keep this coming. Love to hear how easy or difficult it is to get into other places through RCI. Haven't tried it before but we have thought about it.

 

[vakamalua]

We spent a fabulous day in Madeira as a stop on the 2010 DCL Magic WBTA. The island is beautiful and, thanks to a DIS member who organized a private tour for about 100 of us on small vans, we had a great time.

The wicker basket ride down the hills alone is worth the trip to the island! I would be happy to go back and spend more time there.

 

[lsutigger2]

Waiting to hear more. I love to travel and love to travel thru other people's travels

 

[4Pluto]

I need to provide just a little more background information. I'm single and I'm large. So if I'm flying across the ocean, I buy two seats. Not that I was looking to share that information, but its important to the story.

Thursday August 25.

My flight to Amsterdam leaves at 4:40 pm from the international terminal at O'hare. I arrive at 2pm with plenty of time to check in. I figured I would check my bag through to Lisbon and just carry my backpack around Amsterdam. I also think I'm being clever by wearing shorts, with the idea that I would change into pants (along with the metal belt and suspenders) after I've made it through security.

When I arrived, an agent attempted to help print boarding passes through a kiosk, but seemed to be having problems, so I was directed to the human line. When I reached the front, the ticket agent began typing. At first, just a few taps. Then a few more. Then more typing, more tapping and after about ten minutes, she looked up and said, you're not on this plane.

I look at my itinerary. She looks at my itinerary. She says, you booked through Delta, but they never transferred the reservation over to KLM. We can refund your money.

Excuse me. Refund my money. I got plans. I got vacation. I don't want my money back. At this point I think I'm hyperventilating and I know I'm sweating (notwithstanding the shorts). The agent tells me to wait and her supervisor will come and see if there is something they can do, but the flight if full.

So I wait. The supervisor helps a family of five. Then a couple. Then a couple more. Then another family. And so it goes. I'm pretty sure I'm standing in a pool of sweat.

Finally the supervisor comes over. She explains that the flight is fully booked but not everyone has checked in. So if I can wait until after the last passenger has checked in, then maybe I can board the flight.

I can wait.

So I watch as passengers arrive at the desk, silently wording ancient phoenecian curses and spells. Finally, the line trickles to just one last group gathered at the far counter. She has been told that her luggage (a mound of trunks and hockey bags teetering at 7 feet tall) are overweight and that she would have to pay extra. He is trying to repack things into "carry on luggage". The agent is telling them that there is no time to repack and if she wants to fly she has to put the luggage on the rack now. He is yelling that "This is my wife. Do not talk to my wife." Ultimately, there is the threat of calling the police and she agrees to fly on tomorrow's flight. Apparently ancient phoenician curses work.

I am offered one business class seat for my two coach seats. I know that it should seem like an obvious choice, but on domestic flights, business class can still be a lot more cramped (at least width wise) than two coach seats. At a minimum, it's a lot more difficult to use trays and tvs that come out of the arm rest than from the back of the seat in front of me. But I want to go on vacation, so I smile, say thank you and take my ticket.

Here's the thing. It is now 4:20. I can't check my bag because its too late, but it is small enough to be carry on (particularly in Business Class). So I cue at the end of a really long TSA line.

At the pace of an octagenarian snail race, I slowly make my way to the front of the line. At the same time, I'm hearing the boarding announcements for my flight. I reach the machines, throw my bags on the conveyer belt, take out the netbook, the plastic bag of liquids (which I thought was going to be in checked luggage--good thing I just leave it in the plastic bag for travel), take off my shoes and proceed through the electronic gate.

It beeps. I forget the passport pouch hanging around my neck. I hear my name--Last Call for KLM Flight. The TSA agent wants to put the pouch back through the machine. I think I have forgotten to breath at this point.

He hands me my passport, I grab my bags and shoes and run in my socks onto the plane. I look at my boarding pass, I'm in Row 1. A flight attendant stores my bags in a closet and I collapse into a very comfortable fully reclining business class seat. It's about that moment that I realize that I'm hot, sweaty and in shorts. My "travel mates" are all dressed in ties, jackets, dresses and formal wear. KLM business class passengers hail from that era where people dressed up to fly on planes. I was pretty much the bull in the china shop.

Turns out that the plane is a two story 777 and on this floor Row 1 is at the pointed end of the plane. If only there were front windows, I could have had a pilot's view of the flight. In any event, the reclining chair is really nice and for the first time flying across the Atlantic I was actually able to sleep. Not eat mind you (now way the tray was going to fit on my lap). But I definitely arrived rested in Amsterdam at 7 am Friday morning.

 

[4Pluto]

I promise that the focus of this thread will be the RCI Exchange. I've got lots of pictures of the Miramar and Madeira to share. Forgive me if I give you a quick run down of my stopover in Amsterdam and Lisbon. They are, after all, part of the fun of getting to Madeira for my timeshare week.

I spent a couple of hours in Amsterdam clearing up my tickets for the rest of the trip, and then, after an ATM visit and a Strawberry Smoothie, I headed for the train station. It is located right in the center of the airport. It is phenomenally easy to visit the city during a layover at the airport (in fact, there is a travel agent in the airport offering 2 hour tours).

For a couple euros, the train whisks you away from the terminal to the central station. Right in front of the central station, is the main stop for the "Hop on, Hop off" canal cruise of Amsterdam.

It was raining and the boat is fully glass enclosed, so I didn't take many pictures from the boat. I hopped off at the "museum plaza", stopped for a sandwich and soda, and then made my way to the Van Gogh Museum.

I love Van Gogh's art and I've wanted to go to this museum for decades. I bought my ticket on line (you print out the email with its bar code and bring that to the museum which allows you to skip the line). Once inside, I spent a couple of hours wandering among the paintings, stopping at the cafe for a drink, and hitting the museum shop for the obligatory refrigerator magnet.

The canal boat passed the Anne Frank House, several churches of note, many houseboats and funky sections of town, ending at the naval museum and the trainstation. 20 minutes later, I was back at the airport, navigating the food court and spending some quality time (the flight to Lisbon was 60 minutes late) sitting on a fake log, under a fake tree listening to the recorded sounds of a fountain and birds singing. I'm sure it is intended to provide travelers with a tranquil oasis, but it is also located near the bathroom and a really good water fountain.

My flight left at 9:30 pm, and although I was back to coach seats, the KLM configuration was plenty roomy and I dozed off until we touched ground in Lisbon.

Because I'm not a great long distance walker, I try to stay at smaller hotels near the center of town. In Lisbon, I stayed at the Internacional Design Hotel. It is right on the corner of the Rossio Plaza, which is a beautiful pedestrian plaza with fountains and statues surrounded by red roof topped granite buildings. Here is the hotel:

I mention this because the hotel tries hard at themes. Each floor is a different theme--Pop, Urban, Zen and Tribal. As I hoped, my room was on the tribal floor. Think of it as a Portuguese Kidani. The hallways had wood sculptures and played tribal background music. Each door had a handpainted word (mine was "Respect"--not sure if I was supposed to give or get respect?) and the rooms were designed with linens, pictures, bathroom fixtures and even soaps etc. that matched the tribal theme. Here's a quick photo of my room:

Next installment-a quick tour of Lisbon and surrounding sites.

 

[debbieandroo]

Whew, I think I forgot to breathe reading about your adventure getting on the plane! So glad you made it or else this would be the world's shortest trip report!!!

Great story-telling and very interesting places already and we haven't even gotten to your destination....zowie!

 

[4Pluto]

Interested in hearing more! We haven't used points to go anywhere except Disney properties and the Grand Wailea on Maui.

I was surprised how really easy it was to make this exchange. When we tried for spring break in Aruba with only five months notice, I knew not to expect much. But I was still nervous about exchanging 8 months in advance for what are pretty nice properties so when MS informed me that both my top choices were available, I was excited.

I am officially very interested!

Thanks for doing the report!

Looking forward to more!

Thanks very much for following along.

OH wow!! that pic is gorgeous. Please keep this coming. Love to hear how easy or difficult it is to get into other places through RCI. Haven't tried it before but we have thought about it.

I don't have a sense of how this compares to people's experience with exchanges for the Caribbean and North America, but the Pestana resorts were very nice and I met owners who were all very pleased with their weeks in Madeira resorts.

We spent a fabulous day in Madeira as a stop on the 2010 DCL Magic WBTA. The island is beautiful and, thanks to a DIS member who organized a private tour for about 100 of us on small vans, we had a great time.

The wicker basket ride down the hills alone is worth the trip to the island! I would be happy to go back and spend more time there.

I watched but decided not to tempt fate by going on the wicker basket ride. I saw several ships come into port. I'm told that Xmas and New Years are the big cruise days because the island is covered in lights (a European version of Osmand Lights at DHS?).

Waiting to hear more. I love to travel and love to travel thru other people's travels

Thanks for joining in. I confess that I love reading travel magazines and guide books and anything else that lets me travel even when I can't leave home.

 

[4Pluto]

Whew, I think I forgot to breathe reading about your adventure getting on the plane! So glad you made it or else this would be the world's shortest trip report!!!

That's funny!

P.S.
One of the guys I work with is from Adamsville. Is that anywhere near you?

 

[Sammie]

Thanks for sharing.

I agree about the European choices, not many in my opinion and I find that very disappointing.

I googled the Christmas celebration, very impressive.

 

[franandaj]

I like your style. I too was holding my breath through the description. I don't plan on trading but nice to hear about experiences. Carry on!

 

[Muushka]

I like your style. I too was holding my breath through the description. I don't plan on trading but nice to hear about experiences. Carry on!

Yup, you have great style. I look forward to reading more about your adventure!