Trading into RCI

[RooRach0906]

My sister who also a DVC member wants to know if there is any special time or nything to trade? Any advice you guys may have for her with that.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My sister who also a DVC member wants to know if there is any special time or nything to trade? Any advice you guys may have for her with that.

If she is a DVC member, she can go to the member website and check out the RCI trades available or possible. What is possible isn't always available.

 

[RooRach0906]

If she is a DVC member, she can go to the member website and check out the RCI trades available or possible. What is possible isn't always available.

She has been doing that she was wondering if there is like a certain time that was best to book.

 

[abdgeek]

She has been doing that she was wondering if there is like a certain time that was best to book.

The best time to book is when she sees the resort she wants for the week(or days) she wants. The availability changes daily if not hourly. A lot of resorts are already booking for 2015, so she can start looking a year to two years out. Most of the one's I've gotten have been at the year mark or a little more, but I started looking much earlier.

 

[RooRach0906]

The best time to book is when she sees the resort she wants for the week(or days) she wants. The availability changes daily if not hourly. A lot of resorts are already booking for 2015, so she can start looking a year to two years out. Most of the one's I've gotten have been at the year mark or a little more, but I started looking much earlier.

Thank you this is very helpful!

 

[Dean]

Thank you this is very helpful!

The best way to get something is to plan ahead (at least 10-12 months) and put in an ongoing search AND to look online also. If they see something they like, they should grab it. That means they need to figure out what/when they want and be set on those options. Investigate any resorts in detail to make sure what fits their needs and is acceptable.

 

[Scoobypop]

The best time to book is when she sees the resort she wants for the week(or days) she wants. The availability changes daily if not hourly. A lot of resorts are already booking for 2015, so she can start looking a year to two years out. Most of the one's I've gotten have been at the year mark or a little more, but I started looking much earlier.

Hi, I'd like to get involved a bit here. As a member for 8 years, with 2 add on contracts over the years (same UY on all 3) I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of how/when to use my points and contracts. However, the one thing I've never tried was trading into RCI.

I was looking for a couple of nights in Ft. Lauderdale for this upcoming April. Yes, I know a year or more out is generally best. Does it really help to check daily and hourly for RCI trades? I feel like I have NO idea how to even check. I clicked the RCI link from the DVC website, and it of course showed me the available places all over the U.S. I zeroed in on the ones around the Ft. Lauderdale area. Here's where my confusion lies.

I have read over the years on the boards how difficult booking RCI can be. When I clicked on the resorts, basically NOTHING comes up for availability. I think one of the resorts had like, 3 days highlighted (ones that you could click, everything else is grayed out) for the rest of the year. Is this typical? Is this how it is supposed to work? Am I missing something or some other way I should be checking or booking? I have considered calling MS, but haven't since I figured the RCI resorts are probably booked and I'd just book somewhere else for a few nights on cash. But I figured it couldn't hurt to ask here, since the people on these boards are invaluable geniuses when it comes to DVC knowledge. Thanks in advance for any help, tips, or suggestions on booking RCI.

 

[Dean]

Hi, I'd like to get involved a bit here. As a member for 8 years, with 2 add on contracts over the years (same UY on all 3) I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of how/when to use my points and contracts. However, the one thing I've never tried was trading into RCI.

I was looking for a couple of nights in Ft. Lauderdale for this upcoming April. Yes, I know a year or more out is generally best. Does it really help to check daily and hourly for RCI trades? I feel like I have NO idea how to even check. I clicked the RCI link from the DVC website, and it of course showed me the available places all over the U.S. I zeroed in on the ones around the Ft. Lauderdale area. Here's where my confusion lies.

I have read over the years on the boards how difficult booking RCI can be. When I clicked on the resorts, basically NOTHING comes up for availability. I think one of the resorts had like, 3 days highlighted (ones that you could click, everything else is grayed out) for the rest of the year. Is this typical? Is this how it is supposed to work? Am I missing something or some other way I should be checking or booking? I have considered calling MS, but haven't since I figured the RCI resorts are probably booked and I'd just book somewhere else for a few nights on cash. But I figured it couldn't hurt to ask here, since the people on these boards are invaluable geniuses when it comes to DVC knowledge. Thanks in advance for any help, tips, or suggestions on booking RCI.

Once you understand it, the process is not that difficult but it is different than simply using DVC. The best single option is to put in an ongoing search for what you want but how that'll work depends on what you want and the length of stay. I think the biggest divide is for RCI points resorts that actually allow booking for less than a week (many RCI points resorts are still only a full week). For RCI points resorts exactly 10 months out online is likely the best way to get access. But yes, looking several times a day is often helpful. The biggest single way to add to an ongoing search is to hit the computer starting about 5 AM eastern and check every 15 minutes or so until around 6:30 to 6:45. One simply needs to know what resort, weeks and unit sizes will work and be prepared to snag it when it's there. If one waits to check on other options, the good things will be gone. Often they're still showing up online and are no longer available. Ultimately it partly depends on when the resort deposits. For some resorts it's a full 2 years out, for some it's more like 6 months out with a lot in between.

Regular RCI members can save their usual searches and I think DVC members now can as well. The DVC interface does give the option of starting a request firsts online. I wonder how it works and if anyone has used it. While direct RCI members have a 24 hr cancelation period or a 24 hr hold period, DVC members do not have those options.

IMO there is a smaller subset of RCI resorts that are reasonable to exchange to. Personally I'd consider resort quality, demand and seasonality as well as what I could rent out my points and rent the other item on cash. Each member has to decide for themselves what they're comfortable with if they go the exchange route. One of the big issues is that if you have to change or cancel, the DVC points are gone and the options are limited. IMO that's a bigger deal using $2-3K worth of DVC points vs $300-500 worth of something else. Plus there are other issues such as unit assignment policies, view options, etc.

I don't currently see anything for Fr. Lauderdale on the DVC link, I see one standard resort on RCI points directly for April. I do see 1 option for full weeks only in Lauderdale by the sea, 1 BR.

 

[abdgeek]

Hi, I'd like to get involved a bit here. As a member for 8 years, with 2 add on contracts over the years (same UY on all 3) I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of how/when to use my points and contracts. However, the one thing I've never tried was trading into RCI.

I was looking for a couple of nights in Ft. Lauderdale for this upcoming April. Yes, I know a year or more out is generally best. Does it really help to check daily and hourly for RCI trades? I feel like I have NO idea how to even check. I clicked the RCI link from the DVC website, and it of course showed me the available places all over the U.S. I zeroed in on the ones around the Ft. Lauderdale area. Here's where my confusion lies.

I have read over the years on the boards how difficult booking RCI can be. When I clicked on the resorts, basically NOTHING comes up for availability. I think one of the resorts had like, 3 days highlighted (ones that you could click, everything else is grayed out) for the rest of the year. Is this typical? Is this how it is supposed to work? Am I missing something or some other way I should be checking or booking? I have considered calling MS, but haven't since I figured the RCI resorts are probably booked and I'd just book somewhere else for a few nights on cash. But I figured it couldn't hurt to ask here, since the people on these boards are invaluable geniuses when it comes to DVC knowledge. Thanks in advance for any help, tips, or suggestions on booking RCI.

As Dean said, booking RCI is easy once you know how to do it. I like the DVC RCI website because I can go online at any time to see what is available. If you click on exchange search, all the resorts that are available will be listed. You then just click on the resort to see which dates are available.

Keep in mind, that the dates of availability will vary greatly. I usually plan two years out, so I would be looking daily now for 2016 if I planned to stay at an RCI resort. Here's what I do when I want to stay at an RCI resort:

1) Look on the DVC RCI website for the resorts that are offered in the city I want to stay in. Check what types of rooms you can book and whether they have a full kitchen. Read the RCI reviews and look at the resort pictures.

2) Check the Tripadvisor reviews for each of the resorts. This helps me decide which one or one's I would be ok with booking. I then check the DVC RCI website to see which resorts are coming up more frequently and revise my list if necessary.

3) Check the DVC RCI website daily to see if the resort I want is available for the dates I want. You can also put in a waitlist request, but I don't like doing that. I prefer to look on my own. So far, I've gotten everything I wanted(HGVC@Flamingo--Easter week, Maui Lea(Maui) & Kona Coast Resort(Big Island)--summer). The only one that I wanted and didn't get was Gaslamp Suites in San Diego. They had availability during the summer, but not when I wanted to go.

4) The minute I see the dates I want for the resort I want on the DVC RCI website, I book it online. I once called MS to book it and lost the reservation. I never made that mistake again. Luckily, another reservation came up in a couple of days that I did book for the same resort.

I hope this helps.

 

[Dean]

You can also put in a waitlist request, but I don't like doing that. I prefer to look on my own.

Your chances of success are much greater if you have an ongoing search. Doing both further improves your chances if you're looking for an RCI points resort and likely does no good if it's not an RCI points resort. Having an ongoing search doesn't preclude looking on your own.

 

[Scoobypop]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like it was basically what I had been doing, clicking the RCI link from the DVC website, then narrowing in on the Ft. Lauderdale area. I do now see that for some resorts I can look nearly two years out and some, not. Also, I'm now seeing that Lauderdale by the Sea is only available for weekly, but it looks like there are two others fairly nearby that might be available for nightly. One of them had lots of openings in April, but not my dates. I will continue to look.

I appreciate the responses.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like it was basically what I had been doing, clicking the RCI link from the DVC website, then narrowing in on the Ft. Lauderdale area. I do now see that for some resorts I can look nearly two years out and some, not. Also, I'm now seeing that Lauderdale by the Sea is only available for weekly, but it looks like there are two others fairly nearby that might be available for nightly. One of them had lots of openings in April, but not my dates. I will continue to look.

I appreciate the responses.

Do you know anyone that owns RCI or II or one of the resort systems like Wyndham (Pompano) and could potentially book for them even if they got a full week and only used part of it, it'd likely be much cheaper than using DVC points for part of a week. In reality there really aren't a lot of good resorts that direction as much as you'd think. Now if they can do inland (Weston) there always seems to be a lot availability there but it's not worth using DVC points for IMO, you can rent there cheaply also.

 

[abdgeek]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like it was basically what I had been doing, clicking the RCI link from the DVC website, then narrowing in on the Ft. Lauderdale area. I do now see that for some resorts I can look nearly two years out and some, not. Also, I'm now seeing that Lauderdale by the Sea is only available for weekly, but it looks like there are two others fairly nearby that might be available for nightly. One of them had lots of openings in April, but not my dates. I will continue to look. I appreciate the responses.

Another thing to keep in mind is the difference between booking RCI and DVC. It was explained to me by a CM this way. When you go to book a DVC resort at 11 months, all of the rooms are available. When you go to book an RCI resort, none of the rooms are available. The only way that rooms become available is if someone gives up their week, which then allows you to book that week.

Happy hunting!

 

[briand1023]

Rci is hard to use

 

[Dean]

Another thing to keep in mind is the difference between booking RCI and DVC. It was explained to me by a CM this way. When you go to book a DVC resort at 11 months, all of the rooms are available. When you go to book an RCI resort, none of the rooms are available. The only way that rooms become available is if someone gives up their week, which then allows you to book that week.

Happy hunting!

Not to complicate things too much but that is not completely accurate now. That was an appropriate explanation prior to RCI points but it's no longer accurate for that subset of resorts. RCI points resort inventory is automatically deposited at 10 months out unless the member actively books their home resort system. In addition many resorts deposit in bulk and early enough to make it a non issue.

Rci is hard to use

I disagree. It's hard to use if you don't put the appropriate time and effort to investigate resorts and learn the system. In many ways it's easier than DVC itself. Anyone not willing to put enough effort into learning about this option should not use it anyway no matter how easy or difficult.