Using RCI

[Tink316]

I'm wondering if someone could explain how to book an RCI resort using our DVC points?

I guess the biggest question I really have is do you call Membership services or do you call RCI? Exactly how does that work?

Thanks for any information.

T.

 

[erionm]

You have to call MS.

 

[chalee94]

I guess the biggest question I really have is do you call Membership services or do you call RCI? Exactly how does that work?

technically, you are not an RCI member, DVC is, so you'd have to call MS to see what they can find.

you can look online at the RCI resort directory (and TUG resort reviews if you are a member there) to get an idea of what resorts you might prefer. ideally, you'd want to request a trade at least a year out - what is currently available is only the "leftovers" after all the trade requests have already been matched up.

finding availability can be an adventure sometimes, though.

 

[Dean]

I'm wondering if someone could explain how to book an RCI resort using our DVC points?

I guess the biggest question I really have is do you call Membership services or do you call RCI? Exactly how does that work?

Thanks for any information.

T.

Call MS and follow the prompts to the World passport collection. Make sure you know what resorts you'll accept ahead of time so do your homework before calling. Assume costs of 160 DVC points for a 1 BR or 270 for a 2 BR but sometimes it's a little less. Also be informed that if they only have a 2 BR (or the resort only has larger units), you'll pay the higher price. If they don't have what you want, and they likely won't, you need to put in an ongoing search to have your best chance of success.

 

[Tink316]

Thanks for the info... very helpful!!

 

[mappedout]

Call MS and follow the prompts to the World passport collection. Make sure you know what resorts you'll accept ahead of time so do your homework before calling. Assume costs of 160 DVC points for a 1 BR or 270 for a 2 BR but sometimes it's a little less. Also be informed that if they only have a 2 BR (or the resort only has larger units), you'll pay the higher price. If they don't have what you want, and they likely won't, you need to put in an ongoing search to have your best chance of success.

160 points for a 1 BR assuming how long of a stay? Is it always just one week?

 

[JimMIA]

you can look online at the RCI resort directory

Looking at the general RCI resort directory is likely to lead to frustration, because it shows 6,500+ resorts and only a little less than 600 of those are actually available through DVC. Better to limit your initial look at resorts to those you can actually get.

If you go to the DVC member website and follow the links for RCI, that will only show you the RCI resorts you can exchange into with DVC. Then, do as Charles suggests and go look at TUG reviews or other sources to get a better idea of the quality of the resort. You may find some resorts comparable to DVC, or you may find them vastly inferior in some locations...so do your homework.

 

[Dean]

160 points for a 1 BR assuming how long of a stay? Is it always just one week?

160 points is the current max for a 1 BR for a week assuming one is not dealing with RCI's registry collection. SOME resorts can be more or less than a week and if allowed, the points are broken down similar to DVC before the reallocation with higher points weekends. For less than a week many resorts are not available and most that are charge an extra housekeeping fee ranging from around $30 to $85, most in the $50-65 range for a 1 BR. As a rule the resorts that allow stays less than a week have higher availability or lower demand but there are many exceptions.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you go to the DVC member website and follow the links for RCI, that will only show you the RCI resorts you can exchange into with DVC.

For the curious non-Member, I think this also lists the set of resorts into which a DVC member may exchange:

http://b2b.rci.com//RDGateway/Functional/RDMain.jsp?clubId=102

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I went through RCI. I go on time and time again, every day, searching. I have found the best time that they add new resorts seems to be on Sunday, Sunday night (after they've been closed for maintenance). Finding a plum time such as spring break or a holiday may be difficult, but I recently signed on and they had just added 9 DVC resorts. I discussed it with my husband then came back in the next day. A couple of the March ones were gone, but they added more, and I got what I wanted. All I paid was my exchange fee of 179.00. I am on RCI weeks. To get a specific date, you probably have to go through MS. I'm not picky - I'm going to Disney!

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I just went in and checked. A 1 bedroom at the Old Key West Resort is still available, in January. Keep trying, and you should find something.

 

[DsnysGr8t]

We traded into RCI's Hilton Craggondarrich in the Highlands of Scotland for our vacation last year. I contacted MS 2 years before the dates we were willing to travel, gave them the following informtion:

Dates we were willing to travel
Places we were willing to trade into (in order of our preference)
Size of unit we wanted to trade into
$$ Transfer fee

I did this in January of 2008, was informed in February of 2009 that we had traded into our #2 choice. It was very easy to do

 

[LPnerd]

Call MS and follow the prompts to the World passport collection. Make sure you know what resorts you'll accept ahead of time so do your homework before calling. Assume costs of 160 DVC points for a 1 BR or 270 for a 2 BR but sometimes it's a little less. Also be informed that if they only have a 2 BR (or the resort only has larger units), you'll pay the higher price. If they don't have what you want, and they likely won't, you need to put in an ongoing search to have your best chance of success.

you should go to the dvc site, ( and good luck with that. we have trouble almost everytime.but you can call MS and they will help you get on. ) look at whats available. Lots to choose from. and you will most likley get put on a couple wait lists. I have always had to be put on one but have always ended up with one of our choices. we've always been happy , with the exception of the place in Idaho, wesdt entrance to Yellowstone. wasn't bad, just not up to par with Disney. I called and reported it, no one really cared, and nothing was done at all.

 

[Dean]

you should go to the dvc site, ( and good luck with that. we have trouble almost everytime.but you can call MS and they will help you get on. ) look at whats available. Lots to choose from. and you will most likley get put on a couple wait lists. I have always had to be put on one but have always ended up with one of our choices. we've always been happy , with the exception of the place in Idaho, wesdt entrance to Yellowstone. wasn't bad, just not up to par with Disney. I called and reported it, no one really cared, and nothing was done at all.

Most RCI options are below that of DVC in terms of both quality and value compared to how you could get them otherwise. I trade with RCI and II extensively and trading DVC within them is like being a member of a car exchange club and trading a week in your BMW for a week in a Chevy.

 

[LPnerd]

Most RCI options are below that of DVC in terms of both quality and value compared to how you could get them otherwise. I trade with RCI and II extensively and trading DVC within them is like being a member of a car exchange club and trading a week in your BMW for a week in a Chevy.

this is interesting. we stayed in Vancouver canada, Breckinridge CO, deer valley Utah and were very happy with those.
Perhaps a exchange thread where we could post our experience with exchange's could be good? is there something like this I missed?

 

[Brian Noble]

TUG (www.tug2.net) has an extensive collection of timeshare reviews. They are not necessarily written from the perspective of a DVC owner, though.

 

[Dean]

this is interesting. we stayed in Vancouver canada, Breckinridge CO, deer valley Utah and were very happy with those.
Perhaps a exchange thread where we could post our experience with exchange's could be good? is there something like this I missed?

Being happy is not the same as being on par, IMO. Were all of those resorts themselves truly on part with DVC AND for a high demand time? I've been on property at several hundred timeshares over the years and other than Marriott, Westin, Hilton and Hyatt's, very fee were on part with DVC. That's not to say they were bad or we had a bad time, just that comparatively the resorts didn't measure up. Most people with top options and high demand time don't deposit at all, they either use or rent out their options, there are exceptions of course. One other variable which I think most DVC members tend to miss, is that no matter how much value the exchange held for a person, one could often get it just as easily or more so using a much cheaper timeshare option. When I exchange, and I do maybe 10-20 times a year most years, I try to always be trading up. That way if I get the parking lot view, or the unit isn't perfect, I don't feel like I've lost that much.

Let me give you an extreme but real example. Jan/Feb of 2010 we were in Cabo for 2 weeks. The first week in a 1 BR OF and the second week in the same unit but as a 2 BR (just the 2 of us). The real costs for that exchange including the exchange fees, maint fees and prorated purchase costs was in the range of $600 for the 2 weeks. Since the resort is in RCI's Registry Collection, exchanging using DVC would have been 1500 points. Even at $10 a point, that's quite a difference.

 

[LPnerd]

Being happy is not the same as being on par, IMO. Were all of those resorts themselves truly on part with DVC AND for a high demand time? I've been on property at several hundred timeshares over the years and other than Marriott, Westin, Hilton and Hyatt's, very fee were on part with DVC. That's not to say they were bad or we had a bad time, just that comparatively the resorts didn't measure up. Most people with top options and high demand time don't deposit at all, they either use or rent out their options, there are exceptions of course. One other variable which I think most DVC members tend to miss, is that no matter how much value the exchange held for a person, one could often get it just as easily or more so using a much cheaper timeshare option. When I exchange, and I do maybe 10-20 times a year most years, I try to always be trading up. That way if I get the parking lot view, or the unit isn't perfect, I don't feel like I've lost that much.

Let me give you an extreme but real example. Jan/Feb of 2010 we were in Cabo for 2 weeks. The first week in a 1 BR OF and the second week in the same unit but as a 2 BR (just the 2 of us). The real costs for that exchange including the exchange fees, maint fees and prorated purchase costs was in the range of $600 for the 2 weeks. Since the resort is in RCI's Registry Collection, exchanging using DVC would have been 1500 points. Even at $10 a point, that's quite a difference.

I should have been more specific, I guess. Yes the lodge we stayed at Timber Lodge in Breckenrige was in Jan. we went to ski and it was on par with BWV . In vancouver, I forget the name, but it was just out of the city, up on a hill that looked over it and the bay, beautiful and every bit as nice as WLV.
The third place we stayed was right outside west entrance of Yellowstone. In the first town in Idaho, the name escapes, but you'll know it when you see it listed. If I had to do again, I stay in Big Sky Montanna, we checked those out and I would guess they are on par, but a bit further to the park entrance.
The place we stayed was clean, and certainly not a dump but out of the 4-5 stars I'd give the others, this was barely a 3. The 9 hole golf course was a cow pasture... no really, and not converted very well. I don't know how they can even call it that. Many other things to do in the area, and so we weren't to disipointed.
also stayed to ski in Deer Vally, at the big marriot there, forget the name but it's easily the biggest place. It was 4 star, but it was so crowded , many told us the area had over built for the ski area.
all times we get a two bedroom. I think the most we had to fork over was 270 and that was in Vancouver. the place in Utah was 230points.
I have yet to travel on points out of the continent using DVC. Doubt I would use any but concierge for that as most of the places are out in the middle of nowhere. at least the ones I've checked into are. please, correct that if it's wrong.

 

[Dean]

I should have been more specific, I guess. Yes the lodge we stayed at Timber Lodge in Breckenrige was in Jan. we went to ski and it was on par with BWV . In vancouver, I forget the name, but it was just out of the city, up on a hill that looked over it and the bay, beautiful and every bit as nice as WLV.
The third place we stayed was right outside west entrance of Yellowstone. In the first town in Idaho, the name escapes, but you'll know it when you see it listed. If I had to do again, I stay in Big Sky Montanna, we checked those out and I would guess they are on par, but a bit further to the park entrance.
The place we stayed was clean, and certainly not a dump but out of the 4-5 stars I'd give the others, this was barely a 3. The 9 hole golf course was a cow pasture... no really, and not converted very well. I don't know how they can even call it that. Many other things to do in the area, and so we weren't to disipointed.
also stayed to ski in Deer Vally, at the big marriot there, forget the name but it's easily the biggest place. It was 4 star, but it was so crowded , many told us the area had over built for the ski area.
all times we get a two bedroom. I think the most we had to fork over was 270 and that was in Vancouver. the place in Utah was 230points.
I have yet to travel on points out of the continent using DVC. Doubt I would use any but concierge for that as most of the places are out in the middle of nowhere. at least the ones I've checked into are. please, correct that if it's wrong.

You were lucky, planned well or both. I'm glad it worked out for you.