timeshares/ Vistana questions

[jdm]

I recently bought a Worldmark membership and am completely new to club ownership. We are planning a trip to Orlando/Disney Cruise in Feb. I have joined RCI so I can trade a week for something in Orlando. RCI would not tell me about how the availability is at that time until I joined and I still haven't received my number so I still don't know. I've researched their web site and see that there are quite a few nice places. I'm thinking of the Vistana resort or Villages. We will be traveling with 2 children ages 9 and 11 who love waterslides (hence the Resort) My questions are:

Is their generally good availability at that time of year (Feb 14 thru 21st)?

Is the Vistana one of the better resorts to stay in or am I passing too quickly on ones like Hilton Grand Vacations or the Embassy etc.?

At the Vistana, I hear some sections are better than others. Is there a particular section that is close to the pool with the waterslide that I should specifically request?

For those of you with timshare knowledge (and anyone else who could help with info and tips) I would really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Jenn

 

[Belle1962]

The "secret" to using RCI, in my experience of over 9 years, is to request an exchange EARLY EARLY EARLY. Even then you **may** not get your requested vacation spot--it all depends on a number of factors (the date you request the exchange, the size unit you are trading, the "value" you are trading vs. what you are asking for, other requests that come into the system that have "priority" over yours. The only places I have trouble exchanging to (even with more than a years notice) is the Eastern seaboard beach-type places in the summer (Myrtle Beach --have never gotten in to; Ocean City MD had to downgrade my exchange to a studio unit--I traded in a RED, 2 bedroom sleep 8) I have *never* had a problem getting the Orlando area but sometimes you have to wait. I am not sure exactly what a Worldmark membership is, but if it is a vacation club (you didn't actually purchase a timeshare to use in exchange, you basically purchased "weeks") vs an actual timeshare I am not sure what "value" RCI puts on it (Red, White or Blue). When you own a timeshare your timeshare has a Red, White or Blue value based on the season which you bought your week in (i.e. all of Florida is RED, while January in a beach place like Ocean City is WHITE--the lowest "value")

RCI does not always have an exchange available as soon as you request it. If what you requested is not available, they put you into a sort of holding pattern (they call it a search) whereby their computers will spew forth information on a unit you requested when/IF it becomes available.

It is also best to request an area not a specific resort. Once you have your RCI member number, go to their website and look up the particular dates you want. You can also enter the resort ID if you want only a particular resort. Then you can play with your dates on the pc until you come up with something suitable. Once you get to the listing page of what is available for your specific request, click on the name of the resort and their directory listing will pop up. Always take a "Gold Crown" resort if one is available--these are "the best" RCI has to offer. I then CALL RCI instead of booking online---I firmly believe (although they deny it) that there are options available that do NOT show on the website search function).

Some resorts (including Vistana and the Westgate resorts) have a 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 limitation---you can only exchange there once every 4 or 3 years.

RCI will not begin a search until you pay the exchange fee (so you pay the exchange fee at the time of your request NOT when something becomes available.) If nothing ever becomes available they will apply that payment to another exchange requset or re-credit your credit card.

As far as specific requests go: depending on the resort you may already be pre-assigned a unit when your exchange is made. When you get your confirmation if a specific unit is listed then the resort WILL NOT change your unit--you get what was deposited back into the RCI bank by the owner. If the unit is not assigned on your confirmation you stand a better chance of making any special requests.

You may want to check out my thread from November/December about the experience my family had at Westgate Vacation Villas. While I had heard many great things about Westgate they couldn't PAY ME to stay there ever again. There is a bit about the conflict between RCI, II (Interval International--another timeshare co) and Westgate. link to thread http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14259&highlight=Westgate

I will pop into the RCI website and use my user id to search availabilty for you. I don't understand why you can't if you have already joined---your should have been able to request a search IMMEDIATELY upon joining. I would call them back and ask again. Like any other place, not everyone is as knowledgable as the operator next to them--some are new, some have been around, some CARE and will look extra hard for you, some will just pop your info in and whatever the pc says is "it" for them. (Kinda like WDW CRO--LOL)

UPDATE: Just searched using my timeshare as the exchange value--NOTHING for the dates you are looking for. Playing with the dates there were several available in January 2002 and a few in Feb. 2002 (1 bedrooms with a Feb 24 checkin and 1 2 bedroom with a Feb 1 check in --the Feb 1 was Vistana, the other was another resort). Of course, your results MIGHT be different depending on the "value" of the resort/week you are exchanging.

 

[Lisa P.]

WorldMark the Club will provide you with very good trade power. Their strength is, of course, in using it for other WM resorts, mostly in the western US & Canada. To get the most from your timeshare ownership and exchanging, visit Timeshare Users Group or TUG. Look for the Advice articles on exchanging (and on WM, is there is one). Ask some questions on the free bulletin boards.

Join TUG to read resort reviews and learn more about the specific resorts you are considering. (A referral of my name will grant me a 6 month extension of my membership) Membership is $15 the first year (includes one free classified ad) and gains you access to over 1800 worldwide resorts' independent reviews and ratings. Issues like whether there is a pool slide for the kids will be addressed. There's a lot to read there, so starting sooner, even though you haven't got a WM owner number yet, would be helpful to you.

WM is going to offer trading through II in the fall, to some owners, so you may find that your options get broader then. As suggested in the post above, President's week in FL is very popular with snowbirds so there's little sitting inventory. In future years, you'll need to exchange much earlier for school breaks. For the moment, placing an ongoing search via RCI may provide your week and WM Owner Services will help, after your closing. Someone on TUG may be able to point you to a WM Owners email list or special bulletin board, where you can learn more about your resort system. Timesharing Today also has some message boards and WM may be one of them. Hope that helps. Have fun with your new purchase - we love our timeshares!

 

[jdm]

Belle

I guess I was pretty nieve' in thinking that I was going to ring up RCI and pick and choose my resort. I guess I have a lot to learn! I called RCI twice and spoke to 2 different people. One guy (quite rude) said he couldn't tell me if there was availability until I joined and if I did join, then it would take 3 weeks to get in their system and then there might not be availability! How crazy is that?! So, I called a couple of days later and got a woman who said that I could join (and I did right then by giving her a credit card nmber) and then I could call back in a few days to get my number which should be in their system by then. But, I'd have to wait for three weeks to get my catalog etc. by mail.

My dates are not flexible as we are doing the Disney 4 day Wonder from Feb 10 - 14th and then wanted to stay an extra week in Orlando relaxing and doing just whatever! I think I did read your post on Westlake and made a mental note not to go there but I'm going to re-read to be sure it's the same one.

Worldmark/Trendwest is a club membership where you purchase annual points to use towards staying at their (pretty top of the line, I think) resorts. The number of points they are charging with RCI is the equivelent to a two bedroom resort in red season so I think it's pretty high.

You are so familiar with the specifics of RCI... what about cancellations? What if for instance I was to reserve a place, pay the exchange fee, decided against it? Is there penelties? I can see I need to do a lot more research. Maybe just pay for a hotel! Thanks for all your great info!


Lisa P

I do have my Worldmark number as we did recently close. It's the RCI member number that I don't have yet. TUG is shown as a link on the website that I bought my membership from and I did briefly go through it but it all seems so complicated. I'm going to give it another look. Do you want to email me directly with your name should I join, you can get the credit?

Am I correct in thinking that you can just do direct trades with owners bypassing companies like RCI?

Thanks for all the info!

Jenn

 

[Lisa P.]

RCI allows you to think it over and put a unit on hold until close of business the following day. Also, once you actually confirm a week, you may cancel without penalty the following day. But after that, if you cancel, you don't get a full refund of your exchange fee (they keep $75). If you cancel less than 60 days ahead of check-in, you lose the whole exchange fee. When cancelling, you do get back the use of your week to try for another exchange, but the trade power may be diminished.

Since you have your WM number, can WM Owner Services help with an exchange for you? The sooner you are able to place your exchange request, the better your chances. By looking at the TUG reviews, you can make a list of acceptable resorts to give the RCI vc (vacation counselor) the first day possible.

Yes, you can do direct trades with other owners. Look at TUG's Direct Exchange Listings and see if any would apply. As a TUG member, you can place your own free ad listing an exchange interest as well. WM has high quality resorts.

If you choose to join TUG, "Lisa P." ( potter@a-o.com ) is sufficient for a referral. Thanks a lot! You're sure to enjoy TUG once you get the hang of it. It's a lot like the DIS board. Feel free to write me with specifics about what is most important to you about a nice resort and I could send you a list of suggestions to check out first.

 

[Scotch]

jdm: You should go through the Worldmark Owner Services' RCI desk. I am not a Worldmark owner but I did a lot of research. The word from other Worldmark owners is that you get better service going through the Worldmark tel. number than the RCI direct number. Unless things have changed, you should be able to do a "request first" search for an RCI resort -- that means you don't give up your credits until your exchange comes through (as opposed to depositing first). Have you checked the BBS for Worldmark owners? In case you have not, it is at: http://login.prospero.com/dir-login...phi.com/n/main.asp?webtag=worldmark&nav=start (if the link does not work, start from www.worldmarktheclub then click on the "vacation forum" link on left side of page). You'll get lots of helpful info from other owners. Worldmark owners post on TUG BBS as well but I think more owners hang out more regularly at the Worldmark BBS page. As the others here have mentioned, DEFINITELY start your search request ASAP to get the best choices. I booked my June 2002 timeshare exchange for Orlando last month. And TUG reviews are invaluable. I would never pick a resort without reading the reviews first. If reviews are not enough, post on the BBS -- either the general "Exchanging" board on top of page or one of the location specific boards, e.g., the "Florida" resorts board on TUG. Many experienced exchangers/owners will help you.

By the way, the TUG review pages for Vistana Resort contain extensive discussions re older (crummier) units v. newer units; different check in dates for different sections (to avoid certain units). Also, once you become a member, do a search on the "Florida" resorts board for "Vistana" (the search function only works if you are a member) and you should find some old posts (assuming they have not been deleted from the system) re which buildings are desireable, etc. Vistana Villages has been getting good reviews -- both from a couple of TUG members and several DIS board renters. It's new so it won't have as many planned activities (for your kids) as Vistana Resort but at least you can be assured that your furnishings are new and you're room is nice. But there are other great Orlando timeshare resorts in the RCI system. Read the TUG reviews!

Good luck.

 

[jdm]

I so appreciate you guys taking the time to post me this info. I bought my membership thorugh Timeshare liquidators.com (excellent experience) but I did not have the advantage of getting a lot of info that I may have gotten from Worldmark directly. We knew we wanted to purchase after spending some time in their beautiful accomodations with friends who are owners... (they know nothing about RCI or trading etc.)

I called the RCI number that was on the back of my Worldmark brochure yesterday and my number was in the system so they did a check for me. The only thing available for that date was the Fairfield? Just by the guys tone I could tell this was not a desirable resort. He said I could put in a search after paying the exchange fee and I would not have to deposit credits until I found what I wanted (which is Vistana). He said that he felt there was a 95% chance that something desirable would come up. I didn't put in the search because I am feeling stupider and stupider and am considering just bagging the whole thing until I know what I am doing and renting a hotel!

Also, as you mentioned there are some undesirable units... and I'm concerned that if they find me room at the Vistana and it an older crummier unit, then I'm going to be stuck. Do you know if I'll know ahead of time the exact unit before I have to deposit my credits?

I haven't yet had the uninterupted time to research the Tug Board but I am planning to join (lisa P) and I will go to the boards that you directed me to also. Thank you soooo much!

Jenn

 

[Lisa P.]

BBS = bulletin boards

jdm, email me with your specific interests and priorities for your exchange and I'll make a few recommendations. There are ways to make a request for specific parts of Vistana and to reduce the chances that you will get one of the older units. But they don't guaranteed anything and you will not know for sure until check-in because units are assigned that week. Also, there are many other excellent choices. It all depends on whether you are most interested in a resort's activities, pool areas, convenience to the highway or to WDW, quiet environment or more of a party atmosphere, luxuries or simplicity. By prioritizing these, it's easier to make suggestions.

BTW, there are several Fairfield properties in Orlando, ranging from basic apartments to just as luxurious as (and some more spacious than) Vistana. The main disadvantage to the FF's is that none of them are as close to WDW. FF at Cypress Palms and FF at Star Island (both in Kissimmee east) are quite nice. The other FFs are quieter though some people like their proximity to Universal. Personally, I like to be closer to WDW. The area by Vistana Villages is great - easy commute to WDW, down uncrowded roads.