Newbie with RCI questions

[4broomes Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4broomes]

Hi,

I'm coming out of lurkdom to ask a few questions about RCI.

First off, we are a family of 4 (2 young boys) living in Switzerland. We love to travel and I LOVE to plan! Due to school schedules we are stuck taking holidays during the peak season and the prices just keep going up. As we generally look for self-catering options rather than hotels, we are beginning to think that getting into TS's might make sense for us. Especially as my family are spread across the east coast of the US and we try to make a long family trip back at least once every other year. My husband's family are in England and we go there about once a year as well.

Now, I've been focusing on RCI as they have a good number of resorts in Europe and Africa. But I am getting confused about the membership. If I bought a US TS, would I get a US membership??

Also, it seems as though the availability of resorts for Points is not the same as if you had Weeks. Are the European resorts in Points or Weeks?? What is the availability like?

Also, can anyone tell me if the Last Call offers are available to a non-US TS? Since I'm not yet a member, I can't see what is available myself.

I'm sure I am just seeing the tip of the iceberg and will have a LOT more questions coming up!

Thanks,
Christy

[4broomes Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4broomes]

I just saw the Do Points Have a Nationality thread and I think that answered a few of my questions but can someone just confirm:

To use the RCI Last Call you must have a US RCI Points Account. To get a US RCI Points Account you must live in the US. Therefore, I would not be able to use the Last Call program since I live in Switzerland. Correct?

Thanks,
Christy

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

To use the RCI Last Call you must have a US RCI Points Account. To get a US RCI Points Account you must live in the US. Therefore, I would not be able to use the Last Call program since I live in Switzerland. Correct?

I'm no RCI expert, but I have an RCI weeks account, and I can get Last Call, no problem.

Last Call is a much bigger benefit if you can go off season - lots more choices then. Not to say there's nothing in the summer, but if you want to go a particular place your odds are better if you can go off-season. Your odds are also better if you want to go somewhere with a lot of resorts. I can generally find something in Williamsburg or Myrtle Beach, for instance, and can often find something in the Poconos, but I've never seen a Last Call in Hershey, PA.

OTOH, the fact that you're trying to find a unit for four will be in your favor - I'm looking for units that sleep eight, so my choices are much more limited than yours. If you have relatives close to a major resort area, I'm guessing your odds of getting a place aren't too bad if you can monitor Last Call pretty regularly and shift a few weeks in either direction when something pops up.

You might have better luck just renting Timeshares. I know some people who swear by the "Endless Vacations" Certificate system ($500 for a week), which is run by Wyndham, and others who do well renting from individuals. Hopefully someone else who keeps an eye on Last Call for prime time units that sleep four will post with more information. Good luck!

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

If you do decide to buy, remember it's a buyer's market--especially in this economy. There are lots of owners who have very nice resorts with weeks in high demand who are literally giving them away now to get out of the maintenance fees. Look on eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods& more at low prices You'll see lots of resorts for a few hundred dollars, or even less. In this case, they aren't "too good to be true;" they are the genuine article; people just want out from under them. Obviously, check the units out by making sure the seller is highly rated and/or the resort confirms that the seller does indeed own the unit FREE AND CLEAR that he is selling.