Limited options?

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

As I posted in other threads, I am new to timesharing. I own week 27 at Orange Lake in Orlando. If I convert my TS to points does that mean I can have acces to ANY of the RCI resorts? Or only the weeks that people have deposited.

For example, I am very interested in visiting Club Optima in the Wisconsen Dells. But do I need to wait for somebody to deposit a week from there? If that is the case, It seems very unlikely that I will ever actually get to choose when and where I go. I am limited to what people deposit and if I am fast enough to snag it first.

Is that right?

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

You can initiate an ongoing search at RCI for the resort and time period you would like to go...

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

As I posted in other threads, I am new to timesharing. I own week 27 at Orange Lake in Orlando. If I convert my TS to points does that mean I can have acces to ANY of the RCI resorts? Or only the weeks that people have deposited.

For example, I am very interested in visiting Club Optima in the Wisconsen Dells. But do I need to wait for somebody to deposit a week from there? If that is the case, It seems very unlikely that I will ever actually get to choose when and where I go. I am limited to what people deposit and if I am fast enough to snag it first.

Is that right?

RCI has 3 member groups. Developers, HOAs and individual owners.

Some HOA will deposit their week to RCI themselves and when owner needs to make exchange, they let the owner pick one from the pool.

Some HOA actually rely on RCI to manage its internal exchange system.

You are right you have to wait for someone to make deposit, but it does not mean it will be from individual member. That is the reason the 1st rule in TS is if you have a place you usualy want to go, you should own it there, and forget about the exchanger.

But if you don't mind to wait it along, there will bound to have owner want to make deposit. So if you are willing to wait, you will increase your chance to get the exchange you want. And just like resale market, there are plenty of selections there.

Jya-Ning

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

If I convert my TS to points does that mean I can have acces to ANY of the RCI resorts? Or only the weeks that people have deposited.

For example, I am very interested in visiting Club Optima in the Wisconsen Dells. But do I need to wait for somebody to deposit a week from there? If that is the case, It seems very unlikely that I will ever actually get to choose when and where I go. I am limited to what people deposit and if I am fast enough to snag it first.
Is that right?

For the most part, that is the way exchange companies work. If no one deposits a unit at the resort you are interested in, they cannot offer it to you as an exchange. Once exception to that is when resorts are in active sales, the developer may deposit unsold units with RCI in order to try to get more possible buyers in to see what they offer.

If Club Optima has points owners, stay up late or wake up early on the day your desired check-in is available to be reserved and snag it first. You won't be the first one to do that. I don't know if you can start a search for a points deposit, I never tried to do that, maybe others can answer that.

If Club Optima is a weeks resort, as Lisa suggested, start a search 2 years before your desired check-in and if a weeks owner deposits you will be at the head of the line. Two years is a long time to wait for an exchange but you won't be the first one to do that either. In August, 2006, I reserved a unit in Ireland for August, 2008.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Orange Lake is a weeks resort that recently has developed it's own point system called Global Access. If you want to be a part of Global Access you will have to pay an additional fee to join and then you will be a Global Access points member and not a weeks member. Currently in the Global Access family are Orange Lake Orlando, FL (West, East, North and River Island Villages), Orange Lake Lake Geneva, WI, Orange Lake Ascutney, VT, and Orange Lake Panama City, FL. You can trade directly with them and I think use that unit or deposit it with RCI. If you do not join Global Access then you can use your unit at Orange Lake Orlando, FL or deposit it with RCI and exchange for another deposited week.

There maybe folks that have converted to Global Access that has experiences that they will share and verify my assumptions.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Don't know about global access. But a difference in a mini system then exchange system is the unit is open to anyone that allowed at certain specific time.

For example, in FF, if you own say Kingsgate, at 13 month, all units for that week will be open to any home resort owner to make reservation, there may have certain restriction like you have to have enough points for say 3 day or 7 day stay.

Then at 10 month, all units will be available to all owner in the system.

So in a mini system, the most important thing is look at the total number of units to where you want to go. Say if it is only 10 units, there is probably no chance for you to be there through that system, even if you are owner if you want to be in prime season. It compare badly to a fix week.

On the other hand, when there is 100 + units, it starts compare close to normal week exchange system and more favor. Except a few week, most owner will perfer to be certain before they make their vacation plan, which means, in 10 month period, there may have 20% or 80% of inventory available (depend on the season). for 100+ unit, it means over 20 units to 80 units there compare to most exchange system that only has 6 or 8 units.

The only issue is if you want back to back week, since it is open one week a time, it may take some. But system like WM which allow you to make back to back reservation if you get the 1st week.

Of course, if it is over 500+ units, it will be close to true flexibility, and more like hotel instead of anything like TS. (currently, FF has 3 areas that over that kind of amount).

At this moment, OLCC just starts, so don't expect there will be a lot of units in each area. You need to look at their track record, make own judgement and ask the sale's see their plan (I guess that means you should take at least 5 or 10 update to make sure you get the right info). ANd since it may take a while to develope, and plan do change, so you should not depend on your decision on it.

But the live of developer is depend on sell, and if there is a way to build it, they will, so eventually, they will build a lot of units at the desirable area.

If you have 10 year before retire, it may worth. If you already in retirement, and expect no more than 10 year to use it, then it makes no sense to do that unless they can show you enough inventories (in writing) in places you want to go.

You do need to do some planning and work to be able to get the week. At this moment, you may need some work to take unit. FF's solution is either VIP or their newest way is charge room different point value based on the view. And I don't see they will holding back, so eventually, if you can plan, you will guarantee certain view and week in a point system.

Jya-Ning

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

Or can scratch RCI altogether and use redweek.com ro something. It looks like they are developing a good alternative to RCI. But what do I know? I only looked through their website for the first time tis weekend.

Big Papa

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

Or can scratch RCI altogether and use redweek.com ro something. It looks like they are developing a good alternative to RCI.

Big Papa

Redweek's effort while laudable probably needs some time to develop into a viable alternative.

At the moment it is not an alternative for me, and I would suspect not an alternative for many here.

There are problems with valuation of weeks and availability of weeks now that deter depositors.