What Interval sightings would help members of TS4MS

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

I am not experienced at searching for ex-ops. Therefore I am not sure what to look for when searching II. So far I have posted mostly 5 star resorts. I have been using mainly Shore Crest Vacation Villas a Bluegreen property to search with. So here are my questions. When looking for sightings are there any states, cities, other countries that would be of high interest to members? What about different resort chains Worldmart, Westgate, Sunterra, or Premiere Vacation Club resorts? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Mike

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I'm looking for the Maine coast, perhaps all eastern coastal resorts would be of interest.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I'm looking for the Maine coast, perhaps all eastern coastal resorts would be of interest.

I presume for summer?

[vacationlover2 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vacationlover2]

I'm looking for Disney and other Marriott's.

Thanks for all your hard work. I really appreciate it!

[Princess Sunflower Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Princess Sunflower]

Excuse my ignorance, but I have always wondered why the time is even taken to post these sightings when I can just log into II and see them?

I assume that by the time I read the sightings post any good resort would only be scooped up already anyways.

Educate me please

[DDI Par Member Find all posts View Profile Close DDI Par]

Posting exchange opps

Princess:

Just a recent example of how this can benefit members of TSFM's. Just yesterday Marriott did a bulk banking of weeks at their two timeshares on the Costa Del Sol in Marbella and Malaga, Spain for November/December 2007. One member of the forums (I forget who, but God bless him/her for doing this) posted this bulk banking, and I must have caught it a few hours later, or even a day later.

When I went to Interval International's website, there were dozens of weeks available that normally are not. The typical II member would not know about these availabilities until they did a specific search, and by then these exchanges could all be gone.

You need to do due diligence to stay abreast of sightings, and you may be rewarded with an exchange that you would never have seen without the searching and posting by members of these forums.

Would have loved to exchange into Marbella this fall (had a chance to purchase the first Marriott European timeshare there 10 years ago for less than 10k), but will be spending 3 weeks in HI at that time.

Keep up with the exchange opps, Princess . . . one of them may pay off for you someday!

DDI Par
Birdies are better, but par is good.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I presume for summer?

Actually June and September

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Princess, in addition to DDI Par's post, I like to see what's out there. I've taken quite a few vacations to places I hadn't even thought about because there was availability.

Sedona, San Francisco and Grand Cayman are a few that come to mind off the top of my head. As a matter of fact we are returning to Grand Cayman in 2008 because of another of those pesky exchange opportunities.

Those have turned into some of the best vacations we have taken.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Excuse my ignorance, but I have always wondered why the time is even taken to post these sightings when I can just log into II and see them?

I assume that by the time I read the sightings post any good resort would only be scooped up already anyways.

Educate me please

The same reason that there are restaurants.......Even people that can cook, love to go out to eat.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I would agree that some of my best trips have been booked as a result of sightings. I don't always know what resorts to request in advance (sightings give me great ideas), and it's hard to keep on top of the entire database all the time. Sightings are a great 'heads up.' While many good sightings don't last long, especially an odd week in a short window, we have many members that have taken advantage of great weeks b/c they were alerted via Sightings that they were available. Perusing the sightings once in a while won't do this, but I look at them regularly under New Posts and have had great luck. Just the other day Lawren posted an Arroyo Roble bulk banking, with Easter 2008 available. I almost took it!

I've gotten into the Manhattan Club several times due to sightings, and got a fabulous exchange in Morritt's Grand in 2008 that I only got because someone here caught the Bulk Banking and I was able to get on it in time to get my Spring Break week.

And while it is hard for us to travel on short notice, I love seeing the Sightings that do come up, so I know what's possible when I eventually have more flexibility (I've also been known to 'upgrade' an already-booked trip based on last minute inventory)...

Sightings are also a valuable tool with which to evaluate the trading power of your various weeks, based on whether you can/can't see the same weeks/units with your deposit.

Finally, they are a great way for members who don't belong to one company or another, to see what's available 'on the other side...'

[mjs Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mjs]

I also use them to check the trading power of my various resorts, and also the trading power of various weeks at these resorts.
Mark

[pcgirl54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pcgirl54]

I have gotten some top notch exchanges because of a sightings board. It is the first forum I review daily. Manhattan Club , South Seas Plantation in Captiva Island and possibly my Harborside Atlantis trade were dues to posts in Sightings. Many of us have a "Wish List" of places to go that is only enhanced when there are multiple people researching the same great places and post top spots or holiday weeks. In turn I post when I see a good deal. I also check the trade power of both resorts I own.


I was thrilled to help a dear coworker trade for Westin Kanapali in Maui in 2006 for her honeymoon. I was browsing ,saw the week ,went to work and marched down to her office, taught her how exchange while she called II,all within a 3 hour window. Maui is tough trade period and so is that Westin. The couple owned a TS for 2 years and never traded before. What a 1st trade! Made me so happy that I could help her and we both cried. She had no idea I had been looking on and off for a few months. Like a treasure hunt,one never knows what they will find and if you can't use it then pay it forward to another member.

[Princess Sunflower Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Princess Sunflower]

Thanks for all the replies. I tend to be very aggressive in searching II when looking for a vacation destination. I sometimes check listings several times a day. The best exchanges we've gotten are usually last minutes sightings. Many years ago we actually found a place in New Hampshire on a Monday and immediately packed our bags and left on Friday!