Am i on the right track

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

I bought a three bedroom 2 bath villa in island links in hilton head south carolina, it is a deeded floating week with 85000 points through rci and every other year usage and it is during gold season. It is well past our recission period and plus we already tried and we were to late. So i don't want to have a negative attitude about it so i have decided to learn how to use it so that i get the most out of it. I dont have my rci member number yet so i cant get on the website and look around, but i have been trying to learn about exchanging points and these "last call vacations". Where can i find info on:

1. If i want to take a short vacation (say a 4 day weekend) is it possible and is it more expensive in $ and or points tna taking a whole week?
2. Can i reserve my week at my home resort and still book vacations elsewhere provided i have enough points?
3. Being in the military i cant always take a long vacation when i want to so i would like to use my points for mini vacations within driving distances from where i live (ft stewart, ga) and use my access to discounted vacation packages through the military to take overseas vacations or would that be a total waste of points and money?

4. Am i on the right track here

sorry if i am rambling

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

soldiergrl

Welcome to TS4M's

I think your attitude is great, and yes, you are on the right track.

I don't personally know too much about RCI, but others here do. They will help you get the most out of your timeshare.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

You're doing fine

1. If i want to take a short vacation (say a 4 day weekend) is it possible and is it more expensive in $ and or points tna taking a whole week?

It is more costly to use days rather than full weeks due to cleaning fees and, sometimes, higher points cost per day. Plus there can be transaction fees. But if you only need a few days RCI Points allows it and thats a good thing.

2. Can i reserve my week at my home resort and still book vacations elsewhere provided i have enough points?

Absolutely. Stretching your points to get more than a week is one of the goals. You can do it by taking shoulder times (still nice weather but not the prime season), smaller units ( 1 vs 2 bedroom) or by discounted last minute stays.

3. Being in the military i cant always take a long vacation when i want to so i would like to use my points for mini vacations within driving distances from where i live (ft stewart, ga) and use my access to discounted vacation packages through the military to take overseas vacations or would that be a total waste of points and money?

If it works for you it's not a waste its getting what you need. Use the flexibility of points to get what you really want.

4. Am i on the right track here
sorry if i am rambling

Right track - yes! You are trying to maximize what you purchased and you'll get better at it as time goes by. Enjoy and thank you for your service.

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

thanx

thanx for the speedy reply. we finally told a few of our friends we bought a timeshare, well lets just say they made us feel like we really made a mistake . but as i read the post and understand how it works I am starting to feel better about the whole thing. I even shared with my friends that it seems that way to them because they don't understand how to use it. i really appreciate the encouragement from these forums

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

You will quickly learn that mentioning TIMESHARE to people gets you that kind of look. You are right - they don't understand. It's not the shell game of the 70s anymore.

They will understand when you return from your first trip with pix of the unit, the grounds, THE KITCHEN AND LARGE BATHROOMS.

[Jim McLaren Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jim McLaren]

Like you we bought at Island Links from the developer. But our salesman told so many lies that when we got back to our hotel room and read the contract we realized we didn't really get what we thought we were getting. I was aware of the resale market at the time and remember thinking that the price was a little high but not outrageous. We ended up rescinding our purchase.

Did you get developer's weeks as part of the deal? Those actually seemed pretty reasonable but they are probably off season weeks. Also, if you can use a smaller place (2 bedroom or 1 bedroom) at Island Links you can save some points to use elsewhere.

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

You have a nice number of points and should be able to get some decent trades. If you go in shoulder season you probably can get a week's vacation each year in a nice two bedroom unit. So far, points have worked well for us. We like to go to Orlando for three or four days instead of a full week.