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for several yrs. I have been a silver level Bluegreen owner (24,000)and have deposited several weeks with RCI and have yet to get the vacation resort I have asked for - ex. I was trying to go to Estes Park and had to settle for Steamboat Springs - I put in my request in Feb. 09 and gave them a 6 week window from middle of Sept. to middle of Oct. and was recently told I wouldn't be able to get anything, thus Steamboat - in May 09 I put in for something on the beach in either Gulf Shores or Panama City for July 2010 and was told today that I would not be able to get anything and any future request for Alabama or Florida would also be doubtful - grandchildren either want the beach or snow skiing and can't seem to get either - it's fine for me and my wife to travel but for family vacations it's awful discouraging - any advice for future beach or ski vacations would be most appreciative - thanks for listening to me vent!!!
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I am not a Bluegreen owner, but you are experiencing what many timeshare owners learn - prime time is hard to get through exchange companies. Summer beach and winter ski weeks are prime trades, there is more demand than supply. Your Estes Park request was, I believe, for an area with limited inventory.Originally posted by t&g View Post
One way to increase your chances with RCI is to plan further ahead, especially for summer beach and winter skiing. Many RCI resorts become available two years out. By placing your request as far ahead as possible, at least a year ahead, you increase your chances. I don't know why RCI told you it was too late to get something for July 2010, unless you've got trading power issues. What did you deposit, and how far ahead of the checkin date did you deposit it?
There are alternatives to RCI for your future deposits. -
What you have learned the hard way is that exchanging is an art. It's a lot like sport fishing. You can get really great exchanges if you know the following:
1) for a given exchange company, what inventory are they likely to get and when does it usually show up in the system?
2) what type of deposit and when does it need to be deposited to ensure you have enough trading power to get the exchange even if it does get deposited.
Experts on this message board learn that by helping each other. Check out the exchange forum and you will start to learn it.
If you don't have a good feel for the above, exchanging can be extremely frustating.
Another option to use is what we call direct exchange. Find an owner who has what you want and trade them for what you've got.
Estes Park and Steamboat Springs can easily be gotten by a WorldMark owner. All you need to do is find a WorldMark owner and you could get both by trading something you own in Bluegreen.Comment
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I'm sorry, Estes Park was RCI but the beach was through Bluegreen and thanksComment
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Thanks BocaBum99, this owner to owner thing, I contact the owner him/herself and we can make the trade ourselves??Comment
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Yes. That's all you do. For instance, I am both a WorldMark and Bluegreen owner. I could have easily done a trade with you to stay at Worldmark Estes park which is a fantastic resort I've stayed at twice. And, I couldn't have gotten you any week in any size unit you wanted with enough lead time.Originally posted by t&g View Post
JimComment
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You should be able to get the beach any time you want as long as you book far enough in advance of check in. ShoreCrest I in the summer is the only resort I know has an issue with availability.Originally posted by t&g
Also, Club Associate resorts don't have much inventory. So, if you are having a hard time getting into those, that's the reason. You will need to use the waitlist to get weeks at those resorts. Join the Bluegreen HOA forum and post a question there about getting into Club Associate resorts using the waitlist and I'll show you some tricks for getting reservations at these hard to get resorts.Comment
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if I ever wanted to stay at Worldmark Red River in New Mexico, you may be able to assist me in getting that????????Comment
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That particular resort had some winter 2010 2BR availability in RCI this year. WorldMark tends to deposit about 7-8 months prior to check-in, and it goes quickly after that.Comment
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It takes time, commitment and watchful waiting to snag something.
Uh, just like BB's sport fishing analogy !
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concerned and discouraged
I would like to thank those of you who offered advice in booking future vacations, you comments, suggestions, and advice was most helpful - thanks again!!!!!Comment
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do try to be flexible - if you are just looking for the beach, you can call up BG and tell them "I want to go to the beach" and see what they find for you. When you are very specific about where you want to go, it's harder to accomodate.
Good luck!Comment
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give the best to get the best
So much of trading success depends on what you deposit. To get the best, you need to be willing to give the best. It will take some BG points, but if you reserve and deposit 2 bedroom units in Hershey (summer); Big Cedar (summer); Lodge Alley Inn (summer); Hammocks at Marathon (winter); or Shorecrest (summer), you should be able to get just about anything.Comment
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All the places you listed make sense as to high demand to me except Hershey.
Is this because of limited properties in the area compared to for example over abundance in Orlando??
Thanks,
JustineComment
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