II Getaways

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

Okay, so I am having a lightbulb moment.

Not that I haven't noticed before, because I have, but I was looking for a Getaway for one of the guys at Rick's firehouse. He wants to take the kids to Orlando in October, when they have a five-week break from school. Rick told him that we could certainly find him something cheaper than a couple of hotel rooms. Well, I look online at Marriott Cypress Harbour and see that October weeks are only $429 for an entire week. Who in their right mind would pay to exchange there, when you can rent for that price? So I am wondering why we own all these weeks that exchange into Orlando, when we can go to our favorite resort, outside of DVC resorts, for $429? Those prices are for low season, of course, but WOW. So forget the stupid Silver Crown and regular resorts RCI offers in Orlando for 9,000 points + their ridiculous $164 trade fee.

Vistana Villages' two bedrooms are also $429. What a deal. With RCI, there is a one-in-four rule for that resort, yet here no such rule and rentals are cheaper than exchanges.

I have mixed feelings about this. Why hold on to a bunch of weeks when this is available to you. You could sell all your weeks and keep your membership with II and just do Getaways.

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

Wow........

I checked II Getaway's for the summer months and found Marriott resorts in Orlando at prices that I would guess would be less than or equal to their maintenance fees:
Cypress Harbor-July week-$789
Grande Vista-August, 2-bedroom-$669
Sabal Palms-July week $404

It makes you question why you would own.

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

.... So I am wondering why we own all these weeks that exchange into Orlando, when we can go to our favorite resort, outside of DVC resorts, for $429? Those prices are for low season, of course, but WOW. So forget the stupid Silver Crown and regular resorts RCI offers in Orlando for 9,000 points + their ridiculous $164 trade fee.

Vistana Villages' two bedrooms are also $429. What a deal. With RCI, there is a one-in-four rule for that resort, yet here no such rule and rentals are cheaper than exchanges.

I have mixed feelings about this. Why hold on to a bunch of weeks when this is available to you. You could sell all your weeks and keep your membership with II and just do Getaways.

I know this is a topic that has come up on TUG -- rentals are sometimes so cheap that it doesn't make sense to own.

I did get a Sheraton Vistana Villages via RCI Points in January 2006. It was just a one-bedroom, but that was all I needed. (The trip was just DH and me.) I figure my cost for RCI Points is less than 1 cent a point, even after "amortizing" my initial cost of buying the points. So, with a $164 exchange fee, the total cost for the week would be $254 total cost, which is still lower than the Getaways cost.

Cindy, now that you have had some time to think about this, do you think you will sell some of your weeks? Or, do you think it's worth holding on to them, maybe for trades during in-season?

Wow........

I checked II Getaway's for the summer months and found Marriott resorts in Orlando at prices that I would guess would be less than or equal to their maintenance fees:
Cypress Harbor-July week-$789
Grande Vista-August, 2-bedroom-$669
Sabal Palms-July week $404

It makes you question why you would own.

Or at least, why you would own in Orlando. It seems that trading in there is usually cheaper than owning there. It may make sense to own in Orlando if you want a particular resort at a high-demand time of year -- for example, if you can get a fixed week 52 at a resort you like, that would make sense if you want to stay in Orlando every Christmas/New Year's. I know there are several people who really like Cypress Pointe, and own there so they have their "home resort" to come back to. That's a good reason for owning, too.

I suppose there may be other reasons to own an Orlando Marriott in particular -- Marriott internal trade priority, for example. However, I'd guess that there are more cost-effective Marriott traders elsewhere.

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

Cindy, if you book an October week it would be best to check the UK school holiday schedule and try to avoid that time period. I hit it once and it was a bit more crowded that I'm used to in October.

Renting can indeed be a better deal, but not everywhere. It's the old supply and demand thing and in places like Orlando, Williamsburg and Branson renting may be more cost effective. For other places, renting can also be a good deal if you don't want to put the money out up front to buy. For many, annual vacations are more flexible if you rent - and you don't have to use it or lose it.