Who's done RCI Exchange?

[Cruella 66]

Thanks for everyone's input. I was thinking like you all too. It would be a waste IF I could do a night or two with paying the fees. We actually only have like 24 points I'd hate to lose because they are from last year. I am trying to give them to somebody who's going this summer and would like a day to or two someplace…yes, depending on resort, rooms, etc. I have a friend that may take them. If we ever do use the RCI Exchange, I'll keep in mind by the week.

 

[Dean]

We've traded out for Sedona, AZ and found it to be very easy. We were actually very pleasantly surprised at the resort we stayed at. (Can't remember the name just now ). It had great views of the red rock formations and was less than 5 minutes out of town. We'd do it again in a heartbeat.

We just successfully exchanged for Aruba in mid October 2015 in a gold crown resort on Eagle Beach, and very much look forward to our trip with friends.
Reviews are good to very good and to tell you the truth, we would be okay with even a not so great resort for the location and the chance to go somewhere we've never been!

We have also rented out points and used the money to book a hotel in Charleston. Another fantastic trip in a great place!!

All in all you do have options. We still, after 15 years, LOVE our DVC and get fantastic use out of it!! Enjoy planning!

We've stayed in the Low rise (Eagle Beach) and High Rise (Palm beach) areas. We prefer the High risk section overall but find both nice. Some of the things about the low rise area that we find as relative negatives are that several of the resorts are across the street from the beach and there is less direct access to restaurants and the like comparatively speaking. I just completed an exchange to the Marriott for 2016 for a 2 BR and have structured direct reservations to work for a week and 2 long weekends. We'll likely stay in the Low rise area the first 2-3 nights as we transition at La Cabana. We really like Mathew's restaurant at Casa Del Mar and up the road Tulip's and Chalet Suisse (good but more expensive).

Thanks for the suggestion about TUG. I'll add that to my list of websites I visit when I do my research. I've also found the redweek page for some of the resorts and use that.

I went from KCR2 to Maui Lea. I had also researched KBC, but wasn't thrilled with the fact that it had a limited kitchen and it wasn't available when I booked Maui Lea. Of course, it came available after I booked ML. Having been to Maui, I think I like staying in the Kihei vs. the Lahaina part of the island(I did the Lahaina luau and it was a far drive afterwards back to ML). However, I still haven't ruled KBC out and know that I will be back in Maui in a couple of years.

Yes, this will be my first trip to Aruba and I agree that there are many mixed reviews about Arub Divi Phoenix and I will be interested to see what the resort really looks like. Unfortunately, I discovered after I booked the resort that all of the pictures online and on the RCI website are from the new rooms in the four new beach towers at the resort(not cool--seems like false advertising--they said they've been updating the other rooms, I'll see). I am pretty sure I booked in the original part mainly because I didn't know there was a difference. I saw the two separate ones that I could book through RCI and called DVC, but they didn't know either what the difference was. My first choice was Aruba Beach Club, even though it was an older resort, because of its location--but when I finally saw a room map of the resort, I wouldn't have had an ocean view room. The other two I were considering rarely come up for availability and never did for the week I wanted. I'll let you know how I like the resort. In general, I'm excited about Aruba.

I figured it was KCR to ML. The limited kitchens at KBC aren't bad at all as long as you know what to expect. IIRC when we were there they had a full size fridge, DW, small stove top and a microwave (? convection). We prefer the Kaanapali area but it is a drive. KBC looks a little strange with the all the pink but it was pretty nice overall though much of my direct info was before Diamond. It's by far the best RCI option and the only one that might come up to DVC standard's in RCI there. SOK is the next best option. The better options are in II for that location. For Maui and owning DVC, I'd look at the independent's such as San Francisco Exchange (SFX), Trading Places Intl (TPI), Trading Places Maui, Dial an Exchange (DAE) and HI Timeshare exchange (HTSE) as well as RCI.

For the Divi it seems like a tale of 2 reports almost, the old and the new from what I can see. I do not know how they decide who goes where, that might be something to investigate more. Maybe call the resort and ask and likely request an updated room and/or a view. It's in a good area and hopefully you'll get a nice view which is the main thing anyway for that area IMO. Divi has several resorts and IIRC that is the one that was being built then halted and then finished by Divi on the very south end of Palm Beach near the butterfly farm. There are quite a few great restaurant option in the Palm Beach area, more than Eagle Beach for us. Walking distance but not super close. I'm sure you'll have a great time in Aruba and to be honest, other than the Marriott's, all of the resorts have significant limitations to some degree. In one sense it's 1960's PCB in many ways from a hotel/timeshare standpoint.

TUG is a yearly charge to have access to the ratings and reviews but it's not much, maybe $15-20 a year. I'm always happy to peak and get a general impression and the rating for DVC members but would not be comfortable reproducing the info itself. And to be honest, I always get a lot more info from reviews than ratings, esp on TUG where many reviews are posted by more experienced travel/timeshare type people. TST ha even more thorough reviews/ratings and they weed out those who own there reducing some of the bias that often occurs but it's even more to join and they have a lot less volume than does TUG. For TA I find it's only helpful if there is a lot of volume and even then it's simply reading for tidbits since so many of the reviews are planted (both ways) and so mare more are from people who have little clues about timeshares and often have unreasonable views in general.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for everyone's input. I was thinking like you all too. It would be a waste IF I could do a night or two with paying the fees. We actually only have like 24 points I'd hate to lose because they are from last year. I am trying to give them to somebody who's going this summer and would like a day to or two someplace…yes, depending on resort, rooms, etc. I have a friend that may take them. If we ever do use the RCI Exchange, I'll keep in mind by the week.

Maybe consider an exchange with the 24 plus adding to it for a full week somewhere instead of jumping around. Gatlinburg's a great area and it's fairly easy to get, the same for Nashville.

 

[abdgeek]

Is this your first trip to Aruba? Let me know how you like the Divi Phoenix as I've seen mixed reviews about it. It's one of a very few properties I haven't at least been on property in Aruba.

Hi Dean...I finally stayed at the Divi Aruba Phoenix during Easter Week on an RCI exchange. I couldn't figure out how to email you my thoughts about the resort, so I decided to post here in case someone else is thinking about staying at this resort. Ever since I've returned from Aruba, I've been trying to assess how I feel about the island. I still haven't come to any conclusions, but I've listed my observations below.

Anyone booking the Divi Aruba Phoenix should know that there are two separate listings in RCI for the property. If you book #4032, Divi Aruba Phoenix, you will be in the original 12-14 story tower that has all ocean view rooms. That was what I booked without knowing it and I was generally pleased with the 1-bedroom unit and loved the views. The tower rooms had recently been refurbished, but seemed to have slightly lower quality furniture from the pictures of the beach tower rooms. My only complaint was that I didn't have a washer/dryer in the unit. There were some that we could use in the building, just not in the unit. Housekeeping brought clean towels everyday and dumped the trash. Mid week, you got a full cleaning. There is a very, very small grocery store in the lobby, but if you really want to cook in your room you would be better served going to an actual grocery store. Another thing to be aware of is that all of the pictures on the RCI website are of the beach villas and not the original part of the resort. Although I had planned to, I never ate at the resort because the workers didn't recommend the food. However, the local places they recommended to me were very good.

If you book #8729, Beach Villas at Divi Phoenix, you will be in one of the four 8-story towers. Not all of these room have ocean views, but they do have a washer/dryer in the unit and are in the newest part of the resort. The towers and villas are separated by the lobby, so you don't have to walk far for anything.

I loved the location of the resort. It was right at the beginning of the high rise area, not too far from the low rises. It was a quick 10-20 minute walk to restaurants, depending on how far into the high rise area you were going. You could use the beach walk or walk along the street and the bus stop for the local bus was at the Riu next door(going to Oranjestead) and across the street(coming from Oranjestead). The weather was nice and the sun very intense, but it was very windy--which I wasn't used to. The breeze helped keep down the humidity, but made lying by the pool/beach challenging when gusts came up and scattered belongings or blew beach towels. You had to be down to the pool/beach by 7 am in order to get one of the limited number of palapas, which were first come first served. I was never down that early, but you always saw numerous chairs with towels in them but no people. Unfortunately, this made it hard for people to get seats and you often saw people sitting on the stairs or other places because of the limited seating. I always went to the villas pool, but I found out when I was leaving that there was a pool for the tower units that was less crowded and where the people were friendlier.

I was very pleased with the high end restaurants where I ate, but found the casual eateries overpriced with mediocre food. In general, I felt that things on the island were overpriced without justification. I took two tours, a snorkeling one which was really good and an island tour which was so so. I'm not sure I'll go back to Aruba, but I am glad that I crossed it off my bucket list.

 

[Dean]

Hi Dean...I finally stayed at the Divi Aruba Phoenix during Easter Week on an RCI exchange. I couldn't figure out how to email you my thoughts about the resort, so I decided to post here in case someone else is thinking about staying at this resort. Ever since I've returned from Aruba, I've been trying to assess how I feel about the island. I still haven't come to any conclusions, but I've listed my observations below.

Anyone booking the Divi Aruba Phoenix should know that there are two separate listings in RCI for the property. If you book #4032, Divi Aruba Phoenix, you will be in the original 12-14 story tower that has all ocean view rooms. That was what I booked without knowing it and I was generally pleased with the 1-bedroom unit and loved the views. The tower rooms had recently been refurbished, but seemed to have slightly lower quality furniture from the pictures of the beach tower rooms. My only complaint was that I didn't have a washer/dryer in the unit. There were some that we could use in the building, just not in the unit. Housekeeping brought clean towels everyday and dumped the trash. Mid week, you got a full cleaning. There is a very, very small grocery store in the lobby, but if you really want to cook in your room you would be better served going to an actual grocery store. Another thing to be aware of is that all of the pictures on the RCI website are of the beach villas and not the original part of the resort. Although I had planned to, I never ate at the resort because the workers didn't recommend the food. However, the local places they recommended to me were very good.

If you book #8729, Beach Villas at Divi Phoenix, you will be in one of the four 8-story towers. Not all of these room have ocean views, but they do have a washer/dryer in the unit and are in the newest part of the resort. The towers and villas are separated by the lobby, so you don't have to walk far for anything.

I loved the location of the resort. It was right at the beginning of the high rise area, not too far from the low rises. It was a quick 10-20 minute walk to restaurants, depending on how far into the high rise area you were going. You could use the beach walk or walk along the street and the bus stop for the local bus was at the Riu next door(going to Oranjestead) and across the street(coming from Oranjestead). The weather was nice and the sun very intense, but it was very windy--which I wasn't used to. The breeze helped keep down the humidity, but made lying by the pool/beach challenging when gusts came up and scattered belongings or blew beach towels. You had to be down to the pool/beach by 7 am in order to get one of the limited number of palapas, which were first come first served. I was never down that early, but you always saw numerous chairs with towels in them but no people. Unfortunately, this made it hard for people to get seats and you often saw people sitting on the stairs or other places because of the limited seating. I always went to the villas pool, but I found out when I was leaving that there was a pool for the tower units that was less crowded and where the people were friendlier.

I was very pleased with the high end restaurants where I ate, but found the casual eateries overpriced with mediocre food. In general, I felt that things on the island were overpriced without justification. I took two tours, a snorkeling one which was really good and an island tour which was so so. I'm not sure I'll go back to Aruba, but I am glad that I crossed it off my bucket list.

Thanks for the info and follow up. Posting here was likely better anyway for others to get the information and feel for your experience. We love Aruba and tend to go about every 2 yrs. We already have our next trip planned for 2 weeks. We normally stay at the Marriott Surf Club but our back up is La Cabana in the low rise section. Our next trip will be 2 weeks all at the Marriott. Many call it a poor man's HI though it's not lush, more dessert. Food is expensive mostly because they can and because everything is imported. We generally love most restaurants there but there aren't any that I'd think of going just to eat at. Chair saving is a problem many places, it's actually better at the Marriott where they tend to police it somewhat at 2 hrs. The info you found out about the two options is the same I saw on reviews on TUG at the time thus emphasizing the need to research before exchanging. If the wind is an issue for Aruba, you won't like HI either as it's often more so. The one area to look out for in Aruba related to restaurants is that many charge a "service charge". In general this is NOT a mandatory tip and usually little or none goes to the employees. We usually try to avoid such places as much as we can and know because it adds cost without reason as you say and more because philosophically we find it wrong. The other reason we like Aruba is that i is comparatively very easy and safe in spite of the hype a few years ago with the disappearance.

 

[abdgeek]

The one area to look out for in Aruba related to restaurants is that many charge a "service charge". In general this is NOT a mandatory tip and usually little or none goes to the employees. We usually try to avoid such places as much as we can and know because it adds cost without reason as you say and more because philosophically we find it wrong.

I agree. I read about the service charge during my research, so that wasn't a surprise. I only ate at a couple of places that had it, but as you said by the time they add 15% and you leave additional tip it does add a significant amount to the bill.

I don't want to scare anyone off of HI. I actually love it and am planning my third trip there for 2018. The wind didn't bother me on Oahu or the Big Island, but it did seem that parts of Maui(Wailea) were unusually windy. I guess I like HI better than Aruba. I know I can't wait to go back there.

 

[southerngirl528]

In the 22 years I've been a member, I have only traded for another TS once, and that was for the Westin Villas Ka'anapali when we still had II. I think RCI is far, far less attractive for trading. I feel comfortable booking a Marriott or Westin, at least knowing it should be as nice or close to as nice as what I am accustomed to with DVC accommodations. Just my opinion…… I know there are a few really nice properties with RCI, but few and far between. I say bring back II!!!

 

[Dean]

In the 22 years I've been a member, I have only traded for another TS once, and that was for the Westin Villas Ka'anapali when we still had II. I think RCI is far, far less attractive for trading. I feel comfortable booking a Marriott or Westin, at least knowing it should be as nice or close to as nice as what I am accustomed to with DVC accommodations. Just my opinion…… I know there are a few really nice properties with RCI, but few and far between. I say bring back II!!!

As I've posted before, II looked better because of Westin (Starwood) and Marriott but when you look at actual availability (esp during higher demand times), they are probably about the same. They do vary from place to place and RCI is weak in HI. DVC fits in better with RCI given their points orientation.

 

[southerngirl528]

I hear ya, Dean. But I have to say that I am a diehard fan of Marriott and Westin properties. And Hawaii is my favorite place on the entire planet. Which is why I spent some major bucks buying one of those in Hawaii to add to go with my DVC membership. When I looked at what my options would be under RCI, I was actually ON Maui doing that Westin II exchange with my DVC membership. I have to say that nothing interested me. So much so I bought a competitor TS.

 

[Dean]

I hear ya, Dean. But I have to say that I am a diehard fan of Marriott and Westin properties. And Hawaii is my favorite place on the entire planet. Which is why I spent some major bucks buying one of those in Hawaii to add to go with my DVC membership. When I looked at what my options would be under RCI, I was actually ON Maui doing that Westin II exchange with my DVC membership. I have to say that nothing interested me. So much so I bought a competitor TS.

The problems is that both of those timeshare systems have II hold their deposits for their own members. For Starwood (Westin) I think it's only 3 days but for Marriott it's 24 days outside the 60 day window. There really is very little that gets out other than off weeks for HI from Marriott and not much more from Westin. KBC is the only RCI property for Maui that is a somewhat comparable trade using DVC. There's no doubt that II is better for HI than RCI, esp for Maui. IMO the best option for HI for multiple locations is Marriott trust points as a new purchase because new resale purchases can't convert to the Destination points. Last trip to HI we did 3 weeks with a 1 BR OF on Kauai, 2 BR OF Maui new section both using Marriott destination points and a 2 BR ocean side at Ko Olina II exchange. Given the fees there I haven't found owning on Maui or Kauai reasonable though I do own a lockoff 2 BR on Oahu.

 

[mom_rules]

We've actually traded quite a few times. Couple of times in Vancouver, BC, once in Miami (before a Disney cruise), Grand Cayman and St. Maarten. As a whole we've been pleased with the properties BUT remember they are not Disney. Locations are good and the accommodations have always been clean. Yes, some of the furnishings are dated but never the beds or appliances. Yes, I agree, you will be charged the $95.00 for each reservation/trade. We usually use our DVC points for Disney in the winter but now find it a bit chilly in Jan-Mar and have opted to use our points for warmer climes during that time.
As far as the actual transactions, as long as you are flexible and know quite a ways out what you want to do you will usually find a property to go to. Transaction itself was no issue either booking online by yourself or through DVC member services. We've done both

 

[dinolounger]

We have done numerous exchanges, both through II and RCI. I agree with the general mantra of choose wisely. Here are examples from our experience, where I feel we got the full worth of the points we traded:

- The Marriott Manor Club at Ford's Colony in Williamsburg VA: did through II years ago. Huge, elegant two bedroom that was easily equivalent of anything in DVC. Property overall was nice, albeit pools were not the equivalent of DVC but that wasn't a big deal given nearby water parks.

- The Hilton Grand Vacation Suites at the Flamingo, Las Vegas. Got this through RCI, according to MS I was apparently the first DVC member to get this resort via exchange. Prime, prime location, cozy accommodations, excellent huge tropical themed pool.

- The Villas at the Bougainvillea Beach Resort in Barbados. Also got this through RCI, was first choice in a search I had MS set up long before the RCI online ressie system was available, the reservation came through in about five months. Spectacular oceanfront location, nice villas and very gracious staff. Easily my family's favorite exchange; they say the only Disney mainland resort that possibly approaches it is Hilton Head, only by virtue of the beach house there. We haven't done Aulani yet (because 7 month availability there is still poor), but I suspect my family would sense the large scale of that resort to be a significant downside compared to the relaxed intimacy they experienced at Bougainvillea.

 

[kddlm]

Realize this is an older thread but just wanted to say I traded into RCI for Divi Phoenix Beach Villas (8729) in Aruba and stayed June 2019. Was very happy with the resort and the use of my 150 points for a 1 bedroom. We were on the 4th floor of the newer units. Room was very spacious and everything worked fine. Was awesome having washer/dryer in unit although cycle took a long time for washing and drying. Worth it to have though! I actually just booked another week for June of 2020. My kids are older now (25 and 19) and enjoy tropical vacations now. I still enjoy my Disney stays which consist of more relaxing at the resort, rather than commando at the parks so intend to hold onto my DVC membership. Just using it differently than I used to now. Works for us.

 

[DeeCee735]

Realize this is an older thread but just wanted to say I traded into RCI for Divi Phoenix Beach Villas (8729) in Aruba and stayed June 2019. Was very happy with the resort and the use of my 150 points for a 1 bedroom. We were on the 4th floor of the newer units. Room was very spacious and everything worked fine. Was awesome having washer/dryer in unit although cycle took a long time for washing and drying. Worth it to have though! I actually just booked another week for June of 2020. My kids are older now (25 and 19) and enjoy tropical vacations now. I still enjoy my Disney stays which consist of more relaxing at the resort, rather than commando at the parks so intend to hold onto my DVC membership. Just using it differently than I used to now. Works for us.

We were there in 2015 and loved that resort. We would like to take our adult married children with their kids in the near future, and/or just go back ourselves. Our grandkids are just starting with Disney trips, they’re little. We’ll be doing our 2nd with the grandkids this winter. While trading is a great option and we’ve done it a few times, we own DVC almost 20 years and instead of growing “old” to us, it’s all new again because of our Grandbabes. That said, Aruba is high on our list of getting back to. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

 

[kddlm]

We were there in 2015 and loved that resort. We would like to take our adult married children with their kids in the near future, and/or just go back ourselves. Our grandkids are just starting with Disney trips, they’re little. We’ll be doing our 2nd with the grandkids this winter. While trading is a great option and we’ve done it a few times, we own DVC almost 20 years and instead of growing “old” to us, it’s all new again because of our Grandbabes. That said, Aruba is high on our list of getting back to. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

I hope to pass on my love for Disney to grandbabies in the future as well! It is awesome that you are able to share it with them! We love Aruba! Was there for our honeymoon in 93 and not back again until 2016! Have contemplated selling DVC to buy in Aruba, but I'm not ready to make that jump! As long as I can keep exchanging like we are, I'm content. With the exchange points amount, we are still able to go to Disney as well so it really is best of both worlds. Enjoy your grandbabies!!!

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

I know this may sound silly but how do you do an RCI exchange? Is it easy to get what you want? I presume you have to call MS? Any special things we should know?

 

[bobbiwoz]

I know this may sound silly but how do you do an RCI exchange? Is it easy to get what you want? I presume you have to call MS? Any special things we should know?

You can follow links on the Member Site. “destinations” I think. I am trying for March 2021 in Hawai’i and many of the ones I am interested in do not show availability beyond 2020.

We went to Maui via RCI maybe three years ago. I did call Member Services for help. It was a wonderful trip, 150 points for the week in a one bedroom. We saw whales there from our balcony!

 

[Dean]

You can follow links on the Member Site. “destinations” I think. I am trying for March 2021 in Hawai’i and many of the ones I am interested in do not show availability beyond 2020.

We went to Maui via RCI maybe three years ago. I did call Member Services for help. It was a wonderful trip, 150 points for the week in a one bedroom. We saw whales there from our balcony!

Availability is present when the resorts deposit. Some do so 2 yrs out, some around a year and some less than a year for most deposits with a LOT of variability. This is why an ongoing search is important for most situations.

 

[kddlm]

The process itself is simple, securing a full week in popular place, not so much! On DVC site go to Plan a vacation; How to book RCI, then link into RCI website. Search when and where you would like to go. You need to play around with dates and be somewhat flexible. The resort I was looking for showed up 10 mos. prior to check-in. My advice is grab a full week when you see it and make it work!