posted 04-01-2005 14:59               

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
I'm new to timeshares, but it seems to me that it doesn't matter where or what week you buy, since the use of a RCI or II timeshares is in trades. The object of buying appears to be to acquire the most number of points, or RED weeks, for a combination of the lowest price and, more importantly, lowest annual maintenance cost.

If this is true, where is the best deal to be found? In a third world country that has low wages and hence low maintenance fees? Does a RED week by definition mean high demand? In the point system, does demand mean anything?

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Fortunately, if you stick around long enough, and have a few hundred or thousand posts, you won't remember this one. Hopefully, noone will save it and remind you of it later.

Welcome to TUG, FenBat

We hope you do stick around. You'll soon find that there is no answer for your question of the "best" timeshare, since it varies by person.

Read up on the EXCHANGING board and you'll find that a person could spend a lifetime trying to understand the intracicies of trading through an Exchange company. Ask JLB, he HAS.

This isn't rocket science, by any means, but it's a lot more complex than you're currently aware. Here are the steps for getting the knowledge you want.

1 - Figure out what it is you WANT. Where do you like to vacation? What activities? What level of service, quality, etc., etc., etc? What season?

2 - READ and question.

3 - When you think you know what you want, and you're ready to ask the members of TUG if the deal you found is a good deal, you aren't ready to buy.

4 - When you think you know what you want, you've found it, and you KNOW it's a good deal without asking anyone, you're ready, go for it.

posted 04-01-2005 15:14               

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
I'm new to timeshares, but it seems to me that it doesn't matter where or what week you buy, since the use of a RCI or II timeshares is in trades.

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quote:

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The object of buying appears to be to acquire the most number of points, or RED weeks, for a combination of the lowest price and, more importantly, lowest annual maintenance cost.

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quote:

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Does a RED week by definition mean high demand?

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posted 04-01-2005 15:22               

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Originally posted by FenBat:
...
When you ask where would I like to vacation, what do I want to do... how does this affect my purchase decision? Why does it matter where I buy if I have points to use anywhere?

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Because you can't buy points to use anywhere. If you want to stay in 5 star accomodations in an area where RCI has no resorts, then you could buy a million RCI points and it wouldn't do a bit of good.

On the other hand, perhaps an inexpensive resort that trades through II would get you there.

Or, perhaps the ONLY way to get what you want would be to buy Sunterra Points. Or Fairfield Points. Or worldmark points.

In some cases (notably, Europe) you can actually get what you want more easily with a lower quality resort than a higher quality resort.

There are a million reasons why the most important thing to do right now is a "needs analysis". Of course, attempting to factor in any likely changes that may occur in your life over the next few years (ie, are you planning to have children, is it likely you'll have to move cross-country, etc.)

One last note - this is important, remember it. If you buy something, depending on a 3rd party company (like RCI) to make it work for you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. RCI is best used to supplement your ownership, not to BE your ownership.

posted 04-01-2005 16:36               

Welcome to TUG.

It sounds like you have not decided between fixed week ownership or points ownership yet. Since you sound like you want to go many places you need to decide where those places are. Perhaps a points based system would be best for you but you need to know where you want to go to know which system will get you there the best.
To name a few points systems:
Fairfield
Worldmark
BlueGreen
RCI
Disney Vacation Club
Intrawest
Sunterra

Once you decide which points system will get you where you want to go the best then you have to learn how best to own that point system.

Until then you may want to rent some weeks and try out resort vacationing to make sure that is what you like for a vacation. You will also learn about the differenced in resorts. Differences such as amenities, activities, facilites and floorplans/interior design can have a huge impact on your vacation choices.

Good luck and many happy vacations.

posted 04-01-2005 18:20               

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
..When you ask where would I like to vacation, what do I want to do... how does this affect my purchase decision? Why does it matter where I buy if I have points to use anywhere?

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Fat Ben:

Many strategies are espoused by various Tuggers.
a) buy where you want to go each year (dont' rely on exchanges)
b) buy the cheapest S.African week and exchange in RCI for offseason goldcrowns or 45-day last minute exchanges.
c) buy a moderately priced "strong trader" and go where you want via exchange...you have to work at it.
d) own a premium resort that you know will always be a 'highest trading power' week for exchanging.

Read more about the 'secret hidden trading power' assigned to your week and required of the desired exchanges....you may not get what you want in a week for week exchange. And, not all "red weeks" are the same....each location/region has hot red, normal red, weak red, and barely pink weeks, regardless of calling them all 'red'.

That's why folks say the optimum ownership for you depends upon how you travel.

On the other hand, if you're set on RCI Points exchanges, points are points (regardless of their origin; with a few exceptions for home resort advantage, etc)..you just want to get them so that your combination of upfront purchase price and ongoing M/F is lowest $/pt. Keep in mind that "points for deposit" could change or go away. Also keep in mind that (should your needs ever change), some may be easier than others to resell someday.

posted 04-02-2005 06:22               

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Originally posted by FenBat:
Thanks for the warm welcomes!

If there are various shades of red, is there any place that rates trading power of a place on a week by week status?

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RCI has different trade power for every resort on a week by week basis. In fact, believe it or not, if you own 2 identical units at the same resort during the same week and deposit them on the same day, there's no guarantee that they will have the same trade power. They lump weeks into 3 categories just to give the owner a general idea of what expectations they should have.

I wasn't kidding in previous posts when I said there's a lot to learn about the world of exchanging. You may want to consider going over to the EXCHANGE board and reading for a couple weeks.

posted 04-02-2005 10:47               

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Originally posted by Leturno:
Until then you may want to rent some weeks and try out resort vacationing to make sure that is what you like for a vacation. You will also learn about the differenced in resorts. Differences such as amenities, activities, facilites and floorplans/interior design can have a huge impact on your vacation choices.

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quote:

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Posted by PA RCI has different trade power for every resort on a week by week basis. In fact, believe it or not, if you own 2 identical units at the same resort during the same week and deposit them on the same day, there's no guarantee that they will have the same trade power.

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posted 04-03-2005 07:08               

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Originally posted by FenBat:
[B]... The object of buying appears to be to acquire the most number of points, or RED weeks, for a combination of the lowest price and, more importantly, lowest annual maintenance cost.
...B]

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Experience has taught me it is not necessary to acquire to timeshare.
We have 371,000 Fairfield points, but find we could rent resort units for less than these cost every year. Also, we've paid "upfront" for "the privilege of ownership."

Don't be in a rush to spend your money on buying. That will give you upfront "privilege" costs, and you'll then have fees and taxes to pay all along the way, for years to come. If you intend to exchange, those charges add to the price of vacationing.

Don't take me wrong. We enjoy timeshare-vacationing. We just wish we had never paid thousands unnecessarily.

MHO

posted 04-03-2005 16:10               

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Don't take me wrong. We enjoy timeshare-vacationing. We just wish we had never paid thousands unnecessarily.

MHO

[/B]

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Don't we all.

However I'm almost over that now. Maybe in another 20 yrs I'll be completely over it.

For the efficient use of Fairfield points you should join the Fairfield Yahoo group.I don't belive I have seen you there.

Email me if you need assistance.

posted 04-03-2005 16:54               

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Originally posted by FenBat:
Thanks, I was looking for a FAQ but couldn't find one!

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Click on ADVICE at the top of the page - in the red bar.

posted 04-04-2005 12:02               

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Originally posted by PA:
You mind if I ask you a few questions? (no obligation to answer, if you'd rather not). Why are you so all-fired anxious to quickly buy a timeshare, without knowing the market better? I don't know that you are, but it sounds like you are anxious to buy. Secondly, what are your timeshare needs? How many weeks/year would you go somewhere for a week-long vacation? Fly or Drive? How many kids, ages and sex? What activities do you enjoy as a family on vacation? What level of quality/service/on-site amenities do you enjoy? Where do you live? What location(s) would you want to visit, and how frequently? What's your budget, both for purchase and yearly on-going fees?

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I'm not in a hurry. That's why I'm asking questions. After reading all the posts, I get the impression that MOST people's first purchase was hurried. Now that I'm an experienced TUGGER with a whole hour of reading under my belt ;-) my current timeshare needs are (which I reserve the right to change after my next hour of reading):

1. Access and participation in a points system

2. High demand, flexible exchange value

3. Low initial cost

4. Even lower ongoing costs

5. Deeded property

I don't need or want to use the same timeshare year after year. So far, I've discovered under the ADVICE link and also on eBay and other web sites, that the South African timeshares might fit my needs.

posted 04-04-2005 13:08               

1) Acquire the least expensive entry into RCI Points
2) Acquire a South African with a low maintenance fee and a lot of points per year.. Make sure that it is one that other TUGGERs indicate is easy to deal with when depositing, paying yearly dues, etc.

posted 04-04-2005 13:54               

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Originally posted by elaine:
keep in mind that some have mentioned that SA weeks seem to have lower/owrse trading power than a few years ago. Since you are in NW, worldmark might fit the bill. You can get a decent price on resale points and they have lots of nice locations in the West and Canada.

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posted 04-04-2005 15:05               

I agree with PA on his recommendation for a low price RCI points resort. However, after a couple of months of research, you will probably find that your understanding of your needs will change. Don't lock in on anything for 3 months. You will be happy you did.

In my case, I always believed in points as well. But, there are fantastic deals in weeks as well. So, I have both.

posted 04-04-2005 17:23               

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Originally posted by BocaBum99:
.... When I first started, I thougnt $700 total cost of ownership for a nice 2br in a Gold Crown resort was a good deal. Then, I thought $350 was a good deal. Now I think all timeshare travel should be free. ....

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posted 04-04-2005 17:30               

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Originally posted by elaine:
Since you are in NW, worldmark might fit the bill. You can get a decent price on resale points and they have lots of nice locations in the West and Canada.

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posted 04-04-2005 18:20               

Do you understand the difference between RCI points and resort based point systems such as Fairfield or Worldmark?

Scott

posted 04-04-2005 20:47               

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Originally posted by Leturno:
FenBat,

Do you understand the difference between RCI points and resort based point systems such as Fairfield or Worldmark?

Scott

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I think so. I haven't read much about worldmark, but Fairfield sounds, good, too. I looks like the number of points received with Fairfield is very high, but I can't believe it can be traded one-for-one with RCI.

posted 04-04-2005 22:12               

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
I think so. I haven't read much about worldmark, but Fairfield sounds, good, too. I looks like the number of points received with Fairfield is very high, but I can't believe it can be traded one-for-one with RCI.

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Right. It's like different currencies. In general, a Fairfield point "buys" less than an RCI point.

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
...It looks like there's other advantages of being with Fairfield, such as bonus weeks, or member's specials. Also, I read somewhere about lifetime membership in RCI, which saves a bunch of cash each year!

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I looked into Fairfield briefly, but have so far decided it's not for me. Fairfield is an extremely compliacted system, and some of its benefits are available only of you own a ton of Fairfield points (and bought at least some of them from Fairfield.) For these reasons, I think Fairfield works best if it's your *only* timeshare ownership. This wouldn't work for me.

posted 04-04-2005 23:42               

quote:

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Originally posted by FenBat:
I think so. I haven't read much about worldmark, but Fairfield sounds, good, too. I looks like the number of points received with Fairfield is very high, but I can't believe it can be traded one-for-one with RCI.

It looks like there's other advantages of being with Fairfield, such as bonus weeks, or member's specials. Also, I read somewhere about lifetime membership in RCI, which saves a bunch of cash each year!

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Trying to compare resort based points like Worldmark or Fairfield to Exchange Company points like RCI is comparing apples to tomatoes. They are more then just different currency.

Resort based points programs give you access to all the availability within a resort equal to all the other owners within that group.

Exchange company programs like RCI while offering more resorts, they are still limited to inventory that has been given up for exchange.

How this works if if I want to go to Fairfield Seawatch Plantation, in Myrtle Beach, SC, then I can use my Fairfield points to book a reservation as long as condos are available. I don't own at Seawatch so I get lower priority than owners.

As an RCI points member you only have access to weeks at Seawatch that have been given up for exchange. You cannot look to see all the empty and available units, you can only see those units that have been deposited into the RCI system.

Being a Fairfield Owner, I get preference for other Fairfield resorts, you as a points owner would not see inventory I had an ongoing search for, I would snag it first.

So deciding where you want to go and who you purchase with can be very important.