General Availability of Summer Florida Weeks?

What is the general chance of me getting a summer Florida week thru an RCI exchange? Anyplace that is decent (doesn't have to be fancy, just clean and not falling apart!) would be ok. From about the 3rd week in June (maybe even the 2nd week) thru the 2nd week in August...beach highly preferred, Orlando not so much. I would be using a moderate, maybe even slightly weak, trader (due to late deposit). I would be able to travel on very little notice so Last Call would be an option if it gets any of these types of resorts.

What are my chances? Slim to none and Slim just left town??

Thanks!

What size unit do you need?

I just searched Florida: Resorts on the Beach for those dates with a rather weak trader and pulled up 16 resorts: none of them fancy but mostly acceptable. I did not find any 2 BRs though: they were all studios and 1BRs.

A good trader pulled 57 resorts for the same time period, with some 2 BRs available as well.

For desirable beach locations (Tampa on down, SE, and Keys) Summer is a secondary peak season. Weeks 1-16 are peak. Fall and early winter are weak because of hurricanes and school being is session.

57 sounds like a good selection, but for this summer it is lacking in the really good resorts in the really nice areas.

For 2008 I am seeing 67 resorts for the same timeframe, including a 2- bedroom Gold Crown HGVC on Ft. Myers Beach, two 2-bedroom Gold Crowns on Longboat Key, and more resorts in the nicer areas.

Thanks! What would you do??

I wasn't even thinking of someone doing a trade test and here I got two! Thanks so much!

I guess since it's my thread I can piggy back on it I am asking this question because I am trying to figure out what to do....

I am buying a floating week at a well regarded FL beach resort. The owner gave her 2007 week to the resort for them to rent out on her behalf (she will just about make back her MFs if it rents, after the resort's cut). The week she had reserved was Week 14 or 15 (I can't remember which). Anyway, she called the resort when I expressed interest in buying the TS and the resort won't give it back to her even though it's not rented out (BTW, they didn't rent it out last year for her and she lost the MFs). MAYBE they will give it back to her at the 2 week mark if it doesn't rent (she's calling tomorrow to talk to them more on this).

So here's my opportunity. IF the resort will release the week at the 2 week mark, RCI will take the week with a $75 late deposit fee (I talked to RCI this morning and the rep said is almost definite RCI will accept the week as it's high demand). Then the week can be banked with some level of trade power (which is why I said moderate to slightly weak in my first post). But for me to get to use that week, I will have to pay to have it transferred to my RCI account ($79) plus use it for an exchange (vs. being able to use the week at the resort which would have been my preference) for exchange fee of $164. Bottom line: it would cost me $318 (75+79+164) plus a minimal amount I pay to the owner, to get this week's use for this year. It's obviously only worth it to me if I can get that value back out of it, which for me this year would be using it at a relatively local decent FL beach TS during this summer.

OR

I can just let the whole thing pass and buy the TS with no week for 2007, not pay the 2007 MF (which is $705), and start fresh for 2008. This is cleaner and easier but as stated above I may have an opportunity to get a relatively cheap trade week for this summer's use after all.

What would YOU do?

Cheaper to pass up this year and use RCI's Last Call and TUG Last Minute Rentals.

geekette said:

Cheaper to pass up this year and use RCI's Last Call and TUG Last Minute Rentals.

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Yeah, but I would have to have another week banked to be able to use RCI's Last Call - and I don't at this point. And it would only be cheaper if my banked week "cost" is less than $318...right?

I haven't been on TUG long enough to have experienced a summer of Last Minute Rentals. Do the types of summer weeks I want come up...often? Generally speaking?

If you want to keep it secret, just email or PM me the name of the resort. It depends on who it is that well-regards it!

Having been involved with a resort's rental program, yes once you sign it over (there is a contract), it is theirs. Especially if it is a rental pool, where everyone that has given their week shares in the revenues whether or not their actual unit is rented.

In any event, at this point at 2007 deposit would be a late deposit, so trading power would be even more of a crapshoot than a timely deposit, as you pointed out. You would not be able to guess at what it might be until you actually deposited it.

VERY new here but I too have a question concerning above.
My family was ready to go to our home resort Orange Lake Country Club for April 8 (our actual week and we own a 3 bedroom) when yesterday my husband told me we had to change the date to July
Rather than go to OLCC in July I thought it would be better to go to a GC Florida Coast, NC or SC resort with a 2 bedroom minimum (since my mom is coming, otherwise we could have put the kids on a pullout couch). I called a few times yesterday and today and cannot find a 2 bedroom on the beach
I did take July 7 for a 3 bedroom at OLCC just so I have it if I can't find anything else and since I have another week deposited for next Feb. I was able to have RCI do a search for July for above.
With only 1 br and stuidos coming up do you think my chances will be slim to none of getting a 2 bedroom GC?
Also, since you guys are VERY knowledgeable, how are you able to do a mock search. I would LOVE to go on RCI and change my dates with my banked week to look but I don't want to mess up my Feb. search. I hope this all makes sense and I VERY much appreicate any and all help I, too, can get :whoopie: Thank you!
ps, why does it say Guest under my name? I paid and have confirmation of my one year subscription???? THANKS

Unfortunately, you are very, very late for a beach exchange in July 2007 under any circumstance, especially if you need a specific check-in date and a 2 BR GC! I do not see any 2 BRs on or near the beach for the entire East Coast for that month.

You might possibly pick up someone else's cancellation if you put in an ongoing search with RCI, but definitely have a "plan B" in place.

If you have a banked week tied up in an ongoing search, you can still search with that week. Just click on the "modify search" button.

And here are the instructions for changing your status from "guest" to member.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53

Very correct and I will add that beach resorts tend to be more cramped, with smaller units and fewer 2-bedroom and almost no 3-bedroom units, than non-beach resorts than are built on less expensive real estate. It is not unusual to see cautions such as only one parking space per unit and units are small.

It is a little strange to stay at an 1100-acre resort one week, and one that is barely an acre, or two, the next. (But there are trade-offs. )

A lot of beach resorts are hotel/motel conversions, and not many of them are planned timeshare resorts from the start. And I don't know of any plans for any.

But, even areas with relatively inexpensive land, comparatively, are getting the jist, and building up, not out. Check out anything built in Orlando the last couple of years.

Thank you both very much for all your help!
I have my 3 bedroom in OLCC and will just keep calling and checking. If nothing comes up, I will still be at OLCC for July, although I really won't be going to the parks but now thinking about doing KSC.
I do have 2 08 weeks to play with and reading all these posts almost until 2 am last night has made me think I should be depositing them ASAP to plan for summer 08 and 09? Correct. How impossible is it to try to get Barbados, the Crane. My husband and I drove by last April while on a cruise and LOVED the place. Could I even have a shot for 09? Thank you all. I am learning SOOO much.

With my OBX week 14 one bedroom, I am able to pull Country Club Villas SC 2 or 3 bedrooms for both June and July and Oyster Pointe 2 bedroom for June and August.

II has too many 2 and 3 bedrooms in Florida (3 pages including Marriotts and Fairfield), but none in SC and NC coast.

The Crane is a difficult trade in RCI Weeks. If you have RCI Points it's easier, although the point values are sky-high so it's an expensive trade to get.

You might want to post on the Florida board to ask other OLCC owners how their weeks trade. The conventional wisdom around here is that Orlando resorts don't trade very well, although I don't have any first hand experience with that.

Thank you PeelBoy and Janie. After reading so many threads here I have learned too that Orlando doesn't trade very well either. So if I own OLCC, 3 bedroom for weeks 13 and 14 (which I do), what I am reading is that it would be easier to trade a 2 bedroom (or even 1) from almost anywhere other than Orlando? Correct? Nothing I can do now, I own the weeks, love OLCC and do enjoy our stays there, just wish when I wanted to trade, I would be able to do so when planning a year or two away.

PeelBoy, how do you see/check what is available? I guess since I trade through RCI, I would not be able to get what you mentioned above? Correct? Thank you again.

You can't have access to II for sure.

I used my OBX one bedroom to search RCI and found the 2 resorts. You will have a chance with RCI if you exchange 12 to 18 months in advance.

If you need one more TS, bid at ebay for a 2 bedroom summer week in OBX, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island for $100 to $300. The trading power is excellent.

If you have one deposited with RCI and want to know how it takes, comparatively, drop me an email.

jstapleton said:

So if I own OLCC, 3 bedroom for weeks 13 and 14 (which I do), what I am reading is that it would be easier to trade a 2 bedroom (or even 1) from almost anywhere other than Orlando? Correct?

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Well, all may not be lost when it comes to trading power: I think the weeks you own (13 and 14) would be pretty desirable in Orlando if Spring Break or Easter falls during those weeks. I'm unclear from your questions what you have deposited right now to search with.

Are you searching with one of those Orlando weeks?

Have you deposited the 2007 weeks, or 2008 weeks?

If they were 2007 weeks, when did you deposit them? If you deposited your 2007 weeks the last minute, your trading power would likely be horrible. Really, you should be depositing 1 year in advance, or even more for difficult trades.

Another option for you might be RCI Points. I think OLCC is now a points resort, isn't it? Your two weeks are probably worth a lot of points. You would have to pay an extra fee to convert them: but if you really want to trade and your OLCC weeks won't get you what you want in the weeks system, you could look into how much it would cost to convert to Points. It's the resort that determines that, not RCI. So you'd need to talk to someone at OLCC.

Yes, the week I just deposited is/was April 2007 (my fixed OLCC week).
I do have a 2 bedroom/sleeps 8 Gold Crown now on hold for Miami Beach in July although I would prefer the West Coast. I have to decide by tomorrow but with all that I am hearing here, I am VERY lucky to get such a place on such short notice. I did release today, 2 bedrooms in Treasure Island and Hollywood Florida. I wasn't interested in those areas. The Miami property gets good reviews both here and on tripadvisor although there isn't a restaurant or bar on site. We were just in a GC in Feb. in Palm Beach and although they had pool bar and restaurant on site, we ended up not using either for our weeklong stay. We went out for dinner every night and took our own drinks to beach and pool in our cooler. Thank you all and if you have any other advise or if you think I should hold out and wait last minute let me know but as of now I think tomorrow I will take the Miami Beach property.

Good for you! Which resort did you end up getting? I think you did great for a short-notice exchange!

Thanks Janie. I hope I did. I would NOT have chosen Miami Beach would have rathered West Coast since we are much more familiar with it but we would rather be on a beach.
We got the Solaria Resort in Miami. The rooms get good reviews on tripadvisor and here. They do not have pool bar or restaurant which I would have thought would have been important but when we were away in Feb. at Palm Beach Shores Resort and Vacation Villas (also a last minute trade that I got for President's week the week before) although they had both, we ended up not using. We had our cooler for the beach, ate breakfast in the room, lunch at beach and went out for dinner. So, hopefully, we won't miss and the place will be ok. We will use it as a condo on the beach, not like a resort.
I really didn't know if I should take it or not but hope I made the right decision. Oh well, too late now I guess LOL

What does OBX stand for?

I've been watching for a good trader on eBay and so your post caught my attention. Could you please tell me what OBX stands for? Which resort are you referring to. Do they have a resort on both Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach? Sorry, I'm confused!

Thanks, Diane

PeelBoy said:

You can't have access to II for sure.

I used my OBX one bedroom to search RCI and found the 2 resorts. You will have a chance with RCI if you exchange 12 to 18 months in advance.

If you need one more TS, bid at ebay for a 2 bedroom summer week in OBX, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island for $100 to $300. The trading power is excellent.

Click to expand...

OBX is Outer BAnks, NC

NAgs Head, Kill Devil Hills, Duck areas of NC. IT is very popular with DC metro area. Summer is high demand, low supply and a fairly tough trade.