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Is it possible to find availability before depositing exchange week?

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2rebecca

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Rhiannon35 said:
Thank you for the advice -- and sorry, should have specified I was referring to WDW in Orlando. The reason we are looking at end of Aug. is because it's low season there. I tried to open an II account online, but it wouldn't go through, so I'll have to call them so I can do as you suggested.
Is there a way to determine what my trading power at exchange co's is ahead of time? When I first bought my timeshare, some folks in the forum who also own at WC told me they had gotten 'stellar' trades from II, RCI and SFX -- one person even told me they had 3-for-1 from SFX.
Click to expand...
I haven't read the entire thread, so I apologize in advance if I'm repeating what others have said. If you're looking for Orlando in August, your best bet is probably going to be to rent your week out and purchase a getaway through II. Currently I can see the following getaways on II:

Marriott Cypress Harbour
These are all 2 bedrooms (sleeps 8 max, 6 private). The first price is basic membership; the 2nd is Gold; and, the 3rd price is platinum membership.
Aug 17 2018 - Aug 24 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 18 2018 - Aug 25 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 19 2018 - Aug 26 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00

Westgate Lakes Resort (2-bedroom, sleeps 8 max, 6 private)
Aug 24 2018 - Aug 31 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 26 2018 - Sep 02 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 31 2018 - Sep 07 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00

Mystic Dunes (2-bedroom, sleeps 8 max, 6 private)
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $347.00
Note: These are just a small fraction of what is available. (There is 4 pages of 10 resorts/page.) There are also some 3-bedrooms available for <$500/week. The Westgate platinum prices reflects the platinum escapes sale which ends in a few days. Also, over the past 2 years Marriott getaways have a history of randomly disappearing, so if you see one you like, it is best to jump on it.
 
R

Rhiannon35

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2rebecca said:
I haven't read the entire thread, so I apologize in advance if I'm repeating what others have said. If you're looking for Orlando in August, your best bet is probably going to be to rent your week out and purchase a getaway through II. Currently I can see the following getaways on II:

Marriott Cypress Harbour
These are all 2 bedrooms (sleeps 8 max, 6 private). The first price is basic membership; the 2nd is Gold; and, the 3rd price is platinum membership.
Aug 17 2018 - Aug 24 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 18 2018 - Aug 25 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 19 2018 - Aug 26 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$417.00 $392.00 $367.00

Westgate Lakes Resort (2-bedroom, sleeps 8 max, 6 private)
Aug 24 2018 - Aug 31 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 26 2018 - Sep 02 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00
Aug 31 2018 - Sep 07 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $247.00

Mystic Dunes (2-bedroom, sleeps 8 max, 6 private)
Aug 25 2018 - Sep 01 2018
$397.00 $372.00 $347.00
Note: These are just a small fraction of what is available. (There is 4 pages of 10 resorts/page.) There are also some 3-bedrooms available for <$500/week. The Westgate platinum prices reflects the platinum escapes sale which ends in a few days. Also, over the past 2 years Marriott getaways have a history of randomly disappearing, so if you see one you like, it is best to jump on it.
Click to expand...

This is so helpful, rebecca, thank you! May I ask why II is better for Orlando than RCI for getaways? Better selection?
We would be happy at any of these resorts, and the price(s) are right!
So, I will have to buy an ii membership that's about $99 for these, correct?
 
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2rebecca

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An II membership costs $89/yr. You can upgrade to Gold for an additional $64 or platinum for an additional $139. (I thought I read somewhere that the fees had increased, but these are the prices shown under my renewal option.) The good thing about purchasing one of the getaways is that you don't have to deposit/exchange your week, so you still have it to use or rent. (I'm guessing you can rent it for more $ than the Orlando getaways costs.) I don't have any experience with RCI, so I can't speak to whether II is better than RCI. I just know the getaway prices for that time of year in Orlando are so good, it is ALMOST not worth searching other avenues. :)

If you decide to join II and you think you'll take more than 1 vacation a year, I recommend starting with the Platinum membership. You'll have access to all the benefits and can see which ones work for YOU. The next year you can drop back to Gold or basic. I had a Gold membership for years and never used the extra benefits, so I went back to the regular membership. However, last year I tried Platinum for the first time and found that the platinum benefits work well for me. The main $ saving benefits for Platinum are a) cheaper unit size upgrade fees on exchanges, b) $50 cheaper getaways, c) free guest certificates, and d) access to platinum escapes. Platinum Escapes is a getaway sale that is only available to Platinum members. As you can see in my post above a Westgate 2-bedroom is $247/wk for platinum members. You can get studios for $107/wk. Hope this helps.
 
R

Rhiannon35

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2rebecca said:
An II membership costs $89/yr. You can upgrade to Gold for an additional $64 or platinum for an additional $139. (I thought I read somewhere that the fees had increased, but these are the prices shown under my renewal option.) The good thing about purchasing one of the getaways is that you don't have to deposit/exchange your week, so you still have it to use or rent. (I'm guessing you can rent it for more $ than the Orlando getaways costs.) I don't have any experience with RCI, so I can't speak to whether II is better than RCI. I just know the getaway prices for that time of year in Orlando are so good, it is ALMOST not worth searching other avenues. :)

If you decide to join II and you think you'll take more than 1 vacation a year, I recommend starting with the Platinum membership. You'll have access to all the benefits and can see which ones work for YOU. The next year you can drop back to Gold or basic. I had a Gold membership for years and never used the extra benefits, so I went back to the regular membership. However, last year I tried Platinum for the first time and found that the platinum benefits work well for me. The main $ saving benefits for Platinum are a) cheaper unit size upgrade fees on exchanges, b) $50 cheaper getaways, c) free guest certificates, and d) access to platinum escapes. Platinum Escapes is a getaway sale that is only available to Platinum members. As you can see in my post above a Westgate 2-bedroom is $247/wk for platinum members. You can get studios for $107/wk. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Great advice -- thank you!
 
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