RCI exchange weeks for cruise

[Carny]

Has anyone used their time share weeks for cruise. Pro and con"s

[gail811]

I looked into it once, but did not see it as a bargain at all. I told RCI that too....I could find better prices on my own and still keep my weeks.

[Arizona Travelers]

We have booked all of our (4) cruises exchanging our weeks with RCI. While we may not have saved too much money, you do receive some exchange value and it mostly depends on the ship, the date, etc. We used our weeks mainly for the reason that we would not have been able to use them if otherwise and they would expire. Also, I've seen/heard horror stories about travel agencies holding your money and not sending it to Carnival timely. Travel agencies go out of business frequently, etc. If you have a travel agent you are comfortable with, use them. We haven't found on we are comfortable with since we moved, but we trust RCI and have not had any problems using them.

 

Cayce

[imosoreal]

I have looked into it and I can't see where it's worth it. I deposit my weeks and always find ways to use them. Depending on where you own you could probably rent out your unit and make more money to put on a cruise than you can save by exchanging for a cruise.

[vicdreyer]

I exchanged my week for a cruise...once (I 'thought' it would save me money)...... it didn't.

 

Even expedia.com, crucon.com, etc prices are lower than RCI's. If you are not going to use your week (and you cannot rent it out) go ahead and lose it and save money by booking a cruise yourself.

 

After all, why lose your week AND pay extra for a cruise when you can lose your week and pay less for a cruise?

 

Vic

[suezyq50]

I have looked into trading for three different cruises and found we were better off to keep the weeks. I than turned around and had the resort rent the week out for me. I found I got a better return that way. We than used that money towards the cruise.

[yj2cute]

I agree with the other posters, definitely NOT worth it. Being that we have 2 years to use our weeks, I always find a way to use it, even if it means giving it away to friends or family. Also, the flexibility of getting the specific date/ship you want isn't always there. Definitely book the cruise on your own.

[Jan_In_Maine]

We also checked into it - but didn't see the value. Jan

[yogimax]

RCI (Cendant) doesn't give you any sort of a break. Don't waste your week.

[PeggySand]

We traded one of our Gold Crown weeks through RCI for our upcoming cruise on the Mariner. I spent well over a year with periodic phone calls to RCI inquiring about what cruise prices were available on specific cruises we were interested in. I finally changed my approach and asked the RCI cruise rep, "What great cruise deals do you have going right now??" He listed a couple, and we picked this cruise on the Mariner. My aunt-in-law is a travel agent, and she said there was no way she could get the price as low as RCI on this specific cruise. We saved just under $600, which we felt was a value we could live with for our traded week. We have two weeks every other year, and we try to do one land-based vacation, and one cruise. Just be VERY CAREFUL and research your cruise prices BEFORE you talk to the trading company. As the above posters said, most of the time, you can get the cruise cheaper on your own and use your week in another way.

 

Hopes this helps.....

 

Peggy

[RachelD]

This is really good to know. We own timeshare and was curious about this option in the next couple of years, also. Now after hearing about everyone's experiences with this, it sounds like we are going to look into exchanging our week for a different local for another time and then just looking for a good cruise deal.

 

Thank you for everyone's input!

[newmexicoNita]

I guess I will 8th or 10th the motion: do waste your week, use it for something else and watch for some great rates on the cruising side of life. NMNita

[mangowife]

I agree with the previous post about it depending on the week and the ship to decide whether it's worth an exchange.

 

My parents bought an RCI timeshare years ago, but through several circumstances, we haven't been able to use our weeks easily. We have some weeks deposited, and I considered exchanging a week for a cruise on Freedom of the Seas.

 

I did my research and couldn't find a balcony stateroom for less than RCCL's price of $1389/pp, while RCI's price was $1094/pp - so we save about $600 by exchanging our week! Of course, after RCI's $189 exchange fee, we only save $400. To us, it was still worth it!

 

(And on a side note, I did the exchange online - and I still have the same vacation balance as I did before. Does that mean that they're not going to take a week away?)

[LuvMyVette]

I used our timeshare for a cruise on Voyager last year. After spending many hours on the web searching for a good price, RCI did come through and we were able to save some money.

We booked a B2B in Sept. with RCI and since we booked, they've been the pits. The TA we dealt with is no longer there. I sent a letter and a fax with a few questions regarding a cruise credit we obtained on our last cruise and they never responded. I finally called them and they were clueless. The gentlemen that I spoke with had me and someone else mixed up the entire time. After five times, he finally got my name right! One minute he tells me one thing, another minute it's an entirely different story. After three requests they still don't have the seating time correct on my second cruise and have my birthday listed a week before. Once again I will have to contact them and correct it.

 

Granted we saved some money but the service has changed and I'm not pleased with the response that I have received the last few times.

For timeshares, the service is decent... for cruises... I'll never use them again!

[TexasMom2]

We looked into trading our timeshare (home resort in Cabo) through Interval International and it just wasn't economical. We can rent out the floating week for 4-5 times the value on a trade, especially during whale season. We've traded for other resorts, rented out, and still only go to Cabo every 3-5 years. Maybe in the future the trade value will be better, but I'm sticking to what works for us.

[BevMoney]

Im also with RCI. Unless you are very very flexible, I don't think its worth exchanging. Your better off renting it out and using those funds to pay on your cruise.

 

Also, after all the monthly payments and continually rising maintenance fees, the thought of having to pay a supplement for the cruise just galls me.

[crookedhalo]

We too explored exchanging our Myrtle Beach timeshare thru Interval. They couldn't give enough definite information for my tastes. We've decided to pick a prime week for next summer and try and rent it out ourselves. If we rent it, then we'll use DH's interline connections and find a great cruise deal on short notice, if not, guess we'll be heading for the beach next year:(

 

Time will tell.

[dougp26364]

By the time you figure in exchange fee's ect.... It's just not worth it. Saving $600 on a cruise, less your annual MF's less any exchange fee's doesn't give you much in savings.

 

However, there are some exceptions to the rule. We have a HGVC week that we've now exchanged twice for cruises but the transaction doesn't go through RCI. Hilton does not charge you an exchange fee or an upgrade fee (With I.I. you have to pay for "Gold" membership). It has essentially come out as a wash on our MF's (around $650) in savings off the cruise.

 

For more information on timeshares, exchanges, reviews et.... try http://www.tug2.net (timeshare users group).