Interval International and Cruises

[pvangordon]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post this question. A few months ago, I bought a timeshare in Lake Tahoe and was planning to exchange my 2005 week for a cruise through Interval International. Initially II was very helpful with my newbie questions, but when I actually tried to make the exchange, things got messy. So right now I'm not all that pleased with them and wondering if it's more hassle than it's worth.

 

If anyone has exchanged their timeshare and booked a cruise through II, I'd be interested in chatting with you further. The main thing I want is an understanding of the cost differential (which I know depends on the home resort), but since I have to pay $149 to submit my week FIRST before they can even get me details, I thought I'd ask around.

 

Any help is appreciated.

[lougee1043]

i bid and won a weekend at a timeshare at my grandsons school auction and i have been trying since february to book my weekend at any of 4 resorts in my state and i have struck out every time----will never bid on this kind of stuff again even if its for my grandson ------good luck with your situation

[pvangordon]

Thanks. Unfortunately they don't have any documentation regarding cruise exchanges (at least I haven't found any), so you have to call and ask the right questions. They don't volunteer the info easily and I got a lot of run-around. I reserved my 2005 week according to what I thought they were telling me. Now they say my home resort week has to be AFTER the week I want to cruise, so now I have to re-book my week (for a fee) to a less-desirable non-summer week, with which I will be stuck if I decide not to do the cruise exchange after all. I can always postpone to 2006, but I already paid an extra $54 for my 2005 II Gold membership in order to do the cruise exchange for next year. Ugh!

 

Sometimes I just need a reminder that my life could be a lot worse though, lol.

[bUU]

I wasn't aware that II did any cruise exchanges. I own an interest in DVC, which has an agreement with II, and except for being able to exchange my points for Disney Cruise Line (which isn't through II, but rather a direct arrangement between DVC and DCL), the only cruise I see offered is one, specific Alaskan cruise-tour.

 

What options were you offered? What options are available?

 

I wouldn't encounter the problems you allude to, since DVC is points-based, and WDW always is willing to buy-back points on an exchange basis so they can rent our very desireable timeshare (overlooking France at Epcot) to regular theme park guests.

[kyriecat]

My parents own a timeshare with Interval. They looked into trading the condo for a cruise. I don't know all the details, but between the runaround and fees, they decided to rent the condo out and use the money to book a cruise through an online discounter.

[pvangordon]

I think the cruise services (at least the exchanges) are pretty recent. I can select Book Cruises, do searches, get information, and book online similar to other travel websites. As far as I understand it, I can exchange for any cruise listed; but again there's no good documentation, so all I know is gathered from my various conversations with phone reps. Unfortunately it seems the only way to figure it out is by trial and error and out-of-pocket cost.

 

Seems like it would be easy to build an "exchange modeling" page so you could at least get an estimate of cost differentials without having to surrender your week and pay the added fees for the Gold membership and the exchange first. I don't care if it's not exact. I just want to know if it's worth it to pursue this avenue or just book the darn thing on my own and keep my home resort week.

 

Thanks!

[bUU]

That was my experience with DCL. It was far less costly to rent my DVC timeshare and apply the proceeds to the cruise directly. Very strange.

[pvangordon]

Further update:

 

According to their phone recordings where you can hear about different exchange options, you can exchange your timeshare for any of the cruises they list, which seems pretty comparable to other search sites. There's obviously a cost differential since the timeshare is usually just lodging, while the cruise covers a lot more. Exact differential is determined by the value of the resort being exchanged and the cruise you're trying to book (cruise line, itinerary, dates, cabin, etc).

 

The kicker is that your home resort week must be no less than 90 days from your boarding date, either before or after. So for example, if I have a July week to exchange, basically I can't book a cruise between April and October. Of course I booked my home resort for the top of the summer season, so now to get a summer cruise, I'll have to re-book it for the off season.

 

Once that's confirmed, you submit the week to II and pay $149. Within 72 hours, they tell you if it was accepted and then you can get the cost estimate for the cruise. If you decide not to move forward, they will return the home week and refund the full $149.

 

BTW, I think you may be right about renting the week out and buying the cruise separately. That would get around the exchange fee and booking issues, and I can also get the full value of the home week in prime summer season.

[jgf]

You might want to ask on the bulletin boards at the Timeshare Users Group website - http://www.tug2.net/ - that question has been dealt with several times before on that board. If I recall correctly, the general consensus has been that it is not worth it to exchange a week for a cruise.

[pvangordon]

Thanks, Judy, I'll check out that site. I did end up booking the cruise I wanted separately, with the idea that I would rent the timeshare either on my own or through the resort's agency (although they charge a hefty 30% to take care of it for me). I still have quite awhile before I have to figure everything out anyway.

[jgf]

No problem. Since you just bought a timeshare, do check out the TUG boards - it's the Cruise Critic of the timeshare world. Tons of excellent information, sometimes more than you wanted to know!