Archive for November, 2009

Timeshare Exchange Tips For The Holidays

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Thanksgiving is over and we’re headed into the Christmas holiday season.  If you’re like most people, thinking about exchanging your timeshare is not high on your priority list.  But you should let the beginning of the holiday season be a trigger to remind you to deposit your next year’s timeshare weeks with RCI or Interval International.

Ideally, you should have already done this by now in order to maximize your exchange power, but it’s not too late.  Many timeshare exchangers make the mistake of waiting until they know where they want to go on vacation before depositing their weeks which usually results in decreased trading power.  Keep in mind that you do not need to know this to bank or deposit you week with either exchange company.  You just need to be fairly certain that you’re not going to want to stay at your home resort next year.

The reason that waiting until you know where you want to exchange to before depositing your week hurts your exchange power is because both exchange companies give you more exchange power the farther in advance you give up your week to them.  So if I give up my week today and you give up your week tomorrow, and everything else between us is equal, I have more exchange power than you.

Another tip you should know is that both RCI and Interval International receive a large amount of timeshare deposits in the first 3 months of each year.  The reasons for this are, as I previously mentioned, most timeshare owners aren’t concentrating on next year’s vacation now.  They’ve typically just taken a summer vacation, then had to get the kids back to school, prepare for Thanksgiving and are now preparing for Christmas and New Year’s.

But after getting through the holidays and New Year, many timeshare owners start thinking about their upcoming vacation and deposit their timeshare weeks into RCI and Interval International’s exchange pool.  To add fuel to the fire, many owners receive their annual maintenance fees in January as well reminding them to do something with their week.

What you want to remember is that even though RCI and II get a lot of deposits in the first quarter of each year, the best weeks are immediately taken back out by owners that are privy to this knowledge and are already on the waiting list leaving less for you.

In conclusion, not only should the start of the holiday season remind you to deposit your next year’s week, but when possible, you should place your exchange request as well.  Taking advantage of these 2 simple timeshare exchange tips will help you to get better exchanges and enjoy your timeshare more.

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Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges.

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog.

For 10 FREE videos on getting better timeshare exchanges in RCI and Interval International go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.

Join me on:

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Exchange Your Timeshare To Exotic Dubai

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Palm Island Jumeirah

Palm Island Jumeirah

How about doing something really out there next year for your timeshare exchange by going to Dubai instead of Orlando?  Come to think of it, Dubai just may  be the Orlando of Arabia- as opposed to the Lawrence- although much more upscale.  Timeshares are big business in Dubai and Interval International has 4  resorts there under affiliation.

Considered the 8th wonder of the world, the man-made Palm Island is what put Dubai on the map as a tourist destination.  It consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 11 kilometer-long breakwater. The island itself is 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers. It will add 78 kilometers to the Dubai coastline. The first phase of development on the Palm Jumeirah will create 4,000 residences with a combination of villas and apartments over the next 3 to 4 years.

The Royal Club at Palm-Jumeirah is located on the western side of the trunk-considered the hub of Palm Island.  A 50 meter wide canal gently weaves its way down the trunk past boutique hotels, upscale designer shops and restaurants and some of the priciest real estate in the world.

Another wonder to behold in Dubai is the Burj al Arab, one of the tallest and certainly most unique hotels in the world.

One of the tallest hotels in the world

One of the tallest hotels in the world

Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow a type of Arabian vessel. Two “wings” spread in a V to form a vast “mast”, while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium.

Burj Al Arab promotes itself as the world’s only “7-star” property and while that designation doesn’t really exist in the hotel rating system it is certainly one of the most opulent hotels in the world.  The rooms start at $1,000/night and go up to $28,000.  In fact, they charge $75 just to go in and see it.

Other activities include moonlight cruises, golf, desert safari, all manner of water sports, indoor snow skiing and world class duty free shopping and dining.  You’ll want to go in the winter and avoid the Arab holy holiday of Ramadan.  You’ll need to supercharge your exchange power first and request at least a year in advance to get a timeshare so now’s the time to get going for winter 2011.

I expect RCI will affiliate some timeshare resorts but for now Interval International has a lock on things.  But Dubai is an international hot spot for tourism and timeshare is becoming a major part of the room mix.

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Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges.

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog.

For 10 FREE videos on getting better timeshare exchanges in RCI and II, go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.

Join me on:

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Exchanging Your Timeshare for a Discount Cruise and the Swine Flu

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Cruise Ship

Cruise Ship

Hurricane season is about over and prime cruising season is about to begin. Timeshare owners can exchange their week for a discounted cruise through either RCI or Interval International but you may want to stay on solid ground this cruise season because of the prevalence of the H1N1, Swine flu spreading across the world.

The cruise industry would say that they have prepared for this pandemic and to yes, book your cruise. Executive Vice President of the Cruise Lines International Association, CLIA, Michael Cyre, explained that the cruise industry is taking proactive steps “to keep H1N1 off of  cruise ships and appropriately manage and treat influenza illnesses when and if they occur”.

One of the ways cruise companies are relying on to keep the H1N1 virus off the ship is through the use of mandatory pre-boarding health screening questionnaires.  All passengers are required to complete and sign a written questionnaire prior to boarding. If a passenger answers affirmatively to having flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat a secondary screening will be conducted.  A secondary screening will also be
conducted if a passenger reports that they have had contact with with a confirmed H1N1 case.  In either instance a fully paid passenger may be denied access to the ship.

Some cruise companies have started using thermal imaging cameras to screen passengers for elevated body temperatures.  A higher than normal temperature may lead to a secondary screening and denial of boarding.

If you’re planning a cruise this season you should check carefully the company’s refund and insurance policy regarding this issue.  You may find that the cruise portion of your fare may be fully or partially refunded if you’re denied boarding but not your pre-boarding hotel and airfare.

But being denied boarding at the outset of your cruise isn’t the only way your cruise vacation may be ruined.  If a passenger exhibits flu like symptoms while under sail the ship may be denied docking at their port of call.

On June 10 and June 11, 2009, a Royal Caribbean vessel, the Adventure of the Seas, was denied entry to two Caribbean Islands. Both St. Lucia and Antigua did not let the Adventure of the Seas dock after the ship reported that three people on-board exhibited flu symptoms. But, after tests came back, it was then discovered that those persons did not have the H1N1 virus.

Last May, the Pacific Dawn, a P&O Australia vessel was denied entry to all of its ports on a 10-day itinerary. This decision was based on the ship reporting flu symptoms experienced by three persons onboard. Tests later came back negative for the H1N1 virus.

Most cruise lines will provide some sort of compensation if an itinerary is severely affected but to what degree is anyone’s guess.  Compensation may come in monetary form, credit towards another cruise or a combination of both.

Although the cruise industry is taking rigorous action to monitor swine flu both pre-boarding and while under sail, keep an eye on the news this season to see how it will affect cruise itineraries.  With  cruise ships reaching the size of small cities today the chances of a passenger slipping through the screening process increases greatly.

If you do choose to take a cruise this season, be sure to thoroughly review both the insurance and refund policies of your cruise line.

***************************************************

Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges.

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog.

For 10 FREE videos on getting better timeshare exchanges in RCI and II, go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.

Join me on:

Twitter Facebook My Space