I had never been on a vacation before...ever. For our wedding gift, my in-laws gave my husband and me two weeks at any RCI affiliated resort. We chose to go to St. Maarten in the Caribbean and it was paradise! We went to two different resorts - equally wonderful - and when it came time to go back home, I cried and begged to live there forever. Three years later we were invited to hear about RCI at a local hotel. Of course we went and bought a timeshare right then and there. Our honeymoon experience was so amazing that we wanted to always have the option of great vacations! Thanks for starting us off right!
- Alexis P. from Maple Valley, WA
It was our son's 10th birthday and we promised him that we would go to Walt Disney World. We stayed at one of the wonderful affiliated resorts there in Kissimmee, Florida and ended up buying a timeshare. It was so great to be able to fix our own meals and the kids could go swimming everyday! We had so much fun and it was so relaxing. We were only 10 minutes away from the theme parks...some nights we could see the fireworks from our place too! It made our son's birthday even better when they gave him a button that said that it was his birthday and everyone at the theme parks all told him "Happy Birthday!" If I had my way we would always stay at a resort for vacation because we can cook our own food, relax, and do laundry so I don't have a whole bunch to do when we get home. It is just like being home, but near a fun place to play too!
- Valerie D. from Nampa, ID
As I write this, we are returning from our first, and hopefully, our annual family vacation with our daughter and her family and our son and his fiance. We stayed at the Powhatan Plantation in Williamsburg, Va. and had an absolutely amazing time. The resort was everything we hoped it would be. The staff was incredibly helpful and we were very pleased with our accommodations and the amenities. The location was convenient for Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, and the outlets. The kids had as much fun as the adults and everyone had their own unit which made vacationing together so easy. I only wished we had bought our timeshare sooner so we could have been doing this for years. Hopefully, we will have many family vacations together in the future.
- John M. from Greenville, NC
We became RCI subscribing members over 30 years ago when a very young family struggling to make a living after moving to Queensland for a life-change. Our daughters and then grandsons grew up loving the annual week at Don Pancho Resort at Bargara where we watched turtles laying eggs and hatchlings emerging. Over the years we have travelled the world with RCI. Now retirees, we spend much of our time planning "Where to next?" As we tell everyone - we are definitely Timeshare Junkies!
- Eileen W. from Queensland, Australia
I have been an RCI subscribing member for over twenty years. I have used my week to exchange and to stay at my home resort. I love my RCI membership. I have used my exchanges to travel all over the world plus many fine resorts in the U.S. I have so many wonderful memories of the places I have been with my husband, my family and my friends I could not possibly pick one. If there is ever anyone at the pool talking timeshare and RCI I am the one promoting the virtues. I would never have been able to stay at these fine resorts if I had not been an RCI member.
- Marlene M. from Nisswa, MN
For Joan K. from Northamptonshire, England, an RCI subscribing membership unleashed her inner adventurer and she has enjoyed two decades of travelling the world with RCI. Joan has always been passionate about travel and this independent divorcee made sure her son, Mark, grew up with the same appreciation for the wonders the world holds for the curious mind. For Joan, a week’s timeshare in Antigua was the perfect gift for Mark. “I wanted to enable him to see the world and to share the experience with friends,” she explained. “Through travel I’ve discovered that I have a real sense of adventure – not for me lying around on a beach all day! I want to get out into the local communities to experience different cultures and the different ways of life the world over.”
After joining RCI in 1991 when she bought a week at Club Tarahal in Tenerife on the Canary Islands, Joan immediately exchanged for a week in Acapulco in Mexico and loved it so much she bought a second week of timeshare, there and then at the resort. Joan shared some of the most exciting and memorable moments of two of her RCI exchange holidays in the European edition of Holiday, The RCI Magazine. Her story (read it here!) sees her on safari in South Africa where she witnessed a ‘kill’ first-hand, and sharing a quiet bathing spot in a hilltop lagoon with monkeys in India. Of course, she got some much needed R&R in fabulous RCI affiliated resorts along the way to recharge her batteries!
This week on the RCI blog, we’ll be sharing stories and photos from those of you who have been RCI subscribing members for 20 years or more. Be sure to check back to hear about all the great places our members have traveled over the years.
Our family usually vacations with our good friends. Our first trip to Mexico, was at a spot of their choice. We decided to go back in 2007, using our RCI deposited time. The wife was very hesitant about staying at a "timeshare resort" as her past experience was poor. However, we stayed at the Mayan Palace on the Riviera Maya. Well, safe to say, she was very impressed and no longer worried about the timeshare horror stories. Our friends were also on hand for our 2009 Cancun visit to the Moon Palace Golf and Spa, which was also an exchange through RCI. I do not think we will be able to go anywhere now without them. Thanks RCI, and our friends thank you too.
- Lee J. from Redding, CA
In May 2008, my husband, daughter and son went to the Grand Mayan at Riviera Maya. We had coordinated our trip with my brother-in-law and his wife and daughter who also exchanged a room for their timeshare week. The Grand Mayan had large rooms for ourselves and our adult children to share. There was plenty to do at the resort. We explored the Riviera Maya activities, and even enjoyed some spa treatments. The highlight was celebrating our son's 21st birthday...The most difficult part of the trip was navigating the Mexican highways. I'm just glad that my brother-in-law did all the driving instead of my husband. I also came to understand what a terrible backseat driver I am. Both couples came away from that trip appreciating our own spouses. We had a great time and enjoyed the pampering of a luxury resort. Now to plan another trip...
- Jane K. from Denver, CO
During October 2008, we went on an RCI exchange vacation to the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. It turned out to be the best vacation exchange we ever took. It was the most beautiful timeshare resort we had ever seen and their lazy river around the resort was the longest we ever had been on. We did end up buying a timeshare at the Grand Mayan.
- Margy L. from Lady Lake, FL
We celebrated Canada Day at a wonderful timeshare outside of Ottawa, Canada. We were able to drive into Ottawa to enjoy all of the sights and festivities. A great experience!
- Allan R. from London, ON
What an amazing week we had in Seapoint! The resort was fantastic, could not do more to be helpful. One evening we sent my daughter down to ask if someone could open a bottle of wine for us as we had no corkscrew - she returned with the bottle opened and in a silver bucket of ice!
We did not need a car - the resort shuttle service was better than any we have ever experienced before in our 21 years of timeshare ownership!
The highlight of our week was Table mountain, I did the trip up in less than 10 minutes by cable car, my husband and daughter age 11, did the 3 hour climb to the top. The views were amazing.
- S. Gilfrin from Ruislip, Middlesex, UK
This was our first real trip using our timeshare. We were told by everyone that you have to trade Gold for Gold, Silver for Silver, and so on, that is so not true. With RCI on your side the world is open...We traded for Cabana Beach just outside of Durban, South Africa, the top RCI affiliated resort in the country. WE GOT IT! What an adventure we had. The resort was wonderful, right on the water with spectacular sunrises over the Indian Ocean. Cabana was home base to a week of once-in-a-lifetime day trips. We went diving with sharks, saw a recreated Zulu Village in the day of King Shaka and went on a game drive. Sharks withstanding the game drive ended up giving us the biggest threat of all. Halfway up the mountain we were met head on by a young bull elephant. Nowhere to turn around and he started walking right towards us! We had to back up down the road all the way, with the elephant flapping his ears and swinging his trunk. We later learned from the rangers that there was a new born calf and he was being big brother. Loved it!
- Richard S. from Houston, TX
San Juan turned out to be a great town. My plans were to cruise for a week then stay in Puerto Rico for 6 more days. The Sol Melia Resort turned out to be the most beautiful place we could have chosen. It was a very modernly designed facility from the check-in areas to the rooms themselves. The pools were magnificent, huge, clear, blue, and the perfect temperature. The most special part of staying in this timeshare was that we were in such close proximity to the only rainforest in the U.S. National Park Service. It is worth a million dollars to see and experience this magnificent treasure only in Puerto Rico. We had such a fun and adventurous time. I recommend it to everyone. It's only about one hour from San Juan and the airport.
- Angela G. from Middle River, MD
I was wondering what I could give my niece and godchild for her 21st birthday. I really wanted to make her birthday memorable as it's such a milestone in life. I decided the only gift that she would remember for the rest of her life was an RCI vacation. I was able to deposit my week and she requested a week in Aruba. Typical soon-to-be 21 year old, she was very specific on the week and chose only 2 resorts in Aruba. It came down to the wire but just 2-3 weeks before her chosen date, I got a call from the RCI guide to let me know RCI was able to accommodate LeeAnne and her mom (my sister) the actual week they wanted in August at the resort in Aruba that was her number one choice. I was a hero to my niece!
My niece, LeeAnne, invited a friend and her mom to join them on this adventure and according to all 4 they had a blast. It was a great mother/daughter bonding trip and no one wanted the week to end. They said they were treated great by all the staff and the RCI exchange was the best vacation they have had! Needless to say, my sister now wants to buy my timeshare and wants to be a member of RCI so that she can travel every year with minimal hassles. Thanks so much for helping me make my niece's 21st birthday a memorable one.
- Abigail V. from Cave Creek, AZ
I had not had a real birthday party in a long time, so I decided to throw myself one! Fortunately, I found a Last Call vacation through RCI at the beautiful Kings Creek Plantation resort in Williamsburg, VA. It was very reasonably priced but when I got there, I thought, "Oh my, I should have paid waaaay more for this." It was so nice to have my family come with me. We had enough room for everyone! One of my husband's gifts to me was 'Guitar Hero' and my family and I had a blast taking turns playing it on the big screen television! I was skeptical at first because we are fairly new to the whole timeshare thing, but now that we're confident that RCI will do their best to accommodate our needs, we won't travel any other way! As a matter of fact, we're leaving Monday for a week in Walt Disney World...yippee!
- Steven B. from Suffolk, VA
We drove from our PA home to check out Cape Cod for the first time and were not disappointed. The fresh seafood and beautiful coastal scenery experienced on that late August drive, was just a small indication of the wonderful time in store for us! We stayed at the Harbor Hill resort at the very tip of the cape in Provincetown. Entering our timeshare unit was like walking into a palace in terms of luxury and size! The resort was surrounded by water on three sides with magnificent views of the town and the beaches from nearly every vantage point.
There were many activities to keep us busy: whale watching, swimming at the one of the many beaches and exploring the unique culture of Provincetown. The weather was picture perfect every day of our stay.
A most memorable day was our trip to Martha’s Vineyard. We parked and rode the ferry; had a great lobster for lunch at Coop de Ville, and after an informative bus tour of the island, we browsed through the shops on Circuit Avenue while scoping out a dinner spot. Outside one of the restaurants we had earlier considered, a motorcade pulled up, and from beyond the gathering crowd, we made out President Obama and family entering the restaurant. We barely missed having dinner with the President!
After checking out, we drove to Boston, explored Faneuil Hall, the New England Aquarium and then dinner at La Famiglia Giorgio’s, with ample portions of expertly prepared Italian food “where everyone is treated like family”. A perfect way to end a perfect vacation experience!
Check back on the RCI blog this week when we share photos and stories about Cape Cod from RCI subscribing members.
Our family vacation to the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort in Los Cabos in 2007 was amazing! Both of our adult daughters were so impressed by the resort that they took the timeshare tour onsite to get more information about becoming an RCI subscribing member someday when their finances become more stable. Anytime we have vacation plans booked through RCI, they try to get some time off work to join us no matter where we stay! We all are definitely impressed with all of the resorts we have stayed at! Just wish we could have done this type of travel when our children were young! RCI is the BEST!!!
- Mary M. from Ada, MI
Here at RCI we frequently discuss how to create an amazing experience for our subscribing members – it is the major topic of conversation – but we rarely get to meet our members. It’s true. Most of us have friends or neighbors who are RCI members – with 2.6 million members in North America it is a likely occurrence to know a few – but few of us ever meet with those we don’t personally know. Until now.
For the first time in North America, RCI will be holding regular events open to timeshare owners at affiliated resorts. Our pilot program will be at The Manhattan Club in New York City – a location near many members, former members and timeshare owners.
Events will run most Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings and will be open to timeshare owners interested in learning more about the recent enhancements to the RCI Weeks program. The first event will take place Wed., July 13 for RCI subscribing members who are also Manhattan Club owners. The last event will take place on Wed., September 28.
Don’t have time to attend an event in New York City during your visit? No worries. We already have one of our best Vacation Guides on site at The Manhattan Club (Wed. – Sun. 9am-5pm) to answer your questions and provide information.
You don’t need to be an RCI member to attend. We welcome everyone visiting New York or coming into New York for work or play to head over to The Manhattan Club and meet us at the RCI Welcome Center.
In honor of our exciting events in the Big Apple, we will be sharing photos and stories about New York from RCI subscribing members this week on the RCI blog. Be sure to check back and don’t forget to visit us at The Manhattan Club!
My husband and I were excited to plan our exchange trip to Capistrano California. We exchanged our Cape Cod timeshare for a beautiful two bedroom, two bath timeshare in the Capistrano Surfside Inn. The timeshare was huge and immaculate and the ocean was just across the street. Also within walking distance was Dante Point which not only had an active harbor and walking areas with fantastic restaurants, shops but bike paths as well for those who wanted to bike around the area. We visited the mission at Capistrano and walk the small streets with many unique shops. We chose this place to have a restful holiday and it was, yet there was plenty to do if we chose to do so. I would highly recommend this paradise area to anyone who wants to vacation in California. We would definitely visit again, but there are so many beautiful affiliated resorts in RCI, we want to try them all. We love RCI and the wonderful opportunities it offers us in trying new places and seeking new adventures.
- Joyce C. from Salem, NH
A few years back we were fortunate to get a summertime exchange to Otter Rock Timeshares near Newport, OR. The Oregon Coast was spectacular, and the arrangement of the resort on a high ocean cliff was beautiful. We absorbed coastal scenery, visited the Marine Center in Newport and had a great time.
- Claude R. B. from Paducah, KY
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