Exchange and Associate/Affiliate Resorts

[b]This is for those of you who have exchanged your WM credits for exchange or associate/affiliate resort locations. Share where you went and what it was like.

Happy travels!

Forum Hostess

Me too old friend!

Trying to figure out the maze of booking a Wyndham resort for Sept of 2012. Heading to Memphis & Nashville and then Dollywood for our 50th anniversary. Have got to learn how this works or we will be motelling it.
Hope you are well.

Myrna

Dollywood. One of my favorite spots on the entire planet! I've never been in the Fall, but I've been told the tree colors rival the New England states. As far as booking Wyndham resorts - I think every resort is different. The one thing I'm pretty sure about is that you won't be able to book it until 10 months before your arrival. We have stayed at the Smoky Mountain Wyndham - it is very comparable to any WorldMark resorts. You might also want to do and RCI exchange. Good Luck!

Hi,

I must start by saying I love the forum. It has helped us so many times when going to a new palce. My wife and I booked Vallarta Torres for the end of this month and wanted to know if anyone has a recent report of this resort? I read all the posts and replies and got a little bit, but I really trust WM owners and their experiences before heading to new waters. We are interested in snorkeling, fishing, fresh seafood and "must see" sites. Also wanted to know if I should booked a taxi ahead of time (we do when we go to Cabo). Any info will be greatly appreciated.

All, we recently spent 4 days at Wyndham Nashville. Had a ball. While pretty seriously affected in the big flood May of last year, there is NO evidence of it now. Talking with staff folks (ALL very polite, helpful, courteous, and professional), that must have been an awful time. A clear impression on me was that they are VERY proud of their "area" as a whole, and of their/our WYN/WM resort. The place is quite large, has very nice landscaping/ lawn/ pool/ playground stuff, and "open" areas. The resort is VERY close to the Grand Ole Opry theater and Resort Hotel complex (appx 5 mins). Go see BOTH. Also, MUST DO-- (did I say MUST DO?) the "backstage" tour of the theater!! The Grand Ole Opry live show is also great- we saw it (had great seats- purchased well in advance). Also, "just go and walk around" inside of the Resort/Hotel complex. Sounds strange-- but it is INCREDIBLE! We also went to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), and really thought that was fascinating. Also went to the Ryman Auditorium (definetly upgrade to the "backstage tour" (only $4 more PP). You can "feel" the history of the place. Loved it. Couldn't go to Nashville without going to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Lots-- LOTS-- of stuff to see. Overall, we enjoyed it- wife moreso than I, I think. These four attractions (and many others) are available via an "All- Access Pass" ($50PP -- you pick any 4 you want to do). Save a good chunk of $$$ and get the pass if you have the time. Spent 2 diff. afternoon/ evenings walking "up & down" Broadway in downtown Nashville. This area is just blocks & blocks of "live music" bars and restaurants and shops. The area has its own "electricity and vibe". Up & coming ( and sometimes established!) country stars perform at these places from about noon (to whenver) EVERY SINGLE DAY. Rarely (if ever)a cover charge. Craig Campbell popped in & sang at one joint, Thompson Square, another. Both acts are rising stars-- with top singles out now. Zach Brown was in the audience one show. Got great, close-up pics with and of several country stars! MUST GO THERE!!!! Great trip, the resort is in a very good, convenient location (and in GREAT shape itself), much to see & do. Lastly, we never met or talked with (and there were many!) a single person who wasn't VERY polite, courteous, and helpful. A return trip to this resort-- (and Nashville itself)-- is a DEFINITE. the Ol' Coach.

I was referred to by WorldMark by Wyndham reservations last night to call 1-877-670-7088 with a code number for hotel reservations. I was told that there was no availability by the reservationist and to call 1-866-996-7937 to check for availability. I was told by that reservationist that once I gave my credit card information that I would be locked in at the 60 dollar discounted rate. I agreed to the locked in rate and I knew that there was no turning back. I was then told that I was making my reservation too late and I would have to pay 68 dollars. I did check in to the hotel and as you can guess I was not happy. My wife was also not happy with the way we got cheated. We ended up leaving the hotel less than 1 hour after checking in. My wife and I decided we did not want to stay at the hotel after being cheated by the reservationist. We now believe we should be fully refunded the $76.16 that we were charged. This is no way how anyone should have been mistreated and cheated. Our confirmation number was 56926043.

Hello strine56,

These are items that WorldMark by Wyndham Management would like to know about so that we can take immediate action to get these issues addressed. If you would like to discuss your concerns with a representative, the most expeditious way to communicate that concern would be to send it directly to ownersupport@worldmarktheclub.com or call Owner Care at 888.648.7363 option 4.

I sent my sister and her family to the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Bay in Arkansas. There was no warning on the page for the resort that they too were effected by the flooding this year and many of the activities that my sister and her family were going there to enjoy were not available due to this. There was also no mention in any of the brochures or literature that this is a "dry" county. In other words BYOB! Another warning not listed was, if you will be arriving late, CALL! My sister and her family called just before the desk closed at 8pm to find that a lockbox code was needed to enter the resort and her reservation was somehow marked as having been given the code. She was not provided a code, as I was on the phone in a conference call with her and the representative making the reservation. No code was given or anything mentioned or provided saying a code was needed or a call was needed to be provided with a code, if you get what I mean.
The resort is a little rundown and not very "resort like", and due to the flooding quite empty of visitors at the moment. The resort is as it says in a very tiny town and most everything is a drive of about 40 miles away. That being said, my sister said the master has a jetted tub you could fit six people in, and it is a very relaxing place for a family to enjoy together time. I am hoping to hear more and see some pictures for posting later.

Hi, has anyone used an exchange with RCI to stay at an "all-inclusive" resort and had to pay for the mandatory all-inclusive fees per day? Either in Jamaica or other. Is it worth using the points and paying the extra out of pocket for?
It seems that it would cost about the same amount of money or less out of pocket to just make a reservation directly with any of those resorts, especially if they have specials. It almost seems like a waste of points.

I was wondering if anyone has been to this exchange? I am thinking about taking my family there next year.

Can we use Interval as an exhange company? If so how do we get to do it?
I know how to use RCI as I have a seperate number with them

[b][/b]You join Interval International,and then it works just about the same as RCI. I was told recently that a base membership cost $89 per year. I was told recently that Interval International was a good choice rather than RCI. The exchange rates are a bit cheaper, but I noticed that they have far fewer resorts to choose from - maybe it balances out with fewer members. I'd be interested if anyone else out there has any information on I. I.

Has anyone been to Belize, specifically the RCI resort The Villas at Banyan Bay?
Reviews (6 of them) are all very good, and I'm looking for a honeymoon destination in June (we've already been to Maui, Kona, Cabo, Victoria, and several northwest resorts -- we want the warm beaches!)

We just returned from 2 nights at the Royal Kuhio and 7 at the Fairway Villa. I don't know if the RK was upgraded, but our room was fine; the different elevators to the parking and the rooms was a bit clunky, but we survived. We felt the FV was a little nicer and the pool area was very nice; FV has washer/dryers in the room too. If you prefer no air conditioning and like to leave your sliding doors & windows open at night, the traffic/road noise is moderately bad at both places, but worse at FV...sirens & honking at all hours and commuters in the morning. The WM's at the other islands are much quieter and nicer facilities, but if you want to see Oahu these are okay.

Hello... we are travelling to the Sieverville and Willamsburg resorts next month with our 4 kids, ages 8, 14, 14 and 15... please help us find great things to do as a family! What activities would you recommend?

Dollywood is one of our favorite locations in Pigeon Forge. If it is hot Splash Country is a great waterpark - very close to Dollywood. Then another must for us is the Dixie Stampede. All three of these are somewhat pricey, but we've found them to be worth their price. The Smoky Mountain National Park is also beautiful! Eastern Tennessee is filled with beautiful scenery, good food, and very friendly people. Enjoy!

While in Williamsburg you will have so many choices. Besides the restored/historical part of williamsburg there are both Jamestown and Yorktown lots of fun and lots of history. You can also visit the plantations along the James River. One thing your children should really enjoy is the Williamsburg ghost walk. It was so much fun. There are water parks etc in the area but I have never been to them.

I'm wondering about the "Down Under Deals" that are being advertised under the special Monday Madness on the WorldMark page. On one hand, it says "South Asia" and another place it says Australia and New Zealand. It also says to book via WorldMark by Wyndham Travel (although another option apparently allows one to book directly). But these actually look like WorldMark resorts rather than exchange etc. resorts.

Guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Has anyone stayed at Royal Aloha Vaction club/Waikiki?
I have a day to responed to Rci exchange for a two bedroom.I am looking for 8-4-13 for a week for 6 people.Sould I crab it are wait longer? Thank-you!

Thinking of joining RCI because WM has exchange info with them but our friends have Interval and we all want to go to the same place in Oahu for Christmas. Any suggestions or advice from your experience?

The experience we have had is that they only have a couple of units available for WM owners to reserve. That may not be the exact number, but that's it was related to us. We were finally able to book a week in the Smoky Mountains, but it was many, many months in advance. It was well worth it, but you really have to be patient and persistent. We have a week booked at the Fairfield Glade location in a couple of weeks, and hope it's every bit as enjoyable. That one was also booked about 8 months in advance.

Hang in there, keep trying, and good luck!

[b][/b]I hope you realize that Fairfield Glade is kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We went there a few summers ago. The surprise to us is that the resort is in the middle of a retirement community. You also will need to drive to the pool and different activities - or at least we did. The units themselves are nice. It was just so isolated. Hope you have a great time!

Has anybody been to Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour. We would like to go next year (end of June 2014) but there seams to be only one room and the booking window stops at December 15, 2013. Any information on the hotel or booking would be great. Thanks.

We are at Pend Oreille Shores Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho. A RCI exchange.It is beautiful here. We have a 2 BR. It is huge and very nice. The interesting thing is that it is listed for 8 people. There are 2 queen sized sleeper sofa beds but no way that both can be open at the same time. Very comfortable for 6 people.
There is a great old theatre that has been refurbished. We saw a great production of Oz that was great.
Not far from Silver Wood amusement park. Lots to do here.

Has anyone been able to get a reservation at National Harbor in Maryland? No matter how far in advance I look, I see no availability, so am confused as to why that is. I can find available dates for other Wyndham affiliates but never for this one...

We're on the waiting list, but, yes, even 6 years later, it never seems to have availability. If we actually get to stay, we'll definitely report out!

We moved from the West coast to Kentucky about 7 years ago. We were very glad to have the East Coast Wyndham properties to keep our vacations relatively affordable, rather than stay limited to traveling great distances to the West Coast properties. We've stayed at and recommend the Williamsburg, Fairfield Glade and the Smoky Mountains resorts. We're hikers and I never would've guessed that Williamsburg would have been as interesting as it was ... actors playing scenes in the streets. Some were revolutionaries and others were loyalists. What a wonderful sermon coming from a loyalist at the William and Mary college chapel ... totally unexpected. Fairfield Glade was beautiful, but again, good for outdoor activities and historical perspective. Smoky Mountains can be a tourist trap, but good variety of shopping, shows, things of interest and then there's the limitless hikes and gorgeous beauty, wildlife and history.

It will be interesting to see how many resorts open up with the new Wyndham Clubpass. Of GREAT concern is the fact that the properties won't be available for booking until JUNE (which will make us miss the 10 month window for our annual trek to the gorgeous fall colors of the Smoky Mountains ... very tough to get into if you aren't in that 10 month window).

There are very few WorldMark properties in the Midwest and East coast. That is why Wyndham properties have been value added in this area. But now they're going to start charging an exchange fee. We will never be able to use my housekeeping fee, unless I decide to fly somewhere for vacation (we don't waste our money on airlines who treat people like cattle).

Worldmark by Wyndham is currently only WorldMark ... at least for 1st half of this year. Why take so long to make these properties available back to those of us who need them due to geographic need?? Seems like very poor planning.

Planning a fly fishing trip to Belize next year (probably Sept/Oct) and have no idea about exchanges for that area. We plan to be near San Pedro on Ambergris Cay (spelling). Any ideas?

How do you rent credits to owners when you have extra your not using?

I'm on a wait list for this exchange resort and can't locate any reviews or comments on what to expect. Since it is not a WM or Trendwest resort, I'm curious as to the Vacation Internationale resorts as far as amenities, cleanliness, etc. Has anyone stayed there recently???

Once you agree to an exchange with Interval when do the points get charged to your account and where can i find a record of this transaction

I hace some credits expiring in May. Do I need to use them by May or simply have a reservation?

@Mikeyman,

It depends.

If the credits you are referring to are Worldmark Credits, still in your Worldmark account, then you must BOOK them against an upcoming reservation before they expire in May. The reservation may be 13 months out ... even 13 months beyond the credit expiration date, if needed. However, be careful should you need to cancel or rebook that reservation as credits tend to disappear from the system once they've expired. Use a phone representative should you need to rework that reservation rather than attempting to make changes online, on your own.

If the credits have already been deposited (aka 'banked') to RCI (the topic of this section of the forum) then you must either travel before the expiration (book a reservation that starts before the credits expire) or pay RCI a fee to extend the credits. RCI will not allow booking beyond the credit expiration date.

Your best bet is using them inside the Worldmark account, if you have not already banked them with RCI. Good luck!

Guess what! I thought so too... It turns out that a Worldmark Gold Pass reservation can only be made by calling a vacation counselor and talking to a gold pass counselor. The reservation page always came up under Wyndham reservations and was empty so I called and asked. I phoned in July, 2019 and have a reservation for a week in November, 2019. Try that. Good luck!

I looked at the date the message was written after I posted. I hope you have been able to go and if so how was it?

Last year I booked a week in Princeville, HI at the Shearwater, a cold crown RCI resort with the Worldmark Exchange program. I had to cancel it due to a family conflict. I just tried to reserve for next year and find my choices for a RCI resort in Kauai now limited to 3 resorts and the Shearwater is no longer available. Has RCI now limited the resorts we can book?