Tips on getting the week you want

We bought a week at Sunset in January of this year. I called RCI in September and once you give them your member number and they see you have a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito, they immediately transfer you to the direct Pueblo Bonito line. I tried to get a week in Cabo at Sunset for Feb and was told that there was nothing available at all until April! Is this normal? We have a floating week and they said that people hadn't deposited there week yet. This being the first timeshare we've ever bought, it sounds like gobblety gook to me. They told me that the only way to MAYBE get the week was to deposit it with RCI and let them look. We would've even taken that week at Fiesta Americana where our friends have a timeshare. They had NO problen not only getting their week there, but also getting an extra, adjoining room. Any suggestions other than booking your room longer that 6 months in advance?

I FIND THAT INTERESTING..........I CALLED JUST THIS MORNING ABOUT A FEB. 09 EXCHANGE, OR OUT RIGHT RENTAL, AND GOT THE SAME ANSWERE.......I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO STAY VIGILANT AND CALL ONCE A WEEK TO SEE IF ANYTHING HAD BEEN DEPOSITED......HE SAID THAT BY MARCH 08, IT WOULD BE TOO LATE, THERE WAS NOT A THING AVAILABLE IN FEB. AT ANY OF THEIR PROPERTIES AT THIS TIME, AND THAT HE NEVER SEES ANYTHING COME UP IN FEB. BECAUSE IT IS A POPULAR HIGH SEASON TIME........I HAVE ALWAYS STAYED ONE YEAR OUT ON MY REQUESTS BECAUSE OF THE TIMES THAT WE LIKE TO HAVE OUR VACATION, AND HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN OUR PENTHOUSE FOR THANKSGIVING.........SO MY SUGGESTION IS TO PLAN EARLY AND STAY VIGILANT........

Unfortunately, we have run into the same situation. It is not as easy to reserve a week as the salesman lead us to believe.

I book a year in advance and have no problems getting the week I want.

ra32 wrote:

Unfortunately, we have run into the same situation. It is not as easy to reserve a week as the salesman lead us to believe.

I know that this is too late for Lynne52, but maybe this will help someone else. First, if I read Lynne52's initial post correctly, she's trying to reserve time at her home resort which is at Pueblo Bonito Sunset. She called RCI to reserve - and she thinks that they transferred her to Pueblo Bonito itself. If the above is correct...

First, Lynne52 should have called the Reservation number for PB Sunset directly, not RCI. She didn't want an Exchange, she wanted to reserve time at the home resort.

Second, Lynn52 thought she was being transferred to PB Sunset itself by the RCI people, when in fact RCI has a Pueblo Bonito Desk that handles PB Owners. The direct number for RCI's Pueblo Bonito Desk is (888)909-4399. I called this number myself and asked if this was RCI or Pueblo Bonito - the answer was RCI. The main toll free number for RCI simply transferred her to the RCI PB Guide at the 888 number above.

Third, all the info Lynne52 got from her call she got from an RCI Guide (Rep) who was apparently looking at the RCI database for PB Sunset. If nothing was in the RCI Exchange for PB Sunset, then "sorry, nothing is available."

I hope that this makes sense.

I'm sorry, but your whole reply is mistaken.I NEVER called RCI until I had been calling Sunset direct for well over a month(I have several international long distance calls to show for it, since the 800 number I had kept disconnecting me)I know I was speaking directly with Pueblo Bonito Sunset because the reservations agent I spoke with was the same man I spoke with when I made reservations back in jan 2007 to just stay there for the week. It was HE who suggested I deposit my week because I would have a better chance of getting a room. The last time I called, he told me that there were 400 rooms like mine and every one of them was booked from the time I last called (in early Jan) until May.

Hi lynne52 - Please excuse me as I surely didn't mean to offend. I'm sorry if I misunderstood your post as it wasn't clear to me that you did go to PB Reservations first.

I too am an owner at PB but Mazatlan's Emerald Bay. It's frustrating that you must book at your home resort a year out (the maximum time for PB) just to use what you purchased! Going through RCI and getting hit with an Exchange Deposit Fee adds insult to injury.

May I ask how you resolved this?

We resolved it by cancelling our vacation. We cancelled our airline tickets(which we will use a t another time to another place) And we are not going back to Pueblo Bonito ever. We will just use the weeks we have to go other places. WE are in the process of selling a couple of businesses and then we are foing to spend some time trying to sell our time. My husband and I agree that it's the biggest mistake we've ever made

I can tell you from experience that planning ahead does work. We just bought a annual use floating presidential (our first timeshare) on the resale market. By calling exactly 1 year ahead, we were able to secure use during president's week 2009.

mikew230 wrote:

By calling exactly 1 year ahead, we were able to secure use during president's week 2009.

I assume that your talking about PB also. If so, do you happen to know if PB home resorts require Mon/Mon as the weeks calendar shows or can you book your 7 days over any calendar week span, like Wed/Wed?

Yes this is at PBSB. They supposedly do have flex checkin however since I'm a brand new owner, I don't know how easy that is to get.

chuckb53 wrote:

mikew230 wrote:

By calling exactly 1 year ahead, we were able to secure use during president's week 2009.

I assume that your talking about PB also. If so, do you happen to know if PB home resorts require Mon/Mon as the weeks calendar shows or can you book your 7 days over any calendar week span, like Wed/Wed?

mikew230 wrote:

Yes this is at PBSB. They supposedly do have flex checkin however since I'm a brand new owner, I don't know how easy that is to get. PBSB is an any day check in based upon availability I just booked a Sat to Sat for February 2009.

PS Lynne if you want to sell email me at hnazaroff@comcast.net

chuckb53 wrote:

mikew230 wrote:

By calling exactly 1 year ahead, we were able to secure use during president's week 2009.

I assume that your talking about PB also. If so, do you happen to know if PB home resorts require Mon/Mon as the weeks calendar shows or can you book your 7 days over any calendar week span, like Wed/Wed?

nazclk wrote:

mikew230 wrote:

Yes this is at PBSB. They supposedly do have flex checkin however since I'm a brand new owner, I don't know how easy that is to get. PBSB is an any day check in based upon availability I just booked a Sat to Sat for February 2009.

PS Lynne if you want to sell email me at hnazaroff@comcast.net

chuckb53 wrote:

mikew230 wrote:

By calling exactly 1 year ahead, we were able to secure use during president's week 2009.

I assume that your talking about PB also. If so, do you happen to know if PB home resorts require Mon/Mon as the weeks calendar shows or can you book your 7 days over any calendar week span, like Wed/Wed?

I called last week and was able to get a February week for 2009. You can now start any day of the week as long as it is available.

We have owned PB Rose since 1999, and PB Sunset since 2002. We always book the next year while we are there. We have never had a problem booking at either timeshare. We book Lawrence Welk Desert Oasis in Palm Springs, CA 18 months out and have never had a problem there either. We are new to the Mayan Group, but had no problem 10 months out for Puerto Penasco either. We suggest you book as early as possible and at PB SB, and include a request for the building you want to stay in. At PB SB we always ask for the BeachFront buildings. Only once in 6 years did we not receive our choice. We like the place so much that we upgraded to Presidential from the Junior in 2006.

1- Don't stay at the Fiesta Americana.....they had roaches like you can't imagine 3 years ago and I can't imagine they got rid of them all. It's a nice resort but when you have that type of friend show up, your week is ruined. It happened in our first room badly and then we had to spray and police on our own in the second room they moved us to a long ways away from the first.

2- The secret is to book a year ahead.

3- If you can't, I'd reccomend getting a really good week and renting and find someone renting the week you have. If you do this right, you can bet out to zero.

I am inquiring if you are owners at Welk Desert Oasis. I have put my spring break week up for rent and am looking for any information that might help me!

Ron enjoyed your post about PBSB and you love for it. We too have enjoyed it but live in Ft Lauderdale and find it difficult getting out there. We, too have always been able to get the beachfront and this huge unit allows for 10 with two full floors, a huge jaccuzzi on the balcony with jacuzzi's in each bathroom.

If you own at PB Sunset you do not need to go through RCI. I own at Sunset and have never had problem getting the week I want. You only use RCI if you want to exchange your sunset week for a week somewhere else.

go to redweek.com ...join for $14.95...for the year...and access all the cabo resorts for rental and exchange...

We have never had a problem reserving a room for the last 5 years until they went to all inclusive. We are convinced this is the culprit! We normally book in February for November. This January they were booked solid. If you go to RCI they have rooms.