First time booking RCI (Aruba) using DVC

kddlm

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
This is the 1st time I have ventured out of my DVC comfort zone to use points for Aruba through RCI. I had searched many times in the past, but would always just find scattered days and never able to come up with a continuous week. After just playing around, I was able to secure a full week in Aruba for June 2019 for a 1 bedroom accommodation.

DVC Member services was very helpful in explaining how to secure the booking, use my current use year points, etc.. It is not an all inclusive resort but there are still taxes/fees associated with the stay...my quick estimate puts it around $400. And bonus...….not sure if others are aware, as I was not, the $95 exchange fee is being waived for bookings through RCI I believe until end of 2018.

Next will be play the airfare game once fares are released!

Has anyone else ever stayed RCI - Divi Phoenix #8729 (I understand there are two location numbers for this resort)?
 
It has been a real long time since we went to Aruba, but we really liked it a lot. It's a small island and we took a day trip to Curacao. We drove by the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Western Hemisphere on Curacao. There was a large windmill on Aruba not too far from our hotel that we toured.
 
This is the 1st time I have ventured out of my DVC comfort zone to use points for Aruba through RCI. I had searched many times in the past, but would always just find scattered days and never able to come up with a continuous week. After just playing around, I was able to secure a full week in Aruba for June 2019 for a 1 bedroom accommodation.

DVC Member services was very helpful in explaining how to secure the booking, use my current use year points, etc.. It is not an all inclusive resort but there are still taxes/fees associated with the stay...my quick estimate puts it around $400. And bonus...….not sure if others are aware, as I was not, the $95 exchange fee is being waived for bookings through RCI I believe until end of 2018.

Next will be play the airfare game once fares are released!

Has anyone else ever stayed RCI - Divi Phoenix #8729 (I understand there are two location numbers for this resort)?
We've been to Aruba several times. The Divi Phoenix is at not he Eagle Beach side of Palm beach. I've toured the resort and seen the rooms, it's a nice resort. IIRC it's not quite walking distance to the Palm beach restaurants for most people. There are 3 phases but I don't recall the exact portion what you got is in. You should be able to find that information out those, maybe ask on the Caribbean board on TUG or Aruba-bb.com. The extra fees are government charges and many places do this now, just got back from HI with the same type of fees. Sounds like a good option and likely the nicest RCI resort currently though I think some of the other top ones are in a slightly better location. Good luck on air, our next trip is in 6 months for Aruba and the fares are about 50-60% higher than we paid the last 3 trips and not that much lower than we paid for HI.
 
Curios to how many points this took to book?

Are current use year points the only allowed or any points available?

Thanks,
 


We've been to Aruba several times. The Divi Phoenix is at not he Eagle Beach side of Palm beach. I've toured the resort and seen the rooms, it's a nice resort. IIRC it's not quite walking distance to the Palm beach restaurants for most people. There are 3 phases but I don't recall the exact portion what you got is in. You should be able to find that information out those, maybe ask on the Caribbean board on TUG or Aruba-bb.com. The extra fees are government charges and many places do this now, just got back from HI with the same type of fees. Sounds like a good option and likely the nicest RCI resort currently though I think some of the other top ones are in a slightly better location. Good luck on air, our next trip is in 6 months for Aruba and the fares are about 50-60% higher than we paid the last 3 trips and not that much lower than we paid for HI.

Thanks for the reply Dean. We have been to Aruba 3 other times..once in 93 (honeymoon) stayed what is now the Barcelo (sp?), Marriott Stellaris in 16 and Hyatt in 17. I have walked down to Divi phoenix from the other hotels. It is a bit on the outskirts of all the shops/restaurants, but am happy to be able to utilize my DVC pts elsewhere. Fingers crossed for good airfare!! We went in Oct. in 2017 and I got $384 nonstop, roundtrip from NJ to Aruba! Not expecting to be that lucky again, but would love to be!!
 
Curios to how many points this took to book?

Are current use year points the only allowed or any points available?

Thanks,
It was 150 for 1 br. They have studios as well for I believe 130.

I used my 2018 pts even though the trip will be in my 2019 use year. Member services handled it and banked them to 2019 then used them to book. If you first transfer your points to that may be expiring soon directly into RCI, I have been told they remain good in their system for 2 years. Just going on hearsay....I have not personally done this.
 
Thanks for the reply Dean. We have been to Aruba 3 other times..once in 93 (honeymoon) stayed what is now the Barcelo (sp?), Marriott Stellaris in 16 and Hyatt in 17. I have walked down to Divi phoenix from the other hotels. It is a bit on the outskirts of all the shops/restaurants, but am happy to be able to utilize my DVC pts elsewhere. Fingers crossed for good airfare!! We went in Oct. in 2017 and I got $384 nonstop, roundtrip from NJ to Aruba! Not expecting to be that lucky again, but would love to be!!
You'll almost certainly be better than we will be. We're looking at double that right now but we're not in a gateway city.

It was 150 for 1 br. They have studios as well for I believe 130.

I used my 2018 pts even though the trip will be in my 2019 use year. Member services handled it and banked them to 2019 then used them to book. If you first transfer your points to that may be expiring soon directly into RCI, I have been told they remain good in their system for 2 years. Just going on hearsay....I have not personally done this.
For high season (51-16) and a 1BR that's a fair deal, not as much for low season.
 


Just to update from my original post, I was able to get good airfare for our Aruba trip in June 2019..... $365 pp roundtrip out of JFK (NY). Direct flights! Closer airport is Newark, but they were over $600 pp!
 

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