royal aloha vacation club
faq
How long can I accumulate my weeks?
In general, you must use your weeks within 36 months of the date your account was credited.
For example, if you received a week on October 15, 2007, you must use that week on or before
October 15, 2010. You receive your week(s) each year on the anniversary date of your membership.
How was my anniversary date determined? I don't get my week until December 5.
Your anniversary date is the date you purchased your membership. However, if you bought your membership from another member, your anniversary date is the date the original member bought his/her membership; it is not the date you bought from the member.
How is the due date for my Annual Dues determined?
For most members, the due date is the first day of the second month following the anniversary date. For example, if your anniversary date is March 23, your annual dues will be payable May 1. A few members may have a special due date because of a special arrangement agreed upon when the membership was originally purchased from the Club's developer.
WHY DOESN'T THE CLUB ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS FOR ANNUAL DUES PAYMENT?
Every time the Club accepts a credit card payment it
has to pay a percentage of the charge to the bank. If we accept credit cards
for payment of dues, it will cost the Club at least $100,000 annually,
which will have to be passed on to the members in the form of higher dues. We do not feel that the convenience justifies the cost.
If you want to put the payment on your credit card, you may want to consider using a convenience check, which is available from most credit card issuers.
Since there may be fees and interest imposed, please check with your bank before using it.
WHY AM I CHARGED A REFURBISHMENT RESERVE AMOUNT IN ADDITION TO MY ANNUAL DUES?
You are not! Since refurbishment reserve is an integral part of your annual dues, your annual billing statement separates the amount budgeted for day-to-day operations
from the amount set aside for refurbishment and replacement of capital items such as furniture, appliances, fixtures, etc.
Prudent financial planning requires the Club to establish a reserve so members will not be faced with a special assessment each time a major refurbishment project is undertaken. Constant refurbishment of Club units is essential to maintaining your ownership value and
to ensuring that your vacations are always enjoyable.
What is the difference between making reservations for a Hawaii resort and the other Club locations?
In 1985, to alleviate the intense demand for Hawaii, the Club adopted a separate policy for Hawaii reservations. The main points to remember are:
You may book Hawaii reservations up to two years in advance.
(Other locations may be booked only one year in advance.)
When you book a Hawaii reservation, you may reserve only the number of weeks you have accumulated on your membership.
Although you may reserve all of your accumulated weeks, they must be consecutively booked. For example, assuming you have three accumulated weeks in your membership at the time of booking, you
may reserve three consecutive weeks in Waikiki, or you may reserve one week in Waikiki,
one in Kona, and one in Maui, but they must be consecutive weeks.
Once you make a reservation in Hawaii, you will not be able to book another Hawaii reservation until you have used or canceled the first one. However, if you own more than one RAVC membership, you may book
a Hawaii reservation on each of the memberships.
See Complete RAVC Reservations Policy.
WHY DO I HAVE TO MAKE A HAWAII RESERVATION TWO YEARS IN ADVANCE, I CANNOT PLAN SO FAR AHEAD?
There is a common misunderstanding among some members that they have to make a reservation two years in advance for any Hawaii location. The Hawaii reservations policy ALLOWS you to make a reservation in Hawaii up to two years advance, but it doesn't REQUIRE you to make a reservation two years in advance. You can make a reservation at any time as long as there is a unit available within the two-year window. Of course, earlier requests have greater chances of getting desired dates.
WHEN ARE MY RESERVED WEEKS DEDUCTED FROM MY ACCOUNT?
Weeks are deducted from your account after they are
used, not when they are booked. For example, in September 2007, you
booked a Waikiki reservation for January 2009. The week will be deducted
from your account after January 2009.
If you have a week expiring soon,
you will want to make arrangements to use it, not just reserve it, prior to its expiration date.
IF I AM UNABLE TO USE MY RESERVED WEEK, WHAT IS THE MINIMUM NOTICE I MUST GIVE IN ORDER TO AVOID FORFEITING MY WEEK?
You must cancel sixty (60) days before the scheduled arrival date in order to avoid forfeiture. If your cancellation request is received less than 60 days, however, you may reinstate the week with a written request and a reinstatement fee. The reinstated week will be good for one year from the reinstatement date. No-shows may not be reinstated.
IF I JOIN INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL OR RESORT CONDOMINIUMS INTERNATIONAL, HOW DO I MAKE AN EXCHANGE RESERVATION?
An added attraction to your membership is the ability to use your RAVC weeks in other non-RAVC resorts by joining an exchange company. This is how it works:
First, inform Royal Aloha that you wish to make an exchange. The Club will book an appropriate week for you and provide you with pertinent information to give to the exchange company. You then call them and deposit your week. At that time, you either request an equal week at an exchange resort or save your week for future use.
Each exchange company has its own fee schedule and guidelines for exchanging. It's a great way to explore new locations and to extend a week that you otherwise would lose with Royal Aloha. However, don't wait until the last minute to book your exchanges.
WHY DO I STILL LOSE A WEEK AFTER I SPACE BANKED IT WITH RCI?
Space banking with an exchange company is a good way to expand your vacation opportunities and save a week that may be expiring soon. However, when you plan to space bank a week, make sure the reservation date is before the week's expiration date. For example, if you have a week that is going to expire on October 10, 2008, you can use it yourself before 10/10/08, or you can make a reservation with an arrival date before October 10, 2008 and space bank it with an exchange company. If you make a reservation for a date after 10/10/08, you will still lose that week even if you submitted it prior to 10/10/08 for space banking. The important thing to remember is that the week must be USED, either by you, your personal guest, or an exchange guest within three years after it was first credited to your account.
ISN'T IT UNFAIR TO LOSE A WEEK AFTER I HAVE ALREADY PAID THE ANNUAL DUES FOR IT?
As indicated in your Membership Agreement and RAVC's bylaws, all membership weeks must be used within three years after they were first credited to your account. It's impossible for the Club to carry unused weeks indefinitely. In fact, your RAVC membership probably has the most generous accumulation privilege in the timeshare industry. Most other timeshare plans require the week to be used within the current year - use it or lose it, there is no accumulation. RAVC is contemplating selling a new membership class that does not have the accumulation rights.
Even if you did not use your week(s), the Club still has the ongoing cost of operating the Club and maintaining the units.
MAY I USE A DIFFERENT SIZE UNIT FROM THE ONE I OWN BY PAYING AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE?
In general, you can reserve only the unit size you own. However, within 60 days of your arrival date, you may request to use a different size unit if one is available. For example, a one-bedroom member may request to use a two-bedroom unit, or a two-bedroom member may request to use a one-bedroom unit. Currently, the fee to upgrade from a one- to a two-bedroom unit is $130 per week for RAVC members and $160 per week for non-members. However, scheduled maintenance may sometimes prevent the manager from granting your request even if a unit is not occupied.
MAY I REQUEST A SPECIFIC UNIT AT A RESORT WHEN I MAKE A RESERVATION?
The Reservations Department does not assign a specific unit at the time you make a reservation; all unit assignments are made by the Resort Manager just prior to your arrival date. You may request a preferred unit type (such as lower floor, upper floor, ocean view, mountain view, etc.) when you book your reservations, and it will be noted in your arrival document. The Resort Manager will try to fulfill your request, if at all possible. The earliest reservations have the highest priority for special requests.
Each domestic RAVC resort has at least one unit that is designed for the physically-challenged. If such a unit is required, please be sure to inform the Reservations Department when you make the reservation. We'll do our best to accommodate you.
MAY I RENT A UNIT FROM THE CLUB WITHOUT USING MY WEEK?
If available, RAVC members may rent units from the Club for their personal use without using their week; however, the reservations can be made only within 60 days of arrival date.
HOW DO I TRANSFER/SELL MY MEMBERSHIP TO SOMEONE ELSE? DO I NEED TO USE AN ESCROW AGENT? WHAT IF I CANNOT FIND MY ORIGINAL DEED?
First, stop looking for the deed! Your membership is a right-to-use membership, not a real-estate interest.
You
were never given a deed.
To transfer your membership, you and the transferee must complete an RAVC Transfer Document
and sign before a notary. Submit the form together with the applicable fee (currently $175 for
an immediate family member and $350 for others) to the RAVC Membership Services Department. The transfer is usually completed within two weeks after receipt of a properly executed document. The new member will receive a
"Welcome"
folio of Club information as well as a new membership certificate.
Use of an escrow agent is not required, however, you may want to use one
if you are selling your membership to a stranger. Escrow will
ensure that you receive your funds.
Click the link below to get a copy of an RAVC Transfer Document. If you don't have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your computer, you can go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader Page to get a free download of the software.
I HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING A HAWAII RESERVATION, IS THE CLUB OVERSOLD?
Hawaii laws require the Club to own sufficient units for all membership weeks outstanding, and RAVC meets this requirement at all times. However, every member needs to remember that RAVC is a multi-resort vacation
club consisting of eight different resort locations, and only about one-third of RAVC's units are located in Hawaii. If more than one-third of the members want to vacation in Hawaii at any
given time, some of them will not get their reservations. If you want to vacation in Hawaii every year, there is a good chance that
sometimes you will be disappointed. Take advantage of the Club's other resorts, experience a different culture or environment.
Members also should avoid using Hawaii for exchange purposes. The Reservations Department can give you a "RED" week in another RAVC resort, which would give you equal trading power.
If you cannot use your Hawaii reservation, call us immediately, so we can make it available
to other members.
MAY I DEDUCT MY ANNUAL DUES FOR TAX PURPOSES? HOW MUCH CAN I DEDUCT IF I DONATE A WEEK TO A CHARITY AUCTION?
These are tax questions best answered by your tax advisor. Everyone's tax situation is different,
and the Club cannot provide any tax advice.
Some members have suggested using the amount of annual dues as the value of a donated week. IRS regulations may require specific documentation for whatever values
are used, so please check with your tax advisor.
WHAT IS THE DURATION OF MY MEMBERSHIP?
Your Royal Aloha Vacation Club membership grants you a right to use the Club's units in perpetuity. This is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of Royal Aloha Vacation Club as compared to other right-to-use time share plans, which are usually good for a defined term and then the property reverts to the developers.