Since we bought in 1994, my husband has been the Finance Chairman on the PSOE board. When he took on that responsibility, I felt I could learn the exchange booking system and put my efforts into doing so. We converted to Points as soon as they were introduced, and found some great bargains when trading points for weeks.

On Dec. 31, 2007, at 5:00 am, I called RCI with a last minute booking request for our winter vacation. In a total of 32 minutes we had 3 consecutive weeks in Gold Crown Resorts, each week running from Friday to Friday.

The first week is in Cathedral City (Palm Springs) in the Lawrence Welk Desert Oasis; the second week is in Escondido (40 miles northeast of SanDiego) in the Villas on the Green at Welk; the third week is in Las Vegas in The Cliffs at Peace Canyon.

These are all highly rated resorts and our total Point cost for all 3 was 24,000 points.

To assist owners in bookings, there are ways of increasing your chances of getting the resorts you want in the areas you want:

• All inventory which has been on 24 hour hold, and is not confirmed, is returned to the active market at 8 am EST, Therefore, you increase your odds of bookings if you call at 5 am.

• First and foremost, DO YOUR HOMEWORK - spend a couple of evenings going through the catalogues and choosing resorts you prefer.

• List those resorts on a sheet of paper by number and name.

• When you phone RCI have your ID # ready, answer the required questions politely, and give the list of resorts and approximate time frame. This will put the RCI agent on your side because you have just made his/her job easier.

• Have the catalogue handy in case they suggest a resort you don’t have listed; they will even give you the page number in the book.

• Last, if you want bargain points, you must book within 45 days in weeks resorts so use your weeks catalogue, not points catalogue. Many resorts are both weeks and points and you can specify which you prefer.

I found that the RCI agents were extremely helpful with any questions. It is in their best interest for you to have a pleasant vacation experience.

Good Luck and have fun - I know we will.

- Gayle MacLean