By now, you must have dozens of questions about your membership, RCI exchanges and the many features of your Vacation Club. If so, don't worry. Our unique program didn't evolve in one day, and there is a lot to know about this flexible system!

Unlike the traditional travel agent who simply provides vacations on an as-needed, year-to-year basis, we have made a commitment to our members for the life of their membership in the Lakeview Resort Vacation Club. As such, we are dedicated to ensuring that you know EVERYTHING possible about your resort, RCI and all of the processes that go into making our program a success. To help you get there, we have prepared the following list of the questions and answers most commonly asked of our member service reps. Please take a moment to read them - after all, they have been submitted by people just like you!

Of course, should you have any questions that are not addressed in the next few pages, please contact your member services department at 204.642.7915 or toll free at 1.866.298.3333. We are here to assist you in any way possible!

. What is involved in booking my accommodations at the resort?
. Using your Membership at the Lakeview Resort Vacation Club couldn't be easier. In fact, all you have to do is how up at The Lakeview Resort in Gimli on the check-in day for the week you've purchased! When you arrive, you will find that everything is ready and waiting for you; your vacation home has been completely cleaned and prepared for your arrival, and all of the linens, tableware and other conveniences are in place. Within a few minutes, you'll be on your way to enjoying another great vacation!

. How do I know my reservation is confirmed?
. The Club always assumes that you will be staying at your "home" resort (The Lakeview Resort in Gimli) during your allotted interval each year, and therefore automatically issues you a written confirmation of your reservation immediately upon receipt of your annual dues payment. Once you have received your confirmation, you are then free to occupy the unit as scheduled, rent it out, give it to others as a gift or bank the reserved week with RCI. It is entirely up to you what you do with the confirmed booking!

. Can I cancel a confirmed reservation?
. Unfortunately, no. However, if you are unable to use your week, rent it out to others or give it to someone as a gift, you may always bank your week with RCI or contact the Club to explore any other options that may be available to you. Certain deadlines are involved, so be sure to call RCI or the Club early!

. Why do we have to pay Annual Dues?
. Annual dues are the sole source of revenue to maintain the Club's reservation system, personnel, resort staff and communications. All refurbishments, renovations, local taxes and maintenance agreements are based upon everyone paying their annual dues! Just as if you lived in a residential condominium complex, the costs of maintaining your resort property and the Club's infrastructure are proportionally distributed throughout the membership as a whole. The Club's receipt and management of the members' annual dues is your guarantee that your property and its amenities will be maintained at the highest standards for generations to follow.

. Do I owe Annual Dues if I don't take a vacation that year?
. Yes. Again, think of your vacation condominium in the same terms as a residential condominium. Would the condo board allow you to withhold your condo fees if you were out of town for an entire month? Very simply, the Club relies on every member paying their proportionate share of the operational costs, regardless of whether or not the unit is occupied, because the annual budgets are predicated on it. If you cannot take a vacation in a particular year, call Member Services - they will be please to explain all of your options to you in detail!

. When do I pay my Annual Dues?
. Generally, dues notices go out in the last quarter of the year. However, to access a Club week for any purpose (including RCI banking), your dues must be paid prior to its release. This ensures fairness to all members who are current in their obligations to the Club.

. If I want to bank my week with RCI, who do I call?
. Call your member services representative at the Club who will bank your week for exchange. You will receive confirmation of your deposit directly from RCI. Then you can call RCI to request any destination in their network.

. Am I guaranteed that RCI will find an exchange for me?
. In order to answer this properly, you need to first appreciate that the RCI Directory is not a "catalogue"; in it is merely a directory of all of the participating resorts within its system. (RCI does not own any of the resorts; they merely serve as a matchmaker or intermediary between individual vacations owners.)

Each of the resorts listed in the directory is home to several vacations owners (just like you) who may or may not elect to bank their weeks with RCI. In fact, these vacation owners have exactly the same options as you do - they can use their interval, rent it, give it away, or bank it with RCI. Your chance of a successful exchange into any specific property is directly related to the number of weeks (if any) that have been deposited with RCI by the vacation owners at that particular resort.

For example, let's say you wanted to visit a particular resort in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. In order to have a chance at such an exchange, one or more of the owners of that week at the New Orleans resort must have previously deposited their week with RCI. However, give the popularity of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and the opportunity for the vacation owner to rent their interval to others for a profit, you chances of a successful exchange are limited. There simply are not a lot of people willing to bank weeks such as these.

That said, Mardi Gras and other special events (Super Bowl, World Cup races, etc.) are the exception, rather than the rule. RCI successfully matches requests with deposits over 90% of the time, and if you are willing to broaden you scope a little, you will achieve much greater results.

. How do I increase my chances of a successful RCI request?
. To achieve the best results, we recommend the "three and one" rule. All you have to do is provide RCI with at least three destinations or regions for a specific week, or provide them with one specific region and at least three alternate dates. For example, if you are seeking a beach vacation for week 22, you might want to request Florida, The Caribbean or Mexico. If you are particular about visiting a specific destination (such as Cancun or Orlando), we suggest you give them at least three different dates. If you do this, RCI is almost always successful in fulfilling your exchange request.

We also recommend that you bank your week as early as possible with RCI. The longer they have to match someone with your deposited week, the better the "trading power" you have with RCI!

Whatever you do, stay away from requesting a limited number of specific resort properties. The best path to success is to request as many resorts as possible in an area or region. If you don't' like the property RCI offers you, you can always decline it and re-submit another search or re-enter a search for other resorts on your list!