# Are you changing your travel plans long-term because of COVID-19?



## jmhpsu93 (Apr 3, 2020)

With all of the uncertainty, just wondering what everyone is thinking regarding long-term planning for travel (say, past 3-4 months from now) based on the crisis.  Are you holding off on booking, or just making the assumption we'll have this thing figured out by then and making plans?

I just booked two weeks in Hawaii in January, all fully refundable at this point (no flights yet, and we'll take Southwest in all likelihood as that minimizes the cancellation risk).


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## Luanne (Apr 3, 2020)

It's too early to say. For this year we are planning no additional trips to the one we still have planned for October.

For next year we plan to go back to Maui for what has become our annual trip.  And dd and I still plan to do the river cruise in May 2021 that we have planned.  Of course all of that could go out the window.


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## gln60 (Apr 3, 2020)

Had to cancel Aruba Surf Club for this week...and a cancelled Custom House Boston trip for the first week of May...we have a trip planned for Ocean City MD in mid July(driving)....and a November week reservation at Oceana Palms(flying)..hopefully things work out


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## rthib (Apr 3, 2020)

Just got my resales points added for executive and book Hawaii for Feb 2020. Put in reminder for 61 days, but with the flexibility no reason not to book now since can always rebook if needed.  Air travel is usually what I will wait on but again because everything is flexible no reason to wait.  Still have my December II trade too.


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## controller1 (Apr 3, 2020)

Right now no changes to our plans long-term. With that said we really don't know what is going to be available to us long-term. There will be businesses, including hotels, which may not make it through this crisis.


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## pedro47 (Apr 3, 2020)

YES! We are canceling our trip to Hawaii for my Grandaughter college graduation in June and July. This was going to be my first trip to Hawaii. 
Maybe,  later in the year.


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## TravelTime (Apr 3, 2020)

I am canceling all trips for 2020 and not planning anything new until this coronavirus crisis is over. It is not because I am worried about traveling with the virus or my health. It is because I am not comfortable traveling when the entire world is in panic mode. Also I am concerned about our finances as well as whether the support infrastructure to travel, like flights and resorts, will be fully functioning. I would hate to make more travel plans, thinking it is safe to travel, and lose more money or get stuck somewhere because the virus rears its ugly head again. Right now, I have lost trust in making any future plans for travel, for business or for my life in general. I am just living day by day now.


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## Lydlady (Apr 3, 2020)

I had to cancel two weeks for this month. Now I have airline credit from two airlines. We will use those for our annual trip to Connecticut and Maine in October...hopefully...to visit family and friends. Still hoping to do a road trip around July or August. Will plan Hilton Head for next year since we missed out this month.


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## burg1121 (Apr 3, 2020)

hope to go to Hilton Head end of September


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## mjm1 (Apr 3, 2020)

We have cancelled four trips each of which required flights. We hope to complete a trip in August that we can drive to as well as one in late December. Right now we are just waiting to see how things develop.

Best regards.

Mike


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## ilene13 (Apr 3, 2020)

We canceled a trip to Mexico for next week and rebooked it for November.  We also canceled a 3 week trip to China for September.  We got back our 30,000 destination points, now we need to think about how to use them!


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## Ken555 (Apr 3, 2020)

I was supposed to be in Australia this week... long term, I have already canceled a visit to Palm Springs in July. I am waiting to cancel a September cruise Vancouver-Tokyo-Singapore and the subsequent stay in Singapore and Taipei, though I am fairly sure it will get canceled. Similarly, I have a trip to Europe planned in November and a cruise from Spain to Florida which I also suspect will be canceled. 

At this point I don’t even know if I will be comfortable traveling on a ship, or even abroad, next year. I have two cruises booked for 2021 which I may cancel. I may wait until we have a vaccine and our herd immunity is pervasive before traveling far. Why risk it?


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## VacationForever (Apr 3, 2020)

Towards the end of last year we realized that we really had no desire to cruise or fly again.  We had committed to 2 cruises, Sydney-Hawaii, Hawaii-Vancouver plus a stay at Ko Olina.  When we got word of COVID-19 in Asia, that made up our mind to cancel out all non-driving trips.  I will still fly to see my family but for vacation, we will stick to drivable locations.


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## geist1223 (Apr 4, 2020)

We have 3 weeks Booked on Kaua'i for September and 3 weeks in Cabo for February.


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## PcflEZFlng (Apr 4, 2020)

Definitely not going anywhere the rest of this year. We still have a Mediterranean cruise booked for summer of 2021, but barring a miracle, I'm highly doubtful it's going to happen, either because we cancel or they cancel.

My travel dreams during retirement are on ice right now, and I'm at peace with that. Satisfying my wanderlust is a want, not a need.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 4, 2020)

If the virus turns out to be somewhat seasonal (unknown) and things get a lot better in summer, we'd likely make a few trips, maybe Branson (holding account points), maybe Williamsburg. Branson we'd do if semi safe. Williamsburg would have to be safer due to flying and airports. Otherwise, likely no trips. Still planning on Palm Desert next Feb or so. Was going to Kenya this December, thinking it's not likely but have not given up just yet, could be a medical breakthrough you never know. But way less trips than last year, going to bank most everything for next year.


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## enma (Apr 4, 2020)

I had to cancel my trip to Brazil that was in 1 week. Also a trip to Finland and Spain in May. I still have reservations for Aruba in June. Struggling to decide if I should cancel it now or wait until the last minute. So hoping to go, our annual trip. Still hoping to go somewhere in the USA in July or August but nothing planned for sure. Planning to travel in 2021 like we always have.


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## Steve A (Apr 4, 2020)

Cancelled NYC Pulse for May rebooked for November. Cancelled Aruba Ocean Club for June and deposited in II. Still have Breckinridge for July.


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## dms1709 (Apr 4, 2020)

Had to cancel a trip to Grand Cayman for May, still have Aruba in June, but pretty sure I will cancel that.  I think for at least the next 6 months we will only drive, not feeling too good about flying in the immediate future.


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## Lydlady (Apr 4, 2020)

Steve A said:


> Cancelled NYC Pulse for May rebooked for November. Cancelled Aruba Ocean Club for June and deposited in II. Still have Breckinridge for July.


We are also thinking Breckenridge or somewhere around there for July (road trip) to make up for one of our two canceled weeks.


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## jmhpsu93 (Apr 4, 2020)

Thanks for all of the responses.  The tough thing for me is that I am a long-term planner (which is a good trait when being a timeshare owner/user), but SO much uncertainty going forward.  Trying to stay optimistic while keeping flexibility seems to be the strategy for the forseeable future.  I guess we could drive to Florida, but that's a lloooooonnnnggg drive to Cancun.


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## NboroGirl (Apr 4, 2020)

I have 4 trips booked and hope/expect to do all of them:

end of June: a long weekend using points in Portsmouth, NH (driving, and easy to cancel the points reservation if needed)
October: Crystal Shores
January 2021: safairi in Tanzania (I don't want to go on this trip - DH booked it and I'm semi-hoping it gets canceled)
March 2021: Grand Vista


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## x3 skier (Apr 4, 2020)

Planning for London in Oct or Nov as usual. 

Cheers


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## IngridN (Apr 4, 2020)

We have an Alaskan cruise booked for Sept that will be cancelled unless a miracle happens. Am not getting on a floating petri dish until either a vaccine or meds are developed. That said, both DH and I are in the high risk group. I have asthma. If I were younger w/o underlying medical conditions, my answer would be different.

Ingrid


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## 1Kflyerguy (Apr 4, 2020)

We canceled our annual Hawaii trip in May, but still have a long weekend in San Diego booked for August.  We will just have to see how things are doing as we get closer to that.  I would like to rebook Hawaii for later this year,  but i am really not sure that will happen.

We had been planning trip to Italy for 2021,  but we are unsure about that as well..   That is partially over uncertainly over travel to Europe as well as the fact we will now have a bumper crop of  HGV and MVC points to use in 2021.


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## clifffaith (Apr 4, 2020)

Although we are rearranging our early May Sedona/Santa Fe/Scottsdale trip to Sept/early Oct, I am not sure we want to be traveling out of state with a possible fall resurgence of the virus. I always have difficulties breathing in Santa Fe anyway (fine during the day, can't breathe or sleep at night), so may be best to skip the annual trip this year. Still hoping to spend a week at Carlsbad Beach Resort at the end of October.


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## normab (Apr 4, 2020)

We had to cancel St Thomas for end of April, but we then booked for Oceana Palms in June since it’s drivable for us. We were fortunate that half of our air tickets were reward tix which were refunded with the fees.  Then due to a major schedule change,  our paid tix were refunded too, so that was not so painful.   We are optimists, but realize a June week may have to be cancelled and used later.  It’s great that Marriott has extended the usage period. 

We also decided to book St Kitts for September and take a chance on the weather and the virus being a non-issue by then.  Used miles again for the air tix just in case....

We also have a cruise this summer that hasn’t been cancelled yet, but it’s paid for so we are waiting for them to cancel.  We believe there’s a good chance there will be no cruising for quite a while, not just because ships are a hotbed of germs, but because ports will be closed.


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## JIMinNC (Apr 4, 2020)

We've sadly canceled our much-anticipated Alaska cruise planned for June. Don't think our planned trip to Italy in September will be viable either, but since we have time, I'm waiting to see what American Airlines does with our flights before cancelling everything. They just announced that both our flight into Venice and our flight home from Rome will not be restarted until 2021 at the earliest, and they will offer no AA service to Venice at all in 2020. I am hopeful that will be officially reflected as a cancellation in their system or a significant enough itinerary change that we can get a refund instead of a credit.

Still have Crystal Shores/Marco Island scheduled for November, so will have to see how that plays out. Planning four weeks in Hawaii for January/February 2021 using our ownership, but I suspect we'll still be dealing with this virus at some level even then, so we'll have to see what the world looks like later this year. Not booking flights until we see what the future holds. Also, not booking any other new travel until we see what the world health and economy looks like. We do have an advance deposit down on a Greek Isles cruise for September 2021, but have over a year until that has to be either paid or cancelled.

We bought a 2BR villa in Palmetto Dune on Hilton Head last fall and have spent the last four months renovating it totally. Contractor is putting the finishing touches on it next week and our main furniture items have already been delivered. Not sure when we'll be able to go there to use it though.


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## Ken555 (Apr 4, 2020)

JIMinNC said:


> We've sadly canceled our much-anticipated Alaska cruise planned for June. Don't think our planned trip to Italy in September will be viable either, but since we have time, I'm waiting to see what American Airlines does with our flights before cancelling everything. They just announced that both our flight into Venice and our flight home from Rome will not be restarted until 2021 at the earliest, and they will offer no AA service to Venice at all in 2020. I am hopeful that will be officially reflected as a cancellation in their system or a significant enough itinerary change that we can get a refund instead of a credit.



If the flight is canceled you have a legal right to a refund. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.


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## JIMinNC (Apr 4, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> If the flight is canceled you have a legal right to a refund. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



Yeah, I realize that. Since it's months away and they have OneWorld codeshares with other airlines, they could possibly try to re-route us on alternate flights and still get us to Italy and back, in theory, but if those itinerary changes result in a time differential of 61 minutes or more (they likely would), we should still have the right to a refund. I think it's totally unlikely we would feel comfortable traveling to Italy in September, so for now, waiting on AA to make the next move.


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## SteelerGal (Apr 4, 2020)

Driving trips only.  
Staying in CA and Arz for the remainder of the year.


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## Ken555 (Apr 4, 2020)

For those still willing to travel by car, are you more concerned now than pre-C19 about the cleanliness of the hotel/resort? Are you considering cleaning it yourself upon arrival? What about the sheets and towels? Etc etc.


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## TravelTime (Apr 4, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> For those still willing to travel by car, are you more concerned now than pre-C19 about the cleanliness of the hotel/resort? Are you considering cleaning it yourself upon arrival? What about the sheets and towels? Etc etc.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I do not plan to travel until covid-19 is under control. However, when I finally do travel, I will not worry about the cleanliness of the hotel or clean it myself. Life is a risk.


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## californiagirl (Apr 4, 2020)

We cancelled a Viking Rhine river cruise in late August.  We had to pay in full last September.  (Viking’s policy requires final payment 30 days after booking.)  We requested and received all but $100 each which was transferred to a Future Cruise Credit to be used by 12/31/21.  It was a very expensive cruise and quite frankly I’m not sure Viking will be solvent by August if the virus is still impacting Europe.  We have our air booked and we will wait and see what happens.  Flying Delta, our outgoing flight has been cancelled through June 30.  I think it’s likely that Delta will extend the cancellation of this flight thereby allowing us to receive a full refund.

We feel very fortunate to have been able to spend two weeks on Kauai, returning March 8...just before the world turned upside down.  We have a 10 day Caribbean cruise booked for March 2021.  Final payment is not due until Dec.  Hopefully there will be clarity regarding travel by then.  Again wondering if Princess will still be in business next March.  

As far as other travel I would be very happy just to be able to see our grandchildren in person again!  We were supposed to go to Arizona to see them two weeks ago.  (Road trip)  We cancelled because we didn’t want to risk getting the virus ourselves or unknowingly spreading it to them.


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## VacationForever (Apr 5, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> For those still willing to travel by car, are you more concerned now than pre-C19 about the cleanliness of the hotel/resort? Are you considering cleaning it yourself upon arrival? What about the sheets and towels? Etc etc.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Good question.  In the past we always used hydrogen peroxide wipe on all counters, tables, handles, switches, bathroom area when we first check in, whether it is at a hotel, resort or cruise cabin.  We use hydrogen peroxide because that is the only thing that kills norovirus.  I have not thought about bedsheets and towels. 

We have 2 driving trips coming up but we won't go if COVID-19 is not resolved in one way or the other, whether an effective treatment or vaccine.  We expect to lose a bunch of banked Star Options this year and several 5-night Marriott hotel certificates by next January.  We are fortunate to have deposited a few weeks into II.  We are also sitting on a huge number of Marriott Destination Club points which will expire in June 2021.  Health is more important than losing sunk cost of paid vacation.


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## JIMinNC (Apr 5, 2020)

californiagirl said:


> We cancelled a Viking Rhine river cruise in late August.  We had to pay in full last September.  (Viking’s policy requires final payment 30 days after booking.)  We requested and received all but $100 each which was transferred to a Future Cruise Credit to be used by 12/31/21.  It was a very expensive cruise and quite frankly I’m not sure Viking will be solvent by August if the virus is still impacting Europe.



We had a similar decision on our cancelled June Alaska cruise on Regent Seven Seas. We had to make full payment in February before the true severity of this in the US was known. We could have cancelled proactively under their special Cov19 program and received a 100% future cruise credit, or waited until Regent cancelled their June cruises (which they haven't done yet) and requested a full cash refund, but their current policy for the bulk cancellations is they don't have to pay you for up to 90 days under that option. They are part of NCL, which is the highest leveraged of all cruise lines, so if they waited until May to cancel the June cruises, then we might not get the refund until August. NCL might be in bankruptcy by then. We were still outside of 90 days from cruise date, so we could cancel under the original terms and conditions, accepting a 15% penalty (it rose to a 50% penalty three days later), so that's what we did, and we had our refund in 4 days. We decided getting 85% of our money back almost immediately was preferable to the uncertainty of waiting 90 days or more to get that extra 15%.


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## dioxide45 (Apr 5, 2020)

JIMinNC said:


> We had a similar decision on our cancelled June Alaska cruise on Regent Seven Seas. We had to make full payment in February before the true severity of this in the US was known. We could have cancelled proactively under their special Cov19 program and received a 100% future cruise credit, or waited until Regent cancelled their June cruises (which they haven't done yet) and requested a full cash refund, but their current policy for the bulk cancellations is they don't have to pay you for up to 90 days under that option. They are part of NCL, which is the highest leveraged of all cruise lines, so if they waited until May to cancel the June cruises, then we might not get the refund until August. NCL might be in bankruptcy by then. We were still outside of 90 days from cruise date, so we could cancel under the original terms and conditions, accepting a 15% penalty (it rose to a 50% penalty three days later), so that's what we did, and we had our refund in 4 days. We decided getting 85% of our money back almost immediately was preferable to the uncertainty of waiting 90 days or more to get that extra 15%.


Certainly appreciate that decision. Sometimes taking the loss is worse than potential additional losses down the road. Carnival recently went out and got over six billion in additional financing at 12%. They seem pretty heavily in debt now, but they have to somehow pay the bills. Estimates are that they burin about a billion a month, though their expenses will go down while they are shut down. I know several people that went out and brought up cruise stock since many of the lines offer perks for shareholders. We were tempted but I don't think we will take the gamble. The few hundred we would save after several cruises probably isn't worth the risk.

We have a cruise coming up in August on NCL. Final payment is at the end of this month. We won't be paying it and will cancel and get our deposit back. They are really just Cruise Next deposit certificates which won't expire for several years. Who knows, those may also be worthless when all is said and done. Of course, we have $1,400 in airfare tied up to get to that August NCL cruise. Here is hoping the airline cancels the flight, it is to the UK.


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## btoby61 (Apr 5, 2020)

Steve Fatula said:


> If the virus turns out to be somewhat seasonal (unknown) and things get a lot better in summer, we'd likely make a few trips, maybe Branson (holding account points), maybe Williamsburg. Branson we'd do if semi safe. Williamsburg would have to be safer due to flying and airports. Otherwise, likely no trips. Still planning on Palm Desert next Feb or so. Was going to Kenya this December, thinking it's not likely but have not given up just yet, could be a medical breakthrough you never know. But way less trips than last year, going to bank most everything for next year.


Hate to be Debbie Downer,  but countries with warmer climates are not seeing drop off in infection rates..


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## normab (Apr 5, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> For those still willing to travel by car, are you more concerned now than pre-C19 about the cleanliness of the hotel/resort? Are you considering cleaning it yourself upon arrival? What about the sheets and towels? Etc etc.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I will take along some Lysol spray and clean all the hard surfaces and wash my hands a lot.  DH has had the virus for 10 days now and is on the mend.  I am not showing signs of it, so I’m hoping the quarantine and hand washing and wiping down things is working.    If I were to get it while at a timeshare, we would come back home because it’s no fun to be sick away from the comforts of home.

Life has to restart at some point.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 5, 2020)

btoby61 said:


> Hate to be Debbie Downer,  but countries with warmer climates are not seeing drop off in infection rates..



Scientists are still unsure, so, I'll go with that. I didn't say it would kill it all. 

https://www.biospace.com/article/coronavirus-covid-19-could-be-seasonal/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weat...ean-it-will-go-away-this-summer-experts-warn/


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## JanT (Apr 5, 2020)

Right now we have a trip planned for Ko'Olina in October because we want to see a sweet missionary we served with in Fiji before he returns there from his schooling.  Not sure that is going to happen.  I've traded and re-traded that same week via E-trade and regular trade several times (long story) through II and can't use it past 2/21 so I'm going to have to do something with it.  In the end, we may just have to let it go.


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## controller1 (Apr 5, 2020)

normab said:


> . . .
> If I were to get it while at a timeshare, we would come back home because it’s no fun to be sick away from the comforts of home.
> 
> Life has to restart at some point.



Hopefully you would be within driving distance of home. Coming back home via air while with the virus would be irresponsible.


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## normab (Apr 5, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Hopefully you would be within driving distance of home. Coming back home via air while with the virus would be irresponsible.


You are quite right.  I would only do it for a driving vacation.


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## csodjd (Apr 5, 2020)

californiagirl said:


> We cancelled a Viking Rhine river cruise in late August. We had to pay in full last September. (Viking’s policy requires final payment 30 days after booking.) We requested and received all but $100 each which was transferred to a Future Cruise Credit to be used by 12/31/21. It was a very expensive cruise and quite frankly I’m not sure Viking will be solvent by August if the virus is still impacting Europe. We have our air booked and we will wait and see what happens. Flying Delta, our outgoing flight has been cancelled through June 30. I think it’s likely that Delta will extend the cancellation of this flight thereby allowing us to receive a full refund.


We're scheduled for Viking Danube river cruise in late September. Yes, fully paid for, about $16k for a suite, including full insurance from Viking. We're still planning to go. Watched a message from the CEO of Viking the other day. He said they are entirely privately owned, had a great 2019, and intend to keep their full payroll while this plays out.

Just booked Hawaii for early November. Daughter was scheduled to get married in Hana over Memorial Weekend. Moved now to Nov. 7. So we used HGVC points and booked Hilton Hawaiian Village for a week before going over to Hana. 

Still booked to play the British Senior Amateur golf tournament in Southeast England (Dover) at the end of July. Was planning to go a week early and visit some castles in Southern England. That's up in the air. Not sure the event will happen. Scheduled to fly Air Tahiti from LAX to Paris booked through American using miles. Who knows if that'll be viable. 

And just scheduled two weeks in Hawaii for March/April 2021. If we're still dealing with COVID in a year we have a lot bigger problems to deal with than canceling vacations.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 5, 2020)

We'll hopefully do a driving trip to Branson in late July / early August, Missouri is going to peak late. Assuming the models are close to correct, should be better than now. Don't mind driving too much, pretty low risk. 

http://covid19.healthdata.org/


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## deniseh (Apr 5, 2020)

We hope to make a reservation and travel as soon as possible. We had to cancel a planned trip to California for the end of March to see our son.  We were also using points at Shadow Ridge and a 5 night certificate.  We are really disappointed to miss it and every day wish we could be there, in better circumstances, of course.  My job has put in a 14 day quarantine on return if I travel on a commercial airline so once that is lifted we hope to travel again.  I am grateful that we are both able to work so we don't have to worry about finances but we were so looking forward to this trip.


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## WinniWoman (Apr 5, 2020)

We always use our fixed at floater weeks at our timeshares. They are in July/August/September.

Ironically this is the first year we did not take out travel insurance to cover the maintenance fees in case of cancellation, which I usually do in December. But I was involved with moving and had a lot of expenses and figured I’d save some money as we have never had to cancel in 20 years of ownership.

Not sure it would have covered a pandemic or the resort closing as a covered reason.

Meanwhile this was/is hopefully the last year of our Smuggs ownership as we applied for the Farewell Program and we cannot even deposit the weeks for a later exchange due to a requirement of the program. Not sure what will happen with that program now either. 

So hoping we will be able to use them this year.

Other than that I am making no plans for the future as we don’t know what will be in life now.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 5, 2020)

The Travelex would not have covered you unless you or someone in your party couldn't travel due to virus basically, i.e. you got it. If it was that insurance, you saved money AND aggravation. You were watching the videoconference today!

Not really sure about closures, I think it covers natural disaster closures.


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## silentg (Apr 5, 2020)

Luanne said:


> It's too early to say. For this year we are planning no additional trips to the one we still have planned for October.
> 
> For next year we plan to go back to Maui for what has become our annual trip.  And dd and I still plan to do the river cruise in May 2021 that we have planned.  Of course all of that could go out the window.


We canceled Arizona trip for April. Waiting til July to see if we need to cancel Rhine River Cruise late October.Really hope we can go.
Silentg


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## travelinmom (Apr 5, 2020)

Just booked Marco Island for January. I buy the insurance every year so if we still can’t travel by then my maintenance fees should be covered but if we can go... we’ve got it! Still holding out that our Disney trip in June will be a go... 


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## Conan (Apr 5, 2020)

So far we’ve canceled a Florida trip and Washington DC and NYC weeks. By year end we’ll also have canceled Iceland, England, Malta, St. John, another Florida, another NYC, Boston, and a Berkshire/Tanglewood music week. 2021 cancellations will likely include Galápagos Islands, Ibiza, another England, Cape Cod, Guadalupe, and Italy. The price of  timeshare training to commit two years ahead!

Absent an effective vaccine or other immunity I can’t imagine traveling like we used to, or for that matter sitting in a movie or Broadway theater, the Met Opera house, MOMA or the Met Museum, Washington’s Smithsonian, etc. etc. etc.


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## 10spro (Apr 6, 2020)

I held out as long as I could but just cancelled Aruba in June. It's too soon and especially for International travel. Hoping to vacation locally late Summer into Fall but probably will not attempt air travel this year...and I just got my Global Entry.


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## Steve Fatula (Apr 6, 2020)

Conan said:


> So far we’ve canceled a Florida trip and Washington DC and NYC weeks. By year end we’ll also have canceled Iceland, England, Malta, St. John, another Florida, another NYC, Boston, and a Berkshire/Tanglewood music week. 2021 cancellations will likely include Galápagos Islands, Ibiza, another England, Cape Cod, Guadalupe, and Italy. The price of  timeshare training to commit two years ahead!
> 
> Absent an effective vaccine or other immunity I can’t imagine traveling like we used to, or for that matter sitting in a movie or Broadway theater, the Met Opera house, MOMA or the Met Museum, Washington’s Smithsonian, etc. etc. etc.



Those are some *really* nice trips. I am a little more optimistic on potential treatment, which seems more likely than a "quick" vaccine (not really been any of those). We'll see, but there is >0 hope. I am going to have travel withdrawal, a new disease otherwise.


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## hangloose (Apr 6, 2020)

Tactically in 2020, I am still hopeful of being able to get late summer and late fall vacation

Strategically in 2021 and beyond, I am not planning to change our vacation posture.  We still plan to travel, see the world and vacation like we did in past.

My three MVC nuggets from this COVID-19 situation.

DC Pts weather the storm better than Legacy Weeks.   The maintenance fee loss on Legacy Weeks in return for a restricted II certificate is a hard pill to swallow.   
For my Enrolled weeks, I will think harder in future on whether I want to select DC Pts, even with the slight skim.  It may be worth it.  My hope for my non-Enrolled weeks...is that MVC allows enrollment near term at a reasonable cost.  
Hotel accommodations are easier to cancel with full refund.   Non timeshare owners win out.   (I will still not give up my timeshares)


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## Steve A (Apr 7, 2020)

I was looking on II today and I saw I could retrade my 7/5 Breckenridge for a 8/23 Breckenridge. I thought about it but decided not to because it was too close to hurricane season here on HHI. A week earlier maybe.


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## jmhpsu93 (Apr 8, 2020)

We moved our June trip to Orlando to late July, used an e-plus retrade and wound up with cheaper flights so got money and points back from Southwest.  We still have a 4-night trip to Cancun planned late June at our Mexico timeshare...a little more difficult to change (not impossible, just not more or less instant like MVC or II).  I still have week in Orlando that is in II in June that I'd have to pay to retrade, so going to wait on that one and see how things play out.  No losses yet, except a lot of time but we have that in spades right now anyway.

Hoping that is the last change for this year...we haven't gone anywhere since August but I'm thinking our plight isn't exactly the end of the world.


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## l0410z (Apr 8, 2020)

I have 3 weeks in HHI planed every other week starting the third week in July.  I am keeping them because it creates a light at the end of  tunnel for me.   I am willing to go within the 60 day window if it still isn't definitive when I reach it.  It is the price I will pay to keep the light on.  I am not sure of the longer term impact of traveling outside the US.  It is way too early to think about it when there are still way too many unknowns.


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## nanceetom (Apr 8, 2020)

Cancelled our St. Kitts trip in April; we are debating about Hilton Head early September.  We are at the 98% thought to cancel our River cruise for 15 days to Normany and Paris in mid October.  We really can't things getting back to normal by then, and will the village fold really want 200 people docking into their towns.?


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## dgf15215 (Apr 8, 2020)

We returned from the MVC in Miami the first week of March, shortly after all hell broke loose in FL. A scheduled trip to NYC with a handful of theater tickets later in March didn't happen. Our time in Hilton Head which was scheduled for the last two weeks of April is gone. Our trip to Croatia ending in Venice (easiest flight home) is gone. Our summer weeks at Chautauqua Institution (an arts and cultural oasis) is likely gone, our annual trek to Shepherdstown, WV for their summer theater festival is canceled. The best we can hope for is that by the Fall things will stabilize and that nothing happens that destabilizes either of us <g>.


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## dgf15215 (Apr 8, 2020)

nanceetom said:


> Cancelled our St. Kitts trip in April; we are debating about Hilton Head early September.  We are at the 98% thought to cancel our River cruise for 15 days to Normany and Paris in mid October.  We really can't things getting back to normal by then, and will the village fold really want 200 people docking into their towns.?



Having been on that cruise or at least one just like it, I would think that your exposure to lots of people and lots of places would be a risk I wouldn't take. I can't imagine how any level of social distancing can take place, you're all pretty much jammed together. Too bad, it's a nice trip.


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## Steve A (Apr 8, 2020)

Dgf

When we lived in DC and NOVA we went to the Shepherdstown festival several times. Always enjoyed it. Sorry your trip there is cancelled.


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## mas (Apr 9, 2020)

I have 3 international trips scheduled in the next 12 months--not timeshare related but with a group travel (OAT).  The first one is Nepal-Bhutan scheduled to leave in Oct. I'm figuring right now that I have a 50/50 chance of that happening. We were very lucky that all of our winter travel was concluded on March 2nd.  I'm not scheduling anything new (with 3 international trips, it's not like I could fit in anything else!) and just watching and waiting to see what develops.


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## sportsfan1 (Apr 9, 2020)

I have a week in HHI scheduled for 6/28-7/5.  I'd really like to keep it because as of now, there is no other summer availability.  It's either stick with it or deposit into HHI within the next week or so....ugh, decisions.


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## Lydlady (Apr 9, 2020)

We were supposed to go to HHI for the first time this month. I will just plan for next year.


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## csalter2 (Apr 9, 2020)

I ended up canceling my Grand Ocean and Baroney Beach time in June. I have a week at Oceanwatch in June that I will probably end up canceling right before the 60 day deadline. I was really looking forward to that time there. Oh well.


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## dgf15215 (Apr 9, 2020)

Steve A said:


> Dgf
> 
> When we lived in DC and NOVA we went to the Shepherdstown festival several times. Always enjoyed it. Sorry your trip there is cancelled.




Thanks, Steve. It's a terrific theater series and we will miss it but then again, we're missing a lot of things! It sure can get hot down there in late July, that's for sure.


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## nanceetom (Apr 14, 2020)

californiagirl said:


> We cancelled a Viking Rhine river cruise in late August.  We had to pay in full last September.  (Viking’s policy requires final payment 30 days after booking.)  We requested and received all but $100 each which was transferred to a Future Cruise Credit to be used by 12/31/21.  It was a very expensive cruise and quite frankly I’m not sure Viking will be solvent by August if the virus is still impacting Europe.  We have our air booked and we will wait and see what happens.  Flying Delta, our outgoing flight has been cancelled through June 30.  I think it’s likely that Delta will extend the cancellation of this flight thereby allowing us to receive a full refund.
> 
> We feel very fortunate to have been able to spend two weeks on Kauai, returning March 8...just before the world turned upside down.  We have a 10 day Caribbean cruise booked for March 2021.  Final payment is not due until Dec.  Hopefully there will be clarity regarding travel by then.  Again wondering if Princess will still be in business next March.
> 
> As far as other travel I would be very happy just to be able to see our grandchildren in person again!  We were supposed to go to Arizona to see them two weeks ago.  (Road trip)  We cancelled because we didn’t want to risk getting the virus ourselves or unknowingly spreading it to them.


We just cancelled a Viking trip in early October.  We went through a Travel agent, and they already took their $100 fee.  We have not heard anything from Viking; we are assuming the Travel Agent did everything correct.  I have read an e-mail should be sent to Viking, but we were told in the beginning, that all needs to go through TA.  At this point, have not hear a beep from Viking!  Question, did you use the Viking Air component?  We did and actually had seats picked out.  Now, we are wonderding, if Viking does the whole refund, or do we need to contact airline directly.


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## csodjd (Apr 14, 2020)

nanceetom said:


> We just cancelled a Viking trip in early October.  We went through a Travel agent, and they already took their $100 fee.  We have not heard anything from Viking; we are assuming the Travel Agent did everything correct.  I have read an e-mail should be sent to Viking, but we were told in the beginning, that all needs to go through TA.  At this point, have not hear a beep from Viking!  Question, did you use the Viking Air component?  We did and actually had seats picked out.  Now, we are wonderding, if Viking does the whole refund, or do we need to contact airline directly.


We remain scheduled for a Viking Danube cruise in later September. We did our own air using miles. I remain cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to go. I'm less worried about the cruise than the air though. LAX to Paris, then to Budapest. Governments and airlines need to find ways to ensure safety on airlines.


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## Steve A (Apr 14, 2020)

Retraded my Breckenridge 7/5 for an 8/16 week. As noted in my comment above, later than that has me worried about hurricanes here on HHI.


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## nanceetom (Apr 15, 2020)

californiagirl said:


> We cancelled a Viking Rhine river cruise in late August.  We had to pay in full last September.  (Viking’s policy requires final payment 30 days after booking.)  We requested and received all but $100 each which was transferred to a Future Cruise Credit to be used by 12/31/21.  It was a very expensive cruise and quite frankly I’m not sure Viking will be solvent by August if the virus is still impacting Europe.  We have our air booked and we will wait and see what happens.  Flying Delta, our outgoing flight has been cancelled through June 30.  I think it’s likely that Delta will extend the cancellation of this flight thereby allowing us to receive a full refund.
> 
> We feel very fortunate to have been able to spend two weeks on Kauai, returning March 8...just before the world turned upside down.  We have a 10 day Caribbean cruise booked for March 2021.  Final payment is not due until Dec.  Hopefully there will be clarity regarding travel by then.  Again wondering if Princess will still be in business next March.
> 
> As far as other travel I would be very happy just to be able to see our grandchildren in person again!  We were supposed to go to Arizona to see them two weeks ago.  (Road trip)  We cancelled because we didn’t want to risk getting the virus ourselves or unknowingly spreading it to them.


California Girl, How long did you wait before you got your refund for the Viking Rhine cruise?


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## californiagirl (Apr 16, 2020)

Nanceetom it was about a week for the refund to show up on our credit card.  We booked directly with Viking, did not use a travel agent.  We booked our air independently on Delta.  Waiting for Delta to cancel our flight.  That will probably happen closer to the date of travel.  I would be ok with travel credit from Delta if we could use it until December of 2021 otherwise we will push for a refund.

I agree with the above poster that most of the small European towns will not want masses of river cruise passengers disembarking in their towns for quite a while.  I’m not sure I feel comfortable getting on a cruise ship of any size until the virus has waned.  

As I look at the dismal economic news my heart goes out to the small business owners and workers who have been furloughed or laid off.  My inconvenience of missing a vacation is insignificant in comparison.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this thought.


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## californiagirl (Jul 2, 2020)

Although it’s not timeshare related I need to vent to my tug friends since I’m not on flyertalk.  I mentioned in an earlier post that we cancelled a Rhine River Cruise leaving in August.  We did not cancel our air because at the time we would only be entitled to a credit not a refund.  We were flying business class so it was a significant amount of money.  The more we thought about it we decided we wanted a refund rather than a credit.  We assumed our flight would be cancelled and decided to wait it out.  Last week I received an email from KLM (a Delta codeshare flight) that our flight was cancelled.  We booked through Expedia (big mistake).  I had to do a google search just to find a phone number to call.  I called and chose the call back option since the wait was 1 1/2 hours.  I received a call back after 2 hours.  The woman asked for my number in the event we got disconnected, which I provided.  I was on the phone with her for nearly an hour when i was disconnected during one of many “holds”.  She did not call back.  I was SO frustrated!

I didn’t have a block of time to call again until today.  Same scenario about requesting a call back.  The return call again came after 2 hours.  I explained the situation and was told I was only entitled to a credit.  I insisted I should receive a refund.  She passed me off to a supervisor.  He said the same thing but said he would contact Expedia’s policy department.  After at least 30 minutes (he came back on the line every 10 minutes to make sure I was still there).  He said the same thing, only a credit.  Again I insisted I should receive a refund.  So he said he would call Delta.  He put me on another long hold during which I went to the US Department of Transportation website and found the section where it states if a flight is cancelled the customer is entitled to a refund of remaining fare including fees for baggage and seat assignment if charged.  When he came back on the line he said he really worked hard for me and finally got Delta to agree to a refund.  By this point I had been on the line for 1 hour and 40 minutes (on top of the time I spent on the prior call) and I was really mad.  I read him the DOT policy and said there should never have been a discussion.  It is a government regulation that the airlines MUST follow.  He replied that each airline has their own policy, to which I said it doesn’t matter because all airlines must follow the DOT policy and regulations.  I said further Expedia’s policy department is not in compliance with the DOT since they initially refused to give me a refund and it was my persistence that lead the refund.  He said it didn’t matter because I was getting the refund.  I told him it DID matter because of the time i had wasted fighting for my refund.  He apologized and started to process the refund when he said “oh no!”  The computer system was down!  I seriously could not believe it. I was in Expedia he££.  He said he would try the corporate computer program.  This took a considerable amount of time.

After 2 hours and 37 minutes (plus the time on the prior call, plus the time waiting for call back) I had my refund with emails documenting it.  I think Expedia is manipulating the communication to the customer.  The email from KLM said my flight was cancelled.  The email from Expedia said there were “changes“ to my itinerary.  The word cancelled never appeared.  If I didn’t know my rights and was not tenacious I would only have received a credit.  I understand all companies travel related have lost huge amounts of money but don’t try to deceive the customer.

Lesson learned.


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## jmhpsu93 (Jul 2, 2020)

Wow, Lisa.  That sounds awful but good on you for your persistence.  There have been stories on the national news about travel aggregator shenanigans.  

You're almost always better off booking directly with the airline or with a codeshare partner.  I think The Points Guy website recommends using Google flights to find what you want, then head over to the airline site.

Glad you were able to resolve it and thanks for letting all of us know (or should I say, warning us...).


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## jmhpsu93 (Jul 2, 2020)

I'd thought I would post my updated plan, as things have wavered all of the place since I originally posted this three months ago.

First off, my daughter got a summer job lifeguarding and her high school graduation was postponed until the end of July (still TBD on how that is going to work...), so our two week Florida jaunt at the end of July was out.  I still had a II trade booked at Oceana Palms and we just enjoyed a weeek here.  Based on our travel/airport experience I'm not as concerned about flying as I might have been, but United alone added 25,000 flights for August so it seems the airport will start to get busier.

We scored a Lagunamar trade for August (well, it wasn't hard LOL) and have a non-stop flight to Cancun.  I have a friend there right now so I'll get some "boots on the ground" info when we chat next week.  We'll continue to watch numbers at home (Maryland) and from reputable sources in Cancun to finalize that decision.

Still planning on our "wintering by timeshare" plan in HIlton Head and Florida, then Hawaii the end of May 2021.  Fingers crossed we have better treatment and/or vaccine by then.


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## pedro47 (Jul 2, 2020)

No short or long term travel for 2020.
No cruises for 2020.
No airline flights for 2020.
No social gathering for 2020.
No high school or college graduations for 2020.
Covid-19  is not kind to vacationers or travelers for 2020. IMHO.


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## ljmiii (Jul 2, 2020)

It is interesting to revisit this thread 3 months later as the initial estimate of "Long Term" has arrived. Summer 2020 in Hawaii and CA disappeared in late April.

Four weeks ago I was reasonably confident of Williamsburg in July. But much of the country seems to have lost its mind in the interim. Including one weisenheimer a couple towns over who decided visiting Florida two weeks ago would be a good idea. They came back, attended a 'socially distanced' HS graduation and afterparty, developed COVID symptoms, was found to have infected at least three friends and now we're up to at least 16 in that town and 3 in one immediately adjacent. I know this is nothing compared to what is going on much of the country but it hits home in an area that lived through the worst of it and had more or less contained the disease.

So at this point I don't anticipate any travel in 2020.


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## csodjd (Jul 2, 2020)

ljmiii said:


> It is interesting to revisit this thread 3 months later as the initial estimate of "Long Term" has arrived. Summer 2020 in Hawaii and CA disappeared in late April.
> 
> Four weeks ago I was reasonably confident of Williamsburg in July. But much of the country seems to have lost its mind in the interim. Including one weisenheimer a couple towns over who decided visiting Florida two weeks ago would be a good idea. They came back, attended their 'socially distanced' HS graduation and afterparty, developed COVID symptoms, was found to have infected at least three friends and now we're up to at least 16 in that town and 3 in one immediately adjacent. I know this is nothing compared to what is going on much of the country but it hits home in an area that lived through the worst of it and had more or less contained the disease.
> 
> So at this point I don't anticipate any travel in 2020.


I have been holding on to hope of a trip for a golf tournament in South Eastern UK in September. No more. So I canceled. I have to pay $100 pounds to have my 138,000 miles for my return trip on Air France (I had transferred from American Express, but there’s no transfer back to AX option) reinstated, and will hopefully be able to use those miles next year. My outgoing was on Air Tahiti booked through American using miles, so it was easy to cancel and get those miles returned at no charge. I did just book (prior to June 30) flights to/from Hawaii for my family (five of us) using miles in part and cash in part. I go often enough that I was not worried about being able to use credits (purchased by June 30 to lock in the no change fee) down the road if I have the cancel that trip. 

I’m operating with this rule: use cash ONLY if I know with good certainty that I’ll use the voucher/credit. Otherwise, using miles/points. I don’t want to fight over refunds. The battles with Hawaiian Air (which I eventually won) was tiring and a waste of a lot of time.


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## ljmiii (Jul 2, 2020)

csodjd said:


> I’m operating with this rule: use cash ONLY if I know with good certainty that I’ll use the voucher/credit. Otherwise, using miles/points. I don’t want to fight over refunds. The battles with Hawaiian Air (which I eventually won) was tiring and a waste of a lot of time.


Yeah. I'm sitting on a lot of money in vouchers for United and Hawaiian and at some point I'll apply them to a planned Summer trip to Hawaii/CA in 2021. But I'm in no rush to use them...they expire in Spring of 2022 and if Summer 2021 falls through so be it. If I can't use them by Spring 2022 the vouchers will be the least of my worries.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 2, 2020)

I still have 2 trips to Florida on the books, but their 6 and 9 months down the road. I’m holding onto hope that the country will pull its proverbial head out of its arse and wear the masks, wash the hands and stay socially distanced........: but I’m not holding my breath.
Both Florida trips require air travel.

I also have a trip planned to Las Vegas for October. Again, not holding my breath, but Vegas has a lot to lose so I’m thinking they’ll be more insistent that guests wear masks and they’ll invest in electronics to monitor guests temperatures as they enter buildings.

after those trips we have a couple of trips planned for Breckenridge. We drive to Breck and the town has been doing a good job (or at least the we’re when we were there last month) of enforcing masks when indoors.

what worries me is this new version of swine flu detected in China recently. If this thing hits us along with CoVid this fall/winter, then we’re all screwed


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## csodjd (Jul 2, 2020)

dougp26364 said:


> what worries me is this new version of swine flu detected in China recently. If this thing hits us along with CoVid this fall/winter, then we’re all screwed


From what I have read, that has not jumped to humans. They just feel it has the characteristics that would allow it to do so.


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## normab (Jul 2, 2020)

Oh yeah.  So we have made and changed plans about 6 or 7 times.  I have lost count, but I love Etrade  plus.  And those holding account points are fun to play with. DH says stop making plans.   LOL 

Really, I gave up on plans needing flights after 4 changes.  Now we’re only doing driving ones, which is easy living in Florida.  My only concern now is if the counties tighten up the rules again.


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## gln60 (Jul 2, 2020)

ljmiii said:


> It is interesting to revisit this thread 3 months later as the initial estimate of "Long Term" has arrived. Summer 2020 in Hawaii and CA disappeared in late April.
> 
> Four weeks ago I was reasonably confident of Williamsburg in July. But much of the country seems to have lost its mind in the interim. Including one weisenheimer a couple towns over who decided visiting Florida two weeks ago would be a good idea. They came back, attended a 'socially distanced' HS graduation and afterparty, developed COVID symptoms, was found to have infected at least three friends and now we're up to at least 16 in that town and 3 in one immediately adjacent. I know this is nothing compared to what is going on much of the country but it hits home in an area that lived through the worst of it and had more or less contained the disease.
> 
> So at this point I don't anticipate any travel in 2020.


Ya can’t fix stupid


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## Fasttr (Jul 2, 2020)

gln60 said:


> Ya can’t fix stupid











						Young people are throwing coronavirus parties with a payout when one gets infected, official says | CNN
					

Some young people in Alabama are throwing Covid-19 parties, a disturbing competition where people who have coronavirus attend and the first person to get infected receives a payout, local officials said.




					www.cnn.com


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## gln60 (Jul 2, 2020)

Fasttr said:


> Young people are throwing coronavirus parties with a payout when one gets infected, official says | CNN
> 
> 
> Some young people in Alabama are throwing Covid-19 parties, a disturbing competition where people who have coronavirus attend and the first person to get infected receives a payout, local officials said.
> ...


great post.....thank you for proving my point


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## Jwerking (Jul 4, 2020)

With the continued increase in Covid cases, possible travel this year sadly looks dismal whether within the US or internationally.  It is now official that the EU will not allow US travelers and several more states has instituted 14 day quarantines in addition to HI and Maine.

My daughter has been working in Germany for the past 4 years and we have taken the opportunity to take a 2 month trip to Europe each fall with an extra month visiting her thru Thanksgiving.  Luckily, we had not make any plans for this fall, but did book award tickets to visit her at Xmas and then fly directly from Germany to our 2 month timeshare trip to Hawaii.  Even booked the return flight from HI back home last week using miles.  Hope that I am right that American allows free cancellation and reinstatement of miles for these award tixs - as long as cancelled 60 days prior to travel.  

There is always a slight hope that we can make the trip by year end  - but maybe too risky with the very long airline travel required.  Will incur loss of all the RCI exchange fees, but can use II free retrades for the Marriott weeks.  

Also, have 3 airline credits from  a re-scheduled May wedding in Oregon to October.  Will not rebook until closer to the date - as gathering for a wedding would certainly be risky.  Gosh, such uncertain times for travel!


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## Woj (Jul 4, 2020)

Had our usual two week trip to Paris in September  cancelled. I, thru Interval, purchased the insurance and my claim was denied stating that they do not cover fear to travel!


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## Luanne (Jul 4, 2020)

Woj said:


> Had our usual two week trip to Paris in September  cancelled. I, thru Interval, purchased the insurance and my claim was denied stating that they do not cover fear to travel!


When you say you had your trip cancelled, did you cancel it, or was it cancelled some other way.  And yes unfortunately travel insurance does not cover this instance. The only way they would pay out is if you got COVID 19 and couldn't travel.


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## silentg (Jul 4, 2020)

We are not leaving the state of Florida any time in 2020. We have a river cruise on the Rhine scheduled for November but going to put it off until 2022. Going to VV in Weston, FL in October and Tresure Island in December.
Will wear masks and social distance as long as Virus is still active.
Stay safe.


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## NJMOM2 (Jul 5, 2020)

What travel plans?  Everything has been cancelled.  California in May 2020 - Cancelled and rescheduled to Marco Island, FL in August 2020 which will be cancelling soon.  I'm only left with local trip for four nights to Galloway, NJ that I am keeping because I have to take my daughter back to college. She is off campus this year so no matter how they are doing classes in the fall she's still moving into her off campus apartment.  We probably will not even go to Atlantic City while there.


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## x3 skier (Jul 5, 2020)

My thoughts on this are the choice not to travel boils down a binary decision.  Either stay in your house and have everything you need delivered or go outside. To me, wether I’m in my home area or some other location, the chances of becoming infected are pretty similar.  With Southwest blocking middle seats, getting there by air is an acceptable risk to me. I choose not to travel outside the USA solely because a) the foreign country won’t let in or b) the USA won’t let me back home.

So while my major trips overseas are on hold, if I wish to go somewhere, I’ve taken two short breaks since the pandemic started, one to Florida for Seaplane flying and one to San Antonio on a good deal price wise for some relaxing on the Riverwalk. I do it taking all the precautions I do in my local area regarding masks and social distancing. I can’t stand crowds so I don’t attend amusement parks, clubs or anyplace that has masses of people.  The Riverwalk and San Antonio were lightly populated when I was there.  OTOH, I really hope things get better and the college football season happens. 

Cheers.


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## sail27bill (Jul 5, 2020)

Covid has altered our travel plans a bit, but my family is still trying to travel safely. We just came back 2 days ago from Myrtle Beach, SC and as per Gov. Cuomo's Executive Order self-quarantining for two weeks.  We always wore gloves and masks when out in public, even during drive thru food pickup. My husband and I only walked the beach (wearing masks the whole time), had takeout and did one quick food shop for basic supplies as many people were not wearing masks at the beginning of the week there.  The rest of the time we spent relaxing on the patio enjoying the ocean view.  No activities at all.  At the end of the week however, we noticed that mask usage increased because of municipalities enforcement. It was nice to get away for a week.  I was supposed to meet with my Hilton Head home builder but we did a zoom meeting instead.  We did our encore package required presentation by zoom as well.  I usually stay at Marriott timeshares, but the Marriott Oceanwatch room was the cleanest I have ever experienced.  It was spotless!  It made cleaning the room (for our own peace of mind) before we actually put our stuff down very easy.  Clorox wipes and Lysol spray everywhere.  We used a lot of Purell.  I have another trip planned to Hilton Head in August, but may shorten it from a week to a few days (or not at all) depending on Covid numbers.

Traveling to congested areas is out of the question for us unless a vaccine if discovered.  And we love amusement parks and such.  Better safe than sorry. I believe in wearing masks, and lots of Purell for safety.  It amazed me that people were walking around maskless as if they didn't have a care in the world.  The quicker people realize that the CDC guidelines should be followed, the quicker we can get back to a semblance of normal. Our daughter starts college again in the fall, so we are going to have to travel to get her there.  I wish our safety wasn't dependent on others.  Hopefully many other states will follow NY's lead soon and require masks.  When did civility and being courteous become optional?


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## jmhpsu93 (Jul 6, 2020)

The last two posts pretty much sum up our attitude (though I'm waiting for some "boots on the ground" feedback from Cancun before we fly there on SW next month...).  We're not scared to go out, we wear our masks and avoid crowds (we cancelled our Universal plans this week).

Once there is  vaccine (and I'm rather optimistic on this happening given the Manhattan Project level of public and private investment going towards it...), people are going to vacation like they've never vacationed before.


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## controller1 (Jul 6, 2020)

jmhpsu93 said:


> Once there is  vaccine (and I'm rather optimistic on this happening given the Manhattan Project level of public and private investment going towards it...), people are going to vacation like they've never vacationed before.



Perhaps but talking to people in our neighborhood I'd say at least 75% of them are saying they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine until it's been on the market for at least one year. They're afraid the rush to find a vaccine will lead to companies and regulators cutting corners on safety.


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## Ann in CA (Jul 7, 2020)

Had to  cancel last April/May in Italy (travel packages, free nights and points reservations)  and Spain, exchanged the II Playa Andaluza week for late May Timber Lodge and again for Timber Lodge late July, and am trying to exchange yet again.  Have Big Island with travel package at the Mauna Kea in September and Waiohai in October and Newport Coast Villas in late October and Scottsdale AZ travel package after that.  All those are now definite maybe, leaning toward no go. Some of the travel packages were extended to Jan. 2021, but we'll have lots of free nights and travel packages and not much incentive to go anywhere for awhile, and certainly not that many before January.  We could drive to Timber Lodge, and Newport Coast, but where we live is not as active in increasing the COVID rate as Southern CA, and Arizona scares me!  So all is up in the air. The good thing, though, my plants have never been happier, and all those back yard projects that didn't get done because we were traveling so much are actually getting done.  Good luck everyone!


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## Skibum55 (Jul 9, 2020)

I have a question that’s probably stupid but I am trying to make sure I am well informed as I start looking at this as a purchase.

It seems that MVC is not allowing cancellations within 60 days, but is funneling people into Interval if they wish to cancel within 60 days? Is that right, and if so, do you have to pay a fee when this happens? 

Any help is appreciated!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## MommaBear (Jul 9, 2020)

We cancelled a cross country driving trip, a trip to Cabo, one to Myrtle Beach, one to San Francisco, a trip to Italy and the Greek Isles, a cruise to the Caribbean and a cruise to the Bahamas. We are still hoping our November trip to Maui is a go. If not, maybe January. On the plus side, we are getting a lot done around the house.


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## Pamplemousse (Jul 9, 2020)

Skibum55 said:


> I have a question that’s probably stupid but I am trying to make sure I am well informed as I start looking at this as a purchase.
> 
> It seems that MVC is not allowing cancellations within 60 days, but is funneling people into Interval if they wish to cancel within 60 days? Is that right, and if so, do you have to pay a fee when this happens?
> 
> ...



True- if you cancel your ownership week less than 60 days you need to do a late deposit of your week into II.
Late deposits allow you to exchange 60 days or less from check in. 
The deposit is good for 2 years.
You’ll need to have an II account (either your corporate account if you are enrolled or a personal one) and pay all the fees associated with exchanging on II- exchange fee, upsize if needed, eplus if needed, etc.


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## luv_maui (Jul 10, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Perhaps but talking to people in our neighborhood I'd say at least 75% of them are saying they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine until it's been on the market for at least one year. They're afraid the rush to find a vaccine will lead to companies and regulators cutting corners on safety.


I’m in that category.  A rushed vaccine to market is Not something I would get for at least a year.


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## burg1121 (Jul 10, 2020)

Stay the course going to HHI end of September flying down on JetBlue. You can't stay in the house forever. What will you do when the say they can't get a vaccine. We're lucky if the flu vaccine is 50% effective. They couldn't make one for SARS ,MRSA or the common cold all corona viruses. Sooner or later life has to go on. Every day is carp shoot always will be.


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## bbodb1 (Jul 10, 2020)

ljmiii said:


> So at this point I don't anticipate any travel in 2020.



I'm thinking we just came to that same conclusion as well.  We were supposed to head to North Carolina at the end of the month, but it just doesn't seem worth the risk of travel - even by auto.


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## bbodb1 (Jul 10, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Perhaps but talking to people in our neighborhood I'd say at least 75% of them are saying they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine until it's been on the market for at least one year. They're afraid the rush to find a vaccine will lead to companies and regulators cutting corners on safety.



I hate to even mention this, but I recall a time (under far different circumstances) when Thalidomide was offered as a drug to cure pregnancy related nausea.  I want to hope medical science (and safeguards) have advanced a long way since then, but the greed of big business (AKA Big Pharma) is still with us.


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## Superchief (Jul 10, 2020)

I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed  test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)? 

I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.


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## gln60 (Jul 10, 2020)

Your position makes a lot of sense...agree 100% with your last sentence.


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## Ken555 (Jul 10, 2020)

Superchief said:


> I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19.



My cousin in Ohio just tested positive for C19. 

The data is far from perfect, but it's better than nothing. Sadly, the numbers in Ohio are growing.









						Ohio Rt
					

Up-to-date values for Rt — the number to watch to measure COVID spread.



					rt.live
				












						Ohio
					

Cases, testing, hospitalization, outcomes, long-term-care, and race and ethnicity data for Ohio, plus data sources, notes, and grade.




					covidtracking.com


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## deniseh (Jul 10, 2020)

Superchief said:


> I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed  test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)?
> 
> I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.


I agree 100% with your analysis.


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## Cornell (Jul 10, 2020)

Superchief said:


> I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed  test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)?
> 
> I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.


You have summed up my position on this whole thing .


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## Superchief (Jul 10, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> My cousin in Ohio just tested positive for C19.
> 
> The data is far from perfect, but it's better than nothing. Sadly, the numbers in Ohio are growing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the data source. This is much more comprehensive than what is reported. It is interesting that they made a big deal today about the record number of new confirmed or probable new cases, but they failed to mention that over 43000 tests were done, compared to less 1000-20000 tests per day for the past 7 days. The confirmed positive rate was 2.7% of total tested, which isn't nearly as concerning as what has been reported. This is the highest number of tests done in a day in Ohio. I don't understand why the complete picture is never reported. I also read that anyone who has had contact with a confirmed positive case is considered to be 'probable', but I don't trust anything I read on either side.

I hope your cousin is one of the lucky ones with no/mild symptoms and recovers quickly. Does your cousin have any ideas regarding how they were exposed?


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## Cornell (Jul 11, 2020)

I saw this on Twitter this morning and this is why I’m skeptical of news I see on “any side” of the reporting.....

One reporter runs with a questionable statement and the public pounces.

Another reporter takes the time to fact-check the story and he gets all but ignored.

And people wonder why there’s so much distrust in the media (as well as rampant misinformation.)


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## bbodb1 (Jul 11, 2020)

How is the weekend going (thus far) @Cornell?


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## Cornell (Jul 11, 2020)

bbodb1 said:


> How is the weekend going (thus far) @Cornell?


So far so good ! Nice group of kids . Great to see them having fun.

And I started Yellowstone. Good stuff .


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## ljmiii (Jul 11, 2020)

My favorite COVID-19 source has become The COVID Tracking Project which under 'Our Data', 'Our Charts' has nice graphs of daily tests, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths - both for the US as a whole and state by state. The data sources are primarily state and local websites but you can look under 'About the data' for full details.








						US All Key Metrics
					

The COVID Tracking Project collects and publishes the most complete testing data available for US states and territories.




					covidtracking.com


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## Superchief (Jul 11, 2020)

ljmiii said:


> My favorite COVID-19 source has become The COVID Tracking Project which under 'Our Data', 'Our Charts' has nice graphs of daily tests, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths - both for the US as a whole and state by state. The data sources are primarily state and local websites but you can look under 'About the data' for full details.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases/% Tested that day.  This trend would be much more helpful than just looking at the total new cases, especially as a more representative sample of people are tested (not just those with symptoms).  The Cincinnati paper's headline was 'Daily new case record in Ohio' without mentioning the actual % positive tests was only 2.7% which was lower than most previous days. I just wish our news sources would present the total picture, not just the numbers to try to scare people into a frenzy.


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## deniseh (Jul 11, 2020)

Superchief said:


> Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases/% Tested that day.  This trend would be much more helpful than just looking at the total new cases, especially as a more representative sample of people are tested (not just those with symptoms).  The Cincinnati paper's headline was 'Daily new case record in Ohio' without mentioning the actual % positive tests was only 2.7% which was lower than most previous days. I just wish our news sources would present the total picture, not just the numbers to try to scare people into a frenzy.


It almost seems like the news sources are trying to increase the level of fear and paranoia. Statistics are only meaningful if you are able to look at all the data and interpret it in a way to accurately describe what the numbers mean. In this case, yes, positive cases are up but so is the testing. And questions of who, where, why and looking at hospitalizations and death rates need to be evaluated as well.


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## ljmiii (Jul 11, 2020)

Superchief said:


> Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases...


You are most welcome. I use CovidActNow which partners with the Stanford and Georgetown University Medical Centers to see %positives per test and %ICU utilization by state and county but as you say it only gives me the data for 'today' and not over time. The South Carolina state COVID 'dashboard' is quite good and gives trendlines for many things including %positives per test and ICU utilization. As for Florida,  Rebekah Jones - the woman fired for putting Florida's COVID-19 data on Florida's COVID-19 public dashboard - has since created a new dashboard to track the disease within the state. It's a little weird in that much of the useful data is 'hidden' and you have to click on the various tabs along the bottom but once you get the hang of it the website is very informative. It also allows you to get data by county.




__





						Experience
					






					experience.arcgis.com


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## ljmiii (Jul 11, 2020)

deniseh said:


> In this case, yes, positive cases are up but so is the testing.


Sadly, testing has been flat for the past week or so but cases continue to skyrocket. Hospitalizations have been rising since around June 20th and even more sadly deaths are once again on the rise (not terribly surprising since they tend to be a 2-3 week trailing indicator from hospitalizations). But the 'news of the day' is that hospitalizations increased yesterday from 43,895 to 54,544. A one day increase of 10,649 - a new record.


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