# Please post all Coronavirus/Vistana discussions in this thread - thank you!



## SVOForever (Mar 10, 2020)

I've seen the thread and are in similar situation regarding cancellation of trip next month.  To-date, has anyone had an interaction with Vistana and/or been approved or denied the ability to cancel, pay the fee, but not have the Options restricted?  I understand the fee ... but if I cancel I would want the ability to at least consider banking by June 30 if I can't reschedule, but with the restriction comes the ability to not bank ... plus for example, I may want to re-plan for lets say October, but with a 60 day restriction I can't do that.

Long/short of it - has Vistana waived, or explicitly denied waiving, the *restriction* on Staroptions (don't care about the fee) due to the Corona virus?  Thanks!!


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## andysnovel (Mar 10, 2020)

I cancelled my Harborside Vacation more than 60 days out and banked my points, I asked Rep if they are waiving rules about cancelling, as of last week, they are not. If resort is located in a restricted travel area, that might be a different story. Once points banked, can’t use for 2020.


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## SVOForever (Mar 10, 2020)

Thank you!  Anyone else ask, or try, more recently?  Just looking for data points - I also wonder if there is a case-by-case (i.e. nothing public, but if you "push them" they will waive it).  Thanks!


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## Westnick (Mar 10, 2020)

I  called owner services yesterday and cancelled my reservation at mission hills for March 16-25. They waived the restrictions on the staroptions but still charged me the $75 cancellation fee.


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## blondietink (Mar 10, 2020)

I am wondering the a similar thing.  WE had a house fire 2 weeks ago and things are moving slowly. We are supposed to go to SDO on 3/28, but it might fall into the time where my house is being demolished  I would like to be home to say goodbye to my home of 36 years.  But if it happens before my scheduled trip, I think I will definitely need a vacation then!  Southwest won't be a problem with canceling our flight and rebooking, but don't want to have restricted options.


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## cyntravel (Mar 11, 2020)

HI Barb I hope you are doing ok.


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## blondietink (Mar 11, 2020)

cyntravel said:


> HI Barb I hope you are doing ok.



Yes, we are doing ok.  Thanks for your thoughts.  I was able to rebook our airfare  and move our reservation at SDO to Kierland for early May.  When I called Vistana  after 9 am and was told the wait would be more than 20 minutes so I left a call back number.  They called back in 5 minutes. Everybody at both Vistana and Southwest airlines was very nice and understanding of the situation.  I figure by early May we will be more than ready for a vacation, even though Arizona will be hot by then.


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## CPNY (Mar 11, 2020)

I was told as of now nothing in terms of lifting restrictions. Imo that’s extremely careless in their part. If people don’t feel comfortable traveling let them change things. There may be others who would have no problem booking last minute trips.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 12, 2020)

As a valued member of the Vistana Signature Experiences family, we wanted to provide you with an update on our ongoing efforts to keep our resorts around the globe comfortable and safe environments for our Owners, guests, and associates. Simply put, there is no higher priority for our organization.

We have been actively monitoring and reacting to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation since its emergence in the Asia Pacific region late last year. As the situation began to develop, we quickly took steps to stand-up our dedicated and tested emergency preparedness and response teams, and subsequently charged each of those teams with preserving the safety and well-being of our Owners, guests, and associates. 

I am pleased to report that we have continued to welcome Owners and guests to each of our resorts without disruption since earlier this year. Our resorts and associates look forward to welcoming you and your family on your next vacation, and rest-assured that we will continue to evolve our on-site response to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

On that note, our corporate and site leadership teams continue to closely monitor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statements and advisories regarding COVID-19. We continue to follow both WHO, CDC and local/state health department guidance, as well as any guidance which may be issued by local/state health departments regarding recommended hygiene standards. We are also working closely with our industry and vendor partners to adopt best practices around cleaning processes. 

You should also know that the daily health and safety measures that are already in place at our resorts are designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19. Those health and safety measures extend from handwashing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to villa and common-area cleaning procedures. 

However, in response to the spread of COVID-19, our resorts and properties have increased the cleaning protocols for high-frequency guest touchpoints as well as the following public areas, where applicable:
Public restrooms
Lobbies
Fitness centers and locker rooms
Activities and Kids Clubs
Shuttle buses
Other key guest areas
Our associates are also expected to follow the WHO and CDC recommendations for everyday preventative actions to help prevent the spread of diseases, and we encourage all Owners and guests to do the same — both at home and while at our resorts. 

Traveling is a fundamental part of our lives and vacations are an important part of finding balance in a fast-paced world while we reconnect with family and friends. Vacations are circled on our calendars long in advance of lazy days by the beach, hitting the slopes, exploring new urban destinations, and simply spending quality time with loved ones. 

Our resorts are open, our pool decks are set, and our associates look forward to welcoming you and your family on your next vacation. 

Thank you for being part of the Vistana Signature Experiences family, and I look forward to seeing you at our resorts as I vacation with my family throughout the year. 

Sincerely, 


Steve Weisz 
President & Chief Executive Officer

Vistana

Sheraton VC Westin VC

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## DeniseM (Mar 12, 2020)

In case you don't feel like reading this whole letter, here is a summary:  *We're cleaning - don't cancel your vacation!* 

Redacted:  Dave and I posted it at the same time, so I will delete my copy.
​
​


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## jjking42 (Mar 12, 2020)

I like it. My son is on his way to Hawaii this weekend 


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## pacman777 (Mar 12, 2020)

Yup got that email along with at least 20 other CEOs of other companies feeling obliged to send a pointless email with COVID-19 in the subject and basically just saying their monitoring it. Glad to see it’s business as usual as it should be.


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## vistana101 (Mar 12, 2020)

Anyone else think this downplays the situation in a way? And no info of cancellation wavers?


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## CPNY (Mar 12, 2020)

Works for me.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 12, 2020)

Our friends are at WKORV right now - enjoying themselves. Of course, with a CA Travel Ban (LOL, what an idiot...) they may get fortunate and get stuck there. They didn’t get any notice of anything different - so far.

Would have been nice to loosen up SO restrictions. We may have to cancel our annual WSJ trip, not because of C.Virus, but due to elder care. Too bad - tickets are cheap. 


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## canesfan (Mar 12, 2020)

I would’ve liked to see cancellation waivers and restoration of Staroptions. Under the Marriott regime that’s probably not going to happen as I don’t recall them being that generous with Hurricane Irma/Maria. We are scheduled for WSJ in May and wondering if that trip will happen.
I’m at WKORN now. Nothing going on to speak of, it’s as if we are in a bubble compared to seeing what’s happening on the mainland. As for cleaning though, doors and handles were not very clean. Our bathroom door was filthy. It’s something I find they often overlook in housekeeping. 


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## CPNY (Mar 12, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Our friends are at WKORV right now - enjoying themselves. Of course, with a CA Travel Ban (LOL, what an idiot...) they may get fortunate and get stuck there. They didn’t get any notice of anything different - so far.
> 
> Would have been nice to loosen up SO restrictions. We may have to cancel our annual WSJ trip, not because of C.Virus, but due to elder care. Too bad - tickets are cheap.
> 
> ...


I thought the star option restrictions were being removed as long as you called and did it over the phone


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## Mcjohan (Mar 12, 2020)

I called Owner Services this morning and was told that if we cancelled our upcoming week in Lagunamar we’d have to pay the cancellation fee but the usage restriction would be waived & we’d be able to bank the options, but only if we called them to cancel (not online).


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## CPNY (Mar 12, 2020)

Mcjohan said:


> I called Owner Services this morning and was told that if we cancelled our upcoming week in Lagunamar we’d have to pay the cancellation fee but the usage restriction would be waived & we’d be able to bank the options, but only if we called them to cancel (not online).


I was told the same thing


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## blondietink (Mar 13, 2020)

Found the email in my junk folder, lol.


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## Rinse82 (Mar 13, 2020)

Mcjohan said:


> I called Owner Services this morning and was told that if we cancelled our upcoming week in Lagunamar we’d have to pay the cancellation fee but the usage restriction would be waived & we’d be able to bank the options, but only if we called them to cancel (not online).



Yup, I did this.  Trip was within 5 days so had to pay the $75 waive fee, but did it over the phone and my StarOptions are unrestricted.


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## controller1 (Mar 13, 2020)

I still haven't received the email.


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## zjhasan1976 (Mar 13, 2020)

It's currently over an hour's wait on the phone now.  We were going to drive down from Toronto to Orlando this morning for a check in tomorrow but decided against it.  I have been on the phone for 1.5 hours now and still waiting.  Too bad, they don't let you just cancel over the web and just restore your points.  We are tied to the school year because of the kids and won;t be able to travel until the summer now and who know what the situation will be in the next 60 days.


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## jdavitsky (Mar 13, 2020)

We just cancelled and were told that the options are restricted and we need to use them by the EOY and cannot bank them. I am pissed 



zjhasan1976 said:


> It's currently over an hour's wait on the phone now.  We were going to drive down from Toronto to Orlando this morning for a check in tomorrow but decided against it.  I have been on the phone for 45 minutes now and still waiting.  Too bad, they don't let you just cancel over the web and just restore your points.  We are tied to the school year because of the kids and won;t be able to travel until the summer now and who know what the situation will be in the next 60 days.


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## zjhasan1976 (Mar 13, 2020)

jdavitsky said:


> We just cancelled and were told that the options are restricted and we need to use them by the EOY and cannot bank them. I am pissed


I wonder if they have different rules for EY and EOY memberships?  I am still on hold and will report back.  At this point, I will just be happy they don't expect me to book within 60 days.


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## jjking42 (Mar 13, 2020)

My sons college extended spring break to two weeks. He called and asked if I can get him another week in hawaii. I hope more people cancel so  I can get him a nice unit for his second week of spring break .


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## zjhasan1976 (Mar 13, 2020)

Just an update - They are waiving cancellation fees as on today.  They told me that I could book for the remainder of 2020 or bank points by July 1.


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## jdavitsky (Mar 13, 2020)

I'm going to have to escalate to a manager...



zjhasan1976 said:


> Just an update - They are waiving cancellation fees as on today.  They told me that I could book for the remainder of 2020 or bank points by July 1.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 13, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I thought the star option restrictions were being removed as long as you called and did it over the phone



Is this a stated policy by Vistana - if so, where?
I would like to put off our decision whether or not to cancel our June WSJ trip. Our 60-day cancellation window is approaching fast and don’t want to depend on hearsay (or verbally via a Vistana Rep) vs. a published notice by Vistana, and then have the SOs restricted.


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## CPNY (Mar 13, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Is this a stated policy by Vistana - if so, where?
> I would like to put off our decision whether or not to cancel our June WSJ trip. Our 60-day cancellation window is approaching fast and don’t want to depend on hearsay (or verbally via a Vistana Rep) vs. a published notice by Vistana, and then have the SOs restricted.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It’s the same direction from each rep I spoke to and others have here as well. The direction is you must call in to do it. As of now the wait times are two hours. Earlier they just said sorry we can’t answer your call now due to call times Call back later. No official policy out.


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## zjhasan1976 (Mar 13, 2020)

CPNY said:


> It’s the same direction from each rep I spoke to and others have here as well. The direction is you must call in to do it. As of now the wait times are two hours. Earlier they just said sorry we can’t answer your call now due to call times Call back later. No official policy out.


Yes, that's the vibe I got too.  They are changing policies as the situation changes.  Per the rep, if I had called yesterday, I would have been charged $75 in cancellation fees and would not be allowed to bank.


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## DanCali (Mar 13, 2020)

Called today and was told the same thing - cancelation fee waived but Staroptions will be restricted. Policy changed from yesterday to today.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 13, 2020)

CPNY said:


> It’s the same direction from each rep I spoke to and others have here as well. The direction is you must call in to do it. As of now the wait times are two hours. Earlier they just said sorry we can’t answer your call now due to call times Call back later. No official policy out.



Thanks.
Again- I am nervous of having to wait, without official statement (for better or worse), and find out the policy changed.

Right now our ailing elders may or may not make it to June (being cared for). I am inclined to cancel at 60 days without official statement. With official statement, I can hold off and wait and see if the inevitable occurs by then or not.

We planned to go - and plane tix prices are decreasing . Fortunately I held off buying early like I have for years. But, WSJ VGV Gold SOs are very expensive, and so is the trip from NorCal - as well as STJ.
And no Hospital on STJ, and limited health resources in USVI - so the decision may be moot based on healthcare capacity (flattened curve hypothesis).

An official position by Vistana would allow me to keep reservation, and see what happens during this exponential phase of Covid-19, to decide later and not based on some loose policy.

VISTANA - are you listening?


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## pchung6 (Mar 13, 2020)

I have 3 weeks of Hawaii reservation, back to back to back week in June/July, that I have to cancel soon. I really feel bad to let these go because it was such big efforts to reserve 3 weeks in the row. I've purchased eplus so I can extend two weeks for another year, that is the only good news.  I will probably have to forfeit another week because it was via SFX (I will call and ask before 60 days). I'm not sure how bad this circumstance will hurt timeshare and travel industry going forward if they still can survive and we survive. I would just say let's be reasonable to Vistana/MVC/Interval's accommodation.  If that's the best Vistana/Interval can do, I will just take my share of responsibility and we all move forward from it.


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## SMHarman (Mar 13, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Yup got that email along with at least 20 other CEOs of other companies feeling obliged to send a pointless email with COVID-19 in the subject and basically just saying their monitoring it. Glad to see it’s business as usual as it should be.


You win best post of the day.


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## CPNY (Mar 13, 2020)

Anyone else getting this message? They make you call to cancel reservations to remove restrictions and waive fees. Why can’t they set that online? I would think it’s an easy code to add? They just aren’t even answering the phone.


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## sb2313 (Mar 13, 2020)

I have a reservation to cancel that the account isn’t linked properly by vistana online so I have to call in and cancel.ive been trying since yesterday.nothing, very frustrating.


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## CPNY (Mar 13, 2020)

jdavitsky said:


> We just cancelled and were told that the options are restricted and we need to use them by the EOY and cannot bank them. I am pissed


Really? Then that’s not removing restrictions I was told they can be banked.


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## sb2313 (Mar 13, 2020)

For those that got through today, what time did you call?  I have been calling all day, but Ive been at work so I couldn't sit on hold and now i've been on hold for 2 hours.  As they close in just half an hour, I assume I'll be back at it in the morning so just curios when was good to call.


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## mjm1 (Mar 13, 2020)

I tried calling a couple times today and couldn’t even be on hold since the lines were overloaded. Need to try another time.

We have a trip to WSJ for late April, so aren’t sure what we are going to do. Since the healthcare of St John and St Thomas doesn’t appear to be very good, if available at all, that may push it to cancel. It would be nice if Vistana would have a set policy, so we all know what our options are. I know MVC has a known policy for points reservations. 

Best regards.

Mike


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## mjm1 (Mar 13, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Anyone else getting this message? They make you call to cancel reservations to remove restrictions and waive fees. Why can’t they set that online? I would think it’s an easy code to add? They just aren’t even answering the phone.



Yes, same thing here. Hopefully I can get through soon. Good luck.

Best regards.

Mike


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## CPNY (Mar 13, 2020)

mjm1 said:


> Yes, same thing here. Hopefully I can get through soon. Good luck.
> 
> Best regards.
> 
> Mike


Ugh they called me back but my phone did one of those half rings then sent to VM I was so mad. I’m hearing you can’t bank the points? I was told restrictions removed


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## mauitraveler (Mar 14, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Ugh they called me back but my phone did one of those half rings then sent to VM I was so mad. I’m hearing you can’t bank the points? I was told restrictions removed


Hope you are able to get through to them soon.  I was under the impression that the restrictions are removed, if you agree to pay the $75 cancellation fee.  If you choose not to pay the fee, then the restrictions remain.  Good luck to you!


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## CPNY (Mar 14, 2020)

mauitraveler said:


> Hope you are able to get through to them soon.  I was under the impression that the restrictions are removed, if you agree to pay the $75 cancellation fee.  If you choose not to pay the fee, then the restrictions remain.  Good luck to you!


I called today and they waived both.


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## lily28 (Mar 14, 2020)

After got thru after 40 min holding but I was told cancel free but with restriction or pay the fee w no restriction.  I choose the latter but their payment system down.  So can’t cancel 3/26 to harborside and need to call them back next week


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## Markus (Mar 14, 2020)

I called yesterday to cancel a WKV check in for today, the fee was waived and the SO were put back in my account un restricted with the platinum week entitlements; availability to book week in season, bank and convert to Bonvoy points.

markus


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## lily28 (Mar 14, 2020)

Update.  I called again and payment machine is still down.  Now I was told that vistana changes the policy today.  Will waive fee with restricted staroptions and will not give option to pay fee to have unrestricted option
This is so bad that I have been calling multiple time since yesterday, and vistana keep changing policy and not to owners’ best interest


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## jordathyspg (Mar 14, 2020)

When we called Thursday to cancel for this week we had the choice to pay the fee and have unrestricted options, OR have the fee waived and receive restricted staroptions. Seems like they keep flip flopping on the policy. Considering airlines were waiving all change fees the $75 seemed chintzy, but we were still glad to get the unrestricted options.


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## CPNY (Mar 14, 2020)

jordathyspg said:


> When we called Thursday to cancel for this week we had the choice to pay the fee and have unrestricted options, OR have the fee waived and receive restricted staroptions. Seems like they keep flip flopping on the policy. Considering airlines were waiving all change fees the $75 seemed chintzy, but we were still glad to get the unrestricted options.


So this morning I called and was told I had to pay, I said I spoke to an agent yesterday and they only cancelled one reservation not both (I had two reservations for multiple rooms). I also said it was no fee plus no restrictions. This agent said no they would be restricted but “I will go ahead and remove the restrictions” I said oh my thank you so much. So I didn’t pay anything and had all of my options unrestricted. I plan on banking them and bringing them to next two years. Already booked two new weeks in the summer. Hopefully this blows over by mid April.


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## botham (Mar 14, 2020)

My wife and I were due to fly to Cancun, via Miami, this week for our first stay at Lagunama, followed by a few days at our HR, Vistana, but the travel ban from UK to USA has put paid to that vacation. Now I’ll try and transfer the book to next Novembe.


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## DannyTS (Mar 14, 2020)

can you fly directly to Cancun? I think there are direct flights from London


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## CPNY (Mar 14, 2020)

botham said:


> My wife and I were due to fly to Cancun, via Miami, this week for our first stay at Lagunama, followed by a few days at our HR, Vistana, but the travel ban from UK to USA has put paid to that vacation. Now I’ll try and transfer the book to next Novembe.


I thought the ban did not include the UK


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## Karen G (Mar 14, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I thought the ban did not include the UK


It was announced this morning that the ban on travel from the UK and Ireland will be implemented at midnight Monday night, Eastern Daylight Time.


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## CPNY (Mar 14, 2020)

Karen G said:


> It was announced this morning that the ban on travel from the UK and Ireland will be implemented at midnight Monday night, Eastern Daylight Time.


Wow. More and more things will be banned. I’m glad I cancelled the Bahamas now.


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## SMHarman (Mar 14, 2020)

DannyTS said:


> can you fly directly to Cancun? I think there are direct flights from London


There is one daily LGW>CUN. It's been pretty full. You may be able to rebook on that routing. Or if your flights are with AA or BA request a reroute for IROPS


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## RoverJohn (Mar 14, 2020)

A Phone option seems untennable at this time, Saturday at 2PM on the Pacific Coast. We have a reservation for a three bedroom unit beginning Friday, March 20th. I am in the prime at risk group, 74, and am fearing that Mexico will cancel entry into the country to mitigate the possible transmission of Covid19. Any suggestions on a course of action
     John


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## botham (Mar 14, 2020)

Yes, we could re-route, but are no worried we might get stranded in Mexico if they impose restriction, or worse still get the virus there. We’re trying to rebook in Novembe.


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## SMHarman (Mar 14, 2020)

botham said:


> Yes, we could re-route, but are no worried we might get stranded in Mexico if they impose restriction, or worse still get the virus there. We’re trying to rebook in Novembe.


My parents are on that flight in a couple of weeks with us meeting then 6 days later from NYC. 

Hoping that will happen.


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## ocdb8r (Mar 14, 2020)

I called repeatedly and finally got through and was able to register my number for a callback.  About two hours later had an agent on the phone.  Was told fee would be waived but Options would be restricted.  I pushed back, the the agent wouldn't budge...and given these were actually banked options that expire this year, I didn't bother pressing too hard.  I don't see myself able to make any plans with much advance notice for the rest of this year, so 60-day restriction is tenable.  However, low-and-behold when the Options were returned, no restrictions (I even made a test booking for December to double-check).


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## RoverJohn (Mar 14, 2020)

And in regards to the post from Markus one response earlier than mine, I would hate to do the cancellation online and not miss the fee for cancellation and the SO put back into my account. Maybe I will have to be on the phone beginning Monday morning. It would be worth it.


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## RoverJohn (Mar 14, 2020)

occdb8r - what phone number is working on Saturday?


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## ocdb8r (Mar 14, 2020)

RoverJohn said:


> occdb8r - what phone number is working on Saturday?



I used 407-903-4635 6 hours ago...and got my callback 1:34 later (based on my mobile call log).  As I mentioned, I had to call 5 or 6 times before it let me in the queue...the other times I got the message that they couldn't take my call and I should try another time.


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## Ken555 (Mar 14, 2020)

botham said:


> Yes, we could re-route, but are no worried we might get stranded in Mexico if they impose restriction, or worse still get the virus there. We’re trying to rebook in Novembe.



About 22 hours ago I read that Mexico is considering closing the border and stop flights from the US. They don’t want us to bring the bug to them...


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## RoverJohn (Mar 14, 2020)

Thank you ocdb8r - I will phone Monday and hope for the best. Sorry for misspelling your name.
     John


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## ocdb8r (Mar 14, 2020)

RoverJohn said:


> Thank you ocdb8r - I will phone Monday and hope for the best. Sorry for misspelling your name.
> John


 GOOD LUCK!  and no worries...it's not really my name, it's a VERY OLD moniker from high school debate days.  One I'd gladly retire if I hadn't held on to the same email address for over 2 decades!


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## pacman777 (Mar 14, 2020)

Vail company just announced they’re closing all their ski mountains for a week starting tomorrow for a week. Thankfully we just got back today from an awesome week of skiing Breck! I would’ve been pissed! Sorry for those that were planning ski vacations for this upcoming week.


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## cincytrvlers (Mar 15, 2020)

We are 5* owners at the Westin St John and have reservations for a week beginning  11April.  Anyone been able to get a response on the reimbursement for cancellation of timeshare week due to the Coronavirus?  Considering the limited medical facilities on St John and/or St Thomas we are reluctant to travel to the island . I have tried for four days to reach Vistana with no success... "Leave a number, we will call you does not work. "   "Send an email and we will respond does not work"   Calling the GM's office  "Leave a message, we will call you back, does not work either. Today, we called Vistana early and , they are CLOSED !!!!! Nice !!! Appraently not an emergency for them or perhaps no one cares!  

Anybody now if they are waiving penalties for late cancellations????   or anyone know anything ?   LOL!


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## CPNY (Mar 15, 2020)

cincytrvlers said:


> We are 5* owners at the Westin St John and have reservations for a week beginning  11April.  Anyone been able to get a response on the reimbursement for cancellation of timeshare week due to the Coronavirus?  Considering the limited medical facilities on St John and/or St Thomas we are reluctant to travel to the island . I have tried for four days to reach Vistana with no success... "Leave a number, we will call you does not work. "   "Send an email and we will respond does not work"   Calling the GM's office  "Leave a message, we will call you back, does not work either. Today, we called Vistana early and , they are CLOSED !!!!! Nice !!! Appraently not an emergency for them or perhaps no one cares!
> 
> Anybody now if they are waiving penalties for late cancellations????   or anyone know anything ?   LOL!


Mixed. My cousin fees were waived but options still restricted. For me both were waived and restrictions removed.


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## DeniseM (Mar 15, 2020)

Vistana sent out a letter a couple of days ago and it's posted on this forum.  The letter does not offer any special dispensation of the rules - just platitudes.


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## Ianneyan (Mar 15, 2020)

I just called yesterday and opted for the call back.  They did call me back within the timeframe estimated.  My cancellation fee was waived but the options are still restricted.

One thing I noticed is that they matched my phone number with my account.  Were you calling from a phone that is registered with them?


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## Mcjohan (Mar 15, 2020)

I’m wondering if the fees/restrictions have anything to do with it being a Home Resort reservation or not.  When I called Thursday the person I spoke with commented that our Lagunamar week was a home resort reservation & we’d pay the cancellation fee but restrictions would be waived.


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## mjm1 (Mar 15, 2020)

mjm1 said:


> I tried calling a couple times today and couldn’t even be on hold since the lines were overloaded. Need to try another time.
> 
> We have a trip to WSJ for late April, so aren’t sure what we are going to do. Since the healthcare of St John and St Thomas doesn’t appear to be very good, if available at all, that may push it to cancel. It would be nice if Vistana would have a set policy, so we all know what our options are. I know MVC has a known policy for points reservations.
> 
> ...



After opting to have them return my call they did. The rep told me that the fee would be waived, but the SOs would  be restricted. I mentioned that others have been told no restrictions apply. She said that some of the reps had misinterpreted the policy and allowed for no restrictions, but that has been clarified. So, unless they make further changes restrictions will apply. 

Best regards.

Mike


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## grgs (Mar 15, 2020)

I have a Kierland week rented with a check in of Mar. 21.  The renter just contacted me asking if he get refund.  I said no, but if hedecides to cancel, I'll work with him to reschedule another trip.  It would be very helpful to get clarity from Vistana on what we can do with these SOs, so I can let the renter know what his options are.  I would be happy to pay the cancellation fee if the SOs are unrestricted.  

Maybe we'll get an update tomorrow.


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## DeniseM (Mar 15, 2020)

With restricted Staroptions you can make a new reservation, 60-0 days before check-in, at any available Vistana resort, in 2020.


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## lorenmd (Mar 16, 2020)

grgs said:


> I have a Kierland week rented with a check in of Mar. 21.  The renter just contacted me asking if he get refund.  I said no, but if hedecides to cancel, I'll work with him to reschedule another trip.  It would be very helpful to get clarity from Vistana on what we can do with these SOs, so I can let the renter know what his options are.  I would be happy to pay the cancellation fee if the SOs are unrestricted.
> 
> Maybe we'll get an update tomorrow.


oh come on.  this is all of us in this 
 together.  just reimburse his money. don't be that guy.


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## beachlynn (Mar 16, 2020)

DeniseM said:


> With restricted Staroptions you can make a new reservation, 60-0 days before check-in, at any available Vistana resort, in 2020.


 How are they going to accommodate all of the people who have to cancel and fit it in 2020 as well as all of the people who already have reservations? That seems like too many renters in not enough slots. My son is supposed to get married on Fri and leave for Maui on Sun. using our home resort using our 2020 week. With what the Gov. here in CA and the CDC said last night it looks like the wedding needs to be postponed. At first they were just going to go ahead and go to Maui anyway but that seems like a very fluid situation going on over there as well. If Gov. Ige decides to shut down restaurants as well as the shut downs that have already occurred then what is point. Plus I know people over there are reluctant for tourists to come and bring anything. These kids are young and healthy and haven’t been in contact , that they know of, with anybody infected or who has traveled outside of the US. What should they do?


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## grgs (Mar 16, 2020)

lorenmd said:


> oh come on.  this is all of us in this
> together.  just reimburse his money. don't be that guy.



I am curious what others think about this?  The terms of the rental are non-refundable, non-cancellable, and the rental income was used to pay my maintenance fees.  Having said that, I'm more than willing to work with him to rebook at a later date.  Is this unreasonable?

I also am a renting from an owner this week.  I thought about cancelling, but since we drove, I didn't.  If we had, I wouldn't have expected a refund.


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## EnglishmanAbroad (Mar 16, 2020)

grgs said:


> I am curious what others think about this?  The terms of the rental are non-refundable, non-cancellable, and the rental income was used to pay my maintenance fees.  Having said that, I'm more than willing to work with him to rebook at a later date.  Is this unreasonable?
> 
> I also am a renting from an owner this week.  I thought about cancelling, but since we drove, I didn't.  If we had, I wouldn't have expected a refund.


If you are renting it I'm guessing it's a Home Resort reservation that by all accounts should be able to be canceled with a fee and no restriction on options. If that's the case then cancel and return the monies paid less the fee you incurred. If it's not the case then explain to the renter the options around either keeping the reservation or cancelling now, keeping their monies and working to get them an alternative reservation within the 60 day rule and maybe paying the cancellation fee yourself as a gesture of goodwill.


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## CPNY (Mar 16, 2020)

beachlynn said:


> How are they going to accommodate all of the people who have to cancel and fit it in 2020 as well as all of the people who already have reservations? That seems like too many renters in not enough slots. My son is supposed to get married on Fri and leave for Maui on Sun. using our home resort using our 2020 week. With what the Gov. here in CA and the CDC said last night it looks like the wedding needs to be postponed. At first they were just going to go ahead and go to Maui anyway but that seems like a very fluid situation going on over there as well. If Gov. Ige decides to shut down restaurants as well as the shut downs that have already occurred then what is point. Plus I know people over there are reluctant for tourists to come and bring anything. These kids are young and healthy and haven’t been in contact , that they know of, with anybody infected or who has traveled outside of the US. What should they do?


I moved one out to August and another to Memorial Day week. Taking my chances at this point.


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## Ken555 (Mar 16, 2020)

beachlynn said:


> How are they going to accommodate all of the people who have to cancel and fit it in 2020 as well as all of the people who already have reservations? That seems like too many renters in not enough slots. My son is supposed to get married on Fri and leave for Maui on Sun. using our home resort using our 2020 week. With what the Gov. here in CA and the CDC said last night it looks like the wedding needs to be postponed. At first they were just going to go ahead and go to Maui anyway but that seems like a very fluid situation going on over there as well. If Gov. Ige decides to shut down restaurants as well as the shut downs that have already occurred then what is point. Plus I know people over there are reluctant for tourists to come and bring anything. These kids are young and healthy and haven’t been in contact , that they know of, with anybody infected or who has traveled outside of the US. What should they do?



Sorry about the timing. I missed a family wedding yesterday in Miami since I canceled my trip, so I understand. 

As for their travel...sorry if this is too blunt, but...









						Young and unafraid of the coronavirus? Good for you. Now stop killing people | Opinion
					

Yes, chances are that the coronavirus won't kill you. But just by refusing to stay put, you are endangering hundreds of lives, every bit as valuable as your own. And it can still mess up your life, or incapacitate you for good.




					www.newsweek.com
				






> This is epidemiology 101. It really sucks. It is extreme—but luckily, we don't have pandemics of this violence every year. So sit it out. Stay put. Don't travel. It is absolutely not worth it.
> 
> It's the civic and moral duty of every person, everywhere, to take part in the global effort to reduce this threat to humanity. To postpone any movement or travel that are not vitally essential, and to spread the disease as little as possible. Have your fun in June, July and August when this—hopefully—is over. Stay safe. Good luck.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## grgs (Mar 16, 2020)

EnglishmanAbroad said:


> If you are renting it I'm guessing it's a Home Resort reservation that by all accounts should be able to be canceled with a fee and no restriction on options. If that's the case then cancel and return the monies paid less the fee you incurred. If it's not the case then explain to the renter the options around either keeping the reservation or cancelling now, keeping their monies and working to get them an alternative reservation within the 60 day rule and maybe paying the cancellation fee yourself as a gesture of goodwill.


Thanks for your reply.

Yes, it is a home resort reservation. If the renter decides to cancel, I'll cover that fee.  I would definitely work with them to find alternate dates to reserve.


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## HSB Chicago (Mar 16, 2020)

Tried calling Vistana multiple times this morning, and I keep getting the message they are too busy.  Then my call is just disconnected.  Any one having luck getting through?


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## jabberwocky (Mar 16, 2020)

Has anyone heard about whether SVV and SVR are going to be shutting down.

One of my staff members has a father-in-law who works for Disney at AKL.  Said there were plans to start shutting things down. Jambo House is apparently down to 20% occupancy.  

I have a stay starting on 03/21 (Encore package).  Does anyone know how many Bonvoy points you get if you forgo the week? We already did a developer purchase as part of our requalification so this is an option for us.


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## beachmommy (Mar 16, 2020)

I am getting hung up on by Vistana agents.  Cancelling our trip for next week.  Before the last one hung up, she said the fees would be waived but restrictions on options.  Can anyone tell me what the restrictions are?  Sorry if this is a dumb question, never had to cancel before, and there seems to be no information on the website.  This is ridiculous.


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## ocdb8r (Mar 16, 2020)

grgs said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> Yes, it is a home resort reservation. If the renter decides to cancel, I'll cover that fee.  I would definitely work with them to find alternate dates to reserve.



I had this happen to me (albeit on an HGVC reservation) - my solution was to offer _effectively _the same option I have for use of the actual week.  A) keep the week and go as planned, B) cancel, pay any cancellation fees charged to me and I will try to find you another HOME week this year.  HGVC ended up charging no cancellation fee and we found a week in early December that worked for the renter.

I say _effectively _above because I could have cancelled the week, converted to HGVCpoints (similar to electing for StarOptions) and banked them into next year and either a) given a refund less the fees or b) offered to try to find a HGVCpoints reservation next year (and the renter had asked about the possibility of moving the reservation to next year).  I decided not to offer (or even mention) either of these possibilities as a) I'm not sure I will need or be able to use the points next year and b) if I offered to try to find a  reservation with points next year I'd technically be in breach of the rental rules. While the risk of getting in trouble may be low, I also thought alot about it and didn't think it reasonable for me to be trying to fix this for another 6-9 months while we try to find reservations (given, HGVC points are only usable 9 months ahead of time...similar to StarOptions reservations only opening 8 months ahead of time).

In the end, I think my offer of accommodation was appropriately balanced.  I am not a resort operator and while I do rent my week for more than maintenance fees it's much less than the margins the resort charges when they rent.  As such, I think it's totally reasonable the renter is also taking on some risk for the reward of saving on the cost.  I think what I offered was reasonable given shared risk allocation.  I absolutely don't believe that we as renters should take it _all _on the chin when something like this happens


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## ocdb8r (Mar 16, 2020)

beachmommy said:


> I am getting hung up on by Vistana agents.  Cancelling our trip for next week.  Before the last one hung up, she said the fees would be waived but restrictions on options.  Can anyone tell me what the restrictions are?  Sorry if this is a dumb question, never had to cancel before, and there seems to be no information on the website.  This is ridiculous.



Limited to using the StarOptions this year and making a reservation no more than 60 days in advance.  Do check though, I was told this same thing and my StarOptions do not show as restricted (I was able to make a reservation more than 60 days out).


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## Mcjohan (Mar 16, 2020)

ocdb8r said:


> Limited to using the StarOptions this year and making a reservation no more than 60 days in advance.  Do check though, I was told this same thing and my StarOptions do not show as restricted (I was able to make a reservation more than 60 days out).


I’ve never had restricted StarOptions, would that prevent me from depositing my week to Interval?


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## ocdb8r (Mar 16, 2020)

Mcjohan said:


> I’ve never had restricted StarOptions, would that prevent me from depositing my week to Interval?


 Yes.  Check online in the Account Balances detail.  Below your "StarOptions" total, you will see another table showing "Ownership Balances" showing what nights balances you have.  If you show weeks available there for 2020, you should still be able to bank them.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 16, 2020)

I emailed the SVP of VSN and requested that Vistana put out an official notice for reservation cancellations and the associated SOs.

I usually get some type of response - let’s see...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## VacationForever (Mar 16, 2020)

jabberwocky said:


> I have a stay starting on 03/21 (Encore package).  Does anyone know how many Bonvoy points you get if you forgo the week? We already did a developer purchase as part of our requalification so this is an option for us.


I thought you only get Bonvoy points if you stay and go to the presentation slated in the Encore package?  You maybe be able to ask for an extension of the Encore package and reschedule it.


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## controller1 (Mar 16, 2020)

beachmommy said:


> I am getting hung up on by Vistana agents.  Cancelling our trip for next week.  Before the last one hung up, she said the fees would be waived but restrictions on options.  Can anyone tell me what the restrictions are?  Sorry if this is a dumb question, never had to cancel before, and there seems to be no information on the website.  This is ridiculous.



I see your question has been answered. However, it IS on the Vistana website on your Dashboard under Ownership 101 -


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## SeattleJohn2 (Mar 16, 2020)

My family and I are on the fence with our reservation at SDO in three weeks. We can either cancel our stay and hope to rebook something later in the year or keep the trip but change to one of the Palm Springs resorts or Kierland (thinking they would be more fun for the kids). If we do go, we'll drive from Seattle, cook or get takeout for our meals and spend a lot of time hiking and enjoying the pool away from other people. Other than the pool, I don't think it would be much different than what we are experiencing now.


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## jabberwocky (Mar 16, 2020)

VacationForever said:


> I thought you only get Bonvoy points if you stay and go to the presentation slated in the Encore package?  You maybe be able to ask for an extension of the Encore package and reschedule it.



If you make a developer purchase and use the Encore package as a credit they will waive the requirement to attend the presentation and give you the option to take Bonvoy points instead.  I forget home many it was.  220,000 sticks in my head in addition to the 100k that go with the package.


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## MattJ (Mar 16, 2020)

So it seems like Vistana is doing nothing special for owners. Maybe waive the cancellation fee, but that’s about it— and even that doesn’t feel consistent. Is that right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CPNY (Mar 16, 2020)

MattJ said:


> So it seems like Vistana is doing nothing special for owners. Maybe waive the cancellation fee, but that’s about it— and even that doesn’t feel consistent. Is that right?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No it’s not consistent but I had my fees waived and star options unrestricted


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## MattJ (Mar 16, 2020)

CPNY said:


> No it’s not consistent but I had my fees waived and star options unrestricted



But you had to do it over the phone? And when did you get this deal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CPNY (Mar 17, 2020)

MattJ said:


> But you had to do it over the phone? And when did you get this deal?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Over the phone. I told her I needed to cancel for obvious reasons. She said no problem, I’ll go ahead and do that and waive the fee and remove the restrictions. I called back the next day (I was deciding on canceling the other reservation) that CS rep said it’s no fee but the options would be restricted. I said woah, I had two yesterday and they made a mistake and only cancelled one reservation and both fee and restrictions were waived. She said, ok I’ll go ahead and remove the. Restrictions however it’s not supposed to be.


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## dsmrp (Mar 17, 2020)

Mcjohan said:


> I’ve never had restricted StarOptions, would that prevent me from depositing my week to Interval?





ocdb8r said:


> Yes.  Check online in the Account Balances detail.  Below your "StarOptions" total, you will see another table showing "Ownership Balances" showing what nights balances you have.  If you show weeks available there for 2020, you should still be able to bank them.


The CS rep I talked to this morning told me that VOI week with restricted options could be deposited into II.  Restricted options just couldn't be banked or converted to Bonvoy points.
btw, I called the Elite line and the rep was very clear that the options would be restricted.
She was very patient and great about my other request below.

Usually I don't need to pay attention to which VOI week, my options reservations are coming out of.  And there's no way to check in the dashboard after making the initial reservation. (If someone knows how, please post).  So I had the CS rep move my reservation options around, so all the restricted options are under a single VOI week.  If I can't use the options this year, my fall-back is to deposit the week into II.


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## pacman777 (Mar 17, 2020)

dsmrp said:


> The CS rep I talked to this morning told me that VOI week with restricted options could be deposited into II.  Restricted options just couldn't be banked or converted to Bonvoy points.
> btw, I called the Elite line and the rep was very clear that the options would be restricted.
> She was very patient and great about my other request below.
> 
> Usually I don't need to pay attention to which VOI week, my options reservations are coming out of.  And there's no way to check in the dashboard after making the initial reservation. (If someone knows how, please post).  So I had the CS rep move my reservation options around, so all the restricted options are under a single VOI week.  If I can't use the options this year, my fall-back is to deposit the week into II.



Even for Elites they wouldn’t waive the restrictions?!


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## dsmrp (Mar 17, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Even for Elites they wouldn’t waive the restrictions?!


Yup, but I'm only a 3*.


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## MattJ (Mar 17, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Even for Elites they wouldn’t waive the restrictions?!



So back to the beginning. They are doing nothing. At the very least they can say so explicitly. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## okwiater (Mar 17, 2020)

Wyndham just suspended their resort operations through 3/31. I will be shocked if Vistana doesn’t follow suit this week.


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## grgs (Mar 17, 2020)

I called about 20 min. ago.  No wait.  I got the same as most everyone else: cancellation fee waived; SOs will be restricted to 60 days.  I am 5 star, but didn't bring it up, so I don't know if that matters or not.  

It's good to know about the Interval option.  So if I have 148,100 restricted options, I can have Vistana assign them to my WKV two bedroom LO unit?  I think I might be able to use some restricted SOs over summer, but not all of them.  If I have 81,000 still left, assigned to a unit, I can still deposit in Interval?


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## cyntravel (Mar 17, 2020)

What number did you call to get thru?


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## VacationForever (Mar 17, 2020)

grgs said:


> I called about 20 min. ago.  No wait.  I got the same as most everyone else: cancellation fee waived; SOs will be restricted to 60 days.  I am 5 star, but didn't bring it up, so I don't know if that matters or not.
> 
> It's good to know about the Interval option.  So if I have 148,100 restricted options, I can have Vistana assign them to my WKV two bedroom LO unit?  I think I might be able to use some restricted SOs over summer, but not all of them.  If I have 81,000 still left, assigned to a unit, I can still deposit in Interval?


In the past it was not possible if all of the SOs did not come from a specific unit that you wanted to deposit into II.  Now I do not know if Vistana agents can see the source of the SOs and be able to tell where they come from.


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## grgs (Mar 17, 2020)

cyntravel said:


> What number did you call to get thru?



1-888-986-9637


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## SMHarman (Mar 17, 2020)

okwiater said:


> Wyndham just suspended their resort operations through 3/31. I will be shocked if Vistana doesn’t follow suit this week.


Then them forcing restrictions on cancellations would be tough. 

This is a giant game of poker. 

We're considering going to Mexico a week early for two weeks. I can work remotely, kids have no school. Wife cannot work.


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## farsighted99 (Mar 17, 2020)

Here's something new from Vistana (excuse me if someone already posted it).  They discuss cancellations.









						Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates | Vistana™ Signature Experiences
					

We understand you have a lot on your mind. You’ve faced unprecedented disruptions to your day-to-day life — and your vacations. We are here to help, with the most current information. The Next Level of Clean Experience enhanced cleaning standards throughout our resorts, including hospital-grade...




					www.vistana.com


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## okwiater (Mar 17, 2020)

farsighted99 said:


> Here's something new from Vistana (excuse me if someone already posted it).  They discuss cancellations.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for posting. Definitely looks like "fees waived / StarOptions restricted" is the official policy. Pretty sad.


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## DavidnRobin (Mar 17, 2020)

Deleted


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## SMHarman (Mar 17, 2020)

okwiater said:


> Thanks for posting. Definitely looks like "fees waived / StarOptions restricted" is the official policy. Pretty sad.


Honestly prefer the opposite. 

Wonder what happens if Mexico closes the border?


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## okwiater (Mar 17, 2020)

I also wonder about Vistana’s liability if someone contracts the disease at their resort. Considering the national state of emergency and the orders against congregating in groups, the “we’re cleaning, everything’s fine” messaging seems a bit reckless.


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## VacationForever (Mar 17, 2020)

okwiater said:


> I also wonder about Vistana’s liability if someone contracts the disease at their resort. Considering the national state of emergency and the orders against congregating in groups, the “we’re cleaning, everything’s fine” messaging seems a bit reckless.


No different from walking into a restaurant and catching it there.  Hotels and resorts are not mandated to close.  If they are mandated to close but choose not to, then there is liability.


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## 4raj (Mar 18, 2020)

I canceled a reservation at WKORV soft the week before Easter and had to pay the cancellation fee but they allowed me to bank the star options for next year. I do not have any special status.


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## 4raj (Mar 18, 2020)

4raj said:


> I canceled a reservation at WKORV soft the week before Easter and had to pay the cancellation fee but they allowed me to bank the star options for next year. I do not have any special status.


Actually they waived the cancellation fee it was the banking fee I had to pay


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## cincytrvlers (Mar 18, 2020)

HSB Chicago said:


> Tried calling Vistana multiple times this morning, and I keep getting the message they are too busy.  Then my call is just disconnected.  Any one having luck getting through?


And, they probably will not. Since the transition, we find customer service @ Vistana is negligable. We did cancel our Home Resort because of the virus and they  did the same as if it was a regular cancellation. No Starpoints, just Star Options that have to be used by the end of the year.   No penalty waivers, nothing.


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## cincytrvlers (Mar 18, 2020)

dsmrp said:


> Yup, but I'm only a 3*.


We are 5* and there are doing the same cancellation within 60 days with penalty even though St John is half closed down. . Returning options but must be used by end of the year. And, they won't call you back. They won't answer the phone . They will send you to resolution which will say they are soooo sorry but cannot give you Starpoints.


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## farsighted99 (Mar 18, 2020)

I doubt we will be using our Starpoints this year because of all of this COVID19 stuff; but if you bank the points, then you can't use them for this year if things get better?  I'm worried they may change the rules when a lot of people rush to bank later and I don't want to lose the points.


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## VacationForever (Mar 18, 2020)

I have a question.  Our friends cancelled their Princeville home week reservation within 60 days.  They are swimming in Star Options and have no use for these restricted Star Options for this year.  They have never used II but want to deposit the week into II.  I do not know if their II deposits will be considered Flexchange (<60 days) or not, because Vistana's deposit for floating season weeks are blended.


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## celica7101 (Mar 18, 2020)

Has anyone had any luck trying to convert the restricted star options into unrestricted?


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## SMHarman (Mar 18, 2020)

farsighted99 said:


> I doubt we will be using our Starpoints this year because of all of this COVID19 stuff; but if you bank the points, then you can't use them for this year if things get better? I'm worried they may change the rules when a lot of people rush to bank later and I don't want to lose the points.


You could then pay next year's fees and borrow from next year.


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## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

And now a southern border lockdown 









						US and Mexico coordinating on plan to restrict travel across the border
					

The US and Mexico are coordinating on a plan to restrict nonessential travel across the border, the State Department confirmed Thursday evening.




					www.cnn.com


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## rubbernyc (Mar 20, 2020)

celica7101 said:


> Has anyone had any luck trying to convert the restricted star options into unrestricted?


Nope, I have been calling every day for the past week about an upcoming reservations in Princeville and Maui that begin on March 29th.  Nothing has changed.


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## ragdoll (Mar 20, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> Nope, I have been calling every day for the past week about an upcoming reservations in Princeville and Maui that begin on March 29th.  Nothing has changed.



I wonder if this article in the Kauai newspaper will change Marriott's thinking. All incoming visitors will be quarantined for 14 days.
https://www.thegardenisland.com/2020/03/20/hawaii-news/26-cases-confirmed/


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## rubbernyc (Mar 20, 2020)

And now the Mexico borders will close this weekend as well.


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## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> And now the Mexico borders will close this weekend as well.


Indeed. Dear Marriott / Vistana.

I love that "Our resorts are open, our pool decks are set, and our associates look forward to welcoming you and your family on your next vacation." 

But I can't freaking get to your resort and you won't let me cancel without penalty. 

Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Borders With Mexico and Canada to Close This Weekend https://nyti.ms/2WtiUUT

Grrr


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## rubbernyc (Mar 20, 2020)

This is the response I just got from Twitter DM:

Hi there, there are no changes at this time.  If you do cancel, you will receive your time back and may rebook within 60 days of arrival.  The pandemic is unprecedented.  Unfrortunately, we cannot begin compensating impacted reservations by giving you time from other owners in the future.








The most updated information will be posted on the Owner website.  For now, our main priority is make sure Owners and associates are safe.


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## rubbernyc (Mar 20, 2020)

I will continue to call them multiple times per day and elevating to "supervisor." Seems to be the only thing we can do, complain and tie up the phone lines.


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## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> This is the response I just got from Twitter DM:
> 
> Hi there, there are no changes at this time. If you do cancel, you will receive your time back and may rebook within 60 days of arrival. The pandemic is unprecedented. Unfrortunately, we cannot begin compensating impacted reservations by giving you time from other owners in the future.
> 
> ...


But you are not taking time from other future owners. They can book home resort ar 12 months and star options at 8 months. Just gonna be a more competitive star options pool.


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## Junior (Mar 20, 2020)

I called yesterday to cancel my reservation in April for Myrtle Beach because of the coronavirus out break and was told they will waive the cancellation fee but restriction would apply to my points that prior to the reservation had no restrictions. I argued with the person and even spoke to a supervisor and said I would pay the cancellation fee but didn't feel it was right of Vistana to apply restrictions on my points that prior to the reservation had no restrictions. We need to stand together and complain about how unfair their current policy is, I encourage everybody to voice their complain on how Vistana is treating their ownership rights. Like I mentioned to the supervisor yesterday it is not like we are cancelling because of personal reasons ( I am from Canada and they have closed the border for nonessential travel ) but because we are forced to. I also mentioned that American Airlines had cancelled our tickets that were nonrefundable for a FULL REFUND and that didn't seem to matter. RESTRICTING OUR POINTS TO A TWO MONTH RESERVATION WINDOW AND HAVING TO USE THEM BY THE END OF THE YEAR IS JUST A TERRIBLE POLICY ON BEHALF OF VISTANA. By the way what does it cost Vistana to lift the restrictions (NOTHING). We need to stand together and complain to Vistana about this RIDICULOUS policy they have in place right now. I do know that they are recording complains at their call center so please call.


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## CPNY (Mar 20, 2020)

Junior said:


> I called yesterday to cancel my reservation in April for Myrtle Beach because of the coronavirus out break and was told they will waive the cancellation fee but restriction would apply to my points that prior to the reservation had no restrictions. I argued with the person and even spoke to a supervisor and said I would pay the cancellation fee but didn't feel it was right of Vistana to apply restrictions on my points that prior to the reservation had no restrictions. We need to stand together and complain about how unfair their current policy is, I encourage everybody to voice their complain on how Vistana is treating their ownership rights. Like I mentioned to the supervisor yesterday it is not like we are cancelling because of personal reasons ( I am from Canada and they have closed the border for nonessential travel ) but because we are forced to. I also mentioned that American Airlines had cancelled our tickets that were nonrefundable for a FULL REFUND and that didn't seem to matter. RESTRICTING OUR POINTS TO A TWO MONTH RESERVATION WINDOW AND HAVING TO USE THEM BY THE END OF THE YEAR IS JUST A TERRIBLE POLICY ON BEHALF OF VISTANA. By the way what does it cost Vistana to lift the restrictions (NOTHING). We need to stand together and complain to Vistana about this RIDICULOUS policy they have in place right now. I do know that they are recording complains at their call center so please call.



my belief is that they are worried everyone who cancels now and those later in 2020 would then bank the options creating a huge clog in usage and create even bigger problems down the road. If you see something later in the year you want to book now but can’t with restricted options, I’d give them a call and see if they will allow you to make the reservation now. A supervisor was willing to book a September week with restricted options if they were to book “now” over the phone. At that point it may be worth it to push it back later in. 2020 but get a week done now.


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## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

CPNY said:


> my belief is that they are worried everyone who cancels now and those later in 2020 would then bank the options creating a huge clog in usage and create even bigger problems down the road. If you see something later in the year you want to book now but can’t with restricted options, I’d give them a call and see if they will allow you to make the reservation now. A supervisor was willing to book a September week with restricted options if they were to book “now” over the phone. At that point it may be worth it to push it back later in. 2020 but get a week done now.


But those who cancelled last week or the week before were granted exceptions. So we seem to have different classes of cancellation treated differently.


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 20, 2020)

As of right now ALL Hawaii resorts are CLOSED.  Maui County (and I'm assuming others are the same) has issued its Public Health Emergency Rules (https://www.mauicounty.gov/Document...f-Maui---Public-Health-Emergency-Rules?bidId=) which went into effect at 7:45 a.m. 3/20 and will remain in effect until further 'rule' or May 4th.  Even though closed very possibly through 5/4 - NO NEW CANCELLATION POLICY HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.  I have reservations for a friend from 4/13 - 4/17.  They live in SF and basically aren't supposed to leave the house for non-essential reasons (I suspect vacation is not one of them) subject to a misdemeanor conviction and a fine.

I also have two reservations for 4 nights each at Desert Willow made for Coachella Music Fest.  One friend live in GB and can't leave.  Fest has been cancelled.  But all I can get back are "Restricted Options".  This is just BS!!!


----------



## controller1 (Mar 20, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> As of right now ALL Hawaii resorts are CLOSED.  Maui County (and I'm assuming others are the same) has issued its Public Health Emergency Rules (https://www.mauicounty.gov/Document...f-Maui---Public-Health-Emergency-Rules?bidId=) which went into effect at 7:45 a.m. 3/20 and will remain in effect until further 'rule' or May 4th.  Even though closed very possibly through 5/4 - NO NEW CANCELLATION POLICY HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.  I have reservations for a friend from 4/13 - 4/17.  They live in SF and basically aren't supposed to leave the house for non-essential reasons (I suspect vacation is not one of them) subject to a misdemeanor conviction and a fine.
> 
> I also have two reservations for 4 nights each at Desert Willow made for Coachella Music Fest.  One friend live in GB and can't leave.  Fest has been cancelled.  But all I can get back are "Restricted Options".  This is just BS!!!



Even though resorts/hotels are not shown as Essential Businesses, if they are closed why is this rule worded as it is?


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 20, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Even though resorts/hotels are not shown as Essential Businesses, if they are closed why is this rule worded as it is?
> 
> View attachment 18122 View attachment 18123



We'll have to ask Starwood_Vistana this question?  Perhaps they closed them on their own accord - but what difference does it make?  They're closed.


----------



## MattJ (Mar 20, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> We'll have to ask Starwood_Vistana this question? Perhaps they closed them on their own accord - but what difference does it make? They're closed.



According to this page, WKORV/N, Nanea are closed by order of the county. 









						Timeshare Resort Updates | Marriott Vacations Worldwide
					

View property and destination updates for Marriott Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club timeshare resorts and luxury properties. Learn more about current status of resort amenities and services.




					hub.vacationclub.com
				




I suspect that since the govt is closing them down, there is some disaster insurance that will kick in and let them move to a new cancellation policy for owners in those resorts.


----------



## CPNY (Mar 20, 2020)

Interesting. What will Marriott do here? It will be interesting if they keep the star options restricted. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.


----------



## YYJMSP (Mar 20, 2020)

MattJ said:


> According to this page, WKORV/N, Nanea are closed by order of the county.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Why isn't the Marriott Maui Ocean Club also closed?


----------



## MattJ (Mar 20, 2020)

MattJ said:


> According to this page, WKORV/N, Nanea are closed by order of the county.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So just going through the governing docs, in event of natural disaster or reason beyond their control, we waive right on any claims they are not liable. 

In short, we should be happy that they are doing anything for us. 

Unless someone else knows something else, it feels like this is where it ends. Cancellation policy is the cancellation policy. Am I missing something?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MattJ (Mar 20, 2020)

YYJMSP said:


> Why isn't the Marriott Maui Ocean Club also closed?



I am wondering if the closure was forced by COVID infection. The second confirmed case on Maui was at Nanea. Maybe that’s why?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> We'll have to ask Starwood_Vistana this question? Perhaps they closed them on their own accord - but what difference does it make? They're closed.


So they are closed and they are going to cancel next Weekes reservation with a sorry not sorry 60 day restricted SO back in your account. 

Grrr


----------



## pacman777 (Mar 20, 2020)

Here is more info on status of Vistana/Marriott resorts. Not sure how updated it is but better than nothing. Most resort are open with "modified amenities and services"








						Timeshare Resort Updates | Marriott Vacations Worldwide
					

View property and destination updates for Marriott Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club timeshare resorts and luxury properties. Learn more about current status of resort amenities and services.




					hub.vacationclub.com


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 20, 2020)

A DVC friend of mine said they returned all use unrestricted. 

DISNEY did the right thing. Marriott. Be more like Disney.

In other news I bought more stock in DIS today.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 21, 2020)

SVOForever said:


> I've seen the thread and are in similar situation regarding cancellation of trip next month.  To-date, has anyone had an interaction with Vistana and/or been approved or denied the ability to cancel, pay the fee, but not have the Options restricted?  I understand the fee ... but if I cancel I would want the ability to at least consider banking by June 30 if I can't reschedule, but with the restriction comes the ability to not bank ... plus for example, I may want to re-plan for lets say October, but with a 60 day restriction I can't do that.
> 
> Long/short of it - has Vistana waived, or explicitly denied waiving, the *restriction* on Staroptions (don't care about the fee) due to the Corona virus?  Thanks!!


As of the 16th of this month they are extremely inflexible just stating the company line, nothing we can do. They did say they are reviewing the policy
so we were advised it may be better to wait to cancel. Once your points are restricted they can't change it in the system. We tried to just reschedule as some owners were able to do earlier in the month.,but they wouldn't do that either. Appalling customer service.


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

MattJ said:


> So just going through the governing docs, in event of natural disaster or reason beyond their control, we waive right on any claims they are not liable.
> 
> In short, we should be happy that they are doing anything for us.
> 
> ...




It's called PUBLIC RELATIONS!!


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> As of the 16th of this month they are extremely inflexible just stating the company line, nothing we can do. They did say they are reviewing the policy
> so we were advised it may be better to wait to cancel. Once your points are restricted they can't change it in the system. We tried to just reschedule as some owners were able to do earlier in the month.,but they wouldn't do that either. Appalling customer service.



Guess I won't bother calling today.


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

CPNY said:


> my belief is that they are worried everyone who cancels now and those later in 2020 would then bank the options creating a huge clog in usage and create even bigger problems down the road. If you see something later in the year you want to book now but can’t with restricted options, I’d give them a call and see if they will allow you to make the reservation now. A supervisor was willing to book a September week with restricted options if they were to book “now” over the phone. At that point it may be worth it to push it back later in. 2020 but get a week done now.



They could set up a COVID Cancellation Policy with no fee for cancellation and Options good through the end of 2021 or some other 'reasonable' special situation policy.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 21, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> Guess I won't bother calling today.


No wait though. We got right through.


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> They could set up a COVID Cancellation Policy with no fee for cancellation and Options good through the end of 2021 or some other 'reasonable' special situation policy.


Which makes the problem worse not better. Spreading over the usual three years means these points dissolve into the system at the usual rate and owners can even bank their 2022 to use their 2020 and spread the problem into 2025.

This current just breaks the system, and II. A massive travel spike in Q3/4 and zero availability. Massive dump of units into II and no corresponding future units.


----------



## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Which makes the problem worse not better. Spreading over the usual three years means these points dissolve into the system at the usual rate and owners can even bank their 2022 to use their 2020 and spread the problem into 2025.
> 
> This current just breaks the system, and II. A massive travel spike in Q3/4 and zero availability. Massive dump of units into II and no corresponding future units.



Yes.

Frankly, I don’t care and am not sympathetic to anyone about this topic. Sorry if that offends.

In extreme circumstances, we all need to sacrifice to help society. This is one of those times. If that means we don’t get to use our paid for vacation time in order for the timeshare we own to survive, and for us to get through to the other side, then I don’t care if I lose that week. 

For myself, I plan on banking this year and may, in fact, do it today. I don’t see the point of waiting any longer, since I know I won’t be traveling to a timeshare this year (and if I do, I’ll find an alternative...such as using my deposited weeks at II). I’ve already canceled a short trip to Miami for a family wedding and a six week trip to Australia and a cruise to Hawaii, and am planning cancelling a five week trip via ship from Vancouver to Japan to Singapore, and another visit to Europe and a transatlantic cruise in the fall. Even if I lose all the money I’ve spent on these trips with no refund, I really don’t care. 

Luxury vacations are at the bottom of my list right now. Sorry, but I think that should be true for us all.


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## DannyTS (Mar 21, 2020)

actually the new data shows fatality rate in the US at around 1%, much lower than initially thought at 3-4%. Hopefully with proper care they can bring them down to 0.2-0.3%  like in Germany, Switzerland etc









						U.S. COVID-19 Fatality Rate Steady: About 1 Percent | National Review
					

Spikes in reported cases are disturbing, and the death count is heartbreaking. Let’s keep our eye, though, on the fatality rate.




					www.nationalreview.com


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Yes.
> 
> Frankly, I don’t care and am not sympathetic to anyone about this topic. Sorry if that offends.
> 
> ...


So you got to cancel greater than 60 days and can be a smug I'm all right jack.

This clearly isn't your problem. But you banking points will cause as much congestion as mine.


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> As of the 16th of this month they are extremely inflexible just stating the company line, nothing we can do. They did say they are reviewing the policy
> so we were advised it may be better to wait to cancel. Once your points are restricted they can't change it in the system. We tried to just reschedule as some owners were able to do earlier in the month.,but they wouldn't do that either. Appalling customer service.


So owners with arrivals from March to May 16 are screwed at the expense of the rest. I sacrifice but Ken does not have to. Fantastic.


----------



## zentraveler (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Yes.
> 
> Frankly, I don’t care and am not sympathetic to anyone about this topic. Sorry if that offends.
> 
> ...



Thank you Ken for such a relevant perspective. This is truly a global disaster and it helpful to remember what is important in life.


----------



## okwiater (Mar 21, 2020)

One interesting data point is that I canceled both a home resort reservation and a reservation made with banked options. The one with banked options actually has _more_ flexibility now than the home resort cancellation, because the expiration date of 12/31/2021 is still intact, even though they’re restricted. So at least I have almost 2 years to use them. It seems like a strange fluke that my home resort reservation cancellation has less rebooking flexibility than my banked options booking.


----------



## ragdoll (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Frankly, I don’t care and am not sympathetic to anyone about this topic. Sorry if that offends.
> 
> In extreme circumstances, we all need to sacrifice to help society. This is one of those times. If that means we don’t get to use our paid for vacation time in order for the timeshare we own to survive, and for us to get through to the other side, then I don’t care if I lose that week.
> 
> ...



I agree entirely with this. Thanks for reminding us.


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> So you got to cancel greater than 60 days and can be a smug I'm all right jack.
> 
> This clearly isn't your problem. But you banking points will cause as much congestion as mine.



Like I said, I’m sorry this offends. But yeah, I don’t really care. And I don’t care the my points will cause congestion. What would you have VSN do? This is entirely out of their hands.

Sure, I don’t agree they should restrict any SOs - that’s just inappropriate and poor customer service. But do I care? Not one bit. If I had a reservation within 60 days I had to cancel would I be here complaining? No friggin way. I’d suck it up and hope my neighbors don’t die. Perspective.


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## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Yes.
> 
> Frankly, I don’t care and am not sympathetic to anyone about this topic. Sorry if that offends.
> 
> ...


Must be nice.  Go Dodgers!!


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Like I said, I’m sorry this offends. But yeah, I don’t really care. And I don’t care the my points will cause congestion. What would you have VSN do? This is entirely out of their hands.
> 
> Sure, I don’t agree they should restrict any SOs - that’s just inappropriate and poor customer service. But do I care? Not one bit. If I had a reservation within 60 days I had to cancel would I be here complaining? No friggin way. I’d suck it up and hope my neighbors don’t die. Perspective.
> 
> ...


Glad you have the ability to toss a couple of grand away just like that. 

Many of us don't. 









						Marriott’s CEO Demonstrates Truly Authentic Leadership In A Remarkably Emotional Video
					

Authentic leaders are vulnerable, humble, emotional and honest.




					www.forbes.com
				




Shame Vistana is so sh***Y by comparison, and both with the same Westin and Sheraton and Marriott shingles hanging over the door.


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## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Glad you have the ability to toss a couple of grand away just like that.
> 
> Many of us don't.
> 
> ...


Of course Ken555 owns in some of the lower maintenance fee resorts, not Hawaii.  We are 76 & 77 years old and depend on some rentals to help cover maintenance. I'm still hoping that Starwood/Vistana will come up with some alternative COVID related cancellation policy!!


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Glad you have the ability to toss a couple of grand away just like that.
> 
> Many of us don't.



I get that you’re angry. I am, too. I don’t want to lose any money, yet I’m also feeling the pinch. Don’t assume anything.

Even so, I would not come here and bitch about having restricted options (which isn’t the same as losing the money) when people are losing their lives. It is so inappropriate I don’t know where to begin. So you lose some money, or have to find last minute reservations. Be safe and be healthy. Right now that’s all any of us can ask for, and we should be happy with it, even if we lose money this year.

Hopefully you’ll find a good use of the options. Or even better, Vistana will change policy and allow you to use of them as unrestricted options. I wouldn’t be surprised if policy changes.


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> Of course Ken555 owns in some of the lower maintenance fee resorts, not Hawaii. We are 76 & 77 years old and depend on some rentals to help cover maintenance. I'm still hoping that Starwood/Vistana will come up with some alternative COVID related cancellation policy!!



Please. Everyone. Stop trying to accuse me of having an opinion based on my own financial position or obligation. That’s about as inappropriate as this discussion. 

It’s as if now you’re blaming me for having affordable weeks! Wow. What does that say?...


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## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> I get that you’re angry. I am, too. I don’t want to lose any money, yet I’m also feeling the pinch. Don’t assume anything.
> 
> Even so, I would not come here and bitch about having restricted options (which isn’t the same as losing the money) when people are losing their lives. It is so inappropriate I don’t know where to begin. So you lose some money, or have to find last minute reservations. Be safe and be healthy. Right now that’s all any of us can ask for, and we should be happy with it, even if we lose money this year.
> 
> ...


Yet I'd prefer to take the trip instead of be left with restricted options. But I'm not allowed to take the trip because non essential travel. 

And my travel insurance and credit card won't cover it, because I, or an immediate family member is not sick. 

Yet the plane is still full. Lots of essential travel to CUN there!

Quite the catch 22. Not allowed to go by the NY State and Federal and Mexican government.  Not allowed to cancel without penalty.  Well done Marriott and MVC,  well done.


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Yet I'd prefer to take the trip instead of be left with restricted options. But I'm not allowed to take the trip because non essential travel.
> 
> And my travel insurance and credit card won't cover it, because I, or an immediate family member is not sick.
> 
> Yet the plane is still full. Lots of essential travel to CUN there!



You’d rather go to a foreign country right now? When the government (of both) is telling you not to?

Are you staying at home?


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## EnglishmanAbroad (Mar 21, 2020)

I really hope Vistana can come up with a resolution that pleases everyone but I must admit, before reading this and other threads on here I thought it was Millennials who were supposed to be the 'entitled' generation.


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## jimcelia (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Please. Everyone. Stop trying to accuse me of having an opinion based on my own financial position or obligation. That’s about as inappropriate as this discussion.
> 
> It’s as if now you’re blaming me for having affordable weeks! Wow. What does that say?...
> 
> ...


Not 'accusing' you of anything!!  But, you say you're "sorry" if your opinion offends - on the other hand you don't agree with the "Restricted Options" complaint but really  "don't really care" about it because it's not hurting you.  We're just hoping Starwood/Vistana will come up with an alternative policy.


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## pacman777 (Mar 21, 2020)

Lots of companies on my shitlist right now:
1. Redweek
2. Airbnb
3. StayPC or VacationCandy
4. Vistana

I love TUG though! Lol


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## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> You’d rather go to a foreign country right now? When the government (of both) is telling you not to?
> 
> Are you staying at home?
> 
> ...


Actually I would. I think the Mexican government will handle this better than our government. There are more available hospital beds in Yucatan than NYC and my travel insurance out of pocket costs are lower than my HDHP. 

Am I staying home? Is that a more general question than am I going to Cancun? 

Is the inference in that question "am I obeying the current movement and social distancing restrictions?" 

If that is the question you are asking then yes I and my family are, but living in NYC we go to the large grassy space in the park each day because otherwise the 5 year old and 9 year old will go stir crazy and the need to exercise their sillys out without driving my downstairs neighbors crazy. 

They don't hang out with friends while doing this, they also social distance. 

But that said. The four of us live in a 950sq ft Manhattan apartment. Our back yard is central park. Sheleltering in place in a 2 bed WLR unit would give us more space than we currently live in. So sheltering in place at WLR is appealing. My biggest concern is they shut the place down leaving us homeless and stranded.


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## SMHarman (Mar 21, 2020)

EnglishmanAbroad said:


> I really hope Vistana can come up with a resolution that pleases everyone but I must admit, before reading this and other threads on here I though it was Millennials who were supposed to be the 'entitled' generation.


Nope it's the Boomers that are entitled, they just didn't realise they stole Gen X and Millennial entitlements and then turn around and say "when I were a lad / girl"


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## EnglishmanAbroad (Mar 21, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Lots of companies on my shitlist right now:
> 1. Redweek
> 2. Airbnb
> 3. StayPC or VacationCandy
> ...



I thought Redweek were offering free replacement listings and validations to owners who had to cancel current listings. Maybe I read it wrong?


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

jimcelia said:


> Not 'accusing' you of anything!! But, you say you're "sorry" if your opinion offends - on the other hand you don't agree with the "Restricted Options" complaint but really "don't really care" about it because it's not hurting you. We're just hoping Starwood/Vistana will come up with an alternative policy.



I don’t really care about the restricted options not because it’s not hurting me. I specifically stated that even if mine were restricted I wouldn’t come here and complain. Don’t quote out of context.

Yes, it would be nice for VSN to have a better policy.


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## pacman777 (Mar 21, 2020)

EnglishmanAbroad said:


> I thought Redweek were offering free replacement listings and validations to owners who had to cancel current listings. Maybe I read it wrong?



they send me an email after the reservation check in date so I can’t even cancel to rebook and they state that they are not paying me (used their payment service) even though the resort is currently open and accepting check-ins of new guests








						Redweek holding all payments regardless???
					

This is bizarre. Redweek appears to be holding all payments hostage even if the renter never requested a cancellation. I don’t get how that makes sense. I was wary of using Redweek payments but then I started using it exclusively. I am likely done with Redweek payments in the future as they are...




					tugbbs.com


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## Ken555 (Mar 21, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Actually I would. I think the Mexican government will handle this better than our government. There are more available hospital beds in Yucatan than NYC and my travel insurance out of pocket costs are lower than my HDHP.
> 
> Am I staying home? Is that a more general question than am I going to Cancun?
> 
> ...



I completely understand. I have a number of friends in NYC and the pictures and stories I’m hearing and seeing on a daily basis are quite alarming. Good luck.


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## EnglishmanAbroad (Mar 21, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> they send me an email after the reservation check in date so I can’t even cancel to rebook and they state that they are not paying me (used their payment service) even though the resort is currently open and accepting check-ins of new guests
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for that link.


----------



## okwiater (Mar 21, 2020)

Well, it’s official. Westin St. John will not be permitted to accept new visitors, according to the governor.









						USVI Governor: Tourists Cannot Visit for the Next 30 Days | News of St. John
					

The Governor released the following information Saturday night, March 21, 2020.




					newsofstjohn.com
				




Vistana really mishandled this.  They’ll be getting an earful during my next owner update.


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## SandyPGravel (Mar 21, 2020)

It will be interesting to see how Marriott/Vistana spins this to continue restricting SO cancellations.   If they do change policy for WSJ, how they weasel out of changing policy for other resorts.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## CPNY (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> I completely understand. I have a number of friends in NYC and the pictures and stories I’m hearing and seeing on a daily basis are quite alarming. Good luck.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



Stay safe in LA!


SMHarman said:


> Actually I would. I think the Mexican government will handle this better than our government. There are more available hospital beds in Yucatan than NYC and my travel insurance out of pocket costs are lower than my HDHP.
> 
> Am I staying home? Is that a more general question than am I going to Cancun?
> 
> ...


the kids downstairs play basketball in the apartment with an NCAA basketball. I can’t even complain, It’s the supers kids. The whole damn building shakes lol.


----------



## CPNY (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Like I said, I’m sorry this offends. But yeah, I don’t really care. And I don’t care the my points will cause congestion. What would you have VSN do? This is entirely out of their hands.
> 
> Sure, I don’t agree they should restrict any SOs - that’s just inappropriate and poor customer service. But do I care? Not one bit. If I had a reservation within 60 days I had to cancel would I be here complaining? No friggin way. I’d suck it up and hope my neighbors don’t die. Perspective.
> 
> ...


I got lucky. I got a CS rep who waived the fee and restrictions and I didn’t even ask. I just said I need to cancel and she said sure we understand I’ll go ahead and waive the fee and remove those restrictions for you. Uhh ok sure thank you! This was before the official policy was sent out to everyone. At that time I think you had different reps doing differing things. 

I completely agree with you though. I pray people don’t die and this blows over quickly. That’s most important to me, then my job/industry, and economy, timeshares and vacations are last on my mind. I already cancelled three


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 21, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Please. Everyone. Stop trying to accuse me of having an opinion based on my own financial position or obligation. That’s about as inappropriate as this discussion.
> 
> It’s as if now you’re blaming me for having affordable weeks! Wow. What does that say?...
> 
> ...


Ken I suspect everyone agrees, of course lives and health are the priority. No one disputes that and people I see are doing their part. Everyone 's feeling and frustrations are allowed.Emotionally  Healthy people express feelings.Now is not the time to attack each other. There are many folks who have planned for a long time for their vacations who cannot reschedule 60 days out, teachers, nurses etc.We are retired but many have restrictions with time off. Many have plane reservations that need to be used by Dec 31 but have no time off. If they want to complain they have a right. And I think while complaining they also have it in priority.


----------



## controller1 (Mar 21, 2020)

It's official. Beginning Thursday all visitors to Hawaii will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days in their hotel room.









						Hawaii Updates: Governor Orders 14-Day Quarantine For Visitors, Returning Residents
					

Updated: 3/21/20, 7:45 p.m.Gov. David Ige is pulling up the welcome mat: starting Thursday, any domestic or international visitor who comes to Hawaii will…




					www.hawaiipublicradio.org


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## lds337 (Mar 21, 2020)

controller1 said:


> It's official. Beginning Thursday all visitors to Hawaii will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days in their hotel room.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wow - that basically makes all Hawaii Resorts effectively closed 

Who’s got a 14 day reservation to sit in their room prior to doing any activities. You would need a 3 week minimum reservation to do anything 

Also paying a $5k fee is probably cheaper than the 2 week quarantine stay


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## controller1 (Mar 22, 2020)

MattJ said:


> According to this page, WKORV/N, Nanea are closed by order of the county.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And now that link is showing WKORV, WKORVN and Nanea are open. What's happening?


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 22, 2020)

lds337 said:


> Also paying a $5k fee is probably cheaper than the 2 week quarantine stay
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


$5k and and additional years stay on HI at the governments pleasure.


----------



## blondietink (Mar 22, 2020)

My friend at Lagunamar has posted that all the bars, restaurants and nightclubs in Cancun have been ordered to close.  He said they are at 20% occupancy right now,


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## VacationForever (Mar 22, 2020)

controller1 said:


> And now that link is showing WKORV, WKORVN and Nanea are open. What's happening?View attachment 18153


Probably closed for cleaning due to guest with COVID-19 and now reopened after cleaning was completed.


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## SMHarman (Mar 22, 2020)

blondietink said:


> My friend at Lagunamar has posted that all the bars, restaurants and nightclubs in Cancun have been ordered to close. He said they are at 20% occupancy right now,


That makes social distancing easier.


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## controller1 (Mar 22, 2020)

controller1 said:


> It's official. Beginning Thursday all visitors to Hawaii will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days in their hotel room.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It appears this will last until May 20, 2020 unless terminated earlier by the Governor.



			https://loyaltylobby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2003152-ATG_Second-Supplementary-Proclamation-for-COVID-19-signed.pdf


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## okwiater (Mar 22, 2020)

I guess anybody who wants to go to Hawaii should get there in the next few days!


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## TDS (Mar 22, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Lots of companies on my shitlist right now:
> 1. Redweek
> 2. Airbnb
> 3. StayPC or VacationCandy
> ...


I'm curious if anyone has knowledge of how VacationCandy is addressing cancellations from the renter's side. I've received a notice requesting (expecting) a full refund of rental fees received for a rental that checks in on 3/28.  I'm curious if anyone knows if VC is returning all fees to the renter, including VC's listing fees.


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## SteelerGal (Mar 22, 2020)

TDS said:


> I'm curious if anyone has knowledge of how VacationCandy is addressing cancellations from the renter's side. I've received a notice requesting (expecting) a full refund of rental fees received for a rental that checks in on 3/28.  I'm curious if anyone knows if VC is returning all fees to the renter, including VC's listing fees.


The last email I got was that they are pushing back.  However I sent an email to VC to inquire since our rental was in April.  I know others, there is a VC thread, that received a threatening email.


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## cubigbird (Mar 22, 2020)

I'd be curious to how this travel lock down may influence 2020 MF defaults once MF bills come out this fall.  We obviously won't know this until next year but I'm sure we will see a major spike in delinquencies.  MF at some resorts are already very high - Hawaii, STJ and Bahamas and really can't get much higher before people start to walk from their ownerships.


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## Ken555 (Mar 22, 2020)

cubigbird said:


> I'd be curious to how this travel lock down may influence 2020 MF defaults once MF bills come out this fall. We obviously won't know this until next year but I'm sure we will see a major spike in delinquencies. MF at some resorts are already very high - Hawaii, STJ and Bahamas and really can't get much higher before people start to walk from their ownerships.



Yup. I was wondering this a couple weeks ago but really didn’t want to be even more negative on this whole calamity. I agree many will walk away or try to sell, or just be delinquent. It may be time for those of us who own at large resorts to push for lower management fees, etc. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ZabuCat (Mar 22, 2020)

I had someone rent from me at the Westin Nanea in Maui.  Because of travel restrictions and and Hawaii asking that no one comes for the next 30 days I agreed to cancel their reservation and refund their deposit.  I ate the change fee previously paid to Vistana.   
I was anticipating for this to happen so had sent 2 emails to Vistana getting the same BS response - No change if you cancel within 60 days and you cannot rebook those points until 60 days before your new planned check in and have to use by the end of the year.  I'm a 4* elite member so we have a lot of points so this response made me really angry.    
So I sent a 2nd email and and that one they said they would take to leadership.
I sent a DM on Instagram to Vistana Signature Experiences and got the same BS response.  So have posted a public shaming post on Instagram and tagged them.    And sent another DM saying their answer was unacceptable.  
My FB message was more positive - that they will take to their Leadership team.   And suggested I call Vistana tomorrow which I will make that my project as it sounds like they may be more helpful on the phone.   
Do readers know that Marriott Hotels own some of the rooms at each resort?   Because of this I have suggested that Marriott gives up these rooms to give more rooms for Owners to use without penalty.    
So lets just keep hammering them.  We have paid good money to enjoy vacation time at these beautiful resorts and we should not be penalized because of Covid.    
Public Shamming may also need to continue with Vistana / Marriott for them to wake up and make changes like so many other big corporations.


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## ZabuCat (Mar 22, 2020)

lorenmd said:


> oh come on.  this is all of us in this
> together.  just reimburse his money. don't be that guy.


Exactly - I gave a full refund to my renters at Nanea and now will fight with Vistana to extend the time I have to use the points.


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## ZabuCat (Mar 22, 2020)

beachlynn said:


> How are they going to accommodate all of the people who have to cancel and fit it in 2020 as well as all of the people who already have reservations? That seems like too many renters in not enough slots. My son is supposed to get married on Fri and leave for Maui on Sun. using our home resort using our 2020 week. With what the Gov. here in CA and the CDC said last night it looks like the wedding needs to be postponed. At first they were just going to go ahead and go to Maui anyway but that seems like a very fluid situation going on over there as well. If Gov. Ige decides to shut down restaurants as well as the shut downs that have already occurred then what is point. Plus I know people over there are reluctant for tourists to come and bring anything. These kids are young and healthy and haven’t been in contact , that they know of, with anybody infected or who has traveled outside of the US. What should they do?


You need to cancel.  There are weddings, funerals everything being cancelled.   It's not about your kids being healthy but about keeping everyone healthy.  I'm hearing HI does not even want visitors to come anymore to keep the virus away.  
I cancelled a reservation I had with a renter and gave a full refund and will now fight with Vistana to get them to relax their cancellation policy if cancelled 60 days before.   
Send Vistana emails via your account online.   I have also tagged them on the unacceptable responses they have given me via Instagram and Facebook messages.
As owners we need to express our anger about how they are treating their owners under this global pandemic.   Emails, Social media shaming, whatever is necessary and they will change.


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## ZabuCat (Mar 22, 2020)

pacman777 said:


> Even for Elites they wouldn’t waive the restrictions?!


Nope - I'm a 4* and waived fees but not restrictions.   I'm retired and we are staying home so have time to send emails, messages via Instagram and Facebook and will be calling them.   I'm not above public shaming and as owners we all need to keep at them.  This is going to last longer then 30 days.  People will have to be cancelling into May if not longer.  Cruise ships and Tour companies are allowing cancellations with flexible rebooking times.  Have heard up to 2 years!


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## CPNY (Mar 22, 2020)

Due to Covid cancellation, I’m left wondering what to do with my remaining options I cancelled for the trip this week. Bank them or deposit in interval? I have a feeling the next two years will be a nightmare with everyone trying to do something with this years Weeks/Options. Wonder what the best course of action is. Bank Vistana or Interval?


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## SMHarman (Mar 22, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Due to Covid cancellation, I’m left wondering what to do with my remaining options I cancelled for the trip this week. Bank them or deposit in interval? I have a feeling the next two years will be a nightmare with everyone trying to do something with this years Weeks/Options. Wonder what the best course of action is. Bank Vistana or Interval?


If your booking was 60 days out then bank them if you often make 8 month SO bookings. You can also bank say 2022 or 2023 so you use 2020 in one of those years and push your excess problem out.


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## MICROZE (Mar 22, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Due to Covid cancellation, I’m left wondering what to do with my remaining options I cancelled for the trip this week. Bank them or deposit in interval? I have a feeling the next two years will be a nightmare with everyone trying to do something with this years Weeks/Options. Wonder what the best course of action is. Bank Vistana or Interval?


I would bank with Vistana as I expect the Interval situation to be worse.


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## VacationForever (Mar 22, 2020)

It depends on where you want to go to.  II has good options outside of VSN, including Marriott and Hyatt.  With Vistana system, I alternate between use of SOs and depositing into II.  I do that with my MVC timeshare as well, a combination of II deposits and use of DC points system.


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## CPNY (Mar 22, 2020)

VacationForever said:


> It depends on where you want to go to.  II has good options outside of VSN, including Marriott and Hyatt.  With Vistana system, I alternate between use of SOs and depositing into II.  I do that with my MVC timeshare as well, a combination of II deposits and use of DC points system.


I always bank with vistana but thought maybe give Interval a try.


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## CPNY (Mar 22, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> If your booking was 60 days out inbound bank them if you often make 8 month SO bookings. You can also bank say 2022 or 2023 so you use 2020 in one of those years and push your excess problem out.
> 
> You can always also


Good point, I guess I’ll bank. I never really deposit in interval but i think it’s prob best to keep it in vistana


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## Ken555 (Mar 22, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Good point, I guess I’ll bank. I never really deposit in interval but i think it’s prob best to keep it in vistana



I think that’s the wise choice. I banked my 2020 week today, too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## CPNY (Mar 22, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> I think that’s the wise choice. I banked my 2020 week today, too.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I’m going to wait until the Last possible moment. If things happen to calm down in 8 weeks (I pray) I’ll take a last minute trip. If not, on to 2022 they go


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## ZabuCat (Mar 23, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Yup. I was wondering this a couple weeks ago but really didn’t want to be even more negative on this whole calamity. I agree many will walk away or try to sell, or just be delinquent. It may be time for those of us who own at large resorts to push for lower management fees, etc.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


If they have to lay off staff and close off rooms etc logic tells me that their costs will be lower for 2020 and this better show up in our fees?


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## ZabuCat (Mar 23, 2020)

okwiater said:


> I guess anybody who wants to go to Hawaii should get there in the next few days!


Really????  NO you just should not go period.   Stay home.


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## controller1 (Mar 23, 2020)

ZabuCat said:


> If they have to lay off staff and close off rooms etc logic tells me that their costs will be lower for 2020 and this better show up in our fees?



I wouldn't bank on those reduced fees. With those reduced costs will also be reduced revenues from commissions on activities, on-site restaurants and bars, and spas just to name a few.

Also, we could also see a sharp increase in uncollectible accounts as the economy causes some people to stop paying their maintenance fees and perhaps walk away from their timeshares.


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## MattJ (Mar 23, 2020)

ZabuCat said:


> If they have to lay off staff and close off rooms etc logic tells me that their costs will be lower for 2020 and this better show up in our fees?



No. They won’t have revenue either, but will still be paying basic maintenance to keep properties from falling apart. I also suspect that “deep cleaning” is likely to be the new normal so I would expect higher costs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rubbernyc (Mar 23, 2020)

Wow.... I just received this reply to an email sent on the 18th.

"We appreciate your patience as we continue to work through this rapidly evolving situation. The organization is continuing to monitor the situation and will communicate to all owners as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding."


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## SMHarman (Mar 23, 2020)

MattJ said:


> No. They won’t have revenue either, but will still be paying basic maintenance to keep properties from falling apart. I also suspect that “deep cleaning” is likely to be the new normal so I would expect higher costs.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ancillary revenue is normally split with a heavy skew to the hotel side.

Will deep cleaning cost less or more than usual housekeeping.   Less I think. Fewer rooms to turn and laundry etc.


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## MattJ (Mar 23, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Ancillary revenue is normally split with a heavy skew to the hotel side.
> 
> Will deep cleaning cost less or more than usual housekeeping. Less I think. Fewer rooms to turn and laundry etc.



I didn’t think there was a hotel side. At least for WKORV, I thought it was all Vistana and that they “rented” the excess inventory (unsold or converted weeks) to Marriott for revenue. I thought we covered all the cost. That means more operating costs means higher annual fees.

I just can’t see a world where the resorts take a huge haircut and we end up paying less money in the years to come (unless the economy goes into a deep recession/depression and then we have other issues). 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SMHarman (Mar 23, 2020)

MattJ said:


> I didn’t think there was a hotel side. At least for WKORV, I thought it was all Vistana and that they “rented” the excess inventory (unsold or converted weeks) to Marriott for revenue. I thought we covered all the cost. That means more operating costs means higher annual fees.
> 
> I just can’t see a world where the resorts take a huge haircut and we end up paying less money in the years to come (unless the economy goes into a deep recession/depression and then we have other issues).
> 
> ...


Marriott / Starwood owned many many weeks, say 25% and then uses that to run 25% off the space in the site for hotel bookings. 

Then you have owner weeks that can only book into their season. 

Then owners with SNV (depending on which HI resort all the group of weeks owners is mandatory and has this). That's the 12<>8 months bundle.

Then the Aventura, Westin And Starwood new points programs that bundle lots of weeks across resorts into a trust where you get access to all like a 12 month owners. 

Then unsold weeks that the developer uses for incentive visits etc 

Lots of different pools of ownership use rights.


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## jimcelia (Mar 23, 2020)

Interesting


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## jimcelia (Mar 23, 2020)

A little while ago I received an email from Hawaiian Airlines stating in part "Hawai‘i Governor Ige announcedOpens external link to page that may not meet accessibility guidelines a 14-day quarantine requirement for all arrivals to the state, effective Thursday, March 26. As a result, we have decided to make additional near-term adjustments to our long-haul flight schedules. Our regular flight schedule will be maintained through Wednesday, March 25 to allow guests to return home before we begin suspending most of our North America and International routes for the remainder of March, except for one daily nonstop flight between Honolulu (HNL) and Los Angeles (LAX) and one weekly HNL-American Samoa (PPG) flight."  Imagine many of you have received the same.
So - I've gone to Marriott and SV searching for rooms just for 2 nights beginning this Friday the 27th through end of May.  Guess what - Marriott shows no availability for anywhere on Maui (other than Airpot hotel) until 4/24, 5/1 or 5/25 (depending on hotel or resort) and, in all Hawaii on SV no availability for checkin at ALL until 4/24.  
But still no word to me about my reservation for 4 nights 4/13-4/17.
Sure seems like they BETTER modify the restricted options policy for this time SOON.


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## JohnPaul (Mar 24, 2020)

We own TS in many systems.  I am quite pleased at how well most of them have accommodated their customers/owners even though COVID19 is no more their problem than the customers/owners.

However, I'm rather shocked at the lack of response from Marriott/Vistana.  They are showing ALL of their properties open.  WOW.


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## cindylou (Mar 24, 2020)

Aloha - are any other TUGgers/owners also at WKORV/N or Nanea right now? The resorts are not closed at the moment, but we've received some unusual messages from management that don't entirely synch with what the Maui and HI government is saying and would like to consult with others in the same situation.  We are attempting to shelter in place here, but the message from WKORV is "*we are asking all Owners and guests currently in Hawaii to strongly consider **immediately** returning home."  *Frankly, we and others are safer if we just stay put right here.  We've been here quite a while so the 14-day quarantine does not affect us.


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## okwiater (Mar 24, 2020)

Sound like they might be wanting to close the resort but can’t until everybody leaves.


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## controller1 (Mar 24, 2020)

cindylou said:


> Aloha - are any other TUGgers/owners also at WKORV/N or Nanea right now? The resorts are not closed at the moment, but we've received some unusual messages from management that don't entirely synch with what the Maui and HI government is saying and would like to consult with others in the same situation.  We are attempting to shelter in place here, but the message from WKORV is "*we are asking all Owners and guests currently in Hawaii to strongly consider **immediately** returning home."  *Frankly, we and others are safer if we just stay put right here.  We've been here quite a while so the 14-day quarantine does not affect us.



Looks like they are moving to shut the resort, at least for rental guests.





__





						Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation Provides Business Update | Marriott Vacations Worldwide
					

The Investor Relations website contains information about Marriott Vacations Worldwide's business for stockholders, potential investors, and financial analysts.




					ir.marriottvacationsworldwide.com
				




I started a new thread just on this topic of closing all North American resorts for the next 30 days for rental guests.


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## SMHarman (Mar 24, 2020)

cindylou said:


> Aloha - are any other TUGgers/owners also at WKORV/N or Nanea right now? The resorts are not closed at the moment, but we've received some unusual messages from management that don't entirely synch with what the Maui and HI government is saying and would like to consult with others in the same situation. We are attempting to shelter in place here, but the message from WKORV is "*we are asking all Owners and guests currently in Hawaii to strongly consider **immediately** returning home." *Frankly, we and others are safer if we just stay put right here. We've been here quite a while so the 14-day quarantine does not affect us.


the message from WKORV is "we are asking all Owners and guests currently in Hawaii to strongly consider immediately returning home."

Seems like they want you to cut your stay short without compensation. Looks like that is the MVC / Vistana way.

Anyone else holding off cancelling to see if the policy changes?


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## wtrjock (Mar 24, 2020)

I need to cancel a couple days in May....I'm holding out to see if they change to unrestricted, but I doubt they will.


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## mttanner (Mar 24, 2020)

I just tried to have them waive the restricted Star Options, as have a WKOR-N reservation for April 24th.  I even escalated to manager and they are sticking tight to their guns for now.  Also let the manager know of how the Vistana Signature Experience Facebook page is deleting comments from owners showing frustrations.  Just put a comment on now and took screen shot, seeing how long before it gets taken down.  Deciding to hold out cancelling for the next few days hoping the policy changes to be more owner friendly.


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## controller1 (Mar 24, 2020)

mttanner said:


> I just tried to have them waive the restricted Star Options, as have a WKOR-N reservation for April 24th.  I even escalated to manager and they are sticking tight to their guns for now.  Also let the manager know of how the Vistana Signature Experience Facebook page is deleting comments from owners showing frustrations.  Just put a comment on now and took screen shot, seeing how long before it gets taken down.  Deciding to hold out cancelling for the next few days hoping the policy changes to be more owner friendly.



Just went to their Facebook page. The Covid-19 post shows 76 comments but they are all hidden.


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## mttanner (Mar 24, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Just went to their Facebook page. The Covid-19 post shows 76 comments but they are all hidden.


I was comment 76 at 8:24 am. Glad to see it’s hidden already


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## dioxide45 (Mar 24, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Anyone else holding off cancelling to see if the policy changes?





mttanner said:


> I just tried to have them waive the restricted Star Options, as have a WKOR-N reservation for April 24th.  I even escalated to manager and they are sticking tight to their guns for now.  Also let the manager know of how the Vistana Signature Experience Facebook page is deleting comments from owners showing frustrations.  Just put a comment on now and took screen shot, seeing how long before it gets taken down.  Deciding to hold out cancelling for the next few days hoping the policy changes to be more owner friendly.


I wouldn't expect a change. For Marriott resorts in St Thomas and Aruba where they are closing the resorts because the islands are not allowing inbound tourists, they are not waiving similar restrictions. For Marriott Vacation Club, they are automatically cancelling reservations for the next 30 days with a 120 day restriction on Destination Club points. If you used a week for the reservation, you are SOL.


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## canesfan (Mar 24, 2020)

This is a Marriott policy too. If you recall during the hurricanes that closed the resorts in ST/SJ, Marriott was not kind to the owners but Vistana was with WSJ. Just another negative to this Marriott purchase!


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## vistana101 (Mar 24, 2020)

This experience completely takes me out from ever buying another timeshare with them, and I look forward to bringing that up next time we're at a sales presentation. Poor customer service and vastly different from what Marriott International has offered.


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## farsighted99 (Mar 24, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> Nope, I have been calling every day for the past week about an upcoming reservations in Princeville and Maui that begin on March 29th.  Nothing has changed.



I got an email from Hawaiian Air saying there is a 14-day quarantine for all people flying into Hawaii....  so I doubt you can actually go there now.  https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...4-day-quarantine-for-those-entering-the-state


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## Pipercub925 (Mar 24, 2020)

TDS said:


> I'm curious if anyone has knowledge of how VacationCandy is addressing cancellations from the renter's side. I've received a notice requesting (expecting) a full refund of rental fees received for a rental that checks in on 3/28.  I'm curious if anyone knows if VC is returning all fees to the renter, including VC's listing fees.


I received what looked like a generic type letter from VC with a paragraph stating why they can cancel, and asking that their payments be returned.  I too have the question, will they be returning renter fees back to their renter?  I have emailed them asking that they email me back a copy of where in the contract this information was. They, VC, did filled out my contract, which states, no refunds, but under the circumstances, I would really like to work with the renter to try and rebook, even though it would probably have the 60 day restriction on it.  I don't want anyone to loose out on their money, and not get anything for it.  I have not heard back from VC as of yet.


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## grgs (Mar 24, 2020)

Pipercub925 said:


> They, VC, did filled out my contract, which states, no refunds, but under the circumstances, I would really like to work with the renter to try and rebook, even though it would probably have the 60 day restriction on it.



I would also have been happy to have worked with them on a rebooking, if that's what they had asked about.  However, there was no way I was going to cancel the reservation, without their agreement.  Then they could have said that I failed to provide the agreed upon accommodations.


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## JohnPaul (Mar 24, 2020)

We own timeshare in a lot of systems.   For all the bad mouthing Wyndham gets they are treating their owners much better.   Cancel up to 24 hrs before check in through May 15 and have all points/credits returned without restrictions.

We will see how it goes when people begin booking and it’s hard to reserve anywhere.


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## SMHarman (Mar 24, 2020)

JohnPaul said:


> We own timeshare in a lot of systems. For all the bad mouthing Wyndham gets they are treating their owners much better. Cancel up to 24 hrs before check in through May 15 and have all points/credits returned without restrictions.
> 
> We will see how it goes when people begin booking and it’s hard to reserve anywhere.


It's gonna be impossible. 

All the dates for these restricted SO are allready open for unrestricted SO


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## critterchick (Mar 24, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> the message from WKORV is "we are asking all Owners and guests currently in Hawaii to strongly consider immediately returning home."
> 
> Seems like they want you to cut your stay short without compensation. Looks like that is the MVC / Vistana way.
> 
> Anyone else holding off cancelling to see if the policy changes?



We are. We have flights on April 9 and 25; 2 days were booked at Koloa Landing. They called DH yesterday to ask if he know about the quarantine, and he told them we are cancelling, which we did today. Since that was a Bonvoy redemption, the points are already back in his account.



farsighted99 said:


> I got an email from Hawaiian Air saying there is a 14-day quarantine for all people flying into Hawaii....  so I doubt you can actually go there now.  https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...4-day-quarantine-for-those-entering-the-state



The quarantine is for 14 days or the length on one’s stay, whichever is shorter. The only bar to getting on island is flights - Hawaiian are stopping all but one LAX-HNL flight daily and on the news this morning I saw a story that the US carriers are considering a complete shutdown for awhile. 

It truly boggles my mind that Marriott/Vistana are taking such a hard line. To close their resorts to non-owners while forcing owners into a Hobson’s choice is unconscionable. We are going to rebook for June; the rep I spoke with yesterday said that, because we made a home resort reservation (at WPORV), we can still deposit with II. We already own enough to stay for 8-12 weeks per year, depending on the resort, so the last thing we need to do is deposit. I would even take the Bonvoy points over that.

We have friends who are currently on island and have been there for two weeks. They were moving from a Marriott to an independent TS on the North Shore. The independent have asked them not to come, and Marriott will not allow them to extend their stay, even though they are owners and have the points to do it.

Would somebody please share the email addresses for the messages they are sending? Thanks!


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## controller1 (Mar 24, 2020)

critterchick said:


> Would somebody please share the email addresses for the messages they are sending? Thanks!



Here you go.




DeniseM said:


> Suzanne Clark, Vice President Owner Services at Vistana Signature Experiences:
> 
> Vistana Email:  suzanne.clark@vistana.com
> 
> ...


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## rubbernyc (Mar 24, 2020)

critterchick said:


> Would somebody please share the email addresses for the messages they are sending? Thanks!



I received the same email about an hour ago from this address:

vistanasignatureexperiences@vistana.com


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## controller1 (Mar 24, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> I received the same email about an hour ago from this address:
> 
> vistanasignatureexperiences@vistana.com



That email address IS NOT MONITORED.


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## mttanner (Mar 24, 2020)

@Vistana twitter responded a short while ago that "If you cancelled due to travel restrictions, you will be able to use the Star Options through December 31, 2021.  You may book 120 day before travel"   I asked for clarification since it was not published on the website yet and was told "This is a new update and will take time to reflect on all outlets"

So time will tell in next day or so? Wishful thinking...


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## rubbernyc (Mar 24, 2020)

controller1 said:


> That email address IS NOT MONITORED.


hey, I was just answering a question.


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## rubbernyc (Mar 24, 2020)

mttanner said:


> @Vistana twitter responded a short while ago that "If you cancelled due to travel restrictions, you will be able to use the Star Options through December 31, 2021.  You may book 120 day before travel"   I asked for clarification since it was not published on the website yet and was told "This is a new update and will take time to reflect on all outlets"
> 
> So time will tell in next day or so? Wishful thinking...


I literally just got off the phone with owner services and still no changes there. 60 restriction in effect.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 24, 2020)

wtrjock said:


> I need to cancel a couple days in May....I'm holding out to see if they change to unrestricted, but I doubt they will.


We are waiting also to cancel our April Hawaii reservation but don't hold out much hope. It seems other companies are being more receptive. We had been considering buying with Marriott but I have lost all respect for the company


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## Angelsfanjb (Mar 24, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> We are waiting also to cancel our April Hawaii reservation but don't hold out much hope. It seems other companies are being more receptive. We had been considering buying with Marriott but I have lost all respect for the company



DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM!! I own at St. John, and I hate Vistana now!! They obviously do not care about their owners or the safety of people in the states people will be traveling to. Every other travel business cares about their customers. It is obvious the leadership at Vistana/Marriott is more concerned about their own profits. I wish I did not own with this horrible uncaring company. I like you want to cancel, and they are restricting my options which causes issues with airfare etc. STAY AWAY From them. I will tell everyone I know about how they are responding. You see a companies true colors during crisis. I would rate their response with a big F!! Good luck to everyone, and stay safe!!


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## critterchick (Mar 24, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> I received the same email about an hour ago from this address:
> 
> vistanasignatureexperiences@vistana.com



Didn't mean to get you yelled at, lol. I meant to what email address are owners sending their complaints?


----------



## critterchick (Mar 24, 2020)

controller1 said:


> Here you go.



Thanks!


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 24, 2020)

Angelsfanjb said:


> DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM!! I own at St. John, and I hate Vistana now!! They obviously do not care about their owners or the safety of people in the states people will be traveling to. Every other travel business cares about their customers. It is obvious the leadership at Vistana/Marriott is more concerned about their own profits. I wish I did not own with this horrible uncaring company. I like you want to cancel, and they are restricting my options which causes issues with airfare etc. STAY AWAY From them. I will tell everyone I know about how they are responding. You see a companies true colors during crisis. I would rate their response with a big F!! Good luck to everyone, and stay safe!!


Even Diamond is returning points unrestricted with no penalty


----------



## SVOForever (Mar 24, 2020)

Indeed I see the Tweet that says they are enacting some sort of compromise ... extending the usage for a year to end of 2021, and doubling the lead time to 120 days from 60 days.  Will make things a ton lot easier for sure.  What I'll be curious about is (1) how the heck they code that in the system and can track that and (2) what counts in this bucket - for example, Hawaii for sure, but what if you have simply say a week in Orlando, or South Carolina in the next 2 months, technically I think you can still go ... will that be the new policy, or the old one... or if you are trying to get to Cancun or Bahamas and there simply are not flights.  I can't see how anything other than everything in the next 60 days counts ... ? ... time will tell.


----------



## DavidnRobin (Mar 24, 2020)

Some relatively good news (for SF Bay Area) and value of SAH/SIP.

We are at Day 10 of SAH here in SF Bay Area. Compliance has been excellent considering. I would recommend the same if your area has not already, and insist it from your leadership.









						Page Not Found - Swell
					

Swell is a voice powered global community where anyone can make a connection simply by joining a conversation.




					swell.life
				





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----------



## critterchick (Mar 24, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Some relatively good news (for SF Bay Area) and value of SAH/SIP.
> 
> We are at Day 10 of SAH here in SF Bay Area. Compliance has been excellent considering. I would recommend the same if your area has not already, and insist it from your leadership.
> 
> ...



That is excellent news - keep it up! I think that the knuckleheads that flocked to our So Cal beaches are finally getting the message.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 24, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Some relatively good news (for SF Bay Area) and value of SAH/SIP.
> 
> We are at Day 10 of SAH here in SF Bay Area. Compliance has been excellent considering. I would recommend the same if your area has not already, and insist it from your leadership.
> 
> ...


Wonderful to hear some positive news!!!


----------



## rubbernyc (Mar 25, 2020)

critterchick said:


> Didn't mean to get you yelled at, lol. I meant to what email address are owners sending their complaints?


    send your emails to ownerres@vistana.com    or suzanne.clark@vistana.com   but she has not returned any of my emails since 2 weeks.


----------



## rubbernyc (Mar 25, 2020)

I was told on the phone just now that the 120 day window and 12/21 expiration is in effect, it will take time to reflect on line. I will cancel my 3 hawaii trips now.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 25, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> I was told on the phone just now that the 120 day window and 12/21 expiration is in effect, it will take time to reflect on line. I will cancel my 3 hawaii trips now.


How does that work? For example the points we used for Hawaii were borrowed from 2021. Do they now expire Dec 31. Can you book 120 days out on Dec 31 so a Feb reservation or do you need to book so your stay ends Dec 31. Sorry to be so clueless. We are good are borrowing ahead but have not had experience with cancelling.


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 25, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> How does that work? For example the points we used for Hawaii were borrowed from 2021. Do they now expire Dec 31. Can you book 120 days out on Dec 31 so a Feb reservation or do you need to book so your stay ends Dec 31. Sorry to be so clueless. We are good are borrowing ahead but have not had experience with cancelling.


When you cancel just see their behavior. 

Others have commented that banked points have returned to their banked expiration.

Otherwise you may be able to use these as a owned used year at 12 months in 2021. Not sure they can take that right away from you.


----------



## rubbernyc (Mar 25, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> How does that work? For example the points we used for Hawaii were borrowed from 2021. Do they now expire Dec 31. Can you book 120 days out on Dec 31 so a Feb reservation or do you need to book so your stay ends Dec 31. Sorry to be so clueless. We are good are borrowing ahead but have not had experience with cancelling.


Sorry, I don't know how borrowing works for that and did not ask since it does not apply. You should call owner services for that.

My dashboard now shows expiration in 2021, plus some banked options that expire this year.


----------



## wtrjock (Mar 25, 2020)

I'm glad I waited to cancel my May trip. I figured that Vistana would give in to all the requests eventually. The villa finder is still showing 60 days restricted, so I will give it a little time. I hate calling them...always on hold or call back!


----------



## Pipercub925 (Mar 25, 2020)

I just got off the phone from Vistana, and they have extended the 60 day restriction to 120, and they are letting it go into 2021, but, the reservation had to be cancelled after March 12, 2021 or something like that.  I may be wrong on the date so, please check with Vistana.    Luckily I had written down the date I cancelled, and it it qualified for the new improved restrictions.  My account balance shows it is still restricted to 2020, but hopefully once they have some time, all of that will be update.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 25, 2020)

It still is not adequate. Both Wyndham and Diamond returned points with no penalties.  I'm not impressed with Marriott.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Mar 25, 2020)

Suzanne Clark, strangely familiar name.  Was she with Wyndham or Disney before Vistana?


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 25, 2020)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Suzanne Clark, strangely familiar name. Was she with Wyndham or Disney before Vistana?


Wyndham




			https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-clark-7786852


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 25, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> send your emails to ownerres@vistana.com or suzanne.clark@vistana.com but she has not returned any of my emails since 2 weeks.


Her LinkedIn says she retired. 



			https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-clark-7786852


----------



## bobpark56 (Mar 25, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> It still is not adequate. Both Wyndham and Diamond returned points with no penalties.  I'm not impressed with Marriott.


Diamond does have penalties...depends on the case. I called Diamond today to cancel our 3 May booking at Ka'anapali Beach Club. They told me they were giving full points back only for bookings arriving up through 20 April. Were we to cancel today, we would lose half our points.

FWIW, I'm not impressed with Marriott here either, and MCVI has contaminated Starwood.


----------



## Tucsonadventurer (Mar 25, 2020)

bobpark56 said:


> Diamond does have penalties...depends on the case. I called Diamond today to cancel our 3 May booking at Ka'anapali Beach Club. They told me they were giving full points back only for bookings arriving up through 20 April. Were we to cancel today, we would lose half our points.
> 
> FWIW, I'm not impressed with Marriott here either, and MCVI has contaminated Starwood.


Wow that makes no sense. Maybe they too think the virus will disappear by Easter. Seriously I hope that if you wait to cancel they will extend that April 20 date.


----------



## controller1 (Mar 25, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> Her LinkedIn says she retired.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-clark-7786852



When @DeniseM posted her email address I started to post a question asking if we were sure she was still at Vistana. I hadn't received an email from her since May 2019.


----------



## Em_in_NJ (Mar 25, 2020)

If you are unhappy with the way Vistana has been handling this situation, please contact their Customer Advocacy Department. I demanded a way to provide feedback on my last call with customer service, and they provided me the information below. I also asked for the names and contact info for their executive board, but the rep could only provide me one name, and no contact info - Stephen Weisz, President and CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide.

customeradvocacy@mvwc.com
800-860-9384

My husband just called the customer advocacy number and we did not have to wait on hold. We provided our feedback and disappointment in Vistana restricting options for these cancellations. The rep did confirm the very recent decision regarding the 120 day window and extension of those points into next year. He indicated that their systems still need to be updated for this change, and that they were going to retroactively apply this to cancellations from 3/13/20 onward.

Another place to provide feedback would be on the BBB site. I saw one complaint from 3/17/20 regarding the pandemic cancellation policy, and Vistana posted a public response the next day.


----------



## dsmrp (Mar 25, 2020)

Pipercub925 said:


> I just got off the phone from Vistana, and they have extended the 60 day restriction to 120, and they are letting it go into 2021, but, the reservation had to be cancelled after March 12, 2021 or something like that.  I may be wrong on the date so, please check with Vistana.    Luckily I had written down the date I cancelled, and it it qualified for the new improved restrictions.  My account balance shows it is still restricted to 2020, but hopefully once they have some time, all of that will be update.





Em_in_NJ said:


> My husband just called the customer advocacy number and we did not have to wait on hold. We provided our feedback and disappointment in Vistana restricting options for these cancellations. The rep did confirm the very recent decision regarding the 120 day window and extension of those points into next year. He indicated that their systems still need to be updated for this change, and that they were going to retroactively apply this to cancellations from 3/13/20 onward.
> 
> Another place to provide feedback would be on the BBB site. I saw one complaint from 3/17/20 regarding the pandemic cancellation policy, and Vistana posted a public response the next day.



I'm glad they are making some concessions. And that I waited to cancel my 3/27 check-in until I was less than 2 weeks away.  So I am fortunately within their 3/13 cutoff. But I think it still penalizes those who were being more pro-active by cancelling their travel more than 2 weeks in advance.
They should give same treatment on star options for all cancelled March check-in dates if cancelled within 30 days.

I will email to the address Em_in_NJ provided


----------



## sjlola (Mar 25, 2020)

I have a May 13-20 Staroption reservation for WPORV that I've been delaying to cancel until Vistana pulled its head out of its rear end. It sounds as if the new cancellation policy still needs the kinks worked out in terms of the dashboard being updated, etc. I know some owners who called to cancel when the options were restricted for 2020 use and a 60 day advance reservation was in place were fortunate to get a sympathetic agent on the phone who allowed them to re-reserve for fall. I doubt that will happen now and will just need to begin checking for September availability in May for our Kaua'i trip. Fortunately, I paid a higher rate for a Hertz reservation I could cancel and 'banking' my Alaska Airlines fares was pretty seamless. First world problems, right?


----------



## bobpark56 (Mar 25, 2020)

Angelsfanjb said:


> DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM!! I own at St. John, and I hate Vistana now!! They obviously do not care about their owners or the safety of people in the states people will be traveling to. Every other travel business cares about their customers. It is obvious the leadership at Vistana/Marriott is more concerned about their own profits. I wish I did not own with this horrible uncaring company. I like you want to cancel, and they are restricting my options which causes issues with airfare etc. STAY AWAY From them. I will tell everyone I know about how they are responding. You see a companies true colors during crisis. I would rate their response with a big F!! Good luck to everyone, and stay safe!!


Don't blame Vistana...blame Marriott Vacation Club. Marriott (now owner of Vistana) has imposed their policies on Vistana. Vistana was very good to us when the hurricanes closed St John, and I am sure they would treat us better now if they were allowed to. But Marriott is now screwing Vistana owners like they screwed their Frenchman's Cove owners after the hurricanes.


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 25, 2020)

bobpark56 said:


> Diamond does have penalties...depends on the case. I called Diamond today to cancel our 3 May booking at Ka'anapali Beach Club. They told me they were giving full points back only for bookings arriving up through 20 April. Were we to cancel today, we would lose half our points.
> 
> FWIW, I'm not impressed with Marriott here either, and MCVI has contaminated Starwood.


Yes - and they're going to be completely integrated soon.


----------



## jimcelia (Mar 25, 2020)

rubbernyc said:


> I was told on the phone just now that the 120 day window and 12/21 expiration is in effect, it will take time to reflect on line. I will cancel my 3 hawaii trips now.


FINALLY!!! This is sounded better - at least they have moved.  The window should still me more than 120 days, but its better.  I'm still waiting to cancel my 4/9 & 4/13 reservations for at least a few more days.


----------



## CPNY (Mar 25, 2020)

Atlantis closed until May 15th. I would assume that would mean HRA as well.


----------



## dioxide45 (Mar 25, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Atlantis closed until May 15th. I would assume that would mean HRA as well.


It doesn't seem that way; https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/


----------



## Angelsfanjb (Mar 25, 2020)

bobpark56 said:


> Don't blame Vistana...blame Marriott Vacation Club. Marriott (now owner of Vistana) has imposed their policies on Vistana. Vistana was very good to us when the hurricanes closed St John, and I am sure they would treat us better now if they were allowed to. But Marriott is now screwing Vistana owners like they screwed their Frenchman's Cove owners after the hurricanes.


 I have to blame Vistana!! That is who I own from, and they are responsible. I am an original Starwood guy. Starwood was awesome!! Yes Marriott ruined Vistana, but.....I still shave to blame them. Last I checked....It's Vistana who is restricting my options....so not sure how you can say don't blame them. Makes zero sense!!!!


----------



## controller1 (Mar 25, 2020)

Angelsfanjb said:


> I have to blame Vistana!! That is who I own from, and they are responsible. I am an original Starwood guy. Starwood was awesome!! Yes Marriott ruined Vistana, but.....I still shave to blame them. Last I checked....It's Vistana who is restricting my options....so not sure how you can say don't blame them. Makes zero sense!!!!



I'm sorry but you don't understand. Vistana is now Marriott Vacations Worldwide! Former Vistana management is either no longer there or does not have the decision-making authority they previously had. That is now with senior management of Marriott Vacations Worldwide.


----------



## Angelsfanjb (Mar 25, 2020)

controller1 said:


> I'm sorry but you don't understand. Vistana is now Marriott Vacations Worldwide! Former Vistana management is either no longer there or does not have the decision-making authority they previously had. That is now with senior management of Marriott Vacations Worldwide.


When I go online to book a vacation, I go to www.vistana.com. so yes...I do understand. Doesn't matter that Marriott are the leaders. I hate them and I know they suck. But....I book through Vistana not Marriott Vacations. So again....I can blame Vistana. That is who I pay my loan to. That is who I pay my homeowners fees to. You make no sense. Again, I know the parent company is Marriott, but everything I do goes through Vistana, so I rightfully blame Vistana. Not sure how it is so difficult for people to grasp.


----------



## SMHarman (Mar 26, 2020)

Angelsfanjb said:


> When I go online to book a vacation, I go to www.vistana.com. so yes...I do understand. Doesn't matter that Marriott are the leaders. I hate them and I know they suck. But....I book through Vistana not Marriott Vacations. So again....I can blame Vistana. That is who I pay my loan to. That is who I pay my homeowners fees to. You make no sense. Again, I know the parent company is Marriott, but everything I do goes through Vistana, so I rightfully blame Vistana. Not sure how it is so difficult for people to grasp.








						Home - Marriott Vacations Worldwide
					

Cleaner, Safer Spaces When you and your family vacation with us, we want to help you stay healthy. Our elevated standards provide cleaner, safer spaces for our Owners, members, guests and associates. So you can focus on what matters most on vacation: time together. Because now, more than ever...




					www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com
				












						Marriott Vacation Club to buy Vistana, Hyatt, Interval International - what are the implications for owners? - RedWeek.com
					

I just got an e-mail that Marriott Vacation Club is buying ILG, who owns the Vistana, Sheraton, Westin, and Hyatt timeshare networks, Interval International, and several other travel companies. What does this mean for me and other timeshare owners within these companies?




					www.redweek.com
				




So while they are still digesting the integration you will be booking on the legacy booking engine. 

In time they surely will move all to a single booking engine to reduce costs. 

Senior leadership is now MVW


----------



## DavidnRobin (Mar 26, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Some relatively good news (for SF Bay Area) and value of SAH/SIP.
> 
> We are at Day 10 of SAH here in SF Bay Area. Compliance has been excellent considering. I would recommend the same if your area has not already, and insist it from your leadership.
> 
> ...



Update:









						Share your voice with the world
					

A Swellcast is a micro-podcast with social features. Every post on Swell is up to 5 minutes of audio. Replies are in audio and grow the conversation.




					swell.life
				




Also... is the SF Bay Area curve flattening?









						Share your voice with the world
					

A Swellcast is a micro-podcast with social features. Every post on Swell is up to 5 minutes of audio. Replies are in audio and grow the conversation.




					swell.life
				





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## dlpa (Mar 29, 2020)

Em_in_NJ said:


> If you are unhappy with the way Vistana has been handling this situation, please contact their Customer Advocacy Department. I demanded a way to provide feedback on my last call with customer service, and they provided me the information below. I also asked for the names and contact info for their executive board, but the rep could only provide me one name, and no contact info - Stephen Weisz, President and CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide.
> 
> customeradvocacy@mvwc.com
> 800-860-9384
> ...



Is there some legal action we can take?  Class action lawsuit?  I've tried emailing the powers that be, have now snail mailed the board. These are not normal times and to insist on minor modifications to a cancellation policy created in normal times is punitive to owners during a world health disaster. Vistana should waive all restrictions, especially for those who are FORCED beyond their control to cancel within the 60 day period


----------



## dioxide45 (Mar 29, 2020)

dlpa said:


> Is there some legal action we can take?  Class action lawsuit?  I've tried emailing the powers that be, have now snail mailed the board. These are not normal times and to insist on minor modifications to a cancellation policy created in normal times is punitive to owners during a world health disaster. Vistana should waive all restrictions, especially for those who are FORCED beyond their control to cancel within the 60 day period


You don't need to post the same statement over and over and over again. Once is enough to get the point across.


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## JohnPaul (Mar 29, 2020)

The thing that surprises me is that Marriott/Vistana is trying to keep most of their resorts open.  Wyndham has closed all of the resorts they manage (Worldmark, Shell, Margaritaville, Wyndham) effective no later than April 3.  Hilton has closed a majority of their resorts.  VI Resorts (Vacation Internationale) appears to be closing down their resorts (and closed their home offices in Washington due to the Washington State orders).

How is it that Marriott/Vistana thinks they can keep open most of their resorts?


----------



## dioxide45 (Mar 29, 2020)

JohnPaul said:


> The thing that surprises me is that Marriott/Vistana is trying to keep most of their resorts open.  Wyndham has closed all of the resorts they manage (Worldmark, Shell, Margaritaville, Wyndham) effective no later than April 3.  *Hilton has closed a majority of their resorts*.  VI Resorts (Vacation Internationale) appears to be closing down their resorts (and closed their home offices in Washington due to the Washington State orders).
> 
> How is it that Marriott/Vistana thinks they can keep open most of their resorts?


Not sure it is a majority, looking at this list it is only 22. Far more are on the list of those that just stopped accepting new reservations.


----------



## malibuboatmama (Apr 10, 2020)

Any majority of you deciding when you THINK you'll be able to vacation?  I booked a Hawaii vacation the end of July?  Do you think that will be too early?  I know it's merely speculation, just wondering anyone's thoughts?


----------



## Ken555 (Apr 10, 2020)

malibuboatmama said:


> Any majority of you deciding when you THINK you'll be able to vacation? I booked a Hawaii vacation the end of July? Do you think that will be too early? I know it's merely speculation, just wondering anyone's thoughts?



July sure, but what year?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## okwiater (Apr 10, 2020)

I think things will slowly start to open in late May or early June. I fully expect restrictions and social distancing to continue, but with expanded testing and a gradual resumption of daily activities. I can’t imagine we won’t have a strategy in place by then which starts to mitigate the economic destruction that has taken place.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 10, 2020)

malibuboatmama said:


> Any majority of you deciding when you THINK you'll be able to vacation? I booked a Hawaii vacation the end of July? Do you think that will be too early? I know it's merely speculation, just wondering anyone's thoughts?



It will not be until Maui (and likely the entire state) starts to show significant recover following the peak - which has not occurred yet. They were late to the SAH strategy.

I have a reservation for WKORV in mid-Sept. hopefully, we will know 60 days before then.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## critterchick (Apr 11, 2020)

We moved our April reservation to late June (for Kauai), knowing that there’s a good chance we’ll have to cancel.


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## grrrah (Apr 12, 2020)

Was thinking about aiming for Maui for Labor Day, but I think I will just try something closer.  

I did just book one of the elusive 1bd at Nanea for next year.  If that doesn't hold, then help us all..


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## blondietink (Apr 12, 2020)

I booked for the beginning of November at WKORVN for early November for 11 days.   Fingers crossed.  Airfare is decent now, too.


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## critterchick (Apr 12, 2020)

grrrah said:


> Was thinking about aiming for Maui for Labor Day, but I think I will just try something closer.
> 
> I did just book one of the elusive 1bd at Nanea for next year.  If that doesn't hold, then help us all..



We have one of those booked for August.  But haven't bought the air yet.


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## malibuboatmama (Apr 14, 2020)

We are booked for end of July in Kauai but have not booked air travel yet......


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 17, 2020)

Updated data (April 17) comparing NYC and Santa Clara County. Interesting.
Day 35 SAH for us.









						COVID-19 NYC vs Santa Clara County
					

Updated April 29th, 2020.




					medium.com
				




Note: The deaths are being under counted in SCC - reported deaths in SNFs is delayed (similar to NYC).
Seniors dying in Care Centers will become the next big numbers (and news cycles). The private ones are not required to report through same channels. But, will show up in increased deaths recorded by Coroner’s offices... eventually.


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----------



## LisaRex (Apr 18, 2020)

I'd definitely book airfare now while it's cheap.  If your destination is still "closed" due to the pandemic, airlines have been ordered by the DOT to issue refunds .  It was also mandated that any carrier accepting bailout money must continue flying (ie not lay off workers) as a condition of them accepting federal relief money, so there's little risk to you if you choose one of these airlines.  (The ten airlines who accepted money are listed in the last link below.)

PS - If you have suppressed immunity or might be fearful of traveling even after stay-at-home orders are lifted, then you might do otherwise because you probably wouldn't be covered under the COVID-specific relief policies.









						Airlines Are Now Required to Issue Refunds for Flights Canceled Due to Coronavirus (Video)
					

The U.S. Department of Transportation has mandated airlines  to refund passengers in the event flights are canceled, significant schedule changes or made, or government restrictions prevent flying due to the coronavirus outbreak. The directive, issued Friday, comes as many airlines have been...




					www.travelandleisure.com
				











						Airlines Must Refund Tickets—Not Just Offer Vouchers—For Flights Delayed Or Canceled Because Of COVID-19, Government Warns
					

The Department of Transportation writes it’s taking the action after a slew of consumer complaints.




					www.forbes.com
				











						Should You Buy Plane Tickets Now?
					

Flight prices have decreased as a result of the coronavirus pandemic—and if you’ve looked at the deals presently on offer, you may have wondered if now’s the time to plan a trip (while simultaneously feeling horrendous about the crisis that brought us all here in the first place). You might have...




					lifehacker.com
				







__





						Ten U.S. Airlines Agree to Covid-19 Relief Terms
					

In return for grants and low-interest loans, Payroll Support Program participants may not furlough workers until September 30.




					www.ainonline.com


----------



## controller1 (Apr 18, 2020)

LisaRex said:


> It was also mandated that any carrier accepting bailout money must continue flying (ie not lay off workers) as a condition of them accepting federal relief money, so there's little risk to you if you choose one of these airlines.  (The ten airlines who accepted money are listed in the last link below.)



The airlines only have to agree to not layoff employees through September 30, 2020.


----------



## dioxide45 (Apr 18, 2020)

LisaRex said:


> I'd definitely book airfare now while it's cheap.  If your destination is still "closed" due to the pandemic, airlines have been ordered by the DOT to issue refunds .  It was also mandated that any carrier accepting bailout money must continue flying (ie not lay off workers) as a condition of them accepting federal relief money, so there's little risk to you if you choose one of these airlines.  (The ten airlines who accepted money are listed in the last link below.)
> 
> PS - If you have suppressed immunity or might be fearful of traveling even after stay-at-home orders are lifted, then you might do otherwise because you probably wouldn't be covered under the COVID-specific relief policies.
> 
> ...


Perhaps. But the airlines are playing a lot of games to not cancel flights. Consolidating routes. Cancelling only the day of the flight. Basically doing everything they can to make is to the customer has to cancel first. Forcing them to take credits, not refunds.


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## LisaRex (Apr 18, 2020)

controller1 said:


> The airlines only have to agree to not layoff employees through September 30, 2020.



Yes, but if COVID is still around, or loops back around in the fall, I'd expect a second bailout. The federal government is not going to let major airlines fail.  Perhaps the smaller ones, but not the legacy ones.  They are essential to America.


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## LisaRex (Apr 18, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Perhaps. But the airlines are playing a lot of games to not cancel flights. Consolidating routes. Cancelling only the day of the flight. Basically doing everything they can to make is to the customer has to cancel first. Forcing them to take credits, not refunds.



Yeah, but they were playing these games before COVID.  I don't think I've ever booked a flight well in advance of travel date where they haven't altered my itinerary.  Most of the time it's just a few minutes here or there but a few times they've changed it significantly.   When it's the latter, they always allow you to cancel or re-book on another flight for free, which you can use to your advantage by calling, armed with the flight numbers you want to take.  If a seat is available, they'll accommodate you.  The only caveat is it has to be the same day of travel and the same airports.

The only time I've ever lost out was when one of the discount airlines (Frontier?) canceled my sweet, cheap direct flight from Cincinnati to San Francisco and re-booked me on a layover that significantly added to my commute time and would have ruined that entire day that my Cali friends and I had planned.   So I canceled it and rebooked on another airline.  But I found out the hard way that I only got the price of the ticket back and not the "Premium Plus" package price which upgraded me to economy plus and allowed me to pick my seat in advance.  

Anyway, I'd still book now, but YMMV.


----------



## grrrah (Apr 20, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Perhaps. But the airlines are playing a lot of games to not cancel flights. Consolidating routes. Cancelling only the day of the flight. Basically doing everything they can to make is to the customer has to cancel first. Forcing them to take credits, not refunds.


Pretty sure I saw on Alaska that any this year is eligible for cancellation with refund and waved change fees.  Maybe I misread the fine print though.  Originally had it for travel purchased by May 31st and I was hoping to buy some for next year with this restriction waived but they seemed to have revised it already.

For southwest, the "wanna getaway" fares were not refundable, but the regular ones were.

Edit: looks like tickets purchased for next year up to April 30th are eligible for cancellation with credit and no fees.  For me, that's worth the risk of good price tickets as I fly alaska the most.


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## cubigbird (Apr 21, 2020)

Now that we essentially have most if not all resorts closed, what are folks updated thoughts on maintenance fees come fall billing time?  Do you speculate we should see a decrease due to closure or do you feel Vistana/Marriott will find a way to keep it as is or even push for increases??  What’s your “over/under?”


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## SMHarman (Apr 26, 2020)

This is what Disney is doing. 









						News! Disney World Has Just Updated Their Policy For Disney Vacation Club Members | the disney food blog
					

Disney Vacation Club has just sent out an email to members regarding some changes to their policies! Find out more here!




					www.disneyfoodblog.com


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## tomandrobin (Apr 27, 2020)

SMHarman said:


> This is what Disney is doing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Disney is doing a fantastic job in trying to accommodate its members. Pretty much waiving most of the rules and returning points to members accounts to be able to use after the parks/resorts reopen.


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## Apache49 (Apr 30, 2020)

Are Vistana still charging to bank this years option points? $100 or whatever?
I checked the web site and the Covid 19 info seems to be all about cancellations, nothing about owners being unable to travel this year to use their option points.


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## Ken555 (Apr 30, 2020)

Apache49 said:


> Are Vistana still charging to bank this years option points? $100 or whatever?
> I checked the web site and the Covid 19 info seems to be all about cancellations, nothing about owners being unable to travel this year to use their option points.



Yes. $109.


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## MICROZE (Apr 30, 2020)

Ken555 said:


> Yes. $109.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Is $109 for Owner?
3-Star & 4-Star are usually discounted.
This year we moved to 5-Star which is supposed to be Free.


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## Ken555 (Apr 30, 2020)

MICROZE said:


> Is $109 for Owner?
> 3-Star & 4-Star are usually discounted.
> This year we moved to 5-Star which is supposed to be Free.



Yeah, of course. I didn’t post every option... 


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## dioxide45 (Apr 30, 2020)

MICROZE said:


> Is $109 for Owner?
> 3-Star & 4-Star are usually discounted.
> This year we moved to 5-Star which is supposed to be Free.


Yes, $109 is for the standard owners. Those with higher elite status get discounts or free banking. I think the question that @Apache49 was maybe asking is, given the current situation, are they waiving the banking fee for banking 2020 options. The answer to that is no.


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## patsfan (Jun 6, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Yes, $109 is for the standard owners. Those with higher elite status get discounts or free banking. I think the question that @Apache49 was maybe asking is, given the current situation, are they waiving the banking fee for banking 2020 options. The answer to that is no.



The banking deadline is about a month away, and as best as I can tell they are not waiving the $109 banking fee. Has anyone heard otherwise?


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## DeniseM (Jun 6, 2020)

Vistana is not waiving the banking fee - and it's still the standard procedure of cancelling 61 days before check-in:
- Staroptions can be banked for $109 - less for elite owners.
- Banked Staroptions can be used in 2021 or 2022.
- Banked Staroptions can be used to make new reservations 8 mos. before check-in.

The new Coronavirus rule only applies to reservations cancelled 0-60 days before check-in.  It's free, but the terms are not as good:
- Staroptions cannot be banked, but can be used in 2021 for no additional fee. 
- Staroptions will automatically roll over to 2021, if you don't use them in 2020.
- Staroptions can be used to make new reservations no earlier than 120 days before check-in.

Some of the phone Reps will try to tell you that cancelling 0-60 days before check-in is a better deal, because it's free, but obviously, it's not.


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## farsighted99 (Jun 6, 2020)

I banked this year's options ...  at least when you bank them you can use them over the next two years....   Unless there's a miracle (like a vaccine or something), we won't be going anywhere this year.


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## Cornell (Jun 6, 2020)

DeniseM said:


> Vistana is not waiving the banking fee - and it's still the standard procedure of cancelling 61 days before check-in:
> - Staroptions can be banked for $109 - less for elite owners.
> - Banked Staroptions can be used in 2021 or 2022.
> - Banked Staroptions can be used to make new reservations 8 mos. before check-in.
> ...


Thank you Denise for this summary.  Super helpful to me.


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## DavidnRobin (Jun 14, 2020)

For Scientists or others interested in the most recent Covid-19 pathophysiology findings.
(Sorry, not Vistana related)



			https://www.cell.com/immunity/pdf/S1074-7613(20)30183-7.pdf
		



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## DeniseM (Jun 14, 2020)

Thanks, Dave - Can you dumb it down for us?


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## DavidnRobin (Jun 14, 2020)

Here is an excellent recent article on transmission.









						Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19
					

We have elucidated the transmission pathways of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by analyzing the trend and mitigation measures in the three epicenters. Our results show that the airborne transmission route is highly virulent and dominant for the spread of COVID-19. The mitigation measures...




					www.pnas.org
				




Wear a sufficient mask and strive for others around you to do same.
Choose outdoors over indoors.
Social distance.
Stay away from groups - especially indoors and not wearing masks.


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## DavidnRobin (Jun 14, 2020)

DeniseM said:


> Thanks, Dave - Can you dumb it down for us?



The Cell article isn’t for conclusions really. It just attempts (current review) to breakdown potential Mechanism of Action (MOA) of the virus and the pathophysiological consequences of the virus. The article summarizes the biomarkers being evaluated to help elucidate clinical approaches for treatment based on the MOA and biomarkers implicated in poor outcome of CV patients.  This also goes to vaccine approaches in development.

This is what Pharma companies are attempting to target in attempting to develop therapies to treat CV. I have many former colleagues working at a variety of BioPharm companies chasing these targets as well as unique vaccine approaches.


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## Ken555 (Jun 14, 2020)

DavidnRobin said:


> Here is an excellent recent article on transmission.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is excellent info. Thanks for posting.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## CPNY (Jun 14, 2020)

Is vistana allowing reservations for resorts that may still be closed? I need to plan trips now! Banking deadline is approaching.


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## mikeyasin (Jul 10, 2020)

DeniseM said:


> Vistana is not waiving the banking fee - and it's still the standard procedure of cancelling 61 days before check-in:
> - Staroptions can be banked for $109 - less for elite owners.
> - Banked Staroptions can be used in 2021 or 2022.
> - Banked Staroptions can be used to make new reservations 8 mos. before check-in.
> ...


hi Denise. Hope you’re well.

Thanks for your post. Are the Covid rules only applicable to canceled reservations? I didn’t bank my options this year (wasn’t able to get through to Vistana until July 6th), and currently disputing with vistana management thier inflexible policy in such an extraordinary time.

We own 2br LO at KOR south—  it best for me to reserve an end of year stay then cancel it, or reserve something sooner and cancel it? Ultimately, we we’re tying to simply use both 2020 and 2021 weeks in June of next year.... so nothing outrageous.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 10, 2020)

mikeyasin said:


> hi Denise. Hope you’re well.
> 
> Thanks for your post. Are the Covid rules only applicable to canceled reservations? I didn’t bank my options this year (wasn’t able to get through to Vistana until July 6th), and currently disputing with vistana management thier inflexible policy in such an extraordinary time.
> 
> We own 2br LO at KOR south—  it best for me to reserve an end of year stay then cancel it, or reserve something sooner and cancel it? Ultimately, we we’re tying to simply use both 2020 and 2021 weeks in June of next year.... so nothing outrageous.



If you reserve and cancel now, you will get StarOptions back that are good for reservations inside of 120 days and valid through December 2021. You really should have banked before the deadline, the option is available online.


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## mikeyasin (Jul 10, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> If you reserve and cancel now, you will get StarOptions back that are good for reservations inside of 120 days and valid through December 2021. You really should have banked before the deadline, the option is available online.



Yes, I know. It’s on me to have waited until the last minute.

So, if I reserve something now and cancel inside 60 days, I’ll have restricted options to use with the network until 12/31/21? I can reserve 61 days out now, cancel tomorrow if that gets me there. 

Thats all I’m really after. I don’t need to bank them since we can take both weeks in June 2021. The phone rep did not give me that option when I was trying to figure it out with him.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 10, 2020)

You can actually make a reservation now for less than 60 days out, cancel the next day and the points will be 120 day restricted and valid till 12/2021. Realize that it may take a few days or a couple weeks for the correct expiration and 120 restriction to show up online since under standard policy it is 60 days and 12/2020. It may take Vistana a while to get your account updated to reflect the correct expiration and restriction.


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## mikeyasin (Jul 10, 2020)

I spoke with Vistana. i showed them that I tried to call several times before the 3rd and didn’t get anyone. The person in resolutions I spoke to was really cool -she gave me a pass and let me bank 2020.


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## keepgoing (Jul 11, 2020)

US Virgin Island imposed new rule for state side travelers from certain states as follow: 









						Governor Bryan Tightens Restrictions On Air Arrivals, Beaches and Bars
					

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said during his COVID-19 update on Thursday that beginning Wednesday, July 15, residents of 10 states that are hotspots for the COVID-19 virus must present test results showing they have tested negative for it or quarantine upon their arrival into...




					www.vi.gov
				




Alabama; Arizona; Florida; Georgia; Idaho; Kansas; Mississippi; Nevada; South Carolina; and Texas.

Passengers arriving in the Territory whose flights originated in any of those states will either have to self-quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the territory or produce proof of a negative test for COVID-19 that was taken within 5 days prior to their arrival on island. If a test is administered after arrival into the Virgin Islands and the test result is negative, they can stop quarantining.


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## cubigbird (Jul 12, 2020)

keepgoing said:


> US Virgin Island imposed new rule for state side travelers from certain states as follow:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



How can they track your origination state??  Most if not all visitors have to connect somewhere to get to STT.


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## botham (Jul 22, 2020)

We’ve been caught out by Vistana star options policy. We originally booked one week at Lagunamar, followed by the same at Vistana resort, for last March but couldn’t go because of travel restrictions from the UK. We transferred the reservations to November this year, thinking that the virus would have gone.

We decided that it wouldn’t be sensible to fly long haul without travel insurance so yesterday I cancelled and was immediately to.d that one week was about to expire. I couldn’t reverse the transaction so they’ve booked me a week in Orlando, this August, telling me to cancel 48 hours later, with the temporary COVID cancellation policy, allowing me to use the banked star options by December 2021, thus getting a 12 month extensio.

Clearly, I misunderstood the temporary cancellation policy, but they don’t seem to care about their long standing clients.

We are now retired and intend using our stat options to take more vacations in Orlando and places such as Lagunamar and hope that a vaccine is soon available, otherwise we’d have had no hesitation in bailing out.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 22, 2020)

botham said:


> We’ve been caught out by Vistana star options policy. We originally booked one week at Lagunamar, followed by the same at Vistana resort, for last March but couldn’t go because of travel restrictions from the UK. We transferred the reservations to November this year, thinking that the virus would have gone.
> 
> We decided that it wouldn’t be sensible to fly long haul without travel insurance so yesterday I cancelled and was immediately to.d that one week was about to expire. I couldn’t reverse the transaction so they’ve booked me a week in Orlando, this August, telling me to cancel 48 hours later, with the temporary COVID cancellation policy, allowing me to use the banked star options by December 2021, thus getting a 12 month extensio.
> 
> ...


What is it about the policy that  didn't understand? The 120 day restriction on the StarOptions?


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## botham (Jul 23, 2020)

I thought that if I cancelled due to Covid I could reuse the options in 2021, but when I got confirmation email, I learned that as I had used my banked options, which were two years old, they would expire this year, not allowing me to use them. Having also used  this year’s options, I couldn’t now bank them so they expire in 2021. They’ve now made a booking for me at Vistana for next month, which I can now cancel and get the options extended to December 2021. I feel I should be more flexibility, particularly with overseas owners who can only use star options across the Atlantic and we are currently not allowed to travel, by either government.


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## SandyPGravel (Jul 23, 2020)

botham said:


> I thought that if I cancelled due to Covid I could reuse the options in 2021, but when I got confirmation email, I learned that as I had used my banked options, which were two years old, they would expire this year, not allowing me to use them. Having also used  this year’s options, I couldn’t now bank them so they expire in 2021. They’ve now made a booking for me at Vistana for next month, which I can now cancel and get the options extended to December 2021. I feel I should be more flexibility, particularly with overseas owners who can only use star options across the Atlantic and we are currently not allowed to travel, by either government.


Wow, thanks for spelling this out.  I have some banked options( very few) that I can do this with... Long story as to why I have them but extending to dec 2021 even restricted is better than nuthin

I tried to make a reservation using Dashboard and my banked options.  System says I don't have enough.  Do I have to call to make a rez using banked options?


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## botham (Jul 23, 2020)

SandyPGravel said:


> Wow, thanks for spelling this out.  I have some banked options( very few) that I can do this with... Long story as to why I have them but extending to dec 2021 even restricted is better than nuthin
> 
> I tried to make a reservation using Dashboard and my banked options.  System says I don't have enough.  Do I have to call to make a rez using banked options?



if you can do it by calling, you should be able to do the same through dashboard.

Another thing I am unsure of is whether you need to book your vacation by the time your options expire or complete the stay by expiry.


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## jabberwocky (Jul 23, 2020)

SandyPGravel said:


> Wow, thanks for spelling this out.  I have some banked options( very few) that I can do this with... Long story as to why I have them but extending to dec 2021 even restricted is better than nuthin
> 
> I tried to make a reservation using Dashboard and my banked options.  System says I don't have enough.  Do I have to call to make a rez using banked options?


If they are restricted banked options you would have to book within 120 days of arrival - otherwise it will give you the not enough options message.  Could that be the issue?


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## botham (Jul 24, 2020)

jabberwocky said:


> If they are restricted banked options you would have to book within 120 days of arrival - otherwise it will give you the not enough options message.  Could that be the issue?


Fortunately, there’s usually spate availability at Vistana Resort, so 120 days shouldn’t be a great restriction. If we lose it so be it.


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## Toffeepony (Oct 7, 2020)

OK..  I am 66 days out from a trip to St John booked with some options that expire the end of 2020 and some that expire end of 2021.  Am I better off to wait to cancel inside of 60 days so I do not lose the options that were to expire this year and live with the 120 day window in 2021.  Or should I partially cancel my week outside of the 60 day window ?  What is my best course of action to not lose my 2020 points?


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## grrrah (Oct 7, 2020)

Just my opinion, but I'd cancel everything right now, then rebook something shorter that uses as much of the 2020 points as possible, then cancel that within 60 days.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 7, 2020)

Toffeepony said:


> OK..  I am 66 days out from a trip to St John booked with some options that expire the end of 2020 and some that expire end of 2021.  Am I better off to wait to cancel inside of 60 days so I do not lose the options that were to expire this year and live with the 120 day window in 2021.  Or should I partially cancel my week outside of the 60 day window ?  What is my best course of action to not lose my 2020 points?


What level of Elite are you? If you are 5*, you can bank those 2020 options as late as December 31, 2020. You would have to cancel outside of the 60 day window in order to be able to bank the 2020 options.

If you aren't 5*, then your best bet is to still cancel outside of 60 days. Then those options that expire in 2021 will be unrestricted. Then make a new reservation to use up your 2020 expiring options, cancel that new reservation inside of 60 days from checkin and get 120 day restricted options that expire in 2021.


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## CPNY (Oct 8, 2020)

Things are starting to heat up at the Atlantis.









						FURLOUGHED & FRUSTRATED: Scores of Atlantis employees march for redundancy pay
					

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — More than 100 protestors, many of whom were furloughed and frustrated Atlantis employees, marched downtown after several failed attempts and police interventions yesterday. Organi…




					ewnews.com
				




The Atlantis needs to open. Does Brookfield still own the 50% of harborside from kerzner or did MVC assume full ownership? I thought it was still half owned by Atlantis. Either way, this isn’t looking good for the Bahamas.

Days after they announced re-opening of tourism and removal of quarantine beginning 11/1 it looks like the Bahamas is going full lockdown again. The message has been clearer than mud for the Bahamas since March. Every other island is opening and forging through. The Bahamas is having a difficult time with direction. This is creating too many inconsistencies and risk in attempting to book a trip to the Bahamas. At this point, more people will be negatively impacted by shut down than the virus.









						Minnis: Lockdown or risk ‘collapse of healthcare system’
					

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country, particularly in New Providence, has created an immense strain and risks a collapse of the healthcare system, Prime Minis…




					ewnews.com


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