Ko Olina in June

[darly2004]

Hello everyone! I know that there have been plenty of posts about cancelling Hawaii vacations, but I am having a hard time sifting through all the information since there is so much and it seems to be changing frequently. Please bear with me if my questions seem basic since we have never had to exchange our week or cancel before. We are due to go to Ko Olina on June 3rd. The first 3 nights, we are staying at Disney Aulani with our DVC points (which is another issue in itself). Then, we are due to check into MKO on 6/6-6/13 using our week. We are within the 61-75 days of cancellation. If we do cancel, should we cancel before 61 days or should we wait until after? What are our chances of rebooking in October (our girls' next school vacation)? How would II work if we wait? I am really disappointed since this is a vacation we look forward to every other year. Plus, not only do we need to consider ourselves, we had invited my oldest daughter's friends to come along this year. I feel so guilty inviting them along and having to tie them up with this. I know that in the grand scheme of things, if this is all we have to lose during this time, it is very trivial compared to a lot of other people. However, if someone can help me navigate this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[samara64]

I would call Marriott and ask them if they have availability in October and see if they can rebook it.

If not, I would split the 2BR and deposit it into Interval and get a search going.

Best of luck and do not feel bad about inviting anyone. It is all out of our hands.


For Disney, check this thread as it is relevant:

Disney parks and resorts closed until further notice

Disney announced yesterday that they will keep the parks and resorts closed until further notice. No word from DVC but I assume the announcement covers them too.

tugbbs.com

 

[hangloose]

Hello everyone! I know that there have been plenty of posts about cancelling Hawaii vacations, but I am having a hard time sifting through all the information since there is so much and it seems to be changing frequently. Please bear with me if my questions seem basic since we have never had to exchange our week or cancel before. We are due to go to Ko Olina on June 3rd. The first 3 nights, we are staying at Disney Aulani with our DVC points (which is another issue in itself). Then, we are due to check into MKO on 6/6-6/13 using our week. We are within the 61-75 days of cancellation. If we do cancel, should we cancel before 61 days or should we wait until after? What are our chances of rebooking in October (our girls' next school vacation)? How would II work if we wait? I am really disappointed since this is a vacation we look forward to every other year. Plus, not only do we need to consider ourselves, we had invited my oldest daughter's friends to come along this year. I feel so guilty inviting them along and having to tie them up with this. I know that in the grand scheme of things, if this is all we have to lose during this time, it is very trivial compared to a lot of other people. However, if someone can help me navigate this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

In my opinion, a June 3rd reservation is in the 50/50 category right now. The next several weeks will likely determine the posture on whether travel will continue to be restricted or not two months from now. Unfortunately, your 60 day MVC deadline will not allow you time to wait and see. You will have to make the decision based on your risk posture and pros/cons of each option.

In the next day or so prior to your 60 day deadline, I would assess pros/cons on all options.

If you choose to keep your reservation beyond the 60 day MVC cancel mark in hopes your travel will happen, make sure you know what that means as you will not be able to put your week back into MVC. You may have have to use II, rent the week, or other if travel is still restricted.​

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If you do choose to cancel...you know you can get your MVC week back in time to make a future 2020 reservation based on availability. But....can you get a refund for airline payments, car rental costs, DVC pts, etc? Who knows..maybe you cancel at 60 days...things get better..and your same week is still available in June. It could happen ?!? If October would be your next best option....assess cost of moving. Oct airfare does seem low at the moment at least from my home, so perhaps it even saves you money based off the cost of your original airfare (if already booked and refundable).​

From my recent experience...I wish I would have cancelled my MVC deeded week prior to 60 days....which would have at least allowed better options outside of II to re-book my week (assuming availability). We just didn't know back on Feb 5th (our 60 day) that the entire world's posture would change so drastically due to COVID-19. We would also love to go back in October (same month as you)....airfare is cheap...but we now cannot reschedule our weeks into Oct. We would have to rely on an II exchange, rent a unit...or use a LOT of DC Pts to get the same accommodations.

My 2 cents. Hope it helps.

 

[Kapolei]

I am thinking there is a possibility that Hawaii might get over the curve faster than the mainland now that everything is shut down. If this occurs, my guess would be a soft reopening of resorts before the travel quarantines are lifted. MKO is still open with all amenities closed. If the resort turns back on, but the travel restrictions are still there, this would mean you still could not get here to use it. Things are constantly changing. I could be totally wrong. Just speculating on one way this could play out.

 

[darly2004]

So per Marriott website as of 3/28:

My Scheduled Arrival Is 60 Days or More from My Date of Cancellation

• Your usage will be returned to your account and will be accessible for use upon completion of cancellation without penalty. If you don't plan to use your ownership week, you may also deposit your week with Interval International as a full deposit, usable for travel up to 24 months after the check-out date of your deposited week for the reservation you are canceling.

My Scheduled Arrival Is 59 Days to 14 Days from My Date of Cancellation

• While cancellations are not permitted, your week can be deposited with Interval International for a Late Deposit. You will have two years from the check-out date of your deposited week to travel and can check availability up to 59 days before your desired arrival date.

So, what is a difference between a full deposit vs late deposit in II? Do you have more choices as a full deposit? How difficult would it be to get back into any Marriott or a Hawaii Marriott? We have 2 bedroom ocean view. Do I need to set up II account now, so it will be ready to deposit?

We are flying Alaska and as of right now, they only allow cancellation up to 5/31. I did buy insurance from them, but have not figured out coverage yet. We did use a companion fare, so not sure if we will get that back.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Late deposit in II limits you to exchanging less than 60 days before check in from available inventory (flexchange).So while you are not specifically limited as to what you can exchange there certainly may be less to choose from.

If you deposit more than 60 days ahead of your reserved well you can exchange all the way out to your week expiration ( 2 years) and you can set up an ongoing search ( request).

I would stay out of flexchange if at all possible. Call MVC and let them help you get set up. Good
uck.

 

[TravelTime]

I would cancel and not look back or question yourself. Even if Hawaii opens up, which I doubt, the resorts and services will probably be slow to start back up. Also I wonder how soon the airlines will be flying again. Just as an example, my employees (in California) said they will not come back to work in the office even if the Shelter at Home is lifted. I could see many people having a fear of getting back to work and mingling with others. I am canceling everything I have planned for this year and not planning anything new until the Covid-19 pandemic is over or at least under control.

 

[jancurious]

We too, have two owner weeks at Waiohai beginning June 14th. We spent some time today debating what to do before our sixty day date affects our reservation. If you look on the covid19.healthdata.org site for HI, they will hit their peak around May 3rd and will have shortages of beds, ICU beds and ventilators. If this is the peak, by June, they will still be coming down the curve and it won't flatten for awhile (assuming these projections are correct). Factor in that HI does not have a lot of medical facilities (very limited on Kauai) - we have decided to cancel. Currently Waiohai is open but there are absolutely no amenities (not even pools or barbecues) and you must quarantine for 14 days when landing which means, you can't even shop for food or go to the beach. Doesn't sound too fun. Plus their current quarantine order has no end date on it right now.

We thought about calling and trying to rebook later in the year but with the scientists saying this virus could very well resurrect in the fall, I think we are just going to deposit our weeks in II and hope for 2021 or 2022. Everyone must make their own decisions but hoping our reasoning may help you in some way..............

 

[darly2004]

Thank you everyone for your input. You all have been very helpful. I talked to my husband, and I think the safest bet for us is to cancel and deposit into II. If we cancel on Monday, that will be 61 days before check in. Will we have to deposit it into II that day? Will Marriott set something up for us? The office is not opened until Monday, so I can't call them until then. We will need to figure out our DVC reservation, but I think we can bank our points still. Then the airlines... we bought insurance through them, but it does not cover the current situation apparently.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Thank you everyone for your input. You all have been very helpful. I talked to my husband, and I think the safest bet for us is to cancel and deposit into II. If we cancel on Monday, that will be 61 days before check in. Will we have to deposit it into II that day? Will Marriott set something up for us? The office is not opened until Monday, so I can't call them until then. We will need to figure out our DVC reservation, but I think we can bank our points still. Then the airlines... we bought insurance through them, but it does not cover the current situation apparently.

Try the chat feature on MVC- it’s working right now. You do want to get that week deposited into II outside of the flexchange restriction.
Have a look at the refund policy for your airline. I was booked on American and thanks to someone else’s post I became aware that on that airline if they change your flight time by 2hrs+ you can get a cash refund instead of just a voucher. If you have done thing similar wait it out and see if you get a change.

 

[TXTortoise]

It will be interesting to see how II availability plays out in 2021-2022, given all the late deposits this year and everyone targeting a smaller pool of weeks in the out-years. Kinda wishing I'd taken Bonvoy points in lieu of my latest deposit. ;-)

 

[dioxide45]

It will be interesting to see how II availability plays out in 2021-2022, given all the late deposits this year and everyone targeting a smaller pool of weeks in the out-years. Kinda wishing I'd taken Bonvoy points in lieu of my latest deposit. ;-)

Was Bonvoy points even an option? I didn't think they were offering that.

 

[TXTortoise]

Not specific to the Covid-19 situation, but some legacy weeks offer that option, e.g., my Vail Week 15 can convert to 110K points every two years. MFs are around $750.

 

[dioxide45]

Not specific to the Covid-19 situation, but some legacy weeks offer that option, e.g., my Vail Week 15 can convert to 110K points every two years. MFs are around $750.

e main problem is that you would have had to convert a 2020 week to Bonvoy points by December 31 2019. So too late to convert these weeks now.

 

[TXTortoise]

e main problem is that you would have had to convert a 2020 week to Bonvoy points by December 31 2019. So too late to convert these weeks now.

Agree, I just deposited 2021 a few months ago to establish benefit of early deposit. Last time I took points I think they told me it had to be done by 31 Oct., but would have to check.

 

[darly2004]

Try the chat feature on MVC- it’s working right now. You do want to get that week deposited into II outside of the flexchange restriction.
Have a look at the refund policy for your airline. I was booked on American and thanks to someone else’s post I became aware that on that airline if they change your flight time by 2hrs+ you can get a cash refund instead of just a voucher. If you have done thing similar wait it out and see if you get a change.

That's interesting about American Airlines. Does anyone know of a similar Alaska Air policy for flight time change? I can't find it anywhere. They changed our flight on 3/8 (before everything) back from HNL to leave 3 hours later. At that time, I was not thrilled about it, but they didn't have any flight leaving earlier online. Our flight we originally were on was fully booked, so I am not sure why they changed the flight time. I didn't think we had a choice to cancel, so I didn't do anything. I am wanting a cash refund more for my daughter's friends since their parents paid for airfare and since our family will likely be able to use the airline tickets later. Does anyone know what will happen if travel is still restricted at the end of the year? Do you think they will extend the date to use the airline credit?

Also, someone mentioned splitting my week. I don't think I booked a lock-off since we had intended on using it ourselves. That means I cannot split our reservation, correct? If for some reason I can split it, can I get back into a 2 bedroom using the 1 bedroom portion? Thank you so much for all your help.

 

[Pamplemousse]

That's interesting about American Airlines. Does anyone know of a similar Alaska Air policy for flight time change? I can't find it anywhere. They changed our flight on 3/8 (before everything) back from HNL to leave 3 hours later. At that time, I was not thrilled about it, but they didn't have any flight leaving earlier online. Our flight we originally were on was fully booked, so I am not sure why they changed the flight time. I didn't think we had a choice to cancel, so I didn't do anything. I am wanting a cash refund more for my daughter's friends since their parents paid for airfare and since our family will likely be able to use the airline tickets later. Does anyone know what will happen if travel is still restricted at the end of the year? Do you think they will extend the date to use the airline credit?

Also, someone mentioned splitting my week. I don't think I booked a lock-off since we had intended on using it ourselves. That means I cannot split our reservation, correct? If for some reason I can split it, can I get back into a 2 bedroom using the 1 bedroom portion? Thank you so much for all your help.

Try typing refund into the search bar on the airline website or even just googling

 

[10spro]

Also, someone mentioned splitting my week. I don't think I booked a lock-off since we had intended on using it ourselves. That means I cannot split our reservation, correct? If for some reason I can split it, can I get back into a 2 bedroom using the 1 bedroom portion? Thank you so much for all your help.

I don't think you can split it yourself online, but call Marriott and they will do it. I had booked my full villa as owner occupy and then decided not to use it. Marriott chat could not help me, but I called and spoke to a live person, and told them I wanted to split the week and deposit to II. At first they wanted to give me a different week, but I told them I needed to keep the same arrival date (it is a high demand week = good II trade power). The first person didn't know how to do it, so I politely asked if there was someone else who might know, and sure enough, they figured it out.

 

[Big Matt]

You asked whether you can put it back together again. In my experience Marriott will try very hard to put you in a 1BR and studio that adjoin.

 

[TXTortoise]

If you need to 'recombine' to one unit, be sure contact room control as early as possible, e.g., two to three weeks out. Otherwise they will see it as two reservations and assign rooms as needed, i.e., may not be together at check-in.

Room Control can also combine both reservations into one when you contact them to simplify things, like they will do if staying two or more weeks in the same unit.

It's all done at the resort level, not MVC.

 

[disneymom1]

If OP wants to exchange for a 2 bedroom, isn't she better off depositing the unit as a 2 bedroom instead of splitting into a 1 bedroom and a studio?

 

[darly2004]

You asked whether you can put it back together again. In my experience Marriott will try very hard to put you in a 1BR and studio that adjoin.

I guess I meant that can you trade in a one bedroom for a 2 bedroom elsewhere? I know Ko Olina has decent trade power. Would l be able to trade a studio for a one bedroom or a one bedroom for a 2 bedroom somewhere else?

We ended rebooking in October for now. Per Marriott, if this is still going on, we have 60 days prior to that date to cancel. Crossing my fingers that we can go.

So, good news! One of my daughter's friend was able to get a refund from Alaska since we had that flight change. We are waiting to hear from the other. If they are able to do it, I may consider canceling our flights as well. Only problem, we used companion fare, so not sure if we'll get that back.

 

[Steve Fatula]

Yes, you would, at least in normal times, be able to get a 1br+ for your studio. I have traded my desert springs studio for 20 years, and have never traded for a studio.

 

[Big Matt]

I guess I meant that can you trade in a one bedroom for a 2 bedroom elsewhere? I know Ko Olina has decent trade power. Would l be able to trade a studio for a one bedroom or a one bedroom for a 2 bedroom somewhere else?

We ended rebooking in October for now. Per Marriott, if this is still going on, we have 60 days prior to that date to cancel. Crossing my fingers that we can go.

So, good news! One of my daughter's friend was able to get a refund from Alaska since we had that flight change. We are waiting to hear from the other. If they are able to do it, I may consider canceling our flights as well. Only problem, we used companion fare, so not sure if we'll get that back.

Of course you can, and it happens quite often. I would say that your 1BR should be able to pull a 2 or 3BR anywhere with enough lead time. Your studio should be able to pull a 2BR in most places in shoulder season using an ongoing request.