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

SVOForever

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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!!
 

andysnovel

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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.
 

SVOForever

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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!
 

Westnick

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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.
 

blondietink

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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.
 

blondietink

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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.
 

CPNY

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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.
 

DavidnRobin

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WPORV (Kauai)
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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

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

Redacted: Dave and I posted it at the same time, so I will delete my copy.
 
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jjking42

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


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pacman777

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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.
 

CPNY

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Works for me.
 

DavidnRobin

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WPORV (Kauai)
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WKV (Scottsdale)
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

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WKORVN x2
WSJ-BV
WLR
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

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

CPNY

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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
 

blondietink

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Found the email in my junk folder, lol.
 

Rinse82

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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.
 

controller1

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I still haven't received the email. :ponder:
 

zjhasan1976

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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

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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

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.
 

zjhasan1976

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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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