Westin St John [Master Thread] - Part 2 (June 2014 and forward)

[Helios]

so sad.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Morgans Mango - Before/After

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Helios]

Morgans Mango - Before/After

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, I like that place. I wish there was an unlike option for the destruction I see (not for you posting the pic).

 

[canesfan]

I've seen a video where Asolare is destroyed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tomandrobin]

I've seen a video where Asolare is destroyed.

Yup....Gone. I saw it on the St John facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=510559382613448

 

[tomandrobin]

I can't even begin to guess how long it will take to rebuild. Its not just the Westin that needs major work, its the whole island, plus St Thomas, plus the BVI's, plus the other islands. How long will it take insurance and structural engineers to come out, nake an assessment and reach a financial settlement? How long to get the materials purchased, made and shipped to WSJ? Where to find the help to rebuild? It truly may take well into next year to get the repairs done, and that is only if major rebuilding is not needed.

 

[tomandrobin]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=510559382613448

https://www.facebook.com/100009781716695/videos/510559382613448/

 

[taffy19]

So sad for the people who live there and for TUG's timeshare owners too.

 

[Mauiwmn]

It is very sad indeed. It may take years for the rebuilding to be completed. It took years after Hurricane Iniki for parts of Kauai to rebuild. So many issues with limited supply of labor and materials can make recovery take much longer for islands.

 

[tomandrobin]

I should know this, but I do not......For all of the owners/guests that are going to have their reservations canceled the next few months and into 2018, what are their options? Do they just outright lose their week? Will Starwood allow them to use at another resort?

 

[DeniseM]

I would think you would simply use your Staroptions somewhere else - as you would if you decided not to visit your home resort in any given year.

For voluntary deeds, (no Staroptions) it will be up to Vistana. *WSJ has an owner controlled HOA, so hopefully, they will have some say in this.

 

[LisaRex]

I agree. My photo <--- was taken in Hurricane Hole on St. John. Aptly named, except the federal government has protected it now, so I guess people cannot use it to shelter their boats anymore.

 

[SandyPGravel]

I would think you would simply use your Staroptions somewhere else - as you would if you decided not to visit your home resort in any given year.

For voluntary deeds, (no Staroptions) it will be up to Vistana. *WSJ has an owner controlled HOA, so hopefully, they will have some say in this.

That's going to be a lot of SO thrown into the mix. Not sure what we can do, already have airfare in February. (Didn't have TI, bought my flight with CC miles, wasn't sure how to get TI with using CC miles. Not sue if TI would pay if the airport is open and the resort isn't "closed".) I don't want to be a burden to the islands while they are recovering. Will be back though!! #LoveForLoveCity

 

[DeniseM]

We also use reward miles for flights, and during the booking process, we are offered travel insurance for an additional payment - and I always buy it.

 

[SandyPGravel]

We also use reward miles for flights, and during the booking process, we are offered travel insurance for an additional payment - and I always buy it.

I have booked several times through Cap One reward miles, haven't seen the option for TI. Guess I missed it. I have seen the option when paying with CC though.

 

[DeniseM]

I don't do it that way. I transfer my AMEX points directly to my airline account, and book through the airline.

Another option is to buy separate travel insurance that covers your entire trip - AAA recommends Allianz.

There is also yearly timeshare insurance - there is info in the sticky at the top of the TUG Travel Forum.

 

[Westnick]

Who is going to pay for all this. Do you see maintenance fees going up? Will there be an assessment fee given to the Westin owners? Will insurance and government money cover all this?

 

[okwiater]

We are going to St. John at the end of January, about 4.5 months from now. I imagine the resort will be operational at that point but it's hard to know to what extent. The island will clearly be a very different place.

 

[tomandrobin]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/61853466@N07/

Caneel Bay

 

[tomandrobin]

West End Dock

 

[klpca]

The photos are just devastating. It brings back memories of Cabo after Odile (Sept 2014), but much, much worse. What I am about to post isn't specifically related to WSJ but I have noticed a lot of questions about upcoming reservations and I may be able to offer some (hopefully) helpful information from issues that occurred with Cabo reservations after Odile. (Only a Cat 4). Of course, there is no way of knowing what the situation will be after Irma, but I'll put it out there for what it's worth.

The resorts that were located in the part of Cabo that took a direct hit- the corridor - didn't reopen for a full year or longer. The resorts that weren't hit as hard opened sooner, but as I recall it took about a month. The airport opened sooner than original projections - after 3-4 weeks.

We had a January reservation at a resort in the corridor. I had booked an Extra Vacation through RCI. I had to make up my mind about cancelling the reservation and trying to get something else soon after the hurricane hit, so I was trying to figure out what to do. There was little communication from the resort (and of course nothing from RCI until about 60 days out), so in the end I just cancelled and ate the lost fee. As it turned out, the resort didn't open until October 2015. For almost 2 months after the hurricane, both the resort and RCI kept insisting that we could stay in January. There was a Westin hotel next door that wasn't quoting such an optimistic timeline, so that is what I based my decision upon. The resort where I was supposed to be staying still had their structure in place including roofs, and they had seemingly unlimited local labor, and it still took over a year to reopen.

Here is the thread where we were trying to figure out what to do. There are some interesting tidbits about RCI & II cancellation policies. http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?...lled-rci-exchange-merged.219018/#post-1691063

We did keep our dates in January and stayed in a resort that was able to reopen. Things didn't look the same, but we had a great time anyway. Everyone that we met was truly grateful that we came despite the damage.

Hopefully some personal post-hurricane timeshare experience will help someone.

 

[GrayFal]

View from up the hill


I have a reservation 12/10.
If the resort is open we will go.
I rented my February Presidents week. I have in my contract that I recommend travel insurance.
Not sure how that one is going to shake out

 

[NNerland]

Westin Pool

 

[carpie99]

I have a 9 day reservation in 34 days (October 12th). I want to go to support the economy to help the rebuild. I have no idea what building my 3 bedroom lockoff reservation is in but considering it is a 12 person reservation I think it has to be a Sunset Bay Reservation.

 

[Dawnwrey]

We have reservations at Coral Vista 10/28-11/12, and really don't see how they can have things back up and running that quickly. However, if they are, we will probably go, because we wonder how that economy can recover if people don't go. Maybe we aren't thinking clearly....Anyway, if anyone hears anything official about what our options are as owners, please share ASAP. I really hate not having solid plans, whatever they may turn out to be!