Westin St John Master Thread - Part 3 [Dec. 2017 and forward]

[DavidnRobin]

Considering deedback of my week 28 VG 2 br. Maintenance fee and tax is north of $4k. Thinking I can rent one for less and have flexibility on week of travel. Is there an alternative I should consider?

I gave away mine to a Tugger (vs deeding back). Good luck.

I had a couple others interested as well, but went to 1st contact. So, shouldn’t be an issue to find an alternative than deeding back. MVC may require 2024 MFs be paid. And don’t forget about Property Taxes.

As to value other than renting - not much. StarOptions, Abound points and BonVoy points are low for Gold+


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[cubigbird]

Considering deedback of my week 28 VG 2 br. Maintenance fee and tax is north of $4k. Thinking I can rent one for less and have flexibility on week of travel. Is there an alternative I should consider?

Our Sunset Bay MF EOY was over $2500 for 2023, that puts a week stay over $5000. The MF in WSJ are definitely climbing.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Our Sunset Bay MF EOY was over $2500 for 2023, that puts a week stay over $5000. The MF in WSJ are definitely climbing.

Yep. It was costing us about $10K+ for 2-weeks (with travel costs). Saved money by just giving away vs. hassle of trying to sell.
St John was great while we were working (and pre-H.Irma) and needed vacations, but now being retired and increased travel hassle - happy to stay closer to Home.


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[tborr123]

Yep. It was costing us about $10K+ for 2-weeks (with travel costs). Saved money by just giving away vs. hassle of trying to sell.
St John was great while we were working (and pre-H.Irma) and needed vacations, but now being retired and increased travel hassle - happy to stay closer to Home.


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Finishing my week here and really love the VG hillside unit. Parking is convenient. Nearby pool, easy to get to beaches. Wonderful staff (one of my party had a medical emergency and the Westin security was so helpful-all good now). If only the ongoing costs weren't so high. Are any of the associations at WSJ much lower in fees and taxes than at the VG? Is there a time of year when it would be easier to trade into one of the WSJ units using Star Options?

 

[abcmanzer]

Reading lots of mixed experiences with Verizon Wireless while in USVI.
As we travel to Westin on St. John soon, please advise with any updated suggestions and recent information about successful/less than successful use.
Thanks!

 

[Eric B]

We use T-mobile and have had quite good coverage including while on boat trips.

 

[GrayFal]

Reading lots of mixed experiences with Verizon Wireless while in USVI.
As we travel to Westin on St. John soon, please advise with any updated suggestions and recent information about successful/less than successful use.
Thanks!

We have Verizon and have good reception.
be aware if you go to the north beaches, you could pick up BVI international cell towers.
We put our phones on airplane mode when we go to that area. We go every year for 3-4 weeks October/November time frame

 

[DavidnRobin]

^^^^ This ^^^^
Be careful picking up BVI Towers. We turned on Robin's phone in order to switch the phone to airport mode. That few seconds was enough to connect.

 

[schafercpa]

We usually call the carrier before we leave and tell them we will not be leaving the island just to go on record. If we get charged for roaming, they see the note on our file and quickly reverse any of those charges

 

[purduealum91]

Attended a presentation yesterday. We are MVC owners at the presidential level. We’re offered 2,250 points for $16,500 with 4,500 bonus points and no payment of 2,800 maintenance fee until 2025. We walked away.

 

[mjm1]

Sent my son and daughter in law last summer. The ferry service included unlimited trips between StJ and StT then. Just get their schedule.

We may be going to WSJ next year if I can get a unit.

Do you or anyone else have an idea of the fare for the ferry? From the sounds of it the fare is round trip and includes unlimited trips. Do they also offer just a one-way fare from STT to WSJ? We would be going to the Ritz after our stay, so could take the public ferry back to Red Hook.

Also, does anyone know how late the ferry runs from STT to the resort? Our flight lands around 2:30pm.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[tborr123]

I was there last month and the ferry was $125 per person for the first two people, then $142 PP for additional passengers. This allowed unlimited trips to STT from WSJ but note that the shopping ferry (where they bus you from Red Hook to Charlotte Amelie is at either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. with a return at 4 p.m. With a 2:30 p.m. landing time you will have several ferries to get to the WSJ.

 

[mjm1]

I was there last month and the ferry was $125 per person for the first two people, then $142 PP for additional passengers. This allowed unlimited trips to STT from WSJ but note that the shopping ferry (where they bus you from Red Hook to Charlotte Amelie is at either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. with a return at 4 p.m. With a 2:30 p.m. landing time you will have several ferries to get to the WSJ.

Thank you. Presumably after checking out we could take the “shopping ferry” with our luggage in tow, get off at Red Hook and not take the bus to Charlotte Amelie. Is that feasible?

 

[GrayFal]

I got this but no attachment. Anyone else?

Dear Virgin Grand Villas Owner, Attached please find the 2022 Audit Reportfor Virgin Grand Villas – St. John Condominium Owners Association. This report is being provided as outlined in the Bylaws of Virgin Grand Villas – St. John Condominium Owners Association. If you have questions about the audit, please contact me by telephone at 340-714-6094 or by email at Eugene.Martin2@vacationclub.com. Sincerely, Eugene Martin General Manager The Westin St. John Resort Villas

You have received this message as part of your vacation ownership. Please do not reply directly to this system-generated email. Contact Vistana Management, Inc. online or at 9002 San Marco Court, Orlando, FL 32819. ©2023 Vistana Signature Experiences, Inc. ("Vistana") and Marriott International, Inc. ("Marriott"). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Statement | Terms & Conditions | 4-22-254

 

[Eric B]

I got this but no attachment. Anyone else?

​

Dear Virgin Grand Villas Owner, Attached please find the 2022 Audit Reportfor Virgin Grand Villas – St. John Condominium Owners Association. This report is being provided as outlined in the Bylaws of Virgin Grand Villas – St. John Condominium Owners Association. If you have questions about the audit, please contact me by telephone at 340-714-6094 or by email at Eugene.Martin2@vacationclub.com. Sincerely, Eugene Martin General Manager The Westin St. John Resort Villas

​

You have received this message as part of your vacation ownership. Please do not reply directly to this system-generated email. Contact Vistana Management, Inc. online or at 9002 San Marco Court, Orlando, FL 32819. ©2023 Vistana Signature Experiences, Inc. ("Vistana") and Marriott International, Inc. ("Marriott"). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Statement | Terms & Conditions | 4-22-254

I got it as well. The report is available through the hyperlink in its title.

 

[GrayFal]

I got it as well. The report is available through the hyperlink in its title.

Thank you, I was looking at it on my phone and did not notice the hyperlink

 

[tborr123]

Thank you. Presumably after checking out we could take the “shopping ferry” with our luggage in tow, get off at Red Hook and not take the bus to Charlotte Amelie. Is that feasible?

Not a problem. When you take the shopping ferry to Red Hook, you get a choice of taking the bus to Charlotte Amelie or another bus(es) to the airport.

 

[abcmanzer]

Visiting St. John for the first time next week and surprised now to see at least a few businesses (including Lime Inn and Lime Out) closing for off-season.
Should we expect to find even more closed when we arrive near the end of August?

 

[GrayFal]

Visiting St. John for the first time next week and surprised now to see at least a few businesses (including Lime Inn and Lime Out) closing for off-season.
Should we expect to find even more closed when we arrive near the end of August?

Off-Season Closings - Explore STJ

Check out ExploreSTJ.com for information on the 2023 seasonal restaurant closings.

explorestj.com

Yes, many places close mid august to October.

 

[mjm1]

We have a reservation at WSJ in January as well - staying in Coral Vista. We also contemplated canceling and going elsewhere. We were told that construction is from 10:00 am - 4:00pm. I don't know for sure but am assuming it is M-F. We love WSJ and haven't visited for a few years (January 2020). We decided to keep our reservation - realizing the pool will likely be pretty much unusable but the we will go to the beaches on the north shore and over the weekend (and pre or post construction hours) we hope to make use of the beach at the resort.

How was your stay in Coral Vista? What size unit were you in?

We were able to reserve a Coral Vista Studio for four nights next April, which will be our first stay in that section of the resort. Our only other stay was in a Virgin Grand 1BR, so this will be a different experience. Smaller unit, but closer to the main pool, lobby, etc.

Also, we will likely rent a car one day to explore the island. Do you or anyone else have a suggestion on where to rent a car for a day? I saw another post recommending making a reservation ahead of time too.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[steve1000]

How was your stay in Coral Vista? What size unit were you in?

We were able to reserve a Coral Vista Studio for four nights next April, which will be our first stay in that section of the resort. Our only other stay was in a Virgin Grand 1BR, so this will be a different experience. Smaller unit, but closer to the main pool, lobby, etc.

Also, we will likely rent a car one day to explore the island. Do you or anyone else have a suggestion on where to rent a car for a day? I saw another post recommending making a reservation ahead of time too.

Best regards.

Mike

Hello Mike - As it turned out my wife got sick 3 days before our check-in date and we were unable to travel. However, our niece and a few of her friends were able to use the reservation. I have never previously stayed in Coral Vista so, unfortunately, I don't have any helpful information re: the studio unit. However, we have a reservation for this January in a 2 BR Coral Vista unit. I do like the location of the Coral Vista units within the resort. We previously owned a Bay Vista unit.

In prior stays we have typically rented a Jeep from Amalie Car Rental in St. Thomas (they pick you up at the airport in St Thomas) for the full week, drive to Red Hook and then take the car ferry over to St. John (and do the return trip at the end of our stay).We like the flexibility of having the car to visit several of the different north shore beaches during the week and to go into town whenever we want - but it is fairly pricey to rent the Jeep for the full week.

There are several car rental alternatives on St. John for daily rentals (advance reservations are probably advisable) but i do not have experience with them. In addition - there is a "group taxi service" from the resort that makes several trips throughout the day into town and to the beaches that is pretty convenient. The WSJ ferry service from the airport to the WSJ and back is another good alternative to renting a car on St. Thomas. Enjoy your stay at the WSJ!

 

[cubigbird]

Wondering how WSJ 2024 maintenance fees will look seeing other posts? Sunset Bay was up 28% for 2023 over 2022. Anything up more than 22% will be a 50% increase over 2 years. Unsustainable….

 

[GrayFal]

Wondering how WSJ 2024 maintenance fees will look seeing other posts? Sunset Bay was up 28% for 2023 over 2022. Anything up more than 22% will be a 50% increase over 2 years. Unsustainable….

I just saw that Flex went up almost 15% from 2023 As well as the Trust/Abound Points
It’s discouraging

”For 2024 the enclosed “Proposed Budget” reflects that the MVC Trust Association maintenance fees to be paid to the underlying component associations are projected to have a 14.3% increase over the 2023 MVC Trust Association budget. This amount is reflected in the “Component Expense” line item of the 2024 MVC Trust Association “Proposed Budget” which you will note is approximately 85% of the total budgeted expenses for MVC Trust Association.”

now Adventura
2024 fees 0.01985 per point vs
2023 fees 0.01623 per point

22.3% increase.

 

[cubigbird]

That would be a Sunset Bay increase of 42% over 2 years. They are going to have to reign in the fees or we could see the death spiral sooner rather than later.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Virgin Grand Villas Property taxes are due today, in case you forgot.