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Toll Free: 877-624-6889
Intl: (407) 917-8432
Posted on July 16, 2020
Well, what a difference a week makes. Since we last looked at the COVID carousel that continues to spin throughout the U.S., timeshare owners looking to plan vacations have had to deal with the state of California largely closing down once again, Hawaii pushing its 14-day quarantine restrictions out to September 1 and Florida continuing to see high positivity rates.
Some good news is that Disney has pushed ahead with opening its central Florida theme parks, with the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening last weekend, while Epcot and Hollywood Studios reopened yesterday. Meanwhile, mask and social distancing requirements are in effect for the theme parks and Orlando timeshare resorts as well as the rest of Orange County, with officials discussing possible fines for non-compliance.
Even with Florida's positivity rates increasing, Orange County’s positivity rate from testing has dropped below 10 percent in each of the last two days. The county has an overall recovery rate of 99.5 percent for those who have contracted the virus over the course of the pandemic.
In the case of Hawaii, their decision to extend mandatory self-quarantine requirements for visitors until September is linked to the reported increase in cases in California, which Hawaii officials acknowledge is a primary source state for visitors to the islands. Hawaii will be keeping a close eye on the levels in California, Arizona and other western states as they decide whether to lift restrictions in September.
Some states have imposed quarantine restrictions for visitors from certain states, as Governors look to protect their home turf. For example, Florida has a 14-day self-quarantine restriction in place for visitors from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, with violators facing fines up to $500.
New England has pretty much circled the wagons. Massachusetts has a 14-day quarantine in place for all visitors except those from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York or New Jersey.
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have responded by adding Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to its list of states where visitors from those states require a 14-day self-quarantine when entering the Tri-state region. The overall list is 22 states long.
The irony is that many other states with popular timeshare destinations have little or no current statewide restrictions in place:
Even with the restrictions noted above, there is no indication that the vast majority of timeshare resorts have rolled back their reopening efforts. Nearly all branded timeshare resorts are open in the U.S., with updates below:
Bluegreen Vacations – Bluegreen Club resorts are all open. Club associate resort Pono Kai Resort has extended its closure until August 31, but all other Club associate resorts are open. Click https://www.bluegreenowner.com/featured/travel-advisory-resort-status for more details.
Capital Vacations – Coral Sands (Grand Cayman) and Sea Palace (St Maarten) remain closed, but all other Capital timeshare resorts are open. Please click https://www.capitalvacations.com/covid.php for more information.
Club Wyndham – Club Wyndham Bentley Brook is due to reopen on Sunday. There are a handful of Wyndham timeshare resorts across the country still closed, including San Francisco and most Hawaii resorts, but the majority are open. Please visit https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/covid-19-information/list-of-impacted-resorts for more details.
Diamond Resorts – the status of Sea of Cortez Beach Club in San Carlos, Mexico has now changed, with a reopening date scheduled for Monday. The closures of Diamond’s Hawaii resorts have been extended until August 31. Alhambra Villas and Crescent Resort on Miami Beach are due to reopen at the end of July, with Marquis Villas Resort scheduled for an August 31 opening. All other Diamond timeshare resorts in the U.S. are open. Please click https://www.diamondresorts.com/covid-19-update for more info.
Disney Vacation Club – Epcot and Hollywood Studios are now open in Orlando, joining the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom which reopened last weekend. Nothing new on possible reopening dates for Grand Californian or Aulani. All other Disney timeshare resorts are open. Please go to https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/ for more information.
Grand Pacific Resorts – All Grand Pacific timeshare resorts are open with the continued exception of Indian Palms Vacation Club, which is closed until September 1. More information is available at https://grandpacificresorts.com/resort-reopening-updates/.
Hilton Grand Vacations – West 57th Street by Hilton Club is scheduled to reopen today, with Hokulani Waikiki by Hilton Grand Vacations Club due to reopen next week. Most U.S.-based Hilton timeshare resorts are open, including all Florida resorts. Resorts still closed are in Hawaii, New York City and Chicago. Please click https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/travel-alert for the latest information.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Mount Ascutney Resort in Brownsville, Vermont is due to open today. All other Holiday Inn timeshare resorts are now open, so please go to https://holidayinnclub.com/safe-travels/resort-updates for more details.
Marriott Vacation Club – No changes here from last week as Marriott Vacation Club Pulse at The Mayflower, Washington, D.C., is still scheduled to open on July 25. Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club remains closed, and with the extension of Hawaii’s inbound quarantine restrictions it will most likely not open until September 1 at the earliest. Marriott Vacation Club Pulse San Francisco and Marriott Vacation Club Pulse New York City remain closed until further notice. All other U.S.-based Marriott timeshare resorts are open. Please go to https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/ for more info.
Vistana Signature Experiences – All Westin timeshare and Sheraton timeshare resorts remain open.
Westgate Resorts – Westgate timeshare resorts are open with the exception of Westgate Leisure Resort, Westgate Blue Tree Resort, Westgate Palace Resort and Westgate Towers Resort which are still on track to reopen on August 3. Westgate New York Grand Central and Westgate Tunica Resort remain closed until further notice. Please go to https://www.westgateresorts.com/coronavirus-travel-advisory/ for more details.
WorldMark – The reopening of Crotched Mountain Resort in New Hampshire has been pushed out to August 3. Most WorldMark timeshare resorts are open with the exception of San Francisco and several Hawaii resorts that remain closed. Hawaii resorts are still listed as opening in early August, but the extension of the quarantine requirements in Hawaii is expected to impact reopening dates. For more details, please go to https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/news/covid19_impacted_resorts.shtml.
Steve manages the public relations, social media and content creation efforts of the company. Previously the Chief Operating Officer for Perspective International, Steve provided oversight and contributed articles for the five regional vacation ownership trade magazines under the Perspective Magazine banner. With 34 years’ experience in various roles in radio and television, sales and marketing, public relations, media and government liaison initiatives, he brings a well-rounded outlook to our industry.