Hurricane Matthew vs HHI....

[lvdis]

The saga continues.... I talked to the main Disney reservation line this morning and even though yesterday I was assured they would reopen on 10/20, the lady today said they are closed and don't know when they will reopen.

I also got an email last night from the other bike rental company I was considering (Bon Bicycles) and they said they would be happy to rent me a bike, but they didn't know if I'd be able to ride them anywhere. Some of the bike trails are completely off limits and all the tree debris is blocking the pedestrian/bike paths along the road.

I decided to cancel and under the circumstances she canceled my reservation without penalty. I'll get my first nights deposit returned. My stay was supposed to be 10/23 - 10/28. Very sad to have to cancel, but I didn't know what else to do.

Now I see people reporting on the Facebook group they were called saying the resort won't open until 10/27 at the earliest. I must say this has been a very frustrating experience. I know they can't control what happened, but they should not have been giving people false hope. Now I'm scrambling to find another place to stay for those 5 nights and it won't be Hilton Head Island. I'll have to try again in the future when Hilton Head has fully recovered.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Well this is all very disappointing. Right now we have reservations for checking on on Oct. 30th going with our whole family. This is the only time our DD and family can go because she teaches school and is out that week. She is so looking forward to going. I called MS and of course they could tell me nothing, only that the resort is closed right now. They haven't even heard the 28th date. DVC is really falling down on the job here, there should be better communications. First they tell people they can get in after the 21st, now it's the 28th at the earliest. Is it going to shift another week? MS wanted to know if I wanted to change my reservation, but there is no other time we can go. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we get the dreaded phone call.

 

[tiffany123]

Grow up people! Yes, some of you are having to cancel your long-planned vacations as did I. However, HHI took a direct hit from a major hurricane and there is major damage over much of the island. There are thousands of trees down--many of them huge live oaks, lots of damage to homes and businesses, beach erosion, utility destruction (including pool pumps and filters at the Disney resort) etc. The island will recover but it's going to take time and yes, even a few ruined/canceled vacations.

 

[WolfpackFan]

So we're not supposed to be concerned when we feel like we're getting the run around from DVC? Sheesh. I know about the hurricane, our State took a major hit, larger than SC or Florida. So don't preach to me about that. We just want a straight answer as to whether we can check in Sunday after next. Surely they would know now if we can.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My impression isn't so much that it's the resort having issues as it's the infrastructure on the Island. If so, then it's out of DVC's control and the best they can do is to go with whatever information officials provide. If that changes then the opening must change. My guess - DVC is willing and able to be open but it's not their final call.

They just suffered thru a natural disaster - that makes things unpredictable.

 

[WolfpackFan]

But the funny thing is I'm getting emails from the HHI tourism group inviting us to come on down. That everything is opening up with a list of restaurants and resorts that are open. They say they need our tourism dollars.

 

[Dean]

The 2 Marriott's I own at have been closed. One opens today and the other didn't say but sounded like they didn't have a firm date. Here's wording from the email.

We are also aware that many Owners have had to either cancel or shorten their stay as a result of this unexpected natural disaster. While lost time unfortunately cannot be rebooked, Owners with travel insurance coverage should contact their insurance provider to discuss and/ or file a claim for disrupted travel plans. Marriott Vacation Club has already provided closure information to both Travelex and VacationGuard to support the claims process for Owners with coverage from either of these providers.

I feel for those who had to cancel or leave early and for the families affected on the island and elsewhere. Still, this is not an exact science and there are unknowns and variables outside their control. The island tourism people have an agenda, the island is not going to be the same. As I said earlier, I'd call the resort directly but if they are uncertain, don't beat on them verbally.

 

[bom_noite]

The 2 Marriott's I own at have been closed. One opens today and the other didn't say but sounded like they didn't have a firm date. Here's wording from the email.
I feel for those who had to cancel or leave early and for the families affected on the island and elsewhere. Still, this is not an exact science and there are unknowns and variables outside their control. The island tourism people have an agenda, the island is not going to be the same. As I said earlier, I'd call the resort directly but if they are uncertain, don't beat on them verbally.

I have been around the boards to know that Dean is the best when it comes to providing rational answers.

There are a ton of competing agenda's here.

• Tourism is HHI's business! They need butt's in beds and they need them now.
• Employee's not expecting a 10 to 15 day vacation. I would imagine that this affects budgets and they want to get back working.
• On the flip side, employee's cleaning up there own mess. I have heard of Island locals that are being killed financially as they have to find short-term rentals while their apartments / condo's / homes are being fixed. HH may lose workers who will leave permanently based on the expense.
• The need to have inspectors approve repairs and property safety.

I do not think it is just Disney who has looked bad as so much of this is outside the resorts control. I am 100% certain the resort is ready or very close for re-opening. They are all dealing with things outside of their direct control.

I did find this article that lists some of the resorts on the Island and the anticipated opening. This was posted on 14-Oct. It does not include DHHIR.

http://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article108392477.html

 

[lvdis]

The 2 Marriott's I own at have been closed. One opens today and the other didn't say but sounded like they didn't have a firm date. Here's wording from the email.
I feel for those who had to cancel or leave early and for the families affected on the island and elsewhere. Still, this is not an exact science and there are unknowns and variables outside their control. The island tourism people have an agenda, the island is not going to be the same. As I said earlier, I'd call the resort directly but if they are uncertain, don't beat on them verbally.

I appreciate what you are saying, but communication is key. Part of the problem is that the direct resort phone number for DHHIR has not been working and/or not being answered. I am not a DVC member so going through the central reservations number has been getting many different answers. It's the lack of communication that's been frustrating to me. If I hadn't called I'm not sure when I would have been notified and I was due to check-in in 4 days. At least they are giving my deposit back.

It's all good, I've found alternate plans, and hopefully one day I'll get back to experience DHHIR myself.

 

[Dean]

I appreciate what you are saying, but communication is key. Part of the problem is that the direct resort phone number for DHHIR has not been working and/or not being answered. I am not a DVC member so going through the central reservations number has been getting many different answers. It's the lack of communication that's been frustrating to me. If I hadn't called I'm not sure when I would have been notified and I was due to check-in in 4 days. At least they are giving my deposit back.

It's all good, I've found alternate plans, and hopefully one day I'll get back to experience DHHIR myself.

As noted, lots of competing issues. It's not an exact science and they are being pulled in several directions right now. I haven't talked to Disney reservations or MS about this issue and wouldn't want to bother them unnecessarily so I don't have first hand knowledge of what they're saying or how they're saying it. A large part of my point was that they likely don't know and probably can't know for certain until the resort is almost ready to open. Financially speaking, and it IS a part of the process they have to consider, they don't want to cancel anything they don't have to even if it leaves some hanging until the last minute. Thus it might be a moving target and there are legit reasons for delays and uncertainties.

I'm not saying this is you because I don't think it is based on what you've posted, but we've seen posts from people who had unrealistic expectations given the situations and uncertainties both related to the hurricane effects themselves and the aftermath. We all need to consider our own situations in part but a healthy dose of reality and compassion as well including that such issues will never be perfect. Certainly communication has not been the strong point of DVCMC over the years, can we say valet parking.

 

[SC Minnie]

The resort didn't have much major structural damage but it did have a lot of water damage. The storm surge from the marsh was very high. There was also issues with sewage, and I'm not talking about just getting it to start working properly but sewage spilling into areas. They have a lot of clean up to do and they are working on it. Unless you want to go to a potential bio hazard zone for your vacation I suggest you give them a chance to get everything clean, replaced, and ready for the public.

Disney has been very quiet about the extent of the damage, I'm assuming they want to keep everyone in the Disney bubble.

 

[TravelGrl]

SC Minnie - How did you get so much information regarding the damage? They have been so tight lipped when i called. I am trying to assess how much longer it will take to clean up. I have a vacation planned in 3 weeks and if it's too optimistic, I want to seriously look at other options. It just would help to know when Disney thinks this will be resolved. Obviously we don't want them to open before they are ready. Just want realistic expectations.

 

[mickeyluvr]

Thank you SC Minnie for finally(!) giving us some information. Obviously nobody in their right mind wants to go into a potential biohazard area. We rebooked HHI for next spring and by some miracle were able to make arrangement for a few days in Vero in a couple of weeks, so we're good. I still have a problem with Disney's management for not being more forthcoming with the CMs (I really don't think they know any more than we do) and in turn with their guests.

 

[Mousewerks]

The RAT is reporting that HHI will not open before October 27th at the earliest.

 

[WolfpackFan]

A good sign. I have been calling the HHI resort directly for several days now. Up until today all I got was a constant ring. This morning, the resort answered. I got the usual pre-recorded stuff about how to make a reservation and how to buy into DVC. Then it let me go to the front desk. I then got a recording that they were busy helping other guests and for me to hang on and they would get to me. I hung up, I figure they were busy enough without me bugging them. But hey, I think that is a good sign that they now have phone service to the resort now.

Also, there is now an update out on the HHI webpage that mentions the 27th date.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Disney now has this message on their website:
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort remains closed due to the impact from Hurricane Matthew. The team continues to work diligently to prepare the resort to welcome back Guests and Members as soon as possible. We are making progress each day and are very appreciative of your patience as we work toward resuming normal operations, which we do not expect to occur until after October 26.

We look forward to sharing more information, including a reopening date, when it is available. Please continue to check back here for updates.

This is the first time I've seen a date mentioned on there.

 

[Simba's Mom]

And then I just read about a big water break that closed a portion of 278 a few days ago. Yikes!

 

[ilovebassets]

Any more recent updates?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wolfpakfan reported elsewhere that he's scheduled to check in October 30th, and when he called MS to check, they verified that the resort will be open.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Someone over on the HHI FB group confirmed that people with existing reservations could begin checking in on the 27th.