Timeshare Mecca Central Florida Becomes the Focus for COVID-Related Sports Restarts

Central Florida fans of the National Basketball Association are expected to get a rare treat with the NBA’s announcement that they will be resuming their season in July at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. So, what does that have to do with timeshare? Well, if they have to stay on Disney property because of COVID-19 and the best accommodations are in Disney timeshares, well….

Imagine all of the NBA’s players in one location. Coronado Springs is reportedly going to be the main headquarters for the league, but they will need additional resorts to house players, families and staff. We can’t imagine multi-million dollar NBA players cramped in a studio hotel room for weeks, if not months, on end. Disney timeshare owners, stay tuned.

More Good News for Destinations

California has begun plans to reopen on a county-by-county basis after the state provided guidelines for businesses to resume activities – including hotels and vacation rentals. The Napa Valley hit the ground running with wineries reopening, with other regions’ tourism-related businesses expected to quickly follow suit. South Lake Tahoe reopens on Friday.

Cape Cod has moved into Phase 2 of its reopening plan – meaning resorts are free to open with one caveat. Out of state visitors are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Caribbean Opening Up

More Caribbean destinations are resuming visitor activities, with the islands of Antigua and Barbuda now open and Jamaica planning to reopen to international visitors on June 15. Meanwhile, Turks and Caicos are set to open in July. While the U.S. Virgin Islands are already open, timeshare stalwart St. Maarten is targeting July 1 as the earliest date for potential international travel to resume to the island.

Timeshare resorts continue to move ahead with welcoming guests as they reopen, with updated information regarding branded timeshare openings below:

Timeshare Resort Openings

Bluegreen Vacations – Mountain Run at Boyne opens tomorrow, with South Mountain Resort now open pursuant to a 14-day quarantine order for out of state visitors traveling to New Hampshire. The Club at Big Bear Village opens next week, as does The Innsbruck Aspen. The Soundings Seaside Resort is reported open while observing the 14-day quarantine order for Massachusetts out of state visitors. Hotel Blake is still closed for renovations. All other Bluegreen club timeshare resorts are open, with most club associate resorts open apart from five still closed. More information is available at https://www.bluegreenowner.com/featured/travel-advisory-resort-status.

Capital Vacations – Coral Sands (Grand Cayman) and Sea Palace (St Maarten) are still listed as the only Capital Vacations resorts still closed. More details are at https://www.capitalvacations.com/covid.php.

Club Wyndham – All Wyndham resorts in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin are reportedly open. Georgia’s Fairfield Plantation in Villa Rica is scheduled to open next week. Most of the remaining resorts are looking at a July reopening. More info is at https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/covid-19-information/list-of-impacted-resorts.

Diamond Resorts – Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort, Riviera Beach Resort and Riviera Shores Resort in Capistrano Beach along with San Luis Bay Inn are all scheduled to reopen tomorrow. The remaining closed resorts are due to resume activities by the end of June. All other Diamond timeshare resorts not listed at https://www.diamondresorts.com/covid-19-update are presumed open.

Disney Vacation Club – Next week begins the celebration for DVC timeshare owners as resorts in Hilton Head and Vero Beach are still scheduled to open on June 15. Disney timeshare resorts at Walt Disney World will follow suit on June 22. No update yet on Aulani or Grand Californian. Disney Orlando theme parks begin reopening on July 11 starting with the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will follow on July 15. Please go to https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/ for more information.

Hilton Grand Vacations – The last of the Hilton timeshare properties still closed in Florida, Hilton Grand Vacations at McAlpin Ocean Plaza, reopens tomorrow. Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the Boulevard in Las Vegas also opens tomorrow. Most U.S.-based Hilton timeshare resorts are open with the exception of Hawaii and New York City resorts. More details are at https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/travel-alert.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Orlando Breeze Resort, Desert Club Resort in Las Vegas, Holiday Hills Resort in Branson, Scottsdale Resort and Williamsburg Resort have reopened this week. Seven more resorts are due to reopen by Friday. Details are at https://holidayinnclub.com/safe-travels/resort-updates.

Marriott Vacation Club – Marriott Vacation Club Pulse at The Mayflower, Marriott Vacation Club Pulse New York City and most California resorts are due to reopen next week. Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club and Marriott Vacation Club Pulse San Francisco are closed until further notice. All other U.S.-based Marriott timeshare resorts are open. Information is available at https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/.

Vistana Signature Experiences – Westin Desert Willow Villas, Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas and Mexico-based Westin timeshare resorts are set to reopen next week. The remaining Westin timeshare resorts are open, keeping in mind the 14-day quarantine restriction for arrivals into Hawaii. All Sheraton timeshare resorts are open.

Westgate Resorts – Westgate South Beach Resort, Westgate Park City Resort, Westgate Flamingo Bay Resort and River Terrace Resort are scheduled to open on Friday. For more information regarding the status of specific resorts, please go to https://www.westgateresorts.com/coronavirus-travel-advisory/.

WorldMark – select WorldMark timeshare resorts in Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nevada, Florida, Colorado and Arizona are open. Many other resorts, such as those in Tennessee and Missouri, have pushed their reopening dates out to next week and beyond. Click onto https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/news/covid19_impacted_resorts.shtml for more information.