Hurricane Matthew vs HHI....

[GranJan]

We were driving from Oklahoma, arriving Oct 16-20. We plan to stop at the Smokie Mountains on the way home for a few days. Thinking about canceling Hilton Head & trying to book a few more nights in the Smokies but I don't know if we can find a room this last minute. I just don't have much hope of Hilton Head being ready to open in a week. You might have better chances in 2 weeks. We've never been to Hilton Head so I want it to be at its best, not just recovered enough to open.

I'm very concerned too. We are supposed to fly into Savannah on 10/21, staying for 2 nights, and then head to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort for a 5 night stay on 10/23. I'm not sure what to do.

 

[kirstenb1]

My sister lives in Sea Pines. She evac'd, but the updates I've seen show trees down everywhere, which will hinder access, power restoration etc. Also, looks like lots of flooding. We were there this summer, and I was shocked at how many expensive homes were build on slab construction. No elevation at all. From what I remember about DVC, all the buildings are elevated, which is a plus.

 

[jerseygal]

Hoping for everyone's safety in HHI! Such a pretty island!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

We arrived at HHI on Sunday the 2nd and had two awesome days Sunday and Monday. Tuesday was grey and very windy on the beach but the storm was still below Cuba. The wind up at the beach house pool was not bad and a nice demo but quite overcast. We heard about the evacuation but did not have anything in our unit until that evening when we returned from Hudson's. We saw very long lines for gas but both our cars had half tanks and figured we could make it well inland if we were going to be evacuated.

My DW stopped by the front desk on our way back in and got the scoop on Wednesday and departure. I am not sure about a free breakfast but she said the front desk was very helpful and was clear on points to be returned for Wed and Thu.

We left around 10am on Wednesday morning...takes a bit to get all that stuff for a week out of a GV...but were able to fill up our tanks at Shelter Cove without any one waiting in line. A lot of other stations were out though.

We decided to head back to Charlotte across country and avoid I95/I26 at all costs. A nice pleasant ride taking 278 over to 601, then up to Lugoff and over to Ridgeway and on to I77. It took us a little longer but no traffic to speak of. We even stopped at Cracker Barrel in Orangeburg and did not have to wait but a couple of minutes for a table. That was nice after the frustration of what the weather forecast was supposed to be.

Hope all works out OK for the resort, the island and the many folks who live and work there. Our son will be back down next weekend if all is up and running.

We arrived the same day you did, and it seems you left about the same time as we did. I'm surprised you found gas on the island Wednesday. As we evacuated, it looked like all the gas pumps were closed. We had thought about taking state roads either to Spartanburg and over to Knoxville or to Augusta and over to Atlanta. We were headed back to Kentucky. We opted to try the interstates and were surprised that the only traffic due to the evacuation was a short jam as we got onto I95 South. The only other traffic we encountered was due to construction or wrecks. I am sick of the construction though and am considering hitting some state roads when we go back.

For those wondering about points, they did put the points back in as if we never used them. This morning, they moved them out of holding so that I could book a couple of nights in December. So we are headed back then with our DS20 and DS18. Hopefully, we can manage two nights in a studio with them! But it's better than losing points.

For the poster who wondered about the CMs at the resort, we were first told that a skeleton cast would be left, but I honestly doubt that happened. Everything was shut down and every guest was required to leave, so there would be no need to keep any employee there.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I spoke with MS today and in chatting about the storm was told that HHI would reopen on Wednesday.

 

[NJ Goofy]

Just finished an online chat with member services, HHI will re-open this Wednesday Oct. 12th. I also emailed the local paper asking about damages in the Shelter Cove Marina area (the marina next to HHI resort), as soon as I get an answer I'll post it.

 

[Dean]

According the the City's website they haven't even finished assessing the damages or allowed anyone back on the island to get to homes or businesses so far. I'd say any timeframe at this point was simply a guess. Power was generally out and cell phone service was spotty at best.

 

[GranJan]

I've been reading everything I can find trying to make a decision on whether to cancel or not. I'm beginning to not have much faith in that Wednesday opening date when they can't even tell residents when they'll be allowed to return. I'm ready to cancel, my husband keeps saying wait & see. He says he's an optimist, guess that makes me a pessimist. I think I'm just an informed realist. We're worried about loosing points since there isn't a hurricane warning within 7 days of our trip. Will they still return points if damage prevents a resort from opening? Even if they do open, I don't really want to drive that far to see destruction. We have tornados, I see enough of that.

 

[CarolynFH]

I've been reading everything I can find trying to make a decision on whether to cancel or not. I'm beginning to not have much faith in that Wednesday opening date when they can't even tell residents when they'll be allowed to return. I'm ready to cancel, my husband keeps saying wait & see. He says he's an optimist, guess that makes me a pessimist. I think I'm just an informed realist. We're worried about loosing points since there isn't a hurricane warning within 7 days of our trip. Will they still return points if damage prevents a resort from opening? Even if they do open, I don't really want to drive that far to see destruction. We have tornados, I see enough of that.

I'd probably wait until more information about damage is available. If HH doesn't reopen in time for your visit, based on past incidents I believe they'll refund your points without penalty. If you cancel now, you might lose that benefit.

 

[Matty B13]

My sister runs a resort down there and she said a lot of trees were down that caused a lot of damage and her friends house had water up to the kitchen counters. I don't know how high HHI above sea level but it sounds like there is a lot of clean up needed. She stayed on the island with her husband to keep an eye on the resort but is staying with friends because of damage to her house. So I'm sure most people on the island that stayed are in the same boat.

 

[GranJan]

I just finished a chat with member services, not very helpful. Reservations with arrival before oct 12 can be canceled with no penalty. No date given of expected opening. Basically have to wait & see with a trip a less than a week away & you don't know if the resort will be open. At this point we're making other plans & hoping it's not open so we won't loose points. Chat person suggests I wait until the 12th to see if they have more information. Not canceling yet but not planning on going. I think if they can't even say for sure the resort will be open 7 days out, they should let you cancel now with no penalty instead of left hanging. Sounds like they're backing off that Wednesday opening though.

 

[LauraLea]

Chats are usually not very helpful.

It is not just if the resort can reopen, but what shape will the Beach House be in? What about local restaurants and grocery stores, will they be open? I bet if you actually call MS they will cancel it with no penalties. I really would not want to be at HHI when it is not at its best.

Laura

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

They hope to start letting residents back on the island mid-week. Timeshare owners don't qualify.


The resort has no power, water is on a boil order, sewer system is basically out of order, hospital is closed, etc.

Even if by some miracle they clear the roads and get all the power on tomorrow the place is a long way from being ready for guests. There has not been power for several days meaning every grocery, gas station and restaurant has to throw out all perishable food and restock.

Disney needs to face facts. Pixie dust is not going to fix this.

 

[JMW123]

I can't imagine wanting to be on the Island for a vacation for at least a few months. We are DVC owners and my Parents have a home in Sea Pines on HHI. Check out the coverage on facebook for local paper (Island Packet), the local TV station (WSAV), or facebook member (Justice Adelman) has some detailed videos, or facebook page for (Inside HHI). Watch a few of those videos and try to comprehend the amount of trees that need to be cut down and hauled off the island. Think of the number of boats and tour operators that need to find their boat before they can even start to fix it. Hundreds if not thousands of homes and businesses have structural damage from trees, the beaches will be a mess with debris. I have heard of major snake problems from all the flooding. I have seen no pictures from the Disney resort yet, but we have stayed there and there were a lot of tall pines susceptible to falling which appear to be the most damaging part of this storm.

The biggest issue is that there is not a single resident, business owner, tourist industry worker, or CM in the whole resort or on the whole island that was not impacted directly at their own residence or the residences of friends and families. These people love HHI and they will rebuild it, but they need space to do so, so I imagine meeting the immediate needs of tourists over the next few months will be pretty low on the priority list. If it were me, I would stay away until the spring.

 

[GranJan]

I agree. I've seen enough pictures & videos to convince me to cancel. It's crazy that some were being told the resort will open Wednesday. This was going to be our 1st visit & was looking forward to a change from WDW. My husband keeps saying if they do open by next Sunday & won't return our points, we could just stay a few days & head to the Smokie Mountains early. I don't have any desire to drive all the extra way just to see that mess. I really think they'll let us cancel without penalty. If not, we'll seriously think about selling.

I can't imagine wanting to be on the Island for a vacation for at least a few months. We are DVC owners and my Parents have a home in Sea Pines on HHI. Check out the coverage on facebook for local paper (Island Packet), the local TV station (WSAV), or facebook member (Justice Adelman) has some detailed videos, or facebook page for (Inside HHI). Watch a few of those videos and try to comprehend the amount of trees that need to be cut down and hauled off the island. Think of the number of boats and tour operators that need to find their boat before they can even start to fix it. Hundreds if not thousands of homes and businesses have structural damage from trees, the beaches will be a mess with debris. I have heard of major snake problems from all the flooding. I have seen no pictures from the Disney resort yet, but we have stayed there and there were a lot of tall pines susceptible to falling which appear to be the most damaging part of this storm.

The biggest issue is that there is not a single resident, business owner, tourist industry worker, or CM in the whole resort or on the whole island that was not impacted directly at their own residence or the residences of friends and families. These people love HHI and they will rebuild it, but they need space to do so, so I imagine meeting the immediate needs of tourists over the next few months will be pretty low on the priority list. If it were me, I would stay away until the spring.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Just saw a video from the Mayor of Hilton Head. He's hoping to let residents back on the island Tuesday.

Hospital must re-open first which means water and power need to be restored. Neither of those are done yet. Main road (278) is cleared as are some other roads, but smaller roads are still a mess.

Disney can claim they will open on Wed, but the authorities aren't likely to let any guests over the bridge!

 

[RachaelA]

I don't understand how Disney thinks they are going to be able to be open for business! Plus what do they think their guests are going to do on an island that has basically been destroyed.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Things to do is the least of your problems if you go to Hilton Head.

ADVISORY FROM HILTON HEAD PSD:Boil water notice remains in effect for Hilton Head PSD customers. Water service has been restored to some areas. There is no sewer service available at this time. Do not flush waste down drains or toilets. Please do not call the PSD to report service outages. We are aware of multiple outages and are working to restore service

 

[GranJan]

Just called member services. They said the earliest opening would be the 12th. I told her we'd like to cancel our trip for the 16-21. She put me on hold for awhile, then told me they'd cancel with no penalty, even put the points back in the use year they were borrowed from. I'm so relieved. I feel bad for people with homes in that area. We get to put the worries of that storm behind us & move on to plan another vacation. Those living there have a tough road ahead.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Just called member services. They said the earliest opening would be the 12th. I told her we'd like to cancel our trip for the 16-21. She put me on hold for awhile, then told me they'd cancel with no penalty, even put the points back in the use year they were borrowed from. I'm so relieved. I feel bad for people with homes in that area. We get to put the worries of that storm behind us & move on to plan another vacation. Those living there have a tough road ahead.

I am seriously beginning to think that DVC is run by idiots. "the earliest opening would be the 12th"

I guess it could be a new DVC adventure... Primitive camping, you can use an out house and build fires to boil water.


I think they need to start facing facts and proactively cancel the reservations for the next few weeks!