Orlando Timeshare

This summer the Orlando Magic announced that they will partner with Marriott Vacation Club for their upcoming basketball season. Marriott Vacation Club will have a special opportunity to be the presenting partner during a historic year for the NBA team, their 25th anniversary. Given the occasion, 2013-2014 will be known as their “Silver Season”.

Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martin says, “We are honored to have Marriott Vacation Club join us as the presenting partner of our much anticipated Silver Season […] For 25 years the Magic has represented excellence and we are proud to partner with an outstanding brand like Marriott Vacation Club to celebrate this momentous season.”

The NBA team will even sport a new logo co-branded with the Marriott name. The logo celebrates the Silver Season and will be displayed throughout the Amway Center (the home of the Orlando Magic) and surrounding areas of the city.

The Orlando magic will also feature Marriott Vacation Club in select marketing materials and feature the company throughout their website. As a major presence for timeshare ownership in the Orlando area, the Magic organization will promote both Marriott vacation ownership and timeshare rental opportunities.

President and CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Stephen P. Weisz declares, “We’re thrilled to be the Magic’s Silver Season presenting partner and proud to continue our long-standing relationship with this great team […] For nearly 30 years we’ve been providing exceptional vacation experiences to our owners and guests at our resorts around the world and especially right here in our hometown of Orlando. We look forward to a fantastic season and partnership.”

Both Marriott and the Magic anticipate a big year for the team, both on and off the court.

25 Years of Magic

Although the Orlando Magic is considered a young franchise in the NBA organization, they have already achieved a great deal. So far, they have won 5 division championships in the years 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, and 2010.In addition they also won 2 Eastern Conference titles in 1995 and 2009.

As an affluent part of the Orlando community, the organization also donates over $2 million to local charities. Through ticket donations, event sponsorships, autographed gifts, and scholarships – the team makes philanthropy a major part of their mission. The team has also helped over 1 million children through the Orlando Magic Youth Fund, founded in 1994. Over the past decade they have donated over 18 million dollar through the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation to this cause.

Just when things seemed as if they would turn out okay for Summer Bay Resort timeshare owners, we run across this news that reminds us many things can be more complicated than they appear on the surface. Certainly the Summer Bay Resort sinkhole doesn’t seem inconsequential or uncomplicated to anyone involved.

Two New Hampshire area residents, Debbi Ward and her sister Faith Clark, are grateful to be back in New England after the trauma of vacationing in one of the Summer Bay Resort timeshare units that was ultimately swallowed by a massive sinkhole. Ward explains, “I was in the bathtub. The water started jumping, the tub moved, because at that point the building was starting to twist.”

While she and her family members all escaped the experience without physical harm, they lost their clothes, laptop computers, cameras, cash, jewelry, and cell phones when their timeshare unit collapsed into the earth late on the evening of Sunday, August 11, 2013. (Read more here: Is the Orlando Summer Bay Resort Timeshare Sinkhole Growing? and here: The Insurance Issue for Summer Bay Resort Timeshare Owners).

According to CBS Boston, Local News, Ward and Clark have been notified by Summer Bay Resort ownership, via a letter, “alerting victims that the resort will not cover the cost of all that is gone, writing that homeowner insurance should pay for it.” Of course, not everyone carries sinkhole coverage as an add-on to a homeowner insurance policy.

In most states, sinkhole coverage is like flood insurance or earthquake insurance; you only have it if you add it on as an extra. This means that even though an individual’s homeowners insurance typically covers personal possessions when destroyed or stolen (whether they are at home or away from home), there are specific circumstances under which coverage is not provided unless the person also carries an additional insurance policy that specifically addresses that situation.

Large and complex insurance claims rarely are settled quickly. Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon to criticize Summer Bay Resorts, let’s give the situation a little more time to play out. Despite the fact that vacationers and others involved are justifiably greatly stressed and inconvenienced by the event, it has been only 2 weeks since the sinkhole occurred. Although it would be wonderful for all involved if restitution, processing,  and repairs happened instantly, and no one’s life was made more difficult because of such an experience, life rarely—if ever—works out with immediacy.

Here’s hoping for satisfactory resolution on the fastest timeline possible, for all who are dealing with the Summer Bay Resort sinkhole.   

How–and why– would the Scottish Government be involved in your or anyone else’s Disney vacations? It began with Merida, the engaging heroine of the Disney Pixar film, “Brave.” Michael Jenner, Parks Event  Content Development/Operations Manger at Walt Disney World explains, “The Scottish Government was so pleased by the Disney Pixar’s “Brave” they they approached us about what else we could do together.”

As a result, this year’s 18th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will feature, for the first time, a Scottish Marketplace. Jenner says, “We’re working together very closely to choose beverages and dishes that reflect Scotland’s rich culinary story.”

Epcot vacationers will be able to enjoy  a true taste of Scotland, including salmon, Banoffee Tart, and fine scotch. As a separate ticketed event, there will also be the  new marketplace, Scotland, Land of Food & Drinks, featuring foods, beverages, tasting stations, and entertainment.

To experience the tastes and sounds of Scotland, as well as that of many other cultures, you’ll need paid Epcot admission between September 27 and November 11. For other special events, a separate paid ticket and, in some cases reservations, are required. You can find out more about how to turn your Disney vacations into culinary experiences at EpcotFoodFestival.com

Tips for your Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Disney Vacations:

• Don’t schedule to eat before arriving at the park; plan instead to “Taste Your Way Around the World.”
• Remember that some experiences require reservations, such as many of the desert experiences, and the demonstrations and seminars.
• The “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series will feature popular musicians from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
• You’ll find  wonderful  food and beverage products you will want to take home, along with cookbooks, memorabilia and artwork. Either save space in you luggage for all the goodies or plan to take advantage of the easy shipping services offered at the Disney parks.

For the third year in a row, the Orlando Sentinel has selected Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) as one of Central Florida’s Top 100 Companies for Working Families.

For the past 20 years, the Orlando Sentinel has facilitated the awards program, with the goal of recognizing and encouraging companies to create and foster work environments that concurrently support the needs of families. The award honors companies, such as Hilton Grand Vacations, that demonstrate a core commitment to family and work/life balance. Defined in two categories (companies with fewer than 250 employees and companies with 250 or more employees), companies are scored by an independent panel of local human resources experts, based on their answers to application questions, their supporting documents, their core benefits, family-related benefits, the work environment, communication systems in place, and employee training.

Mark Wang, President Global Sales and Hilton Grand Vacations says, “We are extremely proud that the Orlando Sentinel has once again recognized Hilton Grand Vacations as one of Central Florida’s Top 100 Companies for Working Families. We’re committed to developing a culture that supports the personal and professional growth of our team members. Our recognition among the region’s best employers is further validation that our team members are thriving as a result of the ample opportunities and benefits available at Hilton Grand Vacations.”

“We are extremely proud to receive this award, which helps demonstrate our commitment to creating a workplace environment that enables our team members to realize their full professional potential and in turn, strengthen their families,” adds Wang. “In keeping with Hilton Worldwide priorities, we remain dedicated to providing the more than 5,500 members of our HGV team with the programs, benefits and resources to achieve meaningful, rewarding careers.” It’s always a great bet that any company that does this good a job in taking care of its own work family, will do just as great a job taking care of yours when you vacation in Hilton timeshares.