The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread part2

[DCTooTall]

What is the difference between Wyndham Bonnet Creek and the Wyndham Grand Orlando at Bonnet Creek. If you have an RCI timeshare exchange are you able to stay at the Grand?

Or is the Grand a special tower you request? Sorry for the confusion never stayed at Bonnet Creek before.

The Wyndham Bonnet Creek is a Timeshare resort with 1, 2, 3, and 4 Bedroom Condos ("deluxe" and "Presidential" units).

the Wyndham Grand Orlando at Bonnet Creek is a somewhat upscale (haven't stayed at it, so don't know how far upscale it really is) hotel located between 2 of the Timeshare resort's towers. They have your standard mix of hotel rooms, suites, and even bunk-bed rooms.

The Grand, since it is not a timeshare hotel, cannot be exchanged into via RCI. Because of it's location however, the Timeshare resort is able to utilize the hotel Facitilies, and the Hotel guests are able to use the Timeshare Facilities.

 

[casper_jj11]

Thanks so much to those posting re wifi and valet parking. It helps a lot. While I think proximity to the pool may be better in bldg 5, I thnk we'll request bldg 6 so that we're closer to the hotel's amenities.

 

[scooffer]

Many apologies for not reading through all the posts before asking a question...I think i am starting to feel like a resort changer addict! We are now thinking of WBC instead of Disney property... Giving up the 'free dining' and some magic for space... We will be there 4/15-4/21. Very worried about the "party atomosphere" if it was DH and I, no problem, but with the kids, I don't want that. Will the college ki be back in school by then?

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

Many apologies for not reading through all the posts before asking a question...I think i am starting to feel like a resort changer addict! We are now thinking of WBC instead of Disney property... Giving up the 'free dining' and some magic for space... We will be there 4/15-4/21. Very worried about the "party atomosphere" if it was DH and I, no problem, but with the kids, I don't want that. Will the college ki be back in school by then?

I think you would be fine. Most colleges have earlier spring breaks.. like early March and get out for the year early May.

 

[minnieandfamily]

Hello again,

How long should we allow to get from WBC to Magic Kingdom? We will have our own rental car. I would like to make a CP breakfast ADR but not sure how early to make it....

Thanks!

 

[jaysmom4285]

It probably only took us 10 minutes to drive to the Transportation and Ticket Center for our 8:10 CP ADR. But then you have to allow time to park, get to the ferry or monorail and possibly wait for one of them, and time to walk from the monorail/ferry to the turnstiles and on down Main Street to the CP. If you allow 45 minutes, 60 tops, that should be enough time.

 

[shoogrrl]

Hello again,

How long should we allow to get from WBC to Magic Kingdom? We will have our own rental car. I would like to make a CP breakfast ADR but not sure how early to make it....

Thanks!

We had a 10:15am reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table and we allowed at least 60 minutes door to door. Depending on the crowd, it's better to have some extra time than to run late. HTH!

 

[minnieandfamily]

Thanks, Jaysmom & Shoogrrl! That will help me plan!

 

[Belle5]

All of our immediate family and new daughter in law will be staying at WBC together this May (that is 9 people). We would like to have a professional photographer take pics of the family on the rare occasion that we are all together. Is there a good place at WBC for a professional portrait? I am thinking of a sandy, beachy area or something like that. Thanks!

 

[DCTooTall]

All of our immediate family and new daughter in law will be staying at WBC together this May (that is 9 people). We would like to have a professional photographer take pics of the family on the rare occasion that we are all together. Is there a good place at WBC for a professional portrait? I am thinking of a sandy, beachy area or something like that. Thanks!

Hmmmm....

It kinda depends on what you are looking for. I can think of a few areas that might make for good pictures.... such as by the fountain up at the main lobby building.

In the main lobby.

The little "amphitheater" between the main building and tower 4 (across from the grills) where they sometimes do stuff.

You've also got the fort and pirate ships near the pools of Tower 5 and 6.


Maybe the railings/walkway around the backside of the pool by the main building next to the lake?

 

[shoogrrl]

We just returned from our 5 night stay at WBC. Here are some of my thoughts:

Booking: We went through Ken & Denice Price at Vacation Upgrades.com as recommended by this board and they were wonderful to work with. They were friendly and prompt with any questions I had. We were also able to get a discount w/in the 60 day period, which was a very pleasant suprise.

Checking in: We got off our cruise early in the morning and so we were ready to check in by 11am. They already had our rooms available, but when I asked if they were able to grant my request for higher floors and lake view, the very nice front desk lady looked like she didn't know what I was talking about. And when she gave me the room number, I saw that it was 2nd floor and I immediately asked if a higher floor was available. At first, she said that I would have to wait for later in the afternoon to see if anything would come up after they cleaned the rooms but the retracted and went inside to "see if anything is available in the back." She came back with someone I assume is manager explaining to me that it's peak season (due to President's holiday) and nothing else is going to be available. The manager also explained that since we had a 3BR deluxe, our choices are limited. He said he would have to move 8 other rooms around just to get us a better room. To be honest, I was just so surprised that we were getting the worst option possible that I didn't ask further. In my mind, I just kept thinking... how is it possible that with 6 towers, we managed to land the worst view ever?! And that's after we made requests thru Ken & Denice, and also calling two weeks prior to our arrival.

All I can say is luck was not on our side when it came to requesting for rooms.

Room 264 @ Tower 4: We had 8 guests (5 adults, 3 kids) and the 3 bedroom was a perfect size for us. The kitchen was well stocked and the offered a few basic amenities (salt/pepper/coffee/tea/dish detergent/paper towels) to get us started. The furniture and the decor was dated, though everyone was comfortable enough. We did feel the air circulation was poor so there was constantly a smell in our room. Many times when we return from a day outside, we had to open the balcony doors and our front door for a few minutes just to let the air circulate a bit. There were no screens, otherwise, we would've left the balcony door open for longer. The room windows don't open at all so we couldn't air out the rooms. It was also very dark in our unit b/c of the lack of sunlight and thus contributing to the overall dingy feel.

We had requested for linen change mid-week so it was nice to get some fresh towels and sheets, even though we had to make the beds ourselves. The guest bathroom had a broken bulb but it didn't bother us enough to ask for house keeping. Unfortunately, master bathroom had an extra guest (aka cockroach) that would hide and reappear periodically so we weren't crazy about that.

WBC amenities:
We really did enjoy the various pools and activities around the resort. The kids like the variety of lazy pools to slides to miniature golf. The staff at the activities desk were always nice and if you wanted to know what was going on, just look at the activities bulletin posted on the ground floor of each building. Even though we had a rental car, we took advantage of the shuttle provided to go to theme parks and Downtown Disney. We were never in a hurry, so it was perfect for us to wait around a bit if we missed one.

Others:
Even though we made breakfast a few times, we also ventured over to the Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek and Wyndam Grand Orlando for breakfast buffets. Both offered pricey but yummy breakfast options.

On the last day, we had a 6pm flight out so we needed somewhere to hang out before heading to airport. We requested a late checkout and was granted 11:30am. We were able to use the main pool, had lunch, and then showered in the bathrooms near the main building's activities center. That was quite convenient.

Final thoughts:
We were traveling with my parents and my kids. I wished we had requested for presidential units because my parents would've been able to enjoy the fancier room more (since they tended to stay behind while we went to the parks). Overall, it was a good value but definitely stay away from the 2nd floors.

Finally, here are some of my pics on the WBC photo thread! HTH!

 

[RvingDude]

Sounds like a crapshoot when requesting a room with a view, whether it be fireworks or lake/pool view. Has anyone ever taken a page out of Vegas and greased the palm of the front desk if you were assigned a poor view and wanted to upgrade your view. Not trying to offend anyone, just curious.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm not sure any grease is required. Higher floors or different views aren't reservable categories, so it's not like getting an "upgrade" in view as you might in a Disney resort. If you don't like your room assignment, simply ask at the front desk if a higher floor/different location might be available. You might improve your odds by making it clear you're willing to wait longer for your room to come free from housekeeping if that's what it takes.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

All of our immediate family and new daughter in law will be staying at WBC together this May (that is 9 people). We would like to have a professional photographer take pics of the family on the rare occasion that we are all together. Is there a good place at WBC for a professional portrait? I am thinking of a sandy, beachy area or something like that. Thanks!

We have taken family pics at the Grand Floridian. They have a nice beach. If you have a car, just drive there, tell them you are there to ck out the property or have ice cream (whatever) and they will let you in. I havent stayed at WBC yet so no clue what they have there.

We just returned from our 5 night stay at WBC. Here are some of my thoughts:

Booking: We went through Ken & Denice Price at Vacation Upgrades.com as recommended by this board and they were wonderful to work with. They were friendly and prompt with any questions I had. We were also able to get a discount w/in the 60 day period, which was a very pleasant suprise.

Checking in: We got off our cruise early in the morning and so we were ready to check in by 11am. They already had our rooms available, but when I asked if they were able to grant my request for higher floors and lake view, the very nice front desk lady looked like she didn't know what I was talking about. And when she gave me the room number, I saw that it was 2nd floor and I immediately asked if a higher floor was available. At first, she said that I would have to wait for later in the afternoon to see if anything would come up after they cleaned the rooms but the retracted and went inside to "see if anything is available in the back." She came back with someone I assume is manager explaining to me that it's peak season (due to President's holiday) and nothing else is going to be available. The manager also explained that since we had a 3BR deluxe, our choices are limited. He said he would have to move 8 other rooms around just to get us a better room. To be honest, I was just so surprised that we were getting the worst option possible that I didn't ask further. In my mind, I just kept thinking... how is it possible that with 6 towers, we managed to land the worst view ever?! And that's after we made requests thru Ken & Denice, and also calling two weeks prior to our arrival.

All I can say is luck was not on our side when it came to requesting for rooms.

Room 264 @ Tower 4: We had 8 guests (5 adults, 3 kids) and the 3 bedroom was a perfect size for us. The kitchen was well stocked and the offered a few basic amenities (salt/pepper/coffee/tea/dish detergent/paper towels) to get us started. The furniture and the decor was dated, though everyone was comfortable enough. We did feel the air circulation was poor so there was constantly a smell in our room. Many times when we return from a day outside, we had to open the balcony doors and our front door for a few minutes just to let the air circulate a bit. There were no screens, otherwise, we would've left the balcony door open for longer. The room windows don't open at all so we couldn't air out the rooms. It was also very dark in our unit b/c of the lack of sunlight and thus contributing to the overall dingy feel.

We had requested for linen change mid-week so it was nice to get some fresh towels and sheets, even though we had to make the beds ourselves. The guest bathroom had a broken bulb but it didn't bother us enough to ask for house keeping. Unfortunately, master bathroom had an extra guest (aka cockroach) that would hide and reappear periodically so we weren't crazy about that.

WBC amenities:
We really did enjoy the various pools and activities around the resort. The kids like the variety of lazy pools to slides to miniature golf. The staff at the activities desk were always nice and if you wanted to know what was going on, just look at the activities bulletin posted on the ground floor of each building. Even though we had a rental car, we took advantage of the shuttle provided to go to theme parks and Downtown Disney. We were never in a hurry, so it was perfect for us to wait around a bit if we missed one.

Others:
Even though we made breakfast a few times, we also ventured over to the Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek and Wyndam Grand Orlando for breakfast buffets. Both offered pricey but yummy breakfast options.

On the last day, we had a 6pm flight out so we needed somewhere to hang out before heading to airport. We requested a late checkout and was granted 11:30am. We were able to use the main pool, had lunch, and then showered in the bathrooms near the main building's activities center. That was quite convenient.

Final thoughts:
We were traveling with my parents and my kids. I wished we had requested for presidential units because my parents would've been able to enjoy the fancier room more (since they tended to stay behind while we went to the parks). Overall, it was a good value but definitely stay away from the 2nd floors.

Finally, here are some of my pics on the WBC photo thread! HTH!

Ok *most* of what you posted I can handle but a COCKROACH No way!!!! Is this a common problem at this hotel????

 

[shoogrrl]

I was actually willing to wait till the afternoon to improve my odds, but then the front desk staff had a manager come out and explain to me that no more rooms would be available, even if I waited. I hope this is only because I was there during "peak season."

I'm not sure any grease is required. Higher floors or different views aren't reservable categories, so it's not like getting an "upgrade" in view as you might in a Disney resort. If you don't like your room assignment, simply ask at the front desk if a higher floor/different location might be available. You might improve your odds by making it clear you're willing to wait longer for your room to come free from housekeeping if that's what it takes.

lzmom_of_twins -- I'm not sure if it's a common problem, but it's the only one I saw throughout my entire stay.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

I was actually willing to wait till the afternoon to improve my odds, but then the front desk staff had a manager come out and explain to me that no more rooms would be available, even if I waited. I hope this is only because I was there during "peak season."



lzmom_of_twins -- I'm not sure if it's a common problem, but it's the only one I saw throughout my entire stay.

Another question... are all the towers outdated or are some updated??? Should I *try* requesting a certain tower?

 

[Upatnoon]

I'm not sure any grease is required. Higher floors or different views aren't reservable categories, so it's not like getting an "upgrade" in view as you might in a Disney resort. If you don't like your room assignment, simply ask at the front desk if a higher floor/different location might be available. You might improve your odds by making it clear you're willing to wait longer for your room to come free from housekeeping if that's what it takes.

While some Disney resort fans may want to bring the "call ahead and request game" to Bonnet Creek, I have seen no evidence it does anything other than increase the chances of being disappointed at check-in.

As far as I can tell, your best bet is to ask what is available when you arrive at the front desk. You may get what you want. Hopefully you won't be stuck in a room on the ground floor by the mini-golf area.

I'm sure Wyndham would love to figure out a way to charge people for views like the Disney resorts do, but since it is a time-share hopefully they are stuck with first-come, first-served.

 

[Upatnoon]

We have taken family pics at the Grand Floridian. They have a nice beach. If you have a car, just drive there, tell them you are there to ck out the property or have ice cream (whatever) and they will let you in. I havent stayed at WBC yet so no clue what they have there.


Ok *most* of what you posted I can handle but a COCKROACH No way!!!! Is this a common problem at this hotel????

Cockroaches and many, many other bugs are all over Florida, and they don't care if it's the Wyndham, Waldorf or Wilderness Lodge, they'll show up anywhere.

Is it a problem? No, but if you want a guarantee you won't see one, then you'll just have to decide if visiting Disney is worth the risk!

 

[matt&suzanne]

I thought I'd provide some thoughts that my wife and I had about Bonnet Creek after staying there for the first time in October of 2011.

Prior to Bonnet, we were exclusively DVC renters. We found ourselves at Boardwalk with a 1BR more often than not. We've also stayed at OKW, Beach Club, and Saratoga. I've personally been wanting to stay at Wilderness Lodge and want to get back to Beach Club again now that kids are about old enough to fully enjoy the great pool there.

Last year we decided to save a few dollars since we were spending some money outside of vacation stuff. We opted for a 2BR at Bonnet Creek.

We were in Luna tower, quite high up. Don't recall the floor but it was high enough that we kept the kids off the balcony...it was a LONG way down. The view was great. We were overlooking the pool and could see the golf course on the other side of Osceola parkway.

The theming was very nice but it was just missing that little bit of Disney extra. It was hard to put our finger on it exactly. The kids loved the two bedroom layout and they had a blast just playing in their own room, complete with TV for cartoons. They also loved the lazy river and the mini-golf was a big hit for them.

I think what my wife and I missed the most was being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the Boardwalk. I also missed the general feel that comes with staying at the Boardwalk and the outside areas.

But the money saved was significant, over $1000 for more room and great amenities.

After a lot of weighing of pros and cons, we decided that for our trip this October we were going to book at Bonnet Creek again. This time for a 2BR Presidential suite. We took our kids opinions into account. They both really wanted to stay at Bonnet again, primarily driven by the Lazy River and the mini-golf.

So despite a bit of reluctance over some of the lost theming and magic, we were drawn back in by the amenities, very nice suites, and considerable savings...plus we're still on Disney property. Maybe it'll be Beach Club next year...

 

[blessedby3]

I thought I'd provide some thoughts that my wife and I had about Bonnet Creek after staying there for the first time in October of 2011.

Prior to Bonnet, we were exclusively DVC renters. We found ourselves at Boardwalk with a 1BR more often than not. We've also stayed at OKW, Beach Club, and Saratoga. I've personally been wanting to stay at Wilderness Lodge and want to get back to Beach Club again now that kids are about old enough to fully enjoy the great pool there.

Last year we decided to save a few dollars since we were spending some money outside of vacation stuff. We opted for a 2BR at Bonnet Creek.

We were in Luna tower, quite high up. Don't recall the floor but it was high enough that we kept the kids off the balcony...it was a LONG way down. The view was great. We were overlooking the pool and could see the golf course on the other side of Osceola parkway.

The theming was very nice but it was just missing that little bit of Disney extra. It was hard to put our finger on it exactly. The kids loved the two bedroom layout and they had a blast just playing in their own room, complete with TV for cartoons. They also loved the lazy river and the mini-golf was a big hit for them.

I think what my wife and I missed the most was being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the Boardwalk. I also missed the general feel that comes with staying at the Boardwalk and the outside areas.

But the money saved was significant, over $1000 for more room and great amenities.

After a lot of weighing of pros and cons, we decided that for our trip this October we were going to book at Bonnet Creek again. This time for a 2BR Presidential suite. We took our kids opinions into account. They both really wanted to stay at Bonnet again, primarily driven by the Lazy River and the mini-golf.

So despite a bit of reluctance over some of the lost theming and magic, we were drawn back in by the amenities, very nice suites, and considerable savings...plus we're still on Disney property. Maybe it'll be Beach Club next year...

I am afraid this is what will happen to us. We love staying on property and this will be our first time at BC. My DH loves the extra space we had at BLT (1 BR) and I think he will want to stay at BC all the time for the space and savings.
We stayed at POP on our trip last year, and he said "no more". He just cant take the regular hotel rooms with our group of 6 (we actually had 8 on that trip with bringing the kids friends) and we cant afford a 2BR at a villa!!