The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread Part 3

[Mommytwotwins]

Trying to book my first Bonnet Creek but striking out on a 3 bedroom because of the short notice.

How does $599 sound for a 2bed/2 bath for 7 nights sounds?

I checkin on Tuesday and am paying $714 for 8 nights

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

we just booked 6 nights at Bonnet Creek and I can't wait!! I hope we have as great of a time as some of the other Dis'er have!!

 

[jpaxton1118]

Who did you book through? I browsed back in the thread, but was unable to find that information. I've stayed at WBC previously, renting points from a friend, but this time we need to book elsewhere. Thanks for any insight you provide. (And anybody else, too!)

We're flexible as to how many days we stay at WBC. We're likely going to have 9 nights altogether in Orlando, but are flexible with regard to moving hotels, if needed. (We also have Hilton points, so this gives us flexibility to maybe not use WBC on an expensive holiday weekend, that is part of our stay).

I booked through vacation strategy. They had the best price I could fine. $625 for 7 nights seemed pretty good to me.

 

[carlbarry]

I own at BC and absolutely love it!
I have a question for those who have stayed there and bought Disney tickets there. Even though I have stayed there many times, I never really paid attention that they sold Disney tickets - I always bought them ahead of time. Due to some unsure plans, I haven't bought my tickets yet for our trip in two weeks. Are the prices the same and can you add something like the water park option right there? Thanks.

Prices are the same as at the gate. Disney runs that counter at BC. I don't see why you couldn't add water parks.

 

[KristenCarll]

Hello everyone!!! I have been researching where I want to stay with my family for our trip in January and we are certainly looking into BC.

I do have a couple questions though, and I am sure they have been asked a billion times to you all so my apologies for being a broken record.

Is there a parking fee per day?

I know there is transportation to the parks for $5 per person, but do they have transportation to pick you up and drop you off to and from the airport?

Are they just rooms like a hotel, or are these like mini apartments?

TIA for any answers.

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

Who did you book through? I browsed back in the thread, but was unable to find that information. I've stayed at WBC previously, renting points from a friend, but this time we need to book elsewhere. Thanks for any insight you provide. (And anybody else, too!)

We're flexible as to how many days we stay at WBC. We're likely going to have 9 nights altogether in Orlando, but are flexible with regard to moving hotels, if needed. (We also have Hilton points, so this gives us flexibility to maybe not use WBC on an expensive holiday weekend, that is part of our stay).

We are using Jeff Hudson. Vacation Strategies and Vacation Upgrades were both 100% sold out for our dates. It was kind of a last minute decision for us to go. We also have Hilton points so are staying the first night in Orlando at some Hilton property, 7 nights at WBC and possibly the following night at a Hilton as well. It depends on when you're going, but since we're going during a busy time in June I couldn't get more than 7 nights.

 

[carlbarry]

Hello everyone!!! I have been researching where I want to stay with my family for our trip in January and we are certainly looking into BC.

I do have a couple questions though, and I am sure they have been asked a billion times to you all so my apologies for being a broken record.

Is there a parking fee per day?

I know there is transportation to the parks for $5 per person, but do they have transportation to pick you up and drop you off to and from the airport?

Are they just rooms like a hotel, or are these like mini apartments?

TIA for any answers.

1. There is no parking fee.
2. There is no transportation provided by the resort to/from the airport.
3. This is a timeshare resort. The units are all at least 1 bedroom, and have a full kitchen, dining area, living room, bedroom, bathroom, Jacuzzi, and washer and dryer. There is no daily maid service. I don't if you would call it a "mini" apartment; I'm from New York City, and they are the size of regular apartments here.

 

[GinCar]

We just returned last night from a week at Bonnet Creek.

My family (5 of us) rented a 2 bedroom presidential from Vacation Strategies.
The room was beautiful and very clean. The resort was gorgeous. Here are my pros and cons for those use to Disney resorts-

Pros- Space, space, space. My 3 kids (15,14,7) were very surprised by the room and kept telling me how well I did!
It was nice to be able to "separate" for a couple of hours of down time each day. (3 TV's and a balcony helped us not invade each others space the entire 24 hours a day!)
Lots of choices for pools. If one was crowded, we just moved on to the next. DD7 liked the lazy river best.
I loved being able to do a load of laundry each day. For those concerned about washing your own towels- there were plenty of towels! We also had housekeeping service one day- that was a pleasant surprise.
The full kitchen was very nice to have. I have a teeny, tiny kitchen at home- so the size was perfect for us.
We never got the parking pass. We checked in very late and were busy the rest of the time.
Only one night did my DH have to park in the garage.

Cons- I hate to say any cons, because what I might see as a con- others will see as a positive. So, this is just my opinion.

I missed the dining plan. I felt like we needed to leave the parks when we wanted a sit down meal. I know, I could have paid $150-200 for my family to eat, but my budget mind said to spend $60.00 outside of the park- so we did.
Disney bus flexibility. We always took our rental car, never the Bonnet Creek bus. My teenagers missed being able to take the bus back when they wanted to or go to another park without us.
Driving. My husband and I both hate driving on vacation. I would not stay at BC without a rental car, though. It was nice to be able to go out to eat, grocery store, pedi/mani, outlet mall, etc.
I was surprised that the resort did not have a large store for shopping like most hotels have. The small store was blah. I also though they would have more of a food area- not just bar like outdoor food. When we arrived a 11pm for check-in, we were starved. (9pm our time and we had not had dinner.) We were told all food was closed. We ordered Dominos. (45min.)

Bottom line- This trip was about looking at a school for DS, not exclusively Disney. If it were just a Disney trip- we would stay on property with the dining plan. That is just what my family likes.
If we ever do a mixed trip again- I would stay here in a heartbeat. The price is right for how much you get and the location.
If we ever want to stay together with a large group- yes to Bonnet Creek.
The staff was not rude, just not outgoing friendly like Disney.
We never ate at any of the pool bar areas- so I can not speak to their food.

The weather was great while we were there. We had a great trip. Bonnet Creek surpassed my expectations with the room, landscaping and pools.

 

[onetwo3]

Thank you for your response - both you and jpaxton1118. I really appreciate it! I found Jeff Hudson on VRBO, so I asked him for a quote as well.

We're going late August - the very last week, into Labor Day weekend. Kids don't start school until after Labor Day.

Thanks!!

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

Thank you for your response - both you and jpaxton1118. I really appreciate it! I found Jeff Hudson on VRBO, so I asked him for a quote as well.

We're going late August - the very last week, into Labor Day weekend. Kids don't start school until after Labor Day.

Thanks!!

I would get a quote from both Vacation Strategies and Vacation Upgrades as well. If you do decide to go with Jeff, he will most likely price match the other quotes. I had him price match one from Farrell's Vacations. No offense to any of the other sellers, but I will say Jeff has been INCREDIBLE with communication. He always emails me back within 10 minutes and has been awesome at answering any questions I have. He also sent me the preliminary confirmation for our reservation within 3 days of taking our payment.

 

[sharadoc]

We just returned last night from a week at Bonnet Creek.

My family (5 of us) rented a 2 bedroom presidential from Vacation Strategies.
The room was beautiful and very clean. The resort was gorgeous. Here are my pros and cons for those use to Disney resorts-

Pros- Space, space, space. My 3 kids (15,14,7) were very surprised by the room and kept telling me how well I did!
It was nice to be able to "separate" for a couple of hours of down time each day. (3 TV's and a balcony helped us not invade each others space the entire 24 hours a day!)
Lots of choices for pools. If one was crowded, we just moved on to the next. DD7 liked the lazy river best.
I loved being able to do a load of laundry each day. For those concerned about washing your own towels- there were plenty of towels! We also had housekeeping service one day- that was a pleasant surprise.
The full kitchen was very nice to have. I have a teeny, tiny kitchen at home- so the size was perfect for us.
We never got the parking pass. We checked in very late and were busy the rest of the time.
Only one night did my DH have to park in the garage.

Cons- I hate to say any cons, because what I might see as a con- others will see as a positive. So, this is just my opinion.

I missed the dining plan. I felt like we needed to leave the parks when we wanted a sit down meal. I know, I could have paid $150-200 for my family to eat, but my budget mind said to spend $60.00 outside of the park- so we did.
Disney bus flexibility. We always took our rental car, never the Bonnet Creek bus. My teenagers missed being able to take the bus back when they wanted to or go to another park without us.
Driving. My husband and I both hate driving on vacation. I would not stay at BC without a rental car, though. It was nice to be able to go out to eat, grocery store, pedi/mani, outlet mall, etc.
I was surprised that the resort did not have a large store for shopping like most hotels have. The small store was blah. I also though they would have more of a food area- not just bar like outdoor food. When we arrived a 11pm for check-in, we were starved. (9pm our time and we had not had dinner.) We were told all food was closed. We ordered Dominos. (45min.)

Bottom line- This trip was about looking at a school for DS, not exclusively Disney. If it were just a Disney trip- we would stay on property with the dining plan. That is just what my family likes.
If we ever do a mixed trip again- I would stay here in a heartbeat. The price is right for how much you get and the location.
If we ever want to stay together with a large group- yes to Bonnet Creek.
The staff was not rude, just not outgoing friendly like Disney.
We never ate at any of the pool bar areas- so I can not speak to their food.

The weather was great while we were there. We had a great trip. Bonnet Creek surpassed my expectations with the room, landscaping and pools.

Thanks for your review! One point - if your kids wanted to go to another park, they don't have to go back to the resort first. There are park to park buses at every park, or just hop on the nearest resort bus to transfer to another park bus. You are permitted to use Disney transportation to and from resorts even if you aren't staying there.

Now if they wanted to shower or change between parks, that's another story LOL.

 

[Protaras76]

It's a short drive or taxi ride to anywhere on Disney property.

Hi thee did you take a taxi to Any of the parks by any chance and if you did how much did you pay?? There's 5 in our group so wondering if a taxi there and back would be cheaper and easier than the shuttle.

 

[Mickfarland4]

We just returned last night from a week at Bonnet Creek.

My family (5 of us) rented a 2 bedroom presidential from Vacation Strategies.
The room was beautiful and very clean. The resort was gorgeous. Here are my pros and cons for those use to Disney resorts-

Pros- Space, space, space. My 3 kids (15,14,7) were very surprised by the room and kept telling me how well I did!
It was nice to be able to "separate" for a couple of hours of down time each day. (3 TV's and a balcony helped us not invade each others space the entire 24 hours a day!)
Lots of choices for pools. If one was crowded, we just moved on to the next. DD7 liked the lazy river best.
I loved being able to do a load of laundry each day. For those concerned about washing your own towels- there were plenty of towels! We also had housekeeping service one day- that was a pleasant surprise.
The full kitchen was very nice to have. I have a teeny, tiny kitchen at home- so the size was perfect for us.
We never got the parking pass. We checked in very late and were busy the rest of the time.
Only one night did my DH have to park in the garage.

Cons- I hate to say any cons, because what I might see as a con- others will see as a positive. So, this is just my opinion.

I missed the dining plan. I felt like we needed to leave the parks when we wanted a sit down meal. I know, I could have paid $150-200 for my family to eat, but my budget mind said to spend $60.00 outside of the park- so we did.
Disney bus flexibility. We always took our rental car, never the Bonnet Creek bus. My teenagers missed being able to take the bus back when they wanted to or go to another park without us.
Driving. My husband and I both hate driving on vacation. I would not stay at BC without a rental car, though. It was nice to be able to go out to eat, grocery store, pedi/mani, outlet mall, etc.
I was surprised that the resort did not have a large store for shopping like most hotels have. The small store was blah. I also though they would have more of a food area- not just bar like outdoor food. When we arrived a 11pm for check-in, we were starved. (9pm our time and we had not had dinner.) We were told all food was closed. We ordered Dominos. (45min.)

Bottom line- This trip was about looking at a school for DS, not exclusively Disney. If it were just a Disney trip- we would stay on property with the dining plan. That is just what my family likes.
If we ever do a mixed trip again- I would stay here in a heartbeat. The price is right for how much you get and the location.
If we ever want to stay together with a large group- yes to Bonnet Creek.
The staff was not rude, just not outgoing friendly like Disney.
We never ate at any of the pool bar areas- so I can not speak to their food.

The weather was great while we were there. We had a great trip. Bonnet Creek surpassed my expectations with the room, landscaping and pools.

Is Disney safe enough for a 14 and 15 yo to go into a park alone?? I can't imagine letting my kids go back to the resort without us or go somewhere else. I haven't been there for years though so, I have no idea how it would work. I can see letting them go off by themselves in the same park but, I would be too concerned about them going off by themselves to another place. Is it safe enough these days to do this? Thanks!

 

[Upatnoon]

Is Disney safe enough for a 14 and 15 yo to go into a park alone?? I can't imagine letting my kids go back to the resort without us or go somewhere else. I haven't been there for years though so, I have no idea how it would work. I can see letting them go off by themselves in the same park but, I would be too concerned about them going off by themselves to another place. Is it safe enough these days to do this? Thanks!

I think that most 14 and 15 year old kids would fine going alone, but this is a decision that a parent needs to make based on the maturity and experience of the child.

Some kids at that age are almost completely independent of their parents, while others may have never left the nest alone.

Disney has recently banned kids younger than 14 from being in the parks alone. You can read about that here: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifesty...ids-younger-than-14-banned-from-disney-parks/

 

[GinCar]

Is Disney safe enough for a 14 and 15 yo to go into a park alone?? I can't imagine letting my kids go back to the resort without us or go somewhere else. I haven't been there for years though so, I have no idea how it would work. I can see letting them go off by themselves in the same park but, I would be too concerned about them going off by themselves to another place. Is it safe enough these days to do this? Thanks!

When we stay on property- I am fine with it. They have cell phones and are very responsible. We also have them call us A LOT. For example- I am on the bus, I am at the resort, I am at the room, etc.
I know there is not a totally safe place anywhere, but I feel like it is really good practice. They also know the parks better than I do!
I think every kid is different, though, as well as parents. If I had any reservations about- I would not let them.

 

[Mickfarland4]

When we stay on property- I am fine with it. They have cell phones and are very responsible. We also have them call us A LOT. For example- I am on the bus, I am at the resort, I am at the room, etc.
Love this!! That would be me too!!

 

[DCTooTall]

We just returned last night from a week at Bonnet Creek.

My family (5 of us) rented a 2 bedroom presidential from Vacation Strategies.
The room was beautiful and very clean. The resort was gorgeous. Here are my pros and cons for those use to Disney resorts-

Pros- Space, space, space. My 3 kids (15,14,7) were very surprised by the room and kept telling me how well I did!
It was nice to be able to "separate" for a couple of hours of down time each day. (3 TV's and a balcony helped us not invade each others space the entire 24 hours a day!)
Lots of choices for pools. If one was crowded, we just moved on to the next. DD7 liked the lazy river best.
I loved being able to do a load of laundry each day. For those concerned about washing your own towels- there were plenty of towels! We also had housekeeping service one day- that was a pleasant surprise.
The full kitchen was very nice to have. I have a teeny, tiny kitchen at home- so the size was perfect for us.
We never got the parking pass. We checked in very late and were busy the rest of the time.
Only one night did my DH have to park in the garage.

Cons- I hate to say any cons, because what I might see as a con- others will see as a positive. So, this is just my opinion.

I missed the dining plan. I felt like we needed to leave the parks when we wanted a sit down meal. I know, I could have paid $150-200 for my family to eat, but my budget mind said to spend $60.00 outside of the park- so we did.
Disney bus flexibility. We always took our rental car, never the Bonnet Creek bus. My teenagers missed being able to take the bus back when they wanted to or go to another park without us.
Driving. My husband and I both hate driving on vacation. I would not stay at BC without a rental car, though. It was nice to be able to go out to eat, grocery store, pedi/mani, outlet mall, etc.
I was surprised that the resort did not have a large store for shopping like most hotels have. The small store was blah. I also though they would have more of a food area- not just bar like outdoor food. When we arrived a 11pm for check-in, we were starved. (9pm our time and we had not had dinner.) We were told all food was closed. We ordered Dominos. (45min.)

Bottom line- This trip was about looking at a school for DS, not exclusively Disney. If it were just a Disney trip- we would stay on property with the dining plan. That is just what my family likes.
If we ever do a mixed trip again- I would stay here in a heartbeat. The price is right for how much you get and the location.
If we ever want to stay together with a large group- yes to Bonnet Creek.
The staff was not rude, just not outgoing friendly like Disney.
We never ate at any of the pool bar areas- so I can not speak to their food.

The weather was great while we were there. We had a great trip. Bonnet Creek surpassed my expectations with the room, landscaping and pools.

I haven't spent a TON of time exploring the Grand, But did you ever get a chance to go over there? The Wyndham Grande is the hotel located between the timeshare resort towers 3 and 6. It's along the pool-walk and has a few more hotel type ammenities you can utilize such as restaurants, bars, and shops. While I'm not surprised at all the food options over at the timeshare sides were closed and the shop there is so small, I'm curious if the Hotel on the property may have still been open later since it caters primarily to a slightly different demographic.

Is Disney safe enough for a 14 and 15 yo to go into a park alone?? I can't imagine letting my kids go back to the resort without us or go somewhere else. I haven't been there for years though so, I have no idea how it would work. I can see letting them go off by themselves in the same park but, I would be too concerned about them going off by themselves to another place. Is it safe enough these days to do this? Thanks!

I can't entirely speak to the parks today, But I know back in the early/mid 90's my parents let my little brother and I explore the parks on our own some days during our trip. (I may have been 14/15... with my brother being 12/13). We'd been going to the parks for years and knew our way around like the back of our hands, and so they'd have no problem with us exploring the MK to hit our favorites for a few hours on our own (often my brother and I would even split up). I can even remember park-hopping from the MK to EPCOT so I could eat my favorite lunch at the Odysey.


So... In general... I wouldn' have a problem letting my son potentially go off on his own at the park once he's a bit older, assuming he's comfortable doing it and I feel he's mature and responsible enough to be on his own. With the number of ways to keep in touch these days with cell phones and text messages, I'd probably feel a bit more comfortable simply because I'd know it was much easier to get in touch if we needed too, or to even just check up on him. (Or honestly... with apps like "Find my friends".... Keep tabs on his exact location from my phone)

 

[GinCar]

I haven't spent a TON of time exploring the Grand, But did you ever get a chance to go over there? The Wyndham Grande is the hotel located between the timeshare resort towers 3 and 6. It's along the pool-walk and has a few more hotel type ammenities you can utilize such as restaurants, bars, and shops. While I'm not surprised at all the food options over at the timeshare sides were closed and the shop there is so small, I'm curious if the Hotel on the property may have still been open later since it caters primarily to a slightly different demographic.

We did walk through there once. We did not go the night we arrived, because it was the person checking us in that said everything was closed. I think I missed a "food court" type area because of having our 3 kids with us.
I would just be more prepared next time. We should have stopped on our way from the airport- but we were just too excited to see the resort!

 

[DCTooTall]

We did walk through there once. We did not go the night we arrived, because it was the person checking us in that said everything was closed. I think I missed a "food court" type area because of having our 3 kids with us.
I would just be more prepared next time. We should have stopped on our way from the airport- but we were just too excited to see the resort!

Ah.... Well there definitely isn't a "food Court" at the resort or the Grande hotel. The size and demographics of the resort and hotel wouldn't really support a food court like you'd find at a Disney Value or some of the Mods.

 

[pigletto]

I booked our summer trip today
We have a surprise onsite trip planned for the kids Christmas present but have a week of vacation in the summer as well. We knew for the summer trip that we needed to save some money and that while we will go to the parks, we plan to do the waterparks and offsite activities as well.

I had booked Bonnet Creek with VS last summer and then switched to onsite. They let me use that deposit credit today against this trip which was a very nice policy since it is a year later.
I booked a 2 bdrm deluxe for 8 nights for $1008. $126 per night for all of that space just seems fabulous

I know I will have more questions as time goes on. My main ones are going to be which building to request and make sure I know how to avoid the time share pitch.

I am so excited to be able to cook on this vacation. I know that sounds weird but we do tire of all the restaurant meals. So we'll eat breakfast in the unit, come back for a mid day break when it's hot and have lunch and a swim and then eat our dinners out. Not too much prep and cooking and we'll save so much money that way