The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread! (pics and reviews)

[jlacfire]

Thanks! I'll bookmark that and hopefully it will have changed come March! Looks like a lot of fun activities for the kids here!

 

[HeatherC]

Hi Guys: Well we just got back too. Forthe4...we must have been there the same time! We were also in Building 5 on the 11th floor with fireworks view. Stayed Feb. 9 -19th.

Have to say that I like this resort better every time we go. Loved the new pool area right outside our building. Wish the weather was warmer, but it was still sunny and I wasn't in snow so I was happy.

Some things that may interest others:

Pools were nice and warm we thought. This is important to me since we usually travel in February and I always want to know whether the pools are warm enough to swim. My kids went swimming a lot and they do not like cold water. They would start off in the lazy river, jump in the hot tub and then swim in the pool for awhile. Getting out was the problem! There were 3 hot tubs near bldg. 5 and each was a different temp. One seemed really hot, one hot and one not so hot. Not sure if that is on purpose or not. But a couple other people also mentioned it so I know I wasn't imagining it.

The 2 bedroom unit was great as usual. Beds were very comfortable. Two minor things in our unit was that the dishwasher was not screwed in so when you pulled out the shelves, it would tip forward. Could be dangerous and we let the front desk know.

The other thing was the towel rack in the master bath wasn't attached either. Just placed on the wall so when you hung up a towel the whole thing fell. Not a big deal, but I do think things like this are just because someone didn't do their job right.

Another point of interest: we did get wifi at the pool area on my husband and kids itouches. They enjoyed that when they weren't swimming.

Seemed to have activities going on a lot but we didn't partake in any.

Drinks at Escudo's were a decent size and cost probably about $6 a drink? We actually bought a little box wine yesterday of pinot noir that was $9.75 but had 3 decent size glasses of wine in it. So that is a bargain for any wine drinkers.

One other thing that comes to mind is that next time if I go in February, I would probably request the same building but a pool view instead of a fireworks view. The reason for us is that the pool side of the building gets most of the sunshine and it is nice to sit out on the balcony in the sun. Wouldn't want that in the summer, though. Also ...after 3 nights, my kids didn't really care about the fireworks if you can believe it.

Would be happy to answer any other questions. Already looking forward to going again!

 

[Crazy Disney Fan]

Hi, we are thinking about staying at Bonnet Creek over Thanksgiving and the week after. Are the lazy river and other pools heated? Also, do they have hot tubs? Thanks

 

[AlyLynn]

We are staying at Bonnet Creek for the first time in May...For my daughter's Sweet 16...We've stayed at every possible Disney resort, and Bonnet Creek is the one she wanted for her birthday in lieu of a Sweet 16 party. My question is this: Can we have a cake delivered to the room for her birthday similiar to what they do at the Disney resorts? Any other suggestions to make this a memorable birthday for her would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Aly

 

[FIREFLY01]

are there any benefits to owning BC raher that renting points?

We don't plan trips in advance we do alot of spur of the moment trips(about a week or 2 before we go) only for 1-3 nights at a time we were gonna buy into DVC but then we found out its near impossible to get rooms short notice. We live in south Florida and always drive up so transportation is not a concern for us.

My dh is interested in getting a timeshare there as we have a 6 month old DD. we know our needs our changing and would prefer at a 1 bedroom.

We have always been disney snobs and only stayed on property till recently and we like, BC cause it technically is on property!

any suggestions or help greatly appreciated
also who do u suggest we go through to buy into BC.?

 

[TotoToo]

are there any benefits to owning BC raher that renting points?

We don't plan trips in advance we do alot of spur of the moment trips(about a week or 2 before we go) only for 1-3 nights at a time we were gonna buy into DVC but then we found out its near impossible to get rooms short notice. We live in south Florida and always drive up so transportation is not a concern for us.

My dh is interested in getting a timeshare there as we have a 6 month old DD. we know our needs our changing and would prefer at a 1 bedroom.

We have always been disney snobs and only stayed on property till recently and we like, BC cause it technically is on property!

any suggestions or help greatly appreciated
also who do u suggest we go through to buy into BC.?

With a Wyndham points ownership, especially one with the home resort based at BC, the big advantage is a home resort priority. That means you as an owner get first dibs on reservations before the 10 month mark that opens it to all Wyndham owners. If you don't plan that far ahead then owning at BC may not hold any advantage over simply owning Wyndham points in general.

As for last minute that is a great way to use Wyndham points as units do tend to open up late and if you can take advantage they can end up as a very low cost vacation. Because you would own in the Wyndham system you'd have internal use without additional cost (no exchange fee) with the possible exception of a very low cost housekeeping fee if you use multiple 3-4 day stays. Still very low cost overall.

You would find that BC actually surpasses Disney units in size as well as overall unit quality. They don't have the heavy common area themeing that Disney has but you can always visit the Disney resorts to enjoy that feature. You don't have to stay in them to see it.

It is incredibly inexpensive to obtain a nice chunk of Wyndham points on resale. Then just sit back and check every few days for a deal that you can use. They come up regularly but most people have to make travel arrangement s which are tough to get or are too expensive to make a short stay worth it. You have an opportunity to take advantage, stay in a top notch resort and do it on the cheap. Most likely even cheaper than renting.
Enjoy.

 

[doodle]

Hi TotoToo -

I had a question. I have seen some ebay listings but how do you know how many points to purchase? Is there a points chart?

TIA!

 

[FIREFLY01]

I was just going to ask that, I see some peoplle say they 500,000 points is that for a lifetime or yearly and roundabout how many nights does that get?
how many points is an average 1bed room per night?
what do they consider peak times?

what do maintenace fees or dues running a year at BC?

 

[vettechick99]

Hi, we are thinking about staying at Bonnet Creek over Thanksgiving and the week after. Are the lazy river and other pools heated? Also, do they have hot tubs? Thanks

Crazy Disney Fan, see below...

Hi Guys: Well we just got back too. Forthe4...we must have been there the same time! We were also in Building 5 on the 11th floor with fireworks view. Stayed Feb. 9 -19th.

Have to say that I like this resort better every time we go. Loved the new pool area right outside our building. Wish the weather was warmer, but it was still sunny and I wasn't in snow so I was happy.

Some things that may interest others:

Pools were nice and warm we thought. This is important to me since we usually travel in February and I always want to know whether the pools are warm enough to swim. My kids went swimming a lot and they do not like cold water. They would start off in the lazy river, jump in the hot tub and then swim in the pool for awhile. Getting out was the problem! There were 3 hot tubs near bldg. 5 and each was a different temp. One seemed really hot, one hot and one not so hot. Not sure if that is on purpose or not. But a couple other people also mentioned it so I know I wasn't imagining it.

The 2 bedroom unit was great as usual. Beds were very comfortable. Two minor things in our unit was that the dishwasher was not screwed in so when you pulled out the shelves, it would tip forward. Could be dangerous and we let the front desk know.

The other thing was the towel rack in the master bath wasn't attached either. Just placed on the wall so when you hung up a towel the whole thing fell. Not a big deal, but I do think things like this are just because someone didn't do their job right.

Another point of interest: we did get wifi at the pool area on my husband and kids itouches. They enjoyed that when they weren't swimming.

Seemed to have activities going on a lot but we didn't partake in any.

Drinks at Escudo's were a decent size and cost probably about $6 a drink? We actually bought a little box wine yesterday of pinot noir that was $9.75 but had 3 decent size glasses of wine in it. So that is a bargain for any wine drinkers.

One other thing that comes to mind is that next time if I go in February, I would probably request the same building but a pool view instead of a fireworks view. The reason for us is that the pool side of the building gets most of the sunshine and it is nice to sit out on the balcony in the sun. Wouldn't want that in the summer, though. Also ...after 3 nights, my kids didn't really care about the fireworks if you can believe it.

Would be happy to answer any other questions. Already looking forward to going again!

 

[garmich]

I was just going to ask that, I see some peoplle say they 500,000 points is that for a lifetime or yearly and roundabout how many nights does that get?
how many points is an average 1bed room per night?
what do they consider peak times?

what do maintenace fees or dues running a year at BC?

Club Wyndham Plus Points are purchased for a lifetime. They are deeded at the resort that you purchase. The points can be inherited by your children. And you can sell the points, but unfortunately, you will only get pennies to the dollar for them.

Each year you get your allotted amount of points to be used for that year. You can purchase points to be used every year or every other year (EOY). example: 2011, 2013, 2015, etc.

At Bonnet Creek, the amount of points required for each type of unit (1-BR, 2-BR, 3-BR), is based on the Season. AT BC there are 3 seasons: Value, High, and Prime. At some other resorts there may be a 4th season: Quiet (which is the lowest) At BC, the peak times (Prime) are mid-February thru mid-April, summer (June thru mid-August), and the last two full weeks of the year (Xmas thru New Years).

At BC during Prime season, a 1-BR will require 166k points for 1 week. For a shorter stay, Fri-Sat night require 33k per night and Sun-Thu night require 20k per night. A 1-BR in High season will require 126k per week. And value season requires 84k per week.

If you want a 2-BR during prime, you'll need 224k for a week. High season needs 189k for a week.

I own at BC. My maintenance fee runs about $3.95 per 1k points. And it has gone up a little bit each year.

 

[TotoToo]

Hi TotoToo -

I had a question. I have seen some ebay listings but how do you know how many points to purchase? Is there a points chart?

TIA!

There is no absolute, magic number. That's because although the use values are printed they are for regular reservations made months in advance and using the Wyndham internal system. If you can travel with short notice or choose to use RCI (included for free with your Wyndham Points ownership) then you can often use far less than the published amounts to get what you desire.

Plus the system allows you to pool, bank, borrow and rent points so you don't necessarily have to own each point you use each year. As I recall 2 bedroom units at BC during high seasons go for 186,000/week but I could be off. A one bedroom much less - 3 bedroom & Presidential units higher.

But all of them are cheaper closer to use date and may be available for very low points using RCI. As an example we own 252,000 annual points and through banking/pooling usually have between that amount and 400,000 available to use. We have averaged 3 to 4 weeks of use per year every year since 1997 by spreading out those points. Yet a few times we have splurged and used say 220,000 for a Presidential unit at Grand Desert yet still got a couple more weeks out of that year with small RCI deposits that turned into 2 bedroom weeks. It is fun to work the system.

I wouldn't own less than 150,000 points but much over 350,000 would be overkill IMO. Remember you pay annual fees for each point so you want the minimum that you can leverage into what you want to do. Over buying can kill the value and its easy to add if needed not so easy to sell if you decide to.

Last you don't have to own at BC to get it. Points can be based anywhere & used for BC reservations. Fees at other resorts may be lower (or higher depending on the resort) than BC as FL has high taxes on top of the base fees. Only if you need and can plan to use the extra 3 months (13 month) home resort priority (ARP - Advanced Reservation Priority) do you have to have your points based at that resort. Otherwise a point is a point anywhere in the system.

 

[FIREFLY01]

who is a good company or place to get a resale from?
where is a good resort to look at for cheaper maintenace fees since booking early isn't a priority for us?

 

[Sammy]

How about some suggestions for close-by, but offsite restaurants? We've never really ventured off Disney property when we stay onsite, so any nearby suggestions would be appreciated. Looking for something on the "family friendly" idea as we are traveling with 4 teenagers. Thanks!

 

[TotoToo]

How about some suggestions for close-by, but offsite restaurants? We've never really ventured off Disney property when we stay onsite, so any nearby suggestions would be appreciated. Looking for something on the "family friendly" idea as we are traveling with 4 teenagers. Thanks!

Check the numerous off site restaurant threads that have been started here before. They have a wealth of information.

If you have been limited to on site restaurants you have been paying way too much and getting mostly middling level of quality. There are plenty of really outstanding restaurants all around Orlando - most at prices far less than the on site ones and many much higher quality.

Not to create yet another off site thread but here are a few within 5 miles of BC that are well worth the trip:

Giordano's
Ale House
Steak N' Shake
Golden Corral
Bahama Breeze
Flippers Pizza
and about 100 chains such as McDonalds, Chili's. Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Joe's Crab Shack, Perkins, TGIFridays, Fuddruckers, Burger King, CiCi's Pizzza, Chevy's, and on and on and on. A few more miles and you can get great value or 5 star - take your pick. You''ll never eat on site again.

 

[Cdn Gal]

If you are interested in Bonnet Creek - do your homework and check out sites such as TUG- timeshares & Wyndham Owners Group- Both of these sites have endless information and expert advice. Before we bought resale we had been thinking for about 3 years before and was watching how much points were selling on ebay. Timeshares are not for everyone. We had to really weight the costs of maintenance fees vs. hotel package deals. But in the end, looking at how much we spent on travel in a given year, this was a great opportunity. We have two contracts at Bonnet Creek and do own a size-able amount, but we also travel with friends and family and need perhaps more points than the average family. We also can only travel in prime time and since we live far away to most of the resorts, we can't wait until the last minute b/c we need to book flights etc. We also LOVE the fact that there is a kitchen and washer/dryer. It's hard to go back to a hotel room after you have experienced this! I wish you all the best in whatever your decision will be but most importantly- DO NOT BUY FROM THE DEVELOPER!!!

 

[forthe4]

Just got home from a great week at BC. Heather C., we too, were on the 11th floor! We probably passed each other at some point. We are hard to miss since we were toting 4 kids 6,4,3 and 1! When we were swimming we also had my niece and nephew.
This was the coldest President's Week possible but at least there was no rain! I have to agree about the issue of the sun on the balcony. My kids loved the fireworks and seeing the ball though. Since they are so young we were back by 9 on most nights, but I can see as they get older we will stay out later so the fireworks won't be an issue.
The sun on the pool/lazy river made everything feel pretty good given the low temperatures. We are looking forward to seeing this resort (finally) completed!
We are Wyndham owners and are finally getting the knack of getting the most for our money. It takes planning and some flexibility. If you get a good deal on resale it is worth it, otherwise just keep renting, there are no recurring fees with that ! Our favorite part about our timeshare is that the kids feel like they have their own places since we have been returning to the same resorts repeatedly. We are thinking about adding points from resale but not exactly sure yet. We will see. Now I have to begin planning on spending next years points!

 

[HeatherC]

Forthe4: I think I must have seen your kids with your dh at one point. They were coming in and out of the room and my dh and I looked at each other and said how cute they were! Too funny.

We've contemplated buying points through resale, but keep talking ourselves out of it because of the maintenance fees. If you add points through resale, do you have to pay additional maintenance fees each time?

Also can't wait for the resort to be complete! Are they putting another pool in by the building they are now working on?

Would definitely recommend this resort to anyone!

 

[HeatherC]

I think I may have just seen the answer about if you have to pay additional maintenance fees if you buy more points. Am I correct that it is a dollar amount for each 1k point?

So...if it is around $4 per 1k points, you would pay that amount per 1k point? Is $4 per 1k points the average price of the maintenance fees? Are the fees lower if you buy at different home resorts? What would be the cheapest Wyndham resort to buy points at?

Sorry if this is all a repeat. I've been to the TUG boards, but still get confused!

Also...for the poster who was interested in offsite restaurants, I wanted to suggest Sweet Tomatoes. We went there twice and the kids loved it. It was like $10 a person for the buffet which had a huge salad bar, baked potato bar, soup bar, flatbread pizzas, and frozen yogurt bar. Best deal in Orlando to feed a family healthy and cheaply!

 

[Brian Noble]

In general, yes---the more points you own, the more you pay in total. But, there is a *wide* variety of costs per-point, depending on which property you own (and which phase within that property), what size unit, what season, etc. And, there are also differences about *when* you pay based on whether you own a fixed week that's been converted to points, or a "pure points" deed (called an Undivided Interest, or UDI deed). If you watch the resale market, you'll get a feel for what properties have better cost ratios---but of course that can also change. For example, Atlantic City was a pretty good deal, but had a very significant increase recently, and is now at best average.

I said this earlier in the thread, but you are *only* interested in Bonnet Creek, it is probably better to rent for any but the most in-demand weeks (Christmas to New Years, Easter, etc.) because the property is so large and there are so many people renting there, that keeps prices competitive with ownership costs.

However, if you are interested in timeshare generally, Wyndham *purchased resale* can be a great value.

 

[FIREFLY01]

on ebay there are resales are they safe?
also some people have them listed has GOLD CROWN RED WEEK whats that mean?
what is UDI?
do the points rollover if there are some left fr previous year?

1more ?? sorry
in the points credit pool what are housekeeping credits??