The we loooooove Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Part 4

[owill]

I have seen other posts on the boards that suggest budgeting an hour to get from WBC to the turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom for rope drop. Should a similar amount of time budgeted for Epcot and DHS?

We are now here. Sunday we left WBC at 7:10. We were at the monorail line by 730 (walked from the car) and queued up at the tapstiles of MK at 7:50. Monday we left the hotel at 8:00 and were lined up at Epcot at 8:30. We were the second family in line to meet baymax.

 

[babyruth]

1.) Yes, I agree, and I don't know what the specific worst issue is as I think it may be a combination of these things compounding the issue with crowding. This was only an issue for us in the Magic Kingdom and only in the morning. Epcot did have long bag check lines at park open some days, but when I say "long" I mean "15 minutes" not an hour. MK bag check in the evening was no problem. We had no problems at Animal Kingdom, and I skipped the studios last time so I have no insight.

1a.) Another thing that's super annoying is that they've taken many of the parking spaces "close enough to walk" (comfortably, I recognize you could walk from Florida to California, but I mean a reasonably fit and energetic person would elect to walk rather than wait on a tram) and designated them for "premium parking". This is the recent change that irks me the most. I don't want to ride a tram. I want to get there before the park opens and get a close space! And I don't want to pay an extra $15 for it!!!

2.) Absolutely! If you can get away with not having a bag I would for sure go without. However, if you have a stroller/scooter pouch/wristlet etc. those items are considered bags and you will have to wait along with everyone else. Just beware - we were trying to leave the MK at about 10:15 or 10:30 (when the masses are crowding in) and the "lines" of people coming from the Ferry to the bag check stations on the right side of the park entrance were 100% solid, think WALL of people as far as the eye could see. We wanted to get on the resort launch boat back to Poly but based on where we were siphoned through the exit and since we literally could not get through the crowd of people we walked to contemporary and took the monorail. All this to say that even going bagless, you may still be one fish in a huge stream and gridlocked for a while regardless of your wisdom in not carrying a bag.

Now... who can convince my family that they won't end up needing Advil, bandaids, flip flops, more sunscreen, ponchos, and all the other crap I am designated to carry around in my parks bag?

Good points! My 2 yr old needs to carry epi pens so I guess we will end up going through bag check if that little pouch is considered a bag. Past trips I've been there, I carried my tiny sony powershot camera in a 3x4 case on a lanyard and it was not considered a bag for bag check. so yes regulations must have changed. this is why i'm here planning LOL

annnnd this premium parking is new also?! is that for AP holders? or just anybody can pay and extra $15 to park closer? man maybe taking my daughter to DLR for her 1st experience would be easier

we have a big family, and I think a girlfriend is joining us too I wanted on property for the transportation ease but obviously considering off due to pricing and sheer need for space. adding up extra parking fees and things that I didn't consider is going to be key!

 

[mmmhf]

All 2 and 3 bedroom presidentials are located in Tower 6 on the upper floors, starting around floor 7. 4-bedroom presidentials can be found in any tower.

Chances are excellent for a fireworks view if they have them at Hollywood Studios, not as great if they are only at Epcot and MK.

Thank You!

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

We are now here. Sunday we left WBC at 7:10. We were at the monorail line by 730 (walked from the car) and queued up at the tapstiles of MK at 7:50. Monday we left the hotel at 8:00 and were lined up at Epcot at 8:30. We were the second family in line to meet baymax.

This makes me feel better. Reading some of the comments on how long it takes to the MK had me getting paranoid about our upcoming trip.

 

[smd8z]

Just back! We were in the hotel part (The Grand), and we had a nice stay. A few things:

1. Housekeeping is lacking to say the least. Our room wasn't cleaned until 6:45pm for 2 of the 4 nights we were there. We had a room on the 12th floor at the end of the hallway. They did not replenish the coffee in the room and never once vacuumed. Yes, they made the beds and gave us new towels but that was it. We even had to chase them down to get rid of the trash in the trash can (there is only one small trash can per room; in the bathroom).

2. The Italian restaurant at the Grand is delicious. We had our best meal there. The chicken parmigiana, breaded ravioli and salmon were all wonderful. Prices were not too bad (but we are from DC so we are used to higher prices). The outdoor restaurant at the Grand pool was very good as well. We are the steak and cheese, onion rings, fries, bean burger and one of the salads, and they were all delicious.

3. The pools are great but no lifeguards on duty at the lazy rivers led to a lot of crazy kids standing on tubes and running through the mulch beds before jumping in the pool. We were there during a cheer competition and we witnessed a handful of incidents where the girls were doing cheer stunts while standing on the tubes and then falling on young kids in the pool. One young boy got really hurt but the girls didn't notice. Quite a few parents of the young kids spoke to the girls but they kept doing it. We moved pools a few times because of the rough play ( mind you we have four kids under the age of 12 so we are used to some roughhousing). There was a lifeguard at one of the pools with a slide but she was solely watching the slide. Behind her, kids were diving in the pool where there were clearly marked signs saying "no diving". One kid scraped his chin on the bottom of the pool because he was diving in 3 feet of water.

4. We drove to all the parks and had no issues with it taking an hour. On MK day we were out of our room and walking down Main Street in 40 mins. And yes, security was time consuming. We even packed light (no backpack just a sling bag) so we could go through the "quick" line for purses only. All the other parks were about 20 mins because there was no monorail involved.

5. Kingdom strollers and Garden Grocers were fantastic and delivered straight to the hotel. No problems.

6. We had a wonderful experience with all the staff members there. Even the housekeeping staff were very sweet when we had to find them for more towels and coffee, etc.

 

[lvdis]

We are now here. Sunday we left WBC at 7:10. We were at the monorail line by 730 (walked from the car) and queued up at the tapstiles of MK at 7:50. Monday we left the hotel at 8:00 and were lined up at Epcot at 8:30. We were the second family in line to meet baymax.

Very similar to our experience on Saturday, April 30 going to the Magic Kingdom for a pre-park breakfast reservation. It worked out seamlessly!

 

[jaceraden]

how reliable is a BC booking through VRBO?

 

[skylizard]

Pretty reliable. I've rented through vrbo before I bought at WBC and never had an issue. Just make sure the owner has good reviews posted.

 

[ustasmom]

Is anyone here now? We are checking out and we have extra food.

 

[bobo]

Does the resort provide pool towels?
We are travelling down in August for 10 days we have a 2 bed presidential booked.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Yes, they provide pool towels. You have to sign them out and if you don't return them they'll charge your room.

 

[Portugal1000]

Does the resort provide pool towels?
We are travelling down in August for 10 days we have a 2 bed presidential booked.

You can also change them as many times as you like but we usually don't bother and just tumble dry them.
We are there for 22 nights in August. Getting excited now!

 

[sheboz]

Does WBC have a Hallowe'en party?

 

[owill]

We have just recently returned and very much enjoyed our time at WBC.

The Cons (minor):
-Check-in was very slow, nearly a 1/2 hour with only 4 groups in front of us in line
-Service in general was a tad lacking. For example, I called the front desk at 6AM one day because there was an alarm beeping in the lobby of our tower from one of the service panels. It took nearly an hour before someone came to address it.
-Wi-fi was a tad spotty and was down at the entire resort for around 4 hours one day.
-Thanks to this thread we avoided the parking pass and sales pitch, but the salespeople constantly walking around giving tours is a minor annoyance.
-The only thing that was somewhat concerning with how thin the walls seem to be. We had no neighbors for 6 nights of the trip, but on the last night a new group moved in and we could hear nearly everything going on in the next room. Anyone out there have tips on this for future trips?

The Pros:
-Amazing value. For a similar suite at a Disney Resort we would have easily paid 5 to 6 times more.
-Great location.
-Multiple pools to pick from and the kids loved the lazy rivers.
-The grills were cleaned daily and were awesome. We used them nearly every day.
-Free parking

We are already thinking about when we will be back to WBC and I doubt we will ever go back to staying at a Disney Resort.

 

[pigletto]

We also returned from a great stay at WBC last night. We had a super simple and speedy check in, but other members of our party (who got the same person we did) said it was painfully slow just a little while later.
I have zero complaints about sales staff. We avoided the parking pass desk and unplugged the phone. End of story.
Wifi was spotty and frustrating at times but nothing that couldn't be dealt with.
The pools were kinda cold. They definitely don't keep them as warm as I was expecting. And finally, we had a herd of elephant children running over our heads a few nights. I realize it's vacation, but I don't let my kids stomp or run back and forth repeatedly, especially after 11. Earplugs were needed most nights. But, that can happen at ANY hotel and isn't really a fault of WBC.

Now the good stuff.. EVERYTHING ELSE!!! Beautiful grounds, clean rooms and hallways, spacious units, friendly staff, beautiful pools.. and that LOCATION. Holy cow!!! I knew I was an offsite lover after staying at Vistana 1.5 years ago. WBC sealed it. There's nowhere I would rather be for a Disney trip. When its just two of us travelling one day maybe I would go back onsite, but while we need this much space.. WBC (and Vistana) will be our top choices.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We just got back--first offsite stay in years. Kids whined about not being a Disney hotel, but I am now spoiled by the space and the washer-dryer!!!

I agree on some comments about the service. Our AC was broken and it took many calls and 3 visits from Engineering before someone admitted it was broken instead of just telling us to close the patio door (which had been closed and locked for hours). And one night we could not find our room key, and the guy at the front gate (where you drive in) just stood there staring at us and refused to help even though we needed to get in to go to the front desk for a new card. There was quite a line of frustrated cars behind us by the time he decided to let us in.

We had no problems at check in, no calls from salespeople, smooth delivery from garden grocer, the location and convenience can hardly be any better, etc.

 

[TrueEeyore]

We were at Bonnet Creek last week and WOW was it amazing! We had a 3BR deluxe booked and we arrived to check in around 9am. I planned to get checked in before the room was ready and head to the parks while we waited. Well, there were zero people in line so I didn't wait at all. The guy was very friendly and I asked if I could make a room request. He said sure so I said "High floor, theme park view. Probably the same that everyone else requests!" And he was like, "This is very unusual but I have a 12th floor theme park view and it's ready for check in right now" I was so excited!!! We were in Tower 4, room 1263.

The resort was extremely clean and all of the staff we encountered were very friendly. We did get a parking pass but they didn't hound me at all. Maybe because another guy working the desk ended up living 30 minutes from us and he and my husband started talking football lol.

The kids loved the pools and splash pad. We never ate at the resort but we did get Flippers pizza delivered one night with no issues. Park days were hot and crowded but fun. I actually loved staying in the resort and enjoying the view from the balcony. We watched fireworks from Epcot, DHS, and MK every single night. It was awesome! I don't think we will ever stay on property again. The space, location and room views are unbeatable. I mean, just look at this!





Also, this is my usual home but I decided to stay at Bonnet Creek instead. Isn't she pretty?

 

[tlovesdis]

So we have a 1 bedroom deluxe reserved. Are there 1 bedrooms in each building? And are there some on high floors with theme park views?

Thanks!!

 

[DisneyDazed]

Ok now we are back and the issues were addressed. LiKe I said most of the people we dealt with were very nice and helpful. The people with the attitudes and issues were the higher managers and a woman in the sales/owners department.

The cleanliness left much to be desired . I always clean the room anyway as its common practice for housekeeping to use the used towels left behind to clean the bathroom floor before the next guests I sanitize and clean as much as I can and hang the " do not disturb sign " on the door. Once everything was done and we were bedbug free the vacation was quite nice. It is best to unplug your phone.

I did talk with someone from corporate and the woman in the sales/owner department who was downright nasty also was full of lies. She has been written up and a report filed , yes her lies and threats were THAT bad. Perhaps she got enough of a slap on the wrist to cool her jets and respect guests as they should be.

That being said the price can't be beat for the location and the rooms can be quite nice.

We never had issues with driving to MK and getting into the park early.

When we were there, there was a lifeguard at the pirate ship pool.

The grills had just been cleaned so that was good

They have changed some things such as needing your room key to park but the people at the gate were always quite nice.

 

[Chris3581]

I will be checking in on Sunday. Anyone have tips on the best time to check in?