Anyone NOT like Bonnet Creek?

[Teacher03]

Well, some of them do. Notably, Old Key West's does not and BW/BC/YC don't have much either. Oddly, the Deluxe and DVC resorts have some of the worst CS locations anywhere on property. My guess is that you'd have been no happier at OKW than you were at Bonnet, so this is less about "offsite" and more about "condos/timeshares vs. hotels." Nothing wrong with that; some people really do prefer hotel-style service/amenities vs. timeshare-style ones.

But Bonnet does have more than hot dogs and pizza. Last time I was there, there was a pizza place (by the "slide pool"), and the Pirate Pool bar location had wraps. I suppose that might have changed. And, the new hotel restaurants have probably added substantially to what is offered, but I have not tried them yet.

I just wanted to comment on some of the restaurants at BC......we ate at the outdoor restaurant by the pirate pool, and it was good; offered wraps, burgers, sandwiches, salads. We also at the restaurant on the lower level of the new hotel (sorry, can't remember the name)-breakfast was excellent; best made to order omelets ever! We actually ate there three mornings. We also ate dinner there one evening and it was very, very good. The pizza ( by another pool area) was average, but good. And since you mentioned hot dogs, the deli by the lobby had great hot dog and a variety of different toppings. We actually thought the choices were much better than the onsite food courts, but we only stayed at values so that is all I can compare it to.

 

[ehrn]

We stayed at WBC our last 2 trips and will stay again in November. I realized that my son has off the 2 days before we planned to leave so we are going to go early and spend 2 nights at Pop. I'm really anxious to see how I feel about staying on property again after 2 trips off. We will be paying MORE for a value room, granted a preferred room, than for a 2br at WBC per night. I know I'll miss the washer/dryer and being in 1 room with my husband and 2 active boys will be interesting...but I'm looking forward to it.
I totally agree w/the pp, the more room we have, the larger the mess tends to be. We drove last time and I brought WAY TOO MUCH STUFF, I really learned my lesson!
I think it's great that you tried staying off site, now you know. For me, some more space is good...the washer/dryer is great! I don't cook on vacation but it's nice to be able to use leftovers, make a quick sandwich for the kids, have a real sink to wash out sippy cups, etc.
I can also say that I've seen a decline in Disney "magic" over the years--as they outsource more services and have less staff to do the same amount of work...Though on my last stay at WBC there were a couple of housekeeping issues I don't feel were resolved to my satisfaction but that's how it goes sometimes. There's always going to be something that needs improvement, I just hope the good outweighs the bad--at WBC, Disney or wherever we happen to travel...and I really, really hope we have a great WBC stay this time because my parents and some other family members are joining us with high expectations...

 

[Candleshoe]

I think this goes in the category of everyone likes to vacation their own way... but I prefer not to have maid service.

I like a good cleaning before my stay, but I don't like people coming in to my place, my space, while I'm staying there.

I deal with it -- mostly by not thinking about it -- while at regular hotels... but the B&B / Condo experience without maids is actually a PLUS for me.

 

[ehrn]

Candleshoe, I agree with you! I don't even mind washing the towels. I tend to stress in a regular hotel "Did I leave dirty undies on the floor? Did I properly store my valuables? Will the housekeeper clean the toilet and then the sink area--cause that would be so gross, lol!" So that's one less thing to worry about. I do understand that it's a huge plus for others, in which case a time share isn't a great fit.

 

[Bellamouse]

I'm another one who is happy not to have maid service. It's only DH and I and we're not that messy. I don't like the idea of people perhaps going through my things when I'm not there, and I never know what to do with my laptop in a hotel since it won't fit in any safe (it's one of those big/widescreen ones - I am self employed and need to take it with in case I have to do a little bit of work). And what a pain to unplug it and leave it at the front desk every time you leave the room.

I don't bother making the bed in the morning and I don't care No one will see it. I just enjoy our privacy and personal space so much. With just two of us, I think 8 towels will be plenty for a week (we got a 2BR). So I doubt we'll even have to wash towels.

I'm REALLY looking forward to our week at WBC!

 

[shalom]

To have that much space for the price of a Disney value resort almost seems like a no brainier.

On paper, that's true; as this thread demonstrates, doesn't always work that way. My advice is to give it a shot. The only way you can really know is to try it for yourself; if it turns out the Disney magic is worth the higher cost for you, you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that you'll be sure of that on future trips.

I hate time shares and hard sells.

This is exactly how I felt -- right up until hubby's boss gifted us with a week at a Timeshare. Just about strangled hubby when he signed us up for the TS sales pitch, but by the time we went in (our last day there), I'd discovered how much I loved the TS experience.

Eventually bought a resale, and still won't have anything to do with the salespeople, but we just turn them down at the desk and I don't answer the phone and it's all good.

The other thing I realized, which I'm sure sounds absolutely nuts, is I found we were much more organized in a smaller space.

We're the same way. There's a "sweet spot" where it's small enough that everyone is significantly more "together" than we are at home, but not so large that the mess gets way ahead of me -- in our case, the BC units are in that spot, although I prefer to go a bit larger. But I've got five kids, four of them teenagers, so my sweet spot is likely larger than average.

while at regular hotels... but the B&B / Condo experience without maids is actually a PLUS for me.

Ditto. Aside from that and the larger units, the full kitchens are huge with me -- I so much prefer making my own breakfast. I don't mind hotel rooms for a night or two, and I enjoy staying in a B&B with hubby for a weekend, but for a true vacation, give me a Timeshare!

 

[Chim]

I will post loud and proud that I hated staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. And I am talking about the hotel, not the time share.

We decided to give it a try, and for a 3 night stay we left after night 1.

The Hilton and Waldorf across the street are amazing, but the Wyndham was garbage. It was for New Years weekend, so I had booked some reservations for dinner and such ahead of time. So we are checking in, and the front desk person tells me they lost my phone number, but the time of 5pm for dinner THEY gave me would not work, but we could have 9pm. Considering we had 2 kids under 4, this was not an option. And being New Years Eve, there were no other dining options open. So I was told some kind of manager would call me in the room for some reason.

We walked into our room, and it smelled. The trash was not emptied, and old food was in it. After about 45mins from the time we called, they finally came and got it. I just kept the bathroom door closed, and used our other room for toilet purposes. In that room was dead roaches along the floorboard near the window. It was disgusting. We got a call from the shift manager who was apologetic, but offered no compensation or option for new rooms. Oh, and that food manager who was supposed to call, never called, even after me calling the front desk to remind them to remind the manager to call me.

Anytime someone asks me about that hotel, I do my best to steer them away.

 

[Janet Hill]

I think this goes in the category of everyone likes to vacation their own way... but I prefer not to have maid service.

I like a good cleaning before my stay, but I don't like people coming in to my place, my space, while I'm staying there.

I deal with it -- mostly by not thinking about it -- while at regular hotels... but the B&B / Condo experience without maids is actually a PLUS for me.

Totally agree - don't want anyone in my space. Throwing towels in the washer that is in the unit is not big deal to me.

We drive and while my husband spends the last day resting up for the 15 hour trip. The kids swim, and I do all the laundry. It's wonderful to not bring home dirty clothes.

After an exhausing day we actually prefer eating in the condo. A bag of lettuce, fruit and a rotisserie chicken can be much more relaxing than a trip to a restaurant.

And last, but certainly not least - it's a vacation and there are some things I prefer not to give up - like a bedroom door.

However, I do know that some prefer to have the pampered feel of a hotel room - just not for me.

 

[dtum]

Totally agree - don't want anyone in my space. Throwing towels in the washer that is in the unit is not big deal to me.

We drive and while my husband spends the last day resting up for the 15 hour trip. The kids swim, and I do all the laundry. It's wonderful to not bring home dirty clothes.

After an exhausing day we actually prefer eating in the condo. A bag of lettuce, fruit and a rotisserie chicken can be much more relaxing than a trip to a restaurant.

And last, but certainly not least - it's a vacation and there are some things I prefer not to give up - like a bedroom door.

However, I do know that some prefer to have the pampered feel of a hotel room - just not for me.

Agree 100% with everything. We did all our laundry the day before we left. Planned that to be an off day. DS, DD, SIL and GS enjoyed the pool. DH and I just hung around. Most restful time.

As far as having more space meaning more clutter. Everyone had their own room and how it looked was their problem, not mine (that's what doors are for). DD did get after GS at one point for his bathroom being a mess, but that's not my job.

There is totally no way we will ever stay on site (unless we win a contest) because we enjoy the amenities we get and are totally spoiled.

 

[dtum]

I will post loud and proud that I hated staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. And I am talking about the hotel, not the time share.

We decided to give it a try, and for a 3 night stay we left after night 1.

The Hilton and Waldorf across the street are amazing, but the Wyndham was garbage. It was for New Years weekend, so I had booked some reservations for dinner and such ahead of time. So we are checking in, and the front desk person tells me they lost my phone number, but the time of 5pm for dinner THEY gave me would not work, but we could have 9pm. Considering we had 2 kids under 4, this was not an option. And being New Years Eve, there were no other dining options open. So I was told some kind of manager would call me in the room for some reason.

We walked into our room, and it smelled. The trash was not emptied, and old food was in it. After about 45mins from the time we called, they finally came and got it. I just kept the bathroom door closed, and used our other room for toilet purposes. In that room was dead roaches along the floorboard near the window. It was disgusting. We got a call from the shift manager who was apologetic, but offered no compensation or option for new rooms. Oh, and that food manager who was supposed to call, never called, even after me calling the front desk to remind them to remind the manager to call me.

Anytime someone asks me about that hotel, I do my best to steer them away.

Not sure this is what the thread is about. OP is asking about the time-shares.

 

[Chim]

Not sure this is what the thread is about. OP is asking about the time-shares.

Well the thread is labelled "Anyone NOT like Bonnet Creek". The thread is about the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had a horrible stay. I said I stayed at the hotel side, but others reading this thread might be looking into the hotel part. That is what got my attention. Just passing along my experience.

EDIT: I went back and re-read OP post. Nowhere was said they were looking at the time share side. I am sorry for trying to be helpful if it didn't meet your standards.

 

[dtum]

Well the thread is labelled "Anyone NOT like Bonnet Creek". The thread is about the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had a horrible stay. I said I stayed at the hotel side, but others reading this thread might be looking into the hotel part. That is what got my attention. Just passing along my experience.

EDIT: I went back and re-read OP post. Nowhere was said they were looking at the time share side. I am sorry for trying to be helpful if it didn't meet your standards.

So sorry that I upset you.

 

[jenniferma]

Well the thread is labelled "Anyone NOT like Bonnet Creek". The thread is about the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had a horrible stay. I said I stayed at the hotel side, but others reading this thread might be looking into the hotel part. That is what got my attention. Just passing along my experience.

EDIT: I went back and re-read OP post. Nowhere was said they were looking at the time share side. I am sorry for trying to be helpful if it didn't meet your standards.

I was interested in your review either way. I think we've decided to stay onsite. I can totally see why people do the bigger place, but we think we'd be losing part of the disney "magic" and my DH and I are both kinda Disney freaks I guess thanks again everyone!

 

[AndyFL]

We stayed at several on-site resorts....mods and deluxe. Now that we have stayed at the BC we are hooked and don't even discuss staying onsite anymore with the exception of the YC. As for what I DON'T like about BC. If I had to choose, I'd say it is the bus schedule. Now I'm a schedule freak and make sure I have us where we need to be when we need to be there but I could easily see where folks could end up missing the last return bus at night....we almost did last May at Epcot. If you do however miss the last bus you can always take a Disney bus to the TTC because the last bus from there runs pretty late.

 

[tripplanner2]

We just returned from Bonnet Creek June 17th. This was my first and last trip offsite. Was Bonnet Creek nice? Yes... beautiful grounds, nice pools, great accomodations so what's not to like? Just like a previous poster said there's no "Disney Magic". As much as I wanted to really, really like it I didn't. There was nothing "wrong" with it, I just missed the feeling you get onsite. I guess this sounds crazy but I just didn't get the "warm fuzzies" like I do onsite. No warm welcome at check-in or "Welcome Home" from the gate attendant. I didn't enjoy washing towels, making up my own bed, cleaning up after everyone ( and yes I knew that it was timeshare and you get none of those ammenities). I cooked a couple of times and it just didn't feel as much like a vacation to cook and clean up. I really missed the dining plan tremendously!!! I missed the towel animals and Mickey soaps and again I know this sounds crazy as I type this!! I also really missed the food court when my daughter got a stomach virus and we were unable to go out to eat. We also didn't like driving into town to get food. Bonnet Creek is a top notch facility and is a wonderful value, but it wasn't a good fit for my family. This is just my opinion and most here really like it alot. Again I'm the minority here.I guess I'm a diehard onsiter who will pay too much money for the magic!

I am in your shoes. If this had been our first trip to Disney we would probably never go back. It was so much work I am still exhausted. And the hard sell was more than annoying. I went to the desk alone, and was never asked to fill out a form with our salary. She knew we lived on Long Island and I guess assumed we made a certain salary. The calls to the room were annoying and we were approached in the elevator and hotel lobby. I hated it. Actually looked forward to coming home. Add in that my daughter has asthma and their lack of a smoking policy was a huge issue for us. In addition, she is gluten free and the onsite restaurants could not feed her. Our first night, after traveling for 13 hours, the restaurants sent us to 3 different locations looking for food for her. I finally got back in the car and went to Caribbean Beach. She was able to eat anything she wanted. Never again would I stay here. Too much work, I was never on vacation. Another thing that bothered me, that I don't see people mentioning is the lack of lifeguards at the pool. Kids were going nuts and I was so afraid that someone would get hurt. As soon as we got there my kids were sad. I said what is wrong. THEY said, we just lost any hope of freedom! My kids are 13, 11, and 8. Last summer at POR they were able to go to the arcade while we were still in the food court. But we had a much better trip. I would rather stay in a small room and bring less with me than ever deal with staying in a timeshare again.

 

[WDW1979]

We have similar aged kids & stayed at POR in March 2012. It was a little tight but my oldest loved the new murphy bed and the others slept on the floor on sleeping pads sold as exercise pads at the Target store near the Florida Mall in Orlando. Sometimes when we needed to prepare for an outing or to just organize things in the room we would let the kids play on the grass just outside the room. And the grounds of POR are large, beautiful and relaxing; you just have to step out your door to enjoy. Though we have stayed at almost all of the Disney deluxe resorts, POR is our favorite Disney resort.

From what I have read Bonnet Creek seems like a great place with large rooms and low prices. We have been tempted. I think it all comes down to whether you would miss going to sleep and waking up in Disney World (we would miss it), and affordability.

Note that if you do stay at POR, I would advise paying extra for a preferred room so you don't have to walk so far to the main pool and Riverside Mill counter service restaurant.

 

[disneymom06]

We recently stayed at WBC for 12 days. It was a nice vacation and I could not have afforded to stay on site for this long. We did add 2 days to the 12 and stayed at POR so the comparison was interesting.

We were in tower 4 which was very nice. Room faced the parking lot but that was not an issue. I did check lowest income and stated that my husband would be joining me in a few days. He was in the car, napping from the long drive. Parking pass was quickly given and I was never contacted again. I did disconnect the phone just in case. The space was wonderful with 4 children. I did not care what their room looked like and I did throw a load into the machine more times than not, but I usually do laundry at Disney so this was very convenient. I like to have housekeeping in Disney but not every day so this was really not an issue either. We slept late, teenagers, and stayed up late so the living room and kitchen were wonderful.

The pools, while nice, were always crowded and at times rowdy. Security was at the pool one day, it appeared there was an incidence because there were a few guys watching the pool. We had the lazy river at our tower. What I did not expect was the amount of people drinking in the pool, mixed drinks as well as cans of beer. My 10yr old noticed people losing their drinks in the pool. We did visit the other pools where we found the same events. Also parties were going on taking up any available space for an extended period of time, a 50th birthday took up all of the chairs and tables in the left seating area outside of our pool one day.

We did not BBQ, My husband didn't want to bring the food thru the tower and did not want to eat outside because it was so crowded.

We drive so the buses were not an issue. Parking was but we were always able to get a spot on the second level of the parking garage. This was from the early afternoon on that there were few parking spots. It appeared that most people were in by 5pm.

We did not use the food service at WBC. We went to Disney food courts and restaurants and DTD. We did try Giordanos which was a nice change. While WBC only allows certain pizza to be delivered we did find flyers under our door on many nights.

The kids preferred POR. Us too!! It was the beds, we slept wonderfully. (WBC mattresses were not to our liking!) While we were greeted at WBC, it was different at POR. It is the ambiance and attitude of the place. We found parking at 11:30pm. It was quiet and peaceful. WHile the pool was crowded, there was a lifeguard and everyone appeared mindful of each other. People drank, ourselves included, but not in the pool. I was worried ending the trip this way but it was the best way to end the trip. While it was cramped, my daughter loved the little bed. Everyone was just thrilled to be on property. We were able to do 2 EMH's and took the bus back at 2:30am from MK. We drove other times.

I would go back to WBC for an extended vacation. WE have been to Disney MANY times so we don't do commando style. Some days we only got started at 4pm. I loved the ability to stay in the area for 12 days for less than the price of a value. I used the savings as my own Dining Plan and let the children order what they wanted when we ate out. (I don't cook on vacation.) I am aware of the trade off and for me it was worth it. But I think that you have to be prepared.I discovered WBC here on the DIS. I took a chance and I was glad that I did. We had a very nice vacation. Hope my comments help others, I would be glad to answer any questions.

 

[tripplanner2]

Disneymom: We had similar experiences. The pools were a bit out of control and the parents were not watching their kids. A lot of drinking going on and the attitude that nothing bad will happen on vacation seemed to be what ruled. I guess I am glad we tried it because I would have always wondered if we were missing out on something. But I would much rather wait to go during free dining, when we can afford to stay onsite and get the dining plan than ever stay offsite again. We never bothered moving to a different pool. We just got showered and went to DTD for dinner and shopping. We avoided the whole scene at the hotel as much as possible.

 

[disneymom06]

tripplanner2 We were glad we tried WBC as well. We actually would up going to the water parks and hanging out in the wave pool instead of the hotel pool. I agree that I will wait to see if free dining is available first. We have always done the August free dining but the dates kept changing and with one entering college we needed to be home earlier. So this year we tried July. It was different, but still a good vacation.

 

[tripplanner2]

Disneymom: We actually did the same thing. Spent long days at the water parks on our off days instead of at the resort. I also went to other Disney properties to eat and walk around. But I felt like I never got to relax as I do at POR.