Bonnet Creek booking window?

[princesspwrhr]

What is the Bonnet Creek booking window? We're heading down next June and as soon as I had dates I started looking at Bonnet Creeks website to see what rack would be and compare to anything else I could find. For the longest time it had a message about the dates not being available that far out. I started checking daily (versus weekly) at the end of May. One day I got the message about my dates being to far out. The very next day I got a message that our party size needs two rooms. I click on the 2 bedroom option - all booked, go back to the 1 bedroom, choose 2 rooms - all booked. Since then I have daily gotten the message that there are zero available rooms for our dates - yet I see on here and other internet places people saying they "just booked for mid June 2013" So what's the window? 30 minutes at midnight when the full moon is in the house of zodiac while standing on your head with your tongue out? lol

 

[LadyBeBop]

I'm assuming you're not a timeshare owner.

I don't know the timeframe regarding renting from Wyndham itself. I own points at Wyndham (though my home resort is not WBC). The timeframe for those who own points at Wyndham is:

13 months out for those whose home resort is WBC.
10 months out for those whose home resort is not WBC.

I'm anxiously awaiting the day after Christmas, because that is my ten month mark.

If you were paying, I wouldn't rent directly from Wyndham. I'd rent from someone who owns points at Wyndham. The "I Love BC" thread has their names. Since it's after the 13 month mark, you should be able to get something.

 

[princesspwrhr]

Well, I do own at an RCI trading timeshare, but am new to it (I know about tuggbb- I've been there several times for research) and I have an ongoing search set up already with RCI.

I know there are zillions of timeshares around Disney, we've stayed a few with my parents II trade, or toured others at various times. They are always an option if we can't get a trade for Bonnet Creek - but what I'm looking for is what the "rack rate" is for my party size at Bonnet Creek, so that way I have something to compare a rental price to. We have been spoiled and of our 14 trips 10 have been onsite and we very much like it and would prefer to be onsite again. However, we are a family of 5 (with an extra usually) the girls are older and our favorite standby of Ft. Wilderness with it's 1 bathroom won't cut it anymore, the DVC price (even rental) blows my current vacation budget since we have no choice but June this year and my husband would "rather not go than stay at a value resort". My oldest & I have stayed at values when we went with her gymnastics team and they're perfectly fine, but dh won't so it's off the table - we do spend a lot of time at the resort when we go down. So all that brings us to an extremely high interest in Bonnet Creek, dh's first choice offsite.

If Bonnet Creek doesn't come up with my ongoing search, I need to know what to compare a rental price to so I can present him with the options - stay at 1st choice for X rack, X rental (assuming I can get one depending how close we get to the date) or pay X in fees to stay at this place, that place or that place.

Do you (or anyone reading) happen to know what the RCI TPU for Bonnet Creek is for June? I saw a DVC unit come up at one point in RCI with a TPU of 43,I can't remember what month it was, just shocked that the TPU jumped from what I had been reading on tuggbb, but most in the Orlando area are low to mid 20s for June 2013 - Bonnet Creek doesn't come up past January.

 

[LadyBeBop]

I saw a DVC unit come up at one point in RCI with a TPU of 43,I can't remember what month it was, just shocked that the TPU jumped from what I had been reading on tuggbb, but most in the Orlando area are low to mid 20s for June 2013 - Bonnet Creek doesn't come up past January.

I wouldn't worry too terribly much right now. We're still at the 12 month period. Those who own at Wyndham (but not BC) still hasn't had the chance to reserve for June yet.

I wouldn't make any definate plans until December at the very earliest. As you said, you'll always get a good timeshare in Orlando anytime of year.

I know about the TPU change. We actually own two timeshares, a week in the Carribbean (TPU 15) and a week every other year at Wyndham (on points). Because of the way our timeshares are structured, we cannot combine them into one vacation. When DVC was in the high 20s, we were going to use two years worth of vacation in the Carribean and spend the week at DVC. That went out the window quickly. We just barely have enough Wyndham points for a week at WBC in late October 2013, so that's what we're going to do. I hope.

If not, then it's our old standby, the last two times we went to Orlando, Orange Lake Country Club.

 

[DCTooTall]

Wyndham is a bit odd with the way they handle RCI and internal rental inventory.

Basically, Because of the way the ownership works are the resort with timeshare owners, You often won't see anything become available on their website for public rental until closer to the 90day mark when they have a better idea of what kind of inventory will be available to rent.

With RCI inventory, it's also a bit odd for 2 reasons. 1. Wyndham actually owns RCI. 2. Since RCI gets it's inventory by people depositing their week (or points) into the exchange system, it would require people deposit their Wyndham points into RCI to trade outside the wyndham system. [wyndham has a pretty good internal system, you see a lot more people using their points at non-home resorts before you see them trade into RCI]. I've also heard that because of the way the wyndham system operates, they end up deciding what inventory from the wyndham system t deposit into the RCI system when an owner makes a trade/deposit.... so there isn't a direct easy way for us to know how often they choose from the WBC inventory to deposit into RCI.



Either way... if you are trying to get an idea of the "rack rate" from renting in june directly from Wyndham, See if you can find something from this year. It would at least give you a ballpark idea what it may be like for next year..... and you can see how much cheaper it is to rent from an owner directly.

 

[hmueller]

I just joined RCI this year and am looking to book at BC in February. I obsessively check every day or 2 just to keep an eye on availability. All of a sudden the prices for all but the farthest month out (March 2013) have dropped. ?? Is that common? Will the prices go back up? I wasn't planning to book the room right away, but now I'm afraid I'll miss this deal if I don't snag it.

 

[Brian Noble]

I have an ongoing search set up already with RCI.

You should be fine. Wyndham owners can book internally at 10 months. Wyndham's RCI deposit policy is to give owners the first crack at inventory internally and only deposit after that. So, Wyndham tends to deposit inventory one month at a time, approximately 7-8 months in advance of check-in, favoring properties that have plenty of availability vs. those that have little. Bonnet is so big that it almost always shows up for every week of the year. Wyndham's March '13 RCI deposit just went in yesterday (and included both the week before and after Easter in 2BRs at Bonnet). So, figure about three months from now, give or take, before your ongoing search is satisfied.

am looking to book at BC in February.

I would not wait too long. Bonnet inventory tends not to linger. If you are booking as an exchange, get the cancel protection in case you change your mind. If you are renting an Extra Vacation, you just have to weigh the chances that you'll change your mind against the amount of the rental you'll forfeit.

 

[Mikscrap]

I'm trying to figure out when is the best time to rent points. I'm not going until June 2013 we are about 8 months out now. Quotes I've gotten say better deals could be had within 60 days. I don't feel comfortable waiting until 60 days out to book at WBC. Just wondering though if its better to wait until Jan/Feb to book to see better prices than now.

 

[DCTooTall]

I'm trying to figure out when is the best time to rent points. I'm not going until June 2013 we are about 8 months out now. Quotes I've gotten say better deals could be had within 60 days. I don't feel comfortable waiting until 60 days out to book at WBC. Just wondering though if its better to wait until Jan/Feb to book to see better prices than now.

The point cost to the owner doesn't drop until the 60 day mark, so you are unlikely to see a resulting cost for the rental until that time.

I'd recommend going ahead and booking. Some owners (such as Ken Price) will often rebook at the lower rate if they can within the window and pass the savings on to you. Other commercial renters will assume they can rebook under the discount closer to the travel dates, and will quote you a cheaper price now under that assumption. These days, it's usually only under the last minute ebay "fire sale" rentals that you can get a drastically different cost, but those are not guaranteed and you risk either the room type you are wanting not being available, or the resort even being sold out during the time you are wanting to travel.