Bonnet Creek Resort

[MELSMICE]

This may belong on the Rumors & News Board, so someone please move it if it does.

We just returned today from OKW. While there we saw the entrance to the new Bonnet Creek Resort. Not knowing what it was I asked one of the OKW Guest Relations CM's about it.

Don't know if this is correct but here's what she said:

It seems there is a "rush" on the vacation club sales, so if this continues Bonnet Creek is going to be vacation club resort. If not, they will turn it into a value resort?

This seemed to go from one extreme to the other. Has anyone else heard anything else about this?

 

[PamOKW]

There are two resorts we could be talking about. Over near CBR the Bonnett Creek Resort is being built and should probably be near completion. This is NOT a Disney resort -- just very, very close to Disney property.

The proposed DVC resort was Eagle Pines and would be located in the Bonnet Creek Golf Complex that Disney owns (Eagle Pines & Osprey courses).

Here's the wording from an Orlando Sentinel article back in 2002

By Todd Pack | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 27, 2002

Orlando-based Fairfield Resorts Inc. said Wednesday it will be the first company to built at the 480-acre Bonnet Creek Resort, which is bordered on three sides by Walt Disney World.

Fairfield said it will buy 46 acres from Bonnet Creek Venture Ltd. for a 744-unit time-share resort.

The deal is expected to close on Oct. 1. Construction will start in 2003, and the Fairfield Orlando at Bonnet Creek should open in June 2004.

Fairfield's agreement with Bonnet Creek gives the company an option to buy a second 12-acre parcel that can accommodate another 350 units.Franz Hanning, Fairfield's president and chief executive, called Bonnet Creek "the area's premier location for resort development."

Bonnet Creek is between Interstate 4 and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Fairfield's resort will be accessible from Buena Vista Drive, which runs across Disney property.

That location should give Fairfield an edge in Central Florida's competitive time-share market, Hanning said, but its toughest competition could come from Disney itself.

Disney has announced plans to replace a quarter of its Disney Institute resort with 192 time-share units. Disney's Beach Club Villas time-share complex is scheduled to open July 1.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Are you talking about Bonnet Creek located next to Caribbean Beach? If so, that property isn't owned by Disney at all, so it can't be turned into a DVC resort. That particular property is going to be timeshares, hotels, and golf course, and is owned, I believe, by Sheraton. There is a Bonnet Creek golf course that IS owned by Disney, over near the campground. At one time it was going to be the next DVC property developed, but DVC got an offer they couldn't refuse on the SSR property, so that was developed first. I believe the development of Bonnet Creek golf course as a DVC property was put on the back burner till SSR is about done, then perhaps...

 

[Cruelladeville]

OOPS!! Fairfield Resorts owns Bonnet Creek

 

[PamOKW]

Cruella -- I'm not sure myself whether Fairfield still owns it or not. I went to their site and I don't see any indication of the resort opening this June. Of course, they may be like DVC and don't post about it until they can legally start sales.

Anyone have updated info?

 

[Cruelladeville]

Pam,
When I was there a couple of weeks ago I drove in to see if I could find a sign or something that said who actually owns the property, but nothing was there. I also visited the websites of Fairfield and Sheraton, and Sheraton says to look for future openings in Orlando, but that doesn't really mean anything, either. Your newspaper article may be the most accurate indication of who really does own that property--I wish Disney did, however. Once you let the riff-raff in, the housing values go down, what's next?

 

[MELSMICE]

It is not over near Eagle Pines, it is closer to the Carribean Beach. From the entrance sign, it looks nothing like any other Disney resorts, so I was surprised when the CM told me this. Just from the looks of it I assumed it was a resort on Disney property but not owned by Disney.

BTW - We ventured over to Saratoga Springs on bikes from OKW one afternoon (DH just kept going & going until we were in the midst of construction!)

The resort & everything around it looks beautiful. It's going to be a great DVC resort.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The Bonnet Creek Resort is right next to the Caribbean Beach Resort on land that's bordered on three sides by Disney property.

It's not owned by Fairfield Resorts or Sheraton. For decades, the 482-acre site has been owned by an Asian investor. A few years ago, he finally brought in a developer, Orlando-based Brooksville Development Corp. Brooksville brought in architect Guy Butler, who developed a master plan with four high-end hotels, a timeshare resort, and an 18-hole golf course

So far, the Brooksville Development has not had any luck attracting hotels, despite the great location. But they did sign a timeshare developer. Fairfield Resorts is building a 700-unit timeshare resort on 46 acres (less than 10% of the Bonnet Creek Resort complex). The timeshare resort is being built around a lake, right next to the CBR. By the way, Fairfield Resorts is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation, and is not related to Marriott's Fairfield Inns and Suites.

As PamOKW noted, there are two places called "Bonnet Creek." They're several miles apart, but both are along a waterway that's called... you guessed it... Bonnet Creek. In 2001, Disney announced plans for a new DVC resort at the Eagle Pines Golf Course at Disney's Bonnet Creek Golf Club. This golfing area is on Disney property north of the Port Orleans Resort. Currently, development of the DVC resort there is on hold in favor of DVC's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

I would not be surprised in Disney renames Disney's Bonnet Creek Golf Club to avoid confusion.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

Fairfield Purchased Part Of The 480-Acres in 2002

I just pulled out an old press release. On June 27th 2002 Fairfield Resorts Inc., announced it was "the first" to purchase 46-acres from the 480-acre development Horace referred too.

There have been several previous posts regarding this property here on these boards.

In the release Fairfield announced they were building a 744-unit property dedicated to timeshare sales. They hope to sell to 55,000 families.

Eagle Creek was announced in October 2001, but Disney Vacation Development put that on the back burner when it was decided it could use the infrastructure (Pipes, sewers, etc.) for the Saratoga Springs resort on the property of the old Disney Institute. SSR of course opens in May.

 

[NancyDVC]

As per the DVC member update in early MArch of this year the plans for a DVC resort at the Bonnet Creek golf club was put on the back burner because the demand for DVC was so hight that they couldn't get it up and running in a timely fashion. That is why they chose instead to go with SSR at the old DI property where the infrastructure was already in place roads, sewage, water etc.
That made more feasible to get the resort built and up and running in a more timely fashion!
According to some reports the sales staff for Bonnet Creek Resort that is being built by Fairfield is promising things like "Disney Transport' and other perks which are reserved for Disney resort guests only. I truly believe that no matter what they promise their resort and service will never be DVC quality!

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by NancyDVC
As per the DVC member update in early MArch of this year the plans for a DVC resort at the Bonnet Creek golf club was put on the back burner because the demand for DVC was so hight that they couldn't get it up and running in a timely fashion. That is why they chose instead to go with SSR at the old DI property where the infrastructure was already in place roads, sewage, water etc.
That made more feasible to get the resort built and up and running in a more timely fashion!
According to some reports the sales staff for Bonnet Creek Resort that is being built by Fairfield is promising things like "Disney Transport' and other perks which are reserved for Disney resort guests only. I truly believe that no matter what they promise their resort and service will never be DVC quality!

There's no way they could have gotten SSR up and running any faster than they could have Eagle Pines. They had the plans done and had much of it staked out before the change of direction. Not only did they have to start from scratch for all the hotel property options including common buildings, they had to demolish existing buildings to even get started. So anyone that said it was faster and that was the reason for the change was just blowing smoke.

 

[tiffany123]

The new resort near CBR is Fairfield's Bonnet Creek Resort. It is a Fairfield timeshare and memberships are currently being sold for there. Fairfield owners are now permitted to make reservations there and it will open in mid-May according to Fairfield press releases. Units will be 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms.

 

[Caskbill]

As mentioned the Bonnet Creek resort is by Fairfield Resorts.

However, reading the OP again, I think it might be Pop Century being discussed, not Bonnet Creek. Pop Century was designed as two large resorts, the 1st half already opened. The other half is on the other side of the lake and construction has stopped with mostly the external construction completed. Internally the building can still be constructed as separate hotel rooms, or connected to make villas, similar to the way VWL, BWV, BCV and SSR villas are configured.

I was told that they may take that construction and change it to a DVC resort if they need to. If not, then they would continue to develop it as the 2nd half of the Pop-Century resort which is a value resort.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Caskbill
However, reading the OP again, I think it might be Pop Century being discussed, not Bonnet Creek.

No, it's Bonnet Creek. There are 2 large gray concrete walls to the entrance that are engraved with the name Bonnet Creek Resort. Like I said, it doesn't look anything like a WDW resort, DVC or otherwise. In fact, the signs are not very attractive at all. Kind of stands out like a sore thumb. The resort may end up being beautiful, but the entrance signs are not.

Friends of ours stayed at Pop Century at the same time we were there. They talked to someone who said the rest of Pop Century was being used for additional Pop rooms.

Of course, we all know that different CM's are always armed with different information, so until something is complete who knows what it's going to be!!

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by Caskbill
...(snip)..... I think it might be Pop Century being discussed, not Bonnet Creek. Pop Century was designed as two large resorts, the 1st half already opened. The other half is on the other side of the lake and construction has stopped with mostly the external construction completed. Internally the building can still be constructed as separate hotel rooms, or connected to make villas, similar to the way VWL, BWV, BCV and SSR villas are configured.

I was told that they may take that construction and change it to a DVC resort if they need to. If not, then they would continue to develop it as the 2nd half of the Pop-Century resort which is a value resort.

Change part of POP Century to a DVC?? They can't be serious! Who would want to buy that????

Can't imagine what the attraction would be - they'd have to at least connect it to the monorail system to get me interested in even looking at it!

JMHO. What do I know??

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Originally posted by CarolMN
Change part of POP Century to a DVC?? They can't be serious! Who would want to buy that????

Can't imagine what the attraction would be - they'd have to at least connect it to the monorail system to get me interested in even looking at it!

JMHO. What do I know??

I would buy there for sure! My son loved it at Pop Century! The themeing is beautiful! It is a perfect place for little kids! The only down side is no slide feature! But I would buy there if it were offered as a DVC resort. Plus I think that the points per night would be low since the rooms are smaller than DVC studios.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I think it's fairly safe to say you wouldn't have any problems getting a ressie on short notice.