Bonnet Creek Resort

[drise]

Just returned from WDW and noticed the entrance to Bonnet Creek Resort, didn't have time to check it out. Is it open? Wasn't this going to be a DVC resort before Saratoga Springs? Anyone know the scoop?

 

[Chuck S]

The Bonnet Creek Resort is not on Disney property, but is surrounded by Disney on 3 sides, and I-4 on the other. Disney HAD to allow access from it's road system. This is NOT the same Bonnet Creek resort area that DVC had planned, the DVC resort was to be near the Eagle Pines/Osprey Ridge golf courses (AKA the Bonnet Creek Golf Club), near Fort Wilderness area.

The Bonnet Creek Resort is a timeshare operated by Fairfield, and receives no "on-site" perks like package delivery, UMP passes, Disney Transport, free parking at the theme parks, or resort wide room charging. It is not Disney owned or operated.

 

[Caskbill]

Aside from being the 'closest' outside timeshare to Disney property, the Bonnet Creek resort is no different than any other timeshare in the Orlando area.

 

[lawgs]

according to the sales rep we spoke to at Fairfield Branson....

the Bonnet Creek Resort is located on Disney Property ( above Epcot not below ---reference here is from looking at the Disney World from I4 perspective )

he had it on good authority from two security guards from Disney who he had toured at Fairfield Branson....he even had it circled on a Disney Brochure

we just chuckled to ourselves when he told us this

we also told him he did not have his "facts" straight

by the way they were "selling" bonnet creek in branson.......a mere 45k$ for 308,000 points which are deeded

of course, that price dropped as they continued the sales pitch to 17k$ for 154,000 points in the Fairfield system which seems to be "elitist" that is the more you buy the better the deals you get on booking Fairfield resorts with a supposed guarantee of an upgrade to larger units if you were a silver gold or platinum level of points ownership

in his sales pitch, he said you just book a studio and usually will get a two bedroom ( scratched my head since the points to "rent" the two bedroom have to come from somewhere...probably from the person who could not afford the points to put them in the above "levels" )

the one plus we saw ....at least they assign a fair value ( # of points ) to "other timeshares owned ( not DVC though ) , not like some RCI points resorts.....

 

[RobDoc]

I just found some additional info about the Bonnet Creek Resort.

Currently, there are 23 villas open. Fairfield has recently purchased an additional 12 acre parcel that will provide room for an additional 356 villas. When completed, it will total 58 acres and have eleven towers with 1,100 units and it will be the largest of Fairfield's timeshare resorts. There will be one, two and three bedroom villas and a few four bedroom penthouse suites.

I don't think that Fairfield will own the entire tract in that property behind CBR. It will be interesting to see what other development is added in the future. The article that had this information made no mention of priximity to Disney at all - it merely referred to the resort as Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando, FL.

 

[Lisa P.]

Fairfield BC recently had their official "Grand Opening" with the opening of their second building (first regular condo building besides the Village Center). There are now 121 condos open - none are lock-offs, just 1BR, 2BR, 3BR & 4BR. I've read trip reports from FF owners who've stayed in all unit sizes and they've been very favorable.

Like DVC, Fairfield is not for everyone. We like it better because of the way we vacation. For trading around within the U.S.A., it's been great for us. We reserve what we want at FF resorts directly without paying additional reservation fees and we trade full weeks through RCI. With FF, we've stayed in nice condos while visiting NYC, Wash. DC, the Grand Canyon/Sedona/LV, Williamsburg, FL/SC beaches and the southeast mountain retreats near home. But people who love to stay onsite at Disney most years would prefer DVC.

It sounds like the salesperson in Branson was confused by the Bonnet Creek golf course, found on maps of Disney property - a pretty common mistake, it seems. Here's a previous DIS thread about the Fairfield Orlando Resort in the Bonnet Creek development next to Disney's CBR.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by WebmasterDoc
I don't think that Fairfield will own the entire tract in that property behind CBR. It will be interesting to see what other development is added in the future.

True. The Bonnet Creek Resort is 482 acres. The Fairfield Resort (the timeshare development) will only take up 58 acres.

The master plan called for a Rees Jones-designed 18-hole golf club and several luxury hotels -- brands such as Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental. But, so far, no luxury hotel developer has signed on. So, for the time being, folks on this board discuss the Bonnet Creek Resort and the Fairfield Resort as though they are the same thing (but, really, they're not).

Brooksville Development Corp., the developer of the Bonnet Creek Resort, put the parcel back on the market about six months ago. I haven't seen any news that any other developer has bought it.

Yes, it will be interesting to see how this parcel in eventually developed, especially if the original plan to attract luxury hotels doesn't work out.

 

[ralphd]

One of the Orlando television channels had a report about the slow timeshare sales two weeks ago. They set the Bonnet Creek sign as the background and interviewed a former Fairfield salesperson.

ralphd

 

[lawgs]

Lisa P .....

no .....no mistake ....he ( sales rep ) said the resort was built on disney property....just above epcot ( maybe it was the security guards who mistakenly informed him though.... about the bonnet creek albeit it might have been the golf course THEY were referring to )

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Click here to see where the Bonnet Creek Resort is located in relation to roads and Disney resorts, and how it is bounded by Disney property on the north, west, and south, and by I-4 on the east.

The "painted" section (mostly green) with blue labels is the entire 482-acre Bonnet Creek Resort. The aerial photograph section with the yellow labels is Disney property (at least the part to the left of I-4).

 

[CarolA]

From what I was told years ago.... this land was not purchased by Disney prior to the news going public that it was Disney buying up the farmland in the area. When the owner heard it was Disney the price went WAY WAY up and Disney walked. The land was offered to Disney periodically at VERY high prices and Disney continued to say no. (I assume that someone did pay a very nice price for this property!)

 

[Joe T.]

We have been Fairfield owners since 1993, two years before buying at OKW. We had good fortune and have scheduled 3-br and 2-br villas starting next Tuesday. We will move to OKW on Sunday 12/05 for the next 6 days. It will be an opportunity to compare, but it is hard to imagine that anything can come close to the OKW villas.

During our last trip to WDW in March we stopped to see about the Bonnet Creek resort. The salesman was full of misrepresentations. We were not interested in buying, but he completely turned us off. The proximity to WDW gives us the opportunity to extend our stay in the area. Their point system gives us much more flexibilty than the Marriott system.

I promise a good trip report in January.

 

[kweaver]

Joe, as far as the decor and quality of the units, I think you will be pleased. I saw them in person in June (though not the 3BR unit...so I can't reall compare it to a GV at OKW).

IIRC, the square footage of the 2BR units was similar to the standard DVC units (not OKW)...but it felt much bigger to me (the Master bathroom fixtures were all in once space rather than separate...so maybe that was the difference). The kitchen space and layout was far superior.

 

[d-r]

Originally posted by lawgs
Lisa P .....

no .....no mistake ....he ( sales rep ) said the resort was built on disney property....just above epcot ( maybe it was the security guards who mistakenly informed him though.... about the bonnet creek albeit it might have been the golf course THEY were referring to )

Dang it. A time share sales rep saying something that isn't true/correct. What is the world coming to?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by lawgs
no .....no mistake ....he ( sales rep ) said the resort was built on disney property....just above epcot ( maybe it was the security guards who mistakenly informed him though.... about the bonnet creek albeit it might have been the golf course THEY were referring to )

Take a look at http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2004_Nov_18/k.OSR.1100889818.html
<blockquote>The resort is the only non-Disney property inside the gates of Walt Disney World, {Fairfield media relations manager Jim} Cohn said.</blockquote>
So, that's Fairfield's official company line!

Well, it is sort of true. You drive through a WDW entry arch onto WDW property. That's sort of "inside the gates." After all, there's no exit arch as you head into the Bonnet Creek Resort.

And, I guess Fairfield's definition of "property" only applies to land. The last time I looked, the Hilton, the Swan, and the Dolphin were all the property of Tishman Hotels -- but they're on land leased from Disney. (And they're not the only non-Disney hotels "inside the gates.")

 

[SnowWitch]

Just had a conversation with a co-worker who has a week booked there. And she was told by a Fairfield rep that it was on Disney property.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by SnowWitch
Just had a conversation with a co-worker who has a week booked there. And she was told by a Fairfield rep that it was on Disney property.

This burns me up. I'm not sure why, but it does.

MG

 

[kathrynmtague]

The resort is the only non-Disney property inside the gates of Walt Disney World, {Fairfield media relations manager Jim} Cohn said.


But when you think about it, aren't the Swan and Dolphin also non-disney properties inside the gates of WDW?

 

[mitros]

Regarding an earlier poster, the DVC Bonnet Creek development by the gulf courses will be the next DVC resort once they come close to completing sales and constrution at SSR.