Bonnet Creek vs. Windsor Hills

[mommy4]

Help me decide! Which is closer? Which is an easier drive to the parks? Has anyone used the Bonnet Creek shuttle?
Please help!

 

[Brian Noble]

Geographically, Bonnet Creek feels as though it is "inside" the world, though politically it is not---you have to drive under a set of "Welcome to WDW" gates to get there, but the land it sits on is not owned by Disney.

Bonnet Creek is sort of off in a corner on Lake Buena Vista Drive, right between CBR and I-4. It's closer to many Disney destinations than OKW or SSR in terms of drive time; we notice that we drive past it on the bus between OKW and at least a couple of parks.

But, LBV Drive has several traffic lights, and it's not particularly fast, so even though Windsor Hills is farther in terms of distance, it's only a minute or two difference in terms of drive time---Windsor Hills is much closer to AK than Bonnet Creek is, and Studios is probably a push. Windsor Hills has at most 2-3 traffic lights between you and any theme park lot, because it has easier access to a couple of main WDW arteries.

Bonnet Creek's shuttle is scheduled. They have a decent schedule, but I still would not depend on it. I would absolutely get a car.

At the end of the day, you'd have a hard time going wrong with either choice. Bonnet Creek is a bit more "resorty" and will have more on-resort activites. Windsor Hills is a bit more "like home", because each unit has been decorated by the owners to suit their individual style, and many of the owners stay there at various periods of the year.

 

[nifferearly]

I haven't stayed at Windsor Hills, but we stayed at Bonnet Creek in May and LOVED it! The rooms were gorgeous and there was a great pool area with lazy river and kid's splash pad. Also a great playground. My son was 3 1/2 and everything was perfect for him. We timed the drive to HS and it was 4 minutes. Didn't take the shuttle - we always like the freedom of having our car. I would probably rent a car, because you're going to be limited in restaurants and getting groceries without one. Bonnet Creek was right off I-4, so it was really quick to get "off property" for dinner and shopping. We would definitely stay there again.

 

[HeatherC]

Bonnet Creek is a bit more upscale than Windsor Hills I would say. It is located next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort. So it is pretty much "onsite" even if it is technically not owned by Disney.

It is very close to Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk.

Windsor Hills is closer to AK.

You can't go wrong with either. If you like the idea of all the offsite restaurants and such along 192, I would go with Windsor Hills.

If you want to be pretty much "onsite" in a beautiful setting, I would go with Bonnet Creek.

Have a great time!

 

[chris7]

I just looked at the website for Bonnet Creek and thought it looked great so I was curious about the cost. I typed in a couple of dates to just get a feel for the pricing. Wow!!! A 2 bedroom at BC costs almost double what a 3 bedroom townhome with it's own pool costs at WH.

I realize those are probably "rack rates". Is there a way to get better pricing at Bonnet Creek?

 

[mommy4]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm having a terrible time deciding if we should stay off site or hope for a deal for on-site. I love not having to worry about driving and we really liked the dining plan when we last went. However, having 6 of us in one room at POR last time was a little hard.
I have emailed Ken Price from Bonnet Creek to ask him some questions and I have several quotes from Windsor Hills. Anyone else I should consider?

 

[sisaaliyah]

You all just made Bonnet Creek sound so WONDERFUL that maybe I should consider it. DH talked to an aquaintance yesterday that owns there and his wife called me last night to chat about it. I only talked to her for two minutes as I was disappointed that it wasn't Disney owned. I have my heart set on staying at Boardwalk for the convenience of walking/boating to Epcot and Hollywood Studios plus EMH's. We also will rent a car and then if we stay at Bonnet Creek will have to pay to park at all the parks. I know you don't need a car on-site, but I prefer to have one.

 

[Brian Noble]

I realize those are probably "rack rates". Is there a way to get better pricing at Bonnet Creek?

Rent from an owner. However, Wyndham has made some recent policy changes that are designed to make the lives of larger-scale renters more difficult, so you should expect prices from owners (even VIP owners) to go up a little bit over the next year or so.

You can find owners at ebay, TUG (www.tug2.net) and RedWeek (www.redweek.com) among other places.

I have my heart set on staying at Boardwalk for the convenience of walking/boating to Epcot and Hollywood Studios plus EMH's. We also will rent a car and then if we stay at Bonnet Creek will have to pay to park at all the parks. I know you don't need a car on-site, but I prefer to have one.

It all depends on what you want, but the price difference can be substantial. Even renting points, a 2BR at BWV during our late February week costs $3500 give or take. As a Wyndham owner, with my particular maintenance fee level, I can get a 2BR at Bonnet Creek for the same week for less than $900, worst case. And, my ownership was quite inexpensive, purchased resale for about a dime on the dollar---you could do even better today. Even adding the cost of a rental car, gas, and theme park parking, the week at Bonnet Creek is still only about $1300, or just a bit more than 1/3 the cost.

We like staying in DVC units, but if we couldn't exchange in with our own timeshares, there is no way we'd ever pay to stay there. I keep thinking about buying in, but even resale, it's a larger expense than I'm willing to take on. I have other things I'd rather do with $20K.

 

[summermac]

Have you considered moving your travel date up to take advantage of the 4/3 deal? I think it ends in June. ???? (Just look for that Dis ad. LMAO!)

We are staying at Windsor Hills. We could have taken advantage of the 4/3 deal (June trip) but I like the idea of my own "home" rather than just two double beds in a value resort. In the end, I think we're going to spend about the same amount either way.

 

[cinderellamom123]

Have you considered moving your travel date up to take advantage of the 4/3 deal? I think it ends in June. ???? (Just look for that Dis ad. LMAO!)

We are staying at Windsor Hills. We could have taken advantage of the 4/3 deal (June trip) but I like the idea of my own "home" rather than just two double beds in a value resort. In the end, I think we're going to spend about the same amount either way.

In two weeks we are staying at Bonnet Creek in a two bedroom for $100 per night. I also priced out the 4/3 deal for the cabins. We are saving $1500 by staying at Bonnet. Yes, you do have to pay to park, however, not tax/resort fees and free internet more than compensate for that. For $1500 I will give up a few extra magic hours!

 

[mommy4]

This is a great discussion and I really think that bonnet creek would be best for us. Is there anyone else besides Ken Price that people have used? I think his rate was $120 a night for a 2 bedroom. How did you get $100 a night?

 

[cinderellamom123]

This is a great discussion and I really think that bonnet creek would be best for us. Is there anyone else besides Ken Price that people have used? I think his rate was $120 a night for a 2 bedroom. How did you get $100 a night?

I am going thru ken. Just remember that it depends on when you are going and how far in advance you book. I am going in 2 weeks

 

[James65]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm having a terrible time deciding if we should stay off site or hope for a deal for on-site. I love not having to worry about driving and we really liked the dining plan when we last went. However, having 6 of us in one room at POR last time was a little hard.
I have emailed Ken Price from Bonnet Creek to ask him some questions and I have several quotes from Windsor Hills. Anyone else I should consider?

We're having our first family trip next month, and staying in a 3 bedroom condo in WH ... think it is $110 per night. PM me if you want some more info.

 

[Brian Noble]

The number of points it takes to reserve a 2BR at Bonnet Creek can vary by a factor of five or more depending on time of year, how far in advance you book, whether the owner has "VIP" status (and what level), etc.

 

[mom22boys]

We stayed in a 2 Bed/2 Bath condo at Bonnet Creek and loved it! We rented from an owner and paid $750 for 7 nights! I thought the price was great! The resort and facilities are beautiful and the convenience can't be beat. You literally can see the rooftops of CBR from the Bonnet Creek parking lot. I know that "policitically" you are not on WDW property, but it sure feels like you are! The washer and dryer and full-sized kitchen really came in handy. One negative thing to mention, when we were there the resort was still under construction. We were never bothered by noise or workers, but visually you could see they were still working on the resort. It did not impact our vacation at all, but I know some people are more sensitive than others.

Now, this March we will be staying in a 3 Bed/2 Bath condo at Windsor Hills. Again, we are paying $750 for 7 nights. For this trip we wanted to be a little further away from the magic and we wanted the extra bedroom. I think we will only be going into the parks for three days and plan on relaxing and just getting some down time together.

Good luck deciding!

 

[Serene]

Mom22boys, would you mind posting who you rented from, or what site you found your owners on?

 

[maddiesmum]

I would be interested in the same info as well.

 

[horseshowmom]

We stayed in a 2 Bed/2 Bath condo at Bonnet Creek and loved it! We rented from an owner and paid $750 for 7 nights! I thought the price was great! The resort and facilities are beautiful and the convenience can't be beat. You literally can see the rooftops of CBR from the Bonnet Creek parking lot. I know that "policitically" you are not on WDW property, but it sure feels like you are! The washer and dryer and full-sized kitchen really came in handy. One negative thing to mention, when we were there the resort was still under construction. We were never bothered by noise or workers, but visually you could see they were still working on the resort. It did not impact our vacation at all, but I know some people are more sensitive than others.

We just got back and absolutley loved Bonnet Creek! We sat on our balcony every night and watched the fireworks from both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We paid $90 a night through ebay, but the same 2BR/2BA unit went for $300 a week prior to Christmas from the same seller (kwksprop) for the week before we went. He's a VIP member.

 

[mom22boys]

For this year's Windsor Hills rental we found an owner through vrbo.com. She has been extremely pleasant, professional, and easy to work with. I am completely confident in the service she is providing. She does have her own website. It is vacation-rentals4u.com (sorry my hyperlink option isn't working ). We are staying in the Tommy Bahama style condo. It has been recently painted and has had ceiling fans and more art work added. The owner has said that it is even more beautiful than the pictures. I am very excited to see it. I would be more than happy to post pics when we get back.

For our Bonnet Creek rental. We rented from an owner that we personally know; one of my very good friends is an owner. If you have a serious inquiry PM me and I can ask her if she would want your contact info.

Have fun vacation planning!

 

[BonnieP]

Hello,
My husband and I just rented a 3/bedroom, 3/bath townhouse at Windsor Hills for the end of January. We got a price of the 4-day/3-day free at the POFQ for a rate of $832./inc. tax, which includes 7nights, 1 day pass each, and $200 gift card-which is nice. The townhouse is costing us under $600./inc. tax. The prices on the properties are different for each month and we did this reservation just last week. This will be our first time staying at Windsor Hills and dealing with the owner has been fine, so far.....

We planned on visiting Disney 3 days out of the 7, so we thought we would try renting. We already have tickets so we really did not want to purchase a 1-day ticket with the Disney package.

Even though it's just the two of us this trip, I think we will enjoy the 1400 sq.ft. for the time we are there and the splash pool at the townhouse.
Bonnet Creek was higher for that time period, even at this late date.

We have always stayed on property, but we thought we'd give this a try....