HATE Bonnet Creek Resort...

[cposey]

BUT, not for the reasons you may think. We should be staying there right now...and I'm sure the accommodations would be great. We have been very much looking forward to our stay there and our trip to Disney since we booked it back in January.

Unfortunately, on Friday - the day before we were to leave for Orlando and check in to the hotel, our 5 yr. old DD was rushed to Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It's not an in-and-out diagnosis and we had to spend 3 days in the hospital. On Friday afternoon, immediately upon realizing this trip was NOT going to happen, I contacted Disney 1st to cancel our character meals for the upcoming evening. The Disney cast member was sooooo understanding and very compassionate about our situation. She made a note and assured us that when we are able to reschedule, to contact them and they would make sure they would do something special for DD.

Next we contacted Bonnet Creek to see what our options were in the case of such an emergency. We were not looking for refund (since full payment had been made)...more to just postpone or reschedule for another time. We explained our situation with our young child and told them the hospital would gladly send them a letter verifying the emergency - that we could not travel. They wouldn't do ANYTHING...except keep our money. I can understand no refund, since it was such late notice...that's not the problem, but to not offer to reschedule us for a later date...that's just pretty tacky.

Coincidentally, a neighbor who also had a Disney Vacation planned this week had to also postpone because of a lesser medical emergency (broken arm). They were booked in a Disney Resort Hotel and had purchased park tickets, etc - and Disney gladly rescheduled them.

Again, I'm sure the Hotel is great - Just be careful when you think that NOTHING is going to get in the way of your vacation...something can! Buy vacation insurance or something! In our case, we will not try to stay off the resort again! It will be Disney all the way next time!

 

[marybet]

No idea what their cancellation policy is but I would suggest that you call and ask for a supervisor or a manager. Keep calling until you find someone that will help.

Do not understand any hotel that would not offer you at least a credit for another stay. If you paid by credit card you may be able to stop payment.


Hope your DD is feeling better! Good luck!

 

[4kids4karen]

BUT, not for the reasons you may think. We should be staying there right now...and I'm sure the accommodations would be great. We have been very much looking forward to our stay there and our trip to Disney since we booked it back in January.

Unfortunately, on Friday - the day before we were to leave for Orlando and check in to the hotel, our 5 yr. old DD was rushed to Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It's not an in-and-out diagnosis and we had to spend 3 days in the hospital. On Friday afternoon, immediately upon realizing this trip was NOT going to happen, I contacted Disney 1st to cancel our character meals for the upcoming evening. The Disney cast member was sooooo understanding and very compassionate about our situation. She made a note and assured us that when we are able to reschedule, to contact them and they would make sure they would do something special for DD.

Next we contacted Bonnet Creek to see what our options were in the case of such an emergency. We were not looking for refund (since full payment had been made)...more to just postpone or reschedule for another time. We explained our situation with our young child and told them the hospital would gladly send them a letter verifying the emergency - that we could not travel. They wouldn't do ANYTHING...except keep our money. I can understand no refund, since it was such late notice...that's not the problem, but to not offer to reschedule us for a later date...that's just pretty tacky.

Coincidentally, a neighbor who also had a Disney Vacation planned this week had to also postpone because of a lesser medical emergency (broken arm). They were booked in a Disney Resort Hotel and had purchased park tickets, etc - and Disney gladly rescheduled them.

Again, I'm sure the Hotel is great - Just be careful when you think that NOTHING is going to get in the way of your vacation...something can! Buy vacation insurance or something! In our case, we will not try to stay off the resort again! It will be Disney all the way next time!

Because BC doesn't have a line outside the door to take your reservation short-notice like the Disney resorts. Sorry this happened to you.

 

[Upatnoon]

BUT, not for the reasons you may think. We should be staying there right now...and I'm sure the accommodations would be great. We have been very much looking forward to our stay there and our trip to Disney since we booked it back in January.

Unfortunately, on Friday - the day before we were to leave for Orlando and check in to the hotel, our 5 yr. old DD was rushed to Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It's not an in-and-out diagnosis and we had to spend 3 days in the hospital. On Friday afternoon, immediately upon realizing this trip was NOT going to happen, I contacted Disney 1st to cancel our character meals for the upcoming evening. The Disney cast member was sooooo understanding and very compassionate about our situation. She made a note and assured us that when we are able to reschedule, to contact them and they would make sure they would do something special for DD.

Next we contacted Bonnet Creek to see what our options were in the case of such an emergency. We were not looking for refund (since full payment had been made)...more to just postpone or reschedule for another time. We explained our situation with our young child and told them the hospital would gladly send them a letter verifying the emergency - that we could not travel. They wouldn't do ANYTHING...except keep our money. I can understand no refund, since it was such late notice...that's not the problem, but to not offer to reschedule us for a later date...that's just pretty tacky.

Coincidentally, a neighbor who also had a Disney Vacation planned this week had to also postpone because of a lesser medical emergency (broken arm). They were booked in a Disney Resort Hotel and had purchased park tickets, etc - and Disney gladly rescheduled them.

Again, I'm sure the Hotel is great - Just be careful when you think that NOTHING is going to get in the way of your vacation...something can! Buy vacation insurance or something! In our case, we will not try to stay off the resort again! It will be Disney all the way next time!

Did you book your stay directly through bonnet creek or did you rent a reservation from a timeshare owner?

 

[Spanky]

WBC is not a hotel - it is a timeshare resort. Each room is owned by a different family each of the 52 weeks in a year. WBC can not reschedule what they don't control. You need to talk to the person you rented your week from to see if they can do anything to help. Probably at this late notice you are out of luck. People that own points with Wyndham have to use them in each calendar year. So the person you rented from can not get back the points for the week you could not use. We forfeit our points when we cancel less than 30 days out.
You are correct - travel insurance is an important thing to acquire when planning an expensive vacation.
Hope all works out for your daughter and future trips to Disney are lots of fun.

 

[swilshire]

Spanky has it right. If you rented from an owner, that owner has already lost their money for the week. There is no way for them to get any of it back. They couldn't even rerent at that late time. If you rented directly from the resort, it might be a little different.

The great cost savings you get in renting from owners is just like those non-refundable airfares. They are great when nothing goes wrong, but can be a disappointment when something does. If you average the savings out over time, you can lose one once in a while and still be dollars ahead. I had to throw away a plane ticket from LA to my home on our recent vacation when I had to divert for a meeting. It was a disappointment, but trying to change it to something I could use would have cost more than just tossing it. I've also lost prepaid condo days. I just remember how cheap the days I actual got to use were in comparison to any other option. If I have any idea I might be forced to cancel, I just book a hotel room that I can cancel up to 6 PM day of arrival.

My employer didn't allow non-refundable fares for years, but they finally realized that the averages are in your favor. We now book penalty fares if there is a big difference in price.

I know this is terrible for you, but I'm thankful that they found your child's problem and are getting it under control.

Sheila

 

[zilp]

I am so sorry to hear about the reasons for cancelling your trip. I hope everything is going well with your daughter.

I agree with Marybet, maybe try calling the resort if you booked with them. If you did book with a timeshare owner you may very well be out of luck. I am sorry for the disappointment . Thanks for posting, it is a good wake up call for other renters (me being one of them). Sounds like trip insurance might be a good idea when renting through WBC.

 

[JimMIA]

Sorry to hear about your child's condition, and best wishes for the future.

With regard to the cancellation, it's hard to tell from your post who to hate on. Did you book a room at the Wyndham Grand Hotel at Bonnet Creek? A timeshare unit directly from Wyndham? Or a timeshare unit through an owner or rental service?

If you booked either a hotel or timeshare directly from Wyndham, I would expect them to work with you under these circumstances...even IF they ate the reservation. I'd call back and speak to a supervisor.

Make sure they understand that your child is not just diabetic, but had a diabetic emergency which required hospitalization and extended treatment to bring her glucose levels back down to safe levels. If you're talking to some clerk who doesn't know anything about diabetes, they are not going to understand the magnitude of the emergency you faced. Most people who don't know about diabetes think "low blood sugar -- drink orange juice and you're good," which is, of course, the opposite of what you were facing.

As a Wyndham owner, I can tell you that if you had booked a timeshare unit, the points underlying that reservation were gone the morning you were scheduled to arrive. The way timeshares work that reservation was used, whether you showed up or not, and that's why they would not want to make any accommodations. If you rented from an owner, they simply have no way to get their points back. Same with Wyndham, but if you explain the situation to a manager they may be able to do something.

If you'd booked a room at the hotel, even if they ate a couple of room-nights I think they'd be pretty stupid not to help you.

 

[AntFarm]

Sorry about your experience and your daughter's medical emergency but unfortunately that is how things are with timeshare rentals. The same outcome most likely would have occurred if you rented DVC points for a Disney villa.

 

[kathy884]

That's the way it is with a timeshare or home rental from an owner. Last minute cancellations mean your are out of luck. Much different than hotels, etc. that have a 24 hour cancellation policy and you for less notice than that just loose one night. Cruises are like that too. There can be great cost savings with these options, but you take some risk. It's best for people who are almost certain they will be able to go and are willing to take that risk, You can buy some travel insurance that would cover medical emergency cancellations, etc.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I am still wondering who the OP rented from. If its WBC, through Wyndham, I thought you only lose one night if you cancel too close.

 

[Anita123]

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. My 17 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last month and was hospitalized for 2 days.

I hope all goes smoothly for you as you make the adjustments to your life to accommodate diabetes.

I'm still fighting my insurance about denials of service, lost payments, and I had a two week battle to get insulin prescriptions filled.

Good luck with everything.

 

[powellrj]

Again, I'm sure the Hotel is great - Just be careful when you think that NOTHING is going to get in the way of your vacation...something can! Buy vacation insurance or something! In our case, we will not try to stay off the resort again! It will be Disney all the way next time!

But you aren't staying in a hotel, you are staying in a timeshare. They can't just fill your room like a hotel can. This is why you need to buy trip insurance. I am sorry about your DD, but instead of blaming the resort, the lesson learned should be always be prepared for the unexpected which can include anything from unexpected health issues to unexpected weather issues to just the unexpected.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. My 17 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last month and was hospitalized for 2 days.

I hope all goes smoothly for you as you make the adjustments to your life to accommodate diabetes.

That can sometimes go smoother than you expect.

About 5 years ago, my MIL called my wife and said she was not feeling well. DW was alarmed at how she looked and drove her to the hospital. Grandma was in a diabetic coma with a glucose reading somewhere north of 600. Obviously it took a while to draw the sugar down to a tolerable level -- I think she was in the hospital more than a week.

She was on insulin for several months, but despite her critical state at first, is now managing with diet alone. She supposedly checks her sugar daily. She's 85 and I don't trust her any further than I can throw her condo, so I check it once a week myself. Her glucose level has been normal for more than 4 years.

Hopefully your son will progress to where he is not insulin-dependent. Either way, he'll manage just fine as long as he stays on top of it.

... and I had a two week battle to get insulin prescriptions filled.

I assume you mean getting the insurance company to approve payment? That's crazy, scary, and dangerous!

 

[Brian Noble]

If its WBC, through Wyndham, I thought you only lose one night if you cancel too close.

It sounds as though the OP booked a pre-paid rate. That might have been through Wyndham, or through another source (timeshare owner, etc.). But, no matter where they are booked, such rates are almost always completely non-refundable/non-changeable. In exchange, they are usually less expensive than rates which can be changed/canceled.

It is important to read the terms of any booking, especially if you are pre-paying it, and know what your risks are. If there are no refunds/changes, and you are not willing to risk the cost of the booking, you really ought to take out a trip insurance policy.

 

[cposey]

Orignal Poster here....sorry so many of you were looking for answers. Busy dealing with a "new normal" life and still trying to recoop our lost money.

We made our reservation through booking.com back in February for the Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort - a Wyndham property. They work with Roamba.com who books the rentals and handles all the financial part of the reservation. We did not deal directly with an owner.

Originally when we contacted Roamba - they told us they sympathized with our situation but it was Bonnet Creek who was not cooperating in working with us. After a few emails to Wyndham Corporate and WBC directly as well as Roamba...the Director of Operations at Roamba contacted me and has apologized "for the blindly irrational decision that was made by a member of their staff" and explained that they do have a policy in place for cancellations regarding medical emergencies. They are in the process of fully refunding our money and doing everything they can to make it right and to make sure their staff is properly trained so that this doesn't happen again to another family.

I am very happy to say that they doing all they can to rectify the situation to our satisfaction. Hopefully, DD will get that Disney trip after all in 2014!


Now...if only dealing with this diabetes were as easy!

 

[JimMIA]

Glad you got a good resolution, and thanks for the update.

 

[North of Mouse]

So sorry to hear about your little one. A good friend's dd was just the same age as your dd when she too was hospitalized with Type 1. She almost died before they realized how sick she was - am happy to report that 5 years later she is doing great and managing everything entirely on her own (under her mom's watchful eyes). They (the Docs) encourage full independence. She wears an insulin pump (for 3 years now) and does great.

to you and dd.

 

[Lewisc]

Asking for a credit toward a future stay is a reasonable request, IF you're cancelling early enough for the property to rent your room for at least the price you paid.

Regular hotels overbook. Regular hotels might be able to rent at short notice. Condo/Timeshare hotels can't overbook, at least as much, as a regular hotel. People are less likely to book on very short notice.

It appears the OP is getting some consideration. That's good BUT

I wouldn't blame a hotel for not budging. Cruise lines will rarely offer a refund or credit toward a future cruise. Renting a timeshare directly from the owner, or through a broker, will rarely do anything for you if you need to cancel a day or 2 before your stay. Cancel a month in advance and you might be able to cut your losses by re-renting your reservation. No guarantee an airline would waive change fees under the circumstances described by the OP. Particularly now that many airlines are offering travel insurance during the booking process.

Travel insurance should be purchased if you're concerned about penalties due to conditions which otherwise be covered by travel insurance.

 

[pinkerbell]

Thanks for the heads up. We are thinking of WBC and with two kids you never kow what happens.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad they are working with you and sending prayers your way for a smooth transition to your new normal. Hoping you a Great Disney vacation in the future!