Hilton Bonnet Creek - too far from parks?

[AndreaA]

Tell me about staying off site. We have stayed at WL (twice) and a Windsor Hills condo (once) and right now we are booked at the Poly but I have a hard time stomaching the cost.

Is HBC too far away? How is taxi transportation? Honestly even when staying onsite we used taxis more than the Disney transportation because of the crowding and timing issues (we usually had ADRs to run to) so that expense isn’t really an issue, but length of trip is.

It just seems like we can get a MUCH nicer room and pool and even excellent on-site restaurants for half the money as the Poly...

Thanks!

 

[HopperFan]

Hilton Bonnet Creek is practically on property and I'd stay in a heartbeat.

They have a shuttle service that is one of the better ones and FREE. I would at least consider it for getting to the parks, and if you wish to stay later than their last bus, then taxis.

Direct Transportation to
Walt Disney World® Resort Theme Parks
Enjoy our complimentary private MEARS Motor Coach transportation directly from Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria® Orlando to the neighboring Disney® Theme Parks and Disney Springs™ Area.

View Current Shuttle Schedule

Please be advised that the shuttle service runs during regularly scheduled park hours only and is subject to change without prior notice.

http://www.bonnetshuttle.com/

 

[writerguyfl]

Two things I discovered when staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek:

1. Their shuttle is pretty good if you're planning on being at the theme parks all day long. If you're like me and you don't head to the theme parks until afternoon, the shuttle schedule becomes pretty sparse. For example, the current schedule has a three hour gap when you can't get from the hotel to Epcot in the afternoon. If you miss the 3:30pm shuttle, your stuck waiting until the next one at 6:30pm. But, that's only a problem for some people.
2. The Hilton Bonnet Creek is a convention hotel. If you have bad luck like me, your stay will coincide with a group of obnoxious, frequently drunk accountants. I had to call Security twice in one night because of noise in the hallway outside my room. The hotel staff was great. They let me out of my reservation and assisted in relocating me to one of the other Hilton properties.

For me, number 1 is far bigger obstacle than number 2. Any hotel can have obnoxious guests.

 

[Upatnoon]

Tell me about staying off site. We have stayed at WL (twice) and a Windsor Hills condo (once) and right now we are booked at the Poly but I have a hard time stomaching the cost.

Is HBC too far away? How is taxi transportation? Honestly even when staying onsite we used taxis more than the Disney transportation because of the crowding and timing issues (we usually had ADRs to run to) so that expense isn’t really an issue, but length of trip is.

It just seems like we can get a MUCH nicer room and pool and even excellent on-site restaurants for half the money as the Poly...

Thanks!

Hilton Bonnet Creek is next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort. It's one of the closest "off-site" hotels to the parks.

 

[CalifLynn]

Really close, and really nice pool! Buses weren’t too bad, we took an Uber to AK because we has a park opening FP for FOP, but otherwise pretty good, except one night we were coming back from MK and bus driver got a call saying someone had missed the last bus from HS so we had to go by there before heading back to hotel.

 

[AndreaA]

Really close, and really nice pool! Buses weren’t too bad, we took an Uber to AK because we has a park opening FP for FOP, but otherwise pretty good, except one night we were coming back from MK and bus driver got a call saying someone had missed the last bus from HS so we had to go by there before heading back to hotel.

Nice that they would go back for someone.

 

[snappy]

Also has a very good breakfast. Stayed several times. Waldorf is excellent too but I have only booked suites. If you are Hilton honors, they will likely send you an email to offer an upgrade for a good price.

 

[saskdw]

Haven't stayed at HBC, but we have stayed at the Wyndham Grand Orlando across the street for a couple of short stays. One for 2 nights before a 10 day pkg onsite at WDW and one for 3 nights before moving to onsite resort at Universal.

We used the free shuttle on the way out and than took a taxi on the way back. It was easy to plan around the schedule when leaving the hotel, but we weren't willing to plan our returns around it. I imagine a very similar shuttle experience at HBC.

WGO is almost as nice as the HBC and is usually a touch cheaper.

 

[ChristmasElf]

You can’t beat the pool at Hilton Bonnet Creek. It is amazing and HUGE! Uber will be cheap as this hotel is on property.

 

[BigredNole]

Here is my take on ALL park travel from offsite to onsite. We have stayed offsite at WBC (close) and Orange Lake Resort (far). When I time travel, I time it from when I exit my room to the time I arrive at the gates to the park. The worst-case-scenario is Magic Kingdom because you have to park, maybe take the tram, take the ferry or monorail. All other parks, you park and walk to the gates and maybe take the tram. From WBC, it is about 15-20 minutes door-to-park for AK, DHS, Epcot, BB. TL is 10 minutes. MK is about 35-45 minutes. From OLR, DHS, AK, Epcot, BB is about 15-20 minutes. TL is about 25 minutes. MK takes about 45-50 minutes.

Yes, that may seem like a ton. However, my stay at OKW in December was horrid in comparison. Epcot averaged over 1-hour to and from. MK was 45-60 minutes. DHS/AK were 40-45 minutes. How does this occur? Well, you walk out your room, take the walk to the bus stop, sit at the bus stop, watch the TV that says a bus is 5-10 minutes away, then it changes to 10-15 minutes, then 20-30, then 35-45, and in many cases took longer than that. Then, the bus goes around making other stops, then it gets out, drives, and finally arrives. All the time is wasted waiting for a bus. With my own car, I am off to the parks immediately. No insane frustration waiting. No time wasted constantly going to Guest Services to complain about the buses. No time wasted on the phone calling the resort front desk. No time going to a bus person to get some satisfaction when a bus may arrive. In our 7 day trip 16 hours was spent waiting at a bus stop for a bus. Yes, that is correct, 16 hours of time waiting for a bus.