May have to stay off resort

[katrina1122]

to save money...this is a MAJOR let down as we loooooove evening EMH. Anyway, I've read some good things about Wyndham Bonnett Creek.

What's the best way to book? We have AAA and I'm a gov't employee if that helps any.

It's just DH and I so we don't need a huge room. Is Bonnet Creek good for 2?

 

[Upatnoon]

The value in staying at Bonnet Creek is when you need space -- like a 2 bedroom -- which you can rent for the price of a Disney value. You can get a 1BR with a kitchen, but it still would be around $100 a night. This is way better than Disney accomodations, but you are not saving much money doing this.

If a Disney value room is too high for you, I would suggest using hotwire or priceline to get a room for around $50. Depending on when you are planning to visit, you could save up to $100 a night vs. Disney value, and you may save even more if you get a place with free breakfast.

I think you can save some money by doing this if you are driving your car to to WDW. If you are planning on flying, I would just get a Disney value room or skip this vacation until you can afford it.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I stay off site a lot and would go if you have access to a car.. if not it does get more difficult.

I fly, rent a car and generally still come out ahead when you compare the price/quality.

You do give up EMH, but since I am not a fan I don't find that a big deal.

You might look into the Hilton DTD. They have an AAA rate an often have deals on thier website. And you get EMH there, plust the transport is not bad if you need that..

(And it's a nicer hotel then a Disney value by a LONG shot IMHO)

 

[Straitlover]

Since you're a gov't employee, check on getravelop.com. WBC sometimes shows up on there. Sometimes it's in the Space-A, sometimes it's in the High Demand.

 

[katrina1122]

We are driving down, so no car rental issues.
we are currently booked in a mod, could go to value but i'ts our 10th anniv and wanted something a tad nicer that's why i was thinking bonnet creek. I am renting an ecv so we thought a little extra space in the room for charging it would be a plus, and we'd like a hot tub which the values don't have. So if bonnet is close to a value price it may work out if we have to.

I'll check the gov't site.

 

[houseful of boys]

What about the Swan or Dolphin? They have discounts for military and AAA rates. It wouldn't be any cheaper than a mod but the accommodations are more like a deluxe and the location can't be beat! Walking distance to Epcot and DHS and you can still take advantage of EMH.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you are flying to Orlando, and you don't have an Annual Pass, you might well find that if you compare a Value stay vs. an offsite hotel + rental car + daily theme park parking that the hotel has to be pretty inexpensive to beat the Value room cost. And, you really don't want to stay offsite without a car---it's just too frustrating and inconvenient to rely on hotel shuttles for the most part. There are a few exceptions (Bonnet Creek, the Downtown Disney resorts), but they are probably not so much less expensive that it is worth it for a couple.

On the other hand, if you are driving down, then the equation changes significantly, and offsite would be a more attractive proposition for an adult couple. In that case, the Priceline model is probably a good way to go.

If you are squeezing to make this trip, there are other easy ways to keep the costs down: avoid most table-service meals, skip the hoppers, etc.