My Bonnet Creek questions

[Monorail Bob's dd]

I have been reading this thread and we are now thinking we are going to give this a go in July. Do you have to book for a whole week or would a Tuesday-Saturday stay be possible? We are looking to get a 2 bedroom.

Another question - for those of you who have stayed both on-site at Disney and off, do you miss the feel of staying in an actual Disney resort? I love the look of BC and all of the extra space for the price sounds great. We will have a rental car this time, which we do not typically get when we go to Disney, that is why we are willing to try it this time. Any tips for a newbie would be appreciated.

Also:
If we book through Ken at www.vacationupgrades.com, does he take credit cards? Also, his price for the week we need in July is pretty much the same as booking through Wyndham - is there an advantage to booking one way over the other?

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

Bump

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

Does noobody have the answer for any of these questions? I really want to go ahead and book, I just need some direction as to whether I should book through Wyndham or vacationupgrades.com - the price appears to be about the same so I am not sure if it matters.

 

[dschribs]

I'm in the process of booking my first stay at Bonnet Creek with Ken right now. Got his name off the boards here. Everyone that has used him has had good things to say so I went with him based on the recommendations here on the board. He's been very professional and responsive in my dealings with him so far.

As far as payment, he will take a check or you can pay via payapl. He takes 1/3 of the total amount when you sign & return the contract and the remainder needs to be paid a few weeks out from your actual arrival date.

You don't need to stay a full week. I'm not. I would shoot him an e mail with several arrival dates that you are conisdering (if you have the option of chosing some different dates). I asked for pricing using 4 different arrival dates. Worked out that one of the dates was way cheaper than the 3 others so I was glad I gave him some options.

I can't comment on staying on site verus off site because I haven't been to Disney since 1982!!!! This will be my first trip back since high school.

 

[luvdisney77]

He is very nice, and very professional. I have spoke to him a few times over the phone.

We are staying at BC in April. I know the one advantage over directly through Wyndham is that he rechecks at 60 days for a cheaper rate and passes it along to you. They reduce the prices at 60 days (sometimes) for them I believe, and he passes it along to you.

I'm really excited to try off-site, this is our first time off-site since becoming bigtime Disney people. I was nervous at first, but the proximity to the parks is really just as close as we've been before...and the last couple of times at WDW we've been ridiculously crammed into the WDW buses. I don't mind people in the aisles, but it has been dangerously overcrowded a few times. Anyhoo, that is another subject altogether.

HAVE FUN!!

 

[TotoToo]

I have been reading this thread and we are now thinking we are going to give this a go in July. Do you have to book for a whole week or would a Tuesday-Saturday stay be possible? We are looking to get a 2 bedroom.

It is possible but may cost a little more and could involve changing units during the stay.

Another question - for those of you who have stayed both on-site at Disney and off, do you miss the feel of staying in an actual Disney resort? I love the look of BC and all of the extra space for the price sounds great. We will have a rental car this time, which we do not typically get when we go to Disney, that is why we are willing to try it this time. Any tips for a newbie would be appreciated.

Don't miss it a bit. In fact we find it more enjoyable NOT to be bombarded with nothing but Disney 24/7. It makes the Disney time a little more special

Also:
If we book through Ken at www.vacationupgrades.com, does he take credit cards? Also, his price for the week we need in July is pretty much the same as booking through Wyndham - is there an advantage to booking one way over the other?

No, get the best price.

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I feel more comfortable paying by credit card so I think I will book directly through Wyndham.

 

[bonoriffic]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I feel more comfortable paying by credit card so I think I will book directly through Wyndham.

You can use Paypal with Ken and fund PayPal with a credit card. Same protections you are looking for. Not that you'll find anyone who has ever had a problem using Ken.

If you book with Ken, as others mentioned, your rate will likely go lower. At the 60 day mark he checks, and if there is still availability you will get re-booked at the lower rate. If you go with Wyndham direct, your rate won't get lower.

Using Ken was pretty easy. He sends a contract with payment schedule. You pay by check or PayPal. He sends you the confirmation link from Wyndham to verify everything is in their system. When you give final payment you get the link to generate the confirmation from Wyndham with your name in the reservation.

 

[Disney Ella]

It didn't feel much different to me than staying at any of the DVC resorts. None of them have over-the-top Disney themes or decorating. I liked it much better than my stay at CSR when four of us felt cramped in one room. From my window at BC, I could see Pop Century and a little bit of Epcot. If you are used to the theming of the value resorts, it may not compare favorably to you, but I prefer the space, the nice pools and the short distance to the parks.

 

[minnie10]

We have stayed at Disney Resorts almost every year for several years. The past two years we have gone done to Disney for just New Years Eve. We love staying at Bonnet Creek. The amount of space in the rooms and the money saved eating breakfast, sometimes lunch, and sometimes dinner in the room is great. The resort is beautiful and the pools are awesome. Now with that said even tho we love BC it is missing the magic of Disney so says my children. I think what magic-small rooms-high food prices-crowded buses..But I have to agree. To get the total magical experience stayed in the cramped rooms. I am being serious. My kids love being able to play in the pools, go to the gamerooms, and to the food court as they please. My husband's vote is for BC. My vote is split. The kids ages 12 and 16 is for Pop Century. If you are doing a week at Disney and don't go often stay at a Disney Resort. If you have been several times, you will love the change at BC. We always have a car. To get our Disney fix, we drive over and eat at the Pop food court and shop in the gift shop. DS plays in the gameroom. And of course have a huge sundae while there also. I really don't think you can book directly through Wyndham for a room unless you own a timeshare there. I have always purchased through Ebay and never had a problem. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you on making your decision.

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

We have stayed at Disney Resorts almost every year for several years. The past two years we have gone done to Disney for just New Years Eve. We love staying at Bonnet Creek. The amount of space in the rooms and the money saved eating breakfast, sometimes lunch, and sometimes dinner in the room is great. The resort is beautiful and the pools are awesome. Now with that said even tho we love BC it is missing the magic of Disney so says my children. I think what magic-small rooms-high food prices-crowded buses..But I have to agree. To get the total magical experience stayed in the cramped rooms. I am being serious. My kids love being able to play in the pools, go to the gamerooms, and to the food court as they please. My husband's vote is for BC. My vote is split. The kids ages 12 and 16 is for Pop Century. If you are doing a week at Disney and don't go often stay at a Disney Resort. If you have been several times, you will love the change at BC. We always have a car. To get our Disney fix, we drive over and eat at the Pop food court and shop in the gift shop. DS plays in the gameroom. And of course have a huge sundae while there also. I really don't think you can book directly through Wyndham for a room unless you own a timeshare there. I have always purchased through Ebay and never had a problem. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you on making your decision.

Thank you for this, this gives me a good feel for what to expect. You can book directly through Wyndham, I just did today. Their rate was $210 a night for a 2 bedroom in July - Ken wanted $200 a night for the same timeframe. I felt better booking directly through Wyndham and using my credit card, I do have a paypal account but I do not have a cc linked to it. Wyndham also has a better cancellation policy, I believe, I can cancel up to 3 days before the trip without penalty. Perhaps once I get a better feel for how this all works, if we end up enjoying it this time, I will get more creative with my booking options next time.

I know I will miss staying right at Disney but I am hoping having so much space and being so close to Disney will help. Since this is a pretty short trip for us this time, I feel like it's a good opportunity to try it out and decide how we feel about it.

 

[sbtrfly74]

Im trying to make the same decision of split stay or just value resort. My couple days, not full week came out cheaper than ken price booking directly from the website. I actually just realized yesterday i did the web only price for 150 a night and am either going to cancel it and do the non refundable rate for 117 a night or disney resort... still cant decide

 

[Upatnoon]

Thank you for this, this gives me a good feel for what to expect. You can book directly through Wyndham, I just did today. Their rate was $210 a night for a 2 bedroom in July - Ken wanted $200 a night for the same timeframe. I felt better booking directly through Wyndham and using my credit card, I do have a paypal account but I do not have a cc linked to it. Wyndham also has a better cancellation policy, I believe, I can cancel up to 3 days before the trip without penalty. Perhaps once I get a better feel for how this all works, if we end up enjoying it this time, I will get more creative with my booking options next time.

I know I will miss staying right at Disney but I am hoping having so much space and being so close to Disney will help. Since this is a pretty short trip for us this time, I feel like it's a good opportunity to try it out and decide how we feel about it.

I suggest checking ebay as you get closer to your dates. You may find something there for half of the Wyndham rate, or less.

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

I suggest checking ebay as you get closer to your dates. You may find something there for half of the Wyndham rate, or less.

I will keep this in mind. I did check ebay initially but there was nothing listed for my dates.