Next week - Wyndham Bonnet Creek - Questions

[emme24]

Hi,

Next week we'll be in a 2-BR at WBC (thanks to the great advice from this board!). I've read through the "We Love WBC" threads, but wanted to get my thoughts/questions in one place...

1. As I mention above, we have a 2-BR rented. I am trying to upgrade to a 3-BR or 4-BR. I've been calling this week, and so far no availability. Is there any chance at check in I can do that?? We did our reservation through Vacation Strategies.

2. I'm still unclear about which tower to request (and I understand my request could very well go denied)... So, my first priority would be a newly-updated room; second priority would be proximity to kid pools; third priority a view (not necessarily fireworks, just a good view). Also, I do not want a ground floor unit.

3. Speaking of views, what should I be looking for/asking for? I've seen "lake" etc. Just don't know.

4. Can you park near your building? Do you have to park far away and schlep?

5. Checking in, I know we'll have a mountain of stuff. Do we just look for a bellcart and get it to our unit (that works - just want to know ahead of time).

6. Groceries - anyone ordered ahead of time at Garden Grocer? Or, does it make sense to make a WalMart run.

7. We have not opted for housekeeping - so that means NO housekeeping during the week - correct... I've been places where no housekeeping means beds made, garbaged emptied and that's it... Other places where "no means no".

8. Any recent WBC visitors have the latest on the parking pass? Do I need it? Not? Have no interest/time in the sales pitch, but understand I can unplug the phone, etc. Should I just skip the parking desk all together?

9. Check in. Is there one main check in place? I understand check in begins at 4pm. We are driving and a little flexible. If we arrive at 2:30 would they consider checking us in, or would we have to wait until 4:00?

I think that is all for now. So many thanks for all of the information you provide!!

Best,
Emme

 

[kokomos]

Sorry wrong thread

 

[aleksandr]

Hi,

Next week we'll be in a 2-BR at WBC (thanks to the great advice from this board!). I've read through the "We Love WBC" threads, but wanted to get my thoughts/questions in one place...

1. As I mention above, we have a 2-BR rented. I am trying to upgrade to a 3-BR or 4-BR. I've been calling this week, and so far no availability. Is there any chance at check in I can do that?? We did our reservation through Vacation Strategies.

I doubt you'll be able to do it at all. My understanding is that WBC does not "sell" rooms (or upgrades) in any way as they are a timeshare resort. Last year I wanted to add an extra day or two to my stay and they were unable to do so and recommended I call Wyndham directly or whomever I rented the unit from. I believe this would be a similar situation to yours.

2. I'm still unclear about which tower to request (and I understand my request could very well go denied)... So, my first priority would be a newly-updated room; second priority would be proximity to kid pools; third priority a view (not necessarily fireworks, just a good view). Also, I do not want a ground floor unit.

I doubt you'll have your request honored. WBC is very popular and availability is slim. Keep in mind also that you are staying as a 'guest' of the actual owner of Wyndham points. I've not been since last year, but I've heard that in the past year they are flatly denying any kind of specific placement requests.

3. Speaking of views, what should I be looking for/asking for? I've seen "lake" etc. Just don't know.

See above.

4. Can you park near your building? Do you have to park far away and schlep?

It all depends on the season and the tower you are in. There is a free parking garage near tower 5 which increases the parking available there. There is also an access-card controlled garage near tower 6. Last April at tower 5 I didn't have any issues parking. If we arrived back early enough in the evening there was plenty of parking. If it was later, there was still plenty of parking a few levels up in the free garage.

5. Checking in, I know we'll have a mountain of stuff. Do we just look for a bellcart and get it to our unit (that works - just want to know ahead of time).

You'll check in at the front desk and then they will tell you what tower you are in. You'll drive your vehicle over to that tower. There are carts in the lobbies of each tower. You may need to wait a few minutes for one depending on how busy it is.

6. Groceries - anyone ordered ahead of time at Garden Grocer? Or, does it make sense to make a WalMart run.

Sorry, I can't help you here. We didn't do a whole lot of cooking last year. I made a couple of runs to a Super Target off of 192, about 5 miles away. I was able to get everything I needed here.

7. We have not opted for housekeeping - so that means NO housekeeping during the week - correct... I've been places where no housekeeping means beds made, garbaged emptied and that's it... Other places where "no means no".

None at all. There are garbage chutes where you can empty your garbage. You'll need to hang up your towels or use the washer/drier in room to clean them. You'll need to make your own beds.

8. Any recent WBC visitors have the latest on the parking pass? Do I need it? Not? Have no interest/time in the sales pitch, but understand I can unplug the phone, etc. Should I just skip the parking desk all together?

My last experience was almost a year ago. I skipped the parking desk entirely and unplugged my house phone. At the time the security gate looked for a keycard, not a parking pass. Still, if it makes you uncomfortable there are several other tactics--only have one person go and tell them your spouse is not present (both parties need to be present to purchase real estate in Florida), or tell them you make less than 20K/year.

9. Check in. Is there one main check in place? I understand check in begins at 4pm. We are driving and a little flexible. If we arrive at 2:30 would they consider checking us in, or would we have to wait until 4:00?

Yes, there is a 'front desk' building directly ahead from the security gates. There is no check-in desk in each tower. I checked in last year around 1PM and didn't have any issues. Availability and such may have an impact on when you can check in.

I think that is all for now. So many thanks for all of the information you provide!!

Best,
Emme

Hope you have a GREAT trip!

 

[cammie810]

We have stayed at WBC 3 times since Dec. We have been able to check in before 4pm every time. You can ask for whatever you want but every time we have been, our room was already assigned and they didn't seem as if changing was going to be a possibility. I don't think any building is better than any of the others. All of them are close enough to a pool that it isn't a huge chore to get to one. Plus, it is kind of fun to pool hop and try them all out anyway. Publix, Super Target and Super Walmart are all really close by so it isn't terribly inconvenient to do your own shopping. We have never once gone to get a parking pass! You don't need it. Your room key card works for the parking garage. The parking lots definitely get filled up at night but there were always spaces available in the garage. Have a wonderful time. The resort is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[twinkletoe]

We used the grocery delivery service once and, although reliable and convenient, it was much more expensive than popping over to Publix or Wal-Mart. I'd even say that taking a taxi, if you don't have a car, to buy your own groceries, would cost less than Garden Grocer.

 

[sb682]

We stayed at WBC in September. We didn't request a room size upgrade, but when checking in we asked nicely for a room that had a view of the parks, as high up as possible. They said nothing was guaranteed, but we ended up on a high floor in Tower 5 with a "parking lot" view that let us see the fireworks at Epcot and MK. I think the pre-check-in requests are the ones no longer honored.

When you check in, let one person go find a luggage cart while you're in the loading area in front of your building. If there are no close parking spots when you come back to your room in the evenings, just drop everyone off out front and then let the driver find a spot. Not ideal, but sometimes you get lucky and find a good spot, especially if you're not closing down the parks every night.

We checked in, brought our stuff to the room, and then went on a Publix run. The one off 192 in Celebration is very nice and there is a liquor store next door. We are Florida natives and much prefer the selection of food at Publix to Walmart, even if it costs a little more (not much, though). The deli chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese and frozen vegetables were a good, cheap dinner for our first night. We also saved a lot of money and time by eating breakfast in the room most days. I would skip Garden Grocer or other delivery services if you can.

No housekeeping means no housekeeping. There's a carpet sweeper for crumbs in the closet, paper towels, dish soap and dishwasher detergent and a few packets of laundry detergent. Bring your own if you'll need to do more than 2 loads. We did a load of laundry every day to cut down on how much we had to pack; ran the washer while we were eating breakfast and the dryer when we left for the parks.

We didn't need a parking pass, we just waved at the security guard and they let us right in. Not exactly secure, but oh well. Never visited the desk, and they only called us to make sure everything was OK with our stay, never heard the beginnings of a timeshare pitch the whole week.

Don't worry too much, you'll have a great time! We have been to Disney so many times since we were kids, and I think WBC has been my favorite place to stay, even better he Deluxe resorts IMO.