off site hotel? Bonnet Creek?

[lpoeppelman]

This last trip we stayed at all star music suites and LOVED IT. We got annual passes because we are going March again and I had an idea about going after Christmas since the kids are out of school... (I know it will be super crowded).
If we do, we will need to stay offsite... anyone ever stay there? Any tips? How much can we expect to pay?

 

[tinkgirl1984]

I love staying onsite, but honestly, there is absolutely no comparison between the value family suites and Bonnet Creek. I think you'll love it. And as for price, I have no idea since it will be Christmas, obviously it's going to be more, but I had a quote for May ( we ended up deciding to wait until Sept and we're staying at CBR with FD instead) of $495 for five nights for a 2br.

 

[Chelley00]

I'm a huge fan of staying offsite but in no way would I ever stay offsite at Christmas. They close the park to offsite guests if it gets too crowded and you won't have access to EMH. Plus the traffic to drive to parks that week is crazy.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

If you want to stay off site the DtD Hilton has access to extra magic hours. They are official Disney hotels but I am not sure if they close access to them when they close access to unofficial hotels. There are 7 official Disney hotels in DTD and they are actual hotels not motels called "resorts".

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[lpoeppelman]

I'm a huge fan of staying offsite but in no way would I ever stay offsite at Christmas. They close the park to offsite guests if it gets too crowded and you won't have access to EMH. Plus the traffic to drive to parks that week is crazy.

I thought annual pass guests would still be allowed in the parks if it gets too crowded... is that right?

 

[lpoeppelman]

I love staying onsite, but honestly, there is absolutely no comparison between the value family suites and Bonnet Creek. I think you'll love it. And as for price, I have no idea since it will be Christmas, obviously it's going to be more, but I had a quote for May ( we ended up deciding to wait until Sept and we're staying at CBR with FD instead) of $495 for five nights for a 2br.

When you say no comparison do mean that Bonnet Creek is nicer or value suites? What do you like about Bonnet creek?

Thx for all the feedback.

 

[tinkgirl1984]

I mean Bonnet Creek is nicer. Like, no comparison nicer. Again, I love staying onsite, but the values are in no way, shape or form a "nice" hotel. They're perfectly acceptable, they're clean, and they're definitely fun, but not comparable to even a nice Hilton. Bonnet Creek IS nice. Very nice. And the rooms have full kitchens as well as a washer/dryer, which the value suites don't have. It also has very nice pools with slides. All that being said, a pp makes a very good point about staying offsite at Christmas time. As much as I like Bonnet Creek, I'm not sure I would recommend it that particular time of year.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

We almost always stay onsite. But last year decided to go down over Christmas and wanted to have more room to set up a full size tree for Christmas morning. We stayed at Bonnet Creek Dec. 22-Dec. 28. No problem driving to the parks or getting in....but we get to the parks at rope drop which is key that time of year. We left everyday for a break around noon and came back by 5...and again no problems. We don't cook while on vacation so didn't really utilize the kitchen but did like having the washer/dryer there! The resort is great and the kids loved the pools

Dec. 28-Jan. 3 we moved onsite. We parked the van at that time and only used the buses. But other than MK it's not really a huge difference timewise driving or taking the bus.


A value resort that time of year was $200/night for a regular room. I paid $150/night for a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo at Bonnet Creek.

 

[burnurcomputer]

There are 7 official Disney hotels in DTD and they are actual hotels not motels called "resorts".

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Wow! Biased much? My "resort" as you call it, is a full Marriott resort, not a motel. There are many legit places to stay at many different price points!


OP directly asked for offsite places to stay. As much as people get up in arms about even daring to mention staying off site to save a TON of cash and have tons more room......when people ask for offsite, its always (okay, almost always) trashing off site hotels and resorts for onsite Disney.

I stayed in a Disney resort for the first time this year and hated it so much you couldn't pay me to do it. Well, if you paid for the whole trip for my family, I would do it, but then and only then. I stayed at All-Star Music resorts and did not find it to be the bees knees.

OP, I really enjoy all the Marriott properties in the immediate Disney area in Florida. My in laws love Bonnet Creek, have stayed there many times with their time shares. We have stayed on Wyndom properties before we bought Marriott, and found them to be well spaced and decorated for the pricing. I do and will admit that I am a Marriott snob, so I like my property much better.

Have fun finding your perfect spot for your family vaycay!

 

[tinkgirl1984]

Wow! Biased much? My "resort" as you call it, is a full Marriott resort, not a motel. There are many legit places to stay at many different price points!

Just to clarify, the pp you quoted actually was advocating for OFF site hotels, not knocking them. She was saying that the Downtown Disney hotels (which are offsite hotels owned by companies like Hilton and Doubletree) are actual hotels, not overpriced motels like the onsite Disney resorts. Specifically, the values like All Star Movies (which I believe you weren't fond of). And they are much cheaper than official onsite Disney resorts.

 

[orlandomomof4]

I thought annual pass guests would still be allowed in the parks if it gets too crowded... is that right?

Nope, the park closes to everyone if it gets too crowded...which usually happens by 10am during the Xmas Holidays! But just get there early enough. And if you have annual passes and it's too crowded and not as much fun as you thought, then leave early and enjoy your hotel. Then go back the next day

Other than the possibility of the park closing before you get there, I would definitely recommend staying offsite. Although it's not very high-end, my kids always love staying at the Nick Hotel. The water park is included, they have a food court with Subway and Pizza Hut, 4D shows, and a gameroom. Another hotel I would recommend during that time of the year is the Gaylord Palms. They have lots of holiday activities, including ICE!, and are affiliated with Dreamworks (characters, shows, etc). Not sure of the rates, but they usually have a Christmas Special that includes tickets to ICE!.

Let me know if you have any other questions...

 

[CyndiLooWho]

My parents own at Bonnet Creek, so that is where we always stay. It is fantastic, period. The first thing my kids asked when we went back in 2012 was "are we staying at that condo again?"

Of course, I don't know the pricing, since my folks just book the week for us, and I don't know how crowds will be at Christmas, but the resort itself is great.

We do make use of the kitchen for breakfast, snacks and the occasional dinner. Eating offsite is a little harder, b/c there is nothing really close by, and the traffic around DTD and the closest strip (Fuddruckers, McD) is horrendous. We hit Walmart on Day 1 for essentials and the makings of 2 dinners and play the rest of the meals by ear. The W/D is great, though the laundry closet is only feet away from the "kids'" bedroom, and it is a cheaper apt size model that makes a fair amount of noise (same as every condo we've ever rented).

The kids love the resort amenities - we always stay in a tower right by the lazy river, and that's where they spend their resort afternoons. The microwave dinners at their shop are horrendously overpriced, so don't plan on eating dinner in the room if you don't get real groceries somewhere else. Tees and hats were very reasonable, as were some other essentials. Others were easily triple what you'd pay at WM. We have not used their bus service to Disney, but the lines in the morning always looked really long.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I just got back from Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It was my family's first time there and we thought it was great. I own a timeshare so I can trade in through RCI or pay for a week through RCI (called Extra Vacations) for $500 - $700, depending on the season.

We were assigned a Tower 1 one bedroom, had granite counters, huge jacuzzi tub, 2 bathroom vanities, washer/dryer, 2 balconies...it was really nice. The location cannot be beat, we loved how close to everything it was. Pool was very nice, only made it to the main pool/lazy river area. I have two teens so I cannot imagine me, DH and the kids in a hotel room for a whole week. The condo space was great. I have stayed onsite and offsite. I'd stay at Bonnet Creek again. It's now my first off site choice!

 

[PrincessTeresa]

We are super cheap. We stay at the rode way inn about five min from the parks $225 for NINE nights. 9!!!! Nice rooms. Nice people. Stayed there for the past six years and will continue to stay there. While everyone else is paying for one night what we pay for an an entire week. Also, this is how we are able to go more than once a year if we so chose to.

 

[Alesia]

I thought annual pass guests would still be allowed in the parks if it gets too crowded... is that right?

Well, yes, AP holders can still get in at a stage 3 closing, but they close the parking lot at stage 1, so getting in from offsite is much more difficult.

I wouldn't stay offsite the week after Christmas because morning EMH is so important during that time.

 

[momtosam]

Do they bug you about buying into the timeshare at Bonnet Creek if you stay there? We recently spent a whole trip in Cancun with our telephone unplugged to avoid the phone salesmen.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Just to clarify, the pp you quoted actually was advocating for OFF site hotels, not knocking them. She was saying that the Downtown Disney hotels (which are offsite hotels owned by companies like Hilton and Doubletree) are actual hotels, not overpriced motels like the onsite Disney resorts. Specifically, the values like All Star Movies (which I believe you weren't fond of). And they are much cheaper than official onsite Disney resorts.

I was having a super bad day and my attitude was way into outer space, so I want to drop a big fat I'M SORRY for my attitude.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Do they bug you about buying into the timeshare at Bonnet Creek if you stay there? We recently spent a whole trip in Cancun with our telephone unplugged to avoid the phone salesmen.

When you pick up the parking pass at check-in they try to get you to set up a timeshare appointment. Just say no, or your spouse is not with you this trip (mine wasn't), or you don't make enough money. They will leave you alone. It took about 5 min to get the parking pass. My condo phone rang 2 times the whole week. I just never answered it. I didn't feel hounded at all.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Do they bug you about buying into the timeshare at Bonnet Creek if you stay there? We recently spent a whole trip in Cancun with our telephone unplugged to avoid the phone salesmen.

When my mom isn't with us, they do call and I just tell them no. I think during a week, it's normally two calls, and normally while we're at the parks, so we don't answer anyway.