On property non-DVC timeshare?

[BWVDee]

Although technically this resort will not be "ON" WDW property it will still have the same ease of access and convenience to all WDW areas as Disney's own resorts do.
As far as the same amenities being offered to guest at this resort, I would not be surprised at all if most, if not all are offered to them. Of course at a fee that the resort will pay to Disney! Disney already offers this to non Disney resorts to varying degrees, i.e Swan/Dolphin and all the hotel blvd hotels. If the price is right, believe me, Disney services WILL be offered to guests at Bonnet Creek, maybe not to the full extent of services that S/D guests have, but they will get some degree of Disney services. And I am sure Bonnet Creek is very interested in striking up some type of deal with Disney for this, or I should say: most likely this has already been done.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Keep in mind that the Cendant Corporation's Fairfield Orlando is only one part of the Bonnet Creek Resort. The master devloper of the Bonnet Creek Resort is Brooksville Development Corp., not Cendant.

The master plan calls for four deluxe hotels and a golf course in addition to the timeshare resort. I assume that Brooksville will build the golf course eventually, but not until some hotels commit for the hotel sites.

The access road that connects the Bonnet Creek Resort to Buena Vista Drive is not part of the Fairfield timeshare project; it's part of Brooksville's overall development.

Disney may not have had a choice in allowing the road. The Bonnet Creek property is blocked on the east by I-4, with no room for another interchange so close to Epcot Center Drive. Any other access, whether from Buena Vista Drive or from Osceola Parkway or from the Caribbean Beach Resort would need to cross Disney property. I don't know what the Florida laws are, but I don't think think that Disney could legally prevent access.

I, too, imagine that Cendant is paying big bucks -- to Brooksville Development Corp., not to Disney.

 

[Werner Weiss]

I'm curious why some people here think that guests at the Fairfield @ Bonnet Creek will be treated any differently than other offsite guests, or why Fairfield is any more likely to cut a deal with Disney for such privileges than Hyatt, Marriott, Gaylord, or others.

The Hyatt Grand Cypress and Marriott's Orlando World Center adjoin Disney property. The Gaylord is minutes away on Osceola Pkwy. Marriott's Orlando World Center even includes three timeshare resorts. But when it comes to onsite privileges, there are none for guests at these properties.

 

[Lisa P.]

I didn't like the fact that all 7 day stays need to start and end on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Typically at FF resorts, some buildings (or floors) are designated as Friday check-in, some Sat, some Sun, to make housekeeping more efficient for ease of check-in. Unit assignments for home resort owners and VIPs may be made at the time of early reservations.

Due to these factors, guests whose reservations span the full weekend without check-in or check-out on one of those days may find it harder to secure their entire reservation in the same unit. Most long weekend guests don't spend 7 nights (week) with midweek check-in/-out. So very few people are actually affected by this at all.

Also, it said that "the size area and accomodations shown are not specific to any one resort. They are for illustration purposes only."

That's on every resort's unit descriptions page. The unit descriptions vary somewhat from resort to resort so they use the generic description. Owner services gives owners more specific information when calling to reserve a room. This may be updated when the new 2004-2005 Directory comes out next month.

Why can't they show a picture of the layout you will actually be buying??

What you are seeing online is not to solicit sales. It's mostly to give owners and possible guests an idea of what is available within the system. The owners only area of the website has the Directory online. FF owner services or the resorts can usually fax a copy of the floorplans to prospective guests. The FF Yahoo! group has a separate group for FF Orlando resorts which has a file showing the floorplans for all the Bonnet Creek rooms.

1BR sleeps 4 (MBR=king; LR=queen sleeper sofa)
2BR sleeps 8 (MBR=king, BR2=2 doubles; LR=q sofa)
3BR sleeps 10 (MBR1=king; MBR2=king; BR3=2 doubles; LR=q sofa)
4BR sleeps 12 (MBR1=king; MBR2=king; BR3=2 doubles; BR4=2 doubles - doesn't look like a sleeper sofa in LR which is usual in FF's largest units where they tend toward oversized regular furnishings in the LRs)

All rooms have full kitchens, inroom washer/dryer, balconies with seating. All MBRs have triangle-shaped jacuzzi tubs and separate oversized showers. 1BR & 2BR have dining tables for 6 plus counter seating. 3BR & 4BR have dining tables for at least 8 plus counter seating. Feel free to ask questions. HTH!

 

[Lisa P.]

I'm curious why some people here think that guests at the Fairfield @ Bonnet Creek will be treated any differently than other offsite guests...

Werner, I don't expect any for sure - it's still open. The location is enough to make this a desirable property to me, since we don't use most onsite benefits even when we stay onsite.

The one Disney-style benefit that's most likely is some form of frequent shuttle service. Since the Hotel Plaza Blvd hotels have collectively contracted for frequent park shuttles to the Disney parks by a non-Disney company, this is not inconceivable, especially once there are more hotels built inside the Bonnet Creek development. Also, since there is still at least one DTD hotel (plus S/D) which offers early entry and which sells/sold e-night tix, there is no reason to assume that IF Fairfield is willing to pay a high enough price, that they would not be able to negotiate the same kind of deal.

... or why Fairfield is any more likely to cut a deal with Disney for such privileges than Hyatt, Marriott, Gaylord, or others.

Because they're going to be in active sales and this is a flagship resort for them. The other places you mentioned are all hotels or sold out, not timeshares in active sales. IMHO, FF may want to supercharge the idea that this timeshare resort is thisclose to being onsite. They have an incentive to associate themselves with Disney convenience. They could even go one better by providing additional transport shuttles to Universal & Sea World! ITA with Horace Horsecollar on the business agreement idea.