The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread Part 3

[Protaras76]

My family and I are staying at the WBC in September for 2 weeks, I'm not 100% about driving, and have read that the shuttle isn't very often and they are now charging $5 per person to use it as there are 5 of us it will work out expensive for us, I've been looking on google maps at the location of the resort and it seems close to the Caribbean Beach, there is a few bushes/trees between the 2, does anyone that has stayed at the WBC know if its possible to cut through these bushes/trees to use the Disney transport instead????

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

My family and I are staying at the WBC in September for 2 weeks, I'm not 100% about driving, and have read that the shuttle isn't very often and they are now charging $5 per person to use it as there are 5 of us it will work out expensive for us, I've been looking on google maps at the location of the resort and it seems close to the Caribbean Beach, there is a few bushes/trees between the 2, does anyone that has stayed at the WBC know if its possible to cut through these bushes/trees to use the Disney transport instead????

It is not possible to cut thru the trees. Its virtually impossible to walk over to CBR. I would not advise it. You can rent a car for pretty cheap. We are going May 22nd to June 2nd. We are renting a full size car thru Alamo for $219 total (including taxes & fees) for 11 nights. We LOVE having a car and even with paying $14 a day to park we save $$. I also love being able to come and go when we please.

 

[Protaras76]

I have access to a rental car just need to pay top up insurance, my concern is that I don't drive over here so its a worry to drive over there, I am quite a confident driver but have never driven on the right side of the road either :/

 

[DCTooTall]

Can anyone explain to me how the different WBC rental agencies work? VS and VU didn't have availability for ANY units the dates we may be going. But just got a response back from Farrel's saying he can get a 2 bd deluxe for my dates. Seems odd...and scares me at the same time that we won't have a room if I do book with Farrel....

The resort has a set amount of availability based off the capacity of the resort. Any owner can reserve any week in any unit size at the resort, assuming they have the ownership points to do so.

For some weeks during popular times, some of the bigger mega-renters will make reservations at the resort even though they don't currently have someone who wants to use that week. It's a way for them to hedge their bets in case the resort gets booked solid... and they know that they can always cancel the reservation before the cutoff and get their points back.

If renters say there isn't any availability for the dates you want, it usually means that at least a few of the dates you want/need are booked solid at the resort. At this point you would need to find someone who already has a spec reservation at the resort in order to get a room locked in to stay at. sometimes these large renters who pre-reserve on spec will have multiple reservations and will be willing to "break apart" their existing reservations in order to try and get you the exact dates you need and are looking for.... however sometimes they won't because they want to rent out the entire week and not just a partial week.

My family and I are staying at the WBC in September for 2 weeks, I'm not 100% about driving, and have read that the shuttle isn't very often and they are now charging $5 per person to use it as there are 5 of us it will work out expensive for us, I've been looking on google maps at the location of the resort and it seems close to the Caribbean Beach, there is a few bushes/trees between the 2, does anyone that has stayed at the WBC know if its possible to cut through these bushes/trees to use the Disney transport instead????

Unfortunately, you can't walk from the CBR to WBC. Besides the bushes and trees, there is a fence and a large ditch between the back of the CBR and the Bonnet Creek area. There also is not a sidewalk on East Buena Vista BLVD, so walking out the front of the resort and down the road to the Bonnet Creek resort area wouldn't be an option.


You best options would be to either rent a car, or to check if Taxi prices for your 5 people might end up being less expensive than the onsite shuttle.

 

[6elginfans]

We are staying at Bonnet Creek for this first time in November. I was told that they have special ticket prices. When I called they said they could only tell me those prices in person. I am guessing you have to hear the time share talk, and then they let you know their prices. Is this true, does anyone know what the tickets prices are if you listen?

 

[DCTooTall]

We are staying at Bonnet Creek for this first time in November. I was told that they have special ticket prices. When I called they said they could only tell me those prices in person. I am guessing you have to hear the time share talk, and then they let you know their prices. Is this true, does anyone know what the tickets prices are if you listen?

I don't know what the current time share spiel "gift" is. Sometimes it's a gift card. Sometimes it's a couple free 1 day tickets or discounted other ticket types. Either way, It's usually not worth it since it requires 2-3 hours of your valuable vacation time to listen to a very high pressure sales spiel.

You can also purchase Disney tickets in the main lobby. These are (last time I checked) the same price as those sold at the front gate ticket booths since the ticket sales desk is staffed by Disney employees. The only real advantage to buying your tickets here is that it could save you the time of waiting in the line at the front of te park to buy your tickets. (But you can always buy them online before your trip from Disney or at a discount from someplace like Undercover Tourist)

 

[kleldridge]

I can tell you that VS did not have availability for my timeframe and Ken did so we went with Ken. I think you should absolutely try VS as well as Farrell's and see if they have better luck.

All of them got back to me with quotes quickly and I learned from this board that I needed to make that reservation right away, so we booked as soon as we confirmed our days off from work.

We always go with Farrell.

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

We always go with Farrell.

Do you find him to be a slow responder? He emailed me a quote yesterday at 9 am, I immediately wrote back asking to add on 2 days, and didn't get a response back till almost 8 pm. I wrote him immediately again saying we wanted to book, and still no response.

 

[Wonders10]

How comfy are the sofa beds?

My boyfriend and I are looking into a 1-bdrm for our anniversary this August. We really like the idea of having a separate bedroom and full kitchen for breakfast and things and the price is comparable with a disney moderate! Any tips or tricks I should consider? I've contacted vacation strategies (already sent me a quote) as well as vacation upgrades to compare prices.

Thanks!

 

[Wonders10]

One more question...does vacation strategies do a price check at 60 days out like vacation upgrades advertises? Still waiting to hear from vacation upgrades to see who has the lower price.

 

[6elginfans]

Do they charge $5 per person per day or per trip. If you are a family of 4 will it cost $20 per day or $40 per day to nuse the shuttle for a round trip to one of the parks?

 

[DCTooTall]

How comfy are the sofa beds?

My boyfriend and I are looking into a 1-bdrm for our anniversary this August. We really like the idea of having a separate bedroom and full kitchen for breakfast and things and the price is comparable with a disney moderate! Any tips or tricks I should consider? I've contacted vacation strategies (already sent me a quote) as well as vacation upgrades to compare prices.

Thanks!

It's a Sofa Bed, and in my experience sofa beds tend to be similar in their comfort level.

The 1bdrm Bed is also a King size bed.... so PLENTY of room in the bed, even if you wanted to do something like throw a line of pillows down the center to keep people separated.

One more question...does vacation strategies do a price check at 60 days out like vacation upgrades advertises? Still waiting to hear from vacation upgrades to see who has the lower price.

From my Understanding, Vacation Strategies gives you their initial quote assuming they will be able to rebook within the 60 day discount window. Vacation upgrades prices based off their cost today, but will apply a discount later if they can get the discount.

There are some other differences between the companies in regards to their policies and customer service which you can compare when deciding between them.

Do they charge $5 per person per day or per trip. If you are a family of 4 will it cost $20 per day or $40 per day to nuse the shuttle for a round trip to one of the parks?

My understanding is it's $5 per Round Trip. So if you use the Shuttle to come back for a mid-day break, it could be $10 per day.

 

[Wonders10]

From my Understanding, Vacation Strategies gives you their initial quote assuming they will be able to rebook within the 60 day discount window. Vacation upgrades prices based off their cost today, but will apply a discount later if they can get the discount.

There are some other differences between the companies in regards to their policies and customer service which you can compare when deciding between them.

So does that mean the price vacation strategies quoted me could go up at the 60 day mark? Or that I could lose my reservation entirely? Sorry if these questions sound dumb, but I've never booked through tese sorts of companies before.

Thanks!

 

[DCTooTall]

So does that mean the price vacation strategies quoted me could go up at the 60 day mark? Or that I could lose my reservation entirely? Sorry if these questions sound dumb, but I've never booked through tese sorts of companies before.

Thanks!

I've never rented thru them, so I can only tell you what I've heard others mention via their contracts or other talk. For a definitive answer, I'd recommend asking the company directly.

From what I remember hearing, someone mentioned that VS's contract mentions the fact they will cancel and rebook the reservation around the 60 day mark, and that there is a possibility that the reservation could be lost.

Based off the number of people here who's reported good things about VS, I'd say this isn't something that happens often, but if it's indeed mentioned as a possibility in the contract, it would be something worth keeping in mind as you judge which is the better deal for you. Ultimately, I'd say that most times of year, with a 1bdrm, it's not as likely to be a problem with losing the reservation, but it's something that may add a bit more risk to the reservation.

 

[Wonders10]

Here I go again...

I've received quotes from vacation strategies and vacation upgrades. One company has a slightly lower price, the other I get a better sense of trust that everything will go smoothly. I don't want to say who is who, but would love to hear if you'd pick one company over another and why.

Thanks!

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

When you book thru Vacation Strategy you get their lowest rate up front. You get a quote and if you choose to book then you pay your deposit. This year is the second year we have used them and nowhere in our contract does it mention the possibility of losing our reservation. There are many threads that discuss Vacation Strategy and I have yet to hear of any issues. I believe one of the owners is currently out on maternity leave and their reponse time has been a tad slower than normal but I would highly recommend them. I paid our balance last week and couldnt be more excited !

 

[aseyrick]

When you book thru Vacation Strategy you get their lowest rate up front. You get a quote and if you choose to book then you pay your deposit. This year is the second year we have used them and nowhere in our contract does it mention the possibility of losing our reservation. There are many threads that discuss Vacation Strategy and I have yet to hear of any issues. I believe one of the owners is currently out on maternity leave and their reponse time has been a tad slower than normal but I would highly recommend them. I paid our balance last week and couldnt be more excited !

I second ^^^. This is our 2nd year booking w/ VS and there's a reason for that ... lowest price and good customer service. The price has never gone up from the original quote. In fact, they gave me 8 days instead of 7 last time we booked through them. And, I just paid our balance TODAY in fact and can't wait to check into our presidential suite in 2 weeks!

 

[Twingle]

Headed home today - had a great stay! We drove, so didn't use the shuttles. Every park we were able to be into within 20 minutes of leaving the resort.
Had no issues with time sales pitches - they left a few messages, but were very low key about it all.

 

[FreeThinker]

Can I take and use a crock pot? Chicken in the crock pot would be a great but easy meal! I am thinking of packing mine, but do they have some available there? And are plug-ins like a CP allowed?

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

Has anyone rented with Jeff Hudson?