The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread Part 3

[LadyBeBop]

I think this wouldn't be a problem, but I just want to make sure. We would still stay well within the occupancy limit.

Halfway through our stay, my daughter and son-in-law are supposed to come join us. We arrive Sunday; they wouldn't arrive until Wednesday. But due to the government shutdown, their trip is in jeopardy.

They have reservations at another place, so they wouldn't stay with us. However, by putting them on our reservation, they would have resort privledges.

When we arrive on Sunday, can we tell them that my DD and DSIL may or may not come in on Wednesday? And would they hound DD and DSIL for a timeshare tour? Right now, we have four sleeping in a two bedroom deluxe.

 

[JimMIA]

I think this wouldn't be a problem, but I just want to make sure. We would still stay well within the occupancy limit.

Halfway through our stay, my daughter and son-in-law are supposed to come join us. We arrive Sunday; they wouldn't arrive until Wednesday. But due to the government shutdown, their trip is in jeopardy.

They have reservations at another place, so they wouldn't stay with us. However, by putting them on our reservation, they would have resort privledges.

When we arrive on Sunday, can we tell them that my DD and DSIL may or may not come in on Wednesday? And would they hound DD and DSIL for a timeshare tour? Right now, we have four sleeping in a two bedroom deluxe.

I wouldn't tell them anything. You have their names on the reservation -- just check in and get a parking pass for their car.

Or don't get any parking passes -- that's just a trick to try to get you to sign up for a timeshare presentation. I don't think there is any situation anywhere in Wyndhamland where anyone has had any consequences for not having a parking pass.

When you get to the room, unplug the phones. Anyone you want to talk to already has your cell phone numbers.

If someone comes to your door with "welcome gifts," tell them "Thank you, no." If you let them in, it will be like a home invasion robbery. They will NOT leave.

 

[Eaglefan9727]

Just curious, Is there wifi at the resort? Thanks

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Just curious, Is there wifi at the resort? Thanks

Yes

 

[Kemorr]

They absolutely can and will cancel your package. I do get what you are saying though....you've paid for the package so why should WDW care? I agree, why should they care, but for some reason they do.

Well, despite your definitive statement that they "absolutely......will" cancel my package, here I am on the last night of my trip and no problems at all with our ghost reservation. And I didn't step foot on Pop property once except for check in day. I have one QS meal left on my plan, so I guess it is possible they cancel tonight and I'll lose breakfast, but I don't think so. I truly don't think they care. Now, if they end up not giving off site FP plus and they get rid of FP minus, I could see a major escalation in ghost reservations, then they might care if their "fully booked" resort is actually half empty.

 

[Eaglefan9727]

Yes

Thanks for answering my question....

 

[klledoux]

We are leaving for our second home as my son like to call it ~ WBC in 4 days for a ten night stay: ) We have to check in at the hotel for one night prior but I would like to go food shopping. We will then at some point the next day (when we get home from MK) check in to our home for the next 9 nights. Do they have an area we will be able to store our refrigerator/freezer items in the interim? We will be Tower 6 as we have 2 BR Presidential.

Thanks!
Kim

 

[cocoabean1]

We plan on arriving at BC around 11am. If the unit isn't ready, will they store our luggage for us? Don't want to spend the day waiting for a unit- want to head to the parks!!!

 

[sb682]

Can someone that's stayed at WBC recently give us an update on the wireless? When I first started researching the property, folks were saying to bring your own router. Has the situation improved? Is service better in some towers than others? I'll be packing this weekend and want to leave all unnecessary items at home. Also, I doubt it, but I'm wondering if there's a crockpot included in the kitchen items. Thanks!

We were in Tower 4 last month and the three adults had great wireless reception on their phones and laptops. DH was able to stream NFL Network on his laptop, so speed and connectivity were definitely not a problem. No Crock Pot, unfortunately, and no baking items (cookie sheets, muffin pans, measuring cups, etc).

 

[Jo-Anne]

How are the pull out couches in the 1BRs? My kids 17 & 14 will have to sleep on the pullout and some reviews on trip advisor talked about how poor quality they were and so uncomfortable. Anyone used them recently?

 

[ready123go]

Staying again this Dec. Has anyone tried their ROKU at BC? Curious if it worked.

 

[disneyfireman]

Have a great trip! I'll be there one week from today and again in about 12 weeks (Sept 14th-22nd and Dec 6th-16th)! We were also there this past May and loved it.

Sweet. We will be there Dec 8-13.

 

[Calirya]

Could someone help with the shuttle?
I called BC and was told this:
Shuttle goes to 5 "parks" (later clairified that the 5th park is DTD). That it is $6 per person per day.
I originally read on the boards somewhere that 3 and under ride free. I asked the woman about that and she said everyone has to pay. I asked even handheld infants and she said a little snotty "the cost is $6 per person per day."

 

[Eaglefan9727]

My wife and I will be checking in to the resort this coming Wednesday for 12 nights and I know they don't take requests for specific towers, But I am going to see if I can ask and hopefully get the tower that my wife and I want. Can anyone tell me which tower is good for Epcot fireworks viewing? We will be staying in a 1 bedroom suite. Thanks in advance.

 

[JimMIA]

Could someone help with the shuttle?
I called BC and was told this:
Shuttle goes to 5 "parks" (later clairified that the 5th park is DTD). That it is $6 per person per day.
I originally read on the boards somewhere that 3 and under ride free. I asked the woman about that and she said everyone has to pay. I asked even handheld infants and she said a little snotty "the cost is $6 per person per day."

I believe she was incorrect. The price of the shuttle service has varied all over the ballpark, and they seem to change it weekly -- but I think it's always been kids under 3 are free.

I could be wrong, because this is a wildly moving target.

Sorry the woman you spoke to was snippy. There is really no excuse for that, but the nature of this fee may help explain a little background.

This fee is NOT a fee instituted by Wyndham, but the Wyndham employees (who are the only people who have direct guest contact) have borne the brunt of the implementation of the fee. It's not entirely surprising that they are a little testy at times.

The fee for the shuttle is the creation (or creature...your choice) of the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Homeowners Association...NOT Wyndham, the management company. WBC is a timeshare, and it is owned by the timeshare owners...not by Wyndham.

The shuttle fee has been an erratic mess from the start. As a Wyndham owner (NOT at WBC), it looks to me like the Wyndham resort management (and corporate) have tried to talk a little sense into the homeowners' association...with limited success.

The only sensible answer to this mess is to go back to the free shuttle service. I really don't care -- we drive everywhere. But the only thing the homeowner's association is accomplishing with this amateurish silliness is to devalue their own ownership.

 

[Gellybean6903]

Hello there...I am a long time reader...first time poster.

I have read all three of the "We looooooooove Bonnet Creek" threads and thus felt SUPER prepared for the trip that we just took. I wanted to first say thankyou to all the previous posters for all of the information. It made everything really easy to have all the knowledge provided on these threads. I thought I'd pay it forward, and write a review of our stay.

We went for our honeymoon...stayed Sept 30th - Oct 6th....and It-Was-AWESOME!!

I had booked a one bedroom Presidental...and had from prior research learned that the only tower that has one bedroom Presidentals is tower six. So when we pulled in, we immediately went to Tower 6. Even though it was only 2pm...our room was ready.

Be advised that if you do book a Presidental...there is no option of trading rooms. I found this out the hard way as we didn't not get the Lake view I was hoping for

We got a 12th floor view of the trees...and downtown Disney. We could see some fireworks...but as we were on our honeymoon with no children it was definitely a let down.

Happy to report it was only one of the few disappointments. We did have an issue with the dryer...in that it was not getting hot...at all. We called the front desk...and they had it fixed by the time we got back from the park that day.

We also had an issue with the master bedroom and the fuses blowing. We only had our two phone chargers and a night light plugged in extra, but the master bedroom fuse blew a few times. We were able to find the fuse box behind the door in bedroom...and after I unplugged the room lamp and alarm clock...it didn't blow anymore.

Wyndham also decided to check every single fire alarm in every single room in every single tower the week we were there. EEK! Again, we were gone most of the day so we didn't hear it much. I'm not a big fan of someone coming into my room while we were gone, but we didn't have much of a choice.

I had read from a previous poster about the AC and how to override it. I think the fire guys may have unset our AC override...because it was HOTTTTTTT in the room when we got back on Day 3. So I did the override again and it was cool in the room from then on out.

I wanted to just throw out there a few random thoughts for anyone who is going...

**We booked through Vacation Strategy. We did not get a confirmation number so like some others on this page...I was weary. Like everyone else though, it went very smoothly. We had no issues whatsoever! They have a price match guarantee...so I will be using them for all future Orlando visits.

**The AC override...made a huuuuuuge difference. I didn't really understand what it meant until I got there. Their AC units have sensors that can detect when you are there and when you are not. When you aren't in the room...the air turns off. So when we got to the room for the first time, we set it to 69 and went about our day. When we got back to the room...it was 75 degrees and HOT. Immediately it all made sense...the override prevents the air from turning off. For those who don't feel like searching for the directions...here they be: Pressing & holding F/C button on the left side of thermostat, once "6P" apprears in display, unit is on override

**Parking Pass: I was hoping to have a definitive answer about this. When we checked in at Tower 6 -- there was no parking pass table. The desk clerk checked us in, gave us our room keys, and we went about our way. It was only when we realized that we gave her the wrong license plate and went back that she gave us a key for the parking garage. She never mentioned anything about the parking pass.

When you come into the Creek, you either go left if you're first checking in, or right if you are already a guest. The first few days we just waved to whoever was standing there nd went right in. The gate was wide open. Thursday, we were asked for the parking pass but we told them we never got one, and our room key sufficed. Friday, the wave worked. Saturday, a different person said we needed to try and get that parking pass. We left Sunday...never got the pass.

Seeing as how there is no parking pass table at the check in for tower 6 -- my best guess is that you don't need it. The people at the front gate really didn't care...as long as you had your room key. So when we go back...we won't get the pass again.

**Phone Calls from timeshare people: I honestly don't know if they called or not. We were gone during the day everyday and they didn't call at night. Our room phone was lit up with a message...but since I had my cell, I had no need to check room messages, and it was still lit up when we left. Easy peasy on that.

**Balcony door: I don't know if this was a normal thing in all the rooms, but our balcony door did not lock. Since we did not have any kids on this trip it wasn't a big concern...but it sure would be if we had brought the little ones along.

**Lines at the park: I can safely say that late Sept/early Oct was the PERFECT time to go. We had beautiful weather every day, and literally no lines at the park. We went Islands of Adventure on Thursday, and the wait time for Harry Potter ride was 15 minutes. FIFTEEN!! I highly recommend this time of year to go.

**Something different for the adults: I know most people go with their kids. But for those who are looking for an adult night...ya'll need to go to the Orlando Improv (9101 International Drive, Suite 2310 - Orlando, FL 32819). Ohmahgosh - we saw two other comedians along with semi-famous comedian Loni Love and it was hillllllllllllllllllllllarious. All three of them were super funny and it was nice way to spend the evening. Just saying...if you have a few hours of adult time, I highly recommend it.

**Parking: It wasn't bad during the week but come Friday it got pretty crowded. The parking garage was easy to figure out tho...no complaints there.

**GPS: I had read in the past the GPS units were unable to pick up the actual address of the resort. We used this address and it got us right to the resort -- 14651 Chelonia Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32821 (once you turn onto Chelonia...Wyndham is the first right...)

**Pools:We didn't use the pools much. But from what we saw they were more or less deserted. Another perk of going when we did. We did go the pool with the Pirate Ship and did the slide. It fun...in a terrifying kind of way. We also visited the lazy river at Tower Five...that was my favorite. Very relaxing. I can see how they would run out of tubes on a busy day. There were only a few left when we went (around 3 or 4 pm)...so if you wanna do that I would go early!

We did a walk around the entire facility and wow...the place is very family oriented. Lots of stuff for the kids to do! I was most impressed with their two splash pads. Perfect for those with smaller children.

**Transportation: Thanks to the lovely people on this forum, I knew ahead of time that the Wyndham buses were 6 dollars a day per person. I think it comes down to personal opinion, but I like to do things on my own schedule. So we had a rental car and drove to parks ourselves. Universal was $14 per car and Disney was $16....so it really amounts to the difference of a few bucks as to whether you drive yourself or use Wyndhams transportation. We paid for the convenience to come and go as we please.

**Groceries: We somehow managed to go to the WalMart on Vine -- MISSSSSSSSTAKE! I wasn't comfortable with that area. It seemed very run down and yea...not safe. We got our groceries and get back in one piece...but we will stay away from the area. I liked everything on Apopka-Vineland. The area was populated...but not too crazy like International Drive. Again...to each their own...that was just our own personal experience.

I think we were ALMOST victims of a crime at the Walgreens. I left my new bride in the car and ran in for some sweets. Of course the line was a thousand people long so it took a while (ironically this was one of the longest lines I stood in the entire trip!). When I came back out there was some dude eye-ing my rental car HARD. My wife mentioned that he had walked by a few times right before I walked out. It made both of us very uncomfortable.

Lesson learned...don't sit in the car...ESPECIALLY WITH IT RUNNING.

I digress...when we brought our groceries back...we borrowed the bell hops luggage cart. I don't think he was very thrilled about that...but I later saw people doing it all week. It made carrying in those groceries wayyyyyyyy easy.

**How much did we love it: Well...we loved it so much we are coming back with our 5 year old daughter in January of 2014. I actually made my reservation through Vacation Strategy today (they gave me the cheapest quote by far).

It'll be her first time on a plane, first time to Florida, first time to Wyndham, and first time to Magic Kingdom. I honestly don't know who's more excited: her....or her Mom and I to watch her see/do all this neat stuff for the first time.

Bonnet Creek was everything I thought it would be and more. And we can't wait to come back!

I tried to write down everything I can remember. Any questions feel free to ask...I'll do my best to answer!!

 

[Calirya]

My wife and I will be checking in to the resort this coming Wednesday for 12 nights and I know they don't take requests for specific towers, But I am going to see if I can ask and hopefully get the tower that my wife and I want. Can anyone tell me which tower is good for Epcot fireworks viewing? We will be staying in a 1 bedroom suite. Thanks in advance.

This I know for sure that unless you are platinum, gold or silver owner you cannot request a specific room prior to arriving. Once you go to check in that is the only time they will take room requests and then its still luck.

 

[Eaglefan9727]

This I know for sure that unless you are platinum, gold or silver owner you cannot request a specific room prior to arriving. Once you go to check in that is the only time they will take room requests and then its still luck.

I know that as I am just trying to figure out which tower can see the Epcot fireworks. That is all the info I need.

 

[Fundytrail]

Great post and I could not agree more with your final comment;
"Bonnet Creek was everything I thought it would be and more. And we can't wait to come back!"

We use the Wal-mart on Turkey Lake Rd and not the one on Vine for the reasons in your comment below.

Hello there...I am a long time reader...first time poster.

I have read all three of the "We looooooooove Bonnet Creek" threads and thus felt SUPER prepared for the trip that we just took. I wanted to first say thankyou to all the previous posters for all of the information. It made everything really easy to have all the knowledge provided on these threads. I thought I'd pay it forward, and write a review of our stay.

We went for our honeymoon...stayed Sept 30th - Oct 6th....and It-Was-AWESOME!!

I had booked a one bedroom Presidental...and had from prior research learned that the only tower that has one bedroom Presidentals is tower six. So when we pulled in, we immediately went to Tower 6. Even though it was only 2pm...our room was ready.

Be advised that if you do book a Presidental...there is no option of trading rooms. I found this out the hard way as we didn't not get the Lake view I was hoping for

We got a 12th floor view of the trees...and downtown Disney. We could see some fireworks...but as we were on our honeymoon with no children it was definitely a let down.

Happy to report it was only one of the few disappointments. We did have an issue with the dryer...in that it was not getting hot...at all. We called the front desk...and they had it fixed by the time we got back from the park that day.

We also had an issue with the master bedroom and the fuses blowing. We only had our two phone chargers and a night light plugged in extra, but the master bedroom fuse blew a few times. We were able to find the fuse box behind the door in bedroom...and after I unplugged the room lamp and alarm clock...it didn't blow anymore.

Wyndham also decided to check every single fire alarm in every single room in every single tower the week we were there. EEK! Again, we were gone most of the day so we didn't hear it much. I'm not a big fan of someone coming into my room while we were gone, but we didn't have much of a choice.

I had read from a previous poster about the AC and how to override it. I think the fire guys may have unset our AC override...because it was HOTTTTTTT in the room when we got back on Day 3. So I did the override again and it was cool in the room from then on out.

I wanted to just throw out there a few random thoughts for anyone who is going...

**We booked through Vacation Strategy. We did not get a confirmation number so like some others on this page...I was weary. Like everyone else though, it went very smoothly. We had no issues whatsoever! They have a price match guarantee...so I will be using them for all future Orlando visits.

**The AC override...made a huuuuuuge difference. I didn't really understand what it meant until I got there. Their AC units have sensors that can detect when you are there and when you are not. When you aren't in the room...the air turns off. So when we got to the room for the first time, we set it to 69 and went about our day. When we got back to the room...it was 75 degrees and HOT. Immediately it all made sense...the override prevents the air from turning off. For those who don't feel like searching for the directions...here they be: Pressing & holding F/C button on the left side of thermostat, once "6P" apprears in display, unit is on override

**Parking Pass: I was hoping to have a definitive answer about this. When we checked in at Tower 6 -- there was no parking pass table. The desk clerk checked us in, gave us our room keys, and we went about our way. It was only when we realized that we gave her the wrong license plate and went back that she gave us a key for the parking garage. She never mentioned anything about the parking pass.

When you come into the Creek, you either go left if you're first checking in, or right if you are already a guest. The first few days we just waved to whoever was standing there nd went right in. The gate was wide open. Thursday, we were asked for the parking pass but we told them we never got one, and our room key sufficed. Friday, the wave worked. Saturday, a different person said we needed to try and get that parking pass. We left Sunday...never got the pass.

Seeing as how there is no parking pass table at the check in for tower 6 -- my best guess is that you don't need it. The people at the front gate really didn't care...as long as you had your room key. So when we go back...we won't get the pass again.

**Phone Calls from timeshare people: I honestly don't know if they called or not. We were gone during the day everyday and they didn't call at night. Our room phone was lit up with a message...but since I had my cell, I had no need to check room messages, and it was still lit up when we left. Easy peasy on that.

**Balcony door: I don't know if this was a normal thing in all the rooms, but our balcony door did not lock. Since we did not have any kids on this trip it wasn't a big concern...but it sure would be if we had brought the little ones along.

**Lines at the park: I can safely say that late Sept/early Oct was the PERFECT time to go. We had beautiful weather every day, and literally no lines at the park. We went Islands of Adventure on Thursday, and the wait time for Harry Potter ride was 15 minutes. FIFTEEN!! I highly recommend this time of year to go.

**Something different for the adults: I know most people go with their kids. But for those who are looking for an adult night...ya'll need to go to the Orlando Improv (9101 International Drive, Suite 2310 - Orlando, FL 32819). Ohmahgosh - we saw two other comedians along with semi-famous comedian Loni Love and it was hillllllllllllllllllllllarious. All three of them were super funny and it was nice way to spend the evening. Just saying...if you have a few hours of adult time, I highly recommend it.

**Parking: It wasn't bad during the week but come Friday it got pretty crowded. The parking garage was easy to figure out tho...no complaints there.

**GPS: I had read in the past the GPS units were unable to pick up the actual address of the resort. We used this address and it got us right to the resort -- 14651 Chelonia Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32821 (once you turn onto Chelonia...Wyndham is the first right...)

**Pools:We didn't use the pools much. But from what we saw they were more or less deserted. Another perk of going when we did. We did go the pool with the Pirate Ship and did the slide. It fun...in a terrifying kind of way. We also visited the lazy river at Tower Five...that was my favorite. Very relaxing. I can see how they would run out of tubes on a busy day. There were only a few left when we went (around 3 or 4 pm)...so if you wanna do that I would go early!

We did a walk around the entire facility and wow...the place is very family oriented. Lots of stuff for the kids to do! I was most impressed with their two splash pads. Perfect for those with smaller children.

**Transportation: Thanks to the lovely people on this forum, I knew ahead of time that the Wyndham buses were 6 dollars a day per person. I think it comes down to personal opinion, but I like to do things on my own schedule. So we had a rental car and drove to parks ourselves. Universal was $14 per car and Disney was $16....so it really amounts to the difference of a few bucks as to whether you drive yourself or use Wyndhams transportation. We paid for the convenience to come and go as we please.

**Groceries: We somehow managed to go to the WalMart on Vine -- MISSSSSSSSTAKE! I wasn't comfortable with that area. It seemed very run down and yea...not safe. We got our groceries and get back in one piece...but we will stay away from the area. I liked everything on Apopka-Vineland. The area was populated...but not too crazy like International Drive. Again...to each their own...that was just our own personal experience.

I think we were ALMOST victims of a crime at the Walgreens. I left my new bride in the car and ran in for some sweets. Of course the line was a thousand people long so it took a while (ironically this was one of the longest lines I stood in the entire trip!). When I came back out there was some dude eye-ing my rental car HARD. My wife mentioned that he had walked by a few times right before I walked out. It made both of us very uncomfortable.

Lesson learned...don't sit in the car...ESPECIALLY WITH IT RUNNING.

I digress...when we brought our groceries back...we borrowed the bell hops luggage cart. I don't think he was very thrilled about that...but I later saw people doing it all week. It made carrying in those groceries wayyyyyyyy easy.

**How much did we love it: Well...we loved it so much we are coming back with our 5 year old daughter in January of 2014. I actually made my reservation through Vacation Strategy today (they gave me the cheapest quote by far).

It'll be her first time on a plane, first time to Florida, first time to Wyndham, and first time to Magic Kingdom. I honestly don't know who's more excited: her....or her Mom and I to watch her see/do all this neat stuff for the first time.

Bonnet Creek was everything I thought it would be and more. And we can't wait to come back!

I tried to write down everything I can remember. Any questions feel free to ask...I'll do my best to answer!!

 

[LadyBeBop]

The shuttle fee has been an erratic mess from the start. As a Wyndham owner (NOT at WBC), it looks to me like the Wyndham resort management (and corporate) have tried to talk a little sense into the homeowners' association...with limited success.

The only sensible answer to this mess is to go back to the free shuttle service. I really don't care -- we drive everywhere. But the only thing the homeowner's association is accomplishing with this amateurish silliness is to devalue their own ownership.

As a fellow Wyndham Smokey Mountains owner (who is going to WBC for the first time next weekend), I must respectfully disagree with you.

Yes, the paid shuttle service is a major disaster. And DH is upset that the change happened after we made our reservations (back in December, the ten month mark). He thinks we should have been grandfathered in. And he has a valid point.

Nonetheless, the shuttle service, utilized by all, but paid for by the owners' association (through the owners' MFs) is a money pit. And it's not like other hotels with free shuttles to the parks. Hotel shuttles aren't really free; they're paid for by the costs of the rooms. WBC's owners' association can't do that. It's either recoup the costs of the shuttles by charging for them, or increase the MFs. And would the owners agree to raising the MFs for the benefit of the non-owners?