The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread Part 3

[eangel12]

I'm staying 10 nights in September. Am I able to pay for additional cleanings? With a baby and toddler I'm thinking we will need it!!

 

[wturpen]

We stayed at BC for the first time in October and loved it! We will be returning in October of this year with extended family. We have reserved a 4 bedroom presidential and a 1 bedroom deluxe. Does anyone have experience with requesting the rooms to be close together at check-in? We were advised to request the 1 bedroom be close to the 4 bedroom as there are more of them. Also, can a portable crib be requested?

TIA!

 

[SouthboundSteph]

hey everyone! We arrive a week today (!!!!) and am wondering the best way for us to get to WBC from the airport? We aren't renting a car and there will be 4 of us. We'd prefer a bus/shuttle because we're not bringing my 4 year old's carseat. Thanks!

 

[Upatnoon]

hey everyone! We arrive a week today (!!!!) and am wondering the best way for us to get to WBC from the airport? We aren't renting a car and there will be 4 of us. We'd prefer a bus/shuttle because we're not bringing my 4 year old's carseat. Thanks!

The best way by a mile is to rent a car and bring your carseat, which is exempt from airline fees, or rent a carseat in Orlando. Renting a car will let you drive to the parks and save $24 a day in Bonnet Creek bus fees. (You will have to pay for parking at Disney, however).

Renting a car will also let you easily drive to a grocery store to get food for your room, give you an easy way to drive directly to any disney resort to visit or eat and easily drive off-site to eat a less-expensive dinner.

 

[prescea]

Sorry, I am a long time disboard "stalker," but do not post much! I am hoping some of you can ease my mind some, or set me straight. After reading the reviews on here, I called Vacation Strategies this weekend, and was able to book a 4-bedroom presidential for December 6-13 of this year for $1,370. The man I spoke with was extremely nice and helpful, and I thought the price was phenomenal!

My question is this, I also contacted Ken Price for a quote, after receiving my initial VS quote, and he replied with the following (long) reply:

"The quote you received is actually below any Bonnet Creek owner’s actual cost. Our quote for the same unit would be $240 per night, with no additional fees and no taxes. Total of $1,680). I’ll attempt to explain the disparity."

"The other company (Vacation Strategies) is a broker who rents out using other VIP Platinum owner’s points. These owners had to have spent at least $80-125K purchasing their timeshares (to attain Platinum status) and are now handing over some or all of their time to VS to rent on their behalf for less than the associated maintenance fees. So these owners must now be financially distressed (unable to use some or all of their timeshare ownership), as doing otherwise makes absolutely no sense. These owners also have to cover the guest confirmation fees, which is another hit."

"Having received a solicitation from VS ourselves, I know their process is to log into Wyndham Vacation Resorts using those owners’ username and password credentials. You are not actually dealing with the owner (3rd party) who owns the time. We’ve always been uncomfortable with 3rd party arrangements. In this age of rampant identify theft, I’m especially uncomfortable with handing over an account for someone else to log into. So VS doesn’t have the same stake in Bonnet Creek that we do since they don’t own the time you are renting. What prevents the owner from making changes to the reservation if he has an issue with VS?"

"We only rent from our own ownership, so that we can control the whole process. Denise and I have worked very hard to earn our reputation, and we can’t afford it to possibly be tarnished by relying on other owners. Clearly, in the long term, renting below cost is not good for any owner. I’m sure that every owner who deals with VS didn’t plan on spending $80K+ on their timeshare purchase, just to then lose money each year on the maintenance handing over their points to Vacation Strategies or another broker."

"VIP Platinum Owners like us do receive a discount within 60 days of the arrival date. Some brokers and/or renters will cancel a reservation and then attempt to quickly rebook it (hoping another owner doesn’t beat them to it). I don’t know if VS does this, but based upon their advertised reimbursement, without rebooking they will be losing money for some quotations."

"The question to ask VS is when you would receive the Wyndham Vacation Resorts confirmation number and could it change? If the answers aren’t “within a couple of days of booking” and “no, it won’t change”, then your original reservation could be put at risk."

"We put the Wyndham Vacation Resorts confirmation number in the rental agreement, and have never put anyone’s reservation at risk. It’s wrong! We often agree to try to book replacements from the remaining inventory during our discount window to provide a lower price (and we state this in our rental agreement). But we will not cancel the original reservation unless and until we’ve successfully booked a replacement."

"Also, Wyndham Vacation Resorts is deploying a new reservation system (code name is Voyager) in the near future. I have been told by a Wyndham representative that the Voyager system will change the way cancellations are processed. Instead of cancellations coming back into inventory within 30 seconds of being cancelled, the inventory will come back 24 hours later (plus or minus some random amount of hours). This is to prevent this kind of “cancel and immediately rebook” activity. If this does happen, there won’t be any change to the way we conduct business. But for those renters who engage in this process, a lot of their customers could lose their reservations. I’m actually hoping this change does happen, as it will hurt those brokers that do this risky activity without their customers’ knowledge or consent."


Should I be nervous?? VS has such excellent reviews, and we are 11 months out. Is this something I should address with them?

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for your help!

 

[Upatnoon]

Sorry, I am a long time disboard "stalker," but do not post much! I am hoping some of you can ease my mind some, or set me straight. After reading the reviews on here, I called Vacation Strategies this weekend, and was able to book a 4-bedroom presidential for December 6-13 of this year for $1,370. The man I spoke with was extremely nice and helpful, and I thought the price was phenomenal!

My question is this, I also contacted Ken Price for a quote, after receiving my initial VS quote, and he replied with the following (long) reply:

"The quote you received is actually below any Bonnet Creek owner’s actual cost. Our quote for the same unit would be $240 per night, with no additional fees and no taxes. Total of $1,680). I’ll attempt to explain the disparity."

"The other company (Vacation Strategies) is a broker who rents out using other VIP Platinum owner’s points. These owners had to have spent at least $80-125K purchasing their timeshares (to attain Platinum status) and are now handing over some or all of their time to VS to rent on their behalf for less than the associated maintenance fees. So these owners must now be financially distressed (unable to use some or all of their timeshare ownership), as doing otherwise makes absolutely no sense. These owners also have to cover the guest confirmation fees, which is another hit."

"Having received a solicitation from VS ourselves, I know their process is to log into Wyndham Vacation Resorts using those owners’ username and password credentials. You are not actually dealing with the owner (3rd party) who owns the time. We’ve always been uncomfortable with 3rd party arrangements. In this age of rampant identify theft, I’m especially uncomfortable with handing over an account for someone else to log into. So VS doesn’t have the same stake in Bonnet Creek that we do since they don’t own the time you are renting. What prevents the owner from making changes to the reservation if he has an issue with VS?"

"We only rent from our own ownership, so that we can control the whole process. Denise and I have worked very hard to earn our reputation, and we can’t afford it to possibly be tarnished by relying on other owners. Clearly, in the long term, renting below cost is not good for any owner. I’m sure that every owner who deals with VS didn’t plan on spending $80K+ on their timeshare purchase, just to then lose money each year on the maintenance handing over their points to Vacation Strategies or another broker."

"VIP Platinum Owners like us do receive a discount within 60 days of the arrival date. Some brokers and/or renters will cancel a reservation and then attempt to quickly rebook it (hoping another owner doesn’t beat them to it). I don’t know if VS does this, but based upon their advertised reimbursement, without rebooking they will be losing money for some quotations."

"The question to ask VS is when you would receive the Wyndham Vacation Resorts confirmation number and could it change? If the answers aren’t “within a couple of days of booking” and “no, it won’t change”, then your original reservation could be put at risk."

"We put the Wyndham Vacation Resorts confirmation number in the rental agreement, and have never put anyone’s reservation at risk. It’s wrong! We often agree to try to book replacements from the remaining inventory during our discount window to provide a lower price (and we state this in our rental agreement). But we will not cancel the original reservation unless and until we’ve successfully booked a replacement."

"Also, Wyndham Vacation Resorts is deploying a new reservation system (code name is Voyager) in the near future. I have been told by a Wyndham representative that the Voyager system will change the way cancellations are processed. Instead of cancellations coming back into inventory within 30 seconds of being cancelled, the inventory will come back 24 hours later (plus or minus some random amount of hours). This is to prevent this kind of “cancel and immediately rebook” activity. If this does happen, there won’t be any change to the way we conduct business. But for those renters who engage in this process, a lot of their customers could lose their reservations. I’m actually hoping this change does happen, as it will hurt those brokers that do this risky activity without their customers’ knowledge or consent."


Should I be nervous?? VS has such excellent reviews, and we are 11 months out. Is this something I should address with them?

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for your help!

To me the only question is if the renter -- Ken, Vacations Strategy, whomever -- is delivering on their promises.

So far, I have heard no reports of anyone showing up and not having a reservation from any of the renters talked about on here.

Renters are competing for your business and they may use various arguments to try to win you over. In the end, you have to be comfortable with who you chose to rent from.

 

[staggle]

I worked with him through email and yes it was from MRN. He sends a good rental contract and all the confirmation emails from Wyndham to you in your name 45 days prior to checkin I have called and confirmed our reservations as well so he's legit. Highly recommend - easy to work with and great rates

I have a reservation with Kevin in March. His prices are great. Did he send you the confirmation emails in your name prior to making final payment?

 

[eangel12]

Quick question...has anyone rented through Aaron Washburn and actually completed a stay? I got a price quote and it is a GREAT price quote. Just want to see reviews before booking. Thanks in advance!~!

 

[suemom2kay]

To me the only question is if the renter -- Ken, Vacations Strategy, whomever -- is delivering on their promises.

So far, I have heard no reports of anyone showing up and not having a reservation from any of the renters talked about on here.

Renters are competing for your business and they may use various arguments to try to win you over. In the end, you have to be comfortable with who you chose to rent from.

I think Ken brings up some important points. If you would like to rent directly from an owner, rather than a broker than I would think that your risk would be lower. He brings up some great questions to ask at VS. You could ask, who owns the reservation? If they are a broker and the reservation is owned by a third party only you can answer how comfortable you are with that.

I am a Wyndham Owner and in terms of price, he is telling you the truth. Prices even lower than Ken's are definitely below cost.

Food for thought.

 

[Upatnoon]

I think Ken brings up some important points. If you would like to rent directly from an owner, rather than a broker than I would think that your risk would be lower. He brings up some great questions to ask at VS. You could ask, who owns the reservation? If they are a broker and the reservation is owned by a third party only you can answer how comfortable you are with that.

I am a Wyndham Owner and in terms of price, he is telling you the truth. Prices even lower than Ken's are definitely below cost.

Food for thought.

One thing I would like to point out about the "cost" of renting points is that while timeshare owners have a fixed cost for fees, a company managing millions points doesn't have any such costs.

They only have to return enough money to the owners to keep them happy -- and make enough money to keep themselves in business.

The number one issue for people renting vacations is trust -- burn someone and you will be out of business fast. This means the larger the firm, the more they have to lose is something goes wrong.

 

[suemom2kay]

One thing I would like to point out about the "cost" of renting points is that while timeshare owners have a fixed cost for fees, a company managing millions points doesn't have any such costs.

They only have to return enough money to the owners to keep them happy -- and make enough money to keep themselves in business.

The number one issue for people renting vacations is trust -- burn someone and you will be out of business fast. This means the larger the firm, the more they have to lose is something goes wrong.

Upatnoon just want to let you know I accidentally quoted your post but my intent was to quote the OP re: this question. Wasn't questioning your reply just stating Ken had valid points in his email.

 

[aubriee]

Quick question...has anyone rented through Aaron Washburn and actually completed a stay? I got a price quote and it is a GREAT price quote. Just want to see reviews before booking. Thanks in advance!~!

Yes, we rented from Aaron Washburn for our recent Dec 6th-16th trip (actually arrived Dec 8th though due to bad ice/snow storm stranding us in the Dallas airport). I called Bonnet Creek about a week out and verified everything was OK with the ressie. Since we were stranded in Dallas for two days I was really worried we'd lose the reservation, so called Bonnet Creek both days to tell them we were trying our best to get there. No problems! Everything was fine when we got there. We wanted to use Aaron again for our March trip, but he was unable to get all our dates. For our Dec trip he was significantly cheaper than anyone else we got quotes from (a couple renters on myresortnetwork.com, vacation strategies, vacation upgrades, Farrells, ebay, and Shelby resorts). We'd highly recommend him.

However, we rented from Vacation Strategies this past May and then from Shelby Resorts in Sept. Had a good experience with both of them also.

 

[lcpalmer03]

I am considering book through GoodBuy vacations. The other resort I'm considering if Sheraton Vistana Resort. The only thing that is keeping me from booking WBC is the price is about $100 more for the week and I don't really like heights...Is it possible to request a lower level villa?

 

[sjtucker]

We are heading down early February. Are the pools warm enough to swim in at this time of year? And if we wanted to be close to a pool that our 6 y/o would enjoy, is there a tower we should request?

Thanks in advance!

 

[neeka27]

I want to know this too!

 

[Rosebud123]

Might be beating a dead horse here, but I always rent from Ken & Denise even though VS and others might be lower. I trust Vacation Upgrades 100%, and they've been doing this for many, many years. That peace of mind is worth the $100 - $150 I'd save over a 9 night vacation going with someone else. I'm also not the type to rent last minute on Ebay. I'd never be able to fully relax and start planning knowing my hotel wasn't taken care of.

This is just me, though. Plenty of others loves VS.

 

[disneyfireman]

We are heading down early February. Are the pools warm enough to swim in at this time of year? And if we wanted to be close to a pool that our 6 y/o would enjoy, is there a tower we should request?

Thanks in advance!

We were there Dec 8-13. They claim they are heated pools, but my son 4 yo and I went down at night and the water was COLD. Now it didnt stop my son and his purple lips but i was miserable. But during the day was probably nice. I guess it depends on the weather in feb.

As for pools, we were in bldg 3. We had a quiet pool and a kids area with a waterfall out our back door. And Tower 6 pirate pool was a 5 min walk, but we never went over.

 

[sjtucker]

We were there Dec 8-13. They claim they are heated pools, but my son 4 yo and I went down at night and the water was COLD. Now it didnt stop my son and his purple lips but i was miserable. But during the day was probably nice. I guess it depends on the weather in feb.

As for pools, we were in bldg 3. We had a quiet pool and a kids area with a waterfall out our back door. And Tower 6 pirate pool was a 5 min walk, but we never went over.

Thanks, disneyfireman!

 

[velvetsqueeze]

We officially have our first reservation at WBC! I am so excited to see this place. We have 2 down days in our schedule that we plan on using to check out all the fun stuff at the resort. We go this March!

 

[untitan]

I have an upcoming reservation with a Wyndham confirmation that is in my name.

My reservation starts on Friday but I won't be there until early Saturday morning. My mom might be able to fly in on Friday evening. Will she be able to check in ok?

I'll call Wyndham myself but maybe someone has experience with this.

Thanks!