The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread part2

[Fundytrail]

A couple of days ago I sent out two requests for quotes for 14 nights in April 2013, within hours I had a quote back from one and 48 hours has passed and no response from the other.

Vacation Strategy provided a very reasonable quote so we are now booked in for April 2013

 

[sherabby]

Does anyone know where the links are to the pay it forwards? I cannot seem to find it.

 

[disneyfreak7]

Has anyone had the Christmas Day dinner buffet? Wondering how it is. Also how much would a taxi cost from Epcot to BC?

anyone?

 

[trishwal]

Does anyone know where the links are to the pay it forwards? I cannot seem to find it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663580

 

[cherylsmike]

I just booked our first stay at WBC! Well I paid the deposit anyway. We will be there April 10-18 2013 before our very first (testing the waters) cruise on the Dream. We left DH behind on our Christmas trip so its his turn. Since it's just us we booked a 1 bedroom.

We had Art of Animation Little Mermaid room booked, but DH wanted to make the dining plans and when he saw the sticker prices on the Disney meals (this is his 4th trip so I am not sure why this is a surprise except I did most of the planning) he said we needed to try a condo with a kitchen. I had tried to get him to try WBC but he wanted to stay only on-site until he saw the meal prices.

Turns out with a quote from VS we are saving over $300 from our Disney res. I know I will miss the Disney magic and I am sad but we are calling it a recon trip for future trips with the kids. Although I am certain I will not miss the value beds. The are older now and one Disney room is not going to work anymore.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I just booked our first stay at WBC! Well I paid the deposit anyway. We will be there April 10-18 2013 before our very first (testing the waters) cruise on the Dream. We left DH behind on our Christmas trip so its his turn. Since it's just us we booked a 1 bedroom.

We had Art of Animation Little Mermaid room booked, but DH wanted to make the dining plans and when he saw the sticker prices on the Disney meals (this is his 4th trip so I am not sure why this is a surprise except I did most of the planning) he said we needed to try a condo with a kitchen. I had tried to get him to try WBC but he wanted to stay only on-site until he saw the meal prices.

Turns out with a quote from VS we are saving over $300 from our Disney res. I know I will miss the Disney magic and I am sad but we are calling it a recon trip for future trips with the kids. Although I am certain I will not miss the value beds. The are older now and one Disney room is not going to work anymore.

I understand your situation...even with multiple trips under your belt you can still cringe when you see the cost of dining at the table service restaurants. Our DD's are getting into the tween stage and the extra room and bathroom at WBC is priceless in our opinion. Then the savings on eating in for things like breakfast and the occasional dinner is icing on the cake, so to speak. We were worried that we would miss staying on site, but we ended up loving it! And the bonus is the location of WBC...you never leave WDW property until you drive down Chelonia Pkwy, so you are still surrounded by purple WDW signs!

 

[::danielle::]

anyone?

I cannot answer about the buffet but a cab from Epcot to WBC cost about $10.

 

[nilseks]

Trying to figure out the best way to go about getting some food staples...

We are staying at Bonnet Creek for our next trip. Cooking on vacation just isn't my thing, but we are planning to eat breakfast in the room most days to save some money (and also because my kids aren't big breakfast eaters and prefer to eat in the room).

We're flying on SW so no paying to check an extra bag. My kids are basically cereal eaters so I'm planning to bring box of cereal, maybe some snack bars, goldfish crackers, jar of nutella...things of that nature. I want my vacation to start when I get off the plane and I don't want to spend a lot of time going to Publix or whatnot.

Is there a store at WBC where I can get a gallon or two of milk, a case of pop, loaf of bread, a 6 pk of beer, etc.? If so is it really expensive? Or will the Hess gas station that's on property have items of that nature?

 

[DCTooTall]

Trying to figure out the best way to go about getting some food staples...

We are staying at Bonnet Creek for our next trip. Cooking on vacation just isn't my thing, but we are planning to eat breakfast in the room most days to save some money (and also because my kids aren't big breakfast eaters and prefer to eat in the room).

We're flying on SW so no paying to check an extra bag. My kids are basically cereal eaters so I'm planning to bring box of cereal, maybe some snack bars, goldfish crackers, jar of nutella...things of that nature. I want my vacation to start when I get off the plane and I don't want to spend a lot of time going to Publix or whatnot.

Is there a store at WBC where I can get a gallon or two of milk, a case of pop, loaf of bread, a 6 pk of beer, etc.? If so is it really expensive? Or will the Hess gas station that's on property have items of that nature?

I know milk and some other stuff are available at the onsite shop. Honestly, the selection is extremely limited and expensive and generally not worth it. The Hess station may also have some stuff, but again, overpriced and not necessarily worth it.

Depending upon what you are wanting, if you don't want to make a store run, You might want to look at one of the grocery delivery services such as Garden Grocer. I don't know if they can do alcohol though.

Personally, I like making a run by the Walmart the day I arrive to grab some things when I fly in. It doesn't take that long and that way I can get all the items I need and the exact brands or sizes that I want instead of relying on a limited selection available at most small convenience shops. (Bonus: the Walmart has a Liquor store at the front, so I can also grab some rum or other tasty adult beverage so I can save some money at the pool bar.)

 

[disneyfreak7]

I cannot answer about the buffet but a cab from Epcot to WBC cost about $10.

Thanks....Is it true that there is a $fee for the cab to pull up to a park?
I wonder if we could hop on the WBC shuttle if we are staying on Disney property? no flames please, just wondering.

 

[DCTooTall]

Thanks....Is it true that there is a $fee for the cab to pull up to a park?
I wonder if we could hop on the WBC shuttle if we are staying on Disney property? no flames please, just wondering.

Disney has an exclusive Contract with the Mears Company. This means that all taxi's you see at the Park Taxi Stands (And at the resorts), are Mears Cabs. Mears cabs are also able to drop off passengers at the parks and resorts without any surcharges.

Other Cab companies are also allowed to drop people off at the Disney Parks, but they must pay the $14 Taxi/Parking fee at the parking booths in order to get to the park drop-off point. This is usually then passed along to the rider. I believe it's also exclusively drop-offs to the 4 parks which charge a parking fee.


For EPCOT, if you are catching a cab at the park and taking it back to the resort, You don't have to worry about the fee.

If you are catching a cab at the resort, and you get a MEARs cab (I believe the Checker Cabs are part of Mears in that area), then you don't need to worry about the $14 surcharge to get dropped off at the park.

If you get another non-Mears affiliated Cab at the resort, You can expect to either pay the additional $14 surcharge that Disney charges the cab company, Or you could ask to be dropped off at the Boardwalk and then walk to the International Gateway entrance to EPCOT.

 

[ShortStuff]

Thank you so much for the compliments on the video! I messed up though and posted the wrong one... lol... this is the one with Bonnet Creek right in the beginning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpZBTHVCm5c&feature=g-upl

They are both great and I truly enjoyed them!! Your children are adorable, but tell your son I said he is handsone!!: I am so happy you had such a wonderful vacation!!

Sorry. I didn't mean to give the impression that we didn't have a good time. We did. It was wonderful despite the rain. And I did know in advance everything about housekeeping. What I didn't realize was how I'd feel about it. I was very much looking forward to staying at WBC especially considering the great price. And I did mention it was a beautiful resort. Just not for us. I knew I didn't want to stay in a condo or further offsite but just thought WBC was so close that I'd feel differently about it... but I didn't. And I know now so that's a good thing. We'll still stay there if we have a larger group but just not if there are only the five of us. I'm not the complaining type really. I just thought others might benefit from a returning view that was a bit different. If I had seen a few posts like mine, I may have realized earlier that it wouldn't really be for me. Just trying to help out.

I didn't know about the string and postal. We aren't from the US. I asked the shipping dept for string because I thought it would be easier to get the parcel off the conveyor belt when we decided to check it as luggage. I just assumed that when I was told they had boxes and paper that they'd have string too... my mistake.

You know, there is a great teacher called experience!! I am happy you were lucky enough to figure out what is right for your family!! That my dear is what will allow you to have and enjoy your future vacations!!

I Disney Magic!! I think it is what makes the difference between visiting Disney and other amusement parks/tourist destinations. We used to own DVC, but due to a divorce in the family, we now own Shell and Wyndham points. Despite our love for the magic, we know this is the way we can have the ability to still travel, with accom. we are used to, have wonderful vacations, with lots of room and family members along. So, for us it is the trade off. As a side point, we went to San Antonio for two nights, in a regular motel room. My grandson walked in, looked around and said, 'Grandma, where's the rest of the house?'. A bit spoiled I'd say, but since he is on the autism spectrum, it makes a difference in his experience.

We priced out a trip, with free dining at pop. We figured out that by the time we bought park tickets through Disney (we are buying military tickets), paying rack rate for the room, we can get our 2 bedroom condo, still eat lunch in the parks, pay for parking and have family along.

Does it mean we need to cook a few meals? Yeppers, but we also get to eat out, eat at the parks, and do easy, inexpensive meals, like rotisserie chickens, pork roast in a crockpot and hamb. helper, which my grandmunchkins like.

I will freely admit, I would rather still be a disney snob, but unfortunately, life has thrown me a fast ball.

Thank you for sharing your experience, as those are the same concerns I had when we first started condo vacations. Now, I will never look back!!!:

This of course is the most important thing about life!! Our differences is what makes the world go around and makes life as interesting as it is!!!

 

[osugal]

For people who stay off site....what are your park plans like? Do you go every day? Is there any reason to do park hoppers?

 

[eeyorepixie]

I just booked our first stay at WBC! Well I paid the deposit anyway. We will be there April 10-18 2013 before our very first (testing the waters) cruise on the Dream. We left DH behind on our Christmas trip so its his turn. Since it's just us we booked a 1 bedroom.

We had Art of Animation Little Mermaid room booked, but DH wanted to make the dining plans and when he saw the sticker prices on the Disney meals (this is his 4th trip so I am not sure why this is a surprise except I did most of the planning) he said we needed to try a condo with a kitchen. I had tried to get him to try WBC but he wanted to stay only on-site until he saw the meal prices.

Turns out with a quote from VS we are saving over $300 from our Disney res. I know I will miss the Disney magic and I am sad but we are calling it a recon trip for future trips with the kids. Although I am certain I will not miss the value beds. The are older now and one Disney room is not going to work anymore.

Hey Cheryl long time no see There are 3 of us in the AVC staying at WBC this August. A cruise in April I have one booked in April too for 4 days on the Wonder, but will be cancelling because I want a 7 day on the Fantasy in 2014 when the dates come out
I just wanted to give you a big Ol'Queenie hug

 

[sherabby]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663580

Thank you!

 

[SYLVESTER7577]

They are both great and I truly enjoyed them!! Your children are adorable, but tell your son I said he is handsone!!: I am so happy you had such a wonderful vacation!!



You know, there is a great teacher called experience!! I am happy you were lucky enough to figure out what is right for your family!! That my dear is what will allow you to have and enjoy your future vacations!!

I Disney Magic!! I think it is what makes the difference between visiting Disney and other amusement parks/tourist destinations. We used to own DVC, but due to a divorce in the family, we now own Shell and Wyndham points. Despite our love for the magic, we know this is the way we can have the ability to still travel, with accom. we are used to, have wonderful vacations, with lots of room and family members along. So, for us it is the trade off. As a side point, we went to San Antonio for two nights, in a regular motel room. My grandson walked in, looked around and said, 'Grandma, where's the rest of the house?'. A bit spoiled I'd say, but since he is on the autism spectrum, it makes a difference in his experience.

We priced out a trip, with free dining at pop. We figured out that by the time we bought park tickets through Disney (we are buying military tickets), paying rack rate for the room, we can get our 2 bedroom condo, still eat lunch in the parks, pay for parking and have family along.

Does it mean we need to cook a few meals? Yeppers, but we also get to eat out, eat at the parks, and do easy, inexpensive meals, like rotisserie chickens, pork roast in a crockpot and hamb. helper, which my grandmunchkins like.

I will freely admit, I would rather still be a disney snob, but unfortunately, life has thrown me a fast ball.

Thank you for sharing your experience, as those are the same concerns I had when we first started condo vacations. Now, I will never look back!!!:

This of course is the most important thing about life!! Our differences is what makes the world go around and makes life as interesting as it is!!!

My wife and I also love Disney Magic. We also love saving money (trying to retire) and we always have a hard time deciding where to stay. We can stay in hotels, some nice ones for free because of my wifes job. We have stayed on property and now we will try WBC this October. We were not able to have children so it's just the two of us. My first trip to Disney was 7 years ago. We started with reasonable hotels in Kissimmee (ten minutes away) and graduated to nicer suites, then Disney property. We love Disney so much that shying away from $300.00 nights on property is hard to do but easier by the pocketbook. WBC will be less than $90 a night for a two bedroom and looks to be very fun. I don't like the issues some people have of small rooms, crowds, lesser ammenities of the value resorts to save money. We need two rooms until one of us??? stops snoring. We always have had non-expiring tickes and the meal plans are a waste for her appitite. So those specials don't interest us. What we will miss tho is the Magical Express and having simply said: our best and most relaxing vacation ever at Fort Wilderness. The best ever! Quiet secluded not over crowded but all the Disney we wanted. It is true you get what you pay for some times. I am hoping and for what I've read here should have a great time at WBC. A few more people but a lot of offerings. It is hard to choose sometimes. Some realy great reviews have been posted here.

 

[Upatnoon]

For people who stay off site....what are your park plans like? Do you go every day? Is there any reason to do park hoppers?

Here's how we "hop" from park to park.

We will go to MK or another park in the morning, take an afternoon break at the resort, then go to Epcot for dinner or for a treat at the bakery in France.

Or in the fall, we go to Animal Kingdom during the day, take a break, then go to Hollywood studios at night for the Osborne lights.

Or we may go to Epcot during the day, take break, then go over to MK to see wishes.

 

[descovy]

We are in tower 3 and have wifi. Considering our room is a parking lot view with tube TVs and laminate counters (horrors!) it's same to assume all the "preferred" towers have it too.

We (2 parents 3 kids) have enjoyed our stay. In our situation, we are using time share points for free given by my aunt since she won't be using them this year. Orlando was the only city with summer openings in our 1000 mi driving radius.

We have spent 1 day at Universal IOA, and 2 half days exploring downtown Disney and monorail resorts. Today is my dh's birthday so we will rent a cabana and hang by the pool.

While enjoyable, we feel very much at home. As in, I do laundry, he takes out the trash. I prep food, he cleans the kitchen. All have to remember to make their beds and pick up their towels. Been grocery shopping and grocery unloading. Sure feels like home! Dh was super excited to BBQ on the grills which I happily obliged, to which I reminded him that at home we just call BBQ hamburgers "Tuesday"... Somehow more exciting here ???

 

[ez]

We used to be DVC owners at Boardwalk, and spent alot of time on Disney property. I have to say Bonnet Creek has completely won me over. The huge suites for reasonable prices, being able to park yourselves in front of your building (I did like OKW for that too) not walking a mile to the elevator and not getting reprimanded for having a beer by the pool! Last time we were over we did the character breakfast at Beach Club, and seeing the commotion in the lobby and people seeming to be lined up in all these different areas of the hotel, or whatever, I couldnt wait to get back to bonnet creek. We have spent a fortune staying on Disney property over the years and at the time I thought it was worth it....no more! Maybe I'm just getting older, but I am over that!

 

[eeyorepixie]

I feel the need for someone to post a nic looooong review