The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread part2

[two*little*birds]

For car rentals, we always use a guy on eBay that finds us the best rate. His services cost about $14 (from what I remember) but he does all the work for you - i.e. booking, using discount codes, finding the best rate, etc.

This year for our 2 week rental, we are paying $365 (all in) for a full-size car. He also checks to see if the rates go down.

 

[Ackpack]

For car rentals, we always use a guy on eBay that finds us the best rate. His services cost about $14 (from what I remember) but he does all the work for you - i.e. booking, using discount codes, finding the best rate, etc.

This year for our 2 week rental, we are paying $365 (all in) for a full-size car. He also checks to see if the rates go down.

Oh wow! what a great service! What's his name/contact?

 

[two*little*birds]

Oh wow! what a great service! What's his name/contact?

His eBay ID is carrentalking and his name is Bob.

 

[Ackpack]

His eBay ID is carrentalking and his name is Bob.

Thanks so much!

 

[DebT1964]

Leaving in 2 weeks for our Florida trip and our first time at WBC! So excited for our trip. Just wondering if anyone can tell me what kind of coffee filters are at WBC (we're in a 2 bedroom deluxe) - I want to bring some stuff from home (driving from Rochester, NY) just not sure which kind to get.

Thanks!

 

[littlele]

Leaving in 2 weeks for our Florida trip and our first time at WBC! So excited for our trip. Just wondering if anyone can tell me what kind of coffee filters are at WBC (we're in a 2 bedroom deluxe) - I want to bring some stuff from home (driving from Rochester, NY) just not sure which kind to get.

Thanks!

Actually, the room we stayed in had the same coffee maker I have at home, which has a gold filter in it, so you don't need any filters. There were some provided, but we didn't use them.

 

[RWF]

Just subscribing. Thanks for all of the great info!

 

[Princesca]

Okay... I need some help thinkin' this through

My family and I are planning to visit WDW November 2012. The way I see it, we have two options:

1) A Disney Value hotel if there's free dining offered again
2) BC if there isn't free dining offered again
3) Or actually, maybe even BC IF there's free dining, because I don't know that we will eat enough to make it a value... we want to do one character meal for my niece, and my DH and I don't drink soda, we'd just want tap water at meals anyway, and don't really eat a ton of sweets, certainly no more than once per day.

For any of you who've been in the same decision boat, what did you choose and what did it come down to for you in the end?

 

[DCTooTall]

Okay... I need some help thinkin' this through

My family and I are planning to visit WDW November 2012. The way I see it, we have two options:

1) A Disney Value hotel if there's free dining offered again
2) BC if there isn't free dining offered again
3) Or actually, maybe even BC IF there's free dining, because I don't know that we will eat enough to make it a value... we want to do one character meal for my niece, and my DH and I don't drink soda, we'd just want tap water at meals anyway, and don't really eat a ton of sweets, certainly no more than once per day.

For any of you who've been in the same decision boat, what did you choose and what did it come down to for you in the end?

Well, From my understanding, If you do Free Dining in a Value, you only get the quick service plan, so Character meals (and Table service) aren't included.

PLUS.... Free Dining requires paying full rack rate for the room, which makes the actual value of FD questionable to begin iwith.


But beyond that, Seriously, don't underestimate the value of the extra space you'd have in WBC vs. a Disney Value hotel. If nothing more, you and your wife might enjoy having a seperate room from the kids so you can have a bit of privacy. (hell.... potentially just having the extra space to get ready in the morning w/o worrying about tripping over the kids could be worth it.)

Then you can start looking at other "perks", such as the full kitchen. Even if you just make yourself some coffee in the morning, or do cereal for breakfast before hitting the parks, You'll be amazed at how much you can actually save by eating in your room before hitting the parks. (it's cheaper to eat in the room, and by having a decent breakfast, you'll be more likely to snack less in the park, or be able to "last" until after the major meal periods before you stop in someplace for lunch.)

 

[Princesca]

Yeah, that was why I was thinking the Disney dining might not be that great a value for us, because of the character breakfast, for starters. There will be six of us, too... five adults and a preschooler. We are going to be cramped in Value rooms, even if we get two rooms with a connecting door.

That's why I liked the idea of BC. However, I also know that I am prone to being very frugal, and I won't really "live it up" food wise and try things I want to try without a meal plan. Maybe I can make up some vouchers for myself. LOL.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Staying in a value with six people sounds like a nightmare to me. But to be fair, staying in a value period sounds like a nightmare after staying at Bonnet Creek.

Actually staying at any Disney hotel sounds like a nightmare when taking price into account.

 

[Princesca]

Yes, I about had an aneurysm when I saw the prices on a family-sized suite outside the Value hotels. Yeeee-ikes.

We were going to do two rooms, and let the fifth adult switch in between them if they wanted, but we'd just have so much more room at BC... and better pools.

 

[dizneechic]

That's why I liked the idea of BC. However, I also know that I am prone to being very frugal, and I won't really "live it up" food wise and try things I want to try without a meal plan. Maybe I can make up some vouchers for myself. LOL.

A lot of people like a dining plan because they have prepaid for their meals, not necessarily because you save any money on it. Free dining adds more to the equation but as NPH mentioned, you pay rack rate on the rooms so it may not work out to any savings depending on your eating habits.

One way of pre paying if you are off site is to start buying Disney gift cards now. Usually grocery stores have them (in $25 and $50 increments) and if you just add one to your list each week when you shop you'll quickly have your dining taken care of long before you go. This way you don't have as much guilt if you do splurge because its already paid for, and what ever you don't use on meals you can use elsewhere on Disney property. Your not forced into meals or snacks/desserts you may or may not want.

 

[DCTooTall]

Yes, I about had an aneurysm when I saw the prices on a family-sized suite outside the Value hotels. Yeeee-ikes.

We were going to do two rooms, and let the fifth adult switch in between them if they wanted, but we'd just have so much more room at BC... and better pools.

And don't forget another option....

depending upon how many days you plan on spending in the parks, as well as if you have any other trips planned, it could be worth it for you to get at least 1 Annual pass. That will allow free parking in the parks ($14/day currently), plus various other discounts around the property. You'd also be able to then purchase a Tables in Wonderland card which could save you 20% off your TS meals...including Appetizers and adult beverages. Beyond the additional freedom in what you order over the dining plan, you could potentially save yourself a lot of money that way if you enjoy TS meals and/or adult beverages. (you just need 1 card for up to a party of 10)

 

[dizneechic]

And don't forget another option....

depending upon how many days you plan on spending in the parks, as well as if you have any other trips planned, it could be worth it for you to get at least 1 Annual pass. That will allow free parking in the parks ($14/day currently), plus various other discounts around the property. You'd also be able to then purchase a Tables in Wonderland card which could save you 20% off your TS meals...including Appetizers and adult beverages. Beyond the additional freedom in what you order over the dining plan, you could potentially save yourself a lot of money that way if you enjoy TS meals and/or adult beverages. (you just need 1 card for up to a party of 10)

We did this last year (well bought everyone AP's ) but had done the cost analysis. For a single person to make out on an AP and paying for parking you had to go to the parks for 14 days. With a 7 day park hopper + 7 days parking vs the AP, your 7 days are $99 cheaper than the AP route, but IF you have a 2nd trip planned within a calendar year of your 1st the AP is absolutely the route to go. As far as the TiW card, that costs $75 if you are an AP holder, to make that up you need to spend $375 in dining at TS (or drinks) to break even. We are a family of 5 so that was easily done by 2 character meals so again was a win/win.

The trip we started the year with was 10 days off site, 7 character meals... it was a no brainer. The remaining trips for the year we probably wouldn't have taken if we didn't want to get the most out of our APs but we used the AP discount, stayed CL Poly and did 1 character meal each. The food staying CL was more than enough to work for us along with 1 QS meal daily so TiW outside of our 1st trip wouldn't have been a must have.

FYI if you do the AP you also get merchandise discounts so if your big souvie shoppers it may be worth considering.

 

[TnTWalter]

Okay... I need some help thinkin' this through

For any of you who've been in the same decision boat, what did you choose and what did it come down to for you in the end?

Moderate and Above, Free Dining is great IF you want a TS every day and then you use it to your advantage.

If you only want 1 or 2 TS for the week it is cheaper to stay offsite; DDP is great if you have kids who want lots of character interaction and you are going during a peak time [save time not waiting in lines]. Run the numbers to see....price it out with a room + ticket package [assume free dining] and then price out using allearsnet . com menu pricing at the restaurants you think you will hit. There are great restaurants you might enjoy since you're not trapped eating only Disney restaurants.

Some people think if they stay offsite it's more work cooking, etc. But really we usually only did breakfasts and snacks. I think we grilled one night and slow cooked another night the last time we were there. You can even get 'carryout' to save some money and time. Bring your fave food home to enjoy. You can do most meals to save major $$$ but you don't HAVE TO.

Oops...forgot...if it's a first trip...I'd lean towards staying ONSITE. There's something about the Disney immersion....
For our first trip, we did connecting rooms at POP when my kids were 4,6,8 and it was awesome. My parents stayed next door. We paid for the dining plan and were completely immersed in Disney. Loved it! Of course now I'm having a hard time ever going back onsite because 2/3 of my kids are disney adults and BC is AWESOME!

Trish

 

[CM1988]

So, I'm booked at Pop Century with free dining for ten nights in September and we started toying with the idea of getting another room so the kids can have their own beds and we can share another bathroom. Pop seems to be at capacity while we are there, so that is not going to work. I started checking on upgrading to a resort with bigger rooms, but all I see available are the cabins at an additional cost of over $2500. However, I now see listings on ebay for Wyndham Bonnet Creek 2 bedroom units for less than $100/night and am considering getting at 6 nights there just to get some extra space. I would just keep our reservation at Pop for the free dining.

 

[Colleen27]

Okay... I need some help thinkin' this through

My family and I are planning to visit WDW November 2012. The way I see it, we have two options:

1) A Disney Value hotel if there's free dining offered again
2) BC if there isn't free dining offered again
3) Or actually, maybe even BC IF there's free dining, because I don't know that we will eat enough to make it a value... we want to do one character meal for my niece, and my DH and I don't drink soda, we'd just want tap water at meals anyway, and don't really eat a ton of sweets, certainly no more than once per day.

For any of you who've been in the same decision boat, what did you choose and what did it come down to for you in the end?

For us it basically came down to a couple of things - not having to think about a dining budget and not wanting to lose out on EMH.

We waffled between Bonnet Creek and onsite until free dining came out then ended up booking an All Star Music family suite. We're 5 adults and 1 child (by Disney standards - two of the "adults" are my 13 & 10yos), and when I did the math the options were all pretty close in price. The most expensive option we were looking at - a Ft Wilderness cabin with golf cart rental and DxDDP - came to about $300 more than Bonnet Creek. The cheapest option - two rooms at Pop with a fridge rental and the DxDDP - came to about $300 less.

The Bonnet Creek plan gave us more space but meant renting a car and driving (no parking fees in my math because I'm getting an AP for this trip), included fewer on-site meals and far fewer snacks, and didn't give us the late nights we love in the parks. Staying on site means we don't have to drive, the DxDDP gives the trip a very all-inclusive feel, and we're planning on taking advantage of 3 evening EMH nights to better suit our night-owl habits. But we are settling for much less space - basically a 1 bedroom unit rather than a 2 bedroom - with fewer amenities at our resort. We don't spend much time at our resort when we're doing the parks so that's not a big factor for us, but might matter more to someone else.

And now, to make this all useless to you... All my math is based on this year's dining plan pricing. The price of upgrading to the basic or deluxe plans will be significantly higher next year so you'll need to take that into account if you want a plan that covers your TS meals.

I would really like to try Bonnet Creek at some point, but by this year's math free dining was the better deal for my family. Given Disney's statements about scaling back discounts and the annual price hikes for the dining plan I'm sure the right timing for Bonnet Creek will come along soon enough.

 

[matt&suzanne]

How much and what kind of coffee is available in the 2 bedroom suites?

At this point, I'm thinking of just bringing whole beans, a small grinder, and a French press to satisfy my coffee fix.

 

[dadschum]

I asked about taxi fares a few pages back and it seems like going from WBC to anywhere in Disney is about $15-20 or so.

I just used the taxi fare estimator on the Mears website (recommended by Mousesavers).

I used the WBC address of 9560 Via Encinas Lake Buena Vista FL and put in destinations of Epcot, Blizzard Beach and MK. They all came back in the $45-$55 range.

Huh? MK was $56. Seems ridiculous to me. Thoughts please?