The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread part2

[molly1]

This site is amazing - so much info we can really use - Thank You!
Due to all the great reviews on this site I am booking in Bonnet Creek - I have contacted a couple rental groups- Ken (from this site) - and another one called Vacation Strategy - they had great rates. Anybody ever used them to book? Just want to be sure to deal with a trusted Bonnet Creek group since I have never been there before - planning our trip in November - hope the Christmas lights will be up by then.
Thanks!

 

[dizneechic]

I got quotes from the 2 you contacted and from Paul at Utopia World, and we ended up booking through Paul. I emailed with dates since ours were a little further out than he was showing and he got back to me quickly with the info we needed and a fantastic rate.

http://www.utopiaworldvacations.com/home.php
He also sells on Ebay w/ 100% feedback:
http://myworld.ebay.ca/utopia_world

A few others on these boards have rented from his as well and had great experiences so between them and his ebay feedback I felt pretty good booking.

 

[mousegear]

This site is amazing - so much info we can really use - Thank You!
Due to all the great reviews on this site I am booking in Bonnet Creek - I have contacted a couple rental groups- Ken (from this site) - and another one called Vacation Strategy - they had great rates. Anybody ever used them to book? Just want to be sure to deal with a trusted Bonnet Creek group since I have never been there before - planning our trip in November - hope the Christmas lights will be up by then.
Thanks!

I also contacted Vacation Strategy. They have best rate. I also posted and a few people rented from them. However, they are not veteran Disers..... so worried. I also did some research on vrbo.com and they also have listing there as well. They have so far four positive feed back. I think I'm 80% sure that I'm going to book with them for next Aug 2012 trip. I would like to know your experience and who you book with.... esp. Vacation Strategy.

 

[LauraLap]

I booked with Vacation Strategy for my stay next Saturday. Everything so far seems good, I got my confirmation from Wyndham. Fingers crossed!

 

[Grumpy Grandma]

I booked with Government Employee Travel Opportunities (Getravelop) .... so far so good trip isn't until Jan 2012.

 

[molly1]

I booked with Vacation Strategy for my stay next Saturday. Everything so far seems good, I got my confirmation from Wyndham. Fingers crossed!

Well Vacation Strategy did seem to have great rates - and they do have a very nice professional web page. Not sure since I have never been to bonnet creek resort - there are many people that offer rentals --I want to make sure I am dealing with a reliable firm. Thanks for the info -
good luck with your trip - let us all know how it goes.

 

[Deb123]

We r here at BonnetCreek now. We stayed here previosly for 8 days in April during Easter wk in a 2 bedroom condo in tower 4. This time we are in a 1 bedroom deluxe in the main building right above the lobby where u check in. This location this time is in my opinion the best here on property. First of all, u can park right out front and there is always plenty of parking available. The first 3 days we were here, it rained ALOT! Because of this location in this building, it was perfect. All our family had to do was get on the elevator and we were right by the activity center with the pool tables, video games, store, etc. No getting wet for us at all. It was perfect. However, there is a couple of things here that bother me. Not enough to prevent me from coming again, but something I thought people should know. One is that there are no designated smoking areas like at the Disney Resorts. People everywhere are walking around smoking constantly. So pretty much whenever you are outside here at the pools, minature golf, etc. Be prepared to be around smoke and to smell it. For some this may be no issue, but for us, it does cause a problem because our son has severe allergies to smoke. Another thing is that there is alot of party crowds here. Alot of drinking going on. Watch your kids if they go off on their own. I do plan on staying here again because the ammenities here are great, and for the price, it can't be beat. Just giving a heads up, so families can be prepared. We avoided the smoke and the party crowds by going to the pools and golf early in the mornings. That's the best time to avoid the crowds. At night time around dark is when it got bad. And party crowds overtook the activity center. I have seen no security at night so far walking around in the 6 nights I have been here so far. I would think and hope that they will be taking care of this soon.

 

[saysay]

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.

Same with us, the basket is that wire mesh so the 3 times we have gone - stayed in different units, never used a paper filter.

 

[saysay]

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?

Our first trip last year with 3 adults and 1 child we went with Bonnet Creek for the extra space and bathroom. We are not big eaters so decided free dining even quick service wasn't what we wanted to pay full rack rates.

Our DD was 3 and we didn't feel like we missed a thing being out of the disney immersion....actually it was nice to be able to relax and spread out when at BC and enjoy all the amenities. We drove so we did have a car and didn't need to worry about airport transfer. We ate breakfast in the condo and I would pack up snacks and peanut butter sandwhiches for if we didn't feel like waiting at CS or paying the park prices.

We went back this spring and flew and still chose BC.....again with mother in law loved having the extra bathroom.

Had another trip this summer with my cousin and her DD and my DD....we chose on having the space. She was SO glad we did and loved the property, it was her first time there - she had stayed at CB.

I think its personal preference but for us to be as frugal as we can...we go with BC and still have and AMAZING trip. Even with a character meal thrown in, we save a ton.

the idea about buying a disney gift card here and there is a great one!

 

[razorbackfan22]

We spent five nights at WBC last week and had a marvelous time. We arrived on Friday, 8/5, around 11:30am. We went ahead and did the pre-check in as there was no waiting. Having booked through Ken and Denise Price, our fireworks view request was noted and I very nicely asked about the view and the front desk clerk stated that 3BR fireworks views were the rarest at the resort . Who knew?

Anyway, we got the parking pass and I politely declined to give anything other than my name and address. No phone calls, but we did have two letters when we got home stating we were approved for a timeshare loan for WBC. Parking pass clerk did say we were assigned a 7th floor room in bldg. 5 with a fireworks view .

We then went to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (great!); Car Care Center for second car (outstanding service); Gaylord Palms for some quick work stuff and then hit the Publix just south of the Gaylord (much nicer than the one on Vineland!!). It was about 3:15 when we headed back to WBC to store our cold items. The bellman suggested we check on the room to see if it was ready before storing our items. The two lone clerks had ballooned to 10 and there was a front desk manager directing traffic which made for a very short wait. The room wasn't ready and I again very politely stated my wish for a fireworks view. We stored our items and went to the Outlet stores (madhouse, but good shopping).

Around 4:15pm, we got the call that the room was ready and we headed back to WBC. I ran in and got the keys and the process was extremely smooth with the front desk manager visiting briefly with me. I asked as they gave me the keys if there was any way it was fireworks view and the manager looked at the room number, gave me a little grin and said, "Yes!"

We proceeded to building four to the thirteenth floor and walked and walked and walked to the very end of the west side (Room 1363) and here is what greeted me as I opened the door:

Absolutely the finest view to be had at the resort! We could see all four parks, the whole resort from the bedrooms, and the fireworks from Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. I even saw our building from the lift on Expedition: Everest. I know it was pure dumb luck that we got the room, but it meant the world to me as I was there on business and only spent two days in the parks.

Everyone at the resort was top notch with the only small hiccup being that the hallway wasn't vacuumed for a couple of days and two doors we passed had little piles of dirt in front of them. It looked like the guests dumped their carpet sweepers out in the hall.

The pool towel thing was no big deal and we used the pirate pool at Bldg. 6, lazy river at Bldg. 5, and slide pool at Bldg. 3. It was drizzling when we were at the slide pool and we spent a little time in pool bar. Very nice with free ice water. It did set up one of my favorite shots of the whole trip:

So a duck walks into a bar...

This was our second stay and was even better than our first. Ken and Denise Price (www.vacationupgrades.com) were outstanding as usual and I will keep recommending them. The three bedroom had an excellent layout and our unit had the updated linens and flat screen televisions. WBC's location can't be beat and we were able to get wherever we needed in minutes. My parents used the shuttle once for Epcot and were pleased.

As our trip ended, we were gifted with this sunset:

Any questions, just ask .

 

[two*little*birds]

We proceeded to building four to the thirteenth floor and walked and walked and walked to the very end of the west side (Room 1363) and here is what greeted me as I opened the door:

We have a three bedroom booked for October and want to request a fireworks view too. I hope we can get some of the same magic you did, what an awesome view!

 

[disneycrazy01]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted on this site for a few years since I haven't been to Florida in about 4 years.

I just returned from a week long trip to Florida and we stayed at Star Island - a Wyndham timeshare resort. A friend has a timeshare. They are pushy about people going to the timeshare presentations. I decided to go to get discounted park tickets, but decided not to go for the timeshare, but they did convince me to sign up for the Wyndham Discovery and they locked in the timeshare price for a year.

The salesperson came up with a story which turned out not to be true, but I didn't realize it until I got home and really looked at the book they gave me. The person told me that I could call within 30 days and upgrade to get a bigger discovery package with more points, but when I called to ask about it when I came home, I was told I only had 10 days to upgrade. Now the total cost for 154,000 points is approximately $1500.00. The sales rep was very nice, but pushy. We told him the only time that we could take a vacation would be during the summer and that we wanted to vacation for at least 2 weeks. He told us for the points we had we could get 2 weeks -- what a lie.

Star Island was very nice, but we want to vacation at Bonnet Creek. One week at Bonnet Creek in the month of July is about 166,000 points.

The cost in points for a 1-week stay in a 1-bedroom B suite in July of 2012 is 128,000 points. The summer is the only time I can vacation. When I read the book they gave me cover to cover, I discovered one place that stated that if I waited to book at the 60 day mark, I could purchase the same amount of points that I received when I signed up for the Wyndham Discovery which is good for one year. I can purchase the points at $10 per 1,000 points. Is it worth purchasing the points from Wyndham or should I try to get it on E-Bay?

Will I be able to get a 1-bedroom suite at Bonnet Creek waiting to book in May of 2012 for a vacation at Bonnet Creek in July of 2012? I want to book a week at Bonnet Creek & a week at Star Island.

Any suggestions will be helpful. Thank you.

 

[DCTooTall]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted on this site for a few years since I haven't been to Florida in about 4 years.

I just returned from a week long trip to Florida and we stayed at Star Island - a Wyndham timeshare resort. A friend has a timeshare. They are pushy about people going to the timeshare presentations. I decided to go to get discounted park tickets, but decided not to go for the timeshare, but they did convince me to sign up for the Wyndham Discovery and they locked in the timeshare price for a year.

The salesperson came up with a story which turned out not to be true, but I didn't realize it until I got home and really looked at the book they gave me. The person told me that I could call within 30 days and upgrade to get a bigger discovery package with more points, but when I called to ask about it when I came home, I was told I only had 10 days to upgrade. Now the total cost for 154,000 points is approximately $1500.00. The sales rep was very nice, but pushy. We told him the only time that we could take a vacation would be during the summer and that we wanted to vacation for at least 2 weeks. He told us for the points we had we could get 2 weeks -- what a lie.

Star Island was very nice, but we want to vacation at Bonnet Creek. One week at Bonnet Creek in the month of July is about 166,000 points.

The cost in points for a 1-week stay in a 1-bedroom B suite in July of 2012 is 128,000 points. The summer is the only time I can vacation. When I read the book they gave me cover to cover, I discovered one place that stated that if I waited to book at the 60 day mark, I could purchase the same amount of points that I received when I signed up for the Wyndham Discovery which is good for one year. I can purchase the points at $10 per 1,000 points. Is it worth purchasing the points from Wyndham or should I try to get it on E-Bay?

Will I be able to get a 1-bedroom suite at Bonnet Creek waiting to book in May of 2012 for a vacation at Bonnet Creek in July of 2012? I want to book a week at Bonnet Creek & a week at Star Island.

Any suggestions will be helpful. Thank you.

to the Dis!

First off... The Wyndham Bonnett Creek resort has primarily 2bdrm Deluxe units in it. There is a much smaller percentage of the 1bdrm, 3bdrm, and Presidential units. As a result, they are much more likely to be booked long in advance. I can't speak from experience, but it would be a safe bet to say that due to the time of year, as well as the number of larger commercial renters, that 1bdrm availability in July could easily be booked up by the time you would be able to find any discounts available. The reason for this is the larger commercial renters are more likely to reserve the 1bdrm units in the expectation of being able to utilize their VIP upgrade privileges.

Secondly... Most people will tell you to never buy from the developer. The reason for this is the cost is MUCH more than you would pay via resale (and in turn, much less then you could ever hope to resell what you bought). They will talk about the VIP benefits and other perks you can get from buying directly from Wyndham, but those perks are not worth the premium you would pay for the points thru them vs resale.

That being said.... resale is the way to go if you want to buy into the system. You can get quite a lot of points for very little up front money. (Many contracts will go for $1-$100 + closing costs). The primary reason you can find resale contracts so cheap? People trying desperately to get out from under the annual Maintenance fees they must pay.


the Wyndham Bonnett Creek is a great resort, and the Wyndham system itself has a lot of great resorts within it. Since you already bought a Discovery Package, you should have the ability to view their website and it's owner's learning center. It may not hurt to do a little research to determine if ownership in the system is what you'd like. You could also see if there might be resorts closer to you that maybe you'd enjoy other quick trips too.

I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the website and the available information on the system there. I would also recommend checking out some of the resources available at the Timeshare Users Group site. http://tug2.net/

If you only plan to utilize your vacation time at the Florida resorts, Another very doable option would be to look at just renting from some of the larger commercial renters you see mentioned on the boards here. Often their prices are very close, if not cheaper, then what you'd end up paying in maintenance fees through your ownership. You also would not have to worry about being stuck with those annual fees when/if you ended up deciding the ownership didn't fit your needs anymore.



If you have any other questions, feel free to ask either here or via PM (although you will need 10 posts in order to pm someone).

 

[missander]

Hi We will be at Wyndham Bonnet Creek mid- October and wouldl like some advice. We are Australian and are nervous about driving in the US so we will not have a car. Is there anywhere at or near the resort to buy basics- milk, bread and butter for breakfast- we will be arriving from Universal Studios by taxi.
Also we will be leaving for a late evening flight on the Thursday. We would like to spend the morning in the park. Would it be best to get a taxi from Epcott , get it to call at Wyndham to pick up our bags and then head to the airport or get the bus transfer back to Wyndham and then get a taxi to the airport. I guess what I need to know is if anyone has noticed the taxi availability.
Thanks a lot- Jennie

 

[Stinky_Pete]

?..Another thing is that there is alot of party crowds here. Alot of drinking going on. Watch your kids if they go off on their own...

...At night time around dark is when it got bad. And party crowds overtook the activity center. I have seen no security at night so far walking around in the 6 nights I have been here so far. I would think and hope that they will be taking care of this soon.

I'm curious what was going on that you felt the need to protect the children from it, and that required a security presence? I read pretty much the entire first thread, and every post in this one, and don't recall any prior mention of a need for additional security.

And how can you watch your kids if they go off on their own?

 

[carlbarry]

to the Dis!



Secondly... Most people will tell you to never buy from the developer. The reason for this is the cost is MUCH more than you would pay via resale (and in turn, much less then you could ever hope to resell what you bought). They will talk about the VIP benefits and other perks you can get from buying directly from Wyndham, but those perks are not worth the premium you would pay for the points thru them vs resale.

That being said.... resale is the way to go if you want to buy into the system. You can get quite a lot of points for very little up front money. (Many contracts will go for $1-$100 + closing costs). The primary reason you can find resale contracts so cheap? People trying desperately to get out from under the annual Maintenance fees they must pay.




If you have any other questions, feel free to ask either here or via PM (although you will need 10 posts in order to pm someone).

A BIG thumbs up. I would like to second the ebay suggestion very strongly. There are many auctions there for both Star Island and Bonnet Creek, all for pennies on the dollar. And it is also common for the seller to be a charity, which will even pay the closing costs! Thus, you can actually pick up a contract for $1 total cost. Almost makes me feel like the $100 I paid back in 2007 was a rip-off LOL

 

[disneycrazy01]

Thank you for the answers to my other question about booking a 1-bedroom at Bonnet Creek in the month of July 2012.

Should I cancel my Wyndham Discover that I signed up for on 8/1/11? My monthly payments haven't started yet. I know I will lose the $200 down payment I paid already.

We want to take a trip to Florida next year during July or early August and really wanted to try Bonnet Creek, but since that doesn't sound like that will happen will I be able to get a week at Star Island with the 154,000 points that I will be purchasing through the Wyndham Discover or will I find out that Star Island isn't available either dirung July or August? Has anyone been able to book a week during the summer months at a Wyndham resort during July in Florida?

I have a feeling I've been scammed by Wyndham and I rather take my losses now.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[carlbarry]

Thank you for the answers to my other question about booking a 1-bedroom at Bonnet Creek in the month of July 2012.

Should I cancel my Wyndham Discover that I signed up for on 8/1/11? My monthly payments haven't started yet. I know I will lose the $200 down payment I paid already.

We want to take a trip to Florida next year during July or early August and really wanted to try Bonnet Creek, but since that doesn't sound like that will happen will I be able to get a week at Star Island with the 154,000 points that I will be purchasing through the Wyndham Discover or will I find out that Star Island isn't available either dirung July or August? Has anyone been able to book a week during the summer months at a Wyndham resort during July in Florida?

I have a feeling I've been scammed by Wyndham and I rather take my losses now.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

My home resort is Star Island.
I am now looking at the Wyndham web site for availability. They are offering Star Island AND Bonnet Creek for Aug. 12-18 at 20% off, and Aug. 19-25 at 35% off!

As to availability: Bonnet Creek is showing excellent availability through the end of August (except Labor Day weekend, of course, which is "limited"). Star Island is the same, except it also has excellent availability for Labor Day weekend.

 

[Tooth Fairy]

Just got back. Booked thru Ken Price and everything was as promised. Epcot view...felt like we were at Disney to see that from kitchen and master bedroom. Will definitely stay again. Checked low income on the sheet at parking permit desk and did not hear a word from the sales staff

 

[The_Alice]

Hi We will be at Wyndham Bonnet Creek mid- October and wouldl like some advice. We are Australian and are nervous about driving in the US so we will not have a car. Is there anywhere at or near the resort to buy basics- milk, bread and butter for breakfast- we will be arriving from Universal Studios by taxi.
Also we will be leaving for a late evening flight on the Thursday. We would like to spend the morning in the park. Would it be best to get a taxi from Epcott , get it to call at Wyndham to pick up our bags and then head to the airport or get the bus transfer back to Wyndham and then get a taxi to the airport. I guess what I need to know is if anyone has noticed the taxi availability.
Thanks a lot- Jennie

Hi Jennie,
If you won't have access to a car I would recommend using one of the grocery delivery sites (We are going to be using Garden Grocer, but I know there are a few others). We will have access to a vehicle during our stay and we are doing this simply to save time and energy. You can place your order months in advance and arrange for it to arrive when you do. I have heard from many folks that GardenGrocer.com is a very well run business but this is our first time using them so fingers crossed.

As for the taxi situation, I wonder if Wyndham has an airport shuttle? Does anyone here know about that? Most of the offsite resorts or DTD resorts have a shuttle that will pick you up and drop you off at the airport, but I don't know about Bonnet Creek.