The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread! (pics and reviews)

[vettechick99]

I'm so happy to read more excellent reviews. Hate people were hounded by calls - that was never my experience in the past. Maybe they are ramping up their sales tactics? Sorry you all had to deal with those.

I agree with the poster who said the number of flyers was getting ridiculous. I think we should complain. If staff walks the hall then they should be able to catch these folks and throw them out.

Keep the reviews and pictures coming!

 

[samepoohdifferentday]

Congratulations Vettechick on your beautiful baby.

And thanks for this thread. We have worked with Ken to rent a condo in Williamsburg, VA and I am considering BC for a Florida vacation. Looks beautiful.

 

[Alexander]

..... I wish they had vacuums in the units--there were crumbs in the dining chairs and in the sofabed mattress--yuck.....

Hmmm--we had a vacuum in our closet.

We checked out on 9/4 (Saturday of Labor Day weekend) and noticed that by Friday night, the resort was FULL for the weekend. We had been parking in the garage all week and pretty much had it to ourselves until we returned from MK on Friday night....it was really full (at least on the first level). The parking lots and swimming pools were much much fuller than earlier in the week. We were glad to be checking out the next morning.

I do have to say, the garage was awesome in the hot sunny weather we had all week. The car stayed at least 30-40 degrees cooler inside! I also didn't have to worry about the carseat buckles getting hot for DS!

The slide at the new pool (bldg 6) is very dark and very fast. If you have little ones, you might want to try it before they do. You don't come out into deep water, just a splash pool, but the slide itself is wicked dark until you come out.

 

[mrzrich]

We had a vacuum too.

 

[mommylovesdisney]

Hey Vettechick!! Congrats on your new baby girl...she's beautiful!! Also congrats to big sister (and your DH, lol!!)

I didn't realize until now you were the bonnet creek thread poster, I first "met" you on the "lushes unite" thread, and I am happy to report that I was able to sample a lot of the recommended drinks at WS while there in aug! My faves: Kir Royale and the tri color margarita!!
I also collected a couple of glow cubes, ya know, for the kids

Anyhoo, back on topic: We need more room!! Little dd is turning 3 so we are going to POR next summer but our days of all staying in one room are coming to a screeching halt.
I am looking into BC, we passed the entrance when we were out and about (we stayed at CBR for DS's 5th birthday!) it was great but the sleeping/napping issues were tough. Luckily we had the quiet pool right outside our door so it was great to keep the other 2 busy while dd napped.

Long story short, TOO LATE

Would we get a better rate buy using the advanced purchase booking or trying to rent points?? I priced similar dates to when we are going next summer and I got a rate of 163 a night for a 2 bdr. That's seems fantastic to me Thanks in advance for any input

 

[vettechick99]

Congratulations Vettechick on your beautiful baby.

And thanks for this thread. We have worked with Ken to rent a condo in Williamsburg, VA and I am considering BC for a Florida vacation. Looks beautiful.

Thank you! She is a very sweet baby. And I'm so glad that this thread has an amazing following. Says a lot about the resort.

Hey Vettechick!! Congrats on your new baby girl...she's beautiful!! Also congrats to big sister (and your DH, lol!!)

I didn't realize until now you were the bonnet creek thread poster, I first "met" you on the "lushes unite" thread, and I am happy to report that I was able to sample a lot of the recommended drinks at WS while there in aug! My faves: Kir Royale and the tri color margarita!!
I also collected a couple of glow cubes, ya know, for the kids

Anyhoo, back on topic: We need more room!! Little dd is turning 3 so we are going to POR next summer but our days of all staying in one room are coming to a screeching halt.
I am looking into BC, we passed the entrance when we were out and about (we stayed at CBR for DS's 5th birthday!) it was great but the sleeping/napping issues were tough. Luckily we had the quiet pool right outside our door so it was great to keep the other 2 busy while dd napped.

Long story short, TOO LATE

Would we get a better rate buy using the advanced purchase booking or trying to rent points?? I priced similar dates to when we are going next summer and I got a rate of 163 a night for a 2 bdr. That's seems fantastic to me Thanks in advance for any input

First, thank you! We are all enjoying her very much. I'm finally getting some decent sleep, which was really hard the first 2 weeks.

Ahh, two of my favorite things: BC and booze! We had friends over last night and I enjoyed a mixed drink. It was one of those mixes in a curvy bottle you see at stores. Forget the name. But it was so yummy!

$163 is kind of high. I've never paid more than $120 for a 2-bed and I've rented in March and July. I would contact Ken or another owner and see what sort of rates you can get. Also, you will get a better rate closer to time when they are trying to fill rooms. Maybe even as low as $90/night!

 

[pmanko]

I have rented DVC pts - but, never purchased from eBay... wondering how this works.
Do I still get "normal" ressies where I can call and request room floor, building, etc - do they even try to honor those requests?

I have a 3 yr old - so which building is best for childrens pool or playground?

This is a great thread, but, I'd need all day to read it!

Has anyone ever rented from "renting_resorts" on ebay?

 

[Tina]

I looked at several offers on Ebay when I was booking, but decided to go with Ken Price at vacationupgrades.com instead. He was recommended by several folks here, so I knew in advance what to expect. You just never know what you'll get on Ebay. My trip starts in less than 2 weeks and dealing with Ken has been wonderful. And yes, he will make room requests for you.

 

[DisneyAlly]

We had a great trip. We spent 9 nights there and even though it rained in the afternoons, it didn't last long. We did the timeshare tour, they had us out within the hour. We spoke to 4 different people and at one time they just left us sitting there for 12 min. because they didn't know what to say. (we bought resale) We were told that the amount of points we purchased they were selling for $110,000. We paid less than 3 % of that. Most of the people we met bought from the developer. We were thoroughly satisfied with the resort and really enjoyed our stay. Hope you all enjoy the pics!!

This thread seriously has me considering purchasing a resale at Bonnet Creek even without having stayed there. I have studied the location and seen enough pictures posted here (thanks everyone! ) to know we'll like it. We are DVC owners and always do a split stay, sometimes with a few nights staying offsite. With DVC restructuring its weekday/weekend points, we find ourselves short of points for next year and we'll have to pay cash for a couple of days. The situation will be worse when my youngest turn 3 and we'll need a 2 bedroom at BCV (our home resort). We have been debating about adding more DVC points but it is very much more economical to buy a resale at Bonnet Creek.

I am a bit overwhelmed though. Where should I start looking? What is the best site to educate myself on buying resales or Wyndham timeshares in general? Has anyone here purchase a resale from Ebay?

 

[carlbarry]

I purchased a resale on ebay for Wyndham Star Island in Orlando($100 for 49,000 points). Look on ebay for "Bonnet Creek timeshare." It's best to only buy from someone with a lot of transactions and a high rating. Right now there are two timeshares up by sellers listed as "Top Rated Seller." You might also look at Star Island sales, as you can use those points to stay at Bonnet Creek, as I have done--and those ownerships sell for much less (there is currently one for 262,500 points at $1!). Just be sure to look at the Wyndham Star Island sales, and not the sales of the privately owned portion of Star Island, which are fixed weeks.

 

[Tina]

Carlbarry, as an owner, can you explain how the maintenance fees are caculated? I've been looking around at resales on and off and can't figure out the annual cost of owning. Today I saw one list for 84,000 point and annual maintenance of $991.75. That works out to $82.65 per month. Then I saw another listing for 189,000 points with monthly maintenance of $70.56. These were both annual contracts. Something does not compute! Both of these contracts are listed in the $3-4,000 price range.

Edited to include link to resales I'm referring to in my post: http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/t.../search_sell/Operation/5/SearchResortID/6656/

 

[carlbarry]

Carlbarry, as an owner, can you explain how the maintenance fees are caculated? I've been looking around at resales on and off and can't figure out the annual cost of owning. Today I saw one list for 84,000 point and annual maintenance of $991.75. That works out to $82.65 per month. Then I saw another listing for 189,000 points with monthly maintenance of $70.56. These were both annual contracts. Something does not compute! Both of these contracts are listed in the $3-4,000 price range.

Edited to include link to resales I'm referring to in my post: http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/t.../search_sell/Operation/5/SearchResortID/6656/

I looked at the Wyndham Timeshare forum, and according to their spreadsheet, Bonnet Creek maintenance fee (MF) is $3.95 per thousand points. Also note that there is a property tax--seldom mentioned by sellers--which last year was $.70 per 1K points.
MF does not vary; whether you have 49,000 points like me, or 1 million points, it is the same figure per 1 thousand points. So why you saw varying amounts, I can't tell you.
That being said, the site you show seems to be, well, I don't know if I can say this on DIS LOL . . .
So instead, here are some "completed" listings on ebay. In other words, this is what Bonnet Creek TS sold for there, not including closing costs (figure $400):
154K, 1 bid, $297
210K, 19 bids, $690
518,000K, 28 bids, $1,875
So as you can see, I STRONGLY advise you to check out ebay before buying from a company selling TS for owners at inflated prices.

 

[garmich]

I am a bit overwhelmed though. Where should I start looking? What is the best site to educate myself on buying resales or Wyndham timeshares in general? Has anyone here purchase a resale from Ebay?

There are two timeshare forums that you might want to check out:

"Wyndham Resorts Forums" - http://forums.atozed.com/
It's the online community for Club Wyndham Owners. Go to "The Sales Pit" and click on the "Discussion" forum. There is also a "For Sale - Points" forum where owners will offer to sell their timeshare points.

"TUG - Timeshare Users Group" - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php
This is all about owning timeshares. There are also subforums for the different Timeshare Resort Systems. This is the one for Wyndham Resorts: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=47

 

[Tina]

Thank you both!!

 

[DisneyAlly]

Thank you Carlbarry and Garmich!

 

[tooncanator]

Hello

I have a small 84,000 point contract at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and I do not mind sharing the maintenance fees.

Total $419.90 Paid monthly @ $34.99

Taxes are paid seperate and I do not have the bill handy. It was not expensive,
under $100.

Hope this helps someone.

Toon

 

[webprinter]

I have rented DVC pts - but, never purchased from eBay... wondering how this works.
Do I still get "normal" ressies where I can call and request room floor, building, etc - do they even try to honor those requests?

I have a 3 yr old - so which building is best for childrens pool or playground?

This is a great thread, but, I'd need all day to read it!

Has anyone ever rented from "renting_resorts" on ebay?

No matter who you rent from, the unit should be put in your name by getting a guest certificate. The owner requests a guest certificate. Then, you can call 2-3 weeks prior to checking in with your room request under your name.

For a 3 year old, I would request bldg 3 (in front of the playground) or bldg 4. Both are next to the main building. Bldg 2 is good too, because it is close to a pool, mini golf and the playground.

 

[ehrn]

Great! Hope they don't think I stole the vac since I never saw one in the unit, lol. There was a broom and dustpan!
A staff member told my husband that Labor Day was fully booked--the days before were so quiet, I always want to make sure I go there during the quiet times--that's my preferred way to take on Disney anyway.
So this is just my silly little tip but our first night we ordered from Flippers and had leftovers, I wished I had some foil to wrap them in--I did bring zip lock bags. The next day we stopped at Target and I did get some but it was a lot bigger roll than was necessary. In the Walgreens flyer I noticed a coupon for 20sf of foil for 69cents. Perfect. May have to p/u one and add it to my Disney stockpile!

 

[SalandJeff]

I have rented DVC pts - but, never purchased from eBay... wondering how this works...
Has anyone ever rented from "renting_resorts" on ebay?

We visited Bonnet Creek this past April for the first time and rented our points from someone one Ebay. We were going on fairly short notice, and Ken Price and a couple of others I checked with said no availability. I found someone on Ebay who had dates near our dates and he was able to get the reservation for us.

Make sure you find someone with 100% feedback for timeshare rentals. Most of the people I found renting timeshares, exclusively rented timeshares (they weren't selling other stuff). You are paying through paypal, so you have some security there. We received an emailed copy of the reservation with our names on it as soon as we paid. We did not have to request a certain room, as we had friends arriving before us, and they arranged for our 4 families to be near each other.

Feel free to PM if I can answer anything further.

 

[newbeestl]

So this is just my silly little tip but our first night we ordered from Flippers and had leftovers.

We ordered Flippers too, it was awesome! The philly cheese steak pizza was really good! We had some leftovers but just kept it in the box, it was gone the next day anyway.