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

[CC_dad]

Is there a 1 Bedroom room that I could request where we have both a lake/pool view and a fireworks view? Thanks!

I haven't stayed in a 1 bedroom unit except in the check in building, but I think in building 1 and 2 they have units with both a lake view and fireworks view. Tower 3 should offer a pool view, but 1 bedroom units may not have a fireworks view.

Call the front desk to confirm this. 407-238-3500

I've also sent an email to the front desk about 7 - 14 days in advance to make specific tower and unit requests. fdeskbcrk01 (at) wyndhamvo (dot)com

Good luck!

 

[CC_dad]

The first time I went to Bonnet Creek I had the same problem when I tried to enter the resort's address into my TomTom GPS. It kept sending me to a location in Orlando.

I zoomed in on the Bonnet Creek Resort. I used the "Get the Latitude and Longitude of a Point" option and I picked the guard's shack at the main entrance as the GPS point. And then I entered the coordinates into my GPS. Here are the coordinates for the main entrance at BC:

Latitude: 28.360683468086502
Longitude: -81.53900384902954

Latitude: 28 degrees, 21 minutes, 38.4588 seconds
Longitude: -81 degrees, 32 minutes, 20.4144 seconds

Also, before i went on my trip, I entered ALL of the addresses of places that I was planning to visit into my GPS and I verified the locations on Google maps.

Directions:

Wyndham Bonnet Creek
9560 Via Encinas
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone: 407-238-3500

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting There

Mileage between Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort and...
Daytona Beach, FL: 55 miles
Fort Lauderdale, FL: 204 miles
Edisto Beach, SC: 405 miles

Nearest Airport
Orlando International Airport: 21 miles

Driving Directions
From Orlando International Airport: Take State Rd 417 south to Exit #6 (RT536). Continue straight on to RT536. Pass through the Walt Disney World gateway sign. Take the first exit on your right towards Downtown Disney. At the traffic light , make a left on to Buena Vista Dr. At next light take a left on to Chelonia Pkwy. Resort will be ½ mile on the left.

Alternate Directions from Orlando International Airport: Take 528 West (Beachline) to the end. Merge on to I-4 West. Take exit 67 (SR536). Pass through the Walt Disney World gateway sign. Take the first exit on your right towards Downtown Disney. At the traffic light , make a left on to Buena Vista Dr. At next light take a left on to Chelonia Pkwy. Resort will be ½ mile on the left.

 

[CC_dad]

For us because of our location (Canada) we have to book our flights months in advance to get any kind of discount. Even if we are using airmiles then it is a year out to book and get the flight you want. We can't book 60 days in advance or less. The next Wyndham timeshare is 4 1/2 hours away in Quebec- just not happening there either. You guys in the US get amazing flight deals all of the time- we don't have as many airlines competing so you know we pay top $$$ unless we book way out.

Are you close enough to drive to Buffalo?

A colleague of mine works in Toronto area and drove to Buffalo to fly into Orlando via Southwest Airlines.

Saved enough on flights to pay for parking, gas, etc.

 

[Alexander]

I asked this before but didn't really get an answer....

Will the front desk cash travellers cheques? I don't mean for the room deposit or to pay for anything at the resort but just cash a cheque for me so that I have actual money for the day??

Hmmm--I honestly don't know! Our credit union stopped carrying them because so few people were purchasing them anymore. I think most people have gone to a debit card for travel expenses.

 

[princessmorgan]

So I have been looking at the websites recommended by others on this thread for rentals for January at Bonnet Creek. For some reason I'm not seeing the dates I need. Is it more complicated if I want to rent for 5 nights, rather than a full week? Also I'm a little nervous about renting from anyone besides Ken since he has such good reviews. He has a good rate for a 3 BR, but I'm thinking we could do a 2 BR and could possibly find a better deal. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Upatnoon]

So I have been looking at the websites recommended by others on this thread for rentals for January at Bonnet Creek. For some reason I'm not seeing the dates I need. Is it more complicated if I want to rent for 5 nights, rather than a full week? Also I'm a little nervous about renting from anyone besides Ken since he has such good reviews. He has a good rate for a 3 BR, but I'm thinking we could do a 2 BR and could possibly find a better deal. Any suggestions? Thanks!

You see more 7 day rentals advertised, certainly, but if you contact some of the people offering those, my experience has been that they are eager to offer a reservation to meet your needs. If you want to finding renters other than Ken, look on eBay where there are many powersellers offering Bonnet Creek. You can check their feedback and see completed listings of previous Bonnet Creek reservations.

 

[Cdn Gal]

I haven't stayed in a 1 bedroom unit except in the check in building, but I think in building 1 and 2 they have units with both a lake view and fireworks view. Tower 3 should offer a pool view, but 1 bedroom units may not have a fireworks view.

Call the front desk to confirm this. 407-238-3500

I've also sent an email to the front desk about 7 - 14 days in advance to make specific tower and unit requests. fdeskbcrk01 (at) wyndhamvo (dot)com

Good luck!

Thanks I will look into that the next time we are there!

 

[Cdn Gal]

Are you close enough to drive to Buffalo?

A colleague of mine works in Toronto area and drove to Buffalo to fly into Orlando via Southwest Airlines.

Saved enough on flights to pay for parking, gas, etc.

We fly out all the time out of Syracuse- Buffalo is too far of a drive. But, we can only go during peak times (I can't just go for the weekend- too far) so we need to book farther than the 60 day mark, so no deals. This March we are going to Wyndham San Antonio. I am lucky that I got reservations in Sept. We needed a 2 bedroom, but we booked 2- 1 bedrooms b/c everything was already booked up for March. Things go fast in some areas.

 

[princessmorgan]

You see more 7 day rentals advertised, certainly, but if you contact some of the people offering those, my experience has been that they are eager to offer a reservation to meet your needs. If you want to finding renters other than Ken, look on eBay where there are many powersellers offering Bonnet Creek. You can check their feedback and see completed listings of previous Bonnet Creek reservations.

Thank you for the info!

 

[claven123]

So, we are getting ready to start the booking and or serious info gathering. How do I get in contact with Ken about dates in December. Do you have to pay up front or is there a percentage you pay now then later etc...

Dennis

 

[wbn36]

So, we are getting ready to start the booking and or serious info gathering. How do I get in contact with Ken about dates in December. Do you have to pay up front or is there a percentage you pay now then later etc...

Dennis

His site is www.vacationupgrades.com. There is also a telephone number on the site as well. This Jan will be the 3rd time I have rented from him. He is awsome. Highly recommend.

 

[CC_dad]

So I have been looking at the websites recommended by others on this thread for rentals for January at Bonnet Creek. For some reason I'm not seeing the dates I need. Is it more complicated if I want to rent for 5 nights, rather than a full week? Also I'm a little nervous about renting from anyone besides Ken since he has such good reviews. He has a good rate for a 3 BR, but I'm thinking we could do a 2 BR and could possibly find a better deal. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Many Wyndham owners will rent for less than a week, but they must use a guest certificate to put the reservation in the name of the renter.

Wyndham allows a certain number of guest certificates per year to their VIP owners, then there's a fee involved for each additional guest certificate. So an owner with a large rental business has to add the cost of the guest certificate into the rate.

Pluses and minuses of using someone with a large rental business vs. an owner just trying to rent out a couple units:

Pluses:
1. Potential for faster response from a regular owner vs. a large rental business with many clients.
2. Savings on the guest certificate fee if the regular owner hasn't used up their yearly alotment.

Minuses:

1. An owner that doesn't rent often takes more time to build their reputation and get referrals. Its why you may have concerns trying someone else.
2. Renting for less than 7 days doesn't allow an owner to maximize the rental revenue days on the allotted free guest certificates.

Any Wyndham owner that doesn't offer a competitive price, prompt follow up and level of service expected will quickly be found out and lose an opportunity for future referrals.

 

[princessmorgan]

Many Wyndham owners will rent for less than a week, but they must use a guest certificate to put the reservation in the name of the renter.

Wyndham allows a certain number of guest certificates per year to their VIP owners, then there's a fee involved for each additional guest certificate. So an owner with a large rental business has to add the cost of the guest certificate into the rate.

Pluses and minuses of using someone with a large rental business vs. an owner just trying to rent out a couple units:

Pluses:
1. Potential for faster response from a regular owner vs. a large rental business with many clients.
2. Savings on the guest certificate fee if the regular owner hasn't used up their yearly alotment.

Minuses:

1. An owner that doesn't rent often takes more time to build their reputation and get referrals. Its why you may have concerns trying someone else.
2. Renting for less than 7 days doesn't allow an owner to maximize the rental revenue days on the allotted free guest certificates.

Any Wyndham owner that doesn't offer a competitive price, prompt follow up and level of service expected will quickly be found out and lose an opportunity for future referrals.

Thank you! I received some offers from ebay sellers and they are fantastic rates! I was still on the fence about whether to stay here or stay on site with free dining but with these ebay rates, I would save so much money. I guess I am always nervous about buying something on ebay even if it's a toy. But the sellers I am working with all have 100% feedback, so that has to say something, right?

 

[Conway733]

DH and I stayed at BC last week and we loooooooove it there. We used Ken and he was great.

 

[wbn36]

Anyone know of a 3 bedroom with a lake and fireworks view? We also like a really quiet area. Any info would be great.

 

[dolphindan1]

Anyone know of a 3 bedroom with a lake and fireworks view? We also like a really quiet area. Any info would be great.

We had a 3 bedroom in tower 2...room 636 I believe a couple weeks ago...we could see the top of spaceship earth and the fireworks...a little higher would have been nicer but it was fine...I still prefer the other side...last year we were in 1166 right by the garage and we saw DTD, MK and Epcot...liked it better

 

[CC_dad]

Anyone know of a 3 bedroom with a lake and fireworks view? We also like a really quiet area. Any info would be great.

I haven't stayed in towers 1, 2, or 3 yet. The 3 bedroom units in some towers are either near the elevators or at the end of one side of the building. If you're booked in a 3 bedroom unit, there's usually a trade off between having an Epcot fireworks view vs. a lake view.

The pp indicated tower 2, unit 636 had both. That tower has 9 floors, but the top floor typically has only 4 bedroom presidential suites and either 1 or 2 bedroom units.

My preference for an Epcot fireworks view is tower 4 with a unit number ending in xx63 or xx64. These units are side by side at the end of the building, so its quiet. There is a slight view of the check in building pool. But these units don't have much of a view of the lake from the balcony. The bedroom windows in units xx63 do have a lake view, but its just not the same as having a full lake view from your balcony.

 

[horseshowmom]

Thank you! I received some offers from ebay sellers and they are fantastic rates! I was still on the fence about whether to stay here or stay on site with free dining but with these ebay rates, I would save so much money. I guess I am always nervous about buying something on ebay even if it's a toy. But the sellers I am working with all have 100% feedback, so that has to say something, right?

I've used eBay for Bonnet Creek and gotten an excellent deal. Just make sure they are covered by the ebay/Paypal guarantee and that you pay with a credit card through Paypal (in the unlikely event that ebay/Paypal don't protect you, your credit card will).

Definitely check their feedback. The house I'm renting for Christmas I found on ebay (would have chosen to stay at BC, but son in law wants to fish so I chose a house packed up to a stocked lake instead - I LOVE BC so it was a hard decision for me!).

 

[pipervali]

So I have been looking at the websites recommended by others on this thread for rentals for January at Bonnet Creek. For some reason I'm not seeing the dates I need. Is it more complicated if I want to rent for 5 nights, rather than a full week? Also I'm a little nervous about renting from anyone besides Ken since he has such good reviews. He has a good rate for a 3 BR, but I'm thinking we could do a 2 BR and could possibly find a better deal. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I used http://www.sunorsnowvacationrentals.com/ and was very pleased, both with the transaction and the price I paid for a 2 bedroom at BC.

 

[princessmorgan]

I've used eBay for Bonnet Creek and gotten an excellent deal. Just make sure they are covered by the ebay/Paypal guarantee and that you pay with a credit card through Paypal (in the unlikely event that ebay/Paypal don't protect you, your credit card will).

Definitely check their feedback. The house I'm renting for Christmas I found on ebay (would have chosen to stay at BC, but son in law wants to fish so I chose a house packed up to a stocked lake instead - I LOVE BC so it was a hard decision for me!).

I used http://www.sunorsnowvacationrentals.com/ and was very pleased, both with the transaction and the price I paid for a 2 bedroom at BC.

Thank you both for your suggestions! You all are convincing me to try Bonnet Creek rather than cramming into 2 value rooms with free dining Why is it so hard to try something different