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

[MichaelColey]

I can't speak for Princess Morgan, but I find the parking lot trams at the parks (and particularly the extra steps needed at Magic Kingdom) to be a hassle when you have multiple kids, a stroller, diaper bags, a soft-sided cooler, ponchos, etc.

We've started getting AAA Diamond Parking passes (the first time through a AAA package, later by buying passes on eBay) so that we can park close enough that we don't need to take the tram. You still have to take the Monorail or Boat from the TTC to Magic Kingdom, but we can skip the trams.

Also, we are staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (which has boat service directly to Magic Kingdom) on one upcoming trip.

 

[princessmorgan]

I can't speak for Princess Morgan, but I find the parking lot trams at the parks (and particularly the extra steps needed at Magic Kingdom) to be a hassle when you have multiple kids, a stroller, diaper bags, a soft-sided cooler, ponchos, etc.

We've started getting AAA Diamond Parking passes (the first time through a AAA package, later by buying passes on eBay) so that we can park close enough that we don't need to take the tram. You still have to take the Monorail or Boat from the TTC to Magic Kingdom, but we can skip the trams.

Also, we are staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (which has boat service directly to Magic Kingdom) on one upcoming trip.

Yes, exactly! It's because we had two strollers, a baby sling, plus all the sweaters and hats, gloves, etc, for the weather that we had to take out to collapse the strollers and get on the trams and then reopen and get all situated again. It was a lot easier when we were close enough to walk to the gate without the tram. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have that much stuff, but honestly the trams aren't that quick. They wait for people and then make sure someone doesn't jump on at the last minute and then they go.

I wish I would have known about those AAA Diamond Parking passes! It would have made it so much easier!

 

[TotoToo]

I can't speak for Princess Morgan, but I find the parking lot trams at the parks (and particularly the extra steps needed at Magic Kingdom) to be a hassle when you have multiple kids, a stroller, diaper bags, a soft-sided cooler, ponchos, etc.

We've started getting AAA Diamond Parking passes (the first time through a AAA package, later by buying passes on eBay) so that we can park close enough that we don't need to take the tram. You still have to take the Monorail or Boat from the TTC to Magic Kingdom, but we can skip the trams.

Also, we are staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (which has boat service directly to Magic Kingdom) on one upcoming trip.

Couldn't agree more. The whole transportation system was conceived to further control all guest interaction. It was not meant to be efficient. Universal did far better with the central garages and easy access to all parks without miles of travel and different vehicles. Far more energy efficient and MUCH better use of land space. You can see Disney felt land wasn't a premium and used it wastefully for parking spread out rather than concentrated in a few central garages. The trams would make a great ride feature but shouldn't be needed to simply park & go to a theme park.

 

[horseshowmom]

Couldn't agree more. The whole transportation system was conceived to further control all guest interaction. It was not meant to be efficient. Universal did far better with the central garages and easy access to all parks without miles of travel and different vehicles. Far more energy efficient and MUCH better use of land space. You can see Disney felt land wasn't a premium and used it wastefully for parking spread out rather than concentrated in a few central garages. The trams would make a great ride feature but shouldn't be needed to simply park & go to a theme park.

I agree with you about Universal's use of the garages. Of course, like you, I'm sure they didn't have the land availability that Disney had when they put in their parking lots.

I will have to say though that the walk out to those garages at the end of the day can seem like it takes f o r e v e r (even with the moving sidewalks)!
We finally started using the valet parking most of the time (except for the last couple of times when we stayed onsite).

 

[luvtocookinpa]

Hello All....We are anxiouly waiting for our April Bonnett Creek trip....as we live in PA...need I say anymore...lol....
We have always been avid on-site stayers, usually CB and loved it!..this year, we were offered my fathers points for a one bedroom for us 2A 2C 4/9, and a one bedroom for another family 2A 2C 5/10. When my dad called to have the rest of the info sent to him, they told him the room numbers...991 and 992. Well I can not find any information about where these rooms would be...does anyone have any thoughts?

Also, if anyone has been during this time of year, April, is it warm enough to swim?
Thanks all for your help...this is a wonderfu thread...very fun to read!

 

[Upatnoon]

Do you know what tower you are in>?

Anyhow, April is plenty warm for swimming. Usually in the 80s, but it can even get hotter than than.

 

[fish.bowl]

We just got back from a 5 night stay at Bonnet Creek! Thank you for all the info on this thread, especially directions to Walmart, grocery stores, etc. It was a lifesaver. We stayed in a 3 BR in bldg 5 with me, DH, my 4 DDs, and my parents. It was so wonderful to have the extra space. It was our first time off site and the location was wonderful! The first day or so, it took awhile to get familiar with the area and driving to the parks, but after that it was easy. I wish we had more time to take advantage of the amenities at the resort.

My DD and I both got the flu which stunk. We had to go to the clinic twice and I was thankful to have a car and 3 Bedrooms, so everyone got their own bed. Luckily no one else got the flu. I would definitely stay again at Bonnet Creek. I will say I did miss staying on property. With the ages of my children, we just have so much stuff that it was a pain to lug to the rental car place and then driving to the parks, the trams are awful! I hate going to the TTC to go to the Magic Kingdom. DH and DD rode the Bonnet Creek shuttle to the park once and they said it was fine. They rode from bldg 6 and no one else got on. At the main bldg, they said about 15 people got on.

I wish it had been warmer to go swimming, so we did not use the pool at all. There were plenty of supplies in the room. The fireworks view was fun. We didn't mind the parking lot view during the day, because we didn't go on the balcony much. They called a couple times for the presentation, but I politely said no, and they let it go. Overall we were very pleased!

Princess Morgan, what floor were you on?? We had a 3 bedroom in bldg 5 earlier this month, and my sister and I got a horrible stomach flu during the middle of our stay, then my son did right before we left to go back home. Thankfully none of my other 3 kids or DH got it, but it was very disappointing to spend 4 days of our vacation inside. I did SO MANY loads of laundry and sanitized/bleached/lysoled EVERYTHING I could think of to not spread our germs.

Otherwise, our trip was great! We left Alaska at surprising warm temps (48!) and FL wasn't as warm as we would have liked, but we did some swimming. My kids are true Alaskans and love swimming so the cold didn't keep them out We had a 2 week stay (it takes 24ish hours to get to FL, so we make it worth our while) and were planning to hit the parks nearly every day with some relaxing days at the resort mixed in, but the flu made it so we didn't get to use all our tickets to disney . I have 4 kids ages 8-2, and my sister joined us, with a cousin of ours for 1 weekend, and a friend for a night, and we had plenty of space! Booked through vacationupgrades, and it was perfect. The best thing was they let us check in early- at 8 am, which was WONDERFUL since we'd left Alaska at 8am the day before. Took a nap right after we ate and settled in. They did call us several times for the presentation, and even told my DH that they would call every day until we signed up (grrrr), but we unplugged the phones and ignored them. We went home to temps 20 below, boo.

This thread was so helpful!! It made me decide to stay at BC, and the location was wonderful. Never stayed onsite, but have stayed at the Sheraton Vistana and Vacation Villages at Parkway. I do like the Sheraton a lot as well. My sister, cousin and I did the marathon (and got sick right after!) and again, the location could not be beat.

C

 

[DCTooTall]

I agree with you about Universal's use of the garages. Of course, like you, I'm sure they didn't have the land availability that Disney had when they put in their parking lots.

I will have to say though that the walk out to those garages at the end of the day can seem like it takes f o r e v e r (even with the moving sidewalks)!
We finally started using the valet parking most of the time (except for the last couple of times when we stayed onsite).

Funny.... Universal actually used to have a Parking tram to get you from your parking spot to the front of the park. of course, This was in it's first decade of existence, Before Citywalk, Islands of Adventure, and the parking garages come into being. Here's a picture of the original layout.

IOA and Citywalk were actually built on the land from the old parking lot. It's the same general strategy the land-locked Universal used to expand from a single park into a "resort" w/ multiple parks, That Disney would later use w/ Disneyland.

 

[*disgal*]

I agree with you about Universal's use of the garages. Of course, like you, I'm sure they didn't have the land availability that Disney had when they put in their parking lots.

I will have to say though that the walk out to those garages at the end of the day can seem like it takes f o r e v e r (even with the moving sidewalks)!
We finally started using the valet parking most of the time (except for the last couple of times when we stayed onsite).

of course, everyone can have their own opinion but I almost died the day I had to walk from one of those garages to the turnstiles!! It was a Sept. morning and by the time we reached the beginning of the park, my whole white t-shirt was drenched in sweat! That set the tone for the rest of the day into Universal. I tell ya, I would have paid $50 to someone on a tram to pick me up.

As far as the Disney parks, we drive to everything and if we stay at BC we'll probably do the same. As I've always said, the only time I miss the buses is for the MK drop off. Wish all buses could get in there but resort guests need some perks, I guess.

 

[*disgal*]

Hello All....We are anxiouly waiting for our April Bonnett Creek trip....as we live in PA...need I say anymore...lol....
We have always been avid on-site stayers, usually CB and loved it!..this year, we were offered my fathers points for a one bedroom for us 2A 2C 4/9, and a one bedroom for another family 2A 2C 5/10. When my dad called to have the rest of the info sent to him, they told him the room numbers...991 and 992. Well I can not find any information about where these rooms would be...does anyone have any thoughts?

Also, if anyone has been during this time of year, April, is it warm enough to swim?
Thanks all for your help...this is a wonderfu thread...very fun to read!

We were there in April '09 at WH and i must say, of all the months I've gone to WDW, April has to be the best as far as weather goes....for us at least. I've been in June, Aug., Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec. and April. We swam everyday.

 

[princessmorgan]

Princess Morgan, what floor were you on?? We had a 3 bedroom in bldg 5 earlier this month, and my sister and I got a horrible stomach flu during the middle of our stay, then my son did right before we left to go back home. Thankfully none of my other 3 kids or DH got it, but it was very disappointing to spend 4 days of our vacation inside. I did SO MANY loads of laundry and sanitized/bleached/lysoled EVERYTHING I could think of to not spread our germs.
C

We were on the 11th floor in the room right after the elevator. I know we lysoled and cloroxed everything, too! Oh well, I guess you can never predict when you'll get sick, but I do prefer the warmer temperatures, so I doubt we'll ever go back in January.

 

[mamafrei]

Hello!

I have booked my family at Bonnet Creek for Thanksgiving week 2011. Has anyone else ever stayed there during this week? I'd GREATLY appreciate any feedback on what Bonnet Creek and the park crowds were like during that time. Should we avoid going to a park on Thanksgiving day and perhaps use that day to relax at Bonnet Creek?

Also, has anyone ever used their remaining points to get Disney park passes?

Thanks so much!

 

[Trinity524]

Can you buy tickets to Disney and Universal in the lobby? We recently bought a resale to the Wyndham system, so we are not looking to do a tour.

TIA,

Annie

 

[mommie2angels]

We have 3 children in wheelchairs & would like a room on the 1st floor preferably one close to where we will be parking. Is that possible? It doesn't have to be a handicapped accessible room necessarily. Is it possible to get a 2bd on the first floor in front of the pool? If so would that be convenient to the parking lot? Thanks for any thoughts or advice!

 

[Brian Noble]

Can you buy tickets to Disney and Universal in the lobby?

Yes, but for Disney tickets, you are probably better off buying in advance from Undercover Tourist. Universal may have better deals elsewhere as well.

 

[luvtocookinpa]

upatnoon....no i am not sure of the tower....i wonder if that is something that they would be able to tell me if i called....thanks all for the april weather update...we have been in dec, march and june..i was unsure about the swimming and although the pools are heated, you never know.. does anyone recommend a grocery store, target vs walmart...etc. we are going to be cooking every night. also, any recommendations for extra things for the kitchen to bring along?

 

[Cepbush106]

what are the chances of getting a thurs-thurs stay or something similar? DH works shift work and he's off for a full week every month and we're looking at going in August and arriving on thurs would work best for us

 

[garmich]

Hello All....We are anxiouly waiting for our April Bonnett Creek trip....as we live in PA...need I say anymore...lol....
We have always been avid on-site stayers, usually CB and loved it!..this year, we were offered my fathers points for a one bedroom for us 2A 2C 4/9, and a one bedroom for another family 2A 2C 5/10. When my dad called to have the rest of the info sent to him, they told him the room numbers...991 and 992. Well I can not find any information about where these rooms would be...does anyone have any thoughts?

I am a TS owner at BC and I have a copy of the floorplans. Units #991 & 992 are located in building #5 (Torre de la Luna). If you go to Google Maps, it is the building located south of the parking garage to the right. It is the V-shaped building with the pool and lazy river. This building has 15 floors.

As for the location of your rooms, they are across the hall from each other and they're located adjacent to the elevator lobby. If you were looking forward to a "fireworks" view, you may be disappointed. Unit 992 faces east and has a view of I-4. Unit 991 faces west and has a view of the pool and lake. Neither units would have a view of the Epcot or MK fireworks. The last time I was at BC, we didn't have a fireworks view because we were on a lower floor, so we took the elevator to the top floor of our building and watched the fireworks through the large windows in the elevator lobby.

 

[garmich]

we are going to be cooking every night. also, any recommendations for extra things for the kitchen to bring along?

There are several gas grills throughout the resort. We ended up cooking lots of our meals outside on the grill.

 

[luvtocookinpa]

Garmich....that is such helpful information...thank you for taking the time to respond. That would be a great building for us as we have a 4 children going (two families) 4,5,9 and 10...i was worried we may have a hike to get to the pools.....Outside grilling sounds fabulous also!....thanks again!