The we loooooove Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Part 4

[BigredNole]

Is it really possible to skip the "parking tag" part of check in and just use our key cards to enter the complex?

You can and it is usually very easy. The quickest way to avoid the hassle is to tell them you are not traveling with your spouse. That one stops all calls and harassment. WBC is one of the easiest timeshare places to avoid hassles. The only one easier is DVC. This is the reason I love WBC over others. I know the hard sell sucks. The resorts that force it are a pain for a few minutes. Telling them you are a paid member of TUG usually ends it as well.

 

[Biggen]

You can and it is usually very easy. The quickest way to avoid the hassle is to tell them you are not traveling with your spouse. That one stops all calls and harassment. WBC is one of the easiest timeshare places to avoid hassles. The only one easier is DVC. This is the reason I love WBC over others. I know the hard sell sucks. The resorts that force it are a pain for a few minutes. Telling them you are a paid member of TUG usually ends it as well.

So you don't have a parking pass at all for your vehicle during your entire stay. No risk of being towed without displaying a parking pass?

When I get my parking pass from the sales desk they always ask if I have stayed before and I always say, "Yes, dozens of times". Then their next line is as predictable as the sun rising every morning. They say, "Ah, so you are paying the owner's fees for them letting them enjoy their timeshare for free". They try to be condescending with that line making you feel like you are getting suckered by not owning the timeshare. My response is always the same: "No, the owners are paying my mortgage on the timeshare for me." That typically ends the conversation pretty quickly and we move on.

 

[BigredNole]

So you don't have a parking pass at all for your vehicle during your entire stay. No risk of being towed without displaying a parking pass?

At WBC no. There is no need for a pass. I do know other Wyndham timeshare resorts that do tow cars. WBC is not one of them. If I "had" to stop at the parking desk they usually say something like "you and your wife". I simply say I am traveling without my husband and if he heard her call him my wife, he will turn into the biggest drama queen. It usually freaks them out when you tell them that little lie and they just hand over the pass. That opens them up to some trouble that they don't want to deal with.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

VS just quoted $260 a night for a 3bd dlx for next May...... Is that a hint of prices to come or should I wait a few more months to see it drop.

 

[BigredNole]

Now you have a ceiling price. That is extremely high IMO. It is just so far out. Only a few people can book that far out. Depending on when you go in May it will be either Value (175,000 points) or High (231,000 points). At the going rate of $7/1,000 points, you are looking at $1,225 or $1,617. That comes out to $175 or $230 per night. Those are just estimates though. 3BR units may command a little premium because there are less to go around maybe. I can say that I have seen a 4BR Presidential unit offered for $700 for a week earlier this month. It is really a wait-and-see approach now that the new Wyndham site launched, owners have issues getting on, owners trying to figure out what they can do vs what is broken preventing them from doing things.

Regardless, the price of rentals should not change dramatically. The book/rebook loophole was closed. That does not mean that there won't be great deals to be had. At hot resorts like WBC, there will always be the megarenters on the Wait List to pick them up and rent them. They still get the 50% discount and free upgrades. We will see though. My first foray into the new system will be for December. Not even looking for rentals until the 60-day mark. You can pit DVC, Wyndham, HICV, and other rentals against each other for best pricing.

For me, if I waited until the 60-day mark for my 2nd week, I could have gotten WBC for the same I got Orange Lake resort for. I don't regret OLR. My fear was losing out on anything over the Summer. Those fears were laid to rest. There are tons of places available still. Inside 15-days at Wyndham, owners cannot cancel so they dump inventory back. Inside 15-days, owners salivate because they can get great deals and sometimes work great magic for you. If it's Value season, there may be some great opportunities.

 

[katallo]

Did you get any under your door? Getting past the gate or into a tower is not difficult. Just think how many people you held a door open for. No one ever thinks about it.

I can understand getting into a tower but we had to use our key to enter the resort. At one point, we didn't have our key handy and they called front desk to verify we were guests.

 

[Fundytrail]

Um, I keep reading all this oh so positive stuff about VS and have emailed them 3 times over 2 weeks for a quote and haven't received a response yet. And yes, I checked the spam folder. Nothing.

We have used VS 5 times and always got a quote back in less than 2 hours.

 

[Spanky]

I always get an extra key to keep in the ash tray of my car to show at the gate for entrance to the property. No parking pass and no searching for the room key on the drive back to resort

 

[missingdisneymore]

We have used VS 5 times and always got a quote back in less than 2 hours.

Lots of updates since...the changes have them admittedly busy. They sent an email days later saying they would respond some days later. They did.

 

[rosieposy]

What time do the pools close in June?

 

[inkedupmomma]

What time do the pools close in June?

good question!

 

[BigredNole]

Straight from Wyndham's site...

*Please Note: All swimming pools closes at 10pm each night.


Now, how strict they are may depend on how noisy people are. Some of the rooms are almost on top of the pools. If people are quiet, just relaxing, maybe they don't enforce it too much.

 

[JuneChickie]

.

 

[JuneChickie]

.

 

[runwad]

In the 2 bdrms how is the sofa sleeper? Comfy or not? I thought the bedroom had 2 queens now I see it's 2 doubles. We'll have to put my son on the sofa sleeper. Any input?

 

[BigredNole]

I do not know about the renovation sleeper sofas. The one we had when we were there was actually comfortable. I have a bad back that requires a good mattress. I always travel with my air mattress in case. Did not need it at WBC.

 

[Lalalyn]

Ugh. We had a quote from VS. I called to book and they said they are now full for September and October. So mad at myself for waiting a couple days to book. They said something about the website being updated to make booking easier and it booking fast?

 

[BigredNole]

There are many more places than VS. eBay has a 2BR Dlx for $900. I think that is high, but they are out there. There will be more and much better deals in July. Sept is the slowest month and you should be able to get a 2BR Dlx for about $500 or a little less. Just look at the June and July rates right now to get an idea. They are going fairly cheap and that is during Prime season which is about 2x the points.

Honestly, I stressed it and made a knee-jerk move. I booked Orange Lake because I was panicking. There is absolutely no need. There are tons of places. I have about 99% confidence you will still get WBC. The big renters are trying to understand the changed system as well.

 

[Lalalyn]

There are many more places than VS. eBay has a 2BR Dlx for $900. I think that is high, but they are out there. There will be more and much better deals in July. Sept is the slowest month and you should be able to get a 2BR Dlx for about $500 or a little less. Just look at the June and July rates right now to get an idea. They are going fairly cheap and that is during Prime season which is about 2x the points.

Honestly, I stressed it and made a knee-jerk move. I booked Orange Lake because I was panicking. There is absolutely no need. There are tons of places. I have about 99% confidence you will still get WBC. The big renters are trying to understand the changed system as well.

Interesting. VS said they book through Wyndham and they are showing no availability. And that the rates have increased since I got my quote for October three days ago. I don't understand the first system, let alone the changed system. How it went from plenty of availability to none in a week is confusing -- and seems odd. I will keep looking.

It would be nice to have something in hand so that we could book flights.

 

[BigredNole]

I am not an owner, but the recent switch over to the new system has not been easy from what I have read. A 2BR Dlx is 112k points. That comes to about $800 for a week without any discounts. The problem with VS is they do not "own" any points. They manage contracts for many owners, rent their points out, pay their MFs, and they get to use some of the points remaining for vacations.

Don't panic is all I can offer. If VS is not lying and everything is booked (extremely unlikely), the people that have them booked will be renting them. You should be seeing rentals for the $500-$600 range in July.