The we loooooove Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Part 4

[ten6mom]

It’s a timeshare resort. So you can book directly with Wyndham (more expensive) or rent from an owner via Timeshare Users Group (https://tug2.com/timeshare-rentals/default.aspx), RedWeek, VRBO, and other entities that you can find by searching this thread. Be aware that Wyndham recently implemented booking restrictions for major holidays, so depending on your dates, renting from an owner might not be possible.
The major consideration for us in staying at WBC vs. onsite is transportation to/from the parks. We always have a car when staying offsite. Otherwise, for your family a 2BR at WBC would be ideal, in my opinion. DH and I exchanged into a 2BR in March. King bed in main BR, with en-suite bathroom including double vanity, soaker tub & walk-in shower, 2 double beds in 2nd BR, queen foldout couch, 2nd bath, full kitchen (cheap breakfast while everyone gets ready), in-room laundry (pack half as many clothes!), more square footage than DVC 2BR.

I will check out that website and the other sites you mentioned. I hadn't intended to go over new years but I have to go on a school break so I may have to book direct regardless- thanks for the tips!

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

Hi, I am a Disneyland veteran contemplating my second visit to WDW. The first time I went (November 2020) it was just me and my husband and we stayed at Caribbean Beach. It was quite lovely but I am considering bringing three adult-sized teenage boys (17, 16, and 15) with us this time, so I am looking for a suite or something with 2 bathrooms and lots of bed space for them as they all have at least a double at home.

Our first WDW trip we ended up renting a car (just for convenience) so not having Disney transportation is not a big deal for us.

This place caught my eye because I've seen it mentioned here, so I went to look it up. A two , or even three, bedroom suite? For less than the price of a single regular room (so cramped for all those people)? Wow. It's definitely piqued my interest.

It seems from this thread that it's a vacation rental/vrbo/timeshare type place, but if I go directly to their website it appears that I can book directly through that website.

Is there advantage to booking via a certain method?
Is there anything else I need to know as far as major considerations/differences between staying off site vs. on site?

Thank you!
[/QUOTE]
As a family of 4 we always stayed at Disney Resorts until we found Bonnet Creek. Now we will never go back to Disney Resorts. Having the space to spread out is amazing. We can get up and have coffee on the balcony while kids sleep in. We can stay up late and not bother anyone. First day I always do a grocery run while kids swim (we have rental car). This allows us to save so much money - we eat a good hearty breakfast in the room, some lunches, we bring pizza and leftovers back and can put in frig., The unit has a blender so we make out own margaritas etc - heck that saved me from a $300 bar tab by itself. It allows us to toss our dirty clothes in washer every night so we pack half as much. The resort itself is so nice. Even with the Covid changes we have no complaints. Do not book directly unless you want to pay double. I always get quotes from Vacation Strategy and Vacation Upgrades. The last 2 stays have been from owners listing on Ebay. We will be there from June 5 to June 14 in a 2 Bedroom deluxe and paid $1300. This is actually an increase from years past but I understand....everything has gone up. If you dont see dates listed on Ebay that you want simply message some of the owners that are posting and ask if they can get your dates. You still can not beat the value. You still feel like your in the "Disney Bubble". On Disney property I could always hear people in rooms next door. At BC we have never heard anyone in the connecting units or even in the hall ways. Its very peaceful. They do fun family activities like Movies at night on the lawn, make ice cream sundaes etc
I think you would be pleasantly surprised

 

[tbssenterprises]

Just wanted to add this link. It gives a great history of the Bonnet Creek area. https://www.yesterland.com/bonnet.html

 

[kristenabelle]

Hi all! Helping a friend who booked a stay on the timeshare side of the resort for November. I know many onsite/good neighbor benefits like EMH, FP+ are paused, but do guests here get length of stay when booking dining reservations? I assumed no, but wasn't sure and wanted to ask. Thanks so much!

 

[Upatnoon]

Hi all! Helping a friend who booked a stay on the timeshare side of the resort for November. I know many onsite/good neighbor benefits like EMH, FP+ are paused, but do guests here get length of stay when booking dining reservations? I assumed no, but wasn't sure and wanted to ask. Thanks so much!

WBC is not a Disney resort, it is not onsite, and there are no special Disney guest benefits or advantages of any kind and there never were any.

Some off-site resorts offered 60-day advance FP+ booking before the shutdown, but WBC was not on that list. The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando, which are traditional luxury hotels next door to WBC, did offer those benefits before the shutdown.

The "good neighbor" hotel has confused many people into thinking they get some kind of special Disney benefits. That is not the case. A good neighbor hotel is about having met certain standards and they use it to advertise.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Hi all! Helping a friend who booked a stay on the timeshare side of the resort for November. I know many onsite/good neighbor benefits like EMH, FP+ are paused, but do guests here get length of stay when booking dining reservations? I assumed no, but wasn't sure and wanted to ask. Thanks so much!

You are correct. The Wyndhams do not get any of the Disney benefits that the "onsite" hotels do. That's true both of the hotel side (Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek) and the timeshare side (Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort).

 

[dioxide45]

WBC is not a Disney resort, it is not onsite, and there are no special Disney guest benefits or advantages of any kind and there never were any.

Some off-site resorts offered 60-day advance FP+ booking before the shutdown, but WBC was not on that list. The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando, which are traditional luxury hotels next door to WBC, did offer those benefits before the shutdown.

The "good neighbor" hotel has confused many people into thinking they get some kind of special Disney benefits. That is not the case. A good neighbor hotel is about having met certain standards and they use it to advertise.

This is what qualifications WDW puts on "good neighbor" hotels;

• Offer a variety of accommodations including standard rooms, suites and villas
• Provide Walt Disney World Resort information
• Have a Guest Services desk to assist with Walt Disney World vacation planning
• Offer transportation to Walt Disney World theme parks (a fee may apply)

I am also sure the hotel also pays Disney for this label so they can advertise with it.

 

[CarolynFH]

This is what qualifications WDW puts on "good neighbor" hotels;

• Offer a variety of accommodations including standard rooms, suites and villas
• Provide Walt Disney World Resort information
• Have a Guest Services desk to assist with Walt Disney World vacation planning
• Offer transportation to Walt Disney World theme parks (a fee may apply)

I am also sure the hotel also pays Disney for this label so they can advertise with it.

Thanks for posting these requirements! Very helpful.

 

[BostonEd]

It seems from this thread that it's a vacation rental/vrbo/timeshare type place, but if I go directly to their website it appears that I can book directly through that website.

Is there advantage to booking via a certain method?

Booking directly through their website gives you a much better cancellation policy. These days, that's huge.

Booking through an owner or point rental site will save you a lot more money. And some even have half-decent cancellation policies sometimes, but still less flexible than booking direct. If you go this route, just make sure you read and re-read their cancellation policies.

 

[kristenabelle]

WBC is not a Disney resort, it is not onsite, and there are no special Disney guest benefits or advantages of any kind and there never were any.

Some off-site resorts offered 60-day advance FP+ booking before the shutdown, but WBC was not on that list. The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando, which are traditional luxury hotels next door to WBC, did offer those benefits before the shutdown.

The "good neighbor" hotel has confused many people into thinking they get some kind of special Disney benefits. That is not the case. A good neighbor hotel is about having met certain standards and they use it to advertise.

You are correct. The Wyndhams do not get any of the Disney benefits that the "onsite" hotels do. That's true both of the hotel side (Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek) and the timeshare side (Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort).

Super helpful, thank you!

 

[Meghan4]

Do you guys know if Amazon will deliver groceries to the resort? The last time we were at Disney, and we stayed in a cabin at Ft. Wilderness, they delivered there.

 

[dioxide45]

We checked in today. Our first stay at Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Checkin was pretty painless, but I don't know why I need to talk to three people to checkin. We stay in timeshare A LOT, so I get the whole spiel to sign you up for a presentation, but why do I need to go to someone at a podium who just takes me to another person who then pitches the "gift". We didn't sign up since we are only here four nights. We are in a three bedroom deluxe in tower six on the third floor. Not a great view but the patio is HUGE and I can wave to all my peeps as they walk in the doors below us. I just need to learn how to wave like a royal LOL.

We walked around the resort, but haven't used the pools yet. Resort is smaller than I was expecting, but there are a lot of units. It did seem pretty busy and there are people almost everywhere. This is something we aren't used to at many other timeshares. There are usually quiet out of the way places, but there doesn't seem to be as many of those here. All of the grilling areas were pretty busy when we were out around dinner time. Tomorrow is forecast for rain, but we plan to take in the pools and lazy river on Wednesday! Will have more updates as we explore more.

 

[JEng711]

Question for anyone there now - we are staying in a 3 bedroom deluxe and have a very, very inquisitive 20 month old.

Can someone do me the biggest favor and count how many outlets there are in the main areas, so I can bring plug covers?

Additionally, how many side-by-side/facing each other sets of cabinets in the kitchen so I can at least bring removable locks for those? I know there are some single cabinets by the oven which I won't be able to lock but every little bit helps

 

[sdoll]

I heard a rumor that the hot tubs opened up this weekend. Can anyone verify?

 

[Cloudy]

I heard a rumor that the hot tubs opened up this weekend. Can anyone verify?

We were there the week of April 11th and the Hotel Hot Tub was open (between Tower 3 and Tower 6?). The front desk said you needed reservations to use the hot tub but we did not find that to be the case. Limit 5 people. Limit 15 minutes. People seemed to be accommodating. I was waiting to get in with hubby so someone else who had been in 15 minutes got out so I could have a turn.

 

[dioxide45]

We were there the week of April 11th and the Hotel Hot Tub was open (between Tower 3 and Tower 6?). The front desk said you needed reservations to use the hot tub but we did not find that to be the case. Limit 5 people. Limit 15 minutes. People seemed to be accommodating. I was waiting to get in with hubby so someone else who had been in 15 minutes got out so I could have a turn.

I did not see any any hot tubs open while we were there last week. The only hot tub open that is between buildings 3 and 6 is the one that is associated with the Wyndham Grand hotel. Timeshare guests have access to hotel facilities though. All of the Club Wyndham hot tubs are still roped off. Some are void of water.

Why the hotel hot tub can be open and the timeshare ones not? Don't ask me...

 

[dioxide45]

I heard a rumor that the hot tubs opened up this weekend. Can anyone verify?

We were there last week, checked out on Friday. I didn't see them really doing any work in or around the hot tubs. Some had no water and all were still roped off. So if they got them all up and running by Saturday or Sunday, they must be quick.

 

[twocat]

It looks like the hot tubs opened on Saturday April 24th based on a WBC Facebook post from someone who is there.

 

[Ronda93]

We stayed at WBC in 2011 and 2012. Loved it. What does the DIS hive-mind think about the no-guest policy in 2022? I am planning a spring break trip (March 2022). Would they block a period like that, or stick with holidays?

 

[Biggen]

We stayed at WBC in 2011 and 2012. Loved it. What does the DIS hive-mind think about the no-guest policy in 2022? I am planning a spring break trip (March 2022). Would they block a period like that, or stick with holidays?

As far as I know, it's only during those specific dates that were listed. Its not all year long.