Thoughts On Hilton Bonnet Creek vs. Disney Deluxe Resorts

[Taylormade0503]

Hey everyone! My wife and I are planning a short trip to Disney this coming January. We are looking at staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. However, we are fearful we might be missing out on a true Disney vacation if we don't stay at one of the deluxe resorts. Our trip is only for 4 nights/3 days, so we really don't plan on spending that much time at the hotel. However, we are the type of people that do really enjoy coming back to a nice place. How does the overall experience at the Hilton Bonnet Creek compare to somewhere like the Animal Kingdom Lodge or even the Poly? Thank you all!

 

[Gehrig1B]

We just finished a 3-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria, the Hilton's sister resort. Although everything was incredible, the proximity and logistics of experiencing Disney will prevent us from staying again. We find our stays at Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge much more enjoyable. More to see and do and logistics of going to and from the parks is so much easier.

We stayed at AKL last week and found the Lodge very nice but again, proximity made it less attractive to us. Poly would be my choice of those you mention, although Wilderness Lodge is our favorite Christmas time MK resort.

 

[summerlvr]

I have stayed at both, and while the Hilton is more of a true deluxe resort, I much prefer AKL. Will you have a car or will you be relying on hotel transportation? Car would make things easier, but you have to pay for parking.
The bus situation at the Hilton was the deal breaker for me. It was a major hassle. I was there about a year and a half ago, so things may have changed since then, but when I was there, you had to make a reservation for the bus time that you wanted. That meant standing in line at the concierge desk. The early times fill up fast.
Loading the bus took a while because strollers had to go underneath in the luggage hold. The bus picks up at the Waldorf Astoria after leaving the Hilton, so it took some time to get to the park. I never made it to rope drop at MK because after a long bus experience, you get dropped off at the TTC, so you still have to take the ferry or the monorail to get to MK front gate. Travel time was anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours for me.
If you were planning on spending a lot of time at the hotel and not rope dropping parks, I would say go for the Hilton for sure. Since you say you aren't going to be spending a lot of time at the hotel, I would look for something else.
Have you considered the Swan or Dolphin? They give you more of a deluxe experience without the Disney overload and are usually cheaper than Disney Deluxe resorts. Another option might be the new Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive and is really more a deluxe rather than moderate experience.
Hope you have a great trip no matter what you choose!

 

[auntfrannie]

I was at the Hilton Bonnet Creek two weeks ago for 2 nights. I won't be back. First, the check-in/valet area was a complete mess.

Then the registration area was backed up and slow and there wasn't any designated line. So while about 5 different groups had created an informal line, some people were just walking up and standing behind someone that was already being checked-in which created one confrontation.

The pool area with the lazy river was very nice but the rest of the hotel was just cold and too business-like.