What is the #1 off-site property?

[NLD]

I'm at the Caribe Royale right now for a work conference. I'm pretty happy with it. We're booked for Wilderness Lodge in January but Caribe's got me reconsidering that....

Very close to Disney property, lots of space (all the hotel rooms are suites, and they also have villas), there are shuttles to Disney property (not as convenient as Disney buses, but probably enough so that if one person gets tuckered out and wants to leave separately from those who drove, it's doable). Two sit-down restaurants plus a quick-service type restaurant. Pool is themed (waterfall pool with slide). Last night they showed an animated movie poolside (like they do at Disney resorts). There's a bar and a lounge.

Not sure about crowding at the pool, this week there have been people swimming but not tons. It's been low 80s as highs with no humidity this week.

Restaurants are expensive but if you have a car you could go off-site. Then again Disney restaurants are expensive too.

Staff have all been nice. Housekeeping impeccable.

The suites have a mini-fridge (with small freezer section even) and microwave. I guess villas have a full kitchen.

 

[DCTooTall]

with your answers would say Wyndham bonnet creek.

it is a timeshare so definitely has activites, nice pools,now it does have a shuttle - but not certain how often it comes and goes to the parks.

I'm also kind of leaning towards Bonnet Creek with those answers. The only real gotcha is the being brought clean towels/washcloths.

It's a timeshare, so they don't officially offer that service... however there have been some reports of people requesting clean towels and having them brought to you. I don't know enough about the new Wyndham Grand hotel to know how it might fit all the requirements. (room types for space and the fridge specifically.)


Beyond that.... Bonnet creek is incredibly close ("next door" to CBR to be precise), and they do offer a scheduled shuttle to the parks which people have reported working quite nicely for them as either their main park transportation, or when they "split" up during the day.

Some of the pools have been reported to get very busy during peak times, but there are enough pools that if one is very crowded (say the pirate pool or Lazy river pool by Tower 5), you can usually find one that isn't too terribly crowded (Personally I've seldom seen a large crowd at the Main pool by the lobby).

There are also 2 (3 now with the hotel I guess) pool bars for snacks/drinks while at the pool. the new Hotel also has several restaurant options on top of the pizza, burgers, and bar food that has traditionally been available at the resort.

There is some basic theming at the resort (now as heavy as Disney, and honestly. more like a overlay/second thought kind of theming), but they do have a nice activities department which has things planned throughout the week such as movie nights by the lake, Karaoke, arts and crafts, etc.


You may want to check out the big Bonnett Creek thread for more information on the resort to see if maybe it would be something that could suit your needs/desires.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm also kind of leaning towards Bonnet Creek with those answers. The only real gotcha is the being brought clean towels/washcloths.

It's a timeshare, so they don't officially offer that service... however there have been some reports of people requesting clean towels and having them brought to you.

Couple of comments on this.

One, the pool towels are separate from the room towels. You sign them out, and any time you want fresh ones, you just turn the old ones in for new.

Two, your Wyndham Bonnet Creek villa will have a washer/dryer. We've never asked for additional towels, etc, but we do occasionally throw them in the washer. It's easier than requesting fresh ones.

 

[JimMIA]

Having read your answers, I would agree with Pat above -- WBC would be a great choice.

A deciding factor might be the pools. There are five pools at the timeshare towers at WBC. Four of those are large, and they also have zero entry which would be perfect for your 2 year-old. Two of them have great lazy rivers with plenty of tubes. Two have slides for the bigger kids (48" height requirement). The new hotel also has a pool, but I haven't seen that yet.

One good thing about the WBC shuttles is that they are scheduled, and from what I've read they don't vary too much from the scheduled times. If you're thinking of splitting up for a mid-day pool/nap break, knowing when the shuttles run is a bonus. You have to check the schedules before departing however, because there is a lull in the middle of the day when they're not running as regularly.