Will we enjoy Wyndam Bonnet Creek?

[NoodlesMom]

Hello all. We've been to Disney twice and both visits were on property. We loved our stays at POP which always included the dinning plan. This year is a little different. This year we are doing the YES program so we cant get a package. I've seen the pics and read reviews and it looks awesome but I'm afraid of no being surrounded by everything Disney. I also don't want to cook the entire time while on vacation but I feel like I should be since we will have a kitchen. I got an amazing deal for less than $85 a night for peak summer season and that excites me. Please put my fears to rest. Do you prefer Bonnet Creek compared to Disney hotels?

One more thing. We love the fact that when on property we can park and not see the car again until we leave. What is your experience with the busses and their frequency?

 

[JimMIA]

We loved our stays at POP which always included the dinning plan. This year is a little different. This year we are doing the YES program so we cant get a package.

Well, it's all a matter of personal preference, but personally I'd PAY not to have to take the dining plan. We used to use DDP back when it was good, but we really prefer to eat offsite. Whether we're doing fine dining or just something super-casual, we find the food offsite better, more varied, and less expensive.

I've seen the pics and read reviews and it looks awesome but I'm afraid of no being surrounded by everything Disney.

It is a beautiful resort, and with many more amenities than you'll find in most Disney resorts. There are five pools, two lazy rivers, two slides, numerous spas, free minigolf, a very nice gym, pool tables, a video arcade, and a full activity schedule.

You will NOT have the Disney theming, but I'm sure you'll find the atmosphere very satisfactory. The decor and furnishings are several steps up from Disney Value resorts -- more like what you'd find at the Swan/Dolphin.

For Disney stuff, there is a Disney desk in the main building lobby and it's staffed by two DISNEY employees who can answer just about any question you may have about WDW.

I also don't want to cook the entire time while on vacation but I feel like I should be since we will have a kitchen.

Nonsense. You don't have to cook unless you want to! If you do, you'll find the kitchen fully equipped. The best thing, though is having the refrigerator, coffee maker, and microwave for simple stuff and snacks. If you WANT to BBQ, they have numerous BIG, high quality gas grills throughout the resort.

Please put my fears to rest. Do you prefer Bonnet Creek compared to Disney hotels?

We certainly prefer WBC to Disney values or mods. We usually stay at DVC onsite, and I would prefer WBC to all of the DVC resorts except OKW and VWL.

One more thing. We love the fact that when on property we can park and not see the car again until we leave. What is your experience with the busses and their frequency?

We prefer to drive, so we did not use the WBC busses. However, they provide free bus transportation to all of the theme parks and Downtown Disney. Unlike the Disney busses, WBC's busses run on a regular schedule. So they're probably a little less frequent, but reliable. The busses will save you $14 per day in parking fees, but to me that's a small price to pay for the freedom driving gives us.

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks!

 

[JimMIA]

A couple of other things:

If the kids are going to have some "downtime" from the YES program, plan to spend a full day at Bonnet Creek. Between the activities and pools, there is so much to do, and you'll really have a great time just chillin' at the resort. Disney is very intense for little kids, and a day to recharge will pay big benefits.

Also, know that you can request a location within the resort...depending on what you think will be important to your family. There are some threads here with info on various towers, locations, and views, so do some research. Then call WBC (407-238-3500) a week or so before your arrival date and let them know your preferences.

Keep it simple, and understand that it's not guaranteed and rooms are not actually assigned until you check in. I just requested three simple things: Tower 4, high floor, and lake view. We got Tower 4, TOP floor, lake view.

They can't guarantee anything, but they'll try to give you what you want.

Also, you'll see that checkin time is 4:00 PM. They'll let you check in earlier than that, so if you arrive earlier, by all means check in early.

 

[smidgy]

we like to drive in the morning, but after dark,not so much. (us older folks haver lower night vision) also, we perfer having a few adult beverages in the parks.

anyone(who doesnt drive to the parks all the time) know more about the buses.. can you get there before rope drop? for early entry? are there buses for night time EMH? or at leats after illuminations, etc.?

 

[JimMIA]

we like to drive in the morning, but after dark,not so much. (us older folks haver lower night vision) also, we perfer having a few adult beverages in the parks.

anyone(who doesnt drive to the parks all the time) know more about the buses.. can you get there before rope drop? for early entry? are there buses for night time EMH? or at leats after illuminations, etc.?

Can't answer the bus questions, but EMH is only for onsite guests. Guests of offsite resorts like WBC are not eligible.

 

[jwisnefske]

Noodlesmom~ Our family of 6 has decided to stay at WBC this coming January and I had the same concerns as you did. We have ALWAYS stayed on Disney property, but after plugging in the numbers, we will be saving over $1000 staying at WBC.

After reading all the posts, we have scaled back our usually crazy Disney trip to a more relaxed one. Our plans are to let our kids (8, 4, 15 months) sleep in in the mornings, swim in the pools, eat a nice breakfast. We will pack sandwiches and stuff for the parks and then plan on staying until park closes. We are planning on doing many of our night meals at the parks, whether quick service or table service. We have found we will still save money.

We will be using the transportation provided and will just have to work with their times.

Good luck, but from what I have read from previous posts, I don't think you will regret staying at WBC.

 

[smidgy]

oh yeah! duh! guess I got mixed up cause if tyou stay at dolpphin you get emh.

 

[Lisa0620]

I also don't want to cook the entire time while on vacation but I feel like I should be since we will have a kitchen.

Don't do it! I guilted myself into that too when we stayed in an onsite villa and really regretted it. (I enjoy cooking at home but it was total drudgery at Disney for some reason!) You're paying less than you would for an onsite room without a kitchen, so it's okay to pretend that it's not even there, really! Since the DDP is part of your usual budget, I would do a prepaid card or dedicated debit card with the same amount of money on it that you would normally budget for DDP + tips and probably come out ahead. That way you get that "prepaid" feeling like w/ the dining plan. It wouldn't hurt to have the makings for just a couple easy spaghetti type meals so if you don't feel like going out you don't have to, but imo you shouldn't feel obligated to use the kitchen for anything other than breakfast.

Please put my fears to rest. Do you prefer Bonnet Creek compared to Disney hotels?

I'll be honest, it's not the same experience as onsite and we did miss the Disney bubble a little. BC is an amazing value, though, and definitely worth trying at least once to see if you like it. It is SO nice having the kids in their own room, a washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms, free internet, the choice of a different pool practically every day, etc. It's the next best thing to DVC and I would choose it again over all of us crammed in one room onsite for sure (unless it were the Poly or the Contemporary, then I'd really have to think about it...)

We love the fact that when on property we can park and not see the car again until we leave. What is your experience with the busses and their frequency?

I really hated relying on the Disney busses when we were onsite, so I insisted that we drive a rental car instead at WBC and I wonder if we would have had more of that "bubble" feeling if we had used their bus service. We used it only once the first night to DTD and felt kind of "stuck" there because the return times were quite far apart. The bus was nice, clean, and on schedule, though, that one time we used it. We talked to a nice couple on the bus who were BC regulars and they said they always use the bus and it worked great for them. I wish in retrospect we would have given it more of a chance.

Good luck, hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[dinglefitzberry]

We love Bonnet Creek. I am a DVC member and my grandkids would rather stay here than on disney property.

 

[Brian Noble]

Do you prefer Bonnet Creek compared to Disney hotels?

I've stayed in villas at OKW, VWL, and BWV. I have also stayed at Bonnet, Vistana, Windsor Hills, and a few other offsite places.

I think OKW and Bonnet are pretty comparable. OKW is a little more spread out and a little more private, but Bonnet's units are a bit nicer and more functionally furnished. OKW has Disney transport and the boat to DTD, but Bonnet has superior pools and other amenities in the resort. And, while Disney resorts are supposed to be "themed", I don't find OKW's "theme" to be all that much more immersive than the vibe at Bonnet Creek.

VWL would be a notch above both of these---VWL/WL *are* themed, and very nicely. BWV is an odd duck; the location is great, and it gets a nod just for that, but the resort itself falls flat for me somehow.

Full disclosure: we don't mind driving ourselves, and often do onsite as well.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm asking myself the same thing. A friend has been raving about her stay at BC and I cannot believe the pricing, but I'm not sure I'm sold on an off-site resort even if it is essentially on-property. DH, on the other hand, took one look at the price difference and is convinced, and my 9yo planning partner DD is loving the idea of a lazy river.

 

[MomtoGKC]

I was also worried about staying at Bonnet Creek last year. I had read all of the information on here and had looked at tons of pictures, but I was sure it was too good to be true. Well, it wasn't! It is one of the few places that was even nicer when we got there than what we saw online. My kids just loved it- at one point while walking around the lake the first night we heard my 5 year old son say to himself, "could it get any better?". .

We were so sick of the Disney bus and had been driving to the parks a lot anyway so that didn't bother us. We will definitely stay here again!

 

[It'sOffToDisneyWeGo]

We enjoyed it very much. I wish we would have left more time to actually enjoy the grounds. We spent every day at the parks. We did get to go to the pool, hot tub, putt putt, watch Epcot fireworks from our balcony and use the grills to cook dinner. It was a great experience.