Wyndham Bonnet Creek Question....

[yoswim02]

So I found out today that im staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek during my april trip....totally bummed because obviously no magic hours and no buses!! ARGHHHH!!! I guess never let some first timers plan your vacation. Anyway I jumped on Google maps and saw that it aint too far away from Carribean Beach. Is is possible to walk from Bonnet Creek to Carribean Beach to just use the buses there???...even if I have to blaze a small trail in the woods I will do it just to use the disney bus system. Let me know whats up!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!

-Will

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Just my thoughts---
This is the reason I have always preached that Bonnet Creek was not on Disney property. So many have said it is on property, and others have said it is "for all practical purposes". Well, it's not. No Disney transportation, no Extra Magic Hours, no package delivery, no room charging, etc..
I have been ridiculed for trying to explain this to first timers (I know you are not), so this sort of thing wouldn't happen.
Fact is, many inexperienced Disneyers are told, and believe it is on property.

Yes, the resort is close... VERY close, but I don't believe you can walk to a bus. I think there is a fence between BC and CBR. Even if there isn't, would it be morally right?

MG

 

[amw]

Just my thoughts---
This is the reason I have always preached that Bonnet Creek was not on Disney property. So many have said it is on property, and others have said it is "for all practical purposes". Well, it's not. No Disney transportation, no Extra Magic Hours, no package delivery, no room charging, etc..
I have been ridiculed for trying to explain this to first timers (I know you are not), so this sort of thing wouldn't happen.
Fact is, many inexperienced Disneyers are told, and believe it is on property.

Yes, the resort is close... VERY close, but I don't believe you can walk to a bus. I think there is a fence between BC and CBR. Even if there isn't, would it be morally right?

MG

I know I won't get flamed on THIS board for my comments. I've never seen what benefits there are for staying Disney.

Disney Transportation... I've always had a rental. You can get them quite cheap. After having your own car, I wouldn't put up with waiting in lines for full buses that make multiple stops, or waiting at the airport for an hour just to hop a ride to your hotel. I prefer to go where I want when I want. And, that includes eating where I want at prices I prefer.

Extra Magic Hours... I avoid any park that has extra magic hours. I originally had booked Wilderness Lodge for my next trip, and even then my itinerary went against EMH. Not a benefit to me.

Room charging... a credit card is a credit card whether you pay for the item at time of purchase or in one lump sum at the end of your trip. Again, I personally don't see this as a benefit.

Package delivery... well I only tend to go in the stores when I go to Downtown Disney. Then it's a shopping day, and we have a car right there so what's the big deal in carrying your own bags? I'm a tad paranoid so I wouldn't use that system anyways.

So, for a THIRD of the price of a TINY bedroom that sleeps 4 at Wilderness Lodge, I can book a 2-bedroom condo with full kitchen, living room, dining room, huge balcony, washer-Dryer, etc. There are activities all day long for the kids. I have a car to come and go as I please. Yes, it's not officially on property but it is only accessible by Disney roadways. The only negative to me is not having a restaurant onsite, but neither do the all-stars.

I don't see the "perks" of staying at Disney to be worth shelling out 3 times as much money. I'll spend that dining/shopping instead

To the original OP: There are buses at BC, but on a limited schedule. I would really look into renting a car for your stay. If you look at mousesavers.com you can find all kinds of coupons and discount codes. You can often get a rental for under $200.

I'm not a first-timer but I think BC is a great choice, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Here's an older thread with pics, that has some info on the buses too:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1402846&highlight=renting+bonnet+creek

 

[FayeW]

I think the OP is just yanking our chains.

I mean, anybody who would rather stay onsite to ride the busses everyday instead of staying at the beautiful, luxurious Bonnet Creek has GOT to be kidding, right?

"even if I have to blaze a small trail in the woods I will do it just to use the disney bus system." Good one, OP!

 

[amw]

I think the OP is just yanking our chains.

I mean, anybody who would rather stay onsite to ride the busses everyday instead of staying at the beautiful, luxurious Bonnet Creek has GOT to be kidding, right?

"even if I have to blaze a small trail in the woods I will do it just to use the disney bus system." Good one, OP!

I have a feeling the original thread was moved from the Resorts Board. I don't think anyone would say those things on the offsite board. But, that IS how they talk over on the pro-Disney-never-in-a-million-years-stay-offsite-board. We're much more practical here

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hey folks, I'm really not trying to convince any of you to stay on site. To each your own. Yes, I could argue all the points brought up by amw and FayeW, but that's truly not my reason for posting.

I'm simply pointing out that those of us who do choose to stay on site, may be misled by those who claim BC is onsite.

I was just trying to help out fellow DISers.

MG

 

[Brian Noble]

MG, as you know, "onsite" is a meaningless designation. The DTD hotels are, technically, "onsite", as they sit on RCID property. However, except for the Hilton, which is eligible for EMH, none of them have any Disney perks.

The Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green are also "onsite", but again, do not offer the full set of Disney perks. Shades does not have true Disney transportation (but is walkable to Poly.) None of them offer ME or DDP.

A resort's location within RCID property has no bearing on your oft-cited concerns. The resort's ownership is what determines its inclusion or exclusion in the set that you are so concerned about.

Given that, it is trivial to distinguish between resorts in the set, and resorts that are not: if the resort's name is "Disney's <whatever>" then it is in. Otherwise, it is not.

There is one exception: VWL is named "The Villas at Disney's..." so you have to read the whole name of that one.

 

[5boyz]

amw......are you sure weren't now twins with one mind??? You said what I feel...

 

[5boyz]

Brian...just noticed you live in Ann Arbour......I am going there this weekend, my son's hockey team is going to the University Of Michigan (don't know if that is the right name).

 

[Maistre Gracey]

MG, as you know, "onsite" is a meaningless designation. The DTD hotels are, technically, "onsite", as they sit on RCID property. However, except for the Hilton, which is eligible for EMH, none of them have any Disney perks.

The Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green are also "onsite", but again, do not offer the full set of Disney perks. Shades does not have true Disney transportation (but is walkable to Poly.) None of them offer ME or DDP.

A resort's location within RCID property has no bearing on your oft-cited concerns. The resort's ownership is what determines its inclusion or exclusion in the set that you are so concerned about.

Given that, it is trivial to distinguish between resorts in the set, and resorts that are not: if the resort's name is "Disney's <whatever>" then it is in. Otherwise, it is not.

There is one exception: VWL is named "The Villas at Disney's..." so you have to read the whole name of that one.

While there is a lot of truth in your post, I disagree somewhat.
I don't think it's trivial to distinguish for a couple of reasons.
Bonnet Creek, unlike the other non Disney, on site hotels you mentioned, is very new. Most people know about the lack of benefits at the Downtown Disney Hotels, simply because they have been around for quite some time. In addition, with names like "Holiday Inn", it's hard to confuse with a Disney hotel. Most people just say "Bonnet Creek", and leave off the Wyndam part.

As you may have guessed, there is also a reason for DVC Members to be slightly concerned about this misinformation. If the property line were widly unchallenged, it would devalue DVC. Say what you want, but people will pay more for that reason alone.
Counterfeit products devalue the authentic product.
Think of a Rolex watch. The counterfeit watches devalue the price of a Rolex, even though the counterfeit may be the same watch with a different label.
In other words, a non DVC timeshare, built on property, that sells for less $ than DVC, will bring down the value of DVC.

Just my thoughts...

MG

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I know I won't get flamed on THIS board for my comments. I've never seen what benefits there are for staying Disney.

Disney Transportation... I've always had a rental. You can get them quite cheap. After having your own car, I wouldn't put up with waiting in lines for full buses that make multiple stops, or waiting at the airport for an hour just to hop a ride to your hotel. I prefer to go where I want when I want. And, that includes eating where I want at prices I prefer.

Extra Magic Hours... I avoid any park that has extra magic hours. I originally had booked Wilderness Lodge for my next trip, and even then my itinerary went against EMH. Not a benefit to me.

Room charging... a credit card is a credit card whether you pay for the item at time of purchase or in one lump sum at the end of your trip. Again, I personally don't see this as a benefit.

Package delivery... well I only tend to go in the stores when I go to Downtown Disney. Then it's a shopping day, and we have a car right there so what's the big deal in carrying your own bags? I'm a tad paranoid so I wouldn't use that system anyways.

So, for a THIRD of the price of a TINY bedroom that sleeps 4 at Wilderness Lodge, I can book a 2-bedroom condo with full kitchen, living room, dining room, huge balcony, washer-Dryer, etc. There are activities all day long for the kids. I have a car to come and go as I please. Yes, it's not officially on property but it is only accessible by Disney roadways. The only negative to me is not having a restaurant onsite, but neither do the all-stars.

I don't see the "perks" of staying at Disney to be worth shelling out 3 times as much money. I'll spend that dining/shopping instead

To the original OP: There are buses at BC, but on a limited schedule. I would really look into renting a car for your stay. If you look at mousesavers.com you can find all kinds of coupons and discount codes. You can often get a rental for under $200.

I'm not a first-timer but I think BC is a great choice, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Here's an older thread with pics, that has some info on the buses too:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1402846&highlight=renting+bonnet+creek

YOu hit the nail on the head.

 

[froggygrrrl]

So I found out today that im staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek during my april trip....totally bummed because obviously no magic hours and no buses!! ARGHHHH!!! I guess never let some first timers plan your vacation. Anyway I jumped on Google maps and saw that it aint too far away from Carribean Beach. Is is possible to walk from Bonnet Creek to Carribean Beach to just use the buses there???...even if I have to blaze a small trail in the woods I will do it just to use the disney bus system. Let me know whats up!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!

-Will

We own at Bonnet Creek and never rent a car when we go. True, BC doesn't have the continuous Disney bus system, but the buses it does have aren't THAT bad. If you are someone that gets to the park early (or even before noon) you will be fine. The buses run to specific parks every hour on either the :00 or :30, depending on which park.

We didn't have a problem with the system at all. One thing BC could do to improve the bus system would be to offer more mid-afternoon options. Other than that, the morning and evening schedules are not as horrific as people make it sound.

It would hardly be worth it to trek all the way to CB (if you even can) when you can take one BC bus to a park and then ride Disney's buses around all day if that's what you want.

 

[CPM]

MG, I hardly think BC will downgrade DVC. It's one vacation interval property that comes close to DVC. There are others that are extremely close in proximity as well, like the one right near AKL, I can't even remember the name of it.
I just think BC has also come as close in service and accomodations as DVC, so it's talked about more.
I'm sure some people enjoy all the perks of Disney properties and that is why they will always stay there.
The only perk I miss when staying at BC is the EMH perk. Other than that one, I don't see the big deal.
I really prefer having that much space on vacation. To me going on vacation and sharing a room or studio with my whole family is NOT fun! It's a lot less expensive to rent at BC than DVC. Not everyone is in the position to buy either.
I should be interesting to see what happens when the new Hilton and Waldorf Astoria will be on that property also.

 

[Brian Noble]

And so, you show your true colors:

there is also a reason for DVC Members to be slightly concerned about this misinformation.

The property line is meaningless. The benefits are what matters. The property line only matters when it comes to voting rights in the district---and that's why the land on which the fractional ownerships are being built in the NE corner is being de-annexed, and it is also a big reason why DVC is structured as a "deeded leasehold", rather than a perpetual deed. The very last thing the Mouse wants is someone horning in on its quasi-private government.

The only thing you need to say about BC is that it isn't Disney---and I believe most people realize this.

Furthermore, I don't think it is going to significantly devalue much, because BC's developer prices are very similar to DVCs. In this case, the fake rolex is fetching the same prices as the real one. And, the place is selling like hotcakes, even at real-rolex prices. So, someone must be finding value in it, even though it "isn't Disney."

But, it's cute to watch DVC owners contort themselves every time this topic comes up. It's also cute to watch DVD do the same thing. If you ever have the chance, drive by the entrance to BC, and take a look at the 3-D billboard right across from the entrance advertising DVC. It's hilarious. The very notion that someone might actually stay somewhere other than a Disney owned property because they want to is just so foreign a concept...it must be because they are being hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Tricked!

Oh, the humanity!

 

[katyjeka]

My family spent 10 nights at Bonnet Creek, this was our 1st experience offsite. Yes, the pictures were beautiful, but keep in mind the granite countertops and upgrades are on only in the Presidental Suite. We had a 3bedroom which had more space than we needed. From our balcony we saw the bowling pins at POP(With me secretly wishing I was there!)You are close to CB but not within walking distance. The pools are nice, pizza good, but I will never stay offsite again, even if this means we have to get 3 value rooms for the space needed. There is something missing when your offsite and we hated driving everywhere. Don't be fooled the shuttle service at Bonnet Creek is useless!!! I missed the early mornings and late nights and felt as if we were cheated out of a lot of park time. Not one of us, and there are 8, could figure out what the big deal was about Bonnet Creek. Of course, this is just our opinion! Our room was showing wear, and we found the dryers useless. I won't say our trip was bad, because the parks were empty and we made some wonderful memories. Lets just say, we've lived and learned. Janice

 

[FayeW]

There is something missing when your offsite and we hated driving everywhere. Don't be fooled the shuttle service at Bonnet Creek is useless!!! I missed the early mornings and late nights and felt as if we were cheated out of a lot of park time.

I am a little confused...

You say that you hated driving everywhere, but you also said the shuttle service was useless and caused you to miss park time. How could the shuttle be to blame if you were driving everywhere?

About the dryers...did they not work? Did you call maintenance?

 

[skjuls]

I just returned from a 3 night stay at Bonnet Creek and enjoyed it. I didn't get to use the pool or any of the amenities but I liked our 2 bedroom deluxe. It was huge. I don't really care what type of view we get and the construction wasn't loud when I was there.

We had a rental car and are used to driving so we didn't mind. It was nice that we could drive to Downtown Disney in minutes as well as to the parks.

I would stay here again.

We had issues with our dryer as well. It took two cycles to dry and some clothes were still damp.

 

[katyjeka]

We missed park time because we did not have early mornings/late evenings. It really stinks to have to leave the park because it is opened to only onsite guests. Yes, we knew we would not have this perk before we left, but I really didnt think we'd miss it, but we did. We drove everywhere because the shuttle service is really bad. Period. Yes, we called about the dryer, twice, and we're promised they would be up to look at it. They never did. I'm sorry, vacation to us is not calling everyday trying to get a dryer fixed. We just dried the clothes for hours to get them just damp, than we hung them to finish drying. I guess we are spoiled by Disney, we just love the atmosphere and the perks. NOTHING beats leaving MK and having a bus waiting to take you to your room. Parking a car at MK is a real pain, and leaving at 5:00 pm with the Bonnet Creek shuttle was not an option. Everyones entitled to an opinion and I wish we would have listened to more posts like mine before we considered staying offsite. HUGE MISTAKE. Janice

 

[CPM]

I wish we would have listened to more posts like mine before we considered staying offsite. HUGE MISTAKE. Janice

For you. Yes, everyone does have opinions. It's not like everyone has perfect stays at Disney hotels either. Just read the resort board reviews

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Last October we stayed for 3 nights at AKL in a savanna view room before heading to Bonnet Creek for 7 nights. As I walked out of AKL, my wallet about $1000 lighter, I wondered what I had gotten for my money. Not much but a bed and a mini fridge. Never used a Disney bus. After standing around in attraction lines all day, the last thing I want to do is stand in another line with the rest of the masses of humanity waiting for a ride "home." We used EMH hours once. Big deal. Was that supposed to make me feel important like I was part of some special, exclusive club? Sorry, not worth $300 a night for a 12' X 12' glorified hotel room just to get in an hour early or stay a couple hours later.

Ok, I can see DVC versus BC as a valid argument. At least the two types of accomodations are similar. But I can't believe anyone would rather rent 3 rooms at Pop Century instead of a 3-bedroom unit at BC. Of course, there aren't any broken clothes dryers to worry about in the rooms at Pop, so I guess that makes sense. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at BC and would go back there again in an instant. The only bad part of BC was looking off our 15th floor balcony at the tacky abomination they call Pop Century. And whatever that other ugly blue and orange abomination was.