Wyndham Bonnet Creek ...the good, the bad, and the ugly ???

MrsDoubtfire

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
I am planning our Disney/Florida vacation for next August, and we (family of 4) have always stayed in a park resort. Next year, our sister will accompany us, so we will be 3 adults and 2 children (DD14, DS12). I'm considering WBC because I can rent a 2 bedroom condo - which I feel will give us ample room and 2 bathrooms - great with 3 gals under 1 roof.


I did read some reviews on TripAdvisor and while MANY were positive, some were not ... and I'd be so unhappy if I went thru the trouble of planing our stay only to check in, be pestered by salespeople, find bugs in our room, a broken appliance, rowdy drunks and/or teens by the pools, and/or a dirty room. These are some of the horror stories that I have read about...and they are keeping me from even getting a quote.

I know there are several "We LOVE Bonnet Creek" threads, and have read most of them. Has any DISer ever had a bad experience there? And if yes, any advice as to how to improve the experience if it were negative? We are not a family who has ever stayed at a deluxe resort - mostly stay at the moderates except one stay at the All-Star Music (DH said never again to that one), but we are used to being treated well at the Disney-owned resorts. I have read of some rude saleswoman at the BC "parking pass" desk that I'd avoid like the plaque - I have NO problem saying no, but would want to say it in a nice way to avoid being treated terribly after.

Any advice - good or bad - is welcome. I need to decide if I should get a quote or not...and if yes, do you think it's too early to get one ...8 months away ?
 
MrsDoubtfire said:
I am planning our Disney/Florida vacation for next August, and we (family of 4) have always stayed in a park resort. Next year, our sister will accompany us, so we will be 3 adults and 2 children (DD14, DS12). I'm considering WBC because I can rent a 2 bedroom condo - which I feel will give us ample room and 2 bathrooms - great with 3 gals under 1 roof.

I did read some reviews on TripAdvisor and while MANY were positive, some were not ... and I'd be so unhappy if I went thru the trouble of planing our stay only to check in, be pestered by salespeople, find bugs in our room, a broken appliance, rowdy drunks and/or teens by the pools, and/or a dirty room. These are some of the horror stories that I have read about...and they are keeping me from even getting a quote.

I know there are several "We LOVE Bonnet Creek" threads, and have read most of them. Has any DISer ever had a bad experience there? And if yes, any advice as to how to improve the experience if it were negative? We are not a family who has ever stayed at a deluxe resort - mostly stay at the moderates except one stay at the All-Star Music (DH said never again to that one), but we are used to being treated well at the Disney-owned resorts. I have read of some rude saleswoman at the BC "parking pass" desk that I'd avoid like the plaque - I have NO problem saying no, but would want to say it in a nice way to avoid being treated terribly after.

Any advice - good or bad - is welcome. I need to decide if I should get a quote or not...and if yes, do you think it's too early to get one ...8 months away ?

My family of 6- DD6 DD3 my hubby and my Mom and Dad stayed in Tower 3 room 762 From October 20th- October 27th 2012. The room was beautiful. Brand new mattresses and new carpet. Everything seemed to have been just updated as they were working in the floors below us during the week of our stay. The hallway going towards our room smelled like fresh paint and carpet.
We got one phone call from downstairs and my hubby politely told them we werent interested and didnt hear from them again, The pools were clean, the lazy river was fun, mini golf was great, and all in all, we loved the resort. I am absolutely staying there again in the future. We own a timeshare so we traded to stay there:-)
I have pictures if you would like to see them. Inbox me your address. I too was afraid but I was pleased!
 
My family of 6- DD6 DD3 my hubby and my Mom and Dad stayed in Tower 3 room 762 From October 20th- October 27th 2012. The room was beautiful. Brand new mattresses and new carpet. Everything seemed to have been just updated as they were working in the floors below us during the week of our stay. The hallway going towards our room smelled like fresh paint and carpet.
We got one phone call from downstairs and my hubby politely told them we werent interested and didnt hear from them again, The pools were clean, the lazy river was fun, mini golf was great, and all in all, we loved the resort. I am absolutely staying there again in the future. We own a timeshare so we traded to stay there:-)
I have pictures if you would like to see them. Inbox me your address. I too was afraid but I was pleased!


TY Kim :goodvibes Did you request a certain tower? I really don't know the difference between any of the towers/rooms - and wouldn't want to come across as too pushy by asking for certain amenities when I am not a timeshare owner. I wonder if there is a difference in staying in October (off season) as opposed to August with regard to crowds at the pools and lazy river? I would love to see your pics - I PM'd you :thumbsup2
 
TY Kim :goodvibes Did you request a certain tower? I really don't know the difference between any of the towers/rooms - and wouldn't want to come across as too pushy by asking for certain amenities when I am not a timeshare owner. I wonder if there is a difference in staying in October (off season) as opposed to August with regard to crowds at the pools and lazy river? I would love to see your pics - I PM'd you :thumbsup2

October is actually pretty busy in the Orlando area, particularly the Columbus Day week. Lots of adult guests for the Food & Wine Festival. Depending on when you go in August, the southern schools may be back in session (we usually start around Aug 6), so that impacts the crowds then.

Sheila
 


Over the years we have stayed at various Disney Resorts but we tried Bonnet Creek a couple of years ago and that is the only place we stay at now. We LOVE Bonnet Creek. We have never had any kind of problems.

We just got back from a stay there. This trip we asked for a fireworks view room. We were able to see both Epcot and MK fireworks from our room. We loved that!! Every time we have stayed there it is always nice and clean, everything new looking. We couldn't ask for more. The pool areas are so nice too!!

The only small complaint I have is when you get your parking pass. They want to get you to come to one of their timeshare promotions sell things. We are always nice but stern in telling them NO!! This past trip they did call the day before leaving but we again told them no. She thanked us for our stay and wasn't pushy.

We always rent from a lady I found on VRBO. She is wonderful to deal with and has the best prices. If you are interested I can PM you her info (not sure if it is ok to post that kind of thing).

I really don't think you will be disappointed with Bonnet Creek. We LOVE it :thumbsup2
 
The only complaint I had @ WBC ...
was I wish our vacation ... were a bit longer.
Truely ... I'm sure this resort is not "all that" for everyone.
For us ... we hope to go back.
But deff avoid Peak season.
 
The only complaint I had @ WBC ...
was I wish our vacation ... were a bit longer.
Truely ... I'm sure this resort is not "all that" for everyone.
For us ... we hope to go back.
But deff avoid Peak season.

When you mention "avoid peak season", are you referring to mid August? I'm not able to pull my kids out of school to go during off seasons, and DH is extremely busy with his work in the spring and early summer months - August is the only time of year that we can get away.....
 


When you mention "avoid peak season", are you referring to mid August? I'm not able to pull my kids out of school to go during off seasons, and DH is extremely busy with his work in the spring and early summer months - August is the only time of year that we can get away.....

The later in August you go the better, but seriously a trip to Disney even during the busy parts of August will be great.

We stayed at WBC for the first time this year and loved it, our only regret was that we didn't have enough time to spend more time at the resort, they had a number of different activities that you could do during the day, along with the pools and mini-golf and other than the pools (which my kids loved!) we didn't do the other activities. We are considering going back and only doing Disney a few days and spending more time relaxing at the resort. In my opinion this would be a great place to stay in August, if the crowds are higher then you want at the park, or if you just get to hot and want a break, there is plenty to do at the resort, and its location is soooooo close to the parks that getting back and forth is very easy and fast.
 
We stayed there last December in the absolute peak season - the week between Christmas and New Years. We had a very positive experience. We are DVC members and usually stay in a DVC 2 bedroom. The Bonnet Creek units are just as nice as most of the DVCs and they are larger than many. During this peak week we paid $175 per night - an absolute steal for that kind of space, during a time when Disney deluxe hotel rooms are going for $500 or more per night. I would recommend this resort to anyone, particularly families who want more space and don't want to pay the Disney prices. This is a very very good value and excellent location.

Definitely rent a car - I would not rely on the shuttle service. It exists but does not come around very often and you will have to make numerous stops around the resort. Just hop in your car and you can be at any of the parks very quickly.

I called a few days before checkin to confirm the reservation and I requested a fireworks view. From our balcony we could see the Epcot Fireworks straight on, and in the distance we could see Wishes. It was great.
 
swilshire said:
October is actually pretty busy in the Orlando area, particularly the Columbus Day week. Lots of adult guests for the Food & Wine Festival. Depending on when you go in August, the southern schools may be back in session (we usually start around Aug 6), so that impacts the crowds then.

Sheila

I think the other side of the resort was full. What I mean is that Tower 5 &6 were busy. Thats where the parking garage is. Seemed very congested over there. Tower 3 &4 were on the other side of the lake, looking across the lake. Very quiet.. The parking lot was full at night but we had no problem getting a spot. They go in a circle. The shuttle drop off/pick up was at tower 6 and main building. The walk around was great, very pretty.
A week before your trip, call up and request a tower and floor. All of the even rooms in Tower 3 face lake and fireworks. They have BBQs too and we made burgers one night, they were SLOW but it was fun!
I did request tower 3 7th floor a few days before. I chose that tower because I wanted to be near mini golf and the pool with the smaller slide because there is a height requirement 44 inches and my daughter wouldnt have made the pirate ship slide requirements, 48inches. There was also a splash water thing for small kids and a playground.
 
When you mention "avoid peak season", are you referring to mid August? I'm not able to pull my kids out of school to go during off seasons, and DH is extremely busy with his work in the spring and early summer months - August is the only time of year that we can get away.....

I mentioned ... avoid "Peak Season" ... to *possibly* decrease odds of obnoxious, rowdy people.

I use to have to go during summer peak ... been there done that.

 
Any advice - good or bad - is welcome. I need to decide if I should get a quote or not...and if yes, do you think it's too early to get one ...8 months away ?

The first time we went to WBC we were a little worried as well....it was new to us and we had only stayed on Disney property before in the past. We were VERY pleased, the rooms are huge.

The most important advice I can give you is this.....they DO have shuttle buses but they don't run the same way as Disney's. On the plus side: they run on a timed schedule, if the pickup time is 9:30 the bus will be there at 9:30 whereas with Disney you just have to wait for the next bus which you have no idea of when it will arrive. On the negative side: their buses don't run all day long and they don't run as late as Disney's. They don't tend to run midday so if you decide to enjoy the pool in the morning and plan on going to a park at 2 in the afternoon you might be disappointed because there may not be a bus running at that time. Now they don't run as late as Disney's either but don't worry too much about this. We wanted to walk around Epcot after Illum but the last bus for WBC leaves no time for this so we did our walk and then took Disney's trans to TTC and got a bus there.....they DO tend to run later at night from TTC. Basically, be SURE to pick up an extra bus schedule or two and have one with you at all times. Enjoy.
 
We were at BC from Oct 20-27 too. Our first stay with them and first stay "off" property since the horrible mistake of '98:rotfl:
Anyway, we loved it! The space is great, having all that room to spread out for the cost is wonderful. We are used to being in 2 value rooms:crowded: (but we have stayed in a 1br villa...once...but the price was so much more). We got the week for $837....lovely!
I would not hesitate to stay here again. Next trip we are most likely taking our oldest dd (who just got married) and her new hubby, as well as our other 3 kids...so we definately need space. We had a 2BR unit for our last trip, but will get a 3BR for the next.
Busses were not great, but everything else was. We told the front parking pass desk we were not intrested in a spiel...and never heard from them again.
We had a water issue one morning....the water wasnt flowing in the showers, sinks or washer. Called the front and they sent someone to fix the problem while we were at the parks. There had been a pipe burst evidently. Problem fixed by the time we came back (thankfully...I had horrible thoughts of us having to pack up and move to another room!!!)
Parking was okay. When we came back later in the evenings, spaces were few and far between. We had a car top carrier on our car and couldnt park in the garage...although DH tried one night (forgetting it was on our car--thats a whole nother story:scared:). We were in tower 4, 8th floor, lake view. Perfect!
 
We stayed in a 4 bedroom presidential for $185 a night before it was refurbished. I have nothing bad to say about this resort at all. Even with an older unit, it was stunning. I had no problems from sales people at all. I will say that we checked the lowest income box and I did unplug the phone, so maybe that helped. But they were fine and polite when I checked in.

I loved everything about our stay there. I would never recommend on property to visiting relatives. Disney resorts are certainly gorgeous. But the size of the Bonnet presidential, the fact that it was gorgeous and on property....and the price. I haven't been able to top that anywhere.





When you mention "avoid peak season", are you referring to mid August? I'm not able to pull my kids out of school to go during off seasons, and DH is extremely busy with his work in the spring and early summer months - August is the only time of year that we can get away.....
Going during peak season means more rude people, crowds, rowdiness, etc no matter what resort you stay at and in the parks as well. It has nothing to do with Bonnet Creek specifically. Though to be honest, I haven't seen much of a slow season at all this year.
 
My only 2 negatives are this.

1 - The Pizza advertisements being constantly slipped under the door. (is there a broader security issue?)

2 - SOME of the guests, do not know how to act at a "time share resort". Because of the large number of "renters" at this resort, these renters treat the resort like you average Holiday in. Where at most time share resorts, that dont rent points out as much, they tend to treat it like they own the property and take better care of things.

I do my best to just turn the other cheek, but often a few bad apple can spoil the cart. there seems to be a larger number of unattended children, trash left on the pool deck. Just little things you dont see at a Disney resort or a Marriott property.
 
Just returned from a 2 bedroom presidential unit over Thanksgiving week. Rented through Vacation Strategy for an amazing rate. Stayed at DVC my past three stays and don't think I will ever go back. Would choose WBC and Vacation Strategy again in a heartbeat. Here is my review:

We are regular Disney World visitors and have always stayed at Disney Vacation Club properties in the past. After our first stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek I cannot imagine ever going back to paying several times as much to stay at a DVC property again. We booked a 2 bedroom presidential villa at Wyndham Bonnet Creek through a third party agency for Thanksgiving week. The price was unbelievable. We paid just a little more for a SIX night stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek than we did for ONE night at a comparable 2 bedroom unit at Disney's Saratoga Springs over the same week last year and the accommodations were MUCH bigger and nicer at Wyndham Bonnet Creek!

The presidential units in building 6 are HUGE with upgraded kitchens and furnishings. We were on the top floor with a beautiful view of the pool, lake and the parks off in the distance. The suite itself was superior to the 2 bedroom units we have had at Saratoga Springs and The Villas at Wilderness Lodge. There was an amazing fireworks show set off from the golf course on our last night. We rented a car and found the location extremely close to all the theme parks and much more efficient than relying solely on Disney transportation as in our past stays at DVC properties. We also appreciated the terrific, multiple pools onsite. When staying at a Disney property the pools are packed and it is next to impossible to find a lounger. There were no crowds or fighting for a pool chair at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and the pools were lovely and heated.

We had heard that the timeshare sales office is very pushy at Wyndham Bonnet Creek but we did not experience this at all. At check in we said we were not interested in a timeshare tour and never were phoned or contacted about a tour for the duration of our stay.

The only real con we had was that on Friday night there was an extremely loud DJ playing at the pool until 10 pm. Even on the 19th floor the music was blaring loud and every song lyric was audible through closed windows and doors. Other than that, I cannot say a negative word about our stay. I am sure we will return to Wyndham Bonnet Creek when we next visit the Orlando area.
 
Just returned from a 2 bedroom presidential unit over Thanksgiving week. Rented through Vacation Strategy for an amazing rate. Stayed at DVC my past three stays and don't think I will ever go back. Would choose WBC and Vacation Strategy again in a heartbeat. Here is my review:

We are regular Disney World visitors and have always stayed at Disney Vacation Club properties in the past. After our first stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek I cannot imagine ever going back to paying several times as much to stay at a DVC property again. We booked a 2 bedroom presidential villa at Wyndham Bonnet Creek through a third party agency for Thanksgiving week. The price was unbelievable. We paid just a little more for a SIX night stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek than we did for ONE night at a comparable 2 bedroom unit at Disney's Saratoga Springs over the same week last year and the accommodations were MUCH bigger and nicer at Wyndham Bonnet Creek!

The presidential units in building 6 are HUGE with upgraded kitchens and furnishings. We were on the top floor with a beautiful view of the pool, lake and the parks off in the distance. The suite itself was superior to the 2 bedroom units we have had at Saratoga Springs and The Villas at Wilderness Lodge. There was an amazing fireworks show set off from the golf course on our last night. We rented a car and found the location extremely close to all the theme parks and much more efficient than relying solely on Disney transportation as in our past stays at DVC properties. We also appreciated the terrific, multiple pools onsite. When staying at a Disney property the pools are packed and it is next to impossible to find a lounger. There were no crowds or fighting for a pool chair at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and the pools were lovely and heated.

We had heard that the timeshare sales office is very pushy at Wyndham Bonnet Creek but we did not experience this at all. At check in we said we were not interested in a timeshare tour and never were phoned or contacted about a tour for the duration of our stay.

The only real con we had was that on Friday night there was an extremely loud DJ playing at the pool until 10 pm. Even on the 19th floor the music was blaring loud and every song lyric was audible through closed windows and doors. Other than that, I cannot say a negative word about our stay. I am sure we will return to Wyndham Bonnet Creek when we next visit the Orlando area.

Hi. Is Vacation Strategy the TA you booked with?
I'm trying to find an off-site hotel for March and trying to find where I can get the best rate for WBC.

Thank you and thank you very much for your review!
 
Hi. Is Vacation Strategy the TA you booked with?
I'm trying to find an off-site hotel for March and trying to find where I can get the best rate for WBC.

Thank you and thank you very much for your review!

Vacation Strategy is not a TA but is a very reputable third party agency that books WBC. Check out their website for a quote. They were great and had the best price we could find. We would use again in a heartbeat.
 
We stayed there last December in the absolute peak season - the week between Christmas and New Years. We had a very positive experience. We are DVC members and usually stay in a DVC 2 bedroom. The Bonnet Creek units are just as nice as most of the DVCs and they are larger than many. During this peak week we paid $175 per night - an absolute steal for that kind of space, during a time when Disney deluxe hotel rooms are going for $500 or more per night. I would recommend this resort to anyone, particularly families who want more space and don't want to pay the Disney prices. This is a very very good value and excellent location.

Definitely rent a car - I would not rely on the shuttle service. It exists but does not come around very often and you will have to make numerous stops around the resort. Just hop in your car and you can be at any of the parks very quickly.

I called a few days before checkin to confirm the reservation and I requested a fireworks view. From our balcony we could see the Epcot Fireworks straight on, and in the distance we could see Wishes. It was great.
Hi...i know this is an old post bit can you tell me how you got such a cheap rate at Bonnet Creek?Looking to book a 2 or 3 bedroom in October. Thanks
 
Hi...i know this is an old post bit can you tell me how you got such a cheap rate at Bonnet Creek?Looking to book a 2 or 3 bedroom in October. Thanks

Yeah, this is a 5 year old thread your replying to so those prices may not even apply anymore. Check with Vacation Strategy. They are great and easy to work with.
 

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