The we loooooove Bonnet Creek thread Part 3

[westcoastgal]

We have been at BCR since Sept 21 and leave on the 29th. Things have been ok as we spend only nights and mornings in our room. We are in tower 2 on 3rd floor. We waited until 4pm to check in and were told only 1 room was ready and we could take it or wait indefinitely. With 2 four year olds, we took the room. Ifind it odd that at 4pm people were waiting for rooms.
There was a party of 3 families who had reservations but didn't get their booked room types. They had 3 suites booked, a 1 bdrm, 2 bdrm and 3 bdrm. They were given one 4 bdrm for night one, and 2 2 bdrm for night 2 and promised their booked rooms for night 3. I'd be pissed.
Our 2bdrm is nice for the price. Our jacuzzi doesn't work, we had NO hot water one night and there were HUGE brown bugs of some sort that I've never seen before. They seriously scare the hell out of me and come out at night. They are as big as my thumb literally.
The pools are unheated but main pools are warmer than others. Tower 2&3 pools are freezing!
I was called early in the morning 3 times re timeshare pitch. I finally unplugged the phone. It only bothered me when we had gone to the Halloween party and returned at 1am. Our 4 year olds were exhausted and we wanted them to sleep in. At 8:15am, the phone woke them.
We had to get a parking pass day 4 and were pitched again.
We reserved through VS for 8 days and they used 2 owners points for 4 days each. The resort had us recheck in on day 4, renew key cards and get new parking pass.
Overall, it is very close to parks. Lots to do. Great price and minor issues.

 

[ADVentive]

We have been at BCR since Sept 21 and leave on the 29th. Things have been ok as we spend only nights and mornings in our room. We are in tower 2 on 3rd floor. We waited until 4pm to check in and were told only 1 room was ready and we could take it or wait indefinitely. With 2 four year olds, we took the room. Ifind it odd that at 4pm people were waiting for rooms. There was a party of 3 families who had reservations but didn't get their booked room types. They had 3 suites booked, a 1 bdrm, 2 bdrm and 3 bdrm. They were given one 4 bdrm for night one, and 2 2 bdrm for night 2 and promised their booked rooms for night 3. I'd be pissed. Our 2bdrm is nice for the price. Our jacuzzi doesn't work, we had NO hot water one night and there were HUGE brown bugs of some sort that I've never seen before. They seriously scare the hell out of me and come out at night. They are as big as my thumb literally. The pools are unheated but main pools are warmer than others. Tower 2&3 pools are freezing! I was called early in the morning 3 times re timeshare pitch. I finally unplugged the phone. It only bothered me when we had gone to the Halloween party and returned at 1am. Our 4 year olds were exhausted and we wanted them to sleep in. At 8:15am, the phone woke them. We had to get a parking pass day 4 and were pitched again. We reserved through VS for 8 days and they used 2 owners points for 4 days each. The resort had us recheck in on day 4, renew key cards and get new parking pass. Overall, it is very close to parks. Lots to do. Great price and minor issues.

We have been here the same week as you, also checked in on Sept 21. We arrived around 1pm and checked in no problem at that time. Our room was ready and was correct. We have had no problems as far as the tub or the hot water. We have also not seen any bugs inside. The pool temperature has seemed fine to me, but the pool at the main building certainly is noticeably warmer than the others. I have been called on the phone, but not about the timeshare pitch, and we are usually gone around 8:15, so I guess I'm not sure what time they called. They left us messages. The first time was to say welcome and please call if you need anything. The second was the activities desk calling to make sure we knew about the activities. We were pitched at the parking pass desk, on our arrival day. I told him that I would consider going but that I made no guarantees. I didn't go, and they haven't given me a hard time at all. Our biggest complaint was about lack of parking at tower 6, but now that we have gotten used to parking in the deck it really isn't a problem. I would definitely stay here again, especially if I needed space for more than 4 people again.

 

[aubriee]

We have been at BCR since Sept 21 and leave on the 29th. Things have been ok as we spend only nights and mornings in our room. We are in tower 2 on 3rd floor. We waited until 4pm to check in and were told only 1 room was ready and we could take it or wait indefinitely. With 2 four year olds, we took the room. Ifind it odd that at 4pm people were waiting for rooms.
There was a party of 3 families who had reservations but didn't get their booked room types. They had 3 suites booked, a 1 bdrm, 2 bdrm and 3 bdrm. They were given one 4 bdrm for night one, and 2 2 bdrm for night 2 and promised their booked rooms for night 3. I'd be pissed.
Our 2bdrm is nice for the price. Our jacuzzi doesn't work, we had NO hot water one night and there were HUGE brown bugs of some sort that I've never seen before. They seriously scare the hell out of me and come out at night. They are as big as my thumb literally.
The pools are unheated but main pools are warmer than others. Tower 2&3 pools are freezing!
I was called early in the morning 3 times re timeshare pitch. I finally unplugged the phone. It only bothered me when we had gone to the Halloween party and returned at 1am. Our 4 year olds were exhausted and we wanted them to sleep in. At 8:15am, the phone woke them.
We had to get a parking pass day 4 and were pitched again.
We reserved through VS for 8 days and they used 2 owners points for 4 days each. The resort had us recheck in on day 4, renew key cards and get new parking pass.
Overall, it is very close to parks. Lots to do. Great price and minor issues.

Wow! I had a totally different experience when I was there Sept 14th-22nd. I checked in about 12:30pm and several rooms were ready. I asked about facing the lake and was told she could give me a condo facing the lake, but I would have to wait until later that afternoon for it to be ready. She had several condos that faced parking lots that were ready then though. She was really nice and said it was my choice. I decided to go with one that was ready and asked if I could be in tower 4 or 5. She gave me a great condo in tower 5, facing DTD. I didn't see a bug in there all week and the pools were fine. At the parking desk I checked the lowest salary and told her my husband was not with me this trip. I came in one night and found a message. The only thing it said though was Welcome to Bonnet Creek, they hoped I was having a nice vacation, and call if I needed anything. Other than that my phone never rang.

We had the same experience when we checked in at BC this past May. Except when I asked about a condo facing the lake, the CM said to let her see what she could do and after checking offered me two (one in tower 4 and one in tower 2). That day we checked in about noon and were able to go straight to our condo in tower 4. We didn't see any bugs that trip either. I guess we were lucky but we didn't have a single problem either trip (other than I wished they had more handicap parking). The May trip I booked through Vacation Strategy and the trip last week I booked through Shelby Resorts. I also have a trip booked for Dec 6th-16th through Aaron Washburn.

 

[buggy]

We went Sept 14th -22nd and stayed in Tower 6 in a 3 bedroom Presidential Suite. We drove halfway from Atlanta the day before and spent the night at the Comfort Suites in Augusta, Georgia so that we could arrive early on the 14th in order to get a pool/lake view (our hotel room slept six and came with a free breakfast). When I checked in on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Tower 6, I was told that reservations had already had us down for a parking lot view. I was under the impression from this thread that all room assignments took place at check in so had I know our room was assigned earlier, I would have called in advance and requested a pool/lake view. However, I am kind of glad we were assigned to a parking lot view because it also had a view of DTD and, more importantly, it was in the shade in the late afternoon when we got back from the parks and I am sure much quieter than pool/lake view.

Our suite was immaculate and no bugs but I did unplug the phone even though I did not do the parking pass and I deprogrammed the thermostats (thanks to this thread) and lowered the temperature in the room.

Overall, WBC is a very nice resort and we have stayed deluxe in the past and the Presidential Suite puts deluxe to shame both in price and luxury. The only downside was that the dishwasher only worked if you put it on a delayed wash and other guest would just dump their trash in the trash room at the end of the hall instead of throwing it down the trash chute. Also, if your kids can't swim, they won't let them go down the Tower 3 pool slide even with a life jacket.

This thread was invaluable to our pleasant stay and I recommend all who are first-time guest to read it in it's entirety and write down the tips. We will stay at WBC again.

 

[Kemorr]

We went Sept 14th -22nd and stayed in Tower 6 in a 3 bedroom Presidential Suite. We drove halfway from Atlanta the day before and spent the night at the Comfort Suites in Augusta, Georgia so that we could arrive early on the 14th in order to get a pool/lake view (our hotel room slept six and came with a free breakfast). When I checked in on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Tower 6, I was told that reservations had already had us down for a parking lot view. I was under the impression from this thread that all room assignments took place at check in so had I know our room was assigned earlier, I would have called in advance and requested a pool/lake view. However, I am kind of glad we were assigned to a parking lot view because it also had a view of DTD and, more importantly, it was in the shade in the late afternoon when we got back from the parks and I am sure much quieter than pool/lake view.

Our suite was immaculate and no bugs but I did unplug the phone even though I did not do the parking pass and I deprogrammed the thermostats (thanks to this thread) and lowered the temperature in the room.

Overall, WBC is a very nice resort and we have stayed deluxe in the past and the Presidential Suite puts deluxe to shame both in price and luxury. The only downside was that the dishwasher only worked if you put it on a delayed wash and other guest would just dump their trash in the trash room at the end of the hall instead of throwing it down the trash chute. Also, if your kids can't swim, they won't let them go down the Tower 3 pool slide even with a life jacket.

This thread was invaluable to our pleasant stay and I recommend all who are first-time guest to read it in it's entirety and write down the tips. We will stay at WBC again.

What do you have to do to the thermostat to reprogram it?

 

[cruisinpan567]

We just got back from an 8 night stay and loved it! I never want to stay anywhere else again when we visit Disney! We booked through VS and got a great rate on a 2 bedroom deluxe.

We arrived on property around 2 and killed some time at Downtown Disney before check-in. We had to wait about 30 minutes for our room to be ready. I requested an Epcot view on a high floor, and we got Tower 4, 11th floor, facing the parking lot. We were so happy! We could see Epcot, the Contemporary and DtD from our balcony. We watched Illuminations and Wishes from our room several nights. HalloWishes was amazing, even from that distance!

The room was nice and big and the beds were very comfortable. The only problems were our Jacuzzi jets didn't work, and the blender's motor had burned out. I found out while I was making my breakfast smoothie, but we had a new blender delivered to the room by that afternoon. Make sure to check that the appliances work before you really need them. If you plan to do any baking, bring your own pans and measuring cups. I had to guess how much mix I was using when making pancakes, and I couldn't bake my bacon in the oven like I usually do. The measuring spoons are a weird style and very flat, so it was tricky to get an accurate measurement.

We used the Tower 5 fort pool most days. DS4 loved the zero-entry pool and lazy river, but he was too small for the tubes. We bought a kid-sized one at Walgreens, but they also sell them for pretty reasonable prices ($2.99) in the market in Puerto de Leon. It was never too crowded when we went, although I recommend going in the morning or early afternoon if you want to avoid rambunctious teenagers. The pirate pool at Tower 6 was also nice, but we didn't enjoy it as much. DH went down the water slide and said it was fun but VERY fast.

Parking was never a hassle, though I know September is a slower time of year. We always parked right in front of the building or on the first floor of the garage. Publix (with attached liquor store) was a quick drive down I-4 and 192, as was Krispy Kreme and Chick-fil-A. We could not believe how short the drive back from Epcot is. My husband was looking at something on his phone as we left the parking lot, and when he looked up, he was completely surprised to see we were parked at the resort. HS is also a 5-minute drive away, as is Art of Animation. We got takeout from Landscape of Flavors one night and went to "Cars Land for poor people", as Josh from EasyWDW calls it. MK is also a short drive.

Our only gripe was that we hadn't been informed that the Bonnet Creek 5K was going on Saturday morning, right when everyone was trying to get to rope drop. We waited for 20 minutes to leave the resort. I hope they figure out an alternate route for any other runs they might do in the future.

Great trip report thanks. We also loved our stay. Would have liked an Epcot view though. Tower two had a golf course and parking lot view. Still not bad

 

[cruisinpan567]

What do you have to do to the thermostat to reprogram it?

I have the same question

 

[cocoabean1]

Here you go::: Set the temperature that you want. Hold the F/C button until 6P appears. Your temp is set and will not change until you change it.

 

[Upatnoon]

We went Sept 14th -22nd and stayed in Tower 6 in a 3 bedroom Presidential Suite. We drove halfway from Atlanta the day before and spent the night at the Comfort Suites in Augusta, Georgia so that we could arrive early on the 14th in order to get a pool/lake view (our hotel room slept six and came with a free breakfast). When I checked in on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Tower 6, I was told that reservations had already had us down for a parking lot view. I was under the impression from this thread that all room assignments took place at check in so had I know our room was assigned earlier, I would have called in advance and requested a pool/lake view. However, I am kind of glad we were assigned to a parking lot view because it also had a view of DTD and, more importantly, it was in the shade in the late afternoon when we got back from the parks and I am sure much quieter than pool/lake view.

Our suite was immaculate and no bugs but I did unplug the phone even though I did not do the parking pass and I deprogrammed the thermostats (thanks to this thread) and lowered the temperature in the room.

Overall, WBC is a very nice resort and we have stayed deluxe in the past and the Presidential Suite puts deluxe to shame both in price and luxury. The only downside was that the dishwasher only worked if you put it on a delayed wash and other guest would just dump their trash in the trash room at the end of the hall instead of throwing it down the trash chute. Also, if your kids can't swim, they won't let them go down the Tower 3 pool slide even with a life jacket.

This thread was invaluable to our pleasant stay and I recommend all who are first-time guest to read it in it's entirety and write down the tips. We will stay at WBC again.

Bonnet Creek has banned the "call ahead and request" game --- no doubt from many people calling ahead.

Rooms are assigned before you check in, likely by some computer program. When you check in, you can make a request for a different location. It is up to the person taking your request to see if they will move you to a different room.

I can see where the whole "request game" is pain for the resort. People calling ahead for "fireworks views." Extra time to hunt for rooms with "fireworks views" at check in. Some guests upset that all the "good rooms" were taken by renters who arrived early, etc.

Anyway, I still think it more luck of the draw of who checks you in and what's available.

 

[Upatnoon]

We went Sept 14th -22nd and stayed in Tower 6 in a 3 bedroom Presidential Suite. We drove halfway from Atlanta the day before and spent the night at the Comfort Suites in Augusta, Georgia so that we could arrive early on the 14th in order to get a pool/lake view (our hotel room slept six and came with a free breakfast). When I checked in on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Tower 6, I was told that reservations had already had us down for a parking lot view. I was under the impression from this thread that all room assignments took place at check in so had I know our room was assigned earlier, I would have called in advance and requested a pool/lake view. However, I am kind of glad we were assigned to a parking lot view because it also had a view of DTD and, more importantly, it was in the shade in the late afternoon when we got back from the parks and I am sure much quieter than pool/lake view.

Our suite was immaculate and no bugs but I did unplug the phone even though I did not do the parking pass and I deprogrammed the thermostats (thanks to this thread) and lowered the temperature in the room.

Overall, WBC is a very nice resort and we have stayed deluxe in the past and the Presidential Suite puts deluxe to shame both in price and luxury. The only downside was that the dishwasher only worked if you put it on a delayed wash and other guest would just dump their trash in the trash room at the end of the hall instead of throwing it down the trash chute. Also, if your kids can't swim, they won't let them go down the Tower 3 pool slide even with a life jacket.

This thread was invaluable to our pleasant stay and I recommend all who are first-time guest to read it in it's entirety and write down the tips. We will stay at WBC again.

Bonnet Creek has banned the "call ahead and request" game --- no doubt from many people calling ahead.

Rooms are assigned before you check in, likely by some computer program. When you check in, you can make a request for a different location. It is up to the person taking your request to see if they will move you to a different room.

I can see where the whole "request game" is pain for the resort. People calling ahead for "fireworks views." Extra time to hunt for rooms with "fireworks views" at check in. Some guests upset that all the "good rooms" were taken by renters who arrived early, etc.

Anyway, I still think it more luck of the draw of who checks you in and what's available.

 

[deelovesdis]

Hi,

I have been reading the BC threads, but havent noticed my questions asked

1. Does WBC decorate the main lobby in Tower 1 for christmas? Or decorate for Christmas anywhere on the grounds?

2. do they allow you to put an artificial tree in your room?

Never been to Disney for Christmas and would like to finally make it there this year, but need to know about the decorations. I know the Disney resorts decorate, but the deal breaker for the kids is the decorations.

thanks

Dee

 

[westcoastgal]

Bonnet Creek has banned the "call ahead and request" game --- no doubt from many people calling ahead.

Rooms are assigned before you check in, likely by some computer program. When you check in, you can make a request for a different location. It is up to the person taking your request to see if they will move you to a different room.

I can see where the whole "request game" is pain for the resort. People calling ahead for "fireworks views." Extra time to hunt for rooms with "fireworks views" at check in. Some guests upset that all the "good rooms" were taken by renters who arrived early, etc.

Anyway, I still think it more luck of the draw of who checks you in and what's available.

I agree with the above post as many people at WBC told me they'd been denied advance room requests. I am not sure if it was due to Wine and Food Fest but the resort was incrediblybusy after the 26thand apparently no rooms with fireworks views, in tower 5 or 6 were available for the next few days. At least that's what we were told by other guests. Their room requests were denied for fireworks views and tower 6 parking was difficult.
Overall good stay. I perhaps have bad luck. I ended up in ER in Orlando and have an infected leg needing IV antibiotics. Cause? Bug bite.

 

[tba]

"great Christmas decorations" mentioned here:

We just finished a great stay at WBC - 12/8 to 12/14. We had a two bedroom deluxe unit on the 15th floor of tower 5. We rented through Ken and Denise Price and would highly recommend them.

The room was clean and everything was in great shape. The kids loved the pools. It felt like we had the place to ourselves as it was not busy at all. We had a pool day and spent it over by La Cocina. We ordered pizza for lunch and drinks from the bar. There was a guy with a guitar provinding entertainment for the adults and the resort had a young lady organizing games by the pool for the kids. Can't say enough good things about the place.

The time share sell at the parking pass desk was very low key and they didn't press me any further when i politely said no thank you. The room had everything we needed and the space was great now that we have four kids. We love staying onsite at Disney, but I doubt we will stay anywhere else in the future. There is no comparison to cramming a family into a small hotel room. The resort grounds are every bit as beautiful as Disney and they had great Christmas decorations up as well. At checkin my kids got their photo with Santa and they also had a guy in the lobby doing balloon animals. Fantastic!

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread!

Comments found elsewhere re WBC decorations in '11 mentioned a large tree in lobby, two 5-6 foot nutcracker soldiers made out of balloons and several large wreaths hanging from the exterior.

Hopefully some former Christmas season guests will let us know more from their experience.

We're planning to bring some (minimal) Christmas decorations for our room, including a (very small) tree.

Merry Christmas!

 

[tallmouse]

So I am looking at a 3 bedroom pres unit and wondered on what the actual layout is and where the bedrooms are. The only floor plan I have seen is the one above. However, I have seen pictures and video showing the bedrooms on opposite ends of the unit. Anybody have experience with these units?
Thanks

 

[chicagoshannon]

So I am looking at a 3 bedroom pres unit and wondered on what the actual layout is and where the bedrooms are. The only floor plan I have seen is the one above. However, I have seen pictures and video showing the bedrooms on opposite ends of the unit. Anybody have experience with these units?
Thanks

We had a 3 bedroom deluxe with a different set up. When you walked in the door immediately to the right was a hallway with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and the washer/dryer. If you went straight you'd walk into the dining room/kitchen/living room area. To the left of the kitchen was the big master bedroom/bathroom.

We loved the set up. It gave my family of 4 a nice separation from my parents.

 

[LadyBeBop]

2. do they allow you to put an artificial tree in your room?

I'm sure they do, Dee. We stayed at another Wyndham resort over Christmas one year (Wyndham Fairfield Glade in Tennessee). Without us knowing it, our two daughters (about 22 and 23 at the time) stayed up Christmas Eve night and put up a decorated artificial tree. One of my all time favorite Christmas present, because I missed having a tree.

 

[asmit4]

The pools have me confused. What bldg is the splash pad kids cold pool area at? What bldg is the zero entry/lazy river at? (and does the lazy river move at all or is it more like a pool shaped like a lazy river?)

Do they have 2 playgrounds? one on each side?

 

[savannie]

The pools have me confused. What bldg is the splash pad kids cold pool area at? What bldg is the zero entry/lazy river at? (and does the lazy river move at all or is it more like a pool shaped like a lazy river?) Do they have 2 playgrounds? one on each side?

Splash pad is different from the cold splash pool I was referring to. Splash pool is at building 3, I think. Splash pad was at the main building. Lazy river is at five, and it moves. But people treat it like a pool. It's kind of difficult to treat it like a lazy river because people play and will shove past you. It's hard to just lay back and let the water move you along. Pirate pool is at building six. I only saw one playground, which was somewhere between the main building and the splash pool--maybe building 2.

 

[carlbarry]

Splash pad is different from the cold splash pool I was referring to. Splash pool is at building 3, I think. Splash pad was at the main building. Lazy river is at five, and it moves. But people treat it like a pool. It's kind of difficult to treat it like a lazy river because people play and will shove past you. It's hard to just lay back and let the water move you along. Pirate pool is at building six. I only saw one playground, which was somewhere between the main building and the splash pool--maybe building 2.

There are two lazy rivers, one at the main building, and the other at the pirate ship. The lazy river at the pirate ship is much better.

 

[sb682]

The other lazy river is actually by the fort pool (Tower 5) not the pirate ship pool (Tower 6). It's only 3 feet deep (I believe the other one is deeper), so I felt much more comfortable taking my non-swimmer through it. There is also a large zero-entry area at the fort pool with lots of shade, so you can sit in the water while your kids splash around. When we went, little kids were playing Marco Polo and we had a nice time tossing a beach ball around with other families.

If you have a pool day and go swimming right after breakfast or when most people are in the parks, the lazy river is very relaxing, especially if you bring an adult beverage with you. It starts to fill up with pre-teens and teens around lunch time.