The we loooooove Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Part 4

[Upatnoon]

What is the best way to go about reserving a 4 bedroom Presidential suite for January?

Look on ebay, Redweek, etc. for people who made a speculative reservation to rent.

 

[disney144]

I read a few pages back but hoping someone can point me in the right direction. We’re booking a last minute trip and considering booking at WBC for end of October on vrbo. What is going on with cancellations? Is this likely to be cancelled? What do we need to do to avoid cancellations?

 

[Brian Noble]

October is not an owner preference period, so you don't have to worry about that part. But, there's nothing you can do to manage the chances of having your "landlord" owner by identified by Wyndham as "commercial." That's in Wyndham's hands, and there isn't a clear pattern for how Wyndham is identifying owners behaving commercially, so there's nothing you can ask.

I think it is still the case that most rentals are fine, but unless you are renting through Extra Holidays (Wyndham's "official" rental outlet) you are taking a little bit of a risk. I have no idea how aggressive Wyndham is being about this, so I can't weigh your chances. I would make sure that your contract says what will happen if the owner can't provide the reservation, and have a backup plan in mind. I would also ask the owner if they've been contacted by Wyndham about their rental activity.

 

[Upatnoon]

There has been a grand total of one report on here of someone having a reservation canceled. It happened several weeks ahead of time and they got their money back.

We don't know even know why Wyndham canceled that reservation.

With the new Wyndham rules and Wyndham seeking to limit commercial renting, it creates some uncertainty in the rental market.

That is Wyndham's plan, of course. They don't want you renting from a third party and saving money.

The key thing as usual is to trust the person you are renting from.

 

[inspectorgadget]

It was my reservation who was cancelled. I don't want to beat a dead horse but it's never a problem until its YOUR reservation who is cancelled. That being said, I would suggest you go ahead and take a chance and make the reservation but have a backup plan in mind, just in case. My $ was refunded and I had time to make another reservation at Wyndham Reunion. I have stayed at WBC many times without an issue, renting through a 3rd party. The posters on this board have given me insight to what is going on in the background between Wyndham and owners.

 

[Brian Noble]

There has been a grand total of one report on here of someone having a reservation canceled.

It is true that only one has been reported here. But, there are credible reports on e.g. TUG that a number of owners with large-scale rental businesses have had guest reservations cancelled. I'm told there has been active discussion on this topic on Facebook as well, but I gave FB up years ago, so can't say first hand.

I do think that the chances of any particular rental reservation are very low. But, they are not zero. To be fair, they never were zero, because it was always possible for the owner to cancel it and disappear with the cash--and that happens once in a blue moon too. You can minimize your risk of "dishonest owner" by vetting the person you are renting from. I think it is harder to proactively minimize the risk of "Wyndham is paying special attention to this owner". One possible way is to avoid the large-scale owners, and try to rent from individuals directly who don't seem to be doing this very often.

But, there are a lot of awesome timeshares in Orlando, and most of them don't require this much work.

 

[dpjp2210]

Hi, if any has some insight on weather related changes for this timeshare please help. We are scheduled to fly in this upcoming week on Wednesday afternoon for a week stay. Looks like a hurricane is gonna hit and spoil plans. Best bet will be to reschedule the flights from the Saturday after for a week. We booked through Koala on VRBO. Since this place has a lot of rooms is it possible to switch the reservation from Wednesday to Saturday? How does it work with these timeshare resorts. Thanks!

 

[Lisa P.]

The only way to know for sure is to contact the source of your rental. IF the rental is from an individual owner's timeshare points account, they would ordinarily lose their points for a cancellation 14 days or less prior to check-in, even if trying to cancel and rebook. If the owner is willing to try, they could call Wyndham Owner Services and see if they'd make an exception under the circumstances. I doubt that Wyndham would do so, since Orlando resorts do not close down for hurricanes, like coastal resorts.

FYI, there is currently only a 1BR unit size available to owners on the Club Wyndham website for a full week check-in on either Sat. Oct. 1 or Oct. 8. So if you're staying in a 2BR or larger, that option is not available anyhow. Note that hurricane storming in Orlando does not usually ruin a whole week's weather. No guarantees, of course. Also, you may benefit from very low crowds as well.

 

[dioxide45]

Hi, if any has some insight on weather related changes for this timeshare please help. We are scheduled to fly in this upcoming week on Wednesday afternoon for a week stay. Looks like a hurricane is gonna hit and spoil plans. Best bet will be to reschedule the flights from the Saturday after for a week. We booked through Koala on VRBO. Since this place has a lot of rooms is it possible to switch the reservation from Wednesday to Saturday? How does it work with these timeshare resorts. Thanks!

KOALA on VRBO is ultimately an owner rental listing. Owners must cancel 16 days or prior to checkin. So any changes are unlikely, but it doesn't hurt to contact them through VRBO.

IMO, I would wait it out a few more days. Every time they update the "cone", it tracks further and further west. By the time this thing hits land, it could be anywhere from Tampa to the Louisiana Mississippi border.

Looking at the latest update, I don't think the storm will have an impact on your Wednesday flight into Orlando and the storm will at worst only ruin a full day.

 

[dpjp2210]

Thanks for the replies, will just wait it out for now. Worse comes to worse we'll just stay extra days at a different hotel

 

[JMLBrats]

Hi all,

Stayed in a 2 bedroom unit about 10 years ago & we're looking to stay in a 3 bedroom unit this summer checking in on a weekday & checking out (7 nights) on a weekday. Is that something that is better to book way ahead of time? I tried to google how many 3 bedroom units there are but couldn't find that info anywhere.
I am also wondering if it makes more sense to book it as a Sat-Sat stay & why. Also have seen cheaper rentals from owners who make you pay the entire stay upfront w/no cancellation policy (which makes sense that that would be cheaper) but wondering if it makes sense & anyones experiences with this. it would save us around $1000 but it does make me nervous to do it that way since it's still so far out.
Now with all the cancellation issues, I'm not sure this is a good idea at all...

 

[Brian Noble]

Summer (Memorial Day weekend and June 1-Aug 15) is part of the Owner Priority period at Bonnet. Make sure your owner knows the rules for guest certificates.

Is that something that is better to book way ahead of time?

I wouldn't wait too long. Anything larger than a 2BR tends to go pretty quickly once we get into the 10-month window.

I am also wondering if it makes more sense to book it as a Sat-Sat stay & why.

This doesn't make any difference, with the possible exception of straddling a booking season (unlikely in the summer).

pay the entire stay upfront w/no cancellation policy

This really boils down to your own risk tolerance, and your estimation about how likely you will be to have to cancel. I can tell you I tend not to book things that I can't cancel; if the past three years taught me anything, it was that I can't predict much at all.

 

[WDWOswald]

Hey everyone- unfortunately we are stuck needing to travel during spring break next year- March 27 to April 3rd 2023. It looks like WBC is sold out for those dates at the usual places I check (eBay, redweek, Priceline, etc.). Is there any chance I could still get those dates?

 

[missingdisneymore]

Hey everyone- unfortunately we are stuck needing to travel during spring break next year- March 27 to April 3rd 2023. It looks like WBC is sold out for those dates at the usual places I check (eBay, redweek, Priceline, etc.). Is there any chance I could still get those dates?

It’s not sold out but those dates are also included in the owners-only black out timeframe as mentioned above. It’s possible for you to still get it, but it would take a very specific type of reservation with an eligible owner.

 

[Lisa P.]

Edited: @missingdisneymore is correct.

 

[JMLBrats]

Summer (Memorial Day weekend and June 1-Aug 15) is part of the Owner Priority period at Bonnet. Make sure your owner knows the rules for guest certificates.

I wouldn't wait too long. Anything larger than a 2BR tends to go pretty quickly once we get into the 10-month window.


This doesn't make any difference, with the possible exception of straddling a booking season (unlikely in the summer).


This really boils down to your own risk tolerance, and your estimation about how likely you will be to have to cancel. I can tell you I tend not to book things that I can't cancel; if the past three years taught me anything, it was that I can't predict much at all.

Yes I was told by vacationupgrades that he can't book me for that time of year (end of July-early August) due to the policies of it being the priority season for owners so I don't know what to think. If I go onto a site like vrbo, it looks like I can book it-but now I'm nervous that any reservation I make will get cancelled and that would be devastating for us-especially planning it so far in advance.
Anyone have any advise on this? We really want to stay at WBC...

 

[missingdisneymore]

Yes I was told by vacationupgrades that he can't book me for that time of year (end of July-early August) due to the policies of it being the priority season for owners so I don't know what to think. If I go onto a site like vrbo, it looks like I can book it-but now I'm nervous that any reservation I make will get cancelled and that would be devastating for us-especially planning it so far in advance.
Anyone have any advise on this? We really want to stay at WBC...

This has been discussed in great length and detail on this thread. I would recommend going back the last 20 pages or so and read up, you will find all sorts of information. The bottom line is, unless you are an owner, there is no guarantee you can stay there with the current policy in place. Now, you can rent from someone who has a gift certificate still available, sure. But that is going to require a lot of trust in second and third parties.

Considering some of the stories we’ve heard, and some that people have personally attested to on this thread and others, if it’s during a blackout timeframe, I would definitely be looking elsewhere unless you personally know the person you’re renting from.

When a company as large and reputable as vacation upgrades tells you they cannot help you, that says something.

 

[JMLBrats]

This has been discussed in great length and detail on this thread. I would recommend going back the last 20 pages or so and read up, you will find all sorts of information. The bottom line is, unless you are an owner, there is no guarantee you can stay there with the current policy in place. Now, you can rent from someone who has a gift certificate still available, sure. But that is going to require a lot of trust in second and third parties.

Considering some of the stories we’ve heard, and some that people have personally attested to on this thread and others, if it’s during a blackout timeframe, I would definitely be looking elsewhere unless you personally know the person you’re renting from.

When a company as large and reputable as vacation upgrades tells you they cannot help you, that says something.

well that is what I was afraid to hear... : (

 

[Lisa P.]

Wyndham has announced that they're planning to upgrade their owners' website by some time in October (next month). Supposedly after that, an online reservation that an owner tries to make during a restricted period with an added guest certificate will be cross-checked against the owner's account to see if that reservation is eligible for one of the owner's two guest certs (per year) that may be used during a restricted period. If they've already used/booked those, then the system won't confirm the new reservation at all. This would be better than having it cancelled later.

So IF the Wyndham IT upgrade happens on time and works as they intend, the risk of cancellation may be lower in the future. For now, it's very real.

 

[JMLBrats]

Wyndham has announced that they're planning to upgrade their owners' website by some time in October (next month). Supposedly after that, an online reservation that an owner tries to make during a restricted period with an added guest certificate will be cross-checked against the owner's account to see if that reservation is eligible for one of the owner's two guest certs (per year) that may be used during a restricted period. If they've already used/booked those, then the system won't confirm the new reservation at all. This would be better than having it cancelled later.

So IF the Wyndham IT upgrade happens on time and works as they intend, the risk of cancellation may be lower in the future. For now, it's very real.

Thank you for the info! Right now, I’m looking into other possibilities but since it’s still a ways out, if there’s anyway to make it work at WBC in the near future, that would be ideal. Anyway, good to know