# Tell me everything I need to know about buying Wyndham Bonnet Creek



## DKRanger22 (May 22, 2013)

With this being my first post, I am new to all things Wyndham, and thus, have lots of reading and learning to do.    At first blush, Wyndham timeshare ownership seems quite in-depth, so research is going to be paramount.   I'm hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some "fast-tracked" information about buying into WBC.    

A little bit about myself and my intended use.   I currently own DVC, and have enough points to go 7-10 days per year, every year.   Next year, I will get another week's vacation, and am planning on aquiring more timeshare points in order to take advantage of a second week in Disney.   Ideally, 7-10 days in May and 7-10 days in September or October is the plan.    As much as I love DVC and am very happy with my current investment, I want to kick the tires on other options before acquiring a second DVC ownership stake.    As most here probably know, the acquisition cost of DVC is pretty steep, and there are other good options out there.   I absolutely need to be "on property", so that really limits my options.    Everything I have read about WBC has been, for the most part, very positive.   It seems like a logical choice for me to explore.

More about my intended use.    My points would always be used at WBC, so for this reason, I think it's best to purchase at WBC.   I know that the times I plan to use the timeshare are "off" or "quiet season", so I probably wouldn't need advanced booking.   However, my concern is that in time, the resort sells out (perhaps it already has - I don't know), or becomes more difficult to get into... I'd be willing to pay a little extra to know I will be able to get into WBC when I need to.    From what I understand, MF's for WBC are not the lowest, but also not the highest.    I know points are points, and I could probably pull of what I'm looking to accomplish by purchasing at a lower cost resort, but is it worth the risk?   

I'm off to begin reading some of the Sticky threads regarding Wyndham timeshare ownership.   Thanks in advance for your help and guidance! 

--Andrew


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## timeos2 (May 22, 2013)

As you know you want Bonnet Creek it's really easy. Buy resale, buy about 2/3 of the annual points you feel you would use and utilize ARP only for the really busy times. You should base all your points at BC. Otherwise look for lower point times & even discounts. Whatever you don't need for ARP place in the pool to maximize use times. 

You should be able to find points very inexpensively down to even being given away (not as frequent at WBC but they do appear now & then).  Don't worry about VIP and NEVER buy even one point retail - the value isn't there. 

It can't get any easier if all you want are points for a specific resort and even easier as the inventory at WBC is tremendous.  Despite a relatively high demand you can almost aways get the unit size you want usually without needing ARP.  Enjoy. Resale Wyndham points are one of the great values in all of timeshare.


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## Rent_Share (May 22, 2013)

Give you a fish and you eat for a day teach you to fish and you can feed yourself for a lifetime. Google Search under the search button is your friend. After you have looked up the answer to a question, ask it again in the Wyndham forum to confirm your understanding

I cannot fathom your absolute requirement to be on property but DVC/Bonnet Creek meet that criteria.

One thing to consider, you will never trade Bonnet Creek for DVC (Orlando), you can trade other Wyndham properties for Bonnet Creek or "possibly DVC Orlando" potentially giving you two DVC weeks without the DVC purchase investment


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## simpsontruckdriver (May 22, 2013)

Similar to DVC, owning at Wyndham Bonnet Creek is good if you want to go in the summer. If you want July 4th, that week gets booked up early, but between July 5th and Labor Day books up about 4 months in advance. So, you don't need a contract that renews in July to get July. You could get a WBC contract that renews in January, and book summer pretty easily.

You didn't mention how many bedrooms you need. For a 1-bedroom:
- Prime (highest) is 166000 for a week
- Value (lowest) is 84000 for a week
For a 2-bedroom:
- Prime is 224000 for a week
- Value is 112000 for a week
For a 3-bedroom:
- Prime is 308000 for a week
- Value is 175000 for a week

TS


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## am1 (May 22, 2013)

Im still learning after 5 years.  

When exchanging through RCI it does not make a difference where you own.


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## momeason (May 22, 2013)

I just checked the inventory at www.sumdayvacations.com. They have a EOY contract for 224,000 points selling for $2200. As you will see, all other Wyndham contracts for other resorts sell for almost nothing. 

Sumday includes all fees in their price. Sumday is having a 25% off sale this weekend. I have never wanted to buy this property so I do not know if it is a good deal. An Every other year contract does keep your MFs lower and you will have ARP.
Wyndham experts can chime in on whether this contract is a good fit for you.
Many Tuggers including me do business with Sumday Vacations.
This is the only contract this company has right now. I think the sale starts tomorrow.


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## JimMIA (May 22, 2013)

As someone's already said, *DO NOT BUY ONE WYNDHAM POINT DIRECT FROM WYNDHAM*.  If you do, you are going to hugely overpay.  For example, when I purchased I got 501K points at a low-MF resort for less than $2,000 including all closing and transfer costs.  Many here have bought Wyndham contracts on eBay for $1, sometimes with free closing.
*DO NOT BELIEVE ONE WORD A WYNDHAM SALESPERSON TELLS YOU. * Wyndham sales tactics are the exact opposite of DVC's.  The system is great, but the sales operation is among the sleeziest in a sleezy industry.  The old adage is true:  If their lips are moving, they are LYING.
Since you are already familiar with DVC, your transition to Wyndham will be easy.  It's really more of a terminology learning curve; the operational aspects of the two systems are very similar.  

There are some notable positives with Wyndham vs DVC.  The biggest is many, many more resort choices -- I think Wyndham is up to about 90 resorts now that you can book directly within Wyndham.  That's not counting associates, affiliates, etc, etc.  That's just Wyndham timeshare resorts.

Another great feature of Wyndham is Credit Pooling (similar to DVC's banking and borrowing).  With Wyndham, you have to pool your points prior to the _START_ of your use year -- but once you do, those points are valid for 3 years from the pooling date.  On December 19, I pooled my 2013 points, so they are now usable through December 19, 2015.  The only thing you give up is ARP at your home resort...which you probably won't need anyway.

DVC has a kind of indirect RCI Lite -- about 600 RCI resorts booked through DVC MS only.  Wyndham provides FULL RCI membership included in your annual MFs -- 3,200+ resorts in their weeks system bookable online + access to all of the "perks" of RCI, like Extended Vacations and Last Calls.  

I didn't really consider RCI when I purchased Wyndham (despite the amazing deals people used to get...as you'll see in Goofyhobbie's "Articles").  But now that I've used it a few times, RCI is getting to be a much more attractive feature of my Wyndham ownership.

You will also have to learn some new terms, like "reservation transactions," "guest confirmations," and "housekeeping credits."  Those are little annoying factors that you have to learn to manage -- no big deal, but some things to learn.

Good luck and Happy Hunting!


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## capital city (May 22, 2013)

If your going in quiet or off season then I wouldn't worry about buying there. There is a thread on here where someone has posted every month the places that are offering discount reservations in the 60 day window and in quiet season BC is on there regularly. Buy low mf points and book your stays within 60 days and you will get great value


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## ronparise (May 22, 2013)

capital city said:


> If your going in quiet or off season then I wouldn't worry about buying there. There is a thread on here where someone has posted every month the places that are offering discount reservations in the 60 day window and in quiet season BC is on there regularly. Buy low mf points and book your stays within 60 days and you will get great value



Good advice but Bonnet Creek mf is pretty good,  There is no reason not to buy there, except the price is a little high, probably because lots of folks are like our OP and are willing to pay too much to be on site Disney

To the OP ...I dont get the obsession with all things  Disney, but thats me. Bonnet Creek is a great resort, When I go there I dont leave the property except to buy more wine and food. If you see a fat old guy floating around one of the lazy rivers, that will be me.

Reading your post I think you have a pretty good handle on how Wyndham works. You know what you want, so decide how many points and go for it...See you on ebay


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## littlestar (May 22, 2013)

I think if I were you I might just rent from a VIP since you can travel off season. Probably be cheaper than owning for when you like to travel.  

Although, if you bought say 77,000 to 84,000 points, you could easily stay mid May or September at Bonnet Creek. And you would have a full RCI account, which you don't get with just a DVC membership. That would give you access to cash Last Calls and Extra Vacations through RCI.


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## lprstn (May 23, 2013)

FYI, I no longer own at Bonnet Creek and I don't have any problems getting summer or Christmas at Bonnet Creek (although now I just trade to do Disney resorts) so I'd say go for where the lowest maintenance fees are.


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## DKRanger22 (May 23, 2013)

simpsontruckdriver said:


> Similar to DVC, owning at Wyndham Bonnet Creek is good if you want to go in the summer. If you want July 4th, that week gets booked up early, but between July 5th and Labor Day books up about 4 months in advance. So, you don't need a contract that renews in July to get July. You could get a WBC contract that renews in January, and book summer pretty easily.
> 
> You didn't mention how many bedrooms you need. For a 1-bedroom:
> - Prime (highest) is 166000 for a week
> ...



The two bedroom unit is what I would be looking for, so I'm targeting 224,000 pts.   While I am really targeting a 2 BR in value or high season, this would give me the option of a “peak” season stay as well.   Also I like the idea of having enough points to make a 3 BR work in the cheaper seasons, for the possibility of doing a vacation with a larger group (friends, extended family, whatever).   I actually just got back from 10 days at my DVC home resort of Villas Wilderness Lodge.   We had 5 people in my group, but met 7 other cousins, nieces, nephews and an aunt who were also staying at the Lodge.  The 12 of us had a blast and are already talking about doing it again, so I would consider getting a 3 bedroom for a larger get-together like this down the road.    This would not be the "norm", but I like having this as an option.


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## timeos2 (May 23, 2013)

DKRanger22 said:


> The two bedroom unit is what I would be looking for, so I'm targeting 224,000 pts.   While I am really targeting a 2 BR in value or high season, this would give me the option of a “peak” season stay as well.   Also I like the idea of having enough points to make a 3 BR work in the cheaper seasons, for the possibility of doing a vacation with a larger group (friends, extended family, whatever).   I actually just got back from 10 days at my DVC home resort of Villas Wilderness Lodge.   We had 5 people in my group, but met 7 other cousins, nieces, nephews and an aunt who were also staying at the Lodge.  The 12 of us had a blast and are already talking about doing it again, so I would consider getting a 3 bedroom for a larger get-together like this down the road.    This would not be the "norm", but I like having this as an option.



Or for a real special treat book the 4 bedroom BC Presidential penthouse one time!


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## simpsontruckdriver (May 23, 2013)

FYI, Wyndham Bonnet Creek has a 4-Bedroom Presidential Penthouse, but demand is pretty high. If you buy a July contract, and have 424000 points available, you MIGHT be able to get one for a week (Advance Reservation Priority - ARP).

One difference between Wyndham and DVC i banking/pooling points. Wyndham charges $39 to pool 2 years of points, but DVC does not charge anything.

TS


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## Rent_Share (May 23, 2013)

lprstn said:


> FYI, I no longer own at Bonnet Creek and I don't have any problems getting summer or Christmas at Bonnet Creek (although now I just trade to do Disney resorts) so I'd say go for where the lowest maintenance fees are.


 

Which is what I was suggesting to buy anywhere but Orlando, put in an ongoing request (whatever RCI calls it) for DVC and reserve Bonnet Creek at 10 Months, if the exchange comes through your in Disney on site, if it doesn't your on-site


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## ptlohmysoul (May 23, 2013)

One thing to note is that you cannot exchange (through RCI) an Orlando-based resort week for dvc (per dvc's rules).


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## simpsontruckdriver (May 23, 2013)

Wyndham is the exception to DVCs rules. The rules say Orlando *WEEKS* can't trade into DVC, but Wyndham *POINTS* from an Orlando resort can.

TS


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## Rent_Share (May 23, 2013)

ptlohmysoul said:


> One thing to note is that you cannot exchange (through RCI) an Orlando-based resort week for dvc (per dvc's rules).


 
See post 3



Rent_Share said:


> One thing to consider, you will never trade Bonnet Creek for DVC (Orlando), you can trade other Wyndham properties for Bonnet Creek or "possibly DVC Orlando" potentially giving you two DVC weeks without the DVC purchase investment


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## DKRanger22 (May 23, 2013)

One question regarding maintenance fees @ WBC.    I’ve read some places that maintenance fees are billed monthly, and other places where they are due all at once (due by January 1st).    I’m guessing this is personal preference on how you want it setup, but wanted to confirm.     Also, I’ve read that the Florida resorts have their property taxes billed separately from the MF.    Does this actually come as a separate bill, or is it simply a separately itemized line on the MF statement?


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## Lardan (May 23, 2013)

To me what you need to know about Bonnet Creek is simple.  It is a great resort and we think it gets better everytime we go.  Seriously it is super to us.


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## simpsontruckdriver (May 23, 2013)

With MFs and Taxes and such, you have 3 choices: yearly, auto monthly debit, paper monthly debit ($8 per month). The yearly and monthly fees are all inclusive, taxes are included.

TS


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## JimMIA (May 23, 2013)

simpsontruckdriver said:


> Wyndham is the exception to DVCs rules. The rules say Orlando *WEEKS* can't trade into DVC, but Wyndham *POINTS* from an Orlando resort can.
> 
> TS


I am under the impression that *this* is correct.  

Wyndham doesn't trade like many other systems in RCI.  We trade in a fixed grid, which essentially eliminates TPU considerations and geographical restrictions.

In some cases, that may mean we pay a higher price than some for certain accommodations, but from what I've seen DVC exchanges are possible for ANY Wyndham points owner and they seem to be great bargains to me.


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## JimMIA (May 23, 2013)

DKRanger22 said:


> Also, I’ve read that the Florida resorts have their property taxes billed separately from the MF.


I think this was _formerly_ true, but was *changed* last year or the year before.  I believe applicable Florida property taxes are now included in each Florida resort's MF's...NOT billed separately.


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## Rent_Share (May 23, 2013)

simpsontruckdriver said:


> Wyndham is the exception to DVCs rules. The rules say Orlando *WEEKS* can't trade into DVC, but Wyndham *POINTS* from an Orlando resort can.
> 
> TS


 
Points is Points


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## webkrawlerr (May 26, 2013)

JimMIA said:


> I think this was _formerly_ true, but was *changed* last year or the year before.  I believe applicable Florida property taxes are now included in each Florida resort's MF's...NOT billed separately.



Yes, I own 2 properties in Florida including Bonnet Creek.

Taxes are included in the maintenance fees and not billed separately.


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## warlock47 (May 30, 2013)

*Bonnet Creek*

I've own at Bonnet Creel when there was only 2 buildings.  Now it's completly built out.  My MF have gone from $59-74 currently.  I originally bought there because I thought my niece would injoy it, but we have since learned she is autistic and would never be able to tolerate a plane flight.  However I'm a fan of Disney and go every 2 or 3 years in the off season which is a great time to go.  I understand the free shuttle is going to start charging a fee that you can pay upfront fro the week.  It's a beautiful place to stay while doing Disney.  I spend the rest of my time on the beachs of Florida but I need to buy more points.  Sounds like the ebay prices are going up.


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## chriskre (May 30, 2013)

I go to Bonnet Creek about twice a year.
My suggestion FWIW, is to buy enough points to get a Presidential unit.
There is a big difference in the regular rooms and the Presidential units.

You may need ARP for some of the bigger Presidential units even during off season because the mega renters and PC companies book everything and dump it on ebay.  BTW ebay is a great place to find cheap Presidential units almost year round at reasonable prices.  

For your timeframe last year I lost out on a bidding war for a 3 bedroom Presidential for a week by $25.  It went for $525.  My high bid $500.
That was for a full week.  You can't do that by owning.  

I own enough Wyn points to get me access for a few days but then end up renting from a megaowner most times.  It's cheaper than owning myself.
I do like to have access to the wyndham website so I can check availability and just let her know what I need.

You can find a mega owner on the wyndhamowners.org forum.

You can trade into DVC thru the corporate portal by owning in Orlando.
Also works that way in HGVC.  :ignore:


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