Bonnet Creek vs. Disney Resorts

[DaveNV]

Kind of a rhetorical question, but:

In searching around RCI lately, I'm seeing Summer availability at Bonnet Creek for 8-18 TPUs, compared with similar timeframes at Disney properties for 37-51 TPUs. I'm wondering if it's worth spending the extra TPUs if I'm not traveling with kids? I know BC is not a Disney property, but given its location, if I don't need the Disney-in-your-face experience, is it seriously worth that much more cost to stay in a Disney-branded resort? What advantages do the Disney resorts offer that BC doesn't have?

Thinking it's time for another trip to see the mouse, and wondering how to get the most bang for the TPU buck.

Dave

 

[vacationhopeful]

Short version - most bang for TPU in this comparsion is Bonnet Creek.

Many older threads on this subject.

 

[chriskre]

If you're not going with kids I'd skip the summer trades and go in fall when Food & Wine is in full swing and it's not as awfully sauna hot as it is in the summer. Orlando in summer is just a bad idea unless you're going to do the waterparks. You'll hate the parks in summer. Lines are long, humidity is high and the pools are crowded. Bonnet Creek is 8-9 points in Sept/Oct.
They've got a great lazy river and poolside bars for a nice cool umbrella drink to float around with you in the lazy river.

 

[MichaelColey]

If you don't mind staying off site but still want to be close, Bonnet Creek is one of the best choices. With Bonnet Creek (compared to DVC) you'll get larger units, a spacious kitchen (with a large fridge with ice maker) and dining room (no mini table).

Of course when you stay on site, you get free parking, EMH, the ability to walk to some parks, a bus direct to MK (instead of the T&TC), transportation from the airport, room charging/delivery, etc. If any of those matter to you, weigh out the extra costs and negatives and see if it's worthwhile to you.

 

[GeraldineT]

IMO, no. You could have 2-3 weeks at Bonnet Creek for the same as 1 at Disney. Now I am partial to BC since I own there. The reason I bought there was because of its value but I really love the resort. When we go to Disney we only do a few days at the parks and really just want to kick back and relax and find that the Disney resorts really did not have as much to offer in that department. Yes you get the extra hours but IMO that means nothing to me as we would most likely not use them. We were down there in October with friends who own DVC. They stayed at SSR and wound up coming to BC 3 of the 4 days they were there because they thought it was more relaxing and more resort like. So it may be a matter of preference.

Bonnet Creek is super convenient to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It really is right in the middle of a lot of the Disney resorts so you are no "worse" off staying there than you would be from any of the bus resorts. We are not shuttle people. I would rather pay and have my car and not have to rush on/off with 3 little kids, strollers, etc. Disney has a ton of shuttles but they can be just as far as from BC. They have 2 bar/restaurants on the property. Very convenient shuttles to Downtown Disney. Especially if you have "had a few". Also the Disney boardwalk is close to BC which is another fun place for adults at night.

 

[bnoble]

I'm wondering if it's worth spending the extra TPUs if I'm not traveling with kids?

I think this question boils down to what is the more scarce resource: your vacation time, or your timeshare assets?

I'm in a "time-poor" situation for the next few years. Partly that's due to a mix of non-timeshare vacations that we are taking, and partly it's just that our time is limited. So, I'm happy to "burn" timeshare assets on the vacations I do take if it makes them a little bit nicer. Yes, I could try to roll them forward, but I don't want to be in an even worse position down the road. In all honesty, I should probably pare my portfolio down a bit. So, for me, I spend 'em 'cause I got 'em.

On the other hand, if you have the time to take those extra weeks of vacation, I think the price spread between DVC and Bonnet is not justified in most cases. There are a few exceptions for me, but not many.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I'm on the same page as Brian. I have a lot of points with just our seven weeks of timeshare. We used to get 7 weeks of vacation with one-to-one exchange a while back, and now have 400 points.

I can stay at Vistana and Hilton about 35 weeks straight during the slow season, or I can take 7 weeks at Disney resorts and still have a lot of points leftover for Hawaii. Wait a minute, I own in Hawaii. I guess I just need to use my points for DVC.

I have waaaay to many timeshares. :rofl:

Actually, when Rick retires in three years, we will have a lot of points that I am now combining to save. Maybe we can use them for a big splurge, but I don't know what I can do with these TPU's. Such a dilemma, but I am still upset at the extra cost of DVC, even though we can still afford it.