• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 31 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 31st Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $23,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $23 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Bonnett Creek -- Any Advantages to staying there?

Arb

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
411
Reaction score
36
Location
Montgomery, Alabama
Is there any advantage to staying at Bonnett Creek over any other timeshare in the Orlando area?
What I mean is -- Are there any Disney Property advantages, such as transportation, early entry, etc.
Thanks for any advice.
Carole
 

Arb

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
411
Reaction score
36
Location
Montgomery, Alabama
Is the Bonnett Creek shuttle free or is there a charge?
 

garmich

newbie
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Location
Massachusetts
Is the Bonnett Creek shuttle free or is there a charge?

The shuttles to the Disney parks and Downtown Disney are FREE.

As an example, the August 2008 schedule had morning departures from the Clubhouse every half-hour from 8:00am to 12:30pm. In the afternoon there were departures (at different intervals) from 2:45pm to 8:45pm. The Downtown Disney shuttles started at 3:30pm and the last departure was at 11:45pm.

There are also shuttles to SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Wet n' Wild, and Orlando Premium Outlets by Reservation Only at a cost of $11.00 to $14.00 per person.

I did not use the shuttle when I stayed at BC. According to the schedule, there are pick-ups at 5 other resorts, and Bonnet Creek was the last pick-up. So, possibly, the shuttles might be almost full when they arrive at BC. On the other hand, Bonnet Creek would be the first drop-off when returning from the parks.
 
Last edited:

onthego

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
87
Reaction score
0
Location
Iowa
Don't forget the parking charge at Disney

Don't forget the parking charge at Disney which you won't have with the free shuttle.
 

bnoble

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Messages
12,026
Reaction score
5,813
Location
The People's Republic of Ann Arbor
True. Even still---I've done the scheduled shuttle thing. Once. Never again. The convenience of being able to come and go when I please is easily worth a couple hundred bucks, and that's all we're talking about.
 

Sandy VDH

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,103
Reaction score
4,486
Location
Houston, TX
Resorts Owned
Wynd VIP Plat GF, HGVC Elite, WM, HICV, +
The $12 per day Disney parking allows in and out access to each and every park on the same same.

So you pay when you first get in, you switch parks, you go home to Bonnet Creek for dinner and some rest, you go back to the park for fireworks. All those uses are on 1 parking pass. Much more convenient than shuttle, for me at least.

We had a big group in the 4 BR unit a christmas a few years back, there were 13 of us. We actually made two trips in the car to pick up and drop off people, but still only the single parking pass per day.
 

garmich

newbie
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Location
Massachusetts
The $12 per day Disney parking allows in and out access to each and every park on the same same.

So you pay when you first get in, you switch parks, you go home to Bonnet Creek for dinner and some rest, you go back to the park for fireworks. All those uses are on 1 parking pass. Much more convenient than shuttle, for me at least.

We had a big group in the 4 BR unit a christmas a few years back, there were 13 of us. We actually made two trips in the car to pick up and drop off people, but still only the single parking pass per day.

I agree that using a car is much more convenient than using the shuttles. Paying $12 per day for one week adds up to $84. When you have 13 people splitting the cost of the parking pass, it's not an issue. But when it's one person...me....paying the $84 parking fee, the shuttle is a tremendous savings.
 

rickwward

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Location
Alexandria, VA
Location, Location, Amenities

Biggest advantage for Bonnet Creek is proximity to Disney Parks -- closer than some Disney hotels, and much closer than Downtown Disney hotels. This can make a huge difference on super-crowded days. It is also nice to be able to return to your room on a day you intend to visit multiple parks. Last trip, in November, we used the shuttle for two days, drove/parked three days, and visited non-Disney parks for two days. The shuttle can get you closer than parking, so even if you need to wait for the shuttle, total time can be a wash. Also, depending on your party, taxis are an option. To save $$, use Disney transportation to get you close -- e.g., transfer to a nearby hotel. If you plan to park for 7 days, strongly consider getting at least one annual pass -- parking is thrown in, and you have access to other discounts (including a dining discount program).

Second advantage is ready access to other parks -- because of the proximity to I-4, you can drive to SeaWorld, Aquatica, Universal Studios etc. as fast as some Kissimmee properties.

Finally, because the property is newer, the amenities are a bit higher end than other properties. If the hotels are completed 2009-10 (Waldorf-Astoria, Hilton, Wyndham) amenities will get a big bump up -- e.g., walking access to sit-down restaurants, spa, etc.

Notice I did not list room quality in the top three. In November we stayed in an older tower which was beginning to show its age...
 

Robert D

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
1,923
Reaction score
108
Location
Austin, TX
How does the quality of Bonnet Creek compare with the Marriotts or Sheratons? My experience is that Wyndham is a good notch below those on the quality scale but have heard that BC is at the top of the Wyndham heap.
 

dcdowden

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Messages
199
Reaction score
13
Location
Naperville, Illinois
We just stayed at Bonnet Creek for one week after staying at Wyndham Royal Vista for 4 weeks. We also own at Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale and have stayed there and at Westin Kaanapali Villas on Maui. We stayed in tower 4 at BC which is relatively new and we found the unit very nice. It is definitely newer and nicer than Royal Vista (although we were told they were upgrading RV over the next year). We still love RV for the oceanfront location. The Westin properties are a couple notches above the Wyndham properties in our experience. The rooms come with the Westin 'Heavenly Beds and Showers' plus lots of extras. The Westin units have granite counters and our unit in Scottsdale even has a push button fireplace. The Westin 2BR units are true lock-offs where each unit can be reserved or traded separately. Our Wyndham properties have slightly lower MF's. Our Westin properties have retained their resale value far better than Wyndham.
Doug
Naperville, Illinois
 

dcdowden

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Messages
199
Reaction score
13
Location
Naperville, Illinois
We just stayed at Bonnet Creek for one week after staying at Wyndham Royal Vista for 4 weeks. We also own at Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale and have stayed there and at Westin Kaanapali Villas on Maui. We stayed in tower 4 at BC which is relatively new and we found the unit very nice. It is definitely newer and nicer than Royal Vista (although we were told they were upgrading RV over the next year). We still love RV for the oceanfront location. The Westin properties are a couple notches above the Wyndham properties in our experience. The rooms come with the Westin 'Heavenly Beds and Showers' plus lots of extras. The Westin units have granite counters and our unit in Scottsdale even has a push button fireplace. The Westin 2BR units are true lock-offs where each unit can be reserved or traded separately. Our Wyndham properties have slightly lower MF's. Our Westin properties have retained their resale value far better than Wyndham. For what it's worth, we were able to trade a 1 BR Wyndham Grand Desert for a 2 BR Sheraton Vistana Villages for a June stay a couple years ago through RCI. I chalk most of that up to the overbuild of Timeshares in Orlando rather than the difference in quality between the systems.
Doug
Naperville, Illinois
 
Top