Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort: a Great Base for Your Disney Family Vacation

As many of you know, on April 3rd, Wyndham program will undergo some changes. For the most part, this is a negative development, despite their PR department’s ridiculously positive spin on the matter. I’m referring, of course, to the fact that some properties will soon cost 30,000 instead of 15,000 points per night. Which properties exactly? That’s a “15,000 points” question. Only Wyndham knows, and it ain’t telling us.

But I think it’s safe to assume that if a Wyndham hotel/resort looks decent enough and averages $250 per night, it will probably cost double the amount of points in just a few days. There aren’t that many nice properties in the chain to begin with, so it isn’t rocket science. See this post for more on the topic.

One such place is Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort, where my family had a chance to stay at  few weeks ago. In this post I wanted to give my impartial review since I’m sure many families are interested in finding a decent/spacious place near Disney, that doesn’t cost a fortune via points or cash.

Strategic location

We didn’t go to any of the Disney parks on this particular trip. I was thinking about surprising the kids with a visit to Animal Kingdom, but it was really hot that weekend, so I changed my mind. Paying $500 just to battle the crowds in a suffocating heat? No thanks.

But the location of the resort in relation to Disney parks is very good, especially if you plan on visiting Epcot. Here is a screenshot from Google Maps:

If you are coming to Orlando primarily for the parks, I urge you to skip a rental car and utilize Uber or Lyft (my personal referral links) instead. Wyndham Bonnet Creek is a gated community, but I’ve seen many reviews indicating that using rideshare companies isn’t an issue. You may  have to call the gate personnel and let them know when requesting an Uber ride. I ordered a pizza delivery from an outside restaurant, and didn’t have to do anything, so maybe it’s not necessary.

The resort does offer complimentary shuttle to the parks, but hours are limited and may be inconvenient for your particular schedule. Considering the high cost of Disney tickets, adjusting to shuttle’s schedule may end up being  penny wise and pound foolish. Just pay $10 for Uber ride and go when you want to go.

Never-ending sales pitch and employee training issues

This is probably my biggest criticism of the resort. Maybe we just had bad luck, but it just seems like we came across many employees who lacked training. Our check-in guy had no clue about the resort’s amenities or food options. I also noticed that he checked us in at the resort for only one night (we were staying two). I’ve pointed out this discrepancy, and he said it would be fixed.

The next morning at 10 AM sharp, we got a phone call reminding us that it’s time to check out. To be fair, I didn’t have to go downstairs, everything was sorted out over the phone. It wasn’t a big deal, but more of a pattern during our short stay. So, my advice is to be proactive in resolving issues.

Another thing I didn’t like is the fact that you couldn’t charge things to your room by using the key card. That means I had to take my wallet to the pools, which was very inconvenient. I had to keep an eye on it while at the pool unless my husband was there at the time.

I also didn’t care about timeshare push. In order to get my parking pass, I had to walk over to a special desk where a cheerful employee asked me not once, but five times if I would be interested in attending a “special” presentation with free breakfast and 30,000 soon-to-be devalued Wyndham points as a thank you for my time. I’ve mentioned that we have two kids who can’t really handle this sort of thing and she said there is a complimentary Kids Club. Wow, these guys are good!

I didn’t want to be unpleasant, but how many times can one say No before they are left alone at this place? The timeshare lady wasn’t aggressive or mean, she simply did her best to wear me down. No dice. But guess what? The next morning I got a phone call asking me if I changed my mind. Nope.

It was more of a nuisance, but definitely worth mentioning. If you have little patience for this kind of nonsense, beware. On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending a few hours of your precious vacation time listening to a sales pitch, and are able to say No, go for it. In fact, they have special timeshare packages that can subsidize your stay:

 

Review of our unit

We were assigned to building 5, and I was extremely happy with the location, as well as the unit itself. It was huge, and a bargain at 15,000 Wyndham points per night, especially during busy spring break season when rates hovered around $250 all-in. The resort has no parking or resort fees, another plus. I believe our 1-bedroom rental was recently updated because everything seemed new and shiny. YMMV.

Here are some photos to give you an idea on what to expect:

 

As you can see, there is a ton of space, so it’s much better than sharing a hotel room with your kids. This to me makes up for any shortcomings of the resort. There is a queen sleeper sofa, and we brought an air mattress, so my kids wouldn’t have to share a bed. I liked the fact that they didn’t need to go through the master bedroom in order to access the bathroom. We didn’t use washer/dryer combo, but this is obviously a huge perk for families.

One important note if your kids are sensitive to noise. There is a loud A/C contraption in the living room that may interfere with their sleep. It cycles constantly and is quite noisy. It won’t be a huge issue for parents since they can close the door to the bedroom, and especially if they use a noise machine, like we do.

Otherwise, the unit was just about perfect. Upon entering, my son exclaimed: “This is even better than Hyatt!” There you go. I really enjoyed relaxing in the jacuzzi at the end of each day. The king bed was super comfortable, with brand new latex mattress, and the sheets were of high quality. It was nice to have a full kitchen where I could make meals. Supposedly, the resort has a small grocery store, though I brought my own stuff from home.

Amenities

The resort comprises of seven or eight buildings, including Wyndham Grand Hotel (avoid due to small rooms and parking+resort fees), all of them built around the lake. There is a bit of a walk to get to the opposite side, but the scenery is pleasant.

Our building was located next to a small lazy river.

Not surprisingly, the pool area was quite busy, given the fact that we traveled during peak season and on the weekend.

My husband went around the lazy river with kids once and headed back to the room. This isn’t his kind of scene, but he is a bit of a hermit. The kids, on the other hand, had a blast! On one of the days, we took them to pirate ship slide, located near building 6, right next door to us. Once again, the pool was quite busy.

I sipped on my 10-dollar margarita (not that great) while my husband kept an eye on the kids.

The resort also has a miniature golf course, and it’s complimentary to use. Unfortunately, what seemed like a good idea turned into a major meltdown. My son is very competitive, so when my daughter got a hole-in-one, he had to do it too. Unfortunately, he could not. Tears followed.

Conclusion

Overall, I give this resort 4 out of 5 stars. Kids gave it 6 out of 5 stars. 🙂 I think it’s an excellent base for visiting Disney, and the price is much lower than what you will pay for  Polynesian or Contemporary properties. Plus, how can you beat all that space in the unit?

That said, while the pools/slides are OK, they are not as impressive as ones in the waterpark at Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orlando-Orange Lake Resort where we took my parents last year. See my detailed review.  Plus, in the latter, you can reserve a 2-bedroom unit for 40,000 IHG points or use a renewal certificate from the co-branded credit card.

I do like the ease of walking out from the building and having the pool right there in front of you at Wyndham Bonnet Creek property. In IHG Orange Lake resort, you may end up in a unit one mile away from the waterpark, which will require a car or shuttle ride in order to reach it. Another negative: in Orange Lake resort they nickel and dime you to death. Just one example: charging for use of tubes in the lazy river.

So, it comes down to your priorities and what points you happen to have on hand. If you have Wyndham currency and are in the middle of planning a Disney vacation, by all means, burn it. You can always cancel your reservation later, but lock in 15,000 points/per night rate while you still can.

I do think that even after devaluation, you will be able to find deals on this resort via Go Fast rate, especially during off season. For example, here is the rate I found during Thanksgiving week:

Using 6,000 points per night to pay $153+tax for a 2-bedroom unit isn’t bad at all. You can buy up to 10,000 Wyndham points per calendar year (link, doesn’t pay commission), so do the math and see if it makes sense for your situation. Keep in mind that you have to reserve at least two nights.

If you are going during off-season, make sure to first check AirBnB listings from individual owners (my referral link, you will get $55 towards your first rental). I also recommend looking at SkyAuction website for bargain prices on this and other Orlando resorts.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a reasonably-priced place near Disney that has kid-friendly amenities, and don’t mind the annoying timeshare nonsense during check-in, Wyndham Bonnet Creek resort is worth considering. If you are looking for a lavish pool complex and/or fancy atmosphere, go elsewhere. But be careful because your kids may prefer to stay put rather than go to Disney parks. Hmm, that could be a strategy for Disney-averse parents like myself.

If you have a large family and are fine with a basic pool+hot tub setup, consider reserving this Wyndham resort where you can potentially score a 4-bedroom unit for only 15,000 points per night. For now.

Related posts:

Should you use points on Disney Springs resort area hotels that offer on-site Disney perks?

Review of Waldorf Astoria Orlando: the good, the bad, and the Ron Swanson (was just added to the above list along with sister property Hilton Bonnet Creek)

Any questions?

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