Nervous about Bonnet Creek

[inmypjs]

So we just booked a 4 BR Presidential unit at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for our trip in Sept. It was $1600 with tax for the whole week. We did this instead of Disney property because of the price/value and it will allow everyone in our family to stay together yet have a bedroom of their own.

So....there is new a thread over on disboards about someone finding bed bugs at Bonnet Creek, and the resort's pretty awful response. Basically they were not quick to help, and did not adequately treat the room or surrounding units. Yikes. The online bed bug registry showed 6 complaints of bed bugs at Bonnet Creek in 2012. There were many many hotels and resorts on the registry, including many Disney properties, but that number seemed higher than average. I'm actually less concerned about the presence of bed bugs and more concerned about the lack of a quick and serious response. I do know that bed bugs can happen anywhere, even in the nicest of hotels and resorts.

Overall the picture I've gotten at this resort from Tripadvisor reviews is that the facilities are beautiful, location is great, but service can be lacking. There were quite a few reports of staff being unresponsive to things that needed to be fixed in the units.

I have prepared my family that this is a timeshare resort, not a hotel, and that maid service and the like will not be like at a hotel. They're a pretty laid back group who generally prefer to be left alone, so that shouldn't be a problem, but I guess I'm just starting to worry. Since I'm doing all of the research and making the recommendations, I really want it to be a nice experience. My father isn't elderly, but he is older, and I don't want it to be a hassle to get service if we need something.

So, do you think I will regret this choice?

[TwinFoxes]

We had zero problems when we went in October. I think the Disboards are a great resource, but a lot of folks are chronic complainers. They want the service of a Four Seasons, with the price of Motel 6. When we went in 2010, I was concernd because folks over there complained about the "hill" they had to walk up from the Boardwalk Inn parking lot to check in. We get there, and I wouldn't have even called it a steep incline! But the folks from the boards made it seem like it was a huge inconvenience.

[georgiegirl]

We have been twice, the last time this last November. We've never had a problem. It is an amazing deal! Bonnet Creek is insanely HUGE, so keep that in mind with the number of reports. I was a bit nervous too, but everything turned out great.

[DietCokeLover]

We have been to BC three times. We have never had any issues with getting a response when one was needed.

Just to clarify, you wrote that "maid service and the like won't be like a hotel". I just wanted to make sure you knew there was no maid service at all. For example, if you need clean towels, you will need to throw them in the washing machine yourself.

[scrooks]

We stayed there in November and I too was worried about bed bugs. We just checked all the beds carefully and didn't end up with any problems. I will echo what previous posters have said.... The place is HUGE so 6 reports is just a drop in the bucket .... But I get your concern.

[georgiegirl]

The nice thing is that they provide you with a few (maybe 4) laundry detergents and dishwasher soap. I love being able to do laundry while on vacation. And their pools are a lot of fun.

[scrooks]

Ds ended up with blowout diarrhea while we were there... I was soooo greatful for the laundry machines!!!! I also took a few of those Pyrex all in one sheets (detergent and fabric softner all together). We ended up doing quite a bit of laundry!

[inmypjs]

Thank you all for the reassurance. Starting to feel a little better. I think I just got so immersed in that bedbug thread and it really freaked me out.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I am there right now and everything seems fine to me

[hellokitty]

We stayed there in November and I too was worried about bed bugs. We just checked all the beds carefully and didn't end up with any problems. I will echo what previous posters have said.... The place is HUGE so 6 reports is just a drop in the bucket .... But I get your concern.

:yeahthat: This is what we do whenever we go to any hotel. We will probably stay at Bonnet Creek next time we go to WDW. However, one thing that, "helps" me is that with a large resort, if something is wrong with a room, like bedbugs or some other big problem, they can switch you to another unit. With a vacation home, depending on if it's part of a management company or a private owner, they may not have as much flexibility. So, I guess that I would feel better about staying at a larger resort, b/c if something is really wrong, they should be able to switch you to a different unit.

[BayGirl2]

I travel a lot for business so I really can't let the bedbug thing scare me, even though I realize it is a legitimate concern. To deal with it when I enter the room I check the mattresses for any signs. (There are examples online) I've never found anything, but at least I can rest assured.

Actually it rarely occurs to me when I'm traveling alone on business. But when I'm away with the kids I am more cautious. Threads like these make me more aware. In fact in all the decades of travel and working with extreme road warrior consultants I've never known anyone IRL who had a bedbug issue. I only come across stories on vacation/family type forums from casual travelers. I definitely think there's a crowd effect in the numbers around certain destinations like Disney.

Go and enjoy. Spend 10 seconds checking the mattresses and sleep well.

[inmypjs]

I think one of my concerns is that if it were to happen, we probably would not be able to be moved to another comparable room and stay all together. We are in a 4BR unit, of which there aren't many. I do know that things will probably be fine, but I would hate to have a problem and then be split up into 2 BR units that may not even be near each other.