Staying off-site drawbacks

[KrisM]

I'm considering having us at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek next year. It's not a Disney hotel, but is really close. It's very near the CB, IIRC. It just like we'd be so much more comfortable there than in a Disney resort. What are the drawbacks to staying at a non-WDW place? I know we don't have EMH. I'm not sure if there is a shuttle, but we'll have our car.

If we pick a WDW resort, I think it might be the cabins so we can have more room.

Likely, we'll be there for 10 days, if that makes any difference.

[TwinFoxes]

One drawback, that you may not care about, is you're not eligible for the Disney Dining Plan.

According to their website they offer "free scheduled transportation to Disneyworld". Driving to the parks might be a pain, because you'd have to pay to park since you're not a resort guest...another drawback I guess.

It looks like a gorgeous hotel though!

[DietCokeLover]

We have a time share there and stayed there in December. It is a WONDERFUL resort. We loved it. The only negative for us was the shuttle schedule. We had very young kids (2 & 2 at the time) and the return times were not good for us regarding naps. So we ended up driving to the parks the last couple of days and things worked out great!

We enjoyed the resort so much we commented that we would be willing to come stay there and make Disney a secondary priority! We had a 3 bedroom condo with 4 adults and 4 kids under 7 and we had plenty of room.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

[KrisM]

One drawback, that you may not care about, is you're not eligible for the Disney Dining Plan.

According to their website they offer "free scheduled transportation to Disneyworld". Driving to the parks might be a pain, because you'd have to pay to park since you're not a resort guest...another drawback I guess.

It looks like a gorgeous hotel though!

I'm not sure if I care about the Dining Plan or not. I'mi waffling about it. I guess I didn't completely realize that it was only for resort guests though. Good to know and it might make a difference. I guess I need to get a spreadsheet going with the dining costs and everything else.

Paying to park is fine since the hotel is so much less expensive than the Disney resorts. I think we'd drive often anyway just to make it easier with the stroller(s).

[fivi2]

I would totally stay at Bonnet Creek. I can't because I have family in the area and the only way I can justify not staying with them is to stay at *Disney*. (we would go crazy staying with them and they are about 30+ minutes away).

We did stay at the Cabins last May. I did a mini trip report when we got back. For the most part I really enjoyed it and would stay there again, but there are some drawbacks. The disboards camping forums (scroll down a bit) have a lot of info on the Fort and the Cabins, so I would read up and look at lots of pictures before you go. With three dc, it will be tight, but doable. We loved having the kitchen and being able to put the girls down in a separate room, but it is still pretty cozy... (small). Our location was great for letting the girls run around while we sat on the porch, but other cabins that would be trickier. Transportation was hit or miss, but if you have a car and drove to the parks that wouldn't be an issue.

I don't know - the cabin was fun, but bonnet creek sounds great!

eta: Cabin mini review thread: http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin...ighlight=cabin

[hellokitty]

Lol, I have been researching WBC too and honestly I cannot think of any negatives. We have 3 kids, and when we travel, we stay in suites. I cannot imagine trying to cram our 5 ppl family (even if one is a baby) into regular resort room at WDW. My kids are too little to stay out too late for the EMH, and I am really starting to hate eating out. So, the benefit of being able to cook a meal for health/taste/$ is highly desirable for me. It seems to me that many who were die hard on site WDW ppl that tried WBC, loved it and want to go back to WBC again.

[bubbaray]

Somebody here stayed there and reviewed it -- was it Fairy?? I know because I already have it bookmarked! LOL

It looks gorgeous.

[llama8]

I have been to Disney World over 15 times and I would never stay off of the Disney property...epecially with kids.

I would rather not go to Disney.

The convenience, transportation, and park hopping is worth the stay on property!!!!

Anyone I knew that stayed off property found it to be miserable and swore they would never do it again.

Just my 2 cents!

[hellokitty]

I have been to Disney World over 15 times and I would never stay off of the Disney property...epecially with kids.

I would rather not go to Disney.

The convenience, transportation, and park hopping is worth the stay on property!!!!

Anyone I knew that stayed off property found it to be miserable and swore they would never do it again.

Just my 2 cents!

Really? We stayed off property, rented a big house with a screen in pool. It was great! This was before kids. For me, being cooped up in a tiny room with kids is torture, even if we aren't in the room that much, I guess I am used to having some space and am willing to sacrifice staying off site for that.

[TwinFoxes]

Lol, I have been researching WBC too and honestly I cannot think of any negatives. We have 3 kids, and when we travel, we stay in suites. I cannot imagine trying to cram our 5 ppl family (even if one is a baby) into regular resort room at WDW. My kids are too little to stay out too late for the EMH, and I am really starting to hate eating out. So, the benefit of being able to cook a meal for health/taste/$ is highly desirable for me. It seems to me that many who were die hard on site WDW ppl that tried WBC, loved it and want to go back to WBC again.

We are staying at Disney Vacation Club villas. You don't have to be a DVC member, you can either book through Disney, or rent points from a DVC owner. We are staying in a one bedroom suite. We only have two little ones, and I can't imagine not staying in a suite! They still nap, and go to bed at 7pm, we'd be held hostage trying to be super quiet if we didn't have our own room!

I have been to Disney World over 15 times and I would never stay off of the Disney property...epecially with kids.

I would rather not go to Disney.

The convenience, transportation, and park hopping is worth the stay on property!!!!

Anyone I knew that stayed off property found it to be miserable and swore they would never do it again.

Just my 2 cents!

I had never heard of this Wyndham before, but I Googled mapped it. It is right across the street from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, and a lot closer to the parks than the Pop resorts. It is in the Disney compound. I've always stayed at a Disney resort, and don't plan to change (I'm a total Disney sucker!) but this doesn't seem like it would be inconvenient like those hotels on International Drive, ya know?

OP, re: parking. Resort guests get to park for free.