Bonnet Creek

[Lisa P.]

Rooms:
DVC - fairly "posh" and beautifully themed, excellent in-room amenities.
Wyn/FF - nice & comfortable, some less/some more "posh", usually no theme, most studios incl more kitchen amenities.

Villa sizes, sleeping capacity:
DVC - hotel/inn (4), studio (4), 1BR (4), 2BR (8), 3BR (12) - mostly standardized from resort to resort.
Wyn/FF - hotel/suite (2-4), studio (2-4), 1BR (2-6), 2BR (4-10), 3BR (8-12), 4BR for (10-12), vary by resort, many more options.

Locations:
DVC - WDW, Vero FL, HHI SC - best value to use points at the DVC locations.
Wyn/FF - vary between secluded/golf, waterfront & urban, with many, many choices - can be good value to trade out via RCI or II as well as stay at the Wyn/FF locations on points.

Convenience:
DVC - hands-down best for WDW w/freq "free" shuttles and easy driving (OKW/SSR, longer walk to car at others) - free parking at parks, beachfront in FL, 1 mile to beach in SC (HHI).
Wyn/FF - limited "free" shuttles to WDW (BC), easy driving (BC) - pay parking, several miles drive from other area Wyn/FF resorts, beachfront in FL and SC (1 block at some), oceanview in HI and CA.

Resort pool amenities:
DVC - themed/unique, beautiful, heated-outdoors, w/pool slides, hot tubs & kiddie pools, one w/floating river, most have lifeguards, free use of lifevests, nearby food/beverages, plentiful seating.
Wyn/FF - most w/indoor pools, some are oridinary, hotel style pools with kiddie pools, some freeform, some w/hot tubs, rare theme, some heated, some seasonal, some w/floating river or slide, some w/float rentals, rarely lifevests, no lifeguards, some neaby food/beverages, all have plentiful seating, many w/indoor pools, building one w/indoor waterpark (Dells WI).

Comparing specifically DVC OKW and Wyn BC's pools:
DVC OKW - pool slide, food, hot tub, kiddie pool at main pool area plus 3 quiet pool areas.
Wyn BC - zero-entry pool, floating river, food, hot tubs, kiddie pool & water play at main pool area plus 1 quiet pool area (so far, still building).

Activities:
DVC - all ages, WDW access great, good concierge help for onsite activities, children's facilities, area tours offered at non-DVC locations.
Wyn/FF - all ages, good and improving program, some locations dictate more self-directed sightseeing, good concierge help for onsite and offsite activities, adult and children's facilities, carpet/mini-golf, area tours offered at all locations, most activities are more reasonably priced than similar at DVC (and many are free).

Resort staff:
DVC - plentiful, usually very friendly, helpful, often young (20s & 30s).
Wyn/FF - sl. fewer, usually friendly & helpful, similar to good hotels, IMHO, may be semi-retired in some locations.

Developer purchases: Comparable pricing overall.

Resale prices (enough points for summer 2BR):
DVC - held high by DVC, rather expensive for those who need 2BR & 3BR villas (OKW 296 pts = ~$22,500+).
Wyn/FF - excellent for families, more affordable for group and reunion travel (BC 224K = ~$5,000-$7,000).

2006 Fees on above sample purchase:
DVC - annual maint & taxes, inclusive (easiest for planning) = $1,255. Other DVC locations mostly carry higher maint fees and higher points needed for same prime 2BR stay.
Wyn/FF - annual maint = $923; annual taxes <$200; housekeeping and transaction included for weekly reservations; optional guest cert = $25. Other Wyn/FF locations may carry slightly higher maint fees or may carry up to 30% lower maint fees including taxes (outside FL) and most Wyn/FF locations require fewer points for same prime 2BR stay (154K-189K is most common).

Type of ownership:
DVC - "Right-To-Use" but called a "deeded leasehold" at DVC; expires at the end of the contract, <50 years.
Wyn/FF - most are deeded in perpetuity, never revert to the developer. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Reservation windows:
DVC - 11 mo. home resort, 7 mo. all DVC resorts.
Wyn/FF - 13 mo. home resort, 11 mo. reciprocal resort (if any), 10 mo. all Wyn/FF resorts.

Full week external trading:
DVC - selected ~200 II resorts, give up points for like size unit, use corporate membership with II, no individual membership perks, exchange fee $75(?) any destination.
Wyn/FF - any RCI or II resort (depending on your home resort's affiliation), give up lowest points necessary with enough trade power to confirm (upgrades possible, sometimes significant like studio=>2BR), individual exchange membership with full perks - paid out of maint fees for FF points owners, exchange fees based on RCI & II ($135-$165 domestic).

External short stays:
DVC points for non-timeshare vacations - easy to book w/o added fees, selected top individual hotels/B&Bs, pricy option subject to change.
Wyn/FF points for non-timeshare vacations - possible if ownership included PlusPartners option, easy to book, selected popular chain hotels (including Sheraton and soon, several Wyndham Resorts), pricy option subject to change, also includes air & car rental options.

DVC for Disney hotels - possible but pricy.
Wyn/FF for Disney hotels - only with PlusPartners, possible but pricy.

DVC for cruises - limited options, limited value.
Wyn/FF for cruises - extensive options, limited value.

Prime season reservation assistance:
DVC Christmas season lottery - discontinued, used to offer chance for booking this holiday at non-home resort.
Wyn/FF Rotating Priority List - all members may request prime season/holidays at non-home resorts and are placed on rotating list to call in early and reserve, no identical requests two years in a row.

High points owners' benefits:
DVC - no special perks.
Wyn/FF (VIP) - fewer fees for multiple usage, earlier booking window for certain number of reservations per year at non-home resort, daily newspaper delivery, early check-in, points discounts on short notice stays.

To sum it up, the biggest differences FOR US have been that:

The DVC resorts were more consistently deluxe, themed with pool slides, onsite locations at WDW and they are more expensive both for use and trade, with fewer options beyond WDW overall. It is strong for those who love the DVC resorts and will use them at least every other year. OTOH...

Wyn/FF requires the owner to be more selective to enjoy the deluxe resorts and offers many more, excellent destinations overall for varied travel, which we like and which enable us to choose from a wide array of resorts within a day's drive of our home in NC - all affordable FOR US. It is also expanding continually, with new resorts being built and acquired. We love the indoor pools at so many of the non-Orlando locations. With BC, plus 2 more resorts in Kissimmee and one more in Orlando, it's got WDW/Univ/SW covered for us while giving us more flexibility overall, for OUR travel needs. YMMV. Hope this helps!

 

[ANTSS2001]

Rooms:
DVC - fairly "posh" and beautifully themed, excellent in-room amenities.
Wyn/FF - nice & comfortable, some less/some more "posh", usually no theme, most studios incl more kitchen amenities.

Villa sizes, sleeping capacity:
DVC - hotel/inn (4), studio (4), 1BR (4), 2BR (8), 3BR (12) - mostly standardized from resort to resort.
Wyn/FF - hotel/suite (2-4), studio (2-4), 1BR (2-6), 2BR (4-10), 3BR (8-12), 4BR for (10-12), vary by resort, many more options.

Locations:
DVC - WDW, Vero FL, HHI SC - best value to use points at the DVC locations.
Wyn/FF - vary between secluded/golf, waterfront & urban, with many, many choices - can be good value to trade out via RCI or II as well as stay at the Wyn/FF locations on points.

Convenience:
DVC - hands-down best for WDW w/freq "free" shuttles and easy driving (OKW/SSR, longer walk to car at others) - free parking at parks, beachfront in FL, 1 mile to beach in SC (HHI).
Wyn/FF - limited "free" shuttles to WDW (BC), easy driving (BC) - pay parking, several miles drive from other area Wyn/FF resorts, beachfront in FL and SC (1 block at some), oceanview in HI and CA.

Resort pool amenities:
DVC - themed/unique, beautiful, heated-outdoors, w/pool slides, hot tubs & kiddie pools, one w/floating river, most have lifeguards, free use of lifevests, nearby food/beverages, plentiful seating.
Wyn/FF - most w/indoor pools, some are oridinary, hotel style pools with kiddie pools, some freeform, some w/hot tubs, rare theme, some heated, some seasonal, some w/floating river or slide, some w/float rentals, rarely lifevests, no lifeguards, some neaby food/beverages, all have plentiful seating, many w/indoor pools, building one w/indoor waterpark (Dells WI).

Comparing specifically DVC OKW and Wyn BC's pools:
DVC OKW - pool slide, food, hot tub, kiddie pool at main pool area plus 3 quiet pool areas.
Wyn BC - zero-entry pool, floating river, food, hot tubs, kiddie pool & water play at main pool area plus 1 quiet pool area (so far, still building).

Activities:
DVC - all ages, WDW access great, good concierge help for onsite activities, children's facilities, area tours offered at non-DVC locations.
Wyn/FF - all ages, good and improving program, some locations dictate more self-directed sightseeing, good concierge help for onsite and offsite activities, adult and children's facilities, carpet/mini-golf, area tours offered at all locations, most activities are more reasonably priced than similar at DVC (and many are free).

Resort staff:
DVC - plentiful, usually very friendly, helpful, often young (20s & 30s).
Wyn/FF - sl. fewer, usually friendly & helpful, similar to good hotels, IMHO, may be semi-retired in some locations.

Developer purchases: Comparable pricing overall.

Resale prices (enough points for summer 2BR):
DVC - held high by DVC, rather expensive for those who need 2BR & 3BR villas (OKW 296 pts = ~$22,500+).
Wyn/FF - excellent for families, more affordable for group and reunion travel (BC 224K = ~$5,000-$7,000).

2006 Fees on above sample purchase:
DVC - annual maint & taxes, inclusive (easiest for planning) = $1,255. Other DVC locations mostly carry higher maint fees and higher points needed for same prime 2BR stay.
Wyn/FF - annual maint = $923; annual taxes <$200; housekeeping and transaction included for weekly reservations; optional guest cert = $25. Other Wyn/FF locations may carry slightly higher maint fees or may carry up to 30% lower maint fees including taxes (outside FL) and most Wyn/FF locations require fewer points for same prime 2BR stay (154K-189K is most common).

Type of ownership:
DVC - "Right-To-Use" but called a "deeded leasehold" at DVC; expires at the end of the contract, <50 years.
Wyn/FF - most are deeded in perpetuity, never revert to the developer. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Reservation windows:
DVC - 11 mo. home resort, 7 mo. all DVC resorts.
Wyn/FF - 13 mo. home resort, 11 mo. reciprocal resort (if any), 10 mo. all Wyn/FF resorts.

Full week external trading:
DVC - selected ~200 II resorts, give up points for like size unit, use corporate membership with II, no individual membership perks, exchange fee $75(?) any destination.
Wyn/FF - any RCI or II resort (depending on your home resort's affiliation), give up lowest points necessary with enough trade power to confirm (upgrades possible, sometimes significant like studio=>2BR), individual exchange membership with full perks - paid out of maint fees for FF points owners, exchange fees based on RCI & II ($135-$165 domestic).

External short stays:
DVC points for non-timeshare vacations - easy to book w/o added fees, selected top individual hotels/B&Bs, pricy option subject to change.
Wyn/FF points for non-timeshare vacations - possible if ownership included PlusPartners option, easy to book, selected popular chain hotels (including Sheraton and soon, several Wyndham Resorts), pricy option subject to change, also includes air & car rental options.

DVC for Disney hotels - possible but pricy.
Wyn/FF for Disney hotels - only with PlusPartners, possible but pricy.

DVC for cruises - limited options, limited value.
Wyn/FF for cruises - extensive options, limited value.

Prime season reservation assistance:
DVC Christmas season lottery - discontinued, used to offer chance for booking this holiday at non-home resort.
Wyn/FF Rotating Priority List - all members may request prime season/holidays at non-home resorts and are placed on rotating list to call in early and reserve, no identical requests two years in a row.

High points owners' benefits:
DVC - no special perks.
Wyn/FF (VIP) - fewer fees for multiple usage, earlier booking window for certain number of reservations per year at non-home resort, daily newspaper delivery, early check-in, points discounts on short notice stays.

To sum it up, the biggest differences FOR US have been that:

The DVC resorts were more consistently deluxe, themed with pool slides, onsite locations at WDW and they are more expensive both for use and trade, with fewer options beyond WDW overall. It is strong for those who love the DVC resorts and will use them at least every other year. OTOH...

Wyn/FF requires the owner to be more selective to enjoy the deluxe resorts and offers many more, excellent destinations overall for varied travel, which we like and which enable us to choose from a wide array of resorts within a day's drive of our home in NC - all affordable FOR US. It is also expanding continually, with new resorts being built and acquired. We love the indoor pools at so many of the non-Orlando locations. With BC, plus 2 more resorts in Kissimmee and one more in Orlando, it's got WDW/Univ/SW covered for us while giving us more flexibility overall, for OUR travel needs. YMMV. Hope this helps!

Have to print this and digest it carefully! Getting ready to go home They letting me go instead of 4AM

Thanks Lisa

 

[Lisa P.]

Housekeeping credits are given every year along with points. You get 1 housekeeping credit for every 1,000 points owned. If you owned 224,000 points so you could stay in a 2BR for a week each week, you would get 224 housekeeping credits per year. Here's how many housekeeping credits are deducted from your account when you make a reservation:

Studio - 28
1 Bedroom (standard or deluxe) - 63
2 Bedroom (deluxe or lock-off or plus/loft) - 77
3 Bedroom (deluxe or presidential) - 140
4 Bedroom (deluxe or presidential) - 154

So you'd get 224 housekeeping credits but only use 77 for your first 2BR reservation in a year. We own 154,000 points (w/154 H-credits) and we are able to make multiple reservations each year without incurring added fees. If you run out of H-credits, they may be rented for $1.50 per credit.

You are also given 1 free reservation transaction per year or per 77,000 points owned. We get 2 per year for 154,000 points. If someone owned 231,000 points, they'd get 3 per year and so on.

1 transaction is used up whenever a reservation is made or an external exchange deposit is made on the phone or by email. They count all requests made in a phone call or email as 1 transaction together. So if I request an RCI exchange and make 2 reservations all in one phone call, then I only use one transaction fee. Cancellations don't count as transactions. Unless someone does a lot of rescheduling, or a lot of separately booked short stays, they won't pay an extra fee. 1 extra transaction = $25.

There is a FairShare Plus fee added to the per-point maint fees, but this is included in the total maint fee prices I quoted above so I don't really think about that. It came about because most early points owners were fixed-week owners who converted their weeks into points.

Guest Certificates are $25 each, cheap when compared with the $50 charged by the external exchange companies. DVC's are free, so far.

There's a learning curve with timeshares and Wyndham/Fairfield's is longer than most. It's worth really investigating before buying to make sure it would be acceptable to you. Check out TUG (see my sig below) or the Yahoo! Group for Fairfield timeshare owners, if you want more info. HTH!

 

[TotoToo]

Wyn/FF requires the owner to be more selective to enjoy the deluxe resorts and offers many more, excellent destinations overall for varied travel, which we like and which enable us to choose from a wide array of resorts within a day's drive of our home in NC - all affordable FOR US. It is also expanding continually, with new resorts being built and acquired. We love the indoor pools at so many of the non-Orlando locations. With BC, plus 2 more resorts in Kissimmee and one more in Orlando, it's got WDW/Univ/SW covered for us while giving us more flexibility overall, for OUR travel needs. YMMV. Hope this helps!

That comparison list should be archived forever! Thanks for taking the time. It is the best summary of both systems I've ever read.

 

[Iott Family]

Your other option is not to buy anywhere and just rent. I can't believe the deals I see for timeshares. You can even rent at Bonnet Creek for so little, send me a PM if you want a link to a rental site for all Fairfield properties. We own DVC and love it, but I know we will continue to rent at Marriott, HGVC and others if we find great steals, which we have consistently. The one thing I don't like about DVC is that we refuse to stay weekends b/c of high points, which makes for a shorter trip and/or a move to another hotel to save points. This stinks when flying all the way from Salt Lake City, which is why we will sometimes just rent at Marriott or others and stay all 7 nights.

could you please PM me with this too? thanks so much!

 

[HeatherC]

Here's another vote for renting. We have gotten amazing deals for timeshares in Orlando for far less than the annual maintenance fees would be. ($250 a week for 2 or 3 bedroom villas). I really "want" to own a timeshare, but have never been able to justify the cost.
That being said, I know a lot of people love them and are very happy with them. That really is great, but it's just not for me I guess.

Some timeshare companies will try and sell you on them by saying that you are prepaying for your vacations. But when you still have to pay an annual fee anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to over a $1,000, it just isn't the right purchase for me. If I still have to pay for the lodging, that is not prepaid in my mind. I also think that with some timeshares, you do have to plan pretty far in advance since the week you want may not be available. (Not if you have a fixed week, however.) I think I would be very annoyed if I paid an annual fee and then was told the week I want to go is not available. I just like the flexibility of renting.

Some sites you can check out for rentals are www.tug2.net (classifieds board for Orlando) and vacationtimesharerentals.com.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of owning one or purchasing one or putting anyone down who already does, I'm just replying to the option of renting.

Have fun whatever you decide to do.

HeatherC

 

[NHLFAN]

We are staying here at Bonnet Creek right now!!!

Our CONDO has free broadband connection and a view of the Disney fireworks!

We didn't bring the kids this trip but there seems to be alot of activities planned each day.

Our room is nicer than any rooms I've stayed at Boardwalk Villas or Vero Beach.

We are renting points for our stay here and attended a tour for $Disney Dollars$...while we might not buy directly we are thinking about buying on the secondary market.

 

[robynv]

So glad to hear someone that loves it there at Bonnet Creek. My parents own FF/Wyndam, they have lots of points and to convince us to stay offsite with them, ( we have only been once stayed at the Contemporary and loved it) They booked the 4bd room pres. suite. So I really can't say no to free!

How is the pool and activities for kids/teens??

 

[Iott Family]

We are staying here at Bonnet Creek right now!!!

Our CONDO has free broadband connection and a view of the Disney fireworks!

We didn't bring the kids this trip but there seems to be alot of activities planned each day.

Our room is nicer than any rooms I've stayed at Boardwalk Villas or Vero Beach.

We are renting points for our stay here and attended a tour for $Disney Dollars$...while we might not buy directly we are thinking about buying on the secondary market.

Ok.....with a view like that you have to share your building/room number so we can book that same location on our May/June trip! Thanks..glad you are having a great stay! How are the pools, family activities? I bet you can smell disney you are so close! So happy for you!

 

[bnf2]

We are staying here at Bonnet Creek right now!!!

Our CONDO has free broadband connection and a view of the Disney fireworks!

We didn't bring the kids this trip but there seems to be alot of activities planned each day.

Our room is nicer than any rooms I've stayed at Boardwalk Villas or Vero Beach.

We are renting points for our stay here and attended a tour for $Disney Dollars$...while we might not buy directly we are thinking about buying on the secondary market.

Oh, do share!

We've only stayed on-site, but have the opportunity next Christmas to go with 2 other familes and stay at Bonnet Creek. Of the 3 familes mine and one other have been to the World several times- the other family, the one that has the timeshare, has only been one other time and not on-site (and had a terrible trip- heat, rain, crowds and a complete lack of understanging the enormity of the property, etc., etc.)

Admittedly we are unsure about a lot of things- transportation to/from the parks being top at the list. Please, please, please tell me about the shuttles offered by Bonnet Creek and, oh yeah... what was that room with a view?

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

Oh, do share!

We've only stayed on-site, but have the opportunity next Christmas to go with 2 other familes and stay at Bonnet Creek. Of the 3 familes mine and one other have been to the World several times- the other family, the one that has the timeshare, has only been one other time and not on-site (and had a terrible trip- heat, rain, crowds and a complete lack of understanging the enormity of the property, etc., etc.)

Admittedly we are unsure about a lot of things- transportation to/from the parks being top at the list. Please, please, please tell me about the shuttles offered by Bonnet Creek and, oh yeah... what was that room with a view?

We are staying at Bonnet Creek this Christmas. I've been reading that shuttle service to the parks is expanding. I do believe you have to make a reservation the night before and there are return shuttles every few hours. We are going to have our car, so I'm not sure how often we will use the shuttle. I'll let you know how everything is when we get back. The pictures of the resort are beautiful, and the activities sound fun.

 

[NHLFAN]

Ok.....with a view like that you have to share your building/room number so we can book that same location on our May/June trip! Thanks..glad you are having a great stay! How are the pools, family activities? I bet you can smell disney you are so close! So happy for you!

Hi,
Sorry it took so long to reply back.
Here a little more inform that might help you....
Bonnet Creek has two pools, one is located at the main building (Village Center) that is zero entry and the other pool is located between building 2 and 3 and has a slide.
There is also a lazy river located next to the main pool.
I have a brochure "Activities Guide" that lists all the events,dates and times but another member has posted a few of the details off of Bonnet Creeks website here:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=15741802&postcount=9

We also just stayed at Ocean Walk in Daytona and saw the Shuttle Discovery launch from out on the beach Saturday night, it was awesome

Bonnet Creek is where we are looking to buy now...

Have fun...

 

[NHLFAN]

Oh, do share!

We've only stayed on-site, but have the opportunity next Christmas to go with 2 other familes and stay at Bonnet Creek. Of the 3 familes mine and one other have been to the World several times- the other family, the one that has the timeshare, has only been one other time and not on-site (and had a terrible trip- heat, rain, crowds and a complete lack of understanging the enormity of the property, etc., etc.)

Admittedly we are unsure about a lot of things- transportation to/from the parks being top at the list. Please, please, please tell me about the shuttles offered by Bonnet Creek and, oh yeah... what was that room with a view?

We had a rental car so we drove to the Parks or Disney resorts and used Disney transportation (monorails, boats,etc) from there.
There is a free shuttle service offered by the resort but you have to make ressies 24 hrs in advance.
Here are the times....

Morning Departures from Bonnet Creek
MK-EPCOT
8:20am,9:20am,10:20am,11:20am
MGM-AK
8:50am,9:50am,10:50am

Afternoon Departures from Bonnet Creek
4:20pm,6:20pm.7:20pm

Return From WDW Parks to Bonnet Creek
From MK
3:00pm,5:00pm,7:45pm,8:45pm,9:45pm,10:30pm
From Epcot
3:15pm,5:15pm,8:00pm,10:00pm
From MGM
2:45pm,4:00pm,6:00pm,8:30pm
From AK
3:45pm,4:45pm,5:45pm

Hope that helps....

 

[rie4630]

NFL Fan,

Where can I get info about renting at Bonnet Creek?

 

[Brian Noble]

It is a wyndham/fairfield timeshare resort. You generally have to rent from someone who owns somewhere in the FF system. At any particular time, there are several ads on ebay for rental weeks at BC--some of them for fixed weeks, but others with flexible check-in dates. You can probably also find ads on TUG and redweek.

A 2BR peak season week will cost the owner approximately $1200, plus the owner will expect a bit of profit on the deal, so figure that you'll likely pay around $1400 or a bit more for a peak week, with maybe Easter, Christmas, or July 4 weeks going higher depending on demand.

The exception is that some very big owners have a perk that allows them to book last-minute (60 days or less from check-in) inventory at half price. But I don't know how willing they will be to pass those savings on to their renters, because they can also cancel up to the last minute with no penalty, so it's not like they lose their investment if they can't rent for the price they hope to get. But, if you are visiting during a low-season week, and willing to chance a late booking, you might be able to deal.

 

[HappyandDoc]

We came close to buying into FF/Bonnett Creek. We changed our mind when we learned the numbers of dissatisfied owners---many who could never get the accommodations they requested at various resorts, regardless of time of booking or time of trip (discovered through a consumer advocacy website). We were led to believe that unless you owned the highest levels of "points" you had limited power/choices. Bonnett Creek would be a good example of a hot spot with high demand, making reservations difficult during any popular time. FF also had a huge number of owners to accommodate in their resorts. We were also uneasy with some of the contract details. We just felt unsure about the whole situation, yet have since heard of a couple business associates who were quite happy with FF (now Wyndam)--for us, we still believe we made the right choice. It's a big decision, good luck.

 

[NHLFAN]

Like I stated in an earlier post , we rented points. We booked stays for early Dec at two Fairfields Resorts, Bonnet Creek and OceanWalk/Daytona.

In order to get my dates at Bonnet Creek, the owner had to make 3 different ressies to get my dates. This owner knows their point system well and made the ressies within 60 days to save me a bunch of money.

We had the same size of room for all three ressies so when we checked into Bonnet Creek they gave us the same room the whole time. We did have to get our room keys reactivated during the stay but we also received housekeeping 3 times because of the multi-ressies.

There was no problem getting the dates we wanted at OceanWalk/Daytona and we enjoyed watching the Shuttle Discovery launch while on the Beach.

 

[TotoToo]

We came close to buying into FF/Bonnett Creek. We changed our mind when we learned the numbers of dissatisfied owners---many who could never get the accommodations they requested at various resorts, regardless of time of booking or time of trip (discovered through a consumer advocacy website). We were led to believe that unless you owned the highest levels of "points" you had limited power/choices. Bonnett Creek would be a good example of a hot spot with high demand, making reservations difficult during any popular time. FF also had a huge number of owners to accommodate in their resorts. We were also uneasy with some of the contract details. We just felt unsure about the whole situation, yet have since heard of a couple business associates who were quite happy with FF (now Wyndam)--for us, we still believe we made the right choice. It's a big decision, good luck.

We've had no problems getting the resorts/dates/units we wanted with our Wyndham (FF) points. And we are not even the lowest level of VIP. But you were still very wise to get out if you were buying directly from Wyndham. The same points are easily available at 1/3 or less of the cost of retail and all points spend the same. Should you decide to dive in go resale, learn how to best use the system and you'll find it to be very very good I think. NEVER buy retail from Wyndham unless you enjoy watching 2/3 or more of your money disappear once the rescind period ends.

 

[Brian Noble]

I did quite a bit of research before I purchased my Wyn/FF points, a modest package, purchased resale. Part of that process was asking current owners to check availability for me at the resorts I expected that I might visit, looking between 2-10 months in advance. In all but a very few cases (Myrtle Beach peak summer), there were units available even on relatively short notice.

There was significant last-minute availability (60 days) at Bonnet Creek for my late Feb/early Mar Florida trip, and there are discounted point-value stays available at other Orlando-area Wyn/FF resorts during the same time. We typically go the week *after* President's week; P-week might be harder.

Perhaps paradoxically, when I checked in late November '06, Bonnett Creek had tons of February '07 availability, but little availability in May '07. Looking back, I think this phenomenon is similar to why DVC resorts are always busy in early December---the BC points values in early May are very low, but that's quite a nice time to visit.

From what I've learned, points systems (also, floating week systems) work best for those who are able to plan far ahead---a year ahead is not too far in advance. They tend to work poorly for people making last-minute decisions, and at least in Wyn/FF's system, 2-3 months is getting to be "last minute".

For those who are thinking about becoming Wyn/FF owners, I'd recommend joining the Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fairfield_timeshare/

Tons of great information there.

 

[cnids00]

Our friend owns in FF and we so want a 4br for our stay in September, we will be 6 adults & 2 children, but it's SO hard to find, there are no availability is what he says when he looks for it, it it that hard to get a 4 br??? We will be renting his points and even though I would rather stay within the world this is going to have to work as it is even harder for him to get DVC, we were lucky to be able to get a 1br at OKW last year but even though the resort was only filled to 40% capacity in September, this year is showing nothing available, we would need a GV to fit us all or something equivalant..(sp)
He also owns II? so maybe that is an issue, though we are talking greatly about buying DVC ourselves, money is an issue right now, I don't want to finance the buy