I have looked through a lot of old threads and even other forums and I feel like I'm missing something. WBC seems significantly cheaper than DVC. Is it just the Disney upcharge and theming or is there some hidden cost to WBC that I'm not finding? I get why people buy DVC as I have been seriously considering a purchase but I was blown away when I started looking at WBC. I can get a contract on resale for WBC that will get me multiple weeks/year for half the price of similar DVC resale contract.
In general, timeshare is a product that is sold, not bought. As a consequence, it is usually
significantly less expensive on the resale market than when bought from the developer. But, Disney is one of the (few) exceptions to this, because the brand is so well-known and there is a vibrant "community of information" built around it--larger than anything else I can think of. That community does a lot of the "selling" for DVC in the resale market, and it helps a lot.
The ongoing costs are also a bit lower at Bonnet, but that's at least partly because it offers a bit less. A peak-season week in a 2BR at Bonnet (with an ownership there) would run about $1,600 in annual MFs. Compare that to, say, a Standard 2BR at SSR (with an ownership there) in what used to be called Magic Season, which is about $2,100 give or take. Part of that is that SSR offers continuous transportation to all the theme parks, while Bonnet does not.
My Wyndham ownership was put together at "negative cost" (meaning: I got some free usage that more than offset the acquisition costs of the portfolio), and my ongoing costs are among the lowest in the system. But, both are due to happy accidents that I could not replicate if I tried, so the specifics probably aren't that interesting.
The point systems are similar in the big picture, though Wyndham's is geared a bit more towards longer stays, while DVC is very amenable to the one or two night stays here and there. One-night stays in Wyndham aren't really a thing--for a time after Covid they were eliminated, and I'm not sure if they've been brought back or not. Borrowing is more restricted with Wyndham, and the (resale) banking deadline is shorter, but you can bank either to the next year or the year after that. You can do shorter stays with Wyndham, but you might end up paying for some extra housekeeping here and there. Home resort at Wyndham is not particularly important for being able to book at Bonnet Creek (or for most other places); instead the big difference is just cost.
I would also not recommend Wyndham for anything other than personal use, with the infrequent friend or family member being gifted a stay; they've gotten very particular about their "no commercial use" clause. So, if renting to offset costs is an important part of your ownership plan, go with DVC. I happen to think that's not a great idea even with DVC, but most people seem to disagree with me.
In terms of overall vacation experience, I think a stay at Bonnet is more or less comparable to SSR or OKW. In Bonnet's favor: the location is slightly more central, the units are more functional, the pools are better than anything at Disney except
arguably SAB (and even then I give the nod to Bonnet), the pool bar is much cheaper, and the pizza is pretty good. In SSR/OKW's favor: the landscaping is better developed, the transportation and parking situation is better, the "Disney bubble" is a thing, and they have onsite benefits (such as they are). Caveat: we always rent a car at any of these three, which makes the transportation issue less important. If you are an I-don't-drive-on-vacation person, then I'd skip Bonnet.
dodging of timeshare piranhas
This is definitely a thing, but it can be easy to get through. I'm happy to play along with all the excitement about the trip (an ingratiation technique they often use) but then pull out "Oh, I never go on sales tours," at the
opportune moment. If necessary (for example, if they ask why) I just repeat myself with a slightly sad face, as if there is some tragedy that unfolded once upon a time that would be heartbreaking to even re-tell.
If it helps, this is completely free of conflict. I don't owe this person my time, so not giving it to them is not a problem. I've been perfectly pleasant and non-confrontational, just sadly resolute. In fact, the most recent "concierge" I did this with at Smuggler's Notch last summer was almost sad on my behalf, which I thought was an amusing about face.
I have thought about sliding a folded sheet of paper with a number on it that represents the combined billing rate that my wife and I would charge our "full-rate" clients for a two hour meeting, with: "If you can match that, we'll talk."
[Narrator: "They would not be able to match that."]
That is...less conflict-avoidant, but it could be fun.
Well, remember Bonnet Creek is not on Disney property… if that makes a difference.
This is true. The Bonnet Creek parcel is not part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. But, it's awfully hard to tell that from just looking around, because it is landlocked by RCID on three sides and I-4 on the fourth. Because you don't really appear to "leave the bubble" the impact of "being offsite" is a lot less noticeable. Heck, they even had Stacy's Must Dos on the resort TV back in the day. Yesterland did a nice dive into the history of the parcel--including DVD's rather snarky 3D billboard positioned
just so.
https://yesterland.com/bonnet.html
One of my stays there was in an upper floor of one of the buildings that faces in the direction of Epcot, and if I looked out the sliding glass door while I was in the kitchen, Spaceship Earth was staring me in the face. We watched the aerial shots of Illuminations from there most nights--quite impressive!
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