JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Review – Disney World Luxury Hotel

The JW Marriot Orlando Bonnet Creek at Walt Disney World is a relatively new luxury hotel near Disney Springs on Walt Disney World property.

The hotel is in a unique category of third party run hotels located on Walt Disney World property. The chain hotels offer upscale perks, the option to utilize loyalty programs, and the benefit of proximity without all the perks of an official Walt Disney World hotel.

In this JW Marriot Disney World review we’ll share a room tour, info on amenities like the hotel bus shuttle to the theme parks, pool, dining, and added cost extras. Plus, we'll compare the hotel to another on-site, Marriott run, Disney World hotel.

JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Disney World Review

The JW Marriott Bonnet Creek is an upscale hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort that feels purpose built for conference goers and couples weekends, but still offers a set of high end amenities for family vacation travelers. The hotel is 16 floors with 516 rooms and features a variety of restaurants including a rooftop restaurant and bar with incredible views out across Walt Disney World.

Though the hotel is on Walt Disney World property, it does not offer the official Walt Disney World Resort Hotel guest perks like Early Disney World Theme Park Entry, the opportunity to secure 7 am Disney Genie Plus selections, or extra park hours.

The hotel design is modern throughout and the design aligns with other recently constructed high-end Marriott properties. The lobby area is designed for hanging out with a variety of spaces for hanging out. This is perfect for getting away from the rest of your group from the room for a break or eating a quick breakfast from the cafe. The bar seating is also welcoming.

There is interesting artwork mixed in among the fancy lobby design. The lobby mixes the use of earthy patterns and modern touches.

Booking the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek

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The JW Marriott hotel nightly prices range from $200 during the week to $300+ for weekends and holidays. Looking at dates around the busy holiday season there were even some weekend nights that jumped to $800+ per night. The hotel also has a required nightly resort fee of $35 plus tax. Parking is not included and costs $37 for valet and $29 for self parking. Be sure to consider these other feels when booking the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek.

One of the upsides of staying at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek is that it is part of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The hotel is a Marriott Bonvoy Category 6 property. Using Marriott points, the hotel ranges from 40,000 points per night during a less crowded week night to 60,000 points per night during the peak season. Note that conferences may also impact availability and pricing. These rates are comparable to other Marriott Bonvoy resorts on property like the Swan Reserve.

Walt Disney World JW Marriott Room Tour

The JW Bonnet Creek has a range of room types from king bed rooms, queen bed rooms, and a variety of suites. During my stay I enjoyed a corner king bed room with a view out towards Disney Springs and International Drive. The double walls of windows were pretty incredible.

My king room was quite spacious. The bedding was comfortable and had my required down pillows.

As is often the trouble with reviewing these high end hotels near Walt Disney World and Disneyland, I didn't spend nearly enough time in the room to relax. On my Walt Disney World vacation I was hustling out the door for long day at Animal Kingdom. I would have loved to have lounged around in this very comfortable room throughout the morning watching the light pour in.

The JW Marriott Bonnet Creek rooms have the latest conveniences modern conveniences. The rooms are designed in the fresh new style.

Everything in the room is large and the finishes are clearly very nice. The hotel still feels fresh and new. In the bathroom I enjoyed the large shower and soft linens.

JW Marriott Disney World Pool

The JW Marriott Bonnet Creek has a large pool area surrounded by comfortable seating areas and a bar. There are hot tubs and two pools. Even at night I saw families playing in the pools after long park days.

The pool is somewhat bland compared to other resorts on property at Walt Disney World. With no water slide or fun water features, the pool does not stand out among others on property. That said, the pool area was still very comfortable and perfect for relaxing in the afternoon after a park day or in the evening.

Activities for the Entire Family at the JW Marriott

The JW Bonnet Creek really makes a great effort to deliver on activities for the entire family. There is a nine-hole miniature golf course, kids club play area, rock climbing wall, and super fun scavenger hunt. These touches were great additions to the hotel.

Throughout the general hotel grounds, there is a Fairy Door Scavenger Hunt for kids to hunt down little doors where fairies live. I saw a couple of families running around looking for the kids with this cute activity. One toddler grabbed me to point out the fairy door she had just discovered (see that fairy door below).

JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Orlando Included Hotel Transportation

The hotel offers a shuttle service to the theme parks and Disney Springs. There is one bus that serves all the stops so your options are limited as to timing for getting from your hotel to the various destinations if you want to use the shuttle. Unlike the Disney shuttles, the buses have specific departure times.

Though the hotel is located near Disney Springs it is still a ten-minute drive from the shopping and dining district. The first night of my stay I used the shuttle to go over to Disney Springs. It was quick on the way over – I was the only one on the bus. When I got off, the driver gave me specific instructions to be back at the bus stop at either 10:30 pm or for the last bus which was a little bit later. After waiting 25 minutes past the 10:30 pm mark for the shuttle, I called a Lyft home and decided against using the shuttle again during the stay. During the Lyft ride back to the hotel, I saw the shuttle headed in the direction of Disney Springs. Though this was my only instance waiting for a delayed shuttle, I heard from some other waiting that they had the same issue multiple times during pickup.

I would recommend that you use the hotel shuttle for drop offs at the theme parks and then consider using Uber or Lyft for your Walt Disney World transportation (read our article here for tips and a discount for first time users) back to the hotel to avoid waiting on scheduled pickup times. I often end up doing this even when I am staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel that has more buses running – it can be draining to wait for a bus after a long day in the theme parks.

The JW Marriott hotel shuttle drops off at the front of all theme parks except for the Magic Kingdom where the bus drops off at the Ticket and Transportation Center and you’ll have to take either the Monorail or a boat to the theme park entrance.

Dining at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek

There are a number of beautiful restaurants throughout the JW Marriott Disney World hotel. Each looked very good and welcoming.

Because I was largely in the theme parks during my trip I didn't get a chance to try dining beyond an exploration of what was on property and a a black tea from the lobby cafe. The lobby JW Market cafe was quick and easy.

The restaurant that impressed me the most was illume, the rooftop sushi restaurant and bar that boasts sweeping views out towards Epcot and across Walt Disney World. See the photo above of the output of the sushi bar and a look at the fresh rolls the restaurant was creating.

Though it is difficult to see in this photo, the Epcot Spaceship Earth ball is quite visible from here. The Magic Kingdom Disney World fireworks can also be seen from here. The air up here was refreshing and cool after a long day of travel.

The view doesn't have anything on California Grill at the Contemporary, but the atmosphere was completely different. The restaurant was elegant and felt completely removed from a theme park “Disney” atmosphere. We saw lots of couples up here on date nights, a wedding party dining in the corner, and a number of families as well.

Who is the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Good For?

The JW Marriott is great for adult trips where early mornings in the theme parks are not the main focus. The hotel is the definition of luxury with quiet spaces and a pool that would be easy to watch the day drift away lounging next to. This rarely how we enjoy Walt Disney World, but it is perfect for a couples vacation or corporate events.

While I happily stay at hotels in this style during Disney vacations on both coasts – see my Disneyland JW Marriott review in Anaheim – the lack of access to Walt Disney World hotel exclusive amenities for hotel guests may be a deal breaker for families here. Without early entry to the theme parks, there is an added barrier to successfully executing against one of our morning strategies (like this Epcot morning touring strategy). The hotel sits at similarly high price point to official Disney Deluxe hotels without the added benefits that come with staying onsite.

JW Marriott Bonnet Creek vs Swan Reserve

It is worthwhile to compare the hotel to the Swan Reserve, another new Marriott-managed hotel that I recently reviewed. The JW Marriott is a larger, more upscale, hotel with a nicer pool and better dining options. The Swan Reserve has some restaurants and a pool, but it feels shoehorned into the real estate that it occupies. On the other hand, the Swan Reserve is WALKABLE to Epcot and accessible to Hollywood Studios via boat transportation, it importantly offers hotel benefits equal to a Deluxe Walt Disney World Resort, and it still has very comfortable rooms. I personally have a strong preference to being able to walk anywhere from a hotel. The JW Marriott disappoints in this respect as it is set off nearly 2 miles from the entrance to the development, far removed from being able to walk to any Disney amenity.

If you were to look at the two hotels on a island removed from a Walt Disney World vacation, the JW Marriott hotel would win on comfort, luxury, and on-site hotel offerings. However, I would assume you aren't looking at the hotels as destinations themselves and instead as places to stay during a Walt Disney World vacation.

Many look to the Marriott hotels at Walt Disney World for family vacations because the hotels take Marriott Bonvoy points. If you are a member traveling with a family looking to use Bonvoy points, consider both the Swan Reserve and JW Marriott Bonnet Creek. For adults less focused on hitting the theme parks hard, the JW Marriott is probably the right choice and for families, the Swan Reserve probably wins.

FAQ

Where is the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek?

The JW Marriott Bonnet Creek address is 14900 Chelonia Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32821. The hotel is located deep within the Bonnet Creek development – nearly 2 miles from the main road.

We were hosted during our recent stay, but opinions are our own.

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