Originally Posted By RoadTrip I will be making reservations for the Bay Lake Tower and wondered if anyone here had experience with staying there. Specifically if I spend the extra points for a Theme Park view, do they put you high enough in the tower that you actually have one? It seems like on the lower levels although you would be facing the MK you wouldn't see much of anything except the BLT parking lot.
Originally Posted By Alltwelve Since the building is circular, its kind of a toss-up. We did Theme Park View the first time we stayed there (they didn't have anything else available) and weren't very high up, but we still got to see the fireworks. The next time we stayed there we had Lake View, but it was high up this time and at the edge of the lake, so we could see the Magic Kingdom on the left and the Lake one the right- it was amazing! Its just luck of the draw I guess.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip My daughter, who's stayed there a couple of times, like the Lake View better. It really does seem to be luck of the draw based on your location within the tower and how high you are. Am tempted to go with Theme Park view this time and hope for the best. It will still be considerably fewer points than the cruise that would be the alternative.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh We had a standard room. It was on the north side of the tower, not too high, but we could see some of the MK (Space Mountain) when we went out our balcony, and see the fireworks. You can also go up to the Top of the World Lounge and have a great view of the park and the fireworks. Being able to walk into and out of the MK is great, although I'm not crazy about the decor at BLT.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 We love Bay Lake Towers. We have stayed there twice and have been on the MK both times. Last time we were on the 4th floor and thought at the time it might be too low but we had a great view of the MK and sat at night and could watch the fireworks. One of the things I like about the hotel is you get all of the great things from the Contemporary but it is fairly quiet in comparison. You have to have your room key (or Magic Band) to get into the hotel so there aren't a lot of people wondering around inside the hotel.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I had a theme park view and asked specifically if it would be higher up (was told "yes")...I was put right above the entry (I think it was the fourth floor). I did not think it was worth the points to view primarily a parking lot. Switched to a lake view...was much higher...and actually could see Spaceship Earth and Downtown Disney in the distance...and not a parked car in sight!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I've changed my thinking on this. Now I am sure we will go with a lake view. On the professionally taken photos (obviously using long telephoto lenses) it looks like the MK is right in your lap. I decided to go on tripadvisor.com and look at photos taken by your average guest. Most showed more parking lot than anything else. On the other hand, most all the lakeview photos seemed nice, showing either lake, pool area or both. I decided that when we were in our room we probably wouldn't be spending that much time looking out the window anyway. When we wanted to see the view we could always go to the Top of the World lounge and enjoy the view while also enjoying a beverage or two. We will be going with a two-bedroom unit. We are taking my wife's niece with us. Although a one-bedroom could easily accommodate three people with the hide-a-bed in the living room, my wife's niece can be something of a slob and figured I would prefer not having a mess in my living room; this will also provide a full en-suite bath for her. Contemporary is my favorite design style... the photos I've seen of the rooms and resort look absolutely stunning.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip LOL We were going to take her on a 5-day Disney Cruise, but changed our mind when I discovered I had calculated the points required incorrectly. The DVC point charts list points per person based on DOUBLE OCCUPANCY. So I would have been charged 1.5 times the per-person rate for a cabin occupied by just one. We had planned on an outside stateroom with veranda for us and an inside stateroom for her. Due to the higher than expected charge, we would have all had to be in inside staterooms or share an outside family stateroom with veranda. Either option felt like we would be "settleing". We've always had the stateroom with veranda before, and I hated to give that up (even though the inside rooms are very nice). We tried sharing a family stateroom with veranda one year with Ann's adult son and I didn't like that one little bit... I like my privacy. I have always wanted to stay at the Contemporary but never done so. We had more than enough points for that, so we made a change of plans. I'm excited... we haven't been to WDW for a couple of years now.
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips I would love to know your thoughts after your trip....as I am planning another trip late next year
Originally Posted By tonyanton RoadTrip...good choice! You can also see great views from some of the common area windows on the different floors...I enjoyed that just waiting for the elevators each day. Also, the walkway between the two buildings has great views. I hear you about the Contemporary in general...it still feels classic WDW to me (I started going as a kid in the late '70s) and is soooo convenient to MK and Epcot. I had a great time on my last trip there. My other half now doesn't want to stay anywhere else!
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Hi RT. So excited to hear your family has chosen BLT for next visit. It is one of my home resorts. I have walked all around the new GFVillas but still love BLT . I hope you are happy with your choice. I recently booked the MK view for one night and was not happy. I felt the entire day view was parking lot and the huge new BUS Complex built for the MK. At night it was darkened parking lot and water... I have had the interior courtyard pool / lake view with an incredible moon rise reflecting on the water. My fave is the Upper Lake View to watch the monorails and all the boat transportation from early morn ' til late at night. The sunrise and sunsets are incredible no matter where you are. Also where else can you go to the Top of the World to have your drinks served with fireworks in a private bar?? The artwork on every floor is different just outside the elevator doors. It is worth it to stop on every floor but the other people on the elevator will not appreciate it!!! (Don't forget your DVC Member card to access the Lounge)
Originally Posted By Alltwelve RoadTrip, you've made a wise decision with the two-bedroom! I went with my parents and the three of us had the same set-up, so it was like they had the one bedroom for themselves and I had a studio to myself, so that will work perfectly with your wife's niece. The best part with us was we each had our own bathroom, since there's three, so enjoy that! I know this thread is about Bay Lake Tower and WDW general, but I was wondering if anyone has stayed at the Grand Floridian DVC villas yet. My partner and I are going to WDW at the end of September and are hoping to get a room there, but we are Boardwalk people and are used to just strolling into Epcot, so I'm not sure if I'm shooting for GF just because it's new or if it's a great place to stay. I haven't been to WDW in 2.5 years, so I haven't seen any of New Fantasyland. Thoughts/Advice?
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh We got to do a preview tour just before they opened, and they are pretty nice. I will definitely try to book one next time I go to WDW. One drawback to them is a one bedroom only has one bathroom, unlike BLT which has two.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Roadtrick, I hope you have a great vacation at The Projects by Bay Lake. Just saying.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I don't hate DVC. Get your facts straight. I actually love the Aulani and other themed additions to the DVC, such as the Animal Kingdom facility and the new Grand FL building which actually FIT the theming of their original resorts. But the Bay Tower is probably the worst looking of the DVC buildings and single handedly destroyed the aesthetics of the Contemporary resort. So yes, it's as ugly as the Projects south of Harlem NYC.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip You may dislike what it did visually to the existing Contemporary (though I think Bay Lake complements it quite well), but it appears to be well-liked by guests. At Tripadvisor.com it is the second-ranked on-site hotel at WDW, behind only the Wilderness Lodge and Wilderness Lodge Villas. Curiously enough the original Contemporary rates very poorly, ahead of only the All Stars and Coronado Springs.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I don't like the look either...but not on it's own...only because it created a lopsidedness to the Contemporary as a whole (more than the mid'90s convention expansion). IMHO a matching tower on the other side would be the way to go.
