Overview of The Bay Lake Tower

Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Orange Loop. Today we are reviewing Walt Disney World deluxe resorts.

The pool at The Bay Lake Tower

Review of Bay Lake Tower/Contemporary Resort–

Overall my favorite DVC (Disney Vacation Club) property is Bay Lake Tower (with Beach Club Villas a close second). The Bay Lake Tower is a 16-story property built in 2000. ( It is considered a Magic Kingdom resort because of its proximity to the Magic Kingdom park.) Up until recently it was the newest DVC (Disney Vacation Club) property. Now the Grand Floridian Villas and this year the Polynesian Villas are open. (These two are also Magic Kingdom resorts.)

Bay Lake Tower Disney World aerial view

As I stated, it is a 16-story high rise with a modern feel inside and out. It is on the monorail system and connected to the Contemporary Resort via a covered walkway. The rooms come with a Magic Kingdom view, a lake view (view of Bay Lake), or a standard view. Most of the rooms have a lake view so this is always what we have had. Most of the lake view rooms face the pool at the Bay Lake Tower and I enjoy it because we see huge clumps of bamboo, several species of palm trees and the Bay Lake. The rooms are decorated with contemporary furnishings and accessories, but still have a Disney theme with Mickey heads on the coverlet and modern Mickey pictures over the bed. The rooms come in studios, 1-bedroom villas, 2-bedroom villas and the largest a 3-bedroom villa. We always stay in the studio to conserve points. The studios come with a queen bed and a queen pull-out sofa (which doesn’t have the bar down the middle so it sleeps comfortably.) The studio is the only room that doesn’t come with a washer and dryer, but there is a laundry room on the ground floor that is free for guests to use. There is a small kitchenette with microwave, small fridge, sink, and plenty of storage. It comes stocked with paper plates and bowls as well as plastic cutlery.

Rooms at the Bay Lake Tower.

Room view from the bay lake tower of the bamboo.

There are many benefits of staying at Bay Lake Tower. A short stroll through the skywalk takes you to the Contemporary Resort. The food choices there are the best of the places we have stayed. They have a character dining experience called Chef Mickey’s which we have yet to try.  They have two table service dining options: California Grill, and the Wave (a buffet-style dining option).  We always eat at  the Contempo Cafe which is a quick-service restaurant.  The choices are wide, the prices reasonable, and there are many healthy options to choose from. It is also fun to sit and watch the monorail come and go.

The Contempo Cafe at The Contemporary Resort.

There are three gift shoppes to choose from in the Contemporary Resort. My favorite is called BVG and has a wide variety of merchandise that is always fun to walk through and always tempting to purchase from. They have clothing, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, pictures, picture frames, purses, home decor, kitchen accessories and even treats like cookies and cupcakes in a glass case. There is another shop across the hall called Fantasia which has a lot of toys, stuffed animals, books and a large selection of Disney pins. The third shop is called the Fantasia Market which has a small selection of food and drinks. With three gift shops to choose from, this selection beats anywhere we have stayed thus far.

BVG gift shop at the Contemporary Resort.

The Fantasia Gift Shop at the Contemporary Resort Disney World.

I love being able to walk from the Bay Lake Tower to the Magic Kingdom. It is much more expedient than having to wait for the monorail. I enjoy riding the monorail,  but many times we haven’t been able to fit on the first monorail and have to wait for the second one. Plus, you have to make three stops before arriving at the Magic Kingdom. When my husband first suggested we skip the monorail and walk, I protested because of fatigue from walking so much already at the parks. Once I gave walking a try,  I have found the walk actually invigorating the last couple of visits.

Bay Lake Tower is walking distance to Magic Kingdom

Another big perk for us is being able to check out two movies at a time from the Community Hall on the first floor. They have the best selection of movies I have seen by far at any of the resorts. There are four booklets filled with movies that are alphabetized and categorized according to ratings. They carry all 54 full-length animated Disney movies as well as live action Disney movies and some non-Disney movies. They have both well-known and more obscure movies.

Bay Lake Tower like all of the resorts have pools, hot tubs, bocci ball, ping-pong, tennis, movie nights, and roasted marshmallows every night. There is a dock where you can rent boats for parasailing or for cruising the lake. You can also rent jet skis at the same location. There is a Pirate Excursion that sets sail from the Contemporary Resort, and now Walt’s Wilderness is a new 5 hour adventure that leaves from there.  The Top of the World Lounge, located on the top of the Bay Lake Tower, has appetizers and cocktails with great views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

The Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort is our favorite DVC resort.  You can walk to Magic Kingdom, ride the monorail, shop and eat at the Contemporary.  You can enjoy great views of either Magic Kingdom or Bay Lake.  What’s not to love?

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Orange | Walt Disney World Deluxe Resort Reviews Loop:

• 1st Stop – Family Travel Escapades | Bay Lake Tower
• 2nd Stop – The Delightful Life | Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
• 3rd Stop – Rolling with the Magic | Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• 4th Stop – My Dreams of Disney | Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• 5th Stop – Disney Mamas | Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge & Kidani Village