Top 10 Tips for Staying at Bay Lake Tower at Disney World

First and foremost, make sure you book your stay at Bay Lake Tower through David’s Vacation Club rentals.  Bay Lake Tower is actually a Disney Vacation Club building but you do not have to be a Disney Vacation Club member to stay there.  You can book it through Disney’s website, but if you did that, you would pay so much money.  You can save yourself a lot of money – like, hundreds a night – by booking your stay through David’s Vacation Rentals.  I go into more detail about that here.

Since Bay Lake Tower is a Disney Vacation Club building, each room has a full-size kitchen with everything you’d need to have a meal in your room – refrigerator, microwave, plates, silverware, etc.  If you’re driving, you can save money on your stay by bringing food and having a few meals at your room.  Even if you fly, you could consider having food delivered to your room through Amazon.

The Electrical Water Pageant has been going on at Walt Disney World Resort since 1971, but it might be something you’ve never seen before.  It’s a floating parade with sea creatures and even a patriotic section.  It takes place nightly and can be seen from Bay Lake Tower around 10:00.  If you have a water view from your room, then at least one night go out to your balcony and watch the show.  You will love it!  

Take advantage of the convenient pool complex.  Relaxing in the hot tub while looking out at Bay Lake is incredibly relaxing.  And try going down the slide. Even as an adult, it is a lot of fun. Trust me on that.

Bay Lake Tower is the closest accommodations on Walt Disney World Resort property to the Magic Kingdom.  It is actually a shorter walk to the Magic Kingdom than the Contemporary building. It’s a straightforward walk, too, and it is a really neat feeling to walk to the Magic Kingdom.  Another added bonus is you get your own baggage check area along the walk and the wait is way less than the main baggage check area. So make sure you walk to the Magic Kingdom at least once.  It’s a really neat feeling for Disney World fans.

In addition to walking to the Magic Kingdom, you can also take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  You just take the covered walkway from Bay Lake Tower to the main building and then you can take the monorail. The monorail is a really neat experience, and I suggest using at least once during your stay at the Contemporary.  If you wanted to walk to Magic Kingdom, you can at least take the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then take the monorail to EPCOT.

Bay Lake Tower has some of the best transportation of all the Disney hotels because in addition to walking and the monorail, you can also take a boat to the Magic Kingdom (or to Fort Wilderness or Wilderness Lodge).  Make sure you take the boat at least once during your trip because it is a really beautiful boat ride.

Bay Lake Tower is close to a lot of other amazing Disney hotels, and you can take advantage of that during your stay. Take the monorail to Polynesian or Grand Floridian or take the boat to Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness.  This can actually be cheaper than eating in the parks because you can take advantage of Disney’s Refillable Mug Option.  You can also read our tips on saving money on Disney dining here.

Even if you like to bring food and take advantage of the kitchen space of Disney Vacation Club villas, you should have breakfast at least once at the Contempo Cafe.  You just have to take the covered walkway to the main Contemporary building.  I like the Contempo Cafe for a lot of reasons: 1) It is quick service so the pricing is affordable 2) It has a nice variety of food options 3) You get wonderful views of the monorail running through while you eat.

Save money on your trip by buying stuff for the parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, etc.) before you go to the park.  Here is our list of things you can buy before your trip that saves you money.