10 Reasons to Stay at Disney’s Bay Lake Tower Orlando FL

There are so many great things about Bay Lake Tower, but the best has to be the location.  It is only a short walk from the Magic Kingdom, and it is the only Disney hotel where you can say that.  It is actually a bit closer to the Magic Kingdom than the main Contemporary Resort building.

Walking to the Magic Kingdom is such a breeze.  You even get your own special bag check, and that takes very little time.  It is so much faster than the main bag check line at Magic Kingdom.  So that’s yet another advantage of staying at Bay Lake Tower.

In addition to the fact that you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, you can also easily take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  You can also take the Monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then from there get to EPCOT, so this is a great hotel to stay in if you love Magic Kingdom & EPCOT.

The monorail also can take you to Grand Floridian & the Polynesian Resort.  This is neat if you want to try one of their dining options or just see the resorts.

There is also boat transportation from Bay Lake Tower.

I am old enough to remember when the baot would take you to Magic Kingdom, but sadly, it does not do that anymore.  The boat still does, however, take you to Fort Wilderness & the Wilderness Lodge starting at 3:00 PM.  This gives you a lot more flexibility in dining.  There are even family meals at Fort Wilderness that made our list of the cheapest dining options at Disney World.

Basically, everything you need for the hotel is in two buildings, which makes it incredibly convenient.  You can take a covered walkway to the main Contemporary Building for dining, the monorail, etc.,, so it is really nice to stay here when it is raining (and that is quite often in Florida).  You don’t have to worry about getting soaked on the way back to your room.

Another thing that makes Bay Lake Tower so convenient is that it’s all in one building.  Some of the other Disney hotels are spread out and while the resorts are beautiful, it can make for a lot of extra walking, not to mention you can get a bit lost at night trying to find your hotel room in the dark.  Since everything is in one building, you can easily get back to your building and then it is a lot easier to find the elevator and your room.

Even though you are so close to the monorail running through the Contemporary building, you are in a separate building which is quieter, more relaxed and more peaceful.  But since you are so close to the Contemporary, it is like you are able to get all of the advantages while still being in a peaceful setting.

There are so many amazing views you can get from the rooms.  The first time I stayed here I got a great Bay Lake view where I could also the Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian and even the Magic Kingdom.  The second time I stayed here with a lake view, I could not see the Magic Kingdom but I got an amazing view of Bay Lake and a great shot of the Electrical Water Pageant at night, which was really awesome.  Another time I got a great view of the pool.

This past time, though, was one of my favorite views.  I had a wonderful view of the Magic Kingdom!  You could even see the fireworks from our balcony!

Speaking of the pool, I really like how Bay Lake Tower has its own separate pool area and because Bay Lake Tower is in one convenient building, you can easily get to the pool from your room.  I really loved the water slide and I loved how you can see great views of Bay Lake while you sit in the hot tub. I also really loved all of the fun recreational items you can do that are conveniently located near the pool (foosball, table tennis, bocce ball, giant chess, etc.) so that families can all find something to do and hang out together.  Additionally, there’s a great pool bar with food, drinks and a drink machine for the Rapid Refill system so you can even a nice afternoon or evening there and have lunch or dinner right beside the pool!

The rooms were recently refurbished at Bay Lake Tower.  I really like way the rooms turned out.  Gone is the sofa bed and it was replaced with a pull-down bed, which is much more comfortable.

I also love how across from the sofa, there is a love seat, too, so there is plenty of seating.

That also means that even if both beds are down, you have somewhere to sit down.

My guest room had plenty of space (though it should be noted I was staying in a handicap-accessible, which typically has more wide open.  But the rooms are still bigger than you would get at a value and I really appreciate that.

I really like the decor throughout the rooms and lobby.  They are definitely Disney, with beautiful from Magic Kingdom and pictures of classic Disney characters (like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck & Goofy) but at the same time there is not so much Disney that you feel overwhelmed.  Now, don’t get me wrong; I love Disney and seeing Disney characters everywhere, but I know not everyone likes that and if you like your rooms to have Disney but not too much Disney, you will like these rooms and the building.

Staying at the main building of Disney’s Contemporary Resort is amazing, but can get very expensive.  If you stay at Bay Lake Tower, though, you can pay a fraction of what you would pay at Contemporary, but with all the amenities. Just go through David’s Vacation Club, and again, we go over the DVC rental process here.