Category — q. Reviews

(For the first page of this review of Bay Lake Tower, see this.)

THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE AT BAY LAKE TOWER

The living/dining/kitchen space at Bay Lake Tower is identical in both One and Two Bedroom Villas.

As you enter, you’ll find a small closet on one side…

…then in another large closet the laundry.

One the other side of the entry is a small full bath, with a a corner sink…

…toilet, and tub.  Bay Lake Tower offers one of only two DVC Two Bedroom Villas with three baths/One Bedroom Villas with two baths–Kidani Village, designed at about the same time, is the other.

Further on, the living space expands into one of the most livable kitchen/dining/living room options you’ll find among the DVC resorts.

This view, from deep in the space, shows the expansiveness of the kitchen and dining area…

…and this the living area.

The dining table (with some extra chairs pulled in from the second bedroom) can almost seat the nine people this space fits, and easily fits the five people a One Bedroom Villa sleeps.

The kitchen has all modern conveniences, including this pull-out pantry, and more counter space than most other DVC spaces.

As in other DVC kitchens, it includes all the basic you need to prep, cook, and serve meals…

…including these fun, if slightly impractical, plates.

Using the moveable ottoman from the dining area and the ottoman in the living room, the living space seats 6-9, depending on hips and willingness to share.

The living room also has a door to the Master Bedroom balcony, on the TV side of the room.

The large chair converts into a bed which I measured as 30 inches wide by 77 inches long–it sleeps a little shorter than that–with a comfortable 5 inch cushion.

The sofa also convert into a bed, 78 inches long by 60 inches wide, also with a five inch cushion, and more comfortable than most Disney World sofa beds.

The room has plenty of storage for the three people it sleeps.  Besides the closet at the entry, and the space in the large laundry room, there’s also a dresser beneath the TV…

…and the top of the living room room ottoman is hinged, revealing even more space inside. Note the scaling object.

The combination of spaciousness, storage, and an extra bath makes Bay Lake Tower Two Bedroom Villas one of the best options at Walt Disney World for larger groups–and the One Bedroom Villas are positively luxurious…

THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH OF ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT BAY LAKE TOWER

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(For the first page of this review of Bay Lake Tower, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF THE SECOND BEDROOM OF A DEDICATED TWO BEDROOM VILLA AT BAY LAKE TOWERS

Bay Lake Tower has four room types–Studios, One Bedroom Villas, Two Bedroom Villas, and Grand Villas. Two Bedroom Villas are either combined from a Studio and a One Bedroom Villa (“lock-offs”) or are designed as such from the start (“dedicated”).

In the two types of Two Bedroom Villas, the master bedroom and living/dining/kitchen area is the same, but there’s differences in the second bedrooms of lock-offs vs dedicated Two Bedroom Villas which I’ll cover in this photo tour.

Here’s a Studio floor plan…

…and here’s a dedicated Two Bedroom floor plan…

Compare the Studio to the second bedroom on the left of the floor plan in the dedicated Two Bedroom. Note that the second bedroom in the dedicated villa has no kitchenette, a simpler and larger bath layout, and two queens instead of a queen and a fold-out couch. This makes it more livable for a larger group.

A Studio (there’s a complete photo tour of a Bay Lake Tower here) has a smaller bedroom space, crowding the bed and couch together and making the room feel particularly cramped when the couch is unfolded for use as a bed.

In a dedicated Two Bedroom, you enter from the second bedroom from a small hall at the front of the overall villa.

Once you are in the second bedroom area, there’s a closet where in a lockoff you’d find an entry door to the Studio.

The bath has a sink…

…and a tub and toilet in their own space.

The bed side of the room has two queens.

The TV side has a dresser/TV combo and a table and chairs.

The TV/dresser combo is quite large and has plenty of storage.

Here’s a closer view of the table and chairs.

At the end of every bedroom at Bay Lake Tower is a balcony.

In our dedicated Two Bedroom Villa, we had a Bay Lake View–here’s the view from our balcony:

THE POOLS AT BAY LAKE TOWER

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Frozen moved into Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer. The festivities have been extended through September 28, and it’s widely expected that at least parts of the program will continue after then as well.

One element is Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome, a bit of a parade and bit of a show that occurs daily (at least through September 28th) at 11a in the Studios. (Other key parts are the Frozen Fireworks, reviewed here and the Frozen Sing-Along. reviewed here.)

The parade starts near the park entrance, heads down Hollywood Boulevard, stops at the Sorcerer’s Hat for a brief bit of business, and then continues to Star Tours where it exits in the Jedi area.

Crowds start lining up at the Sorcerers Hat and along Hollywood Boulevard early, and repeater screens make it possible for people on the boulevard who are close-ish to the hat to see the brief bit of business that happens there before the parade continues towards Star Wars.

Families with huge Frozen fans might wish to start positioning themselves at the stage near the Hat around 10a or so.

It is much easier to the see the parade between the Hat and Star Tours–the route is the area between American Idol and Echo Lake, and you can walk up to this area right around 11.

There’s not a lot to this parade…some ice skaters…

…a float that I have not figured out yet…

…skiers…

…Kristoff…

…again…

…and, in a horse-drawn–not Sven-draw–carriage, Anna and Elsa.

A closer shot of Anna and Elsa.

There’s not much more to this parade, but Frozen fans love it, and it draws crowds away from the other attractions at the Studios.  So see it if you’d like, or skip it and be thankful for the somewhat shorter lines elsewhere!!

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BAY LAKE TOWER AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Most (but not all) room options at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (a Disney Vacation Club resort) are wonderful places for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay.

For typical first-time visitors, I don’t recommend the Disney Vacation Club resorts. That said, these “DVC” resorts can be a great choice for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Among the Disney Vacation Club resorts, Bay Lake Tower ranks fifth overall for first-time visitors, but specifics vary a lot by room type.

Note: for a review of Disney’s Contemporary Resort itself, click here.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

You can have a spectacular visit at any Walt Disney World resort. However, this site recommends that typical first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the Disney Vacation Club resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. (You can find extensive detail on the DVC resorts here.)

The recommendation comes from the simple fact that the distinguishing feature of these resorts–extra space and full kitchens–will not be of much value to first-time visitors following one of the itineraries on this site, as they won’t be used much.

That said, the Disney Vacation Club resorts represent more than 10% of Walt Disney World’s total rooms, and are very appropriate for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Because of this, I’m providing a series of up-to-date reviews. This review is based on our three stays at Bay Lake Tower, most recently in November 2017. Note that the long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly B., can help you book your Disney World vacation at Bay Lake Tower or anywhere else–contact her at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499.

BAY LAKE TOWER AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort comes in fifth overall of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. (See this for resort rankings.) However, there’s a little variability here depending on room type and family size.

The top four DVC options are at the Wilderness Lodge (Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek Villas) and Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House Villas and Kidani Village), as these resorts have much higher kid appeal and that’s the key component of my ranking logic.

However, you won’t find a resort more convenient to Magic Kingdom than Bay Lake Tower, and all of its One Bedroom Villas and some of its Two Bedroom Villas are quite livable.

• Studio rooms: not recommended.  The bedroom space of Bay Lake Tower Studios, at about 185 square feet, is less than that at the value resorts. (See this for more on bedroom space at the Walt Disney World resorts.) A tower room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is comparably priced and much bigger and more livable than a Bay Lake Tower studio room. If you really need the toaster and microwave you’ll find only in a DVC studio, and want to be near Magic Kingdom, try the studios at the Polynesian Villas or the Villas at the Grand Floridian instead
• One-bedroom Villas: Great livability. The layout of One Bedroom Villas at Bay Lake Tower (more on this below) allows for a second bath–found elsewhere in a one bedroom only at Kidani–and a larger than usual living/dining space.
• Two-bedroom Villas.  There are two types of Two-bedroom villas. One, a “lock-off,” combines a studio with a one-bedroom, via a connecting door, and has the same issues as the studio noted above. The other type, which has as its second bedroom a better two queen space, is quite livable
• Grand Villas: Stunning views from the two story living area, but a cramped living room

Kid Appeal. Disney’s Contemporary Resort itself has moderate kid appeal based largely on the monorail running through the main building of the Contemporary Resort.

While the monorail does not run through Bay Lake Tower, families staying there will be in the Contemporary often enough to share in this kid appeal.

Convenience. Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary are the second-most convenient of the Walt Disney World resort hotels, beaten only by the Polynesian.

This convenience comes from several points:

• It’s the only resort from which one can walk to and from the Magic Kingdom–a godsend on busy days, as this permits avoiding the line for the resort monorail
• On the resort monorail, it’s the first stop when returning from the Magic Kingdom
• The Epcot monorail is the first stop from the Contemporary

OTHER DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF BAY LAKE TOWER

Bay Lake Tower has a number of very strong positives.

It has its own fun pool, nestled inside the footprint of the C-shaped building.

Moreover,

• It is one of only a few Disney Vacation Club resorts that can fit 5 people in a One Bedroom villa, or 9 into a Two Bedroom although, as noted below, fitting 9 is a not-recommended tight fit in lock-off two bedrooms. (See this for more on large families, and this for more on beds and sleeping spaces at Walt Disney World resorts.)
• Changes it reflects to the  layout of the earlier-designed Disney Vacation Club villas makes it among the most livable of DVC one bedroom villas.
  • The kitchen/dining/living room area has been both widened and deepened.
  • This space has been used to add both a second full bath to One-bedroom villas, and enough living space in the living room that it can be used even if the fold-out sleeper sofa is being used.
  • (These kitchen/dining/living room features carry over to two bedroom villas as well.)

Compare the Bay Lake Tower’s One-Bedroom Villa floorplan (above) with that of a similar villa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa below.

(Click the images to enlarge them.)

Bay Lake Tower also has some distinctive negatives.

Most significant of these is the layout of the studio room.

The larger bedroom of lock-off two-bedroom villa (which uses a studio floorplan for its larger bedrooms) also has issues.

The studio room is small in general.

At about 339 square feet (rooms size vary a bit at Bay Lake Tower), it is smaller than any other deluxe room.

More of an issue, the bedroom component, at about 185 square feet, not only is far smaller than those any comparable resort, but also has so little space along the wall with the beds that it is remarkably cramped if the sofa bed is opened.

The wall with the beds is two to three feet too short for comfort.

• I measured about 12″ between the queen bed and the wall, about 16″ between the queen and the fold-out couch, and about 6″ between the couch and the balcony wall.
• These measurements should be around 15″, 30″, and 15″.  With the narrow spacing, the room is remarkably tight when the fold-out couch is open.

If you are fitting just three in the room, and the third can sleep lengthwise on the couch (4′ 6″ of space is here) this is a great room.

Otherwise, tower rooms at the Contemporary are about the same price, and, at 394 square feet–with two queens and a daybed–much more livable.  All you really lose is a microwave and a toaster.

Because the two bedroom lockoff villas share in their larger bedroom the layout of the Studio, this option has the same issues, ameliorated somewhat by the fact that there are other spaces here to go than the bedrooms.

BEST AND WORST ROOMS AT BAY LAKE TOWER

For those seeking a Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney Vacation Club experience, it is best–by far–to reserve a Magic Kingdom view room, and to request a higher floor. The Magic Kingdom view gives much more kid appeal, and avoids noise from the pool. The higher floor improves views and reduces noise even further.

The north elevator is more convenient to most Bay Lake Tower parking, and to the walkway to and from the Magic Kingdom.  The south elevator is more convenient to the skyway bridge between Bay Lake Tower and Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

See the map of Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Resort (as always on this site, to enlarge the image click it.)

BEST FOR:

Larger families, families seeking a bit of extra privacy or more beds, families looking for a more comfortable place to stay, families looking for particularly convenient DVC space.

WORST FOR:

Families looking for a DVC studio or two-bedroom villa (with the exceptions noted above), families on a budget, families looking for a particularly kid-appealing place to stay.

PHOTO TOUR OF A TWO BEDROOM VILLA AT BAY LAKE TOWERS

This review continues here.

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas, see this.

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

Disney’s Beach Club Villas opened in 2002 as the fourth on-site Disney Vacation Club resort.

According to Disney’s web page on the Beach Club Villas, they

“…wrap leisure, elegance and romance into a full-service New England-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort…

…The nautical allure of the Eastern Seaboard comes alive with architecture that features intricate wooden accents and a soft pastel color palette. Retreat to one of our stately Studios with kitchenettes or one of our spacious Villas complete with a kitchen, living area and a host of home-style amenities. Enjoy charming views from your windows and private porch or balcony.”

Designed by the architect who did the rest of the Epcot resorts, Robert A.M. Stern, the Beach Club Villas share the charming “Stick” architecture of sister resort the Beach Club, but are even more graceful and lovely than the sister resort is.

The Beach Club Villas are in fact as lovely as any other resort at Walt Disney World, and are at least comparable in beauty to the Grand Floridian…and perhaps, because of their smaller scale, even more charming.

The smaller scale, angled facade, and more playful detailing of the Beach Club Villas help it better reflect its roots in domestic architecture.

For example, some of the facades include not only the clapboard siding common at the resort but also towers designed with board and batten siding.  A small thing, but one that hints at having a domestic history rather than being a monolith.

The Villas are a lovely sea green, a warmer and more inviting color than the (still-nice) cooler blue of the Beach Club.

Interiors spaces are just as nice, especially the main entry lobby through which guests will walk many times as they access the Beach Club, Epcot, Crescent Lake, and the BoardWalk.

There’s also some fun art…

The Beach Club Villas have many strengths for first time visitors, bringing together the positives of the DVC resorts–extra, more livable space, full kitchens–with those of the Beach Club: access to Stormalong Bay, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The weaknesses of the Beach Club Villas are also shared–many families won’t be in these rooms enough to enjoy their amenities, and the architecture, lovely to adults, is dull to kids.

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MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• For where to stay, see this
  • For your next best choices, in order, see this
  • For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
  • For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
  • For where not to stay, see this

• For what you get in each resort price category, see this
  • For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
  • For resort reviews, see this
  • For the value resorts, see this
  • For the moderate resorts, see this
  • For the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this

• For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this

• Large families should look at this, and also at
  • Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
  • Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Disney World
  • Beds and Sleeping Spaces at the Walt Disney World Resorts
  • Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
  • Suites at Walt Disney World

• Military/DOD families should look at this

• Tightwads should look at this

• Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas, see this.)

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

Disney’s Beach Club Villas is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.

They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.

Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.

The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:

1. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
2. Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
3. Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
7. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
8. Disney’s Riviera Resort
9. Disney’s Beach Club Villas
10. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
11. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
12. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
13. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas

The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.

Disney’s Beach Club Villas opened in 2002 as the fourth on-site Disney Vacation Club resort.

According to Disney’s web page on the Beach Club Villas, they

“…wrap leisure, elegance and romance into a full-service New England-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort…

…The nautical allure of the Eastern Seaboard comes alive with architecture that features intricate wooden accents and a soft pastel color palette. Retreat to one of our stately Studios with kitchenettes or one of our spacious Villas complete with a kitchen, living area and a host of home-style amenities. Enjoy charming views from your windows and private porch or balcony.”

Designed by the architect who did the rest of the Epcot resorts, Robert A.M. Stern, the Beach Club Villas share the charming “Stick” architecture of sister resort the Beach Club, but are even more graceful and lovely than the sister resort is.

The Beach Club Villas are in fact as lovely as any other resort at Walt Disney World, and are at least comparable in beauty to the Grand Floridian…and perhaps, because of their smaller scale, even more charming.

The smaller scale, angled facade, and more playful detailing of the Beach Club Villas help it better reflect its roots in domestic architecture.

For example, some of the facades include not only the clapboard siding common at the resort but also towers designed with board and batten siding.  A small thing, but one that hints at having a domestic history rather than being a monolith.

The Villas are a lovely sea green, a warmer and more inviting color than the (still-nice) cooler blue of the Beach Club.

Interiors spaces are just as nice, especially the main entry lobby through which guests will walk many times as they access the Beach Club, Epcot, Crescent Lake, and the BoardWalk.

There’s also some fun art…

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas have Studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.

Most have Grand Villas as well.

Disney’s Beach Club Villas does not have Grand Villas. The other three room types are covered on this page.

STUDIOS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

At Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Studios sleep five and have a microwave and mini fridge.

The microwave is one of several ways Studios are different from regular rooms at the Beach Club.

• A second distinction is that the second bed is a full fold-out couch, rather than a queen.
• A third is that the third bed is a flip-down that takes away the small table when down.  The third bed in standard Beach Club rooms is a convertible couch (some Beach Club rooms don’t have the couch).
• The studios are about 30 square feet smaller than standard rooms at the Beach Club, and they feel even smaller than this, as the bath/entry hall area of the studios is larger than that in standard Beach Club rooms.

These studios go for about the same price as regular standard view Beach Club rooms.  I don’t see how the microwave makes up for the smaller living space, smaller second bed and loss of the table when the third bed is in use, so I can’t recommend these rooms over the Beach Club itself for first time family visitors.

A photo tour of a Beach Club Villas Studio begins here.

ONE-BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

One-Bedroom Villas at the Beach Club have a master bedroom with a king bed.

They have as well a full kitchen/dining/ living space, a washer/dryer, and sleep 4 in about twice the space of a studio.

The two additional sleeping spots are on a good-sized but thin fold-out couch in the living room space.

The bath is shared, with access to it from both spaces. The kids on the sofa bed don’t need to enter the master bedroom to get to this bath.

One-Bedroom Villas are among the most comfortable ways to stay at Walt Disney World.

Depending on the price season, these villas are only around 40-50% more expensive than a standard Beach Club room, for twice the space.

The additional space, full kitchen, and living and dining furniture are hard to beat, even though if you are following one of this site’s itineraries you won’t be in your room much to enjoy them!

They aren’t for everyone…but the value is there if you can afford it and your family fits.

A photo tour of a One Bedroom Villa begins here.

TWO-BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

Two-Bedroom Villas add a second bedroom to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 8 or 9.

Some second bedrooms are simply connecting Studios. These Villas thus sleep 9, and are depicted in the floor plan above.

Others were designed from the start to be part of a dedicated Two Bedroom Villa, and these–typically–have two queens in their second bedroom, sleep eight, and replace the Studio’s kitchenette with a closet. See the floor plan below.

Two-Bedroom Villas can be either cramped or comfortable, depending both on how you use them and what you are comparing them to.

Like many DVC Two-Bedroom Villas, in Disney’s Beach Club Villas Two-Bedrooms there isn’t enough seating space in either the living room or in the dining spaces for all the people these rooms will fit.

The living room chairs will seat three to four people, with two more chairs available at the kitchen’s breakfast bar.

The dining table will seat five comfortably and at most six.

So if you are filling a two bedroom with 8 or 9 people, things can get awkward, especially compared to the ease with which One-Bedroom Villas fit the people they can sleep.

These space issues are part of the reason why these rooms are only about 50-80% more expensive than One Bedroom Villas, even though they have double the sleeping capacity.

On the other hand, depending on the price season, a Two-Bedroom is only 10-20% more than two standard Beach Club Resort rooms, but provides 50% more space, and, compared to those rooms, all that extra kitchen/dining/living space and furniture.

If your family’s sleeping needs will fit in the bedrooms–that is, if you don’t need to use the fold-out bed in the living space–Two-Bedrooms are a particularly comfortable option.

(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)

The Beach Club Villas have many strengths for first time visitors, bringing together the positives of the DVC resorts–extra, more livable space, full kitchens–with those of the Beach Club: access to Stormalong Bay, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The weaknesses of the Beach Club Villas are also shared–many families won’t be in these rooms enough to enjoy their amenities, and the architecture, lovely to adults, is dull to kids.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

This review continues here.

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at the Beach Club Villas or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

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