I’ve been to Bay Lake Tower twice already, and just booked another stay for October 2013.

LOCATION – 5 minute walk to Magic Kingdom in the early morning is wonderful and refreshing. 5 minute walk FROM Magic Kingdom at the end of a night with a tired child (and just as tired parents) is essential and cannot be beat. Think of it like this – other guests are still standing in line and hoping to get onto the next bus, and praying to have a seat on said bus, while you are already in your room, getting ready for bed.

ROOMS – I love chic, modern style accommodations of the Bay Lake Tower. You are still fully immersed in Disney magic, but now it’s combined with a feeling of luxury you get at top-of-the-line hotels. Everything is comfortable, well thought-out, properly maintained. Breakfast in the room saves you a ton of money in Disney. Kitchens at Bay Lake Tower are a pleasure to cook at (as much as any vacation-time cooking can be a pleasure LOL). Washer and drier is great, and saves me from bringing my entire closet for a week’s vacation. Balcony (in my lakeview room) offer an amazing sight. I really enjoyed having my morning coffee on the balcony and watching the sunrise over the Bay Lake.

JACUZZY - ok, so here is a little tip for the first time Disney visitors: I don’t care what physical shape you are in, I don’t care how much time you spend in the gym, at the end of the day you will be tired…really, really tired. I used some of that empty space in my suitcase to bring Epsom salts, and made it a part of my ritual to soak in a Jacuzzi tub (in the master bathroom!!!) every night for 20 minutes.

POOL – I wish I could say we spent a lot of time lounging by the pool, but honestly we were in the park most of the time. The 1 or 2 times that we went to the pool, it was not crowded at all, the water was just the right temperature, and the kids had a separate safe water area to splash around in which gave me an opportunity to relax for a few minutes. Slide is great, and my husband and I both went on it several times “for our daughter…”

OUTDOOR HOT TUB – Great jets, perfect temperature, excellent to massage & regenerate sore muscles. The one cool thing is that at night you can watch the Electrical Water Pageant straight from the hot tub. It’s not a perfect/clear view, but it’s a very cook feeling to be soaking in the tub while watching the pageant and listening to the music.

TOP OF THE WORLD LOUNGE – I like getting a drink & a late-night snack at the lounge after the kids went to bed. It has a terrace with a very convenient view of the fireworks, though I honestly prefer to see them from the park when they are right on top of me.

CONNECTION TO CONTEMPORARY/ALL OTHER MONORAIL RESORTS – this is so important for my family! One minute we are living in our own little world at the tower, next we need something from a shop of want to go to a restaurant, or check out the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian, or whatever…. It is all right there, all easily accessible.

IMO, Bay Lake Tower is the best DVC on property (so far). Don’t take me wrong, I love walking around the Boardwalk or Downtown Disney are. But the resorts located there are just not up to snuff in comparison to Bay Lake. The décor of the Boardwalk-area resort rooms seems dated, the rooms have this “old person’s home” smell and feeling. Pool at the Beach Club is fabulous, but that’s doesn’t make me want to stay there as I am not spending $$$$$ on park tickets to spend a lot of time by the pool. Location to the parks is NOT convenient: yes, we can walk to EPCOT from BC, but it’s the back entrance of EPCOT!!! It takes almost 10 minutes to walk from the back to the front, and each morning you end up being well behind the crowds that got to the front entrance at rope drop. You have to take a water taxi or the bus to all other parks/resorts. I’m not trying to be negative about other resorts, they are just better for a different type of Disney vacationer (someone who is less focused on the parks, and is more focused on the relaxation aspect).

Congrats Disney on a job well done here!

Cannot fault this resort for location (five minute walk to Magic Kingdom!) and the free travel to the parks -offered at every Disney hotel - is especially great, as you are not restricted just to overcrowded (and late!) buses, as you have the monorail from the Contemporary Resort which takes you to Magic Kingdom (+ Magic Kingdom resorts) and Epcot vis the TTC. Rooms are lovely, all DVC suites, we booked a studio Lake View, and we ended up with an AMAZING view of Magic Kingdom AND Bay Lake! Bonus! The rooms are clean and spacious, with the kitchenette seperate from the main room and bathroom. As for food/restaurant choices, there are none inside of BLT but we didn't mind as there is endless choice five minutes away inside Magic Kingdom and of course, Contemporary. Worth all the vacation points you spend on it!

This was a Disney trip with grandparents, parents, and grandchildren over the Disney Marathon Weekend. Bay Lake Towerat the Contemporary Hotel suited our needs perfectly. The 2 bedroom villa is very spacious, family friendly, and the kitchen and laundry room have everything you can possibly need. The tower is calm and quiet unlike some of the other properties, and the Contemporary Hotel is so close for dining, shopping needs, and the monorail. Bay Lake Tower has a family friendly pool with water slides for bigones and little ones, as well as a fun shower splash area. I was truly impressed with the cast members who provided activities all day in the pool area, and built a bonfire for toasting marshmallows in the evening. Parking is very close to the building. The staff in the Tower are friendly and very accommodating. You can get rooms with a view of the Magic Kingdom, but if you choose not to pay extra for that, there are Bay Lake views where you can see the fireworks at EPCOT. I would happily return to this magical Disney property. The extra bonus is that you can walk to and from the Magic Kingdom.

We stayed here from 12/28-1/2 precisely because I wanted to be able to walk back from the Magic Kingdom after New Year's Eve, without having to deal with Disney transportation.

The rooms are nice. We had a one bedroom lake view room. It was great having a separate living room, kitchen, bedroom. I loved the washer and dryer in the unit and the two bathrooms.

Our room was in good condition except one lamp did not work, and we were missing a blanket for the sleeper chair in the living room. That was the first problem. We called and requested a blanket. It did not arrive. After about 45 minutes, we called again. We were told that no one had noted the request but that they would bring us a blanket. After about 20 more minutes of no blanket, I walked down to the front desk and asked for a blanket. Finally, one of the front desk clerks brought the blanket about 15 minutes later. I'm not sure why getting a blanket requires such begging, but it was disappointing.

The location is great. It's easy enough to walk over to the Contemporary for restaurants and shops and then to walk to the Magic Kingdom.

The pool area is okay but not spectacular. It was not crowded when we were there.

The one thing we did not like much was that the rooms were not themed at all. To me, the hotel could have been any large, modern hotel in any big city.

I am glad we stayed here once. I am not sure if we will stay again.