My husband, my 3 years old and I stayed in a studio at the Bay Lake Tower hotel for 3 nights and we really enjoyed it.
It’s a very quiet hotel with excellent room service, good size rooms, comfortable beds and a nice kitchenette space.

The only thing I found a bit annoying is the fact that the vast majority of the services (restaurants, market, monorail) are
located in the Contemporary Hotel. A gateway on the fourth floor of the Bay Tower gives access to the Contemporary Hotel.

We loved the Bay Lake Tower but we will most probably try the Contemporary Hotel the next time.

We booked with davids Disney vacation club rentals. I definitely recommend using this company!!

Check in: We arrived around 10am and was greeted outside but a man with an iPad with all of our info (pretty cool!)
We were escorted to the front desk where there was no line. The woman taking care of us was very kind but sooooooooo slow. We were getting a little annoyed but got over it quickly. Our room was ready right away.

The room: we were on the 8th floor with a partial view of the pool and bay. The room was super clean (I have high expectations for cleanliness). The room is exactly how I see it on the websites and the pics on here. We were close to the elevator and coming and going was never an issue.

Accessibility to the parks: magic kingdom is walking distance! You can also take the monorail as well. You can also take the monorail to Epcot from the hotel!! We took the bus to HS but had no problems with that at all.

Downfall: since it is a vacation club, your room is not serviced by housekeeping daily. You can call down to them to get more towels, etc. one morning we called first thing for towels, when we got back to the room (8-9pm) the towels still weren't there! Another time we needed towels it took over an hr to get them. That is the only major complaint we had but it didn't by any means ruin our fun!

Restaurants on site: chef mickeys is a must do! The food quality is basic but the experience is great! We do it every time we go to Disney. The wave: located on the bottom floor. It is part of the dining plan. The food was great! Service was excellent. I would def eat there again! The cafe located next to chef mickeys: suprisingly for quick service it was not bad. My chopped salad was nothing special but my husbands flatbread steak pizza was good. The kids chicken nuggets were pretty good, too LOL.

Boat rental: we rented a boat for about an hr. you do not need prior experience to ride their boats. This was our second time doing it. The guys are great in the rental area. We took the boat out on the bay and went past all the surrounding hotels and MK!! It's a new family tradition!

The arcade at the contemporary was nice. High quality games and the kids and myself enjoyed it. The man who drew the caricature pictures was cheaper than in the parks! The souvenir stores carry a good amount of goodies!

Check out: we didn't haven't to check out at the front desk. Our luggage went right to the airport BUT our one suitcase wasn't on our flight home. Not sure who is to blame but we got It the next day.

Magical express transfers are great. We have to make 3 stops to the neighboring hotels but it goes by fast. The buses are clean and new looking!

Overall, we were very impressed with the location and with the company we booked through. We will def go back to bay lake but also would like to try the other vacation clubs such as grand Floridian when it's done!

I travel a lot for business and love staying at Hiltons and Kimptons for their modern decor and ample amenities. When I visit Disney World, I'm used to rooms being a bit more dated and/or themed - after all, Disney isn't going after business travelers, but rather family vacationers. Bay Lake manages to give you Disney themeing while also providing modern decor and ambiance - it's the best of both worlds if you're like me and want a more modern hotel experience.

Our room, while not huge, was well laid-out and offered ample storage space, especially in the kitchenette that felt like a kitchen you'd find in an apartment, not a kitchenette in a hotel room. The bathroom has one of the nicest showers - both in terms of design and water pressure - I've found at Disney. The layout of the room is such that the sleeping area is set back quite a ways from the door, so as a light sleeper I slept better here than I do at most Disney hotels.

The Magic Kingdom is also within walking distance, a huge bonus if you're like me and don't love relying on Disney transportation. Some people may not love having to walk to and from the main Contemporary building for restaurants, shopping, and transportation, but I enjoyed the separation and the serenity I could find at Bay Lake. I can't wait to go back again.

First, we are DVC members. I think that is always important to point out because we have already "paid" for our accommodations. I believe reviews are different based on whether you are outright paying for this hotel stay or whether you are a DVC member and have already paid for it upfront.

With that being said, we were very excited to stay at Bay Lake. The rooms are beautiful, clean, and large with comfy beds. We have a family of five (all three children are 8 and under) and fit perfectly in a 1 bedroom villa. We booked our room for a Lakeview and luckily ended up with a half Lakeview/half Parkview. We could see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from our balcony each night. We were on the 3rd floor, so we couldn't see the castle, but we still could see the fireworks.

TIP#1: To be perfectly honest, I would not pay the extra (or use the extra points) for the Magic Kingdom view because you can go up to the Observation Deck for the show (which isn't really that long) and watch it all there for FREE.

Bay Lake also has lots of other activities going on for the kids and the pool is much better than the one at the Contemporary (although the slide was closed for refurbishment the week we were there which our kids were not happy about. lol). But, you may use either pool. They have nightly campfires, games by the pool. activities at their own community hall.

As far as convenience, Bay Lake is by far best in comparison to other resorts we have stayed at. You have the walkway to the Magic Kingdom (or the monorail).....

TIP#1: If you don't mind the walk, take the walkway TO the MK, because they make 3 stops on the monorail going to the MK. On the way home though - when you are tired anyway, take the monorail....Contemporary is the first stop.

You also can take the monorail to EPCOT. We did not have any major problems with waiting for busses at all.

The access by covered walkway to the Contemporary was so nice. There you have Chef Mickey's and shops and a market (which is nice to fill up your kitchen with cereal and milk for the kids breakfasts). There is a beauty salon and barber shop on the third floor at the Contemporary as well. The quick service dining at the Contempo Café was great at the Contemporary, too. My husband got the Mahi Mahi sandwich two different times we ate in there because it was so good.

The staff was completely All-Out Disney here. Excellent customer service and always telling us to have a "Magical" day. Or asking the kids if they had a fun day upon our return. My husband played golf and the staff was wonderful to help plan his travels to and from the Disney golf courses.

TIP#3: If you golf, you will have to pick up the cab from the Contemporary, so be prepared to carry your clubs over there. Although, I am sure you could have someone do it for you if you want to pay for it.

All in all, Bay Lake met all of my expectations and then some. In the past, we have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk Villas, Saratoga Springs, Port Orleans, and even the campgrounds. Bay Lake is one of my top picks due to the convenience alone. My husband's favorites are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge for the ambiance (which are beautiful), not for the convenience and apparently ambiance ranks higher with him. It's close for me, but the convenience gave Bay Lake the top spot in my book! Hope this helps! Enjoy!!!!