Staying Steps From Magic Kingdom At Bay Lake Tower

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We share what it’s really like to stay at Bay Lake Tower, the DVC resort connected to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and why the walkable location near Magic Kingdom can change your whole trip. We also get honest about room size, food options, and the simplest way to make a deluxe resort fit your budget. 
• Contemporary Resort highlights, updated rooms, and why it’s an icon 
• Best nearby dining, including California Grill, Steakhouse 71, and Chef Mickey’s 
• What Bay Lake Tower is and how the skybridge connection works 
• Villa options vs deluxe studio, who each room fits best 
• Deluxe studio pros and cons, including the smaller bathroom and space limits 
• Kitchenette and entryway storage details that improve comfort 
• First-floor patio expectations and why pool walk-out is unlikely 
• Bay Cove Pool features, slide, kids area, and refurbishment reminders 
• Quiet homey feel due to no on-site dining or shop 
• Theme park view perks, fireworks from the balcony, and the Water Pageant 
• Why the 10-minute walk and private security entrance is the top benefit 
• Pricing reality and the best budgeting tip, booking early with a payment plan 
You can send me a message through the link in the show notes. 
You can email me at ginny at trolleylanetravel.com. 
My quote form link will be in the show notes as well.

Transcript

Why Bay Lake Tower Matters

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Imagine arriving at your Walt Disney World vacation and staying at the resort that is closest to Magic Kingdom. Just a short walk with its own security entrance, just overall making your experience at the parks in your vacation a little bit more streamlined. In today's episode, we are talking all about Bay Lake Tower, which is a DVC resort connected to Disney's Contemporary Resort. Disney's Contemporary Resort is one of the original resorts that opened at the same time Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World did in 1971. I am going to be sharing our own personal experience staying at this resort and just a little bit about the history and what makes this resort so unique. Welcome to Disney Travel Tales. I am your host Jenny, and this show is just about Disney vacations, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney cruises. Sometimes we throw in a little bit of universal. If you love traveling to Disney, if you want to travel to Disney, or just love the idea of it, then this is the show for you. New episodes drop every Monday.

Contemporary Resort Highlights And Dining

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If you have traveled to Walt Disney World, then you are definitely familiar with the contemporary resort right next to Magic Kingdom. This is the famous A-Frame hotel that has the monorail that runs directly through the center of it. This resort has been kind of an icon at Walt Disney World for a long time, since the opening. They recently updated all the rooms in the resort, which gives it a cleaner feel than in the past. The Contemporary Resort also boasts many amazing restaurants. You have the famous California Grill, which is on the top floor. We've dined there and had an amazing experience. On our first family trip, we came over to the Contemporary. We were not staying there, but we had dinner up there. And it was during, it was in the evening right before sunset. So as the sun was setting, the chef came out and did a toast to and just like welcomed everyone and said, enjoy the amazing California girl sunset. It was actually quite a special experience for our family. We really enjoyed that. The food was also really well as really good as well. It's a signature style dining, so just expect that when it comes to dress code and prices. Another fantastic restaurant over at the Contemporary Resort is Steakhouse 71. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have ate breakfast there before and it was fantastic, very, very good. And it's a nice place to stop in if you're wanting a good meal close to Magic Kingdom before your Magic Kingdom day, or even this would be a great option to have a just break in the middle of the day and head over here for a meal. Probably the most famous dining option over at the contemporary resort is Chef Mickey's. We also ate here on our very first trip with just our two boys, and it's a great opportunity to get to meet Mickey and his friends and not have to stand in line for it. It's a buffet style meal with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the characters come by, stop at your table, and give you a little one-on-one time. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal the time that we ate it here, and again, I do think this would be a good option to do on your Magic Kingdom Day, either at the start of the day or a nice break or dinner. The Contemporary Resort has multiple room options where you can stay in the classic A-frame with a water view or a theme park view, or you can stay in the garden wing, which is a smaller group of rooms located to the side of the resort. And these rooms don't offer theme park views, but you can stay here at a lower cost and still get all the amenities of the contemporary resort. When we stayed at this resort, we stayed in the main A-frame and had a water view room. Our room was really large, that's one of the things that I remember. We stayed here in June, this June 2024, and it was just very spacious. We loved it. It was just my son and I. Probably the best part of this resort is the proximity to Magic Kingdom and also having the monorail to head over to the TTC, which eventually takes you over to Epcop.

What Bay Lake Tower Is

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On our last trip in March of this year, 2026, we stayed at Bay Lake Tower, and that's kind of where I want to concentrate this episode on. Bay Lake Tower is the DVC portion of the Contemporary. So a lot of the deluxe hotels will have a DVC portion. Now they had to, because of the classic style of the contemporary and kind of the landlock that it was on, they decided just to build a separate tower to put these DVC rooms in that still would be connected and part of the Contemporary, but it's essentially its own building. There is a sky bridge on the fifth floor that you can walk back and forth from the resorts, or you can just go down to the lobby. It's very easy to get around, not at all confusing, and even though it is separate, it does have a nice cohesive feel. So over at Bailey Tower, what makes it a little bit different from the contemporary is it doesn't have your traditional large lobby area. So it does have a small lobby, which most DVC resorts want you to feel more like you're at home as opposed to a hotel. So it has a small desk and it also has a small bell service desk where you can check in if you don't check in through the app, and there are people there to assist you with any issues that might arise during your stay. They offer different styles of villas. There are one bedroom, two bedroom, and three-bedroom villas. Each of these features a fully equipped kitchen, spacious living and dining area, separate bedrooms, a washer and dryer, and then you get either a private porch or a balcony. This room would be really perfect for a larger family staying, maybe wanting to eat some meals in their room. Also, for you know, if the adults would like just a separate space from their kids. I think for a longer trip, having separate spaces when you're traveling as a family is kind of key to keeping everyone happy and making sure that your vacation is comfortable. While we didn't stay at a villa at this resort, I have stayed in villas before and I absolutely love staying there. Villas are a little bit more expensive, but towards the end of this episode, I am going to give tips on how to make this a realistic option for your family. This resort also offers a deluxe studio, which features a kitchenette, a queen bed, and then a pull-down Murphy bed that's also a queen size.

Room Types And Who They Fit

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Along with that is one bathroom and then a balcony or porch. There's also a table and chairs for a little sitting area, which was nice. You know, your typical dresser and television. It also had a nice size closet and entryway. So our room was a deluxe studio because it was just my daughter and I staying there. We were on the first floor, which I sometimes enjoy this particular trip. I did just so that we could avoid the elevator situation since we were only staying here for one night. I actually booked this trip if you listened to the last podcast of our trip report, just so that we could have walking distance to Magic Kingdom. Our room was very comfortable. I will say I've stayed in other deluxe studios, and this one felt a tiny bit small. The bathroom area was actually very small. It only had a small sink area. The toilet and shower was all in the same bathroom. They weren't, it wasn't a split bathroom. It was fine for us, especially just being two people for one night, but I probably would not stay more than two people in this room. The only other option that I think might be comfortable is two adults and one small child. Other than that, you are going to run out of space and might feel a little bit cramped. When people talk about traveling to Disney and not wanting to spend a lot of money on a room, I can understand that. But I also think that you will probably be spending a little bit more time in your room than you thought. And so when you are in your room, I think being comfortable is most important. One thing that I absolutely loved about this resort was the kitchenette area. It's almost like a small hallway, but it's completely separate from the other areas of the room, which I really enjoyed and had not experienced before. I stayed in Adeleux studio over at the boardwalk resort, and that kitchenette was almost just kind of in the entryway pushed against the wall, which was fine. However, this kitchenette was actually its own space. I think if you are staying for an extended amount of time, it's going to give you a great option for storing snacks, bringing home leftovers to put in the fridge, and the coffee area itself was amazing. It had a full-size carrig coffee pop, which I really appreciated because I love coffee. So that was just a nice setup, lots of space. It wasn't in the way of anyone, you know, trying to charge their devices, which a lot of times, you know, people when your coffee area is kind of in the regular room, people are charging things, they have stuff all over the counters. And so this was really a nice designated place to be able to put your food and snacks. When you walk into the room, the room

Studio Review And Smart Layout Details

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does have a really nice large size entryway, which I also appreciated for storage. You could easily stick some extra, you know, if you had a stroller, this would be a great spot to stick your stroller. We stuck some of our extra luggage there in bags, and it kind of got it out of the sleeping area of the room, which kept our room nice and clean. Even though we were only there for a short amount of time, these are just little things that I did appreciate for the time that we were there. Since we were on the first floor, we had a really nice patio that overlooked the pool area. We were offset directly from the pool, so it was more of a sitting, walking around area, but we could definitely see the pool from our balcony. Our balcony was also lined with hedges and landscaping. While everything was really low, like shin level when you stood up, there is no way to walk from your patio to like the pool or this area. You would have to walk through all of the landscaping. So I do feel like that is also something people think, oh, I want first floor, so we can just walk out to the pool. That's not really a great option. I wouldn't walk through the landscaping to get to the pool. Also, that would mean you would have to leave your patio unlocked, which could cause problems in its own. I really enjoyed this space sitting out there drinking my coffee in the morning because it was very peaceful. It was so clean. That was one of the other things I really noticed about this resort, just the cleanliness. It felt so clean and quiet and nice, very peaceful. I thoroughly loved it. I would definitely stay here again.

Patio Realities And Resort Atmosphere

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The resort does have its own pool called the Bay Cove Pool, and it has a 20-foot water slide that's surrounded by glass blocks. There's also a spa, and there's a little place that you can get food and like little snacks while you're out at the pool. There's also a children's water play area for little kids who might not like swimming or might want a little break from swimming to run around and have fun. While we were there, the pool was under refurbishment. That didn't affect us, and I was aware of that going into this stay. But that is definitely something to keep in mind if you do want to stay here. Make sure the pool is up and running because the slide looked pretty amazing. When we stayed at the contemporary resort, we actually did use the pool over there. And if I remember correctly, the slide was just okay for us, especially because we had been doing a split stay and had come from another resort that had an amazing slide. So I think this pool, the slide would actually, you know, stand up against some of the better slides at other resorts. It looked really fun and it's also 20 foot, which is really tall, so you must go pretty fast on it. This resort does not have its own store and it does not have any restaurant options. Because of that Skybridge or just walking over to the Contemporary, it's really easy to just get over there and hop into some of their restaurants. The Contemporary also has a quick service called Contempo Cafe. That's really just like your basic quick service hotel food. So, you know, ordering food online or just walking over there and eating would not be an issue at all. It also keeps some of the traffic down over on this side of the resort. So I did appreciate that. It felt very homey and the just wasn't full of like guest visiting. It really just felt like the people who were staying at this resort were the only people at this resort because there really wouldn't be a reason for anyone else to come over here since it's typically just rooms. As I had mentioned before, this resort is the closest resort to Magic Kingdom. So when you stay here and you have a theme park view, you're practically in Magic Kingdom's backyard. I think that would be such a fun and special experience to be able to have, and definitely one that the next time I stay here, I'm going to try and snag. I mean, imagine sitting on your balcony and watching Happily Ever After light up the night sky after a long park day. I think this would be a fantastic option as well for families who have small kids and maybe want to see the fireworks, but just can't stay in the park that late. Another really fun nighttime opportunity when you're staying at any of

Pool Features And Refurb Notes

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the resorts on the Seven Seas Lagoon is the Nighttime Water Pageant. It is so fun, and it's an electric light up parade that sails through by each of the resorts on the Seven Seas Lagoon, and it's just a really fun, easy, free opportunity to just have a little bit of Disney magic at the resort you're already staying at. I would say that our experience at Bay Lake Tower was probably one of the best resort experiences we've ever had. I am very excited to go back and stay one day and just stay for a longer period of time so I really can enjoy everything that this resort has to offer. Our favorite thing about the resort was hands down the location to Magic Kingdom. It's probably a 10-minute walk and you get to go through your own security. It's just so convenient. If Magic Kingdom is your family's favorite resort or park, then I think you really should consider staying at this resort because it definitely will cut down on your travel time, just leaving you more opportunity to spend at the park. Magic Kingdom tends to be the best park for little kids as well. And so staying here would give you such easy flexibility to be able to stop back by the room in the middle of the day for those mid-afternoon naps or just rest time. When I am planning our vacations, I really like to take a lot of different things into account, and one is just being comfortable and not having to worry about or stress about transportation to the parks. Staying here definitely satisfied that for me. I never once stressed about how I was going to get to the park. It was super easy, just a walk. No worry about standing in those long bus lines at the end of the day. Now let's talk about pricing. So

Food Options And The Skybridge

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let's say you're sitting there and you're like, yeah, I'm a little bit convinced this is where I want to stay, and you go look at the prices. Let's be honest, you might have a little bit of sticker shock because the pricing on this resort is a bit higher, but you have to keep in mind everything that you're getting by staying here. So of course it's gonna be higher. You can't stay right next to Magic Kingdom and pay a value price. So let's talk about my number one tip for being able to budget for staying at one of these higher price point deluxe resorts. My number one tip is book out as early as you can. And I say this because Disney will allow you to make payments on your vacation with no interest. So if you're listening to this in real time, the vacation packages for 2027 just opened. As of right now, I am booking clients through October 31st of 2027. So we are in April. Let's say you book for October of 2027. That's a really long time to pay off your vacation. So this is the perfect opportunity to maybe book a two-bedroom villa at Bay Lake or at another one of the deluxe resorts because you're going to have so much time that you're able to set up a payment plan. I work with clients all the time, and this is another reason that I personally think you should work with a travel agent, is we will make payments for you. So you don't have to go

Views Fireworks And Water Pageant

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in and make your payment every month. My clients will just say, hey, I want to pay this much every month, and I make it happen for them. If for some reason it comes up that they need to skip a payment, they just send me a quick text or email and I don't make that payment for them. But this is the best way for you to be able to experience one of these amazing hotels, one of these amazing suite style rooms without breaking your budget. Another thing to keep in mind, and this is what a lot of people don't realize, but if you book right now for 2027 and then they offer a promotion as your travel agent, I'll go in and see if it saves you any money. But here's the thing a lot of times it actually doesn't save my clients money when they book this far ahead. Disney is going to raise tickets at some point. And so when you get that lower ticket price, you already have the lower room rate, you're most of the time good to go. So I would love to hear back from you. If you have ever stayed at either Bay Lake Tower or Contemporary Resort, let me know what your experience was. Of course, everyone has different experiences at resorts. I always love hearing the feedback, good or bad, because all we can do is constantly learn from the experiences that we have that other people have. It's really the best way to just be informed for your next Walt Disney World vacation. You can send me a message through the link in the show notes. You can email me at ginny at trolleylanetravel.com. If you're interested in getting a quote for 2027, like I said, vacation packages just opened. Right now is the best time to book your vacation for 2027. And all it takes is a $200 deposit. That deposit is fully refundable. But it will just log in those prices for you. So if something comes up and you need to move dates, it's no big deal. We can easily work with that. My quote form link will be in the show notes as well. As of right now, next week, I am going to talk about Universal's newest kids' resort coming to Texas. I did some training on this resort last week, some in-person training, and it's going to be amazing. It's a park and hotel all wrapped in one, and I am so excited to share everything that I learned about this resort with you next Monday. So until then, this is Jenny, and may all your Disney travel dreams come true.