Reviews of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)

Reviews

69

Rating

8.61 / 10

Recommended By

99%



Reviewed by nlg0517 Review Date: 09/14/2014

Rating: (4)
Recommended

This isn't my favorite resort. I've wanted to stay here for a while thinking it would be fun to be on the monorail line. That fun was gone our first morning to use the monorail as it was very crowded. The lobby in the Comtemporary was very noisy & crowded at almost all times of the day. I've never seen so many strollers in all my life!
The bed in master bed was sagging on one side & there was literally writing on the bathroom wall.
As for the positive, we had a party of 5 including a 15 yo girl, so 2 bathrooms were great! The California Grill was fantastic! It was great to see the fireworks from the resort. The staff was always friendly & helpful. A 5 minute walk to MK can't be beat. However, for the cost I'd rather stay at an EPCOT resort.

Pros:

Close to MK

Cons:

Crowded monorail
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Reviewed by johnboywallnut Review Date: 05/24/2014

Rating: (5)
Not Recommended

Room had trash in it on arrival, and need some repair work. Pool is small and loud

Pros:

easy to get to disney world and epcot

Cons:

Need repairs
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Reviewed by Wendy Writes Review Date: 05/04/2014

Rating: (5)
Recommended

Unfortunately, as I have experienced with other DVC locations it is showing wear and tear.
The carpet was stained and when we pulled out the sleeper sofa there was garbage behind the headboard area.
There were leftover items in the drawers in the kitchen.
They missed towel replenishment on day 4 and when we contacted them they said we would need to pay.
DVC is a wonderful idea but for the annual dues we pay we expect a fully cleaned room upon check in and top rate service, not second class. I wonder if anyone else in DVC feels that way about the upkeep.

Pros:

Great Location

Cons:

Cleanliness
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Reviewed by magicmonette Review Date: 05/13/2013

Rating: (5)
Recommended

Our stay was May 11-14. Used points for a Lake View Studio and was given a #**37 room facing BLT OTHER wing. If I sit at end of balcony and lean, I can see the lake. It was NOT worth the extra points!

My room was not ready when arrived, which was ok. Checked back little after 3:00 and was told don't know when will be ready. "Could hang out for another hour." All very rudely, as if I was bothering them. It was about to rain, so I picked up my bag from bell services. Kind girl encouraged me to ask again. I did and they had room.

The room was very disappointing. First, I got off elevator to vomit all over the floor and a WATCH YOUR STEP SIGN. Yuck! The view was not what I paid for, the furnishings were tattered, the carpet was quite stained, the sleeper hadn't been put back neatly (could see the bedding), table wobbly...overall just not up to standards of AKVs and other resorts at Disney.

The grounds are lackluster, and a friend I texted pictures (with no negative description) said tell those people to get a broom and sweep. After I reviewed the picture, I realized there was quite a bit of debris on the ground.

I had preordered some groceries to be delivered by the DVC staff and after 24 hours, I called. As with EVERYTHING at BLT, I was told to GO tithe Contemporary and talk to them. I went to Fantasia Market and after many minutes of research, Iris discovered BLT staff delivered it to wrong room, even though it clearly said all of my info on the ticket. She took time to reverse charges and apologized profusely.

The CMs at BLT also could not figure out my dining test reservation (that THEY gave me) and told me to go over to MK City Hall. Poor guy there said they were not even on that system and couldn't help me, and was quite befuddled as to why they sent me there. That was never resolved. I gave up. There are other examples of bad service, but will stop now.

I would ONLY recommend someone stay here for the location, but only if other monorail or WL resorts are full. This would be last resort, and mostly because the staff is the worst (with exception of Bell services and the greeters outside) that I have EVER experienced in my 40+ visited staying on property. Also, It is not beautiful or upscale, and you pay prices to receive deluxe accommodations. But the location to MK is perfect.

Pros:

Location to Magic Kingdom, monorail, and water transport

Cons:

Rude, lazy and generally unhelpful staff (cast members), cheap tattered furnishings, lackluster theming
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Reviewed by simg1f Review Date: 01/13/2014

Rating: (6)
Recommended

Between 10/12/13-10/19/13, my party and i stayed at Bay Lake Towers.

We have stayed at this hotel in the past and were excited to return.

The experience that we had at this establishment this time around was positive overall.

While some of the staff members at this resort were incompetent and the door handle to one of the doors to one of the rooms broke, the decor of this hotel was gorgeous and clean.

I'd definitely stay at this establishment again and would recommend it to others.

Pros:

Close to the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary Resort and a monorail station

Cons:

Broken door handle and some of the staff were incompetent
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Reviewed by brumcg Review Date: 06/06/2013

Rating: (6)
Recommended

Let's face it, Bay Lake is a great place. You won't go wrong staying here.

I did think the place was showing a little bit of wear however.

The monorail didn't live up to my expectations. We often had to stand, and the trips back and forth to Epcot were rough on my wife (bad knees).

Top of the World Lounge also missed my expectations. Viewing Wishes outside lead to battles with bugs and cigarette smoke.

The theme/style just isn't my cup of tea (not the resort's fault).

Loved the Wave, the views, and the friendly staff.

Pros:

Friendly staff

Cons:

Already showing some wear, theming
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Reviewed by jensmousemagictravel Review Date: 02/16/2021

Rating: (7)
Recommended

I enjoyed staying at Bay Lake Tower. I love the Disney-inspired artwork in the rooms; however, they were decorated like a normal hotel. With the exception of the artwork and the theme park views, the room itself felt like a normal hotel room. Walking to Magic Kingdom is an amazing perk. Also, I found the most amazing monorail view. It's a fireworks viewing area but it's right under the monorail tracks and gives such an awesome video spot!

Pros:

The amazing theme park views! Plus I saw the boats going out and coming in at the beginning and end of each day.

Cons:

A little bit of a walk from Bay Lake Tower to the main Contemporary lobby.
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Reviewed by Anondisney Review Date: 01/12/2021

Rating: (7)
Recommended

We found the theming to be basic compared to the offer resorts in the area (Poly, Grand Flo), but the walk to Magic and being connected to the Contemporary's food and the Monorail to Epcot can't be beat.

Pros:

Close to magic

Cons:

Basic theming
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Reviewed by MomRN59 Review Date: 09/26/2018

Rating: (7)
Recommended

Would definitely recommend staying here. Very convenient to be on monorail. Not the best quick service but has great shopping.

Pros:

On monorail, great shopping

Cons:

Little noisey, not so great quick service
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Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 01/18/2017

Rating: (7)
Recommended

This was our first time at this resort and we really liked it. Our room was very spacious for a 1 bedroom villa. It was clean and comfortable. It was nice to be on the monorail. We were on the 5th floor and it was awesome to walk out and be able to get to the 4th floor at the Contemporary through the walkway.

We ate at the Wave and it was awesome. We ate lunch at the quick service restaurant when we got there and it was not crowded at all. The rest of the vacation it was very crowded. Food and choices were good.

The challenges..One of our party rented a scooter. It was at the Contemporary and not at Bay Lake Tower. We had to walk over and pick it up there because a signature was required. If you need a scooter, it should be assumed that you can't walk to go get it. Fortunately others in the party could. We also had a very frustrating experience getting our food and owners locker delivered. It took 3 visits and about an hour to get both. The very nice bellman brought a large Rubbermaid type container and seemed not to understand what an owners locker was. It ended up that it was also at the Contemporary. Have no clue why that was since the delivery confirmation clearly said Bay Lake Tower.

We had some very aggressive cleaning people who basically tried to force their way into our room to get garbage. We did not have a do not disturb sign in our room, but when we asked that they come back, they knocked persistently even though I told them that there were people in the shower getting ready. It was really annoying and not appreciated at all. The day we checked out, they also came knocking...why??? Check out is at 11.

Finally, we left to go from the 5th floor to the 1st 20 minutes in advance of our Magical Express time. We almost missed the bus because we could not get downstairs. That is absurd.

Would we go back? I don't think so, but mainly because it is not our home resort and we prefer another area, but also because of some of the issues experienced. I would recommend it for families with younger children because of the location.

Pros:

Cons:

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