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Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Resort Type: Deluxe Disney Villas

Rooms: 295 Part of DVC: Yes
Avg. Room Size: 394 Sq Ft.
Max. Guests /Room: 12 (Grand Villa)
Address:

4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Bay Lake Towers is located next to Disney's Contemporary Resort, and provides stunning views of the Magic Kingdom, the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The resort is penned as one of the most luxurious places to stay on Disney property. 

The monorail line passes in front of the tower, and into the main Contemporary Resort building. Bay Lake Towers connects to the Contemporary resort via a sky bridge - this makes it easy to pop over for meals and to hop on the monorail around to the Magic Kingdom, or to the Ticket and Transportation Center, then on to Epcot. The building is completely locked off to non-guests unless they are dining at the resort.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Amenities

  • Babysitting and Childcare Services
  • Coin-based Laundry facilities
  • Concierge Services
  • High Speed Internet Access (daily fee)
  • Valet Service Cleaning
  • Express Check-out
  • Luggage Service (hourly)
  • Heated Outdoor Swimming Pool with Hot Tub
  • Poolside bar
  • Voice Mail
  • Maid Service
  • ATM Machine
  • Refillable Mugs
  • Gift Shop
  • Bell Service
  • Arcade

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Rooms

Bay Lake Tower has four different room types;

Deluxe Studio Villa

  • Sleep up to 4, plus a child under the age of 3 in a crib
  • Has a queen-sized bed and a standard double-bed as a sleeper sofa
  • Small kitchenette
  • One bathroom with a full bath
  • Views offered: Bay Lake View, Theme Park View and Standard View
  • Note: These are very small at only 180 square feet in the bedroom area, smaller than the value resort rooms.

1-Bedroom Villa

  • Sleeps up to 5, plus a child under the age of 3 in a crib
  • 1 king-sized bed in the main bedroom
  • 1 queen-sized sofa bed and a sleeper chair in the living area
  • Full kitchen
  • 2 full bathrooms, including a whirlpool bath tub in the master bathroom
  • Views offered: Bay Lake View, Theme Park View and Standard View

2-Bedroom Villa

  • Sleeps up to 9, plus a child under the age of 3 in a crib
  • Master bedroom has a king-sized bed
  • Second bedroom has two queen-sized beds
  • A sleeper sofa and sleeper single chair are provided in the living room
  • Full kitchen
  • Three bathrooms, with a whirlpool bath tub in the master bathroom
  • Washer/dryer
  • Views offered: Bay Lake View, Theme Park View and Standard View

3-Bedroom Grand Villa

  • Sleeps up to 12, plus a child under the age of 3 in a crib
  • Master bedroom has a king-sized bed
  • Bedrooms 2 and 3 each have two queen-sized beds.
  • A sofa sleeper bed and single chair sleeper bed are provided in the living area
  • Full kitchen
  • Four bathrooms, with a whirlpool bath tub in the master bathroom
  • Washer/dryer
  • Views offered: Bay Lake View and Theme Park View

Room views offered are:

  • Bay Lake View - A view across the back of the hotel, across Bay Lake. Disney's old Discovery Island can be seen from here.
  • Theme Park View - A view across the Seven Seas Lagoon to Magic Kingdom. These rooms provide a fantastic view of the evening Fireworks show, Wishes.
  • Standard View - These are standard views that look over the pool, car park or service areas.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Recreation

Guests staying at Bay Lake Tower can use any of the facilities at the Contemporary Resort, which is accessible via the Sky Bridge. 

You also have access to your own private facilities, such as the resort's private pool, "Bay Cove Pool". A zero-entry pool with a 20-foot high, and 148-foot long water slide. A separate ADA approved accessible slide is provided, in addition to a children's pool, water play area, whirlpool spa, lockers, changing area and a poolside bar.

Over at the Contemporary resort there are two pools. The larger pool has a 17-foot water slide. The smaller pool is a simple round, quiet pool with a shallow edge. Both pools have two hot tubs next to them. There is also a small shallow pool for young children.

Other recreational activities at the resort include:

Watercraft Rentals - You can rent Sea Raycers, kayaks, pontoon boats, canoes, sailboats and pedal boats and take them out onto the lake.

Wake-boarding - Snowboarding…on water! Guests are trained how to wakeboard and then taken out with a driver. Equipment is provided.

Waterskiing - World-class instructors teach you how to water Ski, then you take to the lake with a driver and equipment.

Tubing - A great water activity for the whole family. Hang on to this giant inflatable tube as a ski boat tows you along the shores of Bay Lake.

Parasailing - Get a fantastic birds eye view of Walt Disney World as you take off behind a stare-of-the-art boat. You wont even get wet!

Volleyball - The resort has its own volleyball court on the beach. Equipment provided.

Games Arcade - An arcade with state of the art video games and is located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort. It is open from 7am to 1am and uses a token system to use the arcade attractions. Guests can purchase tokens in the arcade. Some arcade games provide rewards in the form of tickets which can be redeemed for prizes.

Olympiad Fitness Center - A high-tech gym and spa, open from 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM daily. A personal trainer is also available by appointment.

Movies Under the Stars - Disney movies are player outside on a big-screen projector near the pools or on the beach.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Transport

From Bay Lake Tower, you can walk across the Sky Bridge into the Contemporary Resort. From there you can hop on the monorail. This goes in a clockwise direction, so will stop at the Ticket & Transportation center (where you can change to the Epcot line if desired), the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort and then it'll go on to the Magic Kingdom. It's a very convenient way to get to the Magic Kingdom, but during peak times can take a while due to the monorail train having to stop at every resort. 

Because of the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom, it's usually quicker to just walk around the corner to the resort. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes. 

To get to other resorts, you can use the Disney Bus Service, which operates from the Contemporary Resort. This is the easiest way of getting to the other parks and the busses run regularly.

A boat service also operates from the contemporary resort. This will take you across to the Magic Kingdom, but like the monorail will stop at other resorts first. 

Take a look below for our guide on the quickest way to get to each park:

Magic Kingdom - Take the monorail and it'll be about 15-20 minutes. You can also walk, which will only take 5-10 minutes. The boat is another option but that can be really slow and they only come every 20 or so minutes.

Epcot - Take the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center then transfer to the Epcot monorail line. An alternative option is the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Use the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Use the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon - Use the Disney Bus Service. Before 4pm you'll need to get the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then a bus from there.

Disney's Blizzard Beach - Use the Disney Bus Service, the bus will be marked 'Animal Kingdom Theme Park / Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park'.

Downtown Disney - Use the Disney Bus Service. Before 4pm you must take a bus from the Ticket & Transportation Center. After 4pm a bus goes directly from the resort.

You will be provided with a complete transportation map when you check in  which gives you instructions on how to get to all the different areas on Disney property. To get to the different areas you'll just need to make sure you board the right bus. They display their destination clearly on top, however if you are unsure you can always ask the driver or a cast member. 

The Disney bus transportation system is one of the easiest ways of getting around. Busses depart from the resort to all the parks regularly and are completely free to use at any time. The bus services generally stop running once the parks close, and tend to run for an hour either side of the park hours. During extra magic hours they will run slightly longer.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort Dining

Bay Lake Tower has only a few select lounge-style dining location, the "Top of the World Lounge". This is a spacious lounge area on the roof of the building, which provides an excellent view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks show, Wishes in addition to the Seven Seas Lagoon nightly Electric Water Pageant show.

 

Only DVC members may access the lounge, which offers light snacks and alcoholic beverages. This is a very exclusive area of the resort and non-DVC members don't stand a chance of getting in here!

The Cove Bar is located at Bay Lake Towers, and offers light snacks and drinks.

Other than this, guest should walk across the Sky Bridge to the Contemporary Resort, where you will find the following dining locations:

  • The Wave - Located just off the main lobby area, and offers locally grown American cuisine. The restaurant focuses on organic and sustainable foods and puts great emphasis on serving great tasting food and drink. This is a table-service restaurant, and uses 1 disney dining plan table-service credit. Menu items include Asian Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Tuna Salad and Classic Reuben Sandwich.
  • Chef Mickey's - This is one of the best places to go for a character meal with the Kids. A breakfast buffet runs daily from 7am - 11:30 am with Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Minnie. The breakfast buffet features bagels, Mickey shaped pancakes, and a full English offering. The restaurant is also open from 5:00pm - 9:30 pm for a dinner buffet, and offers a selection of dishes such as prime-rib, parmesan mashed potatoes, pastas, salads, peal-and-eat shrimp and more. Chef Mickey's is a table-service location that uses 1 dining plan table-service credit.
  • California Grill - This is the resorts signature restaurant (two table service credits) located on the top floor of the main hotel building. Guests overlook the shimmering Seven Seas Lagoon with the Magic Kingdom in the background. A balcony is provided to let guests watch the Wishes firework show at the Magic Kingdom, and the music is piped in. Menu items include Yuzu-marinated Sashimi, Oak-fired Fillet of Beef, Cast Iron-seared Biston, Hawaiian Monchong and Hearts of Romaine.
  • Contemporary Grounds - A coffee bar offering gourmet coffee drinks, smoothies, beers, wines and speciality liquors.
  • Contemp Cafe - A quick-service location serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. It offers a range of items such as the Angus Cheeseburger, Smoked Turkey BLT, Toasted Turkey Sandwich, Caesar Salad and the Stacked Ham Sandwich.
  • California Grill Lounge - This is located adjacent to the California Grill restaurant, and offers an assortment of cocktails, appetizers and deserts.
  • Cove Bar - A pool-side bar located near the Bay Cove Pool and offers light snacks and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
  • The Sand Bar - Located next to the pool, this is a counter-service eatery and pool bar that offers a range of snacks, meals and beverages.
  • Outer Rim - A full-service cocktail bar overlooking Bay Lake.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort News

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