mbell3
Registered: November 2009
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed November 18, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Location Location Location
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Cons:
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None
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My wife and I stayed in a studio bay lake view and my brother and his family stayed in a one bedroom bay lake view the weekend of November 13. I have to say that based on some of the reviews I have read on Bay Lake, I was a little nervous. Now I realize I had nothing to fear. Bay Lake Tower, in my opinion, is the single best location for all things Disney - it is less than a 5 minute walk to the Magic Kingdom and a very easy Monorail ride to Epcot. There is no other resort that offers that kind of convenience. Further, to have the California Grill, Chef Mickey's, and the Top of the World Lounge in our resort was fantastic! The room was great, well appointed, and what I would expect from a "Contemporary" resort. I would like to spend a few moments refuting others issues with Bay Lake:
1) Transportation, specifically either Magical Express or the bus system. Reviews that "bash" the Bay Lake Tower, or any other resort because of busses should be taken with a grain of salt. The busses have NOTHING to do with the resort.
2) Cleanliness - I don't think a resort should be punished because a room wasn't clean, although I freely admit each and every room should be very clean when a new guest checks in. Lack of cleanliness has to do with housekeeping, not the resort itself.
3) The BATHROOM DOOR!!! - Many others have complained about the sliding door with a lack of a lock at the Bay Lake Tower. I agree that it is an unusual design.
4) Sink in with Kitchenette - again, I don't view this as a design flaw, it's just unusual and contemporary.
5) Size of Studios at Bay Lake - the studios were designed for a MAXIMUM of 4 adults. The studio is not a large room but it isn't supposed to be!!!
5) No Check In and the Walk from the Contemporary - The walk from the check in to the Bay Lake Tower was consistent with every other DVC option at WDW.
Again, I think the Bay Lake Tower is THE place to be for a wonderful WDW vacation. The rooms were great, the staff friendly as always, and the location cannot be beat by anyone!!!
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maiyasmom
Registered: May 2007
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Mon November 16, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Location, views and convenience
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Cons:
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Felt like any other hotel
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My DH, DD and I stayed at BLT on 10/31 - 11/6 in a Bay Lake view Studio. We are DVC members and were really looking forward to staying here. The resort is very nice and immaculate. I do have small issues about it though. First, I didn't like the bathroom sink being literally one step behind the kitchenette area. I realize it does save space since these villas are smaller than other resorts, but it was a little gross. Second, the sliding door in the bathroom was an issue since it wasn't that easy to close and it didn't have a lock. Lastly, this resort lacks that "home away from home" feel. We felt it to be very "hotel like". We extended our stay and could not stay at BLT due unavailability, so we stayed at SSR which is our home resort for one more night and we felt the difference immediately.
All in all, BLT offers great convenience to MK and the monorail. It is a beautiful resort. My DD loved the slide at the pool. Watching the fireworks from the Top of the World Lounge was amazing. We will definitely come back but probably after we try all the other DVC resorts.
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gonesaleing
Registered: November 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri November 13, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Brand spanky new, 2 full bathrooms, roominess, comfort of beds
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Cons:
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Very dependent upon disney transportation, furniture was very uncomfortable to sit on.
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We stayed on the 16th floor and are not DVC owners. Room was ready at 1 pm when we arrived (yea) but even though we checked in on line, the concierge didn't tell us that we needed a key to get to our floor. So I had sent my family up with all of our keys, I went to package delivery to get sign (and Pay!) for what we had shipped down and then I couldn't get to my floor. I ended up going to the 15th floor, walking up one flight and then finding my room. Not the best way to start a vacation and could easily have been avoided if the check in desk had been more thorough.
All in all, that was the only glitch to our stay at BLT (not just a sandwich anymore). Garden grocer arrived as scheduled. 1 br villa was nicely appointed. Plenty of room to spread out. Since it was so new, I had no problem telling the kids to sit on the floor. View was substandard, as we were on the inside crescent. If at all possible, request OUTSIDE CRESCENT ROOM. Very quiet, except for the pool activities and music in the afternoon. Refilling drink mugs took 10 minutes...I timed it, from leaving room, elevator, skyway walk to Contemporary and then back. If you have small kids, think twice about these distances. My kids are teenagers so they were fine on their own.
Room was missing Ihome and teapot, both were requested and brought up and were brand new. Mousekeeping was fine but came very late on some days -4 pm. I was trying to sleep when she knocked. Minor inconvenience. Beds were amazing but furniture was awkward to sit on. Kitchen was fabulous and we used every single pot, pan and utensil. Bring plastic storage pieces as there aren't enough for leftovers. Bathrooms were roomy, well lit and very clean. Jacuzzi was wonderful at the end of the day. I liked the dark woods and heavy doors. TVs were just ok. Remotes were temperamental.
Pool was lame but since we could use the Contemporary pool, it was a non-issue. Movies on the beach were great. Activities should all be free but many charged an extra fee. We didn't do those.
So, if you have young children and spend most of your time at the MK, stay here but beware, there are no services at the towers, everything revolves around the Contemporary.
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stenson4
Registered: September 2009
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Thu November 12, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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beautiful, clean, location
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Cons:
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layout of studio
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My family stayed in a studio at Bay Lake Tower from October 24th through the 30th. We requested a high floor, Bay Lake view and got the fourth floor facing the marina and the Contemporary. If we looked off to the left we could see the lake and part of the water pageant at night. If we looked off to the right we could not really see past the walk way over to the Contemporary Resort. The kids absolutely loved the pool and recreation area. The view from the Top of the World viewing area was especially spectacular for Hallowishes. I read all the reviews on this resort before I went and thought that the concerns with the layout of the sinks / kitchen area and the bathroom door not closing would not bother me but they really did. It was very irritating to be bumping butts while one person brushed their teeth and the other tried to make coffee. I would choose to stay at Bay Lake Tower again as it is a very classy resort with a wonderful location but I would never again stay in a studio unless I was traveling alone. There is not room for a family of four in this studio. If I am going to stay in a studio I will stick with the Boardwalk - my home resort. One last problem was that it is very apparent that they are struggeling with bugs. The beautiful lights in the lobby area attract the bugs at night and there were so many on the walls I thought that there was a design on them until I noticed the pile of dead bugs at my feet. They are obviously trying to take care of this problem but it is rather gruesome. Luckily I did not notice any on my balcony. Wonderful resort but I would suggest the one bedroom if at all possible.
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progs2
Registered: July 2009
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue November 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Location, room size, 3 bathrooms
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Cons:
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Last stop on bus
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Stayed in Lake view 2 BDR Oct 24-31. Chose BLT because it was less expensive than 2 regular rooms in Contempory. First impression was not great, counter top in kitchen was dirty and some of the dishes in the cabinet appeared to have been rinsed, but not cleaned. Morning after we arrived, had 3 people from housekeeping come and completely clean everything  Almost every day afterwards, someone stopped us to make sure everything was clean to our satisfaction.
Have same general complaints as most people, CAN'T LOCK THE BATHROOM DOOR! The doors don't close tight so you can see into the bathroom even if door is closed. With 2 young girls, I really didn't want them walking in while I was in the shower. Also, no matter how I set the handle in the master shower, the water temperature was always the same.
Found that walking to MK was much faster than walking to Monorail and making the 4 stops even with kids in tow.
One complaint with Magical Express. We were last stop coming from airport and first stop going back. Don't know if this is different during higher usage seasons.
General comment, never saw such short lines in 7 previous trips (all non-peak). Never waited more than 10 minutes for anything.
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joanod
Registered: November 2009
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Tue November 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Most everything
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Cons:
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Stayed in a one bedroom from 10/23 to 10/27. Our room was on the ninth floor,MK, north. I can see why reviewers would complain about the bathroom doors, but it was only two of us so it was fine. I can see why DVC designed them that way, so to save floor space and congestion, but why not make them true pocket doors? The big handles came in handy as towels racks though. The stand alone kitchen island is better than the U-shape kitchen and the banquette area is larger. The bed and linens are heaven. The pool is nice. Sunlovers may not be enthralled because the tower itself casts a big afternoon shadow over it. The best thing at BLT is the Top of the World Lounge. The check in is a bit convoluted, but the staff does their best to make it a pleasant experience. I understand why they are restricting access, it could easily turn into a zoo, like California Grill, up there. I predict however, if the beverage service up there doesn't make money, access will be loosened. We saw fireworks up there one night, at the California Grill one night, and on our own balcony one night. The best was our room. You can hear the music piped in from the California Grill, but you can also tune to chan 20 (?) in your room to tune in. We got to see the Not So Scary fireworks too. Needing you card to enter restricted areas wasn't a big deal. It reminded me of Vero Beach. The bad-having to go through the Contemporary. The common areas by the door to the bridge to BLT, by the monorail escalators, even by the California Grill check-in are dismal. The fourth floor lobby area is the least attractive resort shopping area I have seen. Check in at the Contemporary was awkward. We needed to speak to the desk on three occasions and it was always "...oh, you are at Bay Lake..". as if that was somehow stopping them from helping us better. If Contemporary cast members aren't up to the task, DVC should think about dedicating it's own check- in line in the lobby. Last thought, if you are feeling disappointed that you can only get a Bay Lake view, don't sweat it. The Bay Lake view is beautiful in it's own way, and the afternoon sun reflecting off Seven Seas Lagoon is blinding on the MK side.
PS-No problem with bugs or bird droppings as previous reviewers had.
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dgard69833
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue October 27, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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beautiful
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Cons:
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key cards did not always work to open skyway
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We stayed at BLT from 10/23-11/2. It was beautiful.the view is awesome. we had a 1 bedroom vacation home and it was a very good size. it had two full bathrooms, where most resorts only have one. very clean. the dvc member club up on the 16th floor has an incredible view of the magic kingdom.we sat up there a couple of nights and watched the fireworks. drinks were a little on the expensive side. all in all i would definitely stay in this resort again.
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Sparrow
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Mon October 26, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Sleek & Modern Decor
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Cons:
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Transportation
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We stayed at the BLT on 10/21 & 10/22 - we had a Studio unit with Magic Kingdom view. The room was very clean but a little smaller than I thought it would be. The nightstand on my side of the bed was very tiny, I felt like I slept right next to the wall, barely had walking room. We didn't mind the sliding bathroom doors so much, but I didn't like the bathroom sink being in the kitchen. Yuk.
This resort is great if you are vising the Magic Kingdom but inconvenient if going to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. On the monorail you have to transfer to the Epcot monorail, the buses are crowded and not timely.
We booked the BLT for a December visit but when we got home I changed to the Beach club so we could take the boat to Epcot & Hollywood Studios.
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njcaroleh
Registered: October 2009
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sun October 18, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Location is convenient to Magic Kingdom & Epcot
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Cons:
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Gap around sliding bathroom door.
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I stayed in a Studio Bay View 9-1-09 to 9-6-09 with 2 grandchildren and we all had a wonderful stay. The convenience of this location when you are staying with young children is fantastic. Not only are you close to MK and Epcot but Chef Mickeys is there (short walk) and an arcade, that came in handy during a storm one evening. The room was clean and neet. The only complaint is the bathroom door that slides to open or close and has a gap around it. Reading other reviews this seems to be a general problem with Bay Lake. I would recommend this location and hopefully will be able to stay again soon!!
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Susan
Registered: July 2006
Location: Clearwater, FL
Posts: 33
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Review Date: Sun October 11, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sleek, modern and stylish
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Cons:
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Bathroom door, bathroom sink across from the microwave
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This DVC is truly beautiful. It is sleek,curvy and smooth. Check in was a breeze. Our room was ready at 1:00. The cm's were friendly and helpful. I was on the 2nd floor room 7240 overlooking the marina. The room is on the small size however just right for the three of us. The decor was modern and tasteful. Great HD tv!!
The only negatives were the bathroom sliding door. (as mentioned in the other reviews) What were they thinking? First the gap between the wall and the door is 1/2 inch. The problem I had is the recessed handle. This is a germ and bacteria hotbed. The bathroom sink is outside the door where the kitchenette area is. The person has to stick their hand into the handle to open the door to get to the sink to wash their hands. I doused the handle with Lysol because to think of my 10 year old touching that was just plain icky. This was really the only negative and the reason why its a 9 and not a 10. This was a major oversite.
My dd had a blast at the pool. The slide is really cool and there is a splash area for the little ones. Community hall had a list of events for kids. At night they had a marshmallow roast and movies on the beach. They were having a major mosquito problem. Our balcony was covered with dead mosquitos. When we arrived it was clean. We couldn't sit outside on the balcony because we were being eaten alive. The perimeter of the building was hosed off every morning because of the thousands of dead mosquitos. We live on a lake but i've never seen anything like that! Bring bug spray as a precaution.
The catwalk on the 5th floor makes access to the monorail and restaurants easy.
The fireworks viewing area on the 16th floor was spectacular. You need to check in at the desk in the lobby before the fireworks and you are then sent up. We didn't get to the lounge on this trip but we did walk in and it was very nice. To those who purchased DVC at BLT you will be very happy you did. It really is a diamond among the Disney hotels.
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shannonh
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri October 9, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Proximity to Magic Kingdom
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Cons:
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Lack of door locks and towel racks
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Our first stay since becoming DVC members. Stayed Oct. 2-6 in two bedroom/three bath condo (4 adults, 2 children) with Magic Kingdom view. Overall, we loved the resort, the room layout, the pool area, the close monorail station. Only complaint I had were the lack of bathroom door locks which others have mentioned and also the lack of towel racks in the bathrooms. The signs in the bathrooms encourage you to hang up your towels if you want to reuse them but we had a difficult time finding an actual rack to hang them. The towels are mostly stored on shelves which doesn't do very well for wet towels and washcloths. Housekeeping was a little slow on the one occasion we had to call. On our first night, we realized there weren't any sheets for our pull out sofa and we had to call housekeeping three time before we ever got them delivered. Other than that minor incident, we had a wonderful stay at our new "home."
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Grumppy
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Wed October 7, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Everything new, lots of space
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Cons:
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Anything & everything has to be done through Contemp.
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We are brand new DVC members who purchased this spring & made BLT our home resort. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous, spacious and first rate. I was completely under-whelmed, however, by our room location. We were on the ground floor and had a view overlooking the bocce ball courts. There was a patio, but we didn't bother using it due to the lack of privacy plus the fact that, despite it being the last week of September, the temps were in the low 90's every day with a healthy amount of humidity.
The rooftop lounge was spectacular. We went up there on two different evenings to view the fireworks, one Wishes and one special Hallo-Wishes since MNSSHP ran several times during our visit. Not being a fan of heights, I stayed well back from the wall but could still see the fireworks very well and I videotaped them as well.
We had a one bedroom unit and the bed is EXTREMELY comfortable, and there was NO noise from above and only on one occasion during our week-long stay did I notice any noise from the adjacent unit; it was not disturbing and happened in late afternoon and it was the only time we even felt like we were not the only ones staying on the property.
I have three complaints-the biggest one being the buses. The buses all serve the Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower & the Polynesian. In most cases, every bus was filled to capacity-in late September, supposedly a "less-crowded" period. I can only imagine how these will feel during busy periods. I really feel that as deluxe resorts, Disney needs to address the bus situation and assign separate buses to Contemporary/BLT & Polynesian. The other two issues are maintenance-related. One was a minor annoyance more than anything else. The telephone in the bedroom next to the bed didn't seem to be for the correct room. It didn't ring when the others did, and on one occasion when the phones were ringing, I picked that one up and was greeted with a dial tone. Each morning, in order to answer our wake up call, I had to get out of bed and answer the phone on the desk. Although this was mentioned to front desk staff at the Contemporary, it was never fixed. As I said, this was more of an annoyance than anything else and I didn't press the issue. I feel this is probably a "new building" thing. The second maintenance issue involved the jacuzzi bathtub. Our first night there, my wife decided to use it and as soon as she turned the jacuzzi on, two jets shot out of the side of the tub. We re-inserted them, but when she turned the tub on again the same thing happened. I phoned the front desk the following morning about 8:30 a.m., just before we headed out to the parks for the day and told them what had happened, and was told it would be taken care of. We returned that evening just before 11 p.m. to find that the problem had not been resolved. They offered to fix it then, but at 11 at night after having spent the entire day in the parks, I ended up speaking with the manager on duty at the Contemporary and made it very clear I expected it to be fixed the next day (it was).
Although this resort is very nice, EVERYTHING has to be done through the Contemporary-package delivery goes to the Contemporary gift shop, check-in and bell services are located at the Contemporary, the bus stop is at the Contemporary-it almost feels like Bay Lake Tower is the "ugly step-child". Even though this is our home resort, next visit we will probably explore one of the other DVC resorts just for comparison and a change of scenery.
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poggsuk
Registered: December 2007
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Wed October 7, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Location, room size
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Cons:
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inconsistent room views, no drink fill stations in tower.
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Arrived at 4.30 pm on 1st October 2009 via Magical Express. We had all our bags with us on the bus as being international travellers, we don't get yellow tags and thus is safer to lug them ourselves. Anyway on arrival there was no bell services to be seen, so we had to wheel/struggle/carry our bags to check in, where we had a reservation for a 1 bed bay lake room. All that was left was a choice of 3 x '35' rooms. They are inside the 'C' on the south side facing north. OK. took 8235. and walked over the walkway to the towers. Everything looks brand new and shiny. Lovely. Got into the room and found it very impressive. Roomy and clean. However on looking out the window all we could see was the balconies opposite. Not the lake. If we went out onto the balcony and leaned to the right we could see the pool and lake in the distance. These rooms are nice but not Bay Lake views. They should be standard.
The next morning we went downstairs and asked for a room move. The way we were dealt with (very positive and helpful) made me think that my disliking of a '35' was not unusual. We had to vacate our room and pay a $45 cleaning fee. We also had to put all our bags in storage for the day. On our return we went back to check in and were given 7910. A north facing room on the outside of the 'C'. On entering this room we were met with an incredible vista of the lake out the main window. simply awesome. This room was also considerably bigger that the other one! At the window end of the room it was 4 feet, yes a whole 4 feet wider! So out onto the balcony for a coffee and we discovered that by simply looking slightly left we got a full view of the castle!
WE spent that night on the balcony watching the fireworks over the castle. Some difference from the '35' room where we had coffee whilst watching the man in the room opposite scratching....
The BLT is a 1st class DVC and if you get the great rooms, a total gem. There is a big risk with Bay Lake view rooms though. I would recommend always getting there in the morning to get a good room. Even if that means staying off-site the night before.
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terrytech
Registered: October 2009
Location: Algonquin, Illinois
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Sat October 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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views, decor, rooftop lounge, space, pool
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Cons:
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NONE
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WOW! That is the first thing out of our mouths when we walked into our two bedroom accommodations at BLT. Lovely, innovative designs. VERY contemporary. Views, ANY of them are fabulous, it doesn't matter if you're overlooking the Magic Kingdom or not! The opposite side is the lagoon, and it's beautiful too! We had some concern about the "inconvenience" of having no restaurants or any of the usual stuff you are accustom to at a Disney resort. No big deal at all. You're hooked up by a VERY short bridge to the Contemporary. We didn't find it an inconvenience in the least. If you're into locking interior doors (like the bathroom), you might not be quite as thrilled with this as we were, but again, no big deal for us. We'll be back, as soon as we have worked our way through all of the Disney resorts (we are on a quest to try them all) .
This is a grown up beautiful addition to the Happiest place on Earth.
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mousehouse
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Thu October 1, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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room, view, pool, staff, close to the Magic Kingdom
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Cons:
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none
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We just got back from a 5 night stay at the Bay Lake Tower and have decided that this is our new favorite DVC Resort.
We had a one-bedroom villa with a view of Bay Lake. The room was gorgeous. My 2 children were thrilled to have their own bathroom and since there was a fold out chair and a fold out couch, they each had a bed to themselves. Past reviews have commented on the sliding doors for the bathrooms. We didn't find this to be a problem at all. The master bathroom toilet is behind 2 sliding doors, so you do feel like you have privacy.
The pool was great, the staff was great and it was only a short walk to the monorail.
We will definately be staying here again!
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