BLT rooms and views with picture links! Last update of post #1 10/21/2015

[LoveKermit]

I am not sure - it just says BL TOWER-CONTEMPORARY-2BR-LAKE. How do I know if it is dedicated or not? Also, what is the difference between the dedicated and lockoff?

TIA! This thread has been very helpful!

Work2Play answered the reservation question. I knew one was assumed, but I didn't know which.

The difference.....a 2 BR lockoff has two hallway doors. We think our keys would open both doors, but never needed that. Then there was a connecting door immediately upon entering. A 2 BR dedicated does not have the hallway door and I would also guess does not have the connecting door, just a doorway.

We did a lockoff as we were traveling with my parents so wanted everyone to have a more private feel and they appreciated the sofa. If you need more beds, the dedicated can be more useful (though the sofa pulls out too).

 

[DrMomof3]

Thanks for the live update from BLT!

We have a 1BR LakeView booked for the end of October and I can't wait!
How do you like the location and view from your room?

We were very happy with both! My older 2 kids spent quite a long time on the balcony watching the monorails go by. I had bought the Guide to the Magic for Kids books and the books talk about the different color monorails. My kids kept track from the balcony.
One thing I found slightly annoying is that the elevators could get quite crowded at peak times. Obviously most people aren't going to walk up to the 14th floor (where our room was located) so we just waited. I guess I feel that either larger elevators or another elevator or 2 would have been nice. This wasn't a big issue; just a minor observation.
My only room request was higher floor and I really liked that!

Amanda

 

[OurDogCisco]

We stayed at BLT in June. Here's a picture of the view from our room. We were in room 8026. Nice room. I was injured most of the trip so I couldn't take very many pictures. At least not as many as I normally do when we travel. We had a one bedroom unit. I also took a picture of both beds open in the living room to give you an idea about space. We love that the 1 bedroom has two beds and 2 bathrooms. I liked the decor and I loved loved loved being able to walk to Magic Kingdom.

If you would like to see the other pictures I took of the resort, click here:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/580512890RyfHBk

Can't wait to stay there again!

 

[OurDogCisco]

This trip involved multiple stays. We stayed 7 nights at BLT, then, did a cruise for 5 nights and then, 3 nights at AKL (Concierge level) and then, back to BLT for 1 night on 4th of July. In part we did this trip as my oldest was starting High School and we knew that long family vacations would be gone from our schedule. Anyways, we arrived at BLT around 10 am on the 4th to check in and our room wasn't ready but we dropped off our bags. They texted us around 2 pm when our room was ready. I was totally surprised when we arrived and it was a dedicated 2 bedroom. I reserved a 1 bedroom. So, I was in shock but we were only staying one night and I didn't want to deal with the front desk so I let it go. When I got home I scanned my phone messages and DVC did call but didn't leave a message. I looked at our account and it showed they had added the extra points for the 2 bedroom that night. I'm not sure what happened but it was nice pixie dust. We were 4 floors down from our other room but the view was awesome. We came back to the room to watch the 4th of July fireworks. At that point we were tired and I was tired as well with my injured elbow so it was nice to relax in the room.

View of fireworks from room 7622 (dedicated 2 bedroom, MK view):

Daytime view from room 7622:

I also have more pictures of the room here. You need to scroll through to get to room 7622.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/580512890RyfHBk

 

[work2play]

Thanks for the photos! The first post has been updated to include links to your posts! Thanks! Can't wait to be there on 9/23! We are at BWV right now with a boardwalk view and we are wishing we had stayed at BLT! The walk from the parking lot to the front desk and then the hike to the room really makes me miss BLT!

 

[onelilspark]

I just returned from a short weekend getaway where I stayed using cash at BLT. Here's the pictures of my room & view!

Door:

Bathroom (remodeled...no room on sink for products, my one complaint about the room!):

Kitchenette:

Hall:

Closet:

Bed/desk towards balcony:

Room from balcony:

View:

My commentary on BLT and the room:
There was slight wear on the room, but honestly, I didn't notice it until I started looking for it based on comments I had read. The worst was a nick on the dresser. I travel a lot for work, so I've become really picky when it comes to hotels and this one I had no real complaints as far as cleanliness or wear & tear. I did have one issue with the toilet (it wasn't flushing correctly...and I'm a grown woman, I'm not sticking things down there that shouldn't be there!) So I called down to maintenance at 10pm, in less than 10 minutes I had 2 maintenance guys looking at the toilet and in another 10 minutes they had it fixed. I was shocked...I've stayed at places and had issues that never got resolved! The A/C worked great and it was quiet. As a matter of fact, I think it's one of the quietest hotels I've ever stayed at. The shower head was nice and high (I went by myself, but my Fiance is 6'2" and it's common complaint he has at hotels!) Every CM I encountered at the Contemporary at Bay Lake Towers was super friendly, everyone said hello, at check-in, there was a CM directing people to other open CM's to keep the line short...he also asked my name so when I was checking in he said "we have Ms. XXX checking in." It was a nice touch. The location was fantastic, I loved the view...even though I had a lake view and not MK! I loved this resort, I really can't express that enough!

 

[dreamlinda]

Thanks so much for the pictures of the reconfigured bath sink and kitchenette. The sink area is small, but at least they moved it into the bathroom so we aren't blowing drying hair into the kitchen area. Looks like there is still a counter area in the kitchenette by the mirror that could be used for "overflow" bath and kitchen items.

 

[LoveKermit]

Thanks so much for the pictures of the reconfigured bath sink and kitchenette. The sink area is small, but at least they moved it into the bathroom so we aren't blowing drying hair into the kitchen area. Looks like there is still a counter area in the kitchenette by the mirror that could be used for "overflow" bath and kitchen items.

Yes. My mom did her make-up there while my dad used the sink in the bathroom. Same as many hotels I've been in. The counter area in the kitchenette is probably 30" left to right, maybe 24". It was plenty of space and had a mirror and the full length mirror at the end of the galley.

 

[work2play]

I just returned from a short weekend getaway where I stayed using cash at BLT. Here's the pictures of my room & view!....

Nice photos! The first ones posted for that room, thanks! The first post has been updated.

 

[PinkTink63]

Thanks so much for the pictures of the reconfigured bath sink and kitchenette. The sink area is small, but at least they moved it into the bathroom so we aren't blowing drying hair into the kitchen area. Looks like there is still a counter area in the kitchenette by the mirror that could be used for "overflow" bath and kitchen items.

It didn't bother me the other way, since I don't blow dry my hair...I loved all that counter space! The new configuration is nice too and there is still more counter space than the standard studio. I really like the corridor kitchen or should I say kitchenette!

 

[katieam1]

Here are pictures from our last trip in August. We had two studios. These pics are mainly from the balconies. Studios Lake Views Rooms 7508 and 7509

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.265379356826333.70512.100000628118222&l=e5aa331b4c&type=1

 

[donac]

I just want to subscribe since I will be staying at BLT in AUg with my sister and her family.

Thanks for all the great pictures.

 

[wdrl]

We booked a Lake View studio and requested High Floor, Even Number, North Wing. Our villa wasn't ready when we checked in at 8:00 AM, but CM told us we had a villa on a high floor. She asked if we would prefer to take the next available LV studio regardless of location, or if we wanted to wait for the villa on the high floor. We told her we would wait.

About noon we received the text saying our villa was ready. I'm glad we waited because we got a great location. Villa #8108 is on the 11th floor facing the Magic Kingdom. We can see the castle and fireworks from our balcony and we can even hear the train whistle.

Villa #8108 is a studio with the revamped bathroom sink. Since our last stay in a BLT studio in March 2010, we noticed a few more modifications: There is now a full length mirror in the kitchenette area, as well as a half-mirror; there is now a 1/2 inch wooden apron around the sliding bathroom door frame -- it prevents someone from peeking into the bathroom while the door is closed; and there is now a little latch lock that lets the occupant of the bathroom "lock" the bathroom door -- it keeps the door from sliding open.

Here are some photos of villa #8108:

The revamped kitchenette with the full length mirror:

The revamped sink and vanity area in the bathroom. At first, I thought the counter space around the sink was too small. However, the shelf space next to the sink holds a lot of stuff, plus there is more shelf space below the sink:

View of MK from the balcony of villa #8108:

We can see the monorails from our balcony:

Since our villa faces north, we can't see the sun rise from the balcony, but we still have a beautiful view of Bay Lake:

This is our third stay at BLT. We spent three nights at OKW before we moved to BLT. Admittedly, the OKW studios are much larger than the studios at BLT. However, we definitely prefer the conveniences and views offered by BLT. I'm glad its one of our home resorts!

 

[wdrl]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that BLT villa #8108 has access to the wi-fi being installed in Disney resorts. We still prefer to use our Apple Airport Express because its a secure password protected network.

 

[LJD2143]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that BLT villa #8108 has access to the wi-fi being installed in Disney resorts. We still prefer to use our Apple Airport Express because its a secure password protected network.

So the announcement today of Free Wi-Fi at deluxe Disney Resorts DOES include Bay Lake Towers? They specifically mention Contemporary, but not BLT, so I was just wanting to confirm.
Thanks!

 

[poohj80]

We stayed at BLT last week in 1BR LV #8436 (will post pix over the weekend). Our room was fine although we did not get the location requested, however we experienced issues at check-in that were unbelievable. Here's the short version...

We are DVC Members who were staying at BLT on points with a linked reservation. This was our 6th stay at BLT and we have yet to stay at BLT without some kind of issue at check-in, but this visit tops them all.

Usually, we are told we have to check-out then check back in with a linked reservation, but after we explain this shouldn't be necessary and they consult with a manager, the issue is usually cleared up. This time, however, the confusion reached a whole new level.

When we checked in during our most recent stay, there was an issue with adding the charging privileges to our room keys with the linked reservations. Don't know why as we have stayed at other DVC Resorts with linked reservations without an issue.) We were given room keys to access our room so we could get settled, but new keys with charging privileges would need to be delivered a bit later. This was not a problem at all, but it wasn't until several days into our trip we realized what had been done to our reservation at check-in.

Our linked DVC reservations were cancelled and a new reservation was created for the length of our stay so that we would no longer have a linked reservation. However, this made our reservation appear to be a cash reservation. We did not realize this until we tried to access the Top of The World Lounge and were initially denied because our room keys did not reflect we were DVC Members staying on points (as is required for access). This is when we called the front desk and were informed that our reservation did not appear to be made using our points. The person I spoke with put me on hold while they tried to contact DVC, but they were left on hold so long they just told me I would need to call DVC to clear up the issues.

I then called DVC and told the Cast Member I spoke with that our concern was not only access to the Top of the World Lounge but also whether we would be charged for our room and for internet access (which is supposed to be complimentary for DVC Members staying on points). He told me that he spoke with someone in the back room at the Contemporary and she said everything would be cleared up and we would not be charged for internet access.

On our check-out day, we received our account statement which showed a cash charge for each night followed by a large credit which kept us from having to pay for the room, but we were charged for internet access even though after speaking with DVC we were assured this would be corrected. I called and spoke with the back room and she was able to fix our account so it was finally correct.

What's frustrating to us as DVC Members is that we had to spend countless vacation hours on the phone with multiple Cast Members trying to fix a problem that we did not create. Bay Lake Tower has been open for over 2 years now and the front desk at the Contemporary still doesn't seem to understand how to deal with DVC reservations.


Just curious is we are the only DVC Members who continue to have these type of issues when staying at BLT?

 

[mblc14]

That makes me nervous, as we are renting points for BLT this March. Why wouldn't BLT just have it's own check in? It seems from the things I've read about it, that it would make sense for that check-in process to not happen at the contemporary...

 

[etemplet]

What is a "linked" DVC reservation ?? Exactly.

 

[poohj80]

What is a "linked" DVC reservation ?? Exactly.

We own DVC points at 3 different DVC resorts. We used points from each contract to make the reservation, but because the points come from different contracts, they each have to be their own reservation. So we could have 2 days using one set of points, 2 days using a second set of points, and 2 days using the third set of points. DVC then links all those reservations together so it appears as one 6 night reservation in the system.

 

[ppony]

THANKS for sharing!!!! I'd LOVE to get your room! Fingers crossed!

We booked a Lake View studio and requested High Floor, Even Number, North Wing. Our villa wasn't ready when we checked in at 8:00 AM, but CM told us we had a villa on a high floor. She asked if we would prefer to take the next available LV studio regardless of location, or if we wanted to wait for the villa on the high floor. We told her we would wait.

About noon we received the text saying our villa was ready. I'm glad we waited because we got a great location. Villa #8108 is on the 11th floor facing the Magic Kingdom. We can see the castle and fireworks from our balcony and we can even hear the train whistle.

Villa #8108 is a studio with the revamped bathroom sink. Since our last stay in a BLT studio in March 2010, we noticed a few more modifications: There is now a full length mirror in the kitchenette area, as well as a half-mirror; there is now a 1/2 inch wooden apron around the sliding bathroom door frame -- it prevents someone from peeking into the bathroom while the door is closed; and there is now a little latch lock that lets the occupant of the bathroom "lock" the bathroom door -- it keeps the door from sliding open.

Here are some photos of villa #8108:

The revamped kitchenette with the full length mirror:

The revamped sink and vanity area in the bathroom. At first, I thought the counter space around the sink was too small. However, the shelf space next to the sink holds a lot of stuff, plus there is more shelf space below the sink:

View of MK from the balcony of villa #8108:

We can see the monorails from our balcony:

Since our villa faces north, we can't see the sun rise from the balcony, but we still have a beautiful view of Bay Lake:

This is our third stay at BLT. We spent three nights at OKW before we moved to BLT. Admittedly, the OKW studios are much larger than the studios at BLT. However, we definitely prefer the conveniences and views offered by BLT. I'm glad its one of our home resorts!