Bay Lake Tower 2 Bedroom

[Capo]

Hi All,

We will be staying in a 2 BR unit at Bay Lake Tower during our next visit. My understanding is that Bay Lake offers both traditional 2 BR units and "lock-off" units between a 1BR and a Studio.

Are there any personal preferences between which setup is the best? Also, are you able to request either configuration or at time of booking is your room type already pre-defined? The reason I ask is that we will have my parents with us who will need to have scooters with them. Is it easier to get those units into the 2nd BR with a lock-off setup (so they have their own front door) vs the traditional setup? I am concerned because we will have the living room area completely full, including a pack and play that will likely be near the front door somewhere.

Thanks for the info!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Are you already booked? Dedicated vs. Lock-Off are booking categories, not request categories.

The key difference in a Dedicated vs. Lock-Off is going to be the sleeping offering. A Dedicated has a King bedroom, 2 Queens in the second bedroom, then the traditional sofa sleeper and chair sleeper in the LR. A Lock-Off will have two doors to the outside, and the Studio makes the second "bedroom," so it has a kitchenette, but only one queen bed and a sofa sleeper.

The studios are very small, so even if they aren't folding out the sofa sleeper, I would not expect to park two scooters in a studio comfortably, ever.

 

[kmb584]

Are you already booked? Dedicated vs. Lock-Off are booking categories, not request categories.

The key difference in a Dedicated vs. Lock-Off is going to be the sleeping offering. A Dedicated has a King bedroom, 2 Queens in the second bedroom, then the traditional sofa sleeper and chair sleeper in the LR. A Lock-Off will have two doors to the outside, and the Studio makes the second "bedroom," so it has a kitchenette, but only one queen bed and a sofa sleeper.

The studios are very small, so even if they aren't folding out the sofa sleeper, I would not expect to park two scooters in a studio comfortably, ever.

I second everything that @_auroraborealis_ said. We stay in a dedicated 2-bedroom every 6 months and if you have the pack and play close to the front door, it's going to be a squeeze for the scooters to get through. Will your parents be sleeping in the second bedroom? If so, that bedroom door is located to the right or left of the villa door almost immediately upon entering, so that may make it a bit easier, though there is a rather sharp turn into the actual bedroom once you go through the doorway. If you booked a dedicated, there's a space between the television and chair in the living room that would accommodate a pack and play if you moved the chair just a bit.

 

[Capo]

We are staying via rented points and didn't specify either configuration to the owner. I just checked MDE and it says the room is a "2 Bedroom Villa - Lake View." Does that imply standard configuration?

When you say the studios are small, are they any smaller than the 2nd bedroom in the dedicated layout? If so, do you know the SQFT difference by chance? My wife and I will be in the master and the kids will be in the living room area with my parents staying in the 2nd BR. As long as they can access the front door to their room with scooters but still leave enough room somewhere near the front door for a pack n' play, I think we can make it work.

We have stayed in a 1 BR before and I know we pretty much fully consume that space, so just want to make sure the 2nd bedroom is accessible with everything crammed in there.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

If your MDE says 2 bedroom Villa you are in the dedicated villa, not a lock off. This means you have one front door and 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom, it also means you do have more square footage cuz there is no kitchenette in that 2nd bedroom. We stayed in this exact layout our last visit at BLT and it was very roomy, especially compared to our other DVC homes (well, not OKW). But I do think this is the better option for you space wise, though the others are correct that there are some pretty sharp angles right at the entrance, but not horrible. Lake View is Beeeeauuutiful!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If your parents can move shorter distances without scooter, I'd park at least one scooter in the hall.

 

[trambach]

Can non-DVC members request a dedicated 2-Bedroom or is this only reserved for DVC members?

In order words, not using points.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

There are 148 dedicated 2 bedrooms and 133 potential lock-offs. You can request one or the other, but aren't guaranteed.

 

[Aubsmama]

Is the dedicated easier to get?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Is the dedicated easier to get?

On points? Yes. inventory release on cash is a wild card for CRO.

 

[FSU Girl]

On points? Yes. inventory release on cash is a wild card for CRO.

When I booked a 2 bedroom through cash they said it's a guaranteed 2 bedroom not a lock off, is then not the case?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

When I booked a 2 bedroom through cash they said it's a guaranteed 2 bedroom not a lock off, is then not the case?

I would suspect not.