Girlstar30
DIS Veteran
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- Feb 1, 2025
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For those that have been following along, here's the next installment!
We were nearing the end of our whirlwind DVC rented points room stays to see if we wanted to own DVC and which resort to choose as our home resort. Baylake Tower was next on the list. This would be the first hotel we were staying at that wasn't inside of a main hotel.
That disappointed me when I was researching which hotels to stay at. I didnt realize then that DVC rooms could actually be in a seperate building all together. I also didn't realize that the rooms would be completely different. I had seen the rooms online for the Contemporary and wanted to make sure I booked one of those Incredibles rooms for our stay! I was bummed to find out that wasnt going to happen. We also heard there was going to be a lot of construction, but i really wanted to stay here! Something told me I would really like it just by the outside look of the building. It was nostalgic to me and reminded me of fun childhood trips to the Luxor in Las Vegas.
We arrived super early. I was bummed that this probably definetely meant we were going to have to ask for early check in and miss out on a refurbished room. But it was 11 am, we were exhausted from theme parks and a Disney cruise in between and we just wanted to relax! I was delighted when they said our room was ready and refurbished! We had some groceries delivered to the Contemporary. I thought this would be a pain and we would have to retrieve it, but the bellman graciously offered to bring it to our room. Wow! I didn't know this was a thing
Maybe staying in a seperate building wouldnt be so bad. Off to our room we go!
One thing that blew me away was how incredibly close this hotel was to Magic Kingdom Park. I couldnt believe it when we exited the elevator and looked out the window and could see Space Mountain so close right there! The carpet was bright and new. We entered the room and it was adorable. I immediately noticed that the artwork looked like it was done by one of my favorite Disney artists, Joey Chou. Come to find out it was! I loved the nods to the theme park in the room and the whimsical artwork.
People had warned me the studio would be small, but it didnt seem small to me at all! The smell of fresh paint was in the air and I was pretty sure we were probably one of the first people to stay there. We both agreed that this was our favorite themed room we stayed in so far. We loved the extra space under the TV to spread out our stuff and that the studio seemed to have it owns little kitchen area unlike the other studios we stayed in.
I looked outside on our balcony and saw a cute pool with some really fun Mickeys going up and down. This was the first hotel that we stayed at that I thought really actually felt like Disney.
Unfortunately, there was some issues with our heater and we would have to move. They told us that pretty much half of the heaters weren't working and in order to fix them they would have to go in another guests room so moving was the only option. We were told we would be upgraded to a "Marina view." The bellman came right away and moved all of our stuff.
We noticed how incredibly kind and helpful all of the cast members were. He told us about the music from the fireworks in the room, where to view them from other areas of the hotel and a bunch of other useful information. I was sad to leave our other room as I actually preferred to see the cute lit up Mickeys flashing more than the marina! It was supposed to be a day for relaxation, but I made my wife go back to Riviera so I could explore more More on that on a different thread. When we returned, we watch the fireworks from the windows by the elevator. How amazing would it have been to book a theme park view! They were sold out when we tried.
I knew in my heart even before we came here this is where we belonged which was weird I know, but I just had a feeling. I would love to stay here year after year. That night, I sat on the balcony relaxing, knowing the decision had been made, when I noticed a bunch of boats sailing by in the marina. Interesting. It wasnt long before some random looking creatures began to appear. "Babe, somethings coming!!!" I yelled. My wife came out in her pajamas and was like no way, what is going on??" We both looked in awe and stunned as some loud music blared and lights flashed. There was a dolphin, dragon and some patriotic figures flashing... was there some kind of patriotic holiday i didn't know about?? Was this part of Disney?? We called the front desk and asked and it sure was We slept fantastic that night.
The next day would have us celebrating my cousin's birthday at Chef Mickeys for breakfast! I thought, please dont let this ruin it for us. Food was important and so would the logistics of getting to that hotel. Surprisingly, that part didnt bother me at all and the covered walkway was even closed. I guess more chance to explore! I loved the Mary Blair Small World Artwork in the lobby and the futuristic theme blended with a retro 70's vibe. Was amazed to see the monorail zip right through the resort. How incredibly convenient! When we tested it later I was happy to see that it ran just as efficient as it looked!
Chef Mickeys was such a treat. I do believe it was the character buffett that had the most food selections and it was also the most tasty! I was impressed that I liked it even better than Boma! I ordered a Minnie shake and it was delicious! The cinnamon rolls were out if this world! My wife loved that they had some "Mexican" offerings even if the cast member didnt know what guacamole was, they did have what looked like to be an honest attempt The characters were animated and interactive, our server was amazing, and the cast members made sure all characters were met, autographs signed and pictures taken. It really was fabulous.
Shopping afterwards was just as fabulous. This hotel boasted the most merchandise we had seen from any of the hotels. I bought a cute stitch puffer jacket, Chef mickey stuffies, ornaments and pajamas. They really did have a lot of stuff! Later we took the monorail to shop at the Polynesian too. This was our favorite mode of transportation so far. When we got back to the hotel, I couldnt find an ornament I bought. Was I actually so tired I left it somewhere? I reported it to the front desk and they said they would keep an eye out. I was super bummed.
I ended up going to the community laundry room and meeting a nice Canadian couple who happened to be DVC owners on my way out. I stood in the doorway as they excitedly talked to me about their ownership. How they bought into BLT when it first opened, how they were given free points with their purchase and other freebies unheard of these days, how they loved their membership but it has changed so much and being from Canada it just wasnt affordable for them anymore and they were sad they would probably end up selling.
I had so many questions and they seemed just as excited as me to answer them! I noticed a cast member out of the corner of my eye standing near me for a while. I didnt know why he was standing there and I was so engaged in conversation with this DVC couple that I didnt think twice about it. After about 45 mins of talking I was finally leaving and the cast member told me, "I'm sorry to interrupt you ma'am, but we did locate your ornament." Did he just seriously wait 45 minutes for me to stop talking so he wouldnt interrupt my conversation??? I felt guilty, but blown away!
The rest of the stay went without a hiccup. We only had two nights there and when it was time to leave I was heartbroken. We just didnt have time to eat at the california grill which was on my list. We went to check out the DVC lounge and see if they would let us take a peek, but it wasnt open yet when we arrived. Didn't realize it was a night time thing.
I felt the same way I felt when it was time to leave Animal Kingdom. So sad I was being ripped out of my new happy place! Off to the Grand Floridian! Stay Tooned!
We were nearing the end of our whirlwind DVC rented points room stays to see if we wanted to own DVC and which resort to choose as our home resort. Baylake Tower was next on the list. This would be the first hotel we were staying at that wasn't inside of a main hotel.
That disappointed me when I was researching which hotels to stay at. I didnt realize then that DVC rooms could actually be in a seperate building all together. I also didn't realize that the rooms would be completely different. I had seen the rooms online for the Contemporary and wanted to make sure I booked one of those Incredibles rooms for our stay! I was bummed to find out that wasnt going to happen. We also heard there was going to be a lot of construction, but i really wanted to stay here! Something told me I would really like it just by the outside look of the building. It was nostalgic to me and reminded me of fun childhood trips to the Luxor in Las Vegas.
We arrived super early. I was bummed that this probably definetely meant we were going to have to ask for early check in and miss out on a refurbished room. But it was 11 am, we were exhausted from theme parks and a Disney cruise in between and we just wanted to relax! I was delighted when they said our room was ready and refurbished! We had some groceries delivered to the Contemporary. I thought this would be a pain and we would have to retrieve it, but the bellman graciously offered to bring it to our room. Wow! I didn't know this was a thing
Maybe staying in a seperate building wouldnt be so bad. Off to our room we go!One thing that blew me away was how incredibly close this hotel was to Magic Kingdom Park. I couldnt believe it when we exited the elevator and looked out the window and could see Space Mountain so close right there! The carpet was bright and new. We entered the room and it was adorable. I immediately noticed that the artwork looked like it was done by one of my favorite Disney artists, Joey Chou. Come to find out it was! I loved the nods to the theme park in the room and the whimsical artwork.
People had warned me the studio would be small, but it didnt seem small to me at all! The smell of fresh paint was in the air and I was pretty sure we were probably one of the first people to stay there. We both agreed that this was our favorite themed room we stayed in so far. We loved the extra space under the TV to spread out our stuff and that the studio seemed to have it owns little kitchen area unlike the other studios we stayed in.
I looked outside on our balcony and saw a cute pool with some really fun Mickeys going up and down. This was the first hotel that we stayed at that I thought really actually felt like Disney.
Unfortunately, there was some issues with our heater and we would have to move. They told us that pretty much half of the heaters weren't working and in order to fix them they would have to go in another guests room so moving was the only option. We were told we would be upgraded to a "Marina view." The bellman came right away and moved all of our stuff.
We noticed how incredibly kind and helpful all of the cast members were. He told us about the music from the fireworks in the room, where to view them from other areas of the hotel and a bunch of other useful information. I was sad to leave our other room as I actually preferred to see the cute lit up Mickeys flashing more than the marina! It was supposed to be a day for relaxation, but I made my wife go back to Riviera so I could explore more
More on that on a different thread. When we returned, we watch the fireworks from the windows by the elevator. How amazing would it have been to book a theme park view! They were sold out when we tried.I knew in my heart even before we came here this is where we belonged which was weird I know, but I just had a feeling. I would love to stay here year after year. That night, I sat on the balcony relaxing, knowing the decision had been made, when I noticed a bunch of boats sailing by in the marina. Interesting. It wasnt long before some random looking creatures began to appear. "Babe, somethings coming!!!" I yelled. My wife came out in her pajamas and was like no way, what is going on??" We both looked in awe and stunned as some loud music blared and lights flashed. There was a dolphin, dragon and some patriotic figures flashing... was there some kind of patriotic holiday i didn't know about?? Was this part of Disney?? We called the front desk and asked and it sure was
We slept fantastic that night.The next day would have us celebrating my cousin's birthday at Chef Mickeys for breakfast! I thought, please dont let this ruin it for us. Food was important and so would the logistics of getting to that hotel. Surprisingly, that part didnt bother me at all and the covered walkway was even closed. I guess more chance to explore! I loved the Mary Blair Small World Artwork in the lobby and the futuristic theme blended with a retro 70's vibe. Was amazed to see the monorail zip right through the resort. How incredibly convenient! When we tested it later I was happy to see that it ran just as efficient as it looked!
Chef Mickeys was such a treat. I do believe it was the character buffett that had the most food selections and it was also the most tasty! I was impressed that I liked it even better than Boma! I ordered a Minnie shake and it was delicious! The cinnamon rolls were out if this world! My wife loved that they had some "Mexican" offerings even if the cast member didnt know what guacamole was, they did have what looked like to be an honest attempt
The characters were animated and interactive, our server was amazing, and the cast members made sure all characters were met, autographs signed and pictures taken. It really was fabulous.Shopping afterwards was just as fabulous. This hotel boasted the most merchandise we had seen from any of the hotels. I bought a cute stitch puffer jacket, Chef mickey stuffies, ornaments and pajamas. They really did have a lot of stuff! Later we took the monorail to shop at the Polynesian too. This was our favorite mode of transportation so far. When we got back to the hotel, I couldnt find an ornament I bought. Was I actually so tired I left it somewhere? I reported it to the front desk and they said they would keep an eye out. I was super bummed.
I ended up going to the community laundry room and meeting a nice Canadian couple who happened to be DVC owners on my way out. I stood in the doorway as they excitedly talked to me about their ownership. How they bought into BLT when it first opened, how they were given free points with their purchase and other freebies unheard of these days, how they loved their membership but it has changed so much and being from Canada it just wasnt affordable for them anymore and they were sad they would probably end up selling.
I had so many questions and they seemed just as excited as me to answer them! I noticed a cast member out of the corner of my eye standing near me for a while. I didnt know why he was standing there and I was so engaged in conversation with this DVC couple that I didnt think twice about it. After about 45 mins of talking I was finally leaving and the cast member told me, "I'm sorry to interrupt you ma'am, but we did locate your ornament." Did he just seriously wait 45 minutes for me to stop talking so he wouldnt interrupt my conversation??? I felt guilty, but blown away!
The rest of the stay went without a hiccup. We only had two nights there and when it was time to leave I was heartbroken. We just didnt have time to eat at the california grill which was on my list. We went to check out the DVC lounge and see if they would let us take a peek, but it wasnt open yet when we arrived. Didn't realize it was a night time thing.
I felt the same way I felt when it was time to leave Animal Kingdom. So sad I was being ripped out of my new happy place! Off to the Grand Floridian! Stay Tooned!
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