Difference between villas and deluxe hotels?

[Minuet888]

What is the difference between deluxe resort villas and deluxe resort hotels?
I see contemporary has four different listings across the two categories?
What is the different between bay lake tower and main tower?
What is the best view for the water electric parade and seeing magic kingdom fireworks?
Thanks!

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Deluxe Villas refer to the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) hotels which often have sister hotels that are the regular hotels you’re most familiar with and booked through the Disney World website via cash. The two entities will often share amenities and dining and transportation. So for example, you have the Grand Floridian Hotel and the DVC Villas at the Grand Floridian; Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and the DVC Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, etc. DVC villas will also have more 1, 2, and 3 bedroom suites, if that’s something you’re looking for. You can pay for DVC rooms through Disney but priority access to those rooms goes to DVC members and owners, so it’s a bit harder to find suite villas available.

And to that, Bay Lake Tower is the DVC side of the Contemporary. It’s its own standalone building with a skyway bridge/hallway connecting to the main A-frame building.

Pretty much all of the Seven Seas resorts (Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Poly, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness) will have great viewing spots for the electric water parade, since it plays multiple times a night and moves around the lake to play in front of the hotels. Personally, I think the Polynesian beaches have the best viewing spot for the MK fireworks, and by extension the water parade. Contemporary is closest to the fireworks but I think you get a slightly distorted side-view of the fireworks where Poly is head on. We will pretty much always do a Poly beach fireworks/EMP night every trip, no matter which hotel we’re staying at.

 

[Dug720]

Just to clarify, ANYONE can stay in the Villa Resorts - you don't have to be DVC to stay there. You can reserve on a "cash" basis from Disney or (more risky as they usually don't allow cancellations) you can rent points from a member. Calling them DVC resorts rather than Villa resorts is confusing to a lot of people who think you have to be DVC. You don't.

 

[mrsap]

Quick comparison of the 2 Room Types:



Villas -

Range from Studios to 3 bedrooms. Some Villas may be in a separate building than the main resort hotel.

Villas offer similar comforts of home:

Deluxe Villas include mini refrigerators or beverage coolers, microwaves, toasters, coffee pots, utensils/bowls/spoons, cups, etc.

1 Bedroom and up provide full sized kitchens including large refrigerators, stoves/oven, washer/dryer, dish washer, coffee pots, microwaves, toasters, pots and pans, utensils/bowls/spoons, cups, etc.



Deluxe Resort Hotel Rooms:

Your standard hotel room. You may get a wet bar in larger rooms.


Hope that helps a bit.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Just to clarify, ANYONE can stay in the Villa Resorts - you don't have to be DVC to stay there. You can reserve on a "cash" basis from Disney or (more risky as they usually don't allow cancellations) you can rent points from a member. Calling them DVC resorts rather than Villa resorts is confusing to a lot of people who think you have to be DVC. You don't.

Yep, I did mention that but it doesn’t hurt to clarify further

 

[hertamaniac]

You can reserve on a "cash" basis from Disney or (more risky as they usually don't allow cancellations) you can rent points from a member.

You can also purchase pre-booked reservations from a 3rd party. We have done that for years and gave us some good opportunities to stay in DVC 2 and 3 bedroom villas.

 

[Dug720]

You can also purchase pre-booked reservations from a 3rd party. We have done that for years and gave us some good opportunities to stay in DVC 2 and 3 bedroom villas.

Does that have the same lack of ability to cancel as renting points?

 

[hertamaniac]

Does that have the same lack of ability to cancel as renting points?

Once purchased, there are no changes from the 3 companies I've used. I think each one may have a separate cancellation policy.

 

[Babsy]

The Contemporary is the Deluxe resort that is essentially a hotel with regular bedrooms, 2 queen beds with a bathroom and a balcony. It consists of an A frame tower and a small three story building to the south called the garden wing. Amenities are all located in the A frame tower. The tower has rooms that face toward the Magic Kingdom so the rooms have a Theme park view and rooms that face away from the MK, and face a lake so are called lake view. The garden wing rooms similarly have different views, but no magic Kingdom (MK) views. Bay lake tower is an adjacent tower that houses villas (from small studio villas with minimal kitchen facilities all the way to completely outfitted kitchens in multi bedroom apartments). These villas are owned like timeshares by DVC members. However, some of these are sometimes available for rent by Disney on a cash basis, with the same rules as booking a room at the nearby resort. Also, members can sell their ability to book rooms via points. There are restrictions upon their use of points, so once members book a vacation for you using their points, they are not usually willing to cancel or change that reservation for you.

Both Bay lake Tower (BLT) and the Contemporary Hotel (CR) are in what Disney calls a "deluxe" category. This may give people staying there the ability to access some additional perks above and beyond those offered to people staying in the less expensive "moderate" or "value" hotels (resorts). Deluxe resorts have more amenities, larger rooms and interior corridors.

The best view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a resort room in that area would be called a Theme park view room. These are available at both Bay Lake tower and the Contemporary tower. If you do not book a room with a theme park view, you can still see the MK fireworks from your resort. There is a 4th floor viewing area at. the Contemporary tower, the beach at the nearby Polynesian or the marina or boat dock at the GF - all these are good places at the monorail resorts where you can watch the MK fireworks.The Electric water pageant is visible from all the resorts from the beach areas or any public area facing the water. You will have no problem seeing these from any of the three monorail resorts. Arguably the best area to watch either is the beach at the Polynesian, but it is a minor difference in my opinion. I have enjoyed watching both MK fireworks and the EWP from all three of these resorts.

 

[Minuet888]

Ok so if I want to stay where amenities are I would chose contemporary resort theme park view? Not garden wing and not bay lake tower. Correct?
The a frame room doors face inside the hotel and seem like it would be noisy? Is that an issue?

 

[Babsy]

Ok so if I want to stay where amenities are I would chose contemporary resort theme park view? Not garden wing and not bay lake tower. Correct?
The a frame room doors face inside the hotel and seem like it would be noisy? Is that an issue?

Some people find the rooms noisy on the lower floors in the A frame tower. Request a high floor and you should be fine. Call to make the request so that you can explain that you are looking for a quiet room. We are sensitive to noise and had no problem whatsoever, but we were on the 10th - 11th floors. SO, I don't have experience with the lower floors in the tower. The quietest rooms are in the garden wing, but second and third floor rooms in the GW do not have balconies, if that matters to you. The CR tower, TPV rooms will put you in the same building as the amenities (shops, restaurants, checkin, bus stop, monorail, etc) The CR tower lake view has you in the same area but without a view of the MK and fireworks. The lake view is beautiful though.
You are correct that the garden wing and Bay Lake tower are separate buildings from the building with the amenities. There is a short walkway from each of these to the CR tower.

 

[lanejudy]

Another difference worth noting is the bed/sleep configurations. Most of the "hotel" side will have 2 queen beds and some will also have a daybed or single murphy bed. The "villas" studios often have 1 bed plus a sofa bed or murphy. You'll want to be sure to check room descriptions before booking to make sure you'll have the sleeping situation appropriate for your party.

 

[Babsy]

Another difference worth noting is the bed/sleep configurations. Most of the "hotel" side will have 2 queen beds and some will also have a daybed or single murphy bed. The "villas" studios often have 1 bed plus a sofa bed or murphy. You'll want to be sure to check room descriptions before booking to make sure you'll have the sleeping situation appropriate for your party.

yes, and the BLT studios are small!, whereas the CR rooms are more spacious. Unless things have changed the CR tower rooms have two queens and a daybed.