First time at bay lake tower next week

[Mflaherty]

Any advice about bay lake tower? Where is check in(did online)? At contemporary? Room request( 1bedroom lake view)... Top of the world advice? Refill stations? Contempo cafe? Is it good? Thanks! We are excited!

 

[erionm]

Refill Stations:
Contempo Café
Cove Bar (I believe)

For resort check-in:

A convenient new check-in desk located in the Bay Lake Tower lobby is available to Disney Vacation Club Members from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Members arriving by Disney's Magical Express will continue to check in next door at Disney's Contemporary Resort (where the Front Desk operates 24 hours a day).

The check-in desk in the Bay Lake Tower lobby also provides a variety of services for all Bay Lake Tower Members and Guests to enjoy throughout their stay, including check-out, ticket sales, dining reservations, recreation and spa reservations and more.

 

[alltwelve]

I hope you guys enjoy it! We are DVC members and after staying there a couple of years ago, it's our new go-to place! We were in a two-bedroom and were amazed at the size of the room. We had 3 bathrooms, so each of us had a place to get ready in the morning. If I'm not mistaken, the one bedroom has two bathrooms. You can find a thread on here about which room numbers to request; I believe it's even numbers for the outside of the building (facing towards the CR side) or odd numbers that face the inside of the "circle,"
Which faces the pool area, but I could be wrong. We had lake view on the north side of the building and were able to watch the fireworks at night!

The Top of the World Lounge is dead when fireworks aren't happening and is a great place to go to relax. We only went twice, but there were only two other parties up there each time we went, which was in the early evening.

The quick service place at Contemporary has great cupcakes (I remember the food being good, but especially the cupcakes) and there's a small grocery store in the Contemporary as well. We bought a box of pancake mix there (the just add water kind) and had Mickey pancakes every morning in the room!

We're staying there in a month and can hardly wait! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

 

[monorailmom]

We just got home yesterday from BLT, our fourth time staying there. This is still one of our top 2 favorite resorts!

Some advice:

If you are going to Top of the World and want drinks/appetizers, don't get there any later than 1hr before Wishes. If you get there early, you'll have no trouble getting a table, and ordering drinks and food before it starts getting crazy. You are able to leave your table during Wishes and return to it when Wishes is over if you like.

You can also get there about 15mins after Wishes to avoid the chaos!

If you are there at the times I suggested, you will love it. My DH and I love ending our Disney days up there over a glass of wine and relaxing. We brought our teens up there a few times as well, and they really enjoyed the views too!

The Contempo Cafe is great..we love the food and watching the Monorail whiz by while we're eating. We did have some frustration with the kiosk ordering system, but it wasn't awful.

Don't miss the Electric Water Pageant! It passes by the Contemporary Resort (best view is from the boat dock) around 10:10pm, or after Wishes is over.

 

[Mflaherty]

What if I'm going to the top of the world lounge just to see the fireworks? How early do I have to get there?

 

[forloveofdisney]

We had our first stay at BLT a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it! We stayed in a one bedroom lake view. The even number rooms are on the front side of the resort and the odd numbered rooms are on the lake side. IMO the higher the floor the better the view here. We asked for a room on a high floor with an even number (since the resort curves, rooms on the ends are lake view). On the north end of the building you will have a view of the lake to the right and MK to the left. It was AWESOME!. You can watch Wishes right from your balcony. You can even tune the TV to a certain channel to hear the music! If you stay even-numbered on the south end you will have a nice view of the marina, Contemporary, Monorail, and can even see other parks. Definitely don't miss the Electric Water Pageant. It goes by right after Wishes is over.

We went to the TotWL once during our stay to watch Wishes. We got there about a half hour before which was very early. I think 15 minutes is enough time to get a good spot along the wall, that way you can watch the castle show too. Another good place is on the bridge between BLT and the Contemporary. They play the music there as well and the angle is a little different.

We drove so we checked in right in the lobby of BLT. During our stay there were always lots of CMs to help and welcome you. And the smell of the lobby and hallways are amazing (My kids thought it was a little much but I loved it!).

We did not eat at the Contemporary this trip but have always enjoyed Chef Mickey's and California Grill. The market, gift shops, and arcade are great. My husband used the fitness center and liked it just fine. We did not have refill mugs but there is a station at the BLT pool bar for refills. The pool bar itself closes too early IMO but the refill station remains open.

We loved our trip here and look forward to going back in the future. It's like being a part of the MK everyday! Enjoy your stay