The View from the Top

Okay, so one of the main reasons that Marc wanted to stay at Bay Lake Tower was that we'd be able to see the fireworks from there. You can only access the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower if you're a DVC member staying there on points. Lucky for us, we met both requirements!

We went to the lounge a little early to have a few drinks and take some pictures. The view was amazing! You could see Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, the Wilderness Lodge, etc. The sky wasn't very clear that night due to brush fires, but we were still impressed with the view.

Magic Kingdom

The Grand Floridian

Cinderella Castle, Astro Orbiter, 

and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Space Mountain

Ferry boat on its way to Magic Kingdom

Red monorail on its way to the 

Contemporary Resort

Bay Lake view from the lounge

The lounge had a lot of little sitting areas. It was early, so we were the only ones inside the lounge at this point.

I got a Pom-Power Mojito. It was the first time I'd ever had a mojito, and it was very (VERY!) strong!

Seeing the fireworks from the lounge was so exciting! They pipe in the music that's played in the park so it was just like we were there. Of course, I cried during Wishes like I always do. Sniff, sniff...

Unfortunately, I didn't get many great pictures of the fireworks. I didn't bring my image stabilization zoom lens with me. (Stupid, stupid, stupid!) Oh well, there's always next time. And there WILL be a next time. We loved our stay at Bay Lake Tower!

Disney's Bay Lake Tower

When we woke up on the morning we left Beach Club Villas, we went over to Hollywood Studios to get a few more rides on Star Tours. (And maybe a couple more on Toy Story Midway Mania, too!) The park wasn't that crowded, so we were able to ride three times within just a few minutes. We also had FastPasses for Star Tours, but we didn't need them. So, we handed them to a couple that were coming in for the day. They were excited and very thankful to get them!

We went back to Beach Club, packed our stuff in the car, and headed over to Bay Lake Tower. One of the castmembers greeted us by name as we drove up into the valet area, an we went in to check-in. Our room wasn't ready, so we drove over to FuddRucker's to get some burgers. (Yum!) During lunch, we got a text saying that our room was ready. Back to Bay Lake Tower we went!

We drove up to the pick-up/drop-off area and unloaded our stuff. The building was modern and beautiful!

Bay Lake Tower

Room 7927

The Entryway

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

TV/Dining Area

The Living Room

The Patio

The View from Our Patio

The Laundry Room

The Closet

The Master Bathroom

I want this picture!!!

The Shower (with Dual Shower Heads!)

The Toilet

The Bedroom

The Second Bathroom

Community Hall

The Sky Bridge

Contemporary Resort Shop Windows

Mural in the Contemporary Resort

Love this picture!

The Night View from Our Patio

Sunrise Over Bay Lake

We loved staying at Bay Lake Tower! It was very convenient to Magic Kingdom...only a monorail ride away! What's funny is that Marc and I almost bought our DVC points here, but as much as I loved the resort, we're actually still very happy with our Animal Kingdom-Kidani purchase. Bay Lake Tower is still a wonderful place to visit, though. It's just not our Disney "home."

Disney's Beach Club Villas

While Marc was back at home, he decided to call Member Services at DVC to see if there were any rooms available for the following week. He really wasn't expecting to get anything, because it was the week following Memorial Day. (Busy! Busy! Busy!) But, it must've been his lucky day, because he was able to reserve a 1-bedroom at Beach Club Villas!

I've always wanted to stay there for two reasons: It's a short walk over to International Gateway at Epcot and to be able to swim in Stormalong Bay. Both wishes came true, and as a bonus, we were able to stay in a 1-bedroom.

Along the Walkway to the Villas

Ariel was waiting to greet us!

The Entryway

The Kitchen

The Living Room

The Dining Room

The Bedroom

Mickey!!!

The Bathroom

The Laundry Room 

(The best thing about a 1-bedroom!)

The View from Our Patio

We were in such a rush to see our room that we missed all the neat details that were in the lobby of the villas building.

The rest of the pictures were taken in the drawing room.

After getting everything unpacked and put away, we headed over to Epcot. We went through the World Showcase, grabbed a quick lunch, and then went back to our room. It was so nice that we really wanted to just skip the parks and enjoy the room.

Later that night, we had a nice dinner at Cape May Cafe, which is Marc's favorite Disney World restaurant. Then we went swimming in Stormalong Bay until about 10:45 that night. That pool was awesome!

We really enjoyed our stay at Beach Club Villas and can't wait to stay there again!