Our most anxiously-awaited Walt Disney World room reimagining at a resort we’ve come to like, and for which we’ve a newfound appreciation as mother and father of a toddler, simply wrapped up after over a 12 months of labor. It was additionally a undertaking that was lengthy overdue, as the unique rooms had been wanting worse for put on for no less than 7 years.
Walt Disney World’s new marvelous Mary Blair rooms we’re reviewing at the moment are at Bay Lake Tower, which is technically the closest resort to Magic Kingdom. BLT is even nearer than the primary A-frame tower of Disney’s Up to date Resort or the Backyard Wing behind it, shaving treasured minutes from the whole strolling time that’s already underneath 10 minutes from resort door to Magic Kingdom’s predominant entrance.
After a top-to-bottom laborious items refurbishment that impacted all areas of the resort, the final of Bay Lake Tower’s visitor rooms have now reopened, with the tip end result being modernized rooms that function completely completely different designs, a brand new look, and up to date format. This shares pictures of the redone rooms, plus our ideas on how these examine to their predecessors and different Disney Trip Membership studios.
Bay Lake Tower (BLT) was controversial from the second its “secret” development started almost 20 years in the past. Many followers seen it as an eyesore that distract from the Up to date, and it stays fairly divisive amongst Walt Disney World diehards to at the present time for its sterile or un-Disney design that does little to tell apart the tower from actual world resorts.
It’s truthful to say that this controversy has cooled over time, particularly as extra egregious towers have been constructed round Walt Disney World. The charitable perspective can be that no less than BLT is healthier than these. Or that it has change into acquainted to followers, so it doesn’t stick out as a lot anymore.
The extra important view can be that Bay Lake Tower set a harmful precedent, and people who argued that it was a slippery slope have been vindicated with the likes of Island Tower on the Polynesian or Lakeshore Lodge over by Fort Wilderness.
In any case, we aren’t right here to relitigate the architectural deserves of Bay Lake Tower. Our view is that what’s achieved is completed, particularly when that undertaking was accomplished in 2009. If we’re dredging up decades-old selections, maybe it’s time to query whether or not it was a mistake to shut the Hen of the Sea Pirate Ship & Restaurant and the Wizard of Bras?!
Setting apart the outside deserves, the recently-completed laborious items refurbishment at Bay Lake Tower was badly wanted.
The rooms at Bay Lake Tower had been poorly constructed within the first place and constructed a couple of decade earlier than the present ‘wave’ of modern lodging that marry space-saving types with well-themed ones. The studios are additionally small by Disney Trip Membership requirements, particularly when contrasted with different lodging across the monorail loop.
Consequently, BLT is the resort that will profit essentially the most from receiving a room reimagining. And one was anticipated for a number of years previous to it really taking place, which brought on us to repeatedly delay return stays. In reality, our final keep at BLT previous to returning was again in 2021. After getting a tough room then, we swore it off till the refurbishment was completed.
That won’t appear that lengthy to go between stays, however we do numerous resort stays for analysis and to refresh evaluations, and intention to do a minimal of 1 keep each different 12 months. There are just a few outliers (Saratoga Springs, Outdated Key West, Riverside) the place we haven’t stayed within the final 3 years. Stays at the most well-liked resorts are extra frequent, particularly when issues are altering.
This isn’t going to be a complete Bay Lake Tower evaluate, however I’d remiss if I didn’t no less than acknowledge the resort’s greatest promoting level: location.
Not solely is Bay Lake Tower the closest resort to Magic Kingdom, however it’s extra compact than the remainder of the Up to date. You possibly can stroll out the entrance door of the resort and be contained in the Magic Kingdom lower than 10 minutes later.
There are few issues extra satisfying at Walt Disney World than hitting the crosswalk to Magic Kingdom with none wait after which breezing proper by means of bag-check with no delay. No different WDW resort is that this shut, and each minute issues on the finish of a protracted evening or once you’re racing to reach for the beginning of Early Entry.
Throughout this keep, we had a floor stage room at BLT. Previously, we’d’ve been inclined to make a strategic room request on a excessive flooring to get a partial view, however after this, I’m a floor flooring convert.
At the very least, whereas we’ve a toddler. There’s something doubly satisfying about making the above stroll with no delays and likewise making it again to the room with out waking a sleeping little one.
That seems like an ‘achievement unlocked’ second, and alone is sufficient to promote me on future stays at BLT. Actually, there’s nothing else I want from this resort. There are different misgivings and quibbles with Bay Lake Tower, however that location and commute time to Magic Kingdom is the last word trump card.
In opposition to that backdrop, let’s check out the brand new commonplace studio rooms on the Bay Lake Tower…
Gone is the unique mid-aughts trendy fashion with one commonplace mattress frames and a pull-out sofa. The room was completely gutted for the redesign, with all-new decor, flooring, partitions, panels, curtains, furnishings, and beds.
Whereas the entire furnishings and fixtures have been changed, essentially the most notable change is the substitute of the couch sleeper with a pull-down Murphy sleeper that’s in some way each a snug sofa and a snug queen mattress.
These rooms are DVC’s newest designs, considerably just like what was first pioneered at Disney’s Riviera Resort. That fashion of room has since been launched to many different Disney Trip Membership resorts which have been renovated, and for good purpose, member satisfaction surveys give these rooms very excessive marks.
These studios have made nice strides in space-saving design and including modern options just like the pull-down Murphy sleeper that’s in some way each a snug sofa and a snug mattress. That is the end result of numerous classes discovered by DVC over the past decade.
They iterate on previous successes, disregard previous failures, and are available collectively completely. They’re a pointy distinction to the previous rooms, which weren’t the worst–however positively weren’t the top of themed design at Walt Disney World.
Though this era of room designs started with Disney’s Riviera Resort, the brand new rooms at Bay Lake Tower share nearer bloodlines with the Villas at Disneyland Resort. Apart from format and thematic variations, there’s appreciable overlap between the 2. That is in all probability meaningless to numerous you, however for DVC members, it’d supply reference level. Nonetheless you’re feeling about these, you’ll in all probability really feel in regards to the new BLT rooms.
The most important draw back of those new rooms is the dearth of a fifth sleeper.
As Walt Disney World has redone different resorts, they’ve changed tables and chairs or cupboard space with pull-down fifth sleeper beds for teenagers or smaller adults. These beds would sometimes be underneath the tv, and rather than a desk.
Bay Lake Tower didn’t obtain the fifth sleeper therapy, which I assume comes all the way down to obtainable house. These rooms are small, and having the fifth sleeper would imply no desk and no dresser beneath the tv. Even then, it might be too tight of a match.
This additionally might’ve been a aware determination on Disney’s half, maybe for the sake of selection. It’s good to have some rooms with desks–I’m extra inclined to e-book Bay Lake Tower due to this function than a fifth sleeper.
It’s additionally attainable that this was achieved to acknowledge the sensible actuality that this studio is just too small to accommodate 5 company comfortably.
I can’t think about cramming that many individuals into this room. No matter sq. footage, the studios at Bay Lake Tower really really feel extra just like the duo studios on the Villas at Disneyland Resort than they do the common studios there.
I do want the desk had a standard chair versus slightly stool, although. I’m undecided what this pattern is about, however the lack of a again on the chair makes the desk unusable for working prolonged durations of time.
I’m guessing the first function is having this be a make-up desk, however I’m undecided how placing on make-up is incompatible with having a chair with a again. Who on earth prefers a backless chair?!
I really feel loopy watching this pattern play out that makes completely no sense in anyway. Or am I only a dinosaur?
Bay Lake Tower nonetheless has a separate room for the kitchenette.
“Room” would possibly overstate what that is. It’s extra like a cubby or glorified walk-in closet. This house is so cramped that it’s powerful to seize even with my extremely extensive angle lens. (I attempted with the fisheye however the distortion offers it a madhouse really feel.)
I’m undecided what the consensus is on this “room,” however I’m not a fan. It would make sense if the Bay Lake Tower commonplace rooms had a humiliation of sq. footage wealth that may very well be allotted all willy-nilly. I might see any such function being added at Outdated Key West or the Poly, for example.
At BLT, squandering the already restricted house on a separate room/massive closet for the kitchenette appears ill-advised. Kind of like the large bogs and closets within the duo/tower studios at Riviera and Disneyland Resort.
After seeing simply how far more spacious the newer Island Tower and DLH studios really feel with, primarily, an analogous setup however out within the open, I want Disney Trip Membership would’ve achieved the identical right here. In fact, I didn’t count on them to knock down a wall through the refurbishment and totally reconfigure the kitchenette.
Now that will’ve been fairly the reimagining! I’m talking within the grand scheme of issues, for these questioning in regards to the BLT rooms versus comparable alternate options.
Type-wise, I do like what was achieved with this house. The brand new inexperienced tile makes it pop, provides new texture, and furthers the mid-century trendy sensibility of the brand new rooms. On the opposite facet, there are historic pictures of Walt Disney World. All the time a welcome addition.
One plus in regards to the kitchenette is that it’s not out within the open, so whoever is within the kitchenette just isn’t in the best way of everybody else within the room. Subjectively, it’s really simple to see a use-case for this house as a mum or dad to a toddler.
I normally get up earlier than Sarah and Megatron, and making a cup of espresso with out waking them up is a tall activity. I’m fairly adept at stumbling round, making unintended noise earlier than I’m totally caffeinated. (Consequently, the espresso maker throughout a latest keep at Disneyland Resort was relegated to the lavatory.)
Talking of espresso, one massive nice shock with the brand new BLT room is the dual-use Keurig machines, that may both brew a single cup by way of pods or complete cups of espresso.
It is a large improve from the traditional Cuisinart espresso makers, and I nearly surprise if it was within the studios by mistake. I might see this being commonplace within the bigger rooms, however was stunned that it’s provided in studios. Regardless, I liked this.
The kitchenette additionally has a mini-fridge (not only a beverage cooler), sink, microwave, and loads of cupboard space.
Whereas affordable minds could differ about just about each different side of room designs, there’s close to unanimous settlement in regards to the new pull-down Murphy beds. They’re far more comfy that couch sleepers because of having a standard mattress, and the house freed up when transformed right into a sofa makes the room really feel bigger.
The Inova Murphy beds have been a giant hit with nearly each Disney Trip Membership member we all know. This fashion has unfold to each single Disney Trip Membership room (and past!) that has been renovated in the previous few years, and for good purpose, member satisfaction surveys give these rooms very excessive marks.
The most important win of the brand new rooms is the mid-century trendy stylization and the paintings. Gone are the pop artwork Mickey Mouse prints that appear to be one thing you would possibly discover on the cabinets of TJ Maxx. (That’s a bit harsh–they weren’t that unhealthy.)
As a substitute, there’s new artwork all around the room that’s by artist Joey Chou and impressed by Disney Legend Mary Blair. That is without delay trendy, fashionable and stylish, upscale, and distinctly Disney. It checks each field and is pitch good for Disney’s Up to date Resort.
My solely slight stylistic grievance is that I want there have been extra artwork above the mattress. I really most popular the previous headboard, which created a spot to intensify a bit of paintings. Total, although, the aesthetic of the brand new rooms is much superior.
The brand new paintings makes use of a vibrant coloration palette and options scenes from Magic Kingdom and the Up to date. It seems like a love letter to the unique Trip Kingdom of the World, and self-referential to the resort as a complete.
That is one other approach Bay Lake Tower feels rather a lot like Disneyland Resort, which is principally Disneyland: The Resort–a love letter to Walt Disney’s authentic magic kingdom and its lands.
Walt Disney World had already gone on this path with the brand new foyer of the Up to date, and we’re ecstatic to see this fashion continued in Bay Lake Tower. That is going to be an enormous hit with DVC members and Disney diehards. My solely request: end the job, Disney!
You’re so near restoring the Up to date to its full former glory. Sustain this vitality with a cohesive fashion within the Grand Canyon Concourse. Take away the layers of junk which have amassed over time. Eliminate the Incredibles IP injection. You’ve discovered the right fashion for the resort as a complete–that is it!
As long as you don’t have a celebration of 4 adults doing a week-plus keep, there must be a ample quantity of cupboard space within the BLT commonplace studio. There’s storage within the dresser beneath the tv, underneath the elevated queen mattress, in a closet throughout from the lavatory, underneath the espresso desk, and different locations I’m in all probability forgetting.
Regardless of how a lot cupboard space Walt Disney World provides, it’ll by no means be sufficient for some events. I get that, however the counterpoint is that these rooms are solely so massive, and all the things is a tradeoff. What’s an applicable quantity of house devoted to stage? In my view, that is it.
There’s additionally a ton of energy retailers and USB ports (A and C) throughout the room. For some time, Walt Disney World resort rooms had not “caught up” to the proliferation of gadgets that should be charged every evening, however that’s now not the case.
I don’t have any main complaints about these new rooms at Bay Lake Tower.
On the contrary, I believe these are an enormous step ahead that can doubtless accomplish the uncommon and spectacular feat of being extra interesting to each informal company and diehard Walt Disney World followers.
The previous rooms had been nothing particular. That they had touches of Disney, however weren’t exemplars of themed design. That was an issue since BLT was very primary just about in all places else, too.
With regards to operate, there must be little shock that these rooms are an improve. That’s just about a given at this level, as all new rooms are emulating the strategy of the Riviera Resort rooms, with every subsequent design getting its personal little iterations and defining design options.
Disney Trip Membership has even indicated that visitor satisfaction scores have elevated by 20% amongst company who’ve stayed in new rooms at Saratoga Springs. The brand new room fashion looks like the end result of numerous classes discovered by DVC over the past decade–iterating on previous successes and disregarding previous failures–into one thing that coalesces completely.
Imagineering actually bought the rooms proper with Disney’s Riviera Resort and have utilized these classes elsewhere. These designs make important strides in space-saving design, which is very beneficial at Bay Lake Tower because the rooms are on the smaller facet.
Right here’s a have a look at the bogs within the BLT studios:
The bogs are undeniably cramped, with all the things in a single house. In case you have 4 individuals sharing the room, that is likely to be an issue.
The bogs are only one clear distinction between the final era of DVC rooms and the present one. These usually are not on par with the usual rooms at Island Tower or Riviera, and actually, they aren’t even nearly as good because the tiny tower or duo studios.
Opinions on the brand new rooms at BLT will certainly come down to border of reference. Are you evaluating them to the brand-new DVC rooms or their direct predecessors at BLT? The latter invitations a way more favorable comparability, whereas the previous goes to be harsher.
These rooms are an evening and day enchancment over what was right here earlier than. Nonetheless, Walt Disney World has made large strides with brand-new rooms within the years since BLT, and there’s solely a lot that may be modified throughout a retrofit versus new development.
The pictures that comply with are of the frequent areas at Bay Lake Tower, offered with out commentary. A few of these have been redone, some haven’t.
Be aware that this Bay Lake Tower room evaluate ought to NOT be construed as a advice to purchase into Disney Trip Membership.
As mentioned in our Disney Trip Membership Shopping for Information, there’s rather a lot to contemplate when figuring out whether or not to hitch DVC, and if that’s the case, which residence resort to decide on. The placement, transportation, environment, format, or different components of any resort could not attraction to you.
There’s a purpose “attempt before you purchase” and “purchase the place you need to keep” are fashionable adages amongst DVC Members. Not solely that, however Disney Trip Membership just isn’t proper for everybody within the first place. Undoubtedly do your analysis!
There’s rather a lot to like in regards to the overhaul of Bay Lake Tower. There’s a ton of artwork that pays tribute to Walt Disney World historical past. The designs are on theme, with a transparent mid-century trendy affect.
There’s a ton of depth by way of textures, patterns, and even issues like wallpaper. There’s likewise rather a lot coloration, and all of it works harmoniously with out ever really feel overly chaotic or garish.
Suffice to say, the brand new BLT rooms are a major departure from the drab designs for which Walt Disney World has been criticized with some resort redesigns.
Bay Lake Tower sticks the touchdown on well-themed with out being overwhelming. They’re distinctly Disney and attraction to me as a WDW diehard, and I might simply see a first-timer discovering them sufficiently fashionable and complex.
I might not go so far as to say these are my new #1 favourite Disney Trip Membership studios, however they’re up there. That was completely not the case beforehand–we had actively averted Bay Lake Tower for a number of years because of the rooms. They had been backside of the barrel earlier than.
In the end, the brand new rooms at Bay Lake Tower accomplish precisely what they wanted for us to deem them a hit. Each the type and performance of the brand new rooms are main upgrades. They appear brisker, are extra on-theme, and likewise higher make the most of the restricted sq. footage.
Then there’s the preexisting proximity to Magic Kingdom, which is hard to beat. BLT doesn’t want the #1 rooms as a result of it already had the #1 location. It simply wanted satisfactory rooms, and it greater than cleared that bar. All issues thought of, Bay Lake Tower is now within the working for our first selection resort for household journeys to Walt Disney World.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about resorts on our Walt Disney World Resorts Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, one of the best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the things you’ll want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your ideas on these new rooms at Bay Lake Tower? Have you ever stayed in at each BLT and the resort facet of Disney’s Up to date Resort? Which do you favor? What do you consider the rooms? Something you don’t like in regards to the redesign? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or considerations? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
