Bay Lake Tower: The Underrated Monorail Resort

DVC Resorts have some of the best locations on Disney World property, including those around the monorail loop. While the Polynesian and Grand Floridian may be the first resorts you think of when it comes to the monorail loop, don’t overlook Bay Lake Tower as a place to stay or as a potential home resort. Here’s why Bay Lake Tower may just be the most underrated monorail resort.

Location, Location, Location

This is what Bay Lake Tower is best known for: quick access to the Magic Kingdom and awesome fireworks views! Bay Lake Tower is one of the few DVC Resorts that offers a specific Theme Park View booking category, which ensures that your room will have a view of the Magic Kingdom.  

FULL SHOW: Happily Ever After Fireworks from Bay Lake Tower!

Fireworks from Bay Lake Tower

From Bay Lake Tower, you can walk to the Magic Kingdom in about 10 minutes, or you can take a more leisurely route and ride the monorail to the park. Bay Lake Tower’s proximity to the Magic Kingdom also means that you can take advantage of its bus hub to get around. This makes it easier to resort hop for dining, shopping, or simply exploring other resorts beyond the monorail loop.

Great Dining Options

Bay Lake Tower is part of the Contemporary Resort and shares all of its amenities, including its restaurants.  The Skybridge connects Bay Lake Tower to the Contemporary, which makes it convenient to walk to Contempo Cafe for quick service, Chef Mickey’s for character dining, Steakhouse 71 for table service, and California Grill for signature dining. Eligible DVC Members can also visit Top of the World Lounge for drinks, light bites, and fireworks viewing.  

Hopping aboard the monorail, you can easily dine at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian as well.  

Bay Lake Recreational Activities and Other Destinations

Although many people think of Bay Lake Tower as aesthetically cold, Bay Lake Tower sits along the scenic Bay Lake. It’s the perfect location for a peaceful morning stroll before heading into the theme parks. You can even rent a pontoon boat to cruise around the lake or watch as the Electrical Water Pageant passes by with its twinkling lights and nostalgic music at night.

From late afternoon into the evening, there are also boats that can take you to the other resorts along Bay Lake, such as Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge (Copper Creek and Boulder Ridge).

An Economical Home Resort

As a home resort, Bay Lake Tower offers two advantages over its monorail loop neighbors: a lower points chart and a better price per point. As an example, a Preferred One Bedroom Villa during the cheapest travel period starts at 29 points per night at Bay Lake Tower versus 38 points at the Polynesian and 39 points at the Grand Floridian. Lower points charts at Bay Lake Tower allow you to stretch your points further for more nights at Disney World!

Bay Lake Tower Villa (Photo Credit: Tim Woods)

On average, Bay Lake Tower resale contracts currently go for $138 per point. Compared to the Grand Floridian ($159 per point) and the Polynesian ($162 per point), Bay Lake Tower offers substantial savings for the same prime location.

Access all available Disney Vacation Club resale listings, or learn more about buying and selling with DVC Resale Market.

If you’d like to make an offer or request a free consultation about buying or adding to your DVC contract, the DVC Resale Market team is here to help!