Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Opens Soon

Nearly 38 years after Disney’s Contemporary Resort opened its doors, its modern Disney Vacation Club addition, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, is scheduled to welcome guests on Aug. 4. This will be the seventh Disney Vacation Club (DVC) property at Walt Disney World Resort.

All 15 stories of the ultra-sleek design continue the original building’s iconic style, which opened with the Magic Kingdom theme park Oct. 1, 1971. Bay Lake Tower complements and pays homage to Disney’s Contemporary Resort while also offering a variety of new amenities and conveniences – kitchenettes or full kitchens complete with granite countertops and modern appliances, and other homelike amenities. In addition, most of the 295 two-bedroom equivalent villas in the crescent-shaped tower offer spectacular views of Bay Lake or Magic Kingdom.

Bay Lake Tower, like all DVC resorts, blends Disney magic with elegant design and premier accommodations. DVC members – and, based on availability, overnight Walt Disney World guests staying at Bay Lake Tower – can choose from a number of recreation activities and facilities, including a children’s interactive water play area, Bay Cove Pool, a barbeque pavilion, a Community Hall and two nearby tennis courts.

For easy access to Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s restaurants, merchandise shops and the monorail, the Sky Way Bridge takes members and guests from the fifth floor of Bay Lake Tower directly to the fourth floor Grand Canyon Concourse of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The opening of Bay Lake Tower is an exciting chapter in the history of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. “Our resort motto is ‘Where Tradition Touches Today,’ and the marriage of our iconic resort with this elegant new Disney Vacation Club offering is a perfect example,” said Thea Sargent, general manager of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. “Plus, with all of the enhancements we have made to the resort over the last few years – from costumes and landscaping to restaurants and merchandise locations – we offer our overnight guests and DVC members an unparalleled ‘contemporary’ resort experience. I think this kind of evolution is exactly what Walt Disney envisioned for our resort.”

Bay Lake Tower is the third Disney Vacation Club offering to open at Walt Disney World Resort this year, following the first phase of Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. What excites me most about this tremendous growth is that we’re not only creating new accommodations but new experiences for our Disney Vacation Club members as well as our resort guests,” said DVC President Jim Lewis. “Each of the projects we’ve undertaken at Disney Vacation Club is unlike anything previously available in our resort portfolio, and Bay Lake Tower proudly builds on that tradition.”

Extra Magic at the Disney World Resorts

The Disney World Resorts are surrounded by the Disney Magic 24 hours a day. One of our favorite bits of magic is provided by the Housekeeping Department. The Housekeeping Department at the Disney World Resorts do an excellent job of keeping your room clean and providing towels, bed rails, and even mini-refrigerators for your visit. Anything you may need and they are a quick phone call away. That is the typical customer service you expect when you stay at a hotel. What makes the Disney Magic are the extra touches you receive or sometimes called Magical Moments.

One of my favorite Disney Magic shines through as you walk a Disney Resort like Disney's All Star Music Resort. As you walk around the resort, you will see this magic in the form of stuffed animal displays in the guest room windows. You may even find a bunny that is made out of a washcloth or your child's stuffed animals displayed in the window looking outside. These special touches are the extras that you will see during your Disney World vacation. That extra magic that makes you and your family smile! Contact us at Destinations in Florida Travel for more info about planning a Disney World vacation.

Treehouses in the Sky at Disney World

If you are a regular Disney World guest you probably remember the cool treehouses that were near the Disney Institute near Downtown Disney. These treehouses were a popular tradition from 1975-2002. We are excited to say the treehouses are coming back! The treehouses are currently getting renovated to open this summer as an additional room category for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. There will be 60 units that will be 3-Bedroom Villas. These treehouses will be elevated 10 feet off the ground on pedestals and beams designed to blend into the forest. Check back for more details about the new treehouses in the sky at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort.

Pirate Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort has been making lots of renovations and updates to the Disney Moderate Resort, called Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. This past year, the main pool received an incredible update with a new pirate ship and splash park for kids. Most of the Standard, Water View, and Preferred Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort also got a new Finding Nemo theme with unique accessories and bedding. One of the newest updates for 2009, are the Pirate Rooms. If you have any pirates in your family, this is the ultimate room for your Disney World vacation. The entire room is themed after pirates! The beds are two huge pirate ship with the headboards that look like a mast and sail. The two pirate ships are double beds. Besides the pirate beds; the artwork, curtain, and even tables and chairs are all themed for the pirate room. This Pirate Room is the ultimate themed room for your pirate fan.

You can choose from two views for this room, including the regular Standard View or a Water View that may overlook the pool or lake. The rates for the Pirate Room are very reasonable for a Disney Moderate Resort. The price runs from $174 for Value Season to $249 for Holiday Season for a Standard View Pirate Room and $199 for Value Season to $274 for Holiday Season for a Water View Pirate Room. You can book these rooms as a Room Only Reservation or include it on a Magic Your Way Package with tickets and dining. Contact our Disney Specialists at Destinations in Florida Travel for more information on booking the new Pirate Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

Disney's Magical Express - Baggage Handling

For the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, Disney is offering some amazing perks for guests staying at the Walt Disney World Resorts. One of the more popular perks is the Magical Express baggage handling services. Let's imagine two scenerios. First scenerio...after a long flight, you arrive to the Orlando International Airport ready to get to Disney World. You have to go down to Baggage Claim and wait for your luggage and then tote your luggage to the transportation. Then you have to carry you luggage to resort check in and then you have to drag your luggage all of the way to your room. Does this sound like a fun way to start your vacation?

Now imagine, arriving to the Orlando International Airport and just hopping on the Disney Transportation to your resort. After you check into your resort, your luggage magically appears in your room. This second scenerio sounds much better, doesn't it?

Disney's Magical Express baggage handling does just that! Once you arrive to the Orlando International Airport, you check in with the Magical Express Desk and then hop on the Disney Transportation to your resort. Once you arrive to your resort, you check in. After check in, your luggage will show up in your room about 2-3 hours later. It is an easy way to start your Disney World vacation.

For your trip home, you can even check your luggage at your Disney Resort instead of checking your luggage at the airline desk. Disney partners with several airlines to provide this extra service. If you are flying on AirTran, Alaska Air, American Airlines, Contiental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United/Ted, or US Airways you can check your luggage and get your boarding passes right at your Disney Resort instead of at the airport. This will save you an extra step waiting in more lines at the airport. This extra service is only for domestic flights. If you are an International guest, you will still have to check in at the airport.

For this resort airline check in, stop by the Magical Express Desk in the lobby of your resort at least 3 hours prior to your flight departure time to receive your boarding pass and check your luggage. You will need to show a government ID like a passport or drivers licence plus your resort Key to the World Card to take advantage of this service. This desk is open daily from 5 AM-1 PM at your Disney Resort.

This is a great service to save your family time and stress during your Disney World vacation. Just one more reason to stay at a Disney World Resort Hotel during your Disney World vacation. For more information, contact our agents at Destinations in Florida Travel.

Favorite Disney World Resort Pools

A major part of any Orlando vacation is relaxing and swimming at a Disney Resort pool. When picking your Disney Resort, you may focus your attention on finding a great pool for your whole family. Here is a list of the most popular pools at the Walt Disney World Resort, selected from the guests that visit Disney.

Best Overall Pool - Hands down, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort is picked for the best pool at the Walt Disney World Resort. This 3 acre pool area includes a pool with real sand and a tube area where you can just relax in a tube and bask in the sun. This pool also has the best waterslide at Disney World. The waterslide is a huge pirate ship!

If the pool area gets too busy, you can even relax in a chair or hammock on the beach overlooking a beautiful lake. In the evening, you can enjoy a swim in the pool and then a campfire singalong or movies on the sandy beach. This pool area has fun for everyone, which makes Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort the most popular pool at Disney World.

Best Pool for Adults - Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort takes the prize for best pool for adults. This pool area is naturally beautiful with a waterfall and beach entry. The hot tubs are a little more private compared to the other Disney Resorts. Plus, you can see the animals right from the pool. What a fun way to enjoy an afternoon swim!

Best Pool for Teens and Preschoolers - One of the Disney Moderate Resorts called Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort gets the most votes for best pool for teenagers and preschoolers! Let’s start with the teenagers. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort has alot of fun amenities all in the same pool area. You can grab a snack at the poolside bar, play some sand volleyball, ride a Jaguar waterslide, and then play some video games. All of the teen favorites in one area!
This resort also got the most popular pool for preschoolers. The pool features a pyramid with a waterfall trickling down the pyramid. There is also a kiddie pool and Dig Site playground, just for preschoolers. The Dig Site is a playground and sand pit for the little ones to dig up artifacts and bones. This is a perfect area for the little ones and teenagers.

Pool with the Best View - Disney’s Polynesian Resort was one of the most popular pools at the Walt Disney World Resort and came in right behind Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort for the best overall pool. Since this is such a great pool, we made up a category for this pool. So, the Disney Resort pool with the best view is Disney’s Polynesian Resort. This fun pool features a huge erupting volcano and beach entry. There is also a separate water jet area for the little ones to play. Just feet away from this pool is the sandy beach that overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. You can see Cinderella’s Castle right from the pool. This is a great pool to enjoy in the evening. You can relax at the pool and watch the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes Fireworks!

Enjoy the Disney Resort pools! Don’t forget your sunblock!