Travel
tiffanysbride
member
Nicholas loved for 28 weeks, 4/11/10
Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Disney Bay Lake Towers?
in Travel
We are looking at the 1 bedroom suite, with kitchen and laundry. It seems so expensive but there is a huge ease factor with the monorail, we'll have DS with us who will be 5. After looking on VRBO I found several really nice homes to rent with private pools and amenities (like Reunion Resort) but we'd have to drive a few miles, etc.
If you've been is the extra price worth it? How was the monorail and shuttle service? If it matters we'd be going after spring break but before kids are out for the summer.
Nicholas loved for 28 weeks, 4/11/10 Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
Re: Disney Bay Lake Towers?
I haven't stayed at Bay Lake Towers yet (although I really want to!!). However, I love staying on Disney property. You don't have to pay for parking and you can come and go as you please (depending on your ticket choices). You just get on on the monorail and you have instant access to Magic Kingdom or Epcot. Then, if you want to go to one of the other parks, you have easy access to the buses.
I think being able to easily come and go would be helpful with younger children. When it gets really hot, you can take a break, come back to the room and chill. You can also fix lunch in the room, which makes food costs cheaper as well. Extra Magic Hours can be great too. You may not want to take advantage of the evening hours (sometimes until 11 or later), but they open an hour earlier, which can be good for shorter lines on the more popular rides.
HTH!
EDIT: I don't have younger children, but I'm just thinking back to when I was a kid and went to Disney. I also visited Disney last year and stayed on property with just me, my H, and my best friend. I think the difference between the two prices vs. your budget would also make a big difference!
The convenience of a monorail resort beats no other. Imagine being "home" in 5 minutes for nap and pool time! Magical Express - the shuttle service from the airport is great - all your baggage is taken care of for you, picked up from baggage claim and delivered to your resort. You don't have to worry about renting a car and paying for parking each day.
There are other resort options on site that are less costly than BLT, but still offer the convenience and benefits of staying onsite. If you would like more info you can contact me at krissy@magicofmickey.com - I am a Disney Destination specialist/ travel agent.
After 7 years trying to concieve, 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs, my third IVF was a success!
My Christmas baby turned into a turkey bird! Dillon Richard was born at 34 weeks, 5 days on November 28, 2009 after 10 weeks on bedrest for preeclampsia.
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Thanks for the reassurance. I plan to have groceries delivered and do breakfast in the room as well as a few lunches and a dinner or two. Eating out everyday would not be good for any of us as we don't do it often at home.
If you don't mind another question or two, what character meals would you suggest? Thinking Chef Mickey seems the easiest b/c we'll be at the hotel.
Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
That is DH's stance as well. It is funny b/c I don't bat an eye when spending a fortune for international vacations but for a kids destination I had a moment of pause.
Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
kids destination? no way!! dh and i dont ahve kids and we have an awesome time there!!!
I agree, it's worth some extra money for the convenience of staying on the grounds. The Magical Express is free and easy to get to the hotel from the airport. With little kids, you will probably spend the most time at MK so the convenience of being able to walk over or take the monorail will be great. It's so nice not to have to worry about driving and parking and figuring out where you need to go around the grounds.
For character meals, Chef Mickey will be easy if you're there already. If you can get an early breakfast at Crystal Palace in MK or Tusker House in AK, it's great to be able to enter the parks before they open. You can eat and finish up just as the park is opening to guests which is great. If your kids have any specific favorite characters you can look to see if they're at a specific meal to ensure they'll get to meet them without spending extra hours searching the parks for them too!
I did Chef Mickey when I was a kid (over 10 years ago), but it was awesome! I've heard it is still just as good as it was then! I remember their fruit selection was amazing! Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom is also good I hear.
I stayed at Bay Lake Towers when my oldest was 4yrs. It was fantastic!!! We had a great view of both the lake and the Magic Kindom Castle. We watched the fireworks from our balcony. The next morning we did Breakfast with the Characters in the restaurant at the Contemporary. The pool is fab as well.
I also really liked that we could walk to MK, take the monorail to MK or Epcot, or take the bus system. It's so convenient!!!! I'd say the price is worth it, but I've been a DVC member for years, so obviously I love the amenities and conveniences of staying on grounds when visiting Disney.
Thanks for the review. How long did you stay? Did you find there was a certain time frame that worked best for your DC?
Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
We did Chef Mickey's for breakfast our first full day there (we arrived early afternoon the day before). My 4 year old and almost 2 year old LOVED it. The characters come right to your table and they hit everybody. No lines, no chaos and a pretty good breakfast buffet to boot. I recommend it, but we have boys and the lack of princesses didn't matter to us.
We stayed at the Polynesian and it was so conveinent to be on the monorail. Next time we will stay on a monorail property again. We did the dining plan and I probably would not do that again, unless it was free. I would rather have a cocktail than dessert a lot of time, so I would have to pay for that anyways.
Make a late reservation at the California Grill for a great fireworks view.The other awesome thing we did was rent a boat for Epcot's illuminations! Really awesome if you have a small group. Takes you onto the water inside the walkway.
K