Bay Lake Tower vs. Contemporary Resort: What DVC Members Actually Get

Two Resorts, One Legendary Location

Bay Lake Tower stands as one of the most strategically located properties in the entire Disney Vacation Club system. Connected to Disney's Contemporary Resort by a covered skyway on the fourth floor, it occupies what many DVC enthusiasts consider the single best piece of real estate at Walt Disney World: directly adjacent to the Magic Kingdom, on the monorail loop, and within genuine walking distance of the park entrance.

But Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Resort, while physically linked, offer fundamentally different experiences — and understanding those differences is essential for anyone considering a DVC purchase, a point rental, or simply trying to decide where to spend their next vacation.

Bay Lake Tower Room Types

Bay Lake Tower offers the standard DVC villa configurations, each with a modern, minimalist design:

• Deluxe Studio: Sleeps up to four with a queen bed and a pull-down bed. Includes a kitchenette. Available in standard view, lake view, and theme park view — which faces directly toward the Magic Kingdom.
• One-Bedroom Villa: Sleeps up to four, with a king bed in the master suite, a queen sleeper sofa in the living room, and a full kitchen. The theme park view from a one-bedroom villa is one of the most spectacular vantage points at Walt Disney World.
• Two-Bedroom Villa: Combines the one-bedroom and a studio, sleeping up to eight guests. Two full bathrooms, full kitchen, and washer and dryer.
• Grand Villa: A three-bedroom penthouse on the top floors, sleeping up to twelve. Panoramic views encompass Bay Lake, the Magic Kingdom, and Space Mountain.

"We watched the fireworks from our theme park view one-bedroom with the patio door open. The music plays on the room's TV perfectly synced with the show. Our kids still talk about it years later." — Bay Lake Tower Owner

The Top of the World Lounge

Accessible exclusively to DVC members staying at Bay Lake Tower, the Top of the World Lounge occupies the 16th floor and offers what is arguably the best view at Walt Disney World. The lounge serves cocktails, wine, beer, and light snacks in a sleek, intimate setting with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Magic Kingdom.

During fireworks, the lounge opens its outdoor observation deck, and the experience is genuinely breathtaking — you are above the tree line, looking directly at Cinderella Castle. This is not available to Contemporary Resort guests or to the general public. It is a DVC member benefit, and it alone is a compelling reason to stay at Bay Lake Tower.

Contemporary Resort: What Cash Guests Get

The Contemporary Resort is one of Walt Disney World's original hotels, opened on October 1, 1971. Its distinctive A-frame design — with the monorail passing directly through the building — remains one of the most recognizable structures in the Disney universe. Cash guests at the Contemporary stay in rooms within the main tower or the adjacent Garden Wing, with nightly rates that routinely exceed $600 during moderate seasons.

Contemporary tower rooms offer excellent views and a prime location, but they are standard hotel rooms — not villas. There is no kitchen, no washer and dryer, no separate living space, and no option for multi-bedroom configurations.

The Value Comparison: Points vs. Rack Rates

This is where the DVC advantage at Bay Lake Tower becomes strikingly clear. Consider a one-bedroom theme park view villa during a moderate-demand week in October:

• Bay Lake Tower (DVC): Approximately 30 to 40 points per night. At a blended cost of roughly $18 to $22 per point, that translates to roughly $540 to $880 per night for a full villa with a kitchen, living room, and washer/dryer.
• Contemporary Resort (Cash): A standard tower room — with no kitchen, no living room — runs $650 to $900+ per night during the same period.

The DVC member gets a significantly larger, better-equipped room at a comparable or lower effective cost, with the added benefit of the Top of the World Lounge access.

Walking to the Magic Kingdom

Both Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Resort share one of the most coveted benefits at Walt Disney World: the ability to walk to the Magic Kingdom. A paved, landscaped pathway runs from the Contemporary's ground floor directly to the park's security checkpoint. The walk takes roughly 8 to 12 minutes at a comfortable pace. Bay Lake Tower guests access this same path via the skyway to the Contemporary.

Booking Strategy for Bay Lake Tower

Bay Lake Tower is a high-demand resort, particularly for theme park view rooms. Those rooms are claimed almost immediately when the 11-month window opens. Standard and lake view rooms are somewhat easier to secure but still require advance planning.

If you do not own Bay Lake Tower points, the 7-month window can yield standard-view studios during off-peak periods, but anything beyond that is a gamble. Connecting with a Bay Lake Tower owner through DVCHomeResort.com gives you access to the 11-month window and a realistic shot at securing the room type and view category you actually want.

The Bottom Line

Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Resort share a location, a monorail station, and a skyway — but the DVC experience at Bay Lake Tower is categorically superior in terms of space, amenities, value, and exclusive access. The Top of the World Lounge, the villa configurations, and the long-term economics of point ownership create a proposition that cash rates at the Contemporary simply cannot match. For anyone who visits Walt Disney World more than once every few years, Bay Lake Tower is one of the smartest investments in the entire DVC system.