- Average night
- $870
- Standard room sleeps
- 4
- Quickest park
- Magic Kingdom, by monorail
- Pools
- 7 / 10
The short answer
Bay Lake Tower is the Contemporary with better rooms and a higher price. Same site, same 12-minute walk to Magic Kingdom, same monorail station, same restaurants, and about $200 a night more at roughly $870.
What the money buys is space and a better fit for kids. It scores 9 for under-fours where the Contemporary scores 6, and 8 for ages 7 to 13, so it works for a wider range of ages. For two adults who'll be in the parks from opening to close, though, you're paying about $1,400 over a week for a room you'll mostly sleep in.
The same site, the same path to Magic Kingdom, the same monorail station and the same restaurants, for about $200 a night less.
Read the Contemporary Resort review →Bay Lake Tower sold out for your dates? Set a room alert and we will email you when a room opens.
Your ages, budget and parks re-rank all 32. Free, about a minute.Which room to ask for
Rooms open onto internal corridors with elevators throughout, so which floor you get matters less here than at the Values and Moderates. A request costs nothing and is never guaranteed: make it at booking, and again a day or two before you arrive.
Every measure, against the other 30
Disney does not set a height minimum on its resort waterslides, unlike the water parks. Riders go down one at a time and land in water deep enough to swim in, so the question is whether your child swims on their own, not how tall they are.
| Scored category | This resort | Average of all 32 | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pools | 7 / 10 | 7.1 | 14th of 32 |
| Splash pads and slides | 6 / 10 | 7.6 | 23rd of 32 |
| Everything close together | 10 / 10 | 6.0 | 1st of 32 |
| Things to do on site | 7.5 / 10 | 7.2 | 10th of 32 |
| Suits under 4s | 9 / 10 | 7.8 | 1st of 32 |
| Suits ages 4 to 6 | 9 / 10 | 7.8 | 3rd of 32 |
| Suits ages 7 to 13 | 8 / 10 | 6.2 | 2nd of 32 |
| Suits adults | 6 / 10 | 5.5 | 13th of 32 |
| Getting to Magic Kingdom · monorail | 10 / 10 | 5.5 | – |
| Getting to EPCOT · monorail | 5 / 10 | 5.5 | – |
| Getting to Hollywood Studios · bus | 3 / 10 | 4.5 | – |
| Getting to Animal Kingdom · bus | 3 / 10 | 4.0 | – |
Rank is out of all 32 Disney resorts on that one measure. The park rows show the fastest route Disney actually runs, so a bus and a monorail are not scored the same even when the map says they are the same distance.
Where it wins
Where it loses
Bay Lake Tower or the Contemporary?
Contemporary Resort
What it costs
About $870 a night on average, against roughly $663 for the Contemporary on the same site. That gap is the whole decision, and it buys space and better scores for kids, not a better location.
Across 53 check-in weeks, a night here ranged from $680 to $1123, a swing of 65%. The cheapest week checked in on August 16, 2027 and the priciest on December 28, 2026.
Room only, before tax, for a four night midweek stay for two adults, read from Disney on September 27, 2026.
What Bay Lake Tower is really like
The walk to Magic Kingdom leaves from the Contemporary side, so Bay Lake Tower guests cross a sky bridge first. Add 2 or 3 minutes.
The Top of the World Lounge is for DVC members only and has our favorite fireworks view on property. If you're renting points instead of paying cash, ask whether you get access.
Standard view here means the parking area or the roof of the Contemporary. Theme park view is a paid category, and it's the one people picture.
Two-bedroom lock-offs sleep nine, which makes this one of the few monorail-loop options for a big group under one roof.
Your family will rank this differently
Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the answer. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.
Bay Lake Tower sold out for your dates? Set a room alert and we will email you when a room opens.
Common questions
Who is Bay Lake Tower best for?
Families with kids roughly four to thirteen doing two or more Magic Kingdom days. Five of you need a one-bedroom villa here, since the studios sleep four. It scores 9 for under-fours and 8 for ages 7 to 13, where the Contemporary manages 6 and 7.
Is Bay Lake Tower worth about $200 more than the Contemporary?
For the space and the kids' scores, often yes. For two adults, it's hard to justify: you get the same walk, monorail and restaurants next door for about $1,400 less over a week.
Can you walk to Magic Kingdom from Bay Lake Tower?
Yes, on the same path the Contemporary uses, about 12 minutes including the sky bridge. It scores a full 10 out of 10, tied for the highest on property.
Does Bay Lake Tower have its own pool?
Yes, plus access to the Contemporary's. The tower pool is the quieter of the two.
How far is Bay Lake Tower from EPCOT?
Five out of 10, by monorail with a change at the Transportation and Ticket Center, roughly 25 minutes. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are buses, at 3.