BLT - Did I make the right choice?

[Simba 1]

So i just reserved a 2 bedroom villa for 8 nights in Jan at BLT. To be honest, I don't like the styling at all, but we booked based on proximity to MK since we have 3 small children. I just read several reviews on a major travel site and now I'm nervous I made the wrong choice. Very recent reviews included many complaints of dirty rooms (crumbs, mold, stains, hair, ants!), a heavy table that can tip over easily on children, inattentive staff / under staffing...even a review about the balcony being dangerous for small children.....

What's your experience? After a totally amazing first trip home to OKW in May, I hate to gamble on BLT if the only redeeming quality is location.

[Friend of Figment]

I stayed at BLT in a 2 bedroom week before last. our group included a 6 year-old and an 8 year-old. We found everything to be delightful. We didn't let the kids onto the balcony alone, but we wouldn't anywhere. The locks are quite secure if your kids are too young to read. We also have a "at least one foot flat on the ground rule". The kids loved the pool, slide and splash zone. We were very happy with our stay.

[jenperich]

We stayed at BLT in October and we LOVED it! We didn't notice anything dirty. There were a couple things that were broken, however nothing dirty. I'm not sure what table you're talking about, but none of them seemed unstable to me. The balcony seemed safe to me. We do not have children, however the balcony has a solid wall that is high enough. The staff was very friendly and attentive. The pool area was great! They had games every afternoon, and they seemed great with the kids.

With all this being said, I think you'll have a great time.

[RAIDER]

Been their twice and will be going a 3rd time in Dec . I personally love the place . You get to use the CR pools and the views are great .
Ive never had a problem with the rooms and i am sure you will love the resort as much as we have . Ask for the highest room the have available for a good view especially on the south side facing of the bay if you cant get a MK view

[Simba 1]

The table people were referring to is football shaped? Sounds like a coffee table and it might be in the larger rooms. I read about a few kids and one elderly person who were hurt when it tipped. Some parents suggested moving the table up against the wall.

Good to hear about the balcony locks and solid railing (is it like Disney Cruise - those solid plexiglass walls?) I'm sure my little ones will try to climb on the chairs for a better view so I plan to move the chairs inside the room just to be safe. I have very active twin 3 years olds (and a 7 year old). At OKW, I had to move the pole lamps and take the knives out of the kitchen drawers away from little exploring hands!

[VWL Mom]

We stayed at BLT last June and are staying there again starting Sunday. The room was clean and staff was good. I must tell you though the first thing I said to my boys (16 & 19) was that I didn't think the balcony doors were child proof. The room we stayed in did not have a high lock to prevent little ones from reaching and opening. I know they have made recent changes in the rooms so maybe that was one of them. I'll check on them and the table for you and report back next week.

[DizneyRox]

I have no desire to stay in the Contemporary. Just not my cup of tea. I'm not so sure the location is a "redeeming" quality, but to each his own I guess.

As far as your other concerns though, I'm not sure if I would listen so much. The table MAY be the kitchen table. AKLV have a football shaped main table. Yes it's heavy, yes it would hurt someone if if fell on them, BUT I can't imagine it tipping over all by itself. If kids are climbing on the table and jumping off it, sure, someone's going to get hurt, but properly supervised, I don't see it being a concern.

Understaffing is just how it goes at Disney. They are all doing more with less, so you're going to gamble on if it will imapct you and your experiences. If you don't feel something is handled right, call a manager, and persist until it's handled to your satisfaction. I don't think switching to a different resort will give you any better chance of avoiding that.

[pox24]

Hogwash! The BLT is awesome. The styling may be to modern for some, but it is with out a doubt a great place to be. Its clean, close to everything, great private pool area, great and safe viewing for fireworks. Just go and have a fabulous time.

[Simba 1]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it. We all hate to be disappointed when you spend so much time (and money) anticipating a WDW trip.

VWL Mom - thanks for the offer. Have a wonderful time and I'd love to hear what you think of the accommodatons and safety of the balcony.

I called Member Services about the balcony doors today - was transferred to BTL front desk, then housekeeping, then a manager. The Manger was very helpful. He said the 2 BD has 3 access points to the balcony - the living room, master bdm, and second bdm. The living room door has child locks. The sliders in the bedrooms have two locks, and one should be high enough that a small child can not reach (but they are technically not child proof since a child could push a chair over, etc). If needed, they will install a bar across the bottom of the sliders in the bedrooms that prevents the door from sliding open at all. So I'm feeling a little better that we have the safety thing covered if we install the bars in the bedrooms and use the child lock in the living room.

[laprana]

I think you're making a great choice with BLT! We've stayed at BLT, BCV, Kidani, and SSR and of those BLT was by far our favorite for many reasons. The location is excellent, especially if you will be spending a lot of time in MK or Epcot. The decor wasn't really my cup of tea at first, but it really grew on me while we were there. One thing I loved about the decor was all the Disney touches it had, especially the "pop art" pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Space Mountain, Cinderella Castle, etc. We just spent 11 nights at BCV and that was one thing I found very lacking in the room...there was very little Disney!

We also stayed in a 2-bedroom at BLT and it was awesome. Let me just say that having 3 bathrooms is FANTASTIC! I don't remember the table tipping over easily or anything like that, but the walls on the balconies seemed very secure and high enough that they wouldn't pose a danger to kids.

I think you will love staying at BLT! Be sure to visit the TOTWL to view the fireworks one night. And having easy access to the CR and all of its shops and restaurants is great! Have a great trip!

[wildernesslady]

I would definitely try it. Our goal is to try each of the DVC resorts. Enjoy your stay. You can't beat the location and we have enjoyed the CS locastion there also.

[PETE FROM NYC]

DW and I stayed in a 1 BR last yr.
The only safety issue we found was that the floors in both bathrooms were a a little too slick. I almost went down several times.

[Aurora]

We stayed at BLT earlier this month and I had the exact same reservations as you. We found there were pluses and minuses to the resort, but the pluses way outweighed the minuses.

The pluses: 1) Location. It's not the only redeeming quality, but it is the biggest one. You will not regret staying there when you have to get back to the hotel after a visit at the Magic Kingdom. You will also appreciate it because the parks close a little earlier in January, and you'll save lots of time in transport.

2) The rooms are large and warm. Even though the decor is modern, the woodwork gives the place a nice, homey feel.

3) Depending on the temperature when you go, I don't know if you'll be using the pool much. But if you do, it's very inviting. Good slide, nice hot tub, and easy access.

4) Just a short stroll to the Contemporary and all its amenities, including the monorail.

5) We were in a 1-bedroom and had 2 bathrooms. With a 2-bedroom, you'll have 3. This was such a luxury for us, as in our home, we have only 1 bathroom.

The minuses: 1) When we checked in, our room was not totally clean. There were also a few maintenance items that needed attention. These bothered me at first, but did not ultimately impact our enjoyable stay.

2) Although the room itself was comfortable, I did not like the common areas. The downstairs hallway felt downright sterile, and the corridors were too business-like for my tastes.

BLT balconies have rails, not walls. Our youngest is 6 and was tall enough to reach the locks. We told him he was not allowed on the balcony by himself. Even though the rails are high enough and children can see through them, there's too much of a temptation for little ones to try to jump to see over them, or to pull up a chair to do the same, both of which our son tried to do.

For some photos of the rooms and the common areas, do a Google image search of Bay Lake Tower to find a website dedicated solely to photos of the resort.

[faline]

Stayed in a 2-bedroom in February! Loved it! Would certainly stay here again.

[MinnieMommie]

I have stayed in a studio and 1 bedroom at BLT and loved our visits.We will stay in a 2 bedroom this December. When my children were young we used to stay at the CR for most stays and we would go into the parks early in the morning, come back for afternoons at the pool and a little rest and then head back to the parks at night.

There is much we enjoy about CR and BLT in addition to the great convenience of staying there. We have always found our rooms clean and updated and have had wonderful experience with CMs and staff there (have had great bell services experience here).

You sound like great parents who are careful with your children. I hope you have as great a experience at BLT as we have.

[Christine]

I don't care for modern styling & thought id never want the 'Temp or BLT but I was wrong. Staying at both I feel it's tastefully done & not a huge factor. I was completely satisfied with the cleanliness (& I'm a picky person) and the quality.

I think there's always gonna be nay-sayers like where you read those reviews. Be your own judge/ I bet you will love it

[dlpmikki]

I stayed for a couple of nights January of last year and liked it a lot more than I expected. I have booked a week there for next January!

[VWL Mom]

I promised I'd report back on the balconies, the total rail height is 42", there is about 12" cement curb with the 30" railing set atop. The top rail is very wide and probably difficult for a child to wrap their hand around. There were 2 locks on the slider, one inside the handle and the other right on top of the handle (not up high as most other resorts).

The football shaped table is in the 2nd bedroom. IMO you would have to be really strong to flip it - based was very heavy.

There were cosmetic issues with the furniture, but that was like that last year....nothing major and nothing that would ruin a trip. We just turned the kitchen table around and looked at the good side.

Staff was great, need some things worked out and they were on it. Two keys were fickle and they sent someone up with new ones (I kept saying I would come down but they didn't want to hear it).

Even though I'm a VWL girl at heart I would not hesitate to book BLT for another trip.

[tdk316]

No worries about BLT. It's the only resort our kids have been to and it's FABULOUS for little ones. We have moved furniture out of the way due to the crib we rented and the sofa bed being opened, but have never had a problem with any of it with the exception of the bar stools that my youngest kept wanting to climb up on.

We don't let the kids go out on the balcony alone and haven't had any problems with that at all. Last time we were there my oldest was three and very curious and he couldn't get the doors opened.

The location can't be beat, especially when it's getting close to nap time. It's the first stop on the monorail coming back from MK, or a short 10 minute walk.

We'll be back in October and won't even consider staying anywhere else until the kids are out of the stroller and not taking naps.

Enjoy your trip, you made a good choice.