Hi there, Karen! Welcome to planDisney and Welcome Home! I’m so glad that you’ve stopped by with such a great planning question. I just love chatting with a fellow
Disney Vacation Club Member!
Karen, you have the right idea! When I bring friends and extended family along on my magical adventures, my absolute favorite place to stay is in a Two-Bedroom Villa at
Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Nothing beats having that third full bathroom in the gorgeous, spacious room or seeing my friends' reactions when they realize they can see Cinderella Castle from their room. I'm so happy to hear that you plan on seeing the magic through your friends' eyes next year, and I'm thrilled to help you plan!
While you can pay for each individual night at Bay Lake Tower with either Vacation Points or cash, you won't be able to split a single night into both Points and cash. So, I suggest booking half of the nights of your stay using your DVC Membership and then booking the other nights using cash.
Once your booking window for Bay Lake Tower opens, go ahead and book part of your stay on the
DVC website or by
calling Member Services. While you are chatting with Member Services, I suggest having the Cast Member check the availability of the cash inventory to add nights to your stay. Did you know that depending on availability, DVC Members can save up to 25 percent on cash stays in DVC Villas?! I suggest starting there. The Cast Member will be more than happy to let you know what the cash rate will be for your stay!
You can also search for availability for the cash portion of your stay by logging in to your
My Disney Experience account, hovering over the "Places to Stay" tab, clicking "
Deluxe Villas" and searching your dates. I just did a quick search for your dates, and it looks as if the DVC rooms have not been released into the cash inventory yet, so, unfortunately, I can't tell you what the rate will be. But just keep searching or chat with Member Services about when you might be able to book. Happy planning, Karen!
If, for some reason, you have any issues with availability, I suggest embracing the beauty and adventure of a split stay! I love doing a Bay Lake Tower and BoardWalk Villas split stay to be able to walk to three of the four theme parks and enjoy the amenities of both Resorts. It's like two vacations in one!
Karen, one more tip! Don't forget that if your friends are on your Resort reservation with you, you are more than welcome to bring them up to
Top of the World Lounge - A Villains Lair! This is my favorite spot in all of Walt Disney World Resort to grab a cocktail and catch the
best views of the fireworks spectacular.
This is Membership magic!
I hope this was helpful, Karen, and I hope you stop by any time with any planning or DVC questions you may have along the way. You've got a friend in me!
Adventure is out there!
Mandy