Hi John,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, and thank you for your question.
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort was the very first Walt Disney World hotel my family stayed at, and it was such a wonderful place to be. Between the walk to Magic Kingdom Park, being steps away from the monorail, and feeling like we were staying in a luxury high-rise, it really was an amenity-filled vacation!
My family are rope-droppers at heart. We love being at the parks before they open, Minnie ears on and ready to start our Disney day. We have never had trouble using resort transportation to get to a theme park before opening time, and I bet you won’t either. My advice is to check with your friendly front desk Cast Members; let them know you are hoping to rope drop and they will provide the time for the first bus of the day. While the Walt Disney World website advertises the first bus as running one hour prior to park opening, in my experience there is usually an early bus to accommodate those with rise-and-shine dining reservations. Your resort Cast Members will have the most up-do-date bus schedule. I like to arrive at the bus about 10 minutes early. This ensures you don’t miss the bus if it shows up earlier than expected, and also allows you a good spot in the bus line.
One more tip: when you get off Toy Story Mania!, be sure to stop in at
Walt Disney Presents to see the model of
Toy Story Land. After the ride, it's so amazing to see all the Toy Story details in the model. I cannot wait to shrink down to the size of a toy and wander around Andy's backyard!
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Robyn