I am really struggling on something I would like first-hand experience on. I am looking between a 1 bedroom bay lake view suite (14th floor) of the tower vs. a 1 bedroom suite in the garden wing. I have read and watched numerous traveler reports on both. The 1 bedroom suites are way back in the 6xxx building but do have a nice view of the water/beach but don’t have a balcony. The room seems large from pics and blueprints (has 2 living rooms essentially) and same decor as most of the tower. Plus it is really close to pool. My concern is the added walk. We have a 4 year old and have to watch the walking so he doesn’t fall apart on us. I have also seen people say the bugs can be horrible back there. Part of me thinks the more quiet and tranquil setting after days at parks might be nice. But the tower is where the action is. The rooms on 14th floor are nice and club privileges are right there (the 1 bed suite in garden says it comes with club privileges in tower). The 1 bed in tower is about 2k more overall for our stay and I just don’t know if it really matters that much. Curious what opinions there are on the subject and would really love to hear from anything who has stayed in a garden 1 bedroom suite (not hospitality suite, those are different).
As post-note Polynesian was our first choice but 1 bedrooms are sold out (and we don’t go for 9 months). Grand Floridian has 1 bedrooms available but through all the pics we are just not into the decor (feels like grandma’s house).
I’ll preface by saying I haven’t stayed in the tower or the garden wing. But, we have stayed at Bay Lake Tower and even though the proximity to MK is amazing, I wished we were in the main building the whole time. I think the garden wing would seem much the same. By looking at the resort map, it’s so far from all the park transporation and very far from the amenities of the Club.
The only thing swaying me towards the Garden wing is the price.
If Poly is your first choice, be sure to keep checking back. Sometimes rooms become available as people’s plans change. Also, weren’t all the rooms for next year just recently announced? Is it possible those haven’t hit the system yet? Could even be worth a call to WDW.
As for Garden vs Tower, I haven’t stayed in either. My thoughts, however, are to ask what do you do when your back from the park. Does your child nap? Will you want to slip out to a balcony or a lounge while he naps? Do you want to be close to the pool because your child (or you) loves the pool out of everything? Will being able to take him to the pool while one of you gets ready be an asset or a hindrance? Will walking by the pool on the way to other things be a problem for your little one (ie: getting them to move past the pool without attempting a dip).
Finally, $2000 is a lot, but are there enough benefits to warrant it? I know when I was deciding between Contemporary Theme Park view and a much cheap Garden, I chose the Theme Park view. I know it was a lot of money, but I really wanted that experience and convenience and it’s not like I’ll ever get back to that hotel again, so I splurged while I could.
So, are you trying to be frugal, but really want the Tower room? Or will you honestly be happy in the Garden room, counting the extra zeroes in your vacation budget? Sometimes that makes all the difference.