Club Level Upgrades

[ChipDale2708]

Not really sure how to ask this question without taking away the magic of families being upgraded, but I'm curious to know how many people have received 'free' upgrades to Club Level upon check-in? We just spent a week at the Beach Club on Club Level and found the area extremely crowded. We booked and paid for the 'luxury' and felt we were very much off of the concierge staffs radar. If this had been our first stay w/ them then I probably wouldn't think twice about it, but we have stayed there and the Yacht Club CL several times and never experienced this before. :confused:

We had a great trip:thumbsup:, but some of Club Level experiences left us feeling a bit untouched by the usual magic. I am not talking about unexpected 'surprises', I'm talking about things I pre-arranged that were not done and/or could have been handled differently.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . We just spent a week at the Beach Club on Club Level and found the area extremely crowded. We booked and paid for the 'luxury' and felt we were very much off of the concierge staffs radar . . .

1) I can't speak to your situation.
2) But, if the Club Floor rooms are full, the floor is busy.
3) There are usually only (3) or (4) CM's on duty
. . . one tends the Concierge station
. . . one tends to the food lounge
. . . one is in the food prep area
. . . one is an extra food prep person if busy
4) Plus, you are not paying for "luxury". *
5) Disney does not have a Concierge Floor like other hotels.
6) They have a Club Floor.
7) The CM's are "status-ed" as Concierge, but WDW does not offer concierge service.
8) Club Floor Concierge do little more than the Lobby Concierge.

* Normal hotels that have a Concierge Floor perform a lot of duties for the Concierge guest. Disney does not. The rooms are not even different than non-Club-Floor rooms. Due to complaints about the lack of special services and "luxury", WDW is now calling them Club Floors.

[DizneyRox]

For all intents and purposes, Club Level is really just access to the lounge. I would imagine that ANY room could be a Club Level room, it's just a code on the keycard to there.

That said, I don't think Disney does much in terms of "Free Upgrades" to Club Level, that actually does cost them more money. More often than not, an upgrade would be to a better level of accomodations.

I'd bet all (or at least most) paid for Club Level "service".

[Orlando Resident]

Upgrades to Club Level at checkin are rare as it is a huge upgrade, especially from a standard garden view room. It can happen though, usually upgrades are arranged in advance though by management so if you ask you will most likely not get one, usually a CM calls you before you arrive or your informed if your upgraded when you checkin.

As far as the Club Level itself, as mentioned previously, Club Level is not necessarily "Concierge Level" as you may find at a luxury resort like a Ritz Carlton. Disney does not specialize in concierge service, their specialty is to make magic in all areas with good service regardless of where your staying. The Club Level CMs are the same CMs as the lobby concierge desk available to all guests and even wear the same costumes. The main difference is the Club Level offers the complimentary lounge, a concierge desk so you wont have to walk down to lobby, and usually the rooms offer the best views, thats about it.

[SurferStitch]

You know, I would have agreed about the lack of concierge service before. We had lousy service when we stayed in the Grand Flo Royal Palm Club in 2005.

BUT, after this last stay in Sugar Loaf, we were completely satisfied.

We were given a true free upgrade from a garden view room to a club level room in Sugar Loaf. Robert was the concierge we dealt with mostly. but there was always a second CM there to handle requests. We've stayed at the GF numerous times over the years, and never received any upgrades, so we were so very appreciative of this one.

If we wanted to cancel an ADR, or make another, or anything like that, he handled it quickly. He knew our room number from day one, and never had to ask our name or room. He knew all of that info. All I had to do was mention something, and he was on top of it.

Without our immediate knowledge, or even us complaining, he comped a meal that we didn't like at The Wave that we had put on our room charge. We were just chatting about meals we love at WDW, and then we mentioned that we tried the Wave for the first time, but were disappointed. Before we knew it, the charge was off our tab. Of course I said, "You didn't have to do that!", to which he replied, "Well, how can I go above and beyond if you don't let me spread some magic for you?". How cool is that?????

We were thrilled the night he presented a gift to us. He had taken photos of us the night before around the grounds (all his idea), and wanted us to have a special Disney frame for one of them. That's above and beyond service in my opinion.

Overall, I would say this is the very best stay we've ever had at the GF. While they didn't get us into fully booked meals, they did go above and beyond almost all of the time to make our stay truly magical.

[Polynesian Dweller]

As others have said, its not about luxury and they don't promise that. We love it and have had no issues with club level. The lounge is a real convenience for us and the CMs at the concierge desk have been able to meet most of our requests. They won't be able to necessarily meet dining requests because the Disney restaurants are always packed so that isn't the concierge CMs fault. They have on occasion pulled off miracles though.

At the Poly its a completely separate building with the best view of Wishes and MK which at night sitting on the balcony with complimentary drinks and snacks from the lounge is worth a great deal to us, maybe not to others.

[TammiMcMan]

Thread closed at the request of the OP.