Club Level

[Airblue1]

How would you rate your Club Level experiences? At which resort(s) are you drawing your experience from?
Thanks to everyone!
:mickey:

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

We've stayed at the GF Club Level and absolutely loved it. The food and drink offerings were wonderful. The staff was top notch. I highly recommend it!

If you have specific questions, ask away!

[Airblue1]

Please let me know anything about Club Level. We just stayed at WL and have stayed at BC. I am just trying to see what others have experienced. We are trying to see if there is another place we would like to try club level.:mickey::mickey::mickey:
Thank you soooo very much!
-:thumbsup:

[Donald]

We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We loved the service at WL. AKL's service was OK.

The food selections were delicious at both. The selections were authentic to the theme. I would give the edge to AKL.

[Airblue1]

What did AKL serve that tipped it over WL?
Thanks

[c&d]

I've stayed at GF main building and AKL. I enjoyed both of them, very different experiences. Loved sitting and listening to the band at GF, enjoyed the food selections at AKL.

[Mitzie]

We have done club level at the following places.

AKL(3x)
BWI
YC

All were nice and it is so nice to get that little extra touch. Food offerings were good at all 3 locations. The choices reflected the resort theme or the resturants that are there and provide the food. Breakfast was standard across the 3.
One note..AKL the lounge is up on the 6th floor and our rooms have always been down on 4 so it can be a decent walk to get to the lounge. BWI and YC we were just steps away from the lounge, so much more convient. Staff has been nice at all three, though my least favorite group was that at BWI. Don at AKL IPO has always been wonderful and AKL has done a nice job meeting our room request. This last stay at YC the staff was also very nice and helpful. We typically do not rely on IPO much as we prefer to do most of our own planning, but they can help you with dining and tours if you like. Another note..the Sunrise Safari at AKL, which is only offered to club level guest, is great! Highly recommend that. Our guides stayed with us through breakfast -which was very nice..alot of offerings-and answered questions and just shared thier Disney experiences..Our guide's husband worked at Flights of Wonder which we really like and it was neat to hear about the behind the scenes stuff with them.

[BrerGnat]

We've done WL and BC as well.

I did BWI a couple years ago with my sister (no kids on that trip). We were upgraded to CL at BWI for free...had booked a standard room, so that was a nice surprise.

I found the food offerings at BWI to be much more adult oriented. For example, they didn't have any sort of "kid friendly" food out in the evenings at all, like at BC they had the apple slices with caramel sauce, and the rolls with cups of PB&J so you could make a sandwich. None of that at BWI. Also, no kid type "snacks" like gummies or crackers/pretzels at afternoon time. They had stuff like pita chips and spreads, and some sort of trail mix stuff. At breakfast time, they didn't have chocolate milk or apple juice. Those are just some examples. At the dinner hour, most items had a distinctive Mediterranean theme, most foods came from Kouzzina downstairs. Lots of olives, pickled veggies, cheeses, pita, appetizers like spanikopita, lamb samosas, LOTS of seafood items, etc. I found much of it to be very good, but again, if my kids had been with me, they wouldn't have eaten ANY of it. The staff was great, but I didn't really like the lounge. The tables were TINY! Plus, at this CL, in order to enter the "Club Level area", you have to pass through this little "chamber" which has the CM desk in it, flanked by doors on both ends. You have to be buzzed in by the CM at the desk, then that door shuts behind you, and another one opens that leads into the CL hallway, since not all of the floor is CL. It's kind of bizarre, but it is very secure.

I have found that the beer selection varies quite significantly between CLs. They try to stock "themed" beers, depending on the resort.

[Airblue1]

any one stay at Comtemporary Club Level? We want to stay AKL, but we heard food offerings are a little off for our daughter. Plus proximity to the parks seems to be a challenge.
Any advice?
Thanks a million!

[Crow]

the only one ive done is WL, and only because friend got military discount. I love WL, stayed there a few times non CL. they were nice, got me :beer:outside of the reg time. the food was ok, nighttime ws best. i ate here instead of other places..most dont use it to take place of meals, but i dont always eat much. i liked the liquors at nite too and being able to sit at tables overlooking the lodge. with the price i dont think i can justify staying CL again unless i get rich but i would then

[emerzmom]

I love the Poly CL. My favorite part is dessert in the lounge with Wishes and piped in music. :cloud9:
:tink:
Julie

[Airblue1]

The price is always the thing, I really do not know the difference from a reg room at the deluxe level and club level in pricing. But if I have a six pack and my wife has a few glasses of vino, plus all the water and other offerings I bet the two numbers in cost get very close.
Thoughts????

[Keneva]

We have done Club level at CR, Poly & GF. I don't think you can go wrong at any of these. Our current favorite is the GF because it is a tad more luxurious for the adults and the kids have a wonderfull time no matter what.

[sisterslovindisney]

We've done Poly CL 3 times. It is awesome. We love being right on the monorail and watching Wishes from the club lounge. The food is amazing and more than enough for breakfast and even most dinners. Beverages all day long. The cast members are wonderful!

[BrerGnat]

The price is always the thing, I really do not know the difference from a reg room at the deluxe level and club level in pricing. But if I have a six pack and my wife has a few glasses of vino, plus all the water and other offerings I bet the two numbers in cost get very close.
Thoughts????

The price difference varies quite a bit, considering the different views you can pay for at the Deluxes.

As an example, the difference between a Standard View room and a CL Premium View room can be several hundred dollars per night (look at the Poly, for example).

However, some CL like WL and BWI only have "Club Level-non specific view" and when you compare those rooms to either WL Courtyard View or BWI Boardwalk View, the price difference is around $75 per night. So, really, it depends on what you would book if you did NOT book CL, then look at the price difference between that view and the CL.

It is more than worth it for us, as we are all light eaters generally. Our kids are the "I need to eat NOW" type as soon as they wake up, so it's great to be able to simply get dressed, walk down the hall, and sit them down for breakfast in front of a t.v. showing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. One of us often stays in the room getting ready, or my DH will be at the fitness center in the early a.m., and it's so much easier to manage my kids alone for breakfast when it's in the lounge. Or, we can bring breakfast back to our room and let the kids eat in their PJ's. In the afternoons, we are always at the resort pool, and stopping in for a snack is always appreciated. At night, we can often make a nice meal of the offerings (all of us) and then later in the parks, we might share 1 or 2 CS meal combos if we get hungry. DH and I take full advantage of the beer and wine as well. :thumbsup:

When we stay CL, our food bill for the week is usually only around $500, usually less, so it works well for us. We might do 2 or 3 TS meals in a week trip.

[CuteAsMinnie]

For us, it's all about the convenience. Last trip, with a nice 30% discount, WL CL was a no brainier at $50 more/night than our usual Courtyard/bunked room. Our DS was 15 at the time, a XC runner and you can imagine the amount of food he can consume. It was the BEST Disney decision we ever made. Fast forward a few years, he is still a XC runner and he is looking forward to walking down the hall or off the elevator and grabbing what he'd like, when he'd like at OFC and chillin while taking in the majestic WL lobby. This time it's costing $100/night additional. Tough to swallow but worth it for us.

The WL is georgeous. We, personally, love that OFC surrounds the top floor of WL and overlooks the beautiful lobby and Silver springs (out the window). We would not like it as much if it was enclosed in a room. The food was always plentiful, delicious, and presented very nicely.

There have been many reports that CL in general, at various resorts have cut back their offerings. We'll have to continue to research this.

[Maleficent's Dad]

At WL CL as I write this. We've now done all CL's except CR.

We've watched things change over the years (Dasani water bottles, to Evian glass liters, to now tap water in a fancy glass dispenser, for example). And service varies as does the size of each.

For us, the GF Main Building is tops. We've had chefs come out and ask us what we thought of their offerings. The YC was too small, Poly too busy, BWI & AKL not my kids' faves. BC was fine. We do like WL. Interesting setup - small CL lounge, not a comfortable check-in area, and you're basically eating/drinking at tales set up in a hallway.

They're all unique. None have been bad, per se. Disney sells its CL as a bigger upgrade than it really is. A lady last night (new to WDW) was asking CL CM's to get her dinner ressies at Artist Point. CM was unable to help. Nowadays the CL CM's seem to have no more "magical powers" than the rest of us. They used to years ago...

[CuteAsMinnie]

At WL CL as I write this. We've now done all CL's except CR.

We've watched things change over the years (Dasani water bottles, to Evian glass liters, to now tap water in a fancy glass dispenser, for example). And service varies as does the size of each.

For us, the GF Main Building is tops. We've had chefs come out and ask us what we thought of their offerings. The YC was too small, Poly too busy, BWI & AKL not my kids' faves. BC was fine. We do like WL. Interesting setup - small CL lounge, not a comfortable check-in area, and you're basically eating/drinking at tales set up in
a hallway.

They're all unique. None have been bad, per se. Disney sells its CL as a bigger upgrade than it really is. A lady last night (new to WDW) was asking CL CM's to get her dinner ressies at Artist Point. CM was unable to help. Nowadays the CL CM's seem to have no more "magical powers" than
the rest of us. They used to years ago...

How are the current WL CL food offerings? Do they have a nice variety fruit in the morning besides the usual apple/bananas/oranges? Were you happy with the selection of items being offered? Curious as to new reports as folks keep saying CL is changing and not for the better.

:mickey:

[Maleficent's Dad]

How are the current WL CL food offerings? Do they have a nice variety fruit in the morning besides the usual apple/bananas/oranges? Were you happy with the selection of items being offered? Curious as to new reports as folks keep saying CL is changing and not for the better.

:mickey:
Morning offerings today & yesterday:
Oatmeal, brown sugar, craisins, white raisins.
Pineapple, watermelon, cantelope, honey dew. Yes to apples & bananas, no oranges.
Blueberry & double chocolate muffins.
Croissants & cinnamon buns (both minis)
Yogurts & 4 types of cereal.
Bagels & breads.
Same old Nescafé & teas.
I think that's it... Not sure...
It's not bad. I miss fresh strawberries, but those departed years ago. CM's will do whatever they can to help. They ARE GREAT.

[CuteAsMinnie]

^ thank you! That is pretty darn close to what's been offered in the past.

If you have time at some point, feel free to post the appetizer offerings! :blush:

Enjoy your trip!
:mickey:

[Maleficent's Dad]

Seem to have nightly:
Sourdough bread with hummus or sun dried tomato spread
Assorted cheeses (4 types) & crackers
Broccoli, carrots, & Ranch dressing
PB&J "shooters"

Saturday they had
Cold cut/antiPasti cured meats
Arugula salad (very good)
BBQ Chicken skewers
Posole (pork stew)

Sunday:
Pulled pork sliders...
Other stuff, but we didn't eat any snacks here tonight!!! Sorry.


WL CL is smaller than others, but seems to hold its own.

[CuteAsMinnie]

Thanks!

:mickey:

[Simbajr4ever]

Hiya,

We have stayed club a few times, also. Some have been paid and some free upgrades.
It is a pleasant experience, however; not sure I would pay for it on a regular basis. I do not see what the big deal really is about.
We have stayed: CR 14th floor, and CR club 12th floor. Poly, BC, YC, Clubs.
Very expensive, choose to do them due to AP discount, views where what we wanted.
The pop, and snacks are nice but it is not meant to be your meals.
As for the planning assistance > I had all that completed prior to them contacting us. So did not utilize them.
I did have an issue while at the BC club. I had misplaced my table in wonderland card, and asked the concerige for assistance. To check if it was left in france at epcot? or dropped somewhere and found. Virtually did nothing. Would not make 1 phone call, to attempt to help us. Gave up, stopped in "guest assistance" in DHS and they replaced my card on the spot. The club people, did not even tell us to ask at one of the parks, guest services. I came up with that plan on my own.
Otherwise, the concerige have not done anything other than watch you get on and off the elevator.
At the Poly our room had locked itself with the bar thing, while housekeeping walked in for turndown, she must of bounced the door and the slider caught > we could not get in the room. Went down asked concerige for help and preceded to be lectured on bouncing the door. Said, we wheren't here all day > and that their own staff must of done it.....

I imagine that if you like cocktails, and appy's, and a place to sit other than you room, >> concerige is probably a good idea. Otherwise I feel it is way over rated.

:mickey:

[WhiteRose1]

We got an upgrade on our last trip to Poly Club level, and it was awesome! We were there for our 5th anniversary and we had booked the platinum plan so we had the IP help before the trip.

(IP is a great service, but this time around, we were told it was better for us to try and get the V&A chef table ouselves because we can book it starting at midnight 180 days before the trip, while the IPs start the next day in the morning...Um...what's the whole point of having the IP if it's 'better to do it ourselves'?)

Our room was a standard looking room, but of course in the HI Building, and we paid for a magic kingdom view, and we got that as well. I DID love being able to dash out of the room and grab snacks and dah back to watch fireworks from our balcony...!!! We received nice touches in the room each day, signed cards from Mickey and Minnie, and nearly every day we got some type of food, cheese, chocolate. I was very impressed. I do not know if that was cause of the platinum plan or CL.

Honestly, I would not book it for ourselves because we are on the Platinum plan which includes 'all you can gorge' (AKA Disney Dining!)

I can see it being a value for families who are not on a dining plan, or are saving up credits for a 2 credit meal. You can easily have Breakfast and Lunch covered every day.