Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[trishadono]

Yeah WL doesn't seem to get much love. This is our first club level stay. We have stayed at WL before and I love it. Cost wasn't much more for club level so I thought might as well give it a shot. I will try to report back. I really don't even know what to expect so it will all be great to me.

I only stayed at wl cl once but loved it! The resort has a great location, good price vs other cl's too. The food was yummy and cms friendly. I think I prefer the old lounge set up better but it would not keep me from going back.

The cobbler is one of my favorite things. The grand mariner tastes good with it too

 

[IceQueen182]

Just returned last night from a 7 day/6 night stay at the BC CL. Overall, we really liked it. Of the CLs we've stayed at (Poly, GF RPC, and BWI), it was the least visually impressive lounge- even though the lounge was large and bright. It was about tied with the Poly in terms of food (with BWI and GF RPC having the best food)- the food was also repetitive, so slight edge to the Poly. It was fine for grabbing a light breakfast in the morning and a Nespresso on the way to the parks. Snack time was pretty much the same every day - veggies and dip, little pita breads and hummus, yogurt pretzels, gummy bears, trail mix, goldfish "whales" and cookies, with gourmet potato chips some days. The evening appetizers were good, especially the hot appetizers, and there was a nice selection of wine during that time. No chef-made apps like at BWI or GF. Desserts were also repetitive and not great. There was wine and beer upon request, and a very nice "house" drink with champagne (no beer fridge like at the Poly), but it often took a while to get a drink. I found the lounge to be more kid-friendly than GF and BWI, again on par with the Poly in this regard. It was a nice stay, so I hope this doesn't sound overly negative - just putting it in context for those weighing various options. We would stay here again with kids, but it's not at the top of my list for an adult-only trip.

We had a water view room that was about as far from the lounge as you can get (Room 5723)- great view of the pool, lake and Boardwalk, but quite a trek to grab a snack or drink. CL staff was really friendly, and happy to offer my kids candy from jars behind their desks. The concierges were helpful with everything we needed.

Overall, a great CL for a family stay - but request a room near the lounge!

 

[trishadono]

Just returned last night from a 7 day/6 night stay at the BC CL. Overall, we really liked it. Of the CLs we've stayed at (Poly, GF RPC, and BWI), it was the least visually impressive lounge- even though the lounge was large and bright. It was about tied with the Poly in terms of food (with BWI and GF RPC having the best food)- the food was also repetitive, so slight edge to the Poly. It was fine for grabbing a light breakfast in the morning and a Nespresso on the way to the parks. Snack time was pretty much the same every day - veggies and dip, little pita breads and hummus, yogurt pretzels, gummy bears, trail mix, goldfish "whales" and cookies, with gourmet potato chips some days. The evening appetizers were good, especially the hot appetizers, and there was a nice selection of wine during that time. No chef-made apps like at BWI or GF. Desserts were also repetitive and not great. There was wine and beer upon request, and a very nice "house" drink with champagne (no beer fridge like at the Poly), but it often took a while to get a drink. I found the lounge to be more kid-friendly than GF and BWI, again on par with the Poly in this regard. It was a nice stay, so I hope this doesn't sound overly negative - just putting it in context for those weighing various options. We would stay here again with kids, but it's not at the top of my list for an adult-only trip.

We had a water view room that was about as far from the lounge as you can get (Room 5723)- great view of the pool, lake and Boardwalk, but quite a trek to grab a snack or drink. CL staff was really friendly, and happy to offer my kids candy from jars behind their desks. The concierges were helpful with everything we needed.

Overall, a great CL for a family stay - but request a room near the lounge!

I almost think I wrote that review!

I had a very similar experience my trip there. Good but just not great and we had a long walk too. I did enjoy the view though so its a toss up!

Thx for the update

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@IceQueen182 - Thanks for the thoughts on BC CL.

Question regarding the distance from room to lounge.... just how far are we talking about? Any rough estimate on the time?

 

[IceQueen182]

@IceQueen182 - Thanks for the thoughts on BC CL.

Question regarding the distance from room to lounge.... just how far are we talking about? Any rough estimate on the time?

Glad to help! We had to walk completely down two separate long hallways (with a seating area between them) to get from the lounge/elevator area to our room. Moving with little ones and a stroller, I'd say it was 5 minutes. It became inconvenient to the point where we didn't use the lounge as much to grab a quick drink or snack unless we were passing by anyway.

 

[mickeynut1]

Just returned last night from a 7 day/6 night stay at the BC CL. Overall, we really liked it. Of the CLs we've stayed at (Poly, GF RPC, and BWI), it was the least visually impressive lounge- even though the lounge was large and bright. It was about tied with the Poly in terms of food (with BWI and GF RPC having the best food)- the food was also repetitive, so slight edge to the Poly. It was fine for grabbing a light breakfast in the morning and a Nespresso on the way to the parks. Snack time was pretty much the same every day - veggies and dip, little pita breads and hummus, yogurt pretzels, gummy bears, trail mix, goldfish "whales" and cookies, with gourmet potato chips some days. The evening appetizers were good, especially the hot appetizers, and there was a nice selection of wine during that time. No chef-made apps like at BWI or GF. Desserts were also repetitive and not great. There was wine and beer upon request, and a very nice "house" drink with champagne (no beer fridge like at the Poly), but it often took a while to get a drink. I found the lounge to be more kid-friendly than GF and BWI, again on par with the Poly in this regard. It was a nice stay, so I hope this doesn't sound overly negative - just putting it in context for those weighing various options. We would stay here again with kids, but it's not at the top of my list for an adult-only trip.

We had a water view room that was about as far from the lounge as you can get (Room 5723)- great view of the pool, lake and Boardwalk, but quite a trek to grab a snack or drink. CL staff was really friendly, and happy to offer my kids candy from jars behind their desks. The concierges were helpful with everything we needed.

Overall, a great CL for a family stay - but request a room near the lounge!

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a nice time .

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

One other pic before I finish up, Minnie was in the lobby today:
View attachment 330283

Thank you for all of your pictures. We are staying at the AKL CL this summer and your pictures are making us excited.

 

[trishadono]

@IceQueen182 - Thanks for the thoughts on BC CL.

Question regarding the distance from room to lounge.... just how far are we talking about? Any rough estimate on the time?

It's really not THAT far it's just compared to CR or poly, wl it's further.

Similar to bwi out of door area or gf rpc TPV rooms.

Long, but still same floor at least!

Also it was just dh and I so the walk wasn't an issue.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

For those that don't know, 2019 resort rates came out today.

Didn't do enough checking to really study the numbers enough, but did some spot checking of Poly CL 2018 vs 2019. At first glance, the increases on the dates I checked seemed much better than I expected. Like <1%-3%. Last year Poly was around 5% higher year-over-year on average (with some nights a lot more).

One would need to look at the entire year to get a full rate picture for all of the resorts, but call me pleasantly surprised, at the moment.

 

[CogsworthTN]

Well we just booked our trip for May 31- June 9 2019 at the Wilderness lodge. DH and myself visited the lodge during our last stay at GF RPC and we both were impressed. DH is an avid hiker and loves the theming; so here we go.

This will be the first year we will not be staying club level. Previous club level stays were at BWI and GF(RPC). To be honest I am already having club level withdrawals. DH wanted this trip to be more centered on parks/restaurant experience and not feeling like we have to go back every evening for meals in order to justify the cost difference. I am going to miss relaxing in the lounge (wine/sparkling wine), but Geyser Point looks inviting.

Anyone else who normally stays club level but tried a trip non-club level stay? I would like feedback both good and bad. Ugh the Cogsworth is coming outing me...worry worry worry about whether we made the right choice.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Well we just booked our trip for May 31- June 9 2019 at the Wilderness lodge. DH and myself visited the lodge during our last stay at GF RPC and we both were impressed. DH is an avid hiker and loves the theming; so here we go.

This will be the first year we will not be staying club level. Previous club level stays were at BWI and GF(RPC). To be honest I am already having club level withdrawals. DH wanted this trip to be more centered on parks/restaurant experience and not feeling like we have to go back every evening for meals in order to justify the cost difference. I am going to miss relaxing in the lounge (wine/sparkling wine), but Geyser Point looks inviting.

Anyone else who normally stays club level but tried a trip non-club level stay? I would like feedback both good and bad. Ugh the Cogsworth is coming outing me...worry worry worry about whether we made the right choice.

If you are booked at WL, when you get there you can add club level access for $99 a night .

 

[DJFan88]

If you are booked at WL, when you get there you can add club level access for $99 a night .

Ok, wait, so just pulling random future facts out of the air where I knew there was availability, regular rack rate on 6/30/19 to 7/6/19 is 424.00 on a standard room. A CL room rack rate on the sames dates is 642.00. But, if I book a Standard room, I can Add CL for 99.00, thus only paying 523.00 for CL?
(Of course I realize people will find discounts on rooms)

This makes me think the CL is going to be packed.

 

[kcpinwdw]

This makes me think the CL is going to be packed.

I don't think it's unlimited, they have a max allowed. But the CM concierge told me it rarely sells out, maybe only during conferences. I did it for my last stay in April and it was good. Downside is your room isn't on the CL floor.

 

[DJFan88]

I don't think it's unlimited, they have a max allowed. But the CM concierge told me it rarely sells out, maybe only during conferences. I did it for my last stay in April and it was good. Downside is your room isn't on the CL floor.

Ok but who cares for 100+ savings. Although, that sounds like if you have your heart set on it, you need to book it then, in case. Plus, possibly when discounts are figured in on a higher price, it lowers the gap.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well we just booked our trip for May 31- June 9 2019 at the Wilderness lodge. DH and myself visited the lodge during our last stay at GF RPC and we both were impressed. DH is an avid hiker and loves the theming; so here we go.

This will be the first year we will not be staying club level. Previous club level stays were at BWI and GF(RPC). To be honest I am already having club level withdrawals. DH wanted this trip to be more centered on parks/restaurant experience and not feeling like we have to go back every evening for meals in order to justify the cost difference. I am going to miss relaxing in the lounge (wine/sparkling wine), but Geyser Point looks inviting.

Anyone else who normally stays club level but tried a trip non-club level stay? I would like feedback both good and bad. Ugh the Cogsworth is coming outing me...worry worry worry about whether we made the right choice.

It wasn’t WDW but at Disneyland we’ve been staying GCH CL on our trips for sometime now. In Mar we went for F&W and we just could not justify the extra expense of CL (our last CL experience had also been a disappointment to 2/4 of us). We did a DIY CL and loved it. I missed the free flowing mimosas they’ve introduced to the new GCH CL & the fresh veggies for snacks. I loved that we liked all the snacks and the wines (which had been disappointing except for their sparkling wine!) because they were ours. We took the desk and covered it in snack bars, goldfish, Chex mix (figured chips would be too messy), nuts, individually packaged milano’s (Target find, Costco now has them too in Costco size) and our favorite candies. We brought napkins and paper bowls and paper cups. We would take the food and wine and either eat in the room or if people were napping or something go find a quiet place with chairs in the hotel to munch, drink & chill.

We had a nice trip and I had zero regrets about not doing CL, though I was concerned going into it! We ate at Napa Rose (glad we did it, won’t return for more than appetizers & wine though in the future), we did the World of Color dessert party (which FYI is GREAT) and bought lots of champagne at F&W with the difference .

I think CL has its place but it’s not necessary for every trip. If you have the funds don’t be afraid to spend that money on afternoon appetizers & drinks somewhere, nicer meals or other experiences that you’ve shied away from because they were too expensive on previous trips.

Oh! My biggest irk when staying at WDW without CL is breakfast. At Disneyland you walk by starbucks on your way to both parks and pickup your mobile order. At WDW breakfast is a pain in the rear so that’s the part I’m most dreading on my upcoming BC/Poly CL split- the BC mornings where we fend for ourselves

 

[gottalovepluto]

Ok, wait, so just pulling random future facts out of the air where I knew there was availability, regular rack rate on 6/30/19 to 7/6/19 is 424.00 on a standard room. A CL room rack rate on the sames dates is 642.00. But, if I book a Standard room, I can Add CL for 99.00, thus only paying 523.00 for CL?
(Of course I realize people will find discounts on rooms)

This makes me think the CL is going to be packed.

That type of offer has been around for a long time so I wouldn’t worry as I thought disney only offered CL add-on if there was availability and the price was dynamic?

 

[mickeynut1]

Well we just booked our trip for May 31- June 9 2019 at the Wilderness lodge. DH and myself visited the lodge during our last stay at GF RPC and we both were impressed. DH is an avid hiker and loves the theming; so here we go.

This will be the first year we will not be staying club level. Previous club level stays were at BWI and GF(RPC). To be honest I am already having club level withdrawals. DH wanted this trip to be more centered on parks/restaurant experience and not feeling like we have to go back every evening for meals in order to justify the cost difference. I am going to miss relaxing in the lounge (wine/sparkling wine), but Geyser Point looks inviting.

Anyone else who normally stays club level but tried a trip non-club level stay? I would like feedback both good and bad. Ugh the Cogsworth is coming outing me...worry worry worry about whether we made the right choice.

Congrats on booking a trip already for next year! WL is a beautiful resort and is one of our favs, I think you'll like it! As far as CL vs non-CL, we don't stay CL every trip and while I do sometimes miss it when we stay non-club, our non-club trips are just as nice/fun. I think you'll have a great time and love the WL even if you don't stay CL. Have fun planning .

 

[mickeyluv'r]

@IceQueen182 - Thanks for the thoughts on BC CL.

Question regarding the distance from room to lounge.... just how far are we talking about? Any rough estimate on the time?

This is pretty much true of ALL WDW hotels. If you are assigned the furthest room from the lounge at all of them, you'll face a healthy walk.

The only notable exception is CR Tower rooms. All of those are pretty close to the lounge.

Poly CL is all one building, but you can be on a different floor from the lounge, and all the Poly CL rooms are a hike to the monorail platform.

We've also had long walks at YC, BWK, WL (non CL), AKL. None of the AKL CL rooms are on the CL floor (except the DVC CL suites), so ALL the CL rooms are a bit of a walk to the lounge.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

This is pretty much true of ALL WDW hotels. If you are assigned the furthest room from the lounge at all of them, you'll face a healthy walk.

The only notable exception is CR Tower rooms. All of those are pretty close to the lounge.

Poly CL is all one building, but you can be on a different floor from the lounge, and all the Poly CL rooms are a hike to the monorail platform.

We've also had long walks at YC, BWK, WL (non CL), AKL. None of the AKL CL rooms are on the CL floor (except the DVC CL suites), so ALL the CL rooms are a bit of a walk to the lounge.

I have stayed at all of those, thanks. I have not stayed on the CL floor at BC, hence why I asked the poster about BC.

But thanks though.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Well we just booked our trip for May 31- June 9 2019 at the Wilderness lodge. DH and myself visited the lodge during our last stay at GF RPC and we both were impressed. DH is an avid hiker and loves the theming; so here we go.

This will be the first year we will not be staying club level. Previous club level stays were at BWI and GF(RPC). To be honest I am already having club level withdrawals. DH wanted this trip to be more centered on parks/restaurant experience and not feeling like we have to go back every evening for meals in order to justify the cost difference. I am going to miss relaxing in the lounge (wine/sparkling wine), but Geyser Point looks inviting.

Anyone else who normally stays club level but tried a trip non-club level stay? I would like feedback both good and bad. Ugh the Cogsworth is coming outing me...worry worry worry about whether we made the right choice.

We mix it up all the time. We stay CL if the rate is right, but skip it if the rate is too high. (my rough cut is about $35/pp per day).

I do like the latte machines in the morning, but we also like the freedom sometimes of feeling like we don't have to go back to the hotel/lounge.

The only thing is...IMO, the lounge = some freedom from ADR's. ADR's are even more time specific than the lounge. So when we mix it up, we tend to do quick serve meals more than ADR's.

Truth be told, we liked the Dolphin because it was kind of in-between. (We ate breakfast at the buffet, which was almost like the CL lounge.) Then we enjoyed a non ADR meals at Kimonos, the Fountain, other WDW places, and the quick serve places. If you want Garden Grill you need an ADR, but most of the Swan/Dolphin places have room for walk ups. Plus we also got a bigger room for less than a WDW CL, that was also kind of nice.