Concierge/Club Level Information- Part IV, July 2012

[Angel16]

We are heading back to the world on Oct 28th. We had a TPV at the CR all booked but last night switched to GVCL at the Poly. We have stayed at both resorts before but never CL. My DD7 was very upset because she loves watching wishes from the balcony.

How is it from the lounge or beach? Do I need to get there early to 'stake' a spot?

Also I heard they no longer have plastic water bottles anyone there recently know what's available?

My DDS 1.5 goes through tons of 3% milk is it available all day in the lounge?

Any other tips or advice would be great (including room requests!).
Thanks!!

I think you and your DD will be very happy with viewing Wishes from either the beach or the lounge. The music is piped into the lounge and the big two story windows give a great view. I have not been at the Poly in a few years but the most recent photos I saw showed the seating to be quite good. You may want to arrive a little early to get a front row seat.

I love going out on the beach near one of the speakers and watching it there. It is quite and more private then the lounge and nice and dark for really viewing the fireworks.

On our last visit we watched from the pool area which was very nice and had speakers nearby. Our DD said she could see fine from in the pool.

The Hawaii (club level) long house does not have a balcony on the second floor. Just the way they were done, if a balcony is important (as it is to me) I would request third floor. You get a patio with chairs and a table on the first floor. Some people have said they get ducks and critters at the door, however I have never experienced that.

Angel16

 

[Nanu57v]

Its been a few years, but we never had an issue with viewing Wishes either on the beach or in the lounge. Easy to see!

 

[mickeynut1]

We are heading back to the world on Oct 28th. We had a TPV at the CR all booked but last night switched to GVCL at the Poly. We have stayed at both resorts before but never CL. My DD7 was very upset because she loves watching wishes from the balcony.

How is it from the lounge or beach? Do I need to get there early to 'stake' a spot?

Any other tips or advice would be great (including room requests!).
Thanks!!

One of our favorite things to do at the Poly is watching Wishes from the beach . As the pp said, there are no balconies on the 2nd floor of the Hawaii building, so request 3rd floor if you want a balcony. We are staying GV CL for the first time next summer and I requested 3rd floor as I really want a balcony. Have a great trip .

The music is piped into the lounge and the big two story windows give a great view.

Angel16

I can't wait to experience Poly CL as I've read the view from the lounge is amazing .

Its been a few years, but we never had an issue with viewing Wishes either on the beach or in the lounge. Easy to see!

I agree.....we've never had any trouble watching Wishes from the beach, either.....and the view is awesome .

 

[VAfamily1998]

I know in the past I have seen things here about CL CMs getting guests food/drink items they don't normally carry, because the guests request it...I was wondering if anyone knows if the CLs typically have Greek Yogurt at breakfast time, and if not--do you think that is something that could be requested? What would be the best way to go about it? Thanks!

 

[traceyw]

I just booked a WL standard CL room for December (first time we've done CL). We've been to WL a few times several years ago and love the holiday decorations. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly and really considered staying there, but was concerned that it was not as nicely decorated for the holidays. Is the Poly decked out well for the holidays? How about the Hawaii longhouse since we'd probably be there most of the time? The real advantages of Poly are that a) it is new to us since we've never stayed there before and b) being able to watch the fireworks from the lounge or beach. On the other hand, we know WL is fanstastic at the holidays.

Did I make the right decision to do WL or, if you were in my shoes, would you change to Poly?

 

[Mousemommy1]

I just booked a WL standard CL room for December (first time we've done CL). We've been to WL a few times several years ago and love the holiday decorations. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly and really considered staying there, but was concerned that it was not as nicely decorated for the holidays. Is the Poly decked out well for the holidays? How about the Hawaii longhouse since we'd probably be there most of the time? The real advantages of Poly are that a) it is new to us since we've never stayed there before and b) being able to watch the fireworks from the lounge or beach. On the other hand, we know WL is fanstastic at the holidays.

Did I make the right decision to do WL or, if you were in my shoes, would you change to Poly?

I have not stayed at the Poly....yet (we are staying Poly CL in April)...but, I have seen pics of the Poly at Christmas time....I feel that you absolutely cannot beat the decorations and atmosphere of WL at Christmas IMHO. It is sooooo cozy, and warm, and there's a fireplace, and a giant Christmas tree, and the CL CM's are so wonderful there...I just think of getting a hot chocolate and sitting in the CL lounge overlooking that gorgeous tree...

Obviously, if I were you, I'd stick with WL CL for a Christmas visit.

Oh!!! And, it looks like your girls are the same ages as my girls. My girls LOVED the bunk beds, so you can request that!!! It is my kids absolute favorite resort!!!

 

[Kdub]

tracyw,

All the deluxes are gorgeous during the holidays and do their own versions of holiday decorating. In fact, no matter which resort you end up choosing, you should set aside time for a "resort hopping" tour just to see them all.

One thing about the Poly during the holidays is their background music playing throughout the resort. After staying there it takes awhile to get the "Hawaiian Twelve Days of Christmas" out of my head....

Numbah five day of Chreesmas my tutu give to me, 1 beeg fat peeg!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We are heading back to the world on Oct 28th. We had a TPV at the CR all booked but last night switched to GVCL at the Poly. We have stayed at both resorts before but never CL. My DD7 was very upset because she loves watching wishes from the balcony.

How is it from the lounge or beach? Do I need to get there early to 'stake' a spot?

Also I heard they no longer have plastic water bottles anyone there recently know what's available?

My DDS 1.5 goes through tons of 3% milk is it available all day in the lounge?

Any other tips or advice would be great (including room requests!).
Thanks!!

Having stayed at both, I have to admit, I'm also partial to the lounge at CR.

When we were at Poly, I'd say the lounge was my preference, but I suppose it depends what the weather is like. Also, some folks on the DIS have reported that non-Poly guests sometimes take up chairs on the beach. When we were there, a large party was often in the lounge, and the music could be soft. So what I'mj saying is...it might be a bit of luck of the draw. The nice thign about the lounge is that you can often have dessert. the lounge closes at 10pm, so make sure you arrive before then, though this time of year the fireworks tend to be at 9pm. (summer, it's 10pm)

IF you read the thread, thre hav ebeen mxed reports about bottled water. I've never seen plastic ones available. We bring our own.

Milk is only 'out' in the morning. You may be able to ask a staff member for some, and you might gets some. Another option would be to bring some to your room in the momrning ina styofoam cup (they have lids). The latte machine is available all day, but she probably doesn't want lattes or hot chocolates. (at least I think the one at Poly is there all day...some resorts have one kind of machine that's on all day - BC-, and others - CR, GF- have a the lesser machine that gets turned off, since it has to be refilled by staff)

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Hello! Can anyone tell me what the evening appetizer menu/rotation is for the Grand Floridian CL? Current or past menus would be helpful. Thanks!

hoo boy!

I don't recall the detailed menu, but it was similar to the rest.

The lists on the start of this thread only list the hot offerings, and my guess is that even those are just sample menus- i.e. they change seasonally. I KNOW that at all lounges, if they run out of somethign, they will make a substitution. I've seen that a number of times. I can also tell you, I've seen specific menu changes at CR.

The appetizers at GF always included fresh veggies, rolls/bread/crackers, dips, cheeses, a little fresh fruit, peanut butter and jelly, some kind of salad. (not iceburg-type salad, but more along the lines of tomato/basil/balsamic dressing or artichoke hearts/olives/feta in herb vinegarette.) The fresh veggies included asparagus, celery, carrots, and tomato.

Most of the appetizers are some kind of fried dumpling with assorted meat fillings, but I also recall seeing meatballs one night.(again, try lookingover the other resorts' offerings to get an idea) I also recall seeing sushi- I want to say fresh tuna - and maybe california roll? I also remember seeing a spring roll one night, not the fried kind- the soft rice noodle kind- which was served over a peanut sauce. I don't think they ever served meat skewers, like they have at Poly. Most of the lounges serve samosas of some kind, and I think they were at GF as well.

They also had fresh cold cuts out every morning, usually sliced turkey. (which we could take to our room for later if we weren't going to be around for appetizers).

Sorry I can't offer specific days and offerings, but hopefully my vague list is at least a bit helpful.

Oh - and they DO serve wine in Sugar Loaf.

 

[mickeynut1]

I just booked a WL standard CL room for December (first time we've done CL). We've been to WL a few times several years ago and love the holiday decorations. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly and really considered staying there, but was concerned that it was not as nicely decorated for the holidays. Is the Poly decked out well for the holidays? How about the Hawaii longhouse since we'd probably be there most of the time? The real advantages of Poly are that a) it is new to us since we've never stayed there before and b) being able to watch the fireworks from the lounge or beach. On the other hand, we know WL is fanstastic at the holidays.

Did I make the right decision to do WL or, if you were in my shoes, would you change to Poly?

WL CL was our first CL experience and the CL CMs are great as is the lounge and food offerings . With that said, the Poly is our favorite resort overall (with the WL running a close second) and as far as decorations go, the Poly doesn't have as much as the WL, but it's still very nicely decorated. All of the resorts have nice decorations that are unique to that particular resort. We've stayed at the Poly before, but we are trying CL for the first time next summer so I can't comment on the lounge from personal experience, but from pics I've seen, the lounge looks beautiful with the tree and other decorations around the lounge. The WL is our favorite during the holidays, but the Poly does have an edge for us and you can't beat having the beach (and the lounge) for watching the fireworks . With all of that said, you really can't go wrong with either resort and I'm sure you'll have a great holiday trip no matter which resort you choose .

tracyw,

All the deluxes are gorgeous during the holidays and do their own versions of holiday decorating. In fact, no matter which resort you end up choosing, you should set aside time for a "resort hopping" tour just to see them all.

I agree .

 

[A MK Family]

Having stayed at both, I have to admit, I'm also partial to the lounge at CR.

When we were at Poly, I'd say the lounge was my preference, but I suppose it depends what the weather is like. Also, some folks on the DIS have reported that non-Poly guests sometimes take up chairs on the beach. When we were there, a large party was often in the lounge, and the music could be soft. So what I'mj saying is...it might be a bit of luck of the draw. The nice thign about the lounge is that you can often have dessert. the lounge closes at 10pm, so make sure you arrive before then, though this time of year the fireworks tend to be at 9pm. (summer, it's 10pm)

IF you read the thread, thre hav ebeen mxed reports about bottled water. I've never seen plastic ones available. We bring our own.

Milk is only 'out' in the morning. You may be able to ask a staff member for some, and you might gets some. Another option would be to bring some to your room in the momrning ina styofoam cup (they have lids). The latte machine is available all day, but she probably doesn't want lattes or hot chocolates. (at least I think the one at Poly is there all day...some resorts have one kind of machine that's on all day - BC-, and others - CR, GF- have a the lesser machine that gets turned off, since it has to be refilled by staff)

Thanks everyone! Should specify the milk was for my DS 1! 39 days ... Anything else I should know? Anyone had a play yard up in the room? I am worried it will be really tight. This is our 1st trip as family of 5!

 

[nemofans]

When we stayed CL, whole milk was only out in the morning. So after we finished breakfast in the morning, I would fill a disposable sippy w/whole milk for my 1 yr old & then go put it in the fridge in our room for bed time.

 

[ALMinVA]

We stayed Poly CL January of 2011 and LOVED it. We paid for a SV room and when we arrived at 9am after a long night of driving; the room they gave us was on the second floor and didn't have a balcony. My DS3 (at the time) LOVES balcony's so we asked if we could get a balcony room; none were available so we opted to wait for one - they stowed our luggage and we played on the beach the whole day using the lounge for snacks. At 3pm we were given a nice room on the 3rd floor. We loved watching the fireworks from the lounge, enjoying a drink and desserts. My DD10 would sit on the beach where we could see her and she felt so grown up!
We are headed this January to YC CL for the first time. Most reports I have read are that YC CL is not as nice as Poly but I am hoping for a similar experience. Poly SV CL is not available for Jan 2013.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We stayed Poly CL January of 2011 and LOVED it. We paid for a SV room and when we arrived at 9am after a long night of driving; the room they gave us was on the second floor and didn't have a balcony. My DS3 (at the time) LOVES balcony's so we asked if we could get a balcony room; none were available so we opted to wait for one - they stowed our luggage and we played on the beach the whole day using the lounge for snacks. At 3pm we were given a nice room on the 3rd floor. We loved watching the fireworks from the lounge, enjoying a drink and desserts. My DD10 would sit on the beach where we could see her and she felt so grown up!
We are headed this January to YC CL for the first time. Most reports I have read are that YC CL is not as nice as Poly but I am hoping for a similar experience. Poly SV CL is not available for Jan 2013.

Having stayed at both I can tell you they are very different. The YC lounge is nice, I think I put my pics on the first page of this thread, but it isn't really a "destination" like the Poly lounge is. We basically just used the YC lounge as a place to eat breakfast and occasionally we sat down and had a snack in there. Rarely did we ever make a trip back to have dessert. The Poly lounge has such a beautiful view of the beach, GF, and MK (fireworks, etc) that we found ourselves just getting a drink and sitting in there instead of in our room. Especially if it was a rainy day, or we were taking a park break..... And we made special attempts to be there for dessert and fireworks if we weren't busy at a park. Now, as for the castmembers I would say we were in contact with them at the YC more because they are right there at the elevator. Every time we stood there waiting for an elevator to come they would talk to us, so I felt I got to know them more than the Poly staff. Coming in and out of the Hawaii building we really never stopped at the desks on the first floor unless we needed something. Walking through the door they would toss out a friendly greeting as we headed up the stairs, so if we wanted to stand there and talk we could have but usually we were anxious to get up to our room. As for the rooms themselves they are smaller, and of course the theme is totally different, the colors and fabrics are totally opposite. So I guess to summarize I'd say they are both very nice in their own ways but they are also very different. Hope that helps

 

[PamelaKay]

I just booked a WL standard CL room for December (first time we've done CL). We've been to WL a few times several years ago and love the holiday decorations. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly and really considered staying there, but was concerned that it was not as nicely decorated for the holidays. Is the Poly decked out well for the holidays? How about the Hawaii longhouse since we'd probably be there most of the time? The real advantages of Poly are that a) it is new to us since we've never stayed there before and b) being able to watch the fireworks from the lounge or beach. On the other hand, we know WL is fanstastic at the holidays.

Did I make the right decision to do WL or, if you were in my shoes, would you change to Poly?

I would stick with WL CL for the holidays. I have stayed at Poly CL in December and while it was wonderful (we had TPV CL room) to see the holiday wishes fireworks from our room, the resort just didn't feel as Christmas festive as the WL did. We went to Artist Point for dinner and WL just felt and looked so much more like Christmas.

All that being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the WL CL. The entire crew of CL cast members are wonderful. I will be visiting WL CL three times this year.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Hi All,

I just found this thread. Could someone that has stayed Club Level at AK recently let me know the selections as far as food, drinks and adult drinks. It will be our first time and we are going Nov 25-30 for the Christmas decorations. We plan on spending alot of time at the resort this trip.

Thanks in advance,
Misty

 

[luvindisneyworld]

It double posted sorry.

 

[ALMinVA]

Having stayed at both I can tell you they are very different. The YC lounge is nice, I think I put my pics on the first page of this thread, but it isn't really a "destination" like the Poly lounge is. We basically just used the YC lounge as a place to eat breakfast and occasionally we sat down and had a snack in there. Rarely did we ever make a trip back to have dessert. The Poly lounge has such a beautiful view of the beach, GF, and MK (fireworks, etc) that we found ourselves just getting a drink and sitting in there instead of in our room. Especially if it was a rainy day, or we were taking a park break..... And we made special attempts to be there for dessert and fireworks if we weren't busy at a park. Now, as for the castmembers I would say we were in contact with them at the YC more because they are right there at the elevator. Every time we stood there waiting for an elevator to come they would talk to us, so I felt I got to know them more than the Poly staff. Coming in and out of the Hawaii building we really never stopped at the desks on the first floor unless we needed something. Walking through the door they would toss out a friendly greeting as we headed up the stairs, so if we wanted to stand there and talk we could have but usually we were anxious to get up to our room. As for the rooms themselves they are smaller, and of course the theme is totally different, the colors and fabrics are totally opposite. So I guess to summarize I'd say they are both very nice in their own ways but they are also very different. Hope that helps

Thank you for sharing your experiences! Very helpful! I am obsessed with finding out all I can about the YC . I know we will be missing Poly and the regular Poly rooms are available in January but we like having breakfast and the extra little perks of CL. I booked a lot of nighttime activities - an illuminations cruise for my dh's birthday; the pirate cruise for ds, one evening dh is scuba diving the nemo tank and dd is snorkeling so I think we will be focusing more on breakfast. I did reserve a gv room versus sv or wv since we don't plan on being in the room that much. I have heard such wonderful things about YC CMs and we had similar experience as you at Poly CL with the CMs - didn't really interact much at all. But the Poly experience, can't beat it!

 

[purplejulie456]

We will be staying CL at AK November 13th-17th 2012....We have never stayed cl before. I was on Allears reading some reviews and there were alot of negatives about the staff. I was wondering if anyone has stayed here that can tell me more about this?......ALSO do we have to contact the IPO? we made our own reservations for dinners while here.

Thank you in advance

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanks everyone! Should specify the milk was for my DS 1! 39 days ... Anything else I should know? Anyone had a play yard up in the room? I am worried it will be really tight. This is our 1st trip as family of 5!

When we've had young kids in the family, our extended family never brought a playard. It depends on the child, but in our family, we are often able to contain little ones by putting them on the bed if older kids are willing to supervise.(Esp if you also run the tv). I mean we only do this while we're getting ready a few feet away, not for extended babysitting. If we're awake, we don't spend much time in the room at WDW.

The rooms at the deluxes are fairly large, and I'm sure you could fit a playyard, but with five people, all the suitcases, and a stroller...a room can feel fairly full, even the big ones. Poly and CR rooms, IMO, have a bit of an odd closet layout that makes it hard to stow empty suitcases there. One side has a bar, and the other has the safe. Still the rooms are quite large. I think you'll be quite happy.