Club level vs. standard..what is the diff?

[jecon]

Yes, I have an opinion.

We stayed WL CL in July and had the DDP. We thought that it was too much food. We found that in order to make it an ADR, we had to skip the lounge time so we didn't get all of the use out of the lounge that we could have.

For our upcoming trip, we are doing CL w/out the DDP. We only have 5 ADR's for our whole 11 day trip and most of those are lunch (when the lounge offerings are minimal). I think this is going to be a way better strategy for us to really get maximum benefit out of CL. The cost to upgrade to CL for 10 nights was $1030. The cost of the DDP would be $1400'ish...but, we feel that the DDP doesn't really fit the way we eat...we would never order deserts at every meal...sometimes, we just want an appetizer to share, etc...

I couldn't agree more!!!

 

[Missyrose]

How does one get a discount on CL?

I booked YC CL with the bounce back discount for next October while we were there last week.

 

[pamkat1820]

We are trying YC CL for the first time In August with out the DDP. This will be our first trip without the DDP. Our reasoning for not getting the plan was not to be stuck to a schedule. We are staying 7 days and plan on making 3 ADR ;cape may clam bake, T. rex and character bk. we also want to try beaches and cream. I agree with the the poster that said the dinning plan and lounge is too much.

I called a cm about the CSR lounge. And from what they said its not the same. They offer a lot less.

 

[Swirly girls]

The difference with club level is you pay what it costs for a week or two of groceries EVERY NIGHT for the privilege of having access to a lounge with some appetizers and continental breakfast. Oh, and you get access to a concierge desk that will do for you what you can do for yourself if you spend 2 minutes online.

Whoopdie doo

Your reply was hilarious... And i don't mean to be disrespectful by saying that. I truly giggled out loud.
We're going next fall and will be staying at the GF club level, theme park view room. I've heard mixed responses on the club level. Most it's about the cost.

We have 3 teenager daughters. None of us are real big eaters. I'm confident that eating at club level will be plenty for us with a little yummy snacking at the parks through out our day.

We would of spent $1900 on dining plan, we've been to Disney before, and I knew we'd never eat $1900 worth of food! My girls aren't into all the character meals any longer, been there and done all that!!

I'll let you all know after our trip if we thought it was worth it.
I'm quite confident that it will be too!! The ambience, extra attention, room view, food, and personal cm seem worth it to us -- it's our vacation after all, and we can afford it.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Our reasoning for not getting the plan was not to be stuck to a schedule.

You still end up being tied to a schedule- just a more flexible one.

Often the most stressful part of our triups is trying to get to ADR's on time...then waiting well after our ADR time for our table to be ready. The old "rush to wait."

DDP - regular DDP and club level is too much food for us, unless we did signature meals/room service, but why? A main reason for DDP was the savings. That's gone.

With CL, our out of pocket expenses are about as follows: At lunch, we usually eat QS, but less than one meal per person. If we have a buffet dinner, we might only have an ice crema ofr lunch or a cup of soup. Dinner=ADR's. Some days we do bufffets, other days we do about a 3-4meals per 5 pple ratio of just entrees. About 3/4 the way through the trip we all feel overfed.

Once in great while, we'll do a simple sit down lunch or breakfast for the table service and share. The brewpub on the BWK is a favorite.


We also have a few snacks. No trip is complete with out a !!!!

Oh, and the biggie- we almost always make a point of having plenty of off-property bottled water.

 

[TXPyroMom]

I made a spread sheet and tracked what we ate/drank (rough est). It was worth it for this family of 5. We are not big breakfast eaters, cereal/ fruit or yogurt. But at least 2 coffees for the adults. Having to deal w the lines at quick service to pay $35-40 every am right off the bat was a savings.
Second-- drinks. We are not lushes (well maybe I am) but enjoy a glass or two of wine/beer. Having that glass or two in the CL saved easily $35 a day. I'm also a coffee/espresso all day girl. Those 3-4$ add right up.
Third-- being able to spread out somewhere other than the room was soooooo nice. Esp as my kids span age 2-12. The 2 older ones went to the Club to do homework while the little one would go out and play etc. And it was certainly cheaper to pay CL than upgrade to a 1 br villa.

We did not pay $150 night more, it was about $35 an night.

Hth
Heather

Which resort did you stay at? This seems like a huge discount based on the figures that others have given. Did you have a 30% off room discount?

 

[pepe of ohio]

Which resort did you stay at? This seems like a huge discount based on the figures that others have given. Did you have a 30% off room discount?

Have never seen a discount that would equal CL to $35.00 a night.... If it were, everyone would be doing it...

I checked the deluxe resorts for their value seasons, standard room over CL and it's a good 100.00 per night.... I often wonder where some people get their figures...

 

[padawans]

Have never seen a discount that would equal CL to $35.00 a night.... If it were, everyone would be doing it...

I checked the deluxe resorts for their value seasons, standard room over CL and it's a good 100.00 per night.... I often wonder where some people get their figures...

I have always booked Club level with 40% off. The price difference is about 100.00 a night. If you are comparing a water view room to a SV club level than it could be 35.00 a night. A TPV room at Poly is about the same price as a GV CL room at Poly. Maybe they were not comparing Apples to Apples.

 

[samacita]

For those of you who use CL food offerings in place of a dining plan, how many meals do you usually pay for out of pocket? Are they typically lunches? Dinners? Character breakfasts? I'm trying to calculate whether CL + a few OOP meals would be better than DDP. But with this as our first Disney trip with kids, it's hard to picture how it will go...

 

[bethclayton]

we have 2 kids also but since they are 11 and 13 they are adults according to disney. so, when we calculate savings, that is what it is based on.

the DDP was much more valuable to us when they were disney children.

we need to pay oop for cs lunch every day. we do one character breakfast at 'ohana every stay because it is tradition. we usually do a ts meal (usually signature) nearly every day when my parents join us, but when it is just us four, we are happy to do maybe 2 per trip. we love ts but don't love being tied down to the reservation.

we still come out ahead with CL and no DDP.

 

[jstouder]

I am thinking about upgrading our WL to CL. What food offerings are there during the course of the day?

 

[Rileyf]

I am thinking about upgrading our WL to CL. What food offerings are there during the course of the day?

Breakfast is cereals, pastries, bagels, oatmeal, and fruit. In the afternoon they have cookies and chips, and at happy hour time they have appetizers, beer and wine. 8-10 it's cordials and desserts. Sodas, ice tea, and coffee is always available. Other than breakfast I don't think the offerings are a substitute for meals. It does save some money on snacks and alcohol.

 

[hiwaygal]

For those of you who use CL food offerings in place of a dining plan, how many meals do you usually pay for out of pocket? Are they typically lunches? Dinners? Character breakfasts? I'm trying to calculate whether CL + a few OOP meals would be better than DDP. But with this as our first Disney trip with kids, it's hard to picture how it will go...

We've never done the DP. And now, thinking about it, it really is too much food for us. We generally eat breakfast in the CL. For lunch we will share a QS or get a snack here and there. We will plan three or four ADRs for buffet or family style dinners for our 8 night visit. We'll try to be at the resort for evening appetizers at least one night. And we'll try to take advantage of the desserts and cordials (sometimes we get back too late). BUT, even if we get back too late, there's usually a way to grab a drink or something to take back to your room (at least there was at the Poly...can't remember if it was that way at BW, but it seems like it was) or you can grab a few drinks earlier and have them in your room.

We love the CL staff, they can be so much fun to just talk to. For our first stay, they shared our wedding cake with us. At first they told us they weren't allowed but we reminded them that they were there to "make us happy" and sharing our wedding cake would make us happy!

They've done quite a few extras that I don't want to specifically talk about because sometimes folks then create expectations. But suffice to say they have made both our trips very memorable.

When it came time to make a decision on this next trip, DH and I went back and forth. We got a great discount that made the CL room cheaper than a standard deluxe room. We knew then that we didn't need the dining plan and we don't have to worry.

We are planning to spend a day off-site (Legoland) and will probably recruit help from the IPO staff to rent a car and stuff.

We've been very fortunate to stay CL for all of our visits to Disney.

For us, it's about a higher level of service, a more personal level of service, it's feeling "special". If you read posts on some of the other boards here many people ask about special moments from CMs or "extra pixie dust" or "Disney Magic" - especially if you are planning a special event. What many folks recommend is that if you want that extra pixie dust, you pay for it. CL is just kinda one way to do that.

 

[MomofDisneyLoversx3]

I will only stay in SV rooms at AKL. The price difference was $35 a night on our last staying using a 35% off code. I don't pay rack rates. As all CL rooms at AKL are SV I feel this is apples to apples. I know that TPV vs GV at Poly (just am example) would be different, but for us AKL says 'home'. Hth
Heather