AKV Club Level

[disprincess2213]

We were wondering if the wine and beer were available all day at the club level lounge? What kinds of beer do they serve? At night time, what liquors do they have out? Is there rum? Has anyone felt like the appetizers served at night were enough to fill you for dinner?

 

[happymommy]

I stayed there years ago, and it was great.
I wanted a beer when it wasn't the time that it's out, and they always brought us beer or wine when we asked for it, no matter what time it was (as long as the lounge was staffed).
No there is no hard liquor that I recalled. At the appetizer time they put out African wines and some different beers (only one I recall was African I think, but it was all good).
At dessert times, they put out cordials.
The appetizers honestly were quite filling to me. Several evenings I was too full for additional dinner from them (they always had some sort of meats on skewers, like chicken or salmon, plus salads and quinoa I think).
A night or two I ran down to the Mara for a hot dog for my son I think, as he has food allergies, but for the most part he was able to eat much of what they had out, which was nice!

 

[jcjen519]

We stayed in December for about 9 days. They do not keep the wine and beer out all day but will bring you what you want if you ask at any time of day.

The apps were probably enough for dinner but we didn't really use them as such. I doubt you'd want to eat that every night for a week. You could certainly do so after a late lunch a couple times during your trip though.

Are you talking about the actual club level villas or just akl cl? We were in the actual dvc villas. If you will be too I would probably suggest the pool view over the savannah view if you make a request. We saw one giraffe the whole trip from our balcony.

 

[Babsy]

The last time that I stayed in AKL CL was about a year ago now. The appetizers are meant to be just that - an appetizer before dinner. Desserts are served later and are also meant as an accompaniment to your evening meal. It is fine to 'make do' with these occasionally if you have a large late lunch or if you are a light eater. For most people, it would make a poor dinner for every day. There is also the issue of needing to be at the hotel between 5-7 pm for apps and from 8-10 pm for desserts. Generally, we found returning to the AKL from the parks not to be worth it, especially for the appetizers. You would have to leave by 5:00 at the latest to be sure to be at the Lodge by 6:00 to get the last hour of apps. That was a bit early to end the day for us. Finally, the AKL CL was often crowded and it was difficult to get a table or seat on some occasions.
We did find that we sometimes returned to the hotel in time for a dessert and cordial before retiring for the evening.

All in all, afternoon snacks and evening food were a nice perk when it was convenient. However the food was not really meal replacements except for breakfast.

 

[rwdavis2]

Having done AKL Club level I would not recommend it only due to the cost. The food is fine and we ate breakfast there but I would never pay for it again.

 

[disprincess2213]

Your thoughts and input and suggestions are greatly appreciated!! Thank you all so much!! Are there any other "fabulous" things that go along with staying in Club level there? I see the chance to have a concierge...but what does he/she do? Any other information you can give to me about staying club level?? Thanks again!!

 

[rwdavis2]

Your thoughts and input and suggestions are greatly appreciated!! Thank you all so much!! Are there any other "fabulous" things that go along with staying in Club level there? I see the chance to have a concierge...but what does he/she do? Any other information you can give to me about staying club level?? Thanks again!!

The concierge can make ADRs for you and other type of reservations but they supposedly have no better access than you would to any of the restaurants. The only reason we stayed club level a couple years ago was for the Sunrise Safari which has been discontinued. So there are really no other "fabulous" things in club level that I can think of.

 

[disprincess2213]

This was exactly what I was wondering....the concierge could make reservations for you, but its whatever is available on MDE, not that they can just call BOG and get you in on a Saturday night lol....gotcha. So since we already have our ADRs, this wouldnt be a service we would need. From the research Ive been doing, AKL CL is a continental breakfast, snacks through out the day, appetizers and desserts in the evening, and unlimited beer wine and soda. Am I missing anything else? Do they let you leave with the alcohol? Do they limit you? (i am certainly not looking to get bombed here lol...just wondering if they limit you to a certain amount per person). I just want to see if it is worth it for us! Again, all the help is greatly appreciated!

 

[rwdavis2]

This was exactly what I was wondering....the concierge could make reservations for you, but its whatever is available on MDE, not that they can just call BOG and get you in on a Saturday night lol....gotcha. So since we already have our ADRs, this wouldnt be a service we would need. From the research Ive been doing, AKL CL is a continental breakfast, snacks through out the day, appetizers and desserts in the evening, and unlimited beer wine and soda. Am I missing anything else? Do they let you leave with the alcohol? Do they limit you? (i am certainly not looking to get bombed here lol...just wondering if they limit you to a certain amount per person). I just want to see if it is worth it for us! Again, all the help is greatly appreciated!

You can take drinks back to your room. I have seen reports they are trying to limit the amount you drink. If you are wondering if it's worth it then just figure out what the per day difference in the price of club level vs. regular rooms. If you have no problem with the costs of club level have you considered booking a Savannah room instead? It's pretty neat to walk out on the balcony and watch the animals. Or spend the extra cash on some signature dining.

 

[com_op_2000]

We were in the actual dvc villas. If you will be too I would probably suggest the pool view over the savannah view if you make a request. We saw one giraffe the whole trip from our balcony.

For the DVC villas you can NOT make a request for a view. There are only 5 2-bdrm lockoffs, 3 face an alcove of the Sunset Savanna and 2 face the pool area. One of the five is an HA room. You get what you get upon checkin.

OP, DW and I have done 2 2nite stays in the DVC-CL rooms. We find that the breakfast and apps are enough of a meal for us. the desserts and drinks in the evening are nice. The last time they put out 4 different liquors in the evenings including a scotch and Baileys, no rum.

 

[jcjen519]

For the DVC villas you can NOT make a request for a view. There are only 5 2-bdrm lockoffs, 3 face an alcove of the Sunset Savanna and 2 face the pool area. One of the five is an HA room. You get what you get upon checkin.

OP, DW and I have done 2 2nite stays in the DVC-CL rooms. We find that the breakfast and apps are enough of a meal for us. the desserts and drinks in the evening are nice. The last time they put out 4 different liquors in the evenings including a scotch and Baileys, no rum.

That was always my understanding too but when we did online check in for our December trip I selected savannah view and later spoke to dvc and they noted the request without issue.

 

[Best Aunt]

Even if you select savanna view for the DVC club level villas and even if they honor your request (and I'm not sure they will), the savanna view is lousy from the DVC club level villas. You are way at the end of the building. The animals don't go there. I saw a few antelope, and that was it. On my next trip I stayed in a savanna view villa, not club level, and there were all kinds of animals under my window. I personally would never use the extra points (or cash) to stay Club level again.

I have stayed Club level at non-Disney hotels, but that was my first time staying Club level at a Disney hotel. I was disappointed by the food offerings. The food in the evening was pre-plated. It was tiny portions on small plates. You would have had to go back a dozen times to fill up on the food -- and I didn't care for it. At other hotels, you served yourself so small portions were not an issue.

I also found that the lounge was not relaxing. There was a lot of activity, and the TV is right in the middle of the space. In other Club level lounges, the TV is over at one end.

I stayed Club Level because I wanted to do the Sunrise Safari (which as a PP mentioned has been discontinued). I loved the Sunrise Safari, and I'm glad I got to do it.

 

[happymommy]

When we stayed, NO they did not limit any drinks at all.
We got lucky and had an AP discount for 12/26 - 1/2 that year. Paid $260/night. I felt kind of shocked. For 4 of us. Kids in bunk beds - My special needs DD didn't sleep as much as she needed but it was a great trip.
They contacted us, and we told them what we wanted (only a few things, like at some point we wanted an Illuminations Cruise, and a dinner or two). WELL, they booked everything we wanted, and little did we know they booked us on Breathless on New Years Eve. We showed up at the dock not even knowing what she was (she's out of commission).
This was a trip where we spent a lot of time at the resort, since it was the busiest time of the year. For us it was great!