Club Level - Anyone Else Noticing Changes

[sarmat1]

We stayed last August at YC CL. It was very nice and we enjoyed the resort. We only stayed CL because of an awesome deal we were given threw an agency. After we decided that our next trip we probably would not stay CL again. the only time I was encountered by a overly friendly staff member was one night we came in right at closing my daughter wanted a mini cupcake, there was about 4 on the dish left. She wanted2 and I told her no there isn't many left and leave them for someone who might run in quick. the staff member saw my son and insisted they each take 2 and won't let me say no. she said they were going to throw the desserts out and offer me & my husband cheese cake they just took back to service room.

We were at YC CL then too. Same awesome deal/same agency. We even got upgraded to SAB view and watched the Epcot fireworks each night from the balcony. I'm glad we did CL the one time, but we would never do it again. I just don't see the value. We always rent a car so if we want alcohol, we can just stop and pick some up. For breakfasts, we do an initial stop and pickup stuff at the beginning of the trip at Walmart/Target since we eat quick each morning so as to get to the parks early. These alternatives are far cheaper than paying for the CL upgrade. I have no real complaints about the CL experience other than the cost vs benefit. And that was with no restrictions. If they're beginning to impose restrictions on what you can eat/drink now, even more reason to forgo it.

 

[BC1836]

The change that we do not appreciate over the last few years is management's growing tolerance of allowing guests to leave their used plates and glasses on tables without returning them to a central location.

The CMs have enough to do to bring out food, beverages, utensils, plates, glasses, cups, ice, etc. without having to devote time to pick up after lazy guests who feel entitled.

We'll be cleaning up after ourselves this weekend.

All the best.

 

[ElizabethB]

My goodness! Disney cutting back? Really? As if we haven't noticed this not just at the resorts but everywhere on Disney property.

Every time we go, dh and I laugh about the latest nicety that's been reduced or completely eliminated. Last time we purchased an ice cream sandwich at Sleepy Hollow in MK we found that some brilliant cost cutter had decided soft ice cream would work fine -- why provide expensive ice cream bars. Of course, the soft ice cream melted, dripped out and we were left with two cookies, no ice cream between them and a mess we threw away.

As for Club Level, a friend and I have been doing it with her children for years. We've stayed at nearly all of them at least once and some several times, such as RPC. I love the post characterizing the CL CMs as crazy Nurse Ratchets. That is soooo true -- most especially at RPC in our experience.

CL (then known as Concierge Level) used to be really lovely in the late 90s and early 00s. But it's been on a steady decline for years at all resorts, IMO. There may be some guests who abuse it but we have rarely seen anything problematic. It just seems that managers are under constant pressure to cut costs. Meanwhile resort room rates have skyrocketed. It's exactly the same at the restaurants -- declining quality and high prices.

A friend and I are spending two nights at YC CL in a few days. However, we then move to Portofino Bay Club Level for 5 nights. We love CL at PBH and very much think it is worth the price -- lots of tasty food for breakfast, nice wines and generous offerings in the evening.

So, my friend and I have cut our Disney stay way down and upped our Universal stay nights. As for dh's and my annual trip to F&W Festival, we're not going. We are finally out of patience with all of the declines in quality and constantly soaring prices.

Yet, Iger just won a best CEO in the nation award. So I guess Disney will continue to push this strategy. But we're not playing anymore.

 

[JayCT]

I think that the changes would be more noticable to those who have been staying Club Level over a long period of time. Back when we started going, there was a lot offered. There were trays of appetizers each night, now there are a couple of plates. The desserts were regular sized, now they are minitures. They used to have premade peanut butter sandwiches, now they have these tiny cups for you to make them yourself. The cookies use to be out all the time. Now they are only out a certain times.

I am not sure if they limit you to two drinks per night or not but we wanted two cordial sized glasses of a liquor to mix with milk for an evening drink. My wife was getting the drinks and had to tell the girl that two would be for me. We also had to ask for the milk in the evening which is annoying. IT use to be out.

I also noticed that there were more cleaning carts out in the hallways and that there were dirty dishes left around for a long time outside people's rooms.

The staff seemed to be mixed. A couple of the old time CM's we knew were nice but the newer ones were not as friendly. Not sure why but they also were harder to deal with. One old timer, did go get us a bottle of water but said not to say anything to the other guests. Really???

As for the other guests, I have seen a couple of hoarders over the years but given the hundreds of people that stay CL year day, you are bound to get a few rude people. They should not be ruining it for other people who are paying for CL. I am seriously thinking that we will stop staying CL and just start using room service. You can buy a lot for the $150 to $200 it costs for CL. I would be interested to know if anyone who stayed CL at another resort saw similar things to what we experienced at YC. It may be time to switch resorts. Jay

 

[CGB]

I cannot say enough good things about WL CL. When we were there in April there were no limits on drinks, the food was always kept up and refilled and the staff were wonderful.

ITA.

I'm glad to hear good things about Universal's club levels. We'll be trying one of those on our next trip!

 

[Jing]

We did AKL CL in 2012, mainly for the special morning safari opportunity. We did the DDP so we were not around for a lot of the food, but when we were, there was never a problem having enough or folks being piggish, but we were there in off-season. We plan to try poly or cr next time if a discount comes around.

 

[wdwfan]

And this is why Disney will not give us better service in CL. If we're willing to spend top dollar for poor attitudes, where is the motivation to change it?



We miss half the food and drink offerings because we're in the parks. Our family has never paid for CL as a way around Disney meal prices. The kids will grab one of those peanut butter/jelly things for breakfast and we might each grab a dessert in the evening.
Just thinking that we probably make up for a few of the hoarders.

There is no way that a few families hoarding food and drink are responsible for both the restrictions and the prickly attitudes. Disney is cutting services all over the place and charging more and more money. They will reach a saturation point-for a lot of people they already have.. There will always be families who will go to WDW but there may not be as many who go back. We used to go 4-5 times a year, now we go once a year and we're rethinking that.

Have you ever noticed how many things in life - the companies people work for, restaurants, healthcare, every business in general - have cut back? Budgets everywhere have gotten tighter. It's the world we live in..... Disney is cutting back as well and in many other areas besides club level. It could be for lots of reasons, but the people who horde food, take more than they could possibly ever eat, have definitely contributed to the cutbacks.

I don't accept demeaning attitudes from CM's, however, I don't get upset by them either or worry about them. My point is that I am there to enjoy myself...if a CM has a poor attitude chances are the people who work with them and their direct supervisor are aware of it, too. I'm the one on vacation and I'm going to enjoy myself and not let another person's poor attitude get in the way of my enjoyment. Negativity has a way of taking care of things all on its own. I'm sure the CM's with negative attitudes eventually have their chickens come home to roost.

 

[davale4]

The OP said there was a 2 drink limit. "They now serve you the evening drinks and limit you to two."

I was just wondering when did this start? And is it happening at all CL's? We stay CL every year and we have not experienced this yet. I guess I'll see in a few days....

As for restrictions, there may not be any stated but I would count the Nurse Ratched CMs hovering as an implied restriction. I felt like I was going through a TSA x-ray as I went to the CL buffet. All I wanted was one small cheesecake tart.

This is also something that I have yet to see but hear once in a while on some threads. Like I said, we go every year for 11-14 days and we spend plenty of time at the lounge and have always wondered about the comments made.

 

[gwynne]

The OP said there was a 2 drink limit. "They now serve you the evening drinks and limit you to two."

I was just wondering when did this start? And is it happening at all CL's? We stay CL every year and we have not experienced this yet. I guess I'll see in a few days....

As for restrictions, there may not be any stated but I would count the Nurse Ratched CMs hovering as an implied restriction. I felt like I was going through a TSA x-ray as I went to the CL buffet. All I wanted was one small cheesecake tart.

This is also something that I have yet to see but hear once in a while on some threads. Like I said, we go every year for 11-14 days and we spend plenty of time at the lounge and have always wondered about the comments made.

The club level lounges have had a 2 drink limit AT A TIME for a long time. I really don't know anyone who would wish to have more than 2 at a time. I would think more than two would be difficult to carry. Guests can go back for more as they prefer.
The CL CM's are there to help. If someone sees a tray is getting, low, the easy thing to do is let the CL CM's know. They won't judge you for giving them a heads up, they appreciate it. I've stayed CL at several resorts. I've always found the CL CM's to be kind and helpful.

 

[Disneychick75]

Have you ever noticed how many things in life - the companies people work for, restaurants, healthcare, every business in general - have cut back? Budgets everywhere have gotten tighter. It's the world we live in..... Disney is cutting back as well and in many other areas besides club level. It could be for lots of reasons, but the people who horde food, take more than they could possibly ever eat, have definitely contributed to the cutbacks.

I don't accept demeaning attitudes from CM's, however, I don't get upset by them either or worry about them. My point is that I am there to enjoy myself...if a CM has a poor attitude chances are the people who work with them and their direct supervisor are aware of it, too. I'm the one on vacation and I'm going to enjoy myself and not let another person's poor attitude get in the way of my enjoyment. Negativity has a way of taking care of things all on its own. I'm sure the CM's with negative attitudes eventually have their chickens come home to roost.

I have seen prices rise in the areas you refer to but I have not seen a decline in service.

Everyone is different. I expect good service and good attitudes both at Disney World and elsewhere. If this does not bother you, good. It does bother me. The CM's bad attitudes do not ruin my trip but this does affect me deciding to spend more money for a sub par club level experience.

The OP said there was a 2 drink limit. "They now serve you the evening drinks and limit you to two."

I was just wondering when did this start? And is it happening at all CL's? We stay CL every year and we have not experienced this yet. I guess I'll see in a few days....

As for restrictions, there may not be any stated but I would count the Nurse Ratched CMs hovering as an implied restriction. I felt like I was going through a TSA x-ray as I went to the CL buffet. All I wanted was one small cheesecake tart.

This is also something that I have yet to see but hear once in a while on some threads. Like I said, we go every year for 11-14 days and we spend plenty of time at the lounge and have always wondered about the comments made.

Apparently from comments here, we are not the only ones to have experienced this. This has happened to us during busy times,Thanksgiving and Spring Break, and during not so busy times like the end of April.
I'm very happy that some have not had this happen to them.

We've never seen hoarding of food but that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen because posters here have seen it.

 

[Nursemanit]

Marriott seems to solve this problem by posting the staff at the door to enforce the no food or drinks in or out rule. Delta sky clubs also work that way.

But seriously $150 a night for CL ? A couple can Go to Ruth Chris and have a filet and a drink for that. I guess if you have a family and they don't mind finger food.

Also it would work better to reduce the CL rate and do the drinks at cost - I want to a Starwood hotel where the wine / beer was 2.50 a glass... Just enough to discourage abuse.

 

[BlueSkies]

I really think that CL stays are designed to make a resort/vacation stay more relaxing and enjoyable by offering a certain level of service...

And overall we have not seen a decline in that at all over time....

This includes having IPO to make and follow up on dining reservations..as well as other types of reservations as well....

I have always found the the CMs in IPO to be informative..and very helpful..

Another aspect of that to me is having the lounge as an extra space to relax..enjoy a drink..a snack..or a bit of appetizers or dessert...

With the exception of breakfast..I don't think that any offerings are designed to replace meals...or that the extra cost is akin to having a dining plan...

Its very nice to be able to grab a soda, juice or a cup of coffee at whim...and a true time saver especially in the am...

I do think that some of the offerings have changed...unfortunately in part due to the behaviors of some of the guests ... a certain mind set has undoubtedly been the reason for the removal of individual water bottles... and with the things that I am reading here about people taking more than their fair share of things... will probably impact other offerings... like individual sodas over time.... Which is really too bad...

During any of our stays we have always felt that the offerings have been plentiful...and replenished regularly... and never felt like anyone was watching over what we were taking...Just our experience though...

We have on occasion asked for a bottle of water to bring back to the room in the evening..and been given a small carafe which works just fine...

We also are not of the mindset of asking for things at off hours...although I will say we have been offered...Again...a nice level of service...

And that is what we pay for when we book CL stays....

The change that we do not appreciate over the last few years is management's growing tolerance of allowing guests to leave their used plates and glasses on tables without returning them to a central location.

The CMs have enough to do to bring out food, beverages, utensils, plates, glasses, cups, ice, etc. without having to devote time to pick up after lazy guests who feel entitled.

We'll be cleaning up after ourselves this weekend.

All the best.

We too always clean up after ourselves....

 

[Eastern]

Next step will be 1 liter bottles of soda (manned by a CM) and red solo cups.

Little dixie cups with individual servings of trail mix.

$175 extra per night

 

[kpm76]

The change that we do not appreciate over the last few years is management's growing tolerance of allowing guests to leave their used plates and glasses on tables without returning them to a central location.

The CMs have enough to do to bring out food, beverages, utensils, plates, glasses, cups, ice, etc. without having to devote time to pick up after lazy guests who feel entitled.

We'll be cleaning up after ourselves this weekend.

All the best.

Completely agree!! And to that point, I think many CL experiences are defined by how the guests treat the CMs. They are not servants standing at attention ready to grant your every wish. This idea that "I paid all this money and I deserve/am entitled to xyz" has to go. It was horrifying last summer at the BWI to watch how some families treated the CMs. We used it as a teaching moment for our kids. We always cleared our plates and brushed off the table for the next guests. We got really friendly with the CMs in the lounge because we treated them like human beings and in return, they could not do enough for us. Truly outstanding experience.

Honestly, I wonder if Disney is trying to price out the people who are looking for a "value" in CL so they get the guests who are looking at it for the right reasons - breakfast, light snacks, added space with the lounge, service.

 

[Disneychick75]

Completely agree!! And to that point, I think many CL experiences are defined by how the guests treat the CMs. They are not servants standing at attention ready to grant your every wish. This idea that "I paid all this money and I deserve/am entitled to xyz" has to go. It was horrifying last summer at the BWI to watch how some families treated the CMs. We used it as a teaching moment for our kids. We always cleared our plates and brushed off the table for the next guests. We got really friendly with the CMs in the lounge because we treated them like human beings and in return, they could not do enough for us. Truly outstanding experience.

Honestly, I wonder if Disney is trying to price out the people who are looking for a "value" in CL so they get the guests who are looking at it for the right reasons - breakfast, light snacks, added space with the lounge, service.

Just a tad elitist, I think.
Why not accept that some of us who are not trashy people that leave stuff lying around, do not have an entitlement attitude, and do treat CMs with respect are not happy with the decline in Disney's club level service? I am more than willing and have posted that I fully believe that some have not had a problem.

 

[Disneytam]

I just thought of one little thing that has gone away at the CL. In the late 1990's and early 2000 for breakfast at the RPC there was a large variety of cut up fruit sat out in bowls. Grapefruit and oranges were all sectioned out for you and blueberries and strawberries were set out to put on your cereal. I have photo's of the watermelon all cut out in hidden mickey shapes. So cute and long gone now. This past year at the BWI the only breakfast fruit set out was tiny little cups with a couple of blueberries and a half of a sliced strawberry. Another bowl held a couple of apples and a few bananas. Such a little thing I know but it was all those little special fun attention to details that I really miss now when we stay at CL.

 

[d3gauss]

We have always cleared our plates at club level, even with a 3 month old. I don't see why someone wouldn't. That being said, maybe I don't expect as much from club level because I am still very happy with it. We are going back in a couple weeks and we will see if it feels the same...also if a toddler and an infant will affect our ability to clear our plates.

 

[jperrot1]

I stayed BC CL in June and had an overall positive experience. I did have to ask for bottled water, but the CM's were great and had it out to me in no time flat. The food selections were okay - but I really didn't eat much more than breakfast in the lounge. If the lounge was very busy in the morning, I would often bring a cup of coffee and pastry back to my room to enjoy on the balcony, but never did I bring trays of food back to the room!!

That said...

The negative part of the experience were some of the other CL guests. There was one family in particular who waited outside of the lounge doors for it to open. Once the lounge *did* open, they piled their plates high with as much food as possible and would send their child back to get more...but have her cut in front of other guests to grab what she could. Just plain rude if you ask me!

I'm giving AKL CL a shot next week for ten days. I'm hopeful it will be an excellent experience - otherwise I'll probably just say no to further CL stays.

These kinds of reports really sadden me. Club Level is, for us, an experience which includes great service from the best WDW CM's. The lounge experience is only part of this. Like everyone here, I don't want to see WDW CL end, or have CL lounge offerings diminish or get eliminated altogether. I believe WDW CM's are the best of the best, and if there are CL CM's acting less then friendly, there must be something going on that just isn't right. No one here has deserved a less then friendly CM, so I'm not directing that at anyone here. I'm just saying that there just has to be something that is causing these best of the best CM's to be acting so bla bla blaish.

 

[Eastern]

I believe WDW CM's are the best of the best, and if there are CL CM's acting less then friendly, there must be something going on that just isn't right. No one here has deserved a less then friendly CM, so I'm not directing that at anyone here. I'm just saying that there just has to be something that is causing these best of the best CM's to be acting so bla bla blaish.

Maybe they don't like their job? CMs at BWI were very friendly to all, regardless of behavior. They tended to hang out in that little back room though, rather than check up on what was running out on the serving tables.

If someone is acting inappropriately, they should be nicely told by the CM: "Excuse me, sir, but footwear is required in the lounge". Or "Excuse me, madam, but you cannot take all of the chocolate chip cookies to bring back to your room". Etc. But they don't do that. I would rather see them do that than act passive-aggressively as some posters have described.

I don't think guest behavior should make anyone act unprofessionally. If it does, maybe it's time for a new job.

 

[kamik86]

We have always cleared our plates at club level, even with a 3 month old. I don't see why someone wouldn't. That being said, maybe I don't expect as much from club level because I am still very happy with it. We are going back in a couple weeks and we will see if it feels the same...also if a toddler and an infant will affect our ability to clear our plates.

I guess I don't see the issue with not clearing your plate. DH and I didn't the time we stayed club level. We did for things like cookies but with the apps and even the wine we used the CL to try things we wouldn't necessarily normally try for fear of ordering a full size and not liking it. A few times we ate half the item didn't like it and tossed the rest. Of course we only took one of each item.

I did the same thing with the wine. I don't normally drink wine but decided to try some and poured little 1/4 glasses. A few times though I really didn't like one and only had a sip.