Club level value

[yaya74]

My family stayed at a Club Level room at Portofino Bay , Universal Studios last summer. That was our first CL experience. We really enjoyed it. It forced us to take a break and we found the food good enough for my family of 4. This upcoming trip to WDW will be our first CL experience at WDW. Our last trip to WDW was hectic. So I booked CL to force us to get some downtime during the day. Will see how it goes.

 

[nascargirl]

DH and I stay CL either at the BWI or the BC. We always make sure to be in the lounge for breakfast. If we are at EPCOT or the Studios, we like the convenience of heading back to the lounge mid afternoon for some down time. I always make our fast pass selections and ADR. We do take advantage of the evening appetizers and desert offerings if we do not have plans.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

My favorite part of staying CL at BWI were the little touches by the CMs; however, I can see situations in which this depends wholly upon the particular employees you encounter each trip. Example- during our stay at CL-BWI, I would go across the hall to get ice for our room from the CM in the club level lounge. We liked the ice better in the lounge than the large cubes in the ice machine that was a long distance from our room. The same CM had noticed that I drank a lot of their bottled water (large bottles) in the lounge, so he started giving me bottles of it to take back with the ice. So in addition to the food offerings, we really enjoyed the attentiveness of the experience. Was the bottled water, wine, and snacks worth $50-150 a night monetarily? No. In order for it to be "worth it," you have to place value on the experience and service perks.

 

[Rileygirl]

We've stayed CL at GF (RPC), BWI, Poly, CR, WL, AKL and BC - some multiple times each. Planning to stay YC CL next trip. We've also stayed non-CL at all of the deluxe resort, mods (except cabins) and values. So we try and enjoy a lot of different types of stays. We go back and forth depending on the cost, the family members traveling and the purpose of the trip. There was a time that CL was really ideal - primarily when the kids were all younger.

Our factors:

Space: Our youngest absolutely loves the lounge space and the concept of having a home base in addition to the room, and so does my husband. Our older boys (17 and 18) don't care either way. I appreciate some down time and a glass of wine that doesn't cost $15, but not if everyone else is rushing me along to get back to the parks or dinner. Also, there have been times when the lounge is SO crowded that we end up grabbing a few items and going back to our room. In those cases (mostly runDisney events and primarily BWI) the extra space benefit evaporates. But when it's not too crowded, it's wonderful to have that extra space, relative peace and down time.

Timing: Our youngest is always up for a park break - really needs it. So for him, timing works out and he would always want to be in the lounge for evening appetizers. Same for me. My husband would take a park break all day, every day if he could! Our older boys would rather be out and about - they find the timing restrictive.

Food - Breakfast: Breakfast is the only constant. Almost everyone appreciates an easy breakfast that people can eat at different times, making the morning routine very easy for both the early birds and the sleepy heads. If someone wants a mickey waffle, they can usually buy it downstairs and bring it up.

Food - Evening: As for evening appetizers, it's often the most nutrition our youngest gets all day at Disney, and prevents crabbiness while waiting for ADRs. Our older boys would probably skip it even though they are always eating - they are about to sit down for a full dinner and don't really want that many appetizers immediately before.

Food - Snacks: Also, that whole idea of taking snacks to the park in the little baggies they provide - that happens maybe Day 1 and then they all prefer a mickey bar or something in the park. Same with the desserts - we like the idea, but usually get desserts to bring back from the parks. And then my husband is buying fountain sodas instead of grabbing a can in the lounge - ugh! On the other hand, I do love having small things like milk cartons available without having to go downstairs and wait in line to buy them, and the snacks are great for pool time when we don't want to buy a bunch of stuff.

Service: I plan in advance myself, but my husband and I appreciate the CL CMs for last minute changes in plan (which my husband always seems to like doing!) On the other hand, he doesn't always feel like chatting with CMs in the lounge or on the way in and out. Our older boys used to enjoy the chit chat when they were younger, but not so much anymore. Our youngest absolutely loves talking with CMs and meeting other kids.

In the end, at this particular point in time, I'm more likely to book CL if the price is right and it's just youngest son and me (maybe husband, but not with older kids.) That is likely to keep changing, so I just refer back to the factors above and make a decision for each stay!

Thank you for such an excellent post. Informative and thought provoking.

 

[Disneytam]

I love the BWI CL and over the years I have convinced many different family members to stay there as well and they have been hooked. The value for us comes in many different forms. My husband and I are both early risers so we enjoy having a cup of coffee or tea at 7 am or earlier. I'm surprised at the other people who are commenting that they couldn't find much to eat for breakfast! Breakfast usually has a large variety of fruit, mini muffins, lox and bagels, croissants and dry cereal(that you have to ask for). They also have hot oatmeal and one other hot cereal type with a variety of toppings for it. Most days you have either hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs and a couple types of meats, nice to make a breakfast sandwich with the croissants. In the fridge you will find yogurt, orange juice, apple juice and chocolate milk. We always eat breakfast in the lounge as we read the morning paper that is always available.

Then we head off to the park and have lunch in whatever park we are in. Most nights we are back at the hotel for the evening offerings and a glass or two of wine and a couple of bottles of beer for my husband, and then we head back to the parks for the evening. We seldom make it back for the sweets though. It's also nice to have a water bottle to go with in the morning and to put one or two in the fridge for a drink when we return in the evening. If you look at the prices that Disney charges for a bottle of beer, a couple of drinks a night adds up quickly

OK that is the food reasons and they are nice and do save us quite a bit of money if you want to price out breakfast for two every morning (and I didn't even get into the Sunday Brunch or free Mimosas) and dinner and drinks every evening. The other forms are all do to the wonderful CM and all the little unexpected things that can come up on a vacation. Over the years we have had help with a missed FP due to a late plane, help with a pair of glasses that lost a screw and I needed a tiny screwdriver. I also had a family member who needed distilled water for a Capac machine and they had a gallon of it in our room when we arrived. Without asking they have even made sure we had something to eat before we caught our plane, by having night service out a few minutes early. It's just comforting to know if something goes a little awry on vacation that we have a group of Cast Members that are able to help us fix it. At home we have a family business and I am the go to person to fix all the little things that can and do go wrong. It is so worth every penny to have some one else take over the job for me! Like everything though at Disney your mileage may vary!

 

[loves to dive]

It's not worth the extra cost for us. We were upgraded for free to CL at CR a few years ago and other than stopping by sometimes in the early afternoon for cookies, never stepped foot in the lounge. I don't make even the 3 available FPs so no reason for me to pay extra for more, I go so often I can do any booking I want. I don't even like mousekeeping in my room at any level so don't want turn down services. The room wasn't any bigger or better than a regular room. I can buy food and drinks for much less than the cost of the room per night and we drink refreshing adult beverages all the time. We enjoy trying out different lounges and restaurants on site and at resorts so eating in the CL lounge doesn't appeal to us.

 

[vinotinto]

I'm surprised at the other people who are commenting that they couldn't find much to eat for breakfast! Breakfast usually has a large variety of fruit, mini muffins, lox and bagels, croissants and dry cereal(that you have to ask for). They also have hot oatmeal and one other hot cereal type with a variety of toppings for it. Most days you have either hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs and a couple types of meats, nice to make a breakfast sandwich with the croissants. In the fridge you will find yogurt, orange juice, apple juice and chocolate milk. We always eat breakfast in the lounge as we read the morning paper that is always available.

So, many people, including myself don't eat carbs, unless they are vegetables, berries, certain types of beans and legumes, some types of milk/cheese. So, from your extensive list, I don't eat any of the following:

fruit, mini muffins, bagels, croissants, dry cereal, hot oatmeal, hot cereals, yogurt, orange juice, apple juice nor chocolate milk...

Never have a problem going to a restaurant (even TS) and getting made-to-order breakfast for less than $20, tax and tip included that includes a hot dish and a real macchiato (shot of espresso with a splash of cream). Disney usually has all types of omelettes, bacon, hot sausage, and my favorites, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce and either lox or Canadian bacon or prosciutto or lobster. Some places have a side of asparagus, and some other interesting breakfast choices. So, that's where my value assessment comes from.