Club level worthwhile for nondrinkers?

[TikiRob]

It will not be open in March. At AKV it will not reopen until Jambo House hotel (non DVC) reopens. You will be refunded the point difference to Standard View.

Is the lounge area open without food or is it completely closed to those staying at CL? Wondering if it is worth booking it or a just a standard view. Any advantage if it is the same point cost?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Is it 200.per room or 200 per person..if not staying at CL?

The extra cost is per room, however I seem to recall it was more than $200 extra. It’s been a couple years, so I could be wrong in that.
Also remember there is an additional charge for more than two adults in a room (not just club level), or at least there used to be.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Is the lounge area open without food or is it completely closed to those staying at CL? Wondering if it is worth booking it or a just a standard view. Any advantage if it is the same point cost?

The lounge area is completely closed off. It is not being cleaned or supervised.

 

[TikiRob]

The lounge area is completely closed off. It is not being cleaned or supervised.

Ahh, ok. I guess the only advantage is you are guaranteed close to the lobby.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

In my opinion, the only way club level is financially worth it is if you chose to eat all your meals there... Drinking alone will not do it.
That said, while some offerings are more “dinner-like” than others, virtually none live up to being a meal at a signature restaurant. We enjoy nice dinners when visiting, and eating in the lounge is a poor substitute.

By far the best club level offerings (food & booze) that I have experienced was at the GF Royal Palm Club.

I agree. We are a 1 and done family. The evening food came out to early at night and we would have to leave the parks early to partake in it and we would much rather spend more time at the parks. I do not pay for something that I cannot fully use and would rather use the $$ for other stuff. Plus after a few days we were tired of the breakfast offerings, especially our DD's. But, that is our family, others love it.

 

[Ricguz]

We always do CL at BC or YC. For the added expense, we think it’s worthwhile. I’m the morning it great to get coffee and a little breakfast in the morning before heading out. We are not big eaters so this is perfect. To us, it beats getting breakfast somewhere else. It’s nice to have snacks during the day available. You can get filtered water to being with you in your mug or paper cup. You can request beer or wine during the day to bring back to your room and sit on the balcony. For dinner, there a decent variety of things to pick from enough to fill us up from salads to small plates, chicken, meatballs, etc... plus deserts and cordials during the evening. It depends what important to you. We did the dining plan for years but it’s always been to much food and expense. It’s different for everyone

 

[Blondie58]

When hearing about the wonders of club level rooms, I usually hear about the opportunities to drink. Are club level rooms worthwhile for non drinkers, or should we stick with Savanna view instead?

I am not a drinker except for oj at breakfast and a diet cola every now and then. I very much enjoy club level breakfast, snacks, and dinner offerings. We usually eat our noon meal in parks and just snack in the evening. If we plan on eating dinner out we take a few things to snack on with us during the day. Disney DH usually just hangs out in the evening. I might go back to parks. for fireworks or go to DS to shop. Club Level offers him the choice of a cocktail and some snacks if he wishes. He usually saves a cookie for me. We do not eat or drink a lot but we enjoy the perk and convenience.

 

[bobbiwoz]

My DSis was retiring, and she enjoyed drinking, so, at 11 months I booked CL as a retirement get away. Well in the ensuing year, we realized she had a problem, and shebwent to rehab just before retirement.

We had a wonderful CL stay at Jambo, and it had nothing to do with alcohol!

 

[gisele2]

I do not understand how paying 200$ more a night to have food that you did not chose be interesting . It is a lot of money . For breakfast we go with grocery delivery, and for 6 of us it is 200$ for a week. A good bottle of wine is 40$ ? What I see is convenience .

 

[Ssplashhmtn]

I do not understand how paying 200$ more a night to have food that you did not chose be interesting . It is a lot of money . For breakfast we go with grocery delivery, and for 6 of us it is 200$ for a week. A good bottle of wine is 40$ ? What I see is convenience .

It is a lot about convenience. Our family does not like eating quick meals standing up or sitting on beds (and we don’t get suites). Also depends on the quality and variety of the foods and desserts. Have you tried it? Did you like the food?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I do not understand how paying 200$ more a night to have food that you did not chose be interesting . It is a lot of money . For breakfast we go with grocery delivery, and for 6 of us it is 200$ for a week. A good bottle of wine is 40$ ? What I see is convenience .

I’m ashamed to say, imo much of it is the feeling of prestige.
Before magic bands, back when we had kttw cards, they were gold instead of blue. Whipping that out to pay restaurant bills was a show.
Swiping it on the elevator in front of others to get to the top floor was a show.
Room charging anything was a show.
It is as stupid, and classless as it gets imo, but it was a real thing.

 

[gisele2]

I’m ashamed to say, imo much of it is the feeling of prestige.
Before magic bands, back when we had kttw cards, they were gold instead of blue. Whipping that out to pay restaurant bills was a show.
Swiping it on the elevator in front of others to get to the top floor was a show.
Room charging anything was a show.
It is as stupid, and classless as it gets imo, but it was a real thing.

I understand the thrill , but I prefer a good restaurant and a good bottle of wine that I chose . Everyone has their thing and I respect that .

 

[Ssplashhmtn]

I understand the thrill , but I prefer a good restaurant and a good bottle of wine that I chose . Everyone has their thing and I respect that .

I definitely would not recommend “either / or”. We still eat nice meals, just not every meal at a restaurant, as it takes too much time.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I understand the thrill , but I prefer a good restaurant and a good bottle of wine that I chose . Everyone has their thing and I respect that .

Agreed

 

[gisele2]

It is a lot about convenience. Our family does not like eating quick meals standing up or sitting on beds (and we don’t get suites). Also depends on the quality and variety of the foods and desserts. Have you tried it? Did you like the food?

Never tried it, but find it to expensive to consider it. But I am glad that some like it.

 

[lovin'fl]

We are interested in doing CL at AKV because we have no APs currently and too expensive to buy park tix for every visit. So we look for new an interesting ways to pass our time while using our DVC points. Last month was SSR with lots of time spent in DS. Next month we have AKV CL and hope it will be open (but doubt it). Can hang in the lounge and also view the animals and no need to leave the resort. Only there for 1 night (might add a 2nd). There to close on a vacay home. So we may be in and out. That's what CL is good for...quick trips that might be added on for something else. We once had a cruise out of PC. We booked the night before at Copper Creek VWL. And paid for their club (Reunion Station) add on there. So that's what we did while there (forgot we did that). And having the breakfast there before heading off to the port/ship was perfect.

 

[EmilyGahr]

For us, Club Level was all about the convenience and luxury. Being greeted the minute we stepped off the Magical Express, escorted to the Club Level check in desk where mimosas and snacks were waiting on the table, a dedicated concierge desk to ask questions and pay off our room charges every night, and the turn down service! It truly made for a luxurious and magical experience. Being able to get breakfast every morning before heading into the parks was great so we didn't have to spend our snack credits or money in the parks. The availability of wine and beer every night was just an added bonus on top of all of the other benefits that made club level worth it for us.

 

[lovin'fl]

We had AKV club booked for March but had to cancel that trip. Now we have it booked for our 25th anniversary in the fall. PLEASE let it start back up by then.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Buffets and self service are never coming back. This means Disney will need to staff someone to hand out the food and drinks in the club level lounges which obviously increases the cost a significant amount. It will be interesting to see how Disney handles this.

 

[Brian Noble]

This means Disney will need to staff someone to hand out the food and drinks in the club level lounges which obviously increases the cost a significant amount.

It increases it by $12/hour plus benefits, so maybe $18/hour or a couple hundred bucks a day given a 10-12 hour service day. Even if there are only 20-some occupied club-level rooms, it's only an extra $10/night---not a lot given the base rate of those rooms.

Are club level rooms worthwhile for non drinkers, or should we stick with Savanna view instead?

Before I got sober, I was a heavy drinker, and even then I don't think I could justify a club-level room in dollars-and-cents terms. As near as I can tell, club level is not about getting your money's worth in food/drink/etc., but in feeling special and cared for.