Concierge/Club Level Information - Part II (Sept 2009)

[EvilQueenT]

Just a quick vent...and a vent is all it is. But I am getting tired of being told by BWI/YC/BC IPO every time I ask them to make an ADR for me or see about rescheduling a current one, that I can do it myself by going to disney.com Are you kidding me?! First of all, I'm teaching summer school and tutoring most of the day every day. I don't always have the time to be trolling disney.com But above all, making ADR's is part of their job description...

have to tell you we had the worst disney stay EVER when we were club level at bwi december 09. we've stayed club level at the contemporary, gf, poly, and wilderness lodge and had great experiences. we will NEVER stay at bwi again and it was because of the staff, mainly concierge and front desk. it was one cluster f*** after another. disney is my absolute favorite place to vacation and i wouldn't stay at bwi again if it were free.

 

[emmabelle]

Did you enjoy BWI CL? For me, when I was there in the past, the cm's were absolutely wonderful. How did you find them to be? I'm not impressed with the service I have received from IPO so far. They can't make all the ADR's and today I was told that although they can purchase some gifts for my children using my credit card,the gifts cannot be placed in the room since my room could be changed up until the moment I check in, as per the email they sent me this morning. I used to be able to purchase gifts and have them waiting for my children when we first arrived, but no more it seems. If I don't enjoy my CL stay this time, I won't stay CL at Disney again. They're scaling back all the perks of staying CL.

I guess I have tepid optimisism right now. So we'll see....

I really liked almost all of the cm's, but there was this one guy, he was like in his 30's, with glasses, who was a bit drab. He would never open the entrance door to the club level for us, even though we ran into him at the desk almost every day, at some point. He'd make us take out our ID and do it ourselves. I was like, does he just not remember us? I made a point of saying hi to him each day. The rest of the cm's always did it for us. There was this older man who was so nice to us, and of course Lorenzo was there and he's alot of fun.

I really liked club level, but I don't know that I would consider it to be a must do.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I really liked almost all of the cm's, but there was this one guy, he was like in his 30's, with glasses, who was a bit drab. He would never open the entrance door to the club level for us, even though we ran into him at the desk almost every day, at some point. He'd make us take out our ID and do it ourselves. I was like, does he just not remember us? I made a point of saying hi to him each day. The rest of the cm's always did it for us. There was this older man who was so nice to us, and of course Lorenzo was there and he's alot of fun.

I really liked club level, but I don't know that I would consider it to be a must do.

He checked me in when I stayed BWI CL in May. They had put me in the dreaded behind the ESPN Club room and he acted like I was not worthy of a better room. It really put me off but I still felt like BWI CL was the best choice for our family for July. He was his usual self this trip but everyone else was wonderful! My children really loved Bart. Pete-the older man was wonderful too. He would ask where we were headed and one night when we said we were going to Big River he offered to call down for us and was told it was a 2 hour wait so we made other plans.

I really like the convenience of CL. I enjoyed the breakfast at BWI a lot. We did do a couple of character breakfast meals too. I found the afternoon snacks and drinks nice, the extra room to relax nice and while the Greek food of the evening offerings were not my favorite type of food I found those nice too-enjoying the veggies and a few PB&Js.

 

[minniejack]

maybe because I just don't trust my travel agent, I usually make sure the club level has my email and then email them after my 1st down payment to ensure they have me in their system

Sometimes, I think, lack of emails could just be laziness or ineptness on the part of the booking agent who doesn't pass along the contact info.

So far the Yacht Club has been wonderful for helping me with our upcoming trip including 2 b-day celebrations.

 

[emmabelle]

I found the afternoon snacks and drinks nice, the extra room to relax nice and while the Greek food of the evening offerings were not my favorite type of food I found those nice too-enjoying the veggies and a few PB&Js.

I loved those PB&J's and the apple slices with caramel!

It was nice to meet you in person.

and even though it was hotter than you know what out, we had a really good time and managed to get done what we wanted to do. We even got to be the family in the movie they do in Backlot express!

 

[KerryCM]

I am a huge fan of the BWI CL, my second home, but couldn't get a room there for a last minute trip in 17 days. I started with a standard room at the YC and after checking 2-3 times a day was able to get a room on the YC CL with my cm discount.

I am just a little nervous with my choice. My husband and I stayed there before, but it has been over 8 years. I have changed the room as a surprise for my husband. We did get a waterview room because view and balcony is a big thing for this trip. It is a relaxing vacation for us. We were at the BW in June with 2 of our children and their families for my oldest grandson's birthday, fun but not relaxing.

Oh well, I am happy to be going. Any information anyone can give me a bout the YC would be appreciated.

 

[wdwfan]

I am a huge fan of the BWI CL, my second home, but couldn't get a room there for a last minute trip in 17 days. I started with a standard room at the YC and after checking 2-3 times a day was able to get a room on the YC CL with my cm discount.

I am just a little nervous with my choice. My husband and I stayed there before, but it has been over 8 years. I have changed the room as a surprise for my husband. We did get a waterview room because view and balcony is a big thing for this trip. It is a relaxing vacation for us. We were at the BW in June with 2 of our children and their families for my oldest grandson's birthday, fun but not relaxing.

Oh well, I am happy to be going. Any information anyone can give me a bout the YC would be appreciated.

It's been a few years since I last stayed YC Concierge, but since then I think it may have gotten even better. The rooms have all been refurbished, and from pictures and reviews, they're supposed to be very nice. The lounge has been refurbished as well. I just saw pics not too long ago and was very pleased with the overall look from the pictures. So that's two big pluses there. I found the staff to be very helpful when I was there. I even think the evening appetizers are the same as the BWI.

I think you might enjoy your stay at YC and maybe even view it as a nice change from the BWI. It's one of my favorites. I didn't choose it this time because I really like the deluxe rooms that the BWI has. But it would be a draw if I had to choose between the 2 resorts comparing regular sized CL rooms. Both resorts and their CL are top notch.

When are your dates for this trip? Enjoy!!

 

[MommyGina]

I just returned from CL at the GF in Sugar Loaf. I had to e-mail the IPO there after my reservations were made. They never contacted me. I e-mailed them my dining requests. I received confirmation back with my confirmation numbers. Two days before we left for WDW, the California Grill called and wanted to confirm my 2 reservations for the exact same name, for the exact same time on the exact same date! The IPO made a mess our of all my reservations. They double booked every reservation that they made for me. What a mess. Keep in mind that I had to leave a cc on file for the CG. Also, Spirit of Aloha required a credit card. When we went to get our tickets, the Concierge told me that they couldn't find our reservation when I had a confirmation number for a reservation that they made for us!

Next, CL ran out of food last year and this year too for the dessert and dinner time and was not refilled. I told the manager and food was delivered to our room. It was sugar cookes and chocolate covered strawberries. You should never run out of cookies!

The room was less than desirable. No view - tree right in front of the balcony. All I looked at were leaves on the tree. The mattress was horrible. I felt like I was sleeping in a ditch. The air condition broke, the sink was clogged and the TV didn't get a signal for the upper channel. Yes, everything was fixed, but it should never have been broken in the first place.

Was CL worth the money in SL - NO.

 

[ClareH37]

Another fan of the BWI CL here, the CMS are wonderful, the appetisers (this trip) greatly improved, I love olives and savouries so they were perfect for me. The only downside to the BWI, of course this is just my opinion, is that one cannot book a standard club level room with a boardwalk view, only request it. My last two trips I've hit the jackpot with great boardwalk view rooms, but as it's just myself travelling, I really don't want to have to book a deluxe room just to get *that* view.

I'm paying my second visit to the GF CL next year, I stayed once before (RPC) and I didn't have a great CM experience, but as the resort is so beautiful I'm looking past that and giving it another go. Reading MommyGina's post makes me a little more positive I've made the right decision for me re. RPC over SL. I felt RPC would be quieter and a little more 'adult' than SL.

 

[Poppinsme]

Quick question.
Can you get hot chocolate out of the coffee machines at the Poly?
Or is it a powdered mix?

 

[disneysuncat]

Are the Yacht Club concierge rooms on the fifth floor only? Also, can anyone tell me if they have the same club offerings as BWI, or which restaurant does the hot apps for the Yacht Club concierge?

We are now planning 4 days there before our 8 days at BLT.

 

[MommyGina]

I know at CL at the GF, the hot chocolate was a powdered mix. No hot chocolate out of the machines.

 

[Poppinsme]

I know at CL at the GF, the hot chocolate was a powdered mix. No hot chocolate out of the machines.

Nuts. Thank you.

 

[WendyisDarling]

Returned from 9 night stay at Poly GVCL late last Thursday. Still trying to catch up at home, but thought I should post a few experiences and observations about CL in particular. Please remember this is just my opinion and observations. Everyone is different.


First, I found Poly IPO to be absolutely wonderful. They are very reluctant to make pre-purchases for your room. But when I asked if it is forbidden or if they are just supposed to restrict it, they agreed to make my purchases. I asked only for two plush and two Mickey rice Krispy treats. We arrived very early, so CM's arranged them on the bed very nicely while we were away. IPO was very nice about everything and really made an effort to accomodate my requests. I did not find it to be so accomodating last year. 2010 was huge improvement and I wrote guest services to compliment them.

CM's serving in the first floor level of the lounge were outstanding. Very helpful. We arrived on an early flight and checked in around 10 am. I did not expect our room to be ready. The CM found one that was prepared for someone else and let us have it (granting our third floor request) and said she would ready another for the other family. We were in room 3524. This is a GV and I felt badly as my guess was the other family may have specifically requested it because it had a very nice view. Perfect view of the quiet pool flanked with nice landscaping.

Room was clean and pretty typical. We decided to use the sofa/ day bed this year as our boys are now 15 and 12 and don't like sharing a bed. I know a lot of ppl ask how big is it. I believe it is about as wide as a twin but not quite as long. My 12 yr. old is 5' 0" and it was a perfect fit. There was still an extra 5 or 6 inches at the bottom when he stretched out. I tried it out and it was pretty comfortable.

Last year we had a GV and I was fine with it, but our scheduling this year really made me wish for a theme park view. We still had a nice view but I just missed being able to see everything from my balcony. That is just a bit over the top greedy on my part.

We had an awesome MK for most of our stay. Her name is Emina. She is the queen of towel animals. The first day she left us swans on the shelf above the TV and a mother and baby elephant on a bed. Elephant was wearing sunglasses. Hoping our MK would be Emina the next day I wrote a note thanking her and added a bit extra to the tip. I knew we could have someone else. This time she left us an adorable monkey hanging from a clip hanger swinging on the lamp and something else. Again I left a thank you and a little extra tip. Through out our stay we always had towel animals when we returned. One day it was a row of three swans large to small. We had an alligator, 2 sting rays, a doll...gosh I can't even remember. She made our washclothes look like flowers with a soap as the center. One day our new toiletries were laid out to look like a totem pole face. I don't know if it was the small extra tip or the notes of gratitude. I'm inclinded to think it was the notes. I told her how special it was for us. She always wrote a simple thank you back and our last day wrote something about returning to see them soon, etc.
On the third floor turndown was around 5:00. Too soon for us most days. But, MK always nice to give our kids a handful of chocolates.

Packages from park shops were always in our room by the promised 1:00 and carefully handled.

The lounge and food offerings. The physical lounge is always wonderful. Love the two floors and the huge window. Great place to watch fireworks.
The food offerings...I know there is a lot of conversation on the topic, but I am going to report to you what I saw and experienced without opinion. We ate 5 out of 9 breakfasts there. Food was the same each day: Bagels, fresh fruit, cereal, crossiants, cinnamon rolls, mini muffins and hot oat meal. Yogurt and chocolate milk could be obtained on request. When food items were depleted (I believe they had a certain number of refills) then it was no longer available. Arrival for breakfast 9:30 or after left you with few choices.

Only had the afternoon service once. The oatmeal cookies are very good. A lady asked for chocolate chip from behind the counter and a pre-packaged individual serving was given to her. Again, when food was depleted it was gone. No more pretzels and only 3 gummi sharks when we went.

The evening service (5:00 -- 7:00)...we used this three times. We would have liked to use it more. At 4:30 the line started. My best guess is 7 - 8 people waiting at 4:30. At 5:00 probably 10. Two hot apps. were good when we ate. (ok, sorry my opinion leaked). Most other food remained the same: vegetable display, cheeses, crackers, some fresh fruit, sometimes canapes and sometimes yogurt shots (I'm sure there is a better term). Always peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Often I heard them say when we were leaving they had to switch to paper and plastic as they did not have anymore regular available. I saw people with their tables full of food. Once again, when items were gone they were gone. I cannot say if this was true for every night as we were only there for three. By 6:30, this was especially true. I don't drink beer but seemed many varieties available and no issues with requests. Three wines available: Beringer Zinfindale, Chardonnay (can't remeber brand) and a red (didn't look at type but same brand as Chardonnay). I had the Chardonnay a couple of times.

One evening we saw three teen boys at an upstairs table. When we left and went back upstairs, the table was full of soda cans, many plates and at least 12 "yogurt shot glasses". The boys were gone.

Late night service: 8:00 - 10:00. Never there right at 8:00. A few times went around 9:00 to 9:30 and very few desserts were left and no plan to replenish. For example, there were a few coconut cookies (or something) and some small containers of mousse. All cordials still available as was the plate of yummy oatmeal cookies. On a couple of occassions CM's began clearing the buffet and shutting down for the night around 9:45.

Sodas in the cooler were well stocked in the morning. By evening (8:00 or 9:00) very few remained. Some types completely gone. These were not replenished until morning.

Bottled water. I did not ask for a bottle as we had water delivered. I overheard one family ask for a bottle and it was given to them w/o issue. Another day a family asked if they could take a bottle and was told "we need that here". The guest was persistant about getting a bottle of water until the CM went to the back to retrieve one.

The hallways by the rooms were often very much littered with plates from the lounge. Stacks of plates, cups and silverware next to the room door very much the way one would leave a room service tray.

Now my brief opinion about the lounge (and this is just my opinion based on what I saw from my perspective). This is the fifth time I have stayed Poly CL and have never seen the lounge in this condition. What is the big deal with taking the dishes you took to your room back to the lounge? It was gross to have so many dirty dishes in the hall. When the food is not replenished guests should be mindful of others. (A four year old does not need ten meatballs). Obviously, the excessive amount of food taken bothered the CM's. I felt uncomfortable as they watched me take a serving. Overall, I had the feeling they were stingy with their food. I understand why. Some were taking too much, IMO, but their tight grasp on sodas and pretzels wasn't fair to those of us who only want a bit. One CM in particular was very grumpy. She complained a lot and seemed very put out --very un-Disney. We didn't feel comfortable using the lounge for food service often, so we usually elected not to. We did have cold drinks when returning from the parks and my DH loves their Sangria. My opinion may be a bit skewed as I really dislike buffets anyway, so keep that in mind.
ETA: After reading and thinking, I must say I believe the lack of food is more the fault of Disney not replenishing than guests taking too much. IMO, some ppl were very wasteful and it upset me to see food thrown out when others did not get any. Then again, Disney has enough experience to know how this goes and should be prepared to serve everyone.

We had a wonderful stay as usual Poly CL. The lounge food wasn't that big of a deal for us. We were glad to have a little breakfast and cold drinks. The other is a perk. I love the location and the service both before and during the trip was outstanding.

 

[jdd]

Thanks for the review, WendyisDarling! I have to say I'm a bit disappointed to hear that about the lounge, though. Our main reason for picking CL was for the extra space of the lounge and the food offerings. We really don't need the IPO service, as I'm an uber-planner and like to do all that myself

The last few reviews of the lounge are really making me rethink whether we should downgrade to a regular room. Any other opinions out there?

 

[coopersmom]

Thanks for the review, WendyisDarling! I have to say I'm a bit disappointed to hear that about the lounge, though. Our main reason for picking CL was for the extra space of the lounge and the food offerings. We really don't need the IPO service, as I'm an uber-planner and like to do all that myself

The last few reviews of the lounge are really making me rethink whether we should downgrade to a regular room. Any other opinions out there?

I agree. We just upgraded to the club level at the Polynesian and after reading the last few pages of this thread I'm questioning that decision. (If you read my various posts you'll see that, yes, I am indecisive. Perhaps because we've never been to Disney before.)

 

[WendyisDarling]

Outside of breakfast and the evening (apps) the lounge usually has only a few people. A few more during fireworks, but plenty of space. Third floor was often empty with exception of a few teens play board games (they were well behaved).

Each visit can be a different experience. This may not be typical
Please don't ever let a post get you down. Think of it more as a tip that this could happen, I guess.
We really truly enjoyed our vacation and I know you will as well.

 

[bluejasmine]

I too am very dissapointed in the Poly CL review.. I am one that doesnt tolerate alot so I will be speaking with a manager if I find things the way Wendy did b/c we didnt pay as much as we do for a messy lounge with grumpy CMs and the non replenished food. I do understand ppl seem to hog the food but with as much as we pay for CL the rest of us should not suffer. I will be sure and report here how I found things in Sept but again if its anything like Wedny reported I will have a conversation with the Poly manager

 

[Momtomouselover]

Our experience with PolyCL was the same in May/June. We felt the CM's seemed stressed during food service, more than once heard them comment about size of plates or amounts taken, and saw many plates in the halls. I understand that some people take more than they should but does it really amount to that much?? We tried to only take a "sampling" amount but at times felt bad even doing this. Our experience last year at other deluxe resorts (GF, BC) were not like this. I think this maybe a Poly specific problem that needs addressed which is a shame because there is so much I love about the Poly but would think twice before staying CL again there.

 

[WendyisDarling]

Our experience with PolyCL was the same in May/June. We felt the CM's seemed stressed during food service, more than once heard them comment about size of plates or amounts taken, and saw many plates in the halls. I understand that some people take more than they should but does it really amount to that much?? We tried to only take a "sampling" amount but at times felt bad even doing this. Our experience last year at other deluxe resorts (GF, BC) were not like this. I think this maybe a Poly specific problem that needs addressed which is a shame because there is so much I love about the Poly but would think twice before staying CL again there.

Yes, I think stressed is a great word to describe.
Maybe they resolved their plate issue. We only had small saucer size plates available. (I suppose when they had to revert to paper they could have been larger) The saucers were most inconvenient at breakfast.

It did seem that many were enjoying themselves in the lounge. Perhaps the trick is to get there early.

I wouldn't change a ressie over my statements. We really did enjoy our trip.