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

[Briarmom]

Add me to the list who are nervous about the recent Poly reviews.

 

[momatater]

The last time we stayed at the Poly CL, there were tons of people taking LOTS of food. A couple of CMs stated that it was supposed to be an appetizer, not a meal and seamed concerned about it. We still enjoyed our trip, but will admit, there were a few times when there wasn't much available and they stated they had no more. We also were glad when a certain family left....seemed to me much more food around after their departure. Enough so that my DS, then 12 commented about it!

I truely think that most people try and make a meal out of the evening offerings and it's really not supposed to be that way.

 

[KimDis]

Back home after a 9 night split stay at the BWI Innkeeper's Club & GF Sugar Loaf - always wonderful to stay at Disney & to enjoy the convenience of Club Level stays there.

Let's get the tough part done 1st - I wish I could say that I loved SL... but I didn't. By the end of the 2nd night I wished I'd just booked a TPV room & ordered room service for breakfast.

I won't show you pics of the dust in our room... we never really got hot water for showers but if you waited long enough it got warm... I won't go into details re the conversations I had to have when a gift was temporarily lost even though it had my name on it... I waited 1.5 hrs one night for pillows... and then just cancelled my request... I found the lounge more crowded than I'd been used to and it was difficult to find a table some mornings.

These types of things can happen anywhere but the response I received when I expressed my concerns just made it worse. The manager I spoke with didn't confirm my room cleaning or follow up with me as she'd said she would. Instead I got a pre-printed note hoping I enjoyed my stay along with the standard CL welcome amenity I've received everywhere else & a bottle of Evian. Which then reminded me that I hadn't received a welcome note/gift to begin with on night one (like I had on my previous CL stays) *sigh*

It just was a less than stellar visit and I was a bit crushed as I'd looked forward to the stay so much and my experience with GF IPO had been so good *sigh* The warmest & most helpful CM we met at SL actually worked IPO most of the time

The GF itself was nice. We booked a Cabana & it was money well spent. So comfy & a nice CM took care of us (maybe I'm a bit biased as her name was "Kim" too) . My niece loved her 1st high tea at the GV Lounge. We all "die" for Basin.

We'll try RPC in the future because I really do like the GF itself quite a bit... I just need more time before booking to distance myself from this stay. And to save some way more pennies

Now on to the better stuff: BWI CL is a hidden gem!! We loved it so much. Our room was right by the lounge but you didn't hear additional ambient noise. The staff are friendly, helpful & plentiful. They were very personable & had that Disney warmth that we love.

The food was great. Steel cut oats with brown sugar every morning for me thank you very much. Oh, and a mini croissant from the BW Bakery too It was busy at times but never felt crowded. Evening refreshments were tasty. Greek the night we stayed in & probably from Kouzzina - and quite good.

I built more "downtime" into this trip & the lounge was a great place to just relax in with my Kindle &a cup of coffee or glass of White Zin. When booking & researching I'd wondered why the lounge didn't have a Boardwalk view but you really, really don't miss it.

I made no special view/room requests & had a lovely garden view. We could see the top of the Eiffel tower from our room & part of the Morocco rooftops but weren't all the way down by ESPN. You could see parts of Illuminations & hear the audio from our balcony. It never felt like we had a long walk from the elevators/bus/boat dock. I'd request another room near the lounge at this resort when we go back.

The energy of the Boardwalk was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and I thought the resort itself was well themed and very beautiful. Sometimes we'd just sit for a while on the Boardwalk and soak in the atmosphere in the evenings. Whether it was a busy Sat night with a sword swallower & jugglers or late night with just the lights & water to entertain us were were completely charmed.

And we CAN'T wait to go back.

 

[ClareH37]

This is why the BWI has changed it's description of the evening offerings to 'wine and cheese selections', also the plates have been downsized to a small saucer, and the food selection is, how can I put it, not so 'attractive', although I thought they were fantastic. Last year when I stayed, there were prawn/chicken/beef skewers, soup, amongst other things and the lounge was busy all the time. This time (May), the appetisers were only from Kouzzina, selections included greek salad, olives, different variations on pastry squares, goats cheese stuffed vine leaves, just what I needed before I headed out for my evening meal.

It was felt too many guests were using the evening offerings as a 'buffet' (according to CMs) and it needed to change, the lounge was deffinitely not busy, some evenings I was the only person in there!

 

[cyndisun]

The last time we stayed at the Poly CL, there were tons of people taking LOTS of food. A couple of CMs stated that it was supposed to be an appetizer, not a meal and seamed concerned about it. We still enjoyed our trip, but will admit, there were a few times when there wasn't much available and they stated they had no more. We also were glad when a certain family left....seemed to me much more food around after their departure. Enough so that my DS, then 12 commented about it!

I truely think that most people try and make a meal out of the evening offerings and it's really not supposed to be that way.

I know every CL at Disney is scaling back, but why is it so much more of an issue at the Poly? Last year we stayed at the Poly, YC and AKL CL's. Poly was the worst in terms of running out of food and more grumbling CM's. If we didn't love the resort and the Hawaii building, we probably would stay at CR. Their lounge was great when we stayed there two years ago. Much more relaxing and intimate.

Sorry for rambling. I just think Disney is going to regret what is going on at the Poly. They had a good thing going.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We have BWI Deluxe CL booked for March. I'm very excited!!! I called today and requested the third floor since the balconies seem bigger. We have 4 kids and the extra space of the deluxe will be perfect. We are actually DVC and haven't stayed at BWI since 1997 since we usually stay elsewhere on points. We are between points till late in 2011 so we decided to stay at our favorite place! We had our honeymoon at BWI CL, but had no clue what CL was and never once went into the lounge!! We were young and silly

Our trip is a little over 6 months away. Should I email IPO soon since it will time for ADRs soon? Thanks!

 

[momatater]

I know every CL at Disney is scaling back, but why is it so much more of an issue at the Poly? Last year we stayed at the Poly, YC and AKL CL's. Poly was the worst in terms of running out of food and more grumbling CM's. If we didn't love the resort and the Hawaii building, we probably would stay at CR. Their lounge was great when we stayed there two years ago. Much more relaxing and intimate.

Sorry for rambling. I just think Disney is going to regret what is going on at the Poly. They had a good thing going.

I totally agree...Disney will regret what's happening at the Poly. It has been by far our favorite CL, but after our last experience, we decided to to GF RPC. Glad we made that decision as well, there's been a lot of bad reviews of SL lately. Here's hoping RPC is magical!

I will add, if it's not, I will definately be talking to a manager. Please don't take me wrong, I'm not going there looking for problems, and most things I can over look....I'm pretty easy going, but if the situation calls for it, I will do what I gotta do!

 

[coopersmom]

The last time we stayed at the Poly CL, there were tons of people taking LOTS of food. A couple of CMs stated that it was supposed to be an appetizer, not a meal and seamed concerned about it. We still enjoyed our trip, but will admit, there were a few times when there wasn't much available and they stated they had no more. We also were glad when a certain family left....seemed to me much more food around after their departure. Enough so that my DS, then 12 commented about it!

I truely think that most people try and make a meal out of the evening offerings and it's really not supposed to be that way.

I've never been to any Disney resort, but am currently booked for a club level stay at the Polynesian in December. These reports have me VERY worried about that choice.

In my case, we're paying a $160 PER NIGHT premium to stay on the club level (vs the same view category, non-concierge). To expect something for that money is not unreasonable.

We have stayed at "club level" resorts before (e.g. Ritz Carlton). I'm not someone who really eats lunch, but my husband is, and we had breakfast and lunch (for me maybe just a muffin) every day in the club lounge. We rarely (if ever) partook of the evening offerings, because we liked to go out to dinner. The food never really ran out, there was never any hesitation about offerings and there was no mad dash to the food. Ever.

But I don't think "making a meal" of appetizers, if a patron chooses to do so, is, or should be, "against the rules," and I think Disney has been well-compensated for those food costs. If they aren't, they can raise the prices or remove the service. The daily food offerings are billed as a big part of the service and you're paying for it, so expecting offerings to be fresh and plentiful is hardly outrageous.

I'm certainly not advocating for food hogs, but if you have a service of food, it shouldn't be a free-for-all, which can be easily prevented by reasonably replenishing service items. If you're gonna put out (just an example) 12 egg rolls for 30 rooms (or heck, only 30 for 30), it creates of an atmosphere of, 'I'd better get mine since I'm paying for this,' and leads to bad experiences for everyone, even those (like me) who could care less about the egg rolls.

This is NOT like someone standing at Costco and taking 27 free samples in lieu of buying lunch. This is a (dearly) paid for, advertised service. To have anyone make you feel bad, especially a hotel employee, for partaking of what you paid for is beyond the pale.

 

[KimDis]

We have BWI Deluxe CL booked for March. I'm very excited!!! I called today and requested the third floor since the balconies seem bigger. We have 4 kids and the extra space of the deluxe will be perfect. We are actually DVC and haven't stayed at BWI since 1997 since we usually stay elsewhere on points. We are between points till late in 2011 so we decided to stay at our favorite place! We had our honeymoon at BWI CL, but had no clue what CL was and never once went into the lounge!! We were young and silly

Our trip is a little over 6 months away. Should I email IPO soon since it will time for ADRs soon? Thanks!

Yay! So excited for your trip. We almost got the deluxe room but we ended up being three & I just couldn't justify the extra $$. If I do this trip next yr we'll prob do the deluxe room.

I would email or call IPO for the Planning Form. And have a wonderful trip back "home".

 

[ClareH37]

I enjoy staying Disney CL but it's not a patch on the 'true' club levels such as at the Ritz Carlton (I've also stayed CL there too so feel I can comment), but the convenience of popping back from a park to be able to relax in a lounge enjoying a cold soda and the 'secure' floor is I feel worth it, although I'm not sure everyone would agree lol

 

[momatater]

I've never been to any Disney resort, but am currently booked for a club level stay at the Polynesian in December. These reports have me VERY worried about that choice.

In my case, we're paying a $160 PER NIGHT premium to stay on the club level (vs the same view category, non-concierge). To expect something for that money is not unreasonable.

We have stayed at "club level" resorts before (e.g. Ritz Carlton). I'm not someone who really eats lunch, but my husband is, and we had breakfast and lunch (for me maybe just a muffin) every day in the club lounge. We rarely (if ever) partook of the evening offerings, because we liked to go out to dinner. The food never really ran out, there was never any hesitation about offerings and there was no mad dash to the food. Ever.

But I don't think "making a meal" of appetizers, if a patron chooses to do so, is, or should be, "against the rules," and I think Disney has been well-compensated for those food costs. If they aren't, they can raise the prices or remove the service. The daily food offerings are billed as a big part of the service and you're paying for it, so expecting offerings to be fresh and plentiful is hardly outrageous.

I'm certainly not advocating for food hogs, but if you have a service of food, it shouldn't be a free-for-all, which can be easily prevented by reasonably replenishing service items. If you're gonna put out (just an example) 12 egg rolls for 30 rooms (or heck, only 30 for 30), it creates of an atmosphere of, 'I'd better get mine since I'm paying for this,' and leads to bad experiences for everyone, even those (like me) who could care less about the egg rolls.

This is NOT like someone standing at Costco and taking 27 free samples in lieu of buying lunch. This is a (dearly) paid for, advertised service.

I understand what you are saying. I'm definately not going to argue with the fact that you (well everyone) staying CL is paying a premium for the extras they provide, and that those "extras" including food should be replenished for all guests to enjoy. That is where Disney's cutbacks are going catch up with them sooner or later.
I personally do not use the appetizers as a meal, as we also like a nice sit down meal for dinner, but I could understand that some people might do that. However, when I go to the lounge and someone has a huge plate of food and they tell me "sorry, it's all gone", that's when I have the problem with Disney for those cutbacks....and to be honest, that person who's plate is piled high, probably will leave half of it on the plate to be thrown away.

ETA: The only reason why I said it's not supposed to be used as a meal, is that is the way CL has been, otherwise, they would say "evening dinner" provided. Again, not arguing, just making a point.

 

[KimDis]

I've never been to any Disney resort, but am currently booked for a club level stay at the Polynesian in December. These reports have me VERY worried about that choice.

In my case, we're paying a $160 PER NIGHT premium to stay on the club level (vs the same view category, non-concierge). To expect something for that money is not unreasonable.

We have stayed at "club level" resorts before, including the Ritz Carlton in Cancun. I'm not someone who really eats lunch, but my husband is, and we had breakfast and lunch (for me maybe just a muffin) every day in the club lounge. We rarely (if ever) partook of the evening offerings, because we liked to go out to dinner. The food never really ran out, there was never any hesitation about offerings and there was no mad dash to the food. Ever.

But I don't think "making a meal" of appetizers, if a patron chooses to do so, is, or should be, "against the rules," and I think Disney has been well-compensated for those food costs. If they aren't, they can raise the prices or remove the service. The daily food offerings are billed as a big part of the service and you're paying for it, so expecting offerings to be fresh and plentiful is hardly outrageous.

I'm certainly not advocating for food hogs, but if you have a service of food, it shouldn't be a free-for-all, which can be easily prevented by reasonably replenishing service items. If you're gonna put out (just an example) 12 egg rolls for 30 rooms (or heck, only 30 for 30), it creates of an atmosphere of, 'I'd better get mine since I'm paying for this,' and leads to bad experiences for everyone, even those (like me) who could care less about the egg rolls.

This is NOT like someone standing at Costco and taking 27 free samples in lieu of buying lunch. This is a (dearly) paid for, advertised service.

I completely agree.

My mom & I were struck by the difference in the level of service between our club level stay at the RC Atlanta just a week or so before and our CL stays at WDW 2 weeks ago.

Now we should all be considerate of each other and thoughtful of our surroundings. I don't need 6 egg rolls if there are 3 people behind me and no more out. It's easy enough to clear my own table, or leave plates on my desk to be cleared by mousekeeping as opposed to leaving them in the hall without a tray/covering.

But at the Ritz I barely put down an empty plate before someone cleared it. Or asked if they could get me more coffee/water/etc. This is the norm at every one I've stayed at. The up charge for club level was the same as at WDW and it was only staffed by 2-3 people (similar to Disney). I never worried that food would run out at the Ritz, or that any requests we had were unreasonable. That shouldn't be my concern. I'm a financially contributing guest paying for a higher level of service & amenities.

 

[jdd]

But I don't think "making a meal" of appetizers, if a patron chooses to do so, is, or should be, "against the rules," and I think Disney has been well-compensated for those food costs. If they aren't, they can raise the prices or remove the service. The daily food offerings are billed as a big part of the service and you're paying for it, so expecting offerings to be fresh and plentiful is hardly outrageous.

I'm certainly not advocating for food hogs, but if you have a service of food, it shouldn't be a free-for-all, which can be easily prevented by reasonably replenishing service items. If you're gonna put out (just an example) 12 egg rolls for 30 rooms (or heck, only 30 for 30), it creates of an atmosphere of, 'I'd better get mine since I'm paying for this,' and leads to bad experiences for everyone, even those (like me) who could care less about the egg rolls.

This is NOT like someone standing at Costco and taking 27 free samples in lieu of buying lunch. This is a (dearly) paid for, advertised service. To have anyone make you feel bad, especially a hotel employee, for partaking of what you paid for is beyond the pale.

Very well said - I totally agree. Now, if people are taking food and then not eating it (leaving it on plates), that would definitely bother me. And I guess there's a point in which you'd have to say "wow, they're really eating alot!" However, our plan is to use the evening offerings as a light supper. We are not big eaters, so after a full sit-down lunch (which we like to do in the summer to get out of the heat), we really only need a light supper. A few pieces of cheese/crackers, a couple of each of the appetizers and a piece of fruit or veggies/dip is just the ticket for us. If anyone is still hungry (which, I must say, my 13-year old is becoming a bottomless pit ) we can grab something at Cap'n Cooks. But, I really don't want to feel that the CMs are watching everything we eat. And, I don't want to stand in line from 4:30 on to make sure we get some food! Hopefully, since our trip is a much slower time of year, this won't occur.

I'm not going to change my plans at this late date, and we're really looking forward to "hanging out" in the lounge with a glass of wine/beer in the afternoon or evening. So, I hope to report when I get back that CL was everything we wished for!

I hope the people that have experienced the "grumpy CMs" are reporting this to the management. It will not change if they don't know it's happening!

 

[rie'smom]

Do ya'll think a mod would allow this thread to be broken down with each resort having its own club level thread? It's a royal pain to sort through all the info and look for pictures of the food offerings. The search feature is a laugh.

 

[momatater]

Very well said - I totally agree. Now, if people are taking food and then not eating it (leaving it on plates), that would definitely bother me. And I guess there's a point in which you'd have to say "wow, they're really eating alot!" However, our plan is to use the evening offerings as a light supper. We are not big eaters, so after a full sit-down lunch (which we like to do in the summer to get out of the heat), we really only need a light supper. A few pieces of cheese/crackers, a couple of each of the appetizers and a piece of fruit or veggies/dip is just the ticket for us. If anyone is still hungry (which, I must say, my 13-year old is becoming a bottomless pit ) we can grab something at Cap'n Cooks. But, I really don't want to feel that the CMs are watching everything we eat. And, I don't want to stand in line from 4:30 on to make sure we get some food! Hopefully, since our trip is a much slower time of year, this won't occur.

I'm not going to change my plans at this late date, and we're really looking forward to "hanging out" in the lounge with a glass of wine/beer in the afternoon or evening. So, I hope to report when I get back that CL was everything we wished for!

I hope the people that have experienced the "grumpy CMs" are reporting this to the management. It will not change if they don't know it's happening!

Exactly!!

 

[bluejasmine]

Just to let everyone know I did email the main disney web site about all of our Poly CL concerns. It might help for more to do the same. I read about a problem last yr before my trip and emailed the same site and got a phone call from Excutive Offices disney world within about a week.
I know that a few emails may not change anything BUT neither will not doing ANYTHING either..TIA!

 

[RachelTori]

Do ya'll think a mod would allow this thread to be broken down with each resort having its own club level thread? It's a royal pain to sort through all the info and look for pictures of the food offerings. The search feature is a laugh.

Each Deluxe already has its own FAQ thread where you should be able to find Club Level information specific to that resort. The intent here is general questions/discussions/reviews about staying Club Level at WDW.

 

[WendyisDarling]

Just to let everyone know I did email the main disney web site about all of our Poly CL concerns. It might help for more to do the same. I read about a problem last yr before my trip and emailed the same site and got a phone call from Excutive Offices disney world within about a week.
I know that a few emails may not change anything BUT neither will not doing ANYTHING either..TIA!

I got a survey from Disney about the Poly today. I probably wouldn't have filled it out, but I did to make specific notes about the CL food offerings. I wrote quite a bit. I also had to mention how wwonderfull mousekeeping was.

 

[coopersmom]

The only reason why I said it's not supposed to be used as a meal, is that is the way CL has been, otherwise, they would say "evening dinner" provided. Again, not arguing, just making a point.

Please understand, my comments are not/were not directed at you. (I'm really not arguing with you either. Really.) And, heck, I've never even BEEN to a Disney resort yet, so what do I know? But I am booked for a club level stay at the Polynesian and the most recent comments and reviews really worry me.

Of course if you have the expectation that a three course dinner (meat and two veg) will be available, that's out of line. But I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect to be able, if you feel like it, to eat more than one appetizer. If that's enough, for you, for your "dinner," that should be your prerogative, as you are paying for it. And you should be able to do without death stares/comments from your fellow guests or employees.

I often just order appetizers at a restaurant if I'm not overly hungry and we frequently have cheese, crackers and apples for dinner at my house. Some might not consider that "dinner" (and I probably wouldn't offer it to a guest at my table as such), but that's how I'm, quite happily, using it.

To blame other guests (meaning the reports of cast members doing so) or expect people to line up prior to service in order to get anything is NOT reasonable. Do you pay for other Disney buffets only to be told, once you get there, that they ran out of food but kept your money? Or other people ate too much so there's none for you and you should just blame them for it?

To pit guest against guest is cheap and tacky. Period.

And the unrefilled drinks fridge reports bother me too. Those cans of soda cost Disney next to nothing and are a nice perk of the club level that could definitely keep people happy. Can you imagine what people would say if they "ran out" of soda for their bought-and-paid-for refillable mugs? The ones that are supposed to have unlimited refills?

The all-you-care to eat concept inherent in a buffett-style service will always have some taking too much, but that's balanced (and then some), by those who take little or nothing and should NOT be a paying guest's concern.

Can you imagine any employee berating you for not finishing a hot dog you purchased in the park? Hey, I'm all for not wasting food, but I think where I'm stuck is that people act like the club-level food is "free" when, in fact, it's a service we paid for as part of the cost of our room.

Again, I absolutely advocate common courtesy but, frankly, if I, say, drink six diet Cokes a day (and I do, sadly), I think my $160/night club level up-charge more than compensated Disney for that and it's not too much to expect the amenities they advertise to actually be provided.

 

[momatater]

Please understand, my comments are not/were not directed at you. And, heck, I've never even BEEN to a Disney resort yet, so what do I know? But I am booked for a club level stay at the Polynesian and the most recent comments and reviews really worry me.

Of course if you have the expectation that a three course dinner will be available, that's out of line. But I don't think it's out of line at all to expect to be able, if you feel like it, to eat more than one appetizer is at all unreasonable. Again, you are paying for it.

I often just order appetizers at a restaurant if I'm not overly hungry and we frequently have cheese, crackers and apples for dinner at my house.

To blame other guests (reports of cast members doing so) or expect people to line up prior to service in order to get anything is NOT reasonable. Do you pay for other Disney buffets only to be told, once you get there, that they ran out of food? Or other people ate too much?

To pit guest against guest is cheap and tacky. Period.

And the unrefilled drinks bother me too. Those cans of soda cost Disney next to nothing.

The all-you-care to eat concept inherent in a Buffett will always have some taking too much, but that's balanced (and then some) by those who take little or nothing and should NOT be a paying guest's concern.

Again, I absolutely advocate common courtesy but, frankly,

I know they weren't directed at me! And I completely agree with you!!

I think I'm just a little on edge about our upcoming trip...worried about the latest reports about the various CL "bad" experiences!
After many years of staying CL (or concierge, as they used to call it), I have noticed more and more of the Disney cut backs and I don't approve at all!!! I have complained to managers, with mixed results. My DH and I actually had a conversation a bit ago about possibly having to get in line at 4:30 to "guarantee" getting food offerings and he was like "NO WAY! The manager will hear from me for sure, and if they don't listen, I'll go higher". Now I'm talking about a man that has to be the most laid back person I've ever met. But when it comes to paying for a specific service, and spending hard earned money, he won't except it. So truely, I do understand where you're coming from....we are definately on the same page!!!