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

[ReggieB]

Yay for booking! I would contact IPO immediately, no need to wait for them. Make sure you give them alternate plans, in case your first choice isn't available. That really helped them get everything I wanted (alot of character meals). I can't help you with the CR (we stayed at the Poly), but I can tell you about the Illuminations cruise. Yes, IPO will book it for you and they can book it 90+10. I was sure we wouldn't get one either, but it was no problem, so don't worry. The cruise was the best thing I planned - we had Captain Ron - he was a blast. Are you ordering a cake for your DD? We got one, it was delicious!
Thanks to you and your husband for your service to our country!! Have an amazing trip!!

I didn't wait for IPO to contact me. I sent a general query, and they actually phoned me back to talk, which was nice. I let them arrange everything, including ADR's and they got me everything I wanted (though this was before the announced the extension of Free Dining) They got me PFTS tickets, Illuminations cruise, AK Safari, Kids Club, Wishes dessert party, MNSSHP tickets on all the nights/days we wanted.

I was very worried about leaving them to do it, but it was fine. With my ADR's I explained my planning, so they knew which parks I was in, which days, then gave them an hour time frame for when I wanted the ADR. I also changed a few things, as other events popped up, and they were very helpful in updating my itinerary, so I know they have a master copy of my plans!

I have phoned them a few times, and apart from one call (must have been a bad day for him, or was just not very well informed) they have been super helpful.

Hopefully they will be as helpful during our stay as they have been so far.

 

[Native NYer]

Does it make sense to use online check-in when you have a CL reservation?

I'm thinking it doesn't make sense since CL guests do not check in at the front desk.

 

[ILoveDisney-Angie]

Does it make sense to use online check-in when you have a CL reservation?

I'm thinking it doesn't make sense since CL guests do not check in at the front desk.

Jennifer - Great Question! I have been wondering the same thing.

 

[Native NYer]

Jennifer - Great Question! I have been wondering the same thing.

I'm wondering if anyone here has done it.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Holy Crap, I did it!!! I called last night and booked 2 rooms at the Contemporary, MK view Concierge. So much for DH's thought that we keep this trip cheap and stay at Shades of Green! LOL I booked with AAA discount, but still hoping they come out with the great 40% discounts of last January. I just want our Welcome Home trip to be special for DH and our friend who are returning from Iraq.

My question, what do I do next? Will the IPO contact me or do I need to contact them? Our ADR booking window opens on Oct 23. Also I want to book the Illuminations Cruise for my DD's brthday. Does that also open up at the 90+10 or is that only 90 days? Kind of hoping it is only the 90 days as I'm sure we will have no chance at it!

Thanks for your help and information about CL--especially at CR.

Congragulations and have a great time staying there.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Can anyone help me?
Deciding between Poly CL and BC CL for January 2010.
I saw the new menu offerings for Poly, but cannot find any specificfood offerings at BC.
TIA!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Can anyone help me?
Deciding between Poly CL and BC CL for January 2010.
I saw the new menu offerings for Poly, but cannot find any specificfood offerings at BC.
TIA!

I would go with the Polynesian and here are some things you might now know. Their lounge is a lot bigger then the Beach Club, it stays open 24 hours a day. By that I mean when the lounge at the Beach Club is not serving any food, it's doors are closed and you can not sit down in there and etc.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I would go with the Polynesian and here are some things you might now know. Their lounge is a lot bigger then the Beach Club, it stays open 24 hours a day. By that I mean when the lounge at the Beach Club is not serving any food, it's doors are closed and you can not sit down in there and etc.

Thanks for the info. That is good to know!!
We've stayed Poly CL several times and love it! I want to try somewhere new, but can't seem to bring myself to go anywhere but Poly.

 

[tjmw2727]

Just booked BWI club level for a last minute thanksgiving trip - long story but we need to get away and I am going to surprise my daughters (15 and 13 yo's).

I read the earlier posts in this thread - awesome info - thanks so much.

A couple quick questions, is the club open all day even when there aren't "refreshment hours"? Is there a sample menu anywhere?

Trying to find out if I need a garden grocer order for just a few particulars my kids like - ie cranberry juice as it was hard to find on our last trip!!

Thanks ~

 

[Tess]

Thanks for the info. That is good to know!!
We've stayed Poly CL several times and love it! I want to try somewhere new, but can't seem to bring myself to go anywhere but Poly.

Did you try the BC FAQ thread for food specific questions in its lounge? Also, did you check the first few pages of this thread to see if there was a link or information for BC? Just a couple of ideas for you. . .

I seem to recall people who have recently stayed at YC and/or BC discussing food offerings, but I don't remember whether it was this thread or the BC thread. Sorry, not much help.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I am so frustrated with IPO for the CR.

Last week Sunday sent an email to see if they could order my cake (having it delivered to the room) and a couple of items delivered to the room.

I get a response back saying they would check with the bakery and get back to me.

Tonight I sent a follow up email (1 week and 1 day later) asking if they had a response and they just email me the cake hotline number and tell me to order it myself!

I am so frustrated and if a regular room was open at the CR (with the discount) I think I'd be changing. Right now, I'm not seeing the point of IPO or staying club level if they can't or won't help with preplanning.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I am so frustrated with IPO for the CR.

Last week Sunday sent an email to see if they could order my cake (having it delivered to the room) and a couple of items delivered to the room.

I get a response back saying they would check with the bakery and get back to me.

Tonight I sent a follow up email (1 week and 1 day later) asking if they had a response and they just email me the cake hotline number and tell me to order it myself!

I am so frustrated and if a regular room was open at the CR (with the discount) I think I'd be changing. Right now, I'm not seeing the point of IPO or staying club level if they can't or won't help with preplanning.

I am not trying to make any excuses for them and etc, but since the Contemporary IPO shares with the Grand Floridian Club Level guests maybe that's why they haven't responded to your e-mails.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Just booked BWI club level for a last minute thanksgiving trip - long story but we need to get away and I am going to surprise my daughters (15 and 13 yo's).

I read the earlier posts in this thread - awesome info - thanks so much.

A couple quick questions, is the club open all day even when there aren't "refreshment hours"? Is there a sample menu anywhere?

Trying to find out if I need a garden grocer order for just a few particulars my kids like - ie cranberry juice as it was hard to find on our last trip!!

Thanks ~

I just returned from a BWI stay - the only time of day I saw the lounge closed was after 11pm and before 6am which are times were most people wouldn't try to be in the lounge anway.

I dont have the exact sample menu but here's what I saw:

Breakfast - Crossiants, Bagels, Fruit, Yogurt, Granola, Danishes, Cereal

Snacks - Popcorn, Pretzels, Nut Mix, Goldfish, Uncrustables, Chips, Cookies, Soda

Evening - Hummus, Veggies, Cheese, Spreads, Hot Items Varied but included: Chicken Wings, Egg Rolls, Pot Stickers, Chili, Soups (I didn't see every evening), Wine, Beer

Desserts: Petit Fours, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Cookies, Fruit Tarts, Cordials



As for the trouble w/ the CR IPO - That would frustrate me as well. I'm currently working w/ the Poly IPO and I was always responded to within a day or two. W/ BWI IPO it was the same way. I do always include my reservation number and last name in my email w/ dates as my 'subject header' though.

I would not spend that money if I wasn't getting the IPO services - frankly it doesn't matter if they are sharing w/ other hotels as if they aren't helping you much - whats the point? I know I'm using CL partly for IPO as I dont want to call around and rearrange my reservations and feel much more comfortable shooting an email to them rather than calling Disney myself as it less time wasted out of my day.

That said, I'm still going to call Disney @ 7am on 10/27 as I have one reservation that I can't just give full trust over them for but thats for V&A Chef's Table - they know my request for it but I'm still making both myself and my husband call at 7am for that one

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks Yoda - that's very helpful

Good luck with your V&A!

As for the IPO don't they all cover at least two resorts? I am pretty sure that WL and Poly are shared. I booked my trip well into my 90 day mark so I plan to be very flexible with my adr requests and xx fingers for something nice on Thanksgiving day.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Thanks Yoda - that's very helpful

Good luck with your V&A!

As for the IPO don't they all cover at least two resorts? I am pretty sure that WL and Poly are shared. I booked my trip well into my 90 day mark so I plan to be very flexible with my adr requests and xx fingers for something nice on Thanksgiving day.

Thanks!

I believe the teams for IPO are:

Grand Floridian/CR
Poly/WL
BWI/YC/BC
AKL

I agree about the flexibility. This upcoming trip we are staying away from a lot of 'dining plan' restuarants and trying all the new places that aren't really Disney restuarants that get booked up quickly. So I think I'll have more luck with changes as my trip gets nearer.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

As someone who is debating on whether to stay CL (I haven't stayed CL at Disney ever), I really appreciate all the feedback and information everyone provides on here. I will say I am skeptical about CL though because I am reading a lot more 'negatives' than I would hope. Maybe that is because people are more prone to let people know about the negatives but if anyone has lots of positives they would like to share (along with negatives!), I'd appreciate your honest opinion.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Mommy Poppins]

I booked two separate rooms over the phone at the Contemporary with Concierge and Magic Kingdom view. I just pulled up our reservations on-line and both rooms say 2 bedroom villa. Is that normal for concierge rooms?

 

[tinkerrn]

As someone who is debating on whether to stay CL (I haven't stayed CL at Disney ever), I really appreciate all the feedback and information everyone provides on here. I will say I am skeptical about CL though because I am reading a lot more 'negatives' than I would hope. Maybe that is because people are more prone to let people know about the negatives but if anyone has lots of positives they would like to share (along with negatives!), I'd appreciate your honest opinion.
Thanks everyone!

We love staying CL. We have stayed CL at the WL, CR, and the POLY. Honestly, we have had good and bad, but the good far out weigh the bad. The little extra service you get at the CL is just the added magic to our vacation.

The Offerings: It is soooo nice in the mornigs to just walk down the hallway and grab a cup of coffee and a pastry. It takes the hassel out of going to a counter service or a kisok. When we take a break from the parks in the afternoon, it is refreshing to grab a coke and some snacks to tide us over.The little appetizers they offer in the evening with an assortment of wines/beers is a great way for us to unwind and relax before dinner or the fireworks. Each resort has different offerings...POLY has by far the best selection we have came across. The juice is addictive....I know I had to have drunk at least 20 glasses of it before we left. The coffee was fine, some complain about the Nescafe, but to us its is coffee and gets us jump started for the day. We had decent coffee at the CR ( cappuccino machine).
We did one morning go get Kona coffee in the POLY at their counter service upstairs next to Konas ( not in Captain Cooks); it was pretty good, but the coffee in the CL was just as good to us. The POLY and WL were fantastic with replenishing the fridges with soft drinks/milk/juice, etc.... The libations in the evening were great at the POLY, they had a different rum punch they made and set out each night....yumm!! They also had Hawaiian beer that we were able to even get in the afternoon ( just ask at the CL and they will get it for you during the day). The WL had a decent selection in their fridge that you just helped your self with. The desserts were fantastic at the POLY and WL....both very different. We took a plate of the desserts to the beach one night and popped a bottle of champagne while watching the fireworks.
The offerings they have are not to replace a meal , with the exception of breakfast. With that being said...the offerings are one of the biggest lures for us. The ability to just relax and not have to walk a country mile to get a beverage or a light snack. The convience was worth the money for us alone, there is just the two of us and we don't eat alot. This is one service we will gladly pay money for.

The Service: The POLY wins hands down. From the moment we pulled up we were treated like VIPs. The vallet was quick and offered us so much info on directions to where to buy liquor off Disney property. The manager personally showed us around the resort and was very informative. The Cms at the CL were terrific. They helped make our ADRS prior to our trip and helped us get a few there that we couldnt have otherwise (o'hana and LeCellier...just a bit of pixie dust thrown our way). The CM who checked us in was very helpfull and gave us alot of information about the POLY that was not in our check in packet. You could tell that they were proud of their resort and enjoyed working there.

I hope this helped you. We will always stay CL if possible. The resorts are different and so are the CMs. I am not going to tell you the bad we experienced at one resort. It was just disappointing to us, it didn't ruin our trip though. Thankfully, we had stayed at CL before and knew what to expect and what to ask for. If you have any questions please ask or PM me!!

 

[J'aime Paris]

After much consideration, I picked Poly CL over BC CL for our upcoming Jan. trip. We've stayed at Poly on several occasions and love it. If it's not broken, don't fix it, KWIM?
Also, I made the reservation yesterday and I already got an email from IPO today. Now that's service!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

After much consideration, I picked Poly CL over BC CL for our upcoming Jan. trip. If it's not broken, don't fix it, KWIM?
Also, I made the reservation yesterday and I already got an email from IPO today. Now that's service!

Congragulations and have a great time.