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

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

May you all have a wonderful time!!!
Happy Holidays!
Gretchen

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

May you all have a wonderful time!!!
Happy Holidays!
Gretchen

Thank you and happy holidays to you.

 

[TJA]

Doea anyone have pictures of the expanded CL at the Beach Club? Or has anyone been to the lounge recently? I was just wondering how much bigger it is now & if new seating was added. TY!

We were there from Oct 3 thru Oct 12. I didn't even think to take pictures of the lounge -- I'm so sorry! Long story short, we had a standard room booked, checked in, went up to our standard room and it was occupied! So went back down to the counter and they upgraded us to Club. It was our first Club stay and now we are destined to stay Club from here on out. In any event, I personally thought it was a beautiful lounge, very cozy. When you walk through the doors, to the left is a large flat screen TV on the wall and a small couch and chairs. To the right when you walk in is the food and beverage area sort of in a "U" shape. I felt the food and beverages were very organized and always kept fresh. Straight ahead and to the right is the children's area which I thought was adorable. It had 3 small tables and a TV with kids' shows playing. Bathroom was nearby that area. Also a small island for kids to sit. All other space was filled in with regular round tables and chairs. My first instinct when I saw the lounge was that it was sort of small (LOL) but then I started reading up on all the lounges in Disney and found out it was remodeled and was even smaller before! Anyway, it was plenty big enough for that time of year and was rarely full. A lot of people walked in and got "to go" plates or drinks too. It was a very fun experience! And we'll be doing it again......

 

[wdwluver]

Just wanted to join the "our trip is almost here" party! We will check in to the Polynesian CL next Thursday. I am sooo excited, it is not funny. We are very much looking forward to spending Christmas in Disney.

I hope everyone who is going to WDW soon has a magical time!

We will be arriving on the same day! We're staying one night at the Grand Floridian before moving over to the Poly.

I can't wait 'till we're on the plane. That's when the vacation officially begins!

Enjoy your vacation. We may cross paths in the lounge.

 

[mousefan1972]

We will be arriving on the same day! We're staying one night at the Grand Floridian before moving over to the Poly.

I can't wait 'till we're on the plane. That's when the vacation officially begins!

Enjoy your vacation. We may cross paths in the lounge.

Yay! Hope you have a wonderful trip, too. If you hear a very tall guy (6'5") call his wife Kristin, that's me.

 

[PixieDustLove]

we are staying CL for the first time next week when we check into BC. After reading about some of the food/beverage offerings is it safe to say some have a better CL than others?? i was amazed by the list of food at Poly!! i hope the one at BC has some good stuff on the menu as well...

 

[mmmears]

we are staying CL for the first time next week when we check into BC. After reading about some of the food/beverage offerings is it safe to say some have a better CL than others?? i was amazed by the list of food at Poly!! i hope the one at BC has some good stuff on the menu as well...

We were there a few months ago and I was pleasantly surprised at the food offerings. I hadn't read much about the food at the BC, but there was plenty of it. 2 hot appetizers in the evening, and they were replenished very quickly when they ran out. The apps changed day to day. And the potato chips in the afternoon were really good. We took a few down to the pool with us and munched on them there.

You are correct that each resort's club lounge has different foods. They get them from the restaurants at the resort, so the Poly's come from Kona and 'Ohana, AKL's come from Boma and Jiko, etc. All in all, I like all of the ones we have stayed at. While the Poly has a great selection in the evening, IMO other resorts have better breakfasts, and 2 even have afternoon tea. We enjoyed the selection at the Beach Club -- I hope you do, too!

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[PixieDustLove]

We were there a few months ago and I was pleasantly surprised at the food offerings. I hadn't read much about the food at the BC, but there was plenty of it. 2 hot appetizers in the evening, and they were replenished very quickly when they ran out. The apps changed day to day. And the potato chips in the afternoon were really good. We took a few down to the pool with us and munched on them there.

You are correct that each resort's club lounge has different foods. They get them from the restaurants at the resort, so the Poly's come from Kona and 'Ohana, AKL's come from Boma and Jiko, etc. All in all, I like all of the ones we have stayed at. While the Poly has a great selection in the evening, IMO other resorts have better breakfasts, and 2 even have afternoon tea. We enjoyed the selection at the Beach Club -- I hope you do, too!

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

thank you! i liked reading your feedback. i know we're going to have a great time! I'm thinking after going CL there will be no turning back!

 

[mmmears]

thank you! i liked reading your feedback. i know we're going to have a great time! I'm thinking after going CL there will be no turning back!

You're welcome. I have to admit that that is the problem with staying CL -- it's really hard to stay in a normal room again. While we don't always stay CL, and we are happy even when we don't, I always miss being able to grab a drink and a snack without waiting in line for them.

 

[Canyon girl]

When is the best time to contact IPO? I have a ressie for Nov 2010 booked as a BB but is attached to a TA. TIA

 

[mmmears]

When is the best time to contact IPO? I have a ressie for Nov 2010 booked as a BB but is attached to a TA. TIA

Well, you can really make contact whenever you like. I generally wait until a few months before the bookings start (180 days for dining) so that I can make sure they have all my information before it's critical. If you have questions, though, you can call or email them any time after you've made your reservations.

 

[danielle782001]

Just got off the phone with IPO...Put in our dining requests and sunrise safari...We are so excited for July 2010...It will be our first Club Level experience...

Quick question (I should have asked IPO): Are we sure to get safari? Our window does not open until January...I put the request in now...Are in a lock?

 

[mmmears]

Just got off the phone with IPO...Put in our dining requests and sunrise safari...We are so excited for July 2010...It will be our first Club Level experience...

Quick question (I should have asked IPO): Are we sure to get safari? Our window does not open until January...I put the request in now...Are in a lock?

Yeah, pretty much. Since the only people who can book the Sunrise Safari are the AKL IPO staff, I was told that we would have no problem getting it and it's worked out for us 3 times now. So you can relax and enjoy! It's a really wonderful experience, and club level at AKL is one of the best at WDW!

 

[MomsOf2boys]

The sunrise safari was a wonderful experience! I am so glad we did that while we were there in September. We are not doing it in January only because there are others meeting us down there and i didn't want to try juggling group things around our things too much.

 

[subtchr]

We were there from Oct 3 thru Oct 12. I didn't even think to take pictures of the lounge -- I'm so sorry! Long story short, we had a standard room booked, checked in, went up to our standard room and it was occupied! So went back down to the counter and they upgraded us to Club. It was our first Club stay and now we are destined to stay Club from here on out. In any event, I personally thought it was a beautiful lounge, very cozy. When you walk through the doors, to the left is a large flat screen TV on the wall and a small couch and chairs. To the right when you walk in is the food and beverage area sort of in a "U" shape. I felt the food and beverages were very organized and always kept fresh. Straight ahead and to the right is the children's area which I thought was adorable. It had 3 small tables and a TV with kids' shows playing. Bathroom was nearby that area. Also a small island for kids to sit. All other space was filled in with regular round tables and chairs. My first instinct when I saw the lounge was that it was sort of small (LOL) but then I started reading up on all the lounges in Disney and found out it was remodeled and was even smaller before! Anyway, it was plenty big enough for that time of year and was rarely full. A lot of people walked in and got "to go" plates or drinks too. It was a very fun experience! And we'll be doing it again......

We were there Dec 3-7 and agree with everything written here. I think there was only one time we could not find a table and took our snacks back to our room. The lounge definitely has a cozy, convivial feel to it. And the staff is SO nice. Here are a couple pics:

Breakfast:

And those wonderful potato chips:

 

[west&east]

Checked in to WL CL last night. Bell man got our bag and directed us to bellservices desk where we got our room keys and packet. We then waited a few moments for bell man to escort us directly to our room. We then went to club level desk to say hello. Desserts out last night included hot apple cobbler, magic bars, and cookies. Plenty of cordials, wine, milk, chocolate milk, juice and bottled water were also available. Ww were given a large bottle of spring water for our room when we asked for it. This morning continental breakfast was uninspiring but fine. The little muffins were delicious and there was fresh fruit. The hot appetizers this evening look very good. Just quickly had a bacon wrapped ancho rubbed scallop which was yummy. There were also venison meatballs, some sort of seared buffalo salad, little nibblers and more. I will give more detail after I go back and pay more attention. Our room has bunk beds and a MK view which was aweome for watching Wishes last night. We have some really cute Christmasy towel art made with towels and colorful pipe cleaners including a candy cane and candle.

 

[mmmears]

Thanks for the quick review of the CL at the WL. Looking forward to hearing more about it later... Hope you have a wonderful time at WDW!!!

 

[nathanyell]

Checked in to WL CL last night. Bell man got our bag and directed us to bellservices desk where we got our room keys and packet. We then waited a few moments for bell man to escort us directly to our room. We then went to club level desk to say hello. Desserts out last night included hot apple cobbler, magic bars, and cookies. Plenty of cordials, wine, milk, chocolate milk, juice and bottled water were also available. Ww were given a large bottle of spring water for our room when we asked for it. This morning continental breakfast was uninspiring but fine. The little muffins were delicious and there was fresh fruit. The hot appetizers this evening look very good. Just quickly had a bacon wrapped ancho rubbed scallop which was yummy. There were also venison meatballs, some sort of seared buffalo salad, little nibblers and more. I will give more detail after I go back and pay more attention. Our room has bunk beds and a MK view which was aweome for watching Wishes last night. We have some really cute Christmasy towel art made with towels and colorful pipe cleaners including a candy cane and candle.

Sounds awesome!!! I'll be there in 27 days!!!

Brian

 

[KimDis]

Okay CL experts. Planning my July 2010 trip with my mom and now 4 (last year was 3) teen/tween nieces. Looking for ideas for our next CL stay. We're flexible about the room config given our size and open to a suite or 2 rooms.

We did a split stay at AKL/Poly last year and are admittedly spoiled by CL: I especially loved utilizing the IPO. The girls loved the AKL and the only thing they liked about the Poly was the pool and maybe watching Wishes from the beach. The girls are water babies so a good pool is very important to them.

I'm deciding on 2 new resorts or 1 new resort and the AKL again.

Here's what I'm considering:
1st Tier: Beach Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge
2nd Tier: Grand Floridian or Boardwalk

Help me sort of these options DISers - you're my only hope

 

[pezaddict231]

I haven't stayed CL yet, but in terms of resorts, I'd definitely do BC since you said the girls love swimming and BC has the best pool. Especially for that age I'm sure they'll really enjoy the whole lazy river aspect of it.

I'd do GF for the second part of the stay. I loved AKL when we stayed there, we had a SV and I loved seeing the animals everyday, but being on the monorail is soooo convenient. Especially if you have ADR's to get to. The pool at the GF is much better than the AKL (Jambo) pool. The slide is much longer and more fun, I found the slide at AKL to be more like a kiddie slide.

You could also do have high tea at the Gardenview Room which might be a fun afternoon activity for the girls.