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

[skoi]

Still reading through the thread, but wanted to say thanks for all the great information.

We'll be staying CL at WL for the first time this December (two days only) before a cruise and are really looking forward to it.

 

[Princess&CowboyMommy]

tiggerbaby, RachelTori, kaffinito, and Cinderunbrella - Thanks so much for all the responses and help!! Y'all are great!!! Everyone here seems so friendly and helpful

 

[maznorm]

Who do you tell that you are a concierge level guest? I know you are taken up to concierge to check in but how do they know to take you. We stayed at BWI in the GardenSuites for our wedding and the only reason we found out about Concierge was because they called us when we were in our room. I want to make sure we check in at Concierge this time and get the full experience. We are staying at the Beach Club. I just picturing myself telling every person we meet like some kind of weirdo.

 

[scottmel]

Who do you tell that you are a concierge level guest? I know you are taken up to concierge to check in but how do they know to take you. We stayed at BWI in the GardenSuites for our wedding and the only reason we found out about Concierge was because they called us when we were in our room. I want to make sure we check in at Concierge this time and get the full experience. We are staying at the Beach Club. I just picturing myself telling every person we meet like some kind of weirdo.

Well there isn't really an experience at check in. When your call pulls up they will iether say "Hi Mrs. Smith, etc etc. we'll take you up to the concierge now" or you just simply tell whoever you see standing outside " I am Mrs. Smith, can you tell me how to get to concierge level so I can check in?"....

 

[maznorm]

Thank you for your reply. As I said before we weren't even aware of Concierge when we stayed in BWI until the last night. It wouldve come in rely handy on the morning of the wedding for breakfast instead we had to get my grandma to fetch us a mcdonalds lol!! I just want to make sure we check in properly and know when the lounge is so we can make use of it straight away. So could we just ask the guy at valet?

 

[scottmel]

Well I call him valet but that or Bell Captain. SOMEONE is there in uniform and you can just inform them that you are staying Club Level and they will get you squared away. Though if you arrive LATE at night, the concierge check in is closed and you will be checked in via lobby but you will of course have the privledges of lounge, etc. That is really the only thing - though a big one!!! - that you missed....! So you are aware of the lounge now! )

 

[luvthatdisney]

Who do you tell that you are a concierge level guest? I know you are taken up to concierge to check in but how do they know to take you. We stayed at BWI in the GardenSuites for our wedding and the only reason we found out about Concierge was because they called us when we were in our room. I want to make sure we check in at Concierge this time and get the full experience. We are staying at the Beach Club. I just picturing myself telling every person we meet like some kind of weirdo.

Maznorm~ there is a BC/YC thread in this board (easy to find usually on the first page!). It has been a wealth of information for me. I asked the same question you did. It seems there is a guard on the drive into the resort that will ask your name and provide id. They must have a list of the reservations for that day, they should let bell services/valet know you are there and they will have someone meet you. If not, a greeter will meet you at the front and you can tell them you are checking in CL and they will have someone escort you to the 5th floor.

Check out that thread, I sat and read it for hours - lots of information!

 

[ElizabethB]

Check-in at BWI CL was very clumsy when we stayed there last year. We were caught in a huge line of cars waiting to drop luggage.

We got out of the car and unloaded our luggage so DH could go park it rather than wait for a valet. We stood in the unbearably hot sun for at least 10 minutes before someone came to put our luggage on a cart. Although we said we were staying club level, no offer of assistance or suggestion on where to go next.

So, we went inside the lobby and stood in line for a while. Only when we finally got to a desk person did she say, "Oh, let us call someone to take you up to the club level desk for checkin."

Huge contrast from our stay at GF RPC. There, they whisked us right in from the front door, straight to our rooms for the easiest checkin I've every had.

I hope BWI had improved its procedures by now.

 

[brergnat]

If IPO knows that you are coming via DME then a Club Level CM will meet you at the bus and take you up.

That is not true. We stayed CL at BC in March and we had to let them know at the resort front desk that we were CL guests. We were then escorted up to the fifth floor by a CM.

If you have your DME vouchers (the ones you get in the mail with the barcode on them) handy when you arrive at DME, they will simply ask you which resort you are going to and direct you to a line for the bus. The bus driver will scan your voucher before you get on the bus. That's it. They don't check you in at a desk anymore, unless you don't have a packet...we didn't even stop at the desk. There was no way for the BC to know that we were on our way. They asked about luggage when we checked into the resort (how many bags we had).

 

[ClareH37]

I've never had anyone meet me whether ME or not - I've stayed CL at YC, BWI and GF.

GF was a shambles, we arrived (drove from MCO) early evening, told the valet we were staying CL and were sent to the lobby concierge where we then waited another 10 minutes for someone to 'collect' us.

At YC they had a club level arrivals sign at the valet desk, within 2 minutes someone had come to collect us.

At BWI there's no sign but having stayed 3 trips now I've just told one of the valet guys, they've called upstairs to tell the CMs I've arrived and I'm taken up to either the CL desk or the lounge to check in.

I love the BWI but do wish they'd fine-tune the arrivals procedure.

GF was the only resort I've had an actual issue with but I do believe it's hit or miss and so many variables with any resort.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

It must be hit or miss then because someone definitely met us at the bus when we stayed RPC last year.

 

[chimo2u]

I am so excited I just upgraded my resort reservation to club level at the Beach Club for our August trip.... only $169 more for the 5 days we are there to add it on, so I felt it was worth the jump on the club-level bandwagon I am a club-level girl at heart and I definitely know my teenager son loves the club level! At first I was a little sad about switching over to the BC from my original AKL CL reservation, but now I am getting very excited about trying something new and experiencing first hand what another Disney resort has to offer!

 

[kaffinito]

We've stayed Cl at AKL, Poly and BWI. We drove all three times, and it was busy in front of the resort at AKL and at BWI. I just told the first person I saw that we were staying CL, and all three times we were taken to the CL check in. I have heard stories about people not getting to the check in right away, but so far we've been lucky.

 

[canadianmickey13]

sorry you had a bad experience, but it does not mean that what Cinderumbrella and others have posted above is 'not true.' Like her we were met at the bus and they called for us by name - so they clearly knew we were on that bus. (and they did take our bus vouchers from us at the desk at MCO and review them - not sure if they scanned them or what).

 

[scottmel]

Check-in at BWI CL was very clumsy when we stayed there last year. We were caught in a huge line of cars waiting to drop luggage.

We got out of the car and unloaded our luggage so DH could go park it rather than wait for a valet. We stood in the unbearably hot sun for at least 10 minutes before someone came to put our luggage on a cart. Although we said we were staying club level, no offer of assistance or suggestion on where to go next.

So, we went inside the lobby and stood in line for a while. Only when we finally got to a desk person did she say, "Oh, let us call someone to take you up to the club level desk for checkin."

Huge contrast from our stay at GF RPC. There, they whisked us right in from the front door, straight to our rooms for the easiest checkin I've every had.

I hope BWI had improved its procedures by now.

We stayed BWI CL last summer and check in was flawless. We had a terrific stay. I remember your not caring for it much at all, Elizabeth, seems like it is not the resort for you. I am sure if I was unhappy there I could pick it apart as well but we had such a great overall stay, the minor problems aren't even worth reporting...

 

[KerryCM]

When I first started staying CL at the BWI I was always shown up by a cast member out front. Now I just go up on my own!! Sometimes I call when I am on the bus and let them know I am on my way.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I've stay CL at Poly, AKL, CR, & BWI . I just tell them right there at valet-I think most of the resorts have a sign for club level check ins. At BWI the bell services guy who helped take the luggage out of the town car handled it very quickly. The only resort I had any issue with was CR who tried to tell me I had to go to the front desk but I quickly found someone else to help.

At BWI & Poly it was a bell service guy who took me to the room and then you check in on the club level floor.

Both times at AKL it was a CL CM who brought me to the room and he already had my package and room keys so I could check in right in my room as I was using the credit card I already had on file.

 

[Arkansan]

Hi, everyone! I posted something similar on the BC/YC thread, but I just returned Mon. from a GREAT BC stay! We stayed GV CL for the 2nd time and had a wonderful trip!

I've gotten so much information from others here, that I'd be happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability.

 

[cmm]

Hi, everyone! I posted something similar on the BC/YC thread, but I just returned Mon. from a GREAT BC stay! We stayed GV CL for the 2nd time and had a wonderful trip!

What made your stay at this resort so good? I have never stayed at club level and am trying to decide what to do for our next trip. We want to stay at a deluxe.

 

[Arkansan]

What made your stay at this resort so good? I have never stayed at club level and am trying to decide what to do for our next trip. We want to stay at a deluxe.

Well, let me preface this by saying that we have not stayed CL at any other Disney resort, so I only have non-Disney comparisons. But, that being said, we really love the BC. Epcot is our favorite park and you can't beat the 5 min. walk to the International Gateway. We also enjoy the boat ride to DHS. It is really nice to take buses to only two parks. If you have parkhoppers, it is really nice to pop into Epcot to grab a treat, eat dinner, or watch Illuminations. One day, we all went into Epcot quickly and DH ran to get fastpasses for Soarin' so we could ride later. (It was an EMH evening.)

As far as CL goes, the CMs are great! We only had friendly, helpful interactions. The IPO is helpful as well. They were able to get all our ADRs at 180 days and, after our plans inevitably changed, were helpful in changing things around. They also got us the MK Wishes Dessert Party when the booking window was extended in late March, I think. We even used them to change some things around while at WDW. Last year we took the Wildlife Discovery Excursion at AK (special safari) which is only available to CL guests.

The food offerings in the lounge are great. We didn't use a DDP, but ate at least one TS meal each day and paid OOP. We were often in the parks, but ate breakfast each day (except once) in the lounge and had evening appetizers and desserts several times. We also like the fact that at BC all the CL rooms (except several deluxe CL roooms) are on the same floor as the lounge and it is secure. Your KKTW card accesses the CL floor in the elevator so everyone in the hotel cannot access your floor--makes it a little more secure.

Our kids love SAB as well. The sand bottom really feels great on tired feet!

Hope this answers your questions! Have a great trip!