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

[ClareH37]

I would go with BWI CL over the Poly. The Poly's CL is not very good IMO. However the Boardwalks is really lovely with a super nice staff. It's also in a private keyed entry area, which is also nice to have. A non CL stay at Poly and a CL stay at BWI would be a great split stay! You could have the best of both worlds.

I'm disappointed to hear the Poly CL is not very good as I'm currently tossing up between the GF RPC (I've stayed there once before but didn't have a great stay) and the Poly CL (the theme park view rooms really appeal) - is there anything in particular that wasn't so great? Thanks

 

[jackemail]

I would go with BWI CL over the Poly. The Poly's CL is not very good IMO.

I absolutely love the BWI CL---BUT have had nothing but wonderful experiences at the Poly's CL, as well. Four great Poly club level experiences....that's why I have double faves, BWI and Poly.

 

[kaffinito]

I'm disappointed to hear the Poly CL is not very good as I'm currently tossing up between the GF RPC (I've stayed there once before but didn't have a great stay) and the Poly CL (the theme park view rooms really appeal) - is there anything in particular that wasn't so great? Thanks

Well... remember that this is just my opinion. Others experiences will vary.

Compared to BWI CL, they didn't have as many breakfast items out. They had oatmeal, one kind of bagel, one kind of bread, and either one kind of muffin or one kind of danish. They did have croissants though - which I love.

The desserts were skimpy and not replaced at 9:30 at night. Two of the nights they only had one kind of cookie and magic brownies.

The staff was pretty unfriendly, even if you were very friendly towards them. My "good mornings" were ignored. The only two nice staff members were downstairs. Lawrence and Allison.

The hot appetizers were just ok, but really, how many chicken skewers can you eat?

And the coffee was the worse yet. I'm a coffee junkie, and I couldn't drink the stuff in the lounge.

The pluses were the room and the view. I could watch Wishes from the bed.

We did a split stay with AKL CL that trip, and AKL in comparison was really lovely and everything that the Poly was not.

Compared to AKL, BWI and GF it was really not worth the money to stay there IMO, even with a big discount. And that was truly disappointing to me, since I adore the Poly.

 

[ClareH37]

Well... remember that this is just my opinion. Others experiences will vary.

Compared to BWI CL, they didn't have as many breakfast items out. They had oatmeal, one kind of bagel, one kind of bread, and either one kind of muffin or one kind of danish. They did have croissants though - which I love.

The desserts were skimpy and not replaced at 9:30 at night. Two of the nights they only had one kind of cookie and magic brownies.

The staff was pretty unfriendly, even if you were very friendly towards them. My "good mornings" were ignored. The only two nice staff members were downstairs. Lawrence and Allison.

The hot appetizers were just ok, but really, how many chicken skewers can you eat?

And the coffee was the worse yet. I'm a coffee junkie, and I couldn't drink the stuff in the lounge.

The pluses were the room and the view. I could watch Wishes from the bed.

We did a split stay with AKL CL that trip, and AKL in comparison was really lovely and everything that the Poly was not.

Compared to AKL, BWI and GF it was really not worth the money to stay there IMO, even with a big discount. And that was truly disappointing to me, since I adore the Poly.

Thanks (totally appreciate it's your opinion), sounds a little disappointing, especially compared to the BWI. I think I might be better just going for a non CL theme park view room.

 

[HaleyB]

We will be celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday at Disney Thanksgiving week at the CR Atrium CL level. Has anyone stayed CL during their birthday. Will they do anything special for her? I have let the CMs know about her Birthday celebration at Disney.

I would guess they will do something, but if it were my daughter's sweet 16 I would not take any chances. There are several nice things you can order ahead of time and have delivered to the room. Not sure exactly what because I think it depends on where you are. I have also mailed packages in advance and asked they be slipped into our room with good success. And once I just pretended our room wasn't ready and sent my kids to the arcade- ran up to the room and put gifts I had smuggled in my carry-on bag on the bed with a card from Tinker Bell

 

[jetskigrl]

I'm disappointed to hear the Poly CL is not very good as I'm currently tossing up between the GF RPC (I've stayed there once before but didn't have a great stay) and the Poly CL (the theme park view rooms really appeal) - is there anything in particular that wasn't so great? Thanks

If it makes any difference, we had the complete opposite experience at Poly CL at the beginning of August. We every extrememly pleased with both the food offerings and the staff. We thought there were plenty of food choices (the entire counter was always covered as well as the center island). The staff was wonderful, both those in the lounge and those downstairs. And the food was constantly being replenished. I was a little reluctant before we went on our trip because I had read a couple of bad reviews....but I didn't experience anything like that. Definitely top notch when we were there

 

[lovesdumbo]

We are booked right now for our first CL stay for next Feb at the Poly. I am considering changing over to the Boardwalk after reading some of the great reviews it receives. What would be your advice for our family? We are traveling with four girls 9, 7, 4, and an almost one yr old at the time of travel. The close proximity to MK would be nice, but not a must. After all we are use to the bus' at the values so we will not be disappointed with the deluxe accommadations.
Just looking for advice from those of you who have stay CL in the past, what would you consider better for us first timers?
TIA!

As much as I LOVE the BWI CL I think Poly would be a better choice for you. The Poly rooms are bigger unless you go for a more expensive deluxe room at BWI. I like the Poly location better. My kids just love the Electric Water Parade at the Poly.

Have you considered CR CL?

I have to say I would NOT want to do a split stay with 4 kids but my DH isn't a very good traveler so I wouldn't consider a split stay with him and no kids.

I'm disappointed to hear the Poly CL is not very good as I'm currently tossing up between the GF RPC (I've stayed there once before but didn't have a great stay) and the Poly CL (the theme park view rooms really appeal) - is there anything in particular that wasn't so great? Thanks

The Poly does not have the variety of BWI in the morning. I like that BIW (& AKL) have the morning fruit out in separate bowls while Poly has a bowl of mixed fruit. I do however enjoy the evening offerings at Poly better. I also like that they have more space for putting out the offerings so they leave the ice tea out in the evenings. BWI putshas to put ice tea away before evening offerings so they have room for beer & wine. I have to say I still believe you'll be back at BWI.

 

[kaffinito]

Thanks (totally appreciate it's your opinion), sounds a little disappointing, especially compared to the BWI. I think I might be better just going for a non CL theme park view room.

But please keep in mind that Poly CL has a LOT of fans! I just wasn't as happy with it as I was with other CL's, that's all.

The rooms are very large, and it is a beautiful resort. I might give CL there another try myself, but you really can't go wrong with a TPV there either. Best views on property IMO.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I did not think of the split stay, it is definitely something to consider. I haven't read much on doing a split stay, does Disney help out with transportation, etc? With four little kids in tow, it might be more of a hassel, but I would love to try both resorts! This is going to be a 10th anniversary trip for us...( and a 10th birthday, 5th birthday, and 1st birthday...and of course I can't leave one out so we are celebrating her 7th birthday too....) So we want to make this an extra special trip. As far as parks go...I know we will probably spend more time at MK, it is their favorite park, but we do love Epcot too. And thinking about doing the dining plan so...Epcot would be handy too!

WDW Will move your luggage from one resort to another, as for transportation here is what you can do. If you were going from the Polynesian to the Boardwalk you could take the Resort Monorail to the Magic Kingdom and from there get on the bus to the Boardwalk.

Now another option if you don't have a car is to pay for a taxi because it's about a 10 - 15 minute ride between both resorts and is a lot faster then using the WDW buses.

 

[ClareH37]

The Poly does not have the variety of BWI in the morning. I like that BIW (& AKL) have the morning fruit out in separate bowls while Poly has a bowl of mixed fruit. I do however enjoy the evening offerings at Poly better. I also like that they have more space for putting out the offerings so they leave the ice tea out in the evenings. BWI putshas to put ice tea away before evening offerings so they have room for beer & wine. I have to say I still believe you'll be back at BWI.

LOL that's what everyone says, you'll just have to wait and see

But please keep in mind that Poly CL has a LOT of fans! I just wasn't as happy with it as I was with other CL's, that's all.

The rooms are very large, and it is a beautiful resort. I might give CL there another try myself, but you really can't go wrong with a TPV there either. Best views on property IMO.

Thanks, from the photos it looks stunning, I can just see myself getting up on my first morning and opening the doors to that wonderful view

 

[Pjimmeyer]

A question for CR Resort Fan. Is CR club level still your number one favorite? I have seen your glowing comments about some of your new experiences from this past trip and was just curious.

 

[mjamm]

Thank you all for the great advice! There are so many different things to consider here...just wish I could talk my husband into a disney trip more than once a year!

 

[kaffinito]

Thanks, from the photos it looks stunning, I can just see myself getting up on my first morning and opening the doors to that wonderful view

What's even better is if you leave the curtains open at night so you can watch the Castle turn colors as you fall asleep, and then when you wake up, you see the Castle!

Can you tell I'm going through serious Poly withdrawal right now?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

A question for CR Resort Fan. Is CR club level still your number one favorite? I have seen your glowing comments about some of your new experiences from this past trip and was just curious.

Yes the Contemporary Club Level is still my favorite, but the Boardwalk Club Level is basically tied for the 1st in my mind.

 

[mmmears]

Well... remember that this is just my opinion. Others experiences will vary.

Compared to BWI CL, they didn't have as many breakfast items out. They had oatmeal, one kind of bagel, one kind of bread, and either one kind of muffin or one kind of danish. They did have croissants though - which I love.

The desserts were skimpy and not replaced at 9:30 at night. Two of the nights they only had one kind of cookie and magic brownies.

The staff was pretty unfriendly, even if you were very friendly towards them. My "good mornings" were ignored. The only two nice staff members were downstairs. Lawrence and Allison.

The hot appetizers were just ok, but really, how many chicken skewers can you eat?

And the coffee was the worse yet. I'm a coffee junkie, and I couldn't drink the stuff in the lounge.

The pluses were the room and the view. I could watch Wishes from the bed.

We did a split stay with AKL CL that trip, and AKL in comparison was really lovely and everything that the Poly was not.

Compared to AKL, BWI and GF it was really not worth the money to stay there IMO, even with a big discount. And that was truly disappointing to me, since I adore the Poly.

I was there at the same time. I agree with Kaffinito -- the breakfast "spread" was not nearly as nice as the one we had at AKL CL or the one we had at GF RPC. Same goes for the desserts. The downstairs CMs were friendly and extremely helpful, but not the ones in the lounge. And the coffee is awful -- I won't touch it!

That said, the TPV CL rooms are amazing!!! Huge by WDW standards, and with IMO the BEST views on the property. Also, the location of the lounge to the rooms and the pools made it very convenient for popping in and grabbing a snack.

The best thing was watching the fireworks every night from our balcony, seeing the EWP from there, and the gorgeous views of the GF and the castle all lit up across the glassy lake. CL was nice, but IMO, overpriced. We did really enjoy our time there. It's hard to compare one CL to another because there are SO many factors (IPO service, food and drinks, lounge, room size, pools, etc.).

 

[ClareH37]

What's even better is if you leave the curtains open at night so you can watch the Castle turn colors as you fall asleep, and then when you wake up, you see the Castle!

Can you tell I'm going through serious Poly withdrawal right now?

Sounds bliss

I was there at the same time. I agree with Kaffinito -- the breakfast "spread" was not nearly as nice as the one we had at AKL CL or the one we had at GF RPC. Same goes for the desserts. The downstairs CMs were friendly and extremely helpful, but not the ones in the lounge. And the coffee is awful -- I won't touch it!

That said, the TPV CL rooms are amazing!!! Huge by WDW standards, and with IMO the BEST views on the property. Also, the location of the lounge to the rooms and the pools made it very convenient for popping in and grabbing a snack.

The best thing was watching the fireworks every night from our balcony, seeing the EWP from there, and the gorgeous views of the GF and the castle all lit up across the glassy lake. CL was nice, but IMO, overpriced. We did really enjoy our time there. It's hard to compare one CL to another because there are SO many factors (IPO service, food and drinks, lounge, room size, pools, etc.).

TBH I'm having a hard time justifying the cost after reading/hearing reviews, I don't want to pay for something and it only be so-so, which I guess is a 'risk' one takes anyway, but I know the Epcot resort IPO and the BWI CMs so feel very comfortable.

 

[Mamu]

This will be my 4th CL in 10 days.

While they are all different, there still the same. Maybe a few different offerings. My favorite is the Poly CL. The cast members were wonderful, my GD's were treated like royalty. The lounge overlooking MK is breathtaking, especially during the nightly fireworks display. The Poly really is a Magical Place.

The best selection on food choices was AKL. I did find the lounge small and very crowded at times. Cast Members were very nice, but nothing over the top.

 

[TxMickeyLover]

I am wondering about how to tip for turndown service. We typically do not go back to our room in the afternoon/evening, so #1 there would not be an opportunity for us to leave a tip for turndown, and #2 since Mousekeeping came that morning, we would likely not have any towels to pick up or anything for the turndown Mousekeeper to do except turn down our beds. So is it generally expected that we need to tip? We always tip Mousekeeping, even if we do not leave a huge mess, (it's just DH and I). I've seen others suggest leaving two envelopes, one labeled "Mousekeeping", and one labeled "Turndown". I am not sure DH will want to do that, though. I am so confused.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mmmears]

Sounds bliss



TBH I'm having a hard time justifying the cost after reading/hearing reviews, I don't want to pay for something and it only be so-so, which I guess is a 'risk' one takes anyway, but I know the Epcot resort IPO and the BWI CMs so feel very comfortable.

It's always a hard decision for me (what resort to choose). With the Poly CL, you get the lake (with all the fun boating activities), the views of the castle changing colors all night, the EWP and fireworks from your room (or the lounge)... so many things. IMO the lounge food isn't the "best" but the other factors, including the easy pool access and the relaxed feeling of the place, balance things out. I should add that the Poly IPO office was as helpful to me as the BC/BW/YC was.

Haven't stayed BW CL, but have stayed YC CL and BC CL. We love that area for the great transportation to Epcot and DHS and the dining options. My favorite is doing a split stay between the 2 resort areas!

 

[ClareH37]

It's always a hard decision for me (what resort to choose). With the Poly CL, you get the lake (with all the fun boating activities), the views of the castle changing colors all night, the EWP and fireworks from your room (or the lounge)... so many things. IMO the lounge food isn't the "best" but the other factors, including the easy pool access and the relaxed feeling of the place, balance things out. I should add that the Poly IPO office was as helpful to me as the BC/BW/YC was.

Haven't stayed BW CL, but have stayed YC CL and BC CL. We love that area for the great transportation to Epcot and DHS and the dining options. My favorite is doing a split stay between the 2 resort areas!

I think a split stay is the perfect solution - in fact I slept on it last night and am going to do it, thank you so much

So, I'm staying 5 nights at the BC in a LV CL room and then the last 3 nights at the Poly in a TPV CL room, although I am still tempted to return to the GF RPC, OMG this is sooooo hard!

BC is a new resort for me (I love the rooms) so it might be fun to try the Poly too (another new resort) or to return to the GF where I've stayed once before. I like to have an appetiser in the lounge but as I prefer to go out to eat at a sit down restaurant that isn't a deal breaker.