Concierge/Club Level Information - Part III (October 2010)

[pas130]

So happy for you!

Thanks!!! And 43 days til our Florida trip. So close but so far....

WOW and more WOW, pas130! I have missed you! That is such exciting news. Does DH know? I hope he approved because that's a great upgrade and I don't want you to change it. Yippee

I missed you too!!!!He's so excited. I don't think the kiddos believe this is really where we are staying DH says the Poly feels right to him. I was pricing it out yesterday and also showing him SL pictures, but he said GF wasn't for him. I thought he would flip about the upgrade, but he said "I am sold on Poly, and if I am happy he is happy" Bottom line....he has been talking to YOUR DH or he is happy too.

 

[mickeynut1]

Have any of you done both the DxDP AND CL? Would love to hear about your experience!

I am trying to decide this as well . We always got the DDP but tried the DlxDDP this past December and now we're hooked on it . But I'm also wondering if it's too much with CL .

You're welcome over on the Resort Changer's thread anytime! I wonder if the endings of our screenames has anyhing to do with our list OC

Thanks for the link.....I may just have to go over there . I have never made so many changes to a reservation.....I would book and that was it. Then this past December's trip really took a toll on me.....it made my head spin with all the changes I made . Now this December's trip seems to be going in that same direction . You might be on to something about the endings of our screen names and the list OC .

DH says the Poly feels right to him. I was pricing it out yesterday and also showing him SL pictures, but he said GF wasn't for him. I thought he would flip about the upgrade, but he said "I am sold on Poly, and if I am happy he is happy" Bottom line....he has been talking to YOUR DH or he is happy too.

That's the same feeling here.....the Poly just has that "feeling" . The GF is nice too, but we tend to lean toward the Poly as well . I'm really excited about trying Poly CL to see how it compares to GF RPC and SL .

 

[Missoutandabout]

I bought the smallest possible bag by Crumpler that would hold the camera body, big lens, 50 mm lens and flash, as I hate to lug a big bag around. I have a dedicated case for my big wide angle lens. I actually mostly just wear the camera on a Crumpler strap and leave the bag at the hotel. I take so many pictures that I would be taking the camera in and out of the case constantly. The bag protects the gear in my carry on, although I do carry it if the weather is iffy. I highly recommend the Crumpler straps. They are padded, comfy, and strong.

When I am riding (and I do ride the big coasters and water rides) I keep the camera around my neck on the strap and hold it in my hands. I don't hang on to lap bars much - just the camera! I do take pictures on rides as well, so it keeps the camera handy. On Splash Mountain I'll put the camera in a plastic bag in my regular messenger bag that I always carry. The one exception is Kali River Rapids. I'll put the camera in a locker if I have a yen to raft in Asia.

Thanks for all of this great info. Just couldn't wrap my head around the logistics of carrying the SLR but your description makes sense. I'm another one of those "not wanting to carry a massive bag" people.

Poly, Poly, Poly! For our first Poly stay, and thanks to 2 OT shifts last week, I upgraded to CL

Yay, sweet upgrade! You'll have to let us know how you like it.

 

[ice cube]

Thanks for the response This is our first time staying club level at Disney and we didn't want to do anything that will be frowned upon. We will definitely grab some breakfast. Thanks.

You can actually check in as early as 7am and start using all the perks conceirge level has to offer even if your room isn't ready..

 

[PoohNFriends]

I see that people have purchased their MNSSHP at the CL desk, but has anyone had them reserve tickets ahead of time or the day before with DVC discount? I think tickets using the DVC discount are all will call because the member has to show their member card at pick-up. We plan to go Oct 23 and the 25th if we want to go a 2nd night; I just haven't decided if I should purchase both nights ahead of time.

 

[LBAK]

I booked CL at WL and wanted to know if concierge can arranged the Segway tours and reserve a time to be a flag family provided the days aren't taken already?
This trip is a suprise for DD Sweet Sixteen. We stayed CL at Poly before but our bdget this year doesn't allow for that. Will we be disappointed with WL as opposed to the Polyclub level?

 

[pas130]

That's the same feeling here.....the Poly just has that "feeling" . The GF is nice too, but we tend to lean toward the Poly as well . I'm really excited about trying Poly CL to see how it compares to GF RPC and SL .

Nice to see you on the RC thread I get to stay at SL for the first time in December, so it's all good! Poly was my dream resort before I started lurking on the GF thread I keep thinking how awesome it will be to be so close to the beach, and castle, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Yay, sweet upgrade! You'll have to let us know how you like it.

I am sure I will LOVE it! And I was told to order a "Backscratcher" by the CM, and I also never tried a LapuLapu (always been BF or preggers) lots of firsts this trip

 

[BC1836]

Nice to see you on the RC thread I get to stay at SL for the first time in December, so it's all good! Poly was my dream resort before I started lurking on the GF thread

Alas, management does not allow CMs at GF's Sugar Loaf to enforce the "No shirt, no shoes" rule that even 7-11 abides by. We have no idea why. Hopefully, your CL stay will be free of those aforementioned folks and their wet-bathing suit allies.

All the best.

 

[WDWKOOK]

I booked CL at WL and wanted to know if concierge can arranged the Segway tours and reserve a time to be a flag family provided the days aren't taken already?
This trip is a suprise for DD Sweet Sixteen. We stayed CL at Poly before but our bdget this year doesn't allow for that. Will we be disappointed with WL as opposed to the Polyclub level?

Yes, the IPO will book all your tours, recreation, etc... Just email them and let them know what you need:

Wilderness.Lodge.Itinerary.Planning@disneyworld.com

You can't reserve Flag Family. Just let the CL/CM know of your interest when you check-in.

You won't be disappointed with the Old Faithful Club. I stayed 8 nights at the WL/CL over Christmas and we'll be returning for 5 nights in less than two weeks.

I loved the lounge view out to the lobby below and out to the courtyard and Bay Lake. The lounge was kept very neat and clean which I loved. Food was replenished and lounge rules were enforced while I was there. I'm hoping they haven't changed a thing. Of course, the WL rooms are small at 340 SF and the Poly's are about 415 SF, so that's one big difference. Plus the WL CL floor rooms only have standing balconies, but unlike the Poly, every CL room does have a balcony.

We've never stayed CL at the Poly so I can't compare it. After our stay at the WL/CL we move on to the Poly/CL for 7 nights. I'll be posting some live TRs from both resorts. The WL/CL is only one floor, whereas the Poly's is 3 floors plus some who come at night from the Tonga suites. I suspect it will be more crowded than the WL, but they seem to have a larger food selection and lounge seating areas to compensate.

 

[mickeynut1]

Nice to see you on the RC thread I get to stay at SL for the first time in December, so it's all good! Poly was my dream resort before I started lurking on the GF thread I keep thinking how awesome it will be to be so close to the beach, and castle, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Thanks, I'm glad I jumped in on the RC thread.....it's lots of fun over there . At one point we were booked GF SL for this December until I started thinking about my beloved Poly....and then DS threw in his 2 cents and asked to switch . But the GF is beautiful at Christmas time and I think you'll like SL .

You won't be disappointed with the Old Faithful Club. I stayed 8 nights at the WL/CL over Christmas and we'll be returning for 5 nights in less than two weeks.

I loved the lounge view out to the lobby below and out to the courtyard and Bay Lake. The lounge was kept very neat and clean which I loved. Food was replenished and lounge rules were enforced while I was there. I'm hoping they haven't changed a thing. Of course, the WL rooms are small at 340 SF and the Poly's are about 415 SF, so that's one big difference. Plus the WL CL floor rooms only have standing balconies, but unlike the Poly, every CL room does have a balcony.

We LOVE the WL at Christmas and were actually booked CL there for this December. I love how the lounge looks out over the lobby.....very beautiful and relaxing with it all decorated for the holidays . But after experiencing the larger rooms at the Poly and GF (plus having a daybed), we are spoiled and like the extra room space as well as the extra bed . So it's hard to go back to a smaller room and my DSs sharing a bed .

 

[DVCKev]

Have any of you done both the DxDP AND CL? Would love to hear about your experience!

We did the regular DDP and CL at the Poly last April for a week after our 4 day Disney Cruise. It was definately the best of both worlds. We use the CL mainly for breakfast daily and the free beers were a tremendous money saver. We did the nightly hot appetizers one night that week and it was the chicken skewers which were great. A lot of people I think try and use CL as their meal lol, people were piling up their plates. We drank the CL out of bud light twice that week on nights we came back early and went to the pool for the evening. It was nice to be able to run up and get a couple of beers from the lounge and not have to pay those prices. The staff were excellent all week. I alos loved being able to just send pictures and other stuff we bought back to the room and not have to carry it around or make a pit stop to drop it off. The lagoon view from CL was also unbelievable. I think the only difference with the DxDDP and what we did is you'll also get the mugs and appetizers at your dinners as well as being able to do 3 sit downs a day if you want. I would suggest skipping and using the CL which would allow you to double up on a couple of meals and go to the signature resturants, again we did that a couple of nights and we were able to go to Narcooses for steak and lobster one night and then to the Brown Derby another. Definately a good pairing to me if you can afford it.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thanks, I'm glad I jumped in on the RC thread.....it's lots of fun over there . At one point we were booked GF SL for this December until I started thinking about my beloved Poly....and then DS threw in his 2 cents and asked to switch . But the GF is beautiful at Christmas time and I think you'll like SL .



We LOVE the WL at Christmas and were actually booked CL there for this December. I love how the lounge looks out over the lobby.....very beautiful and relaxing with it all decorated for the holidays . But after experiencing the larger rooms at the Poly and GF (plus having a daybed), we are spoiled and like the extra room space as well as the extra bed . So it's hard to go back to a smaller room and my DSs sharing a bed .

We're glad you jumped over, too. We love having new resort changing issues to mull over.

I understand about the appeal of the larger room. In fact, I tried again today to book the Deluxe room, but it's still excluded from our military discount. But don't forget that the Deluxe rooms at the WL have 500 SF, two queens and the queen sofa bed in the parlor and they also have the regular CL rooms with bunk beds for your sons.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We did the regular DDP and CL at the Poly last April for a week after our 4 day Disney Cruise. It was definately the best of both worlds. We use the CL mainly for breakfast daily and the free beers were a tremendous money saver. We did the nightly hot appetizers one night that week and it was the chicken skewers which were great. A lot of people I think try and use CL as their meal lol, people were piling up their plates. We drank the CL out of bud light twice that week on nights we came back early and went to the pool for the evening. It was nice to be able to run up and get a couple of beers from the lounge and not have to pay those prices. The staff were excellent all week. I alos loved being able to just send pictures and other stuff we bought back to the room and not have to carry it around or make a pit stop to drop it off. The lagoon view from CL was also unbelievable. I think the only difference with the DxDDP and what we did is you'll also get the mugs and appetizers at your dinners as well as being able to do 3 sit downs a day if you want. I would suggest skipping and using the CL which would allow you to double up on a couple of meals and go to the signature resturants, again we did that a couple of nights and we were able to go to Narcooses for steak and lobster one night and then to the Brown Derby another. Definately a good pairing to me if you can afford it.

It's great hearing about your experience since we'll be at the Poly/CL soon. We've stayed there before, but never CL. It sounds like you were pleased with the lounge. We're really looking forward to the lounge view, but have decided to skip the DxDP since we have the TIW 20%. When our APs expire, we'll probably reconsider adding the DxDP next year.

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[mickeynut1]

We did the regular DDP and CL at the Poly last April for a week after our 4 day Disney Cruise. It was definately the best of both worlds. We use the CL mainly for breakfast daily and the free beers were a tremendous money saver. We did the nightly hot appetizers one night that week and it was the chicken skewers which were great. A lot of people I think try and use CL as their meal lol, people were piling up their plates. We drank the CL out of bud light twice that week on nights we came back early and went to the pool for the evening. It was nice to be able to run up and get a couple of beers from the lounge and not have to pay those prices. The staff were excellent all week. I alos loved being able to just send pictures and other stuff we bought back to the room and not have to carry it around or make a pit stop to drop it off. The lagoon view from CL was also unbelievable. I think the only difference with the DxDDP and what we did is you'll also get the mugs and appetizers at your dinners as well as being able to do 3 sit downs a day if you want. I would suggest skipping and using the CL which would allow you to double up on a couple of meals and go to the signature resturants, again we did that a couple of nights and we were able to go to Narcooses for steak and lobster one night and then to the Brown Derby another. Definately a good pairing to me if you can afford it.

Thanks for your review of the dining plan with CL . We love the dining plan and can't go to Disney without it....I just can't decide whether to stick with the deluxe or regular . We love the deluxe, but I'm thinking the basic DDP would be plenty with CL .

We're glad you jumped over, too. We love having new resort changing issues to mull over.

I understand about the appeal of the larger room. In fact, I tried again today to book the Deluxe room, but it's still excluded from our military discount. But don't forget that the Deluxe rooms at the WL have 500 SF, two queens and the queen sofa bed in the parlor and they also have the regular CL rooms with bunk beds for your sons.

LOL.....I have never made so many changes to a trip in my entire life.....I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this . When I originally booked WL CL, I tried to get a deluxe room but it wasn't available with my pin code . We've stayed WL CL in a standard room and then non-CL courtyard view....but I have read about the deluxe rooms and those sound wonderful . Don't get me thinking too much on that as I may have to make my way back over to the RC thread .

It's great hearing about your experience since we'll be at the Poly/CL soon. We've stayed there before, but never CL. It sounds like you were pleased with the lounge. We're really looking forward to the lounge view, but have decided to skip the DxDP since we have the TIW 20%. When our APs expire, we'll probably reconsider adding the DxDP next year.

Thanks for your thoughts

I can't wait to hear what you think of Poly CL. We've stayed at the Poly before too, but not CL. We fell in love with the resort the minute we checked in. I have read so many great things about CL that I can't wait to try it .

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thanks for your review of the dining plan with CL . We love the dining plan and can't go to Disney without it....I just can't decide whether to stick with the deluxe or regular . We love the deluxe, but I'm thinking the basic DDP would be plenty with CL .

I ran the numbers by looking at our ADRs for a few days and writing down (from the online menus) what all three of us would actually order. I subtracted the 20% TIW for the TSs and summed the total. For us, the DP isn't advantageous, especially since we don't really want the desserts, mugs or snacks. But w/o TIW next year, it may be.

I found that if we were using the DxDP, I would of course want to "max it out" which would make us feel compelled to over-eat and over-schedule our ADRs. Plus, we love CL, not so much for the food, but the other amenities. With the DxDp and CL we decided that we probably wouldn't be at the resort/lounge as much as we'd like. I think the way to do the DxDP more enjoyably and not over-eat is to do the two TS at night and then do the one TS during the day, but then you still have all those desserts twice a day and at the lounge

 

[sto6917]

Hi everyone,

We returned a couple of weeks ago from 9 days at the Beach Club - Stone Harbor Club.

As most of you know, the lounge is smaller than most. It was nice, and we loved the evening offerings from the Captian's Grille.

The staff - especially Basilla, was wonderful.

One thing was missing - smiles on the faces of the guests in the lounge. It made me want to always smile and say hi to everyone even more. Everyone seemed to be "checking everyone out."

A woman even looked at a toddler milling about the room with disgust. It was almost comical that the woman thought there shouldn't be children in the lounge.

I did not experience this at the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge. Was it the heat?

We had a great trip overall. I do prefer the King Kamehameha Old Faithful Clubs, but I love the Beach Club for it's proximity to Epcot and Stormalong Bay.

The pool parties and lifeguards were fabulous!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Hi everyone,

We returned a couple of weeks ago from 9 days at the Beach Club - Stone Harbor Club.

As most of you know, the lounge is smaller than most. It was nice, and we loved the evening offerings from the Captian's Grille.

The staff - especially Basilla, was wonderful.

One thing was missing - smiles on the faces of the guests in the lounge. It made me want to always smile and say hi to everyone even more. Everyone seemed to be "checking everyone out."

A woman even looked at a toddler milling about the room with disgust. It was almost comical that the woman thought there shouldn't be children in the lounge.

I did not experience this at the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge. Was it the heat?

We had a great trip overall. I do prefer the King Kamehameha Old Faithful Clubs, but I love the Beach Club for it's proximity to Epcot and Stormalong Bay.

The pool parties and lifeguards were fabulous!

Thanks for posting your reivew and it's great you enjoyed their Club Level Cast Members. I say that because next month I am having my first Club Level stay at the Beach Club, so the more positive reviews the better.

As for the guests "checking everyone out" I am not sure why they would need to or maybe they like to see how much food people take. If that was so I think it's none of their business. Finally I laugh at the comment you made about the woman who looked disgusted seeing a todler in the lounge. It's Walt Disney World and they are all around, even in the Club Level lounges.

 

[pixarmom]

Hi everyone,

We returned a couple of weeks ago from 9 days at the Beach Club - Stone Harbor Club.

As most of you know, the lounge is smaller than most. It was nice, and we loved the evening offerings from the Captian's Grille.

The staff - especially Basilla, was wonderful.

One thing was missing - smiles on the faces of the guests in the lounge. It made me want to always smile and say hi to everyone even more. Everyone seemed to be "checking everyone out."

A woman even looked at a toddler milling about the room with disgust. It was almost comical that the woman thought there shouldn't be children in the lounge.

I did not experience this at the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge. Was it the heat?

We had a great trip overall. I do prefer the King Kamehameha Old Faithful Clubs, but I love the Beach Club for it's proximity to Epcot and Stormalong Bay.

The pool parties and lifeguards were fabulous!

So happy to hear you had a great trip and enjoyed BC!

But I'm so sorry to hear about the other guests in the lounge. I hope you'll give it another try sometime. We stayed in a deluxe BC CL room for a week in February and the other guests were more friendly than I expected. One morning, our pre-schooler walked in to the club lounge, looked around and said, "Hi everybody!" to the entire room. The response was sweet - several other guests talked to him and he had lots of opportunity for conversation that morning.

We'll be back in August, so I'll be interested to see how it compares with our February experience. If it doesn't compare favorably, I'll take your advice and smile more! We're also trying BWI CL in August, and I'm hoping it will be child-friendly!

 

[pixarmom]

Finally I laugh at the comment you made about the woman who looked disgusted seeing a todler in the lounge. it's Walt Disney World and they are all around, even in the Club Level lounges.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We're also trying BWI CL in August, and I'm hoping it will be child-friendly!

During my two Club Level stays there I always saw kids in the lounge and it was child friendly.