Concierge/Club Level Information- Part IV, July 2012

[mom_of_2]

Does anyone know if they still have Swedish fish at the YC CL?

I know...really bizarre question. Im honestly embarrassed to be asking. But it was one of he main reasons my partner wanted me to upgrade to CL. (He had a major health scare this summer, and we'll find out the week before we go this October if he's clear or not for another 3 months.)

And if they don't, do you think they'd think I was crazy if I asked for them prior to arriving?

Yes, I know we can get them at the grocery store, but he really wanted me to upgrade to YC CL from POR since our summer was so awful.

I stayed at BC CL 2 weeks ago and they did have Swedish fish but as someone said they were the multi colored ones not just red. Just as good to me though!

 

[Kimmy2Disney]

Does anyone know if they still have Swedish fish at the YC CL?

I know...really bizarre question. Im honestly embarrassed to be asking. But it was one of he main reasons my partner wanted me to upgrade to CL. (He had a major health scare this summer, and we'll find out the week before we go this October if he's clear or not for another 3 months.)

And if they don't, do you think they'd think I was crazy if I asked for them prior to arriving?

Yes, I know we can get them at the grocery store, but he really wanted me to upgrade to YC CL from POR since our summer was so awful.

We were there at YC 8/29-9/2 and Swedish fish were in the lounge during afternoon snacks and late night after desserts... Have fun!!!

 

[Deb123]

Just upgraded at BWI from 1 bedroom villa to deluxe room, mainly for the view. A little concerned about the evening app comments. We have only done club level at WL and Beach Club. Is their really that big of a difference? We only did them once at WL, but 2-3 times at beach club and really enjoyed it. Anyone that has recently been have any comments on the evening offerings. We are not looking to turn it into dinner, just have some light bites and a glass of wine before heading out.

Never stayed at BWI's CL, but there is definitely a difference between WL CL and BC's. But if you were satisfied at BC's CL than I think you should be happy with BWI.

 

[eeyore81]

Can anyone tell me about the kids food available in the lounge at AKL? Thanks!!!

 

[ToyStory3]

We stayed CL a couple years ago at BCR and loved it. It was out first on site stay as a family. We've dreamed of going back ever since then and trying another CL. Maybe AKL or WL. We have no interest in doing the DDP along with CL. I know it's not a meal replacement but it does include breakfast and other snacks and its just too much food for us to do both. We prefer to pay OOP when staying CL so we have more flexibility.

Anyway we knew for sure that we were returning and doing CL somewhere. Well now my sister and her family are going with us next year which is fantastic and we are very excited. But it's their first on site stay and they're very excited to do the DDP so they can try restaurants and do some character meals etc. So now I'm rethinking staying CL. I'm wondering if we should do the DDP with them. There are a lot of restaurants we've never done and we've never done a character meal.

Since we're going next September it's possible we will have our choice of a percentage off for CL or free dining. I'm very torn. Again - no interest in doing both. Thoughts??

 

[LB1122]

WL CL is amazing......you're going to love it . One thing (among many) that I love about the lounge is the seating as it's arranged around the railing overlooking the lobby, which makes for a relaxing time to sit and take in the atmosphere and watch everyone coming and going in the lobby below . Also, the lodge is beautiful anytime of year, but especially during the holidays as the decorations are absolutely gorgeous .

Thanks for this. Seeing photos and hearing about it...ahh. Also knowing there will be a giant Christmas Tree in the lobby oh so excited.

One more quick story about the CL CM’s at the Polynesian. Our trip was last Christmas. We are from CT about a half hour away from Sandy Hook. We where causally talking to our CM about the tragedy and said we wanted to do a small remembrance of the 26 life’s lost just before the holidays. Our CM talked to her supervisors and they supplied us with 26 tea lights and an environmentally friendly real Leigh to let float out from the beach into the lagoon one night. It was an amazing, emotional little ceremony on the beach. We even had a couple of the CM’s from AK we meet come over to participate.

This is such a wonderful memory and so sweet

Does anyone know if they still have Swedish fish at the YC CL?

I know...really bizarre question. Im honestly embarrassed to be asking. But it was one of he main reasons my partner wanted me to upgrade to CL. (He had a major health scare this summer, and we'll find out the week before we go this October if he's clear or not for another 3 months.)

And if they don't, do you think they'd think I was crazy if I asked for them prior to arriving?

Yes, I know we can get them at the grocery store, but he really wanted me to upgrade to YC CL from POR since our summer was so awful.

OH that sounds so yummy. Hope you have them and good news before your trip.

Club Level food is sounding so good. Can not wait to try some and share.

 

[mickeynut1]

Can anyone tell me about the kids food available in the lounge at AKL? Thanks!!!

I can't help as we've never stayed AKL CL, but hopefully someone will be able to give some info on the kids food .

We stayed CL a couple years ago at BCR and loved it. It was out first on site stay as a family. We've dreamed of going back ever since then and trying another CL. Maybe AKL or WL. We have no interest in doing the DDP along with CL. I know it's not a meal replacement but it does include breakfast and other snacks and its just too much food for us to do both. We prefer to pay OOP when staying CL so we have more flexibility.

Anyway we knew for sure that we were returning and doing CL somewhere. Well now my sister and her family are going with us next year which is fantastic and we are very excited. But it's their first on site stay and they're very excited to do the DDP so they can try restaurants and do some character meals etc. So now I'm rethinking staying CL. I'm wondering if we should do the DDP with them. There are a lot of restaurants we've never done and we've never done a character meal.

Since we're going next September it's possible we will have our choice of a percentage off for CL or free dining. I'm very torn. Again - no interest in doing both. Thoughts??

We love the DDP, but if I had to choose between the DDP and CL and had my heart set on CL, I would book CL and pay OOP for meals. WL CL is one of our favorites (haven't stayed AKL CL), so it would be hard (for me) to pass up (especially if I had already made up my mind to stay CL). However, with that said, if you do decide on the DDP over CL, you'll still have a great time . Good luck.

Thanks for this. Seeing photos and hearing about it...ahh. Also knowing there will be a giant Christmas Tree in the lobby oh so excited.

Club Level food is sounding so good. Can not wait to try some and share

You're welcome . The huge Christmas tree is amazing, as are all of the other great decorations. And the CL food offerings are great.....it doesn't get much better than WL CL combined with Christmas .

 

[NicoleLarson]

Can anyone tell me about the kids food available in the lounge at AKL? Thanks!!!

The kids section is great. They have their own table full of goodies. Ham and cheese roll ups, uncrustables, ants on a log, gold fish, gummy bears...I am sure there was some other stuff but can't remember. Also there is a little kids section with tables and chairs. As well as one night they had a lady coloring with them and doing fun stuff like temporary tattoos. The staff was wonderful...I hope you love it as much as we did!

 

[kristainohio]

Is there a kids section at all CLs or just AKL? We are staying at WL CL in one week and it would be so cool if there were kids snacks etc!

 

[eeyore81]

The kids section is great. They have their own table full of goodies. Ham and cheese roll ups, uncrustables, ants on a log, gold fish, gummy bears...I am sure there was some other stuff but can't remember. Also there is a little kids section with tables and chairs. As well as one night they had a lady coloring with them and doing fun stuff like temporary tattoos. The staff was wonderful...I hope you love it as much as we did!

Awesome!! Thanks so much for the info!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Just to reply to the PP who asked about the dining plan vs. OOP and CL:

For the first time in May we stayed BC CL and paid OOP for food with the TIW card ( we have AP's) It was wonderful to be able to eat how we wanted instead of what the dining plan wanted us too. We shared apps and had some adult beverages instead of a full entree and dessert, and took full advantage of breakfasts in the lounge. We are doing CL again at BWI, and I think it will be the way we do our trips from now on.

Just our perspective.

 

[Miss Potts]

Agree... We stay CL and always pay OOP. This year we had annual passes so we also purchased a TiW card.. It has provided a LOT of savings!

We like to do OOP, because you can eat what you like... We are not dessert lovers, so we prefer to order an app, split an entree.. Whatever strikes our fancy.

I'm a nerd and always compare what we paid to what the DDP would have been, and the numbers are close but I feel for the money we enjoy our meals much more by paying OOP.

To each their own of course!

 

[BringingUpDisney]

We stayed CL a couple years ago at BCR and loved it. It was out first on site stay as a family. We've dreamed of going back ever since then and trying another CL. Maybe AKL or WL. We have no interest in doing the DDP along with CL. I know it's not a meal replacement but it does include breakfast and other snacks and its just too much food for us to do both. We prefer to pay OOP when staying CL so we have more flexibility.

Anyway we knew for sure that we were returning and doing CL somewhere. Well now my sister and her family are going with us next year which is fantastic and we are very excited. But it's their first on site stay and they're very excited to do the DDP so they can try restaurants and do some character meals etc. So now I'm rethinking staying CL. I'm wondering if we should do the DDP with them. There are a lot of restaurants we've never done and we've never done a character meal.

Since we're going next September it's possible we will have our choice of a percentage off for CL or free dining. I'm very torn. Again - no interest in doing both. Thoughts??

I agree that doing both is too much, it's hard enough to eat the food with DDP without adding extra snacks! If you plan to eat a lot of meals with you Sister's family, it makes a lot of sense to do what they do and get the DDP. It will make it much easier when you are planning and paying as well.

 

[wifey]

There were Swedish Fish at YC over the last 3 weeks, DS was not a fan of the green ones, they also had trail mix and white chocolate or yogurt covered pretzels and milk chocolate chip or sugar sprinkle cookies as well as fruit and raw veggies and dips the kids could enjoy. If you wanted juice or sodas you could just ask the staff and they would find some for you if they had none out in the refrigerator in the lounge.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I can also chime in on CL + DDP. We we a family who thought that the DDP was too much food even before adding in CL. Well, when we combined the two, it was over the top! We had so many leftover DDP credits it was such a shame.

So then we did CL and paid OOP for food using our TiW card and it was perfect! Over the course of 11 days, we ate very well, but the way we like including 7 TS meals (incl sigs and character meals). DH and I like to share meals sometimes, and I often like to just order an app as a meal. Paying OOP I was able to do that and not have to order more food than I could eat, just to justify what I spent on the DDP.

Well, over 11 days, we spent $1080 on food. We would have spent about $1500 on the DDP, so the savings are clear. And we didn't feel bloated our whole vacation like we had on previous trips.

 

[wifey]

We had the regular/basic DDP during our stay and we didn't use all our snack credits or quick service credits up and still had 6 table service credits left when we checked out !! That was a first for us and even more amazing the CL staff said we still had 4 days of park entry left to use on our tickets/ MBs go figure!! The only reasons we can think of for not using them all were :
(1) Not all our days were spent in the parks
(2) Each morning we were taking bottles of water with us wherever we went and didn't need to wait until we entered a park to purchase drinks
(3) We must gave miscalculated our TS credits somewhere we are sure we used 2 each at the YSH so not quite caught up with where the extra ones came from
(4) Our refillable mugs (included with the DDP) were used often at HHs and the Market Place for sodas so we didn't need to purchase many beverages and the desserts were often something we could take away with us either Dasani Water/ Powerade/ fruit / cookies and yes we requested later collections of things like Mickey Ice Cream bars or sandwiches....So no extra snack credits used there either.

All the rest of the menu items were paid for OOP like starters or glasses of wine or beer with a meal which wasn't that frequent. We tipped at an average decent rate of 20-30% depending on location and service we received. All the staff deserve recognition for helping guests have a wonderful time it makes them feel appreciated and we like them to know how much we recognise their work and high standards too.

We used some snack credits at Goofy's at DTD to keep DS stocked up with candy he loves and Mickey Apples and Krispie treats but we never managed to find anything special that wouldn't melt in 5 minutes flat in the heat outside the shops.
We don't have TiW since we are not locals and don't have AP or DVC membership so it was still worth using the plan for us rather than taking lots more cash with us which can be a worry for me sometimes.
Oh BTW the cups you get with the meals at HHs on the dining plan can be refilled 3 times within the hour of your purchase the soda machines read the RFID chips in the bottom of the cups and tell you how long you need to wait until you can get your next refill approx 15 minutes apart we found. We had the burgers and fries with sodas and fruit/ ice cream a couple of times and this was a nice addition and definitely a welcome change.

 

[ToyStory3]

Thanks so much for all of the responses and feedback on DDP vs CL. It's been very helpful to read about your experiences. I think staying CL and paying OOP is what we will likely end up doing.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Just upgraded at BWI from 1 bedroom villa to deluxe room, mainly for the view. A little concerned about the evening app comments. We have only done club level at WL and Beach Club. Is their really that big of a difference? We only did them once at WL, but 2-3 times at beach club and really enjoyed it. Anyone that has recently been have any comments on the evening offerings. We are not looking to turn it into dinner, just have some light bites and a glass of wine before heading out.

We've stayed at both, though I always caution- over time.
In many ways, all the CL's are similar. In other ways there are small differences.

All CL's have fresh fruit in the AM. All have the whole fruits, I think all offer melon. Some also add in things like berries. All CL's offer pastries, but some have chocolate chip muffins; others have chocolate croissants. IMO, both are similar, but others might see them as different.

All have PM cheese trays, hot appetizers. Most hot appetizers are some kind of dumpling. I was recently surprised to see stew offered two nights of the week at WL. that's rather unique. It was a little odd to eat hearty meat stew in the heat of August, but okay. It was tasty, and a better option than fried Crab Rangoon.

Another important consideration is that all the lounges change a bit over time. I think they also change seasonally. There's also the matter of supply. (see the recent comments about Greek yogurt).

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanks so much for all of the responses and feedback on DDP vs CL. It's been very helpful to read about your experiences. I think staying CL and paying OOP is what we will likely end up doing.

We've tried all three combos. CL +DDP is way too much food for us. With a multifamily group- oop is less complicated than DDP. Deals change, so it's always it is wise to price out options for your group.

We've also tried trips where part of group was DDP, or part stayed non CL. Simply put, having everyone together, and on the same food plan makes for the smoothest vacation. Anything else means wasted time. It's not worth the $.

CL +some TS is a great combo, esp. the a la carte TS's. A la carte works because you only order what you wish to eat. CL does not mean you can't do any TS meals. Proximity is important in TS+CL. Monorail CL = TS on the loop/MK/WL. Epcot CL = Epcot/HS area TS. From CR, say, you can be at GF in about ten minutes via monorail. CR to the World Showcase and back takes much longer.

 

[HBGdancermom]

Thanks so much for all of the responses and feedback on DDP vs CL. It's been very helpful to read about your experiences. I think staying CL and paying OOP is what we will likely end up doing.

That's what we will do. We end up splitting a lot of entrees.