Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[Bmath]

I'm in the minority and say go for the night before...lol. We've done it both ways and finally came to the conclusion that adding a night at the beginning of our trips was much more relaxing for us. We take a later flight and don't get in until after midnight, but we find that works best for us. We check in and get to bed and wake up the next morning ready to go. Getting up at 3-4am to get to the airport for a 7am flight just isn't exciting anymore .

Ok, I read your post and thought to myself:

"Why did I book a hotel at Pittsburgh airport the night before and the 5:30AM flight out, why not switch it up!"

So I looked at southwest and its the same number of miles for me to fly in the day before on a 5:00PM-7:20PM direct flight and I looked at Hyatt and I can get a room at the MCO Hyatt Regency for a $60 cost difference.

So now I am on my third flight change!

My question now, how doe Magical Express work if I get in the day before?

 

[tobin04]

We've done this-flown in (waving hi! I live in Pittsburgh, too-about 10 minute from the airport)...we flew in and stayed right at the airport, then walked down to the magical express in the morning. Our TA set it up, so not sure of the logistics. I will say-that Hyatt was a dump. It's been a couple years, but I was surprised at how rundown it was!
And now I'm second guessing why I did the early morning flight instead of flying out the night before. Duh.

 

[BlueSkies]

Hi Everyone, today is my day to make dining reservations. I decided to use the new signature service to let them do it because I had an early meeting. Was a little nervous because of the changes but already received an email and got reservations for everything we wanted and at the right times. Just thought I would share. Have a good day.

Thanks you for sharing your experience with the new version of "IPO" .. I have often trusted them with making my dining in the past..and have not been disappointed....

Am staying CL level atrium at contemporary- just wondering if anyone knows the room number on the bay side that are the furthest from chef mickeys?As well as has anyone stayed there recently ? how was it?

I do have a list of rooms..yes I really do...lol......... that we or others have indicated they have preferred over the years...I will take a look at it and share that info...Not available to me right now... Cause maybe I am supposed to be getting some work done..???..LOL..Also there is a map of room numbers if I remember correctly right on the first page of the CR thread...Kook keeps a very comprehensive thread.

Tomorrow is our last day at BWI CL. Overall it's been good, not great. The food? Superb. Honestly, it's really wonderful and on par with the other upgraded CLs. The care they put into planning the menus and themeing them to the resort is obvious.

The garden cottage? It's a very nice room. But it is a HIKE to the CL lounge. It feels like a really bad maze. Honestly, the entire setup of the CL floor is crazy though so unless you have a room right near the lounge you'll deal with the same issues. In-room delivery of packages bought in the parks is very slow, too. It takes two days to get your package. We only got turndown service once, total, which was disappointing. No welcome gift. You have to walk through a designated smoking area to get to the elevators. Mousekeeping leaves behind dirty wine glasses from the day before. We also noticed areas of the room that hadn't been dusted in a long time.

CM interaction has been wonderful from some, lackluster from others. There doesn't seem to be much interest in doing the "little things" we've kinda become spoiled to expect from CR. There are some extremely great CMs there, though, and they make the experience worthwhile.

The lounge is way too small and poorly laid out. Especially now that they're serving more of a real meal in the evenings, it's often extremely chaotic and uninviting. You definitely feel like you should get your food and go, but if you're in a garden cottage it'll be cold by the time you get there. Due to the sheer number of CL guests, items are always empty and needing replenished. The CMs try so very hard to keep up but it's kinda impossible.

Bus service at BWI is atrocious. You have to share with Swan and Dolphin and you are always on a bus that's crowded to capacity or beyond.

Overall, we've enjoyed our visit at Boardwalk, but unless we get an insanely great low rate I doubt we'll be staying at an EPCOT resort again. The negatives just outweigh the positives for us.

Thanks for taking the time to post your review!

Oh no you switched from Tonga?! But I was looking forward to your trip review from there! Lol, that's ok - I'm the first one to understand switching things around. I had a terribly tough time settling on where to stay in a couple months at Easter. I'm finally settled on a split. First 2 nights at AKL CL. Last 5 nights at GF SL. It was a struggle because the girls and I had our hearts set on GF RPC. BUT the price of RPC at Easter was just too high for us. So it took me a while to get over my broken heart (lol) but I finally realized that SL will be perfect for pool time which we like to do almost every afternoon.

In any event, I agree Sunday omelette station sounds fabulous at BWI CL!

We generally stay in RPC...but I have to say. we do mix it up in the summer time ( and have never been disappointed..)...in those nice warmer months..you cannot beat SL for proximity to the pools....so convenient to run right into the lounge for a snack or a beverage! ..and what a very nice split! Enjoy..

We've done this-flown in (waving hi! I live in Pittsburgh, too-about 10 minute from the airport)...we flew in and stayed right at the airport, then walked down to the magical express in the morning. Our TA set it up, so not sure of the logistics. I will say-that Hyatt was a dump. It's been a couple years, but I was surprised at how rundown it was!
And now I'm second guessing why I did the early morning flight instead of flying out the night before. Duh.

I think pas stayed at the MCO Hyatt very recently...I know that she mentioned that they enjoyed their stay there...so maybe it's been updated??

dispro Great pics and review too ....You know that we too have become so enamored of the BWI in recent years! So much so that I prefer that split stay on our trips these days! Glad that you had such a wonderful stay....Based on your CL experience..and the offerings that Trish had at AKL...and what I have seem reported back from the BC CL...seems like all of the CLs are stepping it up (particularly BWI tho!)...IMO Poly really needs to do that ....

 

[Disneytam]

I think we are heading to Universal for the first time over our Spring Break in April. I'm scared and totally overwhelmed over planning this one... (In a this is not a real problem kind of thing)

I think this is why I never do this trip because I am so comfortable with my disney planning....

Trying to figure out if CL is the same over there. Anyone have any experience with Universal hotels CL? Or non CL rooms? or even close offsite? And what ticket package do I want? I want to be able to go where I want the 3 park days we have there and have as little wait time as possible

Anyone, any advice from you guys is most appreciated. I will hop over to the Universal forum as well and ask there as well. [/QUOTE/) My family has stayed at many of the Disney CL over the years and we have stayed a couple of times at the PB hotel CL with our last visit being this past Dec. When we did a split stay between the BWI CL and PBR CL. To be honest we love both places but they are different in many ways.

A stay at the Universal resort CL is so much more laid back and relaxed. Book your room and your planning is about done, and that is the hard part because we are so "trained" to plan every little detail at Disney. The front of the line pass that you receive with your room is SO much better than a FP system. I have never made a reservation at a restaurant at Universal and always eat were we want to.

As far as CL lounges go we love both. The food was wonderful at both but more of a meal at PBR. Breakfast had scrambled eggs, meats, potatoes and a large variety of pastries along with individual small boxed cereals and oatmeal with different toppings. I have heard that the BWI has upped the breakfast offerings since we were there but they were more of a continental breakfast with no cold cereals and no eggs or potatoes.

The staff are wonderful at both. More than once at the PBR a staff member would come over to our table and offer to top off my wine glass or see if we needed anything else. If you have read any of my posts on the dis you will see that I just love the BWI CL staff.

It was a nice treat one day at PBR to return for an afternoon swim and have poolside drink service and a pool to ourselves.

My biggest gripe at PBR is that all the drinks sit out on the countertop so they are warm. I'm talking about soft drinks and waters and they do not have refrigerators in the rooms.

Universal will also cost you about half what the hotel price is at Disney. If you have any questions just ask away, because I could type all day on this topic

OK some how I typed all this into what I was quoting. I will blame it on my new phone but I have no idea how to change it so just hit "click here to expand" above if you want to read what I wrote because I'm not typing it again. Can you tell that I am not the least bit computer savvy.

 

[Somnia]

How exciting! We love AKL and although we haven't tried CL there yet, I am always reading great things about it. Hope you have a great time .

Thanks! I'm extremely excited, we stayed at AKL (our first Deluxe) last year and knew we had to stay there again this year. I don't think we can go back from Deluxe now that we've stayed at one, thinking about the Poly for 2018!

 

[HBGdancermom]

OK some how I typed all this into what I was quoting. I will blame it on my new phone bit I have no idea how to change it so just hit "click here to expand" above if you want to read what I wrote because I'm not typing it again

I totally got your post. Thanks so much!! When I get home from work I am going to peruse trip reports and study up...I'm excited now!!

 

[Maxie86]

Another vote for flying in the night before and staying at the Hyatt. We have been there in the past year and it was not at all run down at all...I do believe it has been update in the last year or two. We get up early have breakfast and are at WDE by 9 well rested and ready to start our day.

 

[pas130]

Apologies in advance for any thing I miss in the multi-quote

Thanks for the shoutout!

Thanks Pas! I just bit the bullet and booked last night at HRH, staying in a deluxe room. CL is not available for my dates but I am going to keep checking. Our family is so used to that convenience of having the breakfast options and evening offerings.

There is a great breakfast buffet at the Kitchen and a grab and go breakfast at HRH, the pool bar has great eats too! Funnel cake fries...yummmm

Ok, I read your post and thought to myself:

"Why did I book a hotel at Pittsburgh airport the night before and the 5:30AM flight out, why not switch it up!"

So I looked at southwest and its the same number of miles for me to fly in the day before on a 5:00PM-7:20PM direct flight and I looked at Hyatt and I can get a room at the MCO Hyatt Regency for a $60 cost difference.

So now I am on my third flight change!

My question now, how doe Magical Express work if I get in the day before?

Easy peasy, call Magical Express and give them an early morning flight #, they don't check. The only caveat is having to load your own bags. It is a terrific feeling to walk off the plane and have a room ready and waiting! Plus there's so many places to grab food and desserts after you arrive.

I think pas stayed at the MCO Hyatt very recently...I know that she mentioned that they enjoyed their stay there...so maybe it's been updated??

LOVED the Hyatt, check in was a breeze. Comfy beds and nice toiletries. Maybe it was updated IDK, we were super comfy. We didn't get connecting rooms but did get adjoining. We landed after midnight so staying at the airport ROCKED! I also ordered ahead a fruit plate and some wine

For those flying out late, they have day rooms available as well. The rooftop pool with the runway view was awesome!!!

Another vote for flying in the night before and staying at the Hyatt. We have been there in the past year and it was not at all run down at all...I do believe it has been update in the last year or two. We get up early have breakfast and are at WDE by 9 well rested and ready to start our day.

We did that too, I took my DD down to McDs and grabbed hotcakes, coffee, OJ, and we ate in the room. We also had a runway view room so we could watch the planes taking off and landing. A huge hit for the kids. Then down the elevator and onto the Magical Express!

 

[mickeynut1]

I've now hit a level of new excitement -- we just paid off our balance way ahead of schedule!! Now to wait a bit more than 30 days before our 180 day window opens for dining!

It's always a great feeling to have your trip PIF! Good luck with your ADRs, I hope you get everything you want .

Ok, I read your post and thought to myself:

"Why did I book a hotel at Pittsburgh airport the night before and the 5:30AM flight out, why not switch it up!"

So I looked at southwest and its the same number of miles for me to fly in the day before on a 5:00PM-7:20PM direct flight and I looked at Hyatt and I can get a room at the MCO Hyatt Regency for a $60 cost difference.

So now I am on my third flight change!

My question now, how doe Magical Express work if I get in the day before?

You won't regret it! We love getting in late and waking up at Disney the next morning .

Thanks! I'm extremely excited, we stayed at AKL (our first Deluxe) last year and knew we had to stay there again this year. I don't think we can go back from Deluxe now that we've stayed at one, thinking about the Poly for 2018!

That's what happened to us. Our first onsite stay was at CBR and while we loved everything about it, once we tried a deluxe we haven't been able to stay anything else. The Poly is our favorite resort, I hope you are able to try it next year. With that said, we also love AKL and are hoping to try CL later this year .

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I'll be the contrarian about the MCO Hyatt. We did the later flight/spend the night there thing in November and I'll likely never do that again unless travel dictated getting there super later. My observations...

- One of the worst hotel rooms I have stayed at in years! I thought it was rundown, A/C didn't work that well, beds were not comfy, decor relatively dark. We had a junior suite for extra space and it's one of the most awkward room configurations I've ever seen. The whole place seemed a bit dated. I assume there are better room options than what we had given the other comments here.

- We arrived around 7ish. I had booked the night at the Hyatt because it was materially cheaper than a night at Disney. But once I got there I just wanted to get to Disney! I was like, "I'm a 30 minute drive from watching Wishes tonight" but I'm stuck here in this airport! I guess this sounds spoiled but once I land, I just want to get on property!

Obviously very subjective, but if I had to do it again I'd just go straight to Disney.

 

[Bmath]

I'll be the contrarian about the MCO Hyatt. We did the later flight/spend the night there thing in November and I'll likely never do that again unless travel dictated getting there super later. My observations...

- One of the worst hotel rooms I have stayed at in years! I thought it was rundown, A/C didn't work that well, beds were not comfy, decor relatively dark. We had a junior suite for extra space and it's one of the most awkward room configurations I've ever seen. The whole place seemed a bit dated. I assume there are better room options than what we had given the other comments here.

- We arrived around 7ish. I had booked the night at the Hyatt because it was materially cheaper than a night at Disney. But once I got there I just wanted to get to Disney! I was like, "I'm a 30 minute drive from watching Wishes tonight" but I'm stuck here in this airport! I guess this sounds spoiled but once I land, I just want to get on property!

Obviously very subjective, but if I had to do it again I'd just go straight to Disney.

I thought about adding another day to Disney but the Hyatt for me was basically free (Cash+Points so $60). So my only other reasonable choice would be a value resort which would run $150+ and then I would need to move rooms after the first night.

Theoretically I could broaden my search around Orlando since I have hotel points with SPG, Marriott and Hyatt but I don't know how useful it would be to leave the airport head to a hotel somewhere then go to disney the next morning.

 

[Disneytam]

I thought about adding another day to Disney but the Hyatt for me was basically free (Cash+Points so $60). So my only other reasonable choice would be a value resort which would run $150+ and then I would need to move rooms after the first night.

Theoretically I could broaden my search around Orlando since I have hotel points with SPG, Marriott and Hyatt but I don't know how useful it would be to leave the airport head to a hotel somewhere then go to disney the next morning.

Would you be able to use points at the Swan or Dolphin? We did this for our last trip and loved it. We flew in late, checked into the Swan at a great rate and then had a late dinner on the Boardwalk. We received a free upgrade to a balcony room as well. The next morning we walked over with our luggage to the BWI and checked in. We will definitely do this again! The room rate was less than half what we were paying at the BWI.

 

[londontime]

Evening all from London. Do the CL IPO's still email? I'm booked at the Poly CL for mid July, so well in my 180 days, but haven't heard diddly squat. Last year we stayed CL at GF and we got an email asking if they could do anything. I'm a sort it out myself kinda guy, but was just wondering if this is new standard practice?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Evening all from London. Do the CL IPO's still email? I'm booked at the Poly CL for mid July, so well in my 180 days, but haven't heard diddly squat. Last year we stayed CL at GF and we got an email asking if they could do anything. I'm a sort it out myself kinda guy, but was just wondering if this is new standard practice?

IPO has been replaced with a new service called Disney Signature Services, which is basically the same as IPO it's just a centralized contact point for all CL guests. This is a recent change. They have been reaching out (via phone) to some folks with upcoming reservations, but not everyone has been getting calls. Doesn't look like any unsolicited e-mail outreach yet, like they used to do.

You can e-mail them at: disney.signature.services@disneyworld.com

Just include your reservation number in the e-mail.

My brief interactions with them via e-mail and phone so far have been really good. I like the new setup.

Hope that helps!

 

[londontime]

IPO has been replaced with a new service called Disney Signature Services, which is basically the same as IPO it's just a centralized contact point for all CL guests. This is a recent change. They have been reaching out (via phone) to some folks with upcoming reservations, but not everyone has been getting calls. Doesn't look like any unsolicited e-mail outreach yet, like they used to do.

You can e-mail them at: disney.signature.services@disneyworld.com

Just include your reservation number in the e-mail.

My brief interactions with them via e-mail and phone so far have been really good. I like the new setup.

Hope that helps!

Thanks mate, that's perfect. I won't hold my breath for them phoning me in London.......

 

[CoreyDisneyDad]

Hi all! We'll be staying at YC CL for a long weekend next month. How's the food looking nowadays there?

 

[Bmath]

Would you be able to use points at the Swan or Dolphin? We did this for our last trip and loved it. We flew in late, checked into the Swan at a great rate and then had a late dinner on the Boardwalk. We received a free upgrade to a balcony room as well. The next morning we walked over with our luggage to the BWI and checked in. We will definitely do this again! The room rate was less than half what we were paying at the BWI.

Unfortunately Swan and Dolphin are both booked but my wife has decided to overrule my decision and she said we are going to book a night at Pop for $169. The kids want to see the Cars stuff at Art of Animation and now I wont have to make a special trip.

 

[trishadono]

Unfortunately Swan and Dolphin are both booked but my wife has decided to overrule my decision and she said we are going to book a night at Pop for $169. The kids want to see the Cars stuff at Art of Animation and now I wont have to make a special trip.

I stayed at AOA last year. I love love cl but the themeing at pop and AOA is so totally Disney fun you'll be glad you took the time. I posted tons of pix in January 2016 on the AOA thread if needed.

 

[cwis]

Just a note to share that I'm a big fan of the new DSS service. They reply by email much faster than IPO used to, and I feel the communication by phone to be much more personalized and pleasant.

We've made a few requests to book umbrellas and cabanas at the water parks, they sent an email before 10am on the day our booking window opened, with all details regarding the reservations they were able to manage for us. (There is one last reservation that they still could not book, because it goes past the 180+10 day limit on our 14-days trip, and they told us they would book it as soon as possible.)

So far, DSS performs far better than my expectations. I was afraid I would miss IPO; it turns out I am pretty enthusiastic with this change! Long live DSS

 

[ErinsMommy]

For those that waited for DSS to contact you, how far ahead of the 180 day window did they do so? Or did you have to contact them?