Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[2vets]

Hello! I’m thinking about planning a trip to the GF in August and I’m debating about whether I want to splurge on club level. Last time I did club level was September 2019 in the Sugar Loaf. I was wondering a couple of things:
1.) is the Sugar Loaf returning as club level?
2.) for those that have been since reopening, have any hot items been seen at breakfast?
3.)how are the mid day snacks? Is there still the delicious spinach dip? This was always my favorite time of day
4.) for those who have stayed recently, was it worth the cost?

A number of people have stayed at and reported on RPC (I’ve not seen anything on when/if Sugarloaf will return). You’d have to dig back a bit, but if memory serves, reports indicated that morning and evening offerings were similar to “the before times,” but that mid-day/afternoon now consisted of packaged or grab-n-go items (i.e., no tea and scones). I’ve got my first ever RPC stay next week for 4 nights and will plan on posting a few times to update everyone. It’s a big splurge, but I can’t wait!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

A little farther north, but I really love Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach about a half hour outside Jacksonville. Both the Omni and Ritz Carlton resorts are really nice there and offer beautiful beaches as well as other non-beach activities

For a February, if you seek 'beach weather', I'd suggest more southern FL than northern FL, though I post that with a big degree of variability.

For me, beach weather means mid 70's and up for afternoon high. That CAN happen in Feb across all of FL, and even up into GA, but more reliably happens the further south one goes.

Mind, some folks are happy to be on the beach in lower temps than I am. In Feb though, the jet stream is all over the place. It is often warm at least one day, but often also fairly cold at least one night each week in Central FL (WDW). Usually for us, Feb in WDW = afternoons in shorts, but nights =jeans/heavy sweatshirt, sometimes even hats/gloves.

Also, early Feb slightly trends cooler than the end of Feb, but the jet stream is very variable all month.

Southern FL tends to be more reliably warm, but it always depends on what temps you consider to be 'beach weather.'

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We've never stayed in club level before and we are staying for only ONE day in March at AKL. What's the best way to make the most of it?

Short answer is - more or less- spend time at the hotel, and especially in the lounge.

Longer answer: the lounge offers food and beverages 7am-10pm, but between the end of breakfast and about 5pm, the lounges don't offer much food. They also offer little or nothing 10pm to 6:30am. Coffee starts 6:30am, breakfast 7am. Appetizers run 5pm-7pm, desserts 8-10pm, but try to arrive by 9:30pm. they like to be DONE cleaning by 10pm.

You are allowed to take food to your room, but they prefer to if you bring dishes back. Wine glasses are especially in short supply. If you want to bring a beverage to pool/bus, ask for a paper cup.

When park touring, a plus of CL is that breakfast is quick and easy. Appetizers don't quite = dinner. Breakfast is continental. The downside of CL is that you have to come back to the hotel to get the food and beverages. If you can't make it back for appetizers, then try to at least return for desserts. If you return mid-day, maybe swing through the lounge for a beverage and a light snack, but not 'lunch.'

Beer/wine are offered on the line during appetizers, but you can request at other times. You may also be offered a mimosa.

Staff is helpful if you have any questions. (or were before the pandemic) They can't get dining reservations that don't exist, but will happily explain how to buy Genie+, book a tour, etc. If you want to make a last minute ADR dining change, talk to them.

 

[HBGdancermom]

I've come across this resort in my research for a Clearwater trip and it looks like a very nice resort. We're considering a 2-3 day trip to Clearwater in the spring and this one is definitely in the running. Any info/suggestions you might have on restaurants, shopping, etc would be greatly appreciated .

We didn't have a car for this trip so everything we did was walkable. There are a lot of restaurants and shops right outside the resort. In the resort, Caretta's was amazing for an adult sunset dinner. They also have this really nice firepit area out side the restaurant where we spent some time. We also spent a lot of time at the pool bar for food and drinks during the day. I especially loved the flag on your chair you raised when you needed anything. I tried to implement this at home but it failed. We loved this restaurant directly next door called Clear Sky Cafe and they serve breakfast lunch and dinner. We had dinner there one night and breakfast or breakfast/lunch takeout a few times. We also sat outside at Frenchies Cafe and they had great blackened grouper sandwiches and fish tacos. Speaking of tacos, my family cannot go anywhere without needing Mexican food within about 48 hours so we really loved Jimmy Hulu's down the street. Fantastic atmosphere. I am not a big shopper, so we really just hit the surf type shops right on the block. We were there in April a few years back and they had the sandcastle contest going on very close and that was really cool. My daughter and I also did spas treatments at the Sandpearl and that was nice. Hope this helps! Now I really want to go back.

 

[NicoleLarson]

The bedroom has 2 queens. This room is a massive improvement over the prior version as this furniture actually fits in the room.
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Relatively massive closet/makeup area.
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The bathroom is beautiful. With a full glass shower, it shares the same lack of privacy as the regular resort rooms.
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And then the world's plainest toilet room. Oh well.
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Since it's on the second floor and closest to the Grand Ceremonial House side of the building, the 1BR has arguably the best location in the Tonga Longhouse for fireworks viewing.
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So have you started to have your mail forwarded to the Poly? You are definitely giving tikiman a run for his money on your love for the poly!! Honestly, I can see why, this suite is lovely and those views are wonderful. But we need to have a serious talk....did you really say you prefer kurig over nespresso?! Thats like at least $30 in pods sitting there, don't send those back man, call me, I'll drive the hour and pick them up next time.

I'm guessing that tree is at least 4 refurbs ago?!

 

[HBGdancermom]

For my AP friends, does anyone know if the AP discount has ever included the BWI CL Deluxe room category in the room only discounts? Also Poly CL TPV as well?

If the APs are able to be purchase again for out of state guests, I'm trying to see if it is worth it to purchase to get a dsct on those room types.

Thanks!

 

[NicoleLarson]

We had a wonderful stay and are sadly back home. Looking forward to going back for Flower and Garden but most likely just Dolphin, no CL.

My daughter wants to do a beach vacation for winter break next month and all I know is Disney - She was not happy with my suggestion for Yacht and Beach Club.

Any recommendations for a nice beach resort in Florida? I don’t even know where to start. Tampa, West Palm, Miami??

*edit to add some CL pics and our room which was so pretty and had great views for Harmonious.

Living here in FL I would suggest something south of I-4, anything above this time of year, you are really rolling the dice weatherwise. I MUCH MUCH prefer the gulf side vs the Atlantic. Anywhere from Clearwater down to St. Pete Beach is lovely. We used to have a condo at Clearwater but the traffic got so terrible that we decided to move down to Treasure island. Its a good mix of old and new but no giant high rises. Theres some night life but nothing crazy. Its a bit less touristy and has a gigantic beach. I would not recommend the Don Cesar. You pay a lot for the name and nothing else. The Hyatt at Clearwater Beach is nice but you do have to cross a fairly busy street to get to the beach just FYI. Anna Maria Island is also beautiful but our favorite spot is Sanibel island. Both are very sleepy so I'm not sure your college age daughter would like it but they are both wonderful for just relaxing. Casa Ybel is wonderful on Sanibel, otherwise I would suggest to rent a condo on either of these islands. Right now is high season for South FL beaches so I do suggest booking something as soon as possible.

 

[chimo2u]

You all have me thinking about BWI CL now! LOL .... Hubby and I did stay at BWI CL in 2015 after our cruise, and I liked it...Hubby wasn't as wowed, but the CL lounge almost sounds worth trying again, especially for the chef/ the brunch on Sunday! Our stay is only 3 pre-cruise days, but to have a nice brunch before we head over to Port Canaveral on our Sunday to catch our cruise would be lovely! Also I love the Boardwalk area, it's so fun. I think I will price that out and see what it comes to!
ETA: Sadly zero deluxe rooms available. It's like the POLY little tag that says "this room/category is not available for your dates" oh well, guess I will have to keep looking and hopefully something may open up. Currently we are booked for Wilderness Lodge Club Level, so it's not a "all is lost" situation!

 

[Crazyhorse]

For my AP friends, does anyone know if the AP discount has ever included the BWI CL Deluxe room category in the room only discounts? Also Poly CL TPV as well?

If the APs are able to be purchase again for out of state guests, I'm trying to see if it is worth it to purchase to get a dsct on those room types.

Thanks!

Prior to Covid...I believe I was able to get an AP discount on BWI CL Deluxe. Keep in mind, there are only 10 rooms in that category.......

 

[Sarahslay]

For my AP friends, does anyone know if the AP discount has ever included the BWI CL Deluxe room category in the room only discounts? Also Poly CL TPV as well?

If the APs are able to be purchase again for out of state guests, I'm trying to see if it is worth it to purchase to get a dsct on those room types.

Thanks!

There were some available the time I'm going on my solo trip this summer, all the CL rooms were available with the AP discount. Of course I looked the other day and now only the garden cottage rooms are available. Those are hard to find though, I rarely even see them available for booking most times because there are so few rooms now in that category.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

The bedroom has 2 queens. This room is a massive improvement over the prior version as this furniture actually fits in the room.
View attachment 639610

View attachment 639612


View attachment 639614


Relatively massive closet/makeup area.
View attachment 639616

View attachment 639617

The bathroom is beautiful. With a full glass shower, it shares the same lack of privacy as the regular resort rooms.
View attachment 639618

View attachment 639619


View attachment 639620

And then the world's plainest toilet room. Oh well.
View attachment 639622


Since it's on the second floor and closest to the Grand Ceremonial House side of the building, the 1BR has arguably the best location in the Tonga Longhouse for fireworks viewing.
View attachment 639628

Wow, it has been ages since I was inside the Tonga building, this new theme looks amazing!!

 

[GrandFloridianFan]

A number of people have stayed at and reported on RPC (I’ve not seen anything on when/if Sugarloaf will return). You’d have to dig back a bit, but if memory serves, reports indicated that morning and evening offerings were similar to “the before times,” but that mid-day/afternoon now consisted of packaged or grab-n-go items (i.e., no tea and scones). I’ve got my first ever RPC stay next week for 4 nights and will plan on posting a few times to update everyone. It’s a big splurge, but I can’t wait!

Thank you!! I look forward to hearing about your stay! Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[trishadono]

Are these the offerings at BWI CL or AKL CL? Thanks!

Bwi

 

[GADisneyDad14]

For my AP friends, does anyone know if the AP discount has ever included the BWI CL Deluxe room category in the room only discounts? Also Poly CL TPV as well?

If the APs are able to be purchase again for out of state guests, I'm trying to see if it is worth it to purchase to get a dsct on those room types.

Thanks!

I’ve had AP room discounts for Poly CL TPV before… in the pre-COVID days. Like with anything it was hit or miss in terms of availability. These days, I’ve all but given up!

 

[Dispro1]

We just returned from a BWI CL/ AKL CL split. We didn’t book very long ago so a split was the only option really because everything was booked…but it worked out well because we got upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite at BWI (I think because it happened to be available for our shorter stay and definitely thanks to Lene)! We had booked a deluxe room and were told it was on the 3rd floor but were offered the upgrade option and of course jumped on it! Sounds like our upgrade might have worked in your favor as well @PPFlight75! We love the deluxe rooms and stay in them often…love the guaranteed BW view, but we were very excited to try a two bedroom suite, and it worked out perfectly since DH had to work Friday morning and he only occupied one bedroom so DD and I had the rest!




Of course, we’re spoiled now, but it looks like the two bedroom suites are sold out for all the times we want to go…probably a good thing for our budget lol! People post pictures of apps from BWI all the time so I didn’t really take any of those this trip, but they did have cracker jacks this time mid day which was new. We were very happy to see the cheesecakes with the white chocolate crust back for dessert…haven’t seen those since before the pandemic! I have a few pictures from AKL, but I’ll have to post separately since I can only put 10 pictures in one post lol…

 

[Dispro1]

For those who asked about AKL appetizer schedule, this past weekend, they had falafel and corn chowder on Saturday night, butter chicken and tomato soup on Sunday night, and corn pudding with some kind of sweet/spicy chicken (similar to bbq chicken). The seafood stew and pinwheels pictured were also Monday night. They had biscuits and gravy on Monday morning (I think someone asked about those). The lounges all tend to repeat the menu every few days so I assume the same is true here?? Sorry my pictures aren’t that great…I tried lol!

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

For those who asked about AKL appetizer schedule, this past weekend, they had falafel and corn chowder on Saturday night,

https://images.app.goo.gl/APS4Fk9jG14fz1gn9

 

[Disneykingofkings]

We just returned from a BWI CL/ AKL CL split. We didn’t book very long ago so a split was the only option really because everything was booked…but it worked out well because we got upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite at BWI (I think because it happened to be available for our shorter stay and definitely thanks to Lene)! We had booked a deluxe room and were told it was on the 3rd floor but were offered the upgrade option and of course jumped on it! Sounds like our upgrade might have worked in your favor as well @PPFlight75! We love the deluxe rooms and stay in them often…love the guaranteed BW view, but we were very excited to try a two bedroom suite, and it worked out perfectly since DH had to work Friday morning and he only occupied one bedroom so DD and I had the rest!
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Of course, we’re spoiled now, but it looks like the two bedroom suites are sold out for all the times we want to go…probably a good thing for our budget lol! People post pictures of apps from BWI all the time so I didn’t really take any of those this trip, but they did have cracker jacks this time midday which was new. We were very happy to see the cheesecakes with the white chocolate crust back for dessert…haven’t seen those since before the pandemic! I have a few pictures from AKL, but I’ll have to post separately since I can only put 10 pictures in one post lol…

Did the TV in the living room disappear into the dresser at the push of a button? That's how it was in the Steeplechase Suite. Apparently, we stayed there right after they upgraded it to Bob Iger's likings. It seems to be his favorite resort and suite to stay in. Steven Schussler likes to stay there too. He's the creator of the Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex, The Boathouse, etc. He's a Far Rockaway High School boy who graduated with a bunch of friends of mine. I'm a couple of towns over going east.

 

[PPFlight75]

We just returned from a BWI CL/ AKL CL split. We didn’t book very long ago so a split was the only option really because everything was booked…but it worked out well because we got upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite at BWI (I think because it happened to be available for our shorter stay and definitely thanks to Lene)! We had booked a deluxe room and were told it was on the 3rd floor but were offered the upgrade option and of course jumped on it! Sounds like our upgrade might have worked in your favor as well @PPFlight75! We love the deluxe rooms and stay in them often…love the guaranteed BW view, but we were very excited to try a two bedroom suite, and it worked out perfectly since DH had to work Friday morning and he only occupied one bedroom so DD and I had the rest!
View attachment 640102View attachment 640104View attachment 640105View attachment 640106View attachment 640107View attachment 640108View attachment 640109
View attachment 640103
View attachment 640231

Of course, we’re spoiled now, but it looks like the two bedroom suites are sold out for all the times we want to go…probably a good thing for our budget lol! People post pictures of apps from BWI all the time so I didn’t really take any of those this trip, but they did have cracker jacks this time mid day which was new. We were very happy to see the cheesecakes with the white chocolate crust back for dessert…haven’t seen those since before the pandemic! I have a few pictures from AKL, but I’ll have to post separately since I can only put 10 pictures in one post lol…

Yay! What a great upgrade!!Glad you had a great time!!

 

[SkyGuy]

We just returned from a BWI CL/ AKL CL split. We didn’t book very long ago so a split was the only option really because everything was booked…but it worked out well because we got upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite at BWI (I think because it happened to be available for our shorter stay and definitely thanks to Lene)! We had booked a deluxe room and were told it was on the 3rd floor but were offered the upgrade option and of course jumped on it! Sounds like our upgrade might have worked in your favor as well @PPFlight75! We love the deluxe rooms and stay in them often…love the guaranteed BW view, but we were very excited to try a two bedroom suite, and it worked out perfectly since DH had to work Friday morning and he only occupied one bedroom so DD and I had the rest!
View attachment 640102View attachment 640104View attachment 640105View attachment 640106View attachment 640107View attachment 640108View attachment 640109
View attachment 640103
View attachment 640231

Of course, we’re spoiled now, but it looks like the two bedroom suites are sold out for all the times we want to go…probably a good thing for our budget lol! People post pictures of apps from BWI all the time so I didn’t really take any of those this trip, but they did have cracker jacks this time mid day which was new. We were very happy to see the cheesecakes with the white chocolate crust back for dessert…haven’t seen those since before the pandemic! I have a few pictures from AKL, but I’ll have to post separately since I can only put 10 pictures in one post lol…

My son and I (just the two of us) were upgraded to a two-bedroom suite at BWI club level in 2019. It was wonderful, but then we felt guilty the entire week for not spending more time in the room! Looks like you had a great time!