Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[ellie&mattys mom]

I can't answer your original question but can say that the Room Finder tool on Touring Plans website is extremely inaccurate when it comes to room types and room amenities. I do know there's at least 2 of them as we have had one as well as my parents. If you want one with a daybed and full balcony, make those your only requests. That's what we did.

Thanks but those choices aren't in my picks for online check in

 

[DJFan88]

Thanks but those choices aren't in my picks for online check in

Email the CL CMs with your request in a nice letter. Also call central reservations and have them note it on your reservation. Then, don't pick anything unimportant on online checkin

 

[dansdad]

Thanks but those choices aren't in my picks for online check in

Email the CL CMs with your request in a nice letter. Also call central reservations and have them note it on your reservation. Then, don't pick anything unimportant on online checkin

100% this! Although I would add skip the room request section altogether.

The main reason I don't ever make requests during Online Check In is that the options are predetermined and very limited.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are booked CL in the Main Building at the Grand Floridian with a Theme Park view. Under the online check in there is an option to request a dormer room. Would that be a good thing? It will be me, DH and DS, age 9.

Thanks!

I don't like the dormer rooms, but that doesn't mean they are bad rooms. I just don't really care for the cathedral ceiling (makes the room seem smaller to me) and the balconies are solid (can't see out if sitting down). With that said, having a TPV, I would want an open balcony .

We are back from a split-stay at BWI CL deluxe room and then Poly CL LV. I just posted a review of BWI CL in the BWI thread. It was our first CL stay there, so I wanted to mini review it. As far as Poly CL, we are veterans at staying there and my opinion is well known...nothing much has changed for us in that regard. It's our favorite CL (along with RPC) because of the location, lounge views, and our first floor lagoon room. Still, we wish the lounge food would improve. BC, BWI, and RPC have outstanding food, and we wish Poly would follow suit. A few things to note about both CL experiences

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great trip and enjoyed your first BWI CL stay .

I agree about BWI CL! We are just back from room 4203, all the way down at the end of the hall by the stairs above ESPN. Well, the stairs won't let you exit out at the end of the Boardwalk, they only lead you to the quiet pool so you have to backtrack to the lobby to exit onto boardwalk. The food offerings were good, but the lounge is small. I did have good Illuminations views and even the holiday MK fireworks on Sunday night

Hope you had a nice trip .

I can say with all honesty that every CM I met was fabulous. One day, I opened my room door and the housekeeping was in there -- 3 people, one lady who seemed to be in charge who spoke clear English so I understood her, and 2 men. The 2 men were stripping the beds and also looked very professional. All 3 of them were ready to leave the room, but I insisted they stay and we only wanted to drop off our bottles of orange juice so we didn't have to carry them to the park. I left them in our room feeling 100% confident they were professionals doing a top notch job of cleaning.

This is so good to hear! Sounds like BWI is really top notch .

Email the CL CMs with your request in a nice letter. Also call central reservations and have them note it on your reservation. Then, don't pick anything unimportant on online checkin

I agree!

The main reason I don't ever make requests during Online Check In is that the options are predetermined and very limited.

We've never done OCI, but I have seen this posted alot. If there is something specific you want, it's better (IMO) to call and have requests noted on your reservation .

 

[ninafeliz]

We are booked CL in the Main Building at the Grand Floridian with a Theme Park view. Under the online check in there is an option to request a dormer room. Would that be a good thing? It will be me, DH and DS, age 9.

Thanks!

I don't care for dormer rooms. They are slightly smaller (not a ton), have higher ceilings (which I actually like), and have solid walls on a smaller balcony instead of the balcony with railings that you can see through (this is what I hate). I like having a balcony to sit on and enjoy the WDW view - be it awesome or just of a beautiful resort (and you have both in your room. We stayed in the deluxe king that would be just below the TPV rooms 2 yrs ago). With the solid wall dormer balconies if you sit you stare at a solid wall, you have to stand up to see out. To me it defeats the larger part of why I want a balcony. It also encourages kids to stand on things to see over, which is unsafe and scares me! in addition, it makes the room darker. We had one at the WL once, and my first impression of the room was that it was a lot darker than the regular rooms. But we did keep the room, as they were really full and it had the best view of what was available at the time, and it worked out ok. So not the end of the world. The only think I liked about it was at the time our first DS was just starting to crawl well, and couldn't climb, so we didn't have to worry about him on the balcony because it was enclosed and solid and he had no chance of falling or throwing/dropping things. Now that both sons are 3 and 6, I do have to worry about the standing on chairs to get a better view. I didn't think there were TPV main building dormer rooms, but maybe the upper floor has them. Anyway, it's personal preference, as i have read that a few people prefer them, but I don't.

 

[rcraw45425]

Thanks mickeynut, any Disney trip is a nice trip! The lounge CM's were super nice and I liked that they had lemonade out as a drink choice during the day. Also their midday offerings seemed more substantial than some lounges I've seem, they had two types of tea sandwiches (cucumber and olive spread) and a crumb cake, along with white bean hummus, garlic onion dip and a ranch type dip with their wonderful house made chips. they were also encouraging people to eat up/make a light meal of the offerings, unlike some of the lounges where they frown on you taking more than a bite or two.

 

[rcraw45425]

Oh and the soups (rotated daily) are minestrone, beef with barley and clam chowder according to a CM.

 

[TJA]

I agree about BWI CL! We are just back from room 4203, all the way down at the end of the hall by the stairs above ESPN. Well, the stairs won't let you exit out at the end of the Boardwalk, they only lead you to the quiet pool so you have to backtrack to the lobby to exit onto boardwalk. The food offerings were good, but the lounge is small. I did have good Illuminations views and even the holiday MK fireworks on Sunday night

It's an interesting maze, that's for sure! Our first night, we went to the health club....I can't even begin to tell you how we finally got back to our room .

 

[Disneytam]

I triple second the votes for the awesome CM's at the BWI lounge. Jackie is the BEST!!! I hope she is still there.

My husband and I just love the BWI CL CM! Jackie is one of the best CM we have ever met and we will be heartbroken if she is no longer at the BWI. When we last visited in March she did mention that her hours had been cut back with all the other cuts that were going on at the time. Anyone know if she is still there? Pete, Lorenzo, Anita and Lynn are all wonderful as well and they make it seem like we are coming home when we travel to Disney.

 

[bookluvingbabe]

I don't care for dormer rooms. They are slightly smaller (not a ton), have higher ceilings (which I actually like), and have solid walls on a smaller balcony instead of the balcony with railings that you can see through (this is what I hate). I like having a balcony to sit on and enjoy the WDW view - be it awesome or just of a beautiful resort (and you have both in your room. We stayed in the deluxe king that would be just below the TPV rooms 2 yrs ago). With the solid wall dormer balconies if you sit you stare at a solid wall, you have to stand up to see out. To me it defeats the larger part of why I want a balcony. It also encourages kids to stand on things to see over, which is unsafe and scares me! in addition, it makes the room darker. We had one at the WL once, and my first impression of the room was that it was a lot darker than the regular rooms. But we did keep the room, as they were really full and it had the best view of what was available at the time, and it worked out ok. So not the end of the world. The only think I liked about it was at the time our first DS was just starting to crawl well, and couldn't climb, so we didn't have to worry about him on the balcony because it was enclosed and solid and he had no chance of falling or throwing/dropping things. Now that both sons are 3 and 6, I do have to worry about the standing on chairs to get a better view. I didn't think there were TPV main building dormer rooms, but maybe the upper floor has them. Anyway, it's personal preference, as i have read that a few people prefer them, but I don't.

Thanks! I emailed IPO after I posted and they replied that for Main Building CL with TPV, there are no dormer rooms available. So that solved the issue for me!

 

[sfbank]

Disneytam-Jackie is still there. Love her too along with the rest. Can't wait to be back in 12 days

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

So I asked this yesterday but didn't get an answer.

I am staying in a standard DVC my TA gave me for next Thursday night, then Friday morning, checking into my CL room at the same resort.
Do I need to go downstairs and check out for my bands to work in CL?

 

[trishadono]

So I asked this yesterday but didn't get an answer.

I am staying in a standard DVC my TA gave me for next Thursday night, then Friday morning, checking into my CL room at the same resort.
Do I need to go downstairs and check out for my bands to work in CL?

Good question! Prior to Streamlined Checkin I did have to go to the desk and check in . I did it right at 7am for my CR to BLT transfer. However I am curious if you do online check in and put arrival 7am if you get a text your room is ready? I did get a room ready text while still on the plane at 9am in May for my CSR stay. I'd try that and see???

Sounds fun, you girls have a great trip.

 

[jlmorris70]

We are on a split stay right now. We did Poly CL first 4 nights and are now at BC CL. Like night and day. I found Poly to be overcrowded, not cleaned well, constantly running out of items and mostly semi-rude (or at least indifferent CMs). Food wasn't very good.

BC CL has been STELLAR!!! The CMs are exceptional- the type of VIP service a person expects when paying CL prices. We are greeted warmly by name, they remember what we are drinking- that sort of thing. And the food is absolutely amazing. Gourmet quality, tons of offerings. Can easily be dinner. The chef is milling around seeing how people are enjoying. Well-staffed and spotless. Worth every penny extra.

So glad to hear you are enjoying BC CL! We check in on Sept 3 for 7 nights. Do you mind telling me what kinds of offerings there are in the morning and evening? Thanks!

 

[Lzylitnin]

So I asked this yesterday but didn't get an answer.

I am staying in a standard DVC my TA gave me for next Thursday night, then Friday morning, checking into my CL room at the same resort.
Do I need to go downstairs and check out for my bands to work in CL?

I just did a split stay between the Poly and the YC. Neither were CL. I had an early morning Keys to the Kingdom tour at the MK on the day of my switch. I took my luggage to bell hop around 6am to be transferred, grabbed coffee at Capt Cooks then headed back to my room to get ready. I didn't bother checking out at the Poly, as I was running late for my tour. Around 10:30am I received a text that my room at the YC was ready. After the tour, I headed to my room at the YC. Since I had received a text with my room information for my stay at Poly, I never went to a front desk at all, the entire trip. Loved it.

 

[got15]

We just returned from our first Poly CL stay and I have mixed feelings. The access to the lounge itself was great, but we encountered a few really rude CMs who dampened the stay. I'm not sure we would pay the extra $ for CL again, but we still love the Poly!

i know exactly who you are talking about- we felt the same way.

 

[got15]

We are back from a split-stay at BWI CL deluxe room and then Poly CL LV. I just posted a review of BWI CL in the BWI thread. It was our first CL stay there, so I wanted to mini review it. As far as Poly CL, we are veterans at staying there and my opinion is well known...nothing much has changed for us in that regard. It's our favorite CL (along with RPC) because of the location, lounge views, and our first floor lagoon room. Still, we wish the lounge food would improve. BC, BWI, and RPC have outstanding food, and we wish Poly would follow suit. A few things to note about both CL experiences:

BWI CL deluxe room #4255, fourth floor, first room inside security doors.
Things we loved:
> CM's are excellent! I now understand why so many people rave about them. To list a few....Pete, JJ, Lorenzo, Howie, Anita, and basically every other CM too. Housekeeping was excellent too -- very professional and friendly.
> The lounge food was outstanding. I posted pictures in the BWI thread. To name some food that stood out: minestrone soup (a soup each night), fresh Italian bread, shrimp, mac & cheese, chicken Caesar salad, artichokes, roasted veggies, full-sized greek yogurt and bottles of OJ for breakfast, bottles of water available from CM's.
> Our room was a super convenient size. The couch converted to a large bed, much larger than the normal daybed. 2 large TV's. I posted pics in the BWI thread.

Things that we didn't love:
> The lounge didn't have a view. You could step out onto a balcony and see some high fireworks at night, but it felt like an "enclosed" type of lounge like the BC.
> The CL location was on the 4th floor and sort of a hike to get places. Our room was maybe about 10 or so rooms away from the lounge, not really bad at all. But then we had to go the other way to get the elevator down to the boardwalk. If going to the pool, it wasn't overly convenient to go back and forth to the lounge.
> The lounge was small....maybe 7 or 8 tables. Did have a couch, though, and nice big TV.
> Iced tea and lemonade dispensers were only out for maybe the afternoon. Would've loved them out at night too.
> Our balcony was simply too small for us. I had read the warnings beforehand, but we highly prefer being on the same floor as the lounge. Prioritizing, we'd still request 4th floor.

POLY CL LV, Room #1505.
Things we loved:
> Location of Hawaii! Simply can't be beat. Can walk to both pools in less than a minute. Very convenient to go back and forth to the lounge.
> The view from the lounge is amazing. LOVE that we can relax in the lounge without being rushed out and enjoy the spectacular view.
> Our 1st floor patio with lagoon view is our ultimate favorite room in Disney. Whenever we have a break in our room, I'm immediately outside on the patio enjoying the view and soothing music. Watching Wishes right from our patio is magical, nothing compares to this for our family.
> CM Irv. Everyone knows him. He makes it a point to know everyone. Whenever we need anything at all, we look for him and we know we'll have it.
> July 3 and 4. Perfect. CM's did an outstanding job this year. We finally feel like we got exactly what we paid for.
> We had welcome note and chocolates!

Things we didn't love:
> The CM's are never very friendly. There is one in particular that I avoid every trip because I had him at check-in a few years ago and he totally turned me off.
> Housekeeping was not great, especially after coming from BWI CL (which had top-notch housekeeping). I'm not sure how to even describe the service -- none of them were friendly, not even sure what language they spoke, room was rarely cleaned by 3:00 pm. My tips were like night and day from BWI to Poly....

In comparing the 2 CL experiences, BWI was the superior CL due to the food and CM's. But Poly remains our favorite because of everything else it has to offer. No other resort can compare to the lounge and room views of being right on the lagoon seeing GF, the Castle, CR....and also being steps away from both pools is a huge perk. The overall ambiance of Poly is what lures us in. On our last morning at Poly, I sat on the patio with tears in my eyes because I was going to miss listening to the soothing music while enjoying my favorite view in WDW.

Setbacks have been a huge discussion over the last several months. If they are even still happening, they are not apparent at BWI. In fact, there were really almost too many CM's working. The lounge is already small, and there were at least 4 CM's in it each night. They're very efficient and I bet 2 CM's could easily do the job. Poly also had an abundance of CM's working, though Poly's lounge is much larger and they need several CM's working each night. CM Irv commented that he was laid off for 2 months earlier in the year, but now he is back to his normal working hours. We had turndown each night at both resorts. We had a welcome card and chocolate at Poly. No welcome card or chocolate at BWI.

We opted to do the direct-to-room text and skip the personal check-in, and both resorts did tell us we could have been greeted and properly walked to CL (poor Pete said he had been looking for us all day! I felt bad...). When we walked directly to Hawaii from the monorail, the desk CM gasped and said "where is your welcome lei and why didn't someone walk you back here?" I quickly explained it was our choice to just walk back ourselves and she was okay with that, but she jumped up and gave us a hug and welcome lei. So at least these 2 CL's seem to have greeters back in service again!

Thank you for your review! I have to agree with you on the Poly CL stay- it seemed quite similar to ours. While we loved Poly for the lounge, location, and ambiance of the resort- neither the CM or the lounge food were amazing. We are planning on staying at BWI for a late November trip- and I am very happy to hear that you had a great experience. In your opinion, is it better to request a room closer to the lounge- or somewhere else (we will have a double stroller with us).

 

[TJA]

So I asked this yesterday but didn't get an answer.

I am staying in a standard DVC my TA gave me for next Thursday night, then Friday morning, checking into my CL room at the same resort.
Do I need to go downstairs and check out for my bands to work in CL?

My situation is not the exact same as yours, but we just stayed at BWI for 3 nights, received my receipt via email at about 5:00 a.m. on our check-out day, went to a park and received my room-not-ready text around 1:00 p.m. We eventually received our "room ready" text later that day and we didn't have any issues with our MB's working at Poly. But like you say, it might be different with DVC rooms/points.

Thank you for your review! I have to agree with you on the Poly CL stay- it seemed quite similar to ours. While we loved Poly for the lounge, location, and ambiance of the resort- neither the CM or the lounge food were amazing. We are planning on staying at BWI for a late November trip- and I am very happy to hear that you had a great experience. In your opinion, is it better to request a room closer to the lounge- or somewhere else (we will have a double stroller with us).

Our personal preference is always to be near the lounge. We just find it easier to grab something quick, especially with kids. Have fun!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Thanks!

I usually get late check out, but since it is a DVC room with
Points, I don't think they will let you do that.

My daughter doesn't know we are staying CL. She thinks we have a pool view. So being in the DVC room first will be perfect for the ruse

 

[TJA]

Thanks!

I usually get late check out, but since it is a DVC room with
Points, I don't think they will let you do that.

My daughter doesn't know we are staying CL. She thinks we have a pool view. So being in the DVC room first will be perfect for the ruse

How fun! My daughters LOVE staying CL.

I see I never finished my reply above, so I edited it. Sorry about that. What I meant to say was that we eventually received our "room ready" text from Poly later that day and we didn't have any issues with our MB's working there. But like you say, it might be different with DVC rooms/points.