Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Laundress]

Just started packing tonight for our first ever CL stay at BWI--- we leave on Saturday! Can't wait!!!

Very exciting. Congratulations. Have fun

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We make our dining reservations for our May trip in a week. Should I plan on making them myself? We have a split stay Poly/AKL. When we originally booked our trip it was all at AKL. I did receive a welcome email from AKL but it did not say anything about dining reservations and it did not attach the typical itinerary planner. We just booked our Poly stay last week but I haven't heard from them at all.

From my view I'd plan on making your dining reservations yourself. It looks like the pre-arrival IPO assisted planning as we know it has changed / is changing, with something new coming in 2017 - seemingly a centralized IPO function of some sort. For now I'd do things yourself until the new setup becomes clearer.

Just started packing tonight for our first ever CL stay at BWI--- we leave on Saturday! Can't wait!!!

We started packing last night too! Leaving Thursday for WL CL. Our kids don't know we are going so the suitcases are covered in a blanket in our closet. Lol...

My wife is staying BWI CL (for the first time) for the princess half in February and frankly I'm jealous! From everything I read it sounds like a great CL with great CMs. What a fun place to stay for the holidays. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[mickeynut1]

We make our dining reservations for our May trip in a week. Should I plan on making them myself? We have a split stay Poly/AKL. When we originally booked our trip it was all at AKL. I did receive a welcome email from AKL but it did not say anything about dining reservations and it did not attach the typical itinerary planner. We just booked our Poly stay last week but I haven't heard from them at all.

I agree with GADisneyDad14 that I'd plan on making ADRs yourself. Others have received emails from IPO directing them to the main phone number or online to book dining. Good luck and I hope you have a great trip .

Just started packing tonight for our first ever CL stay at BWI--- we leave on Saturday! Can't wait!!!

Hope you have a great time! We've never stayed BWI, but CL gets lots of great reviews .

We started packing last night too! Leaving Thursday for WL CL. Our kids don't know we are going so the suitcases are covered in a blanket in our closet. Lol...

Have a great time! Can't wait to hear about all about it when you return .

 

[qbmillar]

Just back from a 6 night stay at CR, 5 nights on 12 and 1 night on 14. It was amazing! Happy to answer any questions for anyone

 

[TJA]

@GADisneyDad14 looks like you'll be one of the first ones to experience the new WL lounge! Can't wait to hear about it and see pics! I'm especially interested to hear your thoughts on the deluxe room in relation to the lounge.... So just in case I get caught up in Thanksgiving/Christmas shopping and don't make it on here for your send-off, I just wanted to say have a great trip and enjoy the beauty of the WL at Christmas time!!

 

[Dave006]

Just back from a 6 night stay at CR, 5 nights on 12 and 1 night on 14. It was amazing! Happy to answer any questions for anyone

Which is your favorite, the Atrium Club on 12 or the Tower Club on 14 (really the 13 floor).... but Disney does not us 13 floors as most other Hotels?

Dave

 

[Lovinallthingsdisney]

We checked into The Grand Floridian last Tuesday. Our reservation was for Sugarloaf, but we were given a room in the main building instead. Officially, this is my new favorite club level resort. The staff has been beyond amazing. This was my dream Disney stay and I never dreamed it would have been during this trip! It certainly has spoiled us for any future stays. I still have to pinch myself everyday when we come back to our room. The gingerbread house is beautiful and smells so good. We are waiting patiently for the tree to go up...hoping it is before we check out on Wednesday.

 

[qbmillar]

Which is your favorite, the Atrium Club on 12 or the Tower Club on 14 (really the 13 floor).... but Disney does not us 13 floors as most other Hotels?

Dave

I liked them both for different reasons. The 12th floor lounge had a much more casual feel to it, more kid friendly. The 14th floor was gorgeous all around. The lounge was smaller but really well stocked and the food was great. Also, the standard room on 14 was huge and beautiful. I am not sure the price difference is worth it, but if I had to pick I would say 14.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just back from a 6 night stay at CR, 5 nights on 12 and 1 night on 14. It was amazing! Happy to answer any questions for anyone

So this is a dumb question I guess, the 14th floor has always been a bit of a mystery to me in terms of booking. What kind of room did you have on 14 and how did you book it?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@GADisneyDad14 looks like you'll be one of the first ones to experience the new WL lounge! Can't wait to hear about it and see pics! I'm especially interested to hear your thoughts on the deluxe room in relation to the lounge.... So just in case I get caught up in Thanksgiving/Christmas shopping and don't make it on here for your send-off, I just wanted to say have a great trip and enjoy the beauty of the WL at Christmas time!!

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm secretly hoping that the PP who posted about the new lounge opening was correct! But, not getting my hopes up either way. I know when staying at a resort with so much construction, we have to be prepared for anything. I'm not sure if I've seen in other reports about it yet?

Sounds like the lobby decorations went up last night. I follow someone on Twitter that was posting a minute-by-minute update for like 6 hours last night. I closed my eyes and skipped all of it! Lol.

The Deluxe room is a surprise for DW. Our only frame of reference is a standard room, which she was just saying last night "sure is going to be small with the four of us and a crib." Although I'm worried the extra space is going to spoil us.

Full report and lots of pics to come, hopefully!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[mickeynut1]

Just back from a 6 night stay at CR, 5 nights on 12 and 1 night on 14. It was amazing! Happy to answer any questions for anyone

Glad you had a great time .

@GADisneyDad14 looks like you'll be one of the first ones to experience the new WL lounge! Can't wait to hear about it and see pics!

Me too .

We checked into The Grand Floridian last Tuesday. Our reservation was for Sugarloaf, but we were given a room in the main building instead. Officially, this is my new favorite club level resort. The staff has been beyond amazing. This was my dream Disney stay and I never dreamed it would have been during this trip! It certainly has spoiled us for any future stays. I still have to pinch myself everyday when we come back to our room. The gingerbread house is beautiful and smells so good. We are waiting patiently for the tree to go up...hoping it is before we check out on Wednesday.

Congrats on the awesome upgrade! Glad you're enjoying the GF/RPC .

Full report and lots of pics to come, hopefully!

Looking forward to it .

 

[Liberator]

So this is a dumb question I guess, the 14th floor has always been a bit of a mystery to me in terms of booking. What kind of room did you have on 14 and how did you book it?

Not a dumb question, there is not much information about the 14th floor on the official Disney site. I have not stayed up there, but I took it into consideration twice, so I think I can give you some information about this floor.

You can book some rooms on the Disney homepage, for example a 1-bedroom suite with a view of Bay Lake. But for most 14th floor rooms you need to call Disney to make a reservation, for example a 1-bedroom suite with a Theme Park View.

There are a handful of standard rooms on 14th floor, even some with a King Bed. In most resorts standard rooms with a King Bed are request only, but on the 14th floor of CR you can book them directly. As far as I remember correctly there are two standard rooms with a King Bed on the side of Magic Kingdom and there are standard rooms with Queens Beds of each side of the floor. But the most of the 14th floor rooms are suites, for example the "Presidential Suite", this is a 2-bedroom suite with a Theme Park View.

Some say the lounge up there is quiet at most times because due to the fact that there a not as many rooms than on other floors, there are less guests. But there have been other reviews with people having parties in their suites and feeling a little bit to homey in the lounge.

I somewhere read that most of the rooms up there have a connecting door so that you can theoretically reserve multi-mega-suite. The decor of the rooms on the 14th floor, as well as some suites in the Garden Wing, is different to the standard look, I would say it is a little bit more chic and tranquil.

Ah, I forgot to add one thing - the balconies are much deeper up there.

 

[qbmillar]

So this is a dumb question I guess, the 14th floor has always been a bit of a mystery to me in terms of booking. What kind of room did you have on 14 and how did you book it?

We had a standard room, with 2 queen beds. It seemed much bigger than the standard room on 12, but it did not have the couch. I had to call and book my reservation, as I used the military discount. We did have a Bay Lake view on both floors, but the 14th had a much bigger/deeper balcony and a bit of a better view.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We had a standard room, with 2 queen beds. It seemed much bigger than the standard room on 12, but it did not have the couch. I had to call and book my reservation, as I used the military discount. We did have a Bay Lake view on both floors, but the 14th had a much bigger/deeper balcony and a bit of a better view.

Cool, thank you! I've always been puzzled why the standard rooms there don't show up online, didn't realize you had to call. Glad you enjoyed your trip. We had a really great trip on 12 back in September as well.

@Liberator Thank you for the response as well!!

 

[prgal0715]

I am officially BOOKED for Poly LV CL from August 21st - September 2nd, 2017! I've stayed GV CL but not LV; can you all please spam me with info/pics? Thanks!

 

[cc1013]

Hi all!
Wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with CRO regarding our upcoming club level stay at Beach Club beginning Dec 10. I asked about the IPO changes and while the agent was initially unaware, she called a manager to confirm and was told that pre-arrival assistance will no longer be offered at all and club level guests need to go through the regular reservation routes. At the same time, she did say that the club level staff would be more than happy to help once we arrive. I told her that given that my planning is 99% complete, I'm not overly concerned but for the premium cost of a club level room and the fact that the pre-arrival itinerary planning still shows as a club level benefit on the website, it is certainly disappointing. She agreed and apologized for the inconvenience. Oh well. For the cost difference, not sure I can justify club level in the future.

 

[TJA]

Hi all!
Wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with CRO regarding our upcoming club level stay at Beach Club beginning Dec 10. I asked about the IPO changes and while the agent was initially unaware, she called a manager to confirm and was told that pre-arrival assistance will no longer be offered at all and club level guests need to go through the regular reservation routes. At the same time, she did say that the club level staff would be more than happy to help once we arrive. I told her that given that my planning is 99% complete, I'm not overly concerned but for the premium cost of a club level room and the fact that the pre-arrival itinerary planning still shows as a club level benefit on the website, it is certainly disappointing. She agreed and apologized for the inconvenience. Oh well. For the cost difference, not sure I can justify club level in the future.

I agree that for the outrageous cost of staying CL and the perks constantly decreasing, why is the price tag still increasing? If anything, the CL price should stay the same (rightfully it should decrease, but I know that would be rare...). Or they should offer bigger discounts to lessen the cost....I guess that's one way around the services not equaling out to the cost.

In any event, thanks for letting us know about your call!

 

[TJA]

I am officially BOOKED for Poly LV CL from August 21st - September 2nd, 2017! I've stayed GV CL but not LV; can you all please spam me with info/pics? Thanks!

Congrats on your booking! I'm a big Poly CL LV fan. We've stayed there several times with the most recent time being over the 4th of July of this year. I believe most of the 1st floor rooms are considered LV now since the bungalow construction. We were in 1503 for 3 years in a row, then this year we were in 1505. Let me warn you that once you stay on this side of Hawaii, it's very hard to not stay there again!

Here is my view from LV 1505: on my patio looking to the left:
This is what I look at each and every time we are in our room. I can't get on the patio quick enough!

on my patio looking straight ahead:

on the extreme right side of my patio zoomed in to show the Castle:

I should add I think some LV rooms are on the 2nd floor and a couple on the 3rd. The ones on the 2nd wouldn't have the balcony of course. The ones on the 3rd have an obstruction so can't be a TPV. My first request is always "full patio/balcony."

 

[TJA]

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm secretly hoping that the PP who posted about the new lounge opening was correct! But, not getting my hopes up either way. I know when staying at a resort with so much construction, we have to be prepared for anything. I'm not sure if I've seen in other reports about it yet?

Sounds like the lobby decorations went up last night. I follow someone on Twitter that was posting a minute-by-minute update for like 6 hours last night. I closed my eyes and skipped all of it! Lol.

The Deluxe room is a surprise for DW. Our only frame of reference is a standard room, which she was just saying last night "sure is going to be small with the four of us and a crib." Although I'm worried the extra space is going to spoil us.

Full report and lots of pics to come, hopefully!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The deluxe room will be a very nice surprise for your DW! She thinks like I do because the regular room size was one of the reasons I didn't want to return to WL. Deluxe room = problem solved!

I believe I read in the WL thread that the tree is up as of today! Yes, skip all the pictures and just be fully surprised when you see it in person!

I've briefly been scanning for new CL reviews but haven't seen any. Just that one post. But I'm with you and I'd leave my guard up a bit just in case. I'll bet it will be open for you, though!! Sending good luck to your family!

 

[mickeynut1]

I've always been puzzled why the standard rooms there don't show up online, didn't realize you had to call.

I agree, it's strange how a few rooms are bookable only by calling. The GF has some of those as well. You can book RPC deluxe king rooms online, but you have to call to book RPC deluxe queen....doesn't really make sense .

I am officially BOOKED for Poly LV CL from August 21st - September 2nd, 2017! I've stayed GV CL but not LV; can you all please spam me with info/pics? Thanks!

How exciting! Happy planning!

Hi all!
Wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with CRO regarding our upcoming club level stay at Beach Club beginning Dec 10. I asked about the IPO changes and while the agent was initially unaware, she called a manager to confirm and was told that pre-arrival assistance will no longer be offered at all and club level guests need to go through the regular reservation routes. At the same time, she did say that the club level staff would be more than happy to help once we arrive. I told her that given that my planning is 99% complete, I'm not overly concerned but for the premium cost of a club level room and the fact that the pre-arrival itinerary planning still shows as a club level benefit on the website, it is certainly disappointing. She agreed and apologized for the inconvenience. Oh well. For the cost difference, not sure I can justify club level in the future.

Thanks for the update. It's sad that the pre-arrival planning perk is being taken away .

I agree that for the outrageous cost of staying CL and the perks constantly decreasing, why is the price tag still increasing? If anything, the CL price should stay the same (rightfully it should decrease, but I know that would be rare...). Or they should offer bigger discounts to lessen the cost....

These are my thoughts as well. If Disney wants to take things away to cut costs that's fine, but either give larger discounts or quit increasing the rates .

I should add I think some LV rooms are on the 2nd floor and a couple on the 3rd. The ones on the 2nd wouldn't have the balcony of course. The ones on the 3rd have an obstruction so can't be a TPV. My first request is always "full patio/balcony."

I was about to ask if there were LV rooms on the 3rd floor, so thanks for adding this information .

The deluxe room will be a very nice surprise for your DW! She thinks like I do because the regular room size was one of the reasons I didn't want to return to WL. Deluxe room = problem solved!

I feel the same way. We love the WL and want to go back, but we love the larger rooms/daybed at the Poly and GF, so it's hard to go back to the smaller WL room. We will eventually make it back to WL, but like you, will most likely book a deluxe room for the extra space .