Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[TigrLvsPooh]

We are booked for our first ever CL stay at the Poly, 4/13-4/17 before heading off on the Magic for our cruise. I really appreciate everyone's knowledge, advice and opinions as I've had the same questions that others have had. I started with post #1 and read every post...until I came to the "remember when" posts. A couple of times before those posts came up I had already become a little anxious because of people talking about being disappointed and of there being cutbacks. Then mickeynut1 would post a reminder that one person's bad experience was another person's best vacation ever and I really want to have that mentality going into my vacation...my very pricey vacation...so I chose to skip those posts at this time so I wouldn't be running the risk of negatively comparing what I experience with what others did in the past. I'll probably come back and read them after, though!

Again, thanks everyone for such a great board! Can't wait to finally stay at the Poly, and at CL!

Have a wonderful time! The Poly is an amazing resort and you're going to LOVE IT!!!

 

[TJA]

We are booked for our first ever CL stay at the Poly, 4/13-4/17 before heading off on the Magic for our cruise. I really appreciate everyone's knowledge, advice and opinions as I've had the same questions that others have had. I started with post #1 and read every post...until I came to the "remember when" posts. A couple of times before those posts came up I had already become a little anxious because of people talking about being disappointed and of there being cutbacks. Then mickeynut1 would post a reminder that one person's bad experience was another person's best vacation ever and I really want to have that mentality going into my vacation...my very pricey vacation...so I chose to skip those posts at this time so I wouldn't be running the risk of negatively comparing what I experience with what others did in the past. I'll probably come back and read them after, though!

Again, thanks everyone for such a great board! Can't wait to finally stay at the Poly, and at CL!

The great thing about the CL at Poly is that there are so many other perks that can't possibly be cut back, such as the location of the CL building. If you don't have a LV or TPV room booked, then you can fully enjoy the spacious lounge view to watch Wishes, while eating/drinking, or we even enjoy sitting in the lounge just for a little break from the day. There's something special about sitting in that lounge at Poly, and I'm positive it has everything to do with the view.

Also, the main pool is right next to the CL building, so you can easily go back and forth between the pool and the lounge for drinks/snacks.

Another thing we consider a perk of any CL is having breakfast in the lounge, and no matter what the cutbacks entail, there should always be something adequate to grab for breakfast. Also, another big perk for us is having drinks available all day/night. Again, cutbacks shouldn't take away every drink...maybe a few? but there should still be enough to choose from.

 

[mickeynut1]

I have stayed for a few birthdays (either me or DS) and I ask the IPO to note on my reservation that we'll be "celebrating XXX's X birthday" or something along those lines. I always feel awkward even asking and the CM's might not even do anything with the info, but it can't hurt!

I agree, it can't hurt to list birthday (or other) celebrations. Some CMs will acknowledge those notes and others will not, but you never know, so it's best just to list them as you never know what might happen .

I think I've decided just to keep us at AKL CL the whole week when we go in September. I priced out 2 nights at GF for the end of our trip and almost fell down dead - holy schamoly they want $1k/nt for RPC. I'd like to stay in the main building, but if I sign us up for that I won't need an anniversary trip because my husband will divorce me

I agree about the cost of RPC, the rates have gotten crazy! RPC is great, but I think you'll have a nice time at AKL CL. We love AKL and while we haven't tried CL, it gets lots of great reviews .

Some people do online check in, some do not. It's kind of split, I think either is ok.

I agree. One way isn't better than the other, it just depends on the person and what he/she prefers. We've never done OCI as I like checking in at the resort, but that's just my preference .

We are booked for our first ever CL stay at the Poly, 4/13-4/17 before heading off on the Magic for our cruise. I really appreciate everyone's knowledge, advice and opinions as I've had the same questions that others have had. I started with post #1 and read every post...until I came to the "remember when" posts. A couple of times before those posts came up I had already become a little anxious because of people talking about being disappointed and of there being cutbacks. Then mickeynut1 would post a reminder that one person's bad experience was another person's best vacation ever and I really want to have that mentality going into my vacation...my very pricey vacation...so I chose to skip those posts at this time so I wouldn't be running the risk of negatively comparing what I experience with what others did in the past. I'll probably come back and read them after, though!

Again, thanks everyone for such a great board! Can't wait to finally stay at the Poly, and at CL!

I think the Poly is a great choice for a pre-cruise stay, you will have a great time! I can't speak for CL as we haven't tried it at the Poly yet, but the Poly overall is an amazing resort (IMO). Hope you will report back after your trip!

We stayed at the Poly CL last month and absolutely loved it. For & service was great, and we felt very pampered. We have a great 3rd floor room with a view of the fireworks. I love the Poly . You will love it! Have a great trip

Glad you had a great stay! I already love the Poly, but reading positive posts like this makes me even more excited to try CL .

Hi Everyone, I love this thread!
My daughter and I are staying YC CL for the first time next week. We are very familiar with the BC CL, but since there was nothing available last minute, YC it is, and we are really excited having never stayed there before.

My question is, does anyone have any information or experience for people with food allergies and the options in the lounge? She cannot have gluten or dairy, which I know is very limiting, but wanted to know if the staff is helpful with ingredient information. Are there any gluten free breakfast breads?

Also, did the food offerings change at all with the refurb? I asked on the YC/BC thread and received some great pictures of many things, but I wasn't familiar with some of them.

Thank you!

I don't have any experience with allergies or CL at the BC/YC, but wanted to say I hope you have a great trip .

I am sure the CMs (probably via the hotel chef) will be able to help you with ingredients and options. They are so good about allergies throughout WDW that I am confident things will work out for you at the Regatta Club.

We are heading back to YC CL, but we are about a week behind you… we check in on the 18th. Have a great trip!

I agree, I think the CMs at YC CL (as well as other CLs) are willing to work with guests who have special dietary needs. From what I'm always reading (including posts like yours), it seems Disney is very accommodating when it comes to ingredients/options for food allergies. I'm not sure, but I think I've read posts about one CL (I think it was WL CL) having some type of book with lots of options for those needing to avoid certain foods/ingredients. This might be something to ask about .

Hope you have a great trip at YC CL .

 

[DisDad4Life]

Hi all! We are booked at the YC CL for June 25 - July 2! After numerous stays at AKL and WL (loved both) we opted to try YC last August. The CMs there were fantastic, the location was wonderful and of course we were hooked! So when it came time to book this year it was a no-brainer for me and my family to return to the YC.

This year my sister and niece are coming along and also booked a YC CL room. It's their first trip to WDW so this is going to be so much fun to be with them as they experience everything fresh and new. It'll also be my DS & DDIL's 2nd anniversary. Everyone is sooooo excited!!!

 

[AquaDame]

We are booked for our first ever CL stay at the Poly, 4/13-4/17 before heading off on the Magic for our cruise. I really appreciate everyone's knowledge, advice and opinions as I've had the same questions that others have had. I started with post #1 and read every post...until I came to the "remember when" posts. A couple of times before those posts came up I had already become a little anxious because of people talking about being disappointed and of there being cutbacks. Then mickeynut1 would post a reminder that one person's bad experience was another person's best vacation ever and I really want to have that mentality going into my vacation...my very pricey vacation...so I chose to skip those posts at this time so I wouldn't be running the risk of negatively comparing what I experience with what others did in the past. I'll probably come back and read them after, though!

Again, thanks everyone for such a great board! Can't wait to finally stay at the Poly, and at CL!

Please do come back and tell me your thoughts...! We are booked for our first CL stay at the Poly as well 7/2-7/5 and I would love to hear your first timer thoughts. Reading through the reviews I am imagining bands of people making a huge mess of the lounge and eating all the food put out before we get any...

 

[Nikki0401]

Please do come back and tell me your thoughts...! We are booked for our first CL stay at the Poly as well 7/2-7/5 and I would love to hear your first timer thoughts. Reading through the reviews I am imagining bands of people making a huge mess of the lounge and eating all the food put out before we get any...

We too have our first CL stay at the Poly in August and I keep reading the reviews hoping it's going to be worth it.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Once we are in our 180 +10 can we just email the IPO for things like reserving child care, or adding dining reservations? Even if we didnt fill out the form?

 

[AquaDame]

Once we are in our 180 +10 can we just email the IPO for things like reserving child care, or adding dining reservations? Even if we didnt fill out the form?

I sure hope so... I never received a form, just a brief welcome email.

 

[gwynne]

Once we are in our 180 +10 can we just email the IPO for things like reserving child care, or adding dining reservations? Even if we didnt fill out the form?

I sure hope so... I never received a form, just a brief welcome email.

Absolutely yes. The IPO is there to help by email or by phone.

 

[gwynne]

We too have our first CL stay at the Poly in August and I keep reading the reviews hoping it's going to be worth it.

I've not stayed there, but I have friends that have. They had a wonderful time. Wishing you a lovely vacation!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi all! We are booked at the YC CL for June 25 - July 2! After numerous stays at AKL and WL (loved both) we opted to try YC last August. The CMs there were fantastic, the location was wonderful and of course we were hooked! So when it came time to book this year it was a no-brainer for me and my family to return to the YC.

This year my sister and niece are coming along and also booked a YC CL room. It's their first trip to WDW so this is going to be so much fun to be with them as they experience everything fresh and new. It'll also be my DS & DDIL's 2nd anniversary. Everyone is sooooo excited!!!

Sounds like a great trip! Hope everyone has a magical time .

Please do come back and tell me your thoughts...! We are booked for our first CL stay at the Poly as well 7/2-7/5 and I would love to hear your first timer thoughts. Reading through the reviews I am imagining bands of people making a huge mess of the lounge and eating all the food put out before we get any...

How great to be at the Poly over 4th of July, I'm sure you'll have a great time! We are trying Poly CL for the first time in September, so I can't wait to read everyone's reports between now and then .

We too have our first CL stay at the Poly in August and I keep reading the reviews hoping it's going to be worth it.

I'm sure you will have a great stay! Hope you report back after your trip as our first Poly CL stay is booked for September .

Absolutely yes. The IPO is there to help by email or by phone.

 

[PackYourPixieDust]

Hi Everyone, I love this thread!
My daughter and I are staying YC CL for the first time next week. We are very familiar with the BC CL, but since there was nothing available last minute, YC it is, and we are really excited having never stayed there before.

My question is, does anyone have any information or experience for people with food allergies and the options in the lounge? She cannot have gluten or dairy, which I know is very limiting, but wanted to know if the staff is helpful with ingredient information. Are there any gluten free breakfast breads?

Also, did the food offerings change at all with the refurb? I asked on the YC/BC thread and received some great pictures of many things, but I wasn't familiar with some of them.

Thank you!

I've stayed Club Level at the Grand Floridian and the Board Walk and am celiac. At the BWI they made me special food from the restaurants and at GF they would provide some additions. I always bring my own crackers for the cheese plate. At GF they would bring me a gluten free bagel and donuts in the morning. I asked for sour cream to go with my chips for afternoon snack. For the evening usually ate the cheese.

 

[opusone]

We are ten days away from our Yacht Club CL arrival, and we received an "About your WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort Arrival!" e-mail today. In it they state the following:

Because you’re enjoying a Club Level stay, you’ll get to enjoy things like advanced itinerary planning services, personalized Front Desk and Concierge service. It also includes nightly turndown service with chocolates, exclusive access to the Club Level Lounge that offers continental breakfast, beverages and midday snacks, as well as evening wine, cheese, cordials and dessert.

Does anyone know what the "personalized Front Desk" service is? I assume this replaces the recently-eliminated curbside greeters, but does it mean club level has it's own line now, or something else?

 

[ccarter]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments, it is much appreciated! I will absolutely post after we get back from our trip.

 

[AliceIn]

We too have our first CL stay at the Poly in August and I keep reading the reviews hoping it's going to be worth it.

We have done club level stays at CR, BC twice and at GF. We witnessed only one crazy family on one day out of about 20 days on the various club lounges. We keep coming back. We really enjoy all the extra little touches that come with the club level, whether it is having drinks available all day, the fancy cappuccino machines, or just having the extra attention from the staff if you need something.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

 

[OKWJan]

Please do come back and tell me your thoughts...! We are booked for our first CL stay at the Poly as well 7/2-7/5 and I would love to hear your first timer thoughts. Reading through the reviews I am imagining bands of people making a huge mess of the lounge and eating all the food put out before we get any...

 

[OKWJan]

Oops! There is never a big rush for the food and they keep replenishing . You will love your stay! Also, remember that is you want beer or wine during times when it is not out, just ask and they will get it for you from the back. i think they try to accommodate any reasonable requests.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We are booked for our first ever CL stay at the Poly, 4/13-4/17 before heading off on the Magic for our cruise. I really appreciate everyone's knowledge, advice and opinions as I've had the same questions that others have had. I started with post #1 and read every post...until I came to the "remember when" posts. A couple of times before those posts came up I had already become a little anxious because of people talking about being disappointed and of there being cutbacks. Then mickeynut1 would post a reminder that one person's bad experience was another person's best vacation ever and I really want to have that mentality going into my vacation...my very pricey vacation...so I chose to skip those posts at this time so I wouldn't be running the risk of negatively comparing what I experience with what others did in the past. I'll probably come back and read them after, though!

Again, thanks everyone for such a great board! Can't wait to finally stay at the Poly, and at CL!

You've had a lot of similar replies but wanted to throw mine in as well. I don't have the long-term historical CL perspective about the "way it used to be" but have stayed Poly CL several times over the last few years. Of our CL stays (Poly, GF, CR), Poly CL is our hands down favorite. Everything from the location, the lounge, the service, the small perks, the view, the food, the convenience, the CMs, did I say view, fantastic coffee each morning without leaving the building, could go on and on. A lot of these are timeless Poly CL features that aren't likely to change drastically no matter what Disney tweaks with their CL offerings. Heck, knowing what longhouse you'll be in and not having to worry about that part of a Poly stay is worth a lot of the price! BTW, the new Oasis Pool (just steps away from Poly CL as well) looks absolutely fantastic and should make the Hawaii longhouse location even better (looks like it will be open for your dates I suspect).

Sounds silly but CL is what makes Disney more of a "vacation" than a "Disney trip" for us, if that makes any sense. I lurked on these boards awhile before posting and once I had experienced several trips on my own I realized just how varied all of our perspectives are, especially at WDW. I appreciate everyone's opinions but take things with a small grain of salt until I can experience it myself. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Once we are in our 180 +10 can we just email the IPO for things like reserving child care, or adding dining reservations? Even if we didnt fill out the form?

I recommend contacting them at least one day before you hit 180 if you have any hard to get ADRs. Better yet just call them because they are going to need your CC info to book those.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We are ten days away from our Yacht Club CL arrival, and we received an "About your WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort Arrival!" e-mail today. In it they state the following:


Does anyone know what the "personalized Front Desk" service is? I assume this replaces the recently-eliminated curbside greeters, but does it mean club level has it's own line now, or something else?

I went back and checked my emails from last year and they also have this same wording.