Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[gwynne]

It's just a sound bite; you can't really argue with meeting guest demand, right? If they said the real reason, whatever it is, people would be up in arms.

I'm reasonably sure it's to cut costs and use the money saved elsewhere. Like Shanghai.

 

[Eastern]

I agree and the attitude of Disney in that regard is obnoxious. I love Disney and have taken ten trips there in the last nine years. I'm taking my youngest and mom back in May. We're staying club level at the Portofino Bay hotel at Universal two days before we move to the Poly CL. I'm curious to see if there's a major difference between the two hotels.

I really enjoyed our PBH club level stay. I thought the lounge was nice: large and comfortable, and the tables were kept cleared of used dishes. I also thought the food was great: each night they had a salad, a hot dish, and a vegetarian hot dish. One night there was a beef stew that was excellent, some kind of alfredo pasta, and a great make your own caesar salad. The next night it was mixed greens with various toppings like olives, tomatoes, onions, etc, vegetarian fried rice, some kind of meat skewer, and always cheese and vegetables. Desserts one night were really good, the next night average, all bite sized. I thought it was way above Disney CL.

The wine they served was good, and mixed drinks were available for a fee ($6?) There was a fridge that was stocked with sodas and bottled water, and when it got low, they restocked it.

 

[Eastern]

I'm reasonably sure it's to cut costs and use the money saved elsewhere. Like Shanghai.

Yes, I've heard that, and I think it's outrageous.

Can you just imagine the outcry if they stated 'to finance Disney Shanghai' vs. 'meeting guest demand'?

 

[Eastern]

Anybody get emailed surveys after their CL stays? The last two ended after I answered that I read and post on forums, read blogs, etc. It seems like they want to target customers who have limited information going in.

 

[rteetz]

"To better meet guest demand." How is cutting the hours better meeting guest demand???

That's Disneys way of dealing with guest demand.

 

[mickeynut1]

Let me be the first to say: As a longtime owner of DVC 18+ years, I never once thought of Club Level Reservations. I tend to travel to Disney every 6-7 weeks as a break from the world of business and I am so thrilled that I opened this thread one day and said: Hey…let’s try Club Level. Yes I have read every post on every page because knowledge is key.

I know this is long winded but reading peoples thoughts are how I learn and determine my plan of action. Hope I am helpful. If you have any questions and I can answer: ask away.

Thanks for your detailed review. I'm sorry Poly CL wasn't up to par with your YC CL experience. I hope your July stay at the Poly is much better .

BenandMorgsMom - Thank you for the wonderfully detailed write-up and assessment of the pros/cons of your stay. I guess it's further proof of the inconsistency between CLs that many people report. We've had mostly great Poly CL stays where the staff was warm and comforting with excellent service. We had one stay where CMs were terribly cold, unfriendly, and downright rude - I left never wanting to come back (but I of course did, which I guess is the problem). Clearing tables was a horrible problem at GF CL last month too, even as CMs stood around monitoring the area. It was almost as if they didn't care, or at least weren't motivated at all.

I agree.

We had the same dirty table experience on a recent CR trip. They just would not bus the tables. They literally let every table pile up with dirty dishes. I asked them to please clear the tables. They would come by and take a few things, then not venture back. I do think it is to discourage people from taking more food items (each tiny appetizer receives its own plate) and leave earlier. I found it very annoying.

I would prefer they go back to allowing guests to clear their own table as I am one who feels uncomfortable leaving dishes on a table and walking away.

I'm reasonably sure it's to cut costs and use the money saved elsewhere. Like Shanghai.

You're probably right!

 

[Regan117]

Hey gang

Just wanted to give everyone an update on AKL CL. I spoke with a member of management this morning and they have made a number of changes. Welcome gifts (chocolates) have been discontinued and nightly turn down service is now BY REQUEST! So when you arrive you need to contact housekeeping and have that service setup for your stay. If you're following along with my live report you probably saw that I spoke with someone last night about the kid offerings in the evenings. Those have been taken away (pb&j, chicken nuggets, etc). Management allocated funds from their budget to the new hot appetizer station and certain things had to be discontinued to fund that project.
If anyone has any other CL questions just let me know! Send me a PM or ask over on my trip report because I won't be here on the CL thread often.

Did they just discontinue this? Because we got the turn-down service and nightly chocolates when we were there in February. Bummer. I can live without both, but it's always nice to come back to the room and see the beds turned down and everything cleaned up.

 

[Eastern]

Did they just discontinue this? Because we got the turn-down service and nightly chocolates when we were there in February. Bummer. I can live without both, but it's always nice to come back to the room and see the beds turned down and everything cleaned up.

Score one for Disney.

 

[mmmears]

We didn't have the "dirty table" issue at either the BC or at the GF. In fact, the CMs at the BC seemed overeager to collect all those plates... sometimes even when we were still eating the food that was on them!

Anybody get emailed surveys after their CL stays? The last two ended after I answered that I read and post on forums, read blogs, etc. It seems like they want to target customers who have limited information going in.

I received an online survey for our recent days at the BC CL, but not one for the GF for some reason. I didn't get the question that you did... Interesting.

 

[eastendlights]

We didn't have the "dirty table" issue at either the BC or at the GF. In fact, the CMs at the BC seemed overeager to collect all those plates... sometimes even when we were still eating the food that was on them!



I received an online survey for our recent days at the BC CL, but not one for the GF for some reason. I didn't get the question that you did... Interesting.

We thought the BC CL lounge did a good job of cleaning as well, I never saw one dirty table the entire trip but we were not there much in the evenings. I also did the survey and it did not ask me that question. Quite intrusive, really.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Ha! I swear my recent GF survey got LONGER when I answered I read forums and blogs!! Gotta love whatever algorithm is driving those things.

 

[pas130]

Hey gang

Just wanted to give everyone an update on AKL CL. I spoke with a member of management this morning and they have made a number of changes. Welcome gifts (chocolates) have been discontinued and nightly turn down service is now BY REQUEST! So when you arrive you need to contact housekeeping and have that service setup for your stay. If you're following along with my live report you probably saw that I spoke with someone last night about the kid offerings in the evenings. Those have been taken away (pb&j, chicken nuggets, etc). Management allocated funds from their budget to the new hot appetizer station and certain things had to be discontinued to fund that project.
If anyone has any other CL questions just let me know! Send me a PM or ask over on my trip report because I won't be here on the CL thread often.

This is sad to me As is all the inconsistencies with CL lately. The only CL I stayed where I felt that it was a waste was RPC, and that had been rectified once I stayed at Sugarloaf since I found some lovely CMs there.

As for Universal CL resorts, the offerings far exceed Disney's CL. Especially the evening offerings, at Portofino we easily could make a dinner out of it. The staff literally waited on us and were very kind. The Express pass the pool hopping the theming...I love Universal. That said, it's not Disney so I will always have a place in my heart for Disney.
CL stays:
AKL 2010
GF SL 2011
WL CL 2012 or 2013
Poly CL 2012 (I think)
YC CL 2012 or 2013 (I can't remember for anything...)
BC CL 2015
GF RPC and SL 2015
BWI in 11 days (yes friends I changed resorts this morning).
Only at Poly and RPC were we not Wowed by the CMs, however the resorts have their own magic so that's my compensation.
Depending upon my upcoming trip is whether I'll keep CL I think. If the only amenities left are pre-planning and the lounge offerings IDK it might take away a little for me. I want the sweet CMs and the greetings, etc....we shall see.

 

[MrToadfan]

Just returned from a wonderful week at the YC. We were in room 4201 which is a deluxe room/junior suite. I had a hard time finding information about this type of room prior to our stay, so I wanted to report back a little bit about the configuration. It is essentially an oversized sleeping quarter with two queen sized beds, and then a smaller sitting room with a pull-out couch. As it currently exists, there was no daybed in this suite. The balcony access is through the sleeping quarters only, and the bathroom access is through the sitting room only. This was a little trickier for us than the set-up in the Wilderness Lodge Deluxe rooms where you can access the balcony from the sitting room and the bathroom from either the bedroom or sitting room. For us it is nice to put our little one to bed in the sleeping quarters, but still be able to access the bathroom and balcony without disturbing her sleep. Our balcony was overlooking SAB. We had a good view of illuminations, and an outstanding view of symphony in the sky. It was a real treat to be able to enjoy these beautiful displays nightly with a glass of wine from our balcony. The club lounge is looking fresh and clean. This was our first Regatta Club stay, and to us, compared to OFC it felt a little small, but we never had difficulty in getting a table. The food was very good and continually replenished. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to chat with us and make us feel welcome. The pool slide was down for most of our visit, so I can't report on the progress with that. There was no greeter at curbside for club level, but the Captain actually took us upstairs himself, which was kind of fun. All in all a wonderful visit. I'm happy to answer any questions if I can

 

[Iowamomof4]

Just returned from a wonderful week at the YC. We were in room 4201 which is a deluxe room/junior suite. I had a hard time finding information about this type of room prior to our stay, so I wanted to report back a little bit about the configuration. It is essentially an oversized sleeping quarter with two queen sized beds, and then a smaller sitting room with a pull-out couch. As it currently exists, there was no daybed in this suite. The balcony access is through the sleeping quarters only, and the bathroom access is through the sitting room only. This was a little trickier for us than the set-up in the Wilderness Lodge Deluxe rooms where you can access the balcony from the sitting room and the bathroom from either the bedroom or sitting room. For us it is nice to put our little one to bed in the sleeping quarters, but still be able to access the bathroom and balcony without disturbing her sleep. Our balcony was overlooking SAB. We had a good view of illuminations, and an outstanding view of symphony in the sky. It was a real treat to be able to enjoy these beautiful displays nightly with a glass of wine from our balcony. The club lounge is looking fresh and clean. This was our first Regatta Club stay, and to us, compared to OFC it felt a little small, but we never had difficulty in getting a table. The food was very good and continually replenished. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to chat with us and make us feel welcome. The pool slide was down for most of our visit, so I can't report on the progress with that. There was no greeter at curbside for club level, but the Captain actually took us upstairs himself, which was kind of fun. All in all a wonderful visit. I'm happy to answer any questions if I can

How many people does this room sleep? 5?

 

[MrToadfan]

How many people does this room sleep? 5?

I would think 6, but I'm not sure how many would be permissible on the pullout couch.

 

[Eastern]

Ha! I swear my recent GF survey got LONGER when I answered I read forums and blogs!! Gotta love whatever algorithm is driving those things.

That's interesting. I thought I was being ruled out because of that. The only other questions I remember were 'do you or anyone in your family work for xyz' and I said 'no', and my age. (maybe also income?)

I was disappointed about the prior survey (last year) because it shut off right after I answered an internet type question so this time I was really careful to check off the categories carefully (eg blog vs forum, post vs read) and once again, it shut down right after I answered that question.

 

[gwynne]

My purple magic band arrived today along with a green one for DH. It's happy dance time.

 

[dansdad]

Did they just discontinue this? Because we got the turn-down service and nightly chocolates when we were there in February. Bummer. I can live without both, but it's always nice to come back to the room and see the beds turned down and everything cleaned up.

Not discontinued, but as @TigrLvsPooh stated above you have to request it. It's not automatic any longer.

 

[MrToadfan]

One more thing to update for my trip report. We did not receive a welcome gift, but we did receive, without making any special request, nightly turndown service with chocolate mints on the pillow.

 

[Regan117]

Not discontinued, but as @TigrLvsPooh stated above you have to request it. It's not automatic any longer.

That's what I meant. We didn't request and we still got it, just a month ago.