Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[ellie&mattys mom]

Hi just un clear on these emails everyone gets and when do you get them is it a welcome email? thanks!

 

[HaveKidsWillTravel]

Here is my thrown together CL review. I wanted to get stuff down before I forgot. I post this, and a more general report, on the Poly thread as well.
We arrived around 11 o’clock at resort. Checked in at main lobby. Did not have connecting rooms, which was only request. We were given ‘card keys’ to access other room in our party. After being checked in in the main lobby we were personally escorted to club level lobby and essentially checked in again. Again asked for connecting rooms and were told none were available. I checked that my request for a ‘full’ crib (not pack n play) was noted and told that it was. We were given a ‘check in’ packet with information. I noticed later in the week that when others were checked in they were give much more verbal and printed information than we were. Such as a print out of their fast pass reservations, dining reservations, information regarding the club, etc.

We waited in club level lounge for our room to be ready. I also took kids to the pool. We got a text around 2pm that rooms were ready. We had gorgeous third floor rooms at the end of the hall farthest from lobby. The rooms were very clean. Our shower faucet dripped non-stop and the faucet handle needed caulking, but that was it. There was no crib. I went to concierge and was told that the request was not showing, so it must have been ‘filled.’ Back to room – there was a pack n play. Back to concierge – I told them I requested a full sized crib, not a pack n play. The staff member immediately got on phone and within 30 minutes we had a full sized crib. Glad it all worked out, but it should not have taken so many trips to the concierge desk to have this resolved.

First night in lounge was fantastic. Fresh sushi, veggies, fruit, cheese, drinks. Staff was extremely attentive and eager to clear dirty dishes and bring more offerings. We had turn down service that evening and received a welcome box of chocolates.

I know a lot of people want to know what the food offerings were, so I’ve included them here. I have to be very honest and say that for my family CL was not about the food and CL is not ‘worth it’ for the food. If your bottom line is saving money on food, then look elsewhere. For us, CL was ‘worth it’ for the convenience. We have two young children and were also traveling with grandparents. We got a great discount on CL and the cost was about the cost of a standard room at the Poly, so we went for it. We ate breakfast in the lounge every day, had lunch at Poly or a park, and made a dinner out of the evening offerings. We are not big eaters. We are also not big drinkers. Neither my husband or I drink soda on a regular basis, nor alcohol. My parents enjoy 1 or 2 sodas a day. At CL I had a glass of wine every night which was nice and my father had a beer. We noticed that other families were enjoying beers and the CL staff happily got them drinks if they were not out on the counter. I think if you enjoy having beer, wine, etc then CL might be a great option. No one was ‘watching’ you or limiting drinks. We just don’t happen to drink much, but I was glad to see that other families could enjoy a variety of drinks without being ‘limited.’

Breakfast offerings varied only slightly. Every day they had cold cereal (fruit loops, special K, and raisin bran), hard boiled eggs, oatmeal (with a selection of dried fruit and granola), bagels, and fruit. Some days they had mini muffins (blueberry and chocolate chip) and some days croissants. Coffee, tea, milk, and OJ. Mid-day snacks included gold fish, potato chips with dip, occasionally gummy bears, some ‘snack mix,’ or chocolate covered peanuts. They had out iced tea, lemonade, and POG juice during the day. I know some love those homemade chips, but personally I thought they were disgusting. I believe one day they had out veggies, but they were gone by the time we returned to the lounge and when asked we were told they were all out. They were always apples, bananas, and oranges in the lounge. The oranges were amazing (thanks Florida) the apples were blah (hey, I’m from apple country).

Evening offerings. Every night they had out cucumbers and carrots. They also had a variety of cheeses and crackers every night. There was always a cheese spread (like a goat cheese), and cheese ‘cubes’ like cheddar or pepper jack, etc. Fresh fruit included strawberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, raspberries, kiwi. Some nights they had out uncrustables. Two nights we had chicken wings, two night we had ‘asian’ pierogis. One night we had mushroom fritters. One night was conch fritters. One night chicken quesadillas. There were fried spring rolls another night. A few nights they had mini corn dogs which the kids liked. Overall, the hot apps were very disappointing. The sushi was great and the wings were good. (Although I lived in Buffalo, NY and am a wing snob.) Everything else was just ok. I’d compare the hot app quality to Applebees or something you could get in the frozen food section. Very greasy, very fried. The sushi was the best and unfortunately we only had that one night.

Desserts. My husband and son had desserts most nights while I put our daughter to bed. They enjoyed them, but said they weren’t ‘anything special.’ They would try every dessert and bring me back ‘the winner.’ I had a chocolate mousse which was good and a brownie which was good too.

What I did love (and was the biggest perk for us food wise) was that we could ask for chocolate milk, milk cartons, apple juice boxes, and uncrustables to have for the room/pool/parks. You just have to ask. I repeat – you have to ask. If I didn’t read the Disboards I would not have known this. If they have them available they will gladly provide them. We grabbed juice boxes and uncrustables to have a snacks/lunch in the park and it worked out really well. I feel that I need to add, we got enough for our kids for the day, we didn’t horde. ☺ The kids also loved having fruit loops to snack on in the parks. They have out ‘to go’ cups and bowls with lids. What they did not have was bottled water. They will provide a carafe of water, but you obviously can’t take that to a park! We just refilled a water bottle from the carafe. Soda was always out in the cooler and coffee was always available.

Bottom line – CL was “worth it” for our family on this trip. We are not park commandos. We have small kids and grandparents, so we need down time. We would go to the park in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at the resort. We spent our travel days and one full day at the pool, my parents spent two full days at the pool. Having easy access to breakfast, coffee, snacks, water, etc was amazing. The location of the building was amazing. For me the convenience was worth the cost. However, next time we might just use a grocery service.

Overall, the families we encountered at CL were polite, kind, and courteous. We didn’t experience any rude guests or unruly children. But I also understand that that is the luck of the draw. There was more than one family with a special needs person while we were there. The staff was so attentive to their needs that it was heartwarming. I also overheard many allergy requests and it appeared that the staff was on top of allergy concerns.

The club always appeared to be clean to me. Was it spotless? No. Clean? Yes. I observed staff wiping tables, sweeping floors, and just picking up in general. Dirty dishes were always cleared. Sometimes we ‘bused’ our own plates and other times a cast member would pick them up for us. The dirty plates that people bused themselves were always promptly removed. On a side note, one day I went over to Capt Cooks because I wanted/needed a salad (hello Disney?!?! Where are your veggies?!?!!?) I thought Capt Cooks was filthy. And I mean filthy. Food debris everywhere, dirty tables, dirty floor, condiments splattered on the counters, napkins strewn everywhere. I couldn’t get back to the CL lounge fast enough.

Some of the staff members were just outstanding. My son became fascinated with the beer bottle caps that would collect in a bowl by the drink area. One of the cast members, Alfredo, actually started saving the caps for him and gave them to him. My son thought this was just the coolest.

 

[Eastern]

I wonder why they give out juice boxes and milk cartons, but not water? They gave me water bottles when I was there in January 2015, and I got them at CR in January. Regarding the mushroom 'fritters': my guess is that this is their current meat subsitute. At CR in January, we had 'mushroom arancini'. No meatballs anymore, just mushroomballs.

We have also had the experience of them not replacing things because they are 'out'. Apparently they budget food based on their daily census. If something is particularly popular, on one day, they may not replace. For us it has happened with fruit, cookies, and alcoholic POG.

I also thought they were good about cleaning tables at Poly. They were terrible at CR. Awful.

 

[TJA]

@HaveKidsWillTravel - thanks for the review! We feel very similar about Poly CL -- there are so many other conveniences to us about staying there that the food offerings are just an extra perk to us. I agree that it's nice to be able to ask for anything and they'll do what they can to get it. Whether it's milk or juice boxes, a big bowl of strawberries, DH loves beer for the pool, to-go cups/bowls for snacks....it's very convenient that's for sure. And the location of Hawaii couldn't be better being next to both pools, the main building, the beach, and of course the view of Wishes/water parade is among the best in WDW.

Can't wait to be back there for the 4th of July!

 

[HaveKidsWillTravel]

Oh my! I forgot, we did have meatballs one night. With an orange glaze of some sort.

 

[mickeynut1]

We love CL as we don't get to the parks for opening and enjoy the breakfast. We also have a lot of pool time during the day so do pop back to the lounge for drinks and we also enjoy a glass of wine before heading to the parks in the evening. We haven't made a great use of the cordials as we're normally out and about although on the odd occasion it has been nice to return early and have a nightcap!

Apart from over the Christmas period we've managed to secure our bookings either on a bounceback or AP rate which we've considered as good value. It's the whole convenience and relaxation element of CL that we really like and I hope that the cutbacks don't affect this.

We love CL for the convenience, too, as we also spend a lot of time at the resort .

Got my little vacation booklet in the mail yesterday. It says I'm staying at YC and as a concierge guest, I will enjoy access to "The Old Faithful Club." I thought that was odd so I double-checked online and, sure enough, that's the name of the WL CL and YC is called "Regatta." This silly typo in no way impacts my vacation, but I think it's another example of how the company continues to lose its once amazing attention to detail.

I agree. Having the wrong CL name isn't something to impact your upcoming vacation, but it is sad how the simple things are getting overlooked .

It's just such a mixed bag -- I can't tell if it's worth the extra cost or not! We are thinking about returning for Food and Wine in September, and we may try CL again if the discount gets us low enough. I just hate to give it one go and never come back, you know? We could just be really unlucky this go-round.

I think it's a good idea to give CL another try, especially if you can get a good discount. You might find you like/enjoy another resort CL over YC CL, or you can return to YC and have a better experience next time. With that said, I hope you are having a great trip overall .

I know we can all now book th 4th FP right from our phones. I also know that in previous months, a "golden" 4th FP good for anything was added by resort CL CMs upon request by text.

I am unclear about whether the CL CMs still do this? Not sure if people are saying it's not needed or if they are saying it can't be done by CL CMs anymore. If it can still be done by CL CMs, is it automatically a FP good for anything? Or is it based on availability and for a specific ride?

I don't know whether or not this is still an option, but my understanding is that it is/was dependent on availability for a specific ride/time frame and not for just any ride, time, etc . Hopefully others will verify that or correct me if I'm wrong.

Hi just un clear on these emails everyone gets and when do you get them is it a welcome email? thanks!

A welcome email is pretty customary, but for reasons unknown, some people get them and some don't. It usually comes as a welcome letter with forms attached to fill out with your trip information, arrival time, ADRs you want booked, etc. Sometimes an email doesn't get sent until just before your 180 day mark (if you booked well in advance of that), but sometimes you get it shortly after you book. Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason as to when they're sent out or if you will even get one .

Here is my thrown together CL review. I wanted to get stuff down before I forgot. I post this, and a more general report, on the Poly thread as well.

I know a lot of people want to know what the food offerings were, so I’ve included them here. I have to be very honest and say that for my family CL was not about the food and CL is not ‘worth it’ for the food. If your bottom line is saving money on food, then look elsewhere. For us, CL was ‘worth it’ for the convenience. We have two young children and were also traveling with grandparents. We got a great discount on CL and the cost was about the cost of a standard room at the Poly, so we went for it.

Bottom line – CL was “worth it” for our family on this trip. We are not park commandos. We have small kids and grandparents, so we need down time. We would go to the park in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at the resort. We spent our travel days and one full day at the pool, my parents spent two full days at the pool. Having easy access to breakfast, coffee, snacks, water, etc was amazing. The location of the building was amazing. For me the convenience was worth the cost. However, next time we might just use a grocery service.

Some of the staff members were just outstanding. My son became fascinated with the beer bottle caps that would collect in a bowl by the drink area. One of the cast members, Alfredo, actually started saving the caps for him and gave them to him. My son thought this was just the coolest.

Thanks for your detailed review! What a nice thing Alfredo did for your son. Glad you had a great trip and enjoyed Poly CL .

@HaveKidsWillTravel - thanks for the review! We feel very similar about Poly CL -- there are so many other conveniences to us about staying there that the food offerings are just an extra perk to us. I agree that it's nice to be able to ask for anything and they'll do what they can to get it. Whether it's milk or juice boxes, a big bowl of strawberries, DH loves beer for the pool, to-go cups/bowls for snacks....it's very convenient that's for sure. And the location of Hawaii couldn't be better being next to both pools, the main building, the beach, and of course the view of Wishes/water parade is among the best in WDW.

Can't wait to be back there for the 4th of July!

These are my thoughts as well. The food offerings are a nice perk, but our main reason for staying CL is for the lounge and having a place to go and relax instead of in our room or around the resort. Hope you have a great time in July .

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Here is my thrown together CL review. I wanted to get stuff down before I forgot. I post this, and a more general report, on the Poly thread as well.
We arrived around 11 o’clock at resort. Checked in at main lobby. Did not have connecting rooms, which was only request. We were given ‘card keys’ to access other room in our party. After being checked in in the main lobby we were personally escorted to club level lobby and essentially checked in again. Again asked for connecting rooms and were told none were available. I checked that my request for a ‘full’ crib (not pack n play) was noted and told that it was. We were given a ‘check in’ packet with information. I noticed later in the week that when others were checked in they were give much more verbal and printed information than we were. Such as a print out of their fast pass reservations, dining reservations, information regarding the club, etc.

We waited in club level lounge for our room to be ready. I also took kids to the pool. We got a text around 2pm that rooms were ready. We had gorgeous third floor rooms at the end of the hall farthest from lobby. The rooms were very clean. Our shower faucet dripped non-stop and the faucet handle needed caulking, but that was it. There was no crib. I went to concierge and was told that the request was not showing, so it must have been ‘filled.’ Back to room – there was a pack n play. Back to concierge – I told them I requested a full sized crib, not a pack n play. The staff member immediately got on phone and within 30 minutes we had a full sized crib. Glad it all worked out, but it should not have taken so many trips to the concierge desk to have this resolved.

First night in lounge was fantastic. Fresh sushi, veggies, fruit, cheese, drinks. Staff was extremely attentive and eager to clear dirty dishes and bring more offerings. We had turn down service that evening and received a welcome box of chocolates.

I know a lot of people want to know what the food offerings were, so I’ve included them here. I have to be very honest and say that for my family CL was not about the food and CL is not ‘worth it’ for the food. If your bottom line is saving money on food, then look elsewhere. For us, CL was ‘worth it’ for the convenience. We have two young children and were also traveling with grandparents. We got a great discount on CL and the cost was about the cost of a standard room at the Poly, so we went for it. We ate breakfast in the lounge every day, had lunch at Poly or a park, and made a dinner out of the evening offerings. We are not big eaters. We are also not big drinkers. Neither my husband or I drink soda on a regular basis, nor alcohol. My parents enjoy 1 or 2 sodas a day. At CL I had a glass of wine every night which was nice and my father had a beer. We noticed that other families were enjoying beers and the CL staff happily got them drinks if they were not out on the counter. I think if you enjoy having beer, wine, etc then CL might be a great option. No one was ‘watching’ you or limiting drinks. We just don’t happen to drink much, but I was glad to see that other families could enjoy a variety of drinks without being ‘limited.’

Breakfast offerings varied only slightly. Every day they had cold cereal (fruit loops, special K, and raisin bran), hard boiled eggs, oatmeal (with a selection of dried fruit and granola), bagels, and fruit. Some days they had mini muffins (blueberry and chocolate chip) and some days croissants. Coffee, tea, milk, and OJ. Mid-day snacks included gold fish, potato chips with dip, occasionally gummy bears, some ‘snack mix,’ or chocolate covered peanuts. They had out iced tea, lemonade, and POG juice during the day. I know some love those homemade chips, but personally I thought they were disgusting. I believe one day they had out veggies, but they were gone by the time we returned to the lounge and when asked we were told they were all out. They were always apples, bananas, and oranges in the lounge. The oranges were amazing (thanks Florida) the apples were blah (hey, I’m from apple country).

Evening offerings. Every night they had out cucumbers and carrots. They also had a variety of cheeses and crackers every night. There was always a cheese spread (like a goat cheese), and cheese ‘cubes’ like cheddar or pepper jack, etc. Fresh fruit included strawberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, raspberries, kiwi. Some nights they had out uncrustables. Two nights we had chicken wings, two night we had ‘asian’ pierogis. One night we had mushroom fritters. One night was conch fritters. One night chicken quesadillas. There were fried spring rolls another night. A few nights they had mini corn dogs which the kids liked. Overall, the hot apps were very disappointing. The sushi was great and the wings were good. (Although I lived in Buffalo, NY and am a wing snob.) Everything else was just ok. I’d compare the hot app quality to Applebees or something you could get in the frozen food section. Very greasy, very fried. The sushi was the best and unfortunately we only had that one night.

Desserts. My husband and son had desserts most nights while I put our daughter to bed. They enjoyed them, but said they weren’t ‘anything special.’ They would try every dessert and bring me back ‘the winner.’ I had a chocolate mousse which was good and a brownie which was good too.

What I did love (and was the biggest perk for us food wise) was that we could ask for chocolate milk, milk cartons, apple juice boxes, and uncrustables to have for the room/pool/parks. You just have to ask. I repeat – you have to ask. If I didn’t read the Disboards I would not have known this. If they have them available they will gladly provide them. We grabbed juice boxes and uncrustables to have a snacks/lunch in the park and it worked out really well. I feel that I need to add, we got enough for our kids for the day, we didn’t horde. ☺ The kids also loved having fruit loops to snack on in the parks. They have out ‘to go’ cups and bowls with lids. What they did not have was bottled water. They will provide a carafe of water, but you obviously can’t take that to a park! We just refilled a water bottle from the carafe. Soda was always out in the cooler and coffee was always available.

Bottom line – CL was “worth it” for our family on this trip. We are not park commandos. We have small kids and grandparents, so we need down time. We would go to the park in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at the resort. We spent our travel days and one full day at the pool, my parents spent two full days at the pool. Having easy access to breakfast, coffee, snacks, water, etc was amazing. The location of the building was amazing. For me the convenience was worth the cost. However, next time we might just use a grocery service.

Overall, the families we encountered at CL were polite, kind, and courteous. We didn’t experience any rude guests or unruly children. But I also understand that that is the luck of the draw. There was more than one family with a special needs person while we were there. The staff was so attentive to their needs that it was heartwarming. I also overheard many allergy requests and it appeared that the staff was on top of allergy concerns.

The club always appeared to be clean to me. Was it spotless? No. Clean? Yes. I observed staff wiping tables, sweeping floors, and just picking up in general. Dirty dishes were always cleared. Sometimes we ‘bused’ our own plates and other times a cast member would pick them up for us. The dirty plates that people bused themselves were always promptly removed. On a side note, one day I went over to Capt Cooks because I wanted/needed a salad (hello Disney?!?! Where are your veggies?!?!!?) I thought Capt Cooks was filthy. And I mean filthy. Food debris everywhere, dirty tables, dirty floor, condiments splattered on the counters, napkins strewn everywhere. I couldn’t get back to the CL lounge fast enough.

Some of the staff members were just outstanding. My son became fascinated with the beer bottle caps that would collect in a bowl by the drink area. One of the cast members, Alfredo, actually started saving the caps for him and gave them to him. My son thought this was just the coolest.

Great report! You seem like the right family for CL. We have enjoyed it on trips like this where there is a lot of resort down-time. It is nice to have the lounge as a place to relax and have a little snack. Also a place for part of the family to hang out (in a civilized way, of course) while others are getting ready or napping in the room. For some trips, the extra cost is worth it for just these reasons.

 

[tarak]

Here is my thrown together CL review. I wanted to get stuff down before I forgot. I post this, and a more general report, on the Poly thread as well.
We arrived around 11 o’clock at resort. Checked in at main lobby. Did not have connecting rooms, which was only request. We were given ‘card keys’ to access other room in our party. After being checked in in the main lobby we were personally escorted to club level lobby and essentially checked in again. Again asked for connecting rooms and were told none were available. I checked that my request for a ‘full’ crib (not pack n play) was noted and told that it was. We were given a ‘check in’ packet with information. I noticed later in the week that when others were checked in they were give much more verbal and printed information than we were. Such as a print out of their fast pass reservations, dining reservations, information regarding the club, etc.

We waited in club level lounge for our room to be ready. I also took kids to the pool. We got a text around 2pm that rooms were ready. We had gorgeous third floor rooms at the end of the hall farthest from lobby. The rooms were very clean. Our shower faucet dripped non-stop and the faucet handle needed caulking, but that was it. There was no crib. I went to concierge and was told that the request was not showing, so it must have been ‘filled.’ Back to room – there was a pack n play. Back to concierge – I told them I requested a full sized crib, not a pack n play. The staff member immediately got on phone and within 30 minutes we had a full sized crib. Glad it all worked out, but it should not have taken so many trips to the concierge desk to have this resolved.

First night in lounge was fantastic. Fresh sushi, veggies, fruit, cheese, drinks. Staff was extremely attentive and eager to clear dirty dishes and bring more offerings. We had turn down service that evening and received a welcome box of chocolates.

I know a lot of people want to know what the food offerings were, so I’ve included them here. I have to be very honest and say that for my family CL was not about the food and CL is not ‘worth it’ for the food. If your bottom line is saving money on food, then look elsewhere. For us, CL was ‘worth it’ for the convenience. We have two young children and were also traveling with grandparents. We got a great discount on CL and the cost was about the cost of a standard room at the Poly, so we went for it. We ate breakfast in the lounge every day, had lunch at Poly or a park, and made a dinner out of the evening offerings. We are not big eaters. We are also not big drinkers. Neither my husband or I drink soda on a regular basis, nor alcohol. My parents enjoy 1 or 2 sodas a day. At CL I had a glass of wine every night which was nice and my father had a beer. We noticed that other families were enjoying beers and the CL staff happily got them drinks if they were not out on the counter. I think if you enjoy having beer, wine, etc then CL might be a great option. No one was ‘watching’ you or limiting drinks. We just don’t happen to drink much, but I was glad to see that other families could enjoy a variety of drinks without being ‘limited.’

Breakfast offerings varied only slightly. Every day they had cold cereal (fruit loops, special K, and raisin bran), hard boiled eggs, oatmeal (with a selection of dried fruit and granola), bagels, and fruit. Some days they had mini muffins (blueberry and chocolate chip) and some days croissants. Coffee, tea, milk, and OJ. Mid-day snacks included gold fish, potato chips with dip, occasionally gummy bears, some ‘snack mix,’ or chocolate covered peanuts. They had out iced tea, lemonade, and POG juice during the day. I know some love those homemade chips, but personally I thought they were disgusting. I believe one day they had out veggies, but they were gone by the time we returned to the lounge and when asked we were told they were all out. They were always apples, bananas, and oranges in the lounge. The oranges were amazing (thanks Florida) the apples were blah (hey, I’m from apple country).

Evening offerings. Every night they had out cucumbers and carrots. They also had a variety of cheeses and crackers every night. There was always a cheese spread (like a goat cheese), and cheese ‘cubes’ like cheddar or pepper jack, etc. Fresh fruit included strawberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, raspberries, kiwi. Some nights they had out uncrustables. Two nights we had chicken wings, two night we had ‘asian’ pierogis. One night we had mushroom fritters. One night was conch fritters. One night chicken quesadillas. There were fried spring rolls another night. A few nights they had mini corn dogs which the kids liked. Overall, the hot apps were very disappointing. The sushi was great and the wings were good. (Although I lived in Buffalo, NY and am a wing snob.) Everything else was just ok. I’d compare the hot app quality to Applebees or something you could get in the frozen food section. Very greasy, very fried. The sushi was the best and unfortunately we only had that one night.

Desserts. My husband and son had desserts most nights while I put our daughter to bed. They enjoyed them, but said they weren’t ‘anything special.’ They would try every dessert and bring me back ‘the winner.’ I had a chocolate mousse which was good and a brownie which was good too.

What I did love (and was the biggest perk for us food wise) was that we could ask for chocolate milk, milk cartons, apple juice boxes, and uncrustables to have for the room/pool/parks. You just have to ask. I repeat – you have to ask. If I didn’t read the Disboards I would not have known this. If they have them available they will gladly provide them. We grabbed juice boxes and uncrustables to have a snacks/lunch in the park and it worked out really well. I feel that I need to add, we got enough for our kids for the day, we didn’t horde. ☺ The kids also loved having fruit loops to snack on in the parks. They have out ‘to go’ cups and bowls with lids. What they did not have was bottled water. They will provide a carafe of water, but you obviously can’t take that to a park! We just refilled a water bottle from the carafe. Soda was always out in the cooler and coffee was always available.

Bottom line – CL was “worth it” for our family on this trip. We are not park commandos. We have small kids and grandparents, so we need down time. We would go to the park in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at the resort. We spent our travel days and one full day at the pool, my parents spent two full days at the pool. Having easy access to breakfast, coffee, snacks, water, etc was amazing. The location of the building was amazing. For me the convenience was worth the cost. However, next time we might just use a grocery service.

Overall, the families we encountered at CL were polite, kind, and courteous. We didn’t experience any rude guests or unruly children. But I also understand that that is the luck of the draw. There was more than one family with a special needs person while we were there. The staff was so attentive to their needs that it was heartwarming. I also overheard many allergy requests and it appeared that the staff was on top of allergy concerns.

The club always appeared to be clean to me. Was it spotless? No. Clean? Yes. I observed staff wiping tables, sweeping floors, and just picking up in general. Dirty dishes were always cleared. Sometimes we ‘bused’ our own plates and other times a cast member would pick them up for us. The dirty plates that people bused themselves were always promptly removed. On a side note, one day I went over to Capt Cooks because I wanted/needed a salad (hello Disney?!?! Where are your veggies?!?!!?) I thought Capt Cooks was filthy. And I mean filthy. Food debris everywhere, dirty tables, dirty floor, condiments splattered on the counters, napkins strewn everywhere. I couldn’t get back to the CL lounge fast enough.

Some of the staff members were just outstanding. My son became fascinated with the beer bottle caps that would collect in a bowl by the drink area. One of the cast members, Alfredo, actually started saving the caps for him and gave them to him. My son thought this was just the coolest.

Your review is very close to what I'd write. We're on the bus headed to the airport.

I've stayed CL at WL, the Poly, YC, and AKL. I don't think I would stay CL again at a resort where the lounge isn't on the same floor as my room. The Poly is close enough because it's in the same building. But I know I got more use out of the lounge when it was just down the hall, as opposed to a long walk down the hallway and a trip on the elevator. It's not the walk. I walk nearly as much at home as I do at Disney. But if I'm wanting to bring food back from the lounge, it's more likely to happen if it's a few hundred feet away. So as far as getting use out of the lounge, proximity to my room is important.

I think the Poly has the best lounge of those I've enjoyed. Even when I knew there were a lot of people buzzing about, we could find a table. It was clean and all the staff were great. It was more open and seemed much larger than other lounges. I'm sure the high ceiling has a lot to do with that. I just get the impression it was designed to be a CL lounge. All others seem like they were just stuffed into a space that was repurposed. The other guests were friendly and I didn't see one person clean out a tray of food when others were waiting. But that wasn't the case when we stayed there in 2010, so HaveKidsWillTravel has a good point. We were lucky, I think.

We didn't eat one meal at Captain Cook's, so I can't compare the facilities. The only resort QS I've ever really liked is the Mara at AKL. Breakfast was at the lounge most days. Lunch time was at the parks and we usually had snacks when we came back to relax and enjoy the pool. I agree the evening apps weren't the best. I'm from Pennsylvania and laughed at the pierogis. They were good, but it struck me as funny. We ordered a few things from Trader Sam's and ate on the terrace. I liked the Hippopotamai-tai a lot. My daughter really wanted me to get the Shrunken Zombie Head (I think it was). I got one to go the last night and took it to the guest laundry to drink while waiting for my clothes to dry. It wasn't great. I finished it, but wouldn't order it again. It had a weird bitter flavor that I couldn't quite figure out. The food was decent but expensive. I didn't go inside because I thought the sound and lighting effects might freak out my daughter. Between the evening offerings at the lounge, though, and the menus at the pool bars, there was more than enough to satisfy us. For the three of us, it was definitely worth the convenience. If I were traveling with my husband and all four kids, I'd rent points for a 2 BR villa and pick up groceries because otherwise the food bill would be outrageous.

Oh, and Irv is awesome.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Here is my thrown together CL review. I wanted to get stuff down before I forgot. I post this, and a more general report, on the Poly thread as well.
We arrived around 11 o’clock at resort. Checked in at main lobby. Did not have connecting rooms, which was only request. We were given ‘card keys’ to access other room in our party. After being checked in in the main lobby we were personally escorted to club level lobby and essentially checked in again. Again asked for connecting rooms and were told none were available. I checked that my request for a ‘full’ crib (not pack n play) was noted and told that it was. We were given a ‘check in’ packet with information. I noticed later in the week that when others were checked in they were give much more verbal and printed information than we were. Such as a print out of their fast pass reservations, dining reservations, information regarding the club, etc.

We waited in club level lounge for our room to be ready. I also took kids to the pool. We got a text around 2pm that rooms were ready. We had gorgeous third floor rooms at the end of the hall farthest from lobby. The rooms were very clean. Our shower faucet dripped non-stop and the faucet handle needed caulking, but that was it. There was no crib. I went to concierge and was told that the request was not showing, so it must have been ‘filled.’ Back to room – there was a pack n play. Back to concierge – I told them I requested a full sized crib, not a pack n play. The staff member immediately got on phone and within 30 minutes we had a full sized crib. Glad it all worked out, but it should not have taken so many trips to the concierge desk to have this resolved.

First night in lounge was fantastic. Fresh sushi, veggies, fruit, cheese, drinks. Staff was extremely attentive and eager to clear dirty dishes and bring more offerings. We had turn down service that evening and received a welcome box of chocolates.

I know a lot of people want to know what the food offerings were, so I’ve included them here. I have to be very honest and say that for my family CL was not about the food and CL is not ‘worth it’ for the food. If your bottom line is saving money on food, then look elsewhere. For us, CL was ‘worth it’ for the convenience. We have two young children and were also traveling with grandparents. We got a great discount on CL and the cost was about the cost of a standard room at the Poly, so we went for it. We ate breakfast in the lounge every day, had lunch at Poly or a park, and made a dinner out of the evening offerings. We are not big eaters. We are also not big drinkers. Neither my husband or I drink soda on a regular basis, nor alcohol. My parents enjoy 1 or 2 sodas a day. At CL I had a glass of wine every night which was nice and my father had a beer. We noticed that other families were enjoying beers and the CL staff happily got them drinks if they were not out on the counter. I think if you enjoy having beer, wine, etc then CL might be a great option. No one was ‘watching’ you or limiting drinks. We just don’t happen to drink much, but I was glad to see that other families could enjoy a variety of drinks without being ‘limited.’

Breakfast offerings varied only slightly. Every day they had cold cereal (fruit loops, special K, and raisin bran), hard boiled eggs, oatmeal (with a selection of dried fruit and granola), bagels, and fruit. Some days they had mini muffins (blueberry and chocolate chip) and some days croissants. Coffee, tea, milk, and OJ. Mid-day snacks included gold fish, potato chips with dip, occasionally gummy bears, some ‘snack mix,’ or chocolate covered peanuts. They had out iced tea, lemonade, and POG juice during the day. I know some love those homemade chips, but personally I thought they were disgusting. I believe one day they had out veggies, but they were gone by the time we returned to the lounge and when asked we were told they were all out. They were always apples, bananas, and oranges in the lounge. The oranges were amazing (thanks Florida) the apples were blah (hey, I’m from apple country).

Evening offerings. Every night they had out cucumbers and carrots. They also had a variety of cheeses and crackers every night. There was always a cheese spread (like a goat cheese), and cheese ‘cubes’ like cheddar or pepper jack, etc. Fresh fruit included strawberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, raspberries, kiwi. Some nights they had out uncrustables. Two nights we had chicken wings, two night we had ‘asian’ pierogis. One night we had mushroom fritters. One night was conch fritters. One night chicken quesadillas. There were fried spring rolls another night. A few nights they had mini corn dogs which the kids liked. Overall, the hot apps were very disappointing. The sushi was great and the wings were good. (Although I lived in Buffalo, NY and am a wing snob.) Everything else was just ok. I’d compare the hot app quality to Applebees or something you could get in the frozen food section. Very greasy, very fried. The sushi was the best and unfortunately we only had that one night.

Desserts. My husband and son had desserts most nights while I put our daughter to bed. They enjoyed them, but said they weren’t ‘anything special.’ They would try every dessert and bring me back ‘the winner.’ I had a chocolate mousse which was good and a brownie which was good too.

What I did love (and was the biggest perk for us food wise) was that we could ask for chocolate milk, milk cartons, apple juice boxes, and uncrustables to have for the room/pool/parks. You just have to ask. I repeat – you have to ask. If I didn’t read the Disboards I would not have known this. If they have them available they will gladly provide them. We grabbed juice boxes and uncrustables to have a snacks/lunch in the park and it worked out really well. I feel that I need to add, we got enough for our kids for the day, we didn’t horde. ☺ The kids also loved having fruit loops to snack on in the parks. They have out ‘to go’ cups and bowls with lids. What they did not have was bottled water. They will provide a carafe of water, but you obviously can’t take that to a park! We just refilled a water bottle from the carafe. Soda was always out in the cooler and coffee was always available.

Bottom line – CL was “worth it” for our family on this trip. We are not park commandos. We have small kids and grandparents, so we need down time. We would go to the park in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at the resort. We spent our travel days and one full day at the pool, my parents spent two full days at the pool. Having easy access to breakfast, coffee, snacks, water, etc was amazing. The location of the building was amazing. For me the convenience was worth the cost. However, next time we might just use a grocery service.

Overall, the families we encountered at CL were polite, kind, and courteous. We didn’t experience any rude guests or unruly children. But I also understand that that is the luck of the draw. There was more than one family with a special needs person while we were there. The staff was so attentive to their needs that it was heartwarming. I also overheard many allergy requests and it appeared that the staff was on top of allergy concerns.

The club always appeared to be clean to me. Was it spotless? No. Clean? Yes. I observed staff wiping tables, sweeping floors, and just picking up in general. Dirty dishes were always cleared. Sometimes we ‘bused’ our own plates and other times a cast member would pick them up for us. The dirty plates that people bused themselves were always promptly removed. On a side note, one day I went over to Capt Cooks because I wanted/needed a salad (hello Disney?!?! Where are your veggies?!?!!?) I thought Capt Cooks was filthy. And I mean filthy. Food debris everywhere, dirty tables, dirty floor, condiments splattered on the counters, napkins strewn everywhere. I couldn’t get back to the CL lounge fast enough.

Some of the staff members were just outstanding. My son became fascinated with the beer bottle caps that would collect in a bowl by the drink area. One of the cast members, Alfredo, actually started saving the caps for him and gave them to him. My son thought this was just the coolest.

What a great review, pretty much sums up my thoughts on CL (especially Poly CL) EXACTLY and why it works for our family. Thank you for taking the time to post!

 

[conandrob240]

Can anyone just back comment on the CL CMs and the 4th FP?

The way I understood it from other threads was that when you finished your 3, you sent the CL a text and they added a 4th which was good for any ride at any time. Am I imaging that?

 

[mmmears]

Can anyone just back comment on the CL CMs and the 4th FP?

The way I understood it from other threads was that when you finished your 3, you sent the CL a text and they added a 4th which was good for any ride at any time. Am I imaging that?

It wasn't good for any ride or for any time. At least when we did it. I would text and ask for a specific ride. If they could get it they would get us a FP with a window (sometimes it was 1.5 hrs instead of 1 hr, but it was still a set time). If not, they would text me and tell me what rides (near the original one) were still available.

 

[tarak]

Can anyone just back comment on the CL CMs and the 4th FP?

The way I understood it from other threads was that when you finished your 3, you sent the CL a text and they added a 4th which was good for any ride at any time. Am I imaging that?

I can't comment on whether they can do this or not. But at the MK on Monday, I was able to get a 4th FP with the app and then a 5th. So I don't know that the service would be that helpful at this point.

 

[mickeynut1]

Your review is very close to what I'd write. We're on the bus headed to the airport.

I've stayed CL at WL, the Poly, YC, and AKL. I don't think I would stay CL again at a resort where the lounge isn't on the same floor as my room. The Poly is close enough because it's in the same building. But I know I got more use out of the lounge when it was just down the hall, as opposed to a long walk down the hallway and a trip on the elevator. It's not the walk. I walk nearly as much at home as I do at Disney. But if I'm wanting to bring food back from the lounge, it's more likely to happen if it's a few hundred feet away. So as far as getting use out of the lounge, proximity to my room is important.

I think the Poly has the best lounge of those I've enjoyed. Even when I knew there were a lot of people buzzing about, we could find a table. It was clean and all the staff were great. It was more open and seemed much larger than other lounges. I'm sure the high ceiling has a lot to do with that. I just get the impression it was designed to be a CL lounge. All others seem like they were just stuffed into a space that was repurposed. The other guests were friendly and I didn't see one person clean out a tray of food when others were waiting. But that wasn't the case when we stayed there in 2010, so HaveKidsWillTravel has a good point. We were lucky, I think.

We didn't eat one meal at Captain Cook's, so I can't compare the facilities. The only resort QS I've ever really liked is the Mara at AKL. Breakfast was at the lounge most days. Lunch time was at the parks and we usually had snacks when we came back to relax and enjoy the pool. I agree the evening apps weren't the best. I'm from Pennsylvania and laughed at the pierogis. They were good, but it struck me as funny. We ordered a few things from Trader Sam's and ate on the terrace. I liked the Hippopotamai-tai a lot. My daughter really wanted me to get the Shrunken Zombie Head (I think it was). I got one to go the last night and took it to the guest laundry to drink while waiting for my clothes to dry. It wasn't great. I finished it, but wouldn't order it again. It had a weird bitter flavor that I couldn't quite figure out. The food was decent but expensive. I didn't go inside because I thought the sound and lighting effects might freak out my daughter. Between the evening offerings at the lounge, though, and the menus at the pool bars, there was more than enough to satisfy us. For the three of us, it was definitely worth the convenience. If I were traveling with my husband and all four kids, I'd rent points for a 2 BR villa and pick up groceries because otherwise the food bill would be outrageous.

Oh, and Irv is awesome.

Thanks for your review. Hope you had a great trip .

It wasn't good for any ride or for any time. At least when we did it. I would text and ask for a specific ride. If they could get it they would get us a FP with a window (sometimes it was 1.5 hrs instead of 1 hr, but it was still a set time). If not, they would text me and tell me what rides (near the original one) were still available.

Thanks for posting your experience with the 4th FP texting. As I posted above, I didn't think it was for any ride/any time, but I wasn't positive .

I can't comment on whether they can do this or not. But at the MK on Monday, I was able to get a 4th FP with the app and then a 5th. So I don't know that the service would be that helpful at this point.

I've often wondered how helpful that service was as I was always reading about guests getting more FPs on their own .

 

[lovetotraveltx]

It wasn't good for any ride or for any time. At least when we did it. I would text and ask for a specific ride. If they could get it they would get us a FP with a window (sometimes it was 1.5 hrs instead of 1 hr, but it was still a set time). If not, they would text me and tell me what rides (near the original one) were still available.

How do you get this text number. Is it on the information you are given when you check in to CL? Thanks!

 

[conandrob240]

This is a perfect example of how CL could add value without increasing their costs. You stay club level and once you use 3 FP an automatic golden 4th gets posted to your account, good for any ride. I wish someone with half a brain was considering how to enhance CL in the face of the $ cutbacks like we've heard about here.

 

[trishadono]

Hi just un clear on these emails everyone gets and when do you get them is it a welcome email? thanks!

I usually get one soon after I book. If after a week I don't receive one I just send a "hello" myself. I always make a room request. Honestly, how do they know if you need close to lounge or quiet? ETC

The emails for each IPO(itinerary planning office) is listed on the first page of this thread.

For texting, CR GF and BC had texting but only GF had 4th fp. Texting is nice. You can ask what time the lounge closes when you forget or if you can have a late checkout, or even if you forgot a toothbrush. It is so much easier and quicker to text vs walking to the desk and waiting for a turn.

CR and BC gave at check in. GF last august texted me a week prior to my trip so I had it early. Very nice!

 

[mmmears]

How do you get this text number. Is it on the information you are given when you check in to CL? Thanks!

Yes, they pointed it out to us, but it was listed on one of the papers they handed us when we checked in. This was in March, so not all that long ago, but things seem to be changing quickly these days. And we stayed at both the BC and the GF, and both CLs offered the same service, which we really appreciated.

 

[TNS_Tinkerbell]

We are officially booked Dec. 3 -11th Poly CL! So excited.

 

[Tonberry]

We stayed at the Poly club level back in November, and I have to say, I would do it again!
After a long day at the park, there's nothing like relaxing in the lounge. The kids would grab some cookies and watch Disney Junior. Meanwhile, I would grab a beer, my wife a glass of wine, and we would just sit there and relax looking out the window at the amazing view thinking about all the fun we had and how lucky we were to be where we are.
Priceless to us.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are officially booked Dec. 3 -11th Poly CL! So excited.

How exciting! Enjoy the planning and anticipation .

We stayed at the Poly club level back in November, and I have to say, I would do it again!
After a long day at the park, there's nothing like relaxing in the lounge. The kids would grab some cookies and watch Disney Junior. Meanwhile, I would grab a beer, my wife a glass of wine, and we would just sit there and relax looking out the window at the amazing view thinking about all the fun we had and how lucky we were to be where we are.
Priceless to us.

It's always nice hearing such positive reports about Poly CL! We love the Poly and can't wait to try CL this fall .