Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[mickeynut1]

Just tell the concierge at CL you would like turndown. I can only speak for breakfast and afternoon snacks. Bagels, muffins, he eggs and cereal in the am. House made chips, gummy gears and assorted cakes and cookies for snack. Lemonade and jungle juice are great!

Thanks thanks for the information .

I'm going to miss RPC next month, though I know I'll be just fine at BWI CL (can't wait to see what the deluxe room is like!) and then Poly CL (love the lagoon view!).

What a great split! It is easy to miss RPC, but I think you'll have a great time at the Poly and BWI. We are booked for Poly CL this fall and BWI CL is one I want to try (I have my eye on a deluxe room). Hope you will report back after your stay .

Reading the comments on the current state of CL at AKL, at what point is it reasonable to downgrade to a regular, savanna view room? Seems like a poor use of vacation dollars to invest in a club level without the ease that comes with the regular lounge and attentive staff. We're supposed to be there next weekend, so I need to decide in the next day or two while we can still modify our reservation.

That's hard to answer as everybody is different. Some people won't stay CL during a time when the lounge is temporarily relocated, while it doesn't bother others. If this is your first ever CL stay (or first at AKL), you might want to wait until the renovations are done. But again, it's personal preference. Good luck with your decision .

 

[AliceIn]

Reading the comments on the current state of CL at AKL, at what point is it reasonable to downgrade to a regular, savanna view room? Seems like a poor use of vacation dollars to invest in a club level without the ease that comes with the regular lounge and attentive staff. We're supposed to be there next weekend, so I need to decide in the next day or two while we can still modify our reservation.

Honestly, if they aren't doing anything other than provide snacks and Continental breakfast, in a converted suite, I would downgrade. We had an unpleasant stay at the Beach Club when they were using the temporary lounge, I would not do that again.

We stay club level for the extra service and pampering. We do midday breaks, so some of us shower before dinner. We love coming back to a clean room again with the beds turned down, and toiletries replenished. We are a family of five, so we go through shampoo and conditioner fast.

I would get drinks, chips and stuff delivered, and use the money you save on a real breakfast.

AKL seems like they have killed their CL experience.

 

[Enna]

Thank you both for your thoughts. My family stayed at the Poly several years ago (2011?) when the lounge was closed and relocated to an elevator lobby with exactly two chairs and not much to offer other than the spiked juice and a few uncrustables. We have also stayed club level at AKL (prior to DVC having club access) and loved it so much we bought into DVC at Jambo. Since this trip is a last-minute add on paying rack rate for the room, I'm disheartened to read the reviews of the current state of affairs at AKL CL. We could downgrade and have the big-ticket Sunday brunch at California Grill plus a few drinks at Trader Sam's for what the club level upgrade costs. There doesn't seem to be much point in spending the money to have access to the space and comforts of a lounge that isn't really there.

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you both for your thoughts. My family stayed at the Poly several years ago (2011?) when the lounge was closed and relocated to an elevator lobby with exactly two chairs and not much to offer other than the spiked juice and a few uncrustables. We have also stayed club level at AKL (prior to DVC having club access) and loved it so much we bought into DVC at Jambo. Since this trip is a last-minute add on paying rack rate for the room, I'm disheartened to read the reviews of the current state of affairs at AKL CL. We could downgrade and have the big-ticket Sunday brunch at California Grill plus a few drinks at Trader Sam's for what the club level upgrade costs. There doesn't seem to be much point in spending the money to have access to the space and comforts of a lounge that isn't really there.

You're welcome!

With your past Poly CL experience and having tried AKL CL prior to any changes, I think I agree with you about skipping CL this time around. We don't stay CL every trip but when we do, it's mainly for the lounge and having another place to relax rather than in the room or around the resort, so I can see your point about not wanting to spend the extra money and not have the space/comfort of an actual lounge. With that said, I'm sure you'll have a great trip as AKL is a great resort. Have a great time .

 

[ToyStory3]

Hi all. I'm staying at Sugar Loaf now. We just checked in last night. Blown away by how much we love the resort. It's beautiful and peaceful and elegant. We have never been to the grand Floridian before and did not know what to expect. My kids didn't think they were going to like it. Now they never want to stay anyplace else.

We always thought we would prefer the Polynesian over all other resorts. It just seemed like something we would love. But we walked over there yesterday and realized we like the GF much more. We've always stayed at the beach club in the past so we don't have much experience with the Magic Kingdom resorts.

Yesterday everything seemed great with the club level experience. There was confusion about our check in. Someone walked us over to Sugarloaf to check in but I can tell that was not supposed to happen. They all seemed slightly irritated and confused. They even told us we should go back over to the main house and ask for a printout of our itinerary. Seems very strange that her own club level staff could not print that out for us. But it all turned out fine.

We did not receive turndown service last night and I was so disappointed. That's one of my favorite things about club level. I love coming back to a nice clean room and clean towels. Not sure if it was a one off or if you need to request it now. Going to find out today.

I was all prepared to logon this morning and tell everyone how amazing the lounge has been. Drinks and snacks were great last night. Everyone was very attentive. But Breakfast was a disaster this morning. Literally a disaster. They ran out of everything and couldn't keep it replenished enough. Completely ran out of coffee for about 20 minutes. That did not go over well. The little espresso machine was full of empty pods and wasn't working. All food seemed to empty at the same time and people were very unhappy about it. They finally came out with a huge plastic tub full of coffee and poured it in to the coffee basin. It was a tub you would carry dirty dishes in. I sat at a table for about a half hour after I was done eating just watching everything unfold. So bizarre. Someone got very upset and complained and one of the club level staff and she said "yes please do talk to management!" And she was serious.

It hasn't even been 24 hours so it may have just been a one time thing. They are handing out bottles of water to anyone who needs it. And the staff really do seem to want to make your stay as nice as possible. It's just not flowing for they are short staffed or something. But it's beautiful and we are having a great time.

 

[ellie&mattys mom]

Hi I could use some opinions we are at OKW for 3 days then Beach Club Club level as a surprise today is my 60 days I have a water view already booked the whole club level is a surprise I posted a picture of the room requests looking for help older kids 16 and 20!! Does it not say full balcony because it comes with it? thanks!!

 

[TJA]

Hi all. I'm staying at Sugar Loaf now. We just checked in last night. Blown away by how much we love the resort. It's beautiful and peaceful and elegant. We have never been to the grand Floridian before and did not know what to expect. My kids didn't think they were going to like it. Now they never want to stay anyplace else.

We always thought we would prefer the Polynesian over all other resorts. It just seemed like something we would love. But we walked over there yesterday and realized we like the GF much more. We've always stayed at the beach club in the past so we don't have much experience with the Magic Kingdom resorts.

Yesterday everything seemed great with the club level experience. There was confusion about our check in. Someone walked us over to Sugarloaf to check in but I can tell that was not supposed to happen. They all seemed slightly irritated and confused. They even told us we should go back over to the main house and ask for a printout of our itinerary. Seems very strange that her own club level staff could not print that out for us. But it all turned out fine.

We did not receive turndown service last night and I was so disappointed. That's one of my favorite things about club level. I love coming back to a nice clean room and clean towels. Not sure if it was a one off or if you need to request it now. Going to find out today.

I was all prepared to logon this morning and tell everyone how amazing the lounge has been. Drinks and snacks were great last night. Everyone was very attentive. But Breakfast was a disaster this morning. Literally a disaster. They ran out of everything and couldn't keep it replenished enough. Completely ran out of coffee for about 20 minutes. That did not go over well. The little espresso machine was full of empty pods and wasn't working. All food seemed to empty at the same time and people were very unhappy about it. They finally came out with a huge plastic tub full of coffee and poured it in to the coffee basin. It was a tub you would carry dirty dishes in. I sat at a table for about a half hour after I was done eating just watching everything unfold. So bizarre. Someone got very upset and complained and one of the club level staff and she said "yes please do talk to management!" And she was serious.

It hasn't even been 24 hours so it may have just been a one time thing. They are handing out bottles of water to anyone who needs it. And the staff really do seem to want to make your stay as nice as possible. It's just not flowing for they are short staffed or something. But it's beautiful and we are having a great time. View attachment 170621

We had the same feelings of being blown away last month when we stayed at GF (we were in the main building Club Level)! The feelings were instant for me and to be honest, I haven't stopped thinking about it .

Your review so far sounds similar to what others are reporting about cutbacks. Please let us know if they'll do turndown after you request it. We had automatic turndown in the main building last month, but I know things are changing... Also, hoping breakfast time improves and this morning was just a one-time thing. The coffee story is very bazaar!!

We had the same experience with water bottles. They didn't put them in the refrigerator until night time after desserts, but they were available at other times if we asked for them.

Enjoy your time at the beautiful GF and I'm looking forward to hearing more about your thoughts! Pictures of the lounge food are always welcome too .

 

[Enna]

Again, thank you for your perspective.

You're welcome!

With your past Poly CL experience and having tried AKL CL prior to any changes, I think I agree with you about skipping CL this time around. We don't stay CL every trip but when we do, it's mainly for the lounge and having another place to relax rather than in the room or around the resort, so I can see your point about not wanting to spend the extra money and not have the space/comfort of an actual lounge. With that said, I'm sure you'll have a great trip as AKL is a great resort. Have a great time .

After reading more reports of club concerns, we have downgraded to a savanna view room using an AP discount, with a cost savings of $390 for a ONE NIGHT stay for two adults. I loved what AKL club level was, and prefer to keep that memory. We have enjoyed Atrium Club and Tower Club at CR numerous times. But....the guest reports of obvious cutbacks and the story of coffee being poured from a tub are enough to make me say it is just not worth it to even consider club level until there are some changes for the better.

 

[AliceIn]

Hi all. I'm staying at Sugar Loaf now. We just checked in last night. Blown away by how much we love the resort. It's beautiful and peaceful and elegant. We have never been to the grand Floridian before and did not know what to expect. My kids didn't think they were going to like it. Now they never want to stay anyplace else.

We always thought we would prefer the Polynesian over all other resorts. It just seemed like something we would love. But we walked over there yesterday and realized we like the GF much more. We've always stayed at the beach club in the past so we don't have much experience with the Magic Kingdom resorts.

Yesterday everything seemed great with the club level experience. There was confusion about our check in. Someone walked us over to Sugarloaf to check in but I can tell that was not supposed to happen. They all seemed slightly irritated and confused. They even told us we should go back over to the main house and ask for a printout of our itinerary. Seems very strange that her own club level staff could not print that out for us. But it all turned out fine.

We did not receive turndown service last night and I was so disappointed. That's one of my favorite things about club level. I love coming back to a nice clean room and clean towels. Not sure if it was a one off or if you need to request it now. Going to find out today.

I was all prepared to logon this morning and tell everyone how amazing the lounge has been. Drinks and snacks were great last night. Everyone was very attentive. But Breakfast was a disaster this morning. Literally a disaster. They ran out of everything and couldn't keep it replenished enough. Completely ran out of coffee for about 20 minutes. That did not go over well. The little espresso machine was full of empty pods and wasn't working. All food seemed to empty at the same time and people were very unhappy about it. They finally came out with a huge plastic tub full of coffee and poured it in to the coffee basin. It was a tub you would carry dirty dishes in. I sat at a table for about a half hour after I was done eating just watching everything unfold. So bizarre. Someone got very upset and complained and one of the club level staff and she said "yes please do talk to management!" And she was serious.

It hasn't even been 24 hours so it may have just been a one time thing. They are handing out bottles of water to anyone who needs it. And the staff really do seem to want to make your stay as nice as possible. It's just not flowing for they are short staffed or something. But it's beautiful and we are having a great time. View attachment 170621

Thank you for your review. I encourage you to put an honest review on TripAdvisor, and also provide feedback to Disney when they send you the after stay survey.

I love the resort. The rooms are fantastic, and everything is so beautiful and pristine. I spent a week staying there while on business and had a lovely room in Boca Chica. That was a wonderful stay for me, so I decided to do our pre-cruise night at the GF with my family. We opted for Sugar Loaf and experienced the same thing as you. Breakfast had very little food available for the number of people staying at the resort. The platters would be empty, and a large group of people standing waiting for more. As soon as a platter of food was brought out, it was gone. This happened at the evening service and breakfast services. The afternoon tea and dessert wasn't as chaotic. The lounge seems very small for the number of rooms - we were not able to find seats for all 5 of us during the service times. I will not stay in Sugar Loaf again, but I'm willing to give the RPC a shot because the resort is wonderful, but that is only if the guest experiences start changing for the better.

I have had fantastic experiences on club level at the Beach Club (the new lounge is amazing), and at the CR. Both lounges always seem to have ample seating and have a very relaxed feel to them. I'm looking forward to trying the Poly! The spacious lounge and view is eagerly anticipated!

 

[dansdad]

Hi I could use some opinions we are at OKW for 3 days then Beach Club Club level as a surprise today is my 60 days I have a water view already booked the whole club level is a surprise I posted a picture of the room requests looking for help older kids 16 and 20!! Does it not say full balcony because it comes with it? thanks!!

One of the reasons I don't make any requests during online check in is that the options are predetermined and limited. They also don't necessarily make sense.

It's possible that your room won't have a full balcony. If having one is important to you, contact IPO and let them know. Or you can call the main reservation line and add any requests to your reservation. This can be done anytime from the day you book up until 4-5 days prior to your arrival.

 

[AliceIn]

One of the reasons I don't make any requests during online check in is that the options are predetermined and limited. They also don't necessarily make sense.

It's possible that your room won't have a full balcony. If having one is important to you, contact IPO and let them know. Or you can call the main reservation line and add any requests to your reservation. This can be done anytime from the day you book up until 4-5 days prior to your arrival.

I love the BC - it's one of my favorite resorts. The club level floor rooms have all different configurations, and you really have to decide which is most important to you. Some rooms have full balconies. Some rooms have daybeds. A much smaller number of rooms have both daybeds and full balconies. We initially thought the full balcony was our priority, but now we understand that the daybed is the priority. We got our full balcony request, but the room didn't have a daybed in it. The rollaway they brought for son went in the only spot in the room where it fit -- directly blocking the door to the balcony.

On another stay we got both the daybed and the balcony. You just never know. I agree with dansdad, I would contact the IPO and let them know what type of room you want, but be prepared for a room without a balcony. You will still have a great time at the resort - the extra space in the new lounge makes up for the loss of the balcony IMO.

 

[TJA]

I love the BC - it's one of my favorite resorts. The club level floor rooms have all different configurations, and you really have to decide which is most important to you. Some rooms have full balconies. Some rooms have daybeds. A much smaller number of rooms have both daybeds and full balconies. We initially thought the full balcony was our priority, but now we understand that the daybed is the priority. We got our full balcony request, but the room didn't have a daybed in it. The rollaway they brought for son went in the only spot in the room where it fit -- directly blocking the door to the balcony.

I could've written this!! We also love the BC CL, had been our favorite for so many years! Even with the small lounge...we still loved it. Now it's even more amazing with the larger lounge and refurbed rooms. However....what a shame they couldn't get the rooms reconfigured during the refurb to add daybeds to all. For a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teens) it's really pretty impossible to all share 2 queens for a comfortable sleep each night. I understand some rooms simply couldn't fit a daybed, so unfortunate it couldn't work!

Like you, we always request full balcony and daybed, 2 trips ago got the full balcony but not the daybed. They brought the cot and the only place to put it blocked the balcony!! So next trip we switched our request order and got the daybed but not the balcony. It was a great room, a corner room with lots of windows. But we missed the balcony SO much. It really is a big part of our vacation. Sad to say, we just can't risk staying at BC CL anymore. We have received a room with both requests in the past, but I know they're not many of those available.

 

[whitney250]

Does Contemporary CL do any decorating for Christmas in the lounge?

 

[Enna]

Does Contemporary CL do any decorating for Christmas in the lounge?

Last year, there was one tastefully decorated tree (approximately 6 ft tall) in the Atrium Club lounge area and another very similar one in the tower club, but more toward the elevators than in the lounge itself. The sugar cookies had red and green sprinkles.

 

[whitney250]

Last year, there was one tastefully decorated tree (approximately 6 ft tall) in the Atrium Club lounge area and another very similar one in the tower club, but more toward the elevators than in the lounge itself. The sugar cookies had red and green sprinkles.

Now I'm even more excited... Christmas is my favorite time of the year lol

 

[jennyl772003]

Sorry if this has already been answered... Does any one know when the akl cl lounge is scheduled to be done? We are arriving in 3 weeks for a 2 week stay (dvc) to celebrate my sons graduation, and he'd be super bummed if the lounge isn't open.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi all. I'm staying at Sugar Loaf now. We just checked in last night. Blown away by how much we love the resort. It's beautiful and peaceful and elegant. We have never been to the grand Floridian before and did not know what to expect. My kids didn't think they were going to like it. Now they never want to stay anyplace else.

We always thought we would prefer the Polynesian over all other resorts. It just seemed like something we would love. But we walked over there yesterday and realized we like the GF much more. We've always stayed at the beach club in the past so we don't have much experience with the Magic Kingdom resorts.

Yesterday everything seemed great with the club level experience. There was confusion about our check in. Someone walked us over to Sugarloaf to check in but I can tell that was not supposed to happen. They all seemed slightly irritated and confused. They even told us we should go back over to the main house and ask for a printout of our itinerary. Seems very strange that her own club level staff could not print that out for us. But it all turned out fine.

We did not receive turndown service last night and I was so disappointed. That's one of my favorite things about club level. I love coming back to a nice clean room and clean towels. Not sure if it was a one off or if you need to request it now. Going to find out today.

I was all prepared to logon this morning and tell everyone how amazing the lounge has been. Drinks and snacks were great last night. Everyone was very attentive. But Breakfast was a disaster this morning. Literally a disaster. They ran out of everything and couldn't keep it replenished enough. Completely ran out of coffee for about 20 minutes. That did not go over well. The little espresso machine was full of empty pods and wasn't working. All food seemed to empty at the same time and people were very unhappy about it. They finally came out with a huge plastic tub full of coffee and poured it in to the coffee basin. It was a tub you would carry dirty dishes in. I sat at a table for about a half hour after I was done eating just watching everything unfold. So bizarre. Someone got very upset and complained and one of the club level staff and she said "yes please do talk to management!" And she was serious.

It hasn't even been 24 hours so it may have just been a one time thing. They are handing out bottles of water to anyone who needs it. And the staff really do seem to want to make your stay as nice as possible. It's just not flowing for they are short staffed or something. But it's beautiful and we are having a great time.

I'm sorry SL is less than stellar, but glad you're enjoying the GF overall. I hope the breakfast situation gets better for the remainder of your stay .

Hi I could use some opinions we are at OKW for 3 days then Beach Club Club level as a surprise today is my 60 days I have a water view already booked the whole club level is a surprise I posted a picture of the room requests looking for help older kids 16 and 20!! Does it not say full balcony because it comes with it? thanks!!

I agree with the pp's that if you want a full balcony, I'd call IPO and have them note that request as not all rooms come with one.

Again, thank you for your perspective.

After reading more reports of club concerns, we have downgraded to a savanna view room using an AP discount, with a cost savings of $390 for a ONE NIGHT stay for two adults. I loved what AKL club level was, and prefer to keep that memory. We have enjoyed Atrium Club and Tower Club at CR numerous times. But....the guest reports of obvious cutbacks and the story of coffee being poured from a tub are enough to make me say it is just not worth it to even consider club level until there are some changes for the better.

For a $400 savings, I'd opt for non-CL as well

I love the resort. The rooms are fantastic, and everything is so beautiful and pristine. I spent a week staying there while on business and had a lovely room in Boca Chica. That was a wonderful stay for me, so I decided to do our pre-cruise night at the GF with my family. We opted for Sugar Loaf and experienced the same thing as you. Breakfast had very little food available for the number of people staying at the resort. The platters would be empty, and a large group of people standing waiting for more. As soon as a platter of food was brought out, it was gone. This happened at the evening service and breakfast services. The afternoon tea and dessert wasn't as chaotic. The lounge seems very small for the number of rooms - we were not able to find seats for all 5 of us during the service times. I will not stay in Sugar Loaf again, but I'm willing to give the RPC a shot because the resort is wonderful, but that is only if the guest experiences start changing for the better.

I feel the same way about the SL lounge. I found it very small/cramped and chaotic with not enough seating/room to spread out for the number of people who stay there. RPC, on the other hand, is amazing! There is not only plenty of seating (IMO), but the views are beautiful. If I wasn't able to stay RPC, I'd book outer building GV before I'd book SL again as I just wasn't impressed with SL to spend the extra money over a standard GV room .

It's possible that your room won't have a full balcony. If having one is important to you, contact IPO and let them know. Or you can call the main reservation line and add any requests to your reservation. This can be done anytime from the day you book up until 4-5 days prior to your arrival.

I would contact the IPO and let them know what type of room you want, but be prepared for a room without a balcony.

I agree with both of the above .

Now I'm even more excited... Christmas is my favorite time of the year lol

Disney at Christmas time is amazing! Hope you have a great trip! .

 

[Enna]

Now I'm even more excited... Christmas is my favorite time of the year lol

Not sure when you will be there during the Christmas season, but you'll likely also be able to see the huge Christmas tree in front of CR from the lounge, or your room if you have TPV. Holiday Wishes is lovely from the lounge, too.

 

[Enna]

Sorry if this has already been answered... Does any one know when the akl cl lounge is scheduled to be done? We are arriving in 3 weeks for a 2 week stay (dvc) to celebrate my sons graduation, and he'd be super bummed if the lounge isn't open.

We were told by May 27th.

 

[whitney250]

Not sure when you will be there during the Christmas season, but you'll likely also be able to see the huge Christmas tree in front of CR from the lounge, or your room if you have TPV. Holiday Wishes is lovely from the lounge, too.

Yes we will have TPV! We will be there December 10-16... Hopefully we get to see the tree from our room!