Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[TJA]

Yes! That was me!!! We both had the same duck family visiting! We are booked GV again this time with no illusions for an upgrade to LV again - but that view was fantastic in 2015!! At least CL had the reserved space on the beach to watch so even with GV we should have a good view of the fireworks.

Yes you'll have that premium spot on the beach. I was actually considering sitting in that area this year because it's such a perfect view, but being that they kept people off the grass we just stayed put on our patio. Sadly, I don't know if we'll make it to Disney next year over the 4th cause my DD's have a class trip during the last week in June. So I'll look forward to some reviews and pictures! Happy planning!

 

[mickeynut1]

I just called the GF IPO number that was listed in their email signatures (and also listed on page one of this thread). It is still an active number for the IPO, but you are not able to speak with anyone live, it's just a recording. The recording directs callers to contact the Disney Dining number if they would like to make dining reservations. You do have the option of leaving a voicemail, but that is it.

Thank goodness for the DIS, or I wouldn't have known what was happening! I'm just thinking about all the folks not on the boards, who had IPO reach out to them to offer assistance and then suddenly vanish. Well, not exactly vanish, but change without notice. This is sad.

Not very customer service friendly, especially when IPO is (or was) there to assist guests .

This is very sad, we pay the extra money for the "extras" and now they are taken away.

I agree. It's one thing if services are taken away and rates stayed constant, but room rates keep going up while services/extras are slowly being taken away .

 

[kcpinwdw]

Just an update on the email situation and the generic response about calling... yesterday I ended up getting a real email back from a real person at YC confirming that they added the dietary information to my reservation. So someone must be reading them still?

 

[Regan117]

I just called the GF IPO number that was listed in their email signatures (and also listed on page one of this thread). It is still an active number for the IPO, but you are not able to speak with anyone live, it's just a recording. The recording directs callers to contact the Disney Dining number if they would like to make dining reservations. You do have the option of leaving a voicemail, but that is it.

Thank goodness for the DIS, or I wouldn't have known what was happening! I'm just thinking about all the folks not on the boards, who had IPO reach out to them to offer assistance and then suddenly vanish. Well, not exactly vanish, but change without notice. This is sad.

This may mean the end of a run of CL stays for us. We actually do use the IPO, so I refuse to keep paying the money and getting less. We leave in two days for RPC and this will be the last CL stay for me. I'm changing our future reservations to non-CL.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Online check in and CL: Does it matter if you do online check in with CL? It's been several years since I stayed CL (at BWI and YC) but at that time, a CL employee met us in front of the lobby when we arrived and escorted us up to the CL for check in up there. Is it still like that? We are staying at BWI in one of the garden cottages, and will be arriving by Magical Express--our plane lands around 9 am so I'm guessing it will be around 11 or so when we arrive. Since we are staying in a garden cottage, I'm thinking there's no real "requests" I can make during the online process, right? Thanks!

 

[Christine9125]

Online check in and CL: Does it matter if you do online check in with CL? It's been several years since I stayed CL (at BWI and YC) but at that time, a CL employee met us in front of the lobby when we arrived and escorted us up to the CL for check in up there. Is it still like that? We are staying at BWI in one of the garden cottages, and will be arriving by Magical Express--our plane lands around 9 am so I'm guessing it will be around 11 or so when we arrive. Since we are staying in a garden cottage, I'm thinking there's no real "requests" I can make during the online process, right? Thanks!

I was wondering the same thing. I am staying YC CL and wasn't sure about doing online check in.

 

[TJA]

I do online check-in while staying CL because I prefer to get my room-ready text (or at least have a chance to get the text). At BWI CL, I'd be willing to bet that CM Pete will be on the lookout for you as long as they know your approximate arrival time. We got our room ready text and went straight to our room last July and Pete finally found us in the lounge and said he had been waiting for us all day (I felt SO bad!) -- he had our welcome packet in hand and wanted to be sure our MB's all worked. He's the old-fashioned type of CM who goes above and beyond. He's great!

I'm not sure about YC CL -- I know all CL's went through a phase where they weren't greeting CL guests anymore, but people are reporting that it's hit or miss now and things seem to be reverting back to the old ways.

I've never found detailed enough info for my requests during online check-in, to be honest, so I usually email IPO with my requests and they note in my file. That's about all I use IPO for. Not sure if that's changing soon, though.

 

[BC1836]

GFR IPO closed Nov. 5 at 10 p.m.

All the best!

 

[Purple & Pink Mommy]

I recently booked a trip for early June 2017 at GF CL SL. I received a UOC in the mail and it felt like it was too good to pass up. We (me, DH, and 2 DD) went to WDW October 2015 and stayed GF CL SL and had a great time. I've been brushing up reading the dis again (thanks everyone for all the great info!) and I'm worried about the decrease in services for CL guests. I'm glad someone mentioned the IPO planning because I've wondered why I haven't been contacted yet. I'm now wondering if I should pay the extra money for CL. I can book a standard view for $700 cheaper and just order some food & drinks for the room. This trip is unexpected and I just want to be careful with our budget.

I booked CL for our last visit for the breakfast, snacks and drinks. I also wanted CL for the concierge. I wanted a go-to person/team to help make our trip magical. They helped secure a hard-to-get FP, and helped with a couple of big issues we had on our first night. I really enjoyed the texting service, too. I know I could've booked a standard view and bought food for the room like we've done before but the service the CL staff provided on our last trip was priceless. For me, it was money well spent. I did use the IPO, but only for easy ADR's and BBB reservations. This allowed me to focus on the harder to get ADR's. We enjoyed our experience so much that when I received the UOC in the mail I jumped at it. It took some convincing for DH but after a week he gave in. I did suggest some other CL that were a little cheaper, but he prefers the GF.

My concern is what kind of services does CL provide now? Is it just food and drink? Can they help me book a cabana during our stay or will I have to do that myself? Will they greet you at check in? If I have planning questions not related to ADR's can I still email them? If it's just dining reservations that's getting cut, I can live with that since I did most on our last trip anyway. I just want to be aware so I know what to expect. TIA!

 

[HBGdancermom]

I do online check-in while staying CL because I prefer to get my room-ready text (or at least have a chance to get the text). At BWI CL, I'd be willing to bet that CM Pete will be on the lookout for you as long as they know your approximate arrival time. We got our room ready text and went straight to our room last July and Pete finally found us in the lounge and said he had been waiting for us all day (I felt SO bad!) -- he had our welcome packet in hand and wanted to be sure our MB's all worked. He's the old-fashioned type of CM who goes above and beyond. He's great!

I'm not sure about YC CL -- I know all CL's went through a phase where they weren't greeting CL guests anymore, but people are reporting that it's hit or miss now and things seem to be reverting back to the old ways.

I've never found detailed enough info for my requests during online check-in, to be honest, so I usually email IPO with my requests and they note in my file. That's about all I use IPO for. Not sure if that's changing soon, though.

I love Pete!!

 

[TJA]

I love Pete!!

He's such a kind man who cares so much about the guests! I have a feeling he's the type who resists any type of change to CL services.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I recently booked a trip for early June 2017 at GF CL SL. I received a UOC in the mail and it felt like it was too good to pass up. We (me, DH, and 2 DD) went to WDW October 2015 and stayed GF CL SL and had a great time. I've been brushing up reading the dis again (thanks everyone for all the great info!) and I'm worried about the decrease in services for CL guests. I'm glad someone mentioned the IPO planning because I've wondered why I haven't been contacted yet. I'm now wondering if I should pay the extra money for CL. I can book a standard view for $700 cheaper and just order some food & drinks for the room. This trip is unexpected and I just want to be careful with our budget.

I booked CL for our last visit for the breakfast, snacks and drinks. I also wanted CL for the concierge. I wanted a go-to person/team to help make our trip magical. They helped secure a hard-to-get FP, and helped with a couple of big issues we had on our first night. I really enjoyed the texting service, too. I know I could've booked a standard view and bought food for the room like we've done before but the service the CL staff provided on our last trip was priceless. For me, it was money well spent. I did use the IPO, but only for easy ADR's and BBB reservations. This allowed me to focus on the harder to get ADR's. We enjoyed our experience so much that when I received the UOC in the mail I jumped at it. It took some convincing for DH but after a week he gave in. I did suggest some other CL that were a little cheaper, but he prefers the GF.

My concern is what kind of services does CL provide now? Is it just food and drink? Can they help me book a cabana during our stay or will I have to do that myself? Will they greet you at check in? If I have planning questions not related to ADR's can I still email them? If it's just dining reservations that's getting cut, I can live with that since I did most on our last trip anyway. I just want to be aware so I know what to expect. TIA!

Hi! Unfortunately I have a non-answer answer for you. It looks to me that the IPO situation is shifting under our feet at the moment. There are reports of strange/canned responses to e-mails and people being referred to the main Disney reservations or ADR line. There are other reports that seem to indicate that the IPO function will soon be centralized in some manner. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what all of this means yet in terms of guest service, access, what they can/can't do, etc.

My guess is that sometime soon we'll see a centralized IPO type of operation that will be a single point for of contact for pre-arrival CL guest planning. Hopefully similar to what was available before, just centralized staff serving all resort CLs.

Whatever Disney is up to with the "transition" we're seeing right now (if you want to call it that), it doesn't appear to be particularly well thought out, but perhaps I just don't have all of the facts.

I'm actually planning a last-minute CL stay (not at GF) in a few weeks so curious to see what I experience.

 

[HBGdancermom]

He's such a kind man who cares so much about the guests! I have a feeling he's the type who resists any type of change to CL services.

I totally agree. Last spring when we were there he was waiting on my 9 year with princess ears and asked how we had been since our last visit!

 

[Purple & Pink Mommy]

Hi! Unfortunately I have a non-answer answer for you. It looks to me that the IPO situation is shifting under our feet at the moment. There are reports of strange/canned responses to e-mails and people being referred to the main Disney reservations or ADR line. There are other reports that seem to indicate that the IPO function will soon be centralized in some manner. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what all of this means yet in terms of guest service, access, what they can/can't do, etc.

My guess is that sometime soon we'll see a centralized IPO type of operation that will be a single point for of contact for pre-arrival CL guest planning. Hopefully similar to what was available before, just centralized staff serving all resort CLs.

Whatever Disney is up to with the "transition" we're seeing right now (if you want to call it that), it doesn't appear to be particularly well thought out, but perhaps I just don't have all of the facts.

I'm actually planning a last-minute CL stay (not at GF) in a few weeks so curious to see what I experience.

Thanks! I'm very curious and interested to hear what you experience in a few weeks!

 

[TJA]

I totally agree. Last spring when we were there he was waiting on my 9 year with princess ears and asked how we had been since our last visit!

Awe love to hear things like this! There really are still some great CM's out there. Unfortunately, a few bad eggs really set the tone sometimes.

 

[TJA]

I'm actually planning a last-minute CL stay (not at GF) in a few weeks so curious to see what I experience.

Wait - did I know about this?! Where are you staying? I was just peeking at rates for the week after Thanksgiving, but I really can't pull my girls out of school and gymnastics that week, sadly!

 

[TJA]

Hi! Unfortunately I have a non-answer answer for you. It looks to me that the IPO situation is shifting under our feet at the moment. There are reports of strange/canned responses to e-mails and people being referred to the main Disney reservations or ADR line. There are other reports that seem to indicate that the IPO function will soon be centralized in some manner. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what all of this means yet in terms of guest service, access, what they can/can't do, etc.

My guess is that sometime soon we'll see a centralized IPO type of operation that will be a single point for of contact for pre-arrival CL guest planning. Hopefully similar to what was available before, just centralized staff serving all resort CLs.

Whatever Disney is up to with the "transition" we're seeing right now (if you want to call it that), it doesn't appear to be particularly well thought out, but perhaps I just don't have all of the facts.

I'm actually planning a last-minute CL stay (not at GF) in a few weeks so curious to see what I experience.

This is exactly what I was thinking too. To me, a centralized "call-center" type of IPO doesn't really bother me as long as we can still have email contact.

 

[mickeynut1]

He's the old-fashioned type of CM who goes above and beyond. He's great!

We've never stayed BWI CL so I haven't had the privilege of meeting Pete, but he sounds like a great CM who really cares about guests. It's sad that there aren't more CMs like him .

I'm actually planning a last-minute CL stay (not at GF) in a few weeks so curious to see what I experience.

Hope you have a great trip .

There really are still some great CM's out there. Unfortunately, a few bad eggs really set the tone sometimes.

I agree!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Wait - did I know about this?! Where are you staying? I was just peeking at rates for the week after Thanksgiving, but I really can't pull my girls out of school and gymnastics that week, sadly!

No comment. Lol....

Actually, 'probably' going to do a quick WL CL Deluxe Room trip for a few days after Thanksgiving. I've been having fits about our Spring Break plans and questioning if WL Deluxe room is the right call for us, so been looking for the chance to do a smaller "trial" trip.

That's some real Disney logic right there for you!

 

[dansdad]

No comment. Lol....

Actually, 'probably' going to do a quick WL CL Deluxe Room trip for a few days after Thanksgiving. I've been having fits about our Spring Break plans and questioning if WL Deluxe room is the right call for us, so been looking for the chance to do a smaller "trial" trip.

That's some real Disney logic right there for you!

Makes complete sense to me!