Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[HelenParr]

You are a wonderful help, thank you! My poor son has to deal with peanut and eggs, so most desserts are off limits for him. I'm happy they'll be helpful! WL always had those 'allergy free' cookies on hand for him, which he enjoyed!
Is there any specific room area request we should make? Do all CL rooms have balconies? Thanks!!!!

Almost every YC room has a balcony. There are 1 or 2 that do not, or have a gigantic shared balcony (due to the contour of the building). The chances of getting a non-balcony room are very slim. I'd ask to be moved if that happens. We've had the giant shared balcony before and liked it. But not everyone does.

The standard view is likely to face the incoming part of the resort. Other than "close to lounge" if you want that, I don't think there's a request that would change your view much. From some rooms on fifth floor you can see some of the high fireworks way in the distance from Magic Kingdom. That's pretty cool.

The YC/BC thread has lots of info and pictures of room views.

 

[mrsap]

I agree



I'm sorry about the kids being sick. I hope they are feeling better and today is a better day .



I'm sure you'll have a great time! Enjoy the rest of your planning .

Thank you very much!!!!!!

 

[Maxie86]

Just wanted to throw a post out about the whole 'to-go' alcohol from club level. I am at CR and have very blatantly and obviously taken multiple glasses of wine and beer straight to my room without a word. They even pour its most of the time.

They have the set up for them to pour it all night but after the appetizer time most people just reach over to get their own since a CM doesn't man it all the time.

On a side note, today was a really bad day for us. Woke up at 4 AM to DD(2) coughing on her runny nose and she's been running a fever all day. We had a half day planned for AK so planned on keeping her in the stroller. On the bus over my 4 year old son coughed this horrible sound. I knew what was next I picked him up and cuddled him while he threw up basically all over me and him. Got to AK and told the bus driver who took us right back to CR. He was sick most of the day.

Hoping tomorrow is better.

Hope DD and DS are feeling better. We have never had an issue taking alcohol back to the room at GF SL and RPC, Poly, BWI, or YC. Never tried it in AKL since the rooms are so far from the lounge.

Thanks so much!!

After reading some of the responses yesterday, we talked about what area was important to us, and we both agreed we liked the EPCOT area. We loved that we could easily walk there, and also really enjoy going for a walk around the properties after dinner.

I did go ahead last night and made the upgrade to YC CL

I'm sure my mind will be spinning and I'll still compare BC and BWI several times!! I think we're most excited about the newly updated rooms at YC, and the kids definitely want to swim in SAB! So right now, I'll stay put. Thanks for all of your help!

So our official dates are 11/26-12/2 YC CL

Now that we finally settled on YC - can you guys please tell me what floor the CL is on? We booked a standard view room - is the walk far to the lounge? How's the lounge with accommodating allergies? Are the hours posted on page one the same? Do they fully close the lounge during the hour it's down, like WL does? Anything else I should know? LOL thanks so much!!!!! You guys are great

You're welcome, I think you made a great choice. It is so nice to be able to walk to Epcot in the evenings. We rarely go to the MK at night...it is so crowded and can take over an hour to get back to the GF at night.

The lounge is on the 5th floor. Some SV rooms are very close to the lounge and others farther but as a PP stated not terribly far. I love the shared balcony. It is very large with a better view than a lot of the SV rooms and very close to the lounge. Some people don't like it though because there can be other people right outside your room.

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you very much!!!!!!

You're welcome

 

[firsttimemom]

Did you have a view of Illuminations from 4220? Trying to gather information for our BWI CL trip in December!

Honestly, I don't know bcs we weren't in our room at that time. You might if you are on the balcony and look left.

 

[cwis]

We never had an issue at GF SL when taking back drinks to our room, and the CM were happily giving us our beer unbottled if we asked.

We're coming back to AKL this year and we've read about the “no-glass” policy which kind of worries me. We don't check-in until the summer but I am already making plans around this policy… Should we buy glasses on site? Bring some along with our bags? Be prepared to ask the CM in the lounge super-nicely every day?

 

[mrsap]

Almost every YC room has a balcony. There are 1 or 2 that do not, or have a gigantic shared balcony (due to the contour of the building). The chances of getting a non-balcony room are very slim. I'd ask to be moved if that happens. We've had the giant shared balcony before and liked it. But not everyone does.

The standard view is likely to face the incoming part of the resort. Other than "close to lounge" if you want that, I don't think there's a request that would change your view much. From some rooms on fifth floor you can see some of the high fireworks way in the distance from Magic Kingdom. That's pretty cool.

The YC/BC thread has lots of info and pictures of room views.

Thank you for your response! I'm happy about the balconies! It's always nice to start off your day out there! My daughter and I love sitting outside and getting some fresh air!!! I'm not too worried about view, we probably won't be spending a whole lot of time up there anyway! I appreciate your time!! I'm looking forward to our stay!

 

[Eastern]

Is there a different name for the room than deluxe queen main building, that is what I ask for and they always say deluxe king is available, maybe I'm giving the wrong info for them to look up.

How many people are you booking for?

 

[Eastern]

You know it is confusing . Deluxe rooms in the outbuilding, deluxe kings main building. It's a deluxe hotel with queens .. lol!

Maybe ask for a room that sleeps 6?

The deluxe queen, 1br and 2br would only qualify.

I called about these rooms yesterday and I was told that the Deluxe Queen CL rooms in the main building can only sleep 4 people (I even referred to the BO code like someone said to do because I did not believe them). I was given the choice of Std CL (40 rooms available) or 1 BR suite CL (2 available) in main building for 5 people. I talked to two different CMs and both seemed knowledgeable...This was for May 2018.

Prices just for fun: 1BR suite $1945 per night...TPV CL $1476 per night...Std CL $1274 per night Memorial day week (these prices are probably averaged with tax included and will vary depending on whether there is a Saturday stay or holiday in your booking (more expensive).

And again, this is for the main building.

 

[Ewoks]

At AKL cl we were allowed to take alcohol back to the room in plastic cups. We were always taking drinks back every night as our daughter would be asleep by eight and we would sit on the balcony and relax with some appetisers, dessert, wine and beer. I'm hoping they are not going to change this, it's the part of club I love (although am looking forward to the kids being old enough to stay awake so we can actually enjoy drinks in the lounge).

I highly highly doubt any CL will do away with taking drinks to your room. It's part of the whole experience and what you're paying for in the extra room cost. I'm not sure what first prompted the initial concern a while back about difficulties taking drinks to rooms at some CLs, but in all our experiences personally we've never had an issue with taking wine or opened bottles of beer back.

I think the biggest discrepancy CL to CL is that very few allow you to take UNOPENED beers to your room for whatever reason. We were able to do so at CR every time, as well as AKL, Poly (Tonga), and WL (although our stay at WL was a while back so this could easily have changed). We were NOT able to do so at BWI, Poly (Hawaii building), and YC.

 

[Ewoks]

We never had an issue at GF SL when taking back drinks to our room, and the CM were happily giving us our beer unbottled if we asked.

We're coming back to AKL this year and we've read about the “no-glass” policy which kind of worries me. We don't check-in until the summer but I am already making plans around this policy… Should we buy glasses on site? Bring some along with our bags? Be prepared to ask the CM in the lounge super-nicely every day?

I'm not sure I understand? You can bring wine and beer to your room at AKL with zero issues. It will simply be in a clear plastic cup instead of a regular wine glass. There's no other difference. No need to bring glasses unless you absolutely must drink from a wine glass in your room every single time.

 

[cwis]

I'm not sure I understand? You can bring wine and beer to your room at AKL with zero issues. It will simply be in a clear plastic cup instead of a regular wine glass. There's no other difference. No need to bring glasses unless you absolutely must drink from a wine glass in your room every single time.

I must confess I was born in France and part of my DNA forbids me from drinking wine in a plastic cup

 

[AggieRach99]

I would love some honest feedback from the CL experts here. I booked a 16th birthday girl's trip for my daughter, 9/21-9/24. It is me, my daughter, my mom and my sister. Currently I have us booked in a garden view CL room at the Poly. After booking, I have read some not-so-great reviews on the upkeep of the rooms at Poly and the lounge in general. Additionally, mom and sister are pretty low-key and we definitely want a resort with a more "grown-up" feel (yeah, I know it is Disney...). Thinking Poly might not be the way to go. Now considering moving us to BWI, BC or YC CL. Struggling, because DD has always wanted to stay at Poly and this is HER trip. Can anyone counter the negative reviews on the CL service and the state of the rooms at Poly right now?

 

[Angelaann]

I would love some honest feedback from the CL experts here. I booked a 16th birthday girl's trip for my daughter, 9/21-9/24. It is me, my daughter, my mom and my sister. Currently I have us booked in a garden view CL room at the Poly. After booking, I have read some not-so-great reviews on the upkeep of the rooms at Poly and the lounge in general. Additionally, mom and sister are pretty low-key and we definitely want a resort with a more "grown-up" feel (yeah, I know it is Disney...). Thinking Poly might not be the way to go. Now considering moving us to BWI, BC or YC CL. Struggling, because DD has always wanted to stay at Poly and this is HER trip. Can anyone counter the negative reviews on the CL service and the state of the rooms at Poly right now?

We returned from the Poly yesterday. Generally, I thought the housekeeping was fine and the rooms were in good condition. The lounge was clean and well-stocked. The food offerings tended towards Asian flavors. Other than one night of poorly supervised young children in the lounge, I really don't have any complaints.

 

[Ewoks]

I must confess I was born in France and part of my DNA forbids me from drinking wine in a plastic cup

I guess the best option then is to either pack some or buy them there if it's that huge of a deal? It's very hit-or-miss on whether an individual CM will let you take them to your room or not. If you ask a CM for a glass to take to your room, it will almost definitely be in a plastic cup every time. If you're drinking it in the lounge, it'll be in a glass.

 

[beesly]

YIKES!!!
we are booked in may-- have loved WL club in the past. Does anyone have any positive feedback from a recent AKL CL stay?

I loved AKL CL when we visited last month! As @Ewoks mentioned, the food was amazing. I loved the wines and even found that a local store here at home carries both of the Indaba varieties that they had at AKL CL, so I've been buying that occasionally now to have a little bit of WDW at home. Most of the CMs were super pleasant - I only encountered one who seemed a little shy, and one other who acted inconvenienced when I would ask for a drink (but I didn't let that bother me). Our room was close to the lobby and I didn't mind the walk to the lounge. The resort as a whole just really impressed me - I love the theming and had some interesting conversations with CMs about their home countries in Africa. My DD was so excited to get cards from them with facts about the different countries - so it was educational for her, too! We also participated in some of the recreational activities they offer, like stamping and cookie decorating. I also really liked the pool at Jambo - zero entry, plenty of space. On our last day, I got two mimosas to go from the CL lounge and we spent the morning poolside.

We never had an issue at GF SL when taking back drinks to our room, and the CM were happily giving us our beer unbottled if we asked.

We're coming back to AKL this year and we've read about the “no-glass” policy which kind of worries me. We don't check-in until the summer but I am already making plans around this policy… Should we buy glasses on site? Bring some along with our bags? Be prepared to ask the CM in the lounge super-nicely every day?

I carried a wine glass back to my room two or three times and no one said anything to me about it. Each time, I sat in the lounge with it for a minute or two (usually with a quick snack) and then got up and walked back to my room. It seemed to me that the CMs probably have to ask you in the beginning whether it's to go, but that once you have the glass, they aren't going to keep you from going anywhere.

 

[Eastern]

I must confess I was born in France and part of my DNA forbids me from drinking wine in a plastic cup

I would just ask for two glasses from the nearest bar. I'm sure people do it as you can buy bottles of wine in the gift shop. Then just rinse and put them away so housekeeping doesn't pick them up.

 

[mmmears]

Regarding unopened bottles of beer, I was told once in a conversation with a CL CM that they would find many bottles of beer and water in the mini-fridges when they were cleaned out at the end of a guest's stay and that they were not allowed to "re-use" those sealed bottles in the CL lounge, so they were trying to limit the waste. (Now I had asked about the water, not the beer but it was mentioned in passing). Not sure if this is the real reason or not...

I would love some honest feedback from the CL experts here. I booked a 16th birthday girl's trip for my daughter, 9/21-9/24. It is me, my daughter, my mom and my sister. Currently I have us booked in a garden view CL room at the Poly. After booking, I have read some not-so-great reviews on the upkeep of the rooms at Poly and the lounge in general. Additionally, mom and sister are pretty low-key and we definitely want a resort with a more "grown-up" feel (yeah, I know it is Disney...). Thinking Poly might not be the way to go. Now considering moving us to BWI, BC or YC CL. Struggling, because DD has always wanted to stay at Poly and this is HER trip. Can anyone counter the negative reviews on the CL service and the state of the rooms at Poly right now?

We've stayed CL at YC, BC, and Poly (from your list) and have enjoyed them all. I think that the Poly does tend to attract families but you're not going during a typical school holiday so that will help. I've been there when it was full of kids and also at times when it wasn't. The mousekeeping was fine each time we have stayed there. The Poly is a great place - and the theming is unique and hard to replicate at another resort. If it was me and it was for my DD's 16th I would stay where she chose, but I agree that the others might have more of a grown-up feel. But the Poly has some great things to offer - the views of the MK, the lagoon, and the monorail; Trader Sams and Ohana; the little boats you can rent; the tropical theming, pools, and gardens... The list goes on. And now you have me wanting to stay there!

 

[saintrob]

We've just returned from six nights at AKL staying in a 1 bedroom villa, using our DVC points to stay club level. Unfortunately it was the most disappointing of all our CL stays over the years. We love AKL and again the hotel didn't disappoint but the CL left a lot to be desired when compared to other resorts.

The main issue was the lack of service/warmth from the CMs who were working on the CL floor. There was little or no interaction such as 'welcome back' from staff on the desk and CMs would walk past us rather than say hello.

As beer and wine are now on request, on occasion we felt that we were being an inconvenience when we asked for a drink. We were also disappointed with the food. Breakfast was fine but afternoon tea was very repetitive, as were the appetisers and desserts. What did surprise us was the emptying of the fridge at 10pm of all soft drinks. At both the CR and SL we were always able to obtain a soft drink if returning late.

My husband had a 'big' birthday whilst at AKL and I wanted a speciality birthday cake for a meal at the Cali Grill and asked the CL staff for some help - they could offer no assistance bar the phone number of the Contemporary.

On checking out of the resort not one member of staff wshed us well etc.

We then spent four nights in a DVC studio at the Poly and it was like 'coming home'. The staff were fabulous and CL here will be on our list. We are huge fans of CL and have loved every experience so far but this was so disappointing.
It was such a pity as the resort is beautiful.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@AggieRach99....

What @mmmears said! Very much agree with everything said there. Now I want to go book a trip too!

Admittedly most of my experience is with the MK resorts, so I only have 1/2 knowledge to really speak from here.

Having stayed in many Hawaii rooms, I tend to think that when people make comments about the state of the Poly rooms it has more to do with someone reacting to the theming/darker decor than the room condition itself. Sure, I've had some rooms that show a bit of wear, but that tends to happen everywhere. The last room renovations were 2013ish if I'm not mistaken. But I have never had a Hawaii room that was rundown, not clean, or in any way bothersome. I've always found Mousekeeping there to be quite adequate.

FWIW, my room at GF SL last week was frankly in pretty bad shape for "flagship resort" standards, so it's possible to get a bad room anywhere.

As far as an 'adult feel' - My view is that outside of the major service times/rushes, the Poly CL Lounge can be one of the more quiet and relaxing CL lounges on property. There are times of the day when it can be pretty dead. Very few CL lounges can match the view, certainly not the Epcot resorts. I will concede the lounge is not brand new nor immaculate, but it has a charm to it. But yes it does tend to attract families so if you want a totally kid-free environment, Poly probably isn't the best choice.

One other thing to consider is the layout of each of the CLs/resorts you're considering. Poly/Hawaii is easy - small building, no room is particularly far from the lounge, you know exactly what you're getting. BWI, YC, and BC are more spread out and you can have CL rooms pretty far from the lounge. Those lounges also close during parts of the day (I think, not totally sure if they all do). These types of things are relatively important on my preference list, and one of the reasons we haven't ventured that far yet.

Food opinions are really subjective and offerings change over time, but I really enjoyed the new/improved lounge offerings during my Feb Poly stay, FWIW.