The food changes over time, so no way to guarantee what you will be served. Food is very personal so I don't think it's fair to say that one resort has worse CL food than another. I've stayed CL at BWI, Poly, and CR and I thought CR was the worst, but it gets rave reviews here. It may have changed in the interim though. Pick your CL based on which resort you want to stay at, rather than the food.
In some cases, the word "decorated" doesn't quite do justice to the kind of displays at WDW. Last spring, near Easter, we popped into the lobby of GF on a whim.Definitely do that if time allows. Some resorts are more decorated than others, but all of them are nicely decorated.
We absolutely loved the food at the Innkeeper's Club!! The chef-prepared (to order) appetizers were really excellent. We still talk about the shrimp and grits, and the cheese fondue. There was also delicious chicken and waffles another night. And the breakfast selections were top notch- there were omelets made to order. At least one of the chefs worked at Flying Fish and also gave us great food recommendations for our dinner there. You won't be disappointed.
What a world of difference that switch made! The 3rd floor balcony gives you a great sweeping view of the whole lagoon area. On the 2nd floor, without the balcony, you are really restricted in what you can see to the left and to the right, in my opinion. I still think that the balcony-less rooms should cost less than the balcony rooms...that's how much of a difference it made to us. In fact, when we moved to the 3rd floor and stepped out onto the balcony, both my DH and I said, "I can't believe this room is the same price as the other room!" Plus, with the balcony, we were able to take a drink and sit out there and enjoy the view. In the 2nd floor room we would have had to pull chairs right up to the "rail" and look out from inside our room. No view left and right, just straight ahead...and through bars.
We absolutely loved the food at the Innkeeper's Club!! The chef-prepared (to order) appetizers were really excellent. We still talk about the shrimp and grits, and the cheese fondue. There was also delicious chicken and waffles another night. And the breakfast selections were top notch- there were omelets made to order. At least one of the chefs worked at Flying Fish and also gave us great food recommendations for our dinner there. You won't be disappointed.
I've read the same thing.
Thanks for the response!
I just posted this question over on the Poly thread, but then I figured you guys might be able to help me out on this:
We are going back and forth between doing Poly club level lagoon view, or Poly club level theme park view next summer.
The last time we stayed at the Poly we did club level theme park view and it was awesome...eventually. The first room they put us in was on the 2nd floor, without the balcony. We asked to be moved to the 3rd floor and they granted our request the next morning.
I have been checking out Tikiman's website a lot (He really is a Poly rockstar!). Anyway, I want to request a 3rd floor room on our next trip. I'm not so concerned with having a perfect view of the castle...I'm happy as long as I can see the lagoon. But, my thought it that if we book "lagoon view" we'd have almost no chance of getting 3rd floor, right? I think almost all the 3rd floor rooms are TPV if Tikiman's website is accurate.
The last time we stayed at the Poly the bungalows weren't there yet. I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy the first floor rooms (even with the full patio) and having to look between the bungalows to see the water.
I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who has stayed CL Lagoon View or CL Theme Park View recently. What floor were you on and how was your view? Thanks!!
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You could request info for a private dining event at GF. I checked into it and we actually considered doing it, then......we changed to CL. PM me and I can give you contact info for the private dining.
Hopefully I'm answering your question here. I've stayed at Poly CL a bunch over the last few years in all three view categories, but mostly TPV. In terms of my last three trips, here's a rundown of the rooms I had, just as an example:
Poly LV (had a first floor room)
Poly TPV (had a second floor room)
Poly TPV (had a third floor room)
With a LV room, you have a materially higher chance of being on the 1st floor. There are a few LV rooms on 2 and 3, but not that many.
With a TPV room, as you experienced you can either be on 2 or 3. I totally agree with you on your assessment here, unfortunately that's the risk with a TPV room. I too would (probably) pay more to guaranty a third floor room. It's just about the only thing that I worry about when staying Poly CL. I know I have to walk in with an open mind because nothing is guaranteed, but that's easier said than done sometimes.
But FWIW, the second floor TPV room I had in May was the first time in several TPV reservations I was given a second floor room. I have always requested a third floor room as my only/top priority and I tend to think Disney does a pretty decent job in trying to accommodate requests when possible. Obviously YMMV and ANYTHING can happen on any given day checking in with a a TPV reservation, but I've been pleased with my past experience overall in this regard.
Long winded way of saying, if you want a third floor room... I'd book TPV and make a third floor room your only request.
Does that help?
I really wish I could just pay more for the 3rd floor balcony at the Poly; that's how much I loved it!
Thank you so much for your insight! I think we are probably going to go with the TPV. When we went last time we did put "3rd floor" as our one and only request. So, the 2nd floor assignment was initially a bit of a bummer.
I guess that's maybe the one "negative" about having such an awesome 3rd floor room...it sets the bar really, really high for subsequent trips. I think it would be hard not to reflect upon the awesome rooms right above us if we did get put in a 2nd floor room.
What did you think of the 1st floor rooms? Did the bungalows detract much from your view of the lagoon?
Thanks again!
