Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Rachel GB]

To me it would depend on the length of stay, purpose of trip, and time of year. WL is arguably the better “CL” and “Resort” experience in my humble opinion. But a CR TPV room is among the best rooms in all of WDW given the size, view, etc. And it’s CR! The heart of WDW, the very first resort (along with Poly), the monorail... to me it just screams Disney (others would argue that and don’t care for the theme).

WL has tiny rooms, relatively speaking (great resort/common areas is a trade off for small rooms). CR has relatively large rooms.

WL has better pools/recreation. I love CR but I just can’t love their pools no matter how hard I try.

Both have great dining options.

WL is more quiet/relaxing. CR has an energetic buzz to it at times (note, this is not a bad thing). CR TPV rooms on the Chef Mickey’s side do get a bit of noise so aren’t ideal if you want total quiet.

We are very MK-centric so the walk to/from MK is from CR.

I have a soft spot for CR CL. I’ve experienced the best CMs and best guest service there compared to the other CLs I’ve tried (mostly the MK resort CLs). I have a feeling of being a valued guest there more than other places... kind of hard to explain.

The solitude/quietness of the WL lounge is quite nice.

Lots of pros/cons between the two that somewhat put them on an equal playing field in my head. So then it really comes down to personal preference/style.

&

@GADisneyDad14 , I can always count on you! Thank you so much for the awesome comparison! We'd be going during the holidays, and I know WL has the edge on decorations! Just debating. With a Bounceback offer, the CR TPV would be about the same as the rack rate for WL CL (with so few rooms, I'm not counting on BB availability for this room type). I prefer a quieter setting, but that TPV at CR is pretty hard to beat!!!! Of course, I know you'd have chosen Poly if I'd included that! I suppose we can't count that out, either! Thanks again.

As if I wasn't excited enough that I upgraded my WL stay! Ha!

@prgal0715 , haha, I know, right?!

Even thought I have never stayed at the CR and I am a WL fan, I would love to try one of those TPV rooms. I don't think I could tire of that view. That is a tough choice. Money wise I would choose WL because you could end up with a decent MK view room for way less money especially if you aren't in the room much. omg, I don't know if I could pick!

@dalmatian7 , thanks for replying! I know, choosing between the MK CL is definitely proving to be difficult!!!

 

[Gryhndmom]

Just back from a quick CL stay (hastily rescheduled from Irma weekend) ...

Wilderness Lodge Club Level for the win!!

We were originally scheduled for YC CL and when we had to reschedule because of Irma, we wound up with a split stay of 2-nights WL CL and 1 night at YC non-CL SV.

We were greeted out front by Meaghan holding a themed sign on a clipboard - Welcome Mr & Mrs ... My husband remarked - I guess that's why it took the CM so long at the gate when we drove the car up.

We got a quick talking tour of the lobby. Up on the elevator, asked us if we would like anything to drink while we checked-in. We arrived at noon-ish and our room was ready. After a quick tour of the club level she took us to our room and she was happy to show us that we received exactly what I had requested - fireworks view with 2 queen beds (didn't want to have bunk beds with just the 2 of us and didn't want to limit my options by asking for a king bed, since there are so few on CL).

On our bed was a box of chocolates - two gilded chocolate bars with the WL character totem pole on a bed of small chocolate crispy balls, from the Ganachery. Also, there was our printed itinerary for our entire stay (including our Yacht club days), maps, etc.

We were in room 7048 - this is 100% straight on view of the castle from the room - you can see it if the curtains are open the minute you walk in the room. There are no trees (well, one thin, sparse one to the left) in front of the room. You can see the front of the main street train station to the left, the castle dead center, space mountain to the mid-right, CR to the right - and the monorail passes right in front of the whole thing. Ugh, wish I had taken a real camera on this short trip instead of just relying on my Iphone - missed so many fantastic photo taking opportunities from 7048, cellphone pics don't do it justice. The rest of the view - well, don't look down because it's part of the loading area. You do have the wonderful aroma from the smokehouse though. There was no noise interrupting the solitude even with all of the activity below us.

CL staff was great - and there was always at least one management level CM walking around.

I'll write about the food, etc. a little later. If you have specific questions I can try and answer.

One more thing - the lounge was NEVER crowded when we were there and we practically had it to ourselves the first 2 days (Thurs 9/14, Fri 9/15). One CM told us they only had 2 'groups' visit appetizer hours on Wednesday evening.

We had the same experience as @dalmatian7 - if we removed something from the toiletry tray it was promptly replaced.

And here are a few pictures ...

Toiletries - the 2 small green bottles are mouthwash

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Welcome sign Meaghan was holding when we arrived at WL entrance and the Welcome Chocolates
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Daytime view from room 7048 - the castle is much closer and larger when viewing from the room - my camera phone made it seem smaller. For perspective - it was larger from our WL room than our Poly CL TPV room or the club lounge. These WL CL SV rooms are a hidden gem as far as castle views for much lower room prices.

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This photo will show you the 'whole view' from the room - the MK train station front is seen on the left of the photo. It took us a little bit to figure out what we were seeing, but the Halloween bunting gave it away.

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Some views of Hallowishes from room 7048. The music is piped into the balconies in the club lounge, but not in the room balconies. I mentioned it to the CM as we were watching the fireworks on our first night as we went between the lounge and our room to see the difference. You cannot see the MK buildings from the lounge balconies - only the fireworks above the trees. The CM (management level) said she has mentioned it many times.

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Thanks for all your great posts on WL CL! DH and I are headed there in two weeks and your posts are timely. I'm guessing if we get there after 10 a.m. that breakfast offerings are gone? (We arrive late the night before and are just staying by the airport for that night and then check in early morning the next day).

 

[barbliny]

Thanks for all your great posts on WL CL! DH and I are headed there in two weeks and your posts are timely. I'm guessing if we get there after 10 a.m. that breakfast offerings are gone? (We arrive late the night before and are just staying by the airport for that night and then check in early morning the next day).

I may be mistaken, but i think breakfast goes until 10:30 am. We're early-risers when we're at WDW - if there is a morning EMH we are likely to be there. So, we were eating breakfast at 7:00 am most mornings. I think on both of our mornings we were the first ones to touch the food!!! There was not a single other guest using the lounge when we would be eating breakfast. It was a very different experience at 7:00 am at WL CL than the Poly CL breakfast that was very busy in June.

I would probably suggest getting there before 10:00 - it's worth getting up a little earlier!!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Unless it has changed in the past year, these were the service offering hours as of last November at WL:

 

[barbliny]

Unless it has changed in the past year, these were the service offering hours as of last November at WL:

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Love that you take pictures of everything!! I did take pictures of the WL CL menus when I remembered which is why I could provide details on food service.

However, I still tend to conserve my phone storage - it's a by-product of my children's teenage years (and beyond), I gave up many a phone upgrade to my girls. Your phone is not actually stolen if you leave it on top of a pile of books that you walk away from, you simply gave it to a stranger without a soul and many a shattered screen - they make phone cases for a reason even if they don't fit in the tiny back pockets on your jeans

 

[trishadono]

However, I still tend to conserve my phone storage - it's a by-product of my children's teenage years (and beyond), I gave up many a phone upgrade to my girls. Your phone is not actually stolen if you leave it on top of a pile of books that you walk away from, you simply gave it to a stranger without a soul and many a shattered screen - they make phone cases for a reason even if they don't fit in the tiny back pockets on your jeans

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I know there are other forums for this kind of thing but I have a FOP FP for 2 that I’m going to cancel on Sunday, 10/8, 6:10PM-7:10PM. Figured I’d ask around here if anyone has an interest and would like to coordinate. PM me if interested. Thanks!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi All! Question from a (sort of) newbie. It's been many years since we have stayed CL or onsite, for that matter.

We are in the beginning stages of planning a trip for Jan/Feb 2018. Me, DH, our 2 tweens plus my mom and step dad (in another room). I'm trying to plan a very 'nice' Disney trip for all of us, since my mom hasn't been in probably 30 years. She likes upscale travel, and i want to show her that Disney CAN be very upscale She also likes to have access to food and drinks (wine!) throughout the day (like on a cruise), so I think CL will be perfect! My question is....which resort is your favorite? I know it's a tricky question. DH and I have stayed in several, and I have a hard time answering that one myself.

Priorities would be...convenience for getting to the parks, quality of the CL, quality of the rooms, and access to great dining. I am thinking Poly, WL, or maybe BWI? It would also be great to have a nice view b

Any thoughts, tips, advice would be greatly appreciated.

Out of your choices, we've only stayed WL CL and loved it as everything about it was great. With that said, Poly and BWI get great reviews, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Poly and BWI will have a much larger room than WL, but I think they all have alot to offer as far as convenience to the parks (depending on which park) and dining options. Good luck .

WL CL Standard Room VS. CR TPV CL Room.... which would you choose? TIA!!!!!!
P.S. Re. WL, I don't want the deluxe room because I want a guarantee to be on the club floor.

That's a tough choice! We love WL CL, but I can't comment on CR CL as we haven't stayed there. With that said, it does get good reviews and having that great view from your room is magical. Good luck deciding, but I don't think you can go wrong with either one .

Even thought I have never stayed at the CR and I am a WL fan, I would love to try one of those TPV rooms. I don't think I could tire of that view. That is a tough choice. Money wise I would choose WL because you could end up with a decent MK view room for way less money especially if you aren't in the room much. omg, I don't know if I could pick!

I agree, WL CL is awesome for the lower cost, but the view from CR CL TPV is so magical, tough choice for sure .

Thanks for all your great posts on WL CL! DH and I are headed there in two weeks and your posts are timely.

Have a great trip!

 

[IceQueen182]

Hi All! Question from a (sort of) newbie. It's been many years since we have stayed CL or onsite, for that matter.

We are in the beginning stages of planning a trip for Jan/Feb 2018. Me, DH, our 2 tweens plus my mom and step dad (in another room). I'm trying to plan a very 'nice' Disney trip for all of us, since my mom hasn't been in probably 30 years. She likes upscale travel, and i want to show her that Disney CAN be very upscale She also likes to have access to food and drinks (wine!) throughout the day (like on a cruise), so I think CL will be perfect! My question is....which resort is your favorite? I know it's a tricky question. DH and I have stayed in several, and I have a hard time answering that one myself.

Priorities would be...convenience for getting to the parks, quality of the CL, quality of the rooms, and access to great dining. I am thinking Poly, WL, or maybe BWI? It would also be great to have a nice view b

Any thoughts, tips, advice would be greatly appreciated.

You've gotten a lot of great answers but since I've stayed CL at 2 of your 3 options, I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Our first CL stay was at the Poly with 5 year old DD, and we really loved it - for a stay with young kids. The resort was beautiful, relaxing, and it was easy to get to the MK. We thought the all day access to beer and wine was really great. The food in the lounge was good (not amazing), and we thought the dining options were so so. Captain Cook's is a very good quick service, but we weren't nuts about 'Ohana. My daughter loved the volcano pool. We're staying again in November with our kids.

However, given your priorities (and that your mom shares my love of upscale travel!), I'd say BWI hands down. I travel a lot for work and tend to stay at the Ritz-Carlton, Intercontinental, etc. - and I LOVED BWI. It's perfect for a trip with adults and older kids. The food in the CL is really excellent, the beverages are great, and the easy access to Epcot and DHS is unbeatable. I stay with my kids at the Poly since they're young, but for my DH and I, it's BWI no question! I also think the rooms are nicer than the Poly (we stayed in a Garden Suite but thought the properly overall was fresher than the Poly). The only negative is that wine and beer aren't available all day like they are at the Poly.

Happy planning!! Sounds like you're in for a great trip!

 

[Ralphmiller007]

I know there are other forums for this kind of thing but I have a FOP FP for 2 that I’m going to cancel on Sunday, 10/8, 6:10PM-7:10PM. Figured I’d ask around here if anyone has an interest and would like to coordinate. PM me if interested. Thanks!

Not to pile on to your post, but I have been searching for days/weeks and I just now found FP availability for FOP almost every day for the next week! If anyone is down here now jump on and check, there were days where almost every hour is available.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Not to pile on to your post, but I have been searching for days/weeks and I just now found FP availability for FOP almost every day for the next week! If anyone is down here now jump on and check, there were days where almost every hour is available.

Nice call on that one. The TPAS forum is lighting up with availability for now-Octoberish. They must have tinkered with some stuff and figured out they could handle more capacity there?

Or a BIG SNAFU!

 

[saramoodt]

Not to pile on to your post, but I have been searching for days/weeks and I just now found FP availability for FOP almost every day for the next week! If anyone is down here now jump on and check, there were days where almost every hour is available.

Thank you!!!! I just picked up my second one!!

 

[Somnia]

Well I made the plunge and am beginning the process of joining the Disney Vacation Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge will be our home resort sooo this might be my one and only club level stay since CL AKL rooms are so hard to get ahold of!

 

[JennLTX]

isn't this how everyone departs their WDW vacation?

We were told on our last visit to YC CL that if I left anymore fingernail marks on the doorjambs and floors as I was being dragged to the Tragical Express, I would not be allowed back.

In my defense, mine weren't the ONLY fingernail marks...

 

[Rachel GB]

Does anyone have a photo of the view from the balcony of a TPV RPC room? THANK YOU!!!!

 

[NYCgrrl]

After much useless standing on principles ( I think much of what is offered @ CL should be included in the price of all the deluxe hotels) I booked a room @ GF Sugar Loaf for visiting family who waited a while to say yeah or nay to DW for the Christmas holidays. There were no more Poly rooms left (where we are staying) so their punishment is just. They'll have to walk alllll the way over to our hotel fortified only by finger sandwiches and jam tarts.

I plan to observe the goings on of CL while they are there and maybe sneak a cookie out of the Lounge.

 

[mickeynut1]

Well I made the plunge and am beginning the process of joining the Disney Vacation Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge will be our home resort sooo this might be my one and only club level stay since CL AKL rooms are so hard to get ahold of!

Congrats on starting a DVC purchase!

Does anyone have a photo of the view from the balcony of a TPV RPC room? THANK YOU!!!!

I don't have one, but wanted to suggest that if you don't get any responses here, maybe ask on the GF FAQ (if you haven't already) .

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Does anyone have a photo of the view from the balcony of a TPV RPC room? THANK YOU!!!!

Can’t directly answer your question, but I have a pic OF the RPC TPV room balconies looking from the outside! . It’s that building on the center/left, not the one on the right.



You’ll have to use your imagination a bit here. This view below is from where you see the white tables/chairs in the pic above. The RPC TPV rooms are going to have the same view corridor, just obviously higher up and back a bit, if that makes sense. RPC TPV rooms don’t have the wide/expansive view of the 7 Seas Lagoon like Poly and CR TPV rooms, but you have a dead shot looking directly at the castle.


Sorry to reply with a non-answer but maybe it’s helpful.

 

[Rachel GB]

Can’t directly answer your question, but I have a pic OF the RPC TPV room balconies looking from the outside! . It’s that building on the center/left, not the one on the right.

View attachment 271722

You’ll have to use your imagination a bit here. This view below is from where you see the white tables/chairs in the pic above. The RPC TPV rooms are going to have the same view corridor, just obviously higher up and back a bit, if that makes sense. RPC TPV rooms don’t have the wide/expansive view of the 7 Seas Lagoon like Poly and CR TPV rooms, but you have a dead shot looking directly at the castle.
View attachment 271725

Sorry to reply with a non-answer but maybe it’s helpful.

@GADisneyDad14 , it's no Poly TPV , but it still looks great! Thank you!

 

[vettegirl]

I sit here in the club level lounge as I type this at the Grand Floridian and yes I had my doubts, however this has been the best CL experience ever