Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Somnia]

So close to leaving for my first (and possibly only) CL stay! Well unless I do some 1 or 2 day cash stays in the future now that we joined DVC.

Super excited despite some of the negative things I've seen on here regarding AKL CL a few times.

 

[dvcdream4fld]

We are staying at the club level in AKL. I’ve stay at other resorts with concierge. It was my experience that club level concierge was able to make reservations when they weren’t available. We tried to make reservations at BOG next day and couldn’t get them. I was just wondering what others have experienced with making reservations.

 

[Disneytam]

For those of you who have stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studio Florida, which Disney Club Level resort would you say is comparable to PBH?

My family stayed at PBH last summer. It was our first CL stay and we were so spoiled!!! The food there was plenty and yummy. We would love to stay at a CL room during our next visit to Disney World. Just hope what Disney has to offer is at least at par with PBH..

Thank you!

Sorry to be a Debbie downer but I don't think any of the Disney CL match up very well with PBR CL! I would say that the main building of the GF or the BWI CL come the closest. We just returned from a wonderful stay at the PBR were we finally received a room with a balcony and wonderful warm evening weather to be able to enjoy it! We do love the CL at the BWI and the food has been steadily improving. If you are at breakfast on a Sunday morning at the BWI you are in for a treat as they do a really nice Sunday bunch. The other mornings are nice but no hot items except for the oatmeal. The addition of chiefs in the lounges at dinner is a really big improvement in my opinion. The CM at the BWI CL are the best though I will say the CM on our last stay at PBR were really great and helpful.

 

[mickeynut1]

Just returned. Spent 3 days at Boardwalk CL. My new favorite resort. EXCELLENT STAY.

Glad you had a great stay and enjoyed BWI CL .

We just returned from Thanksgiving week at Poly CL, and I couldn’t have been happier! We booked Lagoon View and ended up in 1504, and we were able to watch the water pageant and fireworks from the bed closest to the patio door. The location of the Hawaii building is perfect. We mainly used the monorail so we didn’t have to fold our strollers, but the resort boat launch was so close. Security was a breeze going to MK, even during the busy holiday week.

The breakfast offerings for the lounge were plentiful! It was enough to satisfy everyone in our party of 11. I brought to go boxes from home to pack the kids breakfast in a few days so they could sleep in and eat on the way to the parks, and none of the staff batted an eye.

Afternoon snacks usually consisted of grilled chicken or shrimp wraps, make your own trail mix, and cookies. We had no problem bringing alcohol back to our room or out to the pool or beach.

We never made it for appetizers, but desserts were delicious! They had these mini s’mores our first night that we all loved and we were hoping for them again all week! Lol It seems like they have a pretty good rotation going because I didn’t notice any repeat desserts all week.

I really wished I would have planned for more downtime at the resort. The kids had so much fun at the pools, with the lawn games, torch lighting ceremony, and just playing in the sand on the beach! I mentioned this to Denise one morning, and she asked what we hadn’t been able to do around the resort, and I mentioned my girls wanted to do the hula lessons, but we were always napping or in the parks at that time. She came back a little later with Lipoa and her ukelele and they sang and danced with the kids right there in the lounge! It was so sweet!! I need to write to guest services about her, because she made our trip so special all week either by interacting with the kids, giving us park tips, and just her kind words every time we saw her.

We were hoping to book a bounce back for Wilderness CL for next year, but when they told us it wasn’t available, but Poly CL was, we didn’t hesitate to book it again! The only thing that was available for the bounce back was theme park view, but we actually may request 2nd floor because we won’t use the balcony anyway. My 2 year old is a major climber so the balcony door will stay locked the entire time, and the closer proximity to the lounge will be nice with little ones.

Overall, the Polynesian was perfect. Everyone we interacted with from life guards, to mousekeepers, to bartenders, and managers were kind and attentive. The monorail was only down our last morning, which I considered really lucky for such a crazy week! We can’t wait to go back!

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great trip! Congrats on the BB, enjoy the planning .

Hi!

We’re staying CL at the GF Main Building the end of January! Does anyone have a list of offerings in lounge? How about bottled water - is it available?

Any information would be great! Y’all are so helpful.

Thanks!!

I can't help with the offerings, but wanted to say I hope you have a great time and enjoy RPC .

So close to leaving for my first (and possibly only) CL stay! Well unless I do some 1 or 2 day cash stays in the future now that we joined DVC.

Super excited despite some of the negative things I've seen on here regarding AKL CL a few times.

Have a great time!

 

[Eastern]

For those of you who have stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studio Florida, which Disney Club Level resort would you say is comparable to PBH?

My family stayed at PBH last summer. It was our first CL stay and we were so spoiled!!! The food there was plenty and yummy. We would love to stay at a CL room during our next visit to Disney World. Just hope what Disney has to offer is at least at par with PBH.

PBH CL had hot food that was served in big chafing dishes, more like a buffet than a cocktail hour. There was always a salad, a hot choice, and a vegetarian choice, along with things like cheese and vegetables. They also offered mixed drinks for a fee ($6 when we were there).

CL at Disney is more like a cocktail hour with the hot items individually plated in small portions. They usually have some type of salad available as well. Food style varies between lounges so it is worth your time to read a few food reviews to get a feel for the type of food they offer. They provide wine and beer but no mixed drinks.

I don't think any lounges at Disney are comparable, mostly in terms of food quantity.

 

[prgal0715]

We just returned from Thanksgiving week at Poly CL, and I couldn’t have been happier! We booked Lagoon View and ended up in 1504, and we were able to watch the water pageant and fireworks from the bed closest to the patio door. The location of the Hawaii building is perfect. We mainly used the monorail so we didn’t have to fold our strollers, but the resort boat launch was so close. Security was a breeze going to MK, even during the busy holiday week.

The breakfast offerings for the lounge were plentiful! It was enough to satisfy everyone in our party of 11. I brought to go boxes from home to pack the kids breakfast in a few days so they could sleep in and eat on the way to the parks, and none of the staff batted an eye.

Afternoon snacks usually consisted of grilled chicken or shrimp wraps, make your own trail mix, and cookies. We had no problem bringing alcohol back to our room or out to the pool or beach.

We never made it for appetizers, but desserts were delicious! They had these mini s’mores our first night that we all loved and we were hoping for them again all week! Lol It seems like they have a pretty good rotation going because I didn’t notice any repeat desserts all week.

I really wished I would have planned for more downtime at the resort. The kids had so much fun at the pools, with the lawn games, torch lighting ceremony, and just playing in the sand on the beach! I mentioned this to Denise one morning, and she asked what we hadn’t been able to do around the resort, and I mentioned my girls wanted to do the hula lessons, but we were always napping or in the parks at that time. She came back a little later with Lipoa and her ukelele and they sang and danced with the kids right there in the lounge! It was so sweet!! I need to write to guest services about her, because she made our trip so special all week either by interacting with the kids, giving us park tips, and just her kind words every time we saw her.

We were hoping to book a bounce back for Wilderness CL for next year, but when they told us it wasn’t available, but Poly CL was, we didn’t hesitate to book it again! The only thing that was available for the bounce back was theme park view, but we actually may request 2nd floor because we won’t use the balcony anyway. My 2 year old is a major climber so the balcony door will stay locked the entire time, and the closer proximity to the lounge will be nice with little ones.

Overall, the Polynesian was perfect. Everyone we interacted with from life guards, to mousekeepers, to bartenders, and managers were kind and attentive. The monorail was only down our last morning, which I considered really lucky for such a crazy week! We can’t wait to go back!

I stayed in 1504 last August - such a great location!! 41 days til I'm back...

 

[EllieBride]

Hello! Looking for some advice from Club Level experts... We are DVC members who are unable to get a last-minute reservation for a trip next month using points (I think it's the Marathon Weekend...). Instead, we are looking at a cash trip and our choices are as follows:
Option 1: Boardwalk Standard Room-Club Level (5 nights).
Option 2: Copper Creek Studio with Walk-In Shower (5 nights). Option 2 is almost $2000 less...

There will be 4 of in the room (2 adults and 2 kids). The Studio is a queen bed + queen sofa bed. We normally would reserve a 1-Bedroom Villa, so this will be a bit different for us, either way. Are the club amenities really worth an extra $2K? That's a lot!!!!!!! What about the construction issues?

TIA!!!!!

 

[RachelTori]

Hello! Looking for some advice from Club Level experts... We are DVC members who are unable to get a last-minute reservation for a trip next month using points (I think it's the Marathon Weekend...). Instead, we are looking at a cash trip and our choices are as follows:
Option 1: Boardwalk Standard Room-Club Level (5 nights).
Option 2: Copper Creek Studio with Walk-In Shower (5 nights). Option 2 is almost $2000 less...

There will be 4 of in the room (2 adults and 2 kids). The Studio is a queen bed + queen sofa bed. We normally would reserve a 1-Bedroom Villa, so this will be a bit different for us, either way. Are the club amenities really worth an extra $2K? That's a lot!!!!!!! What about the construction issues?

TIA!!!!!

$2,000 difference for 5 nights is pretty significant!! Myself, I would opt for Copper Creek in this case, UNLESS Epcot and Studios are where your family will spend most of your time.

I don't believe there are construction issues at either resort (currently).

My DD works at the Marina at WL and the whole ambiance there is so wonderful. And from what I've heard, the villas at Copper Creek are very nice. (To date, I've only stayed in the resort rooms; toured Copper Creek).

I bet I didn't help you at all, did I?!!! Good luck with your planning. Whichever you choose, you're at Disney!!!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hello! Looking for some advice from Club Level experts... We are DVC members who are unable to get a last-minute reservation for a trip next month using points (I think it's the Marathon Weekend...). Instead, we are looking at a cash trip and our choices are as follows:
Option 1: Boardwalk Standard Room-Club Level (5 nights).
Option 2: Copper Creek Studio with Walk-In Shower (5 nights). Option 2 is almost $2000 less...

There will be 4 of in the room (2 adults and 2 kids). The Studio is a queen bed + queen sofa bed. We normally would reserve a 1-Bedroom Villa, so this will be a bit different for us, either way. Are the club amenities really worth an extra $2K? That's a lot!!!!!!! What about the construction issues?

TIA!!!!!

Probably came to the wrong thread if you want true, unbiased opinions!

I pretty much always think CL is the way to go... but I’m a bit with @RachelTori... $2k for 5 nights is a lot of money. You can buy a boatload of food, drink, and snacks from Garden Grocer (or any provider) or eat every night at Geyser Point, Artist Point, etc and come out WAY ahead.

Although on the other hand, BWI CL tends to get consistent rave reviews around here and has plenty of locational advantages, especially if you’re a heavy Epcot and HS goer.

The “value equation” for CL means different things for different folks and is always a bit tricky to answer. We enjoy it and don’t mind paying the premium, but we have certain touring habits that make it work more to out advantage... we aren’t really park commandos, we often partake of lounge offerings, we have younger kids so enjoy the extra space to ‘be’, etc.

Good luck deciding!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We are staying at the club level in AKL. I’ve stay at other resorts with concierge. It was my experience that club level concierge was able to make reservations when they weren’t available. We tried to make reservations at BOG next day and couldn’t get them. I was just wondering what others have experienced with making reservations.

Do you mean through Disney Signature Services (DSS), the CL pre-arrival planning service.... or the CL CMs while on site at the resort? Just want to make sure I answer correctly.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi!

We’re staying CL at the GF Main Building the end of January! Does anyone have a list of offerings in lounge? How about bottled water - is it available?

Any information would be great! Y’all are so helpful.

Thanks!!

H! Several thread regulars are either just getting back from or are currently at GF and will have all the latest info. Tagging folks like @TJA, @trishadono, @mrsap (probably some others I’m forgetting too) in case your post gets lost while they are away.

An exact “list” is usually tough to come by, but between their collective experiences it should help give you a decent idea of the types of offerings.

 

[Disneytam]

Hello! Looking for some advice from Club Level experts... We are DVC members who are unable to get a last-minute reservation for a trip next month using points (I think it's the Marathon Weekend...). Instead, we are looking at a cash trip and our choices are as follows:
Option 1: Boardwalk Standard Room-Club Level (5 nights).
Option 2: Copper Creek Studio with Walk-In Shower (5 nights). Option 2 is almost $2000 less...

There will be 4 of in the room (2 adults and 2 kids). The Studio is a queen bed + queen sofa bed. We normally would reserve a 1-Bedroom Villa, so this will be a bit different for us, either way. Are the club amenities really worth an extra $2K? That's a lot!!!!!!! What about the construction issues?

TIA!!!!!

I love the BWI CL and stay there often but on our last trip we wanted to enjoy the F&W festival and thought the CL would be a waste. I was a little worried that I wouldn't like the DVC 1 bedroom at the BC but it was all that we could find with a discount so we booked it. I was really pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the room much more than I thought I would. With all that said for a $2,000 savings I would probably book Option 2. In all honesty I have begun to really hate the buses so we have stated doing split stays so we have to ride buses less. On our last trip we enjoyed a few nights at the DVC BC and did Epcot and HS and then moved to the WL standard rooms to do the MK. This works for us.

 

[trishadono]

Hi!

We’re staying CL at the GF Main Building the end of January! Does anyone have a list of offerings in lounge? How about bottled water - is it available?

Any information would be great! Y’all are so helpful.

Thanks!!

They had water bottles upon request at BWI cl and out on a tray in RPC at GF for those going soon.

They always have cheese n crackers and other random items. Over the years I have seen lots but no schedule.

Friday there was a chef but not Sat night, there were Mickey waffles Sunday morning.

People were drinking all hours lol it's upon request all day.

Make sure to walk all floors 3-5 The seating areas and views are different on each floor.

Smoking balconies on floor 3 on both ends of atrium. ( however no one ever out there but mom and lots of space so anyone would enjoy those spaces).

I take the croissants and use the ham and cheese to make a sandwich at breakfast. Mom liked em too.

 

[HoneyHoneyPot]

They had water bottles upon request at BWI cl and out on a tray in RPC at GF for those going soon.

They always have cheese n crackers and other random items. Over the years I have seen lots but no schedule.

Friday there was a chef but not Sat night, there were Mickey waffles Sunday morning.

People were drinking all hours lol it's upon request all day.

Make sure to walk all floors 3-5 The seating areas and views are different on each floor.

Smoking balconies on floor 3 on both ends of atrium. ( however no one ever out there but mom and lots of space so anyone would enjoy those spaces).

I take the croissants and use the ham and cheese to make a sandwich at breakfast. Mom liked em too.

Thanks!! Great idea to make a sandwich.

 

[Lovinallthingsdisney]

Decisions, decisions. We are booked for 8 nights in May at GF Sugarloaf with a pin code, and now I am considering changing that to Contemporary CL. My husband and I stayed there for a long weekend in October and LOVED it... way more than I thought i would. I have a mother/son trip to AKL ( non CL) in January and am thinking that if I can get the B.B. for Contemporary in May while I am there, I will switch. My DD has never stayed there and I think she would enjoy it. The discount difference will cover the price difference. My Hubby laughs at my Disney logic.

 

[dansdad]

Decisions, decisions. We are booked for 8 nights in May at GF Sugarloaf with a pin code, and now I am considering changing that to Contemporary CL. My husband and I stayed there for a long weekend in October and LOVED it... way more than I thought i would. I have a mother/son trip to AKL ( non CL) in January and am thinking that if I can get the B.B. for Contemporary in May while I am there, I will switch. My DD has never stayed there and I think she would enjoy it. The discount difference will cover the price difference. My Hubby laughs at my Disney logic.

Isn't Disney math the best?! My wife keeps telling me I should teach a class in it.

 

[jods]

Hello! Looking for some advice from Club Level experts... We are DVC members who are unable to get a last-minute reservation for a trip next month using points (I think it's the Marathon Weekend...). Instead, we are looking at a cash trip and our choices are as follows:
Option 1: Boardwalk Standard Room-Club Level (5 nights).
Option 2: Copper Creek Studio with Walk-In Shower (5 nights). Option 2 is almost $2000 less...

There will be 4 of in the room (2 adults and 2 kids). The Studio is a queen bed + queen sofa bed. We normally would reserve a 1-Bedroom Villa, so this will be a bit different for us, either way. Are the club amenities really worth an extra $2K? That's a lot!!!!!!! What about the construction issues?

TIA!!!!!

I would do bwi. 2 reasons, I enjoy club level and always pay a ridiculous amount more (not 400 a night though ) and 2nd, my kids don't sleep well on pull out sofas. It wouldn't be worth it to me to hear my 13yo complain about the sleeping arrangements. They actually prefer a standard room to a 1 bedroom suite because of the pullout couch. How old are the kids? Maybe I just have spoiled kids. They also got used to having a lounge at disney and would miss it. If you ask where they want to stay they usually say poly cl or any hotel with a lounge.

 

[IceQueen182]

We are staying at the club level in AKL. I’ve stay at other resorts with concierge. It was my experience that club level concierge was able to make reservations when they weren’t available. We tried to make reservations at BOG next day and couldn’t get them. I was just wondering what others have experienced with making reservations.

I haven't had luck on any trip with the CL concierge being able to make reservations that weren't available online. Disney Signature Services, who you work with before your trip, only seems to see the same reservations I can see online. And the CL concierges while you're there in person also seem to have the same system. We had to make last-minute changes to our plans last week, and ended up without dinner reservations while at the Poly CL. The concierge couldn't even get us a reservation at Kona Cafe- the only reservation he offered me was a very late time that I could see on the app.

 

[anomamatt]

I haven't had luck on any trip with the CL concierge being able to make reservations that weren't available online. Disney Signature Services, who you work with before your trip, only seems to see the same reservations I can see online. And the CL concierges while you're there in person also seem to have the same system. We had to make last-minute changes to our plans last week, and ended up without dinner reservations while at the Poly CL. The concierge couldn't even get us a reservation at Kona Cafe- the only reservation he offered me was a very late time that I could see on the app.

I've had the same experience with DSS on the past several trips. They don't have anything available that isn't also available online. And they won't (at least for me) routinely check for something -- I have always been told to check back with them in a week or two (etc). Touring Plans reservation finder is a MUCH better service than DSS.

 

[IceQueen182]

Just back from the Poly CL a few days ago. I'm attaching some pictures of the holiday decorations- which were very pretty without being over the top. It was our first visit during the holidays, and we'll definitely go back at this time next year!

We enjoyed the Poly CL as much as ever (although I still like BWI better without kids). We checked in at the separate CL check in in the GCH, which was nothing special (I did online check-in, but the room wasn't ready). I would go straight to my room next time if it was ready. We had a few wrinkles with less than pleasant CL staff- there was one point where appetizers were set up but roped off, and I asked for a snack to go (we were heading to the parks) and get a pretty snarky response (and no food- which I understand but it was frustrating). We also waited an eternity for our room to be ready. Other staff in the lounge were amazing and made my daughter feel very special on her birthday.

Overall, the Hawaii building is a perfect location for a MK and Epcot focused trip, and close to the pool and GCH. We loved taking the monorail everywhere so we didn't have the fold the stroller and were glad that Hawaii is nice and close to the TTC. And it was great to have all day access to coffee, beer and other drinks. My kids adore the lava pool, and the movies on the lawn at night were lots of fun for them too.

The desserts and cordials in the CL were perfect at night. I loved the adult punch (although it often ran out and they did not refill the pitcher), and found all of the desserts tasty and perfectly bite sized. DH and I sat on our patio after the kids were in bed and enjoyed a drink every night. I think the Garden View rooms in the middle of the building, facing the Oasis Pool, cannot be beat. We prefer them to Lagoon View (especially with the location of the bungalows). We felt like we were sitting by the pool at night, and enjoyed the Christmas music while we sat outside. (Room 1528 and 1530 are our favorites.) It was also nice to grab the kids a cup of cereal in the morning on our way to the parks, particularly because the lines to Captain Cooks always looked very long. We also enjoyed the mid-afternoon snacks, especially the lettuce wraps (although my kids liked the gummy bears!), during our pool time. It was nice to be able to take a beer to the pool.

Overall, we love the Poly CL for traveling with our young kids and will definitely be back. Staying at the GF RPC late next month, and looking forward to seeing how it compares!