Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[GADisneyDad14]

Hello all! We're back after spending 4 days at the CR Atrium Club Level and I'm going to post a quick review:

1. We arrived and checked-in at front desk on first floor at around 11:00 a.m. and was told room wasn't ready and did we want to go up and see the club anyway. DH said yes, so we were taken upstairs by Amber and showed around. They had homemade potato chips out as well as cookies and it looked pretty nice and clean, and we got to talking with Sarah for a few minutes before we had to head downstairs and get going to the park.

2. As the days went on, we thought all the club level cast members were very sweet and helpful. There's one though: David, who has the character voices nailed down and was very sociable, and we all really liked him.

2. We got our room ready text around 3:00. We requested room 4847 and got room 4846. The view of the castle and Space were incredible! Room was very comfortable, mousekeeping was great and we had turn-down service nightly with chocolates left on the bed. We also got a welcome box of chocolate (3 truffles and one larger piece with a pic of the Contemporary on it) which daughter just loved. After going to the Poly this past September, while I loved the closeness of MK, everytime I looked out the window either in the club lounge or room, I kept seeing the parking lot first and really missed the more tropical relaxing feel that I had at the Poly.

3. We ordered a Moana cake from Brian in private dining for daughter's birthday and it was delivered very promptly at 9:00 a.m. as promised and was delicious! Cake was bigger than we thought, so we cut it up shared with the club CMs. We would've shared with those on the first floor too, but blue frosting/blue cake was getting everywhere and I'm fairly certain it was more appreciative not to share with the first floor than to share.

4. A few downsides I would say is the set-up of the club lounge and the food offerings is a bit underwhelming and in that regard, I much preferred the Poly. For example the cereals and milk were in odd containers and carafes that made it difficult for daughter to get her own bowl of cereal and milk. You had to ask for the beer, none was left in refrigerator even during lunch/snack/evening hours. Don't get me wrong, there was always a CM not far away to ask for one, but if you wanted to just go to the lounge and grab one, you couldn't, and same for the beer bottle opener.

Another downside was the wait for elevators. I understand being there over Christmas there are tons of people coming/going, but we waited about half an hour for an elevator and after waiting for people to get out, the door was pretty fast to close and no one inside the elevator was helpful in holding the door and just letting it close and a few times people just pushed their way past us to get on before the doors closed. Once we finally got on an elevator we encountered a lady in the elevator near tears because she said she waited 45 minutes for an elevator and was told she had to catch the Magical Express bus 5 hours prior to her flight. 4 hours seemed excessive, 5 hours I probably would've been near tears myself.

One final downside and this is probably more on the Magical Express side than anything, but the Contemporary when arriving from the airport is always the last stop; and going home its always the first pick-up. In the grand scheme of things the hour we lost wasn't that big of a deal, but its just something that always annoyed me. And 4 hours is just wayyy too long to be at the airport and I really hope they go back to no more than 3 hours prior or we'll likely be taking Uber or Lyft to the airport from now on. Speaking of Lyft, there were TONS of minnie vans all over the place. Buses were very slow but if you wanted a minnie van, there was no shortage of them. I wondered to myself if they're cutting back on bus service to encourage more people to use the minnie vans.

6. On our day before last we had some time to kill so decided to head over to the Boardwalk as we've been contemplating a stay there and wanted to see for ourselves what the room and surrounding area looked like. The clown pool/slide seemed smaller as did the boardwalk itself from videos I've seen. Maybe once all 'comes to life' at night it looks and feels different, but I'm still on the fence on whether we're going to split stay Boardwalk/Poly or go all Poly again for our November 2018 trip. A very nice CM from the Boardwalk arranged for a runner to show us a standard garden view room and it was ok -- but the club lounge and walk to/from the elevators was just really odd to me. Long hallways, followed by a door that you have to 'key into', then more long hallways then the club lounge where they apparently close the doors when closed for the night and you can't access the lounge for drinks until they re-open, which is much different than the openness of both the Contemporary and Poly lounges. Another downside was it seems to share buses with Swan and Dolphin which makes me think during busier times, buses are packed.

So that's my take of our Christmas trip. While it was fun and daughter handled it very well considering the high crowds, I think we're one and done during the Christmas Holidays for awhile and will anxiously await November 2018 for our next trip. Happy Holidays and New Years to all!

Thanks for sharing your detailed review!

I totally agree on the Poly vs CR vibe. Poly is my "relaxing trip" resort pick.... CR is my "business trip" hotel. While I love CR, I do agree the lounge offerings are just a slight touch underwhelming in light of the current state of some of the other CLs. The Poly food/beverages are more of my personal style.

Thanks again for checking in!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hello all! We're back after spending 4 days at the CR Atrium Club Level and I'm going to post a quick review

So that's my take of our Christmas trip. While it was fun and daughter handled it very well considering the high crowds, I think we're one and done during the Christmas Holidays for awhile and will anxiously await November 2018 for our next trip. Happy Holidays and New Years to all!

Thanks for your detailed review! Glad you had a nice time. Have fun planning your November trip .

I'm so exited about our upcoming stay at the WL. Meghan, from the Old Faithful Club just tried contacting us with a phone call- but phone wasn't working! uggghh. Just checked email and she reached out to us that way. She asked if we had any special requests and when we expected to arrive next week. These boards have me really looking forward to our stay there! Thank you for all your helpful information and great photos!!

Hope you have a great time and enjoy WL CL .

 

[Lisa Mandell]

Hello, I am planning a trip to Disney for September 7, 2018. We are trying to decide between Poly CL or GF CL (main building). We last stayed at GF CL (outside building). We are going with our kids who will be 6 and 5. Which option would you chose? We are leaning towards Poly because we stayed at the GF last time but do not want to be disappointed. Thanks!

 

[mmmears]

Hello, I am planning a trip to Disney for September 7, 2018. We are trying to decide between Poly CL or GF CL (main building). We last stayed at GF CL (outside building). We are going with our kids who will be 6 and 5. Which option would you chose? We are leaning towards Poly because we stayed at the GF last time but do not want to be disappointed. Thanks!

That's a tough one for my family. There are things we really like about both. We love the relaxing feel of the Poly, the whole tropical theme, and the views from the Hawaii building. But we also really love the quiet, more elegant atmosphere at the GF, especially when we get to stay in the main building. Personally I think the splash pad at the GF is very cool, and I think the pools are somewhat equal. We prefer the food at the GF, but I know others prefer it at the Poly. Guess I'm not being too helpful here, but I don't think you can really go wrong. I'd be happy to stay at either one. They have really different vibes, though, and we sometimes use that to help us choose between them.

 

[SmithSmith]

I hope you have a great time and enjoy your first deluxe/CL stay .

Thank you. I’m sure we will.

 

[SmithSmith]

I just wanted to try to put you at ease as well. I've been lucky enough to have stayed at AKL CL 3 times, with a 4th booked for November 2018. I've never had a bad experience with the food, the CMs, the service...nothing that had to do with Disney. I did find that some of the guests gave off a sense of entitlement, but I've also noticed that more and more throughout the entire Disney resort area, so take that with a grain of salt. We've even become friendly with one of the CL CMs and stopped by AKL on our last vacation (we were booked at the POLY) just to see if she was working. As luck would have it, she was, and even though we had just wanted to say hello and give her a hug, she invited us up to the lounge for some refreshments while we chatted for a bit. I've never experienced that level of service anywhere else, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with your visit. They really do try to make you feel at home.

Thank you so much for this. What a lovely story. It’d be awesome if we could make a connection like that during our stay.

 

[mmmears]

Thank you so much for this. What a lovely story. It’d be awesome if we could make a connection like that during our stay.

To chime in here, the CM who has given us the best service, above and beyond, is one at AKL. We have always enjoyed our stays there and would be happy to go back any time.

 

[TxTiggergal]

Hi! We just booked AKL club level for our upcoming wedding anniversary in March. And reading this thread about recent stays is getting us very excited. We’ve stayed at AKL years ago so we have a general familiarity with the resort. But as this will be our first time trying their club level, I have a couple questions. It’s my understanding that all CL rooms are savanna view, but which savanna? Do they all face Arusha savanna? Also, does the lounge overlook a savanna as well? I couldn’t tell from the pictures I saw. Thanks!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hello, I am planning a trip to Disney for September 7, 2018. We are trying to decide between Poly CL or GF CL (main building). We last stayed at GF CL (outside building). We are going with our kids who will be 6 and 5. Which option would you chose? We are leaning towards Poly because we stayed at the GF last time but do not want to be disappointed. Thanks!

I'm going to agree completely with @mmmears post above. She captured it all!

Although given your date (9/7) and the fact that 1) it's still very hot then, and 2) F&W will (probably) be going on, I'd probably lean towards Poly CL. The tropical vibe, the pools, and walk-ability to the TTC to get to Epcot give it a slight advantage in my mind. You'll probably also overlap with a MNSSHP party or two, and the view of that fireworks show from Poly is great if you happen to be around the resort. (ETA: Not that the fireworks view from GF is bad, it’s great too, I just like Poly a bit better)

Not sure what kind of room/view category you are considering between the two, but I suspect Poly CL will be a bit cheaper than RPC (if that factors into the equation anywhere in your thinking).

Ultimately I could do either and be totally content in the decision.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Happy planning!

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Another which CL should we choose question. We are staying at CSR in May to save some money on the trip but want to finish the last 2 nights Club. We probably won't be back for a while as DD is getting married in 2019 so there goes the vacation fund! We've done BC, AKL and WL CL and would like to try a new one. We're thinking of Poly, GF SL or RPC. It will be DH, me and DS21 so we are more focused on the lounge itself and the food. We've visited both Poly and GF and liked the rooms in both resorts so those are on an even par for us. Any thoughts?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Another which CL should we choose question. We are staying at CSR in May to save some money on the trip but want to finish the last 2 nights Club. We probably won't be back for a while as DD is getting married in 2019 so there goes the vacation fund! We've done BC, AKL and WL CL and would like to try a new one. We're thinking of Poly, GF SL or RPC. It will be DH, me and DS21 so we are more focused on the lounge itself and the food. We've visited both Poly and GF and liked the rooms in both resorts so those are on an even par for us. Any thoughts?

With just two nights - and if the budget allows - I’d go BIG... either RPC or a Poly CL TPV or LV room. RPC probably gets my nod given what you describe (all adults, focused on the lounge itself and food). Since RPC has among the highest rates of any CL option, it can be a nice one to try for a short stay without totally breaking the bank on a longer trip. But Poly would be a good choice too if you’re itching to try it.

I would rule out GF SL since you say you’d like a nice lounge. You still get the same great GF CL food, but the lounge lacks atmosphere, a vibe, any views, etc. However it is usually a pretty good value rate-wise, so it’s a balance.

Just one person’s opinion, but hope that helps!

 

[izzylovesmickey]

With just two nights - and if the budget allows - I’d go BIG... either RPC or a Poly CL TPV or LV room. RPC probably gets my nod given what you describe (all adults, focused on the lounge itself and food). Since RPC has among the highest rates of any CL option, it can be a nice one to try for a short stay without totally breaking the bank on a longer trip. But Poly would be a good choice too if you’re itching to try it.

I would rule out GF SL since you say you’d like a nice lounge. You still get the same great GF CL food, but the lounge lacks atmosphere, a vibe, any views, etc. However it is usually a pretty good value rate-wise, so it’s a balance.

Just one person’s opinion, but hope that helps!

I really appreciate your feedback and value your opinion! I think we are leaning that way if AP discounts come out. Really torn-I mentally planned on Poly but since we probably won’t get back for a couple of years (unless we win the lottery...) DH said let’s end on Club and then that started the debate. DS said if given a choice it would be GF and I will admit it’s a big temptation. Such a tough decision and I’m so lucky it’s even a discussion!

 

[allsaintsatx]

Hi! We just booked AKL club level for our upcoming wedding anniversary in March. And reading this thread about recent stays is getting us very excited. We’ve stayed at AKL years ago so we have a general familiarity with the resort. But as this will be our first time trying their club level, I have a couple questions. It’s my understanding that all CL rooms are savanna view, but which savanna? Do they all face Arusha savanna? Also, does the lounge overlook a savanna as well? I couldn’t tell from the pictures I saw. Thanks!

We've stayed CL at AKL twice and we loved it!All the CL rooms face the main savanna (the one with the rock outcrop viewing area/right off the lobby). The rooms are on both sides of the savannah, and we have stayed on each side. The rooms are the closer in rooms, the ones closer to the lobby, and are I believe on the 4th floor? The suites and whatnot are on the 5th floor? Or is it 5th and 6th? I can't remember! The lounge is only a quick one floor ride on the elevator away and it's super fun to put your magic band on the special Kilimanjaro Lounge button to activate it! The CL lounge overlooks the lobby from a railing on the top floor. You can kinda see the savanna but not much of it since it's obscured by the rocks/viewing area. BUT it does overlook the beautiful lobby and being on the top floor you can really get a good look at all the architectural details. Enjoy your trip!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hello, I am planning a trip to Disney for September 7, 2018. We are trying to decide between Poly CL or GF CL (main building). We last stayed at GF CL (outside building). We are going with our kids who will be 6 and 5. Which option would you chose? We are leaning towards Poly because we stayed at the GF last time but do not want to be disappointed. Thanks!

We haven't stayed CL at the Poly so I can't comment from experience, but based on what I read about it, I agree with mmmears and GADisneyDad that you really can't go wrong with either one. The Poly is our favorite resort overall as we love the tropical/laid back atmosphere, but the GF is also beautiful with a nice/relaxing vibe (especially in RPC). With that said, since you've stayed at the GF, it might be nice to try the Poly for something new. Whichever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a great time .

Thank you. I’m sure we will.

You're welcome .

Hi! We just booked AKL club level for our upcoming wedding anniversary in March. And reading this thread about recent stays is getting us very excited. We’ve stayed at AKL years ago so we have a general familiarity with the resort.

Hope you have a great anniversary trip .

With just two nights - and if the budget allows - I’d go BIG... either RPC or a Poly CL TPV or LV room. RPC probably gets my nod given what you describe (all adults, focused on the lounge itself and food). Since RPC has among the highest rates of any CL option, it can be a nice one to try for a short stay without totally breaking the bank on a longer trip. But Poly would be a good choice too if you’re itching to try it.

I would rule out GF SL since you say you’d like a nice lounge. You still get the same great GF CL food, but the lounge lacks atmosphere, a vibe, any views, etc. However it is usually a pretty good value rate-wise, so it’s a balance.

Just one person’s opinion, but hope that helps!

I agree

 

[TxTiggergal]

We've stayed CL at AKL twice and we loved it!All the CL rooms face the main savanna (the one with the rock outcrop viewing area/right off the lobby). The rooms are on both sides of the savannah, and we have stayed on each side. The rooms are the closer in rooms, the ones closer to the lobby, and are I believe on the 4th floor? The suites and whatnot are on the 5th floor? Or is it 5th and 6th? I can't remember! The lounge is only a quick one floor ride on the elevator away and it's super fun to put your magic band on the special Kilimanjaro Lounge button to activate it! The CL lounge overlooks the lobby from a railing on the top floor. You can kinda see the savanna but not much of it since it's obscured by the rocks/viewing area. BUT it does overlook the beautiful lobby and being on the top floor you can really get a good look at all the architectural details. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for answering my questions! I’m sure the view from the lounge overlooking the lobby is going to be amazing and we can’t wait to go!

 

[anomamatt]

We’re at poly cl this week (26-Jan 2) and it’s been amazing. Yep, I’m posting while the kids nap and I’m drinking. Haha. But we’ve done WL, CR, AKL and BC club levels this year and poly CL blows them away. Totally impressed by the food offerings and having something of substance at lunch is unique. And everything in the resort and parks are so super convienent. Now if it would just warm up, today was supposed to have some pool time for the kiddos but it’s super cold (55 right now, though <10 at home, so i guess it’s florida cold).

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We’re at poly cl this week (26-Jan 2) and it’s been amazing. Yep, I’m posting while the kids nap and I’m drinking. Haha. But we’ve done WL, CR, AKL and BC club levels this year and poly CL blows them away. Totally impressed by the food offerings and having something of substance at lunch is unique. And everything in the resort and parks are so super convienent. Now if it would just warm up, today was supposed to have some pool time for the kiddos but it’s super cold (55 right now, though <10 at home, so i guess it’s florida cold).

Save some beer for me!!!!

 

[anomamatt]

Save some beer for me!!!!

Will do. ;-) My wife commented I don’t usually drink at lunch, but you gotta do what you gotta do to survive sometimes...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Will do. ;-) My wife commented I don’t usually drink at lunch, but you gotta do what you gotta do to survive sometimes...

It’s ok... the Poly beer fridge is just so darn tempting...

 

[Scooter2376]

We’re at poly cl this week (26-Jan 2) and it’s been amazing. Yep, I’m posting while the kids nap and I’m drinking. Haha. But we’ve done WL, CR, AKL and BC club levels this year and poly CL blows them away. Totally impressed by the food offerings and having something of substance at lunch is unique. And everything in the resort and parks are so super convienent. Now if it would just warm up, today was supposed to have some pool time for the kiddos but it’s super cold (55 right now, though <10 at home, so i guess it’s florida cold).

Oh, your post has got me so looking forward to our Poly CL stay in 16 days! It’s our first Poly and our first CL stay!