Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Mopedmom1]

At gf in sl and bwi I asked and they had a tray to borrow. Some rooms have a tray under the ice bucket and I take that to lounge,

CR didn't have one but let me fill my purse up as needed with beverages lol.

New note to self....pack a BIG purse.

 

[litlpixie]

You’ll have so much fun! That’s the best for a girls trip.

A friend and I did BWI last November for a girls F&W trip. It was awesome. We spent quite a bit of our BWI time having cocktails in Bellevue lounge. (Neither of us particularly cared for Abracadabra). Our dinner at Flying Fish was outstanding. We also enjoyed the morning walks to DHS and Epcot after hitting the bakery. It really worked for our eating, drinking, with the parks as a bonus kind of trip. Have fun!

I'm interested in your opinion of Abracadabar....We were going to stop in for a drink on the night of check in at the BWI...perhaps we shouldnt waste our time and just check out the Bellevue...I've stayed at BWI 3x and have never gone to the Belleview. I had high hopes for Abracadabar too!

 

[jbb4me]

I read that the Yacht and Beach Club doesn't like you taking wine or beer back to your room? My friend at the BWI a couple years ago took a few unopened beers back to her room. I had no problems doing so at the AKL, but that was a long time ago.

Can anyone comment? I prefer to relax in our room with a drink most afternoons (but don't have a club room booked currently, just curious). My dream is to do GF RPC; working on deciding between that and what we have booked which is a BCV 1BR villa for our 25th anniversary late May (we spent 4 nights of our honeymoon at the GF, and stayed there again with our oldest once). Can't wrap my head around a room costing $1k a night for 8 nights, and I do not like a split stay.

We stayed one night CL at Yacht Club about a week ago before we moved to WL, and had no issues bringing wine/beer back to our room a few times. But with the beer, every time my husband got one, they brought it out opened. Not sure if that matters to you or not, but I do not think they gave him the option to bring back unopened beers. We really enjoyed the club lounge though - it is roomy, lovely, and the staff we encountered during our stay were all incredibly friendly and helpful.

 

[jbb4me]

Please add us to the calendar for Poly CL April 16-19!!! We've never stayed at the Poly before (CL or not), and can't wait to try out a new CL experience.

 

[GoGoBeans]

I'm interested in your opinion of Abracadabar....We were going to stop in for a drink on the night of check in at the BWI...perhaps we shouldnt waste our time and just check out the Bellevue...I've stayed at BWI 3x and have never gone to the Belleview. I had high hopes for Abracadabar too!

They are super close to each other so easy to move to the other. Abracadabar was dark, we were on highboys and the pace was busy. The whole thing was rushed.

Bellevue was much more our pace. Lighter, nice views, and we had the most wonderful bartender. It was just easy.

 

[happymommy]

We stayed one night CL at Yacht Club about a week ago before we moved to WL, and had no issues bringing wine/beer back to our room a few times. But with the beer, every time my husband got one, they brought it out opened. Not sure if that matters to you or not, but I do not think they gave him the option to bring back unopened beers. We really enjoyed the club lounge though - it is roomy, lovely, and the staff we encountered during our stay were all incredibly friendly and helpful.

That's what I had read; they open the beer.

I think they should allow you to take a couple back to your room unopened, in case you want one at midnight or something. That's what the BWI allowed for my friend.

In that case, I'm not interested in the club level at the Yacht & Beach Club. I think it's petty to do that.

 

[trishadono]

They are super close to each other so easy to move to the other. Abracadabar was dark, we were on highboys and the pace was busy. The whole thing was rushed.

Bellevue was much more our pace. Lighter, nice views, and we had the most wonderful bartender. It was just easy.

That's my friends go to place, Bellevue. So I tried it my non cl stay. Dd liked she could grab a bagel in the morning pretty easy. One night I grabbed a wine and sat on my balcony in the room while dd did her hair.

Last visit it was all decorated for Christmas for those that go in December, it looked lovely.

It's a nice compromise if you don't have cl. However it's a nice place to meet up with friends too.

 

[DJFan88]

yes! Bring things back to the room- anytime- only restriction is what you can physically carry. I had a hard time w/ that at AKL and one of the CMs was wonderful enough to escort me back to my room (since it was a bit of a haul) to help me carry wine and goodies back. Enjoy!

AKL CL people were great. They gave me a cardboard tray to bring stuff back.

 

[jbb4me]

That's what I had read; they open the beer.

I think they should allow you to take a couple back to your room unopened, in case you want one at midnight or something. That's what the BWI allowed for my friend.

In that case, I'm not interested in the club level at the Yacht & Beach Club. I think it's petty to do that.

It's possible they would let you do that - we just didn't try because our room was only 4 down from the lounge and we didn't have the desire for any beverages after the club closed for the night (mainly because we were already fast asleep!). Also, I don't know if others have reported this already, but Yacht Club CL did NOT have small bottles of water to give out and we heard several other guests who were very upset about this. They did have a few ice water dispensers, one infused with fruit, that we found perfectly fine since we take our own water bottles into the park.

 

[mickeynut1]

This is first time for APs too. So far we’ve gotten 3 trips in, have 3 more in the works and in the waiting game here too. June is booked, waiting for the FP window. However if the FP test gets extended, I’ll switch things up since we’re in CR deluxe and not CL. End of summer, toying with when to go down and if I should change over the AKL part of our split to SL. Then, waiting for F&W dates. Last year they didn’t release the events until July. I have a room already booked, but need my friend to figure out her time off and hope for good events on our dates. So much waiting!

Sounds like you have lots of great Disney trips in the works! Enjoy all of the planning .

You’ll have so much fun! That’s the best for a girls trip.

A friend and I did BWI last November for a girls F&W trip. It was awesome. We spent quite a bit of our BWI time having cocktails in Bellevue lounge. (Neither of us particularly cared for Abracadabra). Our dinner at Flying Fish was outstanding. We also enjoyed the morning walks to DHS and Epcot after hitting the bakery. It really worked for our eating, drinking, with the parks as a bonus kind of trip. Have fun!

Thanks, I am really looking forward to it! We'll only be there for a few nights, but it'll be a great time, I'm sure. Thanks again for your input .

You will love it! Its really a hidden gem, IMO, of CLs. Perfect for a girls trip! The Sunday Brunch set up is a wonderful touch and so is the Flying Fish chefs in the evening. Enjoy and let @trishadono or I know if you have any questions!

Thanks so much! Reading everyone's great posts about BWI CL is getting me even more excited! I will definitely post any other questions I might have, thanks!

New note to self....pack a BIG purse.

Please add us to the calendar for Poly CL April 16-19!!! We've never stayed at the Poly before (CL or not), and can't wait to try out a new CL experience.

The Poly is amazing, you will love it! Hope you have a great trip .

 

[DJFan88]

Yay! Psyched! Bit the bullet and just reserved WL CL for the 2nd part of our split stay which is 6 nights. Loved AKL CL, so figuring we will love this one as well, with all the great things I hear about it. Looking forward to the additional boat option to MK. We are pairing this with a 4 night stay at AS Sports, so the sting wont be as bad, lol, under the get a meal deal, upgraded to DDP. Wont need DDP when we do CL, so getting in our fancy restaurants the first 4 nights. Hoping for a discount in summer, but are going here regardless, so be it!

Question: Wondering about room requests. Are there any I can make here that are worthwhile. I know at AKL the bunk bed request was sort of futile, as not too many and better views were to be had without it, but what about at WL? Are there many BB CL rooms? I cant imagine our view would be tainted asking for one.

Edited: Too funny, when I put in AS Sports above, I originally just put in the 3 letters, and the system starred it out as a swear! Edited to name it.

 

[gwynne]

We've visited BWI many times over the years, but have never stayed, so any info/suggestions either of you have would be great! We're having the same crappy weather here in NW Indiana, so I'm spending my Sunday afternoon dreaming about Disney and my spring BWI trip .

What fun to be planning a spring trip!
As many have said, the Bellevue Lounge is lovely. Great atmosphere! Another favorite place for me is the quiet pool (near the cottages). So pretty there, and a wonderful place to relax.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about BWI CL, hoping you have a fabulous stay!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

The wait is awful isn’t it! Hope something pops for you. It’s fun when there’s something to play with. Waiting, not so much.

This is first time for APs too. So far we’ve gotten 3 trips in, have 3 more in the works and in the waiting game here too. June is booked, waiting for the FP window. However if the FP test gets extended, I’ll switch things up since we’re in CR deluxe and not CL. End of summer, toying with when to go down and if I should change over the AKL part of our split to SL. Then, waiting for F&W dates. Last year they didn’t release the events until July. I have a room already booked, but need my friend to figure out her time off and hope for good events on our dates. So much waiting!

Wow! That's a lot of balls in the air, lol! But that's so fun to be planning multiple trips! Still nothing today so the wait continues!

I ended up with the AP because I had a trip with my sisters scheduled last April (YC CL - super fun!), then my DD11's dance studio announced a November dance trip, and it worked out to make financial sense to get the AP, especially as we were going to extend the trip a few days. Then my DH blew out his knee and they moved the trip to January, which is a tougher time to extend the trip and takes the kids out of school, and they expected a long recovery for my DH. Anyway, we decided it would just be myself and my DD for that trip - which ended up being last week (also super fun and a great experience, but I may not be cut out for group trips!). So then we planned a longer family trip for April since the AP was burning a hole in my pocket! Right now we're booked CL at AKL, and everyone is thrilled with that but hoping for a better deal and always open to resort changes - haven't found one I didn't enjoy so I am happy to follow the deal! It would be nice to lock it down, however, in case I need to swap out some things like the few ADRs we have or park days due to location...

Otherwise, we're a flight away so we generally don't due multiple trips in a year . I fear that I will be spoiled after this year!

 

[mickeynut1]

Yay! Psyched! Bit the bullet and just reserved WL CL for the 2nd part of our split stay which is 6 nights. Loved AKL CL, so figuring we will love this one as well, with all the great things I hear about it. Looking forward to the additional boat option to MK. We are pairing this with a 4 night stay at AS Sports, so the sting wont be as bad, lol, under the get a meal deal, upgraded to DDP. Wont need DDP when we do CL, so getting in our fancy restaurants the first 4 nights. Hoping for a discount in summer, but are going here regardless, so be it!

Congrats on booking WL CL for part of your split stay! WL CL is one my favorites. Hope you have a great time .

What fun to be planning a spring trip!
As many have said, the Bellevue Lounge is lovely. Great atmosphere! Another favorite place for me is the quiet pool (near the cottages). So pretty there, and a wonderful place to relax.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about BWI CL, hoping you have a fabulous stay!

Thank you, I'm sure I'll love it! I'll definitely post about my experience when I return. I've only been once in the spring and loved it, so I'm looking forward to going back in May and enjoying the weather. Thanks for the tip on the BWI quiet pool. Depending on how busy the main pool gets, we may find ourselves heading to the other pool .

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Just had to share....my Dad surprised my Mom and I with a last minute trip to Walt Disney World AND we are staying AKL Club Level for the first time! We've stayed at AKL many times and we've even booked AKL Club in the past but we've always had to cancel or switch resorts for one reason or another. We leave on Feb 23rd!

Thankfully I was able to get all the dining reservations we wanted. I even managed to snag myself a Flight of Passage FastPass (I still have absolutely no idea how lol).

 

[Mopedmom1]

Otherwise, we're a flight away so we generally don't due multiple trips in a year . I fear that I will be spoiled after this year!

Yep! Spoiled you will be.

We live on the west coast and will have managed to squeak out four trips by the time our first ever annual pass expires in April. I am already sad and having Disney withdrawals and still have our last trip to experience! Can't imagine what boarding that Tragical Express is going to do to me.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

Hi everyone! As promised, I wanted to report back on our 3 night stay at the RPC January 24-27. We've stayed CL at the Poly and BWI before, but I was really excited to try out the RPC since people here have said such great things about it. Overall, staying in the main building of the GF was lovely. The lobby is gorgeous, and it was really fun to stand by the railing of our 3rd floor room or the club lounge on the 4th floor and watch the activity below. But I don't know that it will be my top choice in the future.

Pros: The food offering were great. There was a woman making fresh Mickey waffles two of the three mornings we were there for breakfast. The warm scones at "tea time" were amazing. The afternoon hors d'oeuvres were nicely varied from an extensive cheese offering to a couple hot items like pork belly, and cold salads, cold soup, crudite, cookies, and cupcakes. Desserts were pretty much the same typical "Disney dessert" you get at dessert parties or other CLs. The resort is beautiful, and we took advantage of things like a late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and the Perfectly Princess Tea. I really enjoyed sitting in the lounge with a glass of wine at night and taking in the sights and sounds of the GF. Our room was a deluxe room, and it was plenty big for 3 adults and 1 child.

Cons: The lobby is really loud at night. My six year old had a lot of trouble falling asleep with the noice from the lounge and the band. She was wiped out early a few nights from busy days at the park, and it made for a rough bedtime that she couldn't sleep. I'd bring a white noise machine next time. The staff was surprisingly unfriendly, and at times downright cold. This isn't true across the board (the staff in the lobby was great), but the CL staff was disappointing. It often felt like my high-energy (but well behaved) 6 year old was annoying them. There were also piles of dirty dishes on every table at breakfast, and I often ended up clearing others' dirty dishes so that we could sit.

Comparison: The RPC might be a better fit with older children, and it was nice for our "girls trip" (my mom, my sister, me, and my DD). I'm really glad we experienced it, but I think DH and I will stick with the BWI garden suites for our "adults only" trips. The Innkeepers Club was overall better - much friendlier staff, and the chef-made hors d'oeuvres are always great (and lacking that the RPC, at least while we were there). We'd also rather be in the Boardwalk/Epcot area than the MK area at night when we stay without our kids. For trips with our 2 and 6 year olds, I'd rather be at the Poly. The lounge at the Poly is much more kid-friendly, the staff is consistently great, you can see the fireworks from the lounge at night, and the building is quieter (although the food isn't as good as the RPC or BWI). Each CL has its own personality! . Hope this helps some others deciding between the CLs.

What time did the noise die down? Also do you think the 4th or 5th floor might be quieter? Currently we have a TP view room request in for the 4th floor and I wasn't worried about noise from the room info on TouringPlans' website. Now I'm slightly concerned (for me sleeping, not my kid who is dead to the world after she falls asleep noise wise).

 

[AggieRach99]

Yay! Psyched! Bit the bullet and just reserved WL CL for the 2nd part of our split stay which is 6 nights. Loved AKL CL, so figuring we will love this one as well, with all the great things I hear about it. Looking forward to the additional boat option to MK. We are pairing this with a 4 night stay at AS Sports, so the sting wont be as bad, lol, under the get a meal deal, upgraded to DDP. Wont need DDP when we do CL, so getting in our fancy restaurants the first 4 nights. Hoping for a discount in summer, but are going here regardless, so be it!

Question: Wondering about room requests. Are there any I can make here that are worthwhile. I know at AKL the bunk bed request was sort of futile, as not too many and better views were to be had without it, but what about at WL? Are there many BB CL rooms? I cant imagine our view would be tainted asking for one.

Edited: Too funny, when I put in AS Sports above, I originally just put in the 3 letters, and the system starred it out as a swear! Edited to name it.

In regards to your question about room requests: We are headed to WL Easter weekend and I just emailed DSS last week regarding room requests. I was particularly curious about whether it was now necessary to actually request a room on the 7th floor for WL CL. Our reservation for this upcoming trip states "Standard Room - Club Level Access", where in the past, it just said "Club Level". I would prefer to be on the 7th floor to be close to the lounge and wondered if I needed to request it.

The response that I recieved indicated that I should request it, if it was my preference. They noted my request, but I was informed of the following: "it is possible that you will not be placed on the 7th Floor. I will say that with your room being a "Standard Room - Club Level Access" room, you could be placed on any floor between levels 1-7. The only rooms that we guarantee are on the 7th Floor are the Yosemite VP Suite and the Honeymoon Room."

Just sharing in case being on the 7th floor is important to you. If you have a deluxe category room, none of those are on 7th floor, and this information won't be important. But, if you have a standard or courtyard room CL (access), it may be. Our Standard CL room last summer (on 7th floor) had an awesome view of the Contemporary and Magic Kingdom.

Not sure if this new situation is temporary or will be ongoing now for WL CL. Have a great trip!

 

[DJFan88]

In regards to your question about room requests: We are headed to WL Easter weekend and I just emailed DSS last week regarding room requests. I was particularly curious about whether it was now necessary to actually request a room on the 7th floor for WL CL. Our reservation for this upcoming trip states "Standard Room - Club Level Access", where in the past, it just said "Club Level". I would prefer to be on the 7th floor to be close to the lounge and wondered if I needed to request it.

The response that I recieved indicated that I should request it, if it was my preference. They noted my request, but I was informed of the following: "it is possible that you will not be placed on the 7th Floor. I will say that with your room being a "Standard Room - Club Level Access" room, you could be placed on any floor between levels 1-7. The only rooms that we guarantee are on the 7th Floor are the Yosemite VP Suite and the Honeymoon Room."

Just sharing in case being on the 7th floor is important to you. If you have a deluxe category room, none of those are on 7th floor, and this information won't be important. But, if you have a standard or courtyard room CL (access), it may be. Our Standard CL room last summer (on 7th floor) had an awesome view of the Contemporary and Magic Kingdom.

Not sure if this new situation is temporary or will be ongoing now for WL CL. Have a great trip!

 

[trishadono]

What time did the noise die down? Also do you think the 4th or 5th floor might be quieter? Currently we have a TP view room request in for the 4th floor and I wasn't worried about noise from the room info on TouringPlans' website. Now I'm slightly concerned (for me sleeping, not my kid who is dead to the world after she falls asleep noise wise).

The TPV rooms are on the far left. They do not have the noise issue from the lobby because they are not near it. However the fireworks and music will be heard because they pipe in the music right below. TPV on floors 3 and 4 fyi.