Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Nadine and Fred]

We have a trip booked this June. We love staying club level at BWI. The CM’s are like family to us. The first year the chef was added to the lounge, the food was not heavy seafood themed. It was well balanced and had several other items to choose from, but the last few years we have noticed a shift. The entrees prepared by the chef now are definitely for seafood lovers and the other choices are not quite as numerous as before.

I do not like seafood at all, so I see myself visiting Epcot’s flower and garden booths for my dinner on the nights mussels, shrimp, and calamari are served. Thank goodness we are doing a split stay, because I could not enjoy a long CL stay with heavy seafood items being offered. Hopefully, the food choices the three nights we are there will okay for me. The chefs, Redgie and Jay are super young men who are very talented chefs. Maybe I can ask for an alternative seafood free food item

We were just there and they served both a fish/ seafood dish with either a pork, chicken or beef dish.

 

[CogsworthTN]

We were just there and they served both a fish/ seafood dish with either a pork, chicken or beef dish.

Thanks for the report. We love BWI

 

[jecarnl]

How does the Sugar Loaf Club at GF compare to CL at WL and Poly?

 

[trishadono]

How does the Sugar Loaf Club at GF compare to CL at WL and Poly?

I did all 3 of those in 2018.

Wl is more causal with homey foods. The lounge seating is spread all over so you can sit near the food or overlook the lobby below.

Poly has more ethnic foods. The lounge is 2 story and has amazing views of MK and the castle etc.

Gf has the most abundant of food. However the lounge doesn't really have any views.

All of my stays were great, just different.

Poly lounge and gf rpc are my fav lounges.

Of those 3 I rank food gf, wl , poly.

For adult beverages I like gf, poly, wl.

For convenience to get food to from your room they actually are all pretty convenient . Some resorts like akl can be a hike.

For convenience getting to the pool with food and drinks, I rank poly, gf sl then wl.

Let me know if any other q's

Trish

 

[smmco]

I'm not so sure. They added 1800 rooms and didn't put in a pool or a hot tub. Yeah, you can use the main pool, but it's nowhere near the tower and it will be serving a lot of rooms. Can you imagine trekking back and forth from the main pool to CL for drinks and snacks? I think the tower will be busy with conventioneers, but not as much with vacationing guests.

The main pool is very close to the tower. I'd say 3 minute walk at the most. It's only a 10 minute walk around the whole resort. I'm not sure if you've ever stayed there or what kind of shape your in, but it's not that far. I don't how many people trek back and forth from lounge to pool all day, but I've stayed club level many times and have never done that. I do take advantage of the the pool and snacks, but I'm not going back and forth all day.

 

[Disneytam]

Yeah, I'm sorry about the fast pass issue that will now be implemented for split stays. This will impact my upcoming trip this coming May too. I'm not happy to have two separate fast pass booking days. But, we decided to go ahead and keep the split stay. Because for us, we love experiencing different resorts and locations. My recommendation for you is exactly what we have booked in May and the one we did last year.

For a 25th wedding anniversary I would choose Boardwalk Inn club level. The location is perfect for you to enjoy the food and wine festival at Epcot and the club level is wonderful. The CM's are so friendly and for the evening appetizer time each night, a chef will prepare two entrees. The lounge and resort while it is kid friendly it tends to cater more for adults. The quiet pool is actually quiet too. When we stay here, our focus is on Hollywood studios and Epcot.

The other club level I would recommend is Grand Floridian. The food is phenomenal in quantity and quality. With the added tea time of scones and other light desserts, it makes this resort extra special. They also offer a rotational soup and sandwiches for lunch. The resort to us is beautiful and romantic. Club level in the main building will average $170-$200 more a night compared to the outer building Sugar loaf club level. The food is exactly the same in both, but the main building will give you the ambiance of the pianist and the orchestra. It is so romantic enjoying the evening appetizers and desserts while listening to the music. When we stay here our focus is on Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal kingdom . The lounge in the main building is much larger, plus you will have windows to look out of in addition to the music. It is also nice to walk along the water to the Polynesian resort in the evening. Not to mention you can walk to the boat dock and watch Happily Ever After firework show.

Good luck on choosing. I hope you have a magical anniversary in September.

I pretty much second all the above. My husband and I just love the BWI CL and spent our 25 anniversary there as well as many other visits. We also have done the main building at the GF and this combo works well for a split stay as you can do MK and AK while staying at the GF and then HS and Epcot while at the BWI. We have also stayed CL at the AK and though we enjoyed our stay there it was very remote and we have no interest in returning. Have a great trip.

 

[trishadono]

Hello All!

My husband and I are starting to plan our 25th wedding anniversary trip to Walt Disney World in September 2019.

We know we would like to stay club level but we are having a hard time deciding which resorts.

We are staying 8 nights and we figured we would do a split stay and experience 2 club levels. Moving between resorts in not an issue with us.

We are having a hard time picking between the resorts and need some help deciding.

Here's some important factors for us:

I am somewhat of a picky eater, not horrible.
Food quality in the lounge is important.
We will be experiencing the food and wine festival.
We will have a car.
We have stayed club level at the Yacht Club already.
Again, this is our 25th wedding anniversary!

Please help! Looking to choose 2 club levels! Any advice/opinions are welcome!

Thank you!

But now I'm reading that fast passes are an issue for split stays. Is it even worth splitting?

My fav split was bwi cl with gf rpc. I did that for my Mom after dad passed. She loved them both . She's also a picky eater.

Bwi is great for walking to both Epcot and HS then I couldn't get her out of the lounge at gf. Was an amazing trip.

I'm on the " I'm not giving them $600 just so dh and Ds can ride FOF and SDD." Bandwagaon.

That is what I'd be stuck with. We use the 3 per day about as many times as we don't.

I guess getting in line at closing will have to work if they want it.

For your trip it may be worth it with only 2 people and special occasion. That way you wouldn't have to rush for RD but could relax in the morning and still have stuff to do later.

 

[mickeynut1]

Well, we are now in a pickle. Due to recent changes in Disney reservations, those who have a split stay trip will now have two separate booking days. For us this will mean we will not be able to book the high demand rides and it will mean that I will be booking fast passes twice during my upcoming April stay.

We are in the same boat. EXCEPT we don't have the option to change to a single stay because (for the first time ever) we rented points to stay 4. nights in a DVC Resort for the first half of our stay. Last 4 nights elsewhere. It can't be changed. Now I remember why I never rent point to stay DVC!!~!!%#!

In the same situation for July and Nov. Really annoyed, as we enjoy staying within walking to Epcot and DHS and then switching to stay near MK.
I am keeping my split, and plan to hit EMM at both MK and DHS, and hoping for DAH at AK, but if not, then, we will do CL FP.

We are in the same situation for our July trip. I thought about the extra CL FPs, but I will not give them 1k extra dollars for making this change. If I wanted to do the extra FPs, it would solve my problems but it really wasn’t for us. We will just RD a few days to get the harder to get FPs and maybe forget split stays in the future. It really is frustrating and I’m sorry for all those with split stays coming up. I’ll also hold out hope for a future solution.

I stumbled on this info Saturday, and we are in the same situation except we have a 3 way split stay coming up in June - 4 nights BWI CL, 4 night Poly CL, and 5 night GF RPC!

I agree that it stinks for anyone doing a split stay and those who book and plan to keep the split are being punished. I hope things work out for all of you and you get the FPs you want. It's very unfortunate that Disney had to make this change due to people taking advantage and trying to skirt around the system .

Hello All!

My husband and I are starting to plan our 25th wedding anniversary trip to Walt Disney World in September 2019.

We know we would like to stay club level but we are having a hard time deciding which resorts.

We are staying 8 nights and we figured we would do a split stay and experience 2 club levels. Moving between resorts in not an issue with us.

We are having a hard time picking between the resorts and need some help deciding.

Here's some important factors for us:

I am somewhat of a picky eater, not horrible.
Food quality in the lounge is important.
We will be experiencing the food and wine festival.
We will have a car.
We have stayed club level at the Yacht Club already.
Again, this is our 25th wedding anniversary!

Please help! Looking to choose 2 club levels! Any advice/opinions are welcome!

Thank you!

But now I'm reading that fast passes are an issue for split stays. Is it even worth splitting?

I agree with the others that I'd do a BWI CL/GF RPC split as both resorts are beautiful with great CLs .

For a 25th wedding anniversary I would choose Boardwalk Inn club level. The location is perfect for you to enjoy the food and wine festival at Epcot and the club level is wonderful. The CM's are so friendly and for the evening appetizer time each night, a chef will prepare two entrees. The lounge and resort while it is kid friendly it tends to cater more for adults. The quiet pool is actually quiet too. When we stay here, our focus is on Hollywood studios and Epcot.

The other club level I would recommend is Grand Floridian. The food is phenomenal in quantity and quality. With the added tea time of scones and other light desserts, it makes this resort extra special. They also offer a rotational soup and sandwiches for lunch. The resort to us is beautiful and romantic. Club level in the main building will average $170-$200 more a night compared to the outer building Sugar loaf club level. The food is exactly the same in both, but the main building will give you the ambiance of the pianist and the orchestra. It is so romantic enjoying the evening appetizers and desserts while listening to the music. When we stay here our focus is on Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal kingdom . The lounge in the main building is much larger, plus you will have windows to look out of in addition to the music. It is also nice to walk along the water to the Polynesian resort in the evening. Not to mention you can walk to the boat dock and watch Happily Ever After firework show.

I agree 100%

I emailed DSS yesterday and was told I would have two separate booking dates. Ugh, what are we to believe.

It's sad that there is so much inconsistency with information .

How does the Sugar Loaf Club at GF compare to CL at WL and Poly?

I didn't care for SL, but loved WL & Poly CLs. The SL lounge is located in the center of the lobby, so there are no windows/views and I didn't find the atmosphere very relaxing. WL & Poly CLs, on the other hand, are amazing, IMO. It's been quite awhile since our WL CL stay, but any current reviews I read seem to mirror our amazing stay years ago. Just had my first Poly CL stay this past Oct and I loved everything about it! We had an ADR every night of our trip so we weren't around the lounge during the 5-7pm time frame, but we did enjoy breakfast daily, as well as the afternoon & dessert offerings. I thought the overall atmosphere of the lounge was nice, but the main draw is that amazing castle view .

 

[vinotinto]

The main pool is very close to the tower. I'd say 3 minute walk at the most. It's only a 10 minute walk around the whole resort. I'm not sure if you've ever stayed there or what kind of shape your in, but it's not that far. I don't how many people trek back and forth from lounge to pool all day, but I've stayed club level many times and have never done that. I do take advantage of the the pool and snacks, but I'm not going back and forth all day.

Perhaps I was being a little facetious. I've seen enough posts from people complaining about a 5-minute walk from their room to CL or to the pool to know that there is a substantial demographic that wants to step out of their room into an elevator and be at the CL/pool.

Of the mods, we've only stayed at POR and walk back from the first drop-off bus stop (West) to a preferred room by the South bus stop and it's only about a 5-minute walk. But, if you read the POR reports, people make it sound like they are walking for hours. Same with the "long" hallways at AKL, BC, YC, BWI.

But, I wasn't being facetious about the lack of additional pools and hot tubs. They added a LOT of rooms, without increasing pools and hot tubs. We won't know if that will be an issue until the tower opens.

 

[vinotinto]

I can sympathize with those that have a legit split stay being upset at the changes. I think it's the suddenness of it all. Everyone is banking on what has been allowed in the past and it would have been good to know that starting on x-date you wouldn't be able to have your first stay open your second stay.

I am hopeful that the changes will not cause those with a split stay to miss out on coveted FPs because the closing of all the loopholes SHOULD help with precisely that. If you can't get FoP on 60+ or 60+2 now, you *might* if there are fewer reservations opening "early" for those that are making leading split stay reservations for the sole purpose of having early access to FPs. We should be able to know in the next few months if FP availability close to 60 days has improved.

 

[smmco]

Perhaps I was being a little facetious. I've seen enough posts from people complaining about a 5-minute walk from their room to CL or to the pool to know that there is a substantial demographic that wants to step out of their room into an elevator and be at the CL/pool.

Of the mods, we've only stayed at POR and walk back from the first drop-off bus stop (West) to a preferred room by the South bus stop and it's only about a 5-minute walk. But, if you read the POR reports, people make it sound like they are walking for hours. Same with the "long" hallways at AKL, BC, YC, BWI.

But, I wasn't being facetious about the lack of additional pools and hot tubs. They added a LOT of rooms, without increasing pools and hot tubs. We won't know if that will be an issue until the tower opens.

I do wonder how crowded the pool will be. The night I was there in Feb the pool was pretty empty and it wasn't because of the weather it was 85. There was a convention going on therefore very few families were there. Maybe that's what Disney is counting on.
I do think people exaggerate the walking a bit. I don't think from the farthest room to any pool at any resort is going to be more then 10 minutes. I'll admit I like being close to the lobby and that's usually the only request I make.

The only thing I don't like about the mods is having to walk outside. It seems like in Florida it's either hot or it's raining. The tower at CSR kind of resolves that issue for me. I have a feeling once Star Wars land opens discounts are going to be hard to come by I'm hoping the new tower offers an alternative that I can enjoy. We cruise and take other vacations besides Disney so paying 700 dollars a night isn't realistic for us.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We were just there too and on a sunny 85 degree day, the Dig Site was hardly “crowded.” We easily got chairs together at 3:30 pm.

There will always be a ton of conventioneers at this hotel. And they aren’t going to be at the pool.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

CL gets purchases delivered directly to their room correct?
AKA I buy something at HS and instead of having to go to a gift shop at CR it would be in my room the next day?

 

[ninafeliz]

CL gets purchases delivered directly to their room correct?
AKA I buy something at HS and instead of having to go to a gift shop at CR it would be in my room the next day?

Yes, unless something has changed since last summer. It’s actually a surprisingly nice perk for being something so little! When we stayed at CBR and POR over New Years it was annoying to have to remember to go the the gift shop to pick things up and wait in line for it! I know that makes me sound crazy lazy, but that brings me back to how nice the little things can be !

 

[vinotinto]

I do wonder how crowded the pool will be. The night I was there in Feb the pool was pretty empty and it wasn't because of the weather it was 85. There was a convention going on therefore very few families were there. Maybe that's what Disney is counting on.
I do think people exaggerate the walking a bit. I don't think from the farthest room to any pool at any resort is going to be more then 10 minutes. I'll admit I like being close to the lobby and that's usually the only request I make.

The only thing I don't like about the mods is having to walk outside. It seems like in Florida it's either hot or it's raining. The tower at CSR kind of resolves that issue for me. I have a feeling once Star Wars land opens discounts are going to be hard to come by I'm hoping the new tower offers an alternative that I can enjoy. We cruise and take other vacations besides Disney so paying 700 dollars a night isn't realistic for us.

We were just there too and on a sunny 85 degree day, the Dig Site was hardly “crowded.” We easily got chairs together at 3:30 pm.

There will always be a ton of conventioneers at this hotel. And they aren’t going to be at the pool.

You guys may have convinced me to consider CSR. I haven't booked our SWGE's reservation yet waiting to hear about opening date and see what kind of discounts may be in place late this year. It's safe to say we won't see much in the way of discounts, and CSR would be less than the deluxes, so that will be nice on the wallet.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

You guys may have convinced me to consider CSR. I haven't booked our SWGE's reservation yet waiting to hear about opening date and see what kind of discounts may be in place late this year. It's safe to say we won't see much in the way of discounts, and CSR would be less than the deluxes, so that will be nice on the wallet.

It’s a lovely resort! If the tower would be open in June (our next trip), I absolutely would have booked it.

 

[Babsy]

Hello All!

My husband and I are starting to plan our 25th wedding anniversary trip to Walt Disney World in September 2019.

We know we would like to stay club level but we are having a hard time deciding which resorts.

We are staying 8 nights and we figured we would do a split stay and experience 2 club levels. Moving between resorts in not an issue with us.

We are having a hard time picking between the resorts and need some help deciding.

Here's some important factors for us:

I am somewhat of a picky eater, not horrible.
Food quality in the lounge is important.
We will be experiencing the food and wine festival.
We will have a car.
We have stayed club level at the Yacht Club already.
Again, this is our 25th wedding anniversary!

Please help! Looking to choose 2 club levels! Any advice/opinions are welcome!

Thank you!

But now I'm reading that fast passes are an issue for split stays. Is it even worth splitting?

I wouldn't book a split stay unless staying more than 10 days and even then I would book one stay for at least 8 days. Otherwise, you will miss out on getting the newest, most popular rides as FP+'s. If you book CL, I would book it first if you plan on using the CL FP+ for purchase program, then your regular FP+ at the end of the trip will be more flexible with better options.

GF RPC has a wonderful lounge, with live music, lots of space and good food offerings. BWI has a great CL experience, with chef's cooking appetizers in the evenings and especially nice CM's. The atmosphere at BWI CL is uniquely friendly and provides a very relaxed, home like environment. We love both of these resorts. These are the two that we chose to celebrate our wedding anniversary. we loved every minute!

If not doing a split stay, I would probably choose BWI if planning on doing Food and wine, but it is a tough call.

Have fun and congratulations!

 

[Babsy]

How does the Sugar Loaf Club at GF compare to CL at WL and Poly?

We are in the minority, I believe, but we often choose SL out of choice at the GF. We really like the location near the pool and boat dock and Gasparilla's Grille/marina. The lounge is perhaps not as elegant for relaxing as that in the main building RPC, however. We choose the RPC option when planning to stay with a more resort focus and choose SL when travelling (often with others) with more of a theme park orientation. RPC feels a little more romantic, SL is nice for a quick grab and go breakfast on the way to the boat dock to the MK. We also really enjoy the food offered here, despite the limitations of the venue. The afternoon tea with hot scones, jam and cream is amazing! Just LOVE it! The ambience at SL is, well, there really isn't an ambience. Unless squeezed into a lobby not meant to be a CL is an ambience. I think that the SL CL was an afterthought - and it feels like it! If you are looking for a CL experience that reflects the elegance of the GF as a resort, then RPC is the way to go, IMO.

I know that lots of people love the WL CL, but it isn't our favourite. Not really anything wrong, just not really a resort theme that works well for us personally and the food choices are not quite to our taste. The theming is really well done, it is just ordinary and looks like being home to us. Food is also good, just ordinary. Again, much like we eat at home. it is quite different from the GF SL CL, IMO.

Hawaii has a wonderful view from the lounge and is a really convenient location at the Polynesian. It is right next door to the Volcano pool also near the Oasis pool. The theming at this resort is wonderful, IMO. I really love a third floor theme park view room in CL at the Poly. The only thing that we are again less than enamoured with is the food. We really enjoy the food more at the GF (or even the CR). They seem to feature a lot of pork when we stay CL at the Poly. Perhaps it was just bad timing, but I am really not a fan of pork. the lounge location and view makes up for the food though.

Of these three, I think that most people would choose the Poly CL lounge first, the WL lounge second and GF SL as the last choice. Our personal preference is either GF SL or Poly TPV with WL coming in last.

 

[Nadine and Fred]

I wouldn't book a split stay unless staying more than 10 days and even then I would book one stay for at least 8 days. Otherwise, you will miss out on getting the newest, most popular rides as FP+'s. If you book CL, I would book it first if you plan on using the CL FP+ for purchase program, then your regular FP+ at the end of the trip will be more flexible with better options.

GF RPC has a wonderful lounge, with live music, lots of space and good food offerings. BWI has a great CL experience, with chef's cooking appetizers in the evenings and especially nice CM's. The atmosphere at BWI CL is uniquely friendly and provides a very relaxed, home like environment. We love both of these resorts. These are the two that we chose to celebrate our wedding anniversary. we loved every minute!

If not doing a split stay, I would probably choose BWI if planning on doing Food and wine, but it is a tough call.

Have fun and congratulations!

Having just returned from BWI CL I could not possibly conceive of a nicer club level. We have done AK CL as well as GF CL (SL) and liked them both very much. However "all th boxes were checked" with BWI

 

[smmco]

We were just there too and on a sunny 85 degree day, the Dig Site was hardly “crowded.” We easily got chairs together at 3:30 pm.

There will always be a ton of conventioneers at this hotel. And they aren’t going to be at the pool.

Some people are bothered by the conventioneer vibe, but my kids are 15 and 16 and could care less about the pool. The pool activities were big thing when they were little but those days are over. It definitely has a more adult feel, but I’m hoping the club level has a few kid type options . I have one teen that has a 8 year old taste buds.