Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Disney & ME]

Sadly, our CL stay at BWI is over. It was our first stay at BWI, but it won’t be our last. Kids really liked being able to grab some juice or soda. Very convenient. Met fellow AP DISer @CaLuCa and her family. Always nice to put a face with a name!

My only criticism is that we were there over a (busy) holiday weekend and there wasn’t enough seating for everyone, particularly Friday and Saturday apps and Sunday brunch. Would be nice if they could set up some additional temporary chairs and tables in the area outside the lounge when they are full.

BWI itself
We really liked it. It has a superb location (perhaps the best location at WDW?). The Boardwalk theme is carried throughout and they really have done a good job with it. Kids enjoyed Ample Hills downstairs. Pool area was very themed and the slide was a lot of fun. Foosball table at the pool was fun. Felt more adult than the average Disney hotel. Good bus service too!

On the downside, the layout is a little contrived. You have to either take the stairs to the Boardwalk and pool or a separate (single) elevator. Wouldn’t be the easiest to navigate with a stroller or an ECV. Didn’t affect us, but throwing it out as it may be something for other families to consider. Also, no real QS, only sandwiches and pizza.

Thanks for the great update. We were there at BWI too from 5/25 - 5/27. We also met another Diser but sorry I cant remember her name. We had a awesome Boardwalk view room close to the lounge which was very convenient!

We enjoyed the lunch offerings on Saturday and Luis kindly brought us Prosecco too. The lounge was quiet at that time but not later. We were really disappointed when we tried to go for dinner around 5:30 and the lounge was full with a line across the room waiting for the hot offerings. We left and came back a bit later only to find no wine glasses, empty wine bottles, no shrimp left and stressed out CMs. They were nice enough to go and get some Prosecco for us but suggested we bring back the glasses we had in our room since they didn't have any.

The rest of the time, except for the last lunch and an early Sunday breakfast we just took the food and drinks back to our room, which had a better view anyway.

I do feel the CL food and wine offerings including water bottles that were available any time were great. We were able to save on food costs and enjoyed several glasses of Prosecco and wine on the balcony. So, overall worth it but the lounge is too small for the number of people staying there.

 

[CT Disney]

The poster above mentioned water bottles at the BWI lounge. We stayed there just a few months ago (between Christmas and New Years) and, I agree, having water bottles was great! We would pop a few in our bags every time we headed out to the parks.

Which other CLs have water bottles available? I hope they've got them at RPC when we are there in a few months.

 

[Wood Nymph]

These will likely show up sideways (if at all!), but here is some of the signage that was up last week for Kudu.

Evidently I still need to learn how to post photos correctly, so that will be all for now! lol

I found that if I take all my pictures by holding my phone in landscape mode. Then they are usually in the correct orientation

The poster above mentioned water bottles at the BWI lounge. We stayed there just a few months ago (between Christmas and New Years) and, I agree, having water bottles was great! We would pop a few in our bags every time we headed out to the parks.

Which other CLs have water bottles available? I hope they've got them at RPC when we are there in a few months.

The WL CL has Dasani water bottles

 

[squeezle]

Which other CLs have water bottles available? I hope they've got them at RPC when we are there in a few months.

Yes, RPC did have the little bottles of water always out on a tray when were were there in April.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Which other CLs have water bottles available? I hope they've got them at RPC when we are there in a few months.

In my more recent travels:

WL - yes
CR - yes
Poly - no
GF SL - yes (I assume RPC is the same but haven't been there in awhile)
YC - no (I've never actually asked but don't think I've seen them)
AKL - no (I think)

 

[mrsap]

Which other CLs have water bottles available? I hope they've got them at RPC when we are there in a few months.

They definitely had them at RPC! Enjoy!

 

[vinotinto]

Thanks for the great update. We were there at BWI too from 5/25 - 5/27. We also met another Diser but sorry I cant remember her name. We had a awesome Boardwalk view room close to the lounge which was very convenient!

We enjoyed the lunch offerings on Saturday and Luis kindly brought us Prosecco too. The lounge was quiet at that time but not later. We were really disappointed when we tried to go for dinner around 5:30 and the lounge was full with a line across the room waiting for the hot offerings. We left and came back a bit later only to find no wine glasses, empty wine bottles, no shrimp left and stressed out CMs. They were nice enough to go and get some Prosecco for us but suggested we bring back the glasses we had in our room since they didn't have any.

The rest of the time, except for the last lunch and an early Sunday breakfast we just took the food and drinks back to our room, which had a better view anyway.

I do feel the CL food and wine offerings including water bottles that were available any time were great. We were able to save on food costs and enjoyed several glasses of Prosecco and wine on the balcony. So, overall worth it but the lounge is too small for the number of people staying there.

I totally forgot about the lounge running out of glasses! The poor CMs, they handwashed wine glasses and brought me one. This is the thing, they know how many rooms are booked, and if they are full, they know they are going to get crushed. You would think they could prep accordingly. A dozen wine glasses is not going to be sufficient. Seating for 35 is not going to be sufficient.

Curious if the holiday weekend was equally busy in the other lounges?

 

[KBoopaloo]

In my more recent travels:

WL - yes
CR - yes
Poly - no
GF SL - yes (I assume RPC is the same but haven't been there in awhile)
YC - no (I've never actually asked but don't think I've seen them)
AKL - no (I think)

I saw another guest ask at YC on our trip two weeks ago and the cast member said they did not have any water bottles to take away but they would be happy to fill personal water bottles with the filtered water they always offered in the lounge.

 

[sanibellife]

Why do some lounges have water bottles and others don't? I can see AKL not, if water bottles some how get to the animal areas.
But why would GF and CR have them and not Poly? Strange

 

[Simba's Girl]

On the same note...would CLs with little water bottles fill reusable ones with filtered water? I hate to waste all that plastic.

 

[Eastern]

Why do some lounges have water bottles and others don't? I can see AKL not, if water bottles some how get to the animal areas.
But why would GF and CR have them and not Poly? Strange

I asked about this at YC (no water bottles). They told me that it was planned for no lounges to be offering water bottles in the future. ymmv.

8 packs of water bottles are usually offered for sale in the gift shops for around $5 (you get an AP discount if you have one) and I buy those.

 

[drwadadli]

Monorail resorts: Poly has best theming. Tropical and relaxing. Lounge can get busy. I didn't love the snack choices. CR has the best fireworks viewing. I found the snacks to be on the smaller side, but the lounge is convenient and it's nice that the monorail brings you right into the building. I think that the walk to MK is overrated; we only used it when leaving the park end of day when it was really crowded. I hate the flat sinks in the bathrooms. RPC has great snacks, daily tea time, live music. Housekeeping was perfect. Downside: price. I haven't stayed at Sugarloaf. My pick: RPC

Epcot resorts: BC very busy and a lot of kids. Stayed there many times in the past non-CL. Love the lobby and proximity to Epcot when using those side exits. BWI like the snacks and the lobby. Never had any extraordinary CM service in the lounge that you read about here, but it was fine. Bad luck with housekeeping in that they always seem to make up our rooms very late (4-5pm) This drives me absolutely crazy and requests for earlier times go nowhere. Kids just stayed in a regular room this past weekend and housekeeping came every day at 5pm. (Yes, they requested earlier.) YC stayed in January for the first time and really liked it. Rooms are refreshed and clean, no carpet. Breakfast and afternoon snacks aren't special but evening hour apps are good and appealing to many tastes. Only lounge that provides full size dinner plates for app hour. Boat dock right out front. Allow dogs. Quieter than BC. My pick: YC

Thank you for your thorough opinion and responses!!

 

[CT Disney]

I saw another guest ask at YC on our trip two weeks ago and the cast member said they did not have any water bottles to take away but they would be happy to fill personal water bottles with the filtered water they always offered in the lounge.

When we were at the Poly last summer they had a large canister of filtered water in the lounge and no water bottles.

Every morning we would fill clean glasses with water from the canister and then pour this water into our stainless steel water bottles. (I didn’t want to fill our water bottles directly from the canister as I didn’t want to inadvertently transfer any of our germs to the public canister)

Anyway...every single morning the CM would say “I can take your water bottles in the back and fill them for you.” And every single morning I would decline the offer. I didn’t like the idea of giving up our water bottles, having someone else handling them behind the scenes.

And honestly, I sort of hoped our water transfer charade every morning would convince them to just add water bottles to the lounge. For the price you pay I really don’t think it’s too big of an ask.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

DD and I have a trip (split stay WL CL and BC CL) planned in July. I booked as a bounce back package. My final payment/cancellation date is rapidly approaching. My mother is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. We don’t know how much longer she has left, but I don’t think it is long. If she is still alive in July, my daughter and I would not go on our trip. If my mother has passed away before then, we would really like to go. Disney is our “happy place.”

I’m wondering if anyone has advice for me. If I wait and need to cancel, I wouldn’t be able to and get a refund, correct? I don’t want to cancel our trip now, though, and rebook it for a later date. If we are at a place where we are able to go on our trip, my daughter and I both agree that we would like to go. I have no idea what to do. I did use a credit card that offers trip cancellation insurance. I’ve read the terms carefully, and my situation definitely meets the criteria. Ideally I’d like not to do this, though. Has anyone been in a similar position? What are the odds Disney would allow me to cancel (with a refund) closer to the date of my trip? I’ve already called and asked if I can switch my reservations to room-only, and it’s not possible to do it. I’m under so much stress already with my mother so ill (I am taking care of her full-time), that the last thing I need is a Disney vacation making me feel more stressed. I want Disney to remain my happy place, not cause me additional stress. Anyone know?

 

[focusondisney]

DD and I have a trip (split stay WL CL and BC CL) planned in July. I booked as a bounce back package. My final payment/cancellation date is rapidly approaching. My mother is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. We don’t know how much longer she has left, but I don’t think it is long. If she is still alive in July, my daughter and I would not go on our trip. If my mother has passed away before then, we would really like to go. Disney is our “happy place.”

I’m wondering if anyone has advice for me. If I wait and need to cancel, I wouldn’t be able to and get a refund, correct? I don’t want to cancel our trip now, though, and rebook it for a later date. If we are at a place where we are able to go on our trip, my daughter and I both agree that we would like to go. I have no idea what to do. I did use a credit card that offers trip cancellation insurance. I’ve read the terms carefully, and my situation definitely meets the criteria. Ideally I’d like not to do this, though. Has anyone been in a similar position? What are the odds Disney would allow me to cancel (with a refund) closer to the date of my trip? I’ve already called and asked if I can switch my reservations to room-only, and it’s not possible to do it. I’m under so much stress already with my mother so ill (I am taking care of her full-time), that the last thing I need is a Disney vacation making me feel more stressed. I want Disney to remain my happy place, not cause me additional stress. Anyone know?

The cancellation penalty from 2-29 days is $200. So you would get everything back but the $200 if you cancel by 2 days before arrival. The change fee during that time is only $50 plus any price increase. Personally, I would probably keep the package & eat the $200 if I had to. If you had to, you could try to change the dates if you are inside the 29 days. If your new price is more, they woundn’t even charge the $50.

The penalty for 1 day cancellation is full price, but I’m sure you would know if you are going before then. Prayers for your mom & you.

 

[vinotinto]

DD and I have a trip (split stay WL CL and BC CL) planned in July. I booked as a bounce back package. My final payment/cancellation date is rapidly approaching. My mother is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. We don’t know how much longer she has left, but I don’t think it is long. If she is still alive in July, my daughter and I would not go on our trip. If my mother has passed away before then, we would really like to go. Disney is our “happy place.”

I’m wondering if anyone has advice for me. If I wait and need to cancel, I wouldn’t be able to and get a refund, correct? I don’t want to cancel our trip now, though, and rebook it for a later date. If we are at a place where we are able to go on our trip, my daughter and I both agree that we would like to go. I have no idea what to do. I did use a credit card that offers trip cancellation insurance. I’ve read the terms carefully, and my situation definitely meets the criteria. Ideally I’d like not to do this, though. Has anyone been in a similar position? What are the odds Disney would allow me to cancel (with a refund) closer to the date of my trip? I’ve already called and asked if I can switch my reservations to room-only, and it’s not possible to do it. I’m under so much stress already with my mother so ill (I am taking care of her full-time), that the last thing I need is a Disney vacation making me feel more stressed. I want Disney to remain my happy place, not cause me additional stress. Anyone know?

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. That is a sad and stressful situation indeed and I hope you are able to enjoy time with your daughter. So, just to clarify, you have two packages booked? Most who book split stays book room only, or one a package with tickets, followed by one room only. So, first step is just to verify what you have booked. Second, you can change (move to another date that falls within the bounceback dates) or cancel your package without penalty up until 30 days in advance. Cancellations made 29 days to 2 days prior to arrival have a cancellation fee of $200 per package. If you wait until 1 day before, then the full package costs are non refundable. Third, I think you can change a package to a room only reservation, unless the bounceback specifically required a package (is it free dining)? If it's a room discount, you should be able to call back and have the CM escalate it to someone who can change your package to room only. With room only you can cancel without penalty up to 5 days before your trip.

I hope things work out for you and your family.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

The cancellation penalty from 2-29 days is $200. So you would get everything back but the $200 if you cancel by 2 days before arrival. The change fee during that time is only $50 plus any price increase. Personally, I would probably keep the package & eat the $200 if I had to. If you had to, you could try to change the dates if you are inside the 29 days. If your new price is more, they woundn’t even charge the $50.

The penalty for 1 day cancellation is full price, but I’m sure you would know if you are going before then. Prayers for your mom & you.

Thank you. I didn’t realize I would only forfeit $200. I feel much better about that. I was afraid it was the full amount of my vacation package. I would know at least a week in advance whether or not we could make our trip so the two days is nothing to worry about.

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. That is a sad and stressful situation indeed and I hope you are able to enjoy time with your daughter. So, just to clarify, you have two packages booked? Most who book split stays book room only, or one a package with tickets, followed by one room only. So, first step is just to verify what you have booked. Second, you can change (move to another date that falls within the bounceback dates) or cancel your package without penalty up until 30 days in advance. Cancellations made 29 days to 2 days prior to arrival have a cancellation fee of $200 per package. If you wait until 1 day before, then the full package costs are non refundable. Third, I think you can change a package to a room only reservation, unless the bounceback specifically required a package (is it free dining)? If it's a room discount, you should be able to call back and have the CM escalate it to someone who can change your package to room only. With room only you can cancel without penalty up to 5 days before your trip.

I hope things work out for you and your family.

It’s a basic (ticketless) package. We have APs. I almost always book as a basic package in the event I want to add a dining plan on later. Usually I end up not doing it, but once in a while it ends up making sense. I was told I couldn’t switch to a room-only for either as there are no room-only rooms available at either resort for my dates. The $200 is not a problem for me. Even though it’s $400 for both, that’s a relatively low price to pay (and I’ve already paid it anyway) if I have to cancel the trip. My fear was that it was the cost of the entire vacation (I’ve paid most of it already; I have one payment remaining). I could consider moving it to a later date, but I already have our trips planned for the rest of this year. I wonder if I would be able to modify to a date in 2020. I might call and find out if that’s even an option just to keep in the back of my mind.

Thank you both for your help. I appreciate it. Next time I will do a better job at reading the fine print!

 

[vinotinto]

Thank you. I didn’t realize I would only forfeit $200. I feel much better about that. I was afraid it was the full amount of my vacation package. I would know at least a week in advance whether or not we could make our trip so the two days is nothing to worry about.


It’s a basic (ticketless) package. We have APs. I almost always book as a basic package in the event I want to add a dining plan on later. Usually I end up not doing it, but once in a while it ends up making sense. I was told I couldn’t switch to a room-only for either as there are no room-only rooms available at either resort for my dates. The $200 is not a problem for me. Even though it’s $400 for both, that’s a relatively low price to pay (and I’ve already paid it anyway) if I have to cancel the trip. My fear was that it was the cost of the entire vacation (I’ve paid most of it already; I have one payment remaining). I could consider moving it to a later date, but I already have our trips planned for the rest of this year. I wonder if I would be able to modify to a date in 2020. I might call and find out if that’s even an option just to keep in the back of my mind.

Thank you both for your help. I appreciate it. Next time I will do a better job at reading the fine print!

That makes sense. And the AP rates are out for July. Have you checked to see what's available with the AP rate? You may be able to do a room-only AP rate for about the same as the Bounceback.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

That makes sense. And the AP rates are out for July. Have you checked to see what's available with the AP rate? You may be able to do a room-only AP rate for about the same as the Bounceback.

Thanks for the suggestion!! What a great idea. I just checked, and with the AP rate, I actually save $300. I’m kind of worried about losing my FPS, though. Since I would be switching from one on-site stay to another, I’m guessing it won’t be a problem?

 

[KM82]

We are going to order a special cake for DS birthday on this trip. Last year, we ordered at the Contemporary, but we were not CL and it was a pain trying to get someone to call us back initially. Has anyone used DSS to order a specialty cake? I'm wondering if that would be a smoother process.