EXPIRED: Part ONE of 2015 CLUB LEVEL (CL) INFORMATION and HELP Thread DO NOT POST HERE!!!

[TigrLvsPooh]

Just returned from a split stay that included AOA, AKL CL, GF RPC and then 5 nights Poly CL. We booked garden view at Poly and they upgraded us to lagoon view for all five nights.

We were happy with our decision to stay at Poly, but there are several relevant factors. First, loved the upgrade. Second, we really love the new lobby. I've been staying at Poly since childhood and the old waterfall had sentimental value but I like the new lobby so much more. It's open, airy, still smells great and that view out the lobby to the castle - incredible. And will be even better when the pool is finished. Third, it was cold during our stay so we didn't miss the volcano pool.

We decided to return to Poly for Easter Weekend and cross our fingers regarding the volcano pool. If it's not looking good for the pool, we may consider a switch.

I PM'd with Steve (tikiman) this morning and asked him his honest opinion about construction progress by late March. He said he feels everything will still be closed. Personally I don't really care about swimming, but my kids love to swim, especially since it will be nice and warm by then. So I think Poly CL might be off the table for us. But I'm still debating a few different ideas. I need to hurry up!

 

[trishadono]

Just returned from a split stay that included AOA, AKL CL, GF RPC and then 5 nights Poly CL. We booked garden view at Poly and they upgraded us to lagoon view for all five nights.

We were happy with our decision to stay at Poly, but there are several relevant factors. First, loved the upgrade. Second, we really love the new lobby. I've been staying at Poly since childhood and the old waterfall had sentimental value but I like the new lobby so much more. It's open, airy, still smells great and that view out the lobby to the castle - incredible. And will be even better when the pool is finished. Third, it was cold during our stay so we didn't miss the volcano pool.

We decided to return to Poly for Easter Weekend and cross our fingers regarding the volcano pool. If it's not looking good for the pool, we may consider a switch.

I think I'm going to love the new lobby too! How was your trip? PM me if you want. Dd and ds want to do one of the marathons next year.

 

[Circusgirl]

Poly CL is tempting for Spring Break. AP rate is $499 a night, that's about as good as it gets on the monorail. But I told myself I wasn't going to stay there again until the construction was done. Hmmmmm... it's such a hard decision.

There are great deals right now, especially if you can combine with an Orbitz discount, and I also feel like it's been WAY TOO LONG since I've had a Poly stay. I really miss it and although it's been fun to try new things, I can't wait until the dust settles. I am craving Kona salad and pineapple with caramel.

I know I would hate the noise and visual disruption of the construction, so I can't risk my longer special vacation times there. I think if I were going for a long weekend I might do it just to be at the Poly for a moment.

I'm excited that the studio points in low season are not horribly high. I suppose it will be tough to get 7 month reservations, especially in the beginning, but I've always been able to get them at VGC, so hope it will work out here too.

 

[Babsy]

Is it OK to ask IPO to book a FP BOG lunch for you? I am having trouble with it myself.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Is it OK to ask IPO to book a FP BOG lunch for you? I am having trouble with it myself.

Unfortunately the IPO staff has no access to the BOG lunch fastpass system. So you can only check it yourself. https://beourguestlunch.disney.go.com

But definitely keep checking! I tried to get one right at our 28 day mark and there was nothing, about a week later there was tons of availability. The system is still in the testing phase and I think it can vary as to when they upload the available tables into the system for guests. I also think they might be staggering the availability release to help guests who aren't right on the ball get a table too. It's an imperfect system at this point.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We booked BWI CL standard room for this Oct trip. We have stayed Poly CL prior and loved it.

We really liked watching Wishes from the club room. I thought I read somewhere that you can see some of Illuminations from the BWI CL room. That would be wonderful.

The Poly CL CM's would get us a couple beers during the day, if we ask the BWI CL CM's for a couple of beers during the day, will that be a problem?

What is the food like in the evening here? We would stop by and get a couple of apps to tide us over until our dinner ADR.

I made a request for our room to be close to an elevator and a full daybed, is the CL room close to an elevator? DH has mobility issues, not a huge deal if the lounge is not super close. I can always go to the CL for him.

Any other tips or thoughts on BWI CL?

 

[trishadono]

Is it OK to ask IPO to book a FP BOG lunch for you? I am having trouble with it myself.

In November I was watching info on this. It was reported you could book it 27 days prior to check in . I tried at days 30,29,28 and yep day 27 worked.

I used the link you were given. Once in it is easy to do! Good luck!

Also: I had a lot of trips last year. When I got an email invite it never worked. I only got it to work when I did it myself AND was less than 27 days.

For times: they give you a few options but I also read if you refresh it will give you different ones. They are 30 minute windows.

 

[trishadono]

We booked BWI CL standard room for this Oct trip. We have stayed Poly CL prior and loved it.

We really liked watching Wishes from the club room. I thought I read somewhere that you can see some of Illuminations from the BWI CL room. That would be wonderful.

The Poly CL CM's would get us a couple beers during the day, if we ask the BWI CL CM's for a couple of beers during the day, will that be a problem?

What is the food like in the evening here? We would stop by and get a couple of apps to tide us over until our dinner ADR.

I made a request for our room to be close to an elevator and a full daybed, is the CL room close to an elevator? DH has mobility issues, not a huge deal if the lounge is not super close. I can always go to the CL for him.

Any other tips or thoughts on BWI CL?

I haven't stayed at that CL but in general only 2 given at once. So if I picked up for DH, I could get 2 but I didn't try with both of us present to get 2 each.

I have gone back after an hour(or less) for more without any problems (GF/Poly/CR)

If going to room vs outside let them know. If plastic needed they should have.

Also I have requested from as early as 11:30 am to 10pm.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We booked BWI CL standard room for this Oct trip. We have stayed Poly CL prior and loved it.

We really liked watching Wishes from the club room. I thought I read somewhere that you can see some of Illuminations from the BWI CL room. That would be wonderful.

The Poly CL CM's would get us a couple beers during the day, if we ask the BWI CL CM's for a couple of beers during the day, will that be a problem?

What is the food like in the evening here? We would stop by and get a couple of apps to tide us over until our dinner ADR.

I made a request for our room to be close to an elevator and a full daybed, is the CL room close to an elevator? DH has mobility issues, not a huge deal if the lounge is not super close. I can always go to the CL for him.

Any other tips or thoughts on BWI CL?

We had a great stay at the BWI CL in July.

1. You can see the higher fireworks of Illuminations from the Inkeeper's Club lounge that is true, and possibly from your room as well if you end up on that side of the building.

2. Beer during the day is no problem at all, just ask a member of the lounge staff.

3. Evening appetizers are similar to what you would see at the other CLs on property. Two hot items that vary each night, salads, veggies, dips, cheese, pb&j rollups for the kids, etc. If you go to page 1 of this thread I posted some pics. Also I did a review you can read here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3316744

4. The Inkeeper's Club is a bit of a walk from the elevators. You have to walk down a long hallway to a door that will lead you into the club level itself. That's where the rooms are located unless you're in a garden suite or some other specialty type room that's located elsewhere. But since you're booked in a standard club room you'll be down in this area. That is also where the lounge is located.

5. All daybeds are twin sized

You will love it I'm sure!

 

[pixarmom]

I PM'd with Steve (tikiman) this morning and asked him his honest opinion about construction progress by late March. He said he feels everything will still be closed. Personally I don't really care about swimming, but my kids love to swim, especially since it will be nice and warm by then. So I think Poly CL might be off the table for us. But I'm still debating a few different ideas. I need to hurry up!

Tikiman is great. I have his facebook page bookmarked on my phone and love to see the daily updates! I think he's wise to be conservative about construction, particularly because people will criticize the poor guy if something isn't up and running when he anticipates. So when we booked our recent Poly stay, we did so with tikiman reporting the lobby would not be complete for marathon weekend. Turns out, the parts of the lobby we see and enjoy were in great shape. Tikiman is just reporting what his sources tell him and the fact that they unveiled the lobby before Christmas doesn't make him wrong. But I do have hope for the pool, even though he warns me not to expect it! And in the end, I'm ready to make a switch if necessary.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We had a great stay at the BWI CL in July.

1. You can see the higher fireworks of Illuminations from the Inkeeper's Club lounge that is true, and possibly from your room as well if you end up on that side of the building.

2. Beer during the day is no problem at all, just ask a member of the lounge staff.

3. Evening appetizers are similar to what you would see at the other CLs on property. Two hot items that vary each night, salads, veggies, dips, cheese, pb&j rollups for the kids, etc. If you go to page 1 of this thread I posted some pics. Also I did a review you can read here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3316744

4. The Inkeeper's Club is a bit of a walk from the elevators. You have to walk down a long hallway to a door that will lead you into the club level itself. That's where the rooms are located unless you're in a garden suite or some other specialty type room that's located elsewhere. But since you're booked in a standard club room you'll be down in this area. That is also where the lounge is located.

5. All daybeds are twin sized

You will love it I'm sure!

Thank you so much for the info and your review of BWI CL.

I am ok with twin size daybed, it's the tiny size one that would not work for DH.

 

[pixarmom]

I think I'm going to love the new lobby too! How was your trip? PM me if you want. Dd and ds want to do one of the marathons next year.

Great trip! Loved running the marathon! I even got to attend the expo twice - once with the kids and once with my husband because he arrived later. Disney really does a great job with these race weekends - their organization and the overall race atmosphere is hard to beat.

So fun to try CL at AKL and RPC at GF! Glad I made the switch from sugarloaf to the main building - love the band in the afternoon and the beautiful views. Didn't realize how much I would enjoy that music and how much it adds to the overall atmosphere. Not really the vibe our boys enjoy, but good to try. A few funny fellow guests who took themselves a bit seriously, but some families who were very friendly. Our youngest was obsessed with that new Alice splash pad and the view from our room was incredible. While SL would have been closer to the courtyard pool, we far preferred the beach pool and the splash pad and both were easily accessible from our room in the main building. And the room itself - I was surprised how spacious and I knew I'd love that new decor. Had to stop at Gasparillas for a second dinner for our youngest (he fell asleep in the front row at Hoop Dee Doo!) Those CMs were the best ever - SO friendly and efficient.

Our boys LOVED CL at AKL - too bad about the transportation because everything else about CL at AKL is great. We so enjoyed the view from and the atmosphere in the lounge, thought AKL had some of the best lounge food we've tried to date, and the CMs were friendly without hovering. Our boys really got into the safari theme and even enjoyed AK more as a result. Although I do agree with Erika that the rooms are far from the lounge, so that's a little unfortunate.

Poly CL is still our boys' favorite. They like the casual atmosphere and the view from the lounge. The food was OK during our stay. My husband prefers BWI CL because he finds the Poly lounge a little chaotic and because of the guest etiquette issues at Poly.

I'd kind of like to get back to BC or BWI because I like the proximity to Epcot - especially for dinner. Maybe for the Princess Half Marathon next year!

SO excited to hear about your trip - just a few days away now! We went over to WL on Saturday after my husband and teens ran the half marathon - lunch at Whispering Canyon. They were too tired for the antics, but that made the antics even more funny. In any event, the construction there seems to be winding down. The new pool area looks great and our youngest can't wait for that splash pad - just 72 days left! Hope you have a great time!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

I am booked for 9 nights at BC Club Level, my fist deluxe stay.
We picked BC because of the pool.

BUT is the Poly better? Should I move us? Am I over thinking this??

Thank you for your help

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I am booked for 9 nights at BC Club Level, my fist deluxe stay.
We picked BC because of the pool.

BUT is the Poly better? Should I move us? Am I over thinking this??

Thank you for your help

When is your trip? It's hard to compare the two since the main theme pool at the Poly is still being built. Some people are hoping it might open in March, but I've read on some other threads May might be a closer guess. The Beach Club does have an awesome pool for sure, so you can't go wrong there. Both resorts are really great.

Taking the pools out of the equation, try to think about which resort area might fit your family's needs best. If you spend a lot of time at MK the monorail resorts are perfect for that. If you love Epcot and like to spend a lot of time there then the BC might be a better choice. I've been in your shoes many times, make a list of pros and cons and see if that will help with your decision.

 

[pixarmom]

When is your trip? It's hard to compare the two since the main theme pool at the Poly is still being built. Some people are hoping it might open in March, but I've read on some other threads May might be a closer guess. The Beach Club does have an awesome pool for sure, so you can't go wrong there. Both resorts are really great.

Taking the pools out of the equation, try to think about which resort area might fit your family's needs best. If you spend a lot of time at MK the monorail resorts are perfect for that. If you love Epcot and like to spend a lot of time there then the BC might be a better choice. I've been in your shoes many times, make a list of pros and cons and see if that will help with your decision.

Agreed - all very good advice! And if a split stay would work for your family, that's what I would do with 9 nights - a split between BC and Poly!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

When is your trip? It's hard to compare the two since the main theme pool at the Poly is still being built. Some people are hoping it might open in March, but I've read on some other threads May might be a closer guess. The Beach Club does have an awesome pool for sure, so you can't go wrong there. Both resorts are really great.

Taking the pools out of the equation, try to think about which resort area might fit your family's needs best. If you spend a lot of time at MK the monorail resorts are perfect for that. If you love Epcot and like to spend a lot of time there then the BC might be a better choice. I've been in your shoes many times, make a list of pros and cons and see if that will help with your decision.

We are booked early September. My husband would not do a split stay. My kids will love MK the most but they are also fish. In 2012 (our last time there as a family trip) I had to cancel dinner reservation because they did not want to leave the pool at CBR

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We are booked early September. My husband would not do a split stay. My kids will love MK the most but they are also fish. In 2012 (our last time there as a family trip) I had to cancel dinner reservation because they did not want to leave the pool at CBR

I think the new pool at the Poly is going to be really nice, but it's hard to beat the Beach Club with the sand bottom and the lazy river. When my kids were little they would spend hours at Stormalong Bay and never get tired of it.

 

[pixarmom]

We are booked early September. My husband would not do a split stay. My kids will love MK the most but they are also fish. In 2012 (our last time there as a family trip) I had to cancel dinner reservation because they did not want to leave the pool at CBR

Under those circumstances, I'd lean towards Poly. Our three boys love it, prefer it over BC, and the club lounge at Poly is particularly great for kids. Very casual atmosphere, great views, fireworks in PJs before bedtime, etc. The proximity to both MK via monorail and Epcot via monorail from TTC are significant benefits for us. The big issue is pool completion. When completed, it looks like it will be fabulous - contained area, fun slide, splash pad looks amazing, etc. But the question is when. Sounds like September would be safe, but I'm not a Poly construction expert, so I hesitate to say!

Also, the BC pool is awesome and we do love it. My kids are ages 8, 14 and 15 and all very strong swimmers. All swim on swim team and our youngest is a complete fish. I don't mind moving around at the pool, so BC works really well for us. At the Poly pool, however, I can grab a drink and sit poolside to watch everyone have fun and then jump in when I feel like it. Based on the art depicting the new Poly pool layout, seems it will be similar.

 

[BellsFam]

SOO EXCITED!

Just booked the CL at the Contemporary!!! (STD Atrium?) I had to google exactly what that meant.

I'm kinda hoping we'll get pixie dusted with an MK view room!!!

I wanted CL at the Poly, but it was sold out, and we had a STD room there, but I cancelled it with the threat of all the construction. I can't wait now! It's one of my dream hotels!!!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

Under those circumstances, I'd lean towards Poly. Our three boys love it, prefer it over BC, and the club lounge at Poly is particularly great for kids. Very casual atmosphere, great views, fireworks in PJs before bedtime, etc. The proximity to both MK via monorail and Epcot via monorail from TTC are significant benefits for us. The big issue is pool completion. When completed, it looks like it will be fabulous - contained area, fun slide, splash pad looks amazing, etc. But the question is when. Sounds like September would be safe, but I'm not a Poly construction expert, so I hesitate to say!

Also, the BC pool is awesome and we do love it. My kids are ages 8, 14 and 15 and all very strong swimmers. All swim on swim team and our youngest is a complete fish. I don't mind moving around at the pool, so BC works really well for us. At the Poly pool, however, I can grab a drink and sit poolside to watch everyone have fun and then jump in when I feel like it. Based on the art depicting the new Poly pool layout, seems it will be similar.

UGH, this is so hard. You make both sounds awesome. My DH says stay with my first choice. On a side note I have been planning and saving for this trip for 2 years