2. I am still trying to decide if CL in general makes sense for us or not? It is just DH and me on our WDW trips (we are in our 30's). We don't have children. DH prefers a full hot leisurely breakfast in the morning (we are NOT RD people, but we always go in September so that is usually not an issue for us). I like to book my ADRs myself as I have fun constantly moving meals around. I wouldn't mind help with things like booking Illuminations or Wishes private cruises (not sure if the CL CM staff help with that or just tell you where to call?). So if we wouldn't be eating breakfasts most mornings, in your expert opinions, do you think there is enough value there for us for CL?
Thanks!
For me, the service only comes into play if I were to use them to make my ADRs, which, like you, I like to make on my own. We don't do any extras in Disney typically, but it's nice to have the staff at your disposal if you want someone to give you a hand with that
Honestly, I don't think that CL service is that top-notch: For example, a few months ago, I asked the IPO to make my ME reservation, and they sent me the link to do it myself.
So why do we keep booking CL? A breakfast ready and waiting a few steps from our door, snacks, drinks, and because it makes us feel special. And usually, because the cost is worth it: With five of us, refillable mugs cost about $100 a trip. Factor in breakfast for all of us every day and a few glasses of Disney-priced wine or beer, and that's the cost of the upgrading the room. Since we're not big eaters, we can definitely get by on eating a few hors d'oeuvres and getting a small snack at a walk-up counter and calling it dinner one or two nights, too.
If your husband likes a hot breakfast, CL offerings will likely not satisfy him. (And they are very boring and repetitious if you're a healthy eater and try to avoid excess sugar and carbs.) And certainly, the snacks put out at lunch and dinner are not substitutes for meals--you might be able to get by with skipping a meal or two on a day where you're not as hungry or don't feel like doing a sit down meal, but not your entire trip.
So for us, it's really not the service--it's more about convenience and paying maybe a little bit more for the things we'd need to buy anyway (breakfast, snacks, drinks) and having them at our disposal throughout most of the day.