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

[GOOFY4DONALD]

I hate to disappoint, but there is no way that it was the Joffrey's, unless the person who told you likes what I'd call incredibly average coffee. Now, the Nespresso machines (the espresso machines) make very good Americanos, and actually are something to look forward to. Unfortunately, they're not in every CL lounge.

Does anyone have any information about the coffee and machines in the Beach Club lounge?

 

[smellyia]

I've been looking and could be missing this post somewhere but does anyone know what the current GF SL club appetizer menu is? Or if it's a revolving menu like at YC? I'm trying to decide when and which ADRs to make depending on if we like what's on the menu for our Jan trip. TIA!

 

[Taterella]

I think there are only something like 4 garden view CL rooms. Or at least a very small number like that. Don't think I'd bother with any requests since they have so few rooms to assign you to.

Thanks, that's perfect, one less thing to worry about!

 

[thisismyusername]

Does anyone have any information about the coffee and machines in the Beach Club lounge?

According to the pictures I saw of the refurb in the BC CL lounge, they now have the Nespresso machine cheer2 as well as Joffrey's coffee in the urns.

 

[wdwfan]

We were just there from 10/19-10/24 and can tell you they still have the cart BUT I'll also tell you that we NEVER felt like we were being monitored and actually didn't mind being served at all.

We'd have a few drinks in the lounge...no issues. We'd ask for a couple of beers to take back to our room, again...no issues. And on a few evenings DH would ask them to pour some bailey's on the rocks in a styrofoam cup "to go" as we'd head out for the night and we were always accommodated AND they often gave him a more than generous pour .

I was so unsure about the cart after reading some negative reviews that I even said something during check-in. Both CM's along with a manager who happened to overhear the conversation assured us we'd have no issues and we didn't at all. As for the yogurt, yes they did have the tiny little cups but we did see a few folks ask for and get a regular serving size container.

I actually will admit that the YC CL has quickly become our favorite so far .

So glad to hear that they have stepped up their game and are improving their situation. Very glad to hear that you did not receive any attitudes or impositions when asking for alcohol during non-serving cart hours. I think most of the cm's are pretty good about it, but there were definitely a few cm's who acted put-out when requesting something that wasn't being served.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

According to the pictures I saw of the refurb in the BC CL lounge, they now have the Nespresso machine cheer2 as well as Joffrey's coffee in the urns.

yay!! Does anyone know if we are allowed to fill up disposable travel mugs with coffee/hot chocolate in the am?

 

[The Sunrise Student]

I have just started working with the IPO office my 180 day mark is around the corner *very giddy*

However I am still wondering if booking things through IPO office is better than doing them myself.

I filled out my packet and put dates in and I have already had to correct IPO personnel because they didn't read the packet correctly (I even went back to my packet and made sure I did put dates in correctly).

Is there a huge advantage of using the IPO? Do they have pull to get things before your average joe?

I have taken to recapping what was spoken on the phone via e-mail to make sure everything is put as it should be.

Also will the reservations the IPO make for me show up in My Disney Experience?

Thanks for listening!

 

[mickeynut1]

I have just started working with the IPO office my 180 day mark is around the corner *very giddy*

However I am still wondering if booking things through IPO office is better than doing them myself.

I filled out my packet and put dates in and I have already had to correct IPO personnel because they didn't read the packet correctly (I even went back to my packet and made sure I did put dates in correctly).

Is there a huge advantage of using the IPO? Do they have pull to get things before your average joe?

I have taken to recapping what was spoken on the phone via e-mail to make sure everything is put as it should be.

Also will the reservations the IPO make for me show up in My Disney Experience?

Thanks for listening!

I never use IPO as I like making my own ADRs, but that's just my preference as a lot of others enjoy someone else do those bookings. With that said, IPO doesn't have any pull as they have the same chance as you of getting what you want. You can look on your own as well as have IPO check and then cancel any duplicates should you have any.

 

[The Sunrise Student]

I never use IPO as I like making my own ADRs, but that's just my preference as a lot of others enjoy someone else do those bookings. With that said, IPO doesn't have any pull as they have the same chance as you of getting what you want. You can look on your own as well as have IPO check and then cancel any duplicates should you have any.

I was wondering about that, especially with some of the SWW events I am going to be wanting to get a hold of.

I have them booking some easy reservations but if they aren't going to be as diligent and I am with getting on HOT HOT ressies than I probably with try and book those myself.

Another thing, with being able to make reservations via computer for ADRs it almost seems like it takes more time to communicate with the IPO what I want/need than it would be for me to just make the reservation.

In the days of having to call in all your reservations I can see the IPO being so much more valuable...

Maybe I am just getting the wrong impression, I am not sure.

 

[msmama]

Just booked my CL room at Beach Club for May!! I went with BC because I figured I'd know those rooms would've been recently renovated (well, within a year anyway) while YC could be undergoing renovations...who know when. Is this a reasonable stragegy?

What should I be receiving? Mail or Email? For the reservations I'm not picky about I'm interested in taking advantage of having someone do it for me (hey, I'm paying for it, right?)

What other magical things will paying this extra money get me, lol?

(I stayed CL at Boardwalk a few years ago but don't really remember being contacted about anything before checking in).

 

[mickeynut1]

I was wondering about that, especially with some of the SWW events I am going to be wanting to get a hold of.

I have them booking some easy reservations but if they aren't going to be as diligent and I am with getting on HOT HOT ressies than I probably with try and book those myself.

Another thing, with being able to make reservations via computer for ADRs it almost seems like it takes more time to communicate with the IPO what I want/need than it would be for me to just make the reservation.

In the days of having to call in all your reservations I can see the IPO being so much more valuable...

Maybe I am just getting the wrong impression, I am not sure.

I don't think you're getting the wrong impression as I do agree that it takes more time communicating with IPO than the time it takes for you to do it yourself. With that said, I think IPO is pretty good about getting on ADRs at the 180 day mark as long as they have your choices prior to that day, but if it were me and there were certain hard to get ones that I wanted, I'd feel more comfortable trying to do those on my own (but that's just me).

Just booked my CL room at Beach Club for May!! I went with BC because I figured I'd know those rooms would've been recently renovated (well, within a year anyway) while YC could be undergoing renovations...who know when. Is this a reasonable stragegy?

What should I be receiving? Mail or Email? For the reservations I'm not picky about I'm interested in taking advantage of having someone do it for me (hey, I'm paying for it, right?)

What other magical things will paying this extra money get me, lol?

(I stayed CL at Boardwalk a few years ago but don't really remember being contacted about anything before checking in).

You should receive a welcome email with forms to fill out and send back if you want IPO to take care of any bookings you want. If you don't receive an email, you can contact them at any time to introduce yourself, put in any requests, book ADRs, etc. IPO is also there should you have any questions/concerns about your upcoming stay.

 

[The Sunrise Student]

I don't think you're getting the wrong impression as I do agree that it takes more time communicating with IPO than the time it takes for you to do it yourself. With that said, I think IPO is pretty good about getting on ADRs at the 180 day mark as long as they have your choices prior to that day, but if it were me and there were certain hard to get ones that I wanted, I'd feel more comfortable trying to do those on my own (but that's just me).

Ok this whole IPO mess has got me flustered and I have only been working with them less than a week.

I had to resend my IPO packet in this morning because I got an e-mail from one of the IPO staff stating that "As soon as you are able to submit your dining requests to us we will go ahead and add them to your travel plan. We are booking for May 3rd today, so your booking date is coming up fast."

But I already sent my packet in and one of the other IPO staff was working from it, doing it wrong but working from it.

I am now really worried about even the easy reservations I am asking them to make at the 180 day mark which is right around the corner! AND there is no way in hell I am letting them try and make the hard to get reservations!

PLEASE someone tell me what about CL is better than a non club Level Deluxe Room... I am praying I didn't waste money on this, cause I really have already wasted time (and will continue to waste time checking up to make sure the reservations are correct once they make them)!

I know for AKL Club Level is the only way to get into the good safari's for just CL guest only but is that all I am getting? And with the views I have asked for a room furthest from the CL lounge because pictures have shown me through my research that those are better views of the animals and that is why we are staying there, and those rooms are on the same floor side by side with non club Level Deluxe Room.

I am hoping that because I have never experienced Club Level before that I am putting the cart before the horse. So far however I am NOT impressed!

 

[anjalee6]

Ok this whole IPO mess has got me flustered and I have only been working with them less than a week.

I had to resend my IPO packet in this morning because I got an e-mail from one of the IPO staff stating that "As soon as you are able to submit your dining requests to us we will go ahead and add them to your travel plan. We are booking for May 3rd today, so your booking date is coming up fast."

But I already sent my packet in and one of the other IPO staff was working from it, doing it wrong but working from it.

I am now really worried about even the easy reservations I am asking them to make at the 180 day mark which is right around the corner! AND there is no way in hell I am letting them try and make the hard to get reservations!

PLEASE someone tell me what about CL is better than a non club Level Deluxe Room... I am praying I didn't waste money on this, cause I really have already wasted time (and will continue to waste time checking up to make sure the reservations are correct once they make them)!

I know for AKL Club Level is the only way to get into the good safari's for just CL guest only but is that all I am getting? And with the views I have asked for a room furthest from the CL lounge because pictures have shown me through my research that those are better views of the animals and that is why we are staying there, and those rooms are on the same floor side by side with non club Level Deluxe Room.

I am hoping that because I have never experienced Club Level before that I am putting the cart before the horse. So far however I am NOT impressed!

I am sorry to hear you are having trouble. We are leaving in five days for our trip and staying AKL CL. They have been super helpful and have booked everything for us from our Wild Africa Trek to ADRs. Hopefully it's just a mix up. Have you tried calling them directly? I know email is easier, but maybe it would be easier to explain the confusion?

 

[The Sunrise Student]

I am sorry to hear you are having trouble. We are leaving in five days for our trip and staying AKL CL. They have been super helpful and have booked everything for us from our Wild Africa Trek to ADRs. Hopefully it's just a mix up. Have you tried calling them directly? I know email is easier, but maybe it would be easier to explain the confusion?

I have e-mailed them my planning and then called to make any correction or to clear confusion so I have done both! That's why I am so frustrated.

HOWEVER I seem to have found a semi smart IPO staff member this time out, she even was inclined to ask me if one of my reservations was a hopeful place holder for a Star Wars Themed dinner.... so at least some of them are on it.

IS there away to make sure you get the same IPO staff member to work on your planning? I would love to have this one continue....

 

[PRaffen]

We just returned from our third AKL CL stay. With a couple exceptions, I was not impressed with the cast members during this stay. We also had several errors prior to our arrival that I continually had to correct. No one greeted us outside when we arrived (even though I contacted them twice to let them know of our arrival time). The club level stay was a surprise to the family and this was how they were supposed to find out. I discretely told the valet who dismissively told me to just go inside to find someone to take us up. We were checked in by a not very friendly CM when we did get to the lounge. No eye contact, no smile, no warm greeting. Felt as if we were a big imposition to her.

We often had to ask for coffee/food/silverware to be replenished when we used the lounge. Became quite tiresome. Lots of little glitches - didn't receive turndown service, no shampoo/conditioner replacement, account errors, etc.

I won't say it was a "waste" of money as it is nice to pop in for a quick breakfast, snack, or soda but I would have to think long and hard before I spent the extra money for a CL stay again. Compared to our last stay several years ago, the offerings in the lounge are skimpy! And really, while I understand the waste issue ... for what they charge ... can't they leave a couple water bottles in the room.

Ok this whole IPO mess has got me flustered and I have only been working with them less than a week.

I had to resend my IPO packet in this morning because I got an e-mail from one of the IPO staff stating that "As soon as you are able to submit your dining requests to us we will go ahead and add them to your travel plan. We are booking for May 3rd today, so your booking date is coming up fast."

But I already sent my packet in and one of the other IPO staff was working from it, doing it wrong but working from it.

I am now really worried about even the easy reservations I am asking them to make at the 180 day mark which is right around the corner! AND there is no way in hell I am letting them try and make the hard to get reservations!

PLEASE someone tell me what about CL is better than a non club Level Deluxe Room... I am praying I didn't waste money on this, cause I really have already wasted time (and will continue to waste time checking up to make sure the reservations are correct once they make them)!

I know for AKL Club Level is the only way to get into the good safari's for just CL guest only but is that all I am getting? And with the views I have asked for a room furthest from the CL lounge because pictures have shown me through my research that those are better views of the animals and that is why we are staying there, and those rooms are on the same floor side by side with non club Level Deluxe Room.

I am hoping that because I have never experienced Club Level before that I am putting the cart before the horse. So far however I am NOT impressed!

 

[pixarmom]

PRaffen, really appreciate the report. Always like to hear the not-so-positive so that we can manage expectations accordingly.

For our first CL stay at BC, it was fantastic - met us in the lobby, took us up to the lounge right away. Same with our first BWI CL stay. But I have to say I've seen a decline in the "meet you in the lobby" routine from CL staff in recent years. We always report our arrival time, and we let someone in the lobby know we're checking in CL. Recently, it seems to cause confusion, take a while to find a CM to take us to the lounge, or on a couple occasions, a lobby CM insisted we should just check in at the front desk.

In January, we're staying at AKL CL, then GF CL and then Poly CL. For Poly, I asked IPO if we could just go straight to Hawaii when we arrive (we'll let Bell Services transfer luggage and walk over to Poly from GF) and they said yes. That sounds easier to me than all the lobby confusion we've been experiencing when staying CL lately!

 

[ShannyG]

They should be fine. Here's the floor plan:

.

I am looking for a map like this for the Yacht Club CL. Does anyone have it, or know where I can find it? Thanks!

 

[jacquelynb]

Subscribing...the button wasn't working

 

[thisismyusername]

Could use some reassurance…

We almost always resort hop, and usually incorporate at least one part of our stay as CL. However, after two disappointing experiences at the YC CL this past summer, we had sort of decided we were going to not stay CL for our upcoming Thanksgiving trip, other than one night at the end of the trip at BC to check out the refurb and new lounge. Several weeks ago, however, I had noticed that RPC opened with an AP rate for our GF stay (2 nights), and I tried to snag it, but by the time I contacted my TA, the category had sold out.

I have been stalking the site once a day ever since, and the AP rate opened up again yesterday, and I managed to successfully get my TA to change my reservation. I intend to surprise my husband--he has ALWAYS wanted to stay RPC, and I can't imagine a more perfect time to stay in the main building other than Christmas time.

But, I'm still paying an extra $250 a night ($500 overall for 2 nights) over staying at the GF in a regular, non-CL outer building room.

We are regular Disney go-ers, so we really can spend some time at the resort and enjoying the amenities of RPC to take full advantage of breakfast and some snacks. Still, while I have spent $$$$ on CL during higher-priced periods (here's looking at you March), I am having a little bit of pause today wondering if I made a good decision and the $250 a night up charge is worth it. I can usually justify $100-150 a night for CL since breakfast and snacks and the intangibles of CL usually even out the up charge. So I guess what I'm asking is do those of you who have experienced RPC feel that the Christmas magic in the main building and the RPC experience is likely worth that extra $100-$150 a night that I'm wrangling with?

 

[mickeynut1]

I have e-mailed them my planning and then called to make any correction or to clear confusion so I have done both! That's why I am so frustrated.

HOWEVER I seem to have found a semi smart IPO staff member this time out, she even was inclined to ask me if one of my reservations was a hopeful place holder for a Star Wars Themed dinner.... so at least some of them are on it.

IS there away to make sure you get the same IPO staff member to work on your planning? I would love to have this one continue....

I hope your experience with IPO has turned around for the better .

I'm not sure if there's a way to get the same IPO staff member, but if you have a name of one you've worked with, it never hurts to call and ask if that CM is available .

We just returned from our third AKL CL stay. With a couple exceptions, I was not impressed with the cast members during this stay. We also had several errors prior to our arrival that I continually had to correct. No one greeted us outside when we arrived (even though I contacted them twice to let them know of our arrival time). The club level stay was a surprise to the family and this was how they were supposed to find out. I discretely told the valet who dismissively told me to just go inside to find someone to take us up. We were checked in by a not very friendly CM when we did get to the lounge. No eye contact, no smile, no warm greeting. Felt as if we were a big imposition to her.

We often had to ask for coffee/food/silverware to be replenished when we used the lounge. Became quite tiresome. Lots of little glitches - didn't receive turndown service, no shampoo/conditioner replacement, account errors, etc.

I won't say it was a "waste" of money as it is nice to pop in for a quick breakfast, snack, or soda but I would have to think long and hard before I spent the extra money for a CL stay again. Compared to our last stay several years ago, the offerings in the lounge are skimpy! And really, while I understand the waste issue ... for what they charge ... can't they leave a couple water bottles in the room.

Thanks for your review . I'm sorry you didn't have as good of an experience as you've had before. I hope you have a better experience next time, should you decide to try CL again.

Could use some reassurance…

We almost always resort hop, and usually incorporate at least one part of our stay as CL. However, after two disappointing experiences at the YC CL this past summer, we had sort of decided we were going to not stay CL for our upcoming Thanksgiving trip, other than one night at the end of the trip at BC to check out the refurb and new lounge. Several weeks ago, however, I had noticed that RPC opened with an AP rate for our GF stay (2 nights), and I tried to snag it, but by the time I contacted my TA, the category had sold out.

I have been stalking the site once a day ever since, and the AP rate opened up again yesterday, and I managed to successfully get my TA to change my reservation. I intend to surprise my husband--he has ALWAYS wanted to stay RPC, and I can't imagine a more perfect time to stay in the main building other than Christmas time.

But, I'm still paying an extra $250 a night ($500 overall for 2 nights) over staying at the GF in a regular, non-CL outer building room.

We are regular Disney go-ers, so we really can spend some time at the resort and enjoying the amenities of RPC to take full advantage of breakfast and some snacks. Still, while I have spent $$$$ on CL during higher-priced periods (here's looking at you March), I am having a little bit of pause today wondering if I made a good decision and the $250 a night up charge is worth it. I can usually justify $100-150 a night for CL since breakfast and snacks and the intangibles of CL usually even out the up charge. So I guess what I'm asking is do those of you who have experienced RPC feel that the Christmas magic in the main building and the RPC experience is likely worth that extra $100-$150 a night that I'm wrangling with?

You will get a lot of different opinions, but for me, RPC is totally worth the extra cost (especially during the holidays). I enjoyed the GF just as much when I stayed GV as I did when I stayed RPC, but if the extra cost is doable, I'd keep it. Yes, it is quite a bit more over GV and although being in the main building is great anytime of year, it's even more magical (IMO) staying there during the holidays . Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it for your family, but if it were me, I wouldn't hesitate. Good luck.