Help me decide if Club Level is worth it for me (Contemporary)!

[mmmears]

We love CL for the reasons above, but anyone who thinks they're going to get their money back in food will be sorely disappointed. CL is above all else about convenience. Some are willing to pay a premium for it, some aren't.

It's definitely about convenience for us. Having lounge access is nice and being able to grab a snack or a drink anytime during the day is great. But we definitely don't get our money back on food and drinks. I've stayed both CL and non-CL and it's really just the convenience that we miss when we don't book CL -- food is easy enough to find at WDW.

 

[harleyquinn]

Thank you all so much! I didn't think I would get so many responses!

We just returned from the WDW Friday. We stayed 6 nights at the Contemporary... me, DH and DS - 4. We were not on the meal plan and the only ADR we scheduled was Chef Mickey's.

We had a garden view room and was able to watch Wishes from the comfort of our room every night. DS is afraid of the noise of the fireworks so we kept the door closed, but it was still a nice treat for DH and I.

Almost every morning, we had a quick breakfast at the Contempo Cafe and then headed to the parks. We brought empty, reuseable water bottles on the trip with us and would fill them up in the mornings from the Cafe. We ate lunch at the parks and would always ask for ice water to refill our bottles.

I'm sure CL offers other perks, but for $900 extra, I would keep the Garden View.

Thank your for your opinion and the tips!! I love me some tips!!

Club level's worth is relative. It depends on the family. You'd be spending $128 and change per night for club level.

What do the three of you spend on breakfast? How many beers/glasses of wine do you typically order while on vacation? Do you enjoy both appetizers and desserts, and will you be around the resort to enjoy them?

For the two of you and a young child, it may not be cost effective, and you could definitely spend a lot less than $128 per day for the food and drinks. You do gain the convenience of a quick and easy breakfast, and you can grab some drinks and relax at the hotel while your little one is asleep.

For me it is a little easier to justify, as I have a family of 5. The convenience factor makes it worth it.

We usually have extremely light breakfasts, and we've only bought an alcoholic beverage once while at WDW! Totally spot on questions!

I could definitely see how bigger families and those with older children who need a little more space could find it MUCH easier to justify CL.

I don't think CL is something that people do because it's cost effective. I think it's something that's considered a luxury that appeals to some - just like most things at Disney.

I think it can be cost effective in a way, just not looking at it dollars to dollars. For us I think we've all pretty much determined that it would be a costly luxury that we don't necessarily need. But I can definitely see it making more sense for some people. Plus we don't know what we are really missing!

Thanks everyone! I'm going to stick with GW and book a couple more character meals!

 

[Aristocath]

I think you are making the right choice by not staying CL. IMO, there are only a few reasons to stay CL anymore. One, if you are staying at the Poly you know you will be in Hawaii which I love the location of. Second, if you can get a discount that brings CL down to a regular price. We love the convenience of the lounge for breakfast but would not pay rack rate for it. We find it hard to be around our resort in time for the evening offerings but it is nice to get snacks in the afternoon while at the pool.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[CTH3]

I think it's something that's considered a luxury that appeals to some - just like most things at Disney.

I agree!

Walt Disney World itself is a completely unnecessary luxury. The whole nutty place is a silly, fantastical, nonessential, completely expendable (and expensive) extravagance. No one has to go there at all. It is a delightful luxury, not a necessity.

For most people I know, going to WDW is a luxury that is not worth the money. For my family, and most people on the DISboards, it is.

Trying to parse out which parts of a WDW vacation are "worth it" and which are "not worth it" is always 1000% subjective.

As is the "worth" of Walt Disney World itself.