Is Club Level worth it??

[Princess Katherine]

Club Level is the best thing since caned bread! The Club Level at the Poly is top notch with food and drinks at any time of the day or night is the ultimate indulgence is Disneys finest things. All my opinion by the way... Definitely worth it, saves you money. No having to buy food or snacks. Just pop on up to the CL and your day is complete!!

 

[MissionMouse]

Club level in general:

Worth - personal call based upon your definition and budget

- Best to book early to obtain the discounted rooms; rack rate is not worth it
- Club does not instantly save you money, run your plan with the numbers.
- Club is not a meal plan. If it was you would see it listed with all the other dining plans.
- On-site club staff can make or break your club experience by their customer orientation and attention to detail (check-in, daily interaction, addressing issues and servicing the food & beverage area of the lounge) This could be one of the reasons you will read a wide range of reviews.
- Do not offer the variety or amount of foods they once provided, but if you want a place to walk-in and get some food/beverage and relax then it could meet you expectations.
- During lounge hours do not hesitate to asking for something you do not see on the line. They tend to remove items from the line when other guest may have started to hoarde specific items or the club is trying to contol cost.
- You are also able to take food back to your room; includes beverage too.
- Clubs do have busy times, so seating could be a challenge during these times.
- Not all club level lounges are equal in offerings or lounge seating arrangements.
- While all clubs have hours, some clubs have locked door food/beverage area, so after hour non-alcoholic beverages are not possible.
- Many clubs have lost some of their food and beverage theme to additional cost cutting initiatives of Disney. (Example: PR pineapple bread, Kona beers, etc)
- The IPO component is still provided but in our opinion is obsolete with the on-line ADR application now available. We found the IPOs to make alot of mistakes and were very happy when the on-line application came up on line, especially with its availability search. I would note the IPO would be useful when you can't get a specific ADR, they can look daily to acquire a hard to get ADR, up to the date of your arrival.
- If you are a park commando you will most likely miss the key offering times and in our opinion would not be worth selecting club level.
- Club lounge can provide a place to get away from the crowds, take a break during the day and provide a place to sit down other than your room.
- Clubs provide a level of additonal level of security absent from deluxe resorts by elevator or building security card (room card programed) to gain access to the floor or building.
- Clubs in all of our experiences have been faster check-in then the front desk.

 

[jperrot1]

Nice write-up Missionmouse. I noticed you stated Kona Beer is gone. That's disappointing. I loved that beer and didn't know it was removed. Thanks for the information.

 

[lbv7]

They tend to remove items from the line when other guest may have started to hoarde specific items or the club is trying to contol cost.

I don't think this is correct. Any food that is not used up is not saved, but is thrown out. They do not serve day old food in any of the CL lounges. So it wouldn't do the CM's any good to take away food (and do what, hide it?) because they are just going to have to throw it away.

 

[cupcakefairy2u]

Before DVC we stayed at WL CL all the time and I miss it . It was nice to sit outside on my "porch" and have a drink with my Dh while watching the fireworks . It was worth it to us we just enjoyed having everything waiting for us . They would stock our fridge with the stuff they knew we liked . Awww the good old days now I dont even get mousekeeping . By the time its time for the free housekeeping we have so much stuff in the 2 bd rm they cant clean it anyway ......

 

[MissionMouse]

I don't think this is correct. Any food that is not used up is not saved, but is thrown out. They do not serve day old food in any of the CL lounges. So it wouldn't do the CM's any good to take away food (and do what, hide it?) because they are just going to have to throw it away.

Actually I am primarily talking about milk items, yogurt, etc; the items that stay good for a period of time. I have experienced beer, wine and other items removed from the line when individuals come in and grab in quanties the CM determine to be inappropriate. There are also countless experiences where I recall the line was not supervised to ensure every guest had the same experience no matter when they arrived in the serving timeframe. When items are not replaced during the serving time, allow to burn or not replaced until 20 or 30 minutes, I will stand by my comments that are based upon observations made over the last 10 years.

 

[osugal]

We stayed cl at bc last year and loved it. We loved the staff, the offerings, and the convenience of it. Had a great time!