Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[Lucys dad]

Looking for some advice folks. Bit of a dilemma. Looking to add 5 nights CL at the end of our stay in 2020. Narrowed it down to either Poly or WL. Stayed at WL multiple times including a few times CL. Love WL and the CL itself but really dislike the enclosed balcony that comes with it. Also, WL rooms are now very dated.

Never stayed at Poly before. Swaying toward that but have a few concerns based on recent reviews. Does the resort really get busy during the day ? The reference to ‘pool hoppers’ worries me. I understand we will be staying in Hawaii which means a one in three chance of no balcony/patio which would really annoy me. What condition are the Hawaii rooms in ??

Only other thought that occurred to me was the deluxe room at WL with the open balcony. Even then, its a bit of a hike to the club lounge and again, WL rooms are very tired looking.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated

CHEERS

 

[PPFlight75]

I'm getting together my requests for our BWI CL stay. I was planning to ask for 4th floor but can we also request a boardwalk view? I did not see that as a bookable category.
TIA!

 

[Disneytam]

I'm getting together my requests for our BWI CL stay. I was planning to ask for 4th floor but can we also request a boardwalk view? I did not see that as a bookable category.
TIA!

Unless you booked a Garden cottage or a deluxe room you will be on the 4th floor. The boardwalk view request has changed a couple of times over the years but I think right now it is by request. You can also request inside the Inn keepers door and that will have you closer to the lounge and the back stairway down to the quiet pool if that is something important to you.

 

[ninafeliz]

Do the Bungalows obstruct your view from Hawaii?

From the first floor definitely. It’s still a very beautiful view, but definitely not the same as before the bungalowa. From the third floor not so much block the view as just change the view. I preferred it before but it's still beautiful. Pretty much the same from the second floor, the bungalow are a little more noticeable IMO but don’t obstruct. I find the bungalows to partially obstruct the water parade IIRC.

 

[ZOOMAMA]

Booked our December 2020 stay at AKL CL! First time staying CL- woot woot!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Looking for some advice folks. Bit of a dilemma. Looking to add 5 nights CL at the end of our stay in 2020. Narrowed it down to either Poly or WL. Stayed at WL multiple times including a few times CL. Love WL and the CL itself but really dislike the enclosed balcony that comes with it. Also, WL rooms are now very dated.

Never stayed at Poly before. Swaying toward that but have a few concerns based on recent reviews. Does the resort really get busy during the day ? The reference to ‘pool hoppers’ worries me. I understand we will be staying in Hawaii which means a one in three chance of no balcony/patio which would really annoy me. What condition are the Hawaii rooms in ??

Only other thought that occurred to me was the deluxe room at WL with the open balcony. Even then, its a bit of a hike to the club lounge and again, WL rooms are very tired looking.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated

CHEERS

At Poly we found the main pool beautiful and total chaos, that’s where the busy seemed to be. We tried going in the hot tubs (beautiful + beautiful view) but there were too. Many. People. Many of them kids splashing in and out, diving around and behaving generally horribly- and I’ve been to a few Disney hot tubs over time. I know kids go, jump in like it’s a pool- but this was so bad we left. I was run into by multiple kids in like 10 mins. Those things are waaay too small. We then went to the quiet Oasis pool and that’s our Poly pool jam from now on! The resort is pretty. Love the location of Hawaii for getting to the MK boat.

Personally I’d give Poly a shot. This doesn’t sound like a once in a lifetime trip for you so it’s not a total disaster if it’s not your cup of tea. And if you like it you’ll have another option for future trips! We didn’t find our room to be run down, really don’t remember much about it so it must have been fine lol. From pics WL rooms look far more “dated”. I didn’t like how the sink is in the same room as the shower and toilet as that really slowed us down in the morning with a fam of 4.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Lots of Chronos Club love around here, which I’m totally digging after my quick solo trip last month. I’ve been forever reporting back here but here goes

I loved...

Gran Destino- gorgeous hotel, all rooms are easy walks in the tower, fast elevators, felt like a real Deluxe (I’m looking at you rundown BC!)

Rooms- Chromecast was awesome! (Temperamental sometimes but a nice option- especially considering the Disney free on-demand library was VERY small.) Standard view was the best. Fireworks from your room!

Chronos Club- CM all great, welcoming and attentive even to a solo traveler, beautiful views from the beautiful club. Microwave and full size water bottles. Large wine selection that changed a bit from afternoon to evening. Mimosas all day. Lots of seating.

Outstanding breakfast- eggs, bacon, Mouse Waffles (maybe they do both because on my last morning I swear I noticed they were Minnie waffles because there was a bow in her hair), espresso machine is very user friendly. The chips were yummy as were the oatmeal raisin cookies. One night I made it for dessert and they had the most beautiful truffles! Carmel, chocolate & berry filling in the 3 I tried. They even tasted good (did not care for that Mickey thing)



-Bell services: dropped my bag after checking out of my standard tower room after my first night because my CL one wasn’t ready and they said they would put my bag in my room when it was ready. Sure enough I got back from the parks and my bags were waiting for me in my room.

Didn’t like:
-big gap under doors to hallways, I stuffed a towel in it each night
-high pitch sound emitting from fire alarm system in both my rooms so I used earplugs every night
-Dinner/appetizers: there was a lot there but out of my 3 or 4 night’s (pardon my fuzzy brain) the only thing I liked was the shrimp paella. I will absolutely not touch anything “meat substitute” and the other dishes were just not to my taste. I kinda knew that going in from what I’d read here so I was ready to dinner in the parks.

Conclusions
-love this mod+ CL option even though I don’t get as much CL $$ value due to the dislike of appetizers
-Tower is very convenient and really helps minimize walking if that’s a concern
-will return (just booked for Mar actually!) because breakfast, calm feel of the club (really nice place to “get away”) and good CMs. I like the splurge of CL due to that “get away” from the craziness someplace besides your room feeling but traveling solo I’m not willing to pay up for it- (or even a deluxe for that matter), CSR CL struck the right balance between mathing out on some food savings and how much more I’m willing to pay for the “experience” of CL.

(@trishadono it was great to meet you!!)

 

[PPFlight75]

Unless you booked a Garden cottage or a deluxe room you will be on the 4th floor. The boardwalk view request has changed a couple of times over the years but I think right now it is by request. You can also request inside the Inn keepers door and that will have you closer to the lounge and the back stairway down to the quiet pool if that is something important to you.

Thanks! We were in a deluxe the last time so that's probably the issue. We did not like the distance to the lounge but it wasn't terrible. We would love to be a little closer this time though. I put in a request for the boardwalk view. I think that would be our biggest request. I appreciate your help. We are looking forward to the lounge since it has been a little while for us.

 

[mickeynut1]

We did 5 over 2 1/2 weeks 2 at Universal and 3 at Disney was actually an awesome experience to really narrow down our favorites!

Sounds like an awesome trip!

Booked our December 2020 stay at AKL CL! First time staying CL- woot woot!

Congrats on booking your first CL stay! AKL CL is one I haven't tried, but it seems to get great reviews. Hope you have a great trip and enjoy your first CL stay .

 

[lovelymarshmallow]

It is my understanding that with a CL reservation, you are granted access to the lounge prior to your room being ready (early flight!) but what about on check out day? I can't seem to find anything definitive on the time in which the lounge is accessible to you on your check out day. I have a 10:30 pm flight on check out day and was hoping I would be able to relax after the park/before ME pick up. Thanks!

 

[Kri1970]

Hi, all! We were lucky enough to get Saturday night club level AKL with my CP daughter's discount, super excited about it. We have stayed Wilderness Lodge CL for an anniversary, before. This weekend is my birthday, so we will spend a few hours Saturday in parks, but mostly plan on spending time at the resort. We are from Tampa area, so drive. So we can stay and enjoy the amenities all day Sunday after we check out of the room, right?

 

[Ricguz]

It is my understanding that with a CL reservation, you are granted access to the lounge prior to your room being ready (early flight!) but what about on check out day? I can't seem to find anything definitive on the time in which the lounge is accessible to you on your check out day. I have a 10:30 pm flight on check out day and was hoping I would be able to relax after the park/before ME pick up. Thanks!

You have until midnight on your checkout day. Enjoy!

 

[lovelymarshmallow]

You have until midnight on your checkout day. Enjoy!

Great, thank you!

 

[mickeynut1]

It is my understanding that with a CL reservation, you are granted access to the lounge prior to your room being ready (early flight!) but what about on check out day? I can't seem to find anything definitive on the time in which the lounge is accessible to you on your check out day. I have a 10:30 pm flight on check out day and was hoping I would be able to relax after the park/before ME pick up. Thanks!

As the pp said, you will be able to access the lounge all day on your check out day .

Hi, all! We were lucky enough to get Saturday night club level AKL with my CP daughter's discount, super excited about it. We have stayed Wilderness Lodge CL for an anniversary, before. This weekend is my birthday, so we will spend a few hours Saturday in parks, but mostly plan on spending time at the resort. We are from Tampa area, so drive. So we can stay and enjoy the amenities all day Sunday after we check out of the room, right?

Yes, you can enjoy all of the resort amenities (including the CL lounge) all day on Sunday .

 

[mickeyluv'r]

2 questions.
1) Where is the CL in BWI? Is it on the 4th floor or somewhere else?
2) For those who didn't like buying CL fastpasses because they felt they could always get more FP's on top of the 3 they reserve, would CL FP's make sense for crowd level 10 days (new years week)?

If I didn't clarify clearly enough earlier, we very specifically did the CL paid FP over peak spring break crowds for this very reason. Both PRIOR - and POST our paid CL FP - we have ALSO gone to WDW over spring break, so I can compare all three, at least anecdotally.

On prior trips, I had limited luck searching for 4th, 5th, and 6th FP's. Mind, we don't go t WDW every spring break, and at least one prior trip was back when FP+ was new, and NOBODY could book more than 3 FP total- all day. Back then, more or less, many people left the park soon after they used up their 3 FP. By dark o'clock, we had to wait standby, but the standby lines weren't all that long for most attractions ( about 25min for many attractions, except the Mtns. A big downside though was that we used to be able to get multiple same-day paper FP for headliners if we wanted. Still miss those!

During our paid FP trip, I tried some refreshing, but it didn't really make a difference for me. At best, refresh = Dumbo at 10am instead of 10:10am. Ooh! I was able to book a some MK FP beyond the initial 6, but they were mostly 2nd tier (Buzz) and 3rd tier (Dumbo) FP. By about 5pm, I think, no FP.

On our post paid FP spring break trip, we did quite well getting MK FP. We got slightly lucky. Our 1st FP was Splash, Splash went down, so system gave us bonus anytime FP, and we just happened to be standing near Pecos Bill's just as Splash re-opened that day. We rode standby with about a 25min wait!

The current policy wasn't in place last spring at HS. We didn't use the paid FP at HS (too few FP rides).

One big down side, as I said earlier of the paid FP is that we felt obligated to use all of the paid FP, one per hour. At best, that = 6 hours of park time.

Second, you can only be one place at once. All 6 FP, plus back to the hotel for appetizers, plus an ADR, plus transportation = a long day.

Third, we used the program when it was new....at the time, hopping wasn't as allowed as it is now.

I can't say if it is worthwhile for anyone else. It depends on your priorities. Last spring, for us, we were just as happy to skip it.

Mind, I feel compelled to add, Universal's Express Pass is far easier to use than WDW's.

 

[MrsBooch]

I'll be heading down in 53 days (but who's counting) for a stay at the Poly CL - we want to hit the pool before our room is ready since we'll be getting in fairly early. I know we have club lounge access but what about changing area access? Is there a place to change around the pool? Oasis or Volcano or both?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I'll be heading down in 53 days (but who's counting) for a stay at the Poly CL - we want to hit the pool before our room is ready since we'll be getting in fairly early. I know we have club lounge access but what about changing area access? Is there a place to change around the pool? Oasis or Volcano or both?

There are restrooms at both pools. The Lava Pool has a set of restrooms over by the marina building and another set with showers underneath the volcano slide. The Oasis Pool has a set of restrooms.

We've either just changed in one of the pool restrooms (we find the one under the volcano quite wet/damp/gross).... or changed in the Poly CL lounge restroom, which is on the third floor - it's a nice size for changing and usually very clean. I guess by admitting that I'm going to offend someone who thinks that bathroom isn't for changing clothes... but we have done it and it works for us.

 

[MrsBooch]

There are restrooms at both pools. The Lava Pool has a set of restrooms over by the marina building and another set with showers underneath the volcano slide. The Oasis Pool has a set of restrooms.

We've either just changed in one of the pool restrooms (we find the one under the volcano quite wet/damp/gross).... or changed in the Poly CL lounge restroom, which is on the third floor - it's a nice size for changing and usually very clean. I guess by admitting that I'm going to offend someone who thinks that bathroom isn't for changing clothes... but we have done it and it works for us.

Thank you! I didn't even realize the Lounge had a restroom - this is our first visit. And frankly, of all the things one can do in a restroom, changing your clothes is probably the least offensive task....

 

[Rachel GB]

Any recent RPC stays? We haven’t stayed there for about a year and a half to two years, but are heading back in the spring .
I would love to hear how the rooms are holding up, if lounge food and drinks are the same/ different as usual (I did see a recent post with photos of the drink fridge in the lounge), if the changes in the main building are having any effect on the CL experience (Enchanted Rose Lounge, Bibbidi Bibbidi Boutique, relocated GF orchestra), etc. Also, when staying on the third floor, do you hear any Enchanted Rose Lounge noise from below on the second floor (we had a TPV room before, so relatively quiet- this time we booked a deluxe queen)?
THANK YOU THANK YOU in advance!

 

[rad91]

Since we will be staying during a Crowd Level 10 week (new years), this is my typical, daily strategy using the paid CL FP's.

• Rope drop an EMH park and spend a few hours there and not use any fast passes. Standby wait times should be shorter during the mornings. Also, spend time doing non-FP activities.
• In the afternoon, go back to the hotel, take advantage of the CL lounge, take a nap, enjoy the resort, and/or visit Disney Springs.
• In the late afternoon, go to a non-EMH park and use 3 FP's back to back. For example, reserve 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm FP's, but use them at 4:05pm, 4:30pm, and 4:55pm.
• Have dinner in the park and do non-FP related activities. (e.g. 5:15pm-6:45pm)
• Then use the next 3 FP's back-to-back. For example, reserve 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm FP's, but use them at 7:05pm, 7:30pm, 7:55pm.
• Watch fireworks and/or go home to the resort.

I'm a FP+ newbie, but that's the strategy I've planned. I am making the assumption that I won't be able to get any good FP's after the initial 3 FP's, hence that's why I'm using all of the FP's during the evening. Any feedback?