Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[mickeynut1]

when I can get 35% off BWI or GF, I'll go with that!

I agree

 

[Disneytam]

Do any of you always (or almost always) stay CL at the same resort? I see many posts about hopping around, but I'm curious if some of you love a resort CL so much that you stick with it every (or nearly every!) trip!

Years ago we bounced around CL. We stayed at the GF Royal Palm Club a couple of times and really loved it. Then one year(in the early 90's) we booked it and when we arrived they had adjusted the food portion of the lounge and had eliminated almost all of the food and just had wine and a tiny selection of cheese. After that we decided to go looking for something else and tried the AK CL and then the BWI CL. We fell in love with the BWI CL and that has become home for us and other family members that also enjoy it. We have stayed there close to a dozen times and just love it. I think over the years Disney has quietly made the BWI more of an adult only place. Children are of course welcome there but the food offered has changed to a much more adult style and there is no children's section of food like we have found in other CL's. The YC and BC of course have Stormalong bay to swim in so if parents are looking at the Epcot area resorts they tend to head towards those hotels. The CM are top notch at the BWI and the location can't be beat with the ability to walk to two different parks. We did try a very short stay at the GF CL a couple of years ago but really missed the BWI CL.

 

[bigskip]

We've only done AKL CL so far, a single night in 2015, 15 nights in 2017 and have a 14 night stay coming up in September, but we are squeezing 2 nights at GF SL at the start. No tickets for that portion, just 2 solid days to enjoy the resort.

Due to the offers we get coming from Europe, changing hotels mid vacation is not cost effective.

 

[Rachel GB]

Do any of you always (or almost always) stay CL at the same resort? I see many posts about hopping around, but I'm curious if some of you love a resort CL so much that you stick with it every (or nearly every!) trip!

I think I should clarify my question as it was ambiguously worded. I wasn't referring to split stays (although I love hearing everyone's CL feedback, anyway! ).
Do you have a favorite resort where you always stay (ie., we always stay at GF RPC, or we always stay at BWI!)?

Hope you have a great return trip to BWI CL .



I'm one that likes trying different CLs. Years ago stayed WL CL, GF RPC & SL and just last year tried BWI & Poly CLs. Booked for the first time at YC CL in June. Hoping to try AKL & CR CLs later this year/next year .

Thanks for chiming in . Trying different CLs sounds like a lot of fun! Is there one you've liked most so far?

Lately we've been staying at BWI CL. We love the lounge offerings, the atmosphere and the proximity to Epcot.
In addition, we enjoy AKL CL and when we do a split stay that is often our first resort.

Thanks for your reply! I read such great things about BWI!

Years ago we bounced around CL. We stayed at the GF Royal Palm Club a couple of times and really loved it. Then one year(in the early 90's) we booked it and when we arrived they had adjusted the food portion of the lounge and had eliminated almost all of the food and just had wine and a tiny selection of cheese. After that we decided to go looking for something else and tried the AK CL and then the BWI CL. We fell in love with the BWI CL and that has become home for us and other family members that also enjoy it. We have stayed there close to a dozen times and just love it. I think over the years Disney has quietly made the BWI more of an adult only place. Children are of course welcome there but the food offered has changed to a much more adult style and there is no children's section of food like we have found in other CL's. The YC and BC of course have Stormalong bay to swim in so if parents are looking at the Epcot area resorts they tend to head towards those hotels. The CM are top notch at the BWI and the location can't be beat with the ability to walk to two different parks. We did try a very short stay at the GF CL a couple of years ago but really missed the BWI CL.

Thank you for your reply! BWI sounds wonderful. I appreciate your detailed feedback as it sounds like it's not as much of a match for children (so maybe good for an adult trip, but not when we're bringing our kids!). I love that BWI has become your CL 'home'!

 

[Andy C]

Just returned from yet another visit to GF SL. The staff could not be kinder or friendlier. The food offerings are tired (we've been there many times). The wine selection is pretty bad. The pinot noir was the best of the bunch at about $14 a bottle. The other wines and the sparkling wine are all under $10 a bottle.

They originally assigned me a handicap accessible room (which we do not need). I had also contacted signature services and requested "no dormer room." Once I saw that we had been assigned a handicap room on the Disney app I called and requested a change - they changed me to a dormer room. When I arrived at the resort I told them no dormer and the cast member told me there were no other rooms so I asked for a manager. Guess what? The manager found us another room. Literally the exact same thing happened to us on our prior visit in September.

The hand cream and conditioner bottles in the bathroom had already been used. Upon pulling the pin to turn the shower on in the tub the hardware came off so engineering had to come and fix the problem. The tub also did not drain properly and engineering had to address this.

We like GF and have been staying there since opening week in 1988. In fact, our first room ever was in Sugar Loaf. But we are starting to tire of the lack of attention to detail, the very large crowds and the cumbersome fast pass process. And don't get me started on the transportation issues and the utterly disgusting, run-down monorails. On the long walk out of Hollywood Studios our bus stop was the very last one #23 - we almost missed it and lord knows how much fun it would have been to wait with two toddlers for what in the past has been anywhere from 15 minutes to well over an hour.

We stay at Ritz Carlton properties all the time and there simply is no comparison. With my annual pass holder discount this room was $700 a night and the amenities are simply not worth it. These are my two cents and my opinion.

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

 

[trishadono]

We didnt have cl this trip so did lots of other fun things. Here is a great substitute: Brunch at CG!!!
Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

I do enjoy cl but sometimes it just doesn't work. This trip I couldnt find any for my dates so we did BC std.

What did we miss the most? Trash and towel turndown service and wheres my chocolates???

I also missed good coffee in the morning. Other than that we made do. It helps that GF rpc is next on the agenda

 

[emmabelle]

requested "no dormer room."

I was just curious why no dormer room?

We've had them both times we stayed there and liked them.

 

[Rachel GB]

We didnt have cl this trip so did lots of other fun things. Here is a great substitute: Brunch at CG!!!

Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER Information and Questions Thread

That brunch has been on my Disney bucket list for awhile! It looks AMAZING! And hurray for RPC next!

 

[trishadono]

That brunch has been on my Disney bucket list for awhile! It looks AMAZING! Did you miss CL? Do you like CR?

I have stated at cr both std and cl. We do like CR which is why it was extra nice to eat there since we stayed at BC.

I missed cl but we did so so many things.

Arrival day we took a bus to MK and mono to poly and ate at traders. We each had 2 appies .

Saturday we went to DS for lunch and had Blaze pizza after shopping and then did the illuminations dinner ( posting pix on rest thread area soon).

Sunday we had the CG brunch then added last minute fantasmic dinner at Brown Derby because dd wanted F! and we could walk home for a change (way easier).

Monday we had Cosmic Rays after doing the triple mtn whammy then headed over to AKL with 3 FP. We caught bus to BWI and had an early dinner at ESPN before our ME.

So with so many cl trips we tried to cram in as much as we could. I have to say it worked good for this trip.

However I am glad I have cl next up!

 

[Rachel GB]

I have stated at cr both std and cl. We do like CR which is why it was extra nice to eat there since we stayed at BC.

I missed cl but we did so so many things.

Arrival day we took a bus to MK and mono to poly and ate at traders. We each had 2 appies .

Saturday we went to DS for lunch and had Blaze pizza after shopping and then did the illuminations dinner ( posting pix on rest thread area soon).

Sunday we had the CG brunch then added last minute fantasmic dinner at Brown Derby because dd wanted F! and we could walk home for a change (way easier).

Monday we had Cosmic Rays after doing the triple mtn whammy then headed over to AKL with 3 FP. We caught bus to BWI and had an early dinner at ESPN before our ME.

So with so many cl trips we tried to cram in as much as we could. I have to say it worked good for this trip.

However I am glad I have cl next up!

It sounds like a wonderful trip! Thank you for your reply! Do you have a favorite CL?

 

[trishadono]

It sounds like a wonderful trip! Thank you for your reply! Do you have a favorite CL?

I tried to answer and its too hard. Each has something the others do not.

GF has the band and scone time.

Poly has the beach and pools close with a lovely low view of the castle across the water.

Cr has all the rooms near to lounge, great views and guaranteed balcony.

WL and AKL have fun themed lounges and food.

BC/YC/Bwi are a little less interesting but good location for hs and epcot and prices are better than monos.

Overall I am a mono girl for CL. I need to be able to see that castle lol. It makes it for me

YOUR fav?

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks for chiming in . Trying different CLs sounds like a lot of fun! Is there one you've liked most so far?

You're welcome!

Before last June, I had only stayed 3 CLs (RPC, SL & WL), with my #1 always being RPC (but followed very closely by WL CL). However, after trying BWI CL last June and Poly CL in Oct, I found that I love them all for different reasons (didn't care for SL, so that was never in the mix of favs). I have found all of them to have good food offerings, nice lounges, and great CL CMs, so I wouldn't have any problem staying at any of them again .

I read such great things about BWI!

BWI CL is amazing!

 

[gwynne]

That brunch has been on my Disney bucket list for awhile! It looks AMAZING! And hurray for RPC next!

California Grill Brunch is wonderful! We went for the first time in Dec. It's a must do for my extra special birthday trip in Oct.
It's tricky to book, so if you're thinking about it grab a reservation at 180+ 10.

 

[Rachel GB]

I tried to answer and its too hard. Each has something the others do not.

GF has the band and scone time.

Poly has the beach and pools close with a lovely low view of the castle across the water.

Cr has all the rooms near to lounge, great views and guaranteed balcony.

WL and AKL have fun themed lounges and food.

BC/YC/Bwi are a little less interesting but good location for hs and epcot and prices are better than monos.

Overall I am a mono girl for CL. I need to be able to see that castle lol. It makes it for me

YOUR fav?

**EDITED to make it MUCH shorter! **

Thanks for another great reply! All wonderful points!
I'm going to have a hard time answering your question, as well! You might be sorry you asked !
For CL, I've only stayed GF SL and RPC. I got back a week or so ago from an OKW trip with my in-laws (2 BR villas there are huge and an AMAZING value) and an unexpected night at Coronado Springs due to my flight being canceled an hour before departure (renovated rooms were surprisingly nice, but CS is not the resort for me).
Therefore, my impressions of the other CLs are wholly based on research and spending time in the resort lobbies, restaurants, and exploring their respective grounds.
We were considering future stays at AKL or YC CLs, but after this most recent stay, I really didn't feel like I was AT DISNEY until we got to MK area.
I have an RPC Deluxe room booked for September (Sun and Fun Room Offer). I also scheduled a BB as a backup in case we get a hurricane in September.
If we choose to bounce back for a 2020 stay, I know we love GF, but I wonder if it's a mistake to always stay at the same resort, and we're still always researching other resorts, too.

Here are my impressions and concerns about each of the MK area resort CLs and reason for 'holding back' booking them.

-WL- We LOVED visiting WL! Great theming, peaceful, close to MK while still retaining some serenity.
Concerns: Smaller rooms and weird balconies on CL floor, deluxe rooms not on CL floor, and food offerings seem limited and probably not to our taste (stews, cobblers, etc.). Standard rooms are sleep 4 (sleep 5 is the best fit for us).
-Poly- Great pool and beach, amazing MK views!
Concerns: Possibly not getting a balcony, no water closets in the bathrooms. Hubby would love the sushi and similar fare, but the kids and I would not, so we'd be supplementing from QS, etc. quite a lot here. The resort seems busy and a bit chaotic.
-CR- Appealing modern theming inside, WALK TO MK! CL TPV room views look out of this world.
Concerns: Exterior theming is lackluster, mediocre pool area which is right by the boat dock, inconsistency of reviews for stays here concerns me.
-GF- I know this resort isn't for everyone, and I can see how the rooms need a refresh and some of the decor is dated, but... it just does it for me!
Concerns: None, except that we will have stayed there a couple of times and wonder if we should try something else?

Any input is always greatly appreciated!
Thank you as always to all of you for being a wonderful sounding board and so generous with advice! Love this thread!

 

[PPFlight75]

Do any of you always (or almost always) stay CL at the same resort? I see many posts about hopping around, but I'm curious if some of you love a resort CL so much that you stick with it every (or nearly every!) trip!

We are limited by rooms that hold 5, so we have only done Poly and BWI (mostly Poly). I would try CR if the price was right, but we only want to try GF when it is just the 2 of us so we are saving that for an anniversary trip one day. We do really love the Poly though

 

[Rachel GB]

We are limited by rooms that hold 5, so we have only done Poly and BWI (mostly Poly). I would try CR if the price was right, but we only want to try GF when it is just the 2 of us so we are saving that for an anniversary trip one day. We do really love the Poly though

Thanks for your reply! We prefer sleep five rooms (even though there are four of us). Great to hear that you love Poly!
GF is absolutely worth saving for!
I guess I’m worried we are missing out if we keep going back to the same place... but maybe if it’s not ‘broke’, don’t fix it?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Do any of you always (or almost always) stay CL at the same resort? I see many posts about hopping around, but I'm curious if some of you love a resort CL so much that you stick with it every (or nearly every!) trip!

We had a long (very long) string of repeat Poly CL stays when we first started doing WDW trips. It fit us so perfectly I was always very scared to "blow" a vacation budget on something else - plus I really had very little desire, just didn't seem worth it. Vacation time is scarce, we like to use it wisely.

But like anything, we grew a little tired of repetition so have branched out to the others over time. We transitioned to "MK resort" folks as we were very MK/monorail-centric in our touring style. It has only been more recently where we brought the Epcot resorts & AKL into the fold. In fairness, our family vacation habits have also transitioned from 1 or maybe 2 week long stays to several smaller/shorter stays over any given year (darn real school and school breaks), so we take those shorter trips as a chance to move around. If we only did one trip a year, I'd have zero regret about doing Poly every time.

It's weird, when you latch on to a place, get to know the people (CL CMs, Mousekeepers, etc), familiar faces, etc, it adds a different element to a trip. For us, that has mostly happened at Poly. When we go somewhere else and don't necessarily have that same connection or familiarity because of infrequency of stays, it feels a bit different. Not bad, just different. Of course, anyone can have great 'connections' at any resort.

I do admit there's not a non-Poly trip that goes by where I don't wonder what's going on at Poly. I don't even really like visiting Poly when not staying there, which is strange. Ultimately our other travels only serve to solidify the various pros/cons of all resorts/CLs, and accentuate what we like about the ones towards the top of our favorite list.

Anyway, long ramble, sorry. Interesting question.

 

[trishadono]

**EDITED to make it MUCH shorter! **

Thanks for another great reply! All wonderful points!
I'm going to have a hard time answering your question, as well! You might be sorry you asked !
For CL, I've only stayed GF SL and RPC. I got back a week or so ago from an OKW trip with my in-laws (2 BR villas there are huge and an AMAZING value) and an unexpected night at Coronado Springs due to my flight being canceled an hour before departure (renovated rooms were surprisingly nice, but CS is not the resort for me).
Therefore, my impressions of the other CLs are wholly based on research and spending time in the resort lobbies, restaurants, and exploring their respective grounds.
We were considering future stays at AKL or YC CLs, but after this most recent stay, I really didn't feel like I was AT DISNEY until we got to MK area.
I have an RPC Deluxe room booked for September (Sun and Fun Room Offer). I also scheduled a BB as a backup in case we get a hurricane in September.
If we choose to bounce back for a 2020 stay, I know we love GF, but I wonder if it's a mistake to always stay at the same resort, and we're still always researching other resorts, too.

Here are my impressions and concerns about each of the MK area resort CLs and reason for 'holding back' booking them.

-WL- We LOVED visiting WL! Great theming, peaceful, close to MK while still retaining some serenity.
Concerns: Smaller rooms and weird balconies on CL floor, deluxe rooms not on CL floor, and food offerings seem limited and probably not to our taste (stews, cobblers, etc.). Standard rooms are sleep 4 (sleep 5 is the best fit for us).
-Poly- Great pool and beach, amazing MK views!
Concerns: Possibly not getting a balcony, no water closets in the bathrooms. Hubby would love the sushi and similar fare, but the kids and I would not, so we'd be supplementing from QS, etc. quite a lot here. The resort seems busy and a bit chaotic.
-CR- Appealing modern theming inside, WALK TO MK! CL TPV room views look out of this world.
Concerns: Exterior theming is lackluster, mediocre pool area which is right by the boat dock, inconsistency of reviews for stays here concerns me.
-GF- I know this resort isn't for everyone, and I can see how the rooms need a refresh and some of the decor is dated, but... it just does it for me!
Concerns: None, except that we will have stayed there a couple of times and wonder if we should try something else?

Any input is always greatly appreciated!
Thank you as always to all of you for being a wonderful sounding board and so generous with advice! Love this thread!

I love CR, I keep posting about the pool. I love it! The palm trees, the views of CR and blt, bay lake etc. you feel like part of the MK action. Also it's not mad crazy busy. I posted tons of pix last July FYI. I took camera into pool lol to show how cool it is.


Dh loves gf and not a fan of others. I love to mix it up. I have never had a bad stay from value, mod, deluxe villa or deluxe.

I'm at Disney !!!!

Honestly my CR stays have all been good. The problem is getting a decent discount . Gf seems to have a good AP one. Last summer I was so happy CR atrium TPV was same price as RPC so I went for it. It had been a few years and I missed it. It's a good one to try.

Then again gf is always good too!

 

[trishadono]

We had a long (very long) string of repeat Poly CL stays when we first started doing WDW trips. It fit us so perfectly I was always very scared to "blow" a vacation budget on something else - plus I really had very little desire, just didn't seem worth it. Vacation time is scarce, we like to use it wisely.

But like anything, we grew a little tired of repetition so have branched out to the others over time. We transitioned to "MK resort" folks as we were very MK/monorail-centric in our touring style. It has only been more recently where we brought the Epcot resorts & AKL into the fold. In fairness, our family vacation habits have also transitioned from 1 or maybe 2 week long stays to several smaller/shorter stays over any given year (darn real school and school breaks), so we take those shorter trips as a chance to move around. If we only did one trip a year, I'd have zero regret about doing Poly every time.

It's weird, when you latch on to a place, get to know the people (CL CMs, Mousekeepers, etc), familiar faces, etc, it adds a different element to a trip. For us, that has mostly happened at Poly. When we go somewhere else and don't necessarily have that same connection or familiarity because of infrequency of stays, it feels a bit different. Not bad, just different. Of course, anyone can have great 'connections' at any resort.

I do admit there's not a non-Poly trip that goes by where I don't wonder what's going on at Poly. I don't even really like visiting Poly when not staying there, which is strange. Ultimately our other travels only serve to solidify the various pros/cons of all resorts/CLs, and accentuate what we like about the ones towards the top of our favorite list.

Anyway, long ramble, sorry. Interesting question.

Yes, the cms ! I agree , I find I like a resort the more I visit, I get used to it/ what's the best things. The people do make a difference too.

I'm a bit different in that I love to visit a resort I'm not staying at. I don't feel as much like I'm missing out that way.