GF CL $100 more/night ... worth it?

[TsLoveMickey]

Hi, wondering if club level is worth $100 more/night at GF? I have an outer bldg garden view booked. The CL is also outer bldg. What are the chances of being upgraded to main bldg if I book the outer bldg CL? It is for our 10th anniversary. Thanks!

 

[dansdad]

Hi, wondering if club level is worth $100 more/night at GF?

Worth is very subjective, so that's hard to answer for someone else. Is the food offerings in the lounge worth $100 per night, no. But that's not the only thing to consider. Is being pampered by the CL staff, being able to text CL staff for a 4th FP+, having access to IPO for assistance with ADRs and other reservations and the overall feeling of being treated like you're special worth $100 per night? To us, if it's in the budget yes. We feel that the difference between a good vacation and a great vacation is usually around $500.

I have an outer bldg garden view booked. The CL is also outer bldg. What are the chances of being upgraded to main bldg if I book the outer bldg CL?

Somewhere between slim and none. Upgrades like that usually happen when there is an issue with your original room and the only other option is to upgrade you. Always book what you really want.

 

[Eastern]

If you are doing a lot of special dinners I don't think it's worth it. If you like breakfast and happy hour at the hotel, then it is worth it.

 

[mmmears]

Hi, wondering if club level is worth $100 more/night at GF? I have an outer bldg garden view booked. The CL is also outer bldg. What are the chances of being upgraded to main bldg if I book the outer bldg CL? It is for our 10th anniversary. Thanks!

I completely agree with the PP who said that worth is relative. It really depends on whether or not you will appreciate the lounge, with the breakfast, daily snacks and drinks. If you have already planned your dining and want to keep it all, then it may not be worth it. Also, do you spend a lot of time at the resort or in the parks? If you are spending time at the GF, then it's great to have the lounge available to you... you can go in for a snack if you get hungry while you are there. If you will be at the park all day, then you won't be able to take advantage of it.

Also, are you giving up a view that you really want to switch? (None of the SL rooms are facing the castle/lagoon as far as I know.)

As for an upgrade, I wouldn't count on it. I don't think this happens very often, and nowadays most people at WDW are there celebrating something... a birthday, a graduation, an anniversary, so I would book the room that you want.

 

[nduckles]

Worth is very subjective, so that's hard to answer for someone else. Is the food offerings in the lounge worth $100 per night, no. But that's not the only thing to consider. Is being pampered by the CL staff, being able to text CL staff for a 4th FP+

Wait, what? When we're done with our MK morning FP+ choices, I can text the CL staff to get us an Everest FP as we head over to AK? Really?

 

[dansdad]

Wait, what? When we're done with our MK morning FP+ choices, I can text the CL staff to get us an Everest FP as we head over to AK? Really?

If you're staying Club Level at GF, BC/YC or Contemporary, yes!

 

[nduckles]

If you're staying Club Level at GF, BC/YC or Contemporary, yes!

You just made my day.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi, wondering if club level is worth $100 more/night at GF? I have an outer bldg garden view booked. The CL is also outer bldg. What are the chances of being upgraded to main bldg if I book the outer bldg CL? It is for our 10th anniversary. Thanks!

As others have said worth is subject and is different for everybody. With that said, the extra $100/nt would be worth it (to me) if it was for main building CL (RPC), but not for outer building CL (SL). I've stayed both CLs and while I'm glad I tried SL, I wasn't too impressed. The food offerings are the same in both, but the lounges are worlds apart. We don't stay CL every trip but when we do, it's more for the lounge and having another place to sit and relax than in our room or around the resort and SL just didn't have the relaxed feeling like RPC. Since the lounge is located in the center of the lobby as you enter the SL building, there are no windows/views and doesn't have a very relaxed feel as there is always traffic in/out of the building. I'm glad I was able to experience SL, but if it were me, I'd stick with the GV (but that's just me).

Somewhere between slim and none. Upgrades like that usually happen when there is an issue with your original room and the only other option is to upgrade you. Always book what you really want.

As for an upgrade, I wouldn't count on it. I don't think this happens very often, and nowadays most people at WDW are there celebrating something... a birthday, a graduation, an anniversary, so I would book the room that you want.

I agree with both of the above.

 

[MsThumper]

Just my opinion, but it's not worth it to us (DH and myself) to pay $100 a night for club level.

We have been fortunate enough to receive free upgrades to club level twice, so we have been able to experience it. Don't get me wrong, we did enjoy it, just can't justify spending my own money doing it. Depends on your personal finances. I can really pinch a penny when I need to, and I am an annoyingly logical thinker, so for $100 extra a night for our usual 4 night stays, that $100 a night could pay for an extra night's stay.

We have enjoyed the food offerings, but since we drive to WDW, we can bring our own wine and snacks for a lot less money. I have never asked any of the CM's for any additional services. Can't imagine what they could do for me that I can't do for myself. Again, just my opinion.

We hope to spend our 30th wedding anniversary at Disney in April 2016, but doubt it will be at club level, unless we win the lottery, but that's just us.

 

[TJA]

I agree with the others above that "worth it" is subjective. If we stay CL, we plan accordingly. Meaning we take full advantage of the lounge and CL perks. For us, that means no dining plan and minimal dinner ADR's. We eat breakfast in the lounge and it's perfect for our family. We have 2 kids now old enough to venture to the lounge without us. So in the mornings, we can all go to the lounge whenever we're ready, which makes for an easy and relaxing way to begin each day. We usually have our "big" meal at lunch time; therefore, we are not overly hungry during 5-7 appetizers so we find the lounge food during that time frame is a perfect portion for us. Most nights we are around the resort for desserts too. DH takes full advantage of the beer. Kids and I take full advantage of the water, milk, and juices. I enjoy a glass or 2 of wine as well.

Also, when we have pool days, we love having the lounge for access to drinks all day. If DH wants a beer, the CM's will give him a plastic cup to bring to the pool.

So is CL "worth it" to our family? Yes. Unless we want to do the dining plan and be at the parks a lot. Then we'd opt for a non-CL room.

 

[Linda M]

The club level was definitely worth it for us. We stayed in the main building and used the CL lounge several times a day. We had three rooms, six adults and one child, and we ate breakfast in the lounge every morning. We had no trouble getting enough tables in order to eat together. We would stop in throughout the day for snacks and drinks. We could get coffee to go for those who wanted to take it to the park. We enjoyed sitting and having a drink and listening to the band play down below. At the end of the evening, we would often go to the lounge for a late night drink and/or snack. Breakfast was the only actual meal we eliminated but it was still worth it for us to have that beautiful lounge to spend time in together. The CL rooms at GF are nice but crowded if you have extra people in them.

We took advantage of the CL concierge desk, too. They were extremely helpful when we needed to change a couple of advanced dinner reservations. We were having trouble booking a last minute Breakfast with Mickey and the concierge got us in with no problem. And, of course, the check-in while sitting in the lounge was very nice. Passing by the lobby line-ups was satisfying.

 

[nat8199]

If you are doing a lot of special dinners I don't think it's worth it. If you like breakfast and happy hour at the hotel, then it is worth it.

This is the reason DH and I are considering doing CL for a kid-free trip. We aren't going to do any ADRs, so we would have breakfast, snacks, and HH in the lounge. We plan on staying at the Beach Club and being in Epcot for part of every day, so hitting the lounge up multiple times a day should be easy.

 

[Eastern]

This is the reason DH and I are considering doing CL for a kid-free trip. We aren't going to do any ADRs, so we would have breakfast, snacks, and HH in the lounge. We plan on staying at the Beach Club and being in Epcot for part of every day, so hitting the lounge up multiple times a day should be easy.

That will work well. If you are still hungry later just take a walk through WS.

 

[Senddeal]

Not worth it to paying $100/night for club level access.