Is Club Level worth it?

[Aerodyne78]

What are the pros & cons of staying Club Level, specifically Wilderness Lodge? We've never stayed CL before, and I am wondering if it's really worth the extra cost. Thanks!

 

[Dawn68PA]

I have never done CL but my DD has and she loved that they did all her dining reservations, had movies ready for her, pretty much had a butler. She said the customer service was just phenomenal! They did t. Is it the lounge a lot but enjoyed the offerings that were there when they did.

For a special occasion, I’d love to do this!

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

We enjoyed it, but not sure we got our money's worth. We got a fantastic rate for the Poly club level. It was the same price as garden wing at contemporary would have been for our dates (in July 2016).

I spent a lot of time in the lounge, especially in the morning while the family was still sleeping. We did breakfast every morning and definitely enjoyed the adult beverages. We missed the evening appetizers most nights.

We've since stayed without club level and actually didn't miss it. If I could get the rate again that was similar to another, I might do it. But I don't think I'd pay anything over $100 per night more for club level, but that's my family...

 

[krum]

I've stayed Club Level a couple of times. My opinion is that if you have to ask yourself if it's worth it, then it's not. Club Level is more about exclusivity than it is about perks.

 

[rwdavis2]

What's the price difference? We did CL at Animal Kingdom Lodge and would never pay for it again. We ate breakfast there but the rest of the food was just OK. The food is not a meal substitute as it's not substantial enough.

The staff cannot do anything that you can't do yourself. They have no special access.

 

[Shanti]

The more time you spend at your resort, the more club level is worth it. If you like to spend all day at the parks & have ADRs for every meal, it's likely not worth it. If you want a more relaxing vacation with lots of resort time, imo it's worth it.

We loved our club level stay at Beach Club in August and plan to always stay club level from now on. We had no problem making breakfast, lunch & dessert from the lounge offerings, and while we didn't happen to be there at dinnertime during our short stay, I'm sure we could make that work once in a while, as well. So yes, if you're not always a voracious & fussy eater, you can certainly save money on meals via the lounge offerings. The ever-available sodas were a nice perk, too.

It wasn't just the money-savings that made me want to eat in the lounge, it was the convenience. No need to schedule so many ADRs and plan my day around them, worry about getting to them on time, etc. Less standing in line for counter service food, or planning where to eat. It was always just there for us with a range of mealtimes to choose from.

To my opinion, the biggest perk is the 90 day FP+ booking with extra non-tiered FPs per day that you can arrange via an extra $50 per day. That eliminates the need to do rope drop, or arrive early or stay up late for EMH. You can schedule the top rides at whatever times work for you, and then you'll be able to spend the rest of your day at the resort. Sleeping in and going to bed at a decent hour become real possibilities. The trip can be a lot more relaxing.

I also liked the extra level of service we got, and our room was beautiful and pristine. Club level was good enough for us.

 

[MissionMouse]

What are the pros & cons of staying Club Level, specifically Wilderness Lodge? We've never stayed CL before, and I am wondering if it's really worth the extra cost. Thanks!

WL CL is the top floor which was not built with CL in mind...it was an after thought. It originally was 100% in a hallway with CMs posted by the elevator. Later they finally updated to place food and beverage in its own room. The "lounge" is still the hallway over looking the lobby below. The price typically has increased with lounge offering declining. Methods to control cost applied to lower operational cost seemed to be in place as items are not replaced on the serving lines to ensure guest get the same experience. Maybe a CM issue or Disney issue is hard to distinguish. Themed items gave way to cost controls. Guest thinking CL is a dining plan is observed, resulting in CM pulling items where you have to ask for items. On-line reservation system arrived and became more reliable than CL CMs making them for you. CL customer cost continued to rise. Now they offer the fast pass options at additional cost...not so much service. Is it worth it? If you do not pay rack rate, get a great rate and you plan on making the various serving times; then it might just be worth it. Overall, CL exist today and people just want it to have it to a level Disney ask the price they get. Worth is not in their equation.

 

[cutigerlady]

I haven’t stayed CL at WL, but I have at Contemporary, AKL, GF, Poly, and YC. For my family, it is worth it if you plan to spend a lot of time at the resort. We don’t spend all day in the parks. We also don’t like feeling trapped to ADRs for eating. We are pretty light eaters and the lounge food is more than enough for us. We did see a decline in food/service over the last few years, but our trip in September was noticeably better. The food had more variety and was plentiful. The staff was very helpful (we didn’t ask them to reserve FP+ or dining). They did call us twice before our trip to offer assistance. We did have a number to text them during our trip, but we never needed anything.

 

[Wood Nymph]

What are the pros & cons of staying Club Level, specifically Wilderness Lodge? We've never stayed CL before, and I am wondering if it's really worth the extra cost. Thanks!

The pro for CL at WL is that you can easily grab some breakfast and then head off to the parks. If you like to have an alcoholic drink and plan to be around for appetizers from 5 to 7pm or dessert from 8-10 pm, then it is nice for that.

The cons are that it is pricey and most people will not get their money's worth unless they plan to spend lots of time at the resort and plan to eat the limited food options and enjoy the alcoholic drinks. The rooms on the concierge floor have the dormer balcony, which means that you have to stand to look out.

The WL has added an option of being able to add club level access to a regular resort reservation for $99 per day when you check into the resort. This might be cheaper that booking a CL room.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I really love WL CL. We stayed there with a discount about a year ago and the cost was equal to getting a standard view room at Poly at the time. WL is gorgeous, the CL staff were very attentive and the food and beverage offerings were very good and themed to the lodge which was really neat. Plus, with WL CL, standard view, you can request a view of the fireworks from your room. We had a great view of CR, the monorail and the fireworks in the evening. WL CL is the best CL bang-for-your-buck, IMHO.

 

[Nancyg56]

If you want to get the “moneys worth” I doubt any resort club level stay is worth it. If you are looking for the value that cannot be quantified in dollars, that is a different story, and I would say comes down to individual perception.

Unless you moved into the lounge fior every meal, you probably will not have it “pay fir itself” but if you are looking for additional space, assistance etc, Andy spend time at the resort you may Find the value there.

Before we choose a CL stay I evaluate our trip. If it’s goung to be busy I skip it, if we are resort centric I often choose it.

 

[cruiser21]

We stayed club level back when discounts were 40% off. It wouldn't be worth for me at today's prices. The poly and WL were great. I was not impressed with the Beach or Yacht club's club level.

 

[Babsy]

WE like CL, but I don't think that it is 'worth' the extra $$$. I think that it is overpriced for the meagre perks. However, that said, the perks are nice to have. Basically, if cost isn't an issue and you want the most luxurious visit regardless of price then CL adds some personal assistance via DSS that can be useful. If you are trying to get the most value from your vacation $$$$, then CL isn't the best choice, IMO.

 

[SharonZ]

For me, cost is not the main factor - convenience is. If you are looking to get your money's worth, it's probably not worth it.

 

[reluctantredhead]

To my opinion, the biggest perk is the 90 day FP+ booking with extra non-tiered FPs per day that you can arrange via an extra $50 per day. That eliminates the need to do rope drop, or arrive early or stay up late for EMH. You can schedule the top rides at whatever times work for you, and then you'll be able to spend the rest of your day at the resort. Sleeping in and going to bed at a decent hour become real possibilities. The trip can be a lot more relaxing.

I agree, and that's why we're staying CL at the WL and BC (split stay) for our upcoming trip that is 12/20-12/27. I figure if there's ever a time when we're gonna need extra FP+, Christmas week is it!

I also agree with the many others who've said that it really depends on how much time you spend at your resort. We've been making yearly trips to WDW for 20+ years and only stayed CL twice because we tend to be in the parks when the food offerings are out in the lounge, and I'm too much of a control freak to let the CMs book things for us, lol. We do love making use of the lounge for a quick breakfast (usually eaten as we're walking to a park), but it's definitely not "worth" the upcharge if that's all you're using the lounge for.

One thing that might make it "worth it", though, is if you wanted a particular room that was only available CL. For example, years ago we stayed in one of the "honeymoon rooms" (I don't think they're called that anymore) in the main building at the GF. I really wanted to be in the main building and to have a jacuzzi tub in the our room, and at the time that was the only room category at GF that fit that description. I think we only grabbed the occasional cookie from the lounge so we definitely didn't make full use of the food offerings, but the room was heavenly and had a perfect view of Cinderella Castle.