Club Level.. Worth the $$$??

[LizC]

Just started thinking about our Jan 2014 trip. It will most likely be just my husband, our 2 year old boy/girl twins and myself. Probably going to book the Boardwalk so we can walk to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. I called to look in to pricing and room options, and was told the only way to guarantee a balcony was to book a club level room. We really want a balcony so we have a place to relax, maybe enjoy a glass of wine, when the kids go to bed at 8pm. I do realize we could book a 1 bedroom as well, but my husband has a co worker who swears that the club level is amazing. I figured the best thing to do was to get the advice of the experts here on wdwmagic.

Has anyone stayed in the club level? What are the services? Was it worth it? Did you have time to use it, with being at the parks most day?

Thanks!

 

[Tuvalu]

We have stayed at both Boardwalk Inn and Boardwalk Villas and have always had a balcony. We have never stayed club level there.

 

[kane47]

I think it is worth it for a convenience factor. It is always nice to just walk into your resort and have something to pick at and eat. When traveling with my young nephews, I find that they can make breakfast and lunch out of the offerings. This helps offset the extra cost. So from a convenience and enjoyment stance, in my opinion it is defiantly worth it. Financially, is a different story. The cost to what you receive is defiantly in Disney favor. That being said, if I have the extra money I always go club level. I just enjoy the convenience and extra luxury. Enjoy your trip!!!!

 

[coachwnh]

we have stayed at the BC, BW, Contemp, and AKL clubs. No they arent worth the cash, but as Kane47 said, its nice to have that snack and drink when you head back for an afternoon break. The best value as far as clubs go is he AKL. The cost isnt much more then the savannah view alone, and although the description reads standard room, it DOES include the savannah.

 

[wdisney9000]

Once we went Club Level we never looked back. My wife and I feel the extra price is well worth it. You are greeted out front upon arrival (we usually drive) and taken directly to your room by a CM. The lounge offers decent complimentary selections throughout the day of food and beverages. I wouldnt say it replaces a meal, but enough to fill you up between meals. We did the math on our last trip (Yacht Club) and figured we saved around $60-$75 a day thanks to the free coffee, espresso, muffins, danish, snacks, bottled waters, beer and wine! We were not trying to take advantage of the system either, just added up a few coffees in the a.m. with danish and muffins, 4-5 bottled waters each per day , a few beers and glasses of wine and snacks. The free stuff is far from the reason we love club level though. The CM's who work the concierge are always the absolute BEST! When you book Club Level you will have the direct line to the concierge desk to call and make everything from ADR's to special request or just to ask any question you may have. Whats great is that when you arrive it is the same CM's you spoke with on the phone that are at the concierge desks. We usually get to know them and have made many friends over the years. It is a much more personal/magical experience for us. We had a snafu on our last trip which we were supposed to be booked Poly club level and upon arrival found out we were not booked club level. I wasnt very pleased with the staff @ Poly so I went to the Yacht Club (our official home) and spoke with a concierge (Emma) to explain our problem and asked to be moved to Yacht Club. She handled everything on the spot and the next morning we were switched and had no further problems. It wasnt Poly's fault, we later found out it was a reservation mistake because we had switched resorts a few weeks prior, so Im not saying their staff is bad, they just did not match the quality of YC staff. We did a tour of the Boardwalk club level on our last day because that resort is next on our list, and we were very impressed. It is a beautiful lounge and the staff was awesome. We cant wait to stay there. You will not regret it if you decide to stay there. (IMO) Best of luck, and there are tons of pictures and videos online that can help you decide. Have a great trip, wherever you decide to stay!

 

[RedDad]

I personally wouldn't pay for club level at a Disney resort. We've stayed at Contemporary club level once (free upgrade), and the food was convenient, but we didn't use it much. If it were just my wife and I on a special occasion I might consider it, but in my opinion the deluxe resorts are way overpriced to begin with considering the quality of the rooms.

 

[bethymouse]

Would love to! I just can't imagine paying that kinda price for it though.

 

[luv]

I've stayed club level many times, twice at BWI. The last time I did this at BWI, we stopped at the lobby desk, but they told us to go check-in on the floor itself. off we went. We got to the club level, but nobody was at the desk. The sign told us to use the phone on the desk, but nobody answered. So we stood there deciding what to do, tried the phone again and then hauled all our crap back down to the lobby, where they attempted to tell us to go try again, but we politely asked for keys and they did check us in. In the room, I found half a bag of the generic popcorn they give you in the lounge and I found a half-eaten cookie behind a throw pillow on the couch.

What I did NOT find in the room was a fridge. So I called. They said one would be delivered. It wasn't. When I called again, they said they didn't have any. I said that if they went to the F&B manager's office, they would find one there and I'd take that. They said it wasn't possible. I called guest services. We then got two delivered.

That is considered Club Level service by Disney. And BWI is not the only Club Level room where I found other people's remnants in the room, though it was the only one that had half-eaten food.

Club Level is also the ONLY place I ever heard Disney staff use the F word. That would be at the Beach Club.

Club Level staff are the only ones I heard flat-out make fun of a woman for asking a very simple question. I felt badly for her. That would be at the Contemporary.

Generally, it is decent. But the rooms are the same and the service is hit-or-miss. Plus, you have to screw around with your room key in the elevator or to enter the building, which is a pain.

I don't think it is worth it. So, I stopped paying for it.

But if you want to give it a shot, you should!!! Everyone should try everything themselves and form their own opinions!

 

[SecondStarTilMorning]

Club Level- worth it if you truly have the money. It will not save you cash and it will not add much to your vacation. I can't think of a single reason that I would need the assistance of concierge, ever. I also would rather have $100 a day to spend on food around WDW. We don't drink alcohol so that isn't much of a savings. We have had two free upgrades to CL and it was cool but I'd rather spend my vacation time in the parks, at the restaurants, at the pool, or in my room away from loungers.

 

[Poofiesdream]

We tried club level really didn't think it was worth the money. It was something to do once and glad I did it but would not pay the money to do it again.

 

[copcarguyp71]

To keep it simple at least in our experience.

With DDP...no
without DDP...yes

 

[Foolish Mortal]

I'd never waste the money. It seems like the biggest benefit is the food and beverages. I'm not in the hotel long enough to take full advantage. And you're not getting a bigger room.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Just thought I'd mention how my brother who looooves concierge stays maximizes his bang-for-the-buck. It's common knowledge that even when adult beverages or lounges aren't open if you want a beer or 2 all you need to do is ask and a CM will go get them from in back for you. Well, every time my brother returns to his room & passes the lounge area he will either go get or ask for 3 or 4 bottles of beer. He takes them to his room & pops 'em in the fridge. Then, later in the day or when he's hanging out by the pool he can enjoy a couple beers. No, can't take glass out to the pool but it's not hard to find a cup to pour one into, right? Also, similarly, our last stay in concierge my oldest son asked for the bottled water frequently (you know, the big bottles you have to pour out of since they didn't have the little bottles available to take with you). The ladies were quite taken with him especially when he explained he wasn't so up-n-up on drinking too many sodas because they aren't good for you. They ended up sending him back to our room with big, unopened bottles of the water to keep handy. No, he couldn't go walking around the parks with them but it was convenient to have in our room.

 

[GatorAsh]

I've done it twice- once with my boyfriend, and once with my mom. It was worth every penny with my BF, not so much with my mother.

Granted, we used AP discounts and stayed at the GF Club level for a really great price, and while doing the math, we figured it would be $25/person per day more to stay club level. We planned to not do the parks and just enjoy the resort, so we were around almost all of the 2 1/2 days of our vaca. (Which I think is a major factor in deciding to do it or not).

We got our $25 worth in drinks alone, and we didn't go crazy or take advantage. If you drink 2-3 drinks, you're even. We'd grab a light breakfast, stroll the grounds, go back for a snack, get our suits on and head to the pool, get a beer to have poolside, grab a light lunch (and maybe another beer- hey, we're on vacation!) pool some more, come in and nap, get cleaned up and head down for evening snacks, have a glass of wine, stroll along the beach, take another glass of wine to the lobby to sit and people-watch while listening to the band, go back for desserts, and call it a day.

On our second day there, we were in the snack area when a CM came up to us and said, "You can have anything you want, anytime. ANYTHING. ANYTIME. Like if you wanted a beer right now, we'd be happy to assist." (It was 11:30 a.m.) So we had a beer!

I think for adults who are spending most of the time at the Resort, it's a deal. But with two young kiddos and plans to hit the parks hard, I would probably pass.

 

[GatorAsh]

Just thought I'd mention how my brother who looooves concierge stays maximizes his bang-for-the-buck. It's common knowledge that even when adult beverages or lounges aren't open if you want a beer or 2 all you need to do is ask and a CM will go get them from in back for you. Well, every time my brother returns to his room & passes the lounge area he will either go get or ask for 3 or 4 bottles of beer. He takes them to his room & pops 'em in the fridge. Then, later in the day or when he's hanging out by the pool he can enjoy a couple beers. No, can't take glass out to the pool but it's not hard to find a cup to pour one into, right? Also, similarly, our last stay in concierge my oldest son asked for the bottled water frequently (you know, the big bottles you have to pour out of since they didn't have the little bottles available to take with you). The ladies were quite taken with him especially when he explained he wasn't so up-n-up on drinking too many sodas because they aren't good for you. They ended up sending him back to our room with big, unopened bottles of the water to keep handy. No, he couldn't go walking around the parks with them but it was convenient to have in our room.

I believe we were typing our response at the same time, and they read kind of similar, no? If you use the services, it's well worth it.

 

[englanddg]

I'm doing Club Level at the Contemporary...only to get a nice Park View. I'm thinking about changing that, it's only a one night stay. Opinions?

 

[mrdisman]

did club level at Grand Floridian...was disappointed. For a flagship resort, it should be the best. Heard that club level at Poly a nd Wilderness Lodge is the best...

 

[Mrsdonaldduck]

The first time we stayed at the GF they upgraded us to RPC and it was incredible! We have 3 little guys and it was so helpful to have access to milk all day. Also it was great to grab a little breakfast and bring it back to the room. We are not big eaters and it was nice to grab a few snacks through out the day. I do believe it saved us money. It was just such a nice treat!

 

[LizC]

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone! I am undecided as to whether or not it would be worth it for us. We are beer/wine drinkers and we would take advantage of coffee and breakfast in the morning, and snacks on our afternoon break from the parks. But we are not going to be spending too many full days at the hotel to enjoy the lounge to the fullest. Also, I'm kind of an obsessive planner when it comes to Disney, so I probably wouldn't need the concierge service.

As someone else said it is nice to try once, and I would LOVE to try it at least once. I think I'll book it and pray for a great AP discount to come out.

 

[LizC]

I've stayed club level many times, twice at BWI. The last time I did this at BWI, we stopped at the lobby desk, but they told us to go check-in on the floor itself. off we went. We got to the club level, but nobody was at the desk. The sign told us to use the phone on the desk, but nobody answered. So we stood there deciding what to do, tried the phone again and then hauled all our crap back down to the lobby, where they attempted to tell us to go try again, but we politely asked for keys and they did check us in. In the room, I found half a bag of the generic popcorn they give you in the lounge and I found a half-eaten cookie behind a throw pillow on the couch.

What I did NOT find in the room was a fridge. So I called. They said one would be delivered. It wasn't. When I called again, they said they didn't have any. I said that if they went to the F&B manager's office, they would find one there and I'd take that. They said it wasn't possible. I called guest services. We then got two delivered.

That is considered Club Level service by Disney. And BWI is not the only Club Level room where I found other people's remnants in the room, though it was the only one that had half-eaten food.

Club Level is also the ONLY place I ever heard Disney staff use the F word. That would be at the Beach Club.

Club Level staff are the only ones I heard flat-out make fun of a woman for asking a very simple question. I felt badly for her. That would be at the Contemporary.

Generally, it is decent. But the rooms are the same and the service is hit-or-miss. Plus, you have to screw around with your room key in the elevator or to enter the building, which is a pain.

I don't think it is worth it. So, I stopped paying for it.

But if you want to give it a shot, you should!!! Everyone should try everything themselves and form their own opinions!

Ugh, that would have driven me nuts about the fridge. A very similar situation happened to me the night before my wedding, so frustrating! Did Disney do anything for you?