Is Club level worth it?

[LdyApxr]

I just got my vacation packages to pick for my May visit(Stacy at Kingdom Konsultants is great!) and am trying to decide if Club level is worth it. Anyone use it to make it valuable enough? TIA!!!

 

[rob0519]

Only you can decide if Club Level is worth the price. If the price difference between Club Level and a regular room isn't a concern I would do it. We've done Club Level at both the CR and the Polynesian. The Continental Breakfast, Snacks and Appetizers and Wine at Dinner are nice, but it's hardly worth the higher prices alone. The concierge on duty is always pleasant and helpful to a point. However, do not expect them to get you a reservation at an already totally booked Table Service restaurant. As far as ADRs go, they cannot do anything for you that you couldn't do for yourself either by phone or in person.

Staying club-level will get you access to extras before you even leave home. Extras include a concierge staff member to help in your Disney vacation planning; a separate check-in area; in-room amenities include robes, triple-sheeted beds, additional toiletries, and turndown service; access to Wildlife Discovery specialty tours (at an additional cost); and of course access to the club-level lounge.

Good luck with your choice and either way, have a Magical vacation.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Define "worth it". If you're asking "will you eat enough appeteasers and save enough on F&B to make the money back," then the answer is "absolutely not."

 

[LdyApxr]

Thanks! Yeah I am not sure it is worth it for snacks since we have the DDP+.

Define "worth it". If you're asking "will you eat enough appeteasers and save enough on F&B to make the money back," then the answer is "absolutely not."

My teenagers could probably balance that out. LOL

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Forever calling them appeteasers from this point forward.

I'll allow it.

 

[Rogue21]

We stayed Club Level on a recent trip, but only due to getting a pretty good discount. It was nice to go to the Lounge and get a quick bite to eat in the morning or a nightcap in the evening, but that wouldn't get us to stay Club Level again. The Cast Members were all top-notch. They were friendly and helpful throughout our stay, some of the best I've encountered in several years. That being said, I doubt we'll stay Club Level again - unless we get another huge discount. It was nice in a check-it-off-a-Bucket-List kind of way.

 

[DaGoof00]

Love club level at the Grand!! Done it there every year since 2009. Last year we did an extra trip for Food and Wine Festival and stayed at Polynesian CL - not worth it (in our opinion) although that trip left me with a less than favorable opinion about the Polynesian, their staff, and their overall service (which should have been over the top considering the construction going on everywhere). It's up to you to decide though - I do think that if you ever do CL at the grand and then experience another resort's CL, however, you will be disappointed.

 

[LdyApxr]

We are still not sure which resort but with this being a first trip, I thought club level at least for the teens to snack and Bill and I to grab a drink. I have a dining plan(travel agent called it the Disney's Plus Dining plan(nto sure which level that is since none of them are called that so I am assuming it is the basic?) so this would just be an in between meals/snacks, relax at the resort in the evening kind of thing. Looking at Polynesia or Contemporary because although AKL looks amazing, with this being the first time, proximity to the parks are key I think. I see in the previews of club level that there is beer/wine in the evening and is that gratis for being a CL or do you still need to charge stuff to your room? Thanks so much!

 

[JasonDeyoung]

I've only done club at AKL and as it was nice and all. I doubt id do it again.

 

[Minthorne]

Never done it - rather have snacks and drinks in my room.

 

[Tuvalu]

I see in the previews of club level that there is beer/wine in the evening and is that gratis for being a CL or do you still need to charge stuff to your room? Thanks so much!

All the offerings in the club lounges, including beer and wine, are complimentary for club level guests.

 

[Mukta]

I liked staying club level, but I spend too much time in the parks to really make it worth my while. Seeing as how this is your first trip, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[KCheatle]

We did it at WL. While it is convenient for breakfast, pool-day snacks, and a nice wind-down option at night, the price is pretty excessive for what you get in return. You could buy yourself that same items they serve (bagels, gold fish, trail mix, wine, cookies, etc.) and just do the same thing in your own room and save a grand.

 

[Electricsoup]

We did GF Club level for my 40th birthday. It was nice to have the food available, and we found we snacked there more than we thought we would. But - it's snacks, not meals. It worked well for breakfast but any other time of the day I felt like I was eating just because I paid for it and felt almost obliged.

The CMs were great, but we make all our own ADRs so the concierge wasn't all that useful for us. Our daughter got sick and they helped us get an in room doctor which was helpful.

Overall it wasn't that much of a leap compared to the price. I'd do it again with a discount maybe, but now that we have DVC - I like that loads better. Good luck!

 

[Master Yoda]

I have done club level a few times and while I did enjoy it, it is not something I would do on a regular basis. I might do it again if I was taking a trip where there was a lot more resort time and a lot less park time or if the upgrade price was minimal.

Making it worth it from a strictly cost standpoint is rather hard as the only real tangible extra are the food and drinks provided in the lounge. I will however say that I found having easy access to free food and drinks was pretty nice. There was no need to bring cases of water and snacks with us or make the trek to the food court. I just stopped into the lounge on the way to or from my room and grabbed what I needed. The convenience of the lounge made me use it far more than I thought I would.

The concierge service and the CMs staffing it are great, but you can do everything they can on your smart phone. It would be a huge plus if they had a secret stash of hard to get dining reservations and/or show tickets, but they don't. They pull from the same inventory everyone else does.

It is also worth noting that since the OP booked through Kingdom Konsultants, they already have a concierge at their disposal in the form of their travel agent.

 

[andy773]

If you're going to spend that kind of money, did you consider getting a DVC villa?

I just did some quick checking on the Disney web site for a week in May 2016 for 2 adults and 2 teenagers.

A Standard Atrium Club room at the Contemporary goes for about $799 a night. You get 2 queen beds and a bathroom plus the appetizers, snacks and beverages.

If you got a One Bedroom Lake View villa at Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary, you would get a bedroom with a king bed and full bathroom with a separate shower and jacuzzi tub, a living room with a queen sleeper and a twin sleeper plus a fully equipped kitchen, a washer-dryer and another full bathroom. That would go for about $723 a night. You can use Garden Grocer to have whatever groceries you want delivered to the room.

I know which way I would go.

 

[LdyApxr]

We already checked off any villas because neither of us want to be doing our own cooking/dishwashing on our vacation. I know my husband and he would become obsessed with cleaning the kitchen spotless before we left the room and obsessing the entire time over "Did I turn off the stove?" or "We need to hurry because I left some dishes not put away". I love my husband, and he is a great guy but taking him on vacation to anywhere that looks like a studio apartment will guarantee him not having a good time for fear of something out of place. LOL

But thanks for the tip! LOL

 

[Poofiesdream]

We did club level at AKL once because my daughter-in-law is a CM and got us an outstanding price. It was not worth paying the money they charge for it. The rooms are the same. You get someone to help you with restaurant reservations but they get no priority for booking. You can probably do better on your own. The food they offer in the lounge is the same as down stairs. Depending on your room location it may be far from the lounge and not on the same floor.

 

[bethram]

If you are looking for the breakfast, snacks, and adult beverages you could consider Business Class at Coronado Springs. some of the CL perks without the $$$. We upgraded to it in order to get free dining for our last trip and loved it so much we've booked it again. The rooms at Coronado won't be as "spacious" as those at a deluxe, but having the Business Class Lounge was what sold us. We had a nice continental breakfast most mornings then stopped by for a beer when returning from the parks in the evening.

 

[BigRedDad]

They only way you could justify the cost difference is adding up what Disney would charge for those appeteasers and drinks vs what you could get them yourself. I don't see how to make out spending the extra money because Deluxe resorts are already drastically over priced to begin with (each their own though). After my Feb trip and $5 beer at the bar, the 10 minute walk to the Hess station to buy an 8-pack of beer for $8, makes all the difference in the world.

For me, it is all about money. Can I justify the ~$200 more a night for a Deluxe + another $100 a night for CL. Never!!! I am fine staying at a Value resort or finding someone renting their DVC or other timeshare.