Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

It is our first time on CL as well as first stay at BWI in 30 trips! Strange observation I have noticed is the food at other CL's as in WL or YC are some yummy looking items! But BWI looks so so....Is it just the pics I am seeing or do CL's rank better in food (refreshment/dessert) areas more than others?
The food changes over time, so no way to guarantee what you will be served. Food is very personal so I don't think it's fair to say that one resort has worse CL food than another. I've stayed CL at BWI, Poly, and CR and I thought CR was the worst, but it gets rave reviews here. It may have changed in the interim though. Pick your CL based on which resort you want to stay at, rather than the food.
 
Definitely do that if time allows. Some resorts are more decorated than others, but all of them are nicely decorated :goodvibes.
In some cases, the word "decorated" doesn't quite do justice to the kind of displays at WDW. Last spring, near Easter, we popped into the lobby of GF on a whim.

To our surprise, they had over 20 hand-crafted chocolate eggs on display! And that doesn't begin to do them justice. Each egg was a masterful work of art. Each was about two feet tall, decorated (mostly) with Disney movie themes. The level of detail on each egg was extraordinary! Many had full 3-D renderings of multiple characters. Some had entire scenes, in full detail, painted in perfectly colored chocolate. Each one was incredible, and the lobby was full of them!

The pastry chefs at WDW are well-versed in creating Disney wedding cakes and corporate logos for conference displays. I'm sure images of their holiday displays make great advertising. but they are also great fun for guests!
 
It is our first time on CL as well as first stay at BWI in 30 trips! Strange observation I have noticed is the food at other CL's as in WL or YC are some yummy looking items! But BWI looks so so....Is it just the pics I am seeing or do CL's rank better in food (refreshment/dessert) areas more than others?

We absolutely loved the food at the Innkeeper's Club!! The chef-prepared (to order) appetizers were really excellent. We still talk about the shrimp and grits, and the cheese fondue. There was also delicious chicken and waffles another night. And the breakfast selections were top notch- there were omelets made to order. At least one of the chefs worked at Flying Fish and also gave us great food recommendations for our dinner there. You won't be disappointed. :)
 
It is our first time on CL as well as first stay at BWI in 30 trips! Strange observation I have noticed is the food at other CL's as in WL or YC are some yummy looking items! But BWI looks so so....Is it just the pics I am seeing or do CL's rank better in food (refreshment/dessert) areas more than others?

Probably the image here just doesn't to the food items justice. It is hard for me to get more specific, because I'm not sure what image you mean, or even what foods you like.

A photo taken as soon as the platter arrived on the line, will look rather different than one that's been picked over, and is about to be replaced.

As another poster said, food offerings change over time. (drastically from year to year) Most of the general breakfast items have remained similar for as long as we've been going to the CL's, but some of the hot appetizers change day to day. As noted in the first page, many of them follow a weekly rotation, at least until the hotel decides to change it.

I should add, a general trend we've noticed is that the weekday appetizers tend to be higher quality than weekend offerings. Where you see something like noodle salad on a weekend, you'll see chicken skewers or pulled BBQ pork on a weeknight.

What you personally are offered also depends a bit on when (during each shift) you arrive. For some reason, the chefs seem to think a 1/4 cup of berries is enough to feed an entire lounge of people in the morning. Many evening cheese platters arrive with a garnish of grapes or strawberries. Forty-plus people are allotted three strawberries!

Last, much of the time, the food offerings roughly follow the theme of the hotel. Some lounges serve the exact same food that you'll get if you eat at one of that hotel's restaurants. Other times they don't match. It seems odd the Poly CL doesn't have the 'Ohana bread, but the dessert tarts at GF's CL's are THE SAME as the tarts served at 1900PF. A feature of the BC is (or was) beachy salt water taffy! AKL features wines from South Africa, and the Safari Amber of AK.
 


We absolutely loved the food at the Innkeeper's Club!! The chef-prepared (to order) appetizers were really excellent. We still talk about the shrimp and grits, and the cheese fondue. There was also delicious chicken and waffles another night. And the breakfast selections were top notch- there were omelets made to order. At least one of the chefs worked at Flying Fish and also gave us great food recommendations for our dinner there. You won't be disappointed. :)

Wow..omelets made to order at breakfast...that sounds awesome! We have stayed at YC CL and Poly CL and they definitely didn't have that! I came on this board to post a question about the Poly CL, but this is making me think we should consider BWI!
 
I just posted this question over on the Poly thread, but then I figured you guys might be able to help me out on this:

We are going back and forth between doing Poly club level lagoon view, or Poly club level theme park view next summer.

The last time we stayed at the Poly we did club level theme park view and it was awesome...eventually. The first room they put us in was on the 2nd floor, without the balcony. We asked to be moved to the 3rd floor and they granted our request the next morning. :goodvibes What a world of difference that switch made! The 3rd floor balcony gives you a great sweeping view of the whole lagoon area. On the 2nd floor, without the balcony, you are really restricted in what you can see to the left and to the right, in my opinion. I still think that the balcony-less rooms should cost less than the balcony rooms...that's how much of a difference it made to us. In fact, when we moved to the 3rd floor and stepped out onto the balcony, both my DH and I said, "I can't believe this room is the same price as the other room!" Plus, with the balcony, we were able to take a drink and sit out there and enjoy the view. In the 2nd floor room we would have had to pull chairs right up to the "rail" and look out from inside our room. No view left and right, just straight ahead...and through bars.

I have been checking out Tikiman's website a lot (He really is a Poly rockstar!). Anyway, I want to request a 3rd floor room on our next trip. I'm not so concerned with having a perfect view of the castle...I'm happy as long as I can see the lagoon. But, my thought it that if we book "lagoon view" we'd have almost no chance of getting 3rd floor, right? I think almost all the 3rd floor rooms are TPV if Tikiman's website is accurate.

The last time we stayed at the Poly the bungalows weren't there yet. I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy the first floor rooms (even with the full patio) and having to look between the bungalows to see the water.

I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who has stayed CL Lagoon View or CL Theme Park View recently. What floor were you on and how was your view? Thanks!!
 
We absolutely loved the food at the Innkeeper's Club!! The chef-prepared (to order) appetizers were really excellent. We still talk about the shrimp and grits, and the cheese fondue. There was also delicious chicken and waffles another night. And the breakfast selections were top notch- there were omelets made to order. At least one of the chefs worked at Flying Fish and also gave us great food recommendations for our dinner there. You won't be disappointed. :)

To add onto my earlier post- none of the foods you list was at BWI when last we stayed there. :)
 


Currently at YC CL if anyone has any questions. Definitely not the variety for breakfast, snacks, or dessert that the BWI CL has. Same thing things each day so far. Apps were very good the first night, didn't make it last night. No large Dasani in our room and no bottled water at all...again things I appreciated at BWI CL a few months ago. Too bad. Staff is very nice and enjoying our stay. Let me know if anyone has any questions!
 
Currently at YC CL if anyone has any questions. Definitely not the variety for breakfast, snacks, or dessert that the BWI CL has. Same thing things each day so far. Apps were very good the first night, didn't make it last night. No large Dasani in our room and no bottled water at all...again things I appreciated at BWI CL a few months ago. Too bad. Staff is very nice and enjoying our stay. Let me know if anyone has any questions!

Great timing for me! We're trying to decide on a last minute trip next weekend. YC club is about $130 more than std BC a night. We've done Sugar Loaf, RPC, and Poly club.. any idea how it compares to those?
 
Wow..omelets made to order at breakfast...that sounds awesome! We have stayed at YC CL and Poly CL and they definitely didn't have that! I came on this board to post a question about the Poly CL, but this is making me think we should consider BWI!

The omelets (and Bloody Mary's!) are only available Sunday mornings. They are made to order and were delicious! (DH and I stayed there in June.)

Redgie (from Flying Fish) was our chef during our entire stay, making weeknight appetizers and the Sunday Brunch. :goodvibes
 
Great timing for me! We're trying to decide on a last minute trip next weekend. YC club is about $130 more than std BC a night. We've done Sugar Loaf, RPC, and Poly club.. any idea how it compares to those?

I haven't stayed at any of those. Honestly it's how you use the club as to whether it is worth it. Will you drink a lot? I stayed at at BWI CL a couple of months ago with my sisters and we made great use of the club. Ate breakfast and apps and snacks and had all the water bottles we wanted to take to parks, etc. offerings were great and they varied them.

At YC CL I am with my dh and 3 young teens. We have had breakfast here every day and grabbed some snacks and desserts, one night had apps. Some wine and beer. It's probably been worth it but honestly dh prefers to choose what he wants rather than make meals out of what is there. And honestly there just isn't much variety. We are only here for 4 days, quick trip. I think the offerings would get old on a longer trip
 
:goodvibes



I've read the same thing ;).

We have stayed at least once a year for the past 10 years or so at AKL. For our May 2017 trip we did a split stay Poly/AKL. We typically do not buy balloons because of the hassle of checking them at AKL. However since we stayed at the Poly first, we bought balloons at MK. When we came from the Poly we had the balloons. When the club level greeter met us in the lobby at AKL, I said I just need to go to Bell services really quick (to check the balloons). When I got there the bellman said you do not want to hold on to your balloons. I said oh I thought I couldn't. He said they had changed the policy and I could take the balloons to our room. When the club level greeter realized why I was at the bell desk, he confirmed that at the beginning of the year they began permitting balloons.
 
I haven't stayed at any of those. Honestly it's how you use the club as to whether it is worth it. Will you drink a lot? I stayed at at BWI CL a couple of months ago with my sisters and we made great use of the club. Ate breakfast and apps and snacks and had all the water bottles we wanted to take to parks, etc. offerings were great and they varied them.

At YC CL I am with my dh and 3 young teens. We have had breakfast here every day and grabbed some snacks and desserts, one night had apps. Some wine and beer. It's probably been worth it but honestly dh prefers to choose what he wants rather than make meals out of what is there. And honestly there just isn't much variety. We are only here for 4 days, quick trip. I think the offerings would get old on a longer trip
Thanks for the response!
 
Has anyone had any specific requests for the concierge host? Wanting to do something special for our 10th anniversary, but I keep getting very vague recommendations such as booking a tour (including a list).
 
I just posted this question over on the Poly thread, but then I figured you guys might be able to help me out on this:

We are going back and forth between doing Poly club level lagoon view, or Poly club level theme park view next summer.

The last time we stayed at the Poly we did club level theme park view and it was awesome...eventually. The first room they put us in was on the 2nd floor, without the balcony. We asked to be moved to the 3rd floor and they granted our request the next morning. :goodvibes What a world of difference that switch made! The 3rd floor balcony gives you a great sweeping view of the whole lagoon area. On the 2nd floor, without the balcony, you are really restricted in what you can see to the left and to the right, in my opinion. I still think that the balcony-less rooms should cost less than the balcony rooms...that's how much of a difference it made to us. In fact, when we moved to the 3rd floor and stepped out onto the balcony, both my DH and I said, "I can't believe this room is the same price as the other room!" Plus, with the balcony, we were able to take a drink and sit out there and enjoy the view. In the 2nd floor room we would have had to pull chairs right up to the "rail" and look out from inside our room. No view left and right, just straight ahead...and through bars.

I have been checking out Tikiman's website a lot (He really is a Poly rockstar!). Anyway, I want to request a 3rd floor room on our next trip. I'm not so concerned with having a perfect view of the castle...I'm happy as long as I can see the lagoon. But, my thought it that if we book "lagoon view" we'd have almost no chance of getting 3rd floor, right? I think almost all the 3rd floor rooms are TPV if Tikiman's website is accurate.

The last time we stayed at the Poly the bungalows weren't there yet. I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy the first floor rooms (even with the full patio) and having to look between the bungalows to see the water.

I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who has stayed CL Lagoon View or CL Theme Park View recently. What floor were you on and how was your view? Thanks!!

Hopefully I'm answering your question here. I've stayed at Poly CL a bunch over the last few years in all three view categories, but mostly TPV. In terms of my last three trips, here's a rundown of the rooms I had, just as an example:

Poly LV (had a first floor room)
Poly TPV (had a second floor room)
Poly TPV (had a third floor room)

With a LV room, you have a materially higher chance of being on the 1st floor. There are a few LV rooms on 2 and 3, but not that many.

With a TPV room, as you experienced you can either be on 2 or 3. I totally agree with you on your assessment here, unfortunately that's the risk with a TPV room. I too would (probably) pay more to guaranty a third floor room. It's just about the only thing that I worry about when staying Poly CL. I know I have to walk in with an open mind because nothing is guaranteed, but that's easier said than done sometimes. :-)

But FWIW, the second floor TPV room I had in May was the first time in several TPV reservations I was given a second floor room. I have always requested a third floor room as my only/top priority and I tend to think Disney does a pretty decent job in trying to accommodate requests when possible. Obviously YMMV and ANYTHING can happen on any given day checking in with a a TPV reservation, but I've been pleased with my past experience overall in this regard.

Long winded way of saying, if you want a third floor room... I'd book TPV and make a third floor room your only request.

Does that help?
 
Has anyone had any specific requests for the concierge host? Wanting to do something special for our 10th anniversary, but I keep getting very vague recommendations such as booking a tour (including a list).

Do you mean from Disney Signature Services (DSS)? DSS is likely to give you pretty generic recommendations for that type of request, in my experience. Not saying this is right or not, but they are better at specifically directed tasks (eg, "book this for me") than coming up with creative, open-ended ideas. A good/experienced DSS CM will sometimes be able to give you ideas/insipiration, but some just don't have the depth of WDW experience (or training) to really provide a 'concierge' like service to help create a celebration.

I'm a DSS fan for what they are, but I'd probably ask for ideas around here before I asked DSS.

(FWIW, we went to the Four Seasons at WDW for our 10-year a few years ago... and spent the whole time wishing we were at a 'real' WDW resort! :rotfl:)

YMMV!
 
Has anyone had any specific requests for the concierge host? Wanting to do something special for our 10th anniversary, but I keep getting very vague recommendations such as booking a tour (including a list).
You could request info for a private dining event at GF. I checked into it and we actually considered doing it, then......we changed to CL. PM me and I can give you contact info for the private dining.
 
Hopefully I'm answering your question here. I've stayed at Poly CL a bunch over the last few years in all three view categories, but mostly TPV. In terms of my last three trips, here's a rundown of the rooms I had, just as an example:

Poly LV (had a first floor room)
Poly TPV (had a second floor room)
Poly TPV (had a third floor room)

With a LV room, you have a materially higher chance of being on the 1st floor. There are a few LV rooms on 2 and 3, but not that many.

With a TPV room, as you experienced you can either be on 2 or 3. I totally agree with you on your assessment here, unfortunately that's the risk with a TPV room. I too would (probably) pay more to guaranty a third floor room. It's just about the only thing that I worry about when staying Poly CL. I know I have to walk in with an open mind because nothing is guaranteed, but that's easier said than done sometimes. :-)

But FWIW, the second floor TPV room I had in May was the first time in several TPV reservations I was given a second floor room. I have always requested a third floor room as my only/top priority and I tend to think Disney does a pretty decent job in trying to accommodate requests when possible. Obviously YMMV and ANYTHING can happen on any given day checking in with a a TPV reservation, but I've been pleased with my past experience overall in this regard.

Long winded way of saying, if you want a third floor room... I'd book TPV and make a third floor room your only request.

Does that help?

Thank you so much for your insight! I think we are probably going to go with the TPV. When we went last time we did put "3rd floor" as our one and only request. So, the 2nd floor assignment was initially a bit of a bummer.

I guess that's maybe the one "negative" about having such an awesome 3rd floor room...it sets the bar really, really high for subsequent trips. I think it would be hard not to reflect upon the awesome rooms right above us if we did get put in a 2nd floor room. :rotfl:I really wish I could just pay more for the 3rd floor balcony at the Poly; that's how much I loved it!

What did you think of the 1st floor rooms? Did the bungalows detract much from your view of the lagoon?

Thanks again!
 
Thank you so much for your insight! I think we are probably going to go with the TPV. When we went last time we did put "3rd floor" as our one and only request. So, the 2nd floor assignment was initially a bit of a bummer.

I guess that's maybe the one "negative" about having such an awesome 3rd floor room...it sets the bar really, really high for subsequent trips. I think it would be hard not to reflect upon the awesome rooms right above us if we did get put in a 2nd floor room. :rotfl:I really wish I could just pay more for the 3rd floor balcony at the Poly; that's how much I loved it!

What did you think of the 1st floor rooms? Did the bungalows detract much from your view of the lagoon?

Thanks again!

Yeah, I hear you!

As for LV/1st floor, I'm a big fan. I actually think we may transition more towards LV now that my youngest is getting older. TPV was great for DW and I when the kids were younger.... could put them to bed and sit on the balcony, watch fireworks, etc. But now they want to go play and being able to walk right out to the sand is a big plus. The view is still beautiful, just different, as it's more dominated by the bungalows. It's easy to walk over to the left/beach area or up to Sunset Point for a full fireworks view.

Others may have different opinions but that's my take.
 

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