Club Level, worth it?

[pcoleman]

Can anyone convince me that club level is worth it? I have run the numbers and I'm just not sure I can justify this. What do you really get for that price? I've never had a problem getting my dinning reservations, fast passes or tickets. I've reviewed the snack options. Am I missing something?

 

[Skywise]

No.

I've been continually more and more unimpressed with the food offerings at the CL so that's not really a plus for me anymore. It's nice to get the snacks and the continental breakfast but the cost isn't really justifiable - especially if you've already packed your schedule for park time! If you were going to be spending whole days at the resort that might be a reason to justify it but I still don't think that's enough.

For me the only selling point is the setting itself - At the Poly that's a guarantee of the Hawaii building with great pool access and spectacular views of Cinderella's castle from the lagoon side as well as your own private balcony views of the fireworks.

For the GF that means you get to stay in the main building (if you do the Royal Palm Club club level) which is great.

For the Contemporary? eeehh - It's a nice TPV but you've got that for any of the TPV rooms in the main tower. Can't speak for the other resorts as I haven't stayed there but my gut feel is it's the same. It's convenient access for food and slightly upgraded service but isn't really justifiable (IMO)

 

[DisneyWishes14]

IMHO, unless you are at full capacity in your room (typically 5 people) and you are going to take full advantage of the continental breakfast, snacks, hors d'oeuvres and alcohol at night, it's not worth it. We stopped doing CL about 2 years ago. The level of guest service has gone way downhill. I can get ADR's faster doing it on my own and I found the CM's gave me a run around on anything I asked them to do (and I didn't ask them to do anything special - it was requests like making reservations for the child pirate cruises). It was so much easier simply making the reservations myself. As I said, we haven't done CL in a few years. I find it's more cost effective to book a regular room at a deluxe and use the money saved on CL to get a grocery delivery, get room service or just stop at a QS at the resort and get some drinks and snacks to take back to the room.

Just wanted to add, if we were talking about DCL where they offer true concierge service (and not "club level"), I would have a different opinion. That, to me, is worth it. WDW's "club level" is not a concierge service, so, no, IMHO, just not worth the upcharge.

 

[addiln]

I have looked the club level in the past and could never justify the cost. We are not at the resort enough to take advantage of all the offerings and the offerings just don't seem worth it either. The breakfast is kind of nice but we generally pack a few things for a quick bite before we go. The view is nice but if you are not there to enjoy it what is it really worth.

 

[rwdavis2]

I agree with everyone else:no. I did it once just to do the Sunrise Safari at AKL but would never par for it again. Also, they cannot get any ADRs you can't get yourself.

 

[mickeynut1]

Can anyone convince me that club level is worth it? I have run the numbers and I'm just not sure I can justify this. What do you really get for that price? I've never had a problem getting my dinning reservations, fast passes or tickets. I've reviewed the snack options. Am I missing something?

Worth is subjective as it's different for everyone, but for us CL is worth it (although not just for the offerings). We don't stay CL every trip, but when we do it's more for the lounge and having another place to sit/relax instead of in our room or around the resort. The offerings are a nice perk, but it's not our main reason for staying CL. With that said, you most likely will not get your money's worth if you stay CL solely for the food offerings.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Do you pay extra to be pampered? Then you'll want club level lodging. Are you satisfied with normal service, deciding when, where and what you want to eat? Then skip it.

 

[TJA]

Agree with @mickeynut1 above. We've been to Disney many, many times....stayed at moderates, deluxes, non-CL, we've done the regular dining plan and the deluxe dining plan....after all those experiences, we've finally settled on knowing that staying CL is the right thing for us. However, each CL offers a different experience, and that factors into our reasoning too. Example: staying at Poly CL offers incredible views (@GADisneyDad14 insert picture here! ) and to us that enhances our vacation tremendously. And, as someone noted above, staying at GF RPC offers the incredible experience of staying in the main building there. Not all CL resorts enhance our total experience the way Poly and GF do, and that weighs into our decisions regarding which CL to splurge on.

The food/drinks are extra perks for us which we utilize to the max. From breakfast in the lounge (hard boiled eggs, meat/cheese platter, yogurt, bagels, oatmeal, cereal, fresh fruit, OJ and milk are plenty for us) to water/iced tea/juices/pop/coffee/beer/wine as often as we want them.....and we always have our main "big" meal at lunch time in the parks, so the evening appetizers in the lounge are just right to satisfy us. Does the $$ equal out to the extra cost of CL? Probably not, but we find it hard to place a price tag on how the CL experience enhances our vacations.

On the flip side of that, we have close friends who get up early and head to the parks and stay there all day/night! That is simply not for us, but they love that style. They choose to splurge on dining and stay at moderates or AKL/WL standard rooms. So everyone is different on what they like to splurge on. You may just need to try out staying CL and see how you like it!

 

[gzmtlock]

. . . it's more for the lounge and having another place to sit/relax instead of in our room or around the resort. The offerings are a nice perk, but it's not our main reason for staying CL. With that said, you most likely will not get your money's worth if you stay CL solely for the food offerings.

This is why we often stay CL, or at a villa. I travel a LOT for work, stay in a LOT of decent-to-quite-nice hotel rooms. I have grown to detest sitting on my bed in a hotel room. And the desk chair is often only marginally better. And I'm not much of a TV watcher, so that holds little appeal. When traveling solo, I head down to the lobby or bar, find a comfortable place to plunk down, and hang out there. That's no so simple, and is much more expensive, when the whole family is along. So we factor in a "living room" type space - either our own in a villa, or shared when we stay club. It's part of why it feels like a vacation to me, so that makes it "worth it."

 

[Disneytam]

I totally agree with TJA. We have stayed at Disney many times and enjoy spending down time at the resort. Having stayed at several CL resorts we have fallen in love with the BWI CL and now call it "home". Breakfast in the lounge is a real time saver for us and since we are early risers it's nice to be able to get a cup of coffee or tea at 6:30 am and breakfast at 7:00. We also have our large meal during lunch and then have apps. at the hotel in the evening before heading back out for the evenings.

Prices of beer and wine at Disney are pretty steep so it is also nice to be able to enjoy some drinks in the evening or to bring a drink down to the pool in the afternoon. We also make a point of having some soft drinks in our room fridge from the lounge to enjoy after a late night in the park.

I think the most important thing that the CL does for guests is having a person that really seems to care that your vacation is free from worries. If I want to check my statement during breakfast a CM will happily look it up for me and will quickly fix any problems that may come up, and over the years I have seen all kinds of mistakes on our room charges. One time I knew we were going to miss our TSM FP and stopped to see if we could switch it to a later time. Of course there were no available FP for TSM but the CM instead gave us anytime FP for the day. As I said on another board they also fixed my glasses for me when a screw loosened up. The BWI CL CM always make us feel cared for and that is worth a lot to us. I also have never paid over $100 a night extra for CL and sometimes it's been around $50 a night.

With all that said if we were park commandoes that only slept at the resort I would not see the value in CL.

 

[pixarmom]

I'd say it depends. We're a family of five with three boys (two are teens) and CL can be a great value for us - but not always. We book CL when the price is right. We book CL when we plan to spend a lot of time at the resort. (CL is great for race weekends when we need some post-race down time!) We book CL when my husband travels with us - he appreciates the space to work early in the morning or at various times during the day. It's extremely convenient for us because we have 5 people who wake up at different times and eat breakfast at different times - some eat a lot for breakfast and some of us just grab coffee. So I don't have to think about breakfast and I know our early risers have something to eat as soon as they are hungry and without waiting for teens to wake up and get ready. My husband and I have enjoyed quick lounge dates at 9:45pm several times - something quick and impromptu that might not happen if we had to venture out to a crowded bar. Our youngest loves CL because he likes a familiar spot to regroup in the late afternoon and he prefers familiar snacks day after day and he's very social so he looks forward to making friends in the lounge.

If we're fitting in a quick trip with our APs, if we plan to spend a lot of time at the parks, no need for CL. Our oldest son is a bit anti-CL now because he would rather eat more in the parks - both in terms of snacks and a signature dinner - than return for evening appetizers.

I think the most important thing that the CL does for guests is having a person that really seems to care that your vacation is free from worries. If I want to check my statement during breakfast a CM will happily look it up for me and will quickly fix any problems that may come up, and over the years I have seen all kinds of mistakes on our room charges. One time I knew we were going to miss our TSM FP and stopped to see if we could switch it to a later time. Of course there were no available FP for TSM but the CM instead gave us anytime FP for the day. As I said on another board they also fixed my glasses for me when a screw loosened up. The BWI CL CM always make us feel cared for and that is worth a lot to us. I also have never paid over $100 a night extra for CL and sometimes it's been around $50 a night.

With all that said if we were park commandoes that only slept at the resort I would not see the value in CL.

I entirely agree with this as it relates to BWI. The CMs there have been really helpful with a variety of issues that we would have otherwise handled ourselves or taken to the front desk. From magical express to changes in dining reservations to extending our BWI stay to setting up a surprise in our room to checking the status of our cruise . . . they have been spectacular. I'd say the same about WL CL CMs, and five years ago I would have said the same about BC (but not recently.) I think we came to expect that after staying at BWI, but have not seen the same level of engagement at BC, AKL, Poly, CR or GF. We enjoyed our stays at all of them, just a different vibe.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I am a big CL fan regardless of length of stay, number of travelers, etc. The last few posts pretty much capture my feelings exactly. "Worth" is very very subjective, but here are a few reasons it's worth it for us. Note, personally I don't try to make 'financial sense' of CL - most of the benefits to us don't really have a $ value to them.

- Lounge space. We really appreciate having another space other than the room to hang out, relax, etc. As an example, I usually wake up around 5:30ish and will sneak to the Poly lounge with my ipad to catch up on work, e-mails, etc. I appreciate being able to get out of the room so I'm not bothering my family. Same applies during nap time, or if kids have gone to bed early. Some lounges close during off hours but many are open 24/7, so that space is always available.
- Breakfast. They could take away all of the other food offerings (except maybe beverages) and I'd still book CL so long as breakfast is involved. My lens is that of a father with young kids (that sometimes travels with just one of them by myself), so the convenient breakfast is very much appreciated.
- E-mail access prior to the trip for questions or to make room requests. I don't really utilize them for ADRs, FPs, etc, ahead of time, but I certainly have DURING a trip for last minute things.
- For me, a huge benefit in the "worth it" equation is having some level of control over where your room will be in any given resort. Some of Disney's resorts are sprawling, multi-building complexes. Knowing that I'll be in Hawaii at Poly, the main building (or Sugarloaf) at GF, a certain floor at CR, the top floor at BC (etc, etc) are very big considerations in my book. I'm spending a decent chunk of money for these trips, I like to have a certain degree of control over where I'll be.
- Sure some are duds (like any service industry), but over multiple trips we've come to enjoy seeing some familiar CM faces. Is every trip perfect when it comes to service? No. But on the whole there's usually more good than bad.
- I don't want/need/try to be BFF's with any CM or other guests, but the lounge time does allow for the some chance small encounters/experiences with other folks that add a bit of fun (for us) to our trips. As a parent of young kids at Disney, it's more fun to be in the company of other exhausted parents in the same predicament! (Kidding, kind of)

- Lastly, I do think part of the "worth it" equation is the CL/resort in question. There are various differences from resort to resort (be it location, lounge hours, food quality, etc) so that does come into play as well.

Again, only my perspective. Let us know what you decide!

 

[ktlm]

If you will have breakfast in the lounge everyday, then run the numbers of what you usually spend on breakfast and what you will save there. Also, you can take cans of soda from club level and keep a couple in the room refrigerator for times that the lounge isn't open-- so figure out what you usually spend on that. Back when the club lounges had bottled water, we saved more because we would have bottles of water to take with us into the parks, and also to keep in the refrigerator to have at night when we got back from the parks. Unfortunately, since they got rid of the bottled water, now we are back to having to buy bottled water to have in the room at night, so we lost that savings.

 

[bellebud]

Since you're considering CL, I'll assume you've stayed deluxe. Look at it this way, it's hard to put a dollar amount on the value of staying CL, the same way it's hard to do that for comparing staying at a value vs. moderate vs. deluxe. Some people will never see the 'value' of a deluxe and would never spend the money on it. They look at that money difference and figure all the nice restaurants in the parks they can spend it on, souvenirs, etc. You can do the same with CL. I admit, I love the exclusivity and pampering that comes with staying CL. When I can afford it and we're not staying in a villa, I do it and never regret it.

 

[SwimAruba]

Every time I am running the numbers for our proposed trip in august, club level is running us an extra $200 per night... comparing garden view non-CL to garden view CL. Most other posts say it's max $100 more. Can I jump in with the "worth it?" question considering that price difference? Thank you

 

[Nancyg56]

If you need to be convinced, I would it is not worth it. Unless you have a full room you will probably not even come close to consuming enought food or beverages to justify the additional cost.

WE book CL on occasion, depending on how we want to travel. We rely on the IPO to assist us in booking ADR's when we stay this level. This is the main reason, because we will usually book during a busy time of year.

I love to use the lounge as additional living space for our group. It is nice to sit with a book and a cup of coffee or a glass of wine while others are getting ready to head out, or relaxing in the afternoon.

WE do like the convenience of a breakfast that is ready when we are. It will save money there, and time as well.


Afternoon appetizers or evening pastry is nice as well. We like to all meet up in the lounge before dinner for a glass of wine, or at the end of the evening for coffee. My favorite CL stay was at AKL. The lounge was lovely, but I liked taking my glass of wine or cup of coffee back to enjoy on my balcony while DH and I enjoyed the animals grazing.

I suggest you look at how much time you will spend at the resort, and if you will actually use the services CL offers.

If you really are ambivilent I would skip it, because it adds up. No one wants to leave WDW with buyers remorse.

 

[ellie05]

For us it is not worth it at Disney and the reason we have not booked it.
- I don't want anyone else doing any of my ADRs
- The last place I want to be after being a a park full of people is a lounge with more people. If we are not in the parks, then we are either napping or having some quiet time in our balcony. I much rather seat in the balcony by ourselves.
-We are not big on breakfast or the items they provide.
- I wanted to add DH is very picky about his coffee and beer and I am about my wine, so that is also not a perk for us at all since they don't offer things we would drink anyways. We can easily bring that with us or order to have in the room.

We have booked CL in other hotels when it makes sense to us, just not in Disney.