Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[gwynne]

I can only guess that Disney is going to put out what they feel people will consume. Average America isn't exactly the "picture of health", with skyrocketing rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. I will say for myself however, that the way I eat on vacation is totally different than the way I eat at otherwise. Typically, I'm all about fresh lean meat and produce, hold the sugar, grains, red meat, etc. On vacation, you won't find me eating chips and drinking soda, but almost everything else is "on the table", so to speak. I think CL lounges do a fairly decent job at providing as much balance for as many different people as they can.

I agree with this. We find CL makes it easier, over all, to build in some healthy food options each day. I also think it's OK to enjoy some treats while on vacation-things we don't normally have when we are at home. We realize we are on vacation, and when we return home we go back to our usual routine.

 

[mickeynut1]

That's awesome!
It would be great to meet you too!

Definitely! We'll have to make sure we meet up on the 25th .

2 trips in one year mickeynut! WOOHOO!

Have fun at the party!

Thanks! Gotta make good use of that AP .

I see you're going in Sept rather than Oct.....hopefully our paths will cross another time .

We find CL makes it easier, over all, to build in some healthy food options each day. I also think it's OK to enjoy some treats while on vacation

I agree

 

[AngiTN]

Quite happy to finally get to go back to WL CL. Haven't been able to try it out since they moved to the new lounge. Got one night booked at the start of our trip over Labor Day weekend.
And of course, we have to end with a return to our beloved BWI CL.
Sandwiched between is POFQ and a night at Hard Rock. Yeah, lots of moving around but thankfully, we don't think it's hard to do.

As for unhealthy CL options, there's plenty! Off the top of my head: white bread, white bagels, high-sugar yogurt, (chocolate) croissants/cinnamon buns/Danish, fruit loops/sugary cereals, pizza, fried dumplings, corn dogs, chicken nuggets rice crispy treats, gummy bears, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes, beer, cordials

Gee, wonder why you left off the fresh cut fruit and fresh cut veggies that all CL have? The plain oatmeal, hard boiled eggs? Wine even, especially red.
I've never seen pizza, corn dogs or chicken nuggets in the food offerings in CL either.
I'm pretty sure no one said there is no junk food but it's not garbage either.
There's plenty of ways to eat well at Disney, if you want. Or eat crappy, if you want.
Maybe start looking around at new places if all the ones you find are crap. I know the first place we started was no QS. WDW QS is horrible. TS isn't. If you can't find healthy choices at TS you aren't trying. And while it may be categorized as TS, I don't consider buffet's either. Menu's. Only menu based meals. That's where you can always find healthier foods to choose from.

 

[yaya74]

Does anyone find refillable mug useful when staying at CL???
I will be staying for two nights at Pop prior to checking in at GF RPC for four more nights.
Trying to figure out if I should get 1 or 2 mugs for my family of 4 when we are at Pop....
TIA

 

[dansdad]

Does anyone find refillable mug useful when staying at CL???

Yup. It's great for wine, beer, mimosas, etc during our resort days.

 

[kkbookmom]

Yup. It's great for wine, beer, mimosas, etc during our resort days.

OMG I just snorted! Thank you for that very needed laugh. Finally found my reason to justify buying one.

 

[WalkDisneyWorld]

Congrats on snagging the Poly CL room! I just had to post because my family sounds similar to yours in that we've been going to WDW each year since my DD was one (she learned to walk there - UK Pavilion at Epcot). She will be turning 16 on our upcoming trip (AKL CL), but now I'm rethinking adding a night because of your post. We are supposed to be traveling to Disney on her actual birthday as well, but it would be nice for her to wake up there... hmm, I'll have to see what I can work out!

Your kids sound sweet with surprising you withe the Poly room decorations, so glad you get to return the favor!

Thank you so much! How fun that your DD learned to walk there! I certainly hope she has a great “Sweet 16” at Disney on your upcoming trip! I totally understand your thought process on adding that night; my DD had already told me that she didn’t mind riding in the car that long on her birthday bc she was just glad to be going to Disney, but I simply couldn’t help adding that day as a surprise! Keep us updated on what you decide. I look forward to hearing all about your trip—AKL is such a wonderful destination all by itself!

 

[WalkDisneyWorld]

I have been on all 3 floors gv cl. The patio is nice because there isn't a rail in front of you blocking your view. 3rd is nice with the highest view/balcony available.

Yes, 2nd floor does not have an outer space but you can open the slider and listen to the sounds outside. 2nd is nice to walk to /from the lounge without needing the elevator. GV is XX19-34 where 34 is 1st room nearest the Lounge and 19 is on the far end near the staircase. Overall the hall is not that long and I have had rooms on both ends without any problems.

The GV side is pretty quiet overall compared to lagoon side.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on specifics about each floor! This is exactly the type of thing I’m eager to find out. We have visited the Poly on every trip for years, but my personal knowledge is limited to mainly what’s in the GCH. We always walk outside to look at the main pool, but we’ve never walked the grounds. I’ve seen the map, pictures, and some videos, but have never actually seen the Hawaii building, so I’m thankful for any tips and advice!

 

[DLgal]

I beg to differ a bit. Kettle style potato chips and Coca-Cola are just about as unhealthy as you can get. By garbage, I mean unhealthy. On the whole, WDW theme parks offer a great deal of unhealthy options. I also said, part of why we choose CL is because we know we can at least get some produce every day.

As for unhealthy CL options, there's plenty! Off the top of my head: white bread, white bagels, high-sugar yogurt, (chocolate) croissants/cinnamon buns/Danish, fruit loops/sugary cereals, pizza, fried dumplings, corn dogs, chicken nuggets rice crispy treats, gummy bears, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes, beer, cordials

While the buffets do offer some healthy options, most QS have very limited healthy options. The hamburger default option isn't just a burger, it is a bacon cheeseburger on a very white bun w/ fries. I often actually DO order the healthy option, and it is often a pretty standard green salad, or the option just doesn't taste good. Pecos Bills used to offer a truly terrible platter of rubbery celery and bitter carrots w/high-chemical ranch dressing. Now it is back to salad. Oh, and veggie tacos that are, I kid you not, "spicy breaded cauliflower with pineapple salsa." Hmm, Don't know about that combo.

Recently at the All Stars, there were no healthy entrees. At 9:30pm, entrees were: pizza, pasta w/marinara, cheeseburger w/fries, fried chicken sandwich w/fries, penne alfredo w/ garlic bread, Mac and cheese w/garlic bread. Only healthy options were the LAST two bananas, tiny pre-made salads, and pre-packed cup of grapes.

When I look for healthy options at a variety of QS places, they follow the baconburger+only salad model: ABC Commissary (just salad), PizzeRizzo (just salad), Backlot (baconcheeseburger, burger w/brisket+cheese, fried chick w/waffle+ fake maple syrup, chili-cheese hot dog, tomato-caprese+pesto sandwich w/fries, or salad w/fried wontons).

Sure, each park has ONE fruit stand, but the options aren't mind-blowing. Mealy apples and sour oranges that aren't good quality. I really have to seek out healthy, and that isn't always practical.

I just think it is high time for WDW to have a Sweetgreen for heaven's sake! Near where I live, there's tons of QS places with exciting, tasty, healthy options roughly along the Chipotle model where you choose a base/protein/mostly healthy toppings. As I said earlier , the new Aventura QS looks very promising. I'd like WDW to move in the same direction.

When is the last time you stayed CL? We were at BC and CR CL recently (earlier this month) and sure, they had all those things you mentioned. But they also had the following:

Sushi rolls
Tuna poke
Fried rice with sliced grilled chicken
Flank steak with roasted potatoes, onions, and peppers
Cold Asian noodle and vegetable salad
Roasted pork medallions with mascarpone polenta
Pulled pork
Slow cooked beef in a red wine gravy with mashed potatoes

Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella
Greek salad
Orzo salad
Chickpea and couscous salad
Tuna nicoise
Waldorf chicken salad

A variety of fresh veggies daily (cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers)

A variety of fresh fruits daily (oranges, bananas, apples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries)

Plain Greek yogurt (sliced almonds, dried fruit, and honey available as toppings)

Hard boiled eggs

Smoked salmon and accoutrements at breakfast

Plain oatmeal and bran flakes at breakfast

Various cheeses, some soft and some hard (with dried figs and apricots and walnuts or almonds on the platter)-available at breakfast as well as 5-7pm

Whole wheat bagels, bread, and crackers

There were also numerous fruit infused water options, sparkling mineral water, and unsweetened iced tea

CL isn't what it used to be and I can say wholeheartedly, I ate VERY healthy over my 10 day trip. We barely bought food outside the lounge.

 

[Ashley Marie]

So glad you had a great trip! I’ve always enjoyed reading these types of reports, but now that we actually have a Poly CL GV room booked, I’m trying to pay closer attention.

Would you mind sharing how you felt about your room location? For example, were you happy to have a 3rd floor room vs. a patio? Also, I looked up that room’s view on TouringPlans and saw it has a really nice pool view! Because I can’t tell how far away the pool is, I was wondering if it ever gets loud? I’m guessing not since it’s the quiet pool, but just thought I’d check.

I was also wondering about what time you would go to the lounge to watch HEA? Do you have to go a good bit early in order to get a table? It sounds like such a fun way to watch the fireworks that I don’t want to miss it! It’s wonderful that you got lots of chances to do so!

Just jumping in to say we recently had room 3525, also a garden view on the 3rd floor, and it was a really great room. We had a perfect, pleasant view of the pool. The noise from the pool was not disruptive. It was mostly just a pleasant background sound, especially with that Poly music playing.

 

[WalkDisneyWorld]

Just jumping in to say we recently had room 3525, also a garden view on the 3rd floor, and it was a really great room. We had a perfect, pleasant view of the pool. The noise from the pool was not disruptive. It was mostly just a pleasant background sound, especially with that Poly music playing.

Thanks for jumping in with more insight! I really appreciate it. (All of you are so kind & helpful here!)

 

[psac]

I can only guess that Disney is going to put out what they feel people will consume. Average America isn't exactly the "picture of health", with skyrocketing rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. I will say for myself however, that the way I eat on vacation is totally different than the way I eat at otherwise. Typically, I'm all about fresh lean meat and produce, hold the sugar, grains, red meat, etc. On vacation, you won't find me eating chips and drinking soda, but almost everything else is "on the table", so to speak. I think CL lounges do a fairly decent job at providing as much balance for as many different people as they can.

Maybe the best example of this is The Wave. It is billed as a fairly healthy alternative dining venue. The two times we’ve gone it was half empty. Most other resort TS places are always packed!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

CL isn't what it used to be and I can say wholeheartedly, I ate VERY healthy over my 10 day trip. We barely bought food outside the lounge.

I agree with this comment.

Let's pick on Poly CL a second. Probably the poster child CL for high-carb and/or fried food offerings when we first stayed there 2013ish. Hardly a protein available at breakfast, no hard-boiled eggs... used to drive me nuts. Evening apps were often mass produced potstickers, sticky wings, meatballs, etc, etc. The cheese and cracker tray was the dominant fixture every night.

These days, plenty of protein available at breakfast. Afternoon snacks include lettuce wraps with shrimp and/or chicken, various nuts, veggies. Evening apps are small and often a relatively reasonable (in my opinion) carb / protein mix. There is almost nothing about the menu post Jan 2017 that resembles anything from just a couple of years ago.

Are there still starchy carbs, cookies, candies, goldfish, cinnamon rolls, sodas, etc around? Sure. Plenty. The kids nightly offering is always PBJ uncrustables which isn't exactly the best over and over again, but there is at least fruit available.

I dare say over our 7/4 week at Poly, overall I rate many of the options available as relatively healthy.

Granted, I'm sure my lettuce wraps were offset by several Longboards, but that's neither here nor there.

I do think many/most of the CLs do a pretty darn good job providing balanced options, more so these days than any time in my 5-6 years of Disney travel experience.

Obviously very subjective, of course!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

To all of you fabulous CL experts, I’m sure I asked this in the past year or so, but can’t find the post!
***Would you choose a WL Deluxe CL Room or a standard view GF RPC room for a spring stay?***
We stayed at, and loved, RPC. I’m also attracted to WL, though we haven’t stayed there (yet!).
CL and the dining plan was way too much food on our last trip, so while I still plan on eating in the parks on our next trip, I will be skipping the dining plan and utilizing the CL food more. Therefore, the amount and variety of CL food offerings is an important factor in the decision.
TIA, can’t wait to hear all of you weigh in!

I'm late to your post here, sorry to respond to something a few days old.

I have stayed in both room categories. WL Deluxe Room in Nov 2016 and RPC standard view Feb 2016, just for some context. My WL trip was right after the new/relocated lounge had opened.

I'll first say, I loved the WL lounge and the food offerings there. At the time I thought it was just about the best CL food/beverage offerings we had experienced in our travels. The resort has alot of great qualities and the lounge is just such a nice space to spend time.

But, I'll be honest - I was not a fan of the WL Deluxe Rooms. I wrote about our experience here:
WL Deluxe Room-Nov 2016

Keep scrolling a few pages and you'll see more thoughts on the room, pics of the lounge (obviously offerings may have changed by now).

Most of my somewhat negative opinion had to do with our style. We tend to enjoy the CL lounges, like to pop in/out quickly, grab a drink, etc. Given a choice, I'd rather my room be close to the lounge at any given resort.

The WL Deluxe Rooms are the furthest rooms from the lounge in whole resort. It was consistently 2 minutes and 40 seconds from room to lounge. Our AKL CL room had a similar distance to the lounge, but I didn't mind it there at all. At WL, going to the lounge was more of a chore - no "running back to the room to grab X or Y."

I'll also give somewhat low marks as to the functionality of the room. For the four of us, we "live" much better in a GF room than the WL Deluxe Room, which sounds counter-intuitive given the space difference I know... but hard to explain.

Anyway - I'm sorry to be kind of negative... that's not usually my style around here because that room type could absolutely be wonderful for certain folks/CL habits. It just wasn't a great fit for us.

TLDR - Ignoring cost for the moment, I'd opt for GF RPC standard room over a WL Deluxe Room 9 times out of 10.

Hope that helps!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Does anyone find refillable mug useful when staying at CL???
I will be staying for two nights at Pop prior to checking in at GF RPC for four more nights.
Trying to figure out if I should get 1 or 2 mugs for my family of 4 when we are at Pop....
TIA

Not a refillable mug you purchase obviously, but I often bring a Turvis to pour my beer into. A Disney Turvis, to be exact.

I can imagine a refillable mug would have good use as well.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just booked a last minute trip in August at Yacht Club through JetBlue Vacations. Club Level wasn't a room option. Has anyone had luck paying to upgrade to Club Level at Yacht Club at time of check in?

A few weeks ago we added an extra night to our vacation and booked a Yacht Club CL room online around midnight the day before. Online, no CL rooms were available. When checking in, I asked at the front desk if it would be possible to see if any CL rooms were available, I'd pay the difference, etc. I assumed they'd say no - but after a call to the room assignor, a room was available and at the AP discount. Even if a room was available, I was pretty much assuming it'd be rack rate, which can sometimes be the case when trying to book things right then/there... so I felt doubly fortunate.

Obviously YMMV, but it's possible!

 

[TJA]

A few weeks ago we added an extra night to our vacation and booked a Yacht Club CL room online around midnight the day before. Online, no CL rooms were available. When checking in, I asked at the front desk if it would be possible to see if any CL rooms were available, I'd pay the difference, etc. I assumed they'd say no - but after a call to the room assignor, a room was available and at the AP discount. Even if a room was available, I was pretty much assuming it'd be rack rate, which can sometimes be the case when trying to book things right then/there... so I felt doubly fortunate.

Obviously YMMV, but it's possible!

I'm really behind - I didn't know you tried YC CL! I'm scrolling backwards now cause I missed your Poly thoughts too!

 

[TJA]

So that's it - had a great <24 hour YC CL stay. Those who have seen my posts over time know we're mostly a MK-centric family and we've spent most of our Disney travel time at the MK resorts. Our experience here really has us re-thinking that strategy. Storm Along Bay is a pretty awesome pool now that both of our kids are decent swimmers. The larger pool facility, abundant seating, and actual real pool-side service were really nice.

After evening apps we popped into Epcot.... got a Soarin FP, rode Journey into the Imagination, rode Nemo, took a lap around World Showcase, and watched Illuminations. Sometimes the best Disney nights are the unplanned ones, and we had the good fortune (and cooperating weather) to have one last night. I know walkability to Epcot is an obvious benefit of the Epcot resorts, but not going to lie, it was really nice!

Anyway, thanks for following along - happy to answer any questions.

So happy to read that you experienced what we loved for so many years about BC/YC! YC CL looks great! Thanks for the review and pics. By the way, I switched our trip next month to the BC....just had to get back there.

 

[trishadono]

Here ya go!
View from cl staircase.

View of Hawaii from beach.


Views from gv of old pool but similar view today.

View of Hawaii GV side.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on specifics about each floor! This is exactly the type of thing I’m eager to find out. We have visited the Poly on every trip for years, but my personal knowledge is limited to mainly what’s in the GCH. We always walk outside to look at the main pool, but we’ve never walked the grounds. I’ve seen the map, pictures, and some videos, but have never actually seen the Hawaii building, so I’m thankful for any tips and advice!

 

[Eastern]

I beg to differ a bit. Kettle style potato chips and Coca-Cola are just about as unhealthy as you can get. By garbage, I mean unhealthy. On the whole, WDW theme parks offer a great deal of unhealthy options. I also said, part of why we choose CL is because we know we can at least get some produce every day.

As for unhealthy CL options, there's plenty! Off the top of my head: white bread, white bagels, high-sugar yogurt, (chocolate) croissants/cinnamon buns/Danish, fruit loops/sugary cereals, pizza, fried dumplings, corn dogs, chicken nuggets rice crispy treats, gummy bears, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes, beer, cordials

While the buffets do offer some healthy options, most QS have very limited healthy options. The hamburger default option isn't just a burger, it is a bacon cheeseburger on a very white bun w/ fries. I often actually DO order the healthy option, and it is often a pretty standard green salad, or the option just doesn't taste good. Pecos Bills used to offer a truly terrible platter of rubbery celery and bitter carrots w/high-chemical ranch dressing. Now it is back to salad. Oh, and veggie tacos that are, I kid you not, "spicy breaded cauliflower with pineapple salsa." Hmm, Don't know about that combo.

Recently at the All Stars, there were no healthy entrees. At 9:30pm, entrees were: pizza, pasta w/marinara, cheeseburger w/fries, fried chicken sandwich w/fries, penne alfredo w/ garlic bread, Mac and cheese w/garlic bread. Only healthy options were the LAST two bananas, tiny pre-made salads, and pre-packed cup of grapes.

When I look for healthy options at a variety of QS places, they follow the baconburger+only salad model: ABC Commissary (just salad), PizzeRizzo (just salad), Backlot (baconcheeseburger, burger w/brisket+cheese, fried chick w/waffle+ fake maple syrup, chili-cheese hot dog, tomato-caprese+pesto sandwich w/fries, or salad w/fried wontons).

Sure, each park has ONE fruit stand, but the options aren't mind-blowing. Mealy apples and sour oranges that aren't good quality. I really have to seek out healthy, and that isn't always practical.

I just think it is high time for WDW to have a Sweetgreen for heaven's sake! Near where I live, there's tons of QS places with exciting, tasty, healthy options roughly along the Chipotle model where you choose a base/protein/mostly healthy toppings. As I said earlier , the new Aventura QS looks very promising. I'd like WDW to move in the same direction.

I think CL has evolved in recent years with healthier choices, especially having proteins at breakfast. One of my sons does low carb and he had no problem at CL, there was always something for him to eat. If something came on a portion of white rice, potato, etc, he just didn't eat that part. He is quite picky and he had an enjoyable time.

We don't drink soda, and we usually don't drink much of the tropical juices due to sugar. We do not find this to be a problem. We all had evening wine and enjoyed it.

I agree that if you are a person who avoids all white starches, sugars, etc, you might not appreciate the Disney food choices. In MK, CHH is usually our choice for lunch as they have a salmon platter that we like that does come with broccoli and some kind of grain iirc. In Epcot we like Sunshine Seasons and they also usually have some healthier options. We often skip lunch in the parks or split something so we don't overdo it there, either.

Compared to other amusement parks, I think the Disney food choices are pretty darn good. Some of it may be typical, but I don't think I have found much that is inedible, and the chefs are happy to accommodate allergies and food issues when they are given advance notice.

Let's give them some credit.