Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[PPFlight75]

I go to Disney for the food, so most of my photos are related to eating... This thread was helpful to me, so I hope somebody wants food pictures.
Beach Club
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I can't get over those Mickey sugar cubes!! So adorable! I can't wait to drop those bad boys in my coffee!!!!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Any additional room request you can really make when you are already booked for theme park view club level at the Contemporary?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

My 20-year anniversary is coming up and since we have APs I'm thinking about our first Disney CL stay. But, deciding where to stay is HARD! We would be bringing our 14-year old and 11-year old. So, where can I find current menus? I saw some good pics of the AKL menu and that looked really good. Any CLs offer more than just breads, cereals and pastries? I don't eat those. Any of them have cappuccino makers?

Sounds like a fun trip!

It’s pretty difficult (read, impossible) to find actual menus. AKL CL has the most detailed written-word menu on that screen in the lounge, but offerings can change/morph over time. WL CL posts the evening menu for that night on a piece of paper in the lounge. I may be forgetting some that do similar, but generally speaking most don’t.

Your best bet is to ask / search around here to help get an idea of the type / quality of food you’ll likely have in any given CL. Many people post pics or descriptions. It’s hard to keep info current since offerings can change so often. I was just at Poly last weekend and the evening app offerings were nothing like July, just six months earlier. Same style overall, just different dishes.

When I first stayed CL in 2014ish, I found the menus pretty carb heavy overall. These days you’ll still find plenty of breads/cereals/pastries, but most CLs have at least a passable selection of protein, fruit, and far more healthier options. Hard boiled eggs and meats at breakfast, veggies for snacks, proteins/various small plates for evening apps. Heck, BWI has a chef cooking small plates each night.

All have Nespresso machines, which make cappuccino (and other coffee beverages). Poly and AKL have large/fancy looking machines; the other resorts have the smaller table-top version.

I usually pick resort first, CL second...but yes...it’s always hard to choose. My list if places I like is longer than the list of places I don’t like!

Any resorts/CLs near the top of your list at the moment?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Any additional room request you can really make when you are already booked for theme park view club level at the Contemporary?

Odd numbered TPV rooms will let you lay (lie?) in the bed closest to the window and see the MK, like the pic below. Some like to make that a request.



This is pretty minor - and I’d stress I wouldn’t be too upset if I ended up on the Chef Mickey’s side - but if given a choice I’d rather be on the north side of the floor away from Chef Mickey’s. Chef Mickey’s makes some general restaurant noise/chatter/singing that tends to migrate up the atrium, and you can hear it in your room to some extent when it’s particularly noisy (like when they are singing that dance song). Although many adults could easily be out/about enough to never be there for this to be a factor. We had younger kids when we had a room right above CM so were in the room more than perhaps an average guest.

This crude map should help give a general sense of room numbers / 12th floor layout.


Happy to answer any questions.

 

[noahsketomom]

I’ve been trying to scan through this thread, but I’m still confused on the food. We are staying CL (first time) at the Boardwalk for a couple days in April. Four teenagers, a husband, and foodie sister and mother. Food and drink are very important to this crew! I see good reviews of the BW lounge, but what type of food is offered? Trying to figure out if I should make dinner reservations or if lounge food & snacks in parks/quick service in boardwalk area would be enough.
Photos or info of food/drink options would be great!!! TIA!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Still so conflicted to get CLFP or not.
We have a few more months to decide but its killing me to keep flip flopping about it.

We are staying CL for the first time in late July. First time even staying deluxe too!
The main reason we wanted to do the CLFP is because it was like why not since we are already staying CL and getting a 3 day PH (3 days being the minimum in order to purchase it).
The other reason was because we thought maybe it would be a bit more of a relaxing trip since we were getting a minimum of 6 FP+ per day plus we could still work in a few more.
We also thought this would give us the chance to get back to our resort earlier to take advantage of drinks/desserts before the lounge closed.
Our plan was make our regular FP+ in the morning at the park we will start out at and then make the CLFP for a different park for late afternoon/early evening and maybe work in a couple more mid afternoon.


Its just my sister and I.
The main reason we are considering NOT doing it is the price tag. After tax it adds about $324 total to our trip.
We know how to work the system and fairly easily get decent 4th and beyonds via the refresh strategy. (example at MK last time when it was oddly extra crowded with extra long lines we had Space 9:15am, Splash 12pm, JC 1pm, got 4th for Under the Sea since it was a 60 minute wait, got a 5th for Philharmagic since it was a 25 minute wait, got one for Soarin' for 3:30pm, then got one for Soarin' at 7pm.)
We already have a FEA FP+ due to an issue during our last trip.
We would not use a CLFP on FOP as we have no desire to go on it since my sister gets motion sick and I can't see 3D.
We also would not use it on SDD because we are firm believers in RD.

With all things above considered would you say CLFP is worth it in our situation or are we better off saving our money?

So, ultimately it's a personal choice but I'll share our experiences...We did the CL FPs last April. The main reason we did it is because my kids had not been to WDW in 2 years and had not seen three of the nighttime shows so that was a priority. My understanding is that the reserved nighttime viewing is no longer included (I could be wrong about this, I haven't been following closely?), so that was a big part of the "value" for us. I can't find my notes right now to remind me of everything, but...

We really enjoyed what it allowed us to do, and I'm glad that we did it - and in certain circumstances we may do it again. Having said that, I don't necessarily feel like it made the trip feel more "relaxing" to us/me?

What I liked: Reserved seating for nighttime shows - all three of which some or all of us hadn't seen. Being able to avoid tier restrictions - one day, we did DHS in am and Epcot in evening and avoided all the tier restrictions and that was great! You'd have to look at what you want to do to see if that's worth it for you. For us it was pre-TSL, it may have been even more valuable post-TSL, although you mentioned that you don't want to do SDD.

What we didn't like: The "planned" part of our day was too long for us. Now, I might feel differently without kids, and you mentioned you're just with your sister. Usually we have one part of our day planned (AM EMH, dinner ADR or show, etc), then other parts are more relaxed. It was harder to do this with the 6 FPs, three of which I couldn't adjust on my own. I bolded your idea about doing the regular FPs in am, then the CL FPs in evening. I can see why this would be good but you might consider...I did different things depending on our plans, but if I didn't have the evening show reservations to anchor us to a park, I might make the regular FPs in the evening, so you can adjust them. I remember one day, I did a CL FP first thing in MK, then my other FPs so I could get more by early afternoon, then did 2 CL FPs where we were doing our evening show, but I'm not sure I would have liked that if I wasn't committed to the evening show? I'm not quite sure how I would organize if I wasn't anchored to a particular park/evening show?

I'm probably no help at all but I hope I'm making sense!? To summarize: I'm glad we did it, but not sure we'd do it again without the reserved seating for evening shows, except to help with crowds for SWGE or some other specific goal! Either way I'm sure you'll have a lovely time with your sister!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Odd numbered TPV rooms will let you lay (lie?) in the bed closest to the window and see the MK, like the pic below. Some like to make that a request.

View attachment 373462

This is pretty minor - and I’d stress I wouldn’t be too upset if I ended up on the Chef Mickey’s side - but if given a choice I’d rather be on the north side of the floor away from Chef Mickey’s. Chef Mickey’s makes some general restaurant noise/chatter/singing that tends to migrate up the atrium, and you can hear it in your room to some extent when it’s particularly noisy (like when they are singing that dance song). Although many adults could easily be out/about enough to never be there for this to be a factor. We had younger kids when we had a room right above CM so were in the room more than perhaps an average guest.

This crude map should help give a general sense of room numbers / 12th floor layout.
View attachment 373477

Happy to answer any questions.

Could I maybe request "as close to MK as possile"?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

So, ultimately it's a personal choice but I'll share our experiences...We did the CL FPs last April. The main reason we did it is because my kids had not been to WDW in 2 years and had not seen three of the nighttime shows so that was a priority. My understanding is that the reserved nighttime viewing is no longer included (I could be wrong about this, I haven't been following closely?), so that was a big part of the "value" for us. I can't find my notes right now to remind me of everything, but...

We really enjoyed what it allowed us to do, and I'm glad that we did it - and in certain circumstances we may do it again. Having said that, I don't necessarily feel like it made the trip feel more "relaxing" to us/me?

What I liked: Reserved seating for nighttime shows - all three of which some or all of us hadn't seen. Being able to avoid tier restrictions - one day, we did DHS in am and Epcot in evening and avoided all the tier restrictions and that was great! You'd have to look at what you want to do to see if that's worth it for you. For us it was pre-TSL, it may have been even more valuable post-TSL, although you mentioned that you don't want to do SDD.

What we didn't like: The "planned" part of our day was too long for us. Now, I might feel differently without kids, and you mentioned you're just with your sister. Usually we have one part of our day planned (AM EMH, dinner ADR or show, etc), then other parts are more relaxed. It was harder to do this with the 6 FPs, three of which I couldn't adjust on my own. I bolded your idea about doing the regular FPs in am, then the CL FPs in evening. I can see why this would be good but you might consider...I did different things depending on our plans, but if I didn't have the evening show reservations to anchor us to a park, I might make the regular FPs in the evening, so you can adjust them. I remember one day, I did a CL FP first thing in MK, then my other FPs so I could get more by early afternoon, then did 2 CL FPs where we were doing our evening show, but I'm not sure I would have liked that if I wasn't committed to the evening show? I'm not quite sure how I would organize if I wasn't anchored to a particular park/evening show?

I'm probably no help at all but I hope I'm making sense!? To summarize: I'm glad we did it, but not sure we'd do it again without the reserved seating for evening shows, except to help with crowds for SWGE or some other specific goal! Either way I'm sure you'll have a lovely time with your sister!

Lots of great insight thanks! Yeah the being tied to fastpasses that I can't easily modify on the fly is definite lol y a downside for us. It's like what if we are ahead of schedule and want to be done for the day but have fastpasses we paid for? Since we will RD one of the biggies and don't want to do another biggie at all and already have a fastpass for another biggie its seeming less worth it.

 

[tarak]

I go to Disney for the food, so most of my photos are related to eating... This thread was helpful to me, so I hope somebody wants food pictures.
Beach Club
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We stayed BC CL last June and I’d lost a fair amount of weight before we left. I’m pretty sure I gained it all back on account of the mac and cheese bar.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Lots of great insight thanks! Yeah the being tied to fastpasses that I can't easily modify on the fly is definite lol y a downside for us. It's like what if we are ahead of schedule and want to be done for the day but have fastpasses we paid for? Since we will RD one of the biggies and don't want to do another biggie at all and already have a fastpass for another biggie its seeming less worth it.

Yes, I hear you! I definitely "felt" the decrease in flexibility. On the one hand, it might be more manageable with two adults but on the other, you might want more flexibility!

I remembered something else this morning which really highlights the pros and cons...We were staying at AKL. On our AK day, we had scheduled to sleep in, hang out/lunch by the pool, then head in and stay in the park until close. So we had 6 total FPs scheduled for the afternoon and evening.

Con: No one wanted to leave the pool! I tried to shuffle some FPs, but since you can't search times that you already have one booked, we were rather limited. We ended up deciding to burn our first FP, which was fine in the interest of relaxation but felt "wasteful" to me and the whole process of us figuring out what we wanted to do "felt" more stressful than usual for our normal touring style, if that makes sense.

Pro: We had a lovely morning by the pool and still were able to go in and do FOP 2x and Navi 1x, and have a nice time for ourselves at Nomad Lounge. Probably would not have been able to do all that without the CL FPs! But if you don't want to do FOP, that may not be a pro for you. That's why I think you could really look at what you want to do in terms of FPs and schedule and get an idea if it makes sense...happy planning!

 

[mickeynut1]

With the discounts that dropped this week, DH and myself decided to book our third Disney vacation for 2019. We are definitely taking full advantage of the Disney visa discounts, AP 40% off, and the fun in the sun discount.

Trip #1 is March 30-April 6 Yacht club level/GF RPC
Trip #2 is May 31-June 8 Boardwalk Inn club level/ GF RPC
Trip #3 is June 30-July 6 GF RPC **Dad is going with us on this one

My 73 year old Dad (aka Mr Fredrickson) had so much fun Thanksgiving week at Disney, he wanted to return. He melted my heart when he told me he felt like a kid again at Disney and wanted to be a kid one more time. He has such good spirits considering he was told surgery was not option for prostate cancer removal. Waiting to hear from cancer doctor to whether if radiation treatments will work. Life is so short and I am cherishing the amazing memories my husband and I are making and now I am cherishing the memories with my Dad.

Thanks Disney for making dreams come true and for magical memories we all are making with our loved ones.

Sounds like some awesome trips you are planning! I'm glad your dad had a such a great time this past Thanksgiving that he wants to go back with you. So many great memories will be made with you, your DH and your dad. Have fun with the rest of your planning .

I can't get over those Mickey sugar cubes!! So adorable! I can't wait to drop those bad boys in my coffee!!!!

I love them too...very adorable .

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

I have read mixed reviews of GF outer building club level. Beach Club CL and GF are the same price in Aug. Which is the better option? staying 4 nights.

 

[vinotinto]

Sounds like a fun trip!

It’s pretty difficult (read, impossible) to find actual menus. AKL CL has the most detailed written-word menu on that screen in the lounge, but offerings can change/morph over time. WL CL posts the evening menu for that night on a piece of paper in the lounge. I may be forgetting some that do similar, but generally speaking most don’t.

Your best bet is to ask / search around here to help get an idea of the type / quality of food you’ll likely have in any given CL. Many people post pics or descriptions. It’s hard to keep info current since offerings can change so often. I was just at Poly last weekend and the evening app offerings were nothing like July, just six months earlier. Same style overall, just different dishes.

When I first stayed CL in 2014ish, I found the menus pretty carb heavy overall. These days you’ll still find plenty of breads/cereals/pastries, but most CLs have at least a passable selection of protein, fruit, and far more healthier options. Hard boiled eggs and meats at breakfast, veggies for snacks, proteins/various small plates for evening apps. Heck, BWI has a chef cooking small plates each night.

All have Nespresso machines, which make cappuccino (and other coffee beverages). Poly and AKL have large/fancy looking machines; the other resorts have the smaller table-top version.

I usually pick resort first, CL second...but yes...it’s always hard to choose. My list if places I like is longer than the list of places I don’t like!

Any resorts/CLs near the top of your list at the moment?

Very helpful, thank you! I think my main concern is indeed the quality of the food and drinks. I've been reading a bit on the offerings and we've never stayed in either GF or BWI, so those would be new to us. I think my top choices right now (in order):
1. GF RPC
2. BWI
3. GF SL
4. YC
5. Poly

 

[hippiechicken]

I have read mixed reviews of GF outer building club level. Beach Club CL and GF are the same price in Aug. Which is the better option? staying 4 nights.

We love both for different reasons. BC is perfect for convenience to Epcot and the pool. GF has scones, but we love the actual tea room more.
Where will you spend your time?

 

[memma05]

So I tried to book the YC and BC this morning with the AP discount for June and discovered after an hour and a half on the phone with guest relations that as of 1/1/19 Club level Standard and Pool/lagoon view rooms at the YC and BC will now only accommodate 4 people. I am so disappointed! We were so looking forward to trying the YC club level! Thinking we might re-route to GF SL but not sure yet? They suggest Boardwalk but we haven't stayed there before? Any opinions and suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[marissax13]

Staying GF Sugar Loaf CL in March.. anyone stay there recently and share their experience?

 

[rn448698]

Just booked BWI CL for late April/early May 2019. It's been a couple of years since we last stayed there. On our last visit, the CL staff had some challenges with knowing the difference between red and white wine, and getting wine during the day was problematic (i.e. they had to go downstairs to the main bar to get red wine). Are there any recent reports of the availability of wine during the day?

 

[gwynne]

Just booked BWI CL for late April/early May 2019. It's been a couple of years since we last stayed there. On our last visit, the CL staff had some challenges with knowing the difference between red and white wine, and getting wine during the day was problematic (i.e. they had to go downstairs to the main bar to get red wine). Are there any recent reports of the availability of wine during the day?

We were there last month and had a wonderful stay. I am certain all the CL CM's knew the difference between red and white wine. Red wine options during our stay: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pinot Noir. They also had a couple of whites and a sparkling wine.
I never asked for wine during the day, can't help with that. I did ask for a glass of wine during dessert with no problem.

 

[mickeynut1]

So I tried to book the YC and BC this morning with the AP discount for June and discovered after an hour and a half on the phone with guest relations that as of 1/1/19 Club level Standard and Pool/lagoon view rooms at the YC and BC will now only accommodate 4 people. I am so disappointed! We were so looking forward to trying the YC club level! Thinking we might re-route to GF SL but not sure yet? They suggest Boardwalk but we haven't stayed there before? Any opinions and suggestions would be appreciated!

I've never stayed BC or YC CL, but I had my first BWI CL stay last June and I loved everything about it! The lounge is a little small compared to other CL lounges, but very nice and quaint. We frequented the lounge quite a bit during all service times and we never had a problem getting a table. The food offerings were plentiful and always replenished quickly and the CL CMs were top notch! We always received a greeting upon entering the lounge, as well as a "good bye, have a great day/night" when leaving. The CMs were always very friendly and personable and while they did sit and chat with guests if things were slow, they never ignored their responsibilities. I highly recommend BWI CL .

 

[AngiTN]

I’ve been trying to scan through this thread, but I’m still confused on the food. We are staying CL (first time) at the Boardwalk for a couple days in April. Four teenagers, a husband, and foodie sister and mother. Food and drink are very important to this crew! I see good reviews of the BW lounge, but what type of food is offered? Trying to figure out if I should make dinner reservations or if lounge food & snacks in parks/quick service in boardwalk area would be enough.
Photos or info of food/drink options would be great!!! TIA!

Sorry no pics of food, I don't do that
But they have a chef preparing 2 items each night, samples from ESPN, trattoria, or flying fish
Last night we had scallops over risotto or pasta with red sauce and meatballs
Another this week was pork belly Mac and cheese and fish tacos
We never make dinner reservations staying at BWI

Just booked BWI CL for late April/early May 2019. It's been a couple of years since we last stayed there. On our last visit, the CL staff had some challenges with knowing the difference between red and white wine, and getting wine during the day was problematic (i.e. they had to go downstairs to the main bar to get red wine). Are there any recent reports of the availability of wine during the day?

Odd. We've been staying at BWI CL for 2 years and never encountered that. One of the reasons we like it over so many others is they are still self serve for alcohol.
Any of it is right there in the kitchen in the lounge all day. They put it in the fridge at 5