Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[Rachel GB]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!
We’ve been planning for (and dreaming of! ) our upcoming RPC stay in September for quite some time. First, I was worried about heat/humidity/hurricanes, as well as taking the kids out of school so close to the start of the school year. But we thought it was worth it for the low September crowds .
Then... the SWGE announcement. We were upset and had initially said we would cancel in that situation, but after a lot of thought, we decided to rework our trip with one MK day with EMM and lots of extras (BBB, cabanas, etc.) to fill the time and make the best of it. Now, MK EMM dates are ‘lighting up’, but per Disney, they’re not opening it up for booking right now.
My husband feels like too much has gone wrong, and with all of our ‘extras’ (many pre-paid and I would want to book them this coming Tuesday at 180 days), the trip price is climbing much higher than planned.
RPC is our dream, and I know we won’t get it for 30% off again anytime soon.
I guess the question is... when do you let go of a trip?
We’ve come up with two shorter summer trips (non Disney) we could take at luxury resorts for less than this one, but it’s hard to move on!
Thank you for your advice, support, and reading endurance ! I know all of you understand how much a Disney trip (especially CL!!!) means!

 

[mickeynut1]

We can’t wait for our first stay at Wilderness Lodge—and it’s CL at Christmas!! My 14 year old son is very excited about the seating area overlooking the lobby and being able to snack whenever he wants.

That's one of my favorite things about WL CL. I love being able to sit in the lounge and watch the hustle and bustle of people coming and going. Hope you have a great time .

I am really looking forward to our first "real" split stay at 2 new to us resorts, BWI CL & Poly CL.

What a great split, best of both worlds (and two great CLs, IMO). I tried both for the first time last year (had stayed at Poly before, but not CL) and had great experiences at both of them. Have a great trip .

There really are no "seasonal menus" at AKL-CL. They do change-it-up from time to time, but not necessarily because of season change.

I'll be back there again mid-May and will post my observations, in case anyone is interested!

Looking forward to it! I've stayed at AKL, but not CL. Hoping to try it later this year, so I'm always interested in reading about other people's stays .

My slippers and Nespresso machine!! Plus this will be my first 4th of July at the Poly!!

How exciting! I can just imagine how awesome the Poly is over 4th of July! Hope you have a great trip .

We’ll be next door!! Enjoy it!

Hope you have a great return trip to the GF .

DH and myself will be there June 30-July 6. We are also bringing my Dad (Mr Fredrickson) to celebrate him completing 9-10 weeks of radiation treatments.

That is certainly something to celebrate! Good luck to your dad doing his treatments. Hope everyone has a great time in July celebrating .

 

[trishadono]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!
We’ve been planning for (and dreaming of! ) our upcoming RPC stay in September for quite some time. First, I was worried about heat/humidity/hurricanes, as well as taking the kids out of school so close to the start of the school year. But we thought it was worth it for the low September crowds .
Then... the SWGE announcement. We were upset and had initially said we would cancel in that situation, but after a lot of thought, we decided to rework our trip with one MK day with EMM and lots of extras (BBB, cabanas, etc.) to fill the time and make the best of it. Now, MK EMM dates are ‘lighting up’, but per Disney, they’re not opening it up for booking right now.
My husband feels like too much has gone wrong, and with all of our ‘extras’ (many pre-paid and I would want to book them this coming Tuesday at 180 days), the trip price is climbing much higher than planned.
RPC is our dream, and I know we won’t get it for 30% off again anytime soon.
I guess the question is... when do you let go of a trip?
We’ve come up with two shorter summer trips we could take at luxury resorts for less than this one, but it’s hard to move on!
Thank you for your advice, support, and reading endurance ! I know all of you understand how much a Disney trip (especially CL!!!) means!

I do it all the time. I cancel , think of money I just saved then soon after book another trip that works better for myself or other member of my family.

Sometimes timing , price or resort location just doesn't work. With dh it can be the resort itself.

I have learned canceling not a big deal, I still mange to go several times a year. I just keep looking, sometimes the right resort, price and calendar all line up!

That's why I have rpc for Memorial. Ds AP expires check out day, DD lives 5 hours away from us and has the weekend off and will fly to meet us. Dh and I both have off the Monday. We all love the POG, the music and mono. So it's a win for all of us.

 

[Rachel GB]

I do it all the time. I cancel , think of money I just saved then soon after book another trip that works better for myself or other member of my family.

Sometimes timing , price or resort location just doesn't work. With dh it can be the resort itself.

I have learned canceling not a big deal, I still mange to go several times a year. I just keep looking, sometimes the right resort, price and calendar all line up!

That's why I have rpc for Memorial. Ds AP expires check out day, DD lives 5 hours away from us and has the weekend off and will fly to meet us. Dh and I both have off the Monday. We all love the POG, the music and mono. So it's a win for all of us.

Thank you for your reply, @trishadono ! Cancelling this trip would likely mean we won't be back to WDW for at least a year, maybe more, so I'm very hesitant to let go. We take one big family trip a year (we did go to WDW about a month ago, but that was courtesy of my in-laws ). However, you make a good point that sometimes certain factors combine and a trip 'just doesn't work'. Something to think about!
Sounds like your Memorial Day RPC stay is a perfect match for your family! Have a magical trip !

 

[mickeynut1]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!
We’ve been planning for (and dreaming of! ) our upcoming RPC stay in September for quite some time. First, I was worried about heat/humidity/hurricanes, as well as taking the kids out of school so close to the start of the school year. But we thought it was worth it for the low September crowds .
Then... the SWGE announcement. We were upset and had initially said we would cancel in that situation, but after a lot of thought, we decided to rework our trip with one MK day with EMM and lots of extras (BBB, cabanas, etc.) to fill the time and make the best of it. Now, MK EMM dates are ‘lighting up’, but per Disney, they’re not opening it up for booking right now.
My husband feels like too much has gone wrong, and with all of our ‘extras’ (many pre-paid and I would want to book them this coming Tuesday at 180 days), the trip price is climbing much higher than planned.
RPC is our dream, and I know we won’t get it for 30% off again anytime soon.
I guess the question is... when do you let go of a trip?
We’ve come up with two shorter summer trips (non Disney) we could take at luxury resorts for less than this one, but it’s hard to move on!
Thank you for your advice, support, and reading endurance ! I know all of you understand how much a Disney trip (especially CL!!!) means!

I'm sorry everything seems to be going against you with the SW announcement. Is there anyway to reschedule with your discount for August, maybe before school starts/prior to SWGE opening? If it were me, I'd first look to see if I could reschedule for a few weeks earlier than what's booked. If that's not possible, I'd consider just cancelling and seeing what might be available at a later time. Yes, that could mean the discount for your favorite resort/CL might not be available (or as much), but it might be worse taking a trip with added extras/costs and everybody being frustrated with the added crowds. Good luck with your decision, hope everything works out the way you want it to .

I do it all the time. I cancel , think of money I just saved then soon after book another trip that works better for myself or other member of my family.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Wow, always interesting to see the little and not so little things that everyone enjoys/looks forward to on their CL trips.

@Rachel GB - I say keep it. It’s a land in a theme park. It’ll be busy, but exciting. Obviously different size/scale, but we just happened to be at WDW on opening day of TSL last summer and it was a lot of fun just being around the parks with something new going on. I’m planning on our usual Sept/MNSSHP trip this year and likely won’t even go to DHS and I’m all good with that (with any luck SWGE will suck in a lot of people and leave other parks a bit more manageable). Maybe I’m just good at justifying visits (likely) but I’m more worried about weather that time of year than SWGE and don’t plan on making any adjustments.

Good luck deciding, not sure many people here will tell you to cancel a good deal at RPC.

 

[trishadono]

Wow, always interesting to see the little and not so little things that everyone enjoys/looks forward to on their CL trips.

@Rachel GB - I say keep it. It’s a land in a theme park. It’ll be busy, but exciting. Obviously different size/scale, but we just happened to be at WDW on opening day of TSL last summer and it was a lot of fun just being around the parks with something new going on. I’m planning on our usual Sept/MNSSHP trip this year and likely won’t even go to DHS and I’m all good with that (with any luck SWGE will suck in a lot of people and leave other parks a bit more manageable). Maybe I’m just good at justifying visits (likely) but I’m more worried about weather that time of year than SWGE and don’t plan on making any adjustments.

Good luck deciding, not sure many people here will tell you to cancel a good deal at RPC.

As a mom I just enjoy the no cooking or cleaning lol.

Simple pleasures make a trip. It's nice not to rush and have to get somewhere, I dream of just sitting in the lounge at any cl trip.

Who has time in their lives for champagne ? At home those celebrations just don't come up often. At Disney every day is a CELEBRATION!

Hands down dh didn't get it back then but now DOES. Family time at Disney are memories that last forever, keeps a family close, and helps to keep the changes in your kids as the grow memorable. When dh and I go to Disney , all those family trips float as sweet memories before our eyes. All the fun and each age just were such special times.

So I sip my champagne and enjoy a trip down Disney memory lane.

 

[mrsap]

We are down to double digits today!!

 

[3threebabies]

That's one of my favorite things about WL CL. I love being able to sit in the lounge and watch the hustle and bustle of people coming and going. Hope you have a great time .

Thank you! He was obsessed with the lobby Christmas Eve when we went for AP Storybook Dining. I think he could have stayed all night.

ETA correct location.

 

[Zuzupj]

We decided to treat ourselves and added on one night at the RPC to start off our first ever visit to WDW. We are planning to drive 16 hours overnight so we figured spending the first day CL would be the perfect way to recover from the long drive. 30 days to go!

 

[Chavaleh]

As a mom I just enjoy the no cooking or cleaning lol.

I'm taking my best friend to BC CL in June for a week (told my husb our four night stay in May is so we can "test it out" ) to celebrate her being done with breast cancer treatments. She's a compulsive tidier and if left to her own devices will be incapable of just relaxing so I told her it was illegal to make her own bed in WDW. I don't think she's taken a proper vacation since she had kids 20 years ago and the thought of a week of mousekeeping is kind of blowing her mind.

 

[trishadono]

I'm taking my best friend to BC CL in June for a week (told my husb our four night stay in May is so we can "test it out" ) to celebrate her being done with breast cancer treatments. She's a compulsive tidier and if left to her own devices will be incapable of just relaxing so I told her it was illegal to make her own bed in WDW. I don't think she's taken a proper vacation since she had kids 20 years ago and the thought of a week of mousekeeping is kind of blowing her mind.

Love it!

 

[Disneytam]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!
We’ve been planning for (and dreaming of! ) our upcoming RPC stay in September for quite some time. First, I was worried about heat/humidity/hurricanes, as well as taking the kids out of school so close to the start of the school year. But we thought it was worth it for the low September crowds .
Then... the SWGE announcement. We were upset and had initially said we would cancel in that situation, but after a lot of thought, we decided to rework our trip with one MK day with EMM and lots of extras (BBB, cabanas, etc.) to fill the time and make the best of it. Now, MK EMM dates are ‘lighting up’, but per Disney, they’re not opening it up for booking right now.
My husband feels like too much has gone wrong, and with all of our ‘extras’ (many pre-paid and I would want to book them this coming Tuesday at 180 days), the trip price is climbing much higher than planned.
RPC is our dream, and I know we won’t get it for 30% off again anytime soon.
I guess the question is... when do you let go of a trip?
We’ve come up with two shorter summer trips (non Disney) we could take at luxury resorts for less than this one, but it’s hard to move on!
Thank you for your advice, support, and reading endurance ! I know all of you understand how much a Disney trip (especially CL!!!) means!

Don't cancel, you will regret it. Or at least I did. Since our son is all grown up my husband and I have been making at least one sometimes two trips to Disney a year. Three years ago I had a short trip booked for just my son and I, sorta a last trip with my son before he just got to wrapped up in his own life to want to take a Disney trip with his mom. As will happen life got in the way and we had to cancel our trip at the last minute. It's one of the biggest regrets I have. As expected my son just doesn't have the time or the will to go to Disney with his Mom now though I have enjoyed planning two trips for him with his girlfriend. It's one of those things that you just wont ever be able to get back. Maybe cut back on some of the extra things you have planned and spend some time enjoying the resort and the RPC. We have stayed there many times and it is a wonderful place if you remember to slow down a bit and enjoy it.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I am looking forward to trying the Atrium CL for something different. I love reading your reviews, so I know what to expect. My husband really likes sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch in front of Exposition Hall and people watching , so being able to walk to the MK will be nice for a change. Also, being a monorail ride away from Epcot will be nice too.

GADisneyDad14 gave a very detailed picture of the CR CL, and very factual concerning the food.

Compared to some CL's, on the whole, the CR food isn't quite as filling as some of the other lounges. Though, I'd clarify that by saying the CR desserts are a little above average some other lounges (tasty and pretty).

Yet CR has a certain something special the other lounges don't have. You might say, je ne sais quoi. The atmosphere of the CR CL is just more relaxing than any of the other lounges, and that makes it kind of special.

 

[PPFlight75]

mrsap and PPFlight75
Are you both at the Grand Floridian July 4th week?

DH and myself will be there June 30-July 6. We are also bringing my Dad (Mr Fredrickson) to celebrate him completing 9-10 weeks of radiation treatments.

We are at BWI 6/30-7/3 and Poly CL 7/3-7/9. We are so looking forward to it!!

Hope to do GF RPC for our anniversary next spring though.

I hope you have a great time with your dad!! So happy for him

 

[Rachel GB]

I'm sorry everything seems to be going against you with the SW announcement. Is there anyway to reschedule with your discount for August, maybe before school starts/prior to SWGE opening? If it were me, I'd first look to see if I could reschedule for a few weeks earlier than what's booked. If that's not possible, I'd consider just cancelling and seeing what might be available at a later time. Yes, that could mean the discount for your favorite resort/CL might not be available (or as much), but it might be worse taking a trip with added extras/costs and everybody being frustrated with the added crowds. Good luck with your decision, hope everything works out the way you want it to .

Thank you for your reply, @mickeynut1 ! We have really investigated moving to August. We got a great flight price when it was first released, so moving to August would cost us a minimum of another $1,000, possibly more, to change flights. Maybe cancelling and keeping my eyes open for something at a later date may be a good idea, although we pretty much want to skip SWGE mania! I agree, cutting our losses (and losing our $850 in airfare as we never fly!) may be the way to go! SO much to think about!

Wow, always interesting to see the little and not so little things that everyone enjoys/looks forward to on their CL trips.

@Rachel GB - I say keep it. It’s a land in a theme park. It’ll be busy, but exciting. Obviously different size/scale, but we just happened to be at WDW on opening day of TSL last summer and it was a lot of fun just being around the parks with something new going on. I’m planning on our usual Sept/MNSSHP trip this year and likely won’t even go to DHS and I’m all good with that (with any luck SWGE will suck in a lot of people and leave other parks a bit more manageable). Maybe I’m just good at justifying visits (likely) but I’m more worried about weather that time of year than SWGE and don’t plan on making any adjustments.

Good luck deciding, not sure many people here will tell you to cancel a good deal at RPC.

@GADisneyDad14 , thank you for your input! Yes, I'm still very worried about weather! As mentioned above, moving to August would mean at least another $1,000 in airfare. I think taking the kids out of school right after it starts and the possibility of a hurricane were always primary concerns. Thank you for offering a great perspective on being at WDW during September! Have a wonderful September trip!

Don't cancel, you will regret it. Or at least I did. Since our son is all grown up my husband and I have been making at least one sometimes two trips to Disney a year. Three years ago I had a short trip booked for just my son and I, sorta a last trip with my son before he just got to wrapped up in his own life to want to take a Disney trip with his mom. As will happen life got in the way and we had to cancel our trip at the last minute. It's one of the biggest regrets I have. As expected my son just doesn't have the time or the will to go to Disney with his Mom now though I have enjoyed planning two trips for him with his girlfriend. It's one of those things that you just wont ever be able to get back. Maybe cut back on some of the extra things you have planned and spend some time enjoying the resort and the RPC. We have stayed there many times and it is a wonderful place if you remember to slow down a bit and enjoy it.

@Disneytam , thank you for your reply! I'm sorry to hear about your regret at cancelling your trip. You make a good point! You never know when cancelling a trip in anticipation of a future trip- if the future trip will actually happen! Thank you for your suggestions. We have definitely considered cutting back the extras. I think we would like to move to August, but that would mean another $1,000 in airfare (as it has gone up significantly!). So much to think about! Glad to hear you love RPC, too!

 

[PPFlight75]

That's one of my favorite things about WL CL. I love being able to sit in the lounge and watch the hustle and bustle of people coming and going. Hope you have a great time .



What a great split, best of both worlds (and two great CLs, IMO). I tried both for the first time last year (had stayed at Poly before, but not CL) and had great experiences at both of them. Have a great trip .



Looking forward to it! I've stayed at AKL, but not CL. Hoping to try it later this year, so I'm always interested in reading about other people's stays .



How exciting! I can just imagine how awesome the Poly is over 4th of July! Hope you have a great trip .



Hope you have a great return trip to the GF .



That is certainly something to celebrate! Good luck to your dad doing his treatments. Hope everyone has a great time in July celebrating .

Thanks!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you for your reply, @mickeynut1 ! We have really investigated moving to August. We got a great flight price when it was first released, so moving to August would cost us a minimum of another $1,000, possibly more, to change flights. Maybe cancelling and keeping my eyes open for something at a later date may be a good idea, although we pretty much want to skip SWGE mania! I agree, cutting our losses (and losing our $850 in airfare as we never fly!) may be the way to go! SO much to think about!

I wasn't thinking about airfare, that's a pretty good amount of money to lose. If rescheduling to August isn't possible, maybe just stick with what you have booked and plan on a little more resort time enjoying RPC. You can still enjoy the parks, but maybe just steer clear of DHS. Good luck with whatever you decide .

We are down to double digits today!!

Thank you! He was obsessed with the lobby Christmas Eve when we went for AP Storybook Dining. I think he could have stayed all night.

Sounds like he's going to have a great time .

We decided to treat ourselves and added on one night at the RPC to start off our first ever visit to WDW. We are planning to drive 16 hours overnight so we figured spending the first day CL would be the perfect way to recover from the long drive. 30 days to go!

RPC will be a nice treat after a long drive! Enjoy and have a great time .

I'm taking my best friend to BC CL in June for a week (told my husb our four night stay in May is so we can "test it out" ) to celebrate her being done with breast cancer treatments. She's a compulsive tidier and if left to her own devices will be incapable of just relaxing so I told her it was illegal to make her own bed in WDW. I don't think she's taken a proper vacation since she had kids 20 years ago and the thought of a week of mousekeeping is kind of blowing her mind.

How nice of you! Hope your friend is able to relax and enjoy the trip. Hope you both have a great time .

Thanks!!

You're welcome

 

[Chavaleh]

How nice of you! Hope your friend is able to relax and enjoy the trip. Hope you both have a great time .

She's just an excuse for me to get away to Disney again. Seriously though, it's so much fun to plan trips for people with very different priorities. Last summer we got to plan a GOGOGO trip for my niece and nephews and my husband and I are doing our laid back casual trip in May and then my priority for my friend is to return her home as floppy and relaxed as an over cooked pasta noodle. Minimal FP's, couple of cabana days, plenty of cocktails and massage or two. I think CL will greatly facilitate my objectives. So many ways to do Disney.

 

[ninafeliz]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!
We’ve been planning for (and dreaming of! ) our upcoming RPC stay in September for quite some time. First, I was worried about heat/humidity/hurricanes, as well as taking the kids out of school so close to the start of the school year. But we thought it was worth it for the low September crowds .
Then... the SWGE announcement. We were upset and had initially said we would cancel in that situation, but after a lot of thought, we decided to rework our trip with one MK day with EMM and lots of extras (BBB, cabanas, etc.) to fill the time and make the best of it. Now, MK EMM dates are ‘lighting up’, but per Disney, they’re not opening it up for booking right now.
My husband feels like too much has gone wrong, and with all of our ‘extras’ (many pre-paid and I would want to book them this coming Tuesday at 180 days), the trip price is climbing much higher than planned.
RPC is our dream, and I know we won’t get it for 30% off again anytime soon.
I guess the question is... when do you let go of a trip?
We’ve come up with two shorter summer trips (non Disney) we could take at luxury resorts for less than this one, but it’s hard to move on!
Thank you for your advice, support, and reading endurance ! I know all of you understand how much a Disney trip (especially CL!!!) means!

I wouldn’t cancel just because SWGE opened early and EMM might not be happening . Sure it might be annoying, but you can just avoid going to DHS if you don’t want to deal with the worst of the crowds. Or go once to see what it’s like and be able to say you were there- that’s what i would do in your case. Plus, maybe they will announce a way for you to actually see Galaxys Edge without waiting in line all day (a paid event you decide to do being most likely) and you’ll get to be among the first. Otherwise, RPC is amazing and I could pretty much make a vacation out of the monorail resorts with meals, a cabana at the pool, relaxing in the amazing lounge, etc... if you’ve always wanted RPC and you got it for the price you want, I think you’ll regret canceling and end up going a different time even if the discount is less because of that regret and the desire to stay there. Unless More has gone wrong than you mentioned, it doesn’t really seem that bad from an outside perspective. Also, the extras may be prepaid, but they are refundable, so you can book them and not risk your money if you still
decide to cancel.