Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[mickeynut1]

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.

I agree about the planning. Sounds like you've planned a nice, relaxing trip that both of you will enjoy .

 

[PolyRob]

Not only will you love it, you’ll also never be able to stay standard again! Have a great time!

Thank you!!

 

[RachelTori]

@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!

As someone who got stranded at WDW for Hurricane Irma (MCO ceased operations at 5:30pm the day I was supposed to fly home to ATL at 6:00pm!), there is no place I'd rather be to ride out a hurricane! I got myself a room at YC (non-CL); spent many hours in Crews Cup (Ale & Compass hadn't yet opened); ate Yachtsman steak ($15 per meal!) on paper plates. Stormalong Bay stayed open as long as it could and reopened shortly after the hurricane passed. The power never went out. The "ride-out crew" included characters and Childrens Activities CMs who entertained the kids. The CMs were there for about 65 hours (starting a full day prior to Irma). We were constantly updated on what was happening and truly always felt safe.

So take the concerns about weather off your list! Just sayin'!!

 

[Eastern]

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!

With the possibility of airfare loss, I would keep it. Stay away from DHS. Make plans to be at the pool every afternoon and just relax in the lounge. Enjoy the afternoon tea. I also wouldn't spend a lot of money on 'extras'. Just being at RPC and having a relaxing time will be enough. You will not want to be park commandos in the September heat and humidity anyway.

 

[vinotinto]

@Rachel GB , I would *not* cancel. Go and have fun and stay far away from SWGE. But, if the budget is getting busted, I would reconsider EMM and cabanas instead of cancelling everything. RPC will be a wonderful treat, make sure you have enough time enjoying it.

 

[Nadine and Fred]

View attachment 387990
Chef Redgie at BWI CL wanted to say hi to all his friends! He’s serving Verlasso Salmon over Celeryroot purée with beet juice reduction. It’s delicious!

Sooooo miss him... tell him see you in Sptember!!

 

[gwynne]

Sooooo miss him... tell him see you in Sptember!!

We are hoping to see him in Oct. He is appreciated!

 

[Rachel GB]

I just have to say that the Dis'ers on this CL thread are AMAZING! The amount of support and replies I've received today is heart-warming . Thank you so much!

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 .







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



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



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



You're welcome

@mickeynut1 , thank you for replying again! That sounds like a great plan!

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.

@ninafeliz , thank you for your reply! You make a lot of good points! Yes, we love RPC and I can see how we could make somewhat of a "staycation" out of it, both to escape the crowds and cut down a bit on our 'extras'! It's very insightful to suggest we'd probably book RPC in the future with a lesser discount if we cancel, just because we want it so much! Thanks again for your helpful input.

As someone who got stranded at WDW for Hurricane Irma (MCO ceased operations at 5:30pm the day I was supposed to fly home to ATL at 6:00pm!), there is no place I'd rather be to ride out a hurricane! I got myself a room at YC (non-CL); spent many hours in Crews Cup (Ale & Compass hadn't yet opened); ate Yachtsman steak ($15 per meal!) on paper plates. Stormalong Bay stayed open as long as it could and reopened shortly after the hurricane passed. The power never went out. The "ride-out crew" included characters and Childrens Activities CMs who entertained the kids. The CMs were there for about 65 hours (starting a full day prior to Irma). We were constantly updated on what was happening and truly always felt safe.

So take the concerns about weather off your list! Just sayin'!!

@RachelTori , thanks for chiming in about one of my BIG concerns! If we saw a hurricane may be heading that way, we would absolutely cancel, but of course, it's amazing to know WDW is a great place to be stranded if you're already there when it hits! I'm glad to hear you were safe during your trip!

With the possibility of airfare loss, I would keep it. Stay away from DHS. Make plans to be at the pool every afternoon and just relax in the lounge. Enjoy the afternoon tea. I also wouldn't spend a lot of money on 'extras'. Just being at RPC and having a relaxing time will be enough. You will not want to be park commandos in the September heat and humidity anyway.

@Eastern , thank you for your response! Yes, we wouldn't use our airfare if we cancel, so it would be a loss. Thank you for your great suggestions! We aren't park commandos in any weather, so we would likely be switching from just a couple of park days to one or none . A relaxing vacation (while everyone else on property is going nuts at HS ) sounds just perfect!

@Rachel GB , I would *not* cancel. Go and have fun and stay far away from SWGE. But, if the budget is getting busted, I would reconsider EMM and cabanas instead of cancelling everything. RPC will be a wonderful treat, make sure you have enough time enjoying it.

@vinotinto , thanks for your reply ! All great tips, and of course, how bad can things be if you're staying at RPC?!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hey @vinotinto - not to pry, but are you doing YC CL on your Star Wars run weekend?

 

[vinotinto]

Hey @vinotinto - not to pry, but are you doing YC CL on your Star Wars run weekend?

Sadly, no. The last 2 nights (Friday/Saturday) were available with a discount, but the Wednesday and Thursday nights were not. I didn't want to do a triple split, and especially did not want to switch on Friday since all 4 of us will be up so early for the 5K and do not want to be orphaned between rooms. So we have a regular garden view room. I was checking constantly for months to see if CL opened, but have stopped checking.

Are ya'll at YC CL for Spring Break? Did you register for the Rival Run? DH is doing all 3 races!

 

[mickeynut1]

I just have to say that the Dis'ers on this CL thread are AMAZING! The amount of support and replies I've received today is heart-warming . Thank you so much!

I agree, everyone here is very friendly and always willing to answer questions and offer opinions/suggestions .

@mickeynut1 , thank you for replying again! That sounds like a great plan!

You're welcome!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Feeling torn and need some expert advice, please!

1. I always try to book travel with the idea it might not happen. I don't typically buy trip insurance, but I usually opt for refundable hotel rates over non-refundable ones. Even at WDW, I often choose 'room only' reservations over packages, unless the package offers an exceptional discount.
2. I also ALWAYS try to keep in my head that it might not happen, in the sense of keeping my expectations low. It sounds like you also had the idea that a hurricane might intrude upon your plans. In a way, you might say a hurricane has happened. We semi-jokingly say things like, "If we were to take a hypothetical trip this summer, where would we want to stay?" not to the point f being annoying, but just to enough to keep options open.


3. In the case of non refundable flights, I don't think I'd fully cancel. I think I'd just restructure it a little. In practice, I've only rarely fully cancelled a trip, but I have restructured many. I keep what we want and re-do the rest. Depending on the terms of your WDW booking- you may well be able to cut your RPC days in half, and stay somewhere else instead.

FL has MANY options. I'll start close: another WDW hotel, a Universal CL (or non CL) room, a high end non-theme park hotel, a day at Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine, Tampa, Clearwater, or head south to see the Everglades or one of FL's MANY other natural parks. Each of those locations offers some really unique stuff to explore. Pick what appeals to you those days.

If you just want to spend a non-theme park day relaxing at a very nice hotel pool, the Orlando area has many options. If the proximity would be too close, there's no shortage of opulent options all over FL.

4. Instead of expressly planning FP/ADR's to get, we usually play a game, A or B. It is very simple: I say two things, "Peter Pan or Pooh?" If Pooh wins, I'll say, "Pooh, or Escape From Gringotts?" and so on...It is pretty fun! I later use the answers to pick FP, ADR's, and even WDW vs. US vs. another city. Maybe try this game, and see where everyone in your family has their heart.​

 

[mickeyluv'r]

both to escape the crowds and cut down a bit on our 'extras'!

I've gone to WDW in almost every month and season. Crowds don't ruin our trip. Actually, the opposite: a very uncrowded WDW is strange, and I don't like when park hours are too short.

There are many ways to dodge crowds at WDW. The beauty of WDW is that is has so very many options all at once.

Even if you were to got to HS, you could skip the whole Star Wars area, and still likely have some options. When Epcot had the Frozen craze- and lines of A&E were 4hours long- the rest of the Epcot wasn't bad. People tend to cluster. It WAS kind of fun to see what a 6 hour line looks like! - from the outside!

Mind, of all the 4 parks, HS is small, with a low number of total attractions. (It isn't like Epcot, which had all kinds of gardens, gift shops, live performers, etc.) So of all the parks, it likely won't handle high volume as well as Epcot or MK. The park will be crowded!

But I'm sure I could easily walk around for a little while and have fun just seeing the new landscape, watching other people's reactions, and well, I'm always curious to know, "What can I see without waiting in the crazy long line?"

One of our favorite secret things at the Contemporary is to watch all the buses go by on their way to/from MK. (The 4th floor deck is open to everyone.) It is just amazing to see how WDW moves people from place to place at practically all hours of the day!

Maybe my sense of fun is a little different from other folks....

I'm also not into paying for most extras, except a few very special ones like CL...

 

[Rachel GB]

1. I always try to book travel with the idea it might not happen. I don't typically buy trip insurance, but I usually opt for refundable hotel rates over non-refundable ones. Even at WDW, I often choose 'room only' reservations over packages, unless the package offers an exceptional discount.
2. I also ALWAYS try to keep in my head that it might not happen, in the sense of keeping my expectations low. It sounds like you also had the idea that a hurricane might intrude upon your plans. In a way, you might say a hurricane has happened. We semi-jokingly say things like, "If we were to take a hypothetical trip this summer, where would we want to stay?" not to the point f being annoying, but just to enough to keep options open.


3. In the case of non refundable flights, I don't think I'd fully cancel. I think I'd just restructure it a little. In practice, I've only rarely fully cancelled a trip, but I have restructured many. I keep what we want and re-do the rest. Depending on the terms of your WDW booking- you may well be able to cut your RPC days in half, and stay somewhere else instead.

FL has MANY options. I'll start close: another WDW hotel, a Universal CL (or non CL) room, a high end non-theme park hotel, a day at Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine, Tampa, Clearwater, or head south to see the Everglades or one of FL's MANY other natural parks. Each of those locations offers some really unique stuff to explore. Pick what appeals to you those days.

If you just want to spend a non-theme park day relaxing at a very nice hotel pool, the Orlando area has many options. If the proximity would be too close, there's no shortage of opulent options all over FL.

4. Instead of expressly planning FP/ADR's to get, we usually play a game, A or B. It is very simple: I say two things, "Peter Pan or Pooh?" If Pooh wins, I'll say, "Pooh, or Escape From Gringotts?" and so on...It is pretty fun! I later use the answers to pick FP, ADR's, and even WDW vs. US vs. another city. Maybe try this game, and see where everyone in your family has their heart.​

I've gone to WDW in almost every month and season. Crowds don't ruin our trip. Actually, the opposite: a very uncrowded WDW is strange, and I don't like when park hours are too short.

There are many ways to dodge crowds at WDW. The beauty of WDW is that is has so very many options all at once.

Even if you were to got to HS, you could skip the whole Star Wars area, and still likely have some options. When Epcot had the Frozen craze- and lines of A&E were 4hours long- the rest of the Epcot wasn't bad. People tend to cluster. It WAS kind of fun to see what a 6 hour line looks like! - from the outside!

Mind, of all the 4 parks, HS is small, with a low number of total attractions. (It isn't like Epcot, which had all kinds of gardens, gift shops, live performers, etc.) So of all the parks, it likely won't handle high volume as well as Epcot or MK. The park will be crowded!

But I'm sure I could easily walk around for a little while and have fun just seeing the new landscape, watching other people's reactions, and well, I'm always curious to know, "What can I see without waiting in the crazy long line?"

One of our favorite secret things at the Contemporary is to watch all the buses go by on their way to/from MK. (The 4th floor deck is open to everyone.) It is just amazing to see how WDW moves people from place to place at practically all hours of the day!

Maybe my sense of fun is a little different from other folks....

I'm also not into paying for most extras, except a few very special ones like CL...

@mickeyluv'r , THANK YOU for your thorough and carefully considered responses!
Your point about room only reservations vs. packages is a great one! We did add on park tickets when we booked to avoid ticket price hikes (of which there have been two already!), however, I can see how the easily refundable room-only reservation is advantageous. It also makes a lot of sense to manage expectations by knowing your trip MAY not happen- another great suggestion and one that may apply to our situation when booking during hurricane season! I agree that restructuring the trip is a good way to go, as other posters have also suggested, and we are working on that . Yes, WDW has options for everyone! There are so many ways to 'do' Disney! Our initial thinking in paid extra activities/events was to replace park days in the HOT and busier-than-anticipated parks! However, I can see your point that there are simple joys to be found at WDW (like your pastime of watching buses @ CR!). I agree, CL is a very special extra, and I think we should focus on that a bit more!

 

[trishadono]

I've gone to WDW in almost every month and season. Crowds don't ruin our trip. Actually, the opposite: a very uncrowded WDW is strange, and I don't like when park hours are too short.

There are many ways to dodge crowds at WDW. The beauty of WDW is that is has so very many options all at once.

Even if you were to got to HS, you could skip the whole Star Wars area, and still likely have some options. When Epcot had the Frozen craze- and lines of A&E were 4hours long- the rest of the Epcot wasn't bad. People tend to cluster. It WAS kind of fun to see what a 6 hour line looks like! - from the outside!

Mind, of all the 4 parks, HS is small, with a low number of total attractions. (It isn't like Epcot, which had all kinds of gardens, gift shops, live performers, etc.) So of all the parks, it likely won't handle high volume as well as Epcot or MK. The park will be crowded!

But I'm sure I could easily walk around for a little while and have fun just seeing the new landscape, watching other people's reactions, and well, I'm always curious to know, "What can I see without waiting in the crazy long line?"

One of our favorite secret things at the Contemporary is to watch all the buses go by on their way to/from MK. (The 4th floor deck is open to everyone.) It is just amazing to see how WDW moves people from place to place at practically all hours of the day!

Maybe my sense of fun is a little different from other folks....

I'm also not into paying for most extras, except a few very special ones like CL...

Sounds like your family a lot like ours

I love to watch and listen to buses and boats. We like to just enjoy the day, rides are not a big deal. It's just so nice to have so many options that every trip you feel you didn't get it all in and next time we'll do this! Or that! Lol

 

[QueenElinor]

We're transferring from a Hilton at DS to the BWI the day after we arrive in Orlando. I wanted to get over there fairly early, drop off the bags and head to the lounge for breakfast while DH picks up one of our sons from the airport at 9:30, then when they arrive, drop off DS19's luggage and head to DHS. Does this sound do-able or am I missing something? Is there a special place to take the bags or just to the desk?

 

[dansdad]

We're transferring from a Hilton at DS to the BWI the day after we arrive in Orlando. I wanted to get over there fairly early, drop off the bags and head to the lounge for breakfast while DH picks up one of our sons from the airport at 9:30, then when they arrive, drop off DS19's luggage and head to DHS. Does this sound do-able or am I missing something? Is there a special place to take the bags or just to the desk?

Definitely doable and a very good plan. You can check in as early as 6:00AM and once you check in, you will have access to the lounge once it opens. And you never know, your room might be ready by the time your DH gets back with your son.

 

[mickeynut1]

I love to watch and listen to buses and boats. We like to just enjoy the day, rides are not a big deal. It's just so nice to have so many options that every trip you feel you didn't get it all in and next time we'll do this! Or that! Lol

Same here. I could sit and watch/listen to the boats and buses all day. I think it's relaxing sometimes to just sit and take everything in without having to be on a strict schedule rushing to get somewhere, whether it's at a park or a resort. I could sit at the Poly or GF for hours just watching/listening to the boats going back and forth to MK .

 

[Runnsally]

Anyone know if all the BC CL water view rooms have full balconies? I’ll hang up and listen...thanks.

 

[Andrea]

Hey guys. I just started ( this morning) looking at maybe booking a trip the first weekend in December. I’m looking at the club level at animal kingdom what are your thoughts about it? I am so confused because I haven’t been to Disney since 2008. We normally do universal every six months but really no planning is involved with universal.