Disney High-Rollers: Club Level

Welcome back to the blog and to a new series we are calling "Disney High Rollers". What are Disney High Rollers, you might ask? They are those folks who have a little extra cash burning a hole in their pocket who want to splurge to make a trip to Walt Disney World extra special. Think of these experiences like flying First Class, except you're on land at Walt Disney World.

This week, we're going to talk about club level.

What Is Club Level?

Club Level is a room category at Walt Disney World resorts. These rooms come with extra perks that we will describe in a bit. Some people may also use the term "concierge level", though the official Walt Disney World term is "club level".

The name is actually something of a misnomer, because there is no club you have to join to book one of these rooms. Anyone willing to pay for the perks can book one. And also at most resorts, these rooms are not all on one level or floor. They can be, but they can also be spread around the resort. Usually, however, they will be near a club lounge, which is one of the perks.

Club level is not offered at all Disney resorts. In fact, it is only offered at Deluxe resorts, and Coronado Springs Resorts Gran Destino Tower. Coronado Springs, as we've mentioned before, is a bit of an oddball moderate resort, meaning it is soundly within the confines of the "moderate" category based on how Disney would typically define a resort - It is not particularly near a park, does not have direct non-bus transportation to a park, and aside from Gran Destino Tower, has rooms with exterior passageways as opposed to interior hallways. However the amenities at Coronado Springs have always leaned a little more toward the deluxe side in that there is a hot tub, there are several table service restaurants on site, there are king beds in some rooms, and there is a club level.

What Do You Get With Club Level?

The primary benefit of club level, and the item most people think of is exclusive access to a lounge. Those who've experienced a club lounge outside of Disney might be thinking of a place to work quietly, and while some lounges are certainly that, the main draw of the Disney club level lounge is the food included in the price of club level.

Most lounges will be offering different snacks and beverages throughout the day, as follows:

Very early morning - coffee and tea

Around park opening time/morning - coffee, tea, pastries, and other continental breakfast items

Afternoon - light snacks (think pretzels, chips, and candy)

Around dinner time - hors d'oeuvres and drinks (often from the resort's restaurant)

After dinner/ evening until midnight - desserts and cordials

Also throughout the day, guests at club level can access a refrigerator with sodas, waters, juices, and more cold non-alcoholic beverages.

Yes, we said alcohol, which is one thing that might make a club level room worth your penny. If you like to cap each night with a visit to a bar and buy your own drinks, you might actually save some money by splurging for club level and drinking back at your lounge.

As far as the other food offerings, unless you are a light eater at breakfast and lunch, or can make a meal, particularly for lunch, out of chips and pretzels, we wouldn't go so far as to say that club level will take care of all your meals. That's not really the purpose of it either, but many do try to use it in this way. When it comes to the dinner time and evening offerings, however, some guests do report they'd be happy to sub their club level offerings for a dinner out.

That's the food, but there are other benefits to getting a club level room. The lounge itself will also have comfy chairs, TVs, and newspapers so if you are looking for or needing a spot that isn't your room to just chill a bit, this is useful for that as well. Be mindful, however, that while the visitors to the lounge are sparse except for when food is first being put out, you may never truly be solitary even there. After all, it is a shared space.

Additionally, at most resorts, a club level room is equivalent to a preferred room, either offering a great view or convenient location to amenities, including that lounge. And at some resorts, the lounge itself offers a spectacular view, such as the King Kamehameha Lounge at the Polynesian Village Resort.

You will also have access to Signature Services concierge specifically for club level guests. The concierge is not going to be able to score that non-existing Lightning Lane time, or do the impossible, but some say the club level concierges in particular seem to be able to score hard to get ADRs, even at very popular restaurants. However, others say they can't do anything you couldn't do using the MyDisneyExperience app.

They can also set up your Lightning Lanes for the day or plan your day and deliver you a schedule. This Signature Services concierge staff is also a perk during check in, where, except for in the very early morning or late night, a special check in desk is staffed just for club level guests, so you can skip the lines at regular check in.

You also get perks like evening turn down service and free access to the fitness center. What you WON'T get is VIP tours or passes to the front of the line, but don't worry, High Roller, we'll talk about those things another time.

The lobby at the Polynesian Village Resort

How Much Does It Cost?

Since club level rooms are already at Deluxe resorts, in general, and usually would be in the preferred room category, we feel it's only fair to talk about price in terms of upcharge over a preferred room at a Deluxe resort. Here you'll find quite a bit of variation. This could be anywhere from a $150 upcharge to a $400 upcharge per night.

It's unlikely club level is going to save you money unless you plan to be at your resort quite a bit and have several people staying in the same room. The average person eating all their meals somewhere on resort property can be expected to spend between $40-80 a day, so even the cheapest club offering is way above that for a single guest. Start splitting that and you get closer to reasonable. But again, we're not talking about budgeting or how to save money with this experience. We're talking about something special and different that money can buy.

Even so, if you are accustomed to staying in concierge level or club level outside of Walt Disney World resorts, you may be disappointed in Disney's translation of this service. The concierge staff can only do basically what you can do and only save you effort.... they can't pull strings or get you exclusive services no one else can get. And the food, with the possible exception of evenings at some resorts, is pretty basic. We think, however, that this is pretty on par with Disney's definition of Deluxe resorts. Stay outside of Disney and you can basically expect continental breakfast and a vast selection of pillows, even at reasonably priced hotels. Stay within Disney and you are paying for the atmosphere, proximity to parks, and maintaining that Disney bubble.

Scenery on a rainy day at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

Best and Worst Club Levels

Every resort that offers it has a different name for their club level lounge, and the experience can vary pretty significantly. Even so, the following club level experiences come in with better reviews than others:

For the Views - King Kamehameha Lounge at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. The lounge is a two story room with windows all along one wall, facing the beach, and therefore, the castle across the lagoon. During fireworks, music is piped in and this is one of the most uncrowded locations in which to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Additionally, club level here is in its own building which can only be accessed by club level guests. And you can order food from Ohana to be delivered to the club lounge.

For the Eats - Kilimanjaro Club at Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort. Food here is offered referred to as spectacular with offerings being brought in from Boma and Jiko, two signature restaurants at the resort. There will be African inspired dishes as well as more traditional favorites. Additionally, all club level rooms at this resort are savannah view rooms, you are typically welcomed to your room with a bag of park maps, post cards, and lounge information, and the lounge itself overlooks the gorgeous Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby.

For Business-Style Class - Chronos Club at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Believe it or not, the one lounge at a moderate resort makes the list of best. When you are paying a much lower rate to stay in a club level room at this resort, you might wonder if this lounge would really stack up, and it does. It is one of the largest lounge spaces among the club lounges, and offers views of Disney Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. The food and theming may appeal to some and not others. For theming, there is nothing particularly "Disney" about it, but it looks just generically classy. And for food, you won't find a lot of familiar favorites or comfort food here as for meals other than breakfast, the menu is heavy on seafood and vegan options. For others, the fact that the food is adventurous is the appeal. And breakfast must be mentioned as this is one of few lounges that offers hot offerings during breakfast. One major drawback? Unlike other lounges, this one is not open 24/7, and rather has the hours of 6:30 AM to 10 PM, with 10 PM not often being late enough to hit up after staying in a park for fireworks.

Among the worst lounges, according to reviews, are the following:

Sugarloaf building club level at the Grand Floridian - Despite the Grand Floridian supposedly being the most luxury of luxury resorts, the club level rooms in Sugarloaf are referred to often as basic, and the club lounge itself is tiny. Aside from the afternoon tea offerings and dessert, the food in the lounge sounds pretty basic. Some reviewers even say the lounge can sometimes be a little bit dirty with Cast Members not cleaning up dirty plates timely. Lately, it's also been understaffed so a Cast Member showing you to your room when you arrive, or going out of their way for you seems an unlikely occurrence right now. The amenities in the room also don't seem to stack up against other Deluxe resorts, with guests saying they only get shower gel, soap, and hair care with at other Deluxe resorts, guests at club level have received things like sunscreen, lotion, shower caps, and more. It is important to note there is another club level and another lounge at the Grand Floridian that comes in with better ratings.

Stone Harbor Club at the Beach Club Resort - There are some bonuses here, to be fair, in that this lounge seems to be one of the largest on offer and the resort itself has the best pool (which anyone, staying in any type of room at this resort can take advantage of). The food on offer in the lounge, however, is pretty basic. Think chicken nuggets and pigs in a blanket. And the atmosphere of the lounge is nothing particularly special.

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Have you stayed club level? Tell us about your experience by commenting on this post, or, better yet, heading over to our Facebook page where you can comment on this post and follow us to see when new articles are posted each week. Until next time...