Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[conandrob240]

One consideration is that I am really obsessed with "bang for your buck" which sometimes results in me planning too much of the day around lounge offerings. Making sure we're back for apps or desserts. Sometimes it works out, other times I find myself obsessing too much over it.

 

[cwis]

One consideration is that I am really obsessed with "bang for your buck" which sometimes results in me planning too much of the day around lounge offerings. Making sure we're back for apps or desserts. Sometimes it works out, other times I find myself obsessing too much over it.

Another big advantage of the CL lounges is that their food offering is to be found nowhere else. I would gladly pay for a “CL-lounge-style buffet” in a theme park. But, where can I find the bagels at breakfast? the hot appetizers served in small plates for dinner? the vegetables that I can serve myself how much I want?

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Very disappointing response from the chef. When we were there in July, people were using the breakfast items to make sandwiches that they packed up for lunch. I'm sure that was sending Chef Gene over the edge! We did not really have what I'd say was a bad experience, but some of the CMs were not particularly nice on both of our last 2 stays. They complained within my earshot about the guests (e.g., about guests leaving things on tables or asking for paper cup to take something to the pool, etc) and were noticeably put out if you asked for anything. There were some really good moments, but the overall vibe I got from some of the CMs was that the lounge would be sooo much better if all the hotel guests would just stay home instead.

We had about 3 or 4 nice CMs in the Poly - Denise and Irv being 2 of them. We did hear CMs complaining. One CM reprimanded us for putting 2 tables together. We made sure not to be in the way but she said there are bigger tables for big parties - yet those big tables were taken. We love the lounge and the vibe of the Poly but that feeling from some of the CMs isn't warm and friendly. At the BWI they left plastic bags with ties to take snacks to go. They also would offer to get us anything we needed. All the CMs in the BWI were so friendly - Lorenzo, Anita, Joe, Steven, Shannon, JJ and Denny (who seemed to be a manager). We love the Poly and will be back I just wish we didn't have that encounter with Gene.

Sorry to hear you had a negative experience. That response definitely was not called for.

Yes it wasn't called for but we didn't let it ruin our stay. We do love the Poly and the nice CMs make up for the rude ones.

 

[jods]

BWI vs Poly CL
Mini food review between the BWI and the Poly. We just finished a 2 week stay with 8 days at the BWI CL and 5 days at the Poly CL. I have to say we were so disappointed with the Poly chef – Gene. Our 2nd night there we had appetizers at about 5pm. While they were cleaning up my husband went over to Gene (the chef) and thanked him for the food and used those exact words. Gene looked up and said – “It was supposed to be an appetizer – not a meal”. My husband was shocked and didn’t know how to answer that. Then on our last day at 9:40am we went to get some breakfast and they had no more protein out yet breakfast was ending at 10:30am – we were told at check in that there would be a protein out every day for breakfast. We asked Ivette, one of the CL CMs to get more chicken and she came back and said the chef (Gene) said there is no more protein. Our friend’s daughter has a dairy allergy and is allergic to oatmeal. I explained it to her and if there was anything else she could eat besides a bagel and she said the chef said no – they have nothing else. Don’t you know for appetizers – 2 hours later they had chicken out for the lettuce wraps. So so disappointed to have a chef judge how much we eat. Let us compare Gene to Redgie the chef at the BWI CL – who if he knew you loved something he would ask you if you wanted more. Redgie always had a smile and was such a nice. My husband and Redgie were friends by the time we left. My husband is a nice guy who makes sure he thanks everyone for their service – so Gene’s answer was horrible. He is the chef and shouldn’t judge how much people eat. We just got back today – so I will write a letter to the Polynesian – I made a complaint there but will also write a letter. We absolutely loved everything about the BWI CL – truly the best resort in terms of food and CMs. I just love the Poly for the theme and location plus many of the CMs were lovely but the BWI just made us feel like home.

Sorry you had a bad experience. We just got in from the BC yesterday. While the offerings were delicious, the service was not. On several occasions there was this family in the lounge (sorry if it was a fellow disser) and they must have been VIPs or friends with the staff. Anyway, the staff was bringing food to them, chatting with them, etc. All the while, I was standing 5 ft seat waiting to ask for a beverage. I waited over 10 minutes on more then 1 occasion. One cm was telling the other cm what to make them to try. This happened on more then one occasion. I was telling my husband about it and he said it happened to him as well, same family. Several cms around the table. Very odd.

 

[jods]

We had about 3 or 4 nice CMs in the Poly - Denise and Irv being 2 of them. We did hear CMs complaining. One CM reprimanded us for putting 2 tables together. We made sure not to be in the way but she said there are bigger tables for big parties - yet those big tables were taken. We love the lounge and the vibe of the Poly but that feeling from some of the CMs isn't warm and friendly. At the BWI they left plastic bags with ties to take snacks to go. They also would offer to get us anything we needed. All the CMs in the BWI were so friendly - Lorenzo, Anita, Joe, Steven, Shannon, JJ and Denny (who seemed to be a manager). We love the Poly and will be back I just wish we didn't have that encounter with Gene.



Yes it wasn't called for but we didn't let it ruin our stay. We do love the Poly and the nice CMs make up for the rude ones.

I wanted to ask to switch to BWI club half way into our BC club stay because of the awesome reviews but my husband had no desire to pack and move. Love the vibe of the BW area way more then the BC vibe.

 

[conandrob240]

We found the CMs at both BC and Poly to be less than magical last year. A great one or two but mostly just "eh". Did not like food at the Poly at all but I could stay in that lounge and stare at the castle and watch fireworks forever. Plus it is super close to the rooms and to the Oasis pool. Food was great at BC but quite a hike to the pool from the lounge making a stop in for a beer or glass of wine less convenient.

Last minute trip planning for week after next and considering GF CL or YC CL or spending the $ on deluxe dining instead. Leaning towards YC because of F&W.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Sorry you had a bad experience. We just got in from the BC yesterday. While the offerings were delicious, the service was not. On several occasions there was this family in the lounge (sorry if it was a fellow disser) and they must have been VIPs or friends with the staff. Anyway, the staff was bringing food to them, chatting with them, etc. All the while, I was standing 5 ft seat waiting to ask for a beverage. I waited over 10 minutes on more then 1 occasion. One cm was telling the other cm what to make them to try. This happened on more then one occasion. I was telling my husband about it and he said it happened to him as well, same family. Several cms around the table. Very odd.

I wanted to ask to switch to BWI club half way into our BC club stay because of the awesome reviews but my husband had no desire to pack and move. Love the vibe of the BW area way more then the BC vibe.

We did not like our experience at the BC CL at all. The CMs did not interact with any guests while we were there. They do have good offerings but didn't like the CMs at all. The BWI CL to us in like returning to family. My son grew about 6-8 inches from last time we were there and looked very different but the CMs still recognized him. They said wow you grew so much - we almost didn't recognize you. It is so nice to see the same faces many years later. We first went to the BWI CL 7 years ago and many of the CMs are the same. They do a great job there. I didn't speak to someone while we were at the Poly but the manager wasn't available - I was given an email address - so I will email them.

I understand about your husband not wanting to move hotels. We do it so we can stay at our 2 favorite hotels.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hey there @DisneyFansInNYC, sorry your trip is over. But I'll be selfish and ask when is your next video going to be ready? (I'm kidding BTW)

Interesting comment about that particular Poly CL chef. He has been there as long as I've been going to Poly (admittedly not that long). My interactions with him have been totally bipolar. For the longest time he didn't talk much (I am like your DH and like to say hi/thanks when I can) and was pretty cold. He seemed to become more chatty this year with the small plates given the chef is pretty much 'there' during most of the app service and he had no choice but to engage, or maybe he just finally warmed up to me. But yeah, that's a pretty horrible thing to say to a guest... I'm sorry that happened to you guys.

There's a female chef (name is escaping me) who unfortunately doesn't seem to work Poly CL that often but I wish she did. Her service has been A+.

Other than that, did you have a good trip overall?

 

[mrsap]

We had about 3 or 4 nice CMs in the Poly - Denise and Irv being 2 of them. We did hear CMs complaining. One CM reprimanded us for putting 2 tables together. We made sure not to be in the way but she said there are bigger tables for big parties - yet those big tables were taken. We love the lounge and the vibe of the Poly but that feeling from some of the CMs isn't warm and friendly. At the BWI they left plastic bags with ties to take snacks to go. They also would offer to get us anything we needed. All the CMs in the BWI were so friendly - Lorenzo, Anita, Joe, Steven, Shannon, JJ and Denny (who seemed to be a manager). We love the Poly and will be back I just wish we didn't have that encounter with Gene.



Yes it wasn't called for but we didn't let it ruin our stay. We do love the Poly and the nice CMs make up for the rude ones.

That's the type of friendliness you'd expect. I don't think it's a lot to ask, especially for someone who is working in a customer service position. I'm happy you had a great experience at BWI!

 

[RachelTori]

BWI vs Poly CL
Mini food review between the BWI and the Poly. We just finished a 2 week stay with 8 days at the BWI CL and 5 days at the Poly CL. I have to say we were so disappointed with the Poly chef – Gene. Our 2nd night there we had appetizers at about 5pm. While they were cleaning up my husband went over to Gene (the chef) and thanked him for the food and used those exact words. Gene looked up and said – “It was supposed to be an appetizer – not a meal”. My husband was shocked and didn’t know how to answer that. Then on our last day at 9:40am we went to get some breakfast and they had no more protein out yet breakfast was ending at 10:30am – we were told at check in that there would be a protein out every day for breakfast. We asked Ivette, one of the CL CMs to get more chicken and she came back and said the chef (Gene) said there is no more protein. Our friend’s daughter has a dairy allergy and is allergic to oatmeal. I explained it to her and if there was anything else she could eat besides a bagel and she said the chef said no – they have nothing else. Don’t you know for appetizers – 2 hours later they had chicken out for the lettuce wraps. So so disappointed to have a chef judge how much we eat. Let us compare Gene to Redgie the chef at the BWI CL – who if he knew you loved something he would ask you if you wanted more. Redgie always had a smile and was such a nice. My husband and Redgie were friends by the time we left. My husband is a nice guy who makes sure he thanks everyone for their service – so Gene’s answer was horrible. He is the chef and shouldn’t judge how much people eat. We just got back today – so I will write a letter to the Polynesian – I made a complaint there but will also write a letter. We absolutely loved everything about the BWI CL – truly the best resort in terms of food and CMs. I just love the Poly for the theme and location plus many of the CMs were lovely but the BWI just made us feel like home.

I'm so sorry about your Poly CL experience. We, honestly, weren't overly impressed with Poly but that was serval years ago.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE BWI-CL and Chef Redgie!! I can't wait to see him again in December!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Hey there @DisneyFansInNYC, sorry your trip is over. But I'll be selfish and ask when is your next video going to be ready? (I'm kidding BTW)

Interesting comment about that particular Poly CL chef. He has been there as long as I've been going to Poly (admittedly not that long). My interactions with him have been totally bipolar. For the longest time he didn't talk much (I am like your DH and like to say hi/thanks when I can) and was pretty cold. He seemed to become more chatty this year with the small plates given the chef is pretty much 'there' during most of the app service and he had no choice but to engage, or maybe he just finally warmed up to me. But yeah, that's a pretty horrible thing to say to a guest... I'm sorry that happened to you guys.

There's a female chef (name is escaping me) who unfortunately doesn't seem to work Poly CL that often but I wish she did. Her service has been A+.

Other than that, did you have a good trip overall?

That is so funny our DD starting editing the video in the car ride home. We took so much footage since we were with different groups of people.

We had a great trip. Always goes so fast. We absolutely loved the BWI - the CMs were even nicer than usual - especially the chef Redgie. The BWI CL never had a chef before and it was excellent. The food he made was unbelievable - each night there was a fish and either a meat or a pasta ex: Octopus, mussels, catfish, gnocchi, steak, pork, pulled pork grilled cheese. Truly upscale food offering - nothing like at the Poly. We then went to the Poly. Had a lovely CM check us in and our room was ready early. We had 4 rooms all TPV. We got everything that we asked for - 2 of the rooms close to the lounge and 2 of them adjoining. We had great experiences with Mousekeeping and had turn-down service each night. We only had appetizers 2 times at the Poly and Gene was nasty the first night. We definitely did not eat too much and do not drink alcohol - except for the sangria. So why he was nasty to my husband I do not know. Maybe that night we were a little hungry but still that wasn't nice. We spoke with a CM and was told the female chef would never do that - we never had her. We had Gene and Chris all 5 nights. We love the Poly lounge so much nicer than the BWI but wish the food and the CMs at the Poly were like the BWI. We didn't let it bother us - we love the vide of the Poly - the beach - the fireworks. The music on the beach was at a good volume. We loved watching Happily Ever After from the Poly beach or lounge.

The one issue that we noticed is the not great service with the monorail. We ended up using the boat to MK mostly. Especially at night the monorail to go back to the Poly was horrible - the line was so so long and the wait for monorails were even longer. One time we had to walk to the CR in order to get on a monorail sooner. When we were at the BWI we used the Minivan when leaving MK and it was wonderful. I really hope they do something to fix the monorail system - that is why we love the MK resorts. That is the one major plus of the CR - you never have to worry about leaving MK.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

I'm so sorry about your Poly CL experience. We, honestly, weren't overly impressed with Poly but that was serval years ago.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE BWI-CL and Chef Redgie!! I can't wait to see him again in December!

Chef Redgie was unbelievable - he was so happy to be cooking and loved when you came back to get more. He always had a smile on his face. We really enjoyed him cooking each night.

 

[KerryCM]

4240
I found it on the map at touring Plans but not sure where the lounge is on their map

You are inside the Innkeepers Club door. I think you are right across the hall from the Steeplechase Suite. Have a great trip and you are going to love the Chef there! When you see Jackie on Saturday morning give her a big hug from me. She is such a special person.

 

[RachelTori]

Chef Redgie was unbelievable - he was so happy to be cooking and loved when you came back to get more. He always had a smile on his face. We really enjoyed him cooking each night.

I don't know if you got the chance to talk to him, but he's a fascinating young man! We loved getting to know him and hearing about his family back in California!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

I don't know if you got the chance to talk to him, but he's a fascinating young man! We loved getting to know him and hearing about his family back in California!

Yes we did - my husband and him were best friends by the end of our trip - we were there for a week. He was such a nice guy.

 

[NicoleLarson]

I'll chime in on all of this BWI/Chef Redgie talk. Everything that has been said is exactly what we experienced. For instance, our first morning I asked for a mimosa, we'll they didn't have any champagne. They said they would send someone to go get it, I told them don't worry, plus we had a FP to get to. Of course 5 minutes later, we see this cart with at least 6 bottles of champagne coming up the hall. I guess they thought I was thirsty.
The only teeny, tiny thing that I wish they would change about the lounge is to take the curtains off the French doors. They make it so dark and claustrophobic. Given it's not a great view but at least it overlooks a garden area and the quiet pool. We are so excited to go back next week!!!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

I'll chime in on all of this BWI/Chef Redgie talk. Everything that has been said is exactly what we experienced. For instance, our first morning I asked for a mimosa, we'll they didn't have any champagne. They said they would send someone to go get it, I told them don't worry, plus we had a FP to get to. Of course 5 minutes later, we see this cart with at least 6 bottles of champagne coming up the hall. I guess they thought I was thirsty.
My only teeny, tiny thing that I wish they would change about the lounge is to take the curtains off the French doors. They make it so dark and claustrophobic. Given it's not a great view but at least it overlooks a garden area and the quiet pool. We are so excited to go back next week!!!

Wow I felt the same thing about the curtains - it would give it more light. I love how the BWI CL moved the CM desk away from in the lounge and now put the coffee in there. It definitely made more room in the lounge. They had hot and iced coffee all day. It definitely made it less crowded when entering the lounge but the room would look better if you could look outside.

 

[Disneytam]

Isn't Redgie just the best!? We loved him on our last stay and he would come over and talk to us every night that he was there. I think all of us CL lovers need to start staying quiet about how wonderful the BWI CL is or we will never be able to book it again! Lol. Glad you enjoyed the BWI CL and thank you for the review.

 

[Disneytam]

Wow I felt the same thing about the curtains - it would give it more light. I love how the BWI CL moved the CM desk away from in the lounge and now put the coffee in there. It definitely made more room in the lounge. They had hot and iced coffee all day. It definitely made it less crowded when entering the lounge but the room would look better if you could look outside.

Interesting about the desk being moved out of the lounge area. Were did it go our do they just have the one desk now. I can see how it would make more room but not sure if this is a good change or not. I really enjoyed talking to Anita or whatever other CM was there in the morning if I had a question. Very quick and easy to check on my room charges or change a reservation before we started the day. The main desk just outside the Innkeepers doors always seems so busy checking in guests and it can get really congested there. Thanks for the update.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Just a note...I've not been to BWI CL since this famous Redgie arrived, but I encourage any of you who had good experiences with him to write to guest services.

I had a couple of outstanding CM interactions on my last trip and I wrote to guest services. I received a personal response and assurance that my "reviews" would be passed along to their supervisors.

If a CM is this fantastic, they should totally be recognized for their good work. You never know when a folder full of compliments can come in handy!

I guess I just think that people are more likely to make noise when things go wrong than when things go right. Of course, people should absolutely seek to fix bad situations, but there are so many un- or under-appreciated people in this world and being told you've done a good job is such a morale booster!