Disney Vacation Planning: Is the Club Level
for Me?
What’s
for eats?
Each morning, coffee is set out
at 6:30am (there is also an espresso/cappuccino maker), followed by a
continental breakfast from 700-10:00am. We
took advantage of the coffee EVERY day – using the larger mugs from the coffee
maker in our room and often enjoying coffee on our balcony. Later in the day, there are refreshments and
snacks available (Goldfish crackers, homemade potato chips, Gummy bears), and
the service switches to “wine and cheese” from 5-7pm that includes beer and
cordials as well as two rotating hot hors d'oeuvres. From 7-10pm, dessert is available. ALL DAY
there are cold sodas and juice, water and iced tea and fresh fruit (apples,
bananas and oranges).
Helpful
staff
As I mentioned above, having
dedicated concierge staff available from 7am-10pm each day was a godsend for
us. We used them extensively, and they were able to help us with spa
reservations, dining reservations, luggage delivery, package delivery and they
provided us with bottled water and bagged snacks to take into the parks.
As you may have guessed, the Club
level rooms are expensive. And if I wasn't pregnant, it would not have made
sense for us to spend the extra money for this level of service because we’re seasoned
Disney travelers who would have spent 12 hours a day at the parks and not in
our room or at the pool. But for this trip, with all of the breaks, changes,
and much-needed rest, it was exactly what we needed.
View of the Contemporary pool area and Bay Lake from our room on the 12th floor
By:
Rebecca Farrell (Follow me on Twitter @RMZFarrell)
So you've decided to plan a trip to Walt Disney World – that’s fantastic! Now come all of
the hard decisions…when to go, where to stay, where to eat, the list goes on
and on.
I’ve
blogged already about my Disney
favorites, both resorts and restaurants, so I wanted to dive a bit deeper
into one of the rare hotel accommodation experiences at the happiest place on
earth – the Club level of the Contemporary Resort.
Hotel categories: A refresher
Disney
has three levels of hotels: value, moderate and deluxe. If you want to split
hairs, over and above the deluxe level are the Club (or Concierge) level rooms
and Deluxe Villas. The Villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club and include
kitchens, multiple bedrooms, etc., designed to house large families. The Club level
comes complete with a lounge and exclusive access to concierge staff that can
help with everything from package delivery to dining reservations and even
bottles of water to carry to the parks.
Why Club level?
On our
recent “switcheroo
trip” to Disney, my husband and I knew that we would be taking frequent
breaks from the parks and also have several rest days built into our itinerary.
Keeping this in mind, having a dedicated lounge with drinks and snacks was
something we would definitely take advantage of during the trip. Our travel agent priced out several of the
deluxe resorts and club level rooms for us – and we found the best price was at
the Contemporary.
The Contemporary’s Club Level
The
Atrium Club level of the Contemporary has rooms on both the 12th and
14th floors of the hotel. As of January 2013, the 14th
floor rooms are under total renovation – and we did hear some construction
noise during the day. Our room was on the 12th floor and had
fantastic views of Bay Lake, both hotel pools and on clear days we could see
all the way to Epcot. The lounge, also located on the 12th floor, has
sweeping views of the Magic Kingdom, providing an IDEAL vantage point for
watching the Wishes fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant each night.
What’s
for eats?
Each morning, coffee is set out
at 6:30am (there is also an espresso/cappuccino maker), followed by a
continental breakfast from 700-10:00am. We
took advantage of the coffee EVERY day – using the larger mugs from the coffee
maker in our room and often enjoying coffee on our balcony. Later in the day, there are refreshments and
snacks available (Goldfish crackers, homemade potato chips, Gummy bears), and
the service switches to “wine and cheese” from 5-7pm that includes beer and
cordials as well as two rotating hot hors d'oeuvres. From 7-10pm, dessert is available. ALL DAY
there are cold sodas and juice, water and iced tea and fresh fruit (apples,
bananas and oranges).
Helpful
staff
As I mentioned above, having
dedicated concierge staff available from 7am-10pm each day was a godsend for
us. We used them extensively, and they were able to help us with spa
reservations, dining reservations, luggage delivery, package delivery and they
provided us with bottled water and bagged snacks to take into the parks.
Is it for me?
As you may have guessed, the Club
level rooms are expensive. And if I wasn't pregnant, it would not have made
sense for us to spend the extra money for this level of service because we’re seasoned
Disney travelers who would have spent 12 hours a day at the parks and not in
our room or at the pool. But for this trip, with all of the breaks, changes,
and much-needed rest, it was exactly what we needed.
View of Cinderella's Castle at night from the Contemporary Club Level Lounge
View of Space Mountain from the Contemporary Club Level Lounge
Good to know this exists!
ReplyDeleteDisney has options for pretty much everyone!! Hope this helped!
ReplyDelete