I didn’t use to consider myself a “club” kind of girl. As much as I wanted to be someone with rhythm, grace, and good dance moves, I have dance recital videos to prove I just wasn’t born with it. Thank God for my 30s. In my 20s, clubbing meant going out dancing at all hours of the night for bachelorette parties and wishing I was literally anywhere else. In my 30s, clubbing means unlimited food, drinks, and access to personalized concierge services with no dance moves or rhythm needed. Yes, Club Level at Walt Disney World allows me to use all of my God-given talents: relaxing, eating, drinking, and getting excited over little things like Mickey-shaped sugar cubes. I had never heard of Club Level rooms at Disney until a few months ago. All Disney Deluxe resorts, along with one Moderate resort, Coronado Springs, offer a Club Level option. These rooms are located in a private building or section of the resort with access to personalized concierge services and an exclusive lounge with included food and drinks. Club Level rooms are more expensive than standard rooms, pricing varies depending on the resort, roughly around $230 more per night (not per person). Still, the costs are mitigated by the food and drinks located in the private lounge. Our family of 5 recently stayed Club Level at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for the first time and we loved every minute of it! Here’s what a typical day looked like for us and how we maximized the available food and drinks available in the lounge:
Breakfast- from 7:00 am-10:30 am breakfast is served in the lounge but the coffee stations start earlier. I’m the early riser in our family so I usually woke up, got dressed, purchased Genie+, and walked down the hall around 6:30 to get my husband’s and my coffee each morning while the rest of my crew slept. My husband loves a good latte so I used the Nespresso machine available in the lounge for his morning pick-me-up. After spending the first half of our trip at a different resort (always do a split-stay) he was very excited about the unlimited, high-quality coffee options. After getting our coffees I walked back to our room, made our Genie+ reservations, and started to rally the troops. As a Disney vacation planner , I was very familiar with the process of Genie+ & making attraction selections but there were several families who needed help and the concierge service is available to help you with anything you need, including making Lightning Lanes selections!
After getting everyone up and dressed we made the short walk back to eat breakfast. It was a continental breakfast with a few hot options as well. Most mornings we enjoyed eggs, pancakes, sausage, yogurt & cereal. Food options are fairly similar each day with a few varieties. One morning they had scrambled eggs and one morning they had small quiches. After latte refills, we grabbed the prepackaged snacks available to put in our bag to enjoy later in the park. We went by our room on our way out to grab our stroller and park bags. All in all, breakfast took us less than 30 minutes to sit down and eat a full meal, get our coffee refills and head out the door. They had bottles of Dasani water on the way out downstairs to grab for your park bag as well. We loved having those available each morning to take on our way out and refill in the parks. The best part about the breakfast was its convenience. It was so easy to walk down the hall, grab food and drinks for everyone in your group, eat and go. Our family usually spends around $50 for breakfast at a quick service location for food, coffee, and chocolate milk for the kids. I estimate had we not stayed club level we would’ve spent at least $75 in the park that morning on breakfast, multiple coffees, drinks for the kids, park snacks, and water bottles.
Lunch & afternoon snacks- Refreshments are available in the lounge from 11:00am-4:00pm. We were in Magic Kingdom by 8:30 for early magic hours so we were ready for a break from the heat by 12:00. We came back to swim and eat lunch. Because we were at a deluxe resort, we had extended evening hours that night so we weren’t concerned about losing park time. (To learn more about extended evening hours and how to maximize the perks of a deluxe hotel head over here) We went by the lounge to see what options were available and got drinks for everyone. Bananas, apples, trail mix, pretzels, Uncrustable Pb&js, and more snack options were out for us to grab as much as we wanted.
My boys wanted soda (out in the refrigerator for easy access). My husband ordered a beer and I requested champagne with POG juice. A selection of beer and wine is available anytime upon request but wasn’t always set out. We took our food and treats to the room to enjoy while we changed into our swimsuits. We spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach, eating lunch, going to the pool, and taking naps until the lounge switched to dinner at 5:00. I estimated we saved around $25 on drinks and snacks that we would’ve bought that afternoon had we been in the park.
Dinner- from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm heavy appetizers, adult beverages, and cheese and cold cut selections are set out at self-serve stations. Dinner options varied while we were there but each night they had a protein with a carb, charcuterie boards, and at least one option for kids (this varied between mac and cheese and chicken nuggets while we were there). Everything is served on small plates and even smaller portions but you can ask for a bowl or large plate of anything you like. This was helpful as I was trying to get food for 3 boys and would have made several trips to the buffet otherwise. It also helped because we typically took our food upstairs to the second level of the lounge. Upstairs they have a TV that shows cartoons for the kids and several board games for families to play. I appreciated the extra ways to connect with each other while relaxing in the lounge. When at Disney, we usually eat a table-service meal for dinner which can get expensive. I estimate if we hadn’t had dinner in the lounge we would have spent at least $100 on dinner, sodas, and adult beverages.
Dessert- Starting at 8:00 pm everything is switched over to dessert and cordials. This is the perfect way to unwind. There were several small portions of different cakes, cupcakes, tarts, ice cream, after-dinner drinks, and coffee. My boys loved the cake pops, Mickey-shaped sprinkles, and the ice cream sundae bar. They had fun crafting their own creations piled high with sprinkles, candy, and chocolate syrup. My husband and I enjoyed sampling the tarts and cakes and drinking decaf coffee. The staff was so friendly and made sure that each child in the lounge received a light-up Buzz Lightyear. The lounge is a fabulous place to enjoy the Magic Kingdom fireworks as it overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon and has a perfect view of the castle. They even pipe in the music so everyone can enjoy the show without the loud booms of the fireworks that sometimes scare little ones. Because we knew we would be eating ice cream and desserts in the lounge we didn’t get ice cream or dessert treats throughout the day. This saved us from spending around $15 that we would’ve spent on treats in the park.
After adding up the totals we estimate that we spent an extra $10-$15 per day that we wouldn’t have spent by staying club level. We stayed two nights at the end of our trip as a special way to end our vacation and it was a great way to spend the extra $25. The convenience of the lounge and proximity to the food was well worth it for our family. Not only did it make our lives so much easier, but it also allowed us to relax a little more knowing everything was already paid for during our stay. Money can be the biggest stress when visiting Disney and removing that weight for the last few days of our trip was the perfect way to ease our minds and live in the moment with our boys.
Would I stay Club Level again? Absolutely, the peace of mind it gave knowing everything was covered and the convenience was worth the money for us. There are unlimited ways to spend money at Disney. It is crucial to be strategic with your budget and know what’s most important to you and your family. If you’ve already booked with a Smart Moms Travel Agent you are in great hands because they’re trained on all things Disney and can help you decide the best way to structure your trip. If you aren’t working with an agent, reach out to me here so I can help craft a custom trip, inside your budget, to help you maximize your vacation to the most magical place on earth!
