If you’re considering a Club Level stay in Walt Disney World, you might be a bit overwhelmed by the range of options and the range of opinions you’ll encounter online. In this post, we give an overview of Club Level at Walt Disney World. Not only do we discuss what the different clubs offer, but we explain the context behind our (and many other’s) opinions on Club Level to help you make better sense of all the reviews out there.
Introduction
This post is based on our visits to every Disney World Club Level option (except one, noted below). For reasons that will become apparent in this post, there’s an annoying amount of context necessary for reviewing a Disney Club Level lounge.
Since we’re reviewing every lounge individually, it makes sense to have one post where we lay out this context and discuss things that are common to every Disney World Club Level experience.
In this post, we provide a broad overview of Walt Disney World’s Club Level offerings. We explain what they are and why they compare negatively to comparably priced chains (including why Disney might not care about making them better).
Disney World’s Club Level - Basics
We’ve stayed Club Level at Disney World several times, including multiple visits to several lounges. There are some things that are true across Club Level experiences.
What is Club Level at Disney World?
“Club Level” is a room type at some Disney hotels that comes with access to a few perks, most notably access to a lounge with small food servings throughout the day. We capitalize “Club Level” throughout this post because it’s an official designation for a room type.
What is Concierge Level at Disney World?
“Concierge Level” is a misnomer used in place of “Club Level.” I’m not sure where it comes from. Maybe Disney used to use this term, but it no longer does, except for a few scattered references, like the elevator sign at Grand Floridian below. I’ve also seen it used in some advertising targeted at business guests.
Nowadays, the term is commonly used, however, for the highest room category on Disney Cruise Line.
In any case, the clubs all have a dedicated concierge, so you’ll receive communications from “the concierge staff” while staying Club Level.
What Hotels Have Club Level at Disney World?
All eight deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World offer Club Level. Coronado Springs, a moderate resort, also offers a Club Level option in its Gran Destino Tower. Contemporary Resort has two club level experiences, but they’re more alike than different.
Related, you might wonder what rooms have Club Level access. When booking, you will always need to book a room type with “Club Level” in the name to have Club Level access.
As for room types, different hotels treat it different ways. At some, seemingly any room can be assigned Club Level access. In others, only a subset of rooms—in a specific building, on a specific floor, or with a specific view—can be Club Level.
What is Regatta Club? Kilimanjaro Club?
Complicating things further, Disney has named the different lounges at the different hotels. These are mostly just names for the lounges themselves, but people will often use them to describe the entire Club Level experience.
Links are to our reviews:
Disney’s Contemporary Resort - Tower Club
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort - Royal Palm Club (Main Building)
Here’s a playlist of walkthroughs of the different lounges:
What Does Club Level at Walt Disney World Include?
The primary offering when staying Club Level at Walt Disney World is access to a lounge that includes beverages (including alcohol) and servings of small bites throughout the day. Included alcohol is what makes club level one of the better hotel options for adults visiting Disney World.
These servings vary greatly across the lounges, as do the physical lounges themselves, so you’ll want to read reviews of specific lounges for more information.
Club Level also includes access to a dedicated concierge staff, including a dedicated phone and text line. This is a huge “your experience may vary” part of the Club Level experience, but here are a few notes.
We’ve never heard of Club Level concierge getting people any special ride access, though we have seen them give away the occasional free Lightning Lane. This is a “magical moment” type thing, not something you should be expecting or asking for.
If you’re thinking “surely we could just hint”, let me assure you I’ve seen a concierge unable to resolve another guest’s issue pertaining to an Alien Swirling Saucers Lightning Lane (one of the least popular Lightning Lanes at the resort).
Dining reservations tend to be a different thing. We’ve heard stories of Club Level staff getting “impossible to get!” dining reservations. We’re skeptical of this, but it’s not wholly unreasonable. The thing is, restaurant space comes and goes. Sometimes you’ll even get “lucky” and grab a one-hour wait just walking up to popular table service restaurants.
Smaller groups will obviously have an easier time at this, too. That said, it definitely is helpful to have a dedicated Disney Cast Member working to get your reservation.
Minnie Vans are again available for service to/from Orlando International Airport for Club Level guests only as of December 14, 2022. The one-way price will be $199. Alternatively, we have a post on ways to get between MCO and Disney World.
Beyond that, the staff can often help with miscellaneous issues. For example, when we needed to get to Animal Kingdom for an early morning tour once, they provided us a taxi voucher.
But we’ve also seen reviewers who report blank stares with simple questions like “Is [Character] going to be at [misc. character spot] today?” (This one is especially disappointing since most Disney World character greetings are listed in the app.)
Welcome letter from the staff at the Yacht Club’s Regatta Club
Additionally, Disney advertises Club Level by saying you’ll be contacted by a Cast Member in advance of your stay to help you with anything. We’ve had a few stays where this happened, but it hasn’t been the norm even when we booked well in advance. We’ve also received emails a couple of times, but it’s easy to archive these since every trip comes with an abundance of emails from Disney.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that since we’re talking about Disney resorts here, you’ll get all the perks of any Disney stay, including Early Theme Park Entry and transportation to the parks. With the exception of Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower, the clubs are all at deluxe Disney resorts, meaning you’ll also have access to Extended Evening Hours on select nights.
Cost of Club Level at Walt Disney World
One common question people have is “How much does Club Level at Disney World cost?” The short answer: from $781 nightly in 2024 at the deluxe resorts, or from $448 at Gran Destino Tower. The longer answer: it depends. Let’s go over a few different ways of answering this question.
Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower
For the most part, this section isn’t going to cover Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower. But that lounge is awesome and definitely worth considering. It’s priced well below the others in terms of price and is arguably the best lounge at Walt Disney World.
The low pricing means it is sold out a lot, and it would make for an even more complicated post if every other paragraph we had to add it in “or consider Chronos Club…” So consider this your blanket notice—consider the very reasonably priced Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower.
Club Level at Deluxe Resorts
First, the cheapest Club Level rooms at Walt Disney World’s deluxe resorts are at Wilderness Lodge and Yacht Club, and they start at (including tax) $781 and $830 nightly in 2024.
Using a deep discount of 30%, which Disney occasionally offers, Club Level could probably be had for around $550 per night. When they’re available, annual passholder discounts are our favorite way to save on club level stays.
That’s not the best way to look at Club Level prices. Instead, you want to look at how much additional Club Level costs over a regular room.
Here’s a list of the price difference between the lowest priced room at each hotel in 2024 and its lowest priced club level room (these links go to the hotel reviews):
Polynesian Village — $253
BoardWalk Inn — $256
Wilderness Lodge — $257
Yacht Club — $263
Beach Club — $274
Animal Kingdom Lodge — $385
Grand Floridian — $468
Contemporary — $469
Looking at that list, it’s pretty easy to group the clubs into three groups based on how much more the club costs than standard rooms (2024 prices):
Gran Destino Tower ($132 more than standard)
Polynesian, Yacht, Beach, Boardwalk, Wilderness ($250-300 more than standard)
Animal Kingdom, Contemporary, Grand Floridian ($380+ more than standard)
It turns out there’s actually good reason for this breakdown, and it’s important to the question of how much an upgrade truly costs. As we’ve noted, while we love the Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower, it’s still a moderate resort. So it’s no surprise to see the pricing handled uniquely.
At the other end of the list are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Contemporary, and Grand Floridian. Animal Kingdom Lodge’s club upgrade is so expensive because all the rooms are Savanna View. The cheapest Savanna View room is $696, only $176 less than the cheapest Club Level view room. So if you’re set on a Savanna View room, then the upgrade to Club Level is one of the better deals.
Similarly, Contemporary’s Atrium Club is (for the most part) restricted to Main Tower rooms. Main Tower non-club rooms start at $804, making the club only a $237 upgrade. And Grand Floridian’s Royal Palm club rooms are the only rooms in the main building.
At Polynesian, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Wilderness Lodge, you’re more or less getting the same rooms as any other guest (usually in a specific building or floor), just with access to the lounge.
The “Problem” With Disney World’s Club Level
To put it bluntly—the problem with Disney World’s Club Level offerings is that they aren’t always as good as their prices might indicate. We’re hardly the first people to say this, but Disney World’s “luxury” options, particularly their Club Levels, often aren’t to the same standards of luxury chains.
Here’s Tom Bricker of Disney Tourist Blog on the same issue, comparing to Hyatt.
Here’s Luxe Recess mentioning Four Seasons as an alternative to Poly.
For what it’s worth, Tom did once tell me Disney’s Club Level experiences were on the upswing:
Never, actually. However, our recent club level experiences at WDW have been far better than ~5 years ago. My theory: WDW's realizing there's a bona fide market for this with *real world* hotel experience, and that market won't accept their previously phoned-in version of club.
— Tom Bricker (@Tom_Bricker) January 23, 2019
Personally, I think our reviews speak for themselves and sort of reflect that—most of the clubs are on the upswing, but some are lagging far behind.
I’d say, though, the Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower is the newest effort, and it clearly shows Disney wants to provide a high-quality premium option.
One question to ask yourself is why do you want to stay Club Level? If you want views, then Contemporary’s Atrium Club Level is where you want to be. If you need a good place to work, Chronos Club at Coronado Springs might be better. For food, it’s Kilimanjaro Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
But if you’re looking for pampering and the royal treatment…well the experience might not deliver on that. Our club level experience is mostly at Marriott chains, including the higher-end Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott chains, and Disney often misses the high bar set by those chains.
You might naturally protest that Disney shouldn’t be compared to these hotels. But Walt Disney World’s deluxe hotels charge prices in excess of the best luxury chains in the world. If you want to point to the perks of staying at a Disney hotel as justification, fine. But Disney also charges some of the highest premiums for lounge access.
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong Club Level is about 4X the size of most Disney lounges
Sure, the Disney hotels offer something different than, say, the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, so comparing those prices is silly. But their club levels are offering similar enhancements, at similar premiums ($250 per night over standard rooms), so it makes sense to compare them directly.
We’re going to cover some specifics in a second. Before we do, let’s all take a breath. You might read some of these and think “that’s stupid and pretentious who cares about that.” Or “yea if you’re super needy I guess that matters!”
But we’re trying to write for what people are looking for in Club Level service and what we’ve seen offered. If you don’t care about these things, fine, don’t include them in your analysis.
Food Quality. This is a big one that varies across lounges. We loved the food at Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level and were unimpressed with the food at Yacht Club’s Club Level. It’s pretty surprising how varied it can be—BoardWalk, for example, had a chef cooking steak and fish on hand.
You can always count on cheese!
Lounge Quality and Space. Disney’s Club Level lounges are smaller than several lounges we’ve been in, with Grand Floridian’s Royal Palm Club Lounge being a notable exception. This is understandable as they often operate with no one in them.
But when crowds arrive, we’ve seen Disney’s lounges actually completely fill up. Obviously this is a problem for people paying $250 for access to the lounge. These lounges typically have seating for 30 to 40 people, while there can be about 50 club level rooms. The math doesn’t quite add up there.
Lounge Variance. This is more a note about Disney’s club level than a comparison to major chains, but you’ll see a lot of variance in Disney’s lounges. For example, cleanliness was notably an issue during our time at the Yacht Club’s Regatta Club and Grand Floridian’s Royal Palm Club, where we frequently saw dirty dishes left out for 15 minutes or more (over an hour at Grand Flo, actually).
Those lounges have a lot of corners, which can make it hard for staff to see dirty dishes, but we’re willing to say this is just unacceptable for any hotel that categorized as “deluxe,” let along in a club lounge. It’s particularly unacceptable at a Disney property, where park Cast Members pride themselves on the principle of “Everyone picks up the trash.”
These weren’t the only dishes we saw left out in the lounge for 15+ minutes.
There are some other differences, too. Some lounges are bigger than others, some have multiple televisions, some have excellent views, some have more space for kids—things like that.
Lounge Service. Another point of variance. We’ve had entire days in the club lounge (we’re talking 9AM to 5PM straight) where no one talked to us or asked if we needed anything. During evening servings, it’s common for a staff member to check whether you’d like a beverage. Outside evening servings, they may check on you, they may not.
It’s not as if the staff were slacking off or ignoring people—they’re always happy to chat or assist you if you ask. But lounge staffs are not always proactive when it comes to checking on guests.
But, again, there’s variance. BoardWalk’s Innkeeper’s Lounge had particularly stellar service during the evening servings, and Contemporary’s Atrium Club was head and shoulders above the rest throughout lounge hours.
Name Use. Related to personal service is name use. At the best of the best clubs in the world, service staff will know and use your name frequently. We don’t care much about this, but we’ve only ever had desk staff use our names at Disney’s lounges.
Obviously if you take the time to get to know Cast Members, they’re more likely to use your name, but they’re not proactive in it. (Personally, I hate people using my name, so I don’t mind this.)
In “Defense” Of Disney
Disney doesn’t need me to defend them, but I wanted to at least balance out my largely negative opinion. If we put the price to the side for a second, Disney’s Club Level offerings make some sense.
Simply put, Walt Disney World is not a place where people are expected to sit in a lounge all day, or even half a day of their vacation. Club lounges (outside Disney) are typically targeted at high-income business travelers, it’s very rare to see children in them.
Only one sad lady working in the lounge instead of enjoying her $5000 vacation.
Those guests are going to spend hours in the lounge working or taking meetings. They want to eat their meals in peace before heading out on business. We would spend hours working in club level lounges when traveling the world, and we weren’t the only ones. At Disney, it’s incredibly rare to see someone in a lounge with you for more than an hour.
Disney’s Club Lounges are mostly just fancy pit stops. You stop in between all the other things you have to do—Early Theme Park Entry, your Advance Dining Reservation at Biergarten, your afternoon hanging out poolside, your late individual Lightning Lane, etc.
As we said, it’s hard to criticize the size of the lounge when we’re the only ones in it 90% of the day, even if it is nearly full 5% of the day.
Location Location Location
One of the most challenging aspects of reviewing the lounges is the hotel locations, good and bad. Let’s start with bad…
Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, and Gran Destino Tower all require bus transportation to all four parks, except that you can also take the boat from Wilderness Lodge to Magic Kingdom. This means, unless you spend even more money on Uber or Minnie Vans, you probably won’t spend a ton of time at the lounge (since going back and forth will take a lot of time).
So you pick a place with good location—any of the other six hotels with club levels. But guess what? If you’re staying at these hotels and have $200+ per day to spend, there’s so much to do nearby! At the monorail resorts, three of Disney’s best hotels’ worth of restaurants are at your fingertips and Magic Kingdom is a short trip away.
At the Boardwalk area you’ve got three hotels, the Boardwalk, and two theme parks within walking distance. Do you really want to spend your $200+ per night and extra time in the lounge?
So yea—part of the problem is that Disney World is such a fun place, the hotels are good, and there’s so much to do. It’s hard to justify the lounges as the best use of your money.
Should You Stay Club Level At Walt Disney World?
There are three pretty good reasons to stay Club Level at Walt Disney World. The first is that it makes monetary sense. This is going to be rare, but not totally infeasible. If you’re trying to save $250 per day on dining and drinks by staying Club Level instead, you probably won’t get there.
But if you’re in a situation where the Club Level premium is lower, you might come close. For example, as I said, we would only stay Savanna View at Animal Kingdom Lodge—can we cover the $170 premium we’ll pay staying Club Level? Probably.
We don’t mind suffering through small bites instead of two quick service meals, so that’s $60 right there. Add in a conservative one beer each and we’re on our way to covering the price of upgrading from Savanna View to Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Alcohol comes up a lot in discussing the clubs. That’s not because (by any means) the clubs are only for adults or even mostly for people drinking a lot. The reality is that the club levels are expensive, alcohol at Disney World is expensive, and club levels include free alcohol. So if you’re looking at the math, alcohol is the quickest route to getting your money’s worth.
Of course, a couple of adults visiting Disney World can only eat and drink so much, and getting $200+ of value over two people is difficult. Conversely, families of four have an easier time getting their value in food, but the adults will probably not drink too much.
The second reason you might stay Club Level is because some clubs really do offer “wow” moments. While you can get good views from hotel rooms, there’s something about being in a lounge with unlimited food and a brilliant view of fireworks, like the Atrium Club (Contemporary) or King Kamehameha Club (Polynesian).
The third reason is that you can afford it and want to try it. We don’t really begrudge people for this. We’ve heard plenty of people in the lounge say “Isn’t this amazing?!” Even in cases where we don’t find it “worth it,” you might.
All we’ve tried to do here is provide you the context for how we view Club Level at Walt Disney World. We definitely know people have more positive and negative experiences than us, but we hope anyone who books Club Level has a great time!
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