In this post, we review Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. If this is the first post of ours you’re reading, there might be two others you’re interested in. First, we have separately reviewed Gran Destino Tower and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. If you’re looking for information about the hotel generally, you’ll need to read those posts.
Second—and maybe more importantly—we have an entirely separate post covering the ins and outs of Club Level at Walt Disney World. If you’re wondering about the details of what’s included, whether it’s worth it, and just how we evaluate it broadly, you’ll want to check out that post. This post focuses specifically on the Chronos Club at Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
BOOKING CLUB LEVEL AT GRAN DESTINO
Club Level is a special room designation at all the the Deluxe resorts—and Coronado Springs, a moderate resort, as well—at Walt Disney World that includes a variety of perks. If you’re interested in reading about Club Level at the other resorts, we have reviews here:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kilimanjaro Club Level Review
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort - Royal Palm Club (Main Building) Level Review
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort - King Kamehameha Club Level Review
We booked our Club Level room through our go-to travel agent, Lauren Quirk of Travel With Character LLC. We used a 30% off Annual Passholder offer rate, our most common way of booking Club Level.
In 2024, the lowest prices rooms at Coronado Springs start at $260, and rooms at Gran Destino Tower specifically start at $316. With club rooms starting at $448, you’re looking at only a premium as low as $132 or $188 (depending on which baseline you use) to move up to Club Level.
GRAN DESTINO CLUB LEVEL CHECK-IN
If you check in at the hotel’s front desk you’ll want to make sure they either give you directions to the lounge or have someone from the lounge come get you (this sometimes happens, sometimes doesn’t). If you use Disney World’s online check in, you can just head to the lounge before or after stopping at your room.
In either case, it’s important to pay a visit to “check in” with the lounge staff once you’re at the hotel. This was they know who you are and have an opportunity to show you around the lounge and give you any welcome information/gifts.
We arrived at Gran Destino just before 11AM. We were not immediately greeted by a Cast Member, so we went straight to the standard check in line.
The check in line was long, but moved quickly. Gran Destino Tower now serves as the check in lobby for all of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, so the crowds were not surprising.
We waited ten minutes before we were asked to step over to the couch area in the lobby to check in with a Cast Member via an iPad. This was Gran Destino expanding their check in capacity beyond the limited number of counter space available, something we appreciate.
The Cast Member took down a bunch of information that I know Disney has on file by now and got us checked in. Things went a little off the rails when he asked if we wanted to add charging to our Magic Band.
There was a problem, and the Cast Member proceeded to take each of our Magic Bands away (one at a time) for a bit over five minutes each to get it sorted out. This isn’t the worst Magic Band story ever, though.
The strange thing about all of us this is that check-in seems to have no problems when you check-in online or via the app. I don’t always do this because checking in at the desk and interacting with Cast Members is part of reviewing the hotels (particularly when staying Club Level), but I definitely recommend trying to use online check-in.
By the time we checked in, our room was ready. The Cast Member pointed us toward the elevator but made no mention at this point (or earlier) of us being Club Level guests. While I don’t personally care about this, it irks me a bit as a reviewer because I know many guests won’t just know to go to the club lounge next. Indeed, they might not even know what the lounge is called.
Club Level experiences vary chain by chain and hotel by hotel, but the best keep this simple—when you see that a guest is Club Level, you escort them up to the lounge, who have staff to check them in. This should be done by a host as soon as you enter a hotel, in my opinion.
As for us, we knew the lounge was the Chronos Club, and we knew that we would want to stop by to get our Welcome Letter and to meet the staff, so we took the elevator right up there.
The Chronos Club concierge was very welcoming. She talked us through our welcome letter and the club’s offerings. Unfortunately, she also spent another five minutes resetting Emily’s Magic Band.
She took us on a nice tour of the lounge, highlighting food times, firework views, and the hotel map. She also gave us some information about the story behind Chronos Club. The club, and the whole hotel, is inspired by the short film Gran Destino, which was a collaboration originally started by Walt Disney and Salvadore Dali.
GRAN DESTINO CLUB LEVEL PERKS
Again, our post on Club Level at Walt Disney World more generally is a better place to get a sense of the value of Club Level. Briefly though, by staying Club Level at Gran Destino Tower, you’ll get:
access to a lounge (Chronos Club) with five small food and beverage servings throughout the day
access to a dedicated concierge staff, including by phone and text
The first of these is really the most important, and it’s what we focus most on in this review.
As a guest of a Disney hotel you’ll also get all the perks of a Disney stay, like Early Theme Park Entry and transportation to the parks. Unfortunately, Chronos Club is the only club at a non-deluxe hotel (Coronado is moderate), so you won’t have access to the Extended Evening Hours perk, which you’d get at the other clubs.
GRAN DESTINO CLUB - CHRONOS CLUB
Chronos Club is located on the 15th floor of Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. The floor itself isn’t technically restricted to club guests, but entrance to Chronos Club requires a valid Magic Band tap.
The club is on the larger side of Disney’s Club Level locations and has a substantial amount of seating. It’s one large open room with a full wall of windows that look out toward Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, making it feel even more spacious.
All of Gran Destino Tower boasts a rich Spanish motif, and is inspired by the Disney & Salvador Dali short film, Destino. Chronos Club maintains that theming, but plays on the film’s concept of time. You can find this time theme throughout the decor and details in the club.
Chronos Clubs is open from 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, with a steady flow of food and drinks available throughout the day. Cookies, KIND bars, and fresh fruit are available during all open hours. The fridge also always stocked with sodas, juices and water, and coffee and tea are always available.
Starting at noon, beer and wine is available for self-service. There are several beer options, including a gluten free and a strawberry cider.
Wines included a selection of white, red and sparkling Spanish wine, Cava. Alcohol is also available before noon by request. Included alcohol is what makes club level one of the better hotel options for adults visiting Disney World.
There was a steady crowd of people in the lounge all day. Though the lounge was never completely full, even during servings, it was also never empty. This might be because of the weather or because Gran Destino Tower is new. I also can’t help but think the easy access to alcohol might also have something to do with it.
Even with the steady crowds, the club maintained a calmness. I think the large, open layout helped keep the noise and perceived bustle down. It was never too loud or felt cramped. It was a great place to get a little work done or enjoy a mid-day glass of wine.
As we mentioned, Chronos Club overlooks Epcot and Hollywood Studios, so you can see the fireworks at both parks. This is more of a coincidence than a perk. They do dim the lights in the lounge, but the music is not piped in and it’s definitely not a great view.
You might instead consider the Dahlia Lounge, the tower’s rooftop bar. If you can get a spot, you might be able to catch the fireworks from outside.
SERVICE AT CHRONOS CLUB
We were impressed by the service at Chronos Club from the moment we arrived. We loved that the concierge gave us a tour of the club and made us feel right at home.
Even though food and drinks, including alcohol, were self-service, Cast Members still checked in regularly offering to bring a coffee refill or another beer.
When we weren’t eating or drinking, Cast Members would still occasionally pop by asking if we were enjoying our time and to let them know if we needed anything at all.
I was working on my laptop a majority of the day and the Cast Members recognized that and never overstayed their welcome with me. Though for other guests who were less occupied, Cast Members were frequently spotted chatting about park plans or recommendations.
During one visit, I overheard one of the Cast Members offering the family next to me complimentary Lightning Lanes. Though things like this can never be expected, it just goes to highlight the ability for Cast Members to surprise and delight guests.
There is always a concierge available near the entrance and a special number is provided so you can call or text if you need anything while you’re away from the club.
We rarely need to take advantage of concierge service, but we did inquire about the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Pass, which was just announced earlier that day. She didn’t end up having the answer we needed, but she did do a lot to try to figure it out.
Service at Chronos Club was among the best we’ve seen. This is extra noteworthy for Gran Destino Tower, being the only moderate resort to offer Club Level. I hope that the service continues to be top notch and is not just a fluke during early months of opening.
FOOD OFFERINGS AT CHRONOS CLUB
There are five food offerings throughout the day: coffee (6:30 to 7:00AM), continental breakfast (7:00 to 11:00AM), light snacks (12:00 to 4:00PM), hors d’oeuvres & select beverages (5:00 to 7:00PM) and desserts and cordials (8:00 to 10:00PM).
COFFEE — 6:30AM To 7:00AM
Coffee service opens for 30 minutes before the first food service. It continues to be available throughout the rest of the day until the club closes. Coffee options included regular and decaf brewed coffees, as well and a machine for dispensing espresso-based beverages and hot water.
Among the standard espresso beverages, the espresso machine also offered a Barraquito. This was a rare and fun instance of a club lounge with a coffee option themed to the hotel.
Unfortunately, this seems like it was Spanish in name only, as the drink is essentially an espresso macchiato (espresso and steamed milk). Unlike what comes out of the machine, a true Barraquito contains alcohol and condensed milk. You can actually purchase a Barraquito in its true form at Barcelona Lounge downstairs.
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST — 7:00AM TO 11:00AM
LIGHT SNACKS — 12:00PM to 4:00PM
This was a light spread of crudités, dips and trail mix items. It was on the lighter side of snack spreads we’ve seen and it would be a stretch to make this count as lunch. Props for a creative allergy-friendly option in the sunflower butter crostinis, though.
HORS D’OEUVRES — 5:00PM to 7:00PM
This was a pretty heavy spread and could be considered dinner for many. What stood out most was the presence of not one, but two substantial and creative vegetarian options. It’s rare to see a plant-based version of a meat dish in club lounges at Disney.
Don’t worry omnivores! This did not come at a cost to actual meat options, which there were plenty of.
DESSERTS AND CORDIALS — 8:00PM to 10:00PM
The dessert selection was relatively light. The options were limited and not particularly inspired, but still good quality. Fortunately this follows a pretty substantial dinner so a light sweet is likely all you need.
Cordials were all notably on theme and included all Spanish (or popular in Spain in the case of Fernet) liquors. One of which was Licor 43, which you could add to your Barraquito to get closer to the real thing.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ABOUT GRAN DESTINO CLUB LEVEL
We walked away very impressed by Chronos Club. For being the only Moderate resort with a Club Level product, it really held its own against other lounges at Deluxe resorts.
The service really stood out most. The Cast Members were constantly making the rounds, cleaning up dishes, chatting with guests, or offering to get you anything you could want or need. They created a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere that was far from stuffy or entitled.
Another standout feature was the views overlooking Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It’s really refreshing to have a Club Level view over something other than Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon. It was a beautiful lounge with a gorgeous view.
You do still have to consider the location. One of the only downsides to Chronos Club is that Gran Destino Tower does not offer any alternative transportation options to any of the Disney parks, a perk that all Deluxe resorts offer.
Fortunately, this issue is easy to solve for with Uber. With the price savings that come with Chronos Club over other Deluxe Club Level lounges, it’s easy to justify spending the extra money for the convenience and timesaving of taking an Uber to and from the parks.
So let’s close with more about that price. Chronos Club is the lowest priced Club Level at Disney World, starting at $448 in 2024—$333 less than the second lowest priced, Old Faithful Club at Wilderness Lodge.
And if you look at Club Level access as an “upgrade” from similar rooms, the gap between Chronos Club and the rest of Gran Destino Tower ($132) is also one of the best options, better than upgrading from Tower to Club at Contemporary or Savanna to Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
And even comparing Chronos pricing to all of Coronado, the $188 club level premium is on the low end—the average gap between a lowest priced room and a club room at Disney World is around $300.
So by any measure, Chronos Club is a bargain at Disney prices. It shouldn’t be hard for a family of four to get $150 of value per night, and a couple of adults at Disney World shouldn’t have much trouble justifying the upgrade.
When evaluating Club Level options, Chronos Club itself is top tier quality and service worthy of a visit — especially for the price. If you’ve been considering club level and aren’t sure if you’re ready to shell out the big bucks for something like Atrium Club at Contemporary, Chronos Club is a great place to start.
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