Recently, I have had the opportunity to stay at both the Contemporary and Yacht Club resort Club, or Concierge Level. Club Level rooms are essentially a floor (or floors) of rooms at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts in which have Cast Members available to assist with various components of your stay, such as: helping book or cancel dining reservations, answering questions about Lightning Lane, resort amenities, book additional experiences or setup things like laundry service, etc. The key thing to remember is you have Cast Members available almost all day (no evening hours) to assist with your vacation needs.

*Universal Resorts and Disneyland also have comparable room categories and amenities. This article specifically is reviewing Walt Disney World Resort Club Level stays.

Stay for the Resort Amenities

Even if you are not staying Club Level, is it important to know what experience you can expect at a Disney Deluxe Resort and what staying at a hotel at this category can do for your vacation experience.

Disney Deluxe Resorts are exactly what they sound like — a resort with a plethora of amenities in both location and things to do. The Deluxe resorts offer activities that most Disney resorts offer, such as tie-dye, movie/game nights on the lawn, s’mores campfire nights, etc., but they also typically have other activities such as Community rooms, tennis, volleyball, and other activities (offerings depend on the specific resort.) Many also have their own salons/spas and offer convention space and services. The on-resort dining is typically more robust than Moderate or Value resort categories. The biggest benefit from a Walt Disney World theme park vacation is the proximity to the parks or special experiences. Animal Kingdom Lodge puts you right on the savanna where the Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts are just steps away from Magic Kingdom. The only non-Deluxe category resort at Walt Disney World that offers a Club Level is Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Coronado Springs is a Moderate resort and is also a convention resort. The concierge floor is located inside the Gran Destino Tower (opened in 2019), which is centrally located within the resort.

Stay for the Food

A major perk of staying Club Level is the food and beverage. The Club Level floors have an exclusive dining room that offers various food and beverage depending on the time of day.

A general schedule would look something like this:

6:30 am coffee/tea service

7:00-10:30 am Continental Breakfast (hot and cold offerings)

11:00-4:00 pm – Snacks, Beverages

5:00-7:00 pm Hot/Cold Hors d’oeuvres

Beer and Wine (Mimosas and other breakfast alcoholic beverages can be requested in most cases.)

8:00-10:00 pm Desserts and Dessert liquors, beverages

Typically, the concierge floor food and beverage can be requested to be brought to your room or you can carry to your room and dine-in your room privately.

Stay for the Views

I have personally only experienced the Contemporary (Atrium Club) and Yacht Club (Regatta Club) concierge floors so I cannot state this for EVERY resort but in many cases, the club level dining rooms are typically setup in an area that gives club level guests views that are better suited for enjoying the resort. For example, the Atrium Club Level faces out to Magic Kingdom and has balconies with firework views. The music for the evening shows are also piped into via speakers on the balconies. The rooms have either a theme park view or have a view of Bay Lake. I personally like the lake view as you can watch EPCOT fireworks and enjoy the Electric Water Pageant when you are turning in for the evening.

At the Yacht Club, the rooms can face EPCOT and you can spy some of the evening shows. Also, on the balconies in the dining room you can catch a firework or two from other theme parks, like Hollywood Studios.

Most importantly, Stay for the Service

Like most things Disney, the Cast Members who work on these floors are very knowledgeable, courteous and genuinely love helping people have their best experience. I know that sounds like fluff but once you have experienced Disney magic, you know what i’m describing. The simplest things, like Mousekeeping (housekeeping), has an extra touch (most times) and the way you are greeted and spoken to shows how much you are appreciated as a guest.

Considerations on whether it is right for your family

Since I am typically traveling with Elementary aged children at this point in my life, I especially appreciate this level of service, friendliness and patience. The experience is very similar to that of a Disney Cruise, where they spend time getting to know your family and your needs/interests.

While the cost may be considerably more per night than a typical room at these resorts, the cost is what you make of it. If you leverage your amenities and plan accordingly, a Club Level stay could be a great option for your family. If you are wanting to avoid booking a lot of sit down meals, want to go at a slower pace, have a place to relax that is semi-private to enjoy evening spectaculars, then Club Level stays can be a perfect fit.

If you are planning to go, go, go and book reservations for a lot of Character Dining and table service experiences, this may not be the right room category choice for your specific trip. As with any time you start planning a vacation, it all starts with what is the purpose of the trip and what are your goals.