If you’re planning a trip to Disney with your kids, you’ll most likely be doing a lot of mental math, which ultimately comes down to “Is this thing worth that many dollars?” When there are so many attractions, great food, and rides, it can be hard to know where to go Save money and splurge to get the best experience for your family. So when you book a hotel room and see club-level access listed next to certain rooms, what exactly does that mean? For a mom who often has hungry kids with her and wants a safe place to grab a snack, the club level may be where you want to spend your money.
When you book a Club Level reservation, you gain access to the “Club” within the Disney Resort hotel where you are staying. A little bit of exclusivity. Every hotel’s club is set up slightly differently, but there should be a concierge on that floor dedicated to club guests.
There are many different food and beverage services available throughout the day at any club. For example, recent stays at Animal Kingdom Lodge by Scary Mommy editors include:
- Macheo (“sunrise” or coffee hour, from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.)
- Miamiko (breakfast 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.)
- Vitafunio (snacks available 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Chai (tea and drinks, 3 to 4:30 p.m.)
- Kisikusiku (dinner time: 5 pm to 7 pm)
- Rehema (dessert from 8 to 10 p.m.)
As you can see, this means there is indeed always something to eat and drink in the club during waking hours. During our visits to AKL we loved stopping by for a free glass of champagne. This also seems to be available 24/7 (wink wink). Here’s what we love about Kilimanjaro Club, which may also apply to all club levels of access:
- Prepared snacks: While the club doesn’t really serve meals – they still want you to do your business in the on-site restaurant – the snack portions are large enough that you can definitely squeeze in some meals from them. Consider plenty of fruit, yogurt, hummus, hard-crust foods, chips and deli meals, depending on the time of day. There’s always cold soda, water, milk, juice, and coffee (oh, and Mickey Mouse ice cream bars). The best thing to do is get home from the craziness of the park, grab a bottle of cold water and a few soft-baked cookies, and go to bed.
- Quiet landing spot: Obviously, a park is an exciting place, but sometimes you need a place to relax and decompress. Putting the whole family in a hotel room doesn’t completely relieve overstimulation. The club at our hotel always played kid-friendly Disney movies at a low volume and was generally very peaceful. There are also educational stations set up every day with animal artifacts and tour guides ready to share all kinds of cool knowledge – the kids will enjoy it with gusto. All in all, a great place for everyone to stop and catch their breath.
- No need to wait to use the concierge service: It was great to be able to get to the club floor quickly, ask a question quickly, and not have to wait in line behind a check-in person for someone to answer. The staff were very friendly and helpful, always giving the best advice to make our trip go smoothly.
- Champagne and Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, Anytime we want them. priceless.
At the end of the day, the club level definitely made our stay at the hotel more enjoyable and as moms we can see how much we would cherish it if our kids were with us. They always need snacks! While it might not be the most exciting place to invest in your travels, we think you’ll be grateful for your choice.
