Club Level--Wilderness Lodge

Let me begin by saying that I had high hopes for Club Level. I've stayed at AKL's club level and loved the experience, but this was also pre-dietary restrictions, so I knew this was a gamble. Here is a play by play of the pre-trip correspondence and during the trip experience.

Pre-trip Correspondence:
To begin with, the IPO (Itinerary Planning Office) staff were friendly enough, but I noticed a bit of difficulty in obtaining much information about my dietary restrictions and the lounge. I explained to them how important it was to know ahead of time what would be available at breakfast. I got the muffins, waffles, and whatever else the chefs prepare response. Well, fair enough. I guess they wouldn't know, but when I asked them to contact the chef, they never got through to them. I asked about specific items (like earth balance margarine) and they said I could buy it but they wouldn't guarantee it would be there. Sigh. I guess this means they aren't going to be any help. We did arrange for a 6 inch gluten free, dairy free (but had eggs and soy) chocolate birthday cake. I was told it was $29.50 (which I think I got charged less, but that is what they quoted) Overall, the staff wasn't really helpful with dietary restrictions or even contacting restaurants outside of my hotel (as far as directly asking specific questions to the chef) They did however, make notations on all of my meal reservations, so that was very good.

Club Level first-hand:
Well, I must warn you. This isn't a great review. I will say the concierge downstairs were more friendly and helpful than the CL staff were. And I'm not that picky. I just want people to be straight with me about what's available and not treat me like a leper or a huge burden. I'd love to have these people live one day in my dietary life and maybe they'd understand. From crimeny's sake...Red Robin can get it right with dietary restrictions why can't WDW's club level?! To begin with, in general, we found the CL staff to be very rude and in general not very friendly. Compared to the AKL CL staff this was a bit of a shock. When I arrived, I wanted to confirm the birthday cakes (one for me and one for my mom). They said they would check and call me, and they never did. I got the "I forgot" answer. Greeeeaaaat. Day 1, we didn't really look for any evening options, although I did get a French Meadow brownie from the staff. You have to ask the CL staff for them to get it for you. Boy, they didn't like having to get me one every day. And yes, I got one every day! I like those brownies and when it's the only option you have, well, you go with it.

The first breakfast, I was given 4 blueberry muffins. Uggg. Not good for my Crohn's. I don't digest blueberries well at all. I did try to eat a few of the muffins because I was really hungry, but I was surprised I didn't get much of anything else. I could have eaten fresh fruit, but didn't. I did talk to the CL staff and just explained that berries were rough on my stomach (specifically blueberries) and said something like a chocolate chip muffin would work or waffles. Well lo and behold the next day, I got chocolate muffins. Holy cow! These were like dessert brownies. Yikes. Not so great at 7:30 a.m. In fact, it was the only thing they gave me for the rest of the week. And they said I couldn't get anything else. Gee, thanks. I ended up getting food or snacks other places because of this.

Brownies..I mean muffins and tea. Quite the breakfast.

A couple of times, I was able to find some evening appetizer options that I thought would work. They had to call down to the chefs, which did not appear to make the CL staff too trilled. But, there were a few items that I thought would be OK, that weren't. So it pays to ask. Even if people aren't thrilled with you. It's your body, and it doesn't pay to be sick. And yes, it happens. I got sick later in the week. I still am not sure if it was Crohn's or cross contamination. I know that I get sick a lot with GF pasta, and I had it the night before I got sick, so maybe it was that. In any event, here were a few of the items I could eat:

Coffee rubbed, Ancho spiced Grilled Chicken

Ancho Chili Scallops Wrapped in Bacon...Very good!

There were also veggies and hummus. None of the other dips or soups seemed like I could eat them. It was a bit of a gamble as to what was up there, so some days I got food, other days I didn't.

Dessert was a no-go. There were never any options for me other than the French Meadow Brownies (which was the only afternoon option for me too...talk about brownie overload) Except one night, the night that I was sick, they made ANOTHER chocolate brownie dessert. This was actually very good, once I ate it the next night. It was brownies with a chocolate fudge frosting in the middle, covered in powdered sugar. I didn't pick it up, but my mom said the CL staff gave her a stern talking to as to why I didn't get it. Um, no one told me I had a dessert and I never had one the previous 5 nights! So why would I expect a dessert?! Sigh.

Chocolate brownies.

And back to the getting sick. I got sick and felt terrible. I spent a day in bed. Yuck. In the mean time, my mom decided that CL was so unhelpful, that she went to the concierge staff downstairs for help to get me protein shakes. I use them a lot when I'm sick, so I get some nutrition even if my stomach hurts. I drink Odwalla Vanilla Al'Mondo Non-dairy shakes. So, the concierge staff was very helpful. They arranged a van and got a runner to take my mom (free of charge) to the nearest Super Target (which is where I get them) to get me shakes. Sure enough, they found them and were able to get everything sorted. My mom then tried to get my birthday cake (which was to be delivered that day) delayed so I could sleep, but the CL staff somehow got that messed up, when she attempted to try that. Again, a reason to check with concierge not CL staff.

I'm feeling icky, but the mousekeeper brought me a bunny so I'd feel better! (true story!)

Birthday cake...gluten free and dairy free.

The logo is made of sugar, I called and asked.

I didn't end up eating the cake while at WDW, but we brought it home. Yes, strangely I took it in my carry on and didn't have it confiscated, guess it wasn't a threat! HOWEVER, I do want folks to know that I was sick most of the week after I got back on the days I ate this cake. I am guessing there was some sort of cross contamination in it. It was clearly GF, but in general, I felt a big icky. Perhaps I was recovering from being sick, but the items I had on other days didn't make me sick, only the cake days. So, it seems pretty likely there was an issue with the cake. But, I didn't get sick from my Contemporary dessert, so there are some safe dessert options. I'm not going to say for sure this was a cross contamination issue, but be mindful that this could happen.

Overall, I wish the CL staff would have been more friendly and less "put out" when it came to my dietary restrictions. I don't expect special treatment, but I don't like being made to feel like I'm a pain in the butt. Yes, I ask a lot of questions, but it's for safety reasons. I was happy with the few options when I had them, just wish the overall ambiance would have been more friendly. I would not recommend CL for people with dietary concerns. In fact, I would have rather just spent the extra money and had table service for breakfast every day. But, in general we enjoyed the Wilderness Lodge (love the hotel!) and would come back here, just not at CL. Perhaps other CL's are better equipped, but I would definitely hesitate to try it again.