On my recent trip to Walt Disney World, I was able to stay in a club level room at the Boardwalk Inn.

Normally, this would have been a ridiculous splurge and I wouldn’t have even considered it, especially for a solo trip – but an unusually good Annual Passholder discount made it an offer I couldn’t refuse! I had an absolute ball and it made me re-think some of my pre-conceptions about the value of a club level room.

Over the years, the price for club level rooms has gone up considerably. Years ago, the 5 of us were able to upgrade at the Yacht Club for only $75 a night, but those days are long over with an average club level room going for $750 a night OR MORE.

But what has also changed, at least at the Boardwalk, is what you get for your money.

Here is just a partial list of what was available to me as a club level guest:

• Pre-trip planning services including dining reservations and any other reservations we may have needed (like the Christmas Party)
• A dedicated email and phone number JUST for club level guests that allowed me almost immediate access to a specialized Disney cast member to help me with . . um, . . anything.
• The Innkeeper’s Lounge which served breakfast each morning, snacks and drinks throughout the day (including wine and beer on request), evening heavy appetizers (with a chef cooking up specialities each night), and cordials and desserts in the evening. Oh, and on the weekends an omelet bar AND an unlimited Bloody Mary and Mimosa station.
• Turn down service every evening  (with chocolate of course;)
• Extra room amenities including a very comfy robe and slippers
• A welcome gift of 2 chocolate bars in my room
• A daily itinerary that appeared during turn-down service that was customized and listed upcoming FP reservations, dining and any other plans we had made plus park hours, EMH information, and any other resort activities for the following day (reminded me of the Navigator on the cruise ship)
• An actual person on the floor available to answer questions and make reservations. Jackie helped me out multiple times and it was lovely having her just right there when I needed her. I also loved coming back to the room and having her say “hey, Jen, did you have a good day?” I like that.

It is, in short, a full on luxury Disney experience and I’m not sure how you could put a price on all of those extras. But they made me feel special and I honestly had all of my needs taken care of.

So, who do I think it’s right for?

Well, if you have 3 kids and are going to stay in one room (which we did for years) this is a great option if you can swallow the price tag. The breakfast was more than enough food and the evening appetizers could fill in for a meal if you’re not a big eater.

If you’re there to celebrate a special occasion like your honeymoon, an anniversary or a birthday, the extras really make you feel amazingly celebrated! I felt that way and I wasn’t celebrating a dang thing!

If you’re traveling for business and just want the convenience factor. I did quite a bit of work on this trip and having everything RIGHT THERE really saved me some time. They even offered me a private room to do a live stream in if I needed it since my room wasn’t quite ready (ended up doing it from Epcot instead;).

If you are taking your first solo trip to Disney and you’re nervous – I definitely felt an added level of security being on the Concierge floor and they always knew where I was. Maybe a little creepy but also VERY secure.

So although it’s impossible for me to say if it was “worth it” (after all, it’s a ridiculous amount of money) I CAN actually see how it could be a good value if you’re looking to save time and feel like a celebrity on your next Walt Disney World Vacation. If finances allowed, I would do this all the time.

But the finances don’t allow, so I will just treasure this extra special memory and the next time I’m having to turn down my own bed at Disney, I’ll fondly remember that time it was done for me. And let out a little happy sigh.

Happy Disney Planning!