Chronos Club Level at Gran Destino Tower is the cheapest on-site club level accommodation at Walt Disney World. Located in the moderate-tiered Coronado Springs, Chronos Club opened with the Gran Destino Tower in July of 2019. The Club Level resides on the tower’s 15th floor and includes different food and drinks throughout the day as well as outstanding service by Cast Members. In this post, we’ll review Chronos Club and discuss whether it is worth the cost.

I am still a club level novice. A little over a year ago, we lucked into a studio at Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Club using DVC points. That may have ruined us as it opened our eyes to a whole new, more expensive, world. That ‘ruining’ is still seen as a splurge though and our night staying at the Coronado Springs Chronos Club was only the second time we’ve ever dove into the club level waters.

Before we get into the review of this specific club level, there are ways to maximize the value of club levels at Disney World. I wanted to get that out of the way early before anyone exits out of a page thinking this is too bougie of an experience. That’s not to say this isn’t expensive, it is! More just that there are ways to maximize the value if you decide to do a club level Disney World room. That starts with the amount of access you get.

With all of Walt Disney World’s club levels, guests have access to the club lounge for all of check-in day and all of check-out day. It’s a nice perk, especially for those that do use this as a splurge and are just staying for one night. We did exactly that! After rope dropping Animal Kingdom, we arrived at Coronado Springs around 10 AM and were immediately shown to the club. Shortly after that, our room was ready!

The following day we checked out and then stayed around the lounge most of the day. Booking a standard room in Coronado Springs for the following night made it easy to just hop in and out of the club level. For those looking to make the splurge ‘worth it’ this is absolutely the way to go. That’s not exactly how most people would go about a Walt Disney World vacation but for regulars it’s an interesting way to change things up. You’ll be able to go into the lounge whenever you want during those days and that gives you a nice place to eat, drink, relax, work, or whatever you might want to do!

Speaking of that space, Chronos Club is a fairly large lounge. It’s more secluded than my other frame of reference in Animal Kingdom, having a door that guests access through their key card. The seating area is a continuation of Gran Destino Tower’s Spanish style. At it’s best, the area is tied together by pops of blue throughout and is comfortable. On the other side of things, this can feel a little generic and boring. That matches how I feel about the tower in general.

The ceiling and the windows are highlights. Throughout Gran Destino, including the incredible Toledo, different ceiling patterns are showcased. It’s one of my favorite design aspects of the resort. Chronos Club features a relatively simple pattern but it looks nice.

As for the windows, they are a focal point of the lounge. Guests can view Hollywood Studios highlights like Galaxy’s Edge and Tower of Terror out of them as well as Spaceship Earth off in the distance. There are fireworks to view at night as well. This isn’t as charming or atmospheric as overlooking the lobby at Animal Kingdom Lodge but it’s still a well crafted experience. We had a fun time staring out of the windows, trying to pinpoint what landmark was what. It’s easy to pass the time doing that when there are endless snacks, meal options and desserts!

Chronos Club offers 4 different ‘meal’ times, as well as a coffee half hour, throughout the day:

• Coffee: 6:30-7
• Continental Breakfast: 7-10:30
• Light Snacks: 11:30-4
• Hors d’oeuvres & Select Beverage: 5-7
• Desserts & Cordials: 8-10

Unlike other club level lounges in Disney World, Chronos Club does close down. There’s no access to the room from 10 PM until 6:30 AM. Whether that matters to you at all probably comes down to the hours you keep. 10 PM is fairly late but I did find myself wishing for a midnight closing both of the nights we had access to the lounge, both to view more fireworks and for a relaxed atmosphere in there. It’s a minor nit to pick at though.

Let’s run through the different times and a few of the highlights from each.

Breakfast at Chronos Club did feature hot items, which is a pleasant surprise. I don’t believe that was the case at Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Club. Those hot offerings included bacon, potatoes and then the special of the day. Our breakfast on Wednesday was Spanish Tortillas with peppers and onions while the previous day offered crepes.

Other options included pastries, oatmeal and bread. This is labeled as a Continental Breakfast and the offerings fit the bill albeit slightly upscaled. The hot food was the standout, as well as the Chocolate Scones.

Lunch or ‘Snacks’ was the weakest of the four offerings, save for the amazing Chorizo & Cheese Sandwiches (known as Bocadillos) offered on the second day we were there. I don’t want to divulge how many I ate while there because they might up the Chronos Club price level just based on that.

This portion of the day featured the most pre-made options, including Uncrustables. There’s fresh deli meat available as well as a specialty item each day (like those Bocadillos!) but, by and large, the Snack portion of the day is the weakest at Chronos Club. The same was true at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The Hors d’oeuvres hours were a relative feast compared to the Snacks. Here’s a look around at what was offered in our two nights there.

We were impressed by the selection here, offering a solid variety and more than enough to fill up on. My favorites included the Potato Croquettes with Chorizo (I really like Chorizo) and the Tuna Poke.

Desserts were no slouch either.

Each night featured a few specialty bite-sized options that were delicious. The Cordials included with desserts included 4 or 5 bottles of hard liquor served in small glasses. Several of the desserts were pre-packaged so that guests could take them to enjoy throughout the day. Chronos Club had Rice Krispy Treats coming out of their (Mickey) ears.

Drinks are also aplenty at this club level. There were several coffee machines, soft drinks, bottles of water, spa water and more. For adults, there was wine and beer offered as well as the evening cordials. Upon arrival, we were given mimosas that you could ask for throughout the day. The alcohol wasn’t easy access, a Cast Member did have to deliver them to you, but it was available at any hour that the lounge is open.

If you’re staying for more than a day or two, most guests would probably not want to eat every meal in there. We chose to go this route as it was only one night and we wanted the most bang for our buck. After a while the snack portions and finger foods may get a little tiresome but we enjoyed them for our time there.

As far as the lounge offerings go, we were impressed. I’d put most of the food offered on par with Kilimanjaro Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I prefer the options there just slightly more but it’s a close contest. The same goes with the actual lounge too, as I like the setting above the lobby rather than the secluded room behind closed doors. But the preference is marginal compared to the difference in cost, as Chronos Club offers a significantly less expensive experience.

Moving to the room, Chronos Club includes a stay in Gran Destino Tower. It probably goes without saying that you can stay in Gran Destino Tower without booking the club level. The rooms will likely cost somewhere between $100-$200 per night less in doing so.

The tower’s style translates to the rooms in a mostly positive way. There’s Spanish flair to go along with a sleek hotel room. The headboards above the beds are a nice example of that.

Like most recent Disney World builds, this can border on a generic hotel room style. But Gran Destino Tower does just enough to stay away from that. The wall behind the TV adds a nice accent and I like the furniture below it.

The rooms are some of the biggest studios that Disney offers, coming in at 375 square feet. What the room is lacking in theme it makes up for in functionality and chicness.

These rooms did have one of the nicer hotel bathrooms I’ve seen at Walt Disney World. It surpasses most of the deluxe resorts in that regard, with a beautiful walk-in shower on one side, a sink in the middle and the toilet on the right. There’s plenty of space and some really nice detailing throughout.

Gran Destino Tower offers a really modern hotel room that ends up being one of the nicest in Walt Disney World. While I always prefer rooms to have a little more theme, this option is fitting for a club level stay. Windows in the room have a nice view out through the property, this being 15 floors up.

I mentioned that the Chronos Club rooms are about $100-$200 per night more in price than just a standard stay in Gran Destino. What kind of trip you’re on will dictate whether that’s worth it. If you take full advantage of the food and drinks offered as well as the concierge level service then staying here is an easy choice over just a regular Gran Destino room. Heck, you could make up the extra cost in drinks alone without having to work too hard! If you’re doing full park days though then the cost is harder to justify.

Compared to other club level options in Walt Disney World, Chronos Club is easily the most affordable. With discounts that are generally offered, club level rooms can be found here in the $500 range throughout the year. Once in a while, that price will even creep into the high 400’s. Meanwhile, other club levels are always above $700 even with a discount. There are a few minor downsides (shorter lounge hours, no late night extra hours in the parks since this is a moderate resort) to Chronos Club but it’s not enough to offset the drastic price difference.

Club levels will continue to be a splurge for us unless we win the lottery that we’re not buying tickets for. Even if they don’t fit into a typical WDW vacation, they have some value to them and are a great way to plus your stay. Chronos Club is an excellent way to test the waters before diving into an even more significant cost. We loved our stay here and look forward to returning in the future for another splurge!

Have you stayed at Chronos Club in Gran Destino Tower? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!