From a pure financial perspective, it will never really make financial sense to stay CL - generally speaking. It’s mainly just an up-charge/slightly upgraded overall experience that some may or may not find worthwhile and is not a good fit for some WDW touring styles. We normally stay CL so below are some ramblings about why it works for us.... none of these are “earth shattering” amenities, but cumulatively they add a bit of convenience to our stays:
- Lounge offerings during the day - breakfast, mid-day snacks, evening apps, desserts, plus coffee/soda/beer/wine available at all times. For us, one of the bigger CL draws is the breakfast. We’re past the point of wanting to head out to park or character breakfasts and are just fine grabbing something in the lounge every day. For our family of four, what we would otherwise spend for breakfast would start to add up after awhile (of course, not $200 per day!). Could I spend less at Garden Grocer and have supplies in the room? Sure - but for us it’s vacation, I don’t want to mess with groceries, etc.
- In fairness, while we use the CL breakfast as a meal replacement, the other services generally aren’t going to be a true meal substitute. That being said, we tend to often have a larger lunch out in the parks and are ultimately fine with light snacking during evening apps because we just aren’t that hungry. But I also don’t like “being tied” to the lounge for meals either, so other than breakfast, I don’t let the fact we’re staying CL force my schedule, for the most part. Some people feel the need to “be back in the lounge for apps” since they “paid for it,” but we try not to think like that.
- We enjoy the occasional beer or wine in our CL comings and goings. Or a glass of water or coffee. Having these close by is a nice convenience.
- The lounge provides a nice “second room” if you will - I like waking up early while the fam is still asleep and heading to the lounge to get some work done / grab a cup of coffee. Or if the fam is napping and I don’t want to bother them, I can hang in the lounge. And back to that beer/wine part.
- CL guests have access to Disney Signature Services, a pre-arrival “concierge” type of service. While they can’t necessarily book ADRs or FPs you can’t otherwise do yourself, sometimes it’s nice to have the service available if needed. You can take care of room requests with a simple e-mail... or book a cabana... etc. Sometimes not having to call to handle basic tasks has some value.
- The standard (non-suite) CL rooms are on a dedicated floor - at BC and YC that’s the 5th floor (top floor) - so when you book CL you have some level of control over your room location vs a non-CL reservation. At other resorts, certain buildings are CL - eg, Poly - where the Hawaii building is all CL... so booking CL there means you know you’ll be in the Hawaii longhouse.
- CL CMs staff desks on the CL floor from 7am-10pm daily. They can assist with any issues, questions, etc, and they can be accessed via text during your stay too. I’ve had an occasion or two where I needed to cancel an ADR last minute and having someone accessible right there on the CL floor or via text can be a slight time saver. Many trips we never need anything at all, but it’s often nice to have a smiling face welcoming us in our comings/goings.
- I haven’t stayed at BC CL since 2016 but have several recent trips to YC CL - personally I have found the CMs there quite warm/welcoming. While the food at every CL can get repetitive, I personally think YC CL is one of the better CLs right now in terms of quality/quantity of food offerings. (BC CL is served by the same kitchen and is substantially similar in their offerings)
- CL guests can currently book a special trial extra charge FP program where you can buy 3 extra FPs per day (plus your original 3) 90 days out. Some find this intriguing, some don’t.
- I’m assuming BC CL has this too, but YC CL has some board games in the lounge that have come in handy on a rainy day.
So, as you can see - none of these are earth-shattering amenities or must-haves... more conveniences or luxuries.
We find value in the conveniences, but others will not, so definitely not a one size fits all perspective.
Sorry that was TLDR, but hope it helps!