Talk to me about concierge?

[PoohBears#1fan]

I know it's a really bad use of DVC points, but being from the UK and not able to come to the US for 18 months we have a ridiculous amount of them due to expire at the end of January so have decided to splurge on Concierge for a 4 night cruise in January at the beginning of our WDW trip.

So are we going to never want to cruise without it going forwards? What can we look forward to?

Thank you

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

You should watch Adam Hattan’s YouTube video of his most recent cruise. They did club level . It will give you a lot of insight as to what you get staying club level.

 

[mzspaz]

We use our Disney Dollars from our Visa to splurge on Concierge. Our first DCL cruise was in March 2020 (right before the shut down) and while we are pretty low key people and didn't use many of the perks, we like it for the room location. We enjoyed the priority boarding access, loved the lounge with the coffee machine and snacks (the bartender was awesome for having a beer ready for my husband as soon as he walked in the door), and enjoyed the peace of the concierge sun deck. If I had to break it down for a cost comparison, I am not sure it is worth it. But at the same time I think concierge is full of little things that you can't specifically name or put a price on.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Some will say you will never want to go back, but we don't feel that way. Here are some great things about concierge that we enjoyed on our cruise last week:

• First day lunch in one of the MDRs. A much calmer way to start the cruise than Cabanas.
• They'll stock your fridg with waters and sodas (just tell them in your communication with shoreside what you like).
• If in a 1BR, you can order room service from the MDRs for dinner and for breakfast--just tell the concierge host in advance. (We have cruised a lot and don't always want to go to the MDRs.)
• You can order room service continental breakfast for the last morning (with that card you hang on your door).
• You can arrive at the port whenever you want.
• If you want cabana at Castaway Cay, you are more likely to get one.
• The concierge hosts will take care of anything for you--no need to go to guest services. Also, now with covid, they added a chat feature in the app where you can contact the concierge host. I used that feature to change a Palo reservation and it was so convenient.
• They had a reserved spot for us for viewing the fireworks show.
• Good coffee in the lounge (excellent lattes).
• The food offerings in the lounge, especially in the evenings, were really good this time. Better than I had remembered.
• Happy hours.
• Nice lounging area on concierge sundeck and a hot tub.
• Ask for sunblock (and evian face spray) at the desk (it used to be out for you to just use, now they give you your own bottle).

I know there's more, but this is what I remember enjoying. Plus, not exclusive to concierge, but when we don't stay concierge, we often go with an inside cabin, and I really enjoyed sitting on our verandah this cruise.

That Adam Hattan video series (with his friend, Gary) from their UK Staycation Cruise is fun to watch to get excited! They obviously had not watched other videos and so were so surprised by just about everything. Their excitement is contagious!

 

[Marc D]

We happily switch from Concierge to non-Concierge rooms, based mainly on price and time ashore vs onboard. For example, they ask way too much for Concierge on European cruises, which are very port-intensive. The summer before the pandemic, we sailed for 14 nights in a suite, with private butler and restaurant, on Celebrity, for the same cost per night as a regular non-Concierge verandah room on DCL. The cost of Concierge would have brought up the price to the same total price we paid, but for only 7-nights.

All the things mentioned previously, including the embarkation lunch, the happy hour in the lounge, the private character meets, the ability to get a CC cabana, the dining table in the 1BR and the larger stateroom with two bathrooms are the reasons why we sail Concierge on DCL, but we do not really miss them when we sail in a regular room. 90% of the experience is exactly the same. You just get a bit more pampered on the Concierge cruise.

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

Thank you everyone, do you think it's worth booking a cabana for January?

 

[MomOTwins]

If you are going as part of a WDW trip, I am guessing you'll be on an itinerary that includes castaway cay. Some people choose concierge because it pretty much the only way you can book a cabana on the island. But cabanas are expensive, so that's not really an "included" perk.

The booking team will also give you priority booking for any onboard activities you want, so you can get the hard to get ones (mixology, palo brunch, etc.).

Honestly, I don't think anyone is going to tell you "yes, concierge is absolutely worth the extra cost" because the extra cost is substantial. It's more of a thing that people enjoy if they can afford to splurge and don't mind overpaying thing. We were planning to go on a concierge cruise with our extra cruise credits last year (of course that didn't happen), but ultimately just opted to reschedule at the basic level this year because Disney cruises without concierge are so wonderful, we just don't feel the need to pay extra. I'm sure we'll do it eventually as a bucket list thing, but I would just say read up on the perks, watch some videos and decide if it is worth it to you.

 

[ngl]

Unfortunately, that is the case with us - after experiencing Concierge we do not have the desire to go back to the main cabins. For us, it seems more quiet and peaceful on Concierge floor. Also we have always been able to get the cabana even cruising on holiday weeks. Having said that, that is on the Dream and Fantasy where there is a separate Concierge floor and lounge right there. Not sure if we would necessarily feel the same on the other ships. No question the cost is much higher and you have to evaluate your personal needs for the cruise. We always cruise during holiday weeks when it is always packed so we like the quieter area of the Concierge floor, lounge, and sun deck.

 

[Dalgard]

We have done Concierge once and several cruises in non-Concierge staterooms. It was wonderful. Ability to get all reservations at our desired time slots easily, including we got a Cabana for our Castaway Cay day (which I think you must go all in for if you are doing Concierge). The drink service and the snacks/desserts in the lounge were always high quality. It was very quiet and you got to know other voyagers more easily while lounging there. They were highly attentive to all our needs, room service and requests were rapid. It just really depends if you value that experience.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

On the Cabana--we have only gotten the cabana one time. It was on a full Dream sailing, so the family beach was packed. In the cabana area, it was like we had our own private beach and we thought it was completely worth the cost. On the recent cruises though, the family beach area has had plenty of chairs and umbrellas available, and plenty of room to spread out on the sand and in the water.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We are not high maintenance but we value service and flexibility. We have done 3 concierge cruises of various lengths on the Dream and Fantasy. We work hard - having someone take care of us with a simple ask — priceless.

 

[coloradocutie]

The cabanas are nothing short of lovely. We felt it made our beach day and was worth the cost both times. We live in the mountains, though, and beach days are total treats.

 

[shelbell77]

We went from first time in concierge back to a deck 2 oceanview for a 15 night cruise. We were happy to be cruising. But we missed concierge…. I think we’ve mostly sailed concierge since then. But if cost made it not an option we’d happily do otherwise.

I love the lounge, I’m an early riser and I like hanging there, drinking my coffee, reading my kindle or chatting with other early risers while I wait for others in my party. We also love the bar between 5pm and 10pm and make good use of that before and after dinner. As the person who sleeps on the sofabed, I love that it pulls out to a full size bed, not a twin like in other staterooms. We love Cabanas on Castaway Cay and being able to get that. On our upcoming Fantasy cruise I’m looking extra forward to the concierge sundeck for reading.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

We are not high maintenance but we value service and flexibility. We have done 3 concierge cruises of various lengths on the Dream and Fantasy. We work hard - having someone take care of us with a simple ask — priceless.

love this answer! I see absolutely no value in club level but I love this hey we work hard we play hard mentality!

 

[Cheburashka]

Thank you everyone, do you think it's worth booking a cabana for January?

Yes, I would want one at any month of the year. Castaway Cay is usually warm year round, including January. The water is chilly in winter, but not freezing or anything. You can acclimate yourself to it by immersing yourself quickly into the water. The air is typically warm, regardless.

 

[sethschroeder]

Sell your DVC points and book at NCL Haven room. Concierge on DCL is more about the status and not about anything else really IMO. We just did NCL Haven this month and that was an actual experience that was worth the price.

Now if you just want a normal room then DCL is going to be great.

 

[Cruzin’Sisters]

We went from first time in concierge back to a deck 2 oceanview for a 15 night cruise. We were happy to be cruising. But we missed concierge…. I think we’ve mostly sailed concierge since then. But if cost made it not an option we’d happily do otherwise.

I love the lounge, I’m an early riser and I like hanging there, drinking my coffee, reading my kindle or chatting with other early risers while I wait for others in my party. We also love the bar between 5pm and 10pm and make good use of that before and after dinner. As the person who sleeps on the sofabed, I love that it pulls out to a full size bed, not a twin like in other staterooms. We love Cabanas on Castaway Cay and being able to get that. On our upcoming Fantasy cruise I’m looking extra forward to the concierge sundeck for reading.

Is there a private pool as well?

Can anyone else offer input regarding concierge value for the Wonder and Magic? Is there a private pool too? Since a much smaller ship, I don’t notice the crowds especially in adult areas.
Anyone have photos of sundeck for comparison?

Same question for the Wish when the first group experiences it next June since the pool “looks “ so small with lounges on a separate deck.

 

[Cheburashka]

Is there a private pool as well?

Can anyone else offer input regarding concierge value for the Wonder and Magic? Is there a private pool too? Since a much smaller ship, I don’t notice the crowds especially in adult areas.
Anyone have photos of sundeck for comparison?

Same question for the Wish when the first group experiences it next June since the pool “looks “ so small with lounges on a separate deck.

There is no private concierge pool on the Magic, Wonder, Dream or Fantasy. The Dream & Fantasy do have a concierge-only hot tub.

 

[CM Dad]

We have only used concierge once on DCL. Back in Jan 2015, on a 5 night cruise out of Miami on the Wonder for my wife's 60th. Splurged on the Walt suite, and surprised her by also bringing our 4 adult children and their families (I did not pay for concierge for the rest. They just got regular verandah rooms ). I was surprised how relatively inexpensive the suite was, escpecially now compared the the prices I see people quote for recent cruises. This turned out to be one of the (if not THE) first cruises on the Wonder where they dedicated space in a bar and started having happy hours. Also, many of the concierge rooms were being refurbished at that time, and since they had fewer guests, the concierge host invited us to allow our family members to also use the lounge. Used our concierge status to reserve 2 cabanas on Castaway Cay for our group of 15, but unfortunately, due to weather, the ship was unable to dock that day. Our adult son did take advantage of the unlimited internet that was included with the royal suites and went through 3 of the largest packages. Our party on this cruise included a new granddaughter who had just turned 3 months old (would be too young under current policies) and one daughter who was almost too far along in her pregnancy to be allowed to cruise.

We did another family cruise later (now with 16 people) and stayed in all inside staterooms. It was fine. My wife decided that that she wanted to cruise with everybody to celebrate out 40th anniversary, and inside cabins for everyone was what we could afford at the time.

Our very first cruise, in Jan 2017 for our 30th anniversary, include our 4 children, the youngest being18 and a senior in high school, one boy friend (now husband), my parents, and my mother-in-law. My wife and I had a verandah and we had inside rooms for everyone else.

The rest of our 19 cruises have just been my wife and I, and we usually stay in verandah, but have also stayed in ocean view and inside. Actually, it is 19 for me but only 18 for my wife. I did one cruise on my own to do the first runDisney Castaway Cay Challenge 5k.

This fall, we will attempt our first non-DCL cruise. Trying to find a less expensive alternative to DCL cruises to take the kids/grandkids on. We have booked a Star class room on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, so we will have a royal genie to help us. My wife is comfortable doing things on our own on DCL cruises, but for our first non-Disney cruise wanted some hand-holding. We know that if we end up taking the entire group on a royal cruise, we will most likely be using regular staterooms

 

[shelbell77]

Is there a private pool as well?

Can anyone else offer input regarding concierge value for the Wonder and Magic? Is there a private pool too? Since a much smaller ship, I don’t notice the crowds especially in adult areas.
Anyone have photos of sundeck for comparison?

Same question for the Wish when the first group experiences it next June since the pool “looks “ so small with lounges on a separate deck.

Pool no. There’s a hot tub in the concierge sun deck. But right outside those doors is Satellite Falls so if we want to “cool down” in a pool we head out there.