Concierge Embarkation Lunch

[serenitynow]

Has anyone experienced the new concierge lunch on embarkation in Royal Palace?

 

[pezgirlroy]

Yes, last April when it first started. What information are you looking for?

 

[serenitynow]

Did you enjoy it? Did it take a long time?

We have always eaten at Cabanas as soon as we board the ship. My guys are fighting the idea of giving up the tradition. One of their arguments is that a sit down meal will “take too long” and be “stuffy”.

 

[pezgirlroy]

So it was our first Disney Cruise so we don't know any different. And it was probably only the second week or so that they had starting doing it. We boarded the ship and were greeted by Tawanda I believe and he mentioned that we could go to the lunch, go straight to the Lounge or go to Cabanas. Since we were traveling with young kids it made sense to get some lunch right away and my mother doesn't love buffets. I honestly don't remember how long it took. Not horribly long. We were the only people in the restaurant for a long time. Tawanda then came by and checked on us and then we went to the lounge afterwards. Drinks were included. For us it was the perfect way to start the cruise and we will be doing the same thing when we are on the Magic in April this year.

 

[serenitynow]

Sounds nice and relaxing. Thank you for your help. My guys are afraid to be stuck in the restaurant for the first couple of hours of the cruise while the rest of the passengers are riding the Aqua Duck and having fun.

 

[pezgirlroy]

So my kids are 8 and 2 and we will have grandparents as well so for us it makes sense. I understand wanting to get right on the aqua duck. depending on how old they are maybe you can all start at lunch and then they can eat first and then go off.

 

[serenitynow]

So my kids are 8 and 2 and we will have grandparents as well so for us it makes sense. I understand wanting to get right on the aqua duck. depending on how old they are maybe you can all start at lunch and then they can eat first and then go off.

Good idea, thanks

 

[JWG]

Can't speak to this but on our last cruise we did the standard sit down lunch option in Enchanted Garden and loved it. It took 10-15 minutes to get seated, but didn't feel rushed or crowded.

 

[Marc D]

No sit-down lunch takes 2 hours. You would be out of there in 45 minutes if you do three courses. We will do two Concierge cruises B2B soon and plan on doing the sit-down lunch for the first leg and Cabanas for the second. The sit-down lunch is the same menu as the regular MDR lunch but the Concierge bartender is there to offer you a drink.

 

[ADS2508]

We did it in October. It was mostly the main dining room options. I think maybe one or two extra choices plus the bar tender. They had a ton of staff and not many families. We were there a little less than an hour, but it was adults only trip and we enjoyed a few drinks.

 

[hpsalb]

We’ve not done concierge but usually do the table service option for this meal. Cabanas feels chaotic, especially at embarkation, so we usually opt for something else.

Can’t offer any specific feedback on the timing but the general table service meal moves just fine. We’ve had early boarding the last few times and got there just as things opened. It’s a little slower in the beginning but speeds up as they get going. I can’t even imagine switching gears from cleaning up one set of passengers to welcoming the next!

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

We did the concierge embarkation lunch in August. It was a really relaxing way to start our vacation, and not stuffy at all. Good food, attentive and fun servers. Our boys (12 and 14 at the time) are big fans of Cabanas and thought they'd hate the whole experience, but they loved so much that they want to do it again next time. We finished in about an hour, but we were taking our time.

 

[ScooterScott44]

We did the concierge lunch in May and it was great. The concierge had a staff member there so if you had not been to the lounge to meet with one of the hosts, you could review your itinerary plus a bartender to serve drinks. They served the normal sit down lunch menu with maybe a minor few changes, menu below. Time wise, we did not rush and it didn’t take much more than an hour.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Drinks are complimentary for those enjoying the concierge lunch. It was a very relaxing lunch, a great way to start the cruise.




Murphy Goode wine



Beef empanada




Smoked salmon



Seafood/chicken gumbo



Leek & Potato Soup



Poached lobster salad



Beef tenderloin



Sundae



Warm molten pot

Then we "rolled" ourselves up the the C. lounge to do a proper check-in.

Smiles,
Kate

 

[coloradocutie]

We did the lunch last year in April. It was the second week they had tried it. It was fabulous in that everyone was not jammed into the concierge lounge with all of their luggage standing around because of the seats were gone, trying to get the attention of the concierge hosts like it had been in the past. The lunch went quickly and the concierge hosts came by the table to review all of our excursions and plans. It was fabulous and we could have left within 45 minutes, but it was so relaxing and nice we lingered and ate and had some drinks to celebrate the start of our cruise .
Enjoy!

 

[Sammie79]

Do they have a kids menu available at the concierge dining room? Thanks.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Sure, I didn’t include it with my other menu pic but here is what the kids options were in May. If the kids are comfotprtable with the choices, as with the MDR, they can order from the adult side too. Our son 10, did an adult app and chicken Cesar salad at this meal with just minimal left so the portions are not outrageous.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Do they have a kids menu available at the concierge dining room? Thanks.

In the above post I assume you are meaning the embarkation lunch. After posting I wanted to double check, by concierge dining room do you mean the small offerings in the lounge.

Since there is no real concierge dining room the food in the lounge is limited to the apps, small plates and a few sweets. It is not a real meal. They do have some options kids might like but if they are looking for cheese pizza, chicken nuggets and such you will have to head out to the quick service not the lounge.

 

[Sammie79]

Yes, I meant the embarkation lunch. My girls will love those choices. 4 months until our first Disney cruise. Can’t wait! Thanks for the pics.

 

[Marc D]

In the above post I assume you are meaning the embarkation lunch. After posting I wanted to double check, by concierge dining room do you mean the small offerings in the lounge.

Since there is no real concierge dining room the food in the lounge is limited to the apps, small plates and a few sweets. It is not a real meal. They do have some options kids might like but if they are looking for cheese pizza, chicken nuggets and such you will have to head out to the quick service not the lounge.

A few months ago, they started a proper Concierge embarkation lunch in a second MDR. On Wonder, it is in Tiana’s while embarkation lunch is in the central MDR. The main difference is that alcool is complimentary during lunch and you can have your Concierge briefing while there, instead of needing to do a trip to the lounge.