Help..Concierge questions..

[Dreamer04]

Hello fellow Dis'ers..My family and I are booked on the 1/11/04 Wonder. Cat 3 and Cat 4. I have never had access to concierge services before and I have a few questions. Please help!

#1-I read somewhere that, upon boarding, concierge guests are to meet in a specific location to make ressies for Palo and the spa. I don't know where I read this, is this true? If it is, where is it?


#2-We're in cabins 8534 and 8536, does anyone know where the muster station is for these cabins?


#3-Are there different check-in/boarding arrangements for concierge?

#4-Does DCL offer wheelchairs on board?

#5- I've read that you can arrange a family portrait session, cna this be in the cabin?

It's going to be DH, DS 14, DD 6, DM and myself. My mom is not in the best of health and I want this vacation to be as extra special as it can be. She is in the cat 4 next door to our cat 3 and I want for her to be able to come in our room and order from the resturaunt menus, do you think this is ok? When DM, DD and myself were on the Wonder 1/12/03, even the first seating was too much for her. By the time the shows were on, she was too pooped to go. She even missed Disney Dreams! This way she can order from the menus and rest-without dressing up..her favorite part of the cruise was the verandah and DD.

Any help/tips woudl be greatly appreciated!

Thank you
Ursula

 

[WDWLVR]

Can't help with any of the concierge questions but can offer one piece of advice that your mom might like. On our May cruise they were showing the shows from the Walt Disney Theatre on the in- room TV's. Since we had already seen Hercules a number of times we didn't go but it was fun to see it on TV. Hope she can enjoy some of them in her room. This was on the Magic. Don't know if they are doing it on the Wonder, but I hope so.

 

[Dreamer04]

Thank you..Great Idea!

 

[jvaka]

Yes it is true that you get to go to one place to make all of your reservations. It was in the Cadillac Lounge. The best advice I can give you is to know everything that you want to get and do and time you want to do it before you walk in there. This would include Palo, Spa, Kids club and anything else. You will get prefered spa times and palo times. When I went in within 3 minutes I had a free drink in my hand and with in 15 minutes had the kids signed up for club , wife signed up for a spa treatment and Palo reservations. The staff was great.
There was no specail treatment upon boarding of ship but we went from Disney resort via Disney Bus to Ship and was on ship within 20 minutes upon arrival. Not sure about wheelchair.

Jeff

 

[Dreamer04]

Thanks, Jeff. It sounds great. Do we do this as soon as we board? I was thinking of sending everyone else to lunch, while I handled the ressies and kids clubs.

 

[Michelle]

Dreamer, they will tell you when you check in, or there will be info in your cabin about the welcome concierge reception. Typically it starts around 1:30 and you can take care of everything then.

Your muster station will be on Deck 4, outside, roughly underneath the same area that you're in.

There may be a concierge check-in line (I can't remember) but it's not necessary to use it; just go to the shortest line. Concierge guests DO get to board in a separate line, after the handicapped guests board first.

I have not heard of private photography sessions other than for family reunion groups but you can certainly ask. There are opportunities pretty much every evening for photos to be taken with various backdrops.

Enjoy!

 

[Dreamer04]

Thanks, everyone!

Since we're on deck 8, are we able to use the elevators to get to deck 4 for the drill? I know it sounds like a silly question, but I am worried about my mom and the stairs..I'm sure it will be fine! I think I am afraid it will be my last chance to vacation with her...I'm being a little obsessive..sorry.

 

[DrDO]

We also had the cabin combination you described on a three day Wonder cruise in March. All members of our party were treated to concierge service. There is a seperate concierge checkin desk, but often there are minimal lines elswhere. We arrived before boarding commenced and were directed to the seating area by the large windows and were offered courtesy boarding before general boarding. My niece was the first on the ship! You will be informed as to when the concierge staff will be available in the Cadillac lounge. Also, you can make a reservation for Palo in advance of sailing. The cabins are great and a special treat. You'll have a great time. Enjoy the ship, the cruise and your family!

 

[NancyDVC]

My Mom has problems walking long distances so I've been looking into this as well. There are a few wheelchairs on the ship just for 'emergencies' as I understand it. If you think that she will need a wheelchair or can use an ECV (scooter-like at the parks) there are several local companies that rent them www.walkermobility.com, www.caremedicalequipment.com and www.brevardmedicalequip.com. The first 2 are in the Orlando area and the last is near Port Canaveral. I have not had to use any of them but they have been mentioned on the DISabilities board here. That's a great place for more mobility info.
When you go to check in explain that your Mom has mobility problems and I've been told that they are very helpful in getting you onboard easily.
Good luck

 

[Dreamer04]

Thanks, I'll check it out. You guys are the best!

 

[rundogrun]

Don't trust that the concierge will get you the times you requested!!!

If you board early enough and want to make reservations at Palo and/or the spa, better to do them yourself to make sure you get what you want.

It's only after the concierge collects everyone's requests that they then go and make the reservations for you. By that time, your requested slots may be full. We found out the hard way.

In our experience, the concierge service was a huge bust overall. Enjoy the bigger staterooms...that's the real benefit!

 

[PizzieDuster]

We were probably the last to meet with concierge but then again I wasn't looking for any spa treatments - I can get here and we were only on a 4 day.

I do know that they make "things happen" during the course of your trip. It will never hurt to call during your sail to see if you can "get in" anywhere at any time. You just never know when the kids are all occupied and you find yourselves kidless!

On Embarkation Day , they collect the requests as they come. If you meet with them like I did - 5 minutes before they are to "close down" on embarkation day - then yes, your choices may be limited. But I had prebooked the Dolphin Encounter 60 days prior with them, and I just signed up the kids in the labs and DS13 on Junkaroo and Palo.

I posted a trip report you may want to check out.