If you aren't sailing DCL concierge, but are doing concierge elsewhere, which ship and why?

[Cfabar1]

I am often accused by my family of finding the most expensive ways to do things….

even i can’t wrap my head around paying for Concierge on disney cruise line…. The benefits don’t justify the price premium to me. I think the fact that Disney emphasizes short itineraries is maybe why.

 

[KashasMom]

Other cruiselines tend to be cheaper and offer more physical perks, like an exclusive restaurant to dine in, exclusive pools and bars, plus the normal concierge lounge. Where Disney stands out is the service, having someone to arrange everything for you and get you first dibs at excursions and activities.

I personally don't think either of them are worth it unless you're getting a 2 bedroom suite and filling it with people. I would rather use that money for better excursions, specialty dining, and drinks at the bar.

What service? Years ago we were in a top suite on Celebrity - had a BUTLER - now THAT was service. First dibs at excursions and activities? Oh wow. Disney is SO far behind on what they offer Concierge guests. We did our 2nd Concierge on the Magic in October. Tied for our worst Disney cruise (out of 9) - so much so that we didn't book a cruise for this year and are likely done cruising with Disney. We never take their excursions and activities are kinda lame. The one ask I had put in through Shoreside wasn't even taken care of. We never use/ask the Concierge team for anything. And the only perk the kids loved (private character meet) was taken away. Give me the "physical" perks any day!

 

[brentm77]

I am often accused by my family of finding the most expensive ways to do things….

even i can’t wrap my head around paying for Concierge on disney cruise line…. The benefits don’t justify the price premium to me. I think the fact that Disney emphasizes short itineraries is maybe why.

I can't either, and I splurge a lot for luxury when traveling, such as mostly flying first class, paying for private tours, staying at nicer hotels. So I am not afraid to spend if I see it really improving my vacation. But everytime I review the benefits for DCL concierge vs cost, I honestly don't understand who would pay for it. Particularly when the regular experience is already a premium product (in both the service and cost).

It probably has a lot to do with us not really wanting to book DCL excursions (I am less and less impressed w DCL's offerings the more I cruise), a cabana (which I don't really get either), do onboard bookings, or even sit at the front of the theater. Nor do I care to have any more snacks or a choice of pillows. I'd love to disembark at some ports first, but concierge doesn't even get you that at DCL. While a suite would be nice, I kind of like the coziness of the verandah rooms.

The bottom line is I don't feel like I'm missing anything that DCL concierge offers.

But, I'm sure others would say the same thing about some of the things I splurge on, so to each their own.

 

[DCLMP]

Sad to say deciding on which cruise line to book a concierge room on will never be a problem I will have. I'm good with an inside or whatever fits in the budget. I'm much more concerned with where the ship goes than where I sleep.

 

[Mango7100]

DW and I are on MSC Meraviglia as I type. Just had our tummies filled at the YC restaurant and tonight was Lobster if you chose. Woman next to us order 2 tails and was surprised at the size of the tails and could only eat 1 1/2. She and her sister sail 6 to 10 times a year with Haven in the past but feel that YC exceeds Haven especially at the pricing. She just returned from a Wonder Owners and really enjoyed her Genie.



DCL Concierge cabin for a 2024 was $10,000.00, Royal Grand Suite was $8,000.00 and our MSC YC at $4,900.00. 2 YC for the price of 1 DCL.

How are you enjoying Yacht Club?

 

[jimmymc]

What service? Years ago we were in a top suite on Celebrity - had a BUTLER - now THAT was service. First dibs at excursions and activities? Oh wow. Disney is SO far behind on what they offer Concierge guests. We did our 2nd Concierge on the Magic in October. Tied for our worst Disney cruise (out of 9) - so much so that we didn't book a cruise for this year and are likely done cruising with Disney. We never take their excursions and activities are kinda lame. The one ask I had put in through Shoreside wasn't even taken care of. We never use/ask the Concierge team for anything. And the only perk the kids loved (private character meet) was taken away. Give me the "physical" perks any day!

Your mileage may vary on other cruiselines. Royal technically has 3 categories of suites, and the top get a similar butler service where they do everything for you, but the other two have the normal concierge team. And Disney concierge also gets first access to excursions and activities, you just have to ask the team.

But overall I agree. I'd much rather have things like drink packages and upgraded dining.

 

[John VN]

Your mileage may vary on other cruiselines. Royal technically has 3 categories of suites, and the top get a similar butler service where they do everything for you, but the other two have the normal concierge team. And Disney concierge also gets first access to excursions and activities, you just have to ask the team.

But overall I agree. I'd much rather have things like drink packages and upgraded dining.

On our MSC Yacht Cub cruise right now as we prepare to anchor at Belize, we have a Butler at a lesser price than Royal's Sky and a full front deck area for our Lounge with 20+ hour bar service including any bar on the ship, a full front deck private restaurant for breakfast-lunch-dinner again with open bar, and at this moment while I respond DW is at the full front area TOP DECK Grill area having breakfast made fresh for her and they also have a FULL BAR adjacent to the Grill plus the pool and hot tub and cabanas and lounges.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Background -
- DCL - Platinum status, sailed in Concierge on Magic and Fantasy (x2)
- Royal - Diamond status, sailed in Star Class (x2), Sky class (x2) and non "Royal Suites Class" suites (x2)
- Holland - only one sailing in Neptune suite
- MSC - Diamond status (matching program), sailed in Yacht Club (x2)

If you look at the perks that DCL gives on paper they are probably near the bottom of the list. We heard post re-start they are finally doing some sort of show seating for concierge which is a plus but was something that they are late to the game with. The concierge lounge space and the service they provide might bump them up a bit at times but that can depend on which concierge staff you are dealing with and the exact situation and request. Once you factor price in that is where DCL starts to expose itself to the weakness in the concierge product.

The range of "perks" that are offered on the different cruise lines across the suites categories is only something that an individual or a family can determine if there is value for their travel party. If you are looking for square footage and impressive cabins the Sky and Star class are probably the best options and include probably the most perks. We have been in the Walt Suite and 1 Br's on DCL and they are nice but probably rank below all the Star class suites and the Crown Loft in Sky class. Typically the cost advantage goes to Royal with those. The Yacht Club rooms can vary a little more and even have inside cabins, but the average cabin is probably closer to the Concierge Family w/Veranda. Yacht Club really takes the lead against DCL concierge with the ship within a ship concept. The restaurant, lounge, sundeck (and bar/dining) and pool/hot tubs set them above in a head to head. HAL was probably the most similar to the DCL concierge experience in terms of cabin, lounge and service. Between these two it would have to come down the itinerary, final price and which exact perks are most beneficial.

The best way I can evaluate the programs is by if we will sail with them again. We haven't sailed DCL since the re-start, will we sail DCL again? Very likely at some point, but it probably will not be in concierge unless we find the right situation, mainly the price. Will we sail Holland again - probably only for the right itinerary or deal. MSC in the Yacht Club is probably going to happen in the future but not sure when. We almost had a NCL sailing booked but that fell through, we likely will try them and maybe The Haven at some point. We have a sailing on Royal at the end of the month (for a specific itinerary) and got a Royal Up this week to Sky class. We have two Star Class sailings (more due to specific itineraries) booked for 2024, so Royal seems to be where we feel we get the most concierge/suites bang for our buck.

Hope that helps folks that are trying to honestly evaluate. If Disney is your thing, you probably should stick with them..

 

[John VN]

How are you enjoying Yacht Club?

Outstanding as always. Immensely relaxing; however, at dinner last night I had Crêpe Suzette + NY Cheesecake + a 2 scoop Sunday so still recuperating.

 

[mmmears]

I haven't ever booked concierge on DCL because I don't like the non-refundable part. Things change, plans change, and I don't like feeling locked in a year in advance.

I have booked us in a suite in The Retreat on Celebrity Apex for a 2024 cruise. And if for some reason I need to cancel I can get my deposit back. We should get full spa access, a private restaurant, lounge, and private sundeck. Shoreside concierge said to let them know what we want to book and they can book it for us.

I don't really care about booking DCL excursions, we don't tend to sail to CC so the cabanas don't matter, and while I would like to book Palo brunch it's just a meal and not at all the reason why I am traveling.

 

[Disneyfan628]

I haven’t read others posts but am just answering for us. We used to sail Disney concierge. In fact I think we’ve only been on one Disney cruise that wasn’t concierge. It’s lovely but pricing it out now I just don’t want to part with that much money. On other cruise lines the cost looks much more reasonable. The first concierge cruise we sailed was about 8 years ago on the fantasy and without going into specifics the cost of that trip for 7 days in a one bedroom suite was not much more then we are paying for a verandah room on the wish in July for 4 days. After this non-concierge cruise in July I’ll have to revisit the issue. We sail in February too and have another non concierge cabin booked on the magic. If we miss it terribly maybe I’ll change my mind but I suspect i will enjoy holding onto the extra money more!

 

[hrhdhd]

I haven't ever booked concierge on DCL because I don't like the non-refundable part. Things change, plans change, and I don't like feeling locked in a year in advance.

I have booked us in a suite in The Retreat on Celebrity Apex for a 2024 cruise. And if for some reason I need to cancel I can get my deposit back. We should get full spa access, a private restaurant, lounge, and private sundeck. Shoreside concierge said to let them know what we want to book and they can book it for us.

Celebrity offers refundable and non-refundable deposits. The latter will result in a lower fare, sometimes by several hundred dollars or more.

I'm not aware of "full spa access" for suites, other than of course you can pay for what treatments you'd like to have. AquaClass passengers get complimentary access to the Persian Garden or SEA Thermal suite.

I've been on Apex twice; it is a beautiful ship.

 

[Anna131517]

We have done suites on NCL which come with butler service and other perks but I won’t do the Haven (NCL’s version of concierge). I’ve heard it’s nice but first and foremost I absolutely do not not want a stateroom at the top of the ship - too noisy and too much movement if seas are rough. Second, I just dislike the sense of classism. We did suites with butler service because the room layout met our needs, not because we needed a butler or needed to be separate from the rest of the passengers. Also, we aren’t big drinkers. As in we each maybe have one drink per day, at dinner, at most.

 

[Sykes]

I'm not aware of "full spa access" for suites, other than of course you can pay for what treatments you'd like to have. AquaClass passengers get complimentary access to the Persian Garden or SEA Thermal suite.

I've not seen it advertised, but the higher end suites on the Edge Class (Edge Villas and above) get complementary access to the thermal suite at the spa. (There are also now Aqua Sky Suites on the Beyond that get access as well.)

 

[mmmears]

Celebrity offers refundable and non-refundable deposits. The latter will result in a lower fare, sometimes by several hundred dollars or more.

I'm not aware of "full spa access" for suites, other than of course you can pay for what treatments you'd like to have. AquaClass passengers get complimentary access to the Persian Garden or SEA Thermal suite.

I've been on Apex twice; it is a beautiful ship.

I booked an Aqua Sky Suite (for now) so I get both the Aqua amenities (like the spa and the ability to dine at Blu) plus everything that goes with The Retreat. I'm ok paying a little more to book something fully refundable. I just don't want a lot of money tied to DCL if we decide to cancel a cruise (I've had to cancel a few over the years).

 

[hrhdhd]

I've not seen it advertised, but the higher end suites on the Edge Class (Edge Villas and above) get complementary access to the thermal suite at the spa. (There are also now Aqua Sky Suites on the Beyond that get access as well.)

Huh. This is from Celebrity's FAQ:
Do any of the Suites receive complimentary access to the SEA Thermal suite or Persian Garden– i.e. Iconic or Edge Villas?

No, only AquaClass® guests receive complimentary access.

 

[soniam]

Huh. This is from Celebrity's FAQ:
Do any of the Suites receive complimentary access to the SEA Thermal suite or Persian Garden– i.e. Iconic or Edge Villas?

No, only AquaClass® guests receive complimentary access.

But the newer ships have Aqua Class Sky Suite, so those suite do get the Aqua Class benefits, along with the Retreat/suite benefits. Not sure about the really high end suites on Edge class though. We will be in a lowly Celebrity Suite

 

[hrhdhd]

But the newer ships have Aqua Class Sky Suite, so those suite do get the Aqua Class benefits, along with the Retreat/suite benefits. Not sure about the really high end suites on Edge class though. We will be in a lowly Celebrity Suite

Yes, I forgot about the new AquaClass suites. But they still don't get "full spa access." The SEA Thermal area isn't the entire spa.

 

[kathi]

We sailed in a Celebrity Suite last August to Alaska on the Eclipse. It was the same price as a DCL veranda cabin. The suite only had 1 bathroom and no dining table, but it was spacious and comfortable. The service was excellent from all of the Retreat (what they call concierge) Staff.

However - We thought the food in the suite dining was terrible for vegetarians and hit/miss for my husband who eats anything. I felt bullied by my waiter not to order from a different menu and he was not helpful or even seemed to care when we couldn't find anything we liked on the menu. The specialty restaurants (upcharge) were not good and one place I sent my food back because it was inedible. They really didn't seem to care.

The "premium" drink package was garbage for wine/champagne, and I couldn't even find better wine by the glass anywhere. No higher end champagne by bottle or glass. I literally drank Titos bloody Mary's for breakfast, lunch and dinner (they were delicious). So the drink package really didn't work for me and Disney has much better options by the glass and bottle.

Onboard activities were not really things we wanted to do (other than a fun scavenger hunt for what would be the 1820 society on the first day). We did a lot of trivia, which was fun. The shows were "ok" and the movies were infrequent, not of interest and the theater where they showed them was lacking.

For Alaska and for the price, it was a good choice and if the food were better and they acted like they cared, I think the other things could have been forgiven since it's such a port intensive cruse (and I really do like bloody Mary's).

My husband and 18-year-old daughter were less critical than I was but they agreed it was missing the Disney service and quality we are used to.
We will be sailing our 30th DCL cruise this August on the Dream in a 1Bedroom suite and in December on the Fantasy in a 4E. We are trying Celebrity one more time (huge OBC offer if booked on the ship - $300 per passenger) in an Aqua Sky Suite on the new ship in the Caribbean next March.

 

[mmmears]

Yes, I forgot about the new AquaClass suites. But they still don't get "full spa access." The SEA Thermal area isn't the entire spa.

Can you tell me what's excluded then? I'm new to Celebrity.