New Embarkation Day Concierge Lunch?

[DCSWO]

I almost expect 1 or 2 additional Concierge spaces on the new ships but of course that’s pure speculation on my part. DCL makes a greater profit on concierge bookings and I would expect them to continue to cater to those guests in order to justify the higher cost.

 

[MelSpees]

In this particular case, the person was bragging how she and her friend bought the wristbands for every adult in their party with no intent to use them but simply to keep the number of people able to use the area next to theirs down to keep the Haven deck quieter.

That stinks!

 

[Dug720]

That stinks!

Definitely. It really turned me off of NCL - I was still cautiously open. THEN I learned that my principal likes to cruise them from NYC and I was like "Door SLAMMED shut on NCL!" Because I don't care how big the ship is, I'd end up running into her all the time, and that is NOT how I want to spend a vacation.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

In this particular case, the person was bragging how she and her friend bought the wristbands for every adult in their party with no intent to use them but simply to keep the number of people able to use the area next to theirs down to keep the Haven deck quieter.

I guess money can't buy you class, but it can buy you wristbands . . .

As to the original post, I love this new CL dining option! Looks like we missed it by one week!

 

[Billinaz]

Palo & Remy are not restricted to only a certain category of booking. Like a separate "Concierge only" dining room would be. Anyone can pay the extra for those venues. There's no choice to add-on a concierge only dining opportunity if you're not in concierge.

Anything that anyone onboard can participate in (even with an extra cost) isn't tacky. Having an experience that's only for a select few, that's tacky.

Its not a "select few", it is open to those who paid for it.

 

[Billinaz]

Meh, Im still going to Cabanas.

 

[Pens Fan]

I think that's a pretty nice perk for the Concierge folks. The embarkation lunch always seems so chaotic. I'm usually just glad when it's over and we can get on to the fun of the cruise. Having a nice, relaxing space would be wonderful. We experienced that when we sailed in a suite on NCL and loved it.

I also agree that there is a very good chance of a private Concierge restaurant on the new ships. It's becoming more and more common on the industry, so cruisers that sail in suites on multiple lines will come to expect it. While we do sail in suites on NCL (promise I - and I'm sure 99.9999 % of other suite guests - don't buy up Vibe passes out of spite ), we probably never will on Disney. It's just out of our budget. But I certainly don't begrudge the fortunate folks that can. They pay top dollar for that privilege and they should get a lot for that, even - Gasp! - their own restaurant.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I also agree that there is a very good chance of a private Concierge restaurant on the new ships. It's becoming more and more common on the industry, so cruisers that sail in suites on multiple lines will come to expect it. While we do sail in suites on NCL (promise I - and I'm sure 99.9999 % of other suite guests - don't buy up Vibe passes out of spite ), we probably never will on Disney. It's just out of our budget. But I certainly don't begrudge the fortunate folks that can. They pay top dollar for that privilege and they should get a lot for that, even - Gasp! - their own restaurant.

Having done a lot of research about NCL in the past couple of weeks I can say that I've seen the comment about Haven guests buying Vibe passes posted by dug720 on multiple occasions but have not yet seen it mentioned anywhere else. I can say if I were already paying top dollar to sail Haven (which is still a lot less than DCL concierge) I probably wouldn't even consider spending even more money to keep it even more exclusive!

 

[ACQUADUCK]

Palo & Remy are not restricted to only a certain category of booking. Like a separate "Concierge only" dining room would be. Anyone can pay the extra for those venues. There's no choice to add-on a concierge only dining opportunity if you're not in concierge.

Anything that anyone onboard can participate in (even with an extra cost) isn't tacky. Having an experience that's only for a select few, that's tacky.

It is not Tacky, and judging by the likes I got to my original post, many agree with me.

Your use of words such as " class" is very much a thing of the distant past, Titanic age, and phased out but the early 60's and some like me me actually find that slightly offensive, I personally do not think it's politically correct or relevant.

It's not " tacky" and where you say, having an experience that's only for a select few is tacky, is clearly your opinion but wrong. Concierge pay for it, it doesn't
" water down" or change your options. You can choose to sail concierge, maybe not every year, we flip between the two, some book concierge for a birthday, anniversary a special event. A bit of pampering, quite limited in fact.

It is exactly the same as Remy or Palo, a select few who pay for it, or can book it, some new cruisers do not get the opportunity to book Remy or Palo brunch as it sells out. You say there not restricted, yes they are, Do they think that it's tacky to give opportunities to platinum and gold? New cruisers may have paid the same cruise fare but as new cruisers get fewer opportunities?

I am not sure if you know it, but concierge guests get private meets, not just embarkation, but I have been to concierge meets, a private party, Say in Keys, with a character, the captain, the CD if they bother to come, is that wrong? For the select few! Tacky? Because maybe as you do not know that, it's out of sight out of mind, but concierge have many private meets.

Imho the Disney concierge service is actually very poor and for the cost concierge guests are now expected to pay, poor value for money, and the " select few" deserve far more than a little private bite to eat on embarkation.

$74k for a basic concierge cabin on an 11 night cruise, they deserve more!

Bottom line, concierge can have whatever service they like as long as the non concierge guests are not disadvantaged in any way. This embarkation lunch has not effected non concierge guests options or services, so do not be concerned, in fact your contiued posts re class and tacky, give a strong impression of jealousy.

You can have envy, but it's the same as paying for the cheapest broadband package then complain that next doors is faster than yours as they pay for a higher speed package from the same provider.

Do I when swapping back to non concierge complain, I no longer get free wifi, or an extra palo brunch, or not invited to a concierge meet, no, as I think, it's not value for money.

You often post strong views re non adults, say age 17 not in Adult areas, gym, Palo, cove cafe, isn't that a contradiction, that the adult rules are to be strictly enforced, but concierge services are tacky? That is a contradiction. Rules are there for all. If we do not agree then do not book DCL, if knowing concierge gets to sit in an unused MDR for an embarkation lunch.

Its not a "select few", it is open to those who paid for it.

Fully agree, anyone can be the select few if they decide to pay for it.

 

[ACQUADUCK]

I think that's a pretty nice perk for the Concierge folks. The embarkation lunch always seems so chaotic. I'm usually just glad when it's over and we can get on to the fun of the cruise. Having a nice, relaxing space would be wonderful. We experienced that when we sailed in a suite on NCL and loved it.

I also agree that there is a very good chance of a private Concierge restaurant on the new ships. It's becoming more and more common on the industry, so cruisers that sail in suites on multiple lines will come to expect it. While we do sail in suites on NCL (promise I - and I'm sure 99.9999 % of other suite guests - don't buy up Vibe passes out of spite ), we probably never will on Disney. It's just out of our budget. But I certainly don't begrudge the fortunate folks that can. They pay top dollar for that privilege and they should get a lot for that, even - Gasp! - their own restaurant.

Agree.

 

[Dug720]

Having done a lot of research about NCL in the past couple of weeks I can say that I've seen the comment about Haven guests buying Vibe passes posted by dug720 on multiple occasions but have not yet seen it mentioned anywhere else. I can say if I were already paying top dollar to sail Haven (which is still a lot less than DCL concierge) I probably wouldn't even consider spending even more money to keep it even more exclusive!

This was a couple of years ago over on Cruise Critic in someone's review. I have not looked at NCL since I refuse to risk being stuck on a ship with my principal and she cruises them exclusively.

 

[Cirlonde]

Acquaduck and other previous posters make some really good points, the best of which is that as long as concierge perks aren't reducing the value of a regular guest's experience then it becomes nothing more than a "you get what you pay for" scenario. Using a restaurant that was otherwise unoccupied does nothing to worsen the already existing lunch spots. In fact, it might even make it better because it may mean fewer people crowding Cabanas! But I thought I'd chime in my with two cents anyway...I'm sure everyone is just dying to know my thoughts!

My husband and I don't have kids, we're very frugal in our daily lives and we live in an area with a very low cost of living. This means that although we are on the lower end of middle income, we are able to afford things like sailing concierge. We've also spent the last 18 months saving up for this vacation...it's not something we'd be able to do spur of the moment. My point is...assuming a certain "class" based on whether someone chooses to sail concierge could lead a person to make some very incorrect conclusions.

Also, my personal reasons for choosing concierge are: #1 - I prefer the 1-bedroom suite and the only way to get that is if you sail concierge and #2 - I'm an introvert who prefers as much crowd-free/low-crowd time as possible. This means I'm very excited about having options like this embarkation lunch! I love the thought of starting out our cruise with as little stress and chaos as possible. I think it sets the tone for the entire trip. We didn't choose concierge because we think we're better than guests sailing non-concierge, or because we want to avoid interactions with a fictional "lower class".

Oh, and as far as the possibility of an entirely concierge-only restaurant being tacky...if that's true, then Club 33 blows the definition out of the water, haha!

 

[kaseyC]

I also agree that there is a very good chance of a private Concierge restaurant on the new ships. It's becoming more and more common on the industry, so cruisers that sail in suites on multiple lines will come to expect it.

I think so too and I hope they do. The addition of the concierge lounge and sundeck on the Dream class must have proved profitable because they were certainly added to the classics as well. There is obviously a demand. The majority of mass market cruise lines are upping their concierge experience with more exclusive spaces and experiences on their newest ships and I expect DCL to do the same especially considering they have some of the highest concierge prices in the industry.

I also agree with @ACQUADUCK that making it a class issue is a bit insulting. Each family has different priorities regarding how they spend their travel dollars. Each family also has different expectations on how they want to experience their vacation time. So paying more for a more exclusive experience is not always related to class.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Using a restaurant that was otherwise unoccupied does nothing to worsen the already existing lunch spots.

I have no issue with the Concierge lunch on embarkation day. I agree that using an unused space for that is more efficient. I cruise on other lines that have a loyalty program lunch available for returning cruisers that do just that.

What I have issue with is separated dining rooms based on category of rooms booked. That's how Cunard does it. It does have the "separation of classes" feel. Much like the original set up of the Concierge rooms on the Dream. They had gates into the area where the concierge rooms were. That didn't last long as many people expressed negative views of the "we're better than you" attitude that projected.

I don't begrudge anyone paying for Concierge perks, as long as the perks are something that's included as being booked in a Concierge room. Character meets, meeting the Captain, private lounge, whatever. DCL has a similar opportunity for returning cruisers in the Gold & Platinum cruiser reception that's available to everyone, once they've cruised DCL. Same with the opportunity to book things earlier the higher castaway club level you achieve. Again, that's an opportunity available to everyone, once they start cruising DCL.

I'm sorry if some take offense at my opinion, but I've a great believer in everyone being equal. Designing a ship with a dining room that's only available to a specific class of stateroom, isn't equal. Palo & Remy - while there is limited space (not an unusual situation in any fine dining venue), and higher level Castaway Club members could fill all available space, it doesn't always happen that way. We booked Palo on our very first cruise. And every cruise since then.

 

[Billinaz]

It is not Tacky, and judging by the likes I got to my original post, many agree with me.

Well said. I didnt have a problem with the gates when they were originally on deck 12. It made it much quieter in the hallways. The same "class" complaints came out right away from people who were of course not staying on deck 12. I think the problems with them working led to their removal and not complaints from those who never saw them on their daily travel throughout the ship.

An 11 day for 74K? That has to be the royal suites?


I think the concierge lunch is just another enhancement of their premium product. Looking at the menu though, it really does not appeal to me for lunch. I do like the larger variety in Cabanas. We board as soon as they open so Cabanas isnt too busy right then.

 

[dcassetta]

No issues at all with the new lunch offered for concierge guess. And, I hope that the new ships are going to have dedicated concierge space that has already been decided upon. I was really disappointed when they took the enclosed Outlook area away from public use on the Wonder. We really enjoyed that space, especially in Alaska.

 

[anomamatt]

Cool. Looking forward to taking advantage in 18 days (I think that is the right number, haha).

 

[MelSpees]

No issues at all with the new lunch offered for concierge guess. And, I hope that the new ships are going to have dedicated concierge space that has already been decided upon. I was really disappointed when they took the enclosed Outlook area away from public use on the Wonder. We really enjoyed that space, especially in Alaska.

I also am disappointed that they took the Outlook area away on the classics. This is a case of Concierge impacting everyone else.
I hope that when they plan dedicated areas for concierge they remember to leave some good viewing areas for everyone else as well.

 

[FSU Girl]

I'm really excited about this new lunch offer, I hope it's still happening in January.

For the new cruises I think it would be great if they offered more for concierge. The prices Disney charges really don't match up with what other cruise lines offer for the same level of service. I think their own restaurant and a private pool would be amazing.

 

[chrisnb]

I'm really excited about this new lunch offer, I hope it's still happening in January.

For the new cruises I think it would be great if they offered more for concierge. The prices Disney charges really don't match up with what other cruise lines offer for the same level of service. I think their own restaurant and a private pool would be amazing.

I would love to see a concierge dining room connected to lounge, that could offer a anytime dining option like other ships. A extra pool would be nice on sea days and would help all guests crowding on sea days. On the current dream class ships 95% of other cruisers are not even aware of concierge lounge and sundeck, so I don't think a separate area should really a issue for non concierge guests, folks paying a high premium should get few more perks.
chris