New Embarkation Day Concierge Lunch?

[FSU Girl]

i doubt it - i believe they're doing this to solve the terribly unpleasant overcrowding of the concierge lounge upon boarding..
it was really awful when we boarded....no place to sit - we felt like we were in a crowded bus station....

being able to go straight to a relatively quiet MDR would have been a really great perk....

.

I don't think a concierge only dining is out of the question. Most other cruise lines have a dining room specifically for concierge guests. The money Disney concierge guests pay they should definitely get one. I think they'd make it an anytime dining situation so you'd choose to go there or your dining rotation.

 

[Cirlonde]

We just got off of the Magic, and the Tianas lunch was a really pleasant surprise.... and very practical from a functional perspective. It gave everyone room to spread out (with bags and carry ons) since the rooms were not ready, without swamping the lounge and it gave the concierge hosts time to meet and talk and review itineraries in an organized manner and pace. In the past, everyone was jammed into the lounge and it was chaotic. It served a function of easier communication between the hosts and the guests. It did not seem a class-ist move on Disney’s part.
There are so many different reasons people sail concierge... my feeling is that this facilitated a communicative environment between the concierge hosts and the guests-communication which is part of doing their job, and we appreciated the fact Disney realized a better way to do the first day communication was needed- and made a trial way to fix it.

Was the lunch in Tiana's long?

We're going to be on the Dream, so I'm not sure exactly how comparable that is to the Magic...but my husband and I are trying to decide if we want to do the new Concierge Lunch option or just go to Cabanas. It's our first ever cruise, so we're torn between enjoying the more laid-back atmosphere of the new lunch or opting for Cabanas so that we can move on to exploring the ship sooner. We're only doing a 3 day cruise...so time is precious and I don't want to waste a second, but I don't know how much time we'd truly gain by doing Cabanas instead. It's particularly difficult for us to make a decision because we don't have first hand experience to draw on.

I'm so undecided!!

 

[dcassetta]

Was the lunch in Tiana's long?

We're going to be on the Dream, so I'm not sure exactly how comparable that is to the Magic...but my husband and I are trying to decide if we want to do the new Concierge Lunch option or just go to Cabanas. It's our first ever cruise, so we're torn between enjoying the more laid-back atmosphere of the new lunch or opting for Cabanas so that we can move on to exploring the ship sooner. We're only doing a 3 day cruise...so time is precious and I don't want to waste a second, but I don't know how much time we'd truly gain by doing Cabanas instead. It's particularly difficult for us to make a decision because we don't have first hand experience to draw on.

I'm so undecided!!

If your goal is to eat quickly and then explore the ship. then choose Cabanas. The sit-down lunches, whether concierge or not, can take some time as you have to decide what to order, dished need to be prepared and servers need to bring out your meal in courses. You control the timing of your meal in Cabanas.

 

[kaseyC]

i doubt it - i believe they're doing this to solve the terribly unpleasant overcrowding of the concierge lounge upon boarding..
it was really awful when we boarded....no place to sit - we felt like we were in a crowded bus station....

being able to go straight to a relatively quiet MDR would have been a really great perk....

.

We'll see. Folks said the same thing about a possible exclusive concierge area on the Dream class ships, that it wouldn't happen. When the Dream was launched it had the gated concierge area and private sundeck. The whole exclusive "ship within a ship" concept is becoming popular with mass market cruise lines and it seems more and more people are willing and able to pay for it. Those amenities appeal to families with kids who want the upscale, exclusive experience but also want access to the cool options found on most of the newer mass market ships.

 

[coloradocutie]

Was the lunch in Tiana's long?

We're going to be on the Dream, so I'm not sure exactly how comparable that is to the Magic...but my husband and I are trying to decide if we want to do the new Concierge Lunch option or just go to Cabanas. It's our first ever cruise, so we're torn between enjoying the more laid-back atmosphere of the new lunch or opting for Cabanas so that we can move on to exploring the ship sooner. We're only doing a 3 day cruise...so time is precious and I don't want to waste a second, but I don't know how much time we'd truly gain by doing Cabanas instead. It's particularly difficult for us to make a decision because we don't have first hand experience to draw on.

I'm so undecided!!

Congrats on our first cruise! You will be hooked

I would definitely do the concierge lunch as you will 1. get better quality food than Cabanas, 2. Be able to meet the concierge host and get a wealth of information, 3. Be a little pampered and welcomed aboard the cruise! (i don't know how long you are traveling to reach port, but we LOVED being able to sit down and have someone serve us lunch instead of fighting the crowds of Cabanas after extensively traveling to get to the ship). Cabanas is not going anywhere and you can/ and likely will access it for the remainder of the cruise. You could be in and out of Tianas as fast as you choose... just let the servers know, but having just done it, go for it! IT went much faster than normally eating in the main dining room- likely because there were not that many people there. It was such a pleasant surprise and a great way to start the cruise. You could be in and out in less than an hour and the value of the atmosphere and education from the concierge hosts, I think, would make it worthwhile.

And back to number 1, the food will taste better in Tiana's, and even more so in the lounge. We would rather have smaller plates of more flavorful food, and Tianas (but especially the lounge!) provided that for us. My 9 year old refused to eat in Cabanas early on in the cruise, as she said "Mom, it's pretty, but has no flavor, can we just go eat in the lounge". (I completely realize this is a statement of how we eat at home... so this is not a judgement against anyone who loves Cabanas... for us, it reflects the style of how we eat on a regular basis and the small bites in the concierge lounge were more appealing to all of us than large portions in Cabanas. She would rather have a small dessert from the lounge packed with flavor than any of the desserts in the main dining room... )

Enjoy your cruise! There is so much to do, you can run around having FOMO, (fear of missing out), but for that lunch, it is for you! And sitting and savoring just being there on the boat is such a wonderful way to start the cruise!

 

[disneyholic family]

We'll see. Folks said the same thing about a possible exclusive concierge area on the Dream class ships, that it wouldn't happen. When the Dream was launched it had the gated concierge area and private sundeck. The whole exclusive "ship within a ship" concept is becoming popular with mass market cruise lines and it seems more and more people are willing and able to pay for it. Those amenities appeal to families with kids who want the upscale, exclusive experience but also want access to the cool options found on most of the newer mass market ships.

but then you'd miss the special MDR experience of the disney ships...
i could see them doing it for breakfast and lunch - designating one of the other MDRs just for concierge breakfast and lunch every day....
but not for dinner..
and not making a separate restaurant..
they always have one of the MDRs for a sit down breakfast/lunch along with cabanas..
so i could see them doing the same thing they're doing for boarding..
have regular people in one MDR and concierge in a different MDR for breakfast and lunch..

.

 

[Cirlonde]

Congrats on our first cruise! You will be hooked

I would definitely do the concierge lunch as you will 1. get better quality food than Cabanas, 2. Be able to meet the concierge host and get a wealth of information, 3. Be a little pampered and welcomed aboard the cruise! (i don't know how long you are traveling to reach port, but we LOVED being able to sit down and have someone serve us lunch instead of fighting the crowds of Cabanas after extensively traveling to get to the ship). Cabanas is not going anywhere and you can/ and likely will access it for the remainder of the cruise. You could be in and out of Tianas as fast as you choose... just let the servers know, but having just done it, go for it! IT went much faster than normally eating in the main dining room- likely because there were not that many people there. It was such a pleasant surprise and a great way to start the cruise. You could be in and out in less than an hour and the value of the atmosphere and education from the concierge hosts, I think, would make it worthwhile.

And back to number 1, the food will taste better in Tiana's, and even more so in the lounge. We would rather have smaller plates of more flavorful food, and Tianas (but especially the lounge!) provided that for us. My 9 year old refused to eat in Cabanas early on in the cruise, as she said "Mom, it's pretty, but has no flavor, can we just go eat in the lounge". (I completely realize this is a statement of how we eat at home... so this is not a judgement against anyone who loves Cabanas... for us, it reflects the style of how we eat on a regular basis and the small bites in the concierge lounge were more appealing to all of us than large portions in Cabanas. She would rather have a small dessert from the lounge packed with flavor than any of the desserts in the main dining room... )

Enjoy your cruise! There is so much to do, you can run around having FOMO, (fear of missing out), but for that lunch, it is for you! And sitting and savoring just being there on the boat is such a wonderful way to start the cruise!

Thank you so much for this response! You definitely make it sound very appealing! We are doing the WDW parks before the cruise, and then driving to the port, so I know we will be at least a little worn out and "crowd-weary" by the time we get on the ship. And honestly, I keep thinking that even if a meal lasts 1.5 or 2 hours...that's really only a small fraction of the time we will be on board, even considering that we're doing a short cruise.

We also typically eat lots of small snack-type meals throughout the day when we're at home, rather than doing larger portions...unless it's the only meal we're going to eat all day. So that definitely sounds appealing as well. And we're planning to stay on the ship for the Nassau day, which should give us ample time to explore. There's just so many options to weigh, haha! I can already understand exactly why people keep coming back for multiple cruises.

 

[saraheli]

Was the lunch in Tiana's long?

We're going to be on the Dream, so I'm not sure exactly how comparable that is to the Magic...but my husband and I are trying to decide if we want to do the new Concierge Lunch option or just go to Cabanas. It's our first ever cruise, so we're torn between enjoying the more laid-back atmosphere of the new lunch or opting for Cabanas so that we can move on to exploring the ship sooner. We're only doing a 3 day cruise...so time is precious and I don't want to waste a second, but I don't know how much time we'd truly gain by doing Cabanas instead. It's particularly difficult for us to make a decision because we don't have first hand experience to draw on.

I'm so undecided!!

Absolutely take advantage of the Concierge Lunch. Cabanas is usually a madhouse on embarkation day as people are waiting for their rooms to be ready.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

i doubt it - i believe they're doing this to solve the terribly unpleasant overcrowding of the concierge lounge upon boarding..
it was really awful when we boarded....no place to sit - we felt like we were in a crowded bus station....

being able to go straight to a relatively quiet MDR would have been a really great perk....

.

You make it sound like someone forced you go to the lounge. You could go anywhere on the ship. Including the MDR that already serves lunch.

I don't begrudge concierge for the extra perks, they certainly pay for it. But it's a little over dramatic in my opinion to act like there's no alternative.

 

[Dug720]

Congrats on our first cruise! You will be hooked

I would definitely do the concierge lunch as you will 1. get better quality food than Cabanas, 2. Be able to meet the concierge host and get a wealth of information, 3. Be a little pampered and welcomed aboard the cruise! (i don't know how long you are traveling to reach port, but we LOVED being able to sit down and have someone serve us lunch instead of fighting the crowds of Cabanas after extensively traveling to get to the ship). Cabanas is not going anywhere and you can/ and likely will access it for the remainder of the cruise. You could be in and out of Tianas as fast as you choose... just let the servers know, but having just done it, go for it! IT went much faster than normally eating in the main dining room- likely because there were not that many people there. It was such a pleasant surprise and a great way to start the cruise. You could be in and out in less than an hour and the value of the atmosphere and education from the concierge hosts, I think, would make it worthwhile.

And back to number 1, the food will taste better in Tiana's, and even more so in the lounge. We would rather have smaller plates of more flavorful food, and Tianas (but especially the lounge!) provided that for us. My 9 year old refused to eat in Cabanas early on in the cruise, as she said "Mom, it's pretty, but has no flavor, can we just go eat in the lounge". (I completely realize this is a statement of how we eat at home... so this is not a judgement against anyone who loves Cabanas... for us, it reflects the style of how we eat on a regular basis and the small bites in the concierge lounge were more appealing to all of us than large portions in Cabanas. She would rather have a small dessert from the lounge packed with flavor than any of the desserts in the main dining room... )

Enjoy your cruise! There is so much to do, you can run around having FOMO, (fear of missing out), but for that lunch, it is for you! And sitting and savoring just being there on the boat is such a wonderful way to start the cruise!

There is no Tiana's on the Dream (which is what the poster you quoted is on).

 

[coloradocutie]

There is no Tiana's on the Dream (which is what the poster you quoted is on).

You are Correct! Tianas was where they had it on the Wonder, and it had only been the second time they had done the lunch on the Wonder and no doubt, if it continues, there will be a lot more input and from other ships, as well. I have not been on the Dream... y'all could probably guess an equivalent restaurant that they might choose instead of Tianas, but for purposes of discussion, I thought everyone would get the gist

 

[Donna M]

Thank you so much for this response! You definitely make it sound very appealing! We are doing the WDW parks before the cruise, and then driving to the port, so I know we will be at least a little worn out and "crowd-weary" by the time we get on the ship. And honestly, I keep thinking that even if a meal lasts 1.5 or 2 hours...that's really only a small fraction of the time we will be on board, even considering that we're doing a short cruise.

We also typically eat lots of small snack-type meals throughout the day when we're at home, rather than doing larger portions...unless it's the only meal we're going to eat all day. So that definitely sounds appealing as well. And we're planning to stay on the ship for the Nassau day, which should give us ample time to explore. There's just so many options to weigh, haha! I can already understand exactly why people keep coming back for multiple cruises.

If you can arrive at the port early, you will be sitting in a private area and board the ship first. Cabanas will be empty. We have been the first ones on after concierge and were one of the first into Cabanas, no crowds, no mad house. We were the only ones enjoying our meal outside for the longest time. Cabanas has lamb chops which I didn't see on the menu at the restaurants, and they're great. Since it is a buffet, you don't have to get large portions. Don't stand in the line if you aren't getting something right there, they have a different way of doing the line, it's more like stations.

 

[coloradocutie]

It did not take a long time, fwiw. We were there only 50 min and we were COMPLETELY in welcome to vacation slow mode.

 

[Cirlonde]

You are Correct! Tianas was where they had it on the Wonder, and it had only been the second time they had done the lunch. I have not been on the Dream... y'all could probably guess an equivalent restaurant that they might choose instead of Tianas, but for purposes of discussion, I thought everyone would get the gist

There is no Tiana's on the Dream (which is what the poster you quoted is on).

Yep, I knew that the Dream concierge lunch is held in Royal Palace, but I figure surely the overall experience (sans restaurant theme) would be similar across the ships. And it's still more first hand knowledge than I have personally. So I found it helpful regardless. Although...I definitely wish I could be eating lunch in Tiana's or the new Rapunzel restaurant instead!!

 

[coloradocutie]

Yep, I knew that the Dream concierge lunch is held in Royal Palace, but I figure surely the overall experience (sans restaurant theme) would be similar across the ships. And it's still more first hand knowledge than I have personally. So I found it helpful regardless. Although...I definitely wish I could be eating lunch in Tiana's or the new Rapunzel restaurant instead!!

We LOVE staying on the ship when the ship is in port! It is so relaxing and it is true, you get to really enjoy the ship more and you have it to yourself! I hope you have a wonderful cruise and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[disneyholic family]

You make it sound like someone forced you go to the lounge. You could go anywhere on the ship. Including the MDR that already serves lunch.

I don't begrudge concierge for the extra perks, they certainly pay for it. But it's a little over dramatic in my opinion to act like there's no alternative.

i took my very elderly mom and ill with cancer sister on that cruise...
it wasn't my first time in concierge, but my first time in concierge that had a lounge...
when we boarded, we were directed to go to the lounge, so we did...
we got there and were told to sit and someone would be with us...
we managed to find a place to sit and waited....
when you're on board with two mobile restricted people, you don't jump around the ship from place to place..
so we waited and waited...quite a while actually....
and it was as i described - packed with people and all their carry ons....the lounge is a tiny space when all the concierge guests are there at once....
so everyone is super squished together with all their carryons, like a bus station....
eventually, one of the concierge hosts suggested we leave our bags and head for cabanas to eat lunch as it was taking too much time to go through all the people...
so without meeting with any of them, we did what he suggested and went to cabanas for lunch...
then came back, got our stuff and went to our room (right across the hall from the lounge)..

the new set up sounds wonderful....being able to go to a dedicated lunch space, eat, meet one of the hosts in a more leisurely manner...
i no longer travel concierge (way way way too expensive for me now), but it sounds like a very nice improvement of the boarding experience!!

.

 

[fraucow]

Cabanas has lamb chops which I didn't see on the menu at the restaurants, and they're great.

Oh my gosh, I look forward to those lamb chops every time. I'm excited to hear about this additional sit-down option, but I'll likely have to swing by and get a couple of those lamb chops on my way to the room. ;-)

 

[anomamatt]

We just got off the magic this morning.. I loved this new lunch. Food was good, and pretty quick. Was in rapunzels. We were still directed to the lounge first — and it was still a madhouse but we were the third family there and got to lunch pretty quickly after being on board. Nice addition for sure.

 

[pezgirlroy]

On the Fantasy at the end of April, we went to the lunch first. We were one of the first families on board the boat and only people in the restaurant for a long time. Felt a bit odd. Then we went to the lounge. and as we walked in were told our rooms were ready so we went there first and then the lounge. Worked out perfectly for us. I talked to one of the hosts and they said that the idea really was to alleviate the congestion in the lounge.

 

[jetskigrl]

On the Fantasy at the end of April, we went to the lunch first. We were one of the first families on board the boat and only people in the restaurant for a long time. Felt a bit odd. Then we went to the lounge. and as we walked in were told our rooms were ready so we went there first and then the lounge. Worked out perfectly for us. I talked to one of the hosts and they said that the idea really was to alleviate the congestion in the lounge.

Was there a host at the lunch or were they all in the lounge? That was our plan too (lunch, drop of carry-ons in room, meet up with our cruise meet group at 2 and then head to the lounge when it is quieter). But I'm wondering if we should stop by the lounge first and then go to lunch. We do plan to be at the port early.