Best concierge in terms of service and food?

[ead79]

The only concierge I have stayed at is the Poly lagoon concierge. I found the staff there to be quite friendly, and the food offerings were delicious. Yum! I was wondering which concierges have the best food and most friendly service. :) Are there any concierges that you don't think are worth the extra cost?

[ducklite]

I've stayed concierge at BWI, GF and AKL. AKL was the best. (BWI was very nice and had a better location) GF was not worth the money, and the service was so bad I wouldn't stay at the GF concierge again if it was free.

Anne

[infinity and beyond]

Hey Ducklite, you hit the nail right on the head when you say that the GF Concierge sucks. We did it once and after the trip was over we tried to figure out what we got for the extra dollars spent. I have said this before, that you would be much better off getting a non concierge room, saving the money, and doing special things for yourself and your family with the savings. The ineptness of the GF concierge staff is particularly annoying given that this is supposed to be Disney's flagship hotel. The GF is a great place to stay, but don't waste your $$$ on the concierge services!!!!

[disneyholic family]

ducklite and infinity and beyond:

which GF concierge did you stay in? the main building or sugar loaf (i think that's the name)?

i've heard this over and over again (the criticism of GF concierge)..
i've reserved the GF concierge in the summer, and i'm a bit concerned now....

ducklite,
can you specify the differences in service you received at the AKL vs GF?
we stayed at AKL last summer but were not that impressed by the service....the building design is amazing, but when we had a rather minor problem that needed resolving, the desk clerk was amazingly cold (as opposed to our usual experience with disney CMs) and the assistant manager or manager or whatever she was (an Indian - as in India) was downright rude....
my daughter was sick so rather than check out at 11 i asked to check out at 5 and pay for a day room (50% of the full rate), which you can do at the beach club resort as i've done it before(also when my daughter was sick)....
the manager told me that while the other hotels at WDW do it the AKL doesn't......i said fine, i'll take the room for another night and pay the full rate even though i'm leaving at 5......(the hotel was half empty at the time so it wasn't a problem for them to give me the room for the whole night)...
so they did that, but never smiled....never apologized.....i was stunned.....
as a result i'm pretty much turned off by the AKL.....the only hotel at WDW that i feel that way about....

[infinity and beyond]

Disneyholic Family, the dissapointment with the GF concierge is not anything that they do but what they DON'T do. The whole attraction to a concierge level is the extra services and catering that the guest receives many times as a pleasant surprise. This was by no means the case at the GF. We have stayed at other hotels and our experience with the concierge staffs was wonderful. One that comes to mind is the Hyatt Resort on Kuai at Poipou Bay. On a daily basis the concierge staff checked with you to make sure you were set for the day with excursions, reservations or sugestions for other activities. At the GF(main bldg) you were hard pressed to get a "good morning" or a smile. Aside from the overall service the beverage service in the concierge lounge is a joke. For what you pay you should be able to get a bottle of water or a can of Diet Coke. I don't mean to put a damper on your trip, the GF is wonderful! The concierge service sucks.

[disneyholic family]

thank you infinity and beyond...

i think we will keep the reservation at the GF....
it's the only disney resort we haven't stayed in yet, so what the hey...
it's only for a few days....if we like it we can try it again another time..
we'll be there for 3 weeks but most of the time we'll be off property at the grand cypress villas.....in a fit of annoyance over the cancellation of EE i decided to break with tradition and do the villa part of our stay off property (although we really enjoyed the two bedroom we had last year at OKW)....
but i'm really curious about the GF, so we'll spend and few days to start....

thanks for the info (oh...as for concierge service, yes i'm familiar with what it should be like....we usually go for concierge rooms when we travel......just not at WDW for some reason....i guess we figured we'd never be around enough to take advantage of it....but that's changed over the years and yet i never thought of doing it before this)...

i wonder what's so great about the polynesian concierge...i've seen lots of posts about how fantastic it is...

[ducklite]

I agree with Infinity the GF is great, but the concierge service there sucks. Go here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156828&perpage=15&pagenumber=3 and read the third post down on the page for my thoughts on the GF concierge service.

Anne

[disneyholic family]

thanks ducklite...
very interesting post...
i guess i'll have to try it out to see...
but based on what i've read i'll stick with a regular lagoon view room but not concierge....

as for the YC/BC.....we've stayed in both numerous times (and in the BW once)....

we don't really like any of them all that much, but stay there for weekends due to proximity to epcot (we go into epcot on saturdays......it seems the least crowded).....

as for YC/BC,,....we also love the pool but feel that the limitation to guests is not at all enforced......we would sit and watch as obvious non-guests came in to use the pool....

last summer when we were there, there was no one watching the entrance from the yacht club side or from the waterway side......very irritating.....

maybe things like that have tightened.....i complained about it when i checked out......it's a function of staffing cutbacks....

[ead79]

Any more opinions? I know some of you are concierge experts. :)

[sonogirl]

I have only stayed at the Polynesian concierge this past Dec. The staff in the office were not to friendly or helpful, but the staff up in the lounge were GREAT! The food was great, different every night, everybody was very friendly, the view was beautiful especially the Christmas tree and turning all the lights off when the fireworks would go off at MK! The location of Hawaii was great also between the two pools. I would love to hear abouthe WL concierge.

[wdw4us2]

Beach Club concierge was great! We stayed there last July and can't say enough about how great the food and service were. We were always greeted when we got off the elevator, the CM's kept asking if we needed help with anything and gave us drinks as we left for the parks. Try them and see for yourself!

[ead79]

bumping :)

[josierac]

Misti,
just posted a review of her stay at the BC Concierge and the GF RPC. I will try to find it and bump it up for you

[josierac]

I bumpbed up Misti's post and also included the link below

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=1397731#post1397731

[redd45]

I've only stayed at the polynesian and thought the service was great. The girls that checked us in were wonderful. The lounge staff was super. Upon arrival and just starting to unpack we received a welcome basket with all kinds of goodies. My mom wanted to send all her purchased stuff home so the really great cm who checked us in got all the packing things she would need,packed it for her and shipped the box. I'm not a real poly fan but I can't say enough about how great concierge staff was to all 4 of us. This was in 12-99. We consisted of Me(45) Grandmom(68)my dd(27) neice(19).As you can see all different ages and we were all happy. Grandma thought the walk from main building to conceirge wasn't bad.Also water and pop were available in individual sizes upon request. Next trip AKL concierge in April just me and dd. Susan:pinkbounc

[princess angel]

Hi ead79!

I have stayed at Poly concierge 2 times, YC concierge 2 times and GF RPC once (for one night only)

the Poly was pretty good food, but very unfriendly cm's!

the YC was amazing both times!!! we have it booked for two more times this year!!! the food selections are great! they have much more out during the day then the Poly. also the cm's are incredible! I cannot speak highly enough of the YC concierge!
I think you would have the same excellent experience at the BC concierge! I took tour of it, and it is very comparable to the YC, and the cm's work together a the Y&B concierges!

Laura :)

[webray]

AKL as treated us the best...and the food is oh so yummy, can't wait to go back!

[Beth]

I hope this isn't one of those "if you have to ask ... then you can't afford it..." questions... But how much can one expect to pay for one of these rooms?

Do the prices vary according to season - or are they constant throughout the year?

We've been DVC members since 1997, and have had no desire to stay anywhere else - but I'm still curious...

With the new revamping of our point schedules, we can now secure Concierge rooms, but I'm thinking it would probably be better to rent some points, then take the $$ and get the rooms for cash, given that the "point rates" are so excessive.

Thanks in advance!

[Dana_Buckley]

I have reservations at the Poly 6/2-6/8, with my husband & 2 1/2 yr old son. I am considering upgrading, but am still not sure. It is an extra $100 a day - for breakfast & snacks?! I just don't understand it yet. Please advise. Thank you.

[ead79]

Dana,
For the extra cost, you get several perks. The concierge staff will make Priority Seatings for you, there is a complimentary mini-fridge in your room, there are bathrobes in your room, and there is complimentary food throughout the day. At the Poly there is breakfast (muffins, bagels, cereal, fruit, etc.), midday snacks (including great cookies), evening hor'devours (there were spring rolls, some pasta, etc. when we were there), and desserts (quite a delicious selection). Also, the concierge building at the Poly is the Hawaii building. Hawaii is located right off the beach, facing the lagoon and Cinderella castle. We had quite an impressive view (room 1512). Hope this helps! :)

[Dana_Buckley]

Thank you, I think we are going to go ahead & do it! We have a 2 1/2 yo, so will be spending afternoons at the resort. I think it will be wonderful to have something to eat before heading into the parks & a snack when we get back. I appreciate the information.

[disneyholic family]

ok....so i finally took the plunge and made a decision...
sort of...
since we'll be there for 3 weeks (with a 3 night Wonder cruise thrown in for good measure) i've made reservations for the GF lodge concierge (not main building - i'm wondering if the CMs in the lodge are nicer......here's hoping.......it's just for two nights so if it's terrible no big deal....and since the GF is the only resort we've never tried, i really want to this time around....)...
and for the BC concierge, then a week later the YC concierge...
in the middle we'll be offsite at the grand cypress villas.....
i'm still debating about changing either the YC or BC to Poly just to have a taste of that one too....(then i can come back here and give the definitive comparison....:D ........)

anyway....these concierge threads have been really interesting...

[Misti]

Well, most of you have probably heard about my recent experience at the GF. The one post on this thread that mentioned "you'd be hard pressed to get a smile or hello" was right on target when it comes to describing my stay there. I am a HUGE GF fan (stayed there every year since 1989). In fact, many of you probably know me to be one of the first to come to the GF's defense when ever there is a bad review. i AM still a huge fan of the resort but I will stay in a regular room next time (like I usually do) and save the extra $$.


That being said, this is about food so here is my opinion. The food at the GF is probably the best I've had. The only issue I have there is the inaccessibility to soft drinks and bottled water. They do have perrier, vittel (large glass botles for pouring a glass at a time) and lemonade readily available throughout the day, however. I also really enjoyed the Beach Club lounge offerings. Less "upscale" (if that is the right word for it) than the GF but quite good nonetheless.

:)

[Misti]

Originally posted by josierac
I bumpbed up Misti's post and also included the link below

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=1397731#post1397731

Thanks! :)

[infinity and beyond]

To Misti: Doesn't it surprise you that the feedback from this forum on the GF concierge service isn't overwhelmingly positive in nature. It is to me given the "flagship" status of the GF.I wonder if the powers to be at the GF are aware of the generally feeling expressed here and are willing to address it.

[wdwobsessed]

I learned a while back to take every single post you read with a grain of salt.

If you think you will like it ... go for it.

Even if 10 people seem to hate it .... 10 others will love it.

The only way to find out who you are / what 10 you belong in .. is try it.

I also find that people "worry" too much about eveything. They worry to the point that they are not going to have a good time.

YOUR vacation is YOUR vacation....it's all what YOU make it. If they don't smile and you do .... who knows .. they may smile back and you may have made thier day.

Unless conditions are hellish and service is totally inept .... your trip is what you make of it.

Right before my trip to the YC in Sept. There was a huge rash of posts about how the YC did not have any Disney Magic. I started to worry and then decided not to let it sway me.

Well, we loved the YC.

Listen to your heart.

wdwo

[Misti]

Originally posted by infinity and beyond
To Misti: Doesn't it surprise you that the feedback from this forum on the GF concierge service isn't overwhelmingly positive in nature. It is to me given the "flagship" status of the GF.I wonder if the powers to be at the GF are aware of the generally feeling expressed here and are willing to address it.

I know that Disney is well aware of our message boards. I would think they do read them from time to time. And, it is a little surprising that I haven't read more "exceptional" reviews of the Royal Palm Club Concierge at the GF. As I mentioned, I had the usual great experience throughout the resort in general. I was just less-than-pleased with RPC, especially after my wonderful stay at the BC Concierge 5 days prior to my GF stay.

The other post is right on about "taking things with a grain of salt". You'll see glowing reviews of a particular resort one week and another one a week later than was less than satisfactory. So, yes, it does depend on YOUR stay and YOUR experience. Everyone has different expectations and different perceptions. I tried to give the most un-biased account of my recent stay. It is small fortune to stay at the RPC and I wanted to give an honest review. The GF has always been my favorite resort and I put that aside when reviewing everything. But, some things can't be overlooked. A warm friendly smile and a hello are not asking much when you are staying on concierge, or any type of room. And, even with my less than wonderful stay at the GF, I still had a WONDERFUL vacation. :)

[disneyholic family]

i wonder if many of these bad GF experiences were last summer..
i know that last summer the GF had the problem of loss of staff to the AKL (they took the most experienced, best staff for the new resort....though not just from the GF....also from the BC and YC....)...
anyway, i have lots of friends who swear by the GF and said the staff wasn't quite up to snuff last summer....so maybe that's why....or maybe not...
i was wrong about our reservations...we actually have 3 nights at the GF concierge.....it'll be interesting how the lodge concierge is.....
but you're right whoever said it, a smile is the least you should get at those rates....
although, i know there is a school of thought that upper crust should be more serious or something like that.....(pretencious is perhaps the word i'm looking for)....
we stay in concierge rooms whenever we travel (except for WDW until now).....the problem of pretenciousness pops up now and again.....sometimes when you least expect it (and in some hotels where i most expect it, it's absent).....
it's a funny form of snobbery on the part of the staff....
whatever...
just some nonsense on a thursday night....
well i'll let you all know how the GF lodge concierge is, as compared to the YC, BC and hyatt concierge for that matter.....
i really should somehow sneak in the poly concierge just for fun...
by the way....anyone ever been to Vegas?.....any ideas where we should stay there? :D

[ducklite]

Yes, I've been to Vegas, just got back a week and a half ago.
I've stayed at Treasure Island and the Rio. I found TI rooms to be nice, but very small. The Rio has HUGE rooms, and they have a "split bath" like at WDW. They also have a minifridge and coffee maker in each room. I really like their buffet, the Sky Show and the fact that they are jsut enough off the strip to keep the transience factor down. They do offer a free shuttle that drops you at Harrahs (mid-strip) that runs pretty continously.

If I ever go back it will be to the Rio. Let me know if you awnt any more LV info :)

My bad GF concierge experience was August 2000.

Anne

[disneyholic family]

Anne,
i bought a couple of books about las vegas...we'll only spend a few days there, if we actually get there...
my original plan for the BIG summer trip (one month every summer) was scottsdale to las vegas to yosemite to SF to LA (and disneyland/california adventure of course) then back east for a few days in NYC (we took the kids there for the first time last year....albeit 2 weeks before 9-11, but they fell in love with it almost as much as we did when we lived there for a few years.....so we figured on another few days there this summer....and New york can use the tourism i would imagine...)..
but then the kids put their collective feet down and said no way.....we're going to disney world....you'd think after i don't know how many summers of 3 weeks at WDW, they'd be interested in something else....but no...WDW or bust...
so who am i to tamper with a winning formula.....
but now, 'the kid' wants to add on disneyland AFTER the WDW trip....
so i figure if i do it (hey....you only live once) we'll be as close as we'll ever be to LV so we may as well....it seems like a fun place in a glitzy over the top sort of way.....something to experience at least once....
from what i read in the books i think we might like....umm....now i can't remember the names....any hotel that has a truly spectacular pool would be up our alley....with lots of waterfalls and grottos....i can't remember...maybe it was mandalay bay.....but several of them seemed to fit the bill (and the room rates were practically free......it's hard to believe it can be that cheap there)......
is the cirque de soleil that's in LV as amazing as the one at disney (truly truly amazing....which reminds me....i'd better get tickets for it before i forget)...

[infinity and beyond]

To Disneyholic family: If you are going to LV you MUST see "O" at the Bellagio. This Cirque show is alittle pricey at $100/ticket but it is worth every penny. We have seen it 3 times!!!! The show is sold out every night(2 shows), so advance purchase is highly recommended.

[disneyholic family]

infinity and beyond...

thanks!....i just saw that today in the Brit's guide to LV i have...
there are two cirque de soleil shows, one at the bellagio and one at treasure island i think....
we'll try to do both...
my only problem now is trying to figure out what days we're going to be there so i can make reservations...
this summer vacation is going to be 6 weeks long!!! (hard to believe isn't it)...
3 weeks in WDW (including the cruise) and then 2 weeks in "the west" (we're thinking grand canyon, LV, yosemite, SF, LA - specifically disneyland), then 1 week for the official "home visit" (translation: shop till we drop on our old home turf - metro detroit) then back across the atlantic (perhaps with 2 days in NYC before we have to get in that big metal bird).....wow....i'm exhausted just thinking about it....
as for ticket prices...i think the one at the bellagio is $120 now, but i'm sure it's worth it....we adored the one in WDW (and are planning to see it again this summer)...

[Dana_Buckley]

Well, I upgraded our reservation at the Poly (6/2-6/8) to concierge! I used code CIF for my existing reservation & the package went down $200, with concierge! I am so excited! Thank you all for the advice & info, I can't wait!

[infinity and beyond]

The Cirque at Treasure Island-LV(Mystere) is also very good and alot like La Nouba at DTD. We have seen Mystere 5 times as guests of the Mirage Hotel and enjoyed it each time. It seems each time we visit LV someone in our group hasn't seen it. So they have to twist our arms to go again!(LOL). I am sure you will enjoy both Mystere and "O" during your visit. Oh by the way, where in Metro Detroit are you from? We have a home in Rochester Hills and spend our winters in Arizona. No more snow shoveling for us!!!!!!

[disneyholic family]

talk about a small world eh?

almost neighbors..
we're originally from Bloomfield Hills, but have been working overseas for years and years and years and years.....

funny you should mention arizona...
my original trip this year was going to be only in the west, but the kids vetoed that idea...they want WDW or nothing...
but my plan had been to spend a week at...hmmm....what's it called?....oh....the phoenician...or phoenicia or something like that, in Scottsdale......see the grand canyon and do some early morning hiking and lots and lots of swimming...

then a week in LV, followed by a few days in yosemite....then SF, then down the coast to LA etc....

i still really would like to go to scottsdale but i just don't see it in the cards this year...
maybe i could campaign for a week on my own at canyon ranch....after all the planning that's going into this trip, i'm going to need a vacation....:D