Please post your concierge review here

[ead79]

It's often difficult to find comparisons of the different concierge services and people's reviews all in one place, so I thought we could start a thread with reviews of the concierge(s) we have stayed at to help others choose. Please include what resort, when you stayed there (older stays are ok to include), and what room view (lagoon, garden, etc. if this applies) you had. It's also good if we have multiple reviews of the same resort. :)

Polynesian lagoon view concierge, Dec. 2001

We had room 1512 at the Polynesian in the Hawaii concierge building. The castle was directly outside our window, and you could see the Contemporary on the right and the GF on the left. If you walked out onto the patio, you could also see the wedding pavilion. The Hawaii building is very close to the new pool, marina, and Great Ceremonial House. When we checked in, our bellman escorted us to the Hawaii building where the concierge staff buzzed us in and told us to come pay them a visit once we got settled in our room. We did just that, and they gave us park maps, a sheet with confirmations of our priority seatings, and told us about the food offerings of the lounge upstairs on the 2nd floor of the building. Of course we went up there next to see all the goodies. It was the middle of the day, so there were snack foods available. The cookies are outstanding. Also, there were soft drinks, bottled water, gummy worms and M & M's for the kids, guava juice, and lemonade out for the taking. We had to change several of our priority seatings, and the concierge staff was extremely helpful with this. That night when we returned to our room, there was a chocolate bar with a picture of the Poly on it waiting for us. How neat! We definitely utilized the concierge lounge, as the food was just delicious. We really enjoyed the fried shrimp rolls, pasta, and pineapple with caramel dipping sauce (pineapple from 'Ohana I think) they had one night. The dessert offerings were also outstanding. They had tons to choose from, and they were all delicious. The breakfast spread was also yummy--cereals, bagels, muffins, donuts, etc. The loung staff and chefs were also incredibly friendly--at one point during our stay the chef was teaching the kids to make "animals" out of fruits. Also, there were trays and paper plates so you could take food with you back to your room and leave the tray to be picked up outside the door, which was very convenient. I would definitely stay at the Poly concierge again. The staff, lounge, and room view were all outstanding. :)

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Thanks for posting this ead79. I haven't stayed in a conceirge room yet but am considering it for next trip.

I can't wait to read all the reviews!

[WDWCrazzyCunninghams]

Thanks EAD79!! We will be staying at the Poly Concierge on June 18, 19, and 20th...checking out on the 21st. I can't wait! Your review makes the wait even harder! We're just a tad excited, can you tell?

[luvdzny]

We stayed at the Poly concierge in the Hawaii building - lagoon veiw room 2512. We were very disappointed. We had lots of problems, the staff was not at all friendly, never received an itineray or any info at check-in, they e-mailed our PS times and 2 were wrong, the room was VERY musty smelling, the food was gone before the posted serving time was over on a number of occasions. we had to wait over 2 hours for our room - after being told at check-in that our room would be ready in 10 minutes, and the staff was not helpful at all. When I needed info on Osborne Family Lights preview at MGM the concierge staff gave me the phone # of MGM and told me I should call myself! I have written 2 e-mails & 1 letter detailing my complaints, and have not received any response. Needless to say my family will NOT be staying at the Polynesian ever again. We will stick with our favorites, POFQ & AKL. I don't mean to be so negative, but it is the truth. We were very excited about trying Poly concierge, but it was a huge let down.

[judi]

We stayed at the Yacht Club on the concierge floor in Dec. 2001. We enjoyed our stay and the service was fine. The food was yummy and it was nice to have water to take to the parks. I don't remember the room number but we overlooked the pool and lake. It was a perfect view. They had a bag of wonderful grapefruit candy in our room when we arrived. They weren't very helpful when I had to go to the emergency room for an asthma attack, had to go to the front desk in the lobby to get directions. We will be trying out the Polynesian's concierge in July and again in December.

[Swan]

We stayed at the Polynesian concierge Dec 6-13, 2001. It was a Garden view room on the 3rd floor. I ca not remember the room number, but I was the closest one to the lounge and elevator. The staff was nice and made lots of PS's for us. I did not find the staff at the desk over friendly, but ok. Now the staff in the lounge were wonderful. Scott was very nice and was a pleasure to meet. The best thing that happened was that I left all my jewelry in the safe(I am a big dummy), and it was turned in. As soon as they found out who it belonged to the returned it with overnight shipping. I long to return there soon.

[ead79]

bumping for more reviews :)

[DisneyaHolic23]

So far I have only stayed Poly Concierge for our honeymoon in 1999. We loved it, and I am spoiled for concierge in the future. In fact, when we visit for 18 Days in July, 6 of those days will be concierge (3 at Beach Club, and 3 at AKL). I will add reviews when I return - I can tell you all that I am SOOOO impressed by the castmembers in the concierge lounges at both resorts, since I have been emailing them for over a month now, and have almost all my priority seatings for all 18 days made by them already. I especially am impressed with Alana at the AKL. They are both going to be trying for CRT coming up soon, so we will see if they have any better luck than me! I wrote now so that I would get an automatic email whenever someone else posts a review. ;) I LOVE this thread!!

I can tell you that I stayed concierge at the Grand Californian in California Adventure, and was disappointed after the Poly. It was much more crowded and there wasn't room to sit often. The rooms were more expensive than the Poly, but I just didn't get the same feel from the castmembers.

[preshi]

Stayed at Poly Concierge January 26 -30 Had a 2nd floor room Garden view. The room smelled bad. There was mold in the bathroom. Sure the shower curtain looked new but that's not a great feature. The view was nice. I loved the small walk to the TTC and the boat to MK. The Concierge Lounge was nice and had a great view. The waitstaff was very friendly. I can't say as much for the concierge check in people. We asked for them to do something about the smell twice with no reply finally we asked to be moved to another hotel. Had a choice of grand Floridian or AKL. So we chose AKL :) We also fell asleep more than once on the hammocks outside. That was nice too. :) Just don't walk in the water!!!


AKl concierge Jan 31-Feb2

Very friendly people. The Concierge loounge was kind of small and I didn't like having to ask for bottled water or soda. No toothbrushes in the rooms . Had room 1512 right next to VP suite. Gorgeous view. The furniture in the room was gorgeous! The whole room was just beautiful. I loved being in that room in fact we took a day off just to sit on the balcony and relax. Room service food was great too :D

[Tess]

We just returned from a terrific 11 day stay at WDW. We spent one day at POR (or DxL as it will forever be known to me), 8 days at Polynesian Concierge and two days at Beach Club concierge.

There is a split vote in our family as to which concierge/hotel is best--our 13 y/o male thinks the food in the BC concierge is better than Polynesian while our now 11 y/o votes Polynesian and Chef Dick tops! As much as I wanted to love BC, I'm afraid my DH and I are still much more fond of Polynesian Concierge! Both kids do agree, they prefer the Polynesian location to BC (neither are big EPCOT fans and our daughter can be relentless when it comes to getting out of that park--very aggravating for DH and I who LOVE IT!). As far as the concierge staff goes, we found both helpful, courteous, and friendly. Polynesian staff members remembered us from previous visits, so I guess they get an extra credit point or two.

Both adults think the BC concierge lounge service is better in that its hours of service and food variety is better. Food quality, however, is not an issue since both provide what we consider tasty treats. We also like the BC location, although it's not a convenient place to be when it comes to pool access, etc. We much prefer the location of the Hawaii building with its wonderful access to the entire resort, especially the pools. Also, the separate building for concierge and inaccessibility for security purposes make it desirable. At BC, we found that it wasn't difficult to gain access to the sprawling concierge 5th floor and hence, security was more of an issue.

We have now stayed at CB, DxL, GF, BI, Polynesian, and BC. It looks as if Polynesian will still rank #1 in our vacation plans. That doesn't mean we won't be trying out other locales. . .Polynesian will be our primary destination though!

BTW, we spoke with a bartender at Polynesian's Barefoot Bar who was "on loan" for the evening from AKL. He indicated that AKL was definitely not as busy as WDW would like it to be--and, frankly, from it's location, I wouldn't want to stay out there! Way too far from the action for our tastes. It does, however, look impressive from the drive into AK.

Another tidbit, I wanted to share--we lunched at Teppanyaki with an engineer from Sony Corporation. He was onsite making a survey and feasibility study for Sony to erect another resort around the perimeter of Fort Wilderness. The idea would be to "hide" Fort Wilderness and the camping facilities from those driving along the roadway. I found that interesting news--yet another resort!

Well, I've got kids heading off to another week's vacation with Grandma (or is it now my vacation-- ), but I'd be happy to answer your questions. Fire away!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention this--we didn't ask for BC concierge until after we were nearing our stay at Polynesian. I had booked a standard room figuring we were just looking for a place to sleep and relax since we would be done park hopping on Sunday and Monday. Well, the staff at Polynesian called and secured a spot in concierge for us at my request, adding that I knew there would be an additional charge--heck, yeah--it was a good bit more than the standard I had paid for, but that was okay with me. Well, we checked into BC and lucky us--a comp upgrade to concierge! I'm not sure whom to thank for that one, but you can bet nice letters will be headed in both directions.

Also, when discussing the room situations--the concierge staff at both resorts called them "Room Assigners". They called specific people to check for availability AND when we asked for a late check-out at BC (which we recevied).

[ead79]

:earsgirl: :earsboy:

[betterlatethannever]

1989 - Poly old setup does not apply anymore Concierge in the Great Ceremonial house

1995 - Poly, 2nd floor lagoon view, about 5 doors from the lounge. Room was spaceous for the five of us. Lounge is largest at WDW. Large amount of tables.four toasters, no waiting. Large spread for breakfast. Late afternoon (5-7) snacks were great. Bottled drinks out all day long. Special to water the MK fireworks with piped in music and the Electric water pagent (no music, either fireworks or water pagent, couldn't do both:( ) CMs very pleasant and helpful. Chef was amazing with his skill at making designs out of cookies, bananas and everything else.

2000 - Poly (seeing a trend :) ) 2nd floor lagoon view, about 7 doors from the lounge. Same as before except Could now listen to both the MK fireworks and water pagent from the lounge:bounce:

2000 - Swan - Parking lot view. Standard size room. (left kids at home :) :) ) Lounge had limited breakfast selection. Not much snacks during the day. Bottled water out all day long. Nothing special about either the room or the Lounge.

2001 - YC -(left kids at home :) :) seeing a trend) Junior suite 3rd floor lagoon view. Nice room. Strange layout - couldn't see the TV from the bed. Lounge was very nice. Breakfast had large selection.One toaster, long wait. good snacks all day long. Late afternoon goodies were special. Had to ask for bottled drinks. Only downside, lounge only had coffee tables. CMs very helpful and pleasant.

2002 - BW - garden suite near quiet pool.-(left kids at home :) :) 20th aniversary) VEEEEEERRRRRY nice accommodations. Lounge was very nice,IMO second largest in WDW. Very nice assortment for breakfast (only one toaster). Very good snacks throughout the day. Late afternoon goodies.
Had to ask for bottled drinks. Can see illuminations from balcony.
Had a great Super Bowl party. CMs exceptionally helpful and pleasant.

2002 - AKL 6th floor, view of the area called Sunset. room is very dark(as has been mentioned before by others). Dark colors plus 53 watt bulbs in the fixtures made it hard to read in the room especially with my old bad eyes LOL. Large room, view of all the animals in the morning was fantastic. Lounge is large, lots of seating, good breakfast selection (however no bread for toast or english muffins :( . Not much in the way of early afternoon snacks. Late afternoon goodies were superb - a lot of variety of food from Boma's. CMs exceptionally helpful and pleasant.
Need to stay there at least once so that you can go on the sunrise safari. (The sunrise safari is only open to AKL concierge guests). This behind the scene tour includes a special safari ride and they both are a must. It is early in the morning before the park opens. On this early safari ride, I saw more animials than all the 5 regular safari rides put together. I think the tour guide helped make the difference also. She works at the Lodge taking care of the animals and she was able to explain the differences in the routines of the animals between the AK and the AKL.


2002 - BC November - wine and food festival:D

2002 - Contemporary - December - MVMCP:bounce:

Ranking the concierges so far: Poly, BW, AKL, YC, Swan

One of these days GF :jester:

Ed

[madcoco]

Our concierge rankings
1.AKL Friendly staff.Relaxing.Different foods SAfrican wines.2 stays 3rd coming up in a month.

2.GF Concierge staff went out of their way to help us with some special plans.love to relax in the lounge. 2 stays

3.Polynesian Great selection of foods.Staff went out of their way for our 15th anniversary last Oct. We were really amazed how they decorated the room left champagne,choc. covered stawberries,neat choco bar with a scene of the resort on it. etc.
Fixed a problem with CRT ressies.Gave us complimentary transportation back and forth to AP at WL 2x.
4stays One time we had a problem with a large wet smelly stain on our3rd floor lagoon view upon checkin.Took what seemed like forever for someone to try to take care of problem.They never got the smell out and we had to switch rooms:( The lounge has been extremely crazy on some days especially at Breakfast with some people not supervising their children.

4.Swan/Dolphin Will leave it at this: Started out wonderfully but each stay went progressively down hill, until never again:(
5stays1st in 92.Last July 00'

Have not stayed in concierge at YC/BC,BW or Contemporary.

[DNSDisney]

We stayed last June for 4 nights at the poly. The staff was wonderful. Even went so far as to go get PBand J and bring it back for my daughter who won't eat a sandwich with mayo on it. (hoping this will change soon) They made several PS's for us and notified each rest. of my husbands special diet needs (High Chol. and blood pressure) . The food was great , there was tons of it in the lounge. Cold sodas always out as well as bottled water.
I personally didn't think the desserts were that great but the others in my family loved them.
You could not of asked for harder working CM's than the Poly has. They try and do everything they can to make your stay magical!
The room was wonderful (3rd floor). The view of Cindy's castle was unbelieveable! We sat out on the balcony at night with a shot of Baley's and it was sooooo relaxing. This was our first stay at concierge at Disney. It will not be our last, we are going again in June this yr.
WARNING: once you go concierge it is really difficult to go back to anything else.

[WilmaBud]

My 1st Concierge stay was a complimentary upgrade at the Contemporary in 1995. It was awesome. The CM's couldn't be nicer. The view from the lounge was of the castle. We went in there each evening to watch the fireworks. The food was great, especially the afternoon snacks and the evening desserts. That was a magical vacation.

My 2nd and 3rd concierge stays were during the same vacation (which we took with my sister and her family) in 1999. First we were at YC. That was truly outstanding. The snacks were terrific, especially the cookies in the afternoon, and the desserts and cordials in the evening. There were lots of beverages to choose from, and if they didn't have something, they'd go get it for you. The CM's were extremely friendly and helpful. They really took a personal interest in us, making several PS's (incl. some hard-to-get ones).

Unfortunately, we chose to go to the Poly the 2nd half of our stay. It was a totally negative experience. The room stunk of mildew. The CM's had an attitude problem, particularly at check-in and at the concierge desk. The snacks and beverages were very limited, and if they didn't have something we wanted - tough luck. For example, my brother-in-law asked for beer because he's not a wine-drinker (they don't offer beer), and they told him to go buy some himself. For all the extra money we paid for concierge, I think they could've gotten some beer for him! We wanted PS's, and they didn't get us anything we requested, and they weren't apologetic at all. Pretty much "tough luck" again. My BIL said the shower was horrible in his room. I didn't have that problem, but he's 6'1'' and I'm 5'0'', so maybe that's the difference (he said it hit him in the middle of the back, instead of the head). To sum it all up, both families were disappointed in the Poly. Maybe at another time, we'd have a better experience, but ours was so bad that it has, unfortunately, left us never wanting to return to the Poly. I'm not trying to be negative (I usually get flamed for saying anything negative about the Poly); we truly had a terrible experience at the Poly, and I'm just being honest about it.

[The_Disney_God]

Contemporary in Janurary 1999. It was amazing. A great view of the Magic Kingdom.

Ever morning and afternoon they had snacks. Great to get some and bring them back to your room. Or just sit there and relax. A great place

Swan in like 2000. Wasn't bad, but horrible view. Good food though

[ead79]

bump :)

[surfgirl]

bump :)

[Gail T AGAIN]

YC last August and it was a nice first experience. the food was plentyful and the staff was more then accomodating. We like it alot but this yr we are trying the ploy and the BWI. someday I want to be able to say I have stayed at each hotel, concierge no less.

[Pooh667]

Hi,

We stayed at Poly Concierge May 14th to the 21st 2001. We loved it. The staff at check in and lobby were friendly and helpful. We stayed in a 1st floor and it was nice. The staff in the lounge was also friendly and helpful. We got all the little extras, welcome gift, goodbye gift etc. It was really nice, magical.

We stayed at Poly Concierge May 1st to May 9th 2002. We were not very happy this time. In general the lobby staff were not very friendly or helpful. We had some problems with the biggest being a problem with our bill. We had booked 2 rooms, one for us , one for my MIL. When we checked in they made a mistake and charged me for the 2 rooms then was also charging my MIL rack rate for her room. We didn't catch this till a couple of days later ( because I never saw my MIL's check in receipt) until we had a problem with something and needed to see my MIL's bill. When I first questioned it they dismissed it , then when I got my Disney confirmation they tried to tell me that it was the rate for one room and that CRO had made a mistake then they tried to blame it on my travel agent, then me. Then they started passing the buck as to who could fix it. They were charging us almost $9000 for 2 rooms for 8 nights. It is a long story but it was their error, they made the mistake at check in. It wasted alot of our time. I give a big thumbs up to Regina of DU because I was getting so upset and frustated with the situation and my hubby reminded me about Regina and after contacting her the problem was fixed. We also had some other minor complaints.

I guess I got so spoiled last year with the wonderful service and extras that I expected them again.

Susan

[suzywindy]

We have stayed at the CR 14th floor, Poly LV Concierge and GF RPC. We just loved all three. The Poly was the busiest but had the most offerings. The CR stocked your refrigerator with your personal favorites to drink, the GF was the most relaxing and had the most elegant desserts. If you want to treat yourself, you cannot go wrong with concierge. Our favorite so far is the GF. So elegant. We are going to try Boardwalk and AK Concierge one day soon hopefully.

[CindyKansas]

I love concierge. It is true once you have done concierge it's hard to bo back. We have never had a bad experience.

1997-Boardwalk Inn Concierge
Very nice and the cast members went out of their way to make us feel at home.

2000-Polynesian Concierge. Hawaii building, 2nd floor, garden
view. Stayed there 5 nights and it was fantastic. I have
stayed at the Poly twice before only in standard rooms.
Concierge is the only way to go.

2001-Grand Californian Concierge. Themepark view. Great
view, but the concierge services are nothing like WDW.
The selection of food items was limited. Staff was great.

2001-2002 Wilderness Lodge Concierge. We stayed here over
Christmas/New Years. Limited food and beverage
compared to Poly and BW. But we loved the resort itself.

My next trip to WDW should be June of 2003 and I want to stay at the Yacht Club or Beach Club and try their concierge services. But if we are on a limited budget we will stay at the PO Riverside since that seems to be our favorite moderate resort.

[DisneyaHolic23]

I have a concierge stay coming up (actually two - three days at Beach Club Concierge, and three days at AKL Concierge) in July, as I have already posted on this site. I just wanted to add some pre-stay impressions:
Beach Club - Just wrote me this morning. They were able to secure CRT for 13 at 8:05 on our first choice morning!! I am so excited. We have been writing back and forth regularly, and Katina has been great about meeting my needs and very prompt reponses! Katina earns tons of karma this morning, with the CRT coup!!
AKL Concierge - Alana has been an absolute doll every time I've written. Again, very quick responses. She tried this morning for the CRT and didn't have luck, but was prepared to try again tomorrow.

Overall, I could not be happier with my pre-stay visits. The other times I have stayed concierge, we didn't take advantage of pre-planning. I usually make my own PS. Let me tell you, sending requests to someone else, and thus avoiding long distance and disappointment has been AMAZING!! I am so impressed!

[ducklite]

We've tried GF, BWI, and AKL so far, and have trips to Poly and YC this summer.

GF--TERRIBLE service. They never contacted us about booking PS, they kept us waiting for hours for our room, there was a mistake on our bill, they lost our luggage, they were rude, the list goes on. I've subsequently had a nice stay at the GF, non-concierge, and would maybe do that again, but I'll never do GF concierge again.

BWI--Gorgeous lounge area, very nice service. This was by far the best service in the lounge itself, so very friendly. We really liked it there, and hope to return someday.

AKL--Excellent pre-planning office. They were really right on top of it. Nice but at times crowded lounge area. Service was top notch, but not a "friendly in a neighborly way" as BWI.

Poly--I sent in my pre-planning form and checked that I'd like to be contacted for booking spa services. I didn't hear back for over two weeks, so I e-mailed them. They sent back confirmation of our PS's, and a list of spa treatments and told me to call them for booking. I'll just call the Spa myself, I'm getting the feeling like they don't want to be bothered. I hope this isn't what is to come when we get there.

YC--We're styaing here in August as well. I faxed back the pre-planning form, and two hours later got a call telling me the PS's were made and asking if there was anything else they could do for us.

Anne

[ead79]

bumping :)

[losthat]

O.K.-Concierge sounds fabulous. I had hoped to upgrade at BWI from which I just returned. But, it was going to be an additional $175./night. Can one get concierge at a discount using a code such as one does for a standard room.....or does Disney discount concierge as well? Any tips for possible Jan. trip would be appreciated!

[Gail T AGAIN]

I got the best deals for concierge with the annual passholders. I might be spening around $200.00 more for the anual passes but we are getting good prices on the concierge level plus now that I am going to have annuak passes looks like I will have to start planning for next yr. :D

[ead79]

I got a code rate for the Poly lagoon concierge this past December that was a pretty deep discount. :)

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I stayed at WL concierge level May 14 - 21, 2002. We thought it was great. We noted on our ressies it was our 25th wedding anniversary. The service we got was way beyond our expectations!

We did have some problems pre-planning some PS; mostly we had to go with later times than what we wanted. However, once we arrived, the whole vacation was certifiably magical.

Randall (one of the staff) sort of made us his "project" for the week. He got us front-row center seats to La Nouba. He helped us with all changes to our PS (and we had several). One evening he sent us a huge plate of strawberries and fresh whipped cream as an anniversary surprise. He even helped me track down a CM lanyard Tigger pin (Tigger's my hero!).

Randall was always checking on us, making sure everything was perfect (or "magical" as he always put it).

It was obvious to me why he was named Disney Partner of the Year twice now.

[ead79]

bumping again :)

[Tybus]

We had a very bad experience at Poly concierge. It will be a while before we are willing to try Poly again. Our room was clean and the concierge lounge and food was great. That is where the positives end. The unfriendly CM who checked us in was the beginning of all of our problems. She made negative comments to us because we had booked our room with a savings code and received a good rate and seemed to feel that we really did not deserve all concierge services. When we asked about PS for a restaurant, the CM said "yes you will want to call and get a PS for that restaurant". We had to wait for several hours to get into our room and when we did get in it was not what we had requested. We paid for our entire stay with AMEX and were supposed to get white glove treatment. The CM who checked us in did not give us our white glove items. We had to go back later to ask for them. Then when we did get them, they were not what we were told we would get. When we went to pick up the AMEX things, we spoke to another CM(because she asked) about the CM who had checked us in and she reported it to a manager. We never heard back from her or the manager, but we never saw the original CM again for the rest of our visit. When we got to our room there were not enough towels for 4 people, so we requested enough towels for all of us. We were paying for 3 adults and a child, but every day we only received enough towels for 2 people. We decided to eat at Ohanas our first night at Poly. We made a PS and requested non-smoking, and showed up 15 minutes early. We had had an early day so we went to dinner at 5 pm When the CM was seating us (in a practically empty restaurant) she took us to a table as far from the windows as possible and as close to the bar/smoking section as possible. We immediately asked for a different table. The CM obliged, but let us know she was not happy about it(sighing, rolling her eyes...). Some people in our group were cold and some were hot, so the we requested 2 blankets on the first night and again the second night, then we gave up trying. We stayed a total of 4 nights and never received the blankets. Then to top it all off there was a mistake on our bill (which was corrected). We had just come from the Disney Magic 7 night cruise, so maybe we were expecting service at Poly to be better than it is supposed to be. I do know that when we have stayed at other 4 star hotels (non-disney) we had better service than we received at Poly concierge.

We are trying the AKL concierge next month and hopefully we will have a better experience there. (actually we already have because AKL has already contacted us to make PS. There is one reservation that the CM has been checking for us every morning to see if anything has opened up!)

[Gail T AGAIN]

Poly concierge for one night, had room 2517...a great view and I was surprised for a hotel being that old it was kept beautifuly. The concierge was real nice, people were friendly, I would stay there again.

[ead79]

bumping :D

[disneyholic family]

GF - sugarloaf concierge - we stayed there 2 weeks ago - EXCELLENT service.....good breakfast but not much food the rest of the day, but the service was outstanding (check-in/check out)...i also love the location...

BC concierge - the building is getting really really long in the tooth and is in major need of renovation....check-in was at the regular check-in desk (not in the concierge).....food selection thoughout the day was very nice (much much better than at the GF)...

we'll be at the YC concierge next weekend....i'll add the review at that time...

so far we'd probably pick the GF over the BC....

[Gail T AGAIN]

Iwill never do concierge again in any of the hotels in Disney. For the money I spend I can turn down my own bed, buy bottled water and leave it in the room in the ice buckets flled with ice and still have my krispy Kreme donuts. I had written BWI after my stay there in concierge and they never even wrote me back let alone call me, I am sick over the money I paid and what the concierge at BWI was all about.

[ead79]

another bump :sunny:

[princess angel]

We have stayed at YC concierge (3 times)
Polynesian concierge (2 times
and GF RPC (1 time)
Our favorite is the yC cocnierge, everytime we have had stellar service, beautiful room and view and just a perfect magical time all around! We love everything about it, the resort itself, the location, the food at concierge, the decor/theming, and the best part... the amazing staff! :)

The polynesian concierge wasnt all that gret on the service end.. The cm's were practically rude to us, but we do love the theming, the tropical paradise theme is unparalled! The view of Cinderella Castle is amazing. But on the concierge, which is what you wan tto know about, the food is good, the lounge is nice and comfy, the view from the lounge is great, the longhouse is in a prime location. The staff just needs to become a bit friendlier, and then I'd really want to go back :)

The GF RPC, well elegance at it's best! It is hard for me to review this, as we only spent one night at RPC. But from what we saw, it seemed very nice. The staff wasnt very friendly, but professional and very attentive. I prefer the friendliness of the YC concierge staff though. The GF RPC staff was almost too attentive, in the 24 hrs we were there they calle dour room abotu 4 times! LOL!
the lounge is gorgeous!!!! absolutely stunning when you look down into the lobby. I really like the elegance, and being in the main building.
One day we will return to GF RPC. I am sure the concierge staff is just trained to be more seriouis and professional, that's OK if you expect it :)

Laura :)

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Well, so far I've stayed at the Polynesian (Concierge Lagoon) and the Contemporary (Tower Club Concierge).

Both rooms had the Magic Kingdom View, and both views were special in their own way. The Polynesian had the white sand beach and the lagoon between you and the castle. The Contemporary overlooked the park, which was pretty awesome!

The concierge staff at the Contemporary was much friendlier than the one at the Polynesian.

Food offerings at the Contemporary were limited to continental breakfast and afternoon snacks. The array of food was pretty good, and I was happy to see Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the morning! You get bottled water in your room, and the only drinks in the lounge are juices/milk, lemonaide, coffee, and tea.

Food offerings at the Polynesian were pretty good! Continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, evening appetizers and desserts. Also all the free drinks were great!

Got turndown service at both, but robes just at the Polynesian.

[madcoco]

Nothing new at the AKL concierge.Just wonderful service as usual.:D

[figmentvi]

We stayed at YC Concierge last Dec. and will be again this Dec. and I have to echo everything that Laura (princess angel) says. Outstanding staff and wonderful rooms. The lounge offerings were terrific.

We loved every single minute we stayed there and I'm now spoiled for the rest of my life :D :D

Linda

[Maleficent2]

bumping for more reports....

thanks

Mal

[disneyholic family]

the renovation at the YC concierge is finished and gorgeous....
the rooms were gutted and redone....
the staff was friendly but not as friendly as at the GF....
soft drinks were always available (in cans out on the counter)...
much more food available than at the GF but i still prefer the GF concierge (and the GF in general).....

we also just stayed at the grand californian concierge in disneyland.....save your money.....the service and food is not at all on the level of any of the concierges we tried at WDW....
in fact, in general i'd say that disneyland service is not on WDW levels.....although most of the CMs are typical disney happy, about 10% would never get a job at WDW.....
if you have a choice, go to WDW.....

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Originally posted by disneyholic family
the renovation at the YC concierge is finished and gorgeous....
the rooms were gutted and redone....
the staff was friendly but not as friendly as at the GF....
soft drinks were always available (in cans out on the counter)...
much more food available than at the GF but i still prefer the GF concierge (and the GF in general).....

Glad you had a good time! Could you please describe the way the new rooms are decorated? And, when did you stay at the GF, and what level of concierge? Thanks!!! ;)

[betterlatethannever]

we also just stayed at the grand californian concierge in disneyland.....save your money.....the service and food is not at all on the level of any of the concierges we tried at WDW....

Actually, IMO the food is probably equivalent to the Swan food offerings.

Ed

[disneyholic family]

CaliforniaDreaming -
i think that the colors in the YC concierge are the same as before (down to the carpet) but they totally gutted it and put in new everything (even tiles in the bathrooms)....
also they have newly designed furniture that i find much more attractive....
instead of the tall armoire that had the minibar and tv there's now a short one with the tv on top of it.....it gives the room a large uncluttered feel to it...
also instead of the sofa they have a large desk with electricity and phone (making laptop use much simpler for those like my husband who work on vacation)......the desk is large and hidden under the desk is a large oval shaped table that slides out.....very convenient for eating in the room....

also the concierge room was remodeled...

all in all, the look of the rooms and floor is quite attractive...
and as i already mentioned, there was a lot of food throughout the day.....

the gf concierge had much less food, but i just like the gf resort much better and the staff was outstandingly friendly....we stayed in the sugarloaf lodge concierge.....
also, when you arrive at the GF, you are met outside and personally escorted to the concierge room for check-in.....i found that to be a very nice touch that isn't done at any of the others we stayed at....(the grand californian in disneyland was downright rude)....

[Darian]

Originally posted by disneyholic family
CaliforniaDreaming -
when you arrive at the GF, you are met outside and personally escorted to the concierge room for check-in.....i found that to be a very nice touch that isn't done at any of the others we stayed at....(the grand californian in disneyland was downright rude)....

Sorry to hear about your unpleasant stay at the Grand Californian! Don't give up! This last April my DW and I celebrated our 4th anniversary at the Grand Californian, in a concierge suite. We were met outside the hotel by a concierge representative who escorted us to the concierge checkin desk just to the side of the amazing 6 story lobby. Its just spectacular!

Later that weekend, we had a small party in our suite, (NOT in the concierge lounge which would not have been allowed) with about 20 guests attending. The Bell staff helped us get set up, rood decorated etc. They even brought up a helium tank! No Charge! Plus, they wouldn't let us tip them. (Only the tip for bringing up our bags was allowed.) Wow! We made arrangements with the staff in the concierge lounge to get them by the extra security in place for the ABC Soap stars staying on our floor. Even the Security Guards were helpful and very polite and courteous. It was incredible!

While the Concierge lounge was good sized, it did tend to be crowded at times. Of the three or so cast members who were sitting at the lounge's desk during our stay, two were very helpful and friendly. The third was, well, I hate to say this, nearly psychotic in her rudeness and contempt for the guests, other castmembers, you name it. It was so over the top, it was actually amusing. Relax, we didn't do anything bad to her, instead we were kind, but didn't let her rudness effect our very enjoyable stay.

The room appointments were just wonderful! This may sound strange, but the sheets, pillowcases and towels were deliciously soft! The sheets were buttery smooth, much MUCH higher quality than in the standard rooms. We've stayed at the Disneyland hotel and have found the same difference between concierge and standard rooms. The extra money is worth it for the sheets alone! Almost forgot, the cuddly white robes were very comfy.

The lounge offered bottled water, but getting it was the problem. On several occasions when we stopped by the lounge to get some we ran into the "unhappy" cast member who did the rolling eyes routine, as if getting a bottle of water were taking just tooo much time out of her busy day. We enjoyed watching the disneyland fireworks from the lounge while sipping wine or a cordial. Very nice. There were a variety of fresh fruits, cheeses and deserts available at various times during the day and evening. The balcony outside is a great place to unwind sitting on teak furniture sipping a cabernet.

Was it worth the money? Oh yeah. With the exception of just ONE castmember, service was great! Especially the Bell staff! You guys are the best! And thanks for all the balloons!

We had such a good time (excpet the valet guys left the mercedes lights on ALL during our stay so the battery was quite dead when it came time to check out. But they took care of that with a smile as well!) Apologies to all if this sounds too cheerey. We just had a great time and highly recommend the place. One previous poster had it right... we do make our own magic.

Darian

PS: Pete W. is my Disney Hero!

Disneyland - first trip 1958 (thats no misprint.. I'm a Disney Fossil!)
Disneyland Hotel - too many times to list
Polynesian 1998 Honeymoon!!!
Grand Californian 2002
AKL Oct 2002

Paradise Pier 2002

[disneyholic family]

regarding the concierge room at the grand californian.....actually the CMs who were working the desks were nice enough....though not at all as charming as in the GF.....the problem were the CMs working the food/beverage service.....what an unpleasant bunch of people...
they didn't keep the fridge stocked and then when someone asked for a drink they would give them a dirty look...
i saw one grandmother come in about 9 pm with her severely retarded and handicapped grandchild......the only cookie the little girl eats is oatmeal raisin.......they were already gone, but rather than apologize politely for the inconvenience, the server was unfriendly and answered extremely rudely....
my son felt so bad he jumped up with his cookie and gave it to the little girl....
i was shocked that the servers were like that....
i don't think they would have EVER been hired by any of the resorts in WDW.....

i had that impression all over disneyland.....that the CMs aren't quite up to WDW standards....

[grumpyandbashful]

My first concierge experience was an unexpected free upgrade at the GF - I was attending a meeting there and was put in Sugar Loaf (lodge concierge). That was 3 years ago, but I do remember there was a nice continental breakfast each morning and snacks midday and evening. I was ther just with my 12-year-old DS and we felt like royalty! Don't remember a lot else. I was just thrilled to get the upgrade, however I wouldn't pay extra for lodge concierge at the GF - nice but not outstanding.

Last summer we stayed in AKL concierge (AP rate) and it was a truly outstanding experience! Breakfast was great (especially the cappucino machine;) ), as were the food offerings the rest of the day. We also did the sunrise safari, which was a real treat.

We will do concierge again if we can get a great rate (i.e. AP). Warning: once you experience concierge, you will get addicted :eek: !

[disneyholic family]

i agree about getting addicted....
now that we've taken the plunge, we'll never be able to stay in a WDW resort except in concierge....
total addiction...

[NancyinCt]

I agree with the concierge at the Gr. Californian, we were there in April around the Soap Opera weekend.

We knew we had to keep an open mind for this trip, since it was our first to Calif. Disney, and things would be somewhat different than in Fla.

We just couldn't believe how different it actually was, we've stayed at the concierge's at the Polynesian & Beach Club a number of times, and never had such an experience as what we had there, rude was an understatement, helpful was none existant, felt like every one you asking including the check in at the lobby where they screen you before you even get to the desk was there just to collect a check. I mean when you asked a question and they didn't know the answer they never offer to find out for you. Not so at WDW they will bend over backwards to answer anything you may ask or find an answer for you within a matter of hours.

The lounge at GC was interesting, when the snack ran out even if not time to close up they never replenished anything, the newspapers were more important.

Don't get me wrong the hotel is beautiful and the location is fabulous, unfortunately they need to go for instructions at WDW to learn how to treat their guests. I have never had any problems with any cast memeber etc. at WDW. Even with and open mind we just couldn't help ourselves when you pay the prices that you are charged for conceirge you really should get what you paid for!:( They do expect you to tip even for their attitude, they really do need an attitude adjustment.

[jrmasm]

:bounce: :Pinkbounc

[Lynne K-F]

We stayed at the Polynesian Concierge in December of 2000 and 2001 -even though we belong to the DVC we love to celebrate the anniversary of our honeymoon (1983 at the Polynesian of course) -- concierge staff and service has always been great here - housekeeping has been terrific, staff helpful with any of our needs, food and drinks plentiful (love watching the fireworks from MVMCP from the concierge lounge) and our view of the castle from our room was exquisite - both times - last year my mom went with us and she just loved it too!!! We will be back this December and expect itto be every bit as magical!!

[LynetteB]

Just returned from AKL concierge and BWI concierge. At AKL we got upgraded to a 2br suite - a real surprise!! The rooms were beautiful. It was a loooong walk to the elevators to the concierge. We enjoyed our stay there but weren't impressed with the service in the Concierge lounge - staff seemed pre-occupied with staring at the computer screen!!

We then moved to the BWI in a deluxe room. We were on the 4th floor (same as concierge lounge) right above Seashore sweets. The service in the BWI was outstanding, the staff could not do enough for you - we never had to ask for anything. The room was so spacious and of course a fabulous location. we highly recommend BWI and will definitely return - it wins hands down!!

[DisneyaHolic23]

I just returned from a long trip in DisneyWorld, which started with three nights in the Beach Club Concierge, and ended with three nights in the AKL Concierge (we had 11 nights in the middle at Caribbean Beach - what a let-down after the Beach Club!). Here are my impressions:

*Beach Club Concierge - this resort has to be one of my favorites, just because of the location and the incredible pool. That, of course, has nothing to do with concierge, so the rest of my comments will be confined to that topic!
+Incredible service - between the two concierge lounges, every one of my 20+ PS arrangements were made. They even made arrangements for the 11 nights in the middle, and there were 13 of us for those nights! Katina answered all of my emails instantly, and even got me both Cinderella's Royal Table (for 13) and the New Storybook Princess breakfast! She was great!
- The offerings could be more exciting. Every night there were corndogs (don't get me wrong; they were pretty darn good), roll-ups that were just OK, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then there was usually one other item that was hot. I didn't think they were outstanding.
+ We had part of our group of 13 that arrived while we were still at the Beach Club. I was assured that it was fine to bring them in the lounge with me, and that they could enjoy the pool.
- They didn't have plastic bottled water to take to the parks (I loved that about the Poly concierge). We did, however, take their huge glass bottles and fill plastic bottles that we bought in the parks. That usually saved us about $15.00 per day in water.
+ We made several changes to our PS, and they were able to accomodate all of them!
+The desserts and cordials in the evening were my favorite, but their cordial selection was more limited than the other concierge lounges in which I have stayed. The desserts were from Cape May, and were incredible!
+Our garden view room still had a decent view of the water. We were perpendicular to the water, and could see about 2/3 of the Boardwalk from our balcony. I did request a full balcony, and my request was granted.

*Animal Kingdom Lodge - this is probably, in my opinion, the nicest resort in Disney World. However, it is a long way from everything. Since we ended a long trip here, we were pretty ready to relax. However, we went to parks more than I anticipated when planning (I thought by the time we got here, we would be ready to just relax at the resort), and the bus trips are long!
+Alana was wonderful in helping with trip planning. I met another family in the lounge who also raved about Alana. She answered my emails so quickly!!
+I found the castmembers in the lounge to be more friendly than at Beach Club, since they are actually seated in the lounge instead of outside the lounge like at the Beach Club.
+The espresso machine was wonderful. Now, I don't drink coffee, (but I love a great mocha), so my husband and I would take a shot of espresso and put it in iced chocolate milk for a pretty decent mocha. Remember, we are from Seattle, and so coffee drinks are usually substandard everywhere we go!
+ Hooray, they did have plastic water bottles to take to the park. That was a wonderful surprise, because I was told that they didn't due to the animals.
- My husband didn't like the spice - curry, I think - that they use on nearly everything, so both our concierge appetizers and our dinner at Boma were disappointing to him. (At Boma, he spent $20 to eat chicken fingers and mac & cheese from the children's station!)
+I liked the appetizers, and found them far superior to those at the Beach Club.
+The Sunrise Safari was fabulous!!! The opportunity to see the animals first thing in the morning, so close to the jeep (we even had to wait a few times as they crossed the road, or were resting IN the road.) The breakfast at the end was marvelous!! I loved the french toast and bread pudding stuff.
- Our room was a long way from the lounge (but had pretty good access to the pool, which made up for it!)
+ Breakfast actually had oatmeal, which was a nice treat!
+ The evening cordials were incredibly varied. There was about every normal cordial you could think of.
- The desserts weren't as good as Beach Club's.
+ It was fun to have African wines.

Overall, both places were fabulous. We got to stay with my castmember daughter's 50% discount, so who knows when I will get to do it again, in this manner!! However, I think I will go less often to save for the treat. The offerings really aren't worth the money difference - however, the opportunity to feel pampered is worth it to me!

[Kim in TN]

Thanks for all the great tips,
we are debating on Poly or CR full concierge, for Dec 2003
We love MK and MVMCP so CR would be a good choice but of the 5 WDW trips we've stayed 4 at CR (1 at WL) because of taking various DN's who "had" to stay where the monorail was. LOL,
so the Poly would be a nice change, which has better snack type offerings?
Anyone else have more info, to help me make up my mind :rolleyes:

[alice-d]

Just bumping for more reveiws.

[msim]

I'd like to hear some more reviews of WL concierge. Seems like they don't get mentioned as much as the others. Since we'll be there in 64 days, I'm worried as to WHY we don't hear much. Thanks.

[dennisnlisab96]

We are going to WL in 43 days and would love to see osme reviews about concierge there.

Lisa

[minster22]

My DH and I just returned 9/27 from an unexpected trip to WDW. One of my good friends has a relative that works at the Boardwalk resort and when we checked in found out he upgraded us to concierge!!Since my DH was doing some business at the coast I had my room and the concierge experience all to myself for a day and 1/2!! The Boardwalk Inn is my very favorite Disney resort and the concierge staff, food and lounge only added to my positive feelings there. The food offerings were varied, plentiful and attractively presented. The room itself was lovely and very comfortable. When my DH joined me in the afternoon of the second day we sat in the lounge,enjoying the offerings and watching a great afternoon thunderstorm. I can see how this could be very addictive and since my Disney addiction is already full blown this could be a problem!! The whole concierge experience was one of those wonderfully subtle "little things" that added up to a great time!!

[hookedup]

The only concierge service for Disney that I can review is the Grand Californian at DLR. I have stayed at that property 3 times and on concierge level 2 times.
We had WONDERFUL experiences there! The staff met us curbside and escorted us to our room and checked us in inside our room. I have had that happen at some luxury hotels abroad - nice touch!
Then we shortly received a phone call from the lounge asking us to drop by at our convenience and asking us if we needed anything. They called us each day to check on us - I felt well cared for.
The breakfast was fine - we noticed it got quite crowded right before the park opened. Lots of folks were just loading platefuls and taking them back to their rooms.
During the day the lounge was empty! Whenever we went in they immeadiately asked us if we wanted a beverage or anything. I never felt that we were putting them out - they were always very gracious. In the evening the reception was nice the wines were very decent. And the snacks were good and a wide variety.
Each evening they had a story teller reading stories and warm cookies and milk - what a treat! They kept everything very well stocked during both our visits. And if we needed anything they were quick to get it.
They had DVDs to borrow for free (not a huge selection but enough - the 2nd time we brought a few of our own) the rooms all have DVD players! They have a turn down gift for concierge guests too - one stay it was a kit to grow a venus fly trap plant and the next time a giant redwood growing kit. Of course there is a nightly turn down with chocolates and the usual enhanced amenities in the bathrooms, etc.

I have traveled worldwide and used Exectutive and CLub levels but this was much better as the Disney touch was obvious! After reading all of your posts I cant wait to try it at WDW!!

[Greg K.]

I was interested to read what others thought of the Grand Californian. Here's what I can tell you about its older neighbor, the Disneyland Hotel:

The rooms are very nice, not great. They've been spruced up -- but I think most of the hotel has been renovated by now, so that doesn't make THAT much of a difference.

The concierge lounge itself is so-so. A few tables, some couches, plus a pleasant and expansive view of Downtown Disney and the California Adventure.

The offerings? Also so-so. There were the predictable muffins and bagels at breakfast, cookies and crackers in the afternoon. They also offered various wines for tasting, and some intriguing salsa dip. Plus sodas, coffee, water. No big whoop.

There's also a private elevator to take you directly from the ground floor to the concierge lounge, which I believe is on the 14th floor. This was handy in the mornings, when we wanted to dash off to the parks.

They had one very busy concierge person in a desk near the door, handling phones and answering questions. She was able to locate a Dairy Queen for us nearby (my wife wanted a DQ fix!)

But was it worth it? No.

I can understand wanting to make use of concierge services at Disney World, where the array of activities and options is vast. So many shows to see, character meals to reserve, places to visit! But not at Disneyland. It's quite manageable without the extra help. And the few perks you get for the extra money are just not worth it.

However...we got a great deal on concierge for the Boardwalk in November. I'm eager to see how it compares.

[plutospup]

Any new reviews on WL concierge?

[Darian]

Greg K's description of the Disneyland Hotel Concierge Lounge was right on the money. There are a few things I'd might add to his observations:

The glass walls of the lounge (which is at the top of the hotel) provides a great place to view the fireworks in the park. One can also sip a cordial while while enjoying the light show, without be jostled by the crowds. Does anyone remember if the sound track from the fireworks show is piped into the lounge?

We have stayed at the Disneyland hotel many times, in standard rooms, suites, and in concierge. But, as Greg asked, "Is it worth it?" Hmmmm. If the only benefit you were looking for was the concierge lounge itself, I'd agree completely with Greg and say "no." But, there are other benefits to the concierge level that we found more important than the lounge and its modest offerings.

Standard rooms have "rough" sheets, like you would find in a Motel 6. Concierge rooms have 300 thread sheets that are buttery smooth, soft and wonderful to sleep in. These rooms have other upgraded ammenities: nicer bed comforters, blankets, towels, soaps etc. The furniture in the room, tv's etc are nicer as well. Those things, especially the sheets, are very nice and nearly worth the upgrade cost by themselves (to me at least:D )

Having the elevator is a nice thing too. Never, ever, stay at the Disney Paradise Pier Hotel. We didn't stay conceirge there, and had to wait on average 40 minutes to get downstairs from the 8th floor. That private elevator is a big plus! You will appreciate it!

The other thing was the check in proceedure... and not having to stand in that long check in line.

To visit the question again, "is it worth it?" Hmmm maybe. One word of complaint: the rooms were SMALL. The standard rooms seemed larger, but that could have been because of the "upgraded" furniture... I don't know... but they seemed pretty tiny to me, especially the corner room we got after being assaulted ;) by a giant hissing cockroach in the shower. Don't ask. :o

Darian

[Darian]

Greg K's description of the Disneyland Hotel Concierge Lounge was right on the money. There are a few things I'd might add to his observations:

The glass walls of the lounge (which is at the top of the hotel) provides a great place to view the fireworks in the park. One can also sip a cordial while while enjoying the light show, without be jostled by the crowds. Does anyone remember if the sound track from the fireworks show is piped into the lounge?

We have stayed at the Disneyland hotel many times, in standard rooms, suites, and in concierge. But, as Greg asked, "Is it worth it?" Hmmmm. If the only benefit you were looking for was the concierge lounge itself, I'd agree completely with Greg and say "no." But, there are other benefits to the concierge level that we found more important than the lounge and its modest offerings.

Standard rooms have "rough" sheets, like you would find in a Motel 6. Concierge rooms have 300 thread sheets that are buttery smooth, soft and wonderful to sleep in. These rooms have other upgraded ammenities: nicer bed comforters, blankets, towels, soaps etc. The furniture in the room, tv's etc are nicer as well. Those things, especially the sheets, are very nice and nearly worth the upgrade cost by themselves (to me at least:D )

Having the elevator is a nice thing too. Never, ever, stay at the Disney Paradise Pier Hotel. We didn't stay conceirge there, and had to wait on average 40 minutes to get downstairs from the 8th floor. That private elevator is a big plus! You will appreciate it!

The other thing was the check in proceedure... and not having to stand in that long check in line.

To visit the question again, "is it worth it?" Hmmm maybe. One word of complaint: the rooms were SMALL. The standard rooms seemed larger, but that could have been because of the "upgraded" furniture... I don't know... but they seemed pretty tiny to me, especially the corner room we got after being assaulted ;) by a giant hissing cockroach in the shower. Don't ask. :o

Darian

[reveric]

We just returned from 4 days in the GF-RPC. The room was incredible...we had a perfect view of the castle. I loved the building and the theming. We were on 4th floor and really took advantage of the concierge lounge. As far as the concierge service I wouldn't say it was any big deal. Some seemed pretty friendly while others were pretty snotty. We loved our visit but it had nothing to do with the concierge service and everything to do with the room and the view.

There was no bottled water or sodas in the lounge. There was mineral water in big glass bottles that could be poured into cups with ice. In the evenings there was wine. They had a small table they kept stocked with kids foods (cupcakes, cookies, ham and cheese roll ups, mini hot dogs). The big table generally had salads or cheese and crackers and fruit. We always ate breakfast in the lounge (they had cereals, yogurt, muffins and bagels) but otherwise we just used it to snack on or as an end of the day treat.

I don't think that the concierge service is worth the extra cost - BUT I do think the quality of the room and the view was worth every penny we paid. I loved being in the main building and being so close to the monorail. The ambience is incredible!

[blanche]

hi, was your room close to the lobby area or away from the area? i was just wondering if you were bothered by any noise. could you hear the band in the lobby playing while in your room? thanks

[Misti]

I'll have to agree with the other posts. Once you stay concierge, you are spoiled for life! ;)

<b>Grand Floridian Royal Palm Concierge--Main Building</b>
We stayed here in 2002. The GF has always been one of my most favorite resorts, to say the least. Prior to this stay, we had always stayed in standard, non-concierge Lagoon View rooms. We were not impressed with the concierge here. While there were a few cast members who seemed helpful and friendly, the overall "feel" to us was that we were a bother to them. No one contacted us prior to arrival with planning help. Also, we never received a pre-planning questionaire. I had to contact them personally to get PS made. Not a big deal to us since we LOVE to plan ourselves anyway. We had one issue while we were there--wanted a PS for 1900 Park Fare for breakfast one morning. The concierge said they were full and there was nothing they could do. That was it--no mention of any other help. I thought that the concierge may have some "pull" considering the restaurant was in the hotel. We went back to the room and I called WDW-DINE myself and the PS was available.

The room itself was beautiful--great MK view. But, I have to say that I like the privacy of the regular Lagoon View rooms. In the main building, there always seem to be people looking up and more noise around. I like to enjoy the balcony and with people walking around below there is little privacy. So, I didn't feel comfortable sitting on the balcony in my robe like I usually do with our regular lagoon view room. We were also above Gasparilla so there was a good bit of noise. Also, guests were constantly feeding the birds at Gasparilla. Consequently, the birds were using our balcony as a perch. Not a big deal but again just a detail to mention.

The lounge food was good. Definately, more "upscale" than the other lounges in terms of food selecton. It was also nice to have the lounge overlooking the main lobby. Nothing like enjoying an incredible dessert in the evening and hearing the orchestra, too. There were never any sodas in sight. Learned after the fact that I needed to ask.

I am returning to the GF a second time this year but booked the regular lagoon view. I'm not sure if the RPC is worth the extra $100 or more per night.

<b>Beach Club Concierge</b>
This is probably my most favorite resort concierge. The staff was SOOO friendly and helpful. The lounge was more relaxed and the food offerings more family-friendly in my opinion. Especially enjoyed the desserts each night. It was like being at Cape May Cafe each night for dessert. :)

I have stayed here three times in three separate rooms and they all seemed to be in good shape (although some wear and tear is definately showing). I think next time around I'd try the YC Concierge since the rooms have been re-done there.

<b>Polynesian Concierge</b>
This was the first resort we tried when booking a concierge room. That was back in 1994 when the concierge was then located in the Great Ceremonial House. The re-location to the Hawaii building was great. The lounge itself is great--love the huge glass window for the three stories. We have stayed here three times and overall the staff was great.

The lounge at the Polynesian is our favorite. The guava juice is great. :) It was also nice having the water bottles available. The evening appetizer selections were also more to our liking than at the other lounges.

The room itself is spacious and it is nice having a small fridge available in the room. We had lagoon view rooms each time and for us the extra cost was worth it. There is nothing like enjoying a yummy dessert and cordial while watching the water light parade/fireworks. The lounge also seemed rather crowded to enjoy the view from there. I'm anxious to see the rooms once the rehab is completed next summer. The only problem we had at the Poly was the birds. They were very aggressive--couldn't leave the balcony door open for a second without them trying to come in.

:)

[reveric]

Blanche - we were on the 4th floor down the hall from the concierge lounge. We didn't overlook the lobby so there was no problem with the noise from the lobby. Like the other poster we were directly above the Gasparilla. Sounds of people eating on the patio outside Gasparilla did really carry up but I never noticed it when I was in the room I only noticed it when I was on the balcony (and we did keep the balcony door open most of the time).

Perhaps because we were so far up I never noticed anyone looking up at us on the balcony. I went out there in the mornings while still wearing my pajamas and never felt uncomfortable but there really weren't many people out in the early mornings.

We never had any problems with birds either although with the patio right below it would make sense that birds would hang around...but they didn't while we were there.

[Misti]

Originally posted by reveric
Perhaps because we were so far up I never noticed anyone looking up at us on the balcony. We never had any problems with birds either although with the patio right below it would make sense that birds would hang around...but they didn't while we were there.

We were on the third floor so maybe that was part of it.

:)

[blanche]

thanks for the info, reveric. also, you said your room was down the hall from the lounge. did you happen to notice if there were rooms even further away from the lounge? i' want to request a room on the 4th fl, but in a quiet area. any room numbers to suggest? thanks

[reveric]

I'm pretty sure it was 4405. It isn't directly down from the lounge...there is a hallway off the lounge that ends in a little sitting area that has one of the suites and an elevator to the pool area in it. Off this area is another hallway and 4405 was about halfway down this hall. You could get a room even farther away from the lounge by going farther down the hall but I think that might affect the view from the room. We looked directly over the marina and could see the castle perfectly. There is no way traffic or noise from the lounge carried down to our room. The elevator off the sitting area was always empty. Noise from within the hotel was non-existent. However, the noise from the patio of Gasparilla was noticeable.

Hope this helps! Let us know how it works out for you!

[blanche]

thanks again.

[TammiMcMan]

Reveric,

It's great to hear another nice review on the RPC. We stayed in room 4404 this past summer. Even though it was a bit of a hike to the concierge lounge, wasn't it wonderful having no one above you. And I don't think there's a better view of the castle anywhere.

We're completely hooked on the GF and finding it very hard to be adventurous and try other Disney resorts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed to whisk DH away to the AKL concierge for our upcoming 20th anniversary. He's skeptical, but I know that he would love that sunrise safari and the coffee machine sent from heaven.

Tammi

[irishone1979]

I am staying a the Wilderness Lodge for my honeymoon in 17 days! I have just wonderful things to say about Dawn and Randall. Already they have gotten us all the PS we wanted and then some. They even suggested some of their favorite places to eat. They are also giving us a special surprise because I wanted to surprise my FH with t-shirt of mickey and minnie in their wedding attire that said bride and groom on them. Well, those shirts are discontinued, but Randall and Dawn are doing something else for us. They have been very prompt in returning phone calls and emails. They have gone out of their way to make this the best trip ever. I will be able to tell you more about the service once I come back, but for now, I am so thrilled to be going! I know it will be a fantastic Trip!!

Heather K
:jester:

[JoBP117]

How do you know how to contact the concierge at the Wilderness Lodge - or any other resort???

Thanks
Jo

[irishone1979]

Hey gang,
Just got back from my wonderful honeymoon. I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Concierge and it was nice. They have these great PBJ sandwiches that my DH loved. We didn't get to enjoy their food as much as we would have liked because we were on the grand plan and had meals all the time (I am so sick of food now :-) ) The concierge people were great and very helpful for us. There were somethings that we were very disappointed in, but not the specific people that worked the concierge. Word of caution- don't stay in the rooms that overlook the lobby- they are very noisy and you won't be able to sleep till about 11 pm and you will hear kids in the lobby at 5 in the morning, other than that we didn't have too many complaints about our room. We got to see the fireworks from our balcony at night so that was very nice :-)

Heather S

[plutospup]

Congrats on the wedding/honeymoon! What "view" other than the lobby did you have - Courtyard, Woods, etc? Was it close to the concierge area? Did you hear people walking outside of your room?

[irishone1979]

I was in room 7085 and we had a woods view room I guess. We looked out unto the Magic Kingdom but all we would see was the Space Mountain. The fireworks were great to see after a long day though. We could hear people walking around, slamming doors. We were right by the food for the concierge and close to the elevators. When we walked out of our room we could look down into the lobby. It was a nice view, but bad when we wanted to sleep because the Whispering Canyon cafe was really loud until late at night so it was hard to sleep. Honestly, I liked the resort, but I wouldn't stay there again. At least not near the lobby area because you will never get any sleep.
The food on the concierge level was great! We didn't get to eat alot of it, but everytime we were there we would at least grab something or take a look at what they were serving. If we weren't on the Grand Plan and had all our meals covered I am sure we would have eaten more food at the Resort. But by the time we were done eating all day, we had no room left.

If you have any more questions let me know. My FH is going to write Disney a letter sometime this week because there were a bunch of things that we were disappointed in and are upset about. Nothing about Concierge personally, but things about our Plan.
Hope this helps!

Heather S

[JoBP117]

Dec 2nd - Dec 5th. After confirming that I was staying on the concierge floor, I have gotten all kinds of good information and help getting Priority seating from Randall & Megan.

We will have 3 little ones with us (5 and under) - so I appreciate the post about the noise with the rooms overlooking the lobby. That would not be good to deal with. I will have to email the concierge duo to see what they can do to avoid that.

What kind of desserts do they have? I'm so excited about the snacks they offer - because I think it will be convenient for us with the little ones. We are staying our first two nights at the All Star Sports - so I'm sure the WL will be quite a change!!!

We will be leaving 5 days before my 33rd birthday. But I'm thinking about ordering a cake to celebrate it there early. Anyone know whether it's worth it? Are the cakes good? Are they expensive?

Any other thoughts you want to share? I'm SO excited!

[currycook]

Bumping in hopes of getting more reviews. I'm trying this for the first time. I choose BC for various reasons. But enjoy reading all the reviews. Very helpful.

[irishone1979]

JoB
The only rooms in Concierge that look over the lobby are the honeymoon rooms as far as I am aware of. There are only 4 rooms that over look the Lobby and all four are their only honeymoon rooms. Just FYI for you. Now, personally, I think that is very strange but that's just me..

[ead79]

Yacht Club Review

We stayed in Yacht Club concierge (lagoon view) room number 5151. I cannot say enough good things about the Yacht Club. What a lovely resort-upscale yet relaxed at the same time. The newly renovated rooms are decorated very nicely, and we really loved the small table that pulls out from under the desk. We used it every day to eat our breakfast, and it was so convenient.
The concierge staff was so incredibly friendly and helpful. They
always spoke to us when we passed by and even struck up long conversations with us. I asked to see some of their suites if they were unoccupied, and one of the concierge staff members took us on a nice tour of the empty suites and explained some different features of the ones we didn't see. They were very
luxurious and lovely, but we didn't have enough time in the suites to take pictures of them. The concierge staff was very helpful in making priority seatings for us and was incredibly professional--completely top notch. The food in the lounge was plentiful, but we did not try the evening hors devours (sp?) as they looked a bit too gourmet for our tastes. The breakfast was nice (they had donuts-yum! --as well as bagels, cereal, oatmeal, etc.), and they had a wide variety of mid-day snacks (white cheddar popcorn, pretzels, chips and salsa, little cheesecake slices, etc.). The
dessert offerings were also plentiful, though we were too full to try those. There's always next time to try the desserts, LOL! I highly recommend the Yacht Club, and especially the concierge. The resort is so convenient to Epcot (about a 5 minute walk) and convenient to Disney MGM Studios as well (we took the walking path, and it took about 15-20 minutes at a reasonable pace). Two thumbs up! Here is a link to my pictures:

Yacht Club pictures (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=21022799203.67813140703&n=411048089)

Polynesian Resort Review

We also stayed at the Polynesian concierge, garden view room number 2532. This was my second time at the Poly concierge, and I thought it was very nice once again. The staff here is very friendly and helpful as well. Before my trip they asked several times via email if I had any special requests, needs, etc. They also honored our request for a non-smoking room. This resort seemed busier than the Yacht Club, and we definitely saw more families with children here than at the Yacht Club. However, despite the business of the resort, it definitely still had a relaxed, tropical feel to it. The food in the Poly's lounge was delicious! The breakfast had bagels, cereal, danishes, and the yummy coconut bread they serve at the character breakfast at 'Ohana. I believe that mid-day snacks were mostly fresh cookies, though we weren't there in the middle of the day to confirm that. I don't believe we had any other meals in the Poly concierge (we were only there 2 nights), but I remember thinking the food was fabulous on my last trip. Bottled water and soft drinks are out for the taking, and the guava juice was wonderful. The Poly itself is a great resort with super convenience to the Magic Kingdom. Also, you can walk directly from the Poly to the TTC, shortening the commute to Epcot quite a bit. The restaurants at the Poly are outstanding--we ate at both 'Ohana and Kona Cafe and were more than pleased with both restaurants. I would also recommend the Poly to anyone who enjoys a relaxed, family-oriented resort. Here is a link to my Poly pictures:

Polynesian pictures (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=21022799203.95813140703&n=351735462)

Feel free to ask me any questions about either resort. :)

[figmentvi]

Great pictures Elizabeth!!!

We really, really enjoyed ourselves at the YC Concierge. The CM's there were just wonderful !!! On my last night there, I finally got to have some of the desserts and made an absolute pig out of myself with some very yummy cream puffs. :p :p :p

Again, it was wonderful to meet you !!!

Linda

[ead79]

It was a wonderful resort! I really enjoyed meeting you as well, Linda! :)

[currycook]

Well after all these years at Disney we finally tried a concierge. We stayed at the BC concierge at Christmas time.

The food was excellent. Not a lot, but enough. The quality was excellent.
The Service of hte concierge was also excellent.

I thought the value of the concierge was worth the cost. That is the reason we have never tried it before. But if you use the services they provide and eat the food then its acually a good value. I would like to try another.

[Dooley1966]

Bump!

[chucknrita]

Dooley1966,
I tried to respond to your e-mail last night but it came back undeliverable.

Rita

[GlennandAnn]

We stayed in the WL conc last summer and it was wonderful. The staff was sooo friendly and very helpful. They were also very playful with our (then) 3 year old DS. We thought the food offerings were great, it was very helpful to have food available all the time, since I was 5 months pregnant. When we checked in, we asked to be upgraded, and we were upgraded for $30 a night. It was well worth it!

Ann

[ead79]

bump :)

[Darian]

It sounds like another one bites the dust and joins the concierge throng!! Welcome to the club currycook!!! We can't "go back" to non-concierge either....

Darian

[ead79]

giving this thread a bump :)

[Dana49]

We have reserved a non-smoking, Garden View room on the Yacht Club's concierge floor. Is any one room better than another? Is there anything special that we should request? Thanks. :)

[CEDmom]

We stayed at WL earlier this month (5/1-5/6) and had concierge access added to our room key for $45 per night. I had booked a woodsview room for DH, DD (3 1/2) and myself using one of the springtime codes. I faxed a room request asking for a bunkbed room overlooking the otter pond (thanks to posters here for the recommendation). I also knew from these posts that an upgrade might be available for an additional charge. We got to WL around 6pm and were presently surprised to find on check-in line. The CM who took care of us was very nice. We were assigned room 2012 which overlooked the pond and had bunkbeds just like we requested. I asked about a concierge upgrade and was told rooms were available on the 7th floor but not the type we requested. I asked if we could stay in room 2012 and have access to the 7th floor. I knew from these boards that the ammenities (aside from a refrigerator) on the concierge floor where the same as the other floors so I didn't want to give up the view or bunkbeds. We were given access. After having our bags delivered to our room we went up to the 7th floor. A concierge staff member was waiting to greet us and show us around. She was very pleasant and asked if we needed anything. I asked about getting bed rails for DD and she said she would take care of it. The food offerings between 5-7 were quite substantial and we made dinner of it on a few nights after having a large lunch. Breakfast was also good. Our favorite was dessert time. Each night we went up for a treat. The staff was very attentive and each time they saw us would ask if we needed anything. On our first morning at breakfast one CM noticed that DD enjoyed the grapes from a platter of fruit as well as the Mickey juice pouches. After that a bowl of grapes and a juice box were waiting for her each morning. I think it's those little things that made the concierge experience so nice for us.

[ead79]

Dana,

The YC concierge is really a treat. We received wonderful service there, and are eager to return. I don't have any room recommendations, but I'm sure you'll have a great time! The concierge lounge is so elegant. One tip I didn't discover until nearly the end of our trip. The drink "urns" for lack of a better word, are set up on mahogany tables with doors underneath. There are soft drink cans and glasses inside those doors. Just a tip! :)

[YankeeFan51]

What a great thread! Hoping to see more on the Epcot resorts. I thought I read somewhere that the BC was due for renovations--anyone know the schedule?

[ead79]

YankeeFan51, I have a review of the YC concierge on page 6 of this thread. It was wonderful! I believe that the BC renovation is completed as well (I know that they started with the YC, and that it's done for sure)--I'm not positive, but I think the BC is completed too. We just returned from a non-concierge stay at the BC, and our room had been redone already. :)

[MNT568]

We (me, DS and DM) stayed at the BC concierge for 6 nights, May 4 - 10. We had a great time! About 2 weeks before our stay I received a call at home from a concierge staff member. She told me that they noticed we would be celebrating my DS 5th b-day and that they would take care of something for him. She also informed me that they would be mailing me an access card to the 5th floor, so they that we could come right up once we arrived. They also asked if I needed assistance with anything, I mentioned that I could not get a PS for dinner at Chef Mickey's for my DS b-day, she said she would see what she could do.

When we arrived, the staff was so friendly, check-in was a breeze, the CM said that we had a room with a great view. Boy, was she right! Waterview room 5687. Right over the pool with a great view of the BW. We had a long narrow balcony (no chairs). I love the new rooms. We received a nice chocolate picture frame and our itinerary in the room. Yah, we got Chef Mickey's for 6pm on DS B-day!

The lounge was really nice, never crowded. We would have toast, fruit, cereal, juice and coffee in the morning. My DM loved the coffee. Mid-day we would have cookies and lemonade. The best oatmeal raisin cookies! The evening they had some great dips with flatbreads for me, DM would have some veggies w/dip and some cheese & crackers and the best part, MAC & CHEESE for DS! My DS would sit at the children's table with his mac & cheese and watch some movies. He loved doing that! The staff were great with the kids. We usually had a late dinner so this was perfect! They also offered wine but we didn't have any. In the later part of the evening, desserts and cordials. Great carrot cake, more good cookies and my DS loved the cheesecake. DM and I would have a Bailey's each night.

When the staff made our PS, they put in that we were celebrating DS b-day. At Cape May breakfast, he received a special balloon and cupcake and of course Chef Mickey's was great for his b-day dinner. When we returned from dinner there was a mini party set-up in our room, a chocolate cake, hats, blowers, streamers, and a card from Mickey! We DS was so excited!

Turndown service was great also. Lola would set-up my DS animals each night. She always left some extra chocolates for my DS and she set the tv to Toon Disney, my DS favorite station. On our last day she left us some extra mickey soaps and more chocolates. My DS thought this was very cool! Also, it was very hot during our stay (lots of showers) and it was great to get fresh towels each night. It was nice to come back to the room with the lights dimly on and the tv on (very low) and the beds looked so inviting.

The staff also made some last minute PS for us which was great. Everything was so easy this trip. I think I have been spolied now and I'll never want to stay anywhere but concierge. It was "ask and you shall receive" all week long.

I give the BC concierge a thumbs up! We will definitely stay there again.

YankeeFab 51 - While we were there, I did notice some workmen heading over to the area near the quiet pool one morning and we did notice a white tarp over some windows. I never heard anything about construction going on. So I can't help you with the timing but there did seem to be some work going on.

[Hnymoon@Dixie]

Thanks everyone for all of your great posts! This thread took me a half hour to read & worth every minute! We have it narrowed down to the POLY & the WL. Thanks soo much again!

[YankeeFan51]

Thanks for the great info.! ead79 and MNT568, are you aware of any photos of the new room decor available online? I'd love to see them. And in the BC lounge, were there water bottles/soda available as mentioned in some of the other resort reviews? Thanks!!!!

[Mike_in_FL]

We have been fortunate enough to stay in BC, Poly and GF concierges. They are all great, and as several people have said, it is tough to go back to a "normal" room!

That being said, on to the reviews:

Polynesian:
Our favorite. Our kids absolutely love it - kid-friendly food, great view over the lagoon to Cinderella's castle, proximity to MK, volcano pool right outside, etc. We stay every summer for our wedding anniversary. We had noticed a drop-off in the variety and quality of the hors d'oeuvres when we were there last summer, but it had picked up again when we visited in April.

Beach Club:
We stayed there last Christmas and enjoyed it. The food was very good, maybe a little better than the Poly. Where it does not compare so favorably (for us) is that it offers less for the kids, has a smaller lounge, has no view to speak of, and you have to ask for bottled water. YC/BC does of course have the best pool of any Disney hotel! One of the best hotels at Christmas (decorations, atmosphere, story teller, etc).

Grand Floridian:
We also got to stay there last Christmas and also enjoyed it very much. The new pool was very much enjoyed by our 7- and 4-year olds! In general, I think of GF as a more adult hotel, and the concierge lounges definitely do not cater to kids as much. The view, while nice, does not match the Poly's. Another wonderful place to be at Christmas.

YF51 - BC renovations had already begun last Christmas (we happened to stay in a just-completed room). I imagine they are well on their way to completion by now.

Mike

[ead79]

YankeeFan, here's a link to my Ofoto album with pictures of my room at the BC. It's not a concierge room, but they look the same.

BC pictures (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=21022799203.43426499803&n=2066950602)

[YankeeFan51]

Thanks Elisabeth! Those are great pictures--the rooms look beautiful.:bounce:

[YankeeFan51]

just giving this thread another bump. After reading through the reviews, there are a few resorts that I would like to try that I never considered before :D

[>>^..^<<]

Wow - I just read over this whole thread... lots of great info on concierge stays.

I dredged up my AKL Concierge report from last year to add. August 23rd, 2002 - 9 nights - DD8 and I. :)

Pre Trip

When making my reservation with WDTC they asked me for my email address - about 3 months before our trip Don from the AKL Itinerary Planning Office emailed me to introduce himself and ask if I needed any PS's made.

About the same time in the mail I received an information package with a little questionaire to complete.

Great service so far!

I chose to email (instead of regular mail) a request to Don for a few meals & the sunrise safari and to request a room on the 5th floor with a main savanna view.

CRT was one of my requests - I said it could be any of 7 mornings - and luckily they were able to book it for me - but I did not find this out till about a week before our departure.

I also asked about "pillow gifts" things to be left on my daughters bed everynight at turndown for a little surprise.

Don came up with the idea of plush safari animals from the gift shop - sounded great to me. He picked up 9 of them and had them all ready to go for our arrival. (cost of animals 85.00)

I also arranged a welcome surprise for Noel from the Walt Disney Florist - it was a Sorcerer Mickey Backpack filled with items such as candy, a large candle, colouring book, cookies, autograph book, and a plush sorcerer mickey. (cost 85.00)


Arrival

Don had asked when and how we were arriving - I said about 12:00 via Florida Town Car.

We pulled in the driveway at AKL and security checked our name off a clipboard and we drove up... The bellman opened the door and said "Welcome to Animal Kindom Lodge you must be Cassie and Noel" (at this point I almost fell over)

His next statement was that our room was ready and he would take us straight there.

He gave us a mini tour on the way up - pointing out all kinds of things - of course that conversation was all a blurr as I was so overwhelmed.

Our room was 5233 on the kudu trail with a wonderful view of the main savanna. The room had 2 queen size beds and was bright and comfortable, there was an full ice bucket, 2 glasses and a large bottled water on the table beside Noel's welcome gift which was all wrapped in cellophane.


http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/room4.jpg

There were no animals on the savanna at this point of the day as they go to the barns for feeding. I tipped the bellman and he said just to stop by the concierge lounge when I was ready.

http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/view2.jpg


We unpacked for a few minutes - well - I unpacked... Noel sat on the balcony and was in awe.. also she was so excited about the welcome gift and was trying to rip it apart - the card said "From all your Disney Friends" She still has not clued in that these things might have something to do with me.

The phone rang and it was Juanita from the Kilamajaro Club - she welcomed us to the hotel and told us to stop by the lounge. We headed there a few minutes later and I was really impressed by the beauty of the lodge. The rope bridge that spans the lobby was such a joy to walk across - I have really never seen anything like this place - it is warm and comfortable despite it's size.

We used our key cards in the elevator to acccess the 6th floor concierge - YAY they work! Noel loved using this card. It was around 1pm now and there were some snacks out in the lounge, cashews, gummy bears, trail mix etc... Noel asked for a coke and fixed herself some snacks while I sat with Juanita.

Marge (another CM) noticed I did not have a drink and came to offer me a lemonade she had poured for me, how nice! I enjoyed my drink while signing the papers and having my credit card processed. I can't say enough good things about the concierge staff at AKL.

http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/lounge1.jpg

Everynight at promised - at turndown there would be an animal left for Noel on her bed - by the 3rd night - she had caught on - and was DRAGGING me back to the room to see what was there. Some of the animals were beanie size but made noise when you squeezed them and some were really large and much more than I expected in quality... a good tip for any parent trying to make your child's trip a little more magical.

http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/room2.jpg

Also on our first night there was a hand carved wooden giraffe left as a gift in our room.

Breakfast in the lounge was a treat - not having to figure out where to go was a treat, not having to carry money or anything was a treat. :) This lounge is peaceful and airy and has glorious view of the main lobby below.

http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/akllobby2.jpg

Breakfast consited of Bagels & toast with butter, margarine, cream cheese, peanut butter, jams & jellies, marmalades, muffins (at least 3 varieties each day) mini danishes, hot oatmeal with toppings such as dried fruit, cold cereals in plastic bowls with peel back lids, fresh fruit platter, yogurts, milk, chocolate milk, many teas, juices, water & coffee - there was a large coffee/expresso/cappucino machine but it intimidated me. (LOL)

Daily snacks - trail mix, cashews, goldfish crackers, gummi bears, occasioanllly a bowl of whole fruits (apples, pears), ice tea, water, lemonade, african smoothies and soda on request.

High Tea - with scones, cookies etc

Late Afternoon - Hot Appetizers - usually 2 or 3 types of skewer - chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or salmon, chicken nuggets, occasionally fries, different types of hummus with pita, cheese & cracker platter, fruit, veggies and dip, flatbreads, sandwich roll ups, PB&J uncrustables.

Evening cordials such as Baileys, Drambuie, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, desserts included tarts, mini cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, occasionally zebra domes, squares & nanaimo bars.

I was thrilled that concierge was able to get PS's for CRT - it was for 8:05 am and we had a table right at the window overlooking Cinderella's golden carousel - magical.

One morning I asked the CM to check for Hoop Dee Doo for the next night - later she confirmed that she had booked it for us. When we arrived at Hoop Dee Doo - our table was front and centre - touching the stage - I asked the waiter how this could be as I booked so late - he said it was noted on the PS that we were VIP... I have no idea if this is a normal thing concierge does - but I was completely surprised at this.

Another night we had Fultons Crabhouse booked for dinner - but it was raining cats and dogs so I decided to just stay at AKL. I stopped by Boma to make a reservation and the place was mobbed (this was about 5:30pm) The hostess said the first time we could get in would be around 8:20pm -too late for us.

Later at the concierge lounge I mentioned this to the CM - she immediately picked up the phone and a moment later asked me when I wanted to dine.. we walked in at 6:30pm - the place was even more packed but we were shown straight to a table... amazing.

The kilamanjaro club lounge is a nice place to relax. There is rain pretty well every day in August and we would make a habit of coming up for a cookie or a drink. Noel would watch one of the Disney videos on the big TV and I would people watch or read the paper - what a great place to cool off. Also there was other guests to chat to if you are so inclined.

It is also very close to the pool area - one elevator stright up - Noel would go up and get canned soda to bring down to the pool or a styrofoam cup of gummi bears etc.. to enjoy by the pool. I would make a take out coffee to enjoy in the mornings on the bus ride to a park.

In the Evening after a long day the lounge was also a great place to stop before going to bed, Noel would have a cookie and a glass of milk and sit with the other kids either doing puzzles or colouring or watching TV - it is like having your living room with you on holiday.

http://www.casshew.com/images/akl/lounge2.jpg

IT was also very nice to take a drink back to the room to enjoy on the balcony. We felt truly spoiled at AKL.


Sunrise Safari - Go on this if you can.

http://www.casshew.com/images/ss/giraffe1.jpg

We arrived in the lounge at 7:00am and I had a coffee, Noel had a chocolate milk. we were given name tags and asked to hand in our park passes. The CM's verfied that we had admission to DAK - then we were off to the park. Our guide was Joe and he was very knowledgable and pleasant.

We entered the back way into DAK, past all the specialized buildings for caring for the animals.

We left the bus and walked to the Kilamanjaro Safari ride and then left on our safari. It is not like the regular ride where you catch poachers and save Little Red the elephant. There are no sound effects like creaky bridges.. it is very quiet and peaceful and the safari is slow paced with lots of opportunity to take photos. It was about 45 minutes in total and as it is so early the animals are just returning to the savanna - they come so close to the jeep - and you can get some great photos.

After the safari we headed to the tuskerhouse to a private room (schoolroom?) where breakfast was waiting for us. There was fruits and cinnimon rolls, eggs of different varieties, muffins and danishes, bacon & sausages, vegetables... hot coffee & tea - really a nice relaxing meal.

After breakfast you are given a fastpass to try the safari the "normal" way - but you probably won't need it as the park is just now opening and there are very little people around.

Things to do around the hotel - cookie decorating at Boma (we went twice), hidden mickey safari (pick up a clue sheet from the concierge lounge or guest services), they do games around the pool during the day and one afternoon they had crafts. Storytelling at the firepit (our storyteller ate a bug for us). Night vision goggles in the evening.

Chat with the African CM's - what a pleasure! Ask questions or just say Hi!! These people are so gracious and a credit to the resort.

Check out Day

We just did express checkout (they slip the bill under your door the night before)

I arranged for the bellman to take our bags around 9:00am - When he arrived he had 2 bottles of water in a string-like bag with a thank you note, wishing us a safe journey home and left it with our luggage.

We had our last breakfast in the lounge and Marge presented Noel with a "take home" cup. It was a styrofoam coffee cup with a lid and it was tied with a ribbon. She opened it later in the airport and it was filled with cookies (that were quartered) and gummi bears... Noel ate them on the flight home.

TIPS

- Utilize the pretrip itinerary planning services - let them book your PS's for you :) it is also a good way to get aquainted - by the time you arrive you feel like you know them.

- Request things - don't expect them always to be available. I witnessed an incident with a large family furious that they could not get a last minute PS. They gave the CM a really hard time and it was embarrassing.


**On SoapBox**

- Concierge Rooms / Locations / Views - This is one weird situation.

The 6th floor is the concierge floor where the lounge is located and also several pool view rooms (smoking optional) and savanna views rooms - which do not look over the main savanna. They overlook the sunset savanna which is MUCH smaller and there are some rooftoops tops to look over before you see the savanna. There are giraffes and ostriches here and a watering hole - but no Zebras or wilderbeast. (I believe)

To get the best Savanna view - I recommend requesting the 5th floor - Arusha Savanna View - but you must realize to have this view means you are a bit of a walk and one floor down from the Kilamanjaro Club.

**Off Soap Box**

Food Offerings Breakfast is substancial - enough to feed everyone with many choices. Yummy!

Snacks - very light, not filling, just munchies - don't expect this to be lunch - it also gets repetative

High Tea - very light, scones & cookies - they go pretty fast too!

Hot Appetizers - on days we went to the parks - we had BIG Lunches at 3:00pm- and I found with these hot & cold appetizers at 5:30pm - we did not want to go out for dinner after that - we were full!

So my tip here would be don't overeat and ruin your dinner plans - how disappointing if you have PS's and you are not hungry :eek:

- Dress properly in the lounge - it is very relaxed up there, however, adults in their "jammies" getting breakfast is a little too relaxed LOL

Also bare feet is a NO NO... guests would come up from the pool to grab a drink and just have their cover up over a bathing suit and no shoes.. the CM's sent them packing. :eek:

- Watch your kids in the lounge - I saw a little kid throw handfuls of coffee stir sticks over the railing down to the lobby below :mad:
His parents were totally oblvious!

- Optional but nice - Bring a small gift for the concierge staff (I brought boxes of chocolates)

- Tip a Concierge CM if you feel they have really gone above and beyond for you. (This is totally optional and not required and it is not widely known but they can accept cash up to 75.00)

I didn't know you could tip a CM - If I had known I would have left a nice tip after my daughter's favourite toys were returned to her - after we left the behind at hoop dee doo That was some incredible Disney Magic - you can read "the best thing that ever happened at Disney" on my website link below. :)

- Tip your housekeeper - (again optional but nice ) There was a little card from my housekeeper introducing herself - her name was Isabel - around mid-stay I finally ran into her during the day and we chatted, I gave her $75.00 and thanked her for everything.

In addition I left $2.00 a night out for the turndown housekeeper - sometimes she took it.. sometimes she didn't.

- Houskeeping was excellent - no towel animals but she sure set up Noel's toys in fun and inventive ways :)

- If you are staying concierge - stop and smell the roses, try not to be a park commando - out first thing in the AM.. back late at night - give yourself an opportunity to enjoy the hotel and the meet staff in the lounge along with other nice families - the kids had fun together in this lovely relaxed setting.

Thanx for reading my report,

>>^..^<<

[Dana49]

Thanks for the tip, Elisabeth. We're definitely looking forward to staying at the YC concierge. :)

[BethA]

Really enjoyed your report on AKL. We are going in less than 2 weeks. I also saw those in pjs obviously just out of bed--not a good idea.

[ead79]

I agree--what a wonderful AKL concierge report! I think your report has convinced me to give it a try on my 2004 trip! :earsgirl:

[madcoco]

>>^..^<< Great report. thanks for sharing.:) The AKL concierge staff is wonderful. Don does a great Donald Duck and other friends.Handpuppets and all. They do go above and beyond for their guests and it will be a pleasure seeing them again next week.

[betterlatethannever]

Just got back from our spring "Flower Power" Trip. Stayed at the AKL (4 nights, 22-26th) and WL (5 nights,26-31st) This was the first time at WL and the second stay at AKL (that report is on page 3 or 4? of this thread).

Filled out the itinerary planning sheets and listed on both that it would be my DW birthday (27th) while we were down there. I did arrange with the Disney florist to deliver to our room a suprise basket of goodies, baloons, etc. on her birthday.

I did not request any special room location at either resort.

Last year, at the AKL, we stayed on the 6th floor overlooking the Sunset Savannah, so I expected something similar this time. When we drove up, the CM said our room was ready and it was on the 5th floor. OK, no problem. A quick ride up the elevator to the lounge was fine. But our room was 5315. What a walk. But I guess you take the good with the bad. This savannah was much more alive this trip. Plus there is a gated staircase from the 5th to the 6th floor so we didn't have to cross the bridge over the lobby to get to the elevators.

When we checked in, they gave us a printed list of our itinerary (PSs and tours) for our entire trip. even the PSs that the WL made for us and the ones we made on our own.

The food offerings were great as reported in previous posts. The lounge was crowded some days. I wish they had cardboard trays to carry items back to the rooms

The AKL concierge goes well above above and beyond. Last year we sayed the second week of May. Concierge called us a couple of months ahead and we mentioned it was to celebrate our aniversary (April 30). They had a little cake waiting for us in our room one night. This year they called us on April 30th and wished us a happy anniversary.:D This year they gave us a little gift for her birthday and called our house on the 27th to wish her a happy birthday:confused: I guess not realizing that we were still at WDW:Pinkbounc

When we were checking out, the bell services brought up water bottles in a paper (gift type) bag, not the string like bag mentioned in an earlier post.

We drove over to the WL about 9AM to check in. Our room wasn't ready so we checked our bags and bell services took us up to the lounge on the 7th floor. The concerige check in "desk" is right by the elevators with no chairs to sit down. They gave us our itinerary list but it only included the PSs they had made. (No problem, we still had the AKL complete list)

While on the computer, they found a room that was open and switched us to that room (7115). They printed the key cards and took us down to the room. Within minutes, bell services brought up our luggage (without us calling). It was great. The rooms come with refrigerators.

While they were looking for an open room for us, they pulled up our name along with another family with the same last name (long Polish name). I mention this because I am an eternal worrier and I have this gift being delivered the next day and figuring that it would be delivered to the other person. The next morning I mentioned to concierge my fear. They made a notation in the computer and called the florist. They were great. Everything went OK

Comparing AKL and WL concierge food offerings, breakfasts were essentially the same. Neither had English muffins:( . For the hot afternoon service, the AKL had more hot dishes, but WL had more traditional items, if you don't like the food at Boma's and Jiko's. While AKL had fancy desserts, WL had great chocolate iced brownies :D :Pinkbounc The WL does have cardboard trays to carry food back to your room.


All in all you can't go wrong with either of these concierges.

My ranking of concierges that I have stayed at based on friendliness, service, food offerings etc).


Poly
AKL
CR (14th)
BWI
WL
BC
YC
.
.
.
.
.
Swan


Ed

[sparp5]

This is such a great site I just spent the last hour reading all the post/ We were planning on doing an upgrade to BC consierge but due to the fact that their standard consierge rooms only fit 4 and no water views were avail we thought YC but it's not avail on my original booking dates so I'd have to change my dates by two weeks to do either resort. Talked to the CM today and she said she could get us into the BWI consierge. After getting excited about staying at the BC I'm just a little leary. I'd love to hear more comments about the BWI. So far all the BWI comments on this thread have been great. I read on another site that they found the BWI to be more geared to business people on convention and not geared to more family personalized service. Here's hoping for some more BWI consierge post!!!

Paula

[Pixie_Dust]

I just came across this thread during a search and had to bump this one back up. Darian's post is a hoot. Love your way with words, Darian. I don't know if you're a native, but the reactions are SO southern Californian. :)

Originally posted by Darian
Sorry to hear about your unpleasant stay at the Grand Californian! Don't give up! This last April my DW and I celebrated our 4th anniversary at the Grand Californian, in a concierge suite. We were met outside the hotel by a concierge representative who escorted us to the concierge checkin desk just to the side of the amazing 6 story lobby. Its just spectacular!

Later that weekend, we had a small party in our suite, (NOT in the concierge lounge which would not have been allowed) with about 20 guests attending. The Bell staff helped us get set up, rood decorated etc. They even brought up a helium tank! No Charge! Plus, they wouldn't let us tip them. (Only the tip for bringing up our bags was allowed.) Wow! We made arrangements with the staff in the concierge lounge to get them by the extra security in place for the ABC Soap stars staying on our floor. Even the Security Guards were helpful and very polite and courteous. It was incredible!

While the Concierge lounge was good sized, it did tend to be crowded at times. Of the three or so cast members who were sitting at the lounge's desk during our stay, two were very helpful and friendly. The third was, well, I hate to say this, nearly psychotic in her rudeness and contempt for the guests, other castmembers, you name it. It was so over the top, it was actually amusing. Relax, we didn't do anything bad to her, instead we were kind, but didn't let her rudness effect our very enjoyable stay.

The room appointments were just wonderful! This may sound strange, but the sheets, pillowcases and towels were deliciously soft! The sheets were buttery smooth, much MUCH higher quality than in the standard rooms. We've stayed at the Disneyland hotel and have found the same difference between concierge and standard rooms. The extra money is worth it for the sheets alone! Almost forgot, the cuddly white robes were very comfy.

The lounge offered bottled water, but getting it was the problem. On several occasions when we stopped by the lounge to get some we ran into the "unhappy" cast member who did the rolling eyes routine, as if getting a bottle of water were taking just tooo much time out of her busy day. We enjoyed watching the disneyland fireworks from the lounge while sipping wine or a cordial. Very nice. There were a variety of fresh fruits, cheeses and deserts available at various times during the day and evening. The balcony outside is a great place to unwind sitting on teak furniture sipping a cabernet.

Was it worth the money? Oh yeah. With the exception of just ONE castmember, service was great! Especially the Bell staff! You guys are the best! And thanks for all the balloons!

We had such a good time (excpet the valet guys left the mercedes lights on ALL during our stay so the battery was quite dead when it came time to check out. But they took care of that with a smile as well!) Apologies to all if this sounds too cheerey. We just had a great time and highly recommend the place. One previous poster had it right... we do make our own magic.

Darian

PS: Pete W. is my Disney Hero!

Disneyland - first trip 1958 (thats no misprint.. I'm a Disney Fossil!)
Disneyland Hotel - too many times to list
Polynesian 1998 Honeymoon!!!
Grand Californian 2002
AKL Oct 2002

Paradise Pier 2002

[Darian]

Originally posted by Pixie_Dust
I just came across this thread during a search and had to bump this one back up. Darian's post is a hoot. Love your way with words, Darian. I don't know if you're a native, but the reactions are SO southern Californian. :)

Why thank you kindly, Pixie_Dust! And Yes, I am a native... born in Orange County in the shadow of the Matterhorn.... But I did live in Palo Alto a spell and learned me sum kulture... heheh I really think northern California is quite the different world and I absolutely love it. Over the years I've had lots of friends from "nocal" and its always fun to compare cultural notes about the different approachs the two areas (socal and nocal) have.

In all the concierge threads I've read on the DIS, I've never seen the question regarding the quality of sheets and blankets in WDW concierge rooms addressed. I'm quite familiar with the DL resort's concierge - at the DL hotel and Grand Californian, but sadly, not so well informed about WDW concierge. (I've only stayed at AKL concierge and YC concierge.)

There seems to be little on the DIS about WDW concierge beyond food and beverage offerings or using concierge for making PS (and the endless pro's and con's and ethics of that.) From what I've personally experienced it doesn't seem like anything special is done at WDW regarding improved bedding in concierge - it seems every hotel room at each resort uses the same kind of bedding, which is unfortunate. Just remember, nothing says "luxury" like a nice 400 thread buttery soft cotton sheet.

Darian

(Ok Ok, maybe I do have a bedding fetish, but I'm sure therapy will help;) )

[Pixie_Dust]

Originally posted by Darian
Just remember, nothing says "luxury" like a nice 400 thread buttery soft cotton sheet.
Darian
(Ok Ok, maybe I do have a bedding fetish, but I'm sure therapy will help;) )

I don't know why, Darian, but your posts just make me smile :)

One time DH and I were walking past the Frette store in SF and I dragged him in like it was a Mecca. I had heard so much about those sheets that I just had to see and feel them for myself, lol :)

[TDC Nala]

I couldn't care less about the turndowns, the service or whoever is going to make your PS for you, or the bedding (I'm spending VERY little time in the bed), all I care about is the food and drinks. So this is what I remember:

1) Polynesian (8 nights August/Sept 2001): Pastries good at breakfast, cookies in the afternoon. No actual food in the afternoon, just cookies and drinks. Evenings you got a different theme every night with an entree-type offering and some snacks. Wine and cordials were available, you pour them yourself. At night they bring out desserts and cordials - these are great to munch on while watching the water parade and the fireworks from MK. Big barrel of Cokes in cans and bottled water so we stopped in and grabbed these before going out to the parks. You get a fridge in your room so I could put some Diet Coke in the room, too.

2) AKL (1 night January 2003) They bring up munchies from Boma. These are very good. There is the famous African smoothie and some South African wines to pour yourself. Didn't like that I had to ask for Diet Coke though.

3) Wilderness Lodge (visit in December 2003) Just went in for desserts. Some of these were quite good. Loved putting a shot of amaretto in the hot chocolate. The concierge lounge looks like an afterthought (I believe it actually is). The room looked like all the other rooms in the resort.

[Uncle Scar]

We were lucky to be upgraded to the Hawaii building Lagoon View last May.

The rooms were awesome with a great view of The Castle. We were on the second floor, same as the lounge. The rooms were clean and comforable. The Concierge staff was attentive and friendly, and made several reservations for us. Even a last minute reservation to the Luau...we still got great seats.

The lounge was a great convenience, and a money saver in the long run. We'd take the bottled water to the parks with us, and snack in the lounge instead of paying for breakfast and lunch. There was always plenty when we were there. The one time we can in late and missed the chocolate chip cookies, we just asked the Chef if it was possible to get some...he came back with a big plate full of them for us. These cookies are what my nephews live for when we are there.

Needless to say we were spoiled and already have a trip back booked for the last week in July.

I've heard good and bad opinions, but we've only had good experiences and it has now outranked the Contemporary with us. The atmosphere, location and staff make it a good choice.

[craig]

Has anyone stayed at the Contemporary's concierge?

[betterlatethannever]

Originally posted by craig
Has anyone stayed at the Contemporary's concierge?

I looked back on this thread but I guess I didn't post the review here. So here is my review from December
________________________
Stayed at the CR for the first time this weekend. Stayed on the 14th floor.

The room (4915) was pretty big. It was handicap accessible. Had two double beds. A filled refrigerator that didn't need a key!!!

Had a balcony with a view of MK and everything else. Didn't believe a person could see non Disney property from a resort, but I did (other side of MK). I think we were able to spot the big "tree" at the AK.

The lounge was a decent size with many tables, chairs couches etc. and a balcony with tables and chairs.

It was amazing. Even though the floor was almost full during our stay, there was never more than two couples in the lounge while we were in there and we went at various times (7,8,9 AM) for breakfast. Only went to one of the 5 PM hot food offerings and again there was only one other couple. There were two hot dishes (egg rolls and shrimp with rice) along with a sauteed sliced tomato cheese dish. Plus the usual cubed cheese and dip tray.

I've stayed at the Poly, BWI, AKL, YC, BC, and Swan concierge levels and always had to "fight the crowds".

They did have drinks out, but they were not cold. So, I swapped the warm for the cold ones in the refrigerator. BUT, they did stock (and have out) my caffiene free diet coke. Only place on site that I know of.

All in all, a great experience.

Ed
_____________________________________________



Update


BUT, they did stock (and have out) my caffiene free diet coke. Only place on site that I know of.



They did have the coke at both the AKL and WL last month.

[Majestic]

I know that it's been a while but can you please tell me what room you stayed in? My DW and DD will be going down this September and want to have a good view from the Balcony. Problem is, we want to be pretty far from a noisy area so anything too close to the lobby would be a no no.

Thanks in advance for the answer!

Fred

Originally posted by irishone1979
Hey gang,
Just got back from my wonderful honeymoon. I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Concierge and it was nice. They have these great PBJ sandwiches that my DH loved. We didn't get to enjoy their food as much as we would have liked because we were on the grand plan and had meals all the time (I am so sick of food now :-) ) The concierge people were great and very helpful for us. There were somethings that we were very disappointed in, but not the specific people that worked the concierge. Word of caution- don't stay in the rooms that overlook the lobby- they are very noisy and you won't be able to sleep till about 11 pm and you will hear kids in the lobby at 5 in the morning, other than that we didn't have too many complaints about our room. We got to see the fireworks from our balcony at night so that was very nice :-)

Heather S

[>>^..^<<]

Hello - I am looking for recent reviews of BC or AKL... or any other concierge experience! Love to read DIS'ers reports

Thanx

>>^..^<<

[jdaa1]

Has anyone stayed Yacht Club Concierge in the last few months? How was it, and what food was served?
Thanks!

[corky805]

We ar staying concierge at WL in Sept. I have read some threads about concierge contacting people for requests and such. Does anybody know how far in advance they do this? I haven't heard a word from them.

Do I need to contact them and if so how do I reach them?

Thanks for any help!

[>>^..^<<]

Hi Corky - which hotel are you doing concierge at? Some are more dilligent than others in contacting guests in advance.

When they do contact you it is about 60 days out - but you don't have to wait and can initiate contact - especially if you need some PS's booked now.

>>^..^<<


Ooops - I just re-read your post and saw it was WL.

WL is one of the bad ones for contacting guests in advance - I would give them a call and either leave a message for an itinerary planner to call you - or ask for their email address and email your requests - make sure you include your name/dates and confirmation #.

>>^..^<<

[Majestic]

Hi Corky!

We are also staying in September and I have already called and made a few PS reservations. The first call got me someone at the front desk that was less than helpfull and insisted that even for concierge guests, they only make PS for guests that are already at the hotel. I asked for a manager and was taken care of promptly.

:)

Fred

[corky805]

Fred,

Thanks for the info. Isn't it amazing that you never know what kind of a CM you are gonna get when you make those LONG DISTANCE calls? Glad you got yours taken care of. I think I will call myself tonight and make some PS 's that I have already confirmed with the family, then try and contact them about some other requests that I have in mind and let them make any PS's that we decide on after this point.

[>>^..^<<]

Any new concierge reviews? Please post them here!

Update** I received a call from Jack at AKL Concierge yesterday (49 days to arrival) to see if I needed any PS's etc... actually they were all booked ~ for some reason he did not see that!

He said usually he calls at 60 days out but they are swamped with bookings for the FTP and very busy ~ he is running late.

Hope there are some new reviews ~

>>^..^<<

[DrTomorrow]

As you can see in my sig, we're about 3 months away from Polynesian LV Concierge. We just got our Personal Vacation Itinerary in the mail, and the same day we got a call from Lovely Tara, introducing herself and offering any assistance we might need. So if they are contacting guests this far ahead, perhaps it means that things are settling down after the move to Tahiti.

[Morticia]

My Poly visit is still a ways off, but I have been in contact w/Tara re: special requests. She is very nice & helpful.
I have noticed that w/many CCM. :earsboy:

[disneyluver91]

I'm going to Poly quite soon.... please, post more reviews for the Poly concierge...but now everybody's worrying me...am I gonna have a musty smelling room? Are the CM's going to be rude? RRRGHH!!!

[Darian]

Originally posted by DrTomorrow
As you can see in my sig, we're about 3 months away from Polynesian LV Concierge. We just got our Personal Vacation Itinerary in the mail, and the same day we got a call from Lovely Tara, introducing herself and offering any assistance we might need. So if they are contacting guests this far ahead, perhaps it means that things are settling down after the move to Tahiti.

Hey there Dr.Tomorrow -

Looks like the DW and I are going to miss you by about a week or so. What is your departure date? We arrive Oct 21st.... maybe we'll overlap?

Darian

[DrTomorrow]

Alas, no such luck - we're there 10/1 - 10/8 (caught the last day of value season.) But we have 2 unused AP vouchers (bought before the FTP bonanza), so maybe we'll catch up with you next time!

[>>^..^<<]

Trekker ~ if possible ~ can you add this thread to the FAQ Resorts threads at the top of the resorts board?

Thanx

[nataliesdaddy]

I love my concierge woooohoooo - I love them... stayed at the Contemporary in June - they took care of everything for me - everything - PSs for hard to get places - changes to room, changes to credit lines, answers to questions, hints on what to do when...etc.

as towhen they called me? well we got a letter probably 4 months out - and they did not have time to call me I called them immediately four months out

[musicmom3]

Originally posted by judi
We stayed at the Yacht Club on the concierge floor in Dec. 2001. We enjoyed our stay and the service was fine. The food was yummy and it was nice to have water to take to the parks. I don't remember the room number but we overlooked the pool and lake. It was a perfect view. They had a bag of wonderful grapefruit candy in our room when we arrived. They weren't very helpful when I had to go to the emergency room for an asthma attack, had to go to the front desk in the lobby to get directions. We will be trying out the Polynesian's concierge in July and again in December.

I find the part about the emergency room disturbing. I can see why you're trying the Poly.

[Wolfelaw]

I loved the Beach Club concierge -- my son and I stayed for five days last August and really felt pampered. The staff were very nice to my son, he loved the food (little corndogs rule!) and the New York Times was at my door every morning. Several times I asked the staff to help me make very last minute reservations, and they were able to get me in.

We stayed at the WL concierge in early July for five days -- didn't like it so much. The fact that there wasn't an actual lounge definitely had something to do with it -- eating in the hall just doesn't have the same ambience. The food was often late (5 to 15 minutes) in appearing -- they were busy, I know, but it was inconvenient if one was trying to stick to a schedule. On several occasions during food service time, some (not all) of the cast members seemed down right crabby -- again, they were very busy, but they should be used to it. One little boy asked (nicely) for a pop, and the CM snapped "in a minute." Several times people would ask if there was more of an item available, and would be told simply "we're out" -- not sorry, we're out. Most of the time the cast members were great, but the crabbiness happened enough that I and at least some of the other guests noticed. The balcony situation -- you can't sit down and look out because of the roof -- is really unfortunate; that alone would make me skip concierge at WL in the future.

So, Beach Club Conciege was great, and I would love to do it again. WL Concierge not so great, and I probably wouldn't do it again. I love WL, and will definitely stay there again -- just not concierge.

[Darian]

disneyluver91 -

Its going to be fine. DW & I stayed at the poly for our honeymoon and all the cast members were fine... well, except this one high strung angry screeching gray haired shrew behind the front desk who seemed in desperate need of a good old fashioned slapping, and a high dose of prozac with a generous chaser of valium. I guess we should have been offended, but her behavior was so way over the top that DW and I just laughed out loud. Rather unsurprisingly, she was non-plused, but the other (suffering) CMs beamed with silent thanks.

Think about it: hundreds of CMs at the poly and we meet only ONE stinker. Sure, we were filled with that certain ecstasy only honeymooner's know ;) but not so looney as to be unaware of whats going on around us.

So... disneyluver91 relax and enjoy! Don't you even worry about your upcoming disney trip. I have the gift of second sight and I know you will have a wonderful time. I have foreseen it. (unless you forget to use your sunscreen and don't drink enough water.)

Please, please don't be like my poor late father, God rest his soul. His motto should have been "for every silver lining, there is a big black cloud." If he won the Super Lotto and had a check in his hand for 50 million dollars, all he would do is cry about all the taxes he was gonna have to pay. Sad. Very sad. I'm sure you aren't one of those sad folks who try to find disapointment wherever they can... you wouldn't be on the DIS if you were.

Cheer up and though the CM's aren't perfect, forgive them when they aren't and focus on what's good and wonderful. Don't let worry steal your joy! Wooo Hooo!!! YOU are going to WDW Yeahhhhhh!!!! Just remember: don't sweat the small stuf. If its a "biggie" then use the info you learned here on the DIS to kick butt and pronto... don't wait till you get home and then be sad about a ruined vacation.

I apologize to all about the length of this post. I'm just so excited about visiting the Poly Concierge this October I'm already goin' nuts!!!!! WoooHooo!!!! Lagoon View here we come baby! Save me a spot on the beach in one of those comfy covered chairs, hand me an adult beverage (one with a little umbrella) and its "aaaaaaaahhhhh" time.

Darian

[Morticia]

Oh yeah! Drinks w/umbrellas & fruit. Lounging on the beach w/my toes in the water, goldfish shoals nipping @ my feet. :smooth: :sunny:

[sparp5]

Corky,

WL concierge seems to be a bit slower than say the BC (we were in contact 150 days out) but heres a e-mail address for the WL concierge. Hope it helps it sometimes takes them a few days to reply.

wdw.wlodge.itinerary.planning@disney.com

[dg39]

Just got back from 2 weeks at GF RPC. It was great. We had 4th fl. facing the pool, just as we requested. THe room was clean, bright & cheery. Double sinks outgside the bathroom, large fluffy towels and great body lotion, as well as shampoo/conditioner,cotton balls,q-tips & shower caps, daily. No toothpaste/toothbrush, although the CR resort has them. The ervice was wonderful. THe staff very friendly and helpful. THe food servings were great. The morn. we had various donuts,crousants,cereals,jellies,bagels,toast,frui t,teas,milk. Afternoon was flatbreads, cheeses,dips,crackers,cookies,lemonades,sodas(but you had to ask for them), water,breadsticks, coffee,teas,& flavored syrups for the coffee.
Evening was diff. most days. THey served stuffed turkey breast, salad,cheese,crackers. One day they had roasted duck. Stuffed mussels another day.
Late evening was delecious pastries, chocolate covered strawberries, liquier,.
I know there was much more then I mentiioned, but I can't remember all of it.
The staff saw that my dh, and dd asked for soda a few times, so she gave us 2-6packs of diet coke, a few 7-ups, water and even some apple juice cans for us for our room. They supply all that in the mini-bar, but she gave it to us anyway. There was alot of reviews that the GF wasn't that good anymore. I have to disagree, we had a great time. THe concierge was just wonderful. They scheduled a last min. spa treatment for me and a manicure/pedicure for my daughter. And they constantly asked if we needed any help with anything. It truly was a great resort.

[ead79]

dg, it's great to read a positive review of the GF RPC! I'll be staying at the GF RPC for my honeymoon, and I can't wait to try it. I have decided not to let some bad reviews here on the DIS deter me from staying where I've always wanted to for my honeymoon. Plus, we'll be moving to the BWI concierge later that week, so if it's bad, at least we'll get to try a different concierge. Thanks for the review! :)

[Darian]

dg39-

Its great to hear about your positive GF experience! I'm a bit confused about the Concierge service at GF and was hoping you might know the answer. I understand that there are two different concierge lounges at the GF - the RPC (does that stand for Royal Palm Concierge?) but I don't recall the name of the other one.

I know this has been answered before on the DIS somewhere, but does RPC serve any wines or cordials? Or is that only done in the "other" conceirge?

Wow... TWO weeks! That must have been just wonderful! Did you do any sailing while there? How were the boats? DW and I sailed last year using a boat from the CR. Gotta say it was the highpoint of the vacation for me. Yeah, guess I'm easy to please.

Darian

[dg39]

Hi Darian, yes, RPC stands for Royal Palms Club, its in the main building, floors 3,4,& 5. They tell me that floor 5 is where the honeymooners usually stay. The other concierge is in the Sugarloaf building, not to far away from the main building. The servings are really the same in both levels, except RPC services liquer, pastries & chocolate covered strawberries in the evening. We did do boating. We used the family plan, for 200. for the stay and really got our moneys worth. We used the plontoon boats every single day we were there. We too, stayed at the CR last summer and did the boats. As a matter of fact, we only stay at the CR, this was our first stay at the GF. It is such a beautiful, relaxing resort and everything was just perfect for us. BUT, my dd 9yrs. old LOVES the CR to death, so our next trip is already planned for next july at the CR. The GF was alittle to quiet for her. She likes alot of noise and action and the CR is what she's really used to. We been staying there every year for going on 8yrs now. I have to admit that I did miss the CR alittle, I'm the type that hates change, but, all in all the GF is one beautiful resort and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We did the usual, parks,pool,boating,the tea in the afternoon, and we also visited the CR a few times, for CHef Mickeys, and for the shops. Then after our stay at the GF we stayed at the MOWC for 1 week. While we do enjoy that place, its beautiful also, you just can't go to a moderate after a deluxe, especially concierge. I'll never do that again, but we wanted to rest up alittle before we went home. These parks wear you out.

[Nysie]

We just acame back from an 8 day stay at the poly concierge! We had a great LV room! There was no musty smell, and it looked like we had a brand new fridge! It was room 3020-non smoking room!! There was always plenty of food out and the staff kept it coming. If you needed anything they would do their best to get it for you!! There was plenty of water in one of the rooms as well as soda, juice, lemonaide,coffee, tea, and hot chocolate!! In the afternoon, there were cookies,candy, and drinks available!!

[Tig-girl]

I realize my ignorance will show by asking this question, but...........

I have never stayed concierge anywhere, at any time. In fact our last trip was our first at a deluxe resort! But tonight at dinner DH and I were talking and I mentioned that maybe we could upgrade to concierge when we went to WL this time. He asked me what did we really get by doing that, and I really didn't have an answer for him! So, could someone explain to a rookie what we would "gain" by paying for concierge? What do they do for you? Mint on the pillow or much more? Thanks!:confused:

[Darian]

dg39-

Thanks for all the good info. Not to sound too utterly lazy, but pontoon boats actually require effort to move them around don't they? (as in pumping peddles?) Never rented one so I couldn't tell you.

Hehehe... many, many moons ago I was in the sailing club back in college--- so toodling around Bay Lake via wind power was like a trip in a floating time machine! Just for the record, I never capsized the boat, though did have some trouble over by that gazeebo not far from WL... it had been so long since I've sailed I didn't notice my boating CM rigged the boat incorrectly. The rescue people in those power boats came by and suggested some rigging changes. Wow... sailing suddenly became sooo much easier!

I'm so glad to hear about your wonderful GF concierge experience! Some of the complaints I've heard are without doubt significant and serious, but others were a bit odd... complaining the food was too nice?!?!?!:( :rolleyes: :confused:

DW and I have never stayed at the GF but always wanted to. I confess we have been scared to do so after reading some of the legit horror stories on the DIS. We've eaten at V&A's and walked thru the lobby and spent a number of hours there... certainly an absolutely trivial amount of time compared with your lengthly stay. But even during our short visit we found every single cast member we encountered friendly, kind, welcoming, respectful and some were downright warm. All in all, a very comfortable, relaxing and pleasant place. We felt so very at home there.

Did you enjoy the food offerings?

Darian

[Darian]

Originally posted by Wolfelaw
I loved the Beach Club concierge -- my son and I stayed for five days last August and really felt pampered. The staff were very nice to my son, he loved the food (little corndogs rule!) and the New York Times was at my door every morning. Several times I asked the staff to help me make very last minute reservations, and they were able to get me in.

We stayed at the WL concierge in early July for five days -- didn't like it so much. The fact that there wasn't an actual lounge definitely had something to do with it -- eating in the hall just doesn't have the same ambience. The food was often late (5 to 15 minutes) in appearing -- they were busy, I know, but it was inconvenient if one was trying to stick to a schedule. On several occasions during food service time, some (not all) of the cast members seemed down right crabby -- again, they were very busy, but they should be used to it. One little boy asked (nicely) for a pop, and the CM snapped "in a minute." Several times people would ask if there was more of an item available, and would be told simply "we're out" -- not sorry, we're out. Most of the time the cast members were great, but the crabbiness happened enough that I and at least some of the other guests noticed. The balcony situation -- you can't sit down and look out because of the roof -- is really unfortunate; that alone would make me skip concierge at WL in the future.

So, Beach Club Conciege was great, and I would love to do it again. WL Concierge not so great, and I probably wouldn't do it again. I love WL, and will definitely stay there again -- just not concierge.

Hi there Tig-girl!!!

I've copied Wolfelaw's post from the previous page, as it deals with a comparison of the WL concierge with the BC concierge. I have visited the WL but never stayed there so I can't give you any input on the subject. If you can catch the official DIS search feature when its enabled, try doing a search for wilderness lodge (or WL) and concierge to find other responses about this. According to Wolfelaw, you may just want to go with one of the excellent non-concierge rooms they have there at the WL.

Best to you!

Darian

[DrTomorrow]

Not to sound too utterly lazy, but pontoon boats actually require effort to move them around don't they? (as in pumping peddles?) Never rented one so I couldn't tell you.
Not sure if it is a terminology issue or not - when we were at the CR, the pontoon boat we rented is one of those 'party barge' boats, could have held 8-10 people, outboard motor with a steering wheel, throttle, canopy, etc. Wonderful way to tool around 7 Seas Lagoon / Bay Lake.

Too lazy to look, but there must be something on either disney.com or wdwig.com.

OK, not too lazy - from wdwig.com Polynesian infoGuests can choose from among a wide variety of watercraft to sail both the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. Choices include pontoon boats, canopy boats, aquafins, sailboats, or one of the new Water Mouse boats. Don't even know if they have paddle boats.

[dg39]

Pontoon boats you drive, not paddle. While my dh drove I lounged taking in all that glorious sun. We also brought snacks on the boat. I don't know if its allowed or not but the cm told us it was no problem. I brought drinks and sandwiches from Gasparilla's Grill. It was like having a picnic. I did the same thing at the CR . The boats are great and we do it every year. When we don't use the plontoon boats, the family uses the water mice. There much more fun, but if your looking into relaxing, sunning and picnicing use the pontoon boats. The family plan is a must if your there for a few days, it saved us a bundle and we got to use them as much as we wanted, whenever we wanted.

[Darian]

I confess up front this has little to nuthin to do with concierge reviews, being a followup on dg39's post about watercraft and the family plan.

Thanks dg39 & DrTomorrow for the watercraft info. Its going to be just DW and I for a romantic getaway to the poly... so do you think the family plan would save us $$$? We'll be at the hotel for 10 nights, 7 of which will be under that fairy tale vacation thing. I'm still hopin' for codes for those other three days as they cost almost as much as the following 7 on the FTV! But we only plan to "be on the water" 3 to 4 days at most.

Power boats are pretty fun, but next time out to WDW you really need to rent a sailboat. I don't use the catamarans cuz they are so easy to capsize if you sail them the way they are most fun to sail... with one pontoon out of the water!

Oh, and we are looking forward to poly LV concierge! (had to add some conceirge comment for the thread....hehehhe)

Darian

[Disneymoon04]

http://www.bobbi-brendan.com/images/Extra/Gifs/bump.gif

Just read 'em all! Looking for more -specifically AKL and WL. :)

[johnsonet]

Eager to read some more AKL concierge reviews/comments :Pinkbounc

[twinmomplus2]

We just did AKL Concierge level in August. We did 3 nights Boardwalk Villas, preceeded by 3 nights Akl. When I called to book they had no Cl available. But, they did have Deluxe pool view available. So Thats what I ended up booking. We had 5 people so we had to book deluxe or higher as they sleep 5. At time of check in I upgraded for another $60.00 per night keep in mind I was already paying for a deluxe. Anyway thats what we did... I thoroughly enjoyed the lounge offerrings. I did feel it was a little crowded in the mornings. However I spent 2 down days at the resort and there were very few people in the lounge during the day. Breakfast was great lots of fresh fruit, bagels, And the like. Expresso machine, juices smoothies. Milk and cereal for the kids. 2 types of oatmeal. We ate breakfast everyday. Lunchtime they had a few types of nuts, pita crisps:) Gummy worms, pretzels, fruit. I seem to remember the snacks in the afternoon were mostly that type of stuff and some pastry type offerings. Dinner several appetizers from Boma and chicken nuggetts for the kids. Which my kids for some reason loved;) I found it very convienant with the kids to run in and out. I did not stay in the lounge for any lengh of time. we would get what we needed and go back to the room. As many of you know from my posts I have now 3 year old twins, who I am still trying to socialize:rolleyes: I am not sure who is winning them or me so I fealt it best to contain them in the room. We had a great experience. I would not do this again if I was a die hard park tourer as you would not be around to sample some of the offerings. However we are doing this again in December. and this portion of our trip is again going to be spent as down time. AKL is my fave resort the second I smell the fire pit I am home. The most relaxing place for me is AKL. this time we do the sunrise safri!

[anita46]

I've only stayed at 3 resorts concierge.

My favorite is BC. Very friendly and genuine staff. They seem to enjoy the kids here.

I worried that the kids were yakking it up with them too much and told the kids to keep there conversations short and polite.

But the staff would engage them. They all seemed to enjoy themselves.

YC is very nice, if we didn't take the kids I would stay here. More refined than the BC but the same food and great service.

Poly just didn't enjoy it as much as we thought we would. Maybe there were too many kids. Just didn't feel comfortable there.

[KerryCM]

I have stayed at both the YC and BC concierge and had good experiences. In March I go on a girls only trip and we stayed at the BWI concierge. I have to say the BWI is the best. I will be returning in October with my husband, son, daughter-in-law and my granddaughter. We have 2 rooms booked. I was contacted way back in May by the Itinerary Planning office. Since then I have dealt with Stephanie, who has been wonderful. The lounge here is big and the cast can't be beat. They are so hospitible, helpful and go out of their way to make your stay as magical as possible. Jackie, one of the CMs went above and beyond for us in March and I have talked to her several times about my upcoming trip. She is even going to put my son and his wife in the same room thay had for their honeymoon.
I did see several families when we were there in March. I will never stay anywhere else now! Will be back in March with the girls.

[Bgonzalez]

I have stayed at three so far -

Animal Kingdom Lodge -
The BEST concierge. The staff will send you the itinerary by mail and contact you by phone. They will ty thrit best to try and accomodate your needs. The CM I spoke with last year went so far as to research all holiday happenings - those released and those virtually unknown-. I received a fax at work with dates, times and cost.
The security guard at the entrance buzzes the th concierge staff. You will be met at the entrance, called by name and moved the concierge floor for a wonderful check-in.
The lounge is gorgeous. You have a view of the lobby. You can sit, drink a latte and people watch.
There are selections throughout the day. You have tea selections in the afternoons as well as the standard chips and gummi worms. The evening selections include foods from jiko and mara.
Keep in mind that the lounge is on the 6th floor. All savannah rooms are located on the 5th floor. There is the added elevator change to get to the lounge.

Polynesian -
The staff was somewhat attentive. We received the itinerary packet but no one called to confirm.
We were not met at the front. There was the added check-in at the Front desk as well as the concierge desk. Mousekeeping was the best of all I have been.
We had a magnificent lagoon view with Cinderella's Castle right across from us.
Overall, an excellent resort. Would I go back? Probably not when there are others who handle things more smoothly.

Yacht Club-
I decided to upgrade this last August for my birthday stay. The staff were wonderful. The CM at the front desk had upgraded my room to a parking lot view. Once I sat at the desk and begged for a better view, they moved me to a water view with fireworks access.
The food was yummy and plentiful. I had mentioned my birthday at check-in. There was a birthday party set up in the room when we got back on the second day! I mean a BIRTHDAY party - streamers, balloons, party hats, a chocolate cake and a card from the staff. It was an excellent stay.

I can't wait until I try the rest. Like someone mentioned earlier, once you stay at concierge, it's hard to go back!

[>>^..^<<]

Concierge Service review for our recent trip. Rating 1 - 10, 10 being perfect.

Beach Club ~ Lagoon View Room 5705 - one week - Aug 2003

Room - 8
-Newly Rennovated, spotless, great view but double beds and a little on the small side... long walk from the lounge. Standard Mickey Toiletries and 2 nice BC Robes.

Turndown Service - 10
Outstanding, fresh towels, lights on, TV on low volume, chocolates and quite often surprises!

Lounge - 6
-Small, maybe 20 seats total.. but never saw them all taken.
-There was a blacony that you could smoke on - I saw ashtrays out there.
-Very pretty lounge area with themed seashell and ocean carpeting
- kids area with TV and little chairs
- You can see the high fireworks from illuminatons off the balcony :)

Lounge Offerings - 10
Breakfast: bagels, toast, instant oatmeal, krispie cream donuts, danishes, croissants, banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cold cereals, muffins, fresh fruit, jams, jellies, cream cheese, peanut butter etc... coffee, tea, milk, orange juice, instant hot chocolate, everything fresh and dellicious

Daily Snacks Excellent! Crackers and cheese, dips and veggies, salsa and corn chips, large fresh cookies, soft drinks, milk, coffee tea, ice tea & whole friuit like apples and bananas

appetizers served at 5:00pm
Excellent... the same offerings each night but with different hot dishes such as Fish 'n Chips (outstanding), mussels, chicken fingers, steak teriyaki, salmon.. cheese platters, garlic bread, hummus & pita, dips and veggies.. absolutely delicious.

They also had Wine and Beer during this service

Evening Desserts
Fresh baked cookies, brownies, blondies (white brownies), carrot cake.. yum.., flans, chocolate cake... different every night and very, very good (we almost always made it back for this!)
also liquers like baileys, drambuie, grandmarnier.. etc...

Pre-trip Planning - 10
The Itinerary Planners helped with everything and were friendly and efficient... excellent service. Helped with a welcome gift and pillow gifts for my DD.. everything was perfect.

Concierge Staff - 7
Two desks sit right at the elevators and just outside the lounge area. Usually always 2 people there, friendly for the most part but I noticed a few were a little standoffish (ie) We would come off the elevators and they would not even look up from where they were.

The staff was always willing to help with anything I needed (ie) checking to see if my illuminations criuise was still on as it was POURING rain :(

My DD dropped and shattered a glass on the balcony.. I picked up the large pieces of glass but needed a dust pan to get the small pieces.. I mentioned it to Josh and when we came back to the room a couple of hours later the balcony was spotless.

I would stay here at the Beach Club again, no complaints, loved the short walk to EPCOT. :)


================================

Animal Kingdom Lodge ~ Deluxe Savana View Room 5505 - 3 nights - Aug 2003

Room - 8

I have to admit the room is a little dark... we had twin bunk beds, a queensize bed and a day bed/couch.
Beautiful savanna view on the zebra trail.
Standard Mickey Toiletries and 2 nice AKL robes.

Housekeeping was great and we even got a towel animal bunny on our last night - it was holding our toothbrushes :) and had sticker eyes and nose.

Turndown - 6

They came too early, around 5pm when we were getting ready for dinner... I actually told her no one night as it was really not convenient and she thrust a proverb card and 4 chocolates through the door at me. :rolleyes:

Lounge - 10++++++

This is the most beautiful sitting area I have ever seen, warm, cozy, intimate and gorgeous... the bustling sounds from the lobby below and the towering thatched roof and zulu shields... my favourite place to be.

Lounge Offerings - 9

Breakfast... just as bountiful as the Beach Club but with the addition of 2 hot oatmeal cereals & toppings.. excellent.

Snacks
They need to improve their daily snacks... basically goldfish, nuts, gummi bears, trailmix & cinnamon chips & whole fruit... it gets repetative, no variety.

Appetizers - served from 5pm - 7pm - outstanding! Chicken wings, skewered beef, shrimp, chicken, salmon, hummis & pita, crackers, veggies and dips, cheeses, flat breads, lentil salad, bean salad.. everything was fresh and excellent. They also served wine & beer during this service.

New to the lounge - they have put a fridge out that you can help yourself from. IN the morning it has juice and milks... in the evening it has coke, sprite & Mr Pibbs?? (spelling)

Evening Desserts ~ not as much variety as last year, one tiny tray of maybe 2 or three things that they kept refilling.
Zebra domes, cheesecakes, brownines, cookies, truffles... everything was very good. Liquers are also served at this time.

Pre-trip planning n/a
Didn't use AKL planning this year at the planner in BC made my AKL day arrangements.

Used AKL services last year though and they were excellent, helping to arrange pillow gifts... and all my PS's..etc

Concierge Staff - 9
Excellent, very friendly and chatty.. remembered Noel and I from the previous year and took time to welcome us back. Don was especially nice to talk with.

I just love AKL Concierge and would stay there in a heart beat. The Sunrise Safari is very special and I would also do this again :)

Let me know if you have any questions on the BC/AKL concierge services, I will have photos of Beach Club on my website in the next couple of weeks.

Links to Day By Day Disney Trip Reports
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=426447">Day 7 ~ Arriving at BC in Style!</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=426855">Day 8 ~ MGM and Pal Mickey</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=427366">Day 9 ~ Scavenger Hunt, Ice Cream Social, Mission Space and Coral Reef<a/>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=427889">Day 10 ~ An Oyster, a flower & a secret view</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=428471">Day 11 ~ Breakfast with Cinderella and San Angel Inn</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=429009">Day 12 ~ AKL & Chef Mickeys</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=429595">Day 13 ~ Chicken Puke Pie</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=430243">Day 14 ~ Giraffes... Animals I look up to</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=430452">Day 15 ~ Sunrise Safari & SuAnne Returns!</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=430901">Day 16 ~ AKL Secret Celebrity Revealed!</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=431321">Day 17 - Flying home with Rash-Boy</a>

Universal Day by Day Trip Reports
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423190">Day 1 ~ Hard Rock Hotel and Getting There</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423699">Day 2 ~ Tacky Souveniers and a Dive In Movie</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=424205">Day 3 ~ Noel vs The Hulk</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=424811">Day 4 ~ Does this Rain Poncho make me look Fat?</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=425376">Day 5 ~ Message in a Bottle</a>
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=425978">Day 6 ~ Are you talkin' to me??</a>

[Grumpy37]

Originally posted by Nysie
We just acame back from an 8 day stay at the poly concierge! We had a great LV room! There was no musty smell, and it looked like we had a brand new fridge! It was room 3020-non smoking room!!

3020 is indeed a non-smoking LV room, but in the Tahiti building which is the temporary concierge until they finish the refurbish of the Hawaii building. Hopefully after all the refurbishes at the Poly are all done (they were doing Rarotonga when were were there *last* April) the mustyness problem will go away for good. I know b/c we tried to get the Tahiti again this time but it's filled with the concierge crowd until the Hawaii longhouse is completed. So we have to "accept" ;) the GF LV instead. :cool:

Also, re: mustiness. It does helps to run the A/C, IMO. :) We let the A/C run while we were gone during the day and the room was great when we returned (if just a little cold).

BTW, Tahiti is a little far from the GCH for some, but that beach on the LV side is almost private (no one seems to go there) and the rooms seem a little larger than in some other longhouses.

I'm going to do a separate post about the value of lagoon vs garden view at the Hawaii...

[helenm29]

Hi, Conciierge GF! FANTASTIC! they has everything you could possibly ask for and more. when we got there we had a cast member show us to the Concierge floor where there was some one waiting for us with an itinerary. they treated our family like royalty! it was my birthday and they helped my husband with having a cake and roses delivered to our room and when we needed a baby sitter they helped us with getting a fairy godmother! I'd stay there again in a HEARTBEAT! Helen

[Minniespal]

Cass ~

Thanx for more great reviews!!!

[ead79]

bump :)

[CoolDisneyCat]

bumping .. looking for more Gf reviews:)

[suzywindy]

We stayed at GF RPC for 5 nights in early December. We still think their desserts are the best and just presented so nicely. We also thought their hot dishes around 5pm were increased from the last few times we stayed there.

One night I could actually make a meal out of what they put out. They had 2 hot items. One was this hot shrimp dumpling and next to it were these dough pockets filled with some sort of ground meat and lots of spices - very good. That night they also had red pepper stuffed chicken breast with a smooth pesto sauce. This was in addition to cheese and crackers and other pick me ups. Not sure about other nights since we were not there. Seemed to me they kept it filled, neat and clean.

We just love coming up in that elevator and into the concierge area - hearing the band playing and someone else always making the coffee and never running out of cream.;)

Also they did away with the bowls filled with cereal in the morning with those big silver spoons. I never eat cereal but it always seemed so special. I can understand why they did away with that - I guess it is more sanitary to put out individual boxes of cereal and easier for the kids.

We did see more kids there this trip as well. One little boy gave me a lesson on how to properly toast my bagel without touching the other bagels or getting burned myself. He then went on to explain the other breads that were present. I thanked him for his kindess.

I think it is great for kids - some nights they had little hot dogs and chicken fingers and always special desserts (which I am sure I embarrassed my whole family since I kept taking plate after plate so I could bring some home - yum).

Next year we are going back to the CT since we miss it over there, but GF is now our favorite.

[ead79]

Grand Floridian Honeymoon Turret Room #4330—

Grand Floridian Honeymoon Turret Room Pictures (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9nofjoj.36kiyhnr&x=0&y=46nsfu)

We checked in to our room in the morning around 11:00 and were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready. We were actually moving from a different honeymoon room at the Grand Floridian, so we could go directly to the concierge desks to check in. My DH handled checking in while I got some of my stuff together to move rooms, but he said it went very smoothly. Our room was so pretty! The turret honeymoon rooms are really unique, and I love the layout of the room. The room has a sitting area with a couch, chair, coffee table, entertainment center, and table with two chairs. On another wall of the room there is a desk and chair. The opposite wall from the desk has a wet bar area with a stocked minibar. The bed is king-sized and has a very pretty floral bedspread. The room is decorated in pastel blues, yellows, greens, and pinks that all come together very nicely. The vanity area has a marble countertop and two sinks, as well as a makeup mirror and a speaker so you can hear the TV from the vanity area. The toilet and shower are in a room of their own. French doors lead from the vanity area to the HUGE walk-in closet. I have never seen a closet that large in a resort room! There are also several drawers and a large safe in the closest. Our turret room was located towards the front side of the Grand Floridian. Our views were of the Grand Floridian itself, the monorail, and the Polynesian Resort and Wedding Pavilion. It was a very pleasant view. Since the turret rooms have windows on several sides of the hexagonal room, there are no balconies.

The concierge lounge is located on the 4th floor of the main building, and it’s very spacious. There is a beverage service area, a children’s food area, and the regular food service area on one end of the lounge area. There is a television with a sitting area surrounding it, and there are many sitting areas scattered across part of the 4th floor. There are also chairs and tables around the main lobby area, which are great places to sit during the evening and listen to the orchestra perform. The only food service times we were there for were midday snacks, evening appetizers, and evening desserts and cordials. The food offerings are relatively “upscale” and might not be ideal for picky eaters. Also, there are not as many choices as I have seen at some of the other concierge lounges. Midday snacks consisted of cookies and beverages. Bottled water and soft drinks are available, but you must ask the concierge lounge attendant to get them for you, as they are not out on the beverage area. Evening appetizers consisted of a vegetable tray, a fruit tray, crackers and cheese, and one hot appetizer. We are very picky eaters, so we found the evening appetizers that we cared for to be a little bit sparse. On the other hand, the evening desserts were outstanding! There was a large variety of miniature desserts, and they were delicious. They had pumpkin pie squares, éclairs, chocolate mousse squares, and chocolate covered strawberries. Unfortunately, they did not put out enough chocolate covered strawberries, and some guests were a bit selfish. They only put out about 10 at a time, and I saw one guest take 6 for herself alone. Oh well, I tried one, so I was happy.

The concierge staff sits at desks on the third floor. They were wonderfully friendly and helpful during our visit. They often greeted us by name, and they were always ready to assist us. I had heard some negative reports about GF main building concierge, but we certainly did not experience that at all. They seemed happy to have us staying with them.

As far as the Grand Floridian resort in general goes, we love the convenience and amenities of this resort. The monorail is terrific, providing quick access to the Magic Kingdom and to Epcot. We got refillable mugs at Gasparilla Grill and Games, and found them to be worth their weight in gold. Since the refill location is convenient, we definitely got our money’s worth from the mugs. Plus, they make nice souvenirs. The lobby is gorgeous, especially at Christmas time. It was decorated exquisitely, and it looked gorgeous. The only thing we weren’t prepared for were the crowds at the GF in the evening. At the holidays, this resort really draws a crowd. In the evenings there were tons of people touring the lobby and seeing the huge gingerbread house and the gigantic tree. We were very glad to have a place to sit and listen to the orchestra in the concierge lounge, because we definitely could not have found a spot in the lobby sitting areas.
My overall impression of the Grand Floridian is very favorable. I felt truly pampered to be staying here, and we had a wonderful visit. Our room was exactly what we had hoped for, and the concierge staff was extremely friendly. I would stay there again without hesitation.


BoardWalk Inn Garden Suite #1204—

BoardWalk Inn Garden Suite Pictures (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9nofjoj.5l8axstj&x=0&y=-yg5y72)

We like to split our stays while traveling to Disney World, so we moved from the Grand Floridian to the BoardWalk Inn about midway through our trip. We arrived early (around 11:30 am), and our room was already ready for us. A very sweet front desk cast member named Xia checked us in and gave us directions to our room. You could get to the room very quickly from the lobby, which was extremely convenient for catching the busses to the parks. We got checked in, received our nifty gold key cards (I had heard on the DIS that you sometimes get gold cards if you stay concierge, but I had never gotten a gold one before), and headed to our room. The exterior to the garden suite was so cute! There is a white picket fence and a gate with an archway leading into a little courtyard with rose bushes and other plants surrounding a pathway into the suite. When we opened the door to the suite we were blown away! What an incredible room! I had seen pictures online, but pictures really don’t do it justice. It’s perfect for honeymooners, or anyone else on a romantic getaway. The garden suites are two stories. When you enter the suite, there is a sleeper sofa and a coffee table directly ahead. On one side of the sofa there is an entertainment center and a table with two chairs. On the other side of the sofa there is a small side table and a chair. A doorway leads to a small closet, a wet bar area with a small refrigerator, and a half bath. A staircase with hardwood floors leads to the second story loft. In the loft there is a beautiful king sized poster bed, a large entertainment armoire, a closet, and an entry to the vanity area. The vanity area has a marble countertop and two sinks, as well as a small television. Next to the vanity there is a HUGE Jacuzzi tub. It was heavenly for relaxing! A door separates the toilet and the large marble shower with glass doors. We truly loved this room!

The only downside to the garden suites is that they are located so far away from the concierge lounge. The lounge is located on the 4th floor of the resort, and you must walk outside to get there. The lounge itself is very opulently decorated with huge sofas and chairs to relax in. There is also a desk area for the concierge staff to assist you inside the lounge. There are two beverage service areas and one main food service area. During our trip we tried the midday snacks, evening appetizers, and evening desserts and cordials. I am also happy to report that soft drinks were out for the taking. Can you tell I’m a Diet Coke addict? The midday snacks were plentiful and consisted of goldfish crackers, pretzels, popcorn, M&M’s, cookies, etc. Evening appetizers consisted of cheese, vegetable, and fruit trays, as well as hot appetizers. I found the mushroom stuffed phyllo pastries to be delicious! The evening desserts were a tiny bit disappointing. What they had was quite tasty, but there was not a lot of variety compared to our earlier experience with desserts at the Grand Floridian concierge.

The concierge staff in the lounge was very friendly, and they even started conversations with us. They were also happy to help us and were always polite. Also, their pre-planning team was extremely helpful and was even able to get us an Illuminations cruise.

The BoardWalk Inn itself is a wonderful resort with a very relaxing feel to it. I love the theming and décor, and the BoardWalk is a wonderful place to spend an evening shopping and strolling. Of course, the proximity to Epcot is fabulous. We also took advantage of the walkway to Disney-MGM Studios a few times, which was also convenient. The bus service we encountered was very efficient as well. The only thing that I find to be a bit lacking at the BoardWalk Inn (and all the Epcot area resorts for that matter) is the lack of a quick service restaurant where mugs can be refilled. They have a bakery and some very nice restaurants on the BoardWalk, but there were several times we would have liked a quick meal like chicken fingers. The resort looks very cute dressed up for Christmas, and they have an absolutely incredible chocolate seaside amusement park display. It’s huge and very detailed. Also, we saw a juggler and a flute choir performing in the lobby on two separate evenings. We can’t wait to return to the BoardWalk Inn and to stay in a garden suite when the budget allows.

[TammiMcMan]

DH and I did a parents only trip to the GF from 1/3/04-1/7/04 to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We were also assigned to a turret room, #4021. This was on the 5th floor and we had incredible panoramic views from our palladium windows of the wedding pavillion all the way around to Cinderella's castle.

We got a lot of assistance from the pre-planning staff who helped us take care of our priority seatings and made recommendations on a tour for us. While we were there, they helped my husband with having a dozen roses delivered from the florist and I also arranged for a bottle of champagne for our second night. The staff sent the champagne as complimentary and we even got an autographed picture of Mickey Mouse wishing us a Happy Aniversary. It was a very nice surprise.

The resort was a bit crowded on Saturday, but really started to clear out by Sunday afternoon. Normally, we are there in the middle of the summer, so it was quite a shock to see the hotel so empty. We never saw our mousekeepers, but they did a wonderful job on our room and turndown service also left us a towel animal. Very cute. I admit I enjoyed coming into our room in the evening and having the lights turned down low, our bed ready and the tv on.

Lounge service was quite good and as we were passing through one evening, I stopped to check out the dessert offerings. One of the staff members asked if I was looking for the chocolate strawberries and said he'd be happy to go and get another tray if I wanted to try some.

One thing that I noticed was different is that in the past, a concierge staff member would leave a voice mail message each night with tomorrow's weather, park hours, etc.. Now they have a channel on the tv that gives that information, but I kind of miss that personnel touch.

We were lucky with the weather also, the daytime temps hit 82 each day that we were there.

The trip was perfect and I can't wait to go back.

Tammi

[Kajunswty]

what a great thread!! nice read :)

[ead79]

bumping up for more reviews :)

[lucysdad]

I love this thread. We have never stayed concierge at WDW. It never seemed worth it for us. However, this trip is not really a WDW trip. It's an AKL trip. You see, when my son was little I told him that one day I would take him to Africa to see the animals. Well, he's now 21 and, needless to say, we've still not traveled there. But, we will this summer....at AKL! We're staying concierge because I want to take the sunrise and sunset safaris. Now, after reading this thread, i'm looking forward to our stay even more. I promise to add to these reviews when we get home. I love the DIS!

[CoolDisneyCat]

Giving this great thread a bump since so many folks are asking for reviews. I will add mine soon!:teeth:



:bounce: :Pinkbounc :jumping3: :jumping4:

[ead79]

another bump :)

[annamonte]

** Bumping for more reviews... maybe about CR Tower Club, please!?!? :D

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Bumping for more reviews.:Pinkbounc

Lori

[denman007]

Well I can give you a review on the Poly Concierge - even though we haven't gone yet.

They mailed an Itinerary Planning Guide for me to fill out about 105 days out. Then about a week later, they called to make sure I received it and mailed it back.

Then they emailed me to let me know they received it and would be making PS's through out the week.

Today I got an email with my entire schedule. They booked everything I requested, including CRT.

D

[catnik]

I know the Poly has been posted on a zillion times but we had a terrific time on our last trip (end of May/beginning of June 2004). We stayed in room 3507 (lagoon view concierge). It has definitely spoiled us for any other type room. Cinderella's castle was dead center in our view from the 3rd floor balcony. The concierge lounge was wonderful, with lots of food/drink choices throughout the day (I am not a juice person but the guava juice totally won me over!). The volcano pool was great for our older kids (16, 13 and 11); the quiet pool was laid back enough for our 10 month old (who is not particularly fond of splashing water, etc). One of the highlights of our trip was to watch Wishes from our balcony. Our daughter bought the CD (at $13 I initially thought it too expensive); but when she turned it on to coincide with the fireworks...WOW! I paid her the $13 back! While you can see/hear the fireworks from the concierge lounge and the beach, to me nothing tops sitting on your own balcony and getting a "private showing" (plus, no extraneous talking, noise, etc to disrupt your enjoyment). We used the planning staff extensively and they came through with all of our requests (CRT, Illuminations cruise, special surprise for son #3 in room). We did not use the onsite concierge folks often but found them all to be friendly, as were the room service, valet parking and bell service CMs. The Poly grounds were immaculate and the atmosphere relaxing...even doing laundry at midnight wasn't too bad (clean facilities and security that checked in every 30 minutes or so doing their "rounds"). We spent quite a bit of time at the resort as our youngest needed afternoon naps; the kids found plenty to do with free arcade time, pool games, crafts in the lobby, etc. Captain Cook's food court area served hot, tasty and reasonably priced (for Disney) food that the kids enjoyed. Kona Cafe was outstanding for dinner and dessert. Monorail access was hughly appreciated, the walk to TTC was 5 minutes tops and the resort ferry to/from MK was a welcome respite from the hustle/bustle. We are looking into DVC and our next trip was to be solely at those resorts we are contemplating buying into.....we now have ressies for Poly LVC in May of 2005......any hope they will do a DVC there? If so, count us in!!!!

[ead79]

bumping up again :)

[ckb_nc]

Two concierges

May 2001 - Poly GV for four nights

Loved the setting, the guava juice, the location by the pools, and the dock. The food was plentiful. The CMs were just Ok. Being a first time concierge trip, I really was not that wise to waht to expect.

Late Sept 2003 - WL concirge for seven nights (yeah FTP!!!)

Much better CMs, great hot foods (I think we had dinner off the hot offerings five nights), the lounge setting was actually kind of nice to me with the sounds of the lodge and the view of the pool. Kids loved being to to run down and get breakfasy and watch TV in the room. The conceirge CMS made our trip so much better. My wife loves WL.

[Majestic]

We were there mid september of 2003 and I couldn't have said what you said any better! Love WL Concierge and all of the great staff there. :)

Fred

Originally posted by ckb_nc

Late Sept 2003 - WL concirge for seven nights (yeah FTP!!!)

Much better CMs, great hot foods (I think we had dinner off the hot offerings five nights), the lounge setting was actually kind of nice to me with the sounds of the lodge and the view of the pool. Kids loved being to to run down and get breakfasy and watch TV in the room. The conceirge CMS made our trip so much better. My wife loves WL.

[GoofyJoofy]

Haven't gotten to Disney yet, but I will put in a loud voice for the BC CL. I have been working with the concierge staff in IPO and they have been wonderful.

We made many plans right before the 90 day mark. But the August hours were not out yet. Once the hours were out, we made several changes. Then a couple of weeks later, we changed several PS again. Every time the CMs were so helpful, cheerful, and friendly.

I know the IPO staff is shared with BC, YC, & BWI.

Hey Fred, good to see you post again. Hadn't seen on the Lounge Lizard board for a while.