Concierge ?

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We are booked for Nov/Dec at the BWI & AKL concierge for our family. (3 kids ages 1, 4, & 6 at the time of travel) I'm thinking of bringing our babysitter along so my question is..If I book her into a standard room at AKL can she share the concierge with us? Also when we move to the BWI, I might just put her in the Swan, do you think she can come to the concierge at the BWI. We are just looking for some ideas.

Laura

[Goofyposter]

personally....I'd have the sitter stay in concierge....that would elimate any question about it...and make it a heck of alot handier for ya :)

[lizzie64]

Originally posted by Goofyposter
personally....I'd have the sitter stay in concierge....that would elimate any question about it...and make it a heck of alot handier for ya :)

Momtomootoo,

I agree with goofyposter,

I'd prefer to have the sitter staying with me in concierge just for the convenience. I don't think she would qualify for concierge lounge stuff if she isn't staying in a concierge room.

[LvsTnk]

Ditto, Goofyposter and Lizzie64:D I think you could probably get away with it, just know that the lounges are on keyed floors. For that reason I think it would be intended for guests that pay for it.:D

[jk1]

You are allowed 4 persons in your room plus an child under the age of 3. So you could add your babysitter to your room, subject to the additional adult charge if the sitter is 18 or older, and get a Concierge resort id for your sitter. I wouldn't think it would matter where the sitter slept, your room or a separate room wherever. She would still be listed under your room and be comsidered a Concierge guest.

[ducklite]

If she's not staying in a concierge room as a registered concierge guest, then no, she's not entitled to join you on the concierge floor. You are not supposed to bring "guests" to the concierge lounge. The floor is keyed, and her room key will not allow the elevator to go to the 6th floor.

Also, not sure how old she is, but guests under 18 are not supposed to stay in rooms at WDW unless they are either connecting with a room with adults in it, or sharing the room with an adult.

It's very likely she won't even be on the same floor, or possibly even in the same part of the resort, so having her along to help with the kids would almost be moot if she wasn't close by.

At the AKL, If you are going to the expense of a second room, you might want to consider a 1BR suite. Some have 2 queens in the BR, plus the sleeper sofa in the LR. The cost would probably be about the same as the two rooms. Just a thought.

At teh Swan she'd be at minimum five minutes away, and would not be allowed to come to the concierge lounge with you. Remember, you check in with the concierge, so they DO know who is in your party.

It sounds like you maybe just want someone to help wrangle kids at the parks--it might actually be a LOT cheaper to hire a sitter from down there from Kids Night Out of Fairy Godmothers--you might want to look into that--even at $15 per hour for 10 hours a day, it's still going to work out to less money than brining your sitter I think.

Anne

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ducklite
[B]At the AKL, If you are going to the expense of a second room, you might want to consider a 1BR suite. Some have 2 queens in the BR, plus the sleeper sofa in the LR. The cost would probably be about the same as the two rooms. Just a thought.

I am considering the suite at the AKL, am I correctin in assuming that all the suites are concierge?

I think we would be more comfortable with our regular sitter, regardless of the cost. She's been on vacation with us 2 other times, but that was with one less kid!! I guess I will have to rethink the whole plan.

[lizzie64]

Hi momtomootoo,

I believe the suites at AKL are concierge.

We have 7 with us this trip. My husband, myself, 4 kids and my MIL. We have 2 concierge rooms booked right now. I was looking at the 2 bedroom suite, but I'm not sure if we'll change over. Still thinking.

[vbfamily]

I would also recommend looking into a suite. They do come with concierge service.

It would probably be quite a hassle if she was in a different type of room on a different floor. She would not be able to access the concierge lounge unless she is staying in a concierge room.

Definately check out the suites or 2 concierge rooms-this will save you a lot of trouble.

[taylor1293]

I am assuming you are trying to give her a little privacy or save a little money by booking her a standard room.

This is what I would do:

I would book her the standard room, then add her as an extra adult ($25 a night) to your room (or suite). Then she would have a key for the concierge lounge and be entitled to utilize their offerings and services :)

Teresa

[lynr]

I would ask the resort directly about that. When we were in Disneyland. My mother and my cousin stayed in a regular room and the Concierge knew that from my making both the reservations and they invited them to use the concierge floor. So I would check.

[ducklite]

Originally posted by MOMTOMOOTOO
I am considering the suite at the AKL, am I correctin in assuming that all the suites are concierge?

I think we would be more comfortable with our regular sitter, regardless of the cost. She's been on vacation with us 2 other times, but that was with one less kid!! I guess I will have to rethink the whole plan.

Definitely do it! The suites are HUGE and gorgeous! They are larger than a 1BR villa at OKW! There are THREE bathrooms (only 2 have tub/showers)

And the added bonus would be that she would be right there to help get the kids ready in the morning as well...

Not sure if you are only willing to do concierge, but if you can be a little flexible, you might want to do a 2BR at the BWV (renting points from a DVC'er could actually cost less then the BWI concierge and Swan rooms combined, and give 3 times the space, plus a washer and dryer! I'll trade that soaking tub plus the washer and dryer for concierge service anytime :)

Anne

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Just to clarify I was not looking for something for which we are not entitled. Just trying to weigh our options. I haven't changed the reservations just yet, but it looks like we may do the suite at AKL and forego the BWI concierge and look to something less expensive. As ducklite suggested we may try to rent points for a BWV or BCV. But it is very important to us that we have the concierge at AKL for the sunrise safari. Now if the sitter does come, I won't have to bring the baby on the safari, and that will be a good thing for all!

:D

[ducklite]

Originally posted by MOMTOMOOTOO
As ducklite suggested we may try to rent points for a BWV or BCV. :D

BCV is very nice, but I prefer BWV...not sure why, and I own at both.

Anne

[Tea Please]

Momtomootoo,

I presume you are looking for some privacy and down time for your babysitter. I would just book her a standard and give her the key for the lounge. I doubt your little ones are able to fully realize the concierge benefits. Unless the concierge patrol is there the same time as you, who the he** cares. You are paying for it.

As a matter of fact, we are doing the BWI concierge in May, and my son and his friend decided they also wanted to come. I booked them at the Hilton but fully intend to give them access to the BW concierge. Good Luck

[vbfamily]

bump:bounce:

[welovedis]

momtomootoo-My neighbor just returned from AKL and did the same thing you are thinking of. They, however, couldn't swing a seperate room for the nanny so they paid the extra $25/night fee for her and had a cot set up in the room so she had her own bed (no daybed in the room). The parents slept on the queen, the kids in the bunkbeds and the nanny on the rollaway. She said it worked out fine for the time they were there (4 nights). I think you are doing things the right way to make sure there is no confusion about concierge use.

Tea Please--all I can say is to each their own. If your son & his friend want to use the concierge lounge then the price should be paid for that priviledge. If you are paying the extra $25/night per extra adult guest, then that is your business, but what you are stating is clearly against the rules.

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Tea Please
As a matter of fact, we are doing the BWI concierge in May, and my son and his friend decided they also wanted to come. I booked them at the Hilton but fully intend to give them access to the BW concierge. Good Luck

With all due respect, why would you think that they have the "right" to access the lounge?

Anne

[Tea Please]

Originally posted by ducklite
With all due respect, why would you think that they have the "right" to access the lounge?

Anne

Well they are listed as guests and we have paid the additional $25.00 pp. I just did not want them in the same room. They are both 18 yo and I thought DD might work out better for them. However, I thought they would prefer the pool at BWI and if they are around I would like them to have concierge access. I feel I am doing nothing wrong.

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Tea Please
Well they are listed as guests and we have paid the additional $25.00 pp. I just did not want them in the same room. They are both 18 yo and I thought DD might work out better for them. However, I thought they would prefer the pool at BWI and if they are around I would like them to have concierge access. I feel I am doing nothing wrong.

Thanks for explaining that. :) Yes, in that case I agree, you are doing nothing wrong. You are listing them and paying for them, so the concierge has an accurate estimate of how many guests to plan for. That wasn't clear in your original post. Frankly I wouldn't want my son and his friend sharing a room with me either :)

Anne

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Ok, I think I've got it all figured out. I spoke with CRO last night and given the ages of our children, we would all fit into a concierge room. ( not that we would want to:D ) So if I got a standard room for the sitter, I could also add her to our room and she would get concierge benefits. However, the price is just about the same for a standard & concierge vs a 1 b/r suite. Lets just say if I booked the 2 b/r suite, I might end up divorced!!! So I think I just may go ahead and book the 1 b/r. If there are great prices for the other rooms if and when codes become available I could always switch. So now tell me all about the suite. Thanks.

Laura

[ducklite]

Laura-

I'll have the photo's up by the end of the week for you--keep an eye on my sig, as I'll post to that once I"ve made the additions.

Also, when you get to the AKL, you could always ask upbout upgrading to the 2BR. The room we were in had a 2BR lockoff attached, and that room has an exterior door, but no number on it, so they can't rent it as a "regular" room, it can only go as the second BR for the 1BR suite.

Anne

[lizzie64]

Anne - The resident concierge expert -

I currently have 2 concierge rooms booked. If I were to ask about getting an upgrade to the 2 BR suite, what could be the price differential?

[ducklite]

Lizzie-

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea!

Anne

[vbfamily]

Tea Please,
Thanks for clearing that up. :D

Lizzie64,

It couldn't hurt to ask about the upgrade to a 2br suite when you check in. You never know, they may offer you the upgrade for less than the difference in rack rate and maybe just maybe for free. The worst they can say is no. If you ask about an upgrade and you would have to pay rack rate for it then all you have to do is say no.

MOMTOMOOTOO,

ourlaughingplace.com has some good pictures of the 1br suite at AKL. Just go to resorts and click on rates and reviews and then it should be easy from there.

Maybe someone can post the link-DH is the computer guru in the family and I think if I asked him how to post the link for someone on this chat board I might end up divorced-he thinks I spend too much time on this board. :rolleyes:

I read a post from someone who returned from AKL last night and he said he could hear toilets flushing all the time (just like we experienced at WL) so we are going to keep our request for a 5th floor room. The suites are not all on the 5th floor so I think you are much more likely to be on 5 if you book 2 concierge rooms.

Good luck in your planning.