Do you ever pay full price for concierge?

[penel3]

Four of us! Lol! Made the mistake once........now MUST...DO....CONCIERGE......(my poor husband, lol)

 

[PizzieDuster]

It is all about Disney's grand plan to assimilate you into its world. By having you upgrade at the port, you are much more apt to pay full freight next time around. For example, on our first stay at the Grand Floridian, we were upgraded to a concierge building for no cost whatsoever. Well, next time we went to Disney, my wife said we HAD TO stay in a concierge room if we stayed at the Grand Floridian. Thanks, Disney. Please take even more of my money. Disney cruises are based on the same thought. If you get a concierge cabin for a nominal port upgrade charge, you might be more tempted to book one on the front end next time. At least that is what I think is going on. Although, I admit frustration must set in if you do pay a full fare and then discover multiple people were able to upgrade for that same nominal charge.

Not really advice, just comments, I guess.

DWF

Bill? Dear Hubby? Cupcake? When did you join the DIS boards?


My hubby could of wrote this.

 

[wallawallakids]

4 of us!

Glad I am not the only one!!

 

[All American]

Glad I am not the only one!!

Same here. The unknown stresses me out, and wanting an upgrade, having to travel to the port wanting an upgrade, waiting in line to find out, and not knowing if the upgrade is available while waiting would make me a nervous wreck. Paying full price (ouch!) to get the category we want is much easier on my nerves.

 

[bobsobe6]

Add me to the list of always paying in full for concierge.

On a side note I would like too see Disney move to a system that many airlines are moving too. Not all booking classes are available for upgrade , if any at all. Meaning if you booked one of the cheapest categories thats what you get. Offering upgrades for pennies on the dollar on the day of departure lessens the concierge product. If people know there's a chance of an upgrade they will be content with their lower booking class and taking a chance at port. If there is no chance at all for an upgrade , then those passengers will buy the full fare.

 

[tictoc]

I am extremely curious as to the benefits of concierge. Can any of you seasoned cruisers enlighten me?

 

[bzss7x]

After our upgrade to concierge, we thought about how much Disney made our upgrade+ the next passenger going up to our old 4A room + anyone coming behind them, etc. Upgrades are nice moneymakers for the same amount of passengers.

 

[Bonniec]

This is our first cruise and we went full concierge. We are certainly not wealthy, lol, so had to save for a long time for it. We paid full price for 2 reasons.

#1 My husband doesn't like crowded beaches so a cabana is a must. It's just one of his things where as I wouldn't be as bothered. We live in Fl and he never goes to the beach. So just once, I want him to enjoy it. So we need that 120 day mark so we don't lose out.

#2 I have a 7 year old and twin 19 year olds, so we need the space. It wasn't a huge leap from 2 separate rooms.


My plan is next time, just going without the twins (unless they come back from college and are buying, lol) so will get a last minute fl resident iffy fret and go cheap. But knowing my husband, he'll be set on concierge, lol

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[disnygirl55]

I am extremely curious as to the benefits of concierge. Can any of you seasoned cruisers enlighten me?

For us, I guess the number one reason is the space. Although only 3 of us, we like to spread out and feel at home. We like the little pixie dust difference of the concierge staff getting to know us personally, and going that extra step to make our vacation magical. The 120 day booking window is wonderful, and we usually don't rely on concierge to do our bookings for us, but it's nice to know that they are there to help if needed. Ordering full breakfast in the suite is fabulous - eating it at the table in the suite and then taking our coffee out to the verandah to watch the waves is indescribable. Love the new concierge spaces on the Dream and Fantasy. The concierge lounge is wonderful, and there is always a staff member in the lounge to greet you and check on how things are going.

Probably not things that a lot of people would feel are "worth it" - for the extra $$, but if we're going to spend that kind of money on a cruise vacation anyway, we'll save up and make it a vacation like no other.

We made the "mistake" of cruising in a 1-bd suite on our very first cruise, and now anything else would feel substandard, I'm afraid. Let that be a cautionary tale to all of you who are considering concierge for the first time!

 

[disneyholic family]

4 of us!

5 of us

 

[Namsupak]

We also pay the full price but often it is when we are cruising special itineraries or holiday times, we just don't want to hinge on the possibility of an upgrade, so it is a large stress reliever.

 

[cats mom]

Add me to the list of always paying in full for concierge.

On a side note I would like too see Disney move to a system that many airlines are moving too. Not all booking classes are available for upgrade , if any at all. Meaning if you booked one of the cheapest categories thats what you get. Offering upgrades for pennies on the dollar on the day of departure lessens the concierge product. If people know there's a chance of an upgrade they will be content with their lower booking class and taking a chance at port. If there is no chance at all for an upgrade , then those passengers will buy the full fare.

That's how it used to be on DCL years ago. In fact you often had to join a waitlist and/or compromise on dates to get a concierge stateroom at all.

I think the combination of ever increasing rates and a tough economy put an end to that though. I imagine the addition of new ships with more concierge options had an impact as well.

What would have them do, just leave concierge staterooms empty if they don't sell at full price? It seems like much smarter business practice to offer port upgrades and get at least a partial payment for those staterooms. As has been mentioned, they're sailing with the same number of passengers they would have anyway, but at increased revenue.

I guess they could just offer free upgrades, but how would they choose who is most likely to get hooked on the concierge experience and pay full price in the future as discussed above? Plus if they did that would it "lessen the concierge product" even more in your opinion? Not that I agree with you on that btw.

 

[SonicGuy]

Full price guy here, too. The concierge team just makes everything so seamless for you beforehand and took care of anything we needed or wanted.

We love being able to order from the dining rooms en suite in we chose (suites only) and were served white tablecloth and all.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Bummer, checked for our cruise in April and they are all sold out.

We barely got our rooms last May and still on a wait list for a one bedroom.

5 of us

Add me to this

 

[Meghatron]

If I could afford it, I would not hesitate to pay full price for concierge on a classic ship. Have no interest in port upgrades because I value the 120-day booking window and the shoreside team.

That said, I find the prices--all of them--on the new ships to be ridiculous for value received. Doubled rates for more crowds and less space? Ugh. No thank you. Goes double for new ship concierge. I cruise DCL to get a different Disney experience, not to have the parks at sea. Different ships for different tastes and I'm perfectly fine with that.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

What is the port upgrade? Is that where you ask for an upgrade when you first get on the boat? How do you do that?

 

[DVCNuts]

We paid full price on the Dream 3 night in September for a Cat V. Just two of us, celebrating our 25th anniversary. There were a lot of suites still open about 2 weeks prior, and I was determined to get an upgrade. I was honestly annoyed at the thought of someone getting a suite at a huge discount. I even bought DCL transfers so we could check in at MCO, even though we had a rental car reserved. Then one day I checked our reservation online, and realized that DCL had upgraded us to a 1BR suite for free. Not just any 1BR, but suite 12000 which is the one between the two Royal Suites facing forward. It was completely awesome.

We since sailed on the Fantasy in a 4a, same size as the Cat V we originally booked. Plenty of room. We didn't feel like we downgraded. The concierge lounge was nice on the Dream, but we didn't really miss it. We are booked on the Wonder in April for my 50th, and paid full price for a 1BR. Main reason is that we wanted a cabana. Since we booked we hit platinum. That means we can book non concierge and still get the 120-day booking window, unless that changes. And then go for a port upgrade if we feel like it.

Concierge is a very nice treat, worth full price from time to time.

 

[KarenMP59]

We always book concierge. Once you get treated like royalty, it's hard to give that up!

 

[AlexandNessa]

Add us to the full-fare crowd. We only like certain rooms (e.g., hate Deck 11 on Dream/Fantasy). I wouldn't want a "leftover" cabin, but that is just personal preference. Sometimes, good cabins are available at the port, but we would never be so lucky.

 

[kaseyC]

Add us to the full paying crowd as well. We have also done a few port upgrades but that is usually when it's just me traveling with the kids. If DH goes, it's a full price suite. We do it more for the space and to get a particular suite than Concierge perks.

It's so much easier to book suites now than it used to be. A few years ago, the only way to score a suite was to FAX Inventory Control a year or more in advance of dates being released with your Cat. choice and a range of dates. It was like winning a lottery if you got the call from IC giving you the opportunity to book a suite. Port upgrades were almost unheard of.