Questions about concierge...

[dancingswiffer]

Hi all!!

I am a new DISer. This will be my first DCL cruise on 12/12 of this year. Had a few questions about possibly upgrading to concierge...

1. How do you tip the room staff? Is it required amount as the other rooms?

2. Do you have the same kind of staff at the restaurant? Or are they the concierge as well? Same questions on tipping them if they are different.

3. What kinds of perks are included? All it says on the website is that they are there for you. lol. What does that mean?

4. Where are the V class rooms located?

5. I understand you can wait in the concierge lounge at the port....what is there to do in there for kid-Os?

6. Is it worth it?

thank you all for helping me!

 

[cgolf]

Hi all!!

I am a new DISer. This will be my first DCL cruise on 12/12 of this year. Had a few questions about possibly upgrading to concierge...

1. How do you tip the room staff? Is it required amount as the other rooms?

2. Do you have the same kind of staff at the restaurant? Or are they the concierge as well? Same questions on tipping them if they are different.

3. What kinds of perks are included? All it says on the website is that they are there for you. lol. What does that mean?

4. Where are the V class rooms located?

5. I understand you can wait in the concierge lounge at the port....what is there to do in there for kid-Os?

6. Is it worth it?

thank you all for helping me!

1. Believe the recommended tip is the same.

2. What has been said is that you get the cream of the crop as far as servers go, and based on our last 2 trips on the Fantasy I would agree, we had 2 of our best servers

3. Won't attempt this one, I do have a trip report that is pretty good (I am biased though lol) if you search on the threads I have started you should find it from our Jan 2013 trip.

4. Deck 11 and 12 forward, we really like deck 12 because it is close to the lounge.

5. They have Jenga, and looks like they have some crafts for the kids to do also. The staff also is great with kids

6. At this years prices, big thumbs up, at the prices for 2015 we will not be doing it, even though for us it is the only way to go on the Fantasy.

cgolf

 

[kapoof]

Yes, it is worth it.

 

[Dug720]

I'll answer what I can from our one time in concierge...

1) Yes, the tips remain the same. We saw two room stewards taking care of the cabins, and given that we were only given one name with the gratuity slips, we assumed that they were probably each assigned to one side of the ship of the other but just worked together on both. Because we saw them equally, we opted to give our "non-assigned" steward the same amount as if he had been ours to begin with.

2) Again, tips remain the same per person/per day. Granted we were only on a three-night and we ate at Palo the first night, but I would question that we got the "cream of the crop". Our server and assistant were ok, but nothing over the top. We felt no inclination to give them any extra money tip-wise. We are all adults and don't require food being cut up or other silliness, but it just felt like they were doing what they had to do. Cordially and politely, but nothing over the top.

3) Are you Dream-class? If so, there is food out for a continental breakfast each day, there is a happy hour before each meal time, there is usually a "private" (concierge only) meet and greet with a character (we had Goofy), there is a private sundeck, you can refill your cabin fridge with water and/or soda from the lounge stash... I can't answer for the classics.

4) Again, if you're Dream-class, the concierge area is in the bow area, decks 11 and 12. Again, unsure on the classics.

5) I don't really recall there being anything to do in the lounge. It's couches and tables. Maybe coloring paper and crayons? You're not in there that long, so it's not a huge deal.

6) We enjoyed it, but I'm planning on being just as happy "slumming" in an 8B in 11 days!

 

[bumbershoot]

We did nothing more than pass through the "lounge" at the port. It's just a small area set off from the rest of the terminal.

I'm not sure we got cream of the crop servers, but the main guy did end up helping me out a lot, and we adored the assistant. So maybe they were? Not sure. Felt more like a personality thing than a "best server" thing.

Since you're talking Cat V, that means you're looking at the Dream or Fantasy? Check the deck plans on the website for those rooms. We were in 12528 (if memory serves) and we'll have another one this October...excited. Lovely lovely rooms.


You tip the stateroom host the same as a normal one...the difference in tipping is where the concierge staff comes in. And there are absolutely no guidelines. I say...tip based on what you feel is appropriate. This is an equation that is personal to each of us. What level of service did you ask for, what did you receive, how did they make your trip better, and how all that equates into what feels right for you, money-wise. Complicated and personal calculus.

 

[Tami0220]

Hi all!!

I am a new DISer. This will be my first DCL cruise on 12/12 of this year. Had a few questions about possibly upgrading to concierge...

1. How do you tip the room staff? Is it required amount as the other rooms?
Yes the tips are the same amount. If you were staying in a T or R room you are not expected to tip more but the general consensus is that you should due to the larger space the stewards are responsible for cleaning and maintaining.

2. Do you have the same kind of staff at the restaurant? Or are they the concierge as well? Same questions on tipping them if they are different.
Although I thought our wait staff was good I don't think they were any better than other times when I didn't sail concierge

3. What kinds of perks are included? All it says on the website is that they are there for you. lol. What does that mean?
I wont repeat what the other respondents stated, but in addition the the goodies in the concierge lounge there is also a happy hour 2x daily before each dinner service where you can order almost anything. If they don't have it the first time you order it, chances are they will have it the next day. We also tipped the bar and food staff in the lounge. We received exceptional service from them. In fact Bosco on the Fantasy discovered I loved dessert and thus I had a large fruit and dessert plate in my room every day. This was different fruits and desserts than were offered in the lounge. I felt very pampered by Bosco. Also you will have priority booking for any events on board such as any of the tastings, tours, kids activities, etc. And if you find you miss the event because you forgot or were too busy elsewhere they have refunded my money. You also get premium toiletries such as solar relief gel. You can make special requests to the concierge staff and may or may not get them honored. I asked for something and then forgot about it. They met my request in fact went beyond. It was the highlight of my cruise. Again, while it isn't manadatory, it is recommended you tip the concierge staff. There is a whole thread on what people think is acceptable. Unfortunately, Disney gives no guidelines on tipping the concierge staff. The concierge staff has been know to give stuffed animals and arcade cards to the kids. They are absolutely fabulous and they will remember your name and greet you personally each and every time you see them. They have more sodas available. Many cruisers talk about Coke floats on board because you have to pay for root beer. Not in the lounge, they had root beer available as well as soda water my two favorites. Beer is in the cooler all day. We had a cabana at CC and asked for soda water and root beer in our fridge. It was there.

4. Where are the V class rooms located?
V rooms are on both deck 11 & 12 however 12 is preferred by many due to its location to the concierge lounge and that deck 11 is enclosed similar to a greenhouse.

5. I understand you can wait in the concierge lounge at the port....what is there to do in there for kid-Os?
Cant answer this one didn't travel with my kids

6. Is it worth it?
Every penny.

thank you all for helping me!

If I am sailing Fantasy or Dream I will never go again unless it is concierge. If you are thinking of upgrading to concierge I would do it now. The V rooms go fast and I wouldn't wait til port to try and get an upgrade there. If you do book concierge now and are paid in full at 120 days you can start putting in requests for excursions or a CC cabana (another thing I think is worth it). You can request a table for just your family. Many things are REQUESTS not guarantees, but they do their best to honor any request. Depending on how badly you want concierge I would jump on it. Good luck, but be prepared to be spoiled and never go back to a regular room, lol

 

[dancingswiffer]

Thanks everyone for the comments!!

Very helpful.

 

[cris0809]

We found that it was worth it for our one-time situation. Traveling with an elderly person who got easily confused it was nice to have a simple path to travel for breakfast, have someone help her at the drop of a hat and for the price point (Florida resident rate + port upgrade).

We did not enjoy the location as it was a very long walk to a lot of things. Also the forward and high area meant we were aware of the motion of the ship much more. My partner is prone to motion sickness and while we came prepared (always) it affected the quality of the cruise for her. The benefits were nice but not worth the price of admission to us.

 

[jcjen519]

Hi all!!

I am a new DISer. This will be my first DCL cruise on 12/12 of this year. Had a few questions about possibly upgrading to concierge...

1. How do you tip the room staff? Is it required amount as the other rooms?
Tipping the room staff is the same and its never a required amount but only suggested. you can give more or less if you feel it is warranted.

2. Do you have the same kind of staff at the restaurant? Or are they the concierge as well? Same questions on tipping them if they are different.
same staff i believe. we were told however that they try to place concierge groups at the more desirable tables. I don't really feel that was the case for us though. The tipping suggestions and practices are the same

3. What kinds of perks are included? All it says on the website is that they are there for you. lol. What does that mean?
This is very hard to really understand until you have experienced it for yourself. There is a large intangible aspect to the perks. The staff were amazing towards us, playing games with our 4 year old in the lounge, making bracelets with the kids, letting him sit behind the desk with them. All of these things allowing us to have a drink or snack with adult talk for a little bit. Room was made on an excursion for us when it was listed as sold out. I was able to secure a cabana way after the early booking date by emailing the shoreside staff. we were able to cancel an excursion when our son just really needed a day to rest without penalty. they located missing items for us...swim shoes left at the pool. There is a character meet and little party on the sundeck (ours was in the lounge due to weather) and the kids met donald. there are cocktail hours in the evening so we could have a few drinks. They have a lot more influence or pull or whatever you want to call it then the club levels at the wdw resorts. there is a lounge at the port where you check in and someone takes you past everyone waiting in line to board the ship. you don't get a boarding time or have to wait. someone takes you right up to the concierge lounge where you meet with someone to go over plans and make any arrangements you would like to add. i could really go on and on. most of what you "get" is a level of service and not perks that can be listed out or quantified if that makes sense

4. Where are the V class rooms located?they are among the T and suites on 12 and some on 11 with other Ts

5. I understand you can wait in the concierge lounge at the port....what is there to do in there for kid-Os?I really don't know. All we have done is just wait in line, check in and then be taken to board the ship. maybe something before you are allowed to board?

6. Is it worth it?in my opinion it is but I don't think you'll know the answer until you experience it for yourself and decide

thank you all for helping me!

someone else already pointed this out but if you want to book concierge and from what I have seen especially a cat. V don't wait. We just booked cat. V on a dec 2014 cruise and had two options when selecting a stateroom.

ETA- Just reread your post and if you're looking to book a cat V on the Dream 12/12 cruise seriously do it now. thats the one we are booked on and there is only one left unless something has changed since yesterday. I was looking to move our stateroom if something opened up on deck 12 and the only room available was 11016

 

[SoNewToDisney!]

We are sailing concierge on the Magic. We have the cabana secured - is there anything else I should be request of shoreside concierge right now? Galley tours? show reservations?

This is our first Dis cruise, so we are total newbies with respect to what options are avail to us using concierge.

 

[ldymcbth]

We are sailing concierge on the Magic. We have the cabana secured - is there anything else I should be request of shoreside concierge right now? Galley tours? show reservations?

This is our first Dis cruise, so we are total newbies with respect to what options are avail to us using concierge.

Any specialized dining reservations. Excursions. Shoreside is less able to work magic onboard (like if you wanted to meet one of the performers) but can do all sort of reservations, can make sure you're in the dining time you prefer (early/late), etc.

I wish you could do show reservations - this will be an unpopular opinion but I wish cruising concierge got you reserved show seats. That would be an AMAZING perk!

 

[Namsupak]

1. How do you tip the room staff? Is it required amount as the other rooms?

If we stay in the V we usually tip some beyond the suggested depending on the service. If we stay in a suite then we are more apt to tip more because of the increased square footage, obviously the service is key here as well. For example we stayed in the Royal and although nice the room host was probably not the best choice to take care of that suite, probably one of the worst stateroom hosts we had.

Tipping is paltry on the ship for the amount of work some of the people do. The recommended is $12 per person per day broken up into:

$4 for the server
$3 for the assistant server
$1 for the head server
$4 for the room host

i.e. 7 day cruise for 2 people = 7 days x 2 people x $12 = $168 for the entire cruise

2. Do you have the same kind of staff at the restaurant? Or are they the concierge as well? Same questions on tipping them if they are different.

The servers in the dining room serve all kids of guests from the cat 11 to the cat R rooms. The concierge team take care of you in all other aspects on the ship and they are basically your go to person for any needs. The head server will often try to put concierge guests at unshared tables, and will try to pick a serving team that has some experience. That doesn't mean that it will be the best serving team for you.

What we do is we make some dining requests. If the head server we usually have isn't there then we let our current head server know hey this is the kind of serving team we like, etc.

3. What kinds of perks are included? All it says on the website is that they are there for you. lol. What does that mean?

The perks are listed several places on the websites and in some of these forum posts HERE is a link to one of the more recent posts I saw.

As a PP noted the perks are sometimes intangible. First off we like the extra room. If you are cruising on a newer ship even the V has more "room" because of the sun deck and the lounge that you will have access to. On the classics you will always be in a suite.

Also there is a lot of value for us in being able to relax and have things taken care of on vacation, the concierge CM helps to smooth all that out. If you have a question no waiting in line. Want to book something, they can print the tickets out for you in the lounge (on the newer ships) or have them delivered to your room. These things are hard to put a number on.

We have done concierge at WDW as well, that doesn't even compare. You feel like a celebrity cruising on DCL in any room, and then concierge kind of bumps that up more because even more of the little things are taken care of for you.

4. Where are the V class rooms located?

Deck 11 and 12 on the new ships

5. I understand you can wait in the concierge lounge at the port....what is there to do in there for kid-Os?

There isn't much reason to get to the port early to sit around, take advantage of concierge and get there after boarding starts and they will whisk you to the front of the line. A few times I remember crayons and coloring sheets but in the port terminal there isn't much of a "lounge"

6. Is it worth it?

To us it is, we travel concierge on the 7+ night cruises. On the shorter cruises we have done so as well but to be honest you don't have enough time to really get to know the CMs and to enjoy all the concierge benefits. We look at the price of a category 4 and then compare the price from there.

Hope that helps.

We are sailing concierge on the Magic. We have the cabana secured - is there anything else I should be request of shoreside concierge right now? Galley tours? show reservations?

This is our first Dis cruise, so we are total newbies with respect to what options are avail to us using concierge.

Just make sure to give the shoreside any reservations or requests for dining that you may have, that way they can note it on your reservation. When you get on the ship like a PP said you will be able to meet with the concierge and talk about any other questions. There are not always galley tours, it depends on each cruise, we actually haven't seen it on the activities since 2011 I think. If there are any princess teas, or tea with Alice/mad hatter they will often arrange that for you as well. Tawanda is one of the concierge CMs on the Magic now, fantastic guy.

 

[tinkerone]

and I am going to be the one to say, to me, its just not worth the extra $$. we were able to do a b2b on the fantasy for less than it would have cost us to do the first cruise. I don't care how much you drink, an extra 2500 is a lot and that was just for the 'lower end' of the concierge. the little extras that you get just don't add up for us. an extra 7 days instead, whats the saying?? oh yeah, priceless!

full discloser.....I have never sailed concierge so I really should back out of the room....now.

 

[cgolf]

and I am going to be the one to say, to me, its just not worth the extra $$. we were able to do a b2b on the fantasy for less than it would have cost us to do the first cruise. I don't care how much you drink, an extra 2500 is a lot and that was just for the 'lower end' of the concierge. the little extras that you get just don't add up for us. an extra 7 days instead, whats the saying?? oh yeah, priceless! full discloser.....I have never sailed concierge so I really should back out of the room....now.

When we were onboard last week, we found out the same room at the same time next year, would be over 3000 more than we paid this year. That is insane if you ask me, it just jumped out of our price range, back to either verandah or inside staterooms for us, because it was worth it this year, just not at the new price for next year.

Cgolf

 

[justmestace]

When we were onboard last week, we found out the same room at the same time next year, would be over 3000 more than we paid this year. That is insane if you ask me, it just jumped out of our price range, back to either verandah or inside staterooms for us, because it was worth it this year, just not at the new price for next year.

Cgolf

That happened to us two years ago. We'd always ONLY cruised concierge on all our cruises, not just DCL....but especially with them, the cost just became completely unreasonable. The extra space & bathrooms were always nice (on the Wonder and Magic) but nothing concierge might add make it worth that much money.
We refuse to even consider suites on the Dream and Fantasy, since they reconfigured them to be less family-friendly...thereby forcing families to book two rooms at four times the adult fare. It's robbery. It *might* have been worth it if they had a private pool, lounge and restaurant like NCL's Haven, but even that isn't worth it. Especially now that our health insurance premium has nearly tripled. I prefer to live comfortably ALL year, rather than splurge unnecessarily for one week.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

DH and I sailed concierge on the Dream in September and had a fantastic experience. I address questions 1, 3 and 6 pretty thoroughly in my trip report (link below in my signature).