Any DREAM Concierge Reviews?

[kbmo4444]

If we are not getting the services that we are used to and have paid premium for and there is no more personalization. What exactly are we giving the hosts a tip for? HMMM

 

[FJS961]

If we are not getting the services that we are used to and have paid premium for and there is no more personalization. What exactly are we giving the hosts a tip for? HMMM

I am usually a generous tipper but it's not a gimme. No service from concierge hosts, no tip.

 

[eisena]

If we are not getting the services that we are used to and have paid premium for and there is no more personalization. What exactly are we giving the hosts a tip for? HMMM

I think we are sailing on the same cruise, based on your signature. It should be interesting to see if things get straighten out by the time of the cruise.

 

[kakelly03]

OMG - I never even thought about the gate locking me in as a security/safety issue. That kind of freaks me out now. At least we were on 11 so there was plenty of traffic from the spa to flag someone down for assistance. If you were on 12 then you might not see anyone. Someone asked about the gates, there is one on 11 since the spa is on the other side and there are 2 on 12 with the lounge in the middle.

The open bar before dinner included an attendant, Gaga, and she was very good. My husband had wine and I had a margarita so I think it is beyond beer and wine. The snacks were not hot and mostly not kid friendly. Sometimes they also had chocolate chip bars on a stick and other time cookies. My kids frequently grabbed a box of fruit loops to snack on while we were there. No Mickey head rice krispie treats

I forgot about the concierge sail away party- that was gone. No private reception with officers, no pins, popcorn, arcade cards, etc.

I did use the sun deck 3 times and only once did I see another person- and that was a pre-teen who only stayed a short while. The deck was staffed with an attedant who seemed bored and was texting while there was nothing to do. He gave me suncreen and offered a cold towel. I personally found the sun deck to be relaxing and peaceful. There is a bar just around the corner so we grabbed drinks and brought them to the concierge deck.

We are booked in concierge next year on the Fantasy (12 floor to be closer to lounge) and struggled with changing our reservation because of the lack of service. I think I just need to lower my expectations from what they used to offer on the Magic/Wonder. We left plenty of feedback on the form and it was the first time we could not answer the question about "did anyone make your trip magical".

We did rent the private cabana on Castaway and learned that the concierge staff is responsible for those guests as well. Not sure how that would have worked if we needed anything since there are so many cabanas and who staffs the lounge on the ship at that time. The cabana was wonderful and we would definitely do that again - we would not have normally left a tip for the concierge but since we did rent the cabana and loved the amenities it offered and the concierge guy kept us stocked with drinks and snacks we felt he deserved something. If we had not rented the cabana we would not have tipped the concierge team.

 

[kaseyC]

You would think they would not assign inexperienced staff to concierge - but we just got home from Dream Feb 3 sailing and the staff was new and inexperienced- but very nice.

We have sailed concierge 4 times now, and the service has really gone down hill. There are so many concierge cabins on the new ship and they still only have 3 employees assigned to serve these guests.

The lounge was nice, always had food and drink available and always a staff member at the desk to answer any questions. They do offer an open bar from 5pm- 6pm and then again from 7:30- 8:30pm. The private sun deck was fantastic and always empty.

The answer to every question we had was no. No dining changes, no peanut butter and jelly crustables, no Mickey bars, no we can't fix all of the electronic problems in your room, etc. Maybe because they are so new to DCL they just don't know how to get things done.

The changes we noticed- no more treats delivered to stateroom- only first day fruit basket and food in lounge. No art print delivered as a thank you, not able to switch our dining from late to early. We assumed they would be able to handle that for us. Each night my husband asked them to call the restaurants to see if they could seat us at 6pm if someone went to Palo or something - never happened. The restaurant menus are no longer in your room to order from - the concierge must do it for you and only available at 6pm and 8:30pm. No more ordering from Palo unless you are in the Walt suite. Continental breakfast no longer available on last morning of cruise - must use the lounge.

The concierge gates are ugly and malfunction. Half the time they were open because a maintenance person was working on them. Other times you couldn't get out. Once I was actually leaving my stateroom and couldn't get out. You dont even need your key for that but it was locked and wouldn't let us leave. Luckily someone came out of the spa and used my card to open the door from the other side.

Wow!! I was hoping that we were seeing more consistent service with the Dream Concierge set up but I guess not.

Our recent Concierge experience on the Dream 1/30 and 2/3 was great, almost the complete opposite of yours. We were in a Cat. V for the 1/30 cruise and Cat. T on the 2/3 cruise. This was our 5th and 6th DCL Concierge sailings and one of the best in terms of service. We were never told no, all of my requests were met and questions were answered. On the 2/3 sailing we asked to have our dining time changed from Main to Second seating as well as requesting the same servers from our 1/30 cruise. Patty put in the request and we received a call a couple of hours later that it had been changed plus we got our same servers and same table from the 1/30 cruise.

When I requested a Royal Palace breakfast menu, one was sent to our suite. I never had to contact guest services for anything, it was all taken care of by either Patty, Patrick or Rodrigo. They didn't send the girls arcade cards (we didn't get those or popcorn consistently on any of our other cruises) but on the 1/30 sailing they left each of my DDs a Disney puzzle. When I asked for some of the H20 sun relief gel it was sent to my cabin minutes later. Truly, we were never told no.

I enjoyed the lounge, I usually went in for one of the "Happy Hours" before dinner. By the second day of the 1/30 sailing the bar attendant Gaga knew what I liked and would offer it each night after that as well. I don't believe I ever visited the lounge without someone from the concierge coming over to see how we were doing and to check if we needed anything. I also enjoyed chatting with the attendants, Gaga, Claudia and Jan. It was neat to hear their stories.

I don't know about the malfunctioning of the deck 11 gates but we never had a problem getting in or out on Deck 12.

Even though it seems my experience was much more positive than yours it really bothers me that service is still so hit or miss. That was one of the main reasons we started booking suites on other lines. We changed our 2012 Fantasy book from 2 cabins to a Cat. T, hopefully they will get their act together and make sure the Concierge service is consistent for all Concierge level guests. If not we will stick with NCL's Courtyard Villas which have exceptional Concierge and Butler service.

 

[FJS961]

Do you not meet anymore with concierge host upon arrival to go over your itinerary with reps fromnspa and kids club in attendance??

 

[kaseyC]

OMG - I never even thought about the gate locking me in as a security/safety issue. That kind of freaks me out now. At least we were on 11 so there was plenty of traffic from the spa to flag someone down for assistance. If you were on 12 then you might not see anyone. Someone asked about the gates, there is one on 11 since the spa is on the other side and there are 2 on 12 with the lounge in the middle.

On deck 12 there were a number of ways to get out without going through the gate... cut through the side doors of the Concierge lounge and exit out of the Lounge's front door, there was a door at the end of the hall on each side of deck 12 that exited out onto the Quiet Cove area sundeck or go through the lounge up to deck 13 sundeck. So there wasn't any real safety/security issue on deck 12 at least.

 

[Twinparents]

We just did the B2B on January 30th and had concierge on February 3rd and had a similar experience to kaseyC. We had great service and the only time I was told no was when I asked if they had German stolen bread from Palo on the ship. Since they did not do a Palo brunch on the 3 day cruise they had not made the bread that I love.

What I find interesting is no common service. For example, we didn't receive a Disney puzzle but my daughter would have loved that. Instead she did get an autographed character picture because it was her birthday. We hit the open bar every night and my kids must have been in the lounge at least 4 to 5 times a day.

One time I went to the sundeck to get my daughter some sunscreen and they were all out. They sent someone down to the gift shop to get some and brought us the unopened bottle.

 

[kaseyC]

Do you not meet anymore with concierge host upon arrival to go over your itinerary with reps fromnspa and kids club in attendance??

Yes as soon as you board. At that meeting on the 2/3 cruise is when I made my dining change request. Since I upgraded at the port for that cruise my itinerary had to be created. For my 1/30 cruise since I had booked Concierge originally my itinerary was already prepared, we just went over it and they made any requested changes.

 

[FJS961]

Yes as soon as you board. At that meeting on the 2/3 cruise is when I made my dining change request. Since I upgraded at the port for that cruise my itinerary had to be created. For my 1/30 cruise since I had booked Concierge originally my itinerary was already prepared, we just went over it and they made any requested changes.

Thanks ... Hope the service gets consistent. Your experience is what I expect, what I am used to from magic/wonder. Sorry the other poster had such a crummy concierge experience

 

[AussieAussieAussie]

Any update as to how FE works in practice in concierge? Do you attach the FE bag to the gate?

 

[Subi WRX]

I have to agree with all this from our maiden voyage- more money and less service. We expected the lounge to be a plus, but just had to wait all the time to ask a question that was never answered. We did not even get the fruit bowl the first day. With more rooms they need to increase the staff. Most times i had to call guest services to get things straightened out or an answer and they often did not know. Hope you commented on the changes- we did and hope the service goes back to what we are used to.

We are booked in concierge next year on the Fantasy (12 floor to be closer to lounge) and struggled with changing our reservation because of the lack of service. I think I just need to lower my expectations from what they used to offer on the Magic/Wonder. We left plenty of feedback on the form and it was the first time we could not answer the question about "did anyone make your trip magical".

Thank you both for leaving feedback on your comment cards re: meager concierge service.

I think I'm most upset at the no litho, lol. Our nieces and nephews love them. I hope the no litho was a freak thing. And I sure hope that it is not going fleet-wide. That was such a nice perk. On sailings where Ducky Williams was aboard, the concierge not only delivered the litho but also had Ducky sign them for us.

 

[jenvin]

Wow - this is really disappointing, we were on the Magic NYE 5 day Bahamas cruise last year in concierge and it was absolutely fabulous, we were totally spoiled rotten. I thought that was the norm for concierge and I didn't think I could cruise any other way after that - LOL. If I'm not going to get that same level of service, I won't go for concierge on the newer ships, although I do love having first dibs at the cabanas and other reservations, I loved the cabanas at CC and it would be really disappointing if we weren't able to secure one on our next cruise there - concierge level pretty much guarantees availability...I hope they improve by the time I can afford to head back there!

 

[wums95]

So then, what are all the perks of a suite on DCL?

I hear the following:
advance on line booking
Early boarding
Possibly some canapes in your room (Magic / Wonder) or access to the lounge (Dream)
Differential roomserviceoptions- though not Palo options

What is this about a private sail away party?
Can one get the kids unlimited arcade cards? one each day? for each child?

Thanks for your response. We're doing a first time DCL suite in April...

 

[MomsOf2boys]

They used to have the dining room menu's in the book in the concierge rooms. Maybe they just haven't gotten those together. I would hate to ask each day. We have a picky eater and I always let him go over the menu and figure out what he will eat or at least try before we get there to speed things up. He is no longer a children's menu contestant as he would probably need to eat 3 of those meals! lol

I do hope that they read everyone's comments on the cards and make changes to the concierge procedures. Are there really that many more rooms than on the origonal ships? Weren't there like 16 on those and only 20 or so on these ones? That doesn't warrant the huge lack of service.

We aren't ones to ask for a lot of things... so we would be among the group that would just do it ourselves and leave feedback saying service lacks. Not saying that those that do ask are wrong, just saying we are very shy about that. It does sound as if it is the same concierge service as in the resorts which is nothing compared to that on the Magic and Wonder. Just sayin...

For those of you with trips coming, please let us know how it goes for you so we can see what the changes are or what the new standard most likely is.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

I am usually a generous tipper but it's not a gimme. No service from concierge hosts, no tip.

I agree with you.

I noticed in your signature that you are staying in the Roy very soon. How did you decide Roy over Walt or was that the one left when you booked? I'm waiting on the rest of 2012 dates to come out and I think I really want Roy as well. I can say because you should be able to see CC from that side but really its because of that little window seat in the master bedroom. Ridiculous I know. We have stayed in Cat 2 or the Magic and Cat 3 on the Wonder and so I think it only fair that we get a R on the Dream. LOL Were waitlisted both other cruises but nothing opened.

 

[BethA]

I think the other ships had 18 and there are 40 on here.
The arcade cards were not unlimited. We usually got 2 and the last time they were for a limited amount of play- previously $20.
I have found that although 99% of the time prior to this the service was excellent, it was hit or miss- some people must ask for more or for some reason the concierge takes a liking to them - or great tippers, but you read of people getting all kinds of special things. Service should be the same for the most part. I Have to say Patrick did find me aloe when I was told none was onboard by another concierge. He also did do something for me one day- so in his defense he tried very hard. The CMs working the lounge were also very good, but in general we felt the service was not the special service we have received before. A few tiny sandwiches does not replace excellent service in my opinion

 

[MomsOf2boys]

I think the other ships had 18 and there are 40 on here.
The arcade cards were not unlimited. We usually got 2 and the last time they were for a limited amount of play- previously $20.
I have found that although 99% of the time prior to this the service was excellent, it was hit or miss- some people must ask for more or for some reason the concierge takes a liking to them - or great tippers, but you read of people getting all kinds of special things. Service should be the same for the most part. I Have to say Patrick did find me aloe when I was told none was onboard by another concierge. He also did do something for me one day- so in his defense he tried very hard. The CMs working the lounge were also very good, but in general we felt the service was not the special service we have received before. A few tiny sandwiches does not replace excellent service in my opinion

40? Wow Beth I hadn't paid much attention. That is a heck of a lot more rooms! Thank you for clearing that up. I would think that with 40 or so rooms, a concierge lounge and deck, and the cabannas on CC, that 3 people cannot possibly do a super great job as a concierge staff.

 

[gomagic]

I think the other ships had 18 and there are 40 on here.
The arcade cards were not unlimited. We usually got 2 and the last time they were for a limited amount of play- previously $20.
I have found that although 99% of the time prior to this the service was excellent, it was hit or miss- some people must ask for more or for some reason the concierge takes a liking to them - or great tippers, but you read of people getting all kinds of special things. Service should be the same for the most part. I Have to say Patrick did find me aloe when I was told none was onboard by another concierge. He also did do something for me one day- so in his defense he tried very hard. The CMs working the lounge were also very good, but in general we felt the service was not the special service we have received before. A few tiny sandwiches does not replace excellent service in my opinion

40? Wow Beth I hadn't paid much attention. That is a heck of a lot more rooms! Thank you for clearing that up. I would think that with 40 or so rooms, a concierge lounge and deck, and the cabannas on CC, that 3 people cannot possibly do a super great job as a concierge staff.

Actual #'s are 22 - Magic/Wonder and 41 - Dream. Now if a person was to compare the concierge crew members to room # total you would think it shouldn't make a huge difference - 2 on the Magic/Wonder would be reponsible for 11 cabins each if divided evenly and on the Dream it works out to approx. 14 cabins each(# was rounded up) if divided between the 3. So technically speaking it should work. Hopefully they get it all straightened out.

kaseyC - I agree 100% with you that NCL butler/concierge service is top notch!

 

[kbmo4444]

I think we are sailing on the same cruise, based on your signature. It should be interesting to see if things get straighten out by the time of the cruise.

I hope they do work out some of the kinks for our sailings 2/20 & 2/24 but who knows. You should join our cruise meet thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2332670&page=59

I also hope these changes don't start to spill over to the Magic/Wonder since we switched our Fantasy April 2012 sailing to the Feb 2012 sailing on the Magic. We were able to score the Walt Suite on the Magic for a little bit more than we were paying for a Cat T on the Fantasy. I would hate for the service to change on the older ships. I guess time will tell