WL Concierge Level

[sillyguys]

Has anyone stayed on the concierge level of the WL? If so, can you give me an idea of what to expect. For instance, how is the lounge, what type of food offerings were there and are there any extra amentities in the rooms. We've stayed at the WL before and love it. This trip, however, we're considering bumping up to concierge. I just want to know what the consensus is. Since "is it worth the extra money" is a subjective question, I'll ask "Would you stay concierge at the WL again?" Thanks for the responses.

 

[pearlieq]

We've done it twice now, both times by accident (meaning neither was pre-planned). I've been very happy with it.

The lounge is quite nice. It's decorated to theme and holds all of the food offerings. It felt spacious enough--I don't recall constantly bumping into people, even during the breakfast rush. Tables are set up all around the central area of the 7th floor--many overlook the lobby and some overlook the courtyard area. We were always able to find a table and they were cleaned promptly.

At breakfast time they offered cold cereals, breads/pastries, fruit, and beverages. They have one of those fancy coffee machines in the lounge that makes coffee drinks, hot chocolate, etc. They also have milk, juice, canned sodas, and bottled water (in large bottles you pour and serve yourself from, not small grab & go kinds).

During the day they had light snacks. When we were there it was goldfish crackers, pretzels, mixed nuts, gummy bears, and cookies. There was lemonade, iced tea, canned soda, apple juice boxes, and I believe they left the coffee machine on all day.

At the cocktail hour they put out quite a spread. It really could stand in for dinner for all but the heartiest eaters. There were vegetables and dip, cheese and crackers, Uncrustables, fresh sourdough bread, soup, and a hot item. The hot items were very hearty--one day it was chicken & dumplings, the next day it was some kind of meat hash. There was beef stew, pork loin and macaroni & cheese--real meal-type entrees. They were all very tasty and well prepared. I know I saw wine, and I believe there was beer too, along with all of the rest of the drinks (soda/lemonade/coffee).

Finally, in the evening, there were cordials and desserts. There were cookies, brownies, dessert bars, and a hot cobbler (apple one day, berry the next).

DH and I were thoroughly impressed with the food offerings. We never bought breakfast and wound up skipping dinner a few nights too, which saved us money. It's very convenient to just stop by the lounge for breakfast rather than go downstairs and wait in line at the snack bar.

As for the rooms, they were just normal WL rooms. The views are better, in my opinion, because they're on the 7th floor. We had a woods view room the first time, and we were able to see MK and the fireworks through the trees. That was nice. The second time we had a courtyard view and we could see the geyser and electrical light parade (and the guy across the way who was apparently allergic to pants!).

They offer turndown service on the concierge floor, where they come turn down your bed and leave you chocolates. It's nice, but I wouldn't miss it if it weren't there. Other than that, the amenities and housekeeping service were exactly as I remembered from regular rooms.

One little "perk" that I liked is that if you ship a package from the parks to your resort, you don't have to go down the gift shop to claim it. They send it up to the concierge, who gets it to you. It saves a few minutes.

The concierge staff is nice enough, but they weren't miracle workers or anything. I suppose it's more convenient to be able to walk up to the desk and have them tell you a restaurant is full instead of having to wait on the phone, but they usually can't pull strings or get you in. The only reason I mention that is that in high-end hotels outside of WDW the concierge's job is often to make the impossible happen, and so sometimes people expect that. That's not really the case at WDW. They're mostly there to check on dining reservations, pass out stickers, and wish you a magical day.

Would we do it again? Absolutely, for the right price. Everyone's got their personal limit--I would be willing to pay up to $60/night over the cost of a regular room to stay concierge. After that, I just couldn't justify the cost.

I hope you have a great trip, wherever you stay!

 

[sillyguys]

Thanks for the info. That was exactly what I was looking for.