Beach Club Concierge Level Review

You should try the 14th floor concierge at the Contemporary. It is so nice and relaxing. It is very large, too. Tables, chairs, couches, commfy chairs, huge TV. Sitting on the balacony watching Wishes while having dessert and coffee was heavenly!! The music is piped in. Our bathroom was about the size of our room at WL *LOL*. The food was wonderful, too.
 
Well! Finally, a thread where it appears that I can say what I am dying to say after two CL visits, one to AKL and one to YC, in 2006.

We felt that at both resorts much too much empahsis was placed on the CL experience of the children.

For example, at AKL, with the exception of the day "Ernesto" hit, everything on the CL TV was cartoons. Thank goodness on the day of Ernesto, when it got a bit DAMP, the lounge decided to play a loop of flims - still Disney films, but at least FILMS that an adult could watch without going slowly mad ("Holes," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Nemo").

At YC, even though the CL lounge is much smaller, I actually felt more adult freedom. There are, at least, thank GOD, two TVs- one presumably for adults, one for children. Still, the children's unending loop was set to SCREACH, but I can confidantly tell you that no staff seemed to mind when, at low volume child times, I sneaked over, lowered the volume on their TV, and raised the volume on ours. Praise the Lord, those moments are viscerally thrilling!

I know, I know, it's WDW, but who exactly is footing the bills for these rooms - the parents or the children?
 
Thanks for the great review Heather. I almost booked Beach club, but decided on Contemporary instead. I have been at alot of the concierge resorts too, and my favorite is the BWI. Robin is great, is a fellow named Steve still there? He and Robin were the best.

Yes, Robin is still there, but I don't know about Steve. Robin & Jackie took us on a tour & showed 2 different room types to us last week, when my SIL was in town. We were trying to convince her to stay concierge, and the BWI staff did a great job of selling it to her. We asked could we show her the lounge, not really expecting them to let us up, but they did & then got room keys to 2 vacant rooms. They always go above & beyond.

Cheers!
Heather W
 
Great review; totally reflects our stay in October 2005. However, we were upgraded to concierge FREE, so no complaints about free food and drinks from us! However, no way would I pay extra for it!!
 

i think you will find the lounge at the yc small, but less hectic. we stayed yc concierge and beach club non concierge. the bc has a totally differnt feel to it. i would assume that carries right into the lounge also. i would say that based on what i have read from you, that yc lounge would be your style. it is smaller than bwi, but i actually felt it was run much better and there was always room to sit down.
 
We felt that at both resorts much too much empahsis was placed on the CL experience of the children.

Is it terrible to confess that we prefer to stay concierge level, because it tends to screen out more children? No (answering my own question!), it's not, because I'm a teacher and, when you have 120 students each day, it's okay to want some adult time :)

Anyway, bad as it sounds, I think that many parents with small kids have other things (diapers, toys, school supplies, etc.) to spend their money on than concierge level. Not all, but a big majority of them.

I'd be interested to know what deluxe hotels are the most popular with the pre-K families. I'm guessing BC for its pool & Epcot proximity and Poly for its laidback style & monorail access. Any other thoughts on the most adult-centered of the concierge levels?

Cheers!
Heather W
 
We are planning to stay Poly concierge with a 2, 11 and 14 yr old. While I have other things to spend my money on, we are looking forward to concierge. Totally understand abt the pre-k set...been an asst to a pre k teacher. But I think some families enjoy the convenience of the items served in the lounge. I can understand abt couples wanting to enjoy the lounge..maybe they could eventually design something for adults only. But then again ...its DisneyWorld..is it not the top destination vacation for Families?
 
Based on the pics of your room, I think you did get a smaller than average room at the BC. Ours had two chairs at the table and a daybed on the end with the beds further over. I wasn't aware there could be such a size difference and I definitely don't think CL guests should get a smaller room.
 
hmp2z, where exactly is the concierge lounge at the Beach Club? I was looking at a floorplan of the fifth floor, but cannot post the link here because I do not have ten posts yet. TIA.
 
Just my experiences with some of the concierge lounges:
BC Just so so, both with offerings and size
Poly Dirty! Used dishes leftover food not removed for at least 30 min or more, mobbed with kids; very child oriented food.
GF Very nice but not very 'warm.' food was again so so, but it was very very clean in every way. Lots of kids but they didn't hang around
BC Now here is a good one: my 'concierge' room was on the FIRST FLOOR!! As the concierge told me that was because it was an unusually 'large room! Personally I was not thrilled to get dressed and hike to the lobby and up to the 5th floor in the AM for coffee! This one item turned me off completely especially for the price paid!
YC Not very big either; TV was LOUD and kids were there for what seemed like forever! Food was again 7-11 type stuff
AKL Ahhh! GREAT LOUNGE, extraordinary food offerings, yes there were kids but they didn't stay forever; TV was somewhat muted, chair very comfy and CM'S were the best we encountered anywhere! Despite the long trek from the room, it was worth the $$$$!!
 
Now I read these reviews. Very disapointing. It seems as if most were disapointed in concierge at the BC. Should I try to get something else??

Joy
 
we did beach club concierge and it was ok but it was to small
to hold people
there was always to many people at breakfast
 
I may call and change my res. I am pushing my budget doing CL and maybe should save my money for something else. I am going in Oct with DH, DD 16 and DS 14. I have changed this res 3 times this week. Dare I change it again?

Joy
 
I think it depends on what you are looking for from concierge. We were at the YC in late Sept this past year and again in early December --both time concierge. The service we received was excellent. While there in late Sept. what we found most offensive were adults from conventions who thought that since they were there as a group that they could take over the lounge. They were loud, took up a lot more space than needed, dropped tons of stuff on the floor for staff to clean up and many left us the feeling they were entitled. Yes, there were kids there but it wasn't overwhelming. In early December we found a nice mix of adults and kids. Typically there were 4-5 kids there at any one time (we are older parents -- married 25 years - with an 8yr old), the kids TV was kept to a minimum with the larger lounge TV being the one that was prominent. The one thing that bothered us was a particular family who let their child play with the serving utensils and then put it back as if nothing happened. Of course, we picked it up and let the staff know -- they replaced it quickly.

As far as offerings go -- Corporate Disney controls what each CL can offer in regards to food items. All "menus" must be approved by them and no changes can be made. My DH thought that the clams, mussels, daily soups, ribs, etc. were good offerings at the YC. The fish and chips ... well was just that ... fish and chips. That said, he really liked the offerings at the AKL much better and we did talk to the YC (who is also in charge of the BC) concierge manager -- we found out that while he might like to change it, he isn't given the luxury to do that without a long approval process.

In lengthy discussions with the concierge staff at the different concierge lounges we picked up tidbits of information regarding kids, families, adults, trends etc as well as made observations of our own trips (at least yearly often more since 1993). More recently, in the last three to four years, one of the biggest things we noticed is that staff (at all lounges) were continually dealing with kids whose parents neglected to "supervise" the acquiring of food, behavior, etc. Utensils being fingered, food being fingered and put back, kids walking on coffee tables, kids yelling and screaming in the lounge and constantly turning the TV up. Most staff members were very cordial and when we mentioned something to them, they said that they understand but wish parents would remember that even on vacation they need to watch their kids. (Of course, they would never acknowledge this to most guests.) Then there were the adults who had forgotten their manners, right alongside the kids. On the weekends, they see many more "families" using the concierge services and the lounge -- which we definitely noticed. When their numbers increase they are less effective in keeping up as their staffing doesn't increase. Most of them really want to provide good service but are often stretched -- particularly at times when concierge is sold out or almost at capacity.

The lounges at the BC and the YC are considerably smaller than the Poly or the AKL. That said, the YC doesn't have as many rooms to "service" as those other properties. When we were there, even on weekends, it was never "packed" unlike what we found at AKL. The YC does have a comfortable couch and a nice "patio-balcony" with tables on it. Unfortunately, the balcony faces the entrance of the resort -- nothing exciting. We found the lkounge comfortable, although, it is a tad bit more formal in furnishings. The YC concierge staff, which rotates with the BC, was very good. Excellent service. Always a smile. Willing to help. Engaged us in conversation, etc. Couldn't have asked for more.

One of the issues with the BC is the small lounge and concierge's popularity with young families with kids. To be blunt -- it simply isn't big enough for the number of guests they are being asked to serve. You pick this up just from the different posts on this board -- once you've been there -- most agree.

As far as the most adult-oriented concierge -- I'm not sure you will find one at DisneyWorld. Perhaps GF might be. As families become more affluent, they are enjoying the concierge more and more. You see younger families now staying at this level where in years past that might not have been the case. The YC is also a tad bit more adult oriented since it is classified as a "convention hotel" and often many of the rooms are taken by those attending conferences there.

It is so hard to be able to tell if Concierge is a good "expense" for anyone. I think it depends on what you want. If we had paid for it, simply for the food offerings we would have been extremely disappointed. We loved the double sheeting on the beds, the turndown service, the exclusive desk, the snacks throughout the day at the lounge, etc. We never waited in line to have a question answered and when an issue arose it was handled immediately. I think for us it is the service and the convenience. And at the YC/BC it is SAB, also.

If you aren't sold on concierge and it is stretching your budget so that it is uncomfortable than I would guess that you might be disappointed.

As far as changing your reservations -- that is what the CROs are hired to do -- I wouldn't feel bad about changing and if you get a CM with an attitude I would simply call back. We use a TA that is used to hearing from us and in fact for our next trip she has changed our ressie four times. I would do whatever you feel most comfortable with doing.
 
Your pictures look almost exactly like ours! We stayed in 5701 the week after you! We were upgraded for FREE to the Concierge and I am really glad that I didn't pay for it!! We have stayed at WL concierge and GF concierge and both were better in my opinion. The Beach Club was a great resort and I actually had tears in my ears when they upgraded us, I was very grateful, but I thought that the lounge was kind of small and the floor seemed enormous serving a lot of people, plus there were so many convention attenedees on our floor that the lounge was ALWAYS crowded!
Laura
 
having got back from bc concergie last month, i have to say it was great! nice lounge it was always clean and the staff was very friendly. i would stay there again in a heartbeat! there were people in the lounge but we always got a seat and the food was very good. i can't underatand the bad reviews..but oh well just more room for me next time:thumbsup2
 
We stayed last summer with our boys (16 & 14) and DD 14 months. We were very dissappointed with the level of service. The lounge CM's were friendly and I had very positive interactions with one front desk(sitting outside of the lounge) CM and that was it. The rest of the CM's staffing the desk outside of the lounge were less than friendly and I felt somewhat cold. When I filled out our info prior to arrival I listed we had 2 birthdays in our group, I was not expecting anything other than maybe a "happy b-day" to the bithday boys from the staff...nope not a word!!! I felt I had wasted my time even filling out the b-day info. The food was less than great. The boys took advantage of the soda and our daughter enjoyed the cheese popcorn. We found the evening offerings less than appetizing most nights and were only pleased witht he dessert selection 1 night of our stay. We would not pay for this level or lack of service at this resort ever again. We are going to AKL concierge this next trip!
 
I really appreciate everyones reviews. I have BC CL booked for Oct for my family and it doesn't sound as if it I would be satisfied based on these reviews. I have only done concierge for business in the past (never at Disney) and was expecting a different level of service. We have done values for our quick trips the last 3 years and wanted to do something special this year since it may be our last as a family. (my daughter will be graduating HS soon).

I think I will take the difference and use it for spending! :thumbsup2

Thanks again for all of the great info.

CRO here I come again!

jb
 














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