Benefits of Cat V over regular Verandah?

[JJsmama]

I am booked in a regular Cat 4 or 5 (can't remember.) I am thinking of trying to upgrade to Cat V but I am not sure what I would achieve with that. Can anyone explain?
Also, we are past our PIF date, but not sailing for a couple months. At this point, have I missed a lot of the benefits (Cabanas are all already sold out, I have booked my own excursions, etc...)?? So, what would be the benefits Onboard to being Cat V vs 4 or 5? We have been in a Suite on Wonder one cruise, but have not sailed the Dream/ Fantasy yet at all. We were NOT very impressed with Concierge on the Wonder in 2012- 2013.... Is Fantasy better? Thanks

 

[amie416]

On our first cruise (3 day Dream) the cost for a cat V was only $300 more than a 4A for the two of us, so we went for it. We didn't book any port adventures or anything, but we really enjoyed the concierge lounge. We're coffee addicts, so the espresso/cappuccino machine got a lot of use by us, and we did enjoy the little happy hour before dinner each night. Let's say, I never went to the MDR without a full glass in my hand... The service in concierge is top-notch.

Our most recent cruise was a 7-day on the Fantasy. We stayed in 9512, which is classified as a cat. 7A, but it's really a 5A with a slight visual obstruction over the veranda. I was not at all disappointed with our stateroom, as compared to the cat. V. It was still lovely and more than enough room for the two of us. I did miss the concierge lounge... But not enough to pay thousands more!

 

[disnygirl55]

At this point, you wouldn't use what I feel is one of the best benefits of concierge - the booking of a cabana and other hard-to-get excursions. So depending on the price you would pay to upgrade, all it would get you is access to the concierge lounge with treats and happy hours each day. Wonderful coffee drinks from the coffee machine in there, btw, so if you like lattes and other fancy drinks, I suppose you would save money on the drinks you would normally order at Cove Café, plus cocktails before dinner. You receive access to the sundeck, and a special meet and greet with a character. I think the furnishings might be a little nicer with some higher end wood finishes in the room, but the same amount of living space. The concierge hosts are very helpful if you need special assistance, and can book your spa treatments, character meets, tastings, etc. - saving you time from standing in line at guest services. They can also take care of changing tip amounts for you, but you will probably feel expected to tip them at least something at the end of the cruise, so there's that added expense. If I were in your situation, I would probably find it hard to justify at full price at this stage of your cruise planning.

However, if you can arrive early enough at the port and those rooms are still available, you may be able to get it at a fraction of the price of upgrading right now. If you go into it with no expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised if an upgrade is available.

We have always sailed concierge in a 1-bedroom suite - on both the classics and dream class ships. We love the extra space, and feel between that and the early booking benefits (not to mention that we love to spoil ourselves on our vacation), it will always be worth it to us. We have also had great concierge experiences, so I am sorry that you didn't have the same results. We would rather sail concierge on the Dream / Fantasy just because we love the lounge, and use it a lot for treats throughout the day and cocktail hour. We make close acquaintance relationships with our concierge hosts, and enjoy the feeling of belonging and friendship we get on board from them.

I know you'll have a fantastic time on your cruise regardless of which you choose. Have a wonderful time - we are also a little more than two months out on our Fantasy cruise, and it has been a long time coming, so we are very excited. Any Disney Cruise is better than no Disney Cruise - ENJOY!!

 

[JJsmama]

We have always sailed concierge in a 1-bedroom suite - on both the classics and dream class ships. We love the extra space, and feel between that and the early booking benefits (not to mention that we love to spoil ourselves on our vacation), it will always be worth it to us. We have also had great concierge experiences, so I am sorry that you didn't have the same results. We would rather sail concierge on the Dream / Fantasy just because we love the lounge, and use it a lot for treats throughout the day and cocktail hour. We make close acquaintance relationships with our concierge hosts, and enjoy the feeling of belonging and friendship we get on board from them.

I don't mean to hijack my own thread. Just to reply about being disappointed. I am NOT super picky and complainy- although I do know the difference between good and bad service and may be slightly spoiled by many years in Asian resorts...
When we were Concierge, it was Wonder a few years ago. I think they may have added some perks now, but back then, there really were not ANY real perks onboard except a bigger room. (And with 3 kids we all wished we had booked 2 connecting Verandah rooms instead of the Suite. It would have been cheaper too.) Our room was not cleaned well at all (dirty glasses were never removed or replaced..), there was no lounge or special deck areas, no reserved seating anywhere... The Concierge was Completely MIA. He was changing ships and ALL he talked about at the meet was how much better the new ship was, which made us all very uncomfortable...We never saw him again until Tip time. We met another family at the Concierge 'meet' the first day and saw them many times onboard. By the end of the cruise, they were Sorely disappointed in the Concierge. They were also not spoiled Beverly Hills types, but actually a Military family..... I think the newer services on the Dream class are a direct result of underwhelming the guests on the Classic ships... When I read about the new Concierge level, it sounds like there are more tangible benefits.

 

[Quellman]

I don't mean to hijack my own thread. Just to reply about being disappointed. I am NOT super picky and complainy- although I do know the difference between good and bad service and may be slightly spoiled by many years in Asian resorts...
When we were Concierge, it was Wonder a few years ago. I think they may have added some perks now, but back then, there really were not ANY real perks onboard except a bigger room. (And with 3 kids we all wished we had booked 2 connecting Verandah rooms instead of the Suite. It would have been cheaper too.) Our room was not cleaned well at all (dirty glasses were never removed or replaced..), there was no lounge or special deck areas, no reserved seating anywhere... The Concierge was Completely MIA. He was changing ships and ALL he talked about at the meet was how much better the new ship was, which made us all very uncomfortable...We never saw him again until Tip time. We met another family at the Concierge 'meet' the first day and saw them many times onboard. By the end of the cruise, they were Sorely disappointed in the Concierge. They were also not spoiled Beverly Hills types, but actually a Military family..... I think the newer services on the Dream class are a direct result of underwhelming the guests on the Classic ships... When I read about the new Concierge level, it sounds like there are more tangible benefits.

I can only go by what I have read in reports and videos. Concierge for the Dream and the Fantasy seem to really be better than the classic ships. The concierge areas were built specifically in mind, where as they were always more of an after thought. There is a dedicated sun deck, a dedicated lounge. And both of those areas are specifically in the concierge area. Being so close to the concierge staff can really help you out and make you feel taken care of. The classic ships require you to seek them out more. Well, at least until the Magic added the lounge and the Wonder will as well.

As others have mentioned, some of the biggest perks for concierge (booking excursions and cabanas) is already past. But you can still use them to your advantage, for example being placed on a wait list, having them pick up meet and greet tickets, in room Main DIning Room dinners (category depending), providing other things to do while in port, making friends with your kids, easily meeting other passengers in the lounge areas, etc.

Good luck with your choice. No matter what you choose, you will be sailing the deep blue sea!

 

[PhilP]

Wasn't there talk about carving out a Concierge lounge on the classic ships?

 

[JJsmama]

I think i will probably stick with what I have got (No Concierge) this trip, but may consider it for next time. However, probably we will be so happy on our 'normal' cruise that we won't bother. If crowds at breakfast and no chairs on deck turn out to be a problem, then that would probably make me consider it more, but I don't anticipate those issues. I DO think we would enjoy the cocktail hour, the coffee machine, bottled water, concierge sun deck, etc if we switched.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think i will probably stick with what I have got (No Concierge) this trip, but may consider it for next time. However, probably we will be so happy on our 'normal' cruise that we won't bother. If crowds at breakfast and no chairs on deck turn out to be a problem, then that would probably make me consider it more, but I don't anticipate those issues. I DO think we would enjoy the cocktail hour, the coffee machine, bottled water, concierge sun deck, etc if we switched.

If you would enjoy those things and the upgrade is a decent rate just do it. You might never find a decent rate again.

 

[JJsmama]

If you would enjoy those things and the upgrade is a decent rate just do it. You might never find a decent rate again.

The website is showing 'concierge unavailable' so i am not hopeful at this point.