Big changes in concierge

[arminnie]

I am taking my Dad (age 84) on the DVC member cruise in September. I have booked 3 nights at AKL concierge because I thought he would really enjoy it.

He loves the idea of "free" food - but is not much of a drinker. We will probably not be going to the parks and I thought being able to view the animals would be great.

If the AKL concierge is not going to be much better than a Residence Inn offering I am going to cancel. I am paying for this with cash. Since we are not going to the parks we could stay at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes club level for about $150 LESS a night and get better service.

I just got my packet of information from concierge asking if I had any questions. I will let them know my concerns ASAP.

This September would have been my parents 60th wedding anniversary if my mother were still with us. The whole point of this trip is to treat my dad to a really special treat at a time that will be a sad for him.

 

[PMart]

hello everyone,

I will be staying at Wl conceirge the week of June 5. I emailed them about what they offered and did indeed ask about the bottled water. I will post whatever they tell me ASAP.

PMart

 

[gottaluvPluto]

Which concierge level are you staying at? My suggestion would be to arrange it ahead of time with the pre-planning staff, especially if you are staying at one of the Epcot resorts. You can absolutely ask them to stock your in-room refrigerator with bottled water.

Tammi

Thanks!! We are staying at BWI regular concierge in Oct.

 

[TammiMcMan]

If the AKL concierge is not going to be much better than a Residence Inn offering I am going to cancel. I am paying for this with cash. Since we are not going to the parks we could stay at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes club level for about $150 LESS a night and get better service.

Even at Disney, not all concierge levels are created equal. If you want, take a look at this thread and in particular, post #9 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=679928. The AKL lounge is a beautiful spot to unwind and relax. When we go to Disney now, we tend to spend more time at the resort, so the lounge is pretty important to us. Based on my research, I've found that the GF, Poly, CR 14th floor and the AKL probably have the best offerings in terms of space, seating, snacks, views and they are open all the time.

Because I think that a picture is worth a thousand words, you might want to take a look at this site, Our Laughing Place. They have some great pictures of the lounge and food setup. Another added plus to staying at the AKL concierge, is that they offer two safaris exclusively for their guests. I don't know if they'll happen to fall during your stay or even if you're interested in doing them, but one is a sunrise safari at the AK and you do need to have a park pass for that day. The other is a sunset safari done at the lodge and it includes a private dinner at Jiko's. I'm not sure of the costs, but this might be worth asking about. Also, I know this is going slightly off topic, but as you're not planning on doing any parks, perhaps you'd like to consider a Fireworks or Illuminations cruise. Your pre-planner can assist you with those reservations.

Tammi

 

[TammiMcMan]

Thanks!! We are staying at BWI regular concierge in Oct.

Then you have the pleasure of working with Alana, Amy, Angie and Lauren. I honestly cannot say enough nice things about these ladies. You are in excellent hands.

Tammi

 

[floridafam]

arminnie,

I would do the Ritz. They are FAR better than any Disney CL any day.

The level of service at the Ritz properties is just much better than at Disney.

We are headed to WL CL next weekend. I'll see if they have made any changes. The main reason we like WL CL is because the whole floor is non-smoking. That's a big plus for us.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Wow, I'm really glad we chose against concierge now for our honeymoon! We had debated it for the portion of our honeymoon stay at the AKL but decided that the food selection was a bit limited already (for me b/c of my food allergies) so it wouldn't be worth it. Now it looks like DH wouldn't be as impressed either if we had so thank you for sharing this!

 

[skiwee1]

I'm still confused then, but it doesn't take much with me. In December there were no english muffins or bread for toasting either. The cereal was in glass jars, no individual boxes, no muffins, coffee cakes or breads. There were donuts, they looked like Krispy Kremes. The 11-4 snacks were the same as you reported with no fruit tray or vegetables. Evening was the same with only a small plate of mini pastries. All of the resorts discountinued the small bottled water around a year ago. The only difference I can see is that there were bottles of wine on the sideboard and beer underneath cooling where they keep the soda.

I'm just doubting that what the CM's told you was correct in that it had just taken place 2 weeks ago. 95% of the items you mentioned were not there in December.

Tammi

What does it matter WHEN this change took place? The fact is that it did and the OP was telling everyone about it. Why the confusion?

 

[Sammie]

I would gather this is a Disney reaction to the abuse of the concierge lounge and food over the past years. We have all discussed this abuse in great detail. This is how Disney handles abuse problems, they punish everyone instead of dealing with the problem. Rather than confront someone about taking all the chocolate covered strawberries, they just remove them completely from the menu.

 

[DVCconvert]

A few years ago, valet parking was free, you just had to tip. Now they charge.

just as a matter of fact, DVC members are not charged, nor are DDE members for valet.

 

[PatriciaH]

DH and I work concierge at The Contemporary and we still have English muffins, wheat bread, raisin bread, white bread, pastries, Krispy Kreams, crossiants, bagels, cereal, fresh fruit, milk, juice, etc.. out at breakfast. We also have 3 different snacks (brownies, blondies, rice krispie treats, 3 different types of cookies, lemon bars, etc..) out with the chips and Goldfish crackers at snack time. There are about 8 different types of soda/iced tea/ root beer out from about 10:30am-10pm. We have several beers, 2 white wines and 2 reds at night and several cordials with the pastries/cookies at night.

Also, there are 2 hot appetizers each night (chicken wings, bbq ribs, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp scampi, lamb with chutney, etc..), veggies and dip, hummus, boursin cheese, fresh fruit, crackers, pita bread, cheese plate, uncrustable p b and j with gummie worms, etc..

We have great French pastries out at night (mini key lime pie, mini bannana creme pie, mini cheescake, chocolate covered strawberries, etc..) Cookies, brownies, rice krispie bars are often out as well. We also have a kids offering like "fish in the deep blue sea", "cookie burgers" or "worms in dirt"

Come visit us The view can't be beat!

 

[TammiMcMan]

What does it matter WHEN this change took place? The fact is that it did and the OP was telling everyone about it. Why the confusion?

What matters to me is how it was reported by the CM. Maybe I'm looking for a conspiracy theory or something, but that CM (Betty) made it sound like that if the OP had been there just 2 weeks prior, she would have had her choice of english muffins, fruit platters and an assortment of cakes among other things. I reported the YC lounge offerings back in December and had a few disagreements with previous guests who insisted that they were served a much better variety and that I had to be mistaken. I was simply pointing out that these changes had all been made months ago and that it wasn't something new. If you read through all the posts, I'm sure that you noticed quite a few DIS'ers were concerned about these seemingly overnight changes and I'm just trying to clarify that it was indeed over many months time at this particular resort.

I have some friends who are on their way to different CL's this week. I haven't seen much reported on any changes at the other resorts, so hopefully we'll get some information from them when they return. Just trying to address some concerns that were brought up and not looking to upset anyone.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Interesting thread! I'm going to keep an eye on the changes to the concierge offerings. It may impact our planning.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[travelin' girl]

Oh boy, I hope I made the right decision by going with concierge in the main building of the GF?... I thought it would be nice for us with having 2 teenage boys!

 

[KerryCM]

I remember when people got up at arms over the small water bottles being gone. Now the food! To me the concierge experience is not all about the food. I stay at the BWI because of the cast and the service I have received from them and the IPO of the Epcot resorts. Yes, it is more than a regular room, but I love being able to go to the lounge, have a nice conversation and relax. I have never expected to make a meal out of the food offered. I appreciate being able to grab a cold drink when I come back from the parks or to bring down to the pool with me. the coffee and juice are right there in the morning for us as well as a quick bite. (gotta love those chocolate croissants). I have never had a problem with the level of service I have received there and feel the cast has well exceeded my family's expectations on all of our trips there.

 

[mom2febgirls]

Almost the entire reason I chose to stay concierge at the Poly was for the lounge. A nice place to hang out away from the bustle of the crowds and watch the fireworks each evening. I think that alone is worth the money.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I remember when people got up at arms over the small water bottles being gone. Now the food! To me the concierge experience is not all about the food. I stay at the BWI because of the cast and the service I have received from them and the IPO of the Epcot resorts. Yes, it is more than a regular room, but I love being able to go to the lounge, have a nice conversation and relax. I have never expected to make a meal out of the food offered. I appreciate being able to grab a cold drink when I come back from the parks or to bring down to the pool with me. the coffee and juice are right there in the morning for us as well as a quick bite. (gotta love those chocolate croissants). I have never had a problem with the level of service I have received there and feel the cast has well exceeded my family's expectations on all of our trips there.

I remember that too. That's the thing though, people choose concierge for different reasons. I do my own planning and follow through. (I would use concierge for an emergency, if a plan fell through.) The lounge is nice to have. Access to snacks without having to go very far is nice too.

I wouldn't choose to make a meal from the food offered. But if it is a dramatic drop in offerings then yes, it does drop the value-added for me. I like choices. And if I'm paying premium, then I want to have those choices! Drop the price and the choices, no big deal. Or increase services in another area. It's the principal.

I love Disney. The conceirge thing is minor on the scale of things. It's a choice. We'll just do something else if it is as reported here. No big deal. I just like to know what I'm purchasing and have that delivered as such. As in all things.

Just my .02.

 

[Kteacher]

Hi PatriciaH I'll be staying at the CR on the 12th floor this summer with my family ( 3 teens ) Do you know what the offerings are for the 12th floor?

 

[PatriciaH]

Hi PatriciaH I'll be staying at the CR on the 12th floor this summer with my family ( 3 teens ) Do you know what the offerings are for the 12th floor?

Hi there-

the food offerings are the same as on the 14th floor until 4pm. There will be CM's there to help you from 7-10pm but the food stops at 4pm. There is lemonade in the afternoons and cranberry juice and chocolate milk in the mornings as well. Sometimes English muffins and raisin/wheat toast are not out but we can get it for you from 14. Let me know if you need any help and have a great time!

 

[Kteacher]

Thanks My daughter will be turning 13 while we are there, and my oldest son will have just graduated H.S., so I'm hoping to make this a special trip for our family ( they won't know we are staying on the 12th floor till we get there! )