Boardwalk concierge or GF Sugar Loaf concierge?

[Ladyhawke10]

We're planning on splitting our stay (as you can see I'm in the heat of planning) between either the Poly/ Contemporary, AKL, and a couple nights in concierge--either the Boardwalk or the Grand Floridian's sugar loaf concierge.

The GF's sugar loaf concierge is only about 25 bucks more than the Boardwalk's concierge, but its my understanding that the Boardwalk's concierge offers a more extensive food selection. Any know about this? Is this true?

I absolutely love GF so I'd rather stay at GF than the Boardwalk, but the Boardwalk is a close second so its no big deal--if the concierge is better at the Boardwalk, I'd go with that (I've also heard that the Boardwalk's concierge lounge is really beautiful, and know nothing about the sugar loaf's concierge area--I think it might even be in the lobby of the building).

Which would you choose? Thanks for info !!

 

[CaipiraBob]

I've never stayed at GF concierge. I'd suggest you do a search and check out what people say specifically about the quality of service. It's a mixed bag at best. One woman who recently posted about staying in a suite found that she couldn't get them to place champaign on ice and provide glasses for them to use. That may not seem like such a big deal, but I would not expect to have to argue for such a tiny request while paying suite rates.

I've stayed at the BWI concierge and thought it was wonderful. My wife and I chatted with the staff over nothing and everything for hours . They always took the time to ask if they could help. They were readily available if I was in the park and we decided to change out eating plans. One day we were in EPCOT and decided to eat at the nice French restaurant early when the skies opened up in a tremendous downpour.

They boooked us immediately. When we arrived, there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. Here we walked in all drenched, and the staff there treated us so amazingly well and seated us right away. I have to state that I believe that this was also due to the quality of the staff at the restaurant. We felt like royalty, though.

The lounge serves treats such as "lobster turnovers" and "chicken weltington". They were as good as they sound. There were ample supplies of chocolate covered strawberries and other treats.

I can't recommend BWI enough.

 

[KerryCM]

I have to agree about the BWI concierge. To me they are the best on property. It is the only place I stay now. I have not heard very good things about the GF concierge, so I was in no hurry to try it. I have stayed at the YC, BC, and Poly concierge also. The planners for the Epcot resort area are also wonderful. They were able to get us all the PS we needed and were very prompt in answering my e-mails.
The cast at the Innkeepers Club are great. They show such interest in your plans and are more than willing to do whatever you need. They will more than exceed your expectations!!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Just to let you know that the Sugar Loaf concierge is considered "limited". They will not have wine/beer available with their evening offering and the food service ends at about 7pm. Sugar Loaf does not have the 8-10pm dessert and cordial offering either. I think Sugar Loaf is a nice upgrade from a standard room at the GF, but I wouldn't really compare it to BWI. They don't have a separate lounge area, it's all located in the lobby as you walk into the Sugar Loaf building. The set up reminds me more of a bed & breakfast. They have some chair and sofa's, the concierge staff sits in the same area and the tables for eating are place in the entranceway where you exit to the marina.

I'd pick the BWI.

Tammi

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I wonder why the Sugar Loaf concierge is more expensive than the Boardwalk's concierge? It sounds like the service and culinary offerings are not nearly as good. I guess the GF is considered more luxurious than the Boardwalk, but I've stayed at both and the different isn't THAT great. The GF is my favorite resort onsite, but the Boardwalk is gorgeous, too.

From my experience, the CMs at GF were friendlier and more gracious (overall) than the CMs at the Boardwalk. We actually had some significant housekeeping issues at the BW that no one responded to. I love the Boardwalk, so its not like I'd never stay there again because of it, but I'm disappointed to hear that GF's service at the CL level has gone downhill. In the standard/ lagoon rooms we've vacationed in, we've had nothing but wonderful service. Why exhibit mediocre service at such a stellar resort?

I wonder if there are any pictures on the web of the BWI lounge?

 

[johnsonet]

DEFINITELY BWI Concierge! I have done both. I don't even consider that I've done Concierge at GF b/c the Sugar Loaf experience I had in 1999 did not resemble what I've experienced at AKL CL or at BWI CL. Now, '99 was a long time ago and I'm a much more savvy Disney traveler since then. But I would highly recommend BWI Concierge. The pre-planning team (I had Alana who is a delight!) is excellent and the Innkeeper's Club Lounge is awesome!! VERY nice. We really loved it and can't wait to go back!. I love GF, too, but stay in lagoon view or garden view rooms.

 

[TammiMcMan]

The GF is the flagship resort of Disney and I think, in general, it is more expensive. As to the offerings and service at the GF, I've never been disappointed. The food is a little more on the gourmet side and even during "snack" times, you'll have more of an assortment. I just wanted to let you know that for the $24 difference that you mentioned, you'd be receiving full concierge service at the BW and limited at the GF. If the extra dessert offering and the lack of wine/beer & cordials don't bother you, then you should go with what you like.

I've always stayed at the GF, but this time around we are trying out the YC. I can say that the pre-planning staff that's assigned to to the YC/BC/BW is probably one of the best that I've ever worked with. The GF's staff is very professional, but the other group are very warm and friendly. I'm hoping that spills over onto the concierge staff that works in the resort. I'll let you know in a few weeks.

Tammi

 

[disneyholic family]

i don't like the sugarloaf concierge...
if i can't get reservations at the RPC at the GF, then we go to a different resort....
we've never tried the BWI concierge so i can't compare (we stayed at the BWI back when it first opened and before we upgraded to concierge.....my kids didn't like the BWI, so we haven't been back)...

 

[swilphil]

Another big plus of the BW is the location. If you are staying Poly/Contemp. earlier in your trip, it would be more of a treat to stay at one of the Epcot area resorts, and BWI concierage is the best around. It sounds like you have a fabulous trip planned. Enjoy!

 

[micmacmissy]

We are going for our first family trip to Disney in a few weeks. We reserved a 2 bdrm suite in Sugar Loaf and are paying big bucks...now i'm reading all these negative reviews and getting worried!

What should I expect? For the $$$$$, I was really thinking it would be first class all the way, with service and food to match...but now reading these negative posts, I'm worried.

How much does the concierge staff assist you? I have already emailed them to inquire about getting mouse ears for the kids with their names on them (I wanted them waiting in the suite for our arrival). So far the staff has not replied--and it has been several days.

Also, should I pack for every emergency--or is staff available to help if, say, a child wakes up with a fever and needs some tylenol or something?

Any (positive) info would be helpful! Too late to change plans now, and we have a family pinning high hopes on this vacation!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Unfortunately, I can't guarantee that you will have a wonderful vacation, but I would advise you to take the negative comments with a grain of salt. Resorts operate 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. There are going to be times when a bad experience is going to occur. We all wish that it wasn't on our vacation and I think that most of the time, it is run very well.

As for some of your concerns, I'll try to help out. Due to some consolidating, the pre-planners are no longer exclusively for the GF. They are now also taking care of guests from, I believe it's the Polynesian. This has been fairly recent and I think that's why there has been some communication issues. It's very possible that the staff are already working on your request and they just haven't gotten back with you yet. If it's been a few days, then I would follow up and check your credit card to see if it's been billed yet.

We've stayed at the GF in concierge on many occassions and have never once had a problem. In fact, the staff has always gone out of their way for us. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the food offerings and I like the fact that the lounge is open all the time. For the most part mousekeeping has always done a good job and the turn down staff has been excellent. The concierge staff at the desk are not on duty 24 hours a day. They arrive at about 7am and close up at 10pm. If you have any needs during this time with priority seating, recreation, transportation, etc., they can help you out. If anything happens after 10pm, you would need to call the front desk.

Really, the most important piece of advice that I can offer is that you take a deep breath. I have major OCD when it comes to planning my Disney vacations and have spent an hour crying in my resort room on more than one occassion because things weren't going perfectly. You can do the best that you can with things that are within your control and if something goes wrong, you can only try and handle it the best that you can.

Tammi

 

[Ladyhawke10]

Well, obviously I haven't tried GF concierge (I'm the OP who was asking about it ), but I LOVE GF and have stayed several times in either lagoon or garden views. In that capacity, the resort has been first class and we've never had problems ever. Everything has gone beautifully on all of our trips. In other some of the other deluxes we've had minor problems (AKL concierge checked us out early and other mishaps, regular Boardwalk room was over Flying Fish and had a foul odor, Yacht club once booked us in a handicapped room instead of a regular water view room...minor stuff like that that never kept us from returning in any way) yet we never had a single problem like this at GF. I don't think the food offerings will be as extensive as the other full service concierge locations like BWI, as I've been reading on here, but I would definitely recommend the GF in general....it is my favorite onsite resort and one of my favorite resorts anywhere! Lots of magic to be found at GF, for sure!