Booking our first ever cruise and need help :)

[kateandy08096]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are about to book our first ever cruise and need help with questions.
We are looking into Nov 27th 2017 for 4 nights. It would be myself, husband daughter and granddaughter 17 months time of travel. I am dead set on a cabanna at castaway and read the only way to pretty much guarantee one is to book concierge level. My husband is all for it. Myself on the other hand dont really care about the amenities other than being able to book the cabanna. My questions are is concierge really worth it? We dont plan on dining at palo. If booking via a TA for onboard credits would I still be able to call Disney and do things myself if I wanted to? Is using a TA really worth it?
Thanks all. We are WDW vets and never been on a cruise so Im a little nervous. Forgot to mention my husband is 6'8 so he likes the idea of the concierge room for space. I dont really see it being all that much more room. It would be the basic cheapest concerige catagory.

 

[Sytrace]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are about to book our first ever cruise and need help with questions.
We are looking into Nov 27th 2017 for 4 nights. It would be myself, husband daughter and granddaughter 17 months time of travel. I am dead set on a cabanna at castaway and read the only way to pretty much guarantee one is to book concierge level. My husband is all for it. Myself on the other hand dont really care about the amenities other than being able to book the cabanna. My questions are is concierge really worth it? We dont plan on dining at palo. If booking via a TA for onboard credits would I still be able to call Disney and do things myself if I wanted to? Is using a TA really worth it?
Thanks all. We are WDW vets and never been on a cruise so Im a little nervous. Forgot to mention my husband is 6'8 so he likes the idea of the concierge room for space. I dont really see it being all that much more room. It would be the basic cheapest concerige catagory.

Your main priorities are space and a cabana, so I would suggest booking Concierge. A travel agent would be the only one who could contact DCL for you about booking, payments etc, , however, you would be able to book your own excursions and do your own online check in. As a concierge guest, you would also have the assistance of the team both onboard and shoreside to book a cabana and/or excursions in advance of 120 days out. Actually, you put your requests in at 125 days prior and they are taken care of by the Concierge team for you.
Some other benefits to booking that level, would be as follows:
1. You would be among the first to board the ship after Family of the Day
2. You would have a couple of happy hours per day with drinks included
3. You would have someone to take care of contacting GS instead of having to do it yourself should a need arise.
4. Private conceierge sundeck access

There are many other good perks, but since space and a cabana are your priority, I would seriously look into it. And if you have a willing spouse, then that makes it easier and more fun.
Have a great cruise.

 

[undertheradar]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are about to book our first ever cruise and need help with questions.
We are looking into Nov 27th 2017 for 4 nights. It would be myself, husband daughter and granddaughter 17 months time of travel. I am dead set on a cabanna at castaway and read the only way to pretty much guarantee one is to book concierge level. My husband is all for it. Myself on the other hand dont really care about the amenities other than being able to book the cabanna. My questions are is concierge really worth it? We dont plan on dining at palo. If booking via a TA for onboard credits would I still be able to call Disney and do things myself if I wanted to? Is using a TA really worth it?
Thanks all. We are WDW vets and never been on a cruise so Im a little nervous. Forgot to mention my husband is 6'8 so he likes the idea of the concierge room for space. I dont really see it being all that much more room. It would be the basic cheapest concerige catagory.

The benefits for concierge are a long and varied list. I would not book concierge in a Cat V, which is the same size as a family verandah suite. I would spend the money and book a Cat T for the benefit of added space, 2 bathrooms, in suite dining from the mdrs and hot breakfast each morning except the last morning of the cruise.

With regards to a TA, we use Eileen Smith @ Dreams Unlimited and receive onboard credit, a gift basket at home before the cruise. Since we stay concierge, our TA handles our requests with DCL shoreside concierge, adding another layer of coverage when making our requests.

 

[kateandy08096]

Thank you both! I just worry about the TA not getting my request in for a cabanna in time. However the perks do sound nice. I dont think eating in our room is something that we would take advantage of. More likely we would like to be out and about. I will have to see the price difference between the 2 catagories

 

[bumbershoot]

You make the request for the cabana, not the TA. You are in communication with the concierges when they send an email at 125 days then you send your requests at 120 days (I think those days are accurate still).

If you are changing rooms or making other changes to the actual reservation, you go through the TA. If you're doing shore excursions (a cabana is considered an excursion), dining, cpap distilled water request...those you do on your own.

Cat V isn't going to get anymore space for a tall person. Nothing gets you a taller room or a longer bed as far as I know, even in a big suite.

Why is a cabana so important? What aspects are golden to you? I personally wouldn't get one again so it's always a curious it's to me.

 

[Floridatinaherb]

I just worry about the TA not getting my request in for a cabanna in time.

This would be my concern as well...this is our 1st time booking concierge with a TA and I wasn't planning on having them book my excursions/cabana. We have always email onshore concierge with our requests and have had no issues getting exactly what we wanted. It is nice having the OBC from the TA though, ours is paying for our cabana next year! Without the OBC I don't know that I would even go for the expense of one, even though we are concierge.

 

[undertheradar]

We send an email and so does our TA. Have gotten what we requested every time.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Is Concierge a guarantee to get a cabana? Don't Platinum cruisers get first pick?

 

[undertheradar]

Is Concierge a guarantee to get a cabana? Don't Platinum cruisers get first pick?

No, concierge is not a guaranteed cabana, just a higher priority, as concierge guests may send in requests at 125 days. DCL shoreside concierge inputs the requests in order received, with booking confirmations received on day 120.

 

[Floridatinaherb]

Is Concierge a guarantee to get a cabana? Don't Platinum cruisers get first pick?

While concierge getting a cabana is not guaranteed, they do get 1st pick before Platinum at 125 days through shore side concierge.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We went on our first Disney Cruise (first cruise ever for husband and daughter) and we booked concierge. We decided on concierge because we were celebrating some special milestones. We are DVC Members so we used our points, all of our points to be exact and had to put cash in. Out of pocket cash alone was $8700. We were on deck 12, directly across the lounge. I did like going directly to the concierge check in and bypassing the line. Was it an extremely long line? No, not terrible. Been in longer lines at the park. We went directly to the concierge lounge where they had beverages and small bites to eat. Not a very large selection, but it was nice. The concierge staff will go from table to table and go over your schedule with you and if you have any changes you'd like to make. The lounge does have a "cocktail hour" before dinner which we did go to. We did book a Cabana when our window opened. Did not use private sundeck, walked up there a couple of times...always empty. I don't think the rooms are much larger than others unless maybe you get a 1 bedroom. IMO, I didn't think concierge was worth it. I think if we were in a similar room on a lower deck we'd would of been just fine. Sure, the cabana was nice, but honestly we weren't in it that much. And considering the time you're at Castaway Cay, when you figure it out as a per hour rate, it's a lot.

 

[The Sasquatch]

I am 6'6" and the one bedroom is worth the price of admission alone but keep in mind that is the only larger room, the verandah room is the exact same as non-concierge. Not worrying about a cabana is a great perk and its hard to go back to CC without one. We dont use everything else all that much but it is nice to have a place for snacks, coffee, water, drinks, etc. The overall styling of the concierge rooms are fantastic, the two floors are beautiful and noticeably different. the hosts make the experience that much nicer, its just an overall more enjoyable way to cruise. Not that we wouldnt go non-concierge but given the choice, we opt for it. We will be conci 1 bed this October and non-conci verandah next october with a large group.

 

[kateandy08096]

You make the request for the cabana, not the TA. You are in communication with the concierges when they send an email at 125 days then you send your requests at 120 days (I think those days are accurate still).

If you are changing rooms or making other changes to the actual reservation, you go through the TA. If you're doing shore excursions (a cabana is considered an excursion), dining, cpap distilled water request...those you do on your own.

Cat V isn't going to get anymore space for a tall person. Nothing gets you a taller room or a longer bed as far as I know, even in a big suite.

Why is a cabana so important? What aspects are golden to you? I personally wouldn't get one again so it's always a curious it's to me.

You make the request for the cabana, not the TA. You are in communication with the concierges when they send an email at 125 days then you send your requests at 120 days (I think those days are accurate still).

If you are changing rooms or making other changes to the actual reservation, you go through the TA. If you're doing shore excursions (a cabana is considered an excursion), dining, cpap distilled water request...those you do on your own.

Cat V isn't going to get anymore space for a tall person. Nothing gets you a taller room or a longer bed as far as I know, even in a big suite.

Why is a cabana so important? What aspects are golden to you? I personally wouldn't get one again so it's always a curious it's to me.

Hello, its pretty important because we will be traveling with our 17 month old grand daughter so I think having a cabanna will help with having a place to relax sit ect. We went to discovery cove a few years ago and loved not having to rush in to find chairs ect. I never been on a cruise but after reading on some sites people had to race off the ship to get beach chairs ect. I dont want to feel like we are unable to enjoy the day if we are racing around having to find chairs lug our stuff with us ect. Having a locker would be nice too

 

[kateandy08096]

No, concierge is not a guaranteed cabana, just a higher priority, as concierge guests may send in requests at 125 days. DCL shoreside concierge inputs the requests in order received, with booking confirmations received on day 120.

So is it possible to Email at 12:01 am on the 125 day to get the request put in? If a cabanna isnt avail are we able to downgrade our room to a verandah

 

[kateandy08096]

We went on our first Disney Cruise (first cruise ever for husband and daughter) and we booked concierge. We decided on concierge because we were celebrating some special milestones. We are DVC Members so we used our points, all of our points to be exact and had to put cash in. Out of pocket cash alone was $8700. We were on deck 12, directly across the lounge. I did like going directly to the concierge check in and bypassing the line. Was it an extremely long line? No, not terrible. Been in longer lines at the park. We went directly to the concierge lounge where they had beverages and small bites to eat. Not a very large selection, but it was nice. The concierge staff will go from table to table and go over your schedule with you and if you have any changes you'd like to make. The lounge does have a "cocktail hour" before dinner which we did go to. We did book a Cabana when our window opened. Did not use private sundeck, walked up there a couple of times...always empty. I don't think the rooms are much larger than others unless maybe you get a 1 bedroom. IMO, I didn't think concierge was worth it. I think if we were in a similar room on a lower deck we'd would of been just fine. Sure, the cabana was nice, but honestly we weren't in it that much. And considering the time you're at Castaway Cay, when you figure it out as a per hour rate, it's a lot.

Thanks for the info! I personally dont think paying the extra for concierge is worth it but having a 17 month old I think we would get good use out of the cabanna. How long are we on castaway cay for?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So is it possible to Email at 12:01 am on the 125 day to get the request put in? If a cabanna isnt avail are we able to downgrade our room to a verandah

You submit your request to Concierge shoreside at 125 days out. In the split second at midnight on day 120 Concierge requests go in before anyone else can get there.

You can downgrade your room, but the deposit will remain non-refundable.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks for the info! I personally dont think paying the extra for concierge is worth it but having a 17 month old I think we would get good use out of the cabanna. How long are we on castaway cay for?

Usually something like 6 hours or so. Could be less or a bit more, depending on how quickly they can actually dock in the morning. Or could be not at all, if docking conditions are unfavorable.

 

[kateandy08096]

I am 6'6" and the one bedroom is worth the price of admission alone but keep in mind that is the only larger room, the verandah room is the exact same as non-concierge. Not worrying about a cabana is a great perk and its hard to go back to CC without one. We dont use everything else all that much but it is nice to have a place for snacks, coffee, water, drinks, etc. The overall styling of the concierge rooms are fantastic, the two floors are beautiful and noticeably different. the hosts make the experience that much nicer, its just an overall more enjoyable way to cruise. Not that we wouldnt go non-concierge but given the choice, we opt for it. We will be conci 1 bed this October and non-conci verandah next october with a large group.

I personally would love to stay

You submit your request to Concierge shoreside at 125 days out. In the split second at midnight on day 120 Concierge requests go in before anyone else can get there.

You can downgrade your room, but the deposit will remain non-refundable.

So since the room has to be paid in full to book anything and cabanna isnt avail I will miss out on our deposit if we down grade the room? I see. I guess this may be a very hard decision

 

[kateandy08096]

I personally would love to stay in a reg verandah room if having a cabanna is a guarantee

So since the room has to be paid in full to book anything and cabanna isnt avail I will miss out on our deposit if we down grade the room? I see. I guess this may be a very hard decision

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I personally would love to stay

So since the room has to be paid in full to book anything and cabanna isnt avail I will miss out on our deposit if we down grade the room? I see. I guess this may be a very hard decision

No, you can downgrade your room. You still have to pay for the lower category room. You money that you have already paid for the original booking will be applied to the new one. If something were to happen, before the cruise, and you found it necessary to cancel the cruise, you can get some money back, depending on how close you are to the cruise. But the deposit will always remain non-refundable, since it started out as a Concierge booking.

After the Paid in Full date, deposits are forfeited on all cancelled bookings anyway.