Conceige - Is it worth it?

[Sharon/Mark]

Hi

I wonder what peoples opinion of conceige is - its something we are sorely tempted to do - however it is expensive, do you think it is worth the extra money?

Thank you

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Hi

I wonder what peoples opinion of conceige is - its something we are sorely tempted to do - however it is expensive, do you think it is worth the extra money?

Thank you

Depends on your budget and whether you would use it much (for food and bookings) and sometimes the size of your party...

If you are two adults with two or three kids, always eat breakfast at the hotel (bear in mind that concierge clubs tend to only have continental breakfast) and like snacks in the evening, then it could definitely work out well.

If it is just the two of you and you intend to eat all meals out (including breakast) - say you are on a dining plan or something - then it isn't (financially) really worth it.

The concierge will help you to book dining reservations and things, but their helpfulness and effectiveness will probably depend a lot on the individual in the post at the time of your visit...

More often than not, concierge level is a "nice to have" luxury... EITHER the cost isn't an issue for you OR you think it is worth having anyway (i.e. the don't mind not spending the extra on souveniers etc).

We have enjoyed staying on the concierge level a number of times (although not on Disney properties) and generally make the most of the breakfast and snacks in the lounge - so it works out for us (although generally we don't spend a lot on souveniers and shopping etc.).

Hope that helps,

Boo

 

[Frances999]

For us, the best thing about concierge at WDW resorts is the higher level of service. Yes, all CMs are great, but the concierge CMs of the WDW resorts are truly incredible. They go above and beyond to ensure you have the most magical trip of your life. If you have any requests at all, they will assist. Every morning when you leave and every evening when you return, they will be there to send you good wishes and greet you back in. Unlike concierge service at many other hotels we have experienced, the CMs at WDW are genuinely friendly and actually want to make your trip perfect in every way.

Remember you have room delivery of purchased goods (usually you have to collect from the hotel shop), comprehensive pre-itinerary planning for tickets and dining, access to the concierge lounge for continental breakfast, lunch-time buffet, afternoon snacks, evening Hors d'Oeuvres and cordials/wine and dessert service and your room will be within the concierge "section" or building of the specific resort.

With regards to whether or not concierge is "worth it", it is entirely down to personal preference. In my opinion, you can't put a price on being able to secure some of the coveted reservations (such as the Illuminations Cruises) easily or on the exceptional service.

 

[Sharon/Mark]

Which resort do u feel has the best conceige?

 

[Goofyish]

Given the amount of time spent in the room or at the resort, I think I would rather spend the money on something else - nicer meals, souvenirs etc.

 

[gilld]

We have only had Concierge at the GF and yes it was worth it to us. It may not be worth it to everyone. But we like being pampered and they certainly did that. They obtained elusive dinner reservations for us and arranged gifts.

The food offerings were perfectly adequate for us for breakfast and lunch and once even for dinner. The drinks were very welcome too. We don't spend hours and hours at the parks, so were able to enjoy the resort and snack and drink in the lounge.

Each evening we would collect a plate of desserts with a glass of champagne - Californian but still very nice - and take them to our balcony to watch Wishes - magical indeed.

So if you're out all day and eat lots of meals, it may not be worth it for you but if you like to spend time in the resorts then yes, go for it.

 

[gismo1554]

If you're going to spend hours at the parks each day its probably not worth it but if you like to relax more around the hotel it is.

We've stayed at Polynesian which was fantastic (great food selection and excellent view of wishes), Beach club (good food and great atmosphere), Animal Kingdom (brilliant view of the savanahs and excellent food - good staff too). We're going to GF for the first time in September for 2 days conceirge and can't wait.

 

[Frances999]

The food offerings were perfectly adequate for us for breakfast and lunch and once even for dinner.

So if you're out all day and eat lots of meals, it may not be worth it for you but if you like to spend time in the resorts then yes, go for it.

This is fair enough, but you do need to keep in mind that the concierge is not a meal replacement plan. Disney have talked about restricting the lunch-time and evening offerings because some people simply take too much and visit the lounge "for dinner" rather than as a supplementary service, as it is intended. The only exception is breakfast.

I am sure you yourselves were not doing this, but I just thought I would mention it incase the OP believed the offerings were intended as a substitute for lunch or dinner. It's NOT a way to save money on eating out. We tend to be out most of the day, and have at least one full-service (sometimes two) meals per day, but still make use of the lounge.

 

[Frances999]

Animal Kingdom (brilliant view of the savanahs and excellent food - good staff too).

I agree that the AKL food is great, but I was disappointed with the lounge. I think it would have been so much nicer if it directly overlooked the savannah rather than the lobby.

 

[TinkTatoo]

We are staying concierge for the first (and probably) only time over Christmas. I figured that with WDW being so busy over this time the breakfast offerings in the lounge would save us lots of time and hassle in the mornings and the pre planning service has been able to get all of our ADR's at the times we wanted. So for this trip it was worth it but mostly we stay in private villas and DVC when we stay on site.

 

[Amyrlin]

It terms of the cost and the extras the food etc does not make up fr the extra cost. However, it is a very different experience, from checking in to the just going into the lounge for coffee and being greated by name, it is a totally different experience.

If you are doing it for the food offering you may be dissapointeed, they are nice, but not substanial, if you are doing it for the service level you will have a great time.

 

[gilld]

This is fair enough, but you do need to keep in mind that the concierge is not a meal replacement plan. Disney have talked about restricting the lunch-time and evening offerings because some people simply take too much and visit the lounge "for dinner" rather than as a supplementary service, as it is intended. The only exception is breakfast.

I am sure you yourselves were not doing this, but I just thought I would mention it incase the OP believed the offerings were intended as a substitute for lunch or dinner. It's NOT a way to save money on eating out. We tend to be out most of the day, and have at least one full-service (sometimes two) meals per day, but still make use of the lounge.

There was so much there, a few crackers and a small piece of cheese didn't make a dent and that's about all we'd ever have mid day. We're not people who like to eat great big meals all the time - we see enough people who do/have done that at work each day!

We did use it as dinner our last evening because we'd had a table service meals almost every night up 'til then and we were just sick of food - a few carrot/celery sicks and some olives were all we wanted. No it's not a meal replcement but surely it would be very greedy to eat from the Concierge lounge AND have a meal?

 

[Boo Boo Too]

We did use it as dinner our last evening because we'd had a table service meals almost every night up 'til then and we were just sick of food - a few carrot/celery sicks and some olives were all we wanted. No it's not a meal replcement but surely it would be very greedy to eat from the Concierge lounge AND have a meal?

No to both - just depends how you use it...

... you can either have a few crisps/crudites/crackers after coming back from the parks before maybe a late dinner reservation.

...or. like you, if we are not very hungry (i.e. had a BIG, late lunch), then sometimes all you want for supper is cheese & crackers and some olives (and normally their olives are the size of melons ).

Different people use the Concierge food offerings in different ways. As Frances says, they are not "meal replacements" in the traditional sense (i.e you can't eat a big buffet spread there), but if you are only looking for a small snack (either to tide you over or as a small supper) then they are great

They are good for breakast too, but you have to bear in mind that it is continental (and not a full fry up). If you like yoghurts, fruit, muffins, toast etc, then breakfast is normally great

Boo

 

[gismo1554]

I agree that the AKL food is great, but I was disappointed with the lounge. I think it would have been so much nicer if it directly overlooked the savannah rather than the lobby.

I agree actually. It would have been nice to have it over the savannah but I think they did it this way so that people would return to their rooms and sit with food rather than filling up the lounge (means that you don't need as much space and it takes less effort to clean it).

 

[allie5]

We did Poly concierge last year and even DH (who is an official tight wad ) reckoned it was excellent.

I used the planning services and they were great. The whole atmosphere of the Hawaii building was lovely and the staff AMAZING. Nothing was ever too much trouble.

There are lots of little extras which made our stay something special - a tour of the resort by golf cart when we arrived. Lei's, buckets and spades for the kids, chocolates and flowers were in our room - it was fantastic. Also your "concierge" status seem to get you in any restaurant at ANY time!

We usually ate breakfast in the lounge, maybe grabbed some sodas and nibbles if we were back in the afternoon, then plan a later dinner so we could sample the odd snack in the evenings. It was also nice to get a bottle of wine to take back to the room - with a few desserts!

The kids adored it and it we all agreed it was the best part of our holiday (the previous 2 weeks we were at AKL which we werent fussed about at all).

Id say go for it!
Yes, its pricey, but for special trips or as a treat then I would highly reccommend it!

 

[Frances999]

Also your "concierge" status seem to get you in any restaurant at ANY time!

Absoultely! We found this even when just turning up at restaurants without an ADR - as soon as they see the coveted gold key-to-the-world they suddenly have a whole host of tables available

 

[KayleeUK]

If I had the budget I would do it

 

[Lizzybear]

Right now I don't earn a lot of money so i'd rather spend what I do have on a cheaper hotel and more meals and souvenirs. I could stay in a deluxe (not sure about concierge though) but it would drastically cut into my spending money so right now it isn't worth it to me no. Maybe when i'm on honeymoon and my parents pay