Concierge at WL? Worth the $$?

[MichiganMommy]

Hello, we have WL booked for 3 nights in Feb. Is the WL concierge ever discounted? The quote I got from Disney Club was $130 more per night than our std room. I can't really justify this amount, but the concierge benefits sound really nice. I've already made our PS ressies so I don't need help with that, so the main benefit for us would be the breakfast and snacks. We would eat breakfast there - cereal and bagels is what we like. We are planning to come back to the hotel for a swim break in the afternoons, so we would probably get drinks and snacks there in the afternoon. My sons are 4 and 7, and DH and I aren't huge eaters. Are there other benefits to concierge that I'm not considering? For those of you who've stayed at WL concierge, was it worth it? Did you pay the big bucks?? Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I paid the $$ for our 25th anniversary trip -- stayed at WL concierge. Alas, we hardly used the lounge area. The staff did help with reservations and tickets to Cirque (they got us great seats for that show!!). We went to the lounge only a couple of times during the entire stay. All in all, for us it was hard to justify the extra $$ because we didn't really use it much. Even if we had eaten several "meals" there, it would be hard to make it worth an extra $130/night.

 

[vbfamily]

Michigan Mommy

We stayed at WL Concierge in October for a week. We booked a concierge room for the entire stay. When we checked in they told us we were on the 7th floor (concierge floor) and I said NO WAY-too high for me. They then put us in a courtyard view room and added on concierge service for about $30/night extra. Without even asking they saved us over $70 per night.

So, in our case it was definately worth it because we ate well over $30 worth of food every day in the lounge.

I was worried about the cost difference-$385 for concierge compared to $280 for a courtyard view room but we ended up not paying full price.

I have heard of people getting discounts on concierge rooms using codes-When are you going? Are there codes out for the times you are going? If you get a good discount-go for the concierge.

I'm not sure if it is truly worth the extra $130-they do have good food at night but I'm sure you could really stock up on a lot in Roaring Fork for $130.

Maybe you should book a regular room and hope for a free upgrade-then it is really worth it-but if you want concierge for sure then book it outright.

When are you going?

Good luck

Another Michigan Mommy

 

[mouseketeerwannabe]

We stayed in concierge at WL over 4th of July and loved it. However we had booked a courtyard view. I asked about the availability of concierge at check-in and was able to upgrade for $35 a day! It was definitely worth that. We would have spent that much on breakfast each day. I did pay the full code price for concierge at the Yacht Club in December and did not feel that it was worth it. I would definitely stay concierge at WL. Just ask about it at check-in.
Good Luck!

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi there,

I really feel the concierge service/room/lounge were worth the extra $ I paid when I stayed for 9 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge last summer.

To me it was not a matter of - I have to eat 130.00++ worth of food a day - it was all the other things that came with it - that made it worth while.

For instance, after travelling all day and finally arriving, I was greeted by name by the bell captain and taken straight to my room - which is was in a prime location. When passing through the lobby there were dozens of people lined up at the regular check in counters and we just walked on by.

In the room was an freshly filled ice bucket with bottled water and a welcome note. As I unpacked the phone rang and welcomed us, told us to stop by the lounge at our convenience to check in.

The lounge is beautiful, cold drinks, great snacks and a wonderful place to hang out and watch a movie instead of in your room. Also a social place to meet other families and the kids meet friends.

It is like having your living room with you and a fridge full of food - except you dont have to cook or clean up.

It's just a great alternative to going to your room, like if you want an hour to yourself to shower and relax - hubby can go read the paper in the lounge and the kids can have snacks and watch a DVD or play a game (they have games in the closet for the kids, also puzzles and colouring books)

The concierge got us PS's for breakfast with cinderella that had been sold out for 2 months...

When we arrived back in the evenings our bed was turned down with our room tidied and lamps lit. There was always a bucket of ice and a little something on the pillow.

Breakfasts were such a pleasure not to mention the several bailey's I had a night. We also took snacks to the pool several times and (they have take out containers) sometimes a cookie or treat at night.

Overall I loved the concierge service and felt special being there - to me it was well worth it!

 

[vbfamily]

From what I have heard, AK Concierge is worth the extra whether or not you are getting a discount.

It does feel good to get a little bit more personal attention, turndown service with chocolates, etc (my kids loved that).

I almost wish we had tried AK Concierge first. We really liked WL and I don't want to start a debate about what one is better but I don't know if the level of concierge service at WL is as great as AK.

So, Michigan Mommy, I'm sure you will get a good sampling of what people think about WL Concierge.

If we were staying at WL again, I don't know if I would do concierge again (only if it was the $30 upgrade) BUT if we were going to AK we would do concierge (even at full price).

 

[MichiganMommy]

It was great to hear about your experiences. I'm sure we will have a great trip whatever way it turns out.

vbfamily - we are going the last week in February. I was able to get the new DC discount for the rooms. It saved us $77 a night over the price I had originally booked at. When I called today and asked how much it would cost to upgrade to concierge, they told me $130 a night. Maybe I'll try for the $30 upgrade when we check-in. I won't be holding my breath though, I think we are going at a busy time.

Another question... I read that the WL concierge doesn't have a lounge, just a set-up in the hallway. Is there a place to sit and relax there?

Thanks!

 

[nancyL]

We stayed WL Concierge in October. It was worth it for my family of 5 because the three kids didnt really eat enough at a restuarant to justify ordering them meals, but they picked at the concierge offerings every day. The evening milk and cookies (and wine/cordials for the adults) was a real real treat and the mid afternoon candy and cookies was something they also looked forward to alot. The breakfast offerings were of a nice variety (bagels, bread to toast, crouissants, fruit, juice etc) and if we wanted something that wasnt there (Im a morning diet coke drinker) all we had to do was ask and the staff was more than accomodating. After the first day of asking, there were diet cokes in the offerings every morning. The lounge area isnt like a square lounge- Its more of a U shape around the lobby. Its very high- I am agrophobic (spelling?) and I had some trouble when I looked over the railing but I dealt with it quietly (grin). There are tables and chairs, but the tv is in the main lobby- I dont think the WL concierge is quite as 'grand' as the other deluxes but we found it worth our while for the food alone. PS- the "dinner" offerings were great for a light eater. If you are a big eater, it will not satisfy you- one night there was just soup and a pulled pork dish- another night it was mac n cheese (gourmet of course- from Artists Point) and little pizza thingys.

 

[JoBP117]

December and I have some pictures of the buffet (it's out in the open on the 7th floor and not in a lounge). I can email them to you if you just let me know.

My family of five (dh, 5, 2 1/2, & 1 year olds) thoroughly enjoyed the concierge (and we paid full price). The convenience of it made our trip SO MUCH more pleasurable. Just being able to walk down the hall and bring food and drink to the kids just about anytime was so wonderful. Also, there was a refrigerator in the room which was very convenient.

I kept track of everything we ate (remembering that 1 bottle of water in the park is $2.50!) and we easily consumed the extra we paid!!! I guess I needed to justify in my mind that it was worth the extra $.

Anyway, I also posted a review of our stay at WL concierge at Deb's website if you want to read more details (about the food offered and such). http://wdwig.com/faq_wlc.htm

I hope this helps you in your decision-making. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[kozmo]

you can e-mail me the pics of wl concierge,id like to see them.

 

[plutospup]

The "lounge area" per se is the lobby view area with several tables and chairs. I enjoyed looking down at the lobby activities. It's a great view. I, too, was quoted the $130 additional charge to my courtyard view room, but decided to wait until checkin. At that point...only $30 extra. The ease of walking out of your room for breakfast made it worthwhile. Overall, it was a great experience. For us was it worth it? $30/night...definitely! $130/night...probably not.

 

[MichiganMommy]

Hi again! You guys have me almost tempted to change my ressie to concierge. It's only 3 nights, and it would be nice to know if we like it for future trips. I sort of want to know before we get there. We are taking a Tiffany Town Car from the airport, and if we don't stay concierge, we would stop at a grocery store and buy some cereal, snacks, bottled water, diet coke, and beer for the room. It's funny, I'm willing to consider paying for concierge, but spending $20 at Roaring Forks for little boxes of cereal, milk, bananas and coffee seems like a lot! LOL. How wierd is that?!

kosmo - I'd love to see your pics! Thanks for sharing them.

 

[taylor1293]

JoBP117 - I'd love to see your pictures. Please e-mail me!

Your trip report was great, very informative!

Teresa

 

[Poppins62]

Kozmo, I would love to see your WL pictures! thanks!

 

[NewYorkVol83]

Please email me--thanks

 

[emmett w.smith jr.]

email th photos to

 

[antkim]

Me too!I'm considering this for our next trip.
Kim