Concierge booking cabana and PIF date

[barbja99]

We are sailing in concierge on the Fantasy. We want to get a cabana. So:

1) You can put your request in for a cabana with shore side concierge at 150 days.
2) Booking for the cabana opens at 120 days.
3) PIF date is 90 days.
4) You have to be PIF in order to book excursions and stuff

So, I have to be PIF by 120 or 150 days?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We are sailing in concierge on the Fantasy. We want to get a cabana. So:

1) You can put your request in for a cabana with shore side concierge at 150 days.

Yes.


2) Booking for the cabana opens at 120 days.

Yes


3) PIF date is 90 days.

Depends on cruise / what rooms people book, will be shown on your booking and on the website. Isnt a suite PIF 120 days?

4) You have to be PIF in order to book excursions and stuff

Yes

So, I have to be PIF by 120 or 150 days?

By your cruise PIF date.

 

[AliceIn]

I believe for concierge, you have to be PIF in order to complete your excursion bookings. So you can put your request in before PIF at 150 days, but your reservations won't actually be complete until you are PIF. If you want a cabana, I'd make sure you are PIF before the 120 day mark.

 

[tdunaway]

I recently communicated my request to the concierge staff at 149 days (we were PIF but was told it didn't matter until 120 anyway) but didn't receive the offical confirmation for a cabana until day 120.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I recently communicated my request to the concierge staff at 149 days (we were PIF but was told it didn't matter until 120 anyway) but didn't receive the offical confirmation for a cabana until day 120.

Yes they take " orders" from 150 days out but will not book it until 120 days.

 

[Subi WRX]

I recently communicated my request to the concierge staff at 149 days (we were PIF but was told it didn't matter until 120 anyway) but didn't receive the offical confirmation for a cabana until day 120.

I think the 150 day thing was due to the run on wanting certain cabanas. Now that they've raised the prices of cabanas at the family beach, I wonder if that has curbed the demand enough where they don't need to take requests that far in advance anymore? The cabanas were the only real hot commodity. Everything else is pretty much available at midnight at 120 days.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I think the 150 days booking came about re the Platinum perks being able also to book at 120 days but without spending the $$$$, this seriously watered down the concierge perks! and in particular made the concierge service undesirable on the classic ships.

It's been a formalisation of shoreside concierge service where before they helped but would only do it when their office opened not at midnight .

Cabanas will Sewell it's like havering a face with only a few prizes and therefore people get bragging rights they got one on that cruise, if you split the cost between a family of four or six the cost is cheaper than a port ad enter paid in other ports with many perks included.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Put in the request with Shoreside at 150 days--

They hold it "on file" until the 120 day mark and--as long as you are paid in full at THAT time, they'll make the reservation for you.

Plus they'll prebook excursions, your requested dining rotation, spa services, etc etc.

 

[Salisa826]

I put my request in last week. I was probably 135 -140 days out. I happened to be up last night at midnight when the window opened. My request for a cabana was there and all the cabanas were taken already.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I put my request in last week. I was probably 135 -140 days out. I happened to be up last night at midnight when the window opened. My request for a cabana was there and all the cabanas were taken already.

Well done and enjoy.

 

[makotara]

There were a large number of angry concierge guests on our cruise that debarked 4/12/14 after a few large family groups booked the cabanas before day 120 and they were all "SOLD OUT" when the system became live at midnight. After many guests complained to the On Shore Concierge and the DCL President, they said this policy has been changed to no longer allow concierge booking at 150 days.

I'd be curious if anyone has since been able to book a cabana before day 120?

 

[kaseyC]

There were a large number of angry concierge guests on our cruise that debarked 4/12/14 after a few large family groups booked the cabanas before day 120 and they were all "SOLD OUT" when the system became live at midnight. After many guests complained to the On Shore Concierge and the DCL President, they said this policy has been changed to no longer allow concierge booking at 150 days.

I'd be curious if anyone has since been able to book a cabana before day 120?

Interesting, so that's why the change was made. There was a thread last week about Concierge requests now being taken at 125 days not 150.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3270442

I bet they will stop allowing guests to book more than one Cabana in advance as well.

 

[acamechis]

My 120 day window opens tonight at midnight. The new email that was just sent out by DCL says you can put request in starting at your 125 day window, no longer 150. Also your cruise MUST be PAID IN FULL prior to your 120 window opening for request to be put into place. I also called and verified this with shoreside Concierge with two different CM.

 

[clemsonlongs]

We requested our cabana around the 145 day mark for our late August cruise. We got confirmation at the 120 day mark that we were confirmed for cabana #2. We were also PIF by around the 135 day mark.

I've read on here that some ppl have fav cabana #s and request certain ones so if there's a specific location you might be interested in I'd search the threads. With two young children (4 and 22mo) we figured being close to the restrooms and food was important to us and I requested a low # cabana for just they reason. I would not have thought of that until I read a suggestion here!

 

[lanejudy]

There were a large number of angry concierge guests on our cruise that debarked 4/12/14 after a few large family groups booked the cabanas before day 120 and they were all "SOLD OUT" when the system became live at midnight. After many guests complained to the On Shore Concierge and the DCL President, they said this policy has been changed to no longer allow concierge booking at 150 days.

I'd be curious if anyone has since been able to book a cabana before day 120?

Interesting...

However, it's my understanding that while Concierge guests could REQUEST cabanas (and other advanced booking) before 120 days, officially it was not booked in the system until the stroke of midnight at 120 days. Now, obviously, that took some effort prior to the 120 day mark because as others have indicated, when they logged on at midnight all cabanas were already booked.

The "new" system now only allows those advanced requests to be made no more than 125 days out, rather than the 150 which has been allowed for a few months now. But I still don't see how that would change availability for anyone non-concierge. I would tend to think the change was due to workload on the shoreside concierge staff, rather than complaints of a few passengers on one cruise. Especially since the new method still prioritizes concierge requests. It's likely to still be first-come first-served for those concierge guests.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[MaleficentRN]

There were a large number of angry concierge guests on our cruise that debarked 4/12/14 after a few large family groups booked the cabanas before day 120 and they were all "SOLD OUT" when the system became live at midnight.

How would they know when those groups were able to book?

 

[CarolyninCO]

How would they know when those groups were able to book?

That's a good point.

The only way I knew about the 150 days was because I stalk these boards religiously. Could it be they changed to 125 because that's when shoreside sends emails to concierge guests? Those who didn't know they could make requests at 150 days have a valid point to be upset.

 

[lbgraves]

There were a large number of angry concierge guests on our cruise that debarked 4/12/14 after a few large family groups booked the cabanas before day 120 and they were all "SOLD OUT" when the system became live at midnight. After many guests complained to the On Shore Concierge and the DCL President, they said this policy has been changed to no longer allow concierge booking at 150 days.

I'd be curious if anyone has since been able to book a cabana before day 120?

As concierge guests, they had the exact same opportunity but for whatever reason didn't research or pay attention to the information that was sent to them.

....The "new" system now only allows those advanced requests to be made no more than 125 days out, rather than the 150 which has been allowed for a few months now. But I still don't see how that would change availability for anyone non-concierge. I would tend to think the change was due to workload on the shoreside concierge staff, rather than complaints of a few passengers on one cruise. Especially since the new method still prioritizes concierge requests. It's likely to still be first-come first-served for those concierge guests.

This is what I said when it was first posted. They only have to worry about booking a few cruise dates at a time with the 5 day advance booking now instead of four times that number at 30 days.

How would they know when those groups were able to book?

Exactly! They probably heard people in the lounge talking about how they booked at 150 days and thought it wasn't fair. I don't really understand spending that much money for perks and not researching them.