Concierge in Alaska.

[DCLCrazy64622]

I plan to book an Alaska trip. Both ships are about the same price for 2026. I’ve never done concierge and I am thinking about splurging on it. I know it’s subjective but is it worth it on the smaller ships? It’s twice the cost as a regular balcony. Without the cabanas to worry about renting, u wonder if it’s worth it. Thoughts on concierge in Alaska?

 

[ZerasPride]

I am following this thread. I have the same question about concierge for an Alaskan cruise. We were considering the 10 night Southern Caribbean but neither DH or I want to feel baked to death on a summer cruise! Looking forward to the answers.

 

[Lillebelle]

I love concierge on the smaller ships because of the lounge experience. There are fewer people to be taken care of so generally you get much more personalized attention from the hosts and get to know them better (especially on a longer itinerary). For me, this is one of my favorite parts of sailing DCL. For others this may not hold as much value.

For Alaska specifically, we had issues with excursions getting canceled due to weather. Our concierge host was extremely helpful in brainstorming alternatives with us and finding us other awesome experiences amid our disappointment. Again, for us this was very valuable; for others who either aren't doing excursions or who prefer to handle things themselves, this won't be as much of a value add.

The other thing to consider with excursions is how much you care about getting specific ones, and whether the concierge early booking window will be valuable to you. If you're Pearl, maybe it doesn't matter. If you're like, Silver, and you want a really popular excursion booked through Disney, that might also be valuable to get that edge. I'm thinking things like the glacier boat which I believe book up really fast (we didn't do this and it's our one regret from our Alaska cruise).

 

[epcotrulz]

Did the Wonder concierge this past June and LOVED it. The Wonder concierge lounge is really set up nice for the Alaska sailings.

 

[indylaw99]

We ended up upgrading to Concierge at the port last year for Alaska and were SO GLAD we did! In addition to all of the normal concierge stuff, there were a few things specific for Alaska. The very best was that on the glacier day, they took us to a private spot on the front of the ship. It was misty and so cold. But they had ponchos and blankets and hot chocolate for us. Then BOTH Mickey and Minnie came out in their Alaska outfits and each family was able to get a picture with them together with the glacier as a backdrop.

It just happened to be our 25th anniversary that day and it was pretty much the most amazing thing we could have done.

 

[Mathmagicland]

If you have a choice between Wonder and Magic, go with the Wonder. The concierge sun deck is SO much nicer!! Both sides are open with glass you can see through. On the Magic, the starboard side sundeck is enclosed and covered which means not being able to see any scenery…which is such a big part of the Alaska experience.

 

[Chemist]

FYI for Alaska the non-ship excursions are a LOT less money than the ship ones and are just as easy!

(I would not go concierge to get access to excursions.)

 

[cruisehopeful]

If you can afford it, do it. My first Alaska sailing didn't have the concierge lounge and that area was my favorite place to hang out when it was cold and rainy. My second Alaska cruise, it had been converted to the concierge lounge and I really missed being able to use that space.

 

[jimmymc]

There is one excursion in Alaska that concierge can help you get, the Glacier Explorer. It's not as difficult to get as a cabana, but many people consider this a must-do for Alaska. For the actual port days, there are a lot third party excursion providers. Very few things will completely sell out, even like helicopter rides to dog sledding or the White Pass train.

That leaves the concierge service and lounge as the main benefits. For double the price of a normal balcony, that's personally not even close to worth it.