Concierge Service & Crib Space

[flexsmom]

We're booked in a Cat 4 for the 6 Dec 03 Western - going with DH, a 4-year old and one who should be about 7-8 months, depending on his imminent arrival. We had a Cat 5 last year with just three of us and didn't feel crowded, but with a crib in the room, is a Cat 4 big enough to have some space? I'm considering upgrading to Cat 3 - is it worth it and what exactly does "consierge service" consist of?

 

[ducklite]

I can't help with the room size of the Cat 4.

But, I can talk about the four "larger" Cat 3 rooms (8032, 8034, 8532, 8534).

We were in 8032 last August. There is plenty of room in that suite for a crib, either between the bed and verandah in the BR, or any number of places in the LR.

As far as concierge service goes, here were the perks we got for staying in that room:

-prebooked Palo's a few weeks before boarding over the phone.
-preboarded, we were the second family on the ship!
-private check-in at the port, no waiting.
-no waiting in line at the port, we sat in a comfy area and there were pre-boarded.
-once onboard we were directed to Sessions where we were able to book all of our spa appointments (and shore excursions/Palo's if not already done) in the comfortable seating area..there might ahve also been snacks and sodas, I can't recall. They had definitely blocked off some of the best times in the spa for concierge guests. We got excellent times for the Surial as well as a manicure and massage. (They did have to call for the manicure, as I wanted it during a time they didn't have blocked off for concierge guests, but it was no problem)
-Room had an initial setup of sodas and bottled waters. Cat 3 doesn't get replenished, 1&2 do through the week.
-Room was HUGE! Walk in closet was probably pretty close to the size of Cat 12 rooms!
-Room had VCR and CD player with Bose speakers, large tv in LR and second tv in BR. They offer a selection of movies and CD's to borrow as well...I brought some of my own CD's, as I didn't think they'd have much of the type of music I listen to (which they didn't--I like hard rock/metal/new alt)
-The four "large" Cat 3's have TRIPLE WIDE verandah's.
-Comfy robes provided in walk-in closet.
-King bed, true king not twins puched together
-TWO bathrooms. Smaller bathroom had sink, toilet, shower. Larger was split with sinks and jacuzzi soaking tub and double sinks in one room, shower and toilet in the other. Dressing area with vanity and chair off BR.
-Concierge delivered a treat each day, cookies, cheese & crackers,Choc covered strawberries, fruit bowl, I can't remember the others.
-Our DS got two $5 cards for the arcade delivered at least once, if not twice during the cruise.
-Daily calls reminding us of reservations and tips on shore excurions, etc.
-They visited a couple times to make sure we were having a great time.
-Not sure if it made a difference, but out steward was EXCELLENT, the cabin was spotless--even the white glove test on door frames couln't find a speck of dust. He was also VERY unobtrusive.
-Books in the bedroom bookcase on the Caribbean, the stars, knots, all sorts of other interesting things. I actually skimmed through a couple of them. (Might not be a big thing, but it was the "little things" that made it so wonderful!) There were also some alphabet blocks in a basket on a shelf in the LR...believe it or not my 16 DS took them out and was playig with them for a few minutes before dinner one night LOL!
-Did I mention the huge walk-in closet and tons of storage? We couldnt' have filled every drawer if we had brought 10 suitacases with us!
-Easy to get to outlets (one is in the cabinet under the TV in the BR)
-REAL blowdryer in the vanity!

I'm sure there are other things, but that should give you a start. It was our best vacation ever, and we loved it so much we've booked the same cabin for back-to-back sailings in 2004!

Anne

 

[disney3144]

Ducklite...I just read all the things that you get with concierge service. We are booked for a cat 3 room this Aug. So, there is really a separate area for preboarding and check-in at the port for the higher cat rooms? Also, did you have to order the "treats" each day, or did they automatically bring them?
I have 2 DS's. Were the arcade cards also pre-requested by you or did they bring them for your DS on their own? I know my boys will love to have extra arcade cards.
This is going to be our 1st cruise, so I am totally new to all of this. With everything you said, I am very glad we went with the cat 3 instead of a cat 4.
Jennifer

 

[shelly3girls]

We were just in a Cat 3 for the 4-day. I can answer some of your questions. The treats come automatically, we even were given a poster of the ship that is sold in one of the shops. The pre-boarding is wonderful, no waiting in lines. The convenience of booking Flounders, Palo's, Spa is also fabulous. Again, no lines to wait in. We were in 8602 which had an enoromous verandah, but it is in the very AFT so the children could not see through, it wasa a solid verandah. The room was a handicap room, but this did not bother us. We still had the large tub to give the children a bath. We felt we had an unbelievable amount of space. We were originally booked in a Cat 6 and upgraded at the port for significantly less than if we had originally booked this room. Our cruise was not sold out, but close to it. When I checked on upgrades there were several Cat. 3 available, but I would think that is only b/c it was the 4-day not the 7-day where the space would be more important. We did peek in a Cat 4 room for future reference and it appeared that there would be enough space for the pack and play although you may want to fold it up during the day.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

The Category 4 stateroom includes enough floor space for a Murphy bed to be pulled down for the fifth passenger (Category 4's are designed to sleep up to five people). I'm sure that if you put the crib in the spot where the Murphy bed would pull down that you'll have plenty of room and not feel like you're tripping over the crib all the time.

 

[disney3144]

Thanks for your information - but i have a question or two more:
- Preboard - how is this done??? - We are spending a week in Disney World (starting 8/9) before our cruise on 8/16/03. Do we preboard before we leave disney world or is this did weeks ahead of time by mail.
- Private check-in - also how is this done???? Which line do we get in
Thanks

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Originally posted by shelly3girls
When I checked on upgrades there were several Cat. 3 available, but I would think that is only b/c it was the 4-day not the 7-day where the space would be more important.

I'm curious, would you happen to remember which other cat 3's were available at the port when you upgraded? Thanks.

 

[SueEllen]

We stayed in a Cat 4 in October. We had the crib where the murphy bed usually is and there was PLENTY of room. It was me, DH, DD (11) and DS (13 mos) in the room. There is no NEED to upgrade to the Cat 3 for room, but if you want the extra amenities then it might be beneficial for you.
Sue Ellen

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by disney3144
Ducklite...I just read all the things that you get with concierge service. We are booked for a cat 3 room this Aug. So, there is really a separate area for preboarding and check-in at the port for the higher cat rooms? Also, did you have to order the "treats" each day, or did they automatically bring them?
I have 2 DS's. Were the arcade cards also pre-requested by you or did they bring them for your DS on their own? I know my boys will love to have extra arcade cards.
This is going to be our 1st cruise, so I am totally new to all of this. With everything you said, I am very glad we went with the cat 3 instead of a cat 4.
Jennifer

Yes, there is really a separate line--it's the last line all the way at the end on the other side of the Castaway Club Members line. The treats came automatically. The arcade cards were left in an envelope on top of the built in drawers by the front door when we were at dinner, with DS's name on the envelope.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by disney3144
Thanks for your information - but i have a question or two more:
- Preboard - how is this done??? - We are spending a week in Disney World (starting 8/9) before our cruise on 8/16/03. Do we preboard before we leave disney world or is this did weeks ahead of time by mail.
- Private check-in - also how is this done???? Which line do we get in
Thanks

Preboarding means you get on the ship before anyone else once you are at the terminal and they start to let people on.

If you aren't at the terminal when they start to board I think you can still cut into the front of the line once you ahve checked in.

When you get upstairs at the terminal, walk all the way down pat all the other lines and the concierge line is at the very end.

Anne

 

[shelly3girls]

CaliforniaDreaming,
I am not sure of the exact room numbers that were available. I can tell you that we were in 8602, a handicap room. I believe the people next to us also upgraded at the port (8600). I am not sure of the exact number of cat 3 rooms on the ship but there were atleast 10 on the original list that were available to upgrade at the port. I believe this is a significant percentage of Cat 3's on the ship. The cast member told us that of the rooms available 8602 was a great room for us b/c we needed a crib. I would guess that this meant the "larger" cat 3 rooms were not available.

 

[PRaffen]

shelly3girls ...

Do you remember what the upgrade cost at the port was from a cat 6 to a cat 3? It's what I hope to do when we sail next year. Thanks.

 

[shelly3girls]

The cost was roughly $850 ($875 at most) for a family of 4 to upgrade from a Cat 6 to a Cat 3. I believe this is significantly less than if we booked it originally. We loved the extra space and the concierge service was fabulous. For me the extra money was worth it especially since they coordinated Flounders with Palo's and the spa for us.

 

[disney3144]

Thanks Ducklite. The info is very helpful.
Jennifer

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Originally posted by shelly3girls
CaliforniaDreaming,
I am not sure of the exact room numbers that were available. I can tell you that we were in 8602, a handicap room. I believe the people next to us also upgraded at the port (8600). I am not sure of the exact number of cat 3 rooms on the ship but there were atleast 10 on the original list that were available to upgrade at the port. I believe this is a significant percentage of Cat 3's on the ship. The cast member told us that of the rooms available 8602 was a great room for us b/c we needed a crib. I would guess that this meant the "larger" cat 3 rooms were not available.

Ah, then I bet the person in 8600 was who I talked to, they meantioned that they were originally on deck 1 (I think), so that makes perfect sense! I guess it must not have been your DH afterall. But, I think they also dropped a chocolate ice cream cone on my verandah. Or, somebody else did, LOL.