Concierge? tell me all about it.....

[java]

Well as this came up automatically as I typed I assume I have asked this before. But I have a little ?
I am a control freak. And I am not so keen on trusting my dining reservations to someone else. Plus they said they would contact me 30 days out which seems too late.(I am at 180 right now and am already freaking out that we don't have our choices made!)

So what do you use concierge for? I have to say I am a little excited. It is the Boardwalk by the way if that matters.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Since my family and I are not big on making ADR's this is why we choose to stay on Club Level floors/buildings at WDW. We like it because in our opinion it makes visiting WDW that much easier. We will have the lounge for breakfast and most of the time we are back there at 5:00 PM for the food they serve until 7:00 PM. Plus my Mom likes to have a half a grapefruit for her breakfast so we always request that and they always manage to get it for her. It's also nice because we know what specific floor or building we are staying in at the Resort, so we don't need to request something specific like at the Polynesian or Grand Floridian. At those Resorts if your not staying Club Level you won't know until you check-in what building your going to be in, even if you request a specific one.

 

[goodferry]

We have had the concierge staff do the following for us;
1. Make all our advance dining reservations. I would contact them immediately, introduce yourself, give them your ressie number and your requests. The planning staff for the Boardwalk is wonderful.
2. Make our reservations while we are there.
3. Get our tickets for us for Le Cirque, Hoop dee doo, Luau, etc.
4. Get us fireworks cruises
5. Book us tours and special events (ie princess tea party)
6. Purchase treats in advance to have waiting in the room for our kids.
Why we like staying club level
1. With four kids, breakfast in the lounge is such a timesaver.
2. With a grumpy DH at the end of the day, beer and dessert in the lounge is a lifesaver!
3. The staff is a wonderful source of information and advice.
4. I do like knowing roughly where our room will be and that we won't be shoved in some far corner of the resort with a view of a dumpster

 

[purpliequeen]

Concierge is awesome. We've only stayed at AKL's. We're thinking of staying at GF's or CR's next year. The buffets were always delicious and plentiful. CR Fan is right in stating that you can be guaranteed a good floor/view without having to worry. I don't like room requests, as I feel they're really risky.

I am also a control freak and completely OCD about planning. I made all of our reservations myself by calling WDW dining 180 days out. I also called WDW Dining two more times (closer to our stay) to change things around and confirm reservations. The concierge CMs were a little annoyed with my "OCD-ness" and told me to go through them when I make changes; however, I didn't really listen and everything was perfect. I would rather blame myself if a mistake occurred with our reservations than blame someone else. I know some may say that this is the reason why you pay extra for concierge. For my family this is not the case. We value the time we spend together on vacation and want things to be planned without any worries or surprises. We stay concierge for a great lounge to unwind in if we don't want to be in our rooms, spacious rooms (sometimes)/good views, good location, extra care, etc.

I should also mention that the AKL concierge staff went out of there way to leave a bday surprise for my father. They also scored us fantastic seats to see La Nouba. (I requested this in advance, it wasn't like it was requested last minute. I'm not quite sure if they would still be able to guarantee fantastic seats at the last minute). They also gave us one of the best resort rooms on the floor (IMHO) following my request (zebra trail, middle of the wing so we didn't have to walk too far from the elevator, savannah room, 5th floor, two queen beds). Their meticulous attention to details made our stay all the more pleasant.

Enjoy your trip! I think it's extremely worth it.

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

I agree w/ the OP - I don't know if I like the idea of having someone else do my ressies for me. What if they can't get the day and time that you want, but reserve it for a different day and time - and then you don't know that change in your plans until 30 days prior???!!! That's a little scary to me.

With that said, we ARE staying concierge next time, but I think I'll stick to making my own ressies!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

CR Fan is right in stating that you can be guaranteed a good floor/view without having to worry. I don't like room requests, as I feel they're really risky.

I forgot to mention that there are some Club Level rooms where you might need to make a request if you feel like it. For example on the Atrium Club 12th floor level at the Contemporary, if you want a Magic Kingdom view that needs to be requested. So you can not make a reservation for it like on the regular Tower floors. So while you will either end up with a Magic Kingdom view or Bay Lake view, you won't know until you check-in which one it would be.

At the Polynesian in the Hawaii Longhouse Club Level building you either make a reservation for a Garden view or a Lagoon view. So you are guaranteed that view you selected, it's just a matter of seeing if if your room is to be on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd floor.

 

[SeaSpray]

I agree w/ the OP - I don't know if I like the idea of having someone else do my ressies for me. What if they can't get the day and time that you want, but reserve it for a different day and time - and then you don't know that change in your plans until 30 days prior???!!! That's a little scary to me.

With that said, we ARE staying concierge next time, but I think I'll stick to making my own ressies!!

No, you don't have to wait until 30 days out. I sent my ADR requests to the IPO (Itinerary Planning Office) at 180 days out and the next day I had an email (2 emails actually. lol) listing every single one of my requests along with the ADR confirmation numbers, dates, times, etc. They send you a nice attachment that you can print out, but they'll also give you a copy when you check in.

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

No, you don't have to wait until 30 days out. I sent my ADR requests to the IPO (Itinerary Planning Office) at 180 days out and the next day I had an email (2 emails actually. lol) listing every single one of my requests along with the ADR confirmation numbers, dates, times, etc. They send you a nice attachment that you can print out, but they'll also give you a copy when you check in.

Thanks SeaSpray!! This is great to know and makes me feel more comfortable.

 

[java]

No, you don't have to wait until 30 days out. I sent my ADR requests to the IPO (Itinerary Planning Office) at 180 days out and the next day I had an email (2 emails actually. lol) listing every single one of my requests along with the ADR confirmation numbers, dates, times, etc. They send you a nice attachment that you can print out, but they'll also give you a copy when you check in.

Oh thank you seaspray that is great to know! That I am comfortable with! And I love the printout when I check in idea as I am notorious for forgetting where we are suppose to be.
Thanks for all the info everyone keep it coming.

And I am assuming I should tip the concierge staff? With several people how do you handle that?

 

[cara loves the poly]

Concierge contacts me WAY before 30 days! I"ve never heard that before. They made all of my ressies 180 days out AND emailed me with confirmation numbers. It really is great! It is awesome not having to worry about breakfast in the morning and the kids LOVE coming back in the afternoon and filling up on snacks from the lounge. It's a real treat, they don't get to eat many sweets at home. Pop and water are provided all day long, it's just very convenient. The evening offerings are a great appetizer to hold you off until dinner, the desserts at the end of the night are SCRUMPTIOUS!

 

[sojo33]

BTW--I discovered the concierge was able to get us booked at restaurants and events that I had been told were full when I tried to book them myself. My understanding is that they have blocks reserved for concierge. I think I was better off having them book it and not spending all my time on the phone waiting for something to open up. The only thing they couldn't get me on was the Peter Pan cruise and I didn't try to add that until the last minute. If you are paying for it, you should relax and enjoy the service.