Concierge

[MommyJKM]

If you're staying at GCH and pay the upgrade to Park View Rooms I've asked for concierge access and they've given me a key for it. So maybe ask at DLH?

As people said before, if you're the slow moving types like us it's worth it because your breakfast and water will cost that much alone for 4 people. We like to get the Von's delivery so it's not worth it for us, but we do pay the Park View upgrade. So if you get a Von's order with breakfast and drinks you can see the difference in price. Hope that helps.

 

[Malcon10t]

As people said before, if you're the slow moving types like us it's worth it because your breakfast and water will cost that much alone for 4 people.

It costs you $200+ per day for just water and breakfast? $50 per person?

ETA - Looked at our last breakfast bill for 4 people at STeakhouse 55, and it was $50, and we spent about $20 total on water.

ETA More - A random day in July is $396 for standard, $434 for a view room, and $628 for concierge at the DLH. The GCH is $459 for a standard room, $505 for a view room, and $778 for concierge. ($319 more than standard and $273 more than the view rooms.) These are AP rates.

 

[DizMe]

I think the cost of meals is very dependent on the way your family eats. It would be very easy for most families of 5 to spend $60 or more on breakfast. Water and/or soda etc in the parks for 5, say 2-3 times a day, would run a lot. I think they're about $5 each, so another $50-75 is not unheard of. The value of concierge, however, is not really in the actual savings on food but involves other factors like convenience and fun. If you're looking at it for saving money, forget it.

When we stayed at DLH in Dec, the concierge lounge had far less to offer in food than GCH. There were no chocolate strawberries, salmon, tuna, turkey, or cucumber sandwiches (no sandwiches, in fact), and a lot less in the way of cookies and desserts. It was better for coffee and chips, though! CMs were great at GCH and DLH in my experience.

I've not stayed concierge at PPH so I don't know about their food.

 

[larina]

I don't know why DLH doesn't have the chocolate covered strawberries. PPH and GCH both do (I haven't stayed at GCH but see the previous post) and we love them. I don't get it.

I'm sorry about the less than stellar interactions with the CMs in the lounge. Our experiences (all 4 times, 3 at PPH and one at DLH) have been very different than that. We did not have one negative interaction with a concierge CM. Perhaps we have just been lucky.

Again, on value, breakfast for the 8 of us would run at least $100 and probably more, with coffee, juice, milk, tea, etc. we would go in in the morning and get breakfast of fruit, bagels or toast, yogurt cereal and/or muffins and rolls. We would get water for the day, the 20 somethings would get a couple sodas each and I would grab juices for the kids. The CMs even made us a bag with ice to keep drinks cold. We would also get snack foods for the day, like granola bars, cereal bars, goldfish crackers, or yogurt. More often than not we would head back to the hotel mid day and stop in for snacks or drinks then too. Often that snack would be limited, but we always made it work. If we were around for the evening hot appetizers we would try those too. They weren't always great, but we weren't trying to make.it into dinner. They always had chips & salsa, as well as crackers and bread with cheese and deli meats in the afternoons, which we really enjoyed. We did 5 days, and while it wasn't a huge variety, nobody in our group ever complained about not being able to find something to eat.

 

[Gisele]

I don't know why DLH doesn't have the chocolate covered strawberries. PPH and GCH both do (I haven't stayed at GCH but see the previous post) and we love them. I don't get it.

I'm sorry about the less than stellar interactions with the CMs in the lounge. Our experiences (all 4 times, 3 at PPH and one at DLH) have been very different than that. We did not have one negative interaction with a concierge CM. Perhaps we have just been lucky.

Again, on value, breakfast for the 8 of us would run at least $100 and probably more, with coffee, juice, milk, tea, etc. we would go in in the morning and get breakfast of fruit, bagels or toast, yogurt cereal and/or muffins and rolls. We would get water for the day, the 20 somethings would get a couple sodas each and I would grab juices for the kids. The CMs even made us a bag with ice to keep drinks cold. We would also get snack foods for the day, like granola bars, cereal bars, goldfish crackers, or yogurt. More often than not we would head back to the hotel mid day and stop in for snacks or drinks then too. Often that snack would be limited, but we always made it work. If we were around for the evening hot appetizers we would try those too. They weren't always great, but we weren't trying to make.it into dinner. They always had chips & salsa, as well as crackers and bread with cheese and deli meats in the afternoons, which we really enjoyed. We did 5 days, and while it wasn't a huge variety, nobody in our group ever complained about not being able to find something to eat.

Like man, your foodie experiences sound tasty.

 

[Malcon10t]

Like I have previously said, everyone has personal preferences. For me, if I was paying out of pocket, not worth it for a small group. But, we are usually there in a large crowd.

For us, at the GCH, we just didn't care for the food selections as much. Like I said, I preferred the selections at PPH over the other 2, with DLH in second place. In fact, our last trip, after the second day at the GCH, we didn't even bother with the lounge the last 2 days. And I seriously don't get the unpeeled hard boiled eggs.

It was extremely handy last year when my DIL was studying for her bar exam. The rest of the family (11 of us) did the parks, while she studying in the lounge from 630am to 4pm. She loved having snacks and drinks on hand all day while she worked. And a place other than the room to get her bribar work done (she passed first time!) Then a glass of wine before meeting us!!

I do have concierge each trip, and we usually use it. I'm just saying if I had to pay for it, it really isn't worth it for us. Even when it is 10-15 of us. If it was $50 a day, I'd consider it. But not at $200+ a day.

This is just my PERSONAL choice.

 

[DizMe]

Like I have previously said, everyone has personal preferences. For me, if I was paying out of pocket, not worth it for a small group. But, we are usually there in a large crowd.

For us, at the GCH, we just didn't care for the food selections as much. Like I said, I preferred the selections at PPH over the other 2, with DLH in second place. In fact, our last trip, after the second day at the GCH, we didn't even bother with the lounge the last 2 days. And I seriously don't get the unpeeled hard boiled eggs.

It was extremely handy last year when my DIL was studying for her bar exam. The rest of the family (11 of us) did the parks, while she studying in the lounge from 630am to 4pm. She loved having snacks and drinks on hand all day while she worked. And a place other than the room to get her bribar work done (she passed first time!) Then a glass of wine before meeting us!!

I do have concierge each trip, and we usually use it. I'm just saying if I had to pay for it, it really isn't worth it for us. Even when it is 10-15 of us. If it was $50 a day, I'd consider it. But not at $200+ a day.

This is just my PERSONAL choice.

But your personal choice doesn't jibe with my personal choice, so therefore it's wrong

Just kidding, Malcon10t! But this is why it's very hard to answer the "is it worth it" questions on DIS.

Oh, and I hear ya on the hard-boiled eggs. However, my sister and my daughter eat them!! My sis has a lot of food issues and requires protein in the morning, so that's why she eats them. My daughter is just crazy . No-- she avoids processed foods etc so she goes with eggs and fruit.

 

[Nonsuch]

...Oh, and I hear ya on the hard-boiled eggs...

The hard boiled eggs in the GCH lounge are impossible to peel without wasting egg stuck to the shell
Fresh eggs are hard too peel when hard boiled, so it seems GCH eggs are too fresh

 

[Malcon10t]

But your personal choice doesn't jibe with my personal choice, so therefore it's wrong

Just kidding, Malcon10t! But this is why it's very hard to answer the "is it worth it" questions on DIS.

Oh, and I hear ya on the hard-boiled eggs. However, my sister and my daughter eat them!! My sis has a lot of food issues and requires protein in the morning, so that's why she eats them. My daughter is just crazy . No-- she avoids processed foods etc so she goes with eggs and fruit.

I agree. At the DLH, I usually grab the ham, a couple eggs, a couple slices of cheese, and a half bagel. Last time, there were no eggs at PPH.

Now, my granddaughter thinks the lounge is toddler heaven. (Unlimited juice boxes, gold fish, and Uncrustables and videos rock her little 3yo world.)

Concierge is similar to "Which onsite hotel is best". It is all up to personal choice.

ETA - One thing I did like better at GCH concierge... They had chex mix!!!

 

[Gisele]

But your personal choice doesn't jibe with my personal choice, so therefore it's wrong

Lol!