Concierge

[MJS]

We booked a Category 3 cruise, and learned that it includes concierge. I am a bit confused about booking dining, spa, excursions, etc. through them. Do they contact us before we leave home (like they do at the Disney resorts?). Has anyone ever had a problem making arrangements through them? Any and all information is appreciated!

Also, how does check in work if you are a concierge guest?

Thanks!

 

[DVC4US]

Hello MJs,

We stayed in a Cat 3 on our March cruise and it was great.

You have a specific window to check-in at the terminal and it is clearly marked at the far end of the check-in desks.

You should receive a letter from concierge as it gets closer to your cruise but the only things you can schedule before you get on the ship are Palo and excursions. When you check-in they will give you a paper that tells you where to go after embarkation to meet the concierge staff. At this point you will be able to make any and all reservations you would like including, Palo (brunch & High Tea), spa, hair braiding, Tea with Wendy, and wine tasting.(A lot of these are 7 day cruise only) You can also register your children into the clubs right there (if you have any).

We really enjoyed having concierge and decided not to cruise again without it (except for the 10 Christmas cruise). The concierge staff checked on us every evening and brought goodies each night. Hope you have a great cruise.

LeiLani

 

[goofy601]

Hi All!
We're cruising Disney for the first time on April 18-22! We are so excited!! We'll be celebrating 2 birthdays on board and just having the time of our lives! My question is - how do you get a time line on your post -- I need one!! Every second to this trip is awesome. We've been getting our "cruise clothes" ready - a special place in our back closet...it's silly - but it'll keep us going through our COLD winter months. My DH plows snow and is on call all winter -- he's driving me nuts with planning this trip. He's already gone on mapquest and gotten a driving route, checked out every website known to man -- he's sooo cute about it! Back to the main reason for this post -- can anyone tell me how to get the time line on my post?!? Thanks! Lisa

 

[DVC4US]

Lisa,

Go to the technical board and it will show you how to get a countdown clock. just look for the post that says Countdown.
LeiLani

 

[MJS]

Thanks for the help. How can you book Palo in advance without knowing your dining rotation?

 

[rundogrun]

Seemingly we're the only people who had a horrendous concierge experience.

We stayed in a Category 1 on the Wonder in January 2002. The cruise was fine, but everything that could go wrong with the concierge did...

We never received any advance communication from them...in fact, this is the first time that I learned that perhaps we should have.

We were one of the firsts on the ship and could have easily booked our own reservations. Initially, we waited for the concierge to come around (our mistake, given our experience on other cruise lines) to take our requests. No big deal...once we figured out that we needed to go to them, we headed over to them, waited our 15 minutes, and put in our Palo and Spa requests, still plenty early in the afternoon.

Well, needless to say both reservations were booked incorrectly...Palo was for the wrong evening, the Spa for the wrong service...and yes, we had filled out the forms correctly.

Turned out that Palo was already filled up for the evening we requested. "Really?" I said..."I thought we had boarded so early." Turns out it didn't matter...the concierges collect everybody's requests and THEN go make the reservations later in the afternoon. By then many times are already filled.

As for the other "goodies", I think the three chocolate chip cookies (same ones available poolside) dropped off one afternoon for six people pretty much epitomized our experience.

We were never loud, obnoxious, whiney, arrogant, or in any way unpleasant to them. They maintained a professional facade but really could not have been less friendly to us. Somewhat surprising, really.

Piece of advice #1 - if you need a specific time and day, better to make the reservation yourself. I really didn't find the concierge service to be a real time saver...I suppose if you need to make reservations in many places it could be. But you also will have more control booking yourself.

Piece of advice #2 - Not sure if you have had concierge/butler experience on other cruiselines that may affect your expectations as was the case with us, but if so, keep your expectations low. Think of them as a central booking service.

Piece of advice #3 - Book the category 3 for the extra space instead of the services. The extra room is the real benefit. The concierge is just a throw in.

Others will be along shortly to defend the conciereges, and if they've had first hand experience, then they should.

But in our experience, however, they were a complete waste of time.

 

[MJS]

Sorry to hear about your experience. We did book the room based upon space - not concierge. In fact, our Disney concierge experiences (GF/RPC, Poly, YC, etc.) have been so poor, we stopped staying in concierge and do DVC resorts. When I learned that concierge was included in the cruise I was concerned that the level of service might not be up to par with the nonDisney concierge experiences we have had.

Thanks for the warning.

 

[BrinxFam]

In May we received a complimentary upgrade from a Cat. 4 to a Cat. 3. The room was fantastic and even though we had conceirge service we only really used it once. The room might be worth the extra $$$$ but we have decided that since we didn't need any "extra services" we'd rather stay in a Cat. 4 unless we receive another complimentary upgrade that is.

MIS

 

[goofy601]

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[goofy601]

Thanks for your help -- as you can see by my post - I finally figured it out. Just one more way for us to be really excited about our trip. I feel like a little kid! Is it April yet? Lisa

 

[DVC4US]

MJS,

It is hard to book Palo without knowing your dinning rotation but we just picked nights we thought would work for us. You do not have to book early. You can always wait until you get on the ship and meet with the concierge staff and book your reservations then. You will know your dinning rotation by then, because it will be on your KTTW card. From what I understand, there are specific times blocked for concierge guests. If they do not have a time you want, all you have to do is ask. We wanted a time in the spa that the CM from the spa did not have, and all she did was go over to the phone and book the time with the spa while we waited. You have to go meet the concierge to request these reservatons and usually it is done right when you get on board.

Like you said, spending the extra money on a suite is best done for the extra space in the cabin, but the concierge services can be very nice.

Just some items we received from concierge. We had our refrigerator stocked with water and soda on the first day. Like I said before, they brought goodies every evening, and they brought a birthday card signed by Mickey for my DD. Also, on Thursday I decided to get some picture frames signed by the characters. I called concierge and they picked them up Thursday evening and had them back to my all signed by Friday night. It was really great service.

Lisa,
You are so welcome and your countdown looks great.

LeiLani

 

[TootyJane]

MJS,

Having stayed in a Cat. 2 twice (May 1999 and May 2002 (see my comments below)) and are booked in Cat. 2 again in June 2004, here are my thoughts:

As far as checking in at the terminal, no need to go to Concierge line – just go to the shortest as sometimes that is the fastest. CM will know you are booked and have concierge services so they will direct you where to go to wait.

I agree with rundogrun, since you among the first to board make your spa reservations and Palo reservations yourselves. We never, on both prior cruises, have received advance communication from the Concierge. I just read in the last six months that they contact you. It will be interesting to see if they contact us for our June cruise. I didn’t plan on doing anything in the spa so that didn’t really matter to me. However, Palo was what we were really interested in. As far as what day to book your Palo reservations? If you are as anal as I am you could figure out based on all dining rotations which night(s) would be preferable. Be prepared and have an alternate day and time in mind – just in case.

We didn’t book the suite for the concierge. We booked it for the room since there are five of us. Also, since we’re also with my brother and his family and our Mom we all used our suite as a meeting place before dinner, etc. Having just gotten off the RCI’s Voyager of the Seas and having the 2-bedroom suite which pales in comparison to the Magic's 2-bedroom suites) and with concierge service I have to say that the concierge on the Voyager was pretty pathetic. While sometimes Disney concierge seemed to go overboard the Voyager really did nothing.

Here is what I posted about our Concierge Services experience:

We had the Cat. 2 for our 5/18 7-day Eastern last year. As far as amenities, you do get priority boarding, your concierge team (our team was Christine and Thierry) will make any reservations you desire: Palo, spa, etc. We found out from our prior cruise that Concierge only receives a select number of reservations. They may not have the date and/or time you desire. We found it easier to book our own reservations. There is a "meet and greet" with your concierge team during the first afternoon. We did not attend because, as I mentioned, we made our own reservations. When Christina called us later in the afternoon she actually sounded disappointed that we didn't have them do it. You are invited to a "concierge only" Sail-away party when you leave St. Thomas with complimentary drinks and appetizers. If you are in Cat. 1 or 2 you receive complimentary sodas and bottled water -- no need to purchase those refillable mugs. You receive a different treat each day: the famous cheese and crackers, chocolate chip cookies, strawberries dipped in chocolate and petit fours, fruit tray, etc. You are able to order room service from any of the four restaurants and are able to order full breakfast with the exception of the last day. Regular staterooms may only order Continental Breakfasts. We also got a couple of sheets of personalized stationery. Our 3 boys each received arcade cards ($10 each) two times during the cruise. Our oldest ds had access to many in Common Ground so he gave a couple to his cousin. There is a video player and you are given a list of CDs and videos that are available to watch if you choose. Concierge team will stop by daily to inquire whether you need or want anything. You get daily phone messages as well. We received a booked entitled "DISNEY MAGIC - The Launching of a Dream." Great book!! I can't think of anything else at the moment. The Cat. 2 suite itself is reason enough to book. Concierge is just an added treat.

HTH

 

[Dreamer04]

Thanks Lisa! We're booked in a cat 3 on the 2/14 Western, and for the same reason..Space. The cat 3 we booked has the pull down bed in the livingroom, so DH and I will get some much needed privacy

As for the amenities, they sound nice, but I have a question, can we buy the robes???


Ursula

 

[TootyJane]

Originally posted by Dreamer04
As for the amenities, they sound nice, but I have a question, can we buy the robes???

Ursula, to be honest with you I never used the robes!! I suppose you could purchase them if you wanted. Just ask your Concierge. HTH

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Ursula,
I read somewhere that the robes were $70 if you wanted to buy them....

 

[mjbarnard]

There seem to be two threads about concierge currently! My quote from the other thread if it is of any use :

We travelled cat 1 in May. There were 2 concierge staff who looked after us - including Danielle who heads up the concierge staff and is absolutely excellent!

Concierge called us twice before our trip to touch base and also make Palo's dinner and brunch reservations. When we boarded we went to Sessions where you are individually met and all of your additional Palo's, Oceaneers Club, Spa, Excursion and any other reservations are arranged. Although you don't have complete choice of bookings (the concierge staff have blocks assigned to them) it was pretty clear that any requests would be met if at all possible. In fact this was more or less their ethos for everything throughout the cruise. On the few occasions we did call them and request something - it was invariably arranged without problem.

Snacks, colas and little gifts for our daughter were delivered daily. We don't drink a lot of soda - but one afternoon we held a drinks reception in our suite. I requested "snacks and soft drinks" - expecting a menu or charge. Instead they simply brought large quantities of both! The soda lasted us for the rest of the trip (and more!).

How accessible is the concierge? Too much in our opinion! We didn't particularly want nor expect close personal attention. The concierge staff visit daily - and we were usually out. Almost every time we returned to our cabin at any time of day there was usually a voice mail message from one of the staff saying either they were sorry they missed us or reminding us of appointments, excursions etc and asking us to contact them if we needed anything. These messages became so frequent they almost became a point of hilarity!

We had full room service breakfast every morning. They will serve virtually anything you request. On one or two nights we ordered room service from the dining menus. A full restaurant menu is available - but only from the restaurant you would normally be dining at that evening. Further the times for ordering and delivery are very limited - essentially they will only take and deliver your order at approximately the time you were scheduled to eat in the restaurant. This surprised me a bit.

There is a concierge guests cocktail party late one afternoon. However this wasn't quite what we expected - every party was greeted and sat down at their own table. We tried to socialise with some others - but it was quite difficult given the setup! Food and drink readily provided - but we think they missed the potential a bit....

There are numerous minor perks. For example on the last night we were phoned and told that although officially no room service breakfasts are served on the final morning - that we could have this if we ordered the night before! Many other examples also....

Having said all this - I agree with Howard. We did not book concierge for all these benefits or perks. We were fortunate to be able to have it - and we were celebrating a special occasion. I don't think the concierge perks are particularly good value or unmissable. However the suite is luxurious and spacious - and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[BeanoC]

I agree that the large suite is the main reason for booking cat. 3 or higher; concierge is just an extra. I didn't find them to be that much help while we were on board last year. But not having to wait in line to board was nice!

But as far as booking Palo without knowing your rotation - I was also asked by concierge what rotation I wanted, therefore it was not an issue. Just tell them what you want when they call you, if they don't bring it up first!


'Beano'

 

[Dreamer04]

There's also a great trip report, which included concierge service, on the trip report board. It's by ducklite. I always mention it to anyone who asks concierge questions. Hope she doesn't mind!

Ursula