DL Concierge questions

[Donald is #1]

Hi everyone! I am in the early stages of planning my first DL trip to be taken next year. I am planning on using my DVC points to stay at either the GC or PP. I just stayed at concierge level at AKV and I am now hooked on concierge level. So, now I am trying to decide if I want to use more points so that I can stay concierge level at either GC or PP. OK, I am finally getting to my questions.

1) What are the benefits of staying concierge level at DL (either GC or PP)?
2) What are your recommendations?
3) Also, do you have a preference for a WDW Vet on GC versus PP?

 

[Sy-]

Go for it if you can afford it.. Remember GC, and PP are not DVC properties so the cost to stay in concierge increases a lot!

For example.. AKV studio concierge goes from 13 to 45 points per night. GC Standard room Concierge goes from 41 to 93 points per night. depending on the dates travelled!

 

[Donald is #1]

Bumping for more opinions.

 

[abby]

We stayed at pp conceirge last year and loved it. However, I have heard DLH and GC concierge lounges are open later in the evening and have views. The PP lounge is on the second floor with no view.

 

[Donald is #1]

We stayed at pp conceirge last year and loved it. However, I have heard DLH and GC concierge lounges are open later in the evening and have views. The PP lounge is on the second floor with no view.

Do you remember how late it was open? Also, did they have breakfast and snacks in the lounge?

 

[CoolPool]

GC is a really nice place with great theming and a great location. Its the most "WDW" in terms of theming if you ask me. The lobby is grand. The rooms, however, are like a typical AKL room; which is to say, not large. (The DLH and PP rooms are bigger). The pools are very nice, one has a "redwood slide." I do not have experience with concierge here.

The PP has a "farther removed" feeling because you have to cross a street and walk through either the GCH or DTD to get to the parks. It has a cute slide but the pool is nothing to write home about. The Lobby is mundane and barely themed (there are some posters who are going to shoot me, but let's be honest, remove a few statues and its just another Holiday Inn). That said, the rooms are fresh and bright. I have stayed concierge here at the cheap AP rate last year and it was okay at best. I don't think its worth the big bump in price. When I hear people talk about club level at the Poly or other WDW deluxes, I think they are getting added value and concierge does more to help guests navigate what is a HUGE theme park/resort area; DLR doesn't warrant too much additional help. Dining is just not that big a deal at DLR, for example. Navigating between resorts and destinations is nothing to worry about. So concierge here becomes just "free" food and drink. And its not that great to begin with; also the PP lounge is on the 3rd floor with no view. So its not like you are going to run back to catch the fireworks whilst sipping a cocktail in the lounge. First of all, no cocktails; only wine and beer. Second, the place is packed up by that time anyway.

When I go back I'll stay at either the GCH or DLH. The DLH is actually a wonderful place to stay. Certainly, I'd pick it over the PP. My chestnuts.

 

[arielchickenofthesea]

Concierge at DLH is the best. They have a great view of the fireworks at night and pipe the music in for them. We also stayed concierge at PP and you can go to the 3rd floor where the pool is and sit outside on the deck and they pipe the music in there too. The concierge lounge at DLH is wonderful. They have great breakfast items and snacks all day with beverages available all the time. We got our water to take into the Park at the lounge and spent less on water in the Parks.

The lounge at DLH closes at 10PM and the PP at 8PM. I do not know about the GCH, because we have not stayed there. I like the Disney theming more than the theming of a great outdoors lodge, because we live in Colorado where we can see Great Outdoors lodges all the time. It is the Disney theming we are after.

I have to disagree about the PP. I never wanted to stay there, but our last trip, that was the only on property room we could get and we ended up loving it. The rooms are large, bigger than GCH, which I understand has small rooms. There is a great Surfer Goofy statue in the entrance lobby and it does feel Disney to me. The DLH is THE hotel for Disney theming. We LOVE this hotel and stay there whenever possible. It is our favorite place to stay at DL.
Have fun whichever you select, the service is great and the lounge benefits are worth the extra price, to us at least. We never stay non concierge anymore. We have to stay concierge because we are so used to the lounge and many of the CMs there are friends now.
A small warning: Once you stay concierge, you will have a hard time not staying concierge all the time...

ariel

 

[Donald is #1]

Concierge at DLH is the best. They have a great view of the fireworks at night and pipe the music in for them.

Hmm, a third option!

A small warning: Once you stay concierge, you will have a hard time not staying concierge all the time...

ariel

That's my problem exactly! I just stayed at the CL at AKV in May and now I am spoiled!


Well you help me with PP, 8 PM shutting down is just too early. OK so that is one off the list.



Everyone, thank you so much for the opinions! This is exactly what I wanted. Since I have never been to DL before and hence never stayed at the DL resorts, I love hearing the different opinions.

 

[Donald is #1]

bumping, any more recommendations?

 

[mousemom11]

We have stayed at GC 3 times, once at concierge. I wouldn't do it again. I just didn't see the value for the added price. At the time we went (2003), the breakfast was solely carbs, and I need protein, so I had to buy extra breakfast stuff elsewhere. I don't remember whether you could see the fireworks from the concierge lounge because we could see them from our room. It seemed like they took away the food fairly early in the evenings. I remember going into the lounge around 8-9 pm and the food was gone.

The upside is that you can grab all the bottles of water you want out of the fridge to take with you into the parks. That was a nice benefit.

GC is our absolute favorite hotel, but I wouldn't do concierge again.

 

[shkeogh]

I'd take GC over PP anyday.

-Much closer to the parks.
-Can watch fireworks with music from concierege.
-Food's a little "fancier" in concierge
-Better pool.
-Better bar.
-Better restaurants.

 

[Mama of Indybride]

We stay at the Grand Concierge level everytime. I try to talk myself out of it, because we are not owners (YET, taking a tour on Wednesday!)

Our group is older, all of our kids are out of or ready to graduate college and marry, so we enjoy the cocktail hour and the appetizers.

Breakfast does consist of a lot of carbs, fruits, bagels, cereals, etc. I have only seen eggs once.

There are chips fruit cookies soda and water throughout the day.

Breakfast and evening appetizers, and cocktail hour.

Bedtime stories with a bedtime snack for the kids just before the fireworks start, and then cordials for the adults.

We Love It, and are willing to pay for it.

PP did have more bathrooms in a 2 or 3 bedroom Suite than the Grand, though.