Do you book concierge level? If so, is it worth it? What are the perks?

[Kims Aunt]

Just wondering for those who book concierge level rooms and suites if you find it's worth the extra $$ - what type of extra perks do you receive?

 

[helenabear]

We did it once 7 years ago. Back then we thought we got our money's worth. The extra touch with the booking of ADRs, and finding out information for us was worth it. In addition to the food... we ate at ours (the Polynesian) nearly ever night. Big moneysaver there. As were the free drinks of all types. At that time the fridges were extra, so between that and the rest we really did feel it was worth it. However, given we are DVC I doubt we will ever do it again (unless we get AKV concierge). Not all concierge is equal too IMO so read the reviews on it before you go... like Contempoary's concierge is no where near what some of the others are (depending on which level you get)

 

[1000thGhost]

We did BWI concierge Sep 04 (during Hurricane Jeanne) and the Inn Keeper's Club staff was excellent. The layout of the lounge was perfect.

We did Beach Club conceirge December 06 and the staff made us feel like we were intruding. We are the kind of people who say Hi! to everyone and are friendly and low-maintenance, but the 2 ladies at the conceirge desks looked more interested in their computers and did not even look up as guests walked by. The lounge is VERY small and dark compared to BWI's.

We did RPC at GF this past May 07. We loved the ladies who worked putting out the food in the lounge area--they were WONDERFUL-especially to our daughter with food allergies, but the conceirge staff was a staircase down from the "food area" and they seemed understaffed. I went down to get some help with ADR and the one conceirge available was tied up. I kept walking downstairs and she was still tied up at least for the next 30 mins and there were no backup people to assist me.

As far as perks---well in each of the locations we got nice appetizers and desserts at set times, and snacks in the early afternoon as well as soda and coffee....breakfast was usually continental breakfast like danish and toast and muffins and cereal, juice etc. They served cordials in the evening at a set time at each location as well.

I would have to say that the selection of appetizers and desserts was best at the Royal Palm Club...which makes sense since the conceirge markup is so high! The breakfasts and desserts all all 3 Concierge locations were pretty comparable, with a slight edge to GF on the desserts!




We love the extra perks of conceirge but it is not always necessary for every trip. Just staying at the deluxe resorts is nice enough for us!

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

We got a free upgrade (upon check-in) to WL club level a few years ago and loved it....

We booked WL club level for a few nights of our last trip, and honestly, we will not pay for it again. There were a few things that the IPO was supposed to let the CM's at WL know about, and they dropped the ball. The food offerings were ok, but it wasn't always fully stocked. There was 1 CM who was especially nice, and the rest were ok, except for 1 who just seemed upleasant. I don't normally spend $$ on something like this, and I'm kicking myself for spending the money on it for this last trip... Ah well, live and learn...

 

[madalex]

Definitely worth it for me. Have been to WDW a dozen times since 1997 and always stay concierge level. The biggest perk has been having the staff do my ADRs for me. I send them an e-mail telling them what I want and a day later my itinerary with all the ADRs shows up. When I make changes, it's the same thing. I don't have to deal with making calls myself or clueless CMs over the phone as a result. I also don't have to worry about calling right at 7:00 am to get some of the top ADRs - I just tell the staff what I want and they do all the work.

I also enjoy having access to the lounge to get breakfast, a drink or a snack from time to time. Finally, I like it that they are there to answer questions or make last minute changes to ADRs and other reservations.

 

[joybeth]

I had booked CL at the Beach Club for 5 night stay in October 2007 for dh and my 2 teens. After reading all of the (mostly negative) reviews I changed my res to Pop. We have stayed at Pop 3 times and my kids just love it. I just couldn't justify the extra money for the value my family would get from it. Infact, I used the difference in money to book a 3 night Labor Day trip with free dining for just dh and me! Just the difference in the lodging saved me enough to pay for the entire trip including air fare with $300.00 to spare!

jb

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

I had booked CL at the Beach Club for 5 night stay in October 2007 for dh and my 2 teens. After reading all of the (mostly negative) reviews I changed my res to Pop. We have stayed at Pop 3 times and my kids just love it. I just couldn't justify the extra money for the value my family would get from it. Infact, I used the difference in money to book a 3 night Labor Day trip with free dining for just dh and me! Just the difference in the lodging saved me enough to pay for the entire trip including air fare with $300.00 to spare!

jb

we were at POP for the first 4 nights of our trip....LOVED it! We had actually booked WL CL for the whole time, and then about a month before the trip, decided to do a split stay and try POP...I'm so glad we did!
VERY cool that you get an extra trip out of your switch!

 

[dunbarfamily]

While it would be nice to not have to deal with the ADRs, it's not worth it for us at this point in our lives. That would be about the only perk we'd use. We don't drink a whole lot besides water, and we bring that with us and/or just drink WDW water.

Maybe in the future cl will work for us, but for now, we don't want it.

 

[hjohnson6]

I would love to stay on a CL. I just can't afford it right now. Maybe when the boys move out of the house.

 

[sfbank]

Our first CL stay was at the BWI in 05. We are hooked. We love the BWI and we love the Inkeepers Club staff. They are great. The IPO is wonderful too. The concierge is really about the only thing that keeps us from buying DVC. If we knew we could stay BWI and stay on the concierge level we would sign in a heartbeat!

 

[Praise2Him]

I voted "Other" because we've stayed concierge twice and loved it, but those were special occasions, so probably won't do it again for a long time. I guess in the long run, we'd rather go more often and stay at a value resort.

 

[DisneyChristmas]

We're hooked on Concierge - now called Club Level. Some of the benefits can't be measured in dollars and sense.

Concierge rooms are full of happy kids who start their days with magic rather than restaurant lines and hassles. How much is it worth to you for the kids to start the day with a relaxing breakfast? You can read your complimentary USA Today while the kids watch TV and enjoy their cereal and juice. It’s already and waiting when you're ready. No more making reservations or standing in line or worrying that they won't eat what you've ordered.

Going to the pool? Wouldn't it be fun to grab soda pops or a big bottle of water, and maybe some cookies to take along? It's all there and ready to go.

Are you a bit of an insomniac and you’d love to get up but you don’t want to turn on the lights and wake everyone else? Many of the concierge rooms are unlocked 24/7. Grab your book and head on down to the lounge. Watch TV for a while.

Do the kids have homework to do while you’re on vacation? The lounge can double as a study place late at night or early in the morning.

Just having a close-by place to get away for even a few minutes can be fun too!

 

[MainStreetFireman]

we were able to afford concierge @ the Poly once. It was great for us at the time (DD was 10 and DS was 7) becase they took care of all the hard ADRs (CRT, HDDR, Luau, CM) and we also got great seats for them all. In addition, we used the lounge for a light breakfast snack to start our day.

However, we don't normally have that kind of coin to spend. So, it will probably be a one-time experience for us. If money were no object, I would do it again.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

I didnt vote.....only due to I have not experienced it ...yet!
So looking forward to our stay at the YC.....So far the IPO has been great finalizing ADR's, assisting with items I want for our room upon arrival etc...arranged ME...
I am looking forward to the lounge...especially with a little one.

Momof2DisneyKids....I am so, so sorry to hear you werent totally delighted with WL CL I know others have loved it...well you know, I just had bad luck with their IPO so thats why I changed. Hope you guys still had a great time

 

[ducklite]

We've stayed CL at every WDW deluxe over the years--many of them two, three, even four times. CL has changed a lot over the years, and frankly the cost simply can't be justified for what you get anymore--and I"m not just talking about the "offerings," I'm also talking about a general decline in service levels, and while I'm not going to say we'll never do it again, it's not likely to happen.

Anne

 

[4greatboys]

There was no option that applied to me. We have stayed concierge several times (Poly, AKL, YC) and we enjoyed it. Its not something I would do every stay but we did enjoy it and will most likely stay concierge again.

 

[huntconn]

I voted other only because we stay concierge every year but I can't really say that we would not stay any other way. I absolutely love the Polynesian concierge but I would choose Poly GV (non concierge) just to be able to stay there. So many people get caught up in that "is it worth it?" question. It's extremely difficult to say if it's worth it because so many of the perks are intangible things. One of my favorite things about the Poly concierge is just the ability to relax in the lounge looking out of the 2 story window overlooking the lagoon. Sitting there in the morning, sipping a cup of coffee, reading a newspaper thinking about the day ahead. That's priceless to me, but might not mean anything to the next person. And that's just one aspect of the experience. There's 100 other things I absolutely love about the Poly concierge.

 

[BionicEar]

We experience concierge (now club level) for the first time on our last trip in March 2006. We loved it and now my husband refuses to not go concierge on future trips.

For us, it was worth it, because at the time we booked it, I had just recently been implanted with a Cochlear Implant and still hadn't gotten to the point where I could talk to strangers on the phone again. Being able to plan my ADR's, etc. via email with concierge was a total godsend for me. It was nice to be able to decide what we wanted to do and put in our requests for it 200+ days out, knowing they would be fulfilled. (and they were)

For my severely ADHD son, the Poly concierge lounge provided a sense of consistency & routine, which then gave him a feeling of security. He was able to go up to the lounge to get the same breakfast every morning and to make hot chocolate from the machine (which he absolutely LOVED). The evening hor d'oevres were the same for the children every evening, which of course were important to him (ADHD kids thrive on routine!). He ate very well, which was a blessing to us as his parents, because it prevented meltdowns. (he had only one... when he discovered that Disney didn't have Cartoon Network! LOL)

Also, the location of our concierge level room was a plus and worth the extra money, because our children played together on the beach and watched the fireworks there while dh & I sat on the patio and enjoyed each other's company with a drink from the lounge.

My husband still gets tears in his eyes when he recalls our son telling him that he loves watching the fireworks (and parade) on the beach because "no one bothers me there."

So yes, for US, concierge is well worth it. Because of the expenses, we can only go about every 2-3 years. But that's okay with us.

If you're asking us to justify the expense of concierge, I can't help you there. For us, life is too short to worry about how much is spent on a vacation.

It's all in perspective. For some, it's not worth it. But to us, it is.

 

[klmall]

For our first 8 trips or so we did not choose CL but still spent a great deal of money on snacks, big meals and time making ADRs. As we visit Disney World now we are spending less time in the parks and want to enjoy our resort time more so concierge services seem worthwhile to us. We really enjoyed the quieter time on the Club Level at the WL last October and actually ate most breakfasts there while reading the paper. Now that DS is 21 we'll be sure to get back in time for cool beverages in the late afternoon .

Since we are going to WDW near Christmas for the first time we think having the Atrium Club at the Contemporary to grab snacks, beverages and a quiet refuge between holiday touring will make our trip much more enjoyable. I honestly think we might not attempt going at that time of year without Concierge services available given DH's desire to sleep in most mornings and relax before dinners out.

Yes, it's expensive but we have been saving and luckily this year we can start our stay in the Value season (a $ saver which disappears in 2008!). For us, it's a way we maximize our Disney experience.

 

[Rafikifan]

We got upgraded to Club level at the Beach Club and it was wonderful. We loved it and it was especially great at breakfast. In the late afternoon we enjoyed the snacks on the days we were at the resort at that time. I can't say enough good things about it but....when I saw what the difference in cost would have been if not a free upgrade then no, I can't say it was worth that price. We'd need to be there at the resort for more of their offerings to make it worth it's while and we are too busy to do that.