Every had concierge not get the ps you wanted?

[kimmie]

We are staying at the Polynesian concierge in April. I have many e-mails to and from Tara at the planning office. She has been very nice. However, I have asked for the Illuminations Cruise and it looks like she has not been able to get it. She told me they make a galiant (sp?) effort but nothing is guaranteed. I am such a control freak I even tried myself with no luck. I have given her another date that would work, but won't know the outcome for a day or so.
My question is this:
Do they have a special way of getting those hard to get reservations?
She can't really be dialing like me so early in the morning can she?
Have you ever not gotten a ps that you really wanted?

Maybe I just need to vent a bit, but I was REALLY hoping she could get it for us. I will still enjoy my stay, as we have never stayed concierge before and look forward to all that it offers!

 

[kalamazoo]

Others may disagree but I get the impression that they do not really have any special powers when it comes to making ps's. I believe they have direct access to the ps system though, so what they can do is check it periodically for cancellations. If Disney reservations was really on the ball they would have a waiting list or something that would notify the concierge if the desired ps became available. I have no idea if they have anything like this though.

 

[luvdzny]

I don't think that they can always come through. In Nov. 2001 we were staying at Poly concierge, they made 3 PS's for us, out of the 3 only one of them was actually on record. When we arrived for the other 2 they had no record of PS's ever being made. I am not sure if this really answers your question, but ever since then if there is a PS I reall want I make it mayself!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by kimmie
We are staying at the Polynesian concierge in April. I have many e-mails to and from Tara at the planning office. She has been very nice. However, I have asked for the Illuminations Cruise and it looks like she has not been able to get it. She told me they make a galiant (sp?) effort but nothing is guaranteed. I am such a control freak I even tried myself with no luck. I have given her another date that would work, but won't know the outcome for a day or so.
My question is this:
Do they have a special way of getting those hard to get reservations?
She can't really be dialing like me so early in the morning can she?
Have you ever not gotten a ps that you really wanted?

Maybe I just need to vent a bit, but I was REALLY hoping she could get it for us. I will still enjoy my stay, as we have never stayed concierge before and look forward to all that it offers!

Hi,

When we stay concierge we do not use the concierge staff to make our PS as it is my understanding that they are calling the same people we are to see if they can get you a piority seating.

The only reservation we make through the concierge is for the Sunrise Safari as it is only avaiable to AKL Concierge guests and your can only reserve it through the AKL Concierge staff. Other then that I make my piority seating and any other reservation I need as soon as allowed on my own.

 

[KathyTX]

There are such a small number of boats that do the Illuminations Cruise each night that you have a pretty slim chance of booking one. Luck (lucky timing) plays a big part in it, and I don't think the Concierge staff can really do anything that you can't do yourself with a phone call.

They can get directly into the PS booking systems, but they don't have any magical powers.

My advice: For any REALLY important PS arrangements, do everything you can to book them yourself. If you're onsite and your timing is a bit flexible, having the concierge make last minute reservations for you is pretty convenient.

 

[dandave]

I have only asked the concierge to get me one PS. I honestly am not a big PS person, because (as is the case at home) I rarely know what I'm in the mood to eat until the mood strikes me.
Anyway, I asked at the concierge desk at AKL for a Boma PS for that night. It was a no go. It was short notice, and no one's fault but my own for not asking sooner. I don't think that they can get anything at anytime, but I do think they try.

 

[kimmie]

I have one more shot at it and will give it a try.

Wish me luck!!

 

[floridafam]

We have stayed concierge at a few different resorts. Last October I asked Amy in the Itinerary Planning Office for YC Concierge guests if she could get us an Illuminations cruise.

She was able to reserve it. She said they can be notified if someone cancels and immediately grab that spot. We had to cancel this cruise a day before we checked in due to late arrival.

The YC Concierge team was able to get us a cruise while we were there on just a few hours notice. The CM's at the marina called us themselves and said they would work us in.

Amy also said that many PS's open up the week before the date you want. There was one in particular that we wanted and it was booked at 90 days out. She assured us that it would open up a week before and she would book it as soon as it did. She was 100% confident that it would.

Don't worry, I'm sure you will get the cruise.

 

[turnlisa]

My only word of caution when having concierage book your PSs is to double-check them yourselves. When we travelled in November, I noticed from our itinerary from Tara a discrepancy with having two dinners booked for one day rather than a breakfast and a dinner. When I pointed this out to her, she couldn't correct it so that I had a breakfast. This wouldn't have usually bothered me except for it was my DS's birthday and the only place that he wanted to eat. After this disappointment, I called Disney Dining myself and found 2 other problems that I corrected. Everything worked out in the end, but I know that if I had not called or looked the itinerary over carefully we would have missed a couple of meals. The folks in the planning office are terrific but make sure you double-check!

 

[kimmie]

Sorry that had to happen to you turnlisa. I WILL be making all of my ps's from this day on. I do have a few others I asked Tara to get, but they are really not important. I am going to continue to be up early each day and get what I want, when I want. I think that IS the only way to go.
I can't wait until its all set up and I can get some sleep! LOL

 

[floridafam]

Remember, you can always have any itinerary planning office fax, e-mail or mail you a copy of your itinerary with your PS's attached. Amy did this several times for us. It was very nice to have it on paper right in front of me. If something wasn't booked yet, it would say "book on ___ date".