First time cruiser Concierge upgrade?

[BeachMouse1]

Hi I am going on my first Disney Cruise this year. Have cruised many other lines often and was told that on Disney the service is excellent every where so not necessary to do concierge. We usually do on other lines. I was listening to a podcast today and they said they upgraded to concierge at check in and received a great price. How does this work? Does it have to be offered to you or do you ask check in? I realize it’s probably only if space is available but is there a way to put your name on an upgrade list early or something like that? Any help appreciated. If there is a chance to upgrade we would consider

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

When you go to check in at the port, you can ask about upgrades and they will direct you to the appropriate desk to see if any are available. You usually have to be there first thing to have a shot at any level of upgrade but it never hurts to ask.

 

[lanejudy]

Just be aware DCL isn’t always offering upgrades. If it’s really important to you I’d book it now rather than wait.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Just be aware DCL isn’t always offering upgrades. If it’s really important to you I’d book it now rather than wait.

I agree.

I’m a huge DCL fan. My cousin recently sailed CL on the Treasure. Her experience was above and beyond what I experienced on my last cruise which was also on the Treasure. So, if you want the very best service, and can afford it, book it.

 

[jwalk03]

Seems like a waste of money to me- but to each their own. I just can’t see spending double or triple the price of an already expensive cruise to book concierge.

Disney service is always fantastic to me

 

[Joel0917]

in my past 8 sailings..and i get to the port right at 1030...i only saw upgrades once. check the website a few weeks before and get a feel for how full concierge is. if it's sold out 30 days in.then you have no shot. if 3-4 rooms are available. sure.
i was booked in a mid ship balcony...and it was 3000 to upgrade on a 5 day cruise. we passed on that but moved to a larger room with balcony for only like $600 more.

 

[MomOTwins]

We have sailed 11 times and at-port upgrades were available twice, and both times were very unusual situations (the first one was when there was the disney+ "kids sail free" promo that included every room category EXCEPT concierge, and so many families booked that the kids clubs reached capacity and DCL had to show the cruise as sold out to families with kids club age children, even though concierge still had rooms available. The second time was a day after the airport and port opened after a major hurricane and sadly a lot of people couldn't get to the port and missed the cruise).

For the most part, Concierge tends to fill up--yes it is expensive, but there are a lot of people celebrating special occasions (e.g., a milestone birthday or anniversary) or getting married/honeymooning on disney cruises, grandparents treating the family, as well as just guests who just have a lot of money. And not a lot of concierge rooms, because the whole point is that it is somewhat exclusive and provides a quiet retreat away from crowds with extra personalized service.

The best way to increase your chances of getting a discounted upgrade at port is to book a cruise close to the sailing date when you see there are still a lot of concierge rooms available. Other than that, if you want concierge and it is in the budget, you should probably just book it, since odds are not very good of getting it at the port.