GF concierge

[sydnjakesmom]

Thank you all for the help you've given me. We are going to WDW 8/20-8/27 with the FTP and staying at the GF Sugar Loaf concierge. I wanted to share some positive experiences I've had with the GF concierge staff. First, if you want to go to CRT and have a concierge hotel reservation, call the concierge staff and let them know that you want a certain day and time - you have to let them know more than 60 days before! They can put you on a wait list and when those reservations open up, you automatically get a PS and you didn't have to speed dial once. I know this from firsthand experience. I mentioned what we wanted to the concierge, got up and called myself anyway, and wound up with two PS's! If anyone wants 8/22 at 9am party of 4, it might still be available.

Also, if you want a PS for a restaurant that is full, the concierge is sometimes able to get you in by calling the restaurant directly, bypassing the WDW-DINE staff. No guarantees on this one, but you might get lucky.

I have found some of the staff to be more helpful than others - some will refer you to the florist rather than call and arrange everything for you, while others will go to great lengths to help. Some will spend a lot of time on the phone giving you ideas and tips. Send a nice email to the concierge staff, letting them know what assistance you need and see what happens! The GF concierge email is: wdwgfplanning@disney.com Be sure to give them your hotel reservation number.

I'm already sold on the value on concierge and our trip is still a month away!

Any ideas on an appropriate gift for the help I've gotten? I'm stumped!

Good luck!

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi there,

I brought chocolates for the concierge CM's at AKL last year but many people bring gifts based on their location (ie) maple syrup, salt water taffy... etc...

This year I had a terrific itinerary planner at BC who helped me wiith everything and I sent her Roses.

Thanx for the good report on the GF staff,

>>^..^<<

 

[TammiMcMan]

Hello to a fellow Bostonian. Glad to hear that you had such a good experience with the GF concierge planners. I also had great service with those that I've worked with in the past. DH and I are headed down there in January for a "mom & dad" only vacation. I don't think I'll need CRT reservations this time around, but last year they got us first seating and the first table for princess greetings. While looking over the shoulder of a hostess, I noticed on the computer that next to our names it stated VIP. I'm guessing that's because the ps was made through concierge. No wonder why we always seemed to have little wait and great tables.

Concierge will not accept tips as gratuity, but I've seen on these boards where guests will bring a gift pack representing their home state. Unfortunately, I don't think lobster or chowder will travel well though.

Have a wonderful trip.
Tammi

 

[disobsessed]

Okay - now let me ask a question of you veteran concierge guests. I have given AKL concierge my itinerary, and thus far they have been wonderful. I have asked them to get CIndy's ressies for Sun or Mon (preferred dates). HOWEVER, we could also go Sat, Tues, Wed or Thurs if we had to. My thought was to try for the alternate days, just in case. My first choice being the days I gave concierge.

Sydnjakesmom- how did you find out that they got the ressie? Did they email you? Some have indicated that they don't tell you until a week or so before you leave. If I am able to get a ressie, and they do too, I would want to know as soon as possible so that someone else (pref another DIS'er) would be able to use it. Did you call them? Do you think it would be okay to call and find out?

 

[sydnjakesmom]

Thanks for responding to my post, everyone. I think we will send some Maple syrup and maple sugar candies in advance. Like Terri says, chowdah just doesn't travel!

Disobsessed - I found out they had made reservations for me when I called WDW-DINE to check on status of my reservations and to cancel some duplicates I was holding. ask them to look under your name and your phone number as you don't know how the concierge set it up. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I find I have gotten better response with email than the phone, but there is a 1 day turn around on emails, although they sometimes just take care of the request and don't let you know they did. I think they must be very busy down there.

 

[TammiMcMan]

disobsessed,

If you are within the reservation window for CRT, then I would check to see if you got the date/time that you requested. When I made our plans for WDW last year, I didn't even think of reservations at the castle for breakfast. I was a newbie to the board and had no idea that it had become so popular. It was 30 days from our arrival date when I finally called the concierge pre-planner to inquire about getting a table. I thought for sure that I would hear giggles on the other end of the phone, especially after reading the lengths people were going to just to get a ps. He didn't laugh though, he explained that tables are set aside for concierge guests and those are not released until 7 days prior to dining. He put my name on the list and when that 7 day window opened up, did secure the reservations, but he wasn't able to confirm them with me until that time. Others may have experienced the same thing and that's why they haven't known until a week or so before their vacation.

Tammi