Help me sell concierge service to my spouse

[TestingH2O]

We did concierge last summer and loved it. We were a multigenerational group in several staterooms. The lounge served as a great meeting place that was quiet enough for conversations. My room was also right across, so I felt comfortable going across the hall to grab a snack or coffee even if DD was napping or already in bed. We had a cabana and made good use of the happy hours.

Right now we have 2 upcoming cruises. The first is concierge and the second is non-concierge. I'm curious to see how the non-concierge trip feels.

One thing to consider is the additional gratuities. I believe it's about $20 per person per day to tip the concierge staff. This is in addition to the standard cruise tips.

Since the first post mentioned the price difference, this is a relevant additional cost to consider.

DCL does not give a suggests tip amount for DCL. Numbers posted on the board vary wildly, but I've never seen a number that high. Perhaps $20/person for a whole cruise? If a 4 day, that would be $5/person/day and just slightly more than the standard room steward or server.

You're right though; gratuities are an additional expense.

 

[mevelandry]

Every person places a different value on the services and amenities provided. I value my money more than the convenience of having such goods and services provided to me. Therefore, I do not NEED to experience Concierge to place a value on it. Some people place a high value on the services provided by sailing concierge therefore they pay for it and that is wonderful.

Exactly!

I've been reading most of the description but the truth is : I've never experienced "crazy herds at check-in and disembarkation" that they are talking about... it never took us more than 5 minutes to get in and get off the ship. And hallways on our decks were always empty... And I cruised on two sold out cruises on the dream!

Club Level/Concierge doesn't cost that much in the WDW resorts and they offer something you don't get when you stay standard. And a "standard cruise" already remind me so much of the Club Level...

 

[mevelandry]

I talked to the wife tonight and she basically said it was my call. She gave me her two cents and some other information. She basically said since we are doing only 3 or 4 night cruise its a waste to upgrade the room to the one bedroom since we will be out and about. It comes down to adding the service or not for $1500. I let her know about the cabana and she thinks that since this is our first vist to the island we will be exploring and not using the cabana much.

She did tell me that as much as her and my daughter loved WL they want to see if its possible to do Poly. My daughter also apparently really want to do universal for a day because she wants to see the Harry potter world. Ultimately she's leaving the choice to me but not for the 1 bedroom only the added service to the verandah room.

The plan is 3 or 4 nights on cruise 6 days on land.

Even if you add the concierge service, if I am not mistaken you still have to pay for the Cabana (550$), so that would mean 2050$?

Polynesian Village Resort is fantastic. Also, I don't know if you've ever stayed Club Level in a deluxe resort but when you can get it on a promotion, it's quite nice!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I've never stayed in concierge, but would prefer to if I had the financial choice. If I was sure I wanted a cabana, I'd probably skimp on other things in life in order to stay in concierge and get my cabana. It's all personal choice.

 

[Kimberly9701]

I talked to the wife tonight and she basically said it was my call. She gave me her two cents and some other information. She basically said since we are doing only 3 or 4 night cruise its a waste to upgrade the room to the one bedroom since we will be out and about. It comes down to adding the service or not for $1500. I let her know about the cabana and she thinks that since this is our first vist to the island we will be exploring and not using the cabana much.

She did tell me that as much as her and my daughter loved WL they want to see if its possible to do Poly. My daughter also apparently really want to do universal for a day because she wants to see the Harry potter world. Ultimately she's leaving the choice to me but not for the 1 bedroom only the added service to the verandah room.

The plan is 3 or 4 nights on cruise 6 days on land.

Think of it this way, or at least this is how I made my decision-

With the money that you save by not doing the concierge- can you take another trip during the year, or maybe even a few weekend ones. Do you have local events in your area that you partake in?

For me, the final decision came down to realizing that money could be better spent, comfortably, elsewhere. Every Christmas time we do 2 nights at a great wolf lodge..polar express train..and other various events..we do weekend cabin trips to caves or mountains at least twice per year, and various weekend stays to visit museums etc out of the area, we did a glamping trip last year- which my son loved it so much I've decided to make it an annual thing. We also have zoo, museum, Cedar Fair park season and annual passes.. And our annual "big" vacation is 14-16 nights. For me the difference in cost of concierge (@ 3500) almost equaled our stay at the Contemporary post cruise. If someone's "entertainment budget" can absorb all of that comfortably then great! Definitely do concierge! For me and my son I would have had to cut something out of the year somewhere. Because of this I decided that I'm happy with our Deck 9 midship verandah room.. And that the price difference was something I was unwilling to do, even though I know I would love it. Had it been $1500 though.. I probably would have, although maybe not on a short cruise.

As far as Poly-- I LOVE it!! We did a standard theme park view room and I actually prefer that building (Tuvalu) over the club level one. For us, club level has no value at a resort, I don't need help with DW reservations, and I wouldn't utilize the lounge with my 5 year old. If I was traveling with other adults it would have value.

We all have different budgets and different lifestyles, just take that in to consideration when asking advice. It only matters if it's worth it to you

 

[The Sasquatch]

It always amuses me how some people are very uncomfortable when someone has a different opinion.

Because you can't form an opinion when you haven't experienced something.

 

[Hundredacre]

Because you can't form an opinion when you haven't experienced something.

Of course you can. I have formed the opinion that I do not need to try cocaine because I have read what it does to your body and because I have seen other people on cocaine. And it's not pretty.
I think concierge is great. But not for me. And I don't need to try it to know that. But concierge subsidizes my fare. I love people who travel concierge. Just like I love people who buy Lamborghinis. The research and development that goes into making a car like that benefits the development of my average car next go around.

 

[mevelandry]

Because you can't form an opinion when you haven't experienced something.

I disagree with that statement. You can judge if an experience is likely to be worth the investment if you do your homeworks. Especially when you've experienced something similar in the past that you can compare with.

 

[RRB]

Our first 13 cruises were non concierge and we loved every minute. Our 14th was an anniversary cruise and we splurged for concierge and it was fantastic. It's not just a money thing, it's a value thing. The people posting on this thread that say it's not worth the money are paying a premium for Disney over other cruise lines. That's the value thing. We (collectively) value DCL over the other lines and are willing to spend more for that experience. The same goes for concierge. Questions that may help you choose - when you travel, do you stay at value hotels, moderate hotels or nicer? When you go out for dinner, moderate or better? Will this cruise be the only one in the foreseeable future? If so, the concierge experience will make it even more special. For us, we loved the experience and at least for the next cruise (September), we're doing concierge

 

[Jennifer777]

I am a person who does tend to pay extra for a more inclusive and luxury experience. It's not because I'm wealthy (far from it) or a snob (It actually makes me uncomfortable to be waited on too much). I do it because I work very long hours in a high stress environment and I NEED stress-free vacations to relax, unwind and get away from it all. We also have a child with Aspergers which can make traveling a challenge. Alleviating some of those stressful moments like the crowds at boarding, standing in long lines to check in, or the added perks of having private lounge to connect in so you can avoid the more crowded areas would make a huge difference for our family. I haven't sailed concierge yet, but almost certainly will in the future. We have been fortunate to get a cabana 2 out of 3 of our previous sailings and it's made our experience so much better and more relaxing. How you vacation plays a part in whether or not it's worth it too. If you don't spend a lot of time in your room and don't mind lines, if you wouldn't enjoy the receptions then it's probably not worth it to you to pay the extra. If you like to explore the island and aren't *lay on the beach all day* kind of people like we are, the cabana may not be worth it to you.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Of course you can. I have formed the opinion that I do not need to try cocaine because I have read what it does to your body and because I have seen other people on cocaine. And it's not pretty.
I think concierge is great. But not for me. And I don't need to try it to know that. But concierge subsidizes my fare. I love people who travel concierge. Just like I love people who buy Lamborghinis.

I love this analogy.

We've cruised DCL 18 times, been on all 4 ships. I too have looked into concierge on ships and at WDW resorts and can't see the value. As a pp said, it depends on who you're traveling with and what you plan to do while on vacation. Usually it's just dh and I and our kids and we're on the go. CL at any WDW resort would be like flushing $ down the drain. We stay at deluxe resorts because dh likes them but we're at the parks morning til night usually so we don't even use most resort amenities. Why would I add more to the list that we won't use?
We are a lot like the pp who said once she's paid for it, she feels obligated to keep using it to get your money's worth. This is how we feel about park tickets. If we're paying $400/day to enter MK, we'd like to feel like we got all we could for that $400 so 5-6 hours in MK would not be enough to make me want to leave early.
I'm not a cheapskate; we've taken our kids on Alaska and the Med cruises both full of private excursions because I did see the value there.

We've cruised enough DCL that we can take it a bit slower and would probably enjoy a cabana but we're platinum and it's easy to get, and still we pass on it. I like shade and drinks too and still get more than what I need in a lounger on the family beach. Still, I can only just sit for so long.

The definition of value and people's budgets are different. I don't think comparing WL to Pop is a good comparison. (That's more like comparing DCL to Carnival.) I think it's more like comparing WL to WL-CL.
OP, while you were staying at WL, did you feel your vacation was in some way lacking because it wasn't CL? Or were you thrilled that you were staying at WL? If you're going to spend the whole trip regretting your decision, do concierge.

 

[Kimberly9701]

I love this analogy.

We've cruised DCL 18 times, been on all 4 ships. I too have looked into concierge on ships and at WDW resorts and can't see the value. As a pp said, it depends on who you're traveling with and what you plan to do while on vacation. Usually it's just dh and I and our kids and we're on the go. CL at any WDW resort would be like flushing $ down the drain. We stay at deluxe resorts because dh likes them but we're at the parks morning til night usually so we don't even use most resort amenities. Why would I add more to the list that we won't use?
We are a lot like the pp who said once she's paid for it, she feels obligated to keep using it to get your money's worth. This is how we feel about park tickets. If we're paying $400/day to enter MK, we'd like to feel like we got all we could for that $400 so 5-6 hours in MK would not be enough to make me want to leave early.
I'm not a cheapskate; we've taken our kids on Alaska and the Med cruises both full of private excursions because I did see the value there.

We've cruised enough DCL that we can take it a bit slower and would probably enjoy a cabana but we're platinum and it's easy to get, and still we pass on it. I like shade and drinks too and still get more than what I need in a lounger on the family beach. Still, I can only just sit for so long.

The definition of value and people's budgets are different. I don't think comparing WL to Pop is a good comparison. (That's more like comparing DCL to Carnival.) I think it's more like comparing WL to WL-CL.
OP, while you were staying at WL, did you feel your vacation was in some way lacking because it wasn't CL? Or were you thrilled that you were staying at WL? If you're going to spend the whole trip regretting your decision, do concierge.

100% agree. Seeing the value in something or having the capability to afford something are 2 very different things. All that matters is what's important to you.

I do see quite a bit of value in concierge on a Disney cruise. I don't see enough value in it, for us, to spend over $3500 difference on it...maybe if it was our only vacation of the year I could have justified it. Well that, and if it was at least $1k less lol. I did see enough value in DCL to choose them over Royal Caribbean for similar itininerary (I enjoy RC, and will take my son on them in the future, but at his curent age I think Disney fits us best).

I see the value in a theme park view room at Poly and CR, so I choose it. I don't see any value in club level, so I skip it.

 

[phinz]

I just moved our Cat V and my father's 4E to a combined cat T. There's tons of value for us, especially now that my 72-year-old father will be able to board in Concierge with us.

 

[bumbershoot]

We are looking at 4 nights on the Dream.

The $2500 doubles the square ft as it goes from 299 sqft to 600.

Thanks for reminding me/us that there were two upgrade ideas there.

One bedroom staterooms vs cat V doesn't appeal to me personally. The extra space for us would just get cluttered in luggage.

One thing to consider is the additional gratuities. I believe it's about $20 per person per day to tip the concierge staff. This is in addition to the standard cruise tips.

Since the first post mentioned the price difference, this is a relevant additional cost to consider.

Oh my goodness no. There's no stated guideline. I know of one dis'er who might tip like that but in the threads where people discuss specifics that person is always at the highest end by far. I've never ever seen such a high guideline.

 

[bumbershoot]

Now that I'm off my cell and can multiquote easier...

I wouldn't go on the cruise unless I was at concierge level, its just that huge of a difference. We went with the 1 bedroom suite and it was a massive space with a wonderful jetted tub, big enough for two.

The food and drinks at the lounge were fantastic, morning, afternoons, evenings, it was all good. Plus having the fridges loaded with every drink you could want thats just free to grab and go was wonderful. The Evian facial mist on the deck was great too, very refreshing.

Since it's all personal opinion...you brought those up, and my personal opinion goes the other way. Obviously I don't see that much of a difference, and can easily cruise non-concierge. Our second DCL was an inside cabin, even. Tubs for two don't thrill me, LOL.

We found the food to be "meh". We're vegetarian and MOST of the food on cruises is "meh" for us. Desserts have gelatin and weird ingredients, and there aren't that many non-meat options out in the lounge. As for drinks, it's water. I assume the water in the lounge is still Evian and not Dasani (spring water vs filtered municipal water), so that's a bonus, but I can bring that on. We don't drink soda so that's just a waste for us. I think I tried the facial mist...I don't understand it. Spraying myself in the face doesn't do much for me.

I did like the happy hour, but I'm the only one in the family who drinks, and it's easy enough to just bring my own wine and have a drink each night in that way.

Being able to skip the sheer madness and cow herding of the check in in the terminal was a huge plus too. Express elevator to get on the ship and get off was great.

4 DCL cruises, and I've never seen any madness or herding. Express elevator? The one time we took part in concierge disembarkation we ended up leaving the ship a good 30 minutes before we *wanted* to! Which meant we waited outside in the cold (January cruise) longer than we intended. We should have just gone down to the main deck and sat in chairs as we intended to.

I also enjoyed having a more private hallways and spaces, it was much more relaxing, No crowds and the concierge hosts will help you with anything you need or want.

Not all of us have any needs for concierge to help with.

I've never seen a crowd in a stateroom hallway on Dream. Not even the day I did laundry and was back and forth to (I believe) the deck 9 laundry room several times.

I just know after seeing the non-concierge way of doing things that way of vacation is not for us.

Have you done a non-concierge Disney cruise? Since it seems we're not allowed to have opinions on things we haven't done (mystifying), you might consider doing one, just to see. I highly recommend room 6666 on Dream. Fabulous room.

It's hard for me to put a specific dollar value on these benefits and so I usually just set a budget for myself then shop for a cruise--if our favorite cabins (12510 or 12514) are within that budget, great; if not, hey we're still cruising!

Ayep.

My daughter also apparently really want to do universal for a day because she wants to see the Harry potter world.

OK, let's change it around! 3 or 4 night cruise. Then really do Universal right for your daughter. Stay at Portofino Bay Hotel, club level. IMO their best resort, and club level (assuming you'll be at the lounge for the offerings) is a great way to do things at Uni. Staying onsite at a deluxe resort gives you Unlimited Express Pass for almost every ride (doesn't include Forbidden Journey, Gringott's, Ollivander's, Kang&Kongs in the Simpsons area, or Pteranodon Flyers though depending on your daughter's height that might be out anyway), and staying onsite *period* at Uni gives you Early Entrance for Wizarding World in one or sometimes both parks each day. Fabulous RESORT, and Universal *encourages* pool-hopping unlike Disney. If you get the urge to hit WDW, have a rental car to go on down there.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Now that I'm off my cell and can multiquote easier...



Since it's all personal opinion...you brought those up, and my personal opinion goes the other way. Obviously I don't see that much of a difference, and can easily cruise non-concierge. Our second DCL was an inside cabin, even. Tubs for two don't thrill me, LOL.

We found the food to be "meh". We're vegetarian and MOST of the food on cruises is "meh" for us. Desserts have gelatin and weird ingredients, and there aren't that many non-meat options out in the lounge. As for drinks, it's water. I assume the water in the lounge is still Evian and not Dasani (spring water vs filtered municipal water), so that's a bonus, but I can bring that on. We don't drink soda so that's just a waste for us. I think I tried the facial mist...I don't understand it. Spraying myself in the face doesn't do much for me.

I did like the happy hour, but I'm the only one in the family who drinks, and it's easy enough to just bring my own wine and have a drink each night in that way.



4 DCL cruises, and I've never seen any madness or herding. Express elevator? The one time we took part in concierge disembarkation we ended up leaving the ship a good 30 minutes before we *wanted* to! Which meant we waited outside in the cold (January cruise) longer than we intended. We should have just gone down to the main deck and sat in chairs as we intended to.



Not all of us have any needs for concierge to help with.

I've never seen a crowd in a stateroom hallway on Dream. Not even the day I did laundry and was back and forth to (I believe) the deck 9 laundry room several times.



Have you done a non-concierge Disney cruise? Since it seems we're not allowed to have opinions on things we haven't done (mystifying), you might consider doing one, just to see. I highly recommend room 6666 on Dream. Fabulous room.



Ayep.



OK, let's change it around! 3 or 4 night cruise. Then really do Universal right for your daughter. Stay at Portofino Bay Hotel, club level. IMO their best resort, and club level (assuming you'll be at the lounge for the offerings) is a great way to do things at Uni. Staying onsite at a deluxe resort gives you Unlimited Express Pass for almost every ride (doesn't include Forbidden Journey, Gringott's, Ollivander's, Kang&Kongs in the Simpsons area, or Pteranodon Flyers though depending on your daughter's height that might be out anyway), and staying onsite *period* at Uni gives you Early Entrance for Wizarding World in one or sometimes both parks each day. Fabulous RESORT, and Universal *encourages* pool-hopping unlike Disney. If you get the urge to hit WDW, have a rental car to go on down there.

omg, yes!!!
Definitely stay onsite at Uni for the unlimited Express Line access. Now THAT is worth spending extra on. (I have looked at CL at Uni and still we wouldn't get much from it because we're rarely at the resort.)
The AP discount offered by the hotels is very generous and the AP paid for itself in hotel discounts on a 3 night stay.
Being able to skip the lines all day in the parks is heavenly. If my boys want to ride Men in Black 3x in a row, they can with almost 0 wait. We have actually walked right into our seats on Incredible Hulk while the regular line was 45 mins long. Sweet! That's a perk we are using repeatedly, all day long while on vacation, so that has value to ME.
Now if Disney could offer some kind of unlimited FP for CL guests, I'd be all over it.

Paying hundreds extra to avoid being herded once at the port? Meh.
If you arrive after they're done calling boarding numbers you walk right on anyway. We figured that out after our first cruise. Being platinum means we can use the same check in line as concierge and if we did want to arrive early with the herd, our boarding group is always 1.
I don't see the appeal of eating dinner in our stateroom. My kids enjoy the entertainment in the MDRs so I feel like that's part of why we choose DCL. When we tried RCCL after around 10x on DCL our ds19, then 12, said about their MDR, "This is IT? We just come here every night for dinner?" Like it was so bland and boring. I can't imagine what he'd think if we were going to stay in our room, even if it were double in size.
No thanks, not for us.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. We have done both concierge and non-concierge level staterooms on DCL and from here on out, we will only do concierge because the service is absolutely worth it for us. DCL concierge can go above and beyond what a WDW "club" CM can do for a guest (hence the difference in terms, concierge vs. club).

For example, I just booked a Dec. 17 Fantasy cruise two days ago in a Cat. V. Main Dining was sold out for this cruise, but once I had booked the stateroom, I simply e-mailed shoreside concierge and requested a main dining time, private table for dinner. Within 8 hours I had an e-mail from shoreside and it was done and done. We can also show up at Port Canaveral whenever we want and get almost immediate check-in and boarding. At midnight at the 120 day mark, I will e-mail shoreside again with all of my dining (Palo and Remy), shore excursion, spa and cabana requests. Those requests will be filled in the order received (of other concierge guests) and will be filled prior to platinum members. I'm pretty much assured everything I request, including the cabana. I don't have to wait and hope these things will be available. We get first dibs.

We sailed concierge on the Magic in Europe last summer and we had private receptions with character visits. In some of the countries, we had to turn in our passports. While other guests had to line up in the theater to turn in their documents, we simply gave them to our concierge hosts and they handled the process for us. My DS didn't feel well for a few days, so our concierge hosts personally came to our room to give him a card and a big stuffed Mickey. When we needed tickets to characters, they got them for us. There was no standing in line at guest services for anything.

So, long story short, the extra cost is worth it to us as I can leave a lot of the work to the concierge team and spend less time standing in lines and more time enjoying our trip.

 

[TestingH2O]

At midnight at the 120 day mark, I will e-mail shoreside again with all of my dining (Palo and Remy), shore excursion, spa and cabana requests. Those requests will be filled in the order received (of other concierge guests) and will be filled prior to platinum members.

If you want to beat platinum, make sure you email at 125 days.

That's a sweet story about your son. Somehow, Disney does find people in lots of positions who just understand how much it means to go the extra mile.

 

[The Sasquatch]

I think it really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. We have done both concierge and non-concierge level staterooms on DCL and from here on out, we will only do concierge because the service is absolutely worth it for us. DCL concierge can go above and beyond what a WDW "club" CM can do for a guest (hence the difference in terms, concierge vs. club).

For example, I just booked a Dec. 17 Fantasy cruise two days ago in a Cat. V. Main Dining was sold out for this cruise, but once I had booked the stateroom, I simply e-mailed shoreside concierge and requested a main dining time, private table for dinner. Within 8 hours I had an e-mail from shoreside and it was done and done. We can also show up at Port Canaveral whenever we want and get almost immediate check-in and boarding. At midnight at the 120 day mark, I will e-mail shoreside again with all of my dining (Palo and Remy), shore excursion, spa and cabana requests. Those requests will be filled in the order received (of other concierge guests) and will be filled prior to platinum members. I'm pretty much assured everything I request, including the cabana. I don't have to wait and hope these things will be available. We get first dibs.

We sailed concierge on the Magic in Europe last summer and we had private receptions with character visits. In some of the countries, we had to turn in our passports. While other guests had to line up in the theater to turn in their documents, we simply gave them to our concierge hosts and they handled the process for us. My DS didn't feel well for a few days, so our concierge hosts personally came to our room to give him a card and a big stuffed Mickey. When we needed tickets to characters, they got them for us. There was no standing in line at guest services for anything.

So, long story short, the extra cost is worth it to us as I can leave a lot of the work to the concierge team and spend less time standing in lines and more time enjoying our trip.

well said! To add a few things, FOR US the one bedroom suite is worth the price alone. Having a room twice the size, separate bedroom, 2 showers, etc. is our #1 reason. Next is having a private sun deck that is virtually empty. People saving chairs around the pool and general madness on the main deck doesn't Impact us at all. We walk out to a beautiful quiet deck with padded chairs and misters and your own lounge below you. For some of us that is a huge value. It's not about the ability to have a great cruise non-conci, it's about having the option to make a great cruise even better. If your not the type of family that stays deluxe or club, dines signature every evening, rents a car instead of magical express, etc. than we can all argue either side until we are blue in the face. The great thing about Disney is they provide options.

In the end you will have a magical Disney vacation with whatever route you choose. The most important thing is enjoying your vacation time and your family. Don't be one of those people who are so consumed with everyone else is "getting" that it ruins your trip. Do more of what makes you happy!

 

[cgolf]

Here is my 2 cents, at the current prices it is not worth it, assuming they have not lowered them. When we did concierge in 2013 and 2014 in a Cat V room it was mid 4K range and worth it to us. When we went to rebook in 2015 they had the same week and itemerary priced at mid 7k (if my memory serves me) and we said it was not worth it. To be honest we really don't miss it.