If you aren't sailing DCL concierge, but are doing concierge elsewhere, which ship and why?

[TigerLaw]

Just curious to see for those who are sailing concierge on other ships, what made them choose to do that instead of DCL concierge? How does Disney's concierge compare to other cruise lines? How do the prices compare? Obviously I know here are other factors such as where the ships are sailing to, size of cruise party, etc., but thought this might be a good place to start for discussion purposes.

Thanks for the help!

 

[NEGeekymama]

No desire to ever sail concierge on Disney; there's just no way to justify the cost, especially when travelling with a family of four. A quick search shows that the cheapest concierge category room right now for a family of four is a 3 night Baja cruise in a family balcony for $5863.

With the Disney+ subscriber deal I was able to book a 7 night Western Caribbean for four in a family balcony for $5599.

To further illustrate the pricing difference, I have a 3 night cruise for 2 adults booked in the Royal Suite on Freedom of the Seas in October, which is nearly 5 times the size of the concierge family balcony I just priced out on Disney.

 

[Prose]

Be careful when looking at other cruise lines that you are comparing apples to apples. For instance, Celebrity has a level called Concierge, but it is really just a regular stateroom with a welcome lunch and someone to help you with reservations. Their suite level with a dedicated Lounge and all the suite level perks is called The Retreat.

 

[NEGeekymama]

Be careful when looking at other cruise lines that you are comparing apples to apples. For instance, Celebrity has a level called Concierge, but it is really just a regular stateroom with a welcome lunch and someone to help you with reservations. Their suite level with a dedicated Lounge and all the suite level perks is called The Retreat.

Royal is pretty clear about their suite-level perks.

 

[Mango7100]

We have never done concierge on a Disney but have done The Haven on NCL—it was by far cheaper than concierge on a week long Fantasy cruise the same dates. I don’t think there is any comparison—The Haven had a dedicated pool, hot tubs, sun deck, lounge area which were never crowded. Private bar and restaurant with a premium menu (i had lobster tail and filet most nights). Private checkin for embarkation. First on and off the ship at all ports. 450 sq ft cabin with a butler. We are doing DCL in March but I’m not paying concierge for DCL—I do not think they give enough perks to warrant the price after seeing what we got on NCL.

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

Be careful when looking at other cruise lines that you are comparing apples to apples. For instance, Celebrity has a level called Concierge, but it is really just a regular stateroom with a welcome lunch and someone to help you with reservations. Their suite level with a dedicated Lounge and all the suite level perks is called The Retreat.

This is actually something very specifically that i've been looking into ALOT lately.

Celebrity does have a "concierge" level that is as you describe...basically, a normal balcony room with some upgraded fit/finish type stuff and a concierge to help you with reservations. There is no lounge, and no private space on the ship for these folks...you do get a concierge team you can ask for stuff, but it's mostly just around making reservations for you.

The most apples-to-apples DCL Concierge to Celebrity comparison I can make is probably the AquaClass. You get a concierge who can help you around the ship and you get some bonus areas on the ship (private dining room, upgraded room amenities, etc.)...they can do the same kinds of things that DCL's concierge hosts can do. However, this class is more focused/sold around "spa" type stuff....this is significantly less expensive than what DCL charges for (more-or-less) the same "class" of service.

Celebrity's "top-tier" is called The Retreat...it's the "ship-within-a-ship" concept that's been popular. It's also, for the most part, all-inclusive. Bigger rooms, premium drinks package, premium wifi, tips, access to a retreat-only lounge, retreat-only restaurant, and/or retreat-only sundeck (depending on the ship). You also get some included level of onboard credit. Finally, what primarily sets it apart of Disney is the Retreat Host....more akin to a butler than a concierge.

 

[Pens Fan]

We have never done concierge on a Disney but have done The Haven on NCL—it was by far cheaper than concierge on a week long Fantasy cruise the same dates. I don’t think there is any comparison—The Haven had a dedicated pool, hot tubs, sun deck, lounge area which were never crowded. Private bar and restaurant with a premium menu (i had lobster tail and filet most nights). Private checkin for embarkation. First on and off the ship at all ports. 450 sq ft cabin with a butler. We are doing DCL in March but I’m not paying concierge for DCL—I do not think they give enough perks to warrant the price after seeing what we got on NCL.

I could have written this. We've never done concierge on DCL, but I've read enough about it that I feel I have a pretty good grasp of what it gives you. NCL Haven just offers so much more at a lower price. The exclusive bar and restaurant (with the best food on the ship IMHO), are worth the price of admission. It's been awhile since we sailed on DCL, but will be on the Magic next October. We booked a regular balcony for that one. I just can't justify what they charge for concierge, especially knowing what I could get on NCL for less money.

 

[Joel0917]

Now I’m looking at a true concierge for an eastern on icon of the seas for royal in 2024. All the perks, private deck and such is about $14000 for three. We booked a standard 200sq ft room that is smaller for $5000 then bought the key for $900 to get most perks except private sun deck.

Standard room for 3 on Disney mexican river is same week on wonder was $8100.

So it’s not quite apples to apples, and I’m it getting full concierge perks. It wasn’t as cheap as some folks say that I get concierge for Same price as a regular room. That was not the case at all for me comparing same weeks. Granted disney 7 day concierge was probably $30k. But the Disney regular room was not equivalent to a concierge on royal at all.

 

[OKW Lover]

We have sailed in Concierge on most of the DCL ships. We've also sailed in suite's on both Royal and Celebrity. There really isn't a good comparison. The other lines have dedicated suite restaurants and actual suite cabins. DCL Concierge class includes both standard cabins as well as actual suite cabins. IMHO, only the concierge lounge on the Wish is equal to the suite lounge on Royal or Celebrity ships.

Price wise, you can get a suite on one of Royal's Oasis class ships out of Port Canaveral, sailing on a similar itinerary as the Fantasy, for about 1/3rd less (or even more) that what DCL charges for a 3A cabin concierge.

 

[soniam]

We have done a suite on Celebrity; before it was called The Retreat. We are doing a suite again on Celebrity this summer as part of The Retreat. These are just as a couple. Never done a suite/concierge on DCL. Doesn't seem worth it. We usually do a verandah for the 3 of us on DCL. It's still sometimes more expensive than a suite on Celebrity, depending upon the itinerary, suite size, ship, and season.

 

[dmetcalfrn]

We sailed RC in Star Class with Royal Genie this summer after many DCL cruises and 2 short RC cruises. The suite and Genie were awesome. A quick text to the Genie for anything. The cost was cheaper than 7 day DCL. Included ultimate dining and drink packages, wifi, tips and more. We booked Star Class again for next year for our anniversary.
ETA - typo fixed

 

[John VN]

Just curious to see for those who are sailing concierge on other ships, what made them choose to do that instead of DCL concierge? How does Disney's concierge compare to other cruise lines? How do the prices compare? Obviously I know here are other factors such as where the ships are sailing to, size of cruise party, etc., but thought this might be a good place to start for discussion purposes.

Thanks for the help!

Simply put for thousands of $$$ less >>>

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club

On our FIRST YC cruise back in 2019, the ship MSC Seaside was close to fully booked at 5,000 cruisers but our YC Area still made the ship feel empty with the 250 YC cruisers as did their exclusive Ocean Cay Island YC Section.

 

[jimmymc]

Other cruiselines tend to be cheaper and offer more physical perks, like an exclusive restaurant to dine in, exclusive pools and bars, plus the normal concierge lounge. Where Disney stands out is the service, having someone to arrange everything for you and get you first dibs at excursions and activities.

I personally don't think either of them are worth it unless you're getting a 2 bedroom suite and filling it with people. I would rather use that money for better excursions, specialty dining, and drinks at the bar.

 

[ngl]

Other cruiselines tend to be cheaper and offer more physical perks, like an exclusive restaurant to dine in, exclusive pools and bars, plus the normal concierge lounge. Where Disney stands out is the service, having someone to arrange everything for you and get you first dibs at excursions and activities.

I personally don't think either of them are worth it unless you're getting a 2 bedroom suite and filling it with people. I would rather use that money for better excursions, specialty dining, and drinks at the bar.

I was looking for a post on this topic an voila! Why I love these boards As this quote above, we are looking for a 2 bedroom for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 young teens) so this topic keeps coming up in our house. Have done Dream & Wish both Concierge and love the service! We typically go for Tgiving so no real change to Disney itineraries during that time and would like to at least see different ports and the main reason we are looking towards other lines. However, we want as similar (or maybe better as others seem to suggest!) to the Disney Concierge experience. Some say Haven on NCL? I heard MSC can be hit or miss. Would love any and all input!!

 

[jimmymc]

I was looking for a post on this topic an voila! Why I love these boards As this quote above, we are looking for a 2 bedroom for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 young teens) so this topic keeps coming up in our house. Have done Dream & Wish both Concierge and love the service! We typically go for Tgiving so no real change to Disney itineraries during that time and would like to at least see different ports and the main reason we are looking towards other lines. However, we want as similar (or maybe better as others seem to suggest!) to the Disney Concierge experience. Some say Haven on NCL? I heard MSC can be hit or miss. Would love any and all input!!

Haven on NCL has a fantastic private area, with a separate pool and bar. I can't really speak on the service, but it gives you and your teens a more private pool and lounge area while the main pools are packed on sea days.

Star Class on Royal Caribbean probably has the best service of any major cruiseline. You get a personal "Genie" who will help you with anything from dining reservations to reserved seats at the theaters to unique shore excursions. They also have the unique 2-bedroom Aquatheater suites which I think are some of the coolest rooms on any ship.

Celebrity does a very nice concierge area similar to the Haven. You don't get the personal genie like in star class, but you get the private area and a concierge team to help you. NCL, RC, and Celeb all have private restaurants for suite guests who essentially

MSC has what you'd call the entry level concierge class, just because it's significantly cheaper than the others. The service in general areas can be very hit or miss, but I think the Yacht Club is good (at least from reviews, I haven't done it myself).

If you really value service, Star Class on Royal or Suites on Celebrity stand out. It depends on the ship you want and if you'd rather have a great team or a single point of contact.

 

[Sykes]

Celebrity does a very nice concierge area similar to the Haven. You don't get the personal genie like in star class, but you get the private area and a concierge team to help you. NCL, RC, and Celeb all have private restaurants for suite guests who essentially.

On Celebrity, the level of service on the higher-tier suites (Edge Villa or higher on Edge Class ships) is pretty close to the Genie on Royal Caribbean--the Retreat Hosts for the higher-tier suites only cover a handful of rooms each, much like Genies on Royal Caribbean, and have similar pull.

Where Disney stands out is the service, having someone to arrange everything for you and get you first dibs at excursions and activities.

IMO, service has been the same or better in suite-class rooms on other cruise lines. While I do think that Disney treats non-Concierge guests better than other cruise lines treat non-suite guests, that distinction kind of dissolves once you reach a premium tier. In fact, that "first dibs" matters at all is one of the things I dislike most about concierge on Disney. Sailing suites elsewhere, with the exception of cabanas on Coco Cay, I could get anything I wanted--activities, restaurant reservations, etc.--as long as I just asked the day before. The ship held back a few reservations for everything for last-minute reservations so I didn't have to queue up an email to go out at 125 days before my sailing ... god forbid I actually book inside of 90 days entirely.

 

[brentm77]

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[Sharene0724]

We have not sailed concierge on DCL but have done the Haven on NCL several times. The Haven is just superior in terms of amenities and the Haven service has been great on all of our sailings.

We do still love to sail DCL mostly for the kids club and of course the kiddo loves the theming, characters etc. However,
I have a hard time justifying the cost of DCL concierge especially after having done the NCL Haven.

 

[sjuncfan]

Concierge is too much of a jump in price and we've been fine with our run of the mill veranda on 7 Disney cruises. We're doing Yacht Club on MSC this summer for a Norweigian fjord cruise. From a price standpoint, it's a huge jump but non-Yacht Club but still significantly less than a non-concierge verandah on a similar Disney itinerary (like 2/3 the price). Plus as someone else mentioned above, while reviews on MSC are mixed, people pretty much universally rave about Yacht Club.

 

[John VN]

We have not sailed concierge on DCL but have done the Haven on NCL several times. The Haven is just superior in terms of amenities and the Haven service has been great on all of our sailings.

We do still love to sail DCL mostly for the kids club and of course the kiddo loves the theming, characters etc. However,
I have a hard time justifying the cost of DCL concierge especially after having done the NCL Haven.

DW and I are on MSC Meraviglia as I type. Just had our tummies filled at the YC restaurant and tonight was Lobster if you chose. Woman next to us order 2 tails and was surprised at the size of the tails and could only eat 1 1/2. She and her sister sail 6 to 10 times a year with Haven in the past but feel that YC exceeds Haven especially at the pricing. She just returned from a Wonder Owners and really enjoyed her Genie.

Concierge is too much of a jump in price and we've been fine with our run of the mill veranda on 7 Disney cruises. We're doing Yacht Club on MSC this summer for a Norweigian fjord cruise. From a price standpoint, it's a huge jump but non-Yacht Club but still significantly less than a non-concierge verandah on a similar Disney itinerary (like 2/3 the price). Plus as someone else mentioned above, while reviews on MSC are mixed, people pretty much universally rave about Yacht Club.

DCL Concierge cabin for a 2024 was $10,000.00, Royal Grand Suite was $8,000.00 and our MSC YC at $4,900.00. 2 YC for the price of 1 DCL.