Is Concierge worth the additional $$$?

[Tylerandhayleysmom]

Hey Dis'ers, quick question. So I'm going to book my very first Disney Cruise and wanted to know as I make my selection is Concierge worth the additional cost? I know whenever we go to Disney World we always stay Club level and you get additional snacks, etc. at the resorts. What does Concierge onboard the ships provide that you feel this additional expense is well worth it? Thanks all for any feedback you can provide to assist in my decision making

~~Gina

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hey Dis'ers, quick question. So I'm going to book my very first Disney Cruise and wanted to know as I make my selection is Concierge worth the additional cost? I know whenever we go to Disney World we always stay Club level and you get additional snacks, etc. at the resorts. What does Concierge onboard the ships provide that you feel this additional expense is well worth it? Thanks all for any feedback you can provide to assist in my decision making

~~Gina

As with most things, whether concierge (or anything else) is "worth it" is in the eye of the beholder.

There are those who wouldn't travel any other way, because their idea of a perfect vacation is to not have to "do" anything. As well as those who feel that having someone at their beck and call to work out kinks, get reservations, bring special drinks just isn't all that enjoyable.

 

[AlexandNessa]

Quick answer if you are just looking for concierge perks: Fantasy/Dream yes. Magic/Wonder no.

 

[kaseyC]

There are those who wouldn't travel any other way, because their idea of a perfect vacation is to not have to "do" anything. As well as those who feel that having someone at their beck and call to work out kinks, get reservations, bring special drinks just isn't all that enjoyable.

Wow PrincessShmoo! Is that what you experienced when you stayed concierge? I've been staying concierge for the last 10 yrs and I've never experienced what you just described. I've always had to "do" somethings myself and I've never had anyone at my beck and call. Interesting how our experiences differ.

Back on topic. We book concierge for the extra space on DCL because compared to some of the other cruise lines, DCL's concierge perks are just ok. I also feel their is more value in concierge for the longer, less port intensive cruises such as the Trans-Atlantics. With so many sea days you truly get to appreciate the extra space and the more personalized service.

 

[holula]

For us, no. We did Concierge on the Magic. Beautiful room, bathroom had mold. Snacks were in the room each day along with water and cans of soda (in Walt suite). We are used to doing things ourself so it was more hassle to get the concierge staff to do something for you like going to guests services or explaining an issue in the room. It was good to do once but not again. The only thing that made it worth it for us was the room space and Palo in the room.

 

[jlemieu1]

If you do it in WDW I would recommend it on the Dream or Fantasy. If on the Wonder or Magic it would depend on the number in your party and cabin you choose. But much more experience on the new ships.

 

[Bettyscruise]

We chose to go concierge level mainly because we're older and don't want to wait in line for everything. It gets us a suite and a much larger veranda. We wanted a cabana and it's hard to get one without being concierge level.

If we didn't have the suite, we would have had to book two rooms, making the suite only a "little" more costly. Still expensive, but the alternative wasn't cheap either.

Some people like the idea of a private table at dinner, which you get autmatically. Not a big deal to me, but it may be to other folks.

 

[Patricia1]

We've stayed concierge on the 4 ships. The newer ships have the wonderful lounge and the kids get more one on one with concierge team, they're great with kids. And do offer special attention with beverages and snacks (as theresort concierges offer). We like the extra space as well. And as far as "beck and call", we've never really experienced or expected, but they will take care of requests. Worth it? As others have said, personal choice and comfort. .

 

[NancyIL]

I book inside cabins, so concierge is of no interest to me. I'd rather spend my money on more trips and/or longer trips than fancier ones.

 

[aanderson5]

We did a cruise on the Magic immediately followed by a stay at AKL club level. On the cruise we were in a ocean view room, not even a veranda. We had such wonderful service on the cruise we actually felt the club level service lacking. It wasn't that we had bad service. I'm sure it was the same as we had had in the past, but the service on the cruise was just that notch better.

Maybe we got lucky, our boat was not full, but I just wanted to let you know that we felt that the "regular" service was so good that it would make it hard for us to justify the extra cost to stay conceirge on the ship. I see, and enjoy the perks of stay club level at WDW. I don't see them on a cruise. That said I have never stayed concierge so I could be completely wrong.

 

[Dave2425]

Quick answer if you are just looking for concierge perks: Fantasy/Dream yes. Magic/Wonder no.

Agreed. Without the lounge, it wouldn't be worth the extra expense for us.

 

[cris0809]

We didn't find concierge "worth it" even with the lounge. In fact we've received better service and had more fun on cruises without concierge service.

We would not pay the extra money again.

 

[darkwing818]

First off, full disclosure only 6 of our 15 cruises (scheduled or completed) have been in Concierge. But I feel Concierge is definitely worth it when we can afford the bump in price. 3 years ago we were able to upgrade to Concierge at the port. Needless to say we truly enjoyed the cruise. For us it was great to have the lounge, the private sun deck & the wonderful concierge staff. Don't get me wrong we have always enjoyed our previous Disney cruises, regardless of cabin. But with Concierge everything was just so relaxing & peaceful. So after 25+ years of marriage, to a wonderful woman who raised our 2 DDs, & put up with my 60+ hours a week at work & lots of business travel (Finance & Audit), booking a Concierge cabin every so often is a small price pay, if it makes her happy (& me too).

 

[kapoof]

We sailed cl on the dream and loved it! No lines to wait in on embarkation, a private buffet in the lounge, a private deck, a special gift, larger staterooms, no need to go to guest services at all, the cl staff handles anything, a private character meeting. A place to go and relax after the craziness of deck 11. We don't get a cabana or do excursions. Cl is our treat. We aren't elitist or snooty either, I am the type who makes the bed and tidies up so the maid doesn't have it.

 

[EskiLvr]

We've sailed in a 4E on the Dream, and we're able to upgrade at port to a Family Stateroom in Concierege on our Fantasy cruise. We loved the quietness of the hallways, the lounge was very nice to have (our older teen went and hung out there while our room was being cleaned one morning - and Alice had fun making him use his German to speak to her the whole time he was in there), and the little touches were very nice.

We're sailing on the Wonder next summer. If we can upgrade to Concierege for the space, we'll absolutely do it. But I'm such a planner that I don't know that having Shoreside would truly be a service that we would use to its full "monetary value." Getting spoiled by the staff is a definite bonus, but we felt very spoiled when we were in our 4E as well.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Worth it it really up to the individual. We sailed Concierge on the Dream on October and will be back in January for a back to back Cruise on the Dream. For us concierge was worth it for the lounge alone. We spent alot of time in the lounge, especially on the At Sea Day. As a big coffee drinker, the coffee machine was worth it for me as well (otherwise I would have been buying lattes 3-4 times a day) We also used the bottled water and other drinks from the lounge. We often used the small buffet as a light lunch or morning tea when we didn't want to face the crowds elsewhere on the ship.

 

[disneywonderfun]

For us, no. We did Concierge on the Magic. Beautiful room, bathroom had mold. Snacks were in the room each day along with water and cans of soda (in Walt suite). We are used to doing things ourself so it was more hassle to get the concierge staff to do something for you like going to guests services or explaining an issue in the room. It was good to do once but not again. The only thing that made it worth it for us was the room space and Palo in the room.

Wow, we are almost identical. On our second Disney cruise (before the Fantasy and Dream were introduced), we stayed in the Roy on the Wonder. The concierge kept trying to interject herself into things that were more easily done ourselves. For example, she wanted us to put our order for Palo through her (to make it easier on us). Well, first try doing that generated two errors in the meal. After that, we just called room service directly and put in the orders ourselves. Never a problem after that. Obviously, no common spaces for concierge guests on the classic ships. The character meet and greet has been done so many times, we just did not see the point. Anyway, by the time we left the ship, the only good thing we could say was that the room was a nice size. Even then, we felt the balcony was too thin and we would not sail that way again.

When we sailed on the new ships in the Royal Suites, it was like night and day. The balcony is enormous and has a huge jacuzzi tub. That in itself made the experience 100% better. Oh, a personal kitchen with full fridge, wonderful! Steam bath, etc, etc. The lounge. The sundeck. It is simply a much better experience on the newer ships.

I would only consider concierge on the classics for a very specific reason, to get more than one bedroom in a single cabin. That's it. And, that is not a good enough reason for us to go back.

DWF

 

[robin19871]

Worth is an individual thing.. I loved our 1 bedroom on the Dream and found that it was very affordable for us.. I was afraid to look at the Fantasy prices for 2015 but I already had a date in mind and lo and behold, the end of summer date that I chose, had the best prices for concierge that I had seen all year.. I booked that first day...Concierge is addictive...It is the little things that keep you coming back.

 

[holula]

I would only consider concierge on the classics for a very specific reason, to get more than one bedroom in a single cabin. That's it. And, that is not a good enough reason for us to go back. DWF

The main reason we did Concierge was because we had five adults and I was getting married on CC. The space was amazing for that! So we really did it for the same reason as you - multiple bedrooms.

 

[AlexandNessa]

As DWF stated, the concierge service on the newer ships is much less unobtrusive. There were a few times on one of our Magic cruises that our concierge kept missing us, so he found us in the dining room to make sure we were ok. Unnecessary, but he was sweet and we adored him. Anyway, at the end of our cruise, he thanked us for being kind and welcoming, because he had some guests that found his calls a nuisance. I probably would too if I were napping or in the shower, or otherwise enjoying quiet time. Yeah, let's call it quiet time.....

I know on the Wonder once, our concierge made the mistake of calling us before 9am one morning to "check in." We are night owls, so the call wasn't exactly welcome, lol.

Anyway, I was one of the folks who was wishing they would add a concierge lounge on the Magic when she went through her major refurb. I know many would argue against taking away from public space, and I get that. I'm not a huge fan of Holland America anymore; however, I do have to say that when they introduced the Neptune Lounge for suite guests, they retrofitted their older ships with a lounge by removing some inside cabins to offer consistent concierge service fleetwide. Disney is remiss in not doing the same.