Is concierge worth the extra $?

Family Cabana
$670.88 (Sept. 25 - March 17, up to 6 Guests)
$726.88 (March 18 - Sept. 24, up to 6 Guests)
$56.00 (each additional Guest, up to 10)

Serenity Bay Cabana
$428.93 (up to 4 Guests)
$56.00 (each additional Guest, up to 10)
Whoa. Those for the prices for one day?
 
This one is a Baja cruise, so no option on Castaway. I decided to go for it!

With DCL pricing, I think $800 is a good time to try Concierge. Congratulations.

It will introduce you to DCL in a totally different way. Check-in wI’ll be faster; you will board in the first group. There is a sit-down lunch option with different menu / location (and less people & noise).

I did a three-night cruise on the Dream - and don’t remember parts of the cruise, as I just relaxed in the Lounge. And was not drinking. Just chilled out.

I think the crowds at dining times can be a bit overwhelming on any line; by eating in the lounge for breakfast and lunch, it just was a calmer cruise.

Little things that Concierge brings, not “worth” the money, but worth the fun, vary per person. One for me was the choice of table in Enchanted Garden. The first cruise I ate there, I felt I was in a school cafeteria - long rows of tables, tightly placed.

In Concierge, I requested both my choice of waiter And the semi-circular tables in the middle. Check. No problem.

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Before you sail, stateside Concierge will contact you with requests. You get first dibs at things like Palo adult-only Italian. Brunch is a nice option - your son could easily be in the Club at that hour. It is only offered on Sea Days and tends to fill early by Platinum-level previous cruisers. The Stateside Concierge can book you before the Platinums (or at least with them).

Thanks for asking your questions, so we can reminisce.
 
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Agreed! The cabana is the #1 reason to go concierge! If you want to get one, you pretty much have to be concierge, or a very lucky platinum cruiser. Aside from the appeal of the cabana, I just think the service can't be beat. From the minute you arrive at the terminal, you start enjoying perks - boarding early, private waiting area - and then you are whisked away to the concierge lounge (or now, a concierge lunch) to review your itinerary with a concierge host. The hosts are readily available and eager to help the whole time. And, they are great with the kids! The hosts were always laughing and joking with DD and one of them played Uno with her for close to an hour, just on a whim :)

Plus, if you are planning on spending any of your $$ on alcohol while on board, you can partake in the 5 hour happy hour in the lounge - a nice little perk if you are like me and DH and like to enjoy a cocktail ... or two or three :)

The other thing I liked about concierge was how close the lounge was....DD was able to bop over there in the morning and grab a pastry or some fruit from the little buffet they have set up every morning. She loved the independence and we loved knowing that she was just a few doors down and would be back any minute. I think you said DS is 6...so he might be a bit young for that but still being able to grab a light breakfast or lunch in the lounge and then getting back to enjoying your day is a huge selling point for me.

So, yes, I think concierge is worth it...but like others have said, its definitely a personal decision in the end!
I sailed Concierge once and had no clue about the perks. My host didn't tell me anything and I didn't know what I didn't know. It was a bad sailing because at the last minute my DH was unable to travel with me. I obviously missed out on a lot.
 
Normally I am all in for concierge and had a V cabin on hold for Bermuda next year for my husband and myself. But with the climate the way it is and concierge rooms deposits are non-refundable, we decided to take a pass. Too many unkowns. We will come back and take a concierge cruise at some point. They are wonderful!
 


I'm booking a 3 night Halloween on the High Seas cruise next October. Going with my SO and DS(6). I want a room with a Verandah that's 304 Sq Ft. The price difference between the Category 4A and the Concierge room category V is about $800. Trying to decide if this is worth it. I would love to hear some opinions on this.
for $800 YES ! I would also keep an eye out for a 1br. The upcharge may only be a small amount more than the V.

you can google "concierge perks on DCL" and get a lot of information. You may luck out and get one of the extended verandahs. We had 12000 and I the verandah was Ahmaaazing! If you get a 1br then you can dine in your room but with only a 3 night cruise I DO NOT recommend doing that.

We didn't need a cabana. We did get the meet & greet passes, signed up for one of the beverage seminars, and a lovely large print from the concierge team. The drinks, coffee, and food in the lounge was very convenient.

If it were me, I would upgrade. But, only you can make that decision for yourself. I say do it (but keep an eye out for the 1 bedroom).
 
We just became platinum after WBPC cruise and have never sailed platinum. With our discount from that cruise we decided to book a cruise next April in Cat V extended veranda on the Fantasy. This cruise was going to be in celebration of our son’s graduation from High School since his favorite ship is the Fantasy. With the way things are going, we do not feel comfortable that the April cruise will happen or will not have too many restrictions for us. We felt we needed a backup plan, and booked a New Year’s cruise on the Fantasy. We booked a cat 5E since we could not justify the price of concierge on that cruise, even with our discount. We all really wanted the chance to experience concierge at least once, so I kept looking at other possible cruises. We ended up looking at the Oct.1 Mexico cruise, and the price of concierge. I noticed that it would only be $500 more to upgrade to a one bedroom suite in concierge than the price of our 5E before our discount. We told our son about the option to sail in the Fall, and that it would be Concierge. We did not tell him it would be a one bedroom suite. He voted to change to the Oct. cruise. We will also be able to “replace” a planned trip to DL this Sept./Oct. to experience the Halloween party that was cancelled. The best part is, that when my husband and I were looking for choices of rooms and locations on the Wonder we came across the midship rooms that are configured differently and have and extra long veranda with three doors to access it vs. the normal configuration that has two. We are keeping this a surprise from our kids, and will let them open the door to the stateroom. We usually cruise in our little Disney bubble of deck 2. We had no idea the extent of other options in other categories on the ships. We have no idea which cruise we will end up on, but I finally feel some excitement with two great possibilities for our future. So thankful for the opportunity to enjoy DCL in a different way. :)
 
The question to answer is, do you want to pay up to get better service but cruise less often, or would you rather cruise more often with standard service?
 
I sailed concierge on the Wonder to Alaska and it was incredible, definitely worth it for us because we booked a Cat T and enjoyed the extra space on the 3 sea days. However, I won't book concierge again until they make the deposits refundable. There is too much uncertainty around all travel right now and I want to be able to cancel or change reservations without penalty.
 
Sorry to hijack this forum but seemed like the best place. We currently have a 4 night HOTHS in September booked for 2021. It's myself, husband, and will be 3 year old daughter. The difference between the verandah we're in now and concierge is not outrageous but I'm having a hard time finding whole trip reports/blogs/vlogs of families staying concierge level. We really want to treat ourselves after this whole year of cancelled vacations, we've sailed DCL previously but we're not the type who have ever had what seems like this level of "fancy vacation" (lol)
Any detailed info, tips, and tricks would be amazing! (if you want to relive your entire trip, please do, I love this kind of stuff, haha.)
 
Wow, learning more about concierge every day. We hopefully will be on the January 2021 cruise as a concierge for the first time. I keep an optimistic attitude for this cruise as our B2B September has been canceled. I read in a blog that access to your staterooms is earlier than other cruisers. True?
 
Its a matter of perspective and what you value so this answer is different for everyone. Some of the reasons we like it:
  1. Fancy coffee machine in the lounge - no money spent at Cove Cafe
  2. Bar in the lounge in the evenings - no money spent on drinks for dinner and hanging at night
  3. Ample bottled water and other beverages - no need to buy for excursions
  4. Free popcorn on demand - no need to buy for movies
  5. All day snacks - close by for a quick nibble vs heading to Cabanas or elsewhere
  6. Sunscreen on concierge deck - no need to pack
  7. Want Spa appt, specialty dining, tastings - no need to rush and do those things onboard (if you didn't preplan) - concierge host will handle it all for you. Including throughout the week.
  8. Anything you'd wait in line at guest services - no need - host can handle for you.
  9. Easy morning spot to hang while rest of the party is still sleeping but they can find me when they get up.
  10. Easy access to cabana for Castaway Cay
  11. Full size bed (instead of twin) for me who gets the couch bed
  12. Private table for dinner in dining room
  13. Private sundeck - super nice and never crowded for outside time
Some of these things can be quantified by money - and maybe offsets financial costs. Others are just perks and you have to decide whether they are worth it to you! Many of the things I like that make it worth it, may not be anything you care about.
 
Wait what? On the wonder is this true? Is it better food more like a nicer restaurant or similar to the sit down anyone can go to?
Its a new thing on boarding day. It disperses the crowd between the lounge and the dining room used. You get to eat and the hosts (or a designated other person) comes and does the concierge orientation and gets your wishlist while you eat. With a adult beverage. I don't recall the menu being special other than the drinks. We had it last cruise and loved it and will definitely do it vs head to lounge on boarding in future.
 
Its a new thing on boarding day. It disperses the crowd between the lounge and the dining room used. You get to eat and the hosts (or a designated other person) comes and does the concierge orientation and gets your wishlist while you eat. With a adult beverage. I don't recall the menu being special other than the drinks. We had it last cruise and loved it and will definitely do it vs head to lounge on boarding in future.

I just read it incorrectly I was thinking they meant every day on the cruise was a special sit down lunch just for concierge.
 

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