Lack of consideration

[magsmom]

Our family felt a great privelege to be on the conceriege level at WL. Yes, we got a discount (AP plus an upsell). I only counted potential savings for breakfast. Never did I think that we were going to break even on food. Concierge is much more than just the snacks, you have to count the service, too.

As to my last post above, it was the absolute laziness that was totally uncalled for. I can bet that they probably were not paying for 2 rooms at the concierge level (at 350+ per room per night - yeah, right).

 

[justhat]

Doesn't the concierge lounge replace food? I mean if you go in and some kid takes all the PB&J sandwichs, can't you explain this to the concierge CM and they'll bring you more? It just seems ridiculous that lots of people should suffer because of a rude family and you'd think Disney would rather put out more and please the rest of the guests. We haven't stayed concierge in WDW yet, though we'll be at the GF concierge in May and June and AKL concierge in June, but have stayed concierge at hotels in other cities and if they were out of a snack or beverage we wanted, we just asked and they brought out more.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by justhat
Doesn't the concierge lounge replace food? I mean if you go in and some kid takes all the PB&J sandwichs, can't you explain this to the concierge CM and they'll bring you more? It just seems ridiculous that lots of people should suffer because of a rude family and you'd think Disney would rather put out more and please the rest of the guests. We haven't stayed concierge in WDW yet, though we'll be at the GF concierge in May and June and AKL concierge in June, but have stayed concierge at hotels in other cities and if they were out of a snack or beverage we wanted, we just asked and they brought out more.

They will replace the items within reason. The problem at times is the staff figures how much food to fix based on occupancy and a normal amount of food eaten for each guest. The problem being what is normal for some is obviously not for others. I mean I have actually seen guests bring zip lock bags to the lounge and stuff them full of food. I must be in the minority and have had several bad experiences with rude guests. If the food is not limited in quantity the prices will go up. Law of supply and demand or certain items that are abused will be taken off the list.

 

[floridafam]

I have actually seen guests bring zip lock bags to the lounge and stuff them full of food.

That reminds me of the woman at YC Concierge last fall. She took a ton of the single serving peanut butter containers. I was just casually looking around and she put almost an entire loaf of bread in her purse.

 

[Bojangles]

Originally posted by Sammie
I must be in the minority and have had several bad experiences with rude guests. If the food is not limited in quantity the prices will go up. Law of supply and demand or certain items that are abused will be taken off the list.

I don't think you are in the minority. Yes, while they will try to bring more food out, it is impossible to plan for every situation, like some guests taking the entire tray or those that try to get their monies worth by making a huge dinner out of appetizers. (and I do mean huge )

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by floridafam
That reminds me of the woman at YC Concierge last fall. She took a ton of the single serving peanut butter containers. I was just casually looking around and she put almost an entire loaf of bread in her purse.

Well, that happened to us while we were staying at the YC concierge last August!

Father and daughter come into lounge with two backpacks...
FIRST....Father proceeds to fill one pack up with cans of sodas.
Then, proceeds over to the "food section" and empties out a HUGE tray of hot wings into his daughter's back pack!
Every single wing was taken!
DS was standing there with a CM and other guests, mouths open and dropped, and watched as they left the lounge.
No one stopped them...I guess everyone was STUNNED!
Another CM witnessed them leaving on the elevator, and they got off on the 3rd floor. (concierge is on 5th)

Comes out, they were NOT CL guests, and they just helped themselves out by riding the elevator up with "card-access" guests, and made their way into the lounge and just helped themselves to what was NOT even intended for them!

I've been reading this thread, and I had to add this.
It's NOT just concierge guests that have this "lack of consideration".
Sad...so many people think the way as the pair above.

But, we're going back to WDW concierges as other hotel concierges.

And as for the robe debate...I wouldn't wear one in the lounge,
but the robes are there for guest use for within their rooms and by the pool.
And that's where you'll find me using mine!
Last November, it was great, after a late night swim to put a robe on to stay warm and dry as you go up to your room.
We did change in our rooms into dry clothes before going into CL to get some late night desserts and drinks.

One thing about WDW...you get to see all different types of people. The good, the bad, and the "ugly"!

 

[Gem85]

That reminds me of the woman at YC Concierge last fall. She took a ton of the single serving peanut butter containers. I was just casually looking around and she put almost an entire loaf of bread in her purse.

hahhaha oh my goodness... I was eating at CM last year and my mom and I spotted a woman stuffing biscuits, bagels, and jellies in her purse. (and I don't mean some, we're talking like 5 here) I guess some people really know how to take advantage of a good deal.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Father and daughter come into lounge with two backpacks...

Yikes!!!! Did Disney take any action? I would hope so!!!

 

[BambiTamby]

Security was alerted and summoned to the third floor, but they never found them.

Of course, the whole CL staff was on the look out them the rest of our stay!

DS saw it all. He said that everyone just stood there as they
"stole"~!
Just too horrified or dumbfounded to say or do anything.

 

[justhat]

I'm guessing this wasn't the case, but could those 2 theives have been with a concierge party? What I mean is that we have a 2 bedroom suite booked at the GF for May. It holds 8 people, but rather than pack all 8 into one room, we have booked an additional 2 rooms. The suite is concierge level but the other 2 rooms are not and it's possible that the additional rooms will be in a separate building from the suite. When we booked, we asked the CM if we all needed to stay in the suite to have concierge access and she said as long as we don't exceed the 8 people permitted in our room, it doesn't matter where we all stay. This makes sense to me as Disney is now getting 2 more rooms booked for 5 nights, whereas they would have only gotten the suite if they said we all had to stay in there to have the concierge priviledges. I recently contacted the GF concierge to ask about PSs and also inquired about this policy to be sure it is correct, since we would still have time to cancel the other rooms if the policy had changed or the original CM were wrong. They confirmed that this is correct and we will all be allowed access to the lounge, etc. So while this probably wasn't the case with the father and daughter stealing from the lounge, I just want to point out that it is possible that they were concierge guests (not that it justifies them stealing food at all, but at least they'd be entitled to use the lounge).

 

[BambiTamby]

Good point, justhat, but the CMs usually know who belongs in the CL.
And there are several suites, and rooms, at each deluxe resort , that would be in the same situation.
(Not being on the same floor, or building, as CL)

To me, everyone that should have access to CL, should be on a list, and have a CL "room access card,ie, resort ID".
That's why they always ask for all names on the reservation.

 

[isanda]

Having discussed this with my DW, we have decided to cancel our AKL concierge stay in July and take a room without the concierge 'benefits'.

We feel we can make our stay special, ordering room service and having private meals in our room. The possibility of the concierge lounge turning into a dash for food, the unhygenic food possibilities (touching, coughing etc.), having to contend with parents and kids with no manners makes our choice a better option for us.

This is not just an American thing though.....We have stayed at the Castle Club (thier version of concierge) at the Disneyland Hotel in Paris and saw just as many rude and objectionable people with few manners (Parents and kids!!).

Each to their own!!

 

[johnvree]

I wish I had never read this post.

We are staying in the Polynesian concierge in May. Our previous stay had been incredible. We didn't have kids at the time. I honestly do not remember any of the things that people have complained about here. I guess the lounge may have degraded in the last five years. However, I suspect that I didn't notice them because many of the things people have complained about here are not the kinds of things that I would have noticed. People in slippers, kids running around, kids taking more than they can eat - - sounds a lot like my home. And isn't that the Polynesian's theme - "you're home" (or something like that).
Don't get me wrong. My kids are pretty well behaved. They listen to grown ups (except their Mom) and we have done our best to instill manners. But that does not mean that they will never run through the halls or the lounge, that they will take only what they can eat, or that they will wash their hands after every time they touch their mouths (they are 3 and 5). And while I will not be wearing my slippers to the lounge, I don't mind if you do.

Some of the replys here reminded me of my neighbors a few years ago. We had just gotten back from a stay at a pretty comfy suite in the Swan. They also knew that we usually stay at the Polynesian. They told us that they were considering the concierge at a Disney resort and they asked us what the concierge service was like. During the conversation, it became clear that they perceived the concierge as a refuge from all of the kids (they had no kids at the time). My advice to them was to stay on the plane a little longer and hit one of the islands in the Carribbean.

Look, I do not like listening to someone else's kids scream and run around, and I certainly don't like watching them pick their noses. But WDW is first and foremost for kids*. And kids don't behave all of the time. Like a lot of parents, I think my kids are perfect. But I am not so naive that I believe that they will never get on someone else's nerves. And not all parents are as concerned about this as I am, so I assume that there are going to be kids there that are not as polite and well behaved as mine.

For those reconsidering the concierge (like me), we should keep something in mind. It is safe to assume that there will be rude people in all of the longhouses at the Poly. If we are going to talk ourselves our of spending the extra money for the concierge service because there may be rude people in the Hawaii, then the same logic can be used to talk us into an off-site hotel for $29 a night.

Anyway that is my two-cents. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Some of the posts here started to sound a little snobby. I don't think anyone is, but it just sounded that way a little. You are going to run into rude people all over the place. Don't let them ruin your trip. A little tolerance and you will be fine.

*[BTW, The World is certainly for adults too and some of my best vacations were in the World before I had kids.]

 

[floridafam]

johnvree,

You make some good points. We are doing concierge again in May and I'm sure there will be kids running around any maybe even a few like "booger boy" at YC Concierge. In no way will that ruin our stay. We will be at WDW, after all.

All I can hope for is that my children have learned some of the things my DH and I have tried to teach them about manners and behavior.

 

[HaleyB]

johnvree well said. I also like a gem I found on the trip report boards... find the humor in it.

There are in fact rude people everywhere you go, but don't let this blind you to the fact that there are also very nice people everywhere you go. You pick which ones you want to focus on, which ones you want to remember.

 

[mrsltg]

johnvree - well said!

DH, DD, and I had our first WDW concierge stay in December. We stayed at the AKL concierge. We ate breakfast there twice and enjoyed the coffee machine. We arrived back to our room at a few minutes before the evening offerings were put out one night. We went to the lounge, and except for two other families, the place was dead. We each tried a sampling of appetizers, and a beverage. We were still hungry, and were planning to go to the Mara for dinner. We enjoyed another glass of wine, and noticed that now it was us and one other family. There was about an hour left before the appetizers were to be cleared, and no one was showing up. We (the other family included) helped ourselves to seconds. It was close to time for the food to be taken away, and the staff was practically begging us to eat the food so that it wouldn't be thrown away. We did. We all (my family, and the other family) made a meal of the concierge offerings that night. I even joked with the other mother that if she was a member of the Dis, she better not write me up for being a concierge pig! All in all we really enjoyed the company and the simple dinner of finger food and it was very relaxing. I would never have done this if others were waiting in line behind us.

I don't care if people wear their slippers to the lounge or even if they were appropriate pj's to get a cup of coffee. It just doesn't matter. I do care, however, if people abuse the food priveleges. Honestly, how hard is it to go the food court and buy something if you are that hungry or thirsty???

Erin

 

[johnvree]

Originally posted by mrsltg
johnvree - well said!

DH, DD, and I had our first WDW concierge stay in December. We stayed at the AKL concierge. We ate breakfast there twice and enjoyed the coffee machine. We arrived back to our room at a few minutes before the evening offerings were put out one night. We went to the lounge, and except for two other families, the place was dead. We each tried a sampling of appetizers, and a beverage. We were still hungry, and were planning to go to the Mara for dinner. We enjoyed another glass of wine, and noticed that now it was us and one other family. There was about an hour left before the appetizers were to be cleared, and no one was showing up. We (the other family included) helped ourselves to seconds. It was close to time for the food to be taken away, and the staff was practically begging us to eat the food so that it wouldn't be thrown away. We did. We all (my family, and the other family) made a meal of the concierge offerings that night. I even joked with the other mother that if she was a member of the Dis, she better not write me up for being a concierge pig! All in all we really enjoyed the company and the simple dinner of finger food and it was very relaxing. I would never have done this if others were waiting in line behind us.

I don't care if people wear their slippers to the lounge or even if they were appropriate pj's to get a cup of coffee. It just doesn't matter. I do care, however, if people abuse the food priveleges. Honestly, how hard is it to go the food court and buy something if you are that hungry or thirsty???

Erin

There is a related topic in another post (maybe on another forum). "Can the concierge save you money?". Everyone answered "no way". I totally agree with that. I don't think you could eat enough food to even come close to breaking even. And the family that tries is likely to be perceived as a "concierge pig".

Some people are going to have the attitude, "I paid for this service and I am going to eat as much as I want". OK, I'm not stopping you. In my experience, there is always plenty of food. In fact, on a couple of occasions the staff practically begged us to take stuff with us. In fact, one morning when we got a late start, we stopped in the lounge on the way out and the staff literally stuffed our backpack.

A word of caution: The concierge is not designed to save you money. Trying to do so will only dampen your trip. The food is convenient in the morning, a good substitute for a meal occassionally and a godsend in the evening for dessert. But you are still going to eat at restaurants.

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by johnvree
There is a related topic in another post (maybe on another forum). "Can the concierge save you money?". Everyone answered "no way". I totally agree with that. I don't think you could eat enough food to even come close to breaking even. And the family that tries is likely to be perceived as a "concierge pig".

Some people are going to have the attitude, "I paid for this service and I am going to eat as much as I want". OK, I'm not stopping you. In my experience, there is always plenty of food. In fact, on a couple of occasions the staff practically begged us to take stuff with us. In fact, one morning when we got a late start, we stopped in the lounge on the way out and the staff literally stuffed our backpack.

A word of caution: The concierge is not designed to save you money. Trying to do so will only dampen your trip. The food is convenient in the morning, a good substitute for a meal occassionally and a godsend in the evening for dessert. But you are still going to eat at restaurants.

Very well said!

 

[Sammie]

Actually my comments about rude guests had nothing to do with kids and all to do with adults. Certainly I can encounter rude guests anywhere at WDW and I can escape from them by going to my room. If they are rude and taking over the lounge, it's kinda hard to escape from them and enjoy what I have paid for. Most lounges are not that large and add a few very rude people in there and it gets even smaller.

I think the comment of giving up concierge for room service sounds like a wonderful idea.

Also I think those that have been lucky enough to never have the bad experiences some of us have had; should remember if you haven't walked in these shoes you can't really say whether it would be uncomfortable or not.

 

[RickinNYC]

Man, if only my partner and I could afford concierge level, perhaps we'd join in the complaints! LOL!

Actually, all kidding aside, whenever/wherever I've been regardless of what perk was offered, there is more often than not one bad apple in the bunch that is so incredibly inconsiderate and rude, it's stupefying. My reaction is quite simple. I point it out to that individual or family their incredible rudeness. If doing so ends up embarrassing or humiliating them, I don't honestly care. If it upsets them, I don't give a lick. Their behavior is in public, then so are my comments.

In most cases, that offending individual/family turns all shades of red, perhaps tries to rant a bit, but ultimately they leave with their tail sadly between their legs.

Problem solved.