Panicking we decided against Concierge

[Disney_Princess83]

Hello everyone,

So panicking might be overstating things. We are less than 6 months away from doing a B2B on the Disney Dream in January. We initially booked the trip on a whim and decided against concierge as it was going to be an extra $3500 for two adults on opening day. While we have only ever sailed concierge, we simply couldn't justify the cost. We can take that money and put it toward another cruise or a stay at AKL in February.

However now, we are starting to panic (a little) since we have only ever sailed concierge and loved every moment of it. Will we miss the little perks? I know there will be a few added costs since we won't have access to the lounge. We will buy bottled water on the cruise and I'll purchase 1-2 lattes a day from the Cove Cafe. We might skip Palo/Remy this time and we aren't interested in getting a cabana. We will be staying on the ship at Nassau so no Port Adventures to be booked either. We will try and get the Princess Meet and Greet one one of the cruises.

I have allergies, which I assume will be on file from our past cruises. I will remind them a month before we set sail and again when we board. They have always been amazing with my allergies (I have several)

Has anyone else only sailed concierge and then had a regular room. Was it a let down? Was it still amazing? We are really looking forward to the cruise and I'm positive we are feeling a little panicked over nothing but some reassurance would help greatly.

Are we forgetting anything else that concierge offers that we will have to do ourselves.

 

[Marc D]

We go from Concierge to non-Concierge all the time, alternating between 1BR suites and Family deluxe with Verandah (or even a regular Verandah room on our last NYE cruise). When we are Concierge, we enjoy the perks but we do not miss them when we don't have them. You'll see that the service you get everywhere is as good. Some things will require a bit more implication on your part but nothing will be a hassle, except maybe the embarkation process. The perks of Concierge are not so extraordinary that you'll feel you're missing out without them. That's our perspective but we are not a very complicated or demanding group.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We have done both. I always miss the extras of concierge, but still end up having a great/amazing time. When non-concierge we buy the water, have our own cocktail hour (we purchase), coffees. Great service from those at the bars and at Cove Cafe. We always find a quiet nook that we carve out for our family. We are not demanding or require much assistance. So really it all works out. I have that little twang when we pass the lounge, but it passes. You will have a great time and then you get to have the AKL trip or another cruise as well. Happy cruising!

 

[Dug720]

For some reason none of us understand, my dad booked concierge for our first Disney cruise, but he, mom, and I have never bothered with it again and we have perfectly magical cruises. I have allergies and they don't care if you're concierge or steerage - they will take care of you. Service has been great no matter where we stay - other than the isolation parts of concierge, none of the crew CARES where you are staying - they are working to make everyone's trip magical.

If I'm being honest, I have loved my NON-concierge cruises more because that first one I felt so much pressure to "behave concierge" and "want things" (example: I went to the lounge for ONE diet coke to put in my fridge and the host was so excited that one of us was asking for something he brought a 12-pack) when I just wanted to relax and enjoy, it really wasn't that enjoyable for me being in concierge. I guess my tastes are too simple?

Enjoy your cruises and take the extra money to put towards other vacations.

 

[RedStars]

I thought this post was going to be about panicking because you couldn't afford concierge now and were worried about losing the deposit. Anyways...

I haven't sailed concierge and I loved our cruise. It's not like only concierge gets the magical part. I have an allergy and I note it on my reservation.

 

[Trera]

We have done both but do concierge whenever it is not already full. We really enjoy the lounge, happy hours, ease of booking/cancelling activities and we always want to get a cabana when possible.

Do we have fun when not in concierge? absolutely!..............we just dont feel quite as spoiled and tend to be in a little more of a hurry I think.

 

[suedon70]

We have sailed on four previous DCL cruises non-concierge and they were absolutely wonderful. However, I am SO looking forward to my 3-night concierge in May 2018 with my two besties! On occasion I do love to be extra pampered and catered to (the Fours Seasons hotels I've stayed at were great for that!) but the everyday amazing service and attention to detail given to everyone on a DCL cruise is terrific too!

 

[belac]

We have done both as well. While we love the Concierge service I reserve it for longer cruises. 7 days or less we do a 4A or 5A and never disappointed. As a matter of fact one of our cruises was in a 5A on the Fantasy and was so wonderful. The SR host made it magical.

 

[mmouse37]

Can't compare a concierge cruise to a regular one as I have only done regular ones but after 38 DCL cruises I can honestly say I have an amazing time each and every time. I feel like I am treated like a VIP by the staff every cruise! I certainly would not keep cruising DCL if I felt otherwise.

I would love to try concierge at some point but for now I would rather stretch my cruising dollars into more cruises. I love club level at WDW and book that sometimes (but still enjoy our WDW stays non club level).

MJ

 

[DCLDVC1]

Has anyone else only sailed concierge and then had a regular room. Was it a let down? Was it still amazing? We are really looking forward to the cruise and I'm positive we are feeling a little panicked over nothing but some reassurance would help greatly.

Our first cruise was in Concierge and we loved it. After researching concierge vs non-concierge here and on other social media sites and reading that everything is just as awesome in a non-concierge room, we booked a 4A for our second cruise to save a few dollars. Huge mistake! It was a gigantic letdown. The experience was completely different and we didn't enjoy that cruise all at all compared to or our other Concierge cruises since. We are one of those "once you go Concierge you can't go back" families. We saved a few dollars by not cruising Concierge but we wasted a lot of money by not going Concierge.

 

[bumbershoot]

Has anyone else only sailed concierge and then had a regular room. Was it a let down?

Not at all.

We did concierge, inside stateroom, concierge, big porthole room all on dream. All were good.

When we stay concierge we focus on the lounge because we paid for it. This is difficult because the food offerings aren't great with food restrictions, and that cappuccino machine is gross. Not sure why people like it so much! Coffee becomes medicinal for me when I'm concierge since I certainly don't appreciate the taste. I do like the happy hour. Pillow menu doesn't help as it just allows for bigger pillows. I use a belly-sleeper style pillow. Very flat. Giant pillows kill me. And the second concierge cruise we were in had the dream team and we couldn't stand them. Cloying obnoxious and treated my non-baby like a baby. Even my son was about to say "uh could you please stop with the weird voice? I'm not an infant." He didn't but I would have supported him if he'd done it.

When were non concierge we explore the ship and just have a "bigger" cruise.

 

[SteveMP]

The only time I miss the perks are when I get home, from a concierge or non-concierge cruise.

 

[RedSox68]

The only time I miss the perks are when I get home, from a concierge or non-concierge cruise.

Yes.....why doesn't my bed get magically made and chocolates appear on my pillow

 

[Mommb]

We have sailed as Concierge passengers 3 times and "regular" passengers 8 times. You will be fine. The key differences are that you will need to take care of event reservations and any issues with Guest Services yourself, and that you won't have a dedicated lounge.

If you book online as soon as booking opens for you, you should still be able to dinners, excursions, and character greetings if you want them. (Cabanas are the only reservations that tend to sell out almost immediately.)

Buying several drinks a day from Cove Cafe will be almost as quick and far less expensive than using the Concierge Lounge, and there is plenty of "free" food available throughout the day around the ship.i am not sure if allergy information is kept from past cruises, but putting it on your reservation is advance and discussing allergies with the server the first night will ensure that you are taken care of appropriately. When we entered Carioca's for embarkation lunch on our recent (non-Concierge) Magic cruise, we were asked about allergies, and I expect that would be the same on the other ships.

 

[steves100]

Our first cruise was in Concierge and we loved it. After researching concierge vs non-concierge here and on other social media sites and reading that everything is just as awesome in a non-concierge room, we booked a 4A for our second cruise to save a few dollars. Huge mistake! It was a gigantic letdown. The experience was completely different and we didn't enjoy that cruise all at all compared to or our other Concierge cruises since. We are one of those "once you go Concierge you can't go back" families. We saved a few dollars by not cruising Concierge but we wasted a lot of money by not going Concierge.

Wow that sounds TOTALLY wrong, besides its not a FEW $

 

[tink1970]

We have done both and while you might miss Concierge, usually a cruise is better than working for most. I think DH bemoans no access to the fancy coffee maker the most when we do non-CL and I really wish for unlimited access to the cans of Diet Coke (the fountain stuff is always off). So yes, some things are missed but in no way is it a make or break issue. It sounds like you've considered some of your priorities and are making adjustments-I'd think it will still be a good vacation.

 

[BruinEd03]

Wow that sounds TOTALLY wrong, besides its not a FEW $

Each person will have different preferences. Some people prefer to cruise less often but with more luxury. Others prefer more often, but with less luxury. Not sure there's a right approach. For example, some people love deck 2, but I don't think we would do it again. However, not sure I would need concierge either as I'm not sure I would get full value out of it.

Some people fly first class, some people fly coach, and some people fly spirit/allegient.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Wow that sounds TOTALLY wrong, besides its not a FEW $

What's TOTALLY wrong?

 

[TestingH2O]

Our first two cruises were concierge and they were fabulous. Our third cruise was non-concierge and we worried a bit about that. Happy hours were always nice and we do not like waiting in long lines. But, we had a fabulous time! We got to the port a bit later and there were no lines. We went to guest services as needed but never at crazy times and never waited in lines.

We were with a large group, so we did miss the lounge as a place to meet up, but other than that it was fabulous. We also were able to get two rooms for our immediate family. That gave us a bit more privacy which was nice. We also explored the ship much more than we had on previous cruises so we felt like we actually got to enjoy the whole experience more. I think that we ventured out because we didn't just stop at the lounge.

I'd love to cruise concierge again, but our trips non-concierge have been amazing.

 

[steves100]

Each person will have different preferences. Some people prefer to cruise less often but with more luxury. Others prefer more often, but with less luxury. Not sure there's a right approach. For example, some people love deck 2, but I don't think we would do it again. However, not sure I would need concierge either as I'm not sure I would get full value out of it.

Some people fly first class, some people fly coach, and some people fly spirit/allegient.

Correct but to say a few dollar is totally wrong. It isnt just a few dollars between concierge and not, more like THOUSANDS