Question about concierge??

[Woodcourt]

I am new around here! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney and think its so much fun that there is a place like this. We are heading back to WDW in May and are deciding on where to stay. Lots of talks going back and forth on splurging, saving money and just figuring out where we want to stay.

It never even crossed my mind to stay at the concierge level until reading some of the posts on this board! WOW!

So..my questions are:
1. Is it worth the extra money?
2. Is it actually MUCH more expensive?
3. Do they ever offer specials?

Thanks!! How do you get one of those vacation count down tickers?

Courtney

 

[jillhou]

Is it worth it - a loaded question at best!

Do the benefits actually justify the money - most likely not.

Does the convenience, coupled with the benefits, justify the cost - for us, yes.

We almost always get an AP rate when we stay - sometimes even a code rate. Even at this discount - we can go much cheaper than staying concierge.

The convenience of having breakfast close and provided when we can eat it as we get up and moving is great for us. Much easier than trying to get everyone up and moving to get someone to eat before we go to the park.

I feel you can never justify it on a money basis - only on a convenience basis....

of course - just my opinion and experience.

 

[Bracho]

I agree with jillhou when saying "Is it worth it - a loaded question at best!" For me it's worth having the concierge incase of problems which have and do happen from time to time. On vacation... the last thing I want is a problem.

As far as benefits go.. that too depends on what you are looking to get out of it... the concierge pre-planning office is sometimes worth it's weight in gold when trying to get those hard to get reservations in places like Cindys which I have never had a problem getting through the pre-planning office.

It's also nice to have the concierge there for last minute details you may have forgotten before your arrival.. Maybe someone wants to do something in your group that you didn't know could be done.. say a tour or something.... It just makes things so much easier when you can stop by the concierge desk and ask them to take care of it for you.

For me, the concierge is an important part of my vacation. I will be at Disney in May and already the pre-planning office has all of my dining reservations ready to be made, all the special events I have planned ready to be reserved and I have no worries... all I have to do now is get on the plane.

The best of luck!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

First of all, here is a link to get your countdown. It can be found on the Tech support board.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=381216

second .. welcome to the Disboards!

about concierge .. I have only stayed at WDW concierge once, although I often stay concierge outside of WDW. We very much enjoyed it and would do it again if we weren't DVC members. Anyway, I think trying to put a $$ worth on it is very hard. I have heard of people who try and eat all their meals in the lounge to make it worth it. I think this is a big mistake. I look at it as a way of spoiling yourself and your loved ones.. we all deserve it!

 

[CaipiraBob]

It really depends on how much you belive you will use the perks of the concierge.

If you want assistance in planning your vacation itinerary, it could prove worthwhile. If you enjoy the snacks offered in the lounge, the deserts and cordials offered in the evening, it could be worth it. If you enjoy the lounge as a place to unwind and view fireworks, then so on and so on...

We rely on the itinerary planning people, and when we have a spur of the moment thought, they can work "magic" for us. We enjoy the lounge and snacks available for our children. We've sampled the afternoon appetizers and evening deserts and cordials before a fireworks show. We're resort lounge lizards and romp around the resort about as much as we visit the parks. So we feel we've enjoy concierge service for what it's there to provide, and enjoy every aspect of what it provides.

Everyone's different, so you need to determine if the extra 35-100 dollars will yield you the satifaction you're looking for with your decision.

Just one thought, the food offerings don't make a meal except for breakfast. They're only appetizers following the morning's continental offerings. You won't "save" money on meals based on the food provided in the afternoon. On the other hand, the money you don't spend on breakfast may make it more appealing to you. So however you think it will work out after that...

 

[Misti]

Welcome to the DIS! Glad to have you here!

I agree with the other posts--I'd do concierge for convenience or a nice splurge but not to get my "money's worth" so to speak. Some people try to do this by eating two of their meals a day in the lounge. I'm probably going to get flamed but I think the lounge is more for "snacks" and not meals. I'll never forget the trip we had to the Polynesian concierge. There was family of five during our stay there that just about cleared out a tray of food because they were using the lounge as a substitute for a regular meal. They can only replenish the trays every so often so this often left little for the other guests waiting.

Good luck with your trip planning!

 

[nygrl]

We did tower club at cr last month and for us it was well worth the money. It is not as expensive as full concierge and we found the service to be outstanding . We really felt special we did get breakfast and afternoon snacks as well as turndown service no dinner or cordials but we did not need that. the concierge cms helped us with so much from ps last minute to faxing something and shipping something home that my ds won in the game room. If you dont want to go all out money wise then i would suggest trying this we got all the perks of concierge at a much better price.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

First of all....Welcome to the DIS!

Others have given you great advice on the merits of concierge. We have stayed at most of the resorts and usually choose to stay at the concierge level when we visit GF, BC, WL, or AKL. We enjoy the enhanced services, breakfast, and the occasional evening cocktail

We usually book in advance and when it is not available in advance, we ask if concierge is available at check in.

With that being said, only you can make that decision. There are many people on these boards that can share their detailed insights. Keep seeking and good luck!