To cruise concierge or not the first time

[Montrealer]

We had booked a Merry Disney cruise (and our first cruise with Disney) for this past Christmas but I got pregnant and we had to cancel due to Zika. I am now planning on waiting for both children to be above 3 so they can participate in the kids' club. My new cruise date will be Sept 2020. Since I have so much time to budget, I think I want to get a concierge room, but would like opinions if it would fit our needs:

- I want a 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy or the Dream
- I chose September since it's low season and less expensive
- Kids will be 3 and 4 and would attend the kids club
- DH and I would like reservations at both Palo and Remy (dinners and brunches)
- We would like tickets to the character meet and greets
- We would like a cabana at Castaway Cay but it's not a big deal if we can't reserve one
- The concierge lounge (and sun deck) appeal to us as well as not having to deal with guest services
- We would only be able to budget for the family stateroom in concierge and not a suite
- We are not planning on using any spa services
- Budget for just the actual cruise and no extras is about 12k.

My questions are:

Since I can only afford a family stateroom, is it still worth it to cruise concierge based on my needs?

If I have dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, would it be possible to take our kids to dinner as usual but have the adults only order an app while the kids eat their food and then we bring them to the club while we go to Palo/Remy for our actual meal?

Approximately when should I be keeping an eye out for September 2020 cruise dates (April 2018?)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[dclpluto]

We had booked a Merry Disney cruise (and our first cruise with Disney) for this past Christmas but I got pregnant and we had to cancel due to Zika. I am now planning on waiting for both children to be above 3 so they can participate in the kids' club. My new cruise date will be Sept 2020. Since I have so much time to budget, I think I want to get a concierge room, but would like opinions if it would fit our needs:

- I want a 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy or the Dream
- I chose September since it's low season and less expensive
- Kids will be 3 and 4 and would attend the kids club
- DH and I would like reservations at both Palo and Remy (dinners and brunches)
- We would like tickets to the character meet and greets
- We would like a cabana at Castaway Cay but it's not a big deal if we can't reserve one
- The concierge lounge (and sun deck) appeal to us as well as not having to deal with guest services
- We would only be able to budget for the family stateroom in concierge and not a suite
- We are not planning on using any spa services
- Budget for just the actual cruise and no extras is about 12k.

My questions are:

Since I can only afford a family stateroom, is it still worth it to cruise concierge based on my needs?

If I have dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, would it be possible to take our kids to dinner as usual but have the adults only order an app while the kids eat their food and then we bring them to the club while we go to Palo/Remy for our actual meal?

Approximately when should I be keeping an eye out for September 2020 cruise dates (April 2018?)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Depends on how much $$$$ you have.
The dream doesn't do a 7 night so you want the fantasy.

 

[Montrealer]

Depends on how much $$$$ you have.
The dream doesn't do a 7 night so you want the fantasy.

I'm thinking of a budget of $12,000 for just the cruise (not including extras).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We had booked a Merry Disney cruise (and our first cruise with Disney) for this past Christmas but I got pregnant and we had to cancel due to Zika. I am now planning on waiting for both children to be above 3 so they can participate in the kids' club. My new cruise date will be Sept 2020. Since I have so much time to budget, I think I want to get a concierge room, but would like opinions if it would fit our needs:

- I want a 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy or the Dream
- I chose September since it's low season and less expensive
- Kids will be 3 and 4 and would attend the kids club
- DH and I would like reservations at both Palo and Remy (dinners and brunches)
- We would like tickets to the character meet and greets
- We would like a cabana at Castaway Cay but it's not a big deal if we can't reserve one
- The concierge lounge (and sun deck) appeal to us as well as not having to deal with guest services
- We would only be able to budget for the family stateroom in concierge and not a suite
- We are not planning on using any spa services
- Budget for just the actual cruise and no extras is about 12k.

My questions are:

Since I can only afford a family stateroom, is it still worth it to cruise concierge based on my needs?

If I have dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, would it be possible to take our kids to dinner as usual but have the adults only order an app while the kids eat their food and then we bring them to the club while we go to Palo/Remy for our actual meal?

Approximately when should I be keeping an eye out for September 2020 cruise dates (April 2018?)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Thoughts I have:
the only thing on your list that really screams "must do Concierge" is the desire to utilize the Concierge sun deck and lounge, as well as not wanting to "deal with Guest Services" (although that one I don't get, we've never had issues with Guest Services).

Only you can decide if "only" having a family stateroom over a suite is worth it.

Yes, you can take the kids to dinner in the Main Dining Room, but I'd suggest not eating anything yourself, if you're headed for Palo or Remy. No sense in filling up with "regular" food when you've got something special coming up.

Generally (historically) summer itineraries have been released around March/April the preceding year(18 months out).

 

[MunFam]

I just looked at what the Caribbean Concierge room for 2 adults plus a 3 and 4 year old what cost you this September...and its $9,300+. The price hikes have been quite high each year. Like 20-40% in some cases (like the WBPC cruise increased 50% in two years for an ocean view room) I would not be shocked if a regular oceanview room cost $12,000 for a week by 2020, so you may not have to choose concierge or not based on your budget.

 

[Montrealer]

I hope I'm using the quote feature properly, this is my first time posting.

Thoughts I have:
the only thing on your list that really screams "must do Concierge" is the desire to utilize the Concierge sun deck and lounge, as well as not wanting to "deal with Guest Services" (although that one I don't get, we've never had issues with Guest Services).

This was something that appealed to my husband who usually has to visit guest services 2-3 per cruise and has sometimes waited 30+ minutes (but usually around 15). But I'm basing this off of the other major cruise lines since we have never cruised with Disney before, so I'm not sure if that would be a typical wait or not.

Yes, you can take the kids to dinner in the Main Dining Room, but I'd suggest not eating anything yourself, if you're headed for Palo or Remy. No sense in filling up with "regular" food when you've got something special coming up.

I wasn't sure if that would be allowed, but that's excellent news and what we will definitely do that.

Generally (historically) summer itineraries have been released around March/April the preceding year(18 months out).

Great, thanks!

 

[Montrealer]

I just looked at what the Caribbean Concierge room for 2 adults plus a 3 and 4 year old what cost you this September...and its $9,300+. The price hikes have been quite high each year. Like 20-40% in some cases (like the WBPC cruise increased 50% in two years for an ocean view room) I would not be shocked if a regular oceanview room cost $12,000 for a week by 2020, so you may not have to choose concierge or not based on your budget.

Eeek, that would definitely rule out concierge. I guess I will have to wait until 2018 and see what the prices are at that point. I'm assuming once I book my cruise, it will lock in my price? And it's cheapest to book as soon as the itineraries are released?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This was something that appealed to my husband who usually has to visit guest services 2-3 per cruise and has sometimes waited 30+ minutes (but usually around 15). But I'm basing this off of the other major cruise lines since we have never cruised with Disney before, so I'm not sure if that would be a typical wait or not.

I find waiting for dinner to start, late at night (after the show) or early in the morning (if you're an early riser) and then heading for Guest Services there are no lines.

You'll find the longest lines mid day, embarkation day, and the last night.

 

[Laundress]

If I have dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, would it be possible to take our kids to dinner as usual but have the adults only order an app while the kids eat their food and then we bring them to the club while we go to Palo/Remy for our actual meal?

We often sit with the children while they eat in the MDR before we go to Palo. Nice to chit chat with the servers and have the children try new food. other wise they could eat room service or from the pool area before you take them to the club.

 

[Shanti]

This was something that appealed to my husband who usually has to visit guest services 2-3 per cruise and has sometimes waited 30+ minutes (but usually around 15). But I'm basing this off of the other major cruise lines since we have never cruised with Disney before, so I'm not sure if that would be a typical wait or not.

That's definitely not typical for DCL. Getting to the front of the line to talk to someone at guest services during a Disney cruise (I've cruised Magic & Fantasy) never took me more than a couple of minutes. Last month on the Fantasy when there was a problem with an excursion, they took it very seriously. This even though it wasn't their direct responsibility, and I had booked one of the very cheapest stateroom categories. The whole cruise was like that- all service people trying to help & correct any problems if they sensed anything was amiss.

Since you've never cruised DCL, I recommend trying non-concierge first. It's much cheaper & if not having guest services headaches is your husband's main concern, he'll likely be quite satisfied with regular DCL service. You can always do concierge on a later trip if you find yourselves wanting a little more.

Re: dinner. On DCL, during late dining they will actually take your kids to the club for you, if you like.

 

[kiford]

The concierge lounge (and sun deck) appeal to us as well as not having to deal with guest services

I can understand wanting the lounge and sun deck but I don't know that having to deal with guest services should be an issue. We hardly ever have to go to GS and when we have done, it's only taken a couple of minutes. I've had to go to the port adventures desk a couple of times but, again, only couple of minutes. And it's not usually because of a problem but to book for one of the various tastings. I think once they did forget to give us our lanyards during check in but we had planned to get in line for booking tastings anyway so we did that at the same time. So unless you have continuing issues and for some strange reason the line is very busy and they are slow not dealing with guest issues shouldn't be a concern.

As for whether concierge is something that would be of value to you, you'll need to look at the list of benefits versus the cost. For us, it's not worth it. While the lounge and sun deck may be nice, we have no children and prefer to spend our time in the adults-only area (obviously not the same as your situation so you may find that this is a very nice benefit). The extra drinks and attention would be nice but not worth the money for us. Staterooms won't be any larger unless you're getting a suite so the other benefits will need to outweigh the cost for you. You could also go non-concierge for your first cruise and decide if you think you need to do that for the next cruise and book a placeholder while you're there.

 

[timrousbeastie]

Eeek, that would definitely rule out concierge. I guess I will have to wait until 2018 and see what the prices are at that point. I'm assuming once I book my cruise, it will lock in my price? And it's cheapest to book as soon as the itineraries are released?

Although MunFam's remarks about the rising prices for concierge are correct based on experience from past years, I would not be too discouraged. In 2019, DCL should start offering cruises for their first new ship. This will significantly increase the supply of concierge rooms and most likely, I think, reduce demand for cabins on the 4 current ships. As far as I can tell, and I've checked frequently to plan our own family cruises, prices for concierge on the Dream and Fantasy have not gone up as much between 2015 and 2017 as they did in prior years. This does not seem to make sense since concierge on at least the Fantasy always is >95% sold many months in advance. My own guess is that DCL deliberately has stopped raising prices as much as they could because they don't want to have to lower them again when booking for the new ship starts. Another factor is that other cruise lines are launching a lot of great new ships over the next few years and there is a limit to how much Disney can charge before their loyal customers start switching to the competition. DCL concierge must already be insanely profitable since they have been selling the same Dream-class product for the past 5 years for dramatically increasing prices. So, I actually think there is a good chance that you may be able to get a concierge cruise in 2020 for close to current prices, perhaps even lower.

 

[over50visits]

Concierge is wonderful - the serving team is the best they have, the lounge is great, various perks (priority bookings) are fun, the food you can order for room service can be up to Palo's menu depending on your concierge room.

All it takes is money. The prices reflect the market, and unfortunately the market has drive the price...high.

 

[fredandkell]

We have always booked two connecting rooms (twice on Dream, once on Fantasy) and each time it has been significantly cheaper than concierge or a suite. I feel that DCL does a great job with service no matter where you stay on the ship--our first cruise was in an interior room and the second was a balcony and the service was the same.

Also, unsolicited opinion here -- I think it makes much more financial sense to take the kids BEFORE they turn 3. The nursery is only a few bucks an hour - even if you book the maximum time in it per day per kid, you will never reach the price of paying for them full-fare once they hit 3. Plus, 3-years olds can be a bit iffy anyway about being dropped off in the kids club. So my unsolicited advice would be to go NOW while it's cheaper - you can still use the nursery for childcare - and then book onboard and get a 10% discount for your 2020 cruise

 

[bumbershoot]

Budget for just the actual cruise and no extras is about 12k.

7 nights concierge on Disney...I can see needing that. Oof.

If I have dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, would it be possible to take our kids to dinner as usual but have the adults only order an app while the kids eat their food and then we bring them to the club while we go to Palo/Remy for our actual meal?

Yes.

And you can do that even if you're not concierge.

the only thing on your list that really screams "must do Concierge" is the desire to utilize the Concierge sun deck and lounge, as well as not wanting to "deal with Guest Services" (although that one I don't get, we've never had issues with Guest Services)

Yep. But I cannot imagine what's so great about the sun deck or lounge that's worth the upcharge. And guest services isn't a hardship. We actually went there while concierge because it shorter to do it than waiting for the concierge person to be free.

What issues has your husband had in the past that led him to GS?

Category V rooms are nice but we booked them back before two+ years of insane price changes. It was worth the $300 extra it cost our first time ($100 per night of the cruise more) or the total cost we paid the second time. But it's just not worth that much to us. The lounge isn't *that* great, the beloved concierge dude was condescending to my kid (though with littles you won't notice that...the problem was that he treated my 10 year old like a 3 year old) and irritating to me, etc. the rooms are pretty but I just can't find the value.

And for us, when paying more, we tend to ignore the ship and focus on our room and the lounge. Which means we are missing a LOT of the experience.

the food you can order for room service can be up to Palo's menu depending on your concierge room.

If by family room they mean category V, that's not available to them.