Unpopular opinion: The Wish was our least favorite Concierge experience of all the ships.

[WaDiWo]

Background: platinum here, and we have had the privilege to sail concierge on all the DCL ships except for the Magic. Note, we know we have been extremely lucky and don’t take any of it for granted! Don’t get me wrong, concierge on the Wish was great. The lounge is beautiful, and the concierge staff was very nice (We had Glenn and G and I think Bianca). The issue was that there were too many concierge guests for the service and interactions to be personal, and lounge was also thus crowded. On the Wonder for example, without us even making an effort, every staff member of concierge, servers, bartender and all knew us all by name within a day. On our 5 day cruise on the Wonder concierge was very accessible (not that we asked for anything special) and there was rarely a line for anything like coffee. Even on our 5 day cruise my wife and I can recall only once there being a line at the bar for happy hour. On the Wish, I don’t remember any of the staff (as friendly as they were) addressing me by name, and there was often a line for coffee, drinks, or just to ask concierge a question. When I had an issue with retrieving my luggage on embarkation day, after waiting in line to speak with concierge, they just advised I go directly to deck 1 to talk with luggage staff there, as it would be faster than if they call! I can’t imagine that happening on other ships’ concierge. I don’t fault the staff though, I just think the number of concierge guests on the Wish is too big for them to handle as “magically” as on the smaller ships.

 

[Marthasor]

I completely agree. We had the exact same experience. Unless they change the Wish itinerary, I wouldn't even consider sailing it again. I did love the size of the lounge and the sun deck area but mostly because the ship was so, so crowded it became a place to just get some quiet. The interaction with the concierge staff was not at all personalized. I'm sure it's due to the number of concierge guests and the number of super high-end suites - we were in a lowly family-verandah, so kind of felt like second-class citizens. Our very best concierge experience was on the Magic on a European sailing - fewer guests and longer sailing so we had a chance to really get to know our concierge CMs who were so, so wonderful.

 

[Calantha]

Thanks for the insights. I was just watching videos of people doing Wish Concierge and it seemed very nice. We'll probably only ever do it once, so I want to make sure I pick the right ship!

 

[Marthasor]

Thanks for the insights. I was just watching videos of people doing Wish Concierge and it seemed very nice. We'll probably only ever do it once, so I want to make sure I pick the right ship!

As I mentioned, the lounge is gorgeous, but if you want a more personalized experience, I would look at a smaller ship and a longer sailing. I would also recommend doing an itinerary other than Bahamas or Caribbean (Alaska or Europe, for example)

 

[OKW Lover]

Appreciate your feedback. Our experience was different when we sailed in November. We found it easy to talk to just about anyone in the lounge whenever we needed. We visited regularly and really enjoyed the experience.

 

[John VN]

BIGGER can only be BETTER when the machine runs smoothly and until the challenges of providing a larger Concierge environment are addressed, there will be potholes in the seas preventing smooth sailing.

One aspect with WISH and the other ships is having HAPPY HOURS that creates a limited time period for Concierge cruisers to enjoy an important PERK available only to them. The solution is to open the BARS on the entire ship to Concierge Cruisers during hours of operation, as does our choice of cruise line. Another PLUS is having a Private Area on the ISLAND designated ONLY to Concierge Cruisers with Cabanas and Restaurant.

 

[NephieRN]

When did you sail? We had a semi similar experience in September. We had 4 hosts then but they have since added a 5th host which should help alleviate some of the issues. The waiting is around to talk to someone when we needed something is what bothered me. It was often at least a 15 minute wait at the desk which would never happen on the other ships. It’s definitely a learning curve with this many concierge rooms. By adding the 5th host it appears they’ve listened to early feedback so hopefully things will continue in the right direction. The lounge and sundeck are so much better than the other ships so they really have a chance to make concierge on the triton class ships extraordinary. We won’t sail the Wish again simply because I don’t care for the short itineraries.

 

[WaDiWo]

When did you sail? We had a semi similar experience in September. We had 4 hosts then but they have since added a 5th host which should help alleviate some of the issues. The waiting is around to talk to someone when we needed something is what bothered me. It was often at least a 15 minute wait at the desk which would never happen on the other ships. It’s definitely a learning curve with this many concierge rooms. By adding the 5th host it appears they’ve listened to early feedback so hopefully things will continue in the right direction. The lounge and sundeck are so much better than the other ships so they really have a chance to make concierge on the triton class ships extraordinary. We won’t sail the Wish again simply because I don’t care for the short itineraries.

We sailed in August, one of the first sailings, and yes we only had 4 concierge hosts at the times. Hopefully smoother now.

 

[WaDiWo]

As I mentioned, the lounge is gorgeous, but if you want a more personalized experience, I would look at a smaller ship and a longer sailing. I would also recommend doing an itinerary other than Bahamas or Caribbean (Alaska or Europe, for example)

I agree, that sounds like a perfect cruise actually. We love the smaller ships but have only done a 7 night once (never longer), and haven't yet done Alaska or Europe.

 

[John VN]

As I mentioned, the lounge is gorgeous, but if you want a more personalized experience, I would look at a smaller ship and a longer sailing. I would also recommend doing an itinerary other than Bahamas or Caribbean (Alaska or Europe, for example)

I agree, that sounds like a perfect cruise actually. We love the smaller ships but have only done a 7 night once (never longer), and haven't yet done Alaska or Europe.

??? Just wondering what would be required to have a "more personalized experience" on a ship such as WISH or similar.

DW and I are fairly laid back and do not require special attention, so at half the price of WISH Concierge we are able to experience an elevated DCL Concierge atmosphere that also includes a Butler for more personal attention if needed. The Disney Magic so often mention is no longer important for us thus many other Cruise Lines become available to book.

 

[The Sasquatch]

My 2 cents are I prefer the lounge and deck space for Concierge on the Wish but every other aspect falls below the other ships. The rooms have an awkward layout and feel smaller. The view out of your balcony is terrible in the 1 bed vs the Dream. The experience with the staff and guests is less than personal. There are too many concierge cabins so it feels chaotic and there is no connection with the main concierge hosts. Basically on the Wish, we do concierge to hopefully try and get a cabana but with double the amount of rooms even thats tougher. Yes if you have the money its nicer especially if you need a bigger room but I think the Wish experience is not what it is on the classics.

 

[OpieDoodle]

Interesting! I've been debating concierge and you have some really good points. Common opinion I've seen is that the Wish has the best concierge so its always interesting to read other opinions!

 

[Joel0917]

Agree with OP. Loved fantasy concierge. In fact we still see a couple hosts even when we are not concierge and they remember us. We did B2b wish concierge and even after two sailings they didn’t know me. Lines at 5pm for the bar so I had to come down at like 450 to make sure we got a drink before first seating. Also I actually went to guest services for something as there was a lien to talk to concierge.

I am doing wonder concierge this summer for Alaska so looking forward to that!!

 

[DCLMP]

Not liking the Wish seems to a popular opinion.

 

[John VN]

Not liking the Wish seems to a popular opinion.

Reading reviews it sounds to me that the $$$$ for Concierge is not justified.

 

[OKW Lover]

Reading reviews it sounds to me that the $$$$ for Concierge is not justified.

It's hard (impossible?) to judge the value of concierge service/benefits. Some people love it. Some don't.

 

[peder]

The view out of your balcony is terrible in the 1 bed vs the Dream.

Can you expand on this? Why was the view sub-par?

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I just cant pull the trigger on the Wish. Will the Treasure be any different or will it be the sister ship of the Wish?

 

[Kindle Addict]

I love DCL. Have cruised with them for 9 years and been fortunate enough to always do concierge. Have used the service on both the Fantasy and Magic ships. Has always been a treat for us, although one we save up for each year. I can honestly say that I have no desire at all ever to do concierge on the Wish - or even sail on the Wish. I just don't care for the set-up of the ship, the huge concierge set up or the entertainment in the MDRs. I like a relatively quiet dining experience - not superheroes and other such stuff parading around and interrupting dinner. I like shows separate from dinner.

 

[SL6827]

Seems as if Disney was going to try to do more with less.. Imagine that. They know they need more staff with more CL rooms, but they will at least try and see if they can pull it off.