Useful Concierge Information

[SamSam]

I wanted to let you know how things came out. I did call yesterday and left a message (still no answer to my e-mails). A staff member named Laura called first thing this morning and had a little trouble finding me in the system, but once she did she arranged my safari and Lunch w/Disney Animal Program immediately. She did say she would check for my e-mails, that the e-mails wouldn't have come to her (she's possibly not concierge?). I'm sure that we will have a wonderful time and hopefully not get too 'hooked' on concierge. We are staying an additional 3 nites in a standard room, will we need to check out and re-check in? This thread has been extremely helpful, thank you all for your help.

 

[stingmom]

she arranged my safari and Lunch w/Disney Animal Program immediately.

sounds great! please tell me more bout it!

 

[denisekayt]

I noticed on one post quite a ways back it was mentioned that the IPO will do shopping, usually these are special gifts, etc. but it also stated they would shop at "local grocery stores for any special dietary needs" (I think that part came from a note on the allears website).

Has anyone ever asked for the IPO to buy something like soda or bottled water ahead of time to be waiting in your room? This doesn't really qualify as a "dietary need" (well, according to my DH his Mountain Dew IS a dietary need, but I doubt everyone would feel that way ).

We can do grocery delivery like we did on our last trip, or perhaps do the grocery stop with the towncar service, but if IPO would purchase a 12 pack of bottled water and a 24 pack of Mountain Dew ahead of time for us I would be in heaven! Is this asking too much??

 

[Angel16]

It certainly is not asking too much and IPO would be happy to help you. However, the request is placed through "in room dining" and when I saw their costs for a case of water and a six pack of soda. I stopped off and purchased my own.

 

[firsttimemom]

Sam Sam Call them today also. It just isn't like AKL to not return e-mails or phone calls. You e-mail may have floated off somewhere else.

Don is fantastic and so funny. Has he done is Donald Duck impresson for anyone here on the boards? It is really good.

Yes- we have heard Don's impression- very cool! I just stumbled on this thread- I posted my own before I found it. I've had an aweful time getting email responses from AKL. I've sent 3 and they seem to take forever to get back to me. I tried calling once, but the person had a lot of trouble finding our ressies and had to call me back. I'm in and out of the house a lot and it's so much more convenient to just deal with emails. We're leaving in about 10 days and I've been waiting for the last 5 for a response to my last email.

Liz

 

[SamSam]

stingmom, Here's a description of the Lunch:

"We have a special Lunch at Jiko ** Lunch with Animal Programs will be starting on Nov. 1st, 2005. It will happen every Tuesday.Each lunch program can have up to 20 ppl. Ages 10 and up. The price is $65 plus tax and gratuity. Every Tuesday from 12 Noon to 2 p.m., a different presenter will meet with guests in an entertaining and informal setting. Personalities such as Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Animal Curator Joe Kalla, who spent much of his career at the San Diego Zoo, traveled to Africa to study Sumatra rhinos and learned Swahili to communicate with villagers, will share his experiences.

And, the Jiko culinary cast will serve a traditional Jiko feast.

It is a lunch session at Jiko with our friends from Animal Programs. This is your opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with a dolphin trainer, veterinarian, or animal curator. "

It sounds like so much fun, I can hardly wait to attend.

 

[Fairy Godmother]

After the IPO makes your ADRs do they usually email to tell you which ones they where able to make? How long does it take before they email you? My 180 window started yesterday and I am very curious to see what request I got. You should never start planning a trip 1 1/2 years in advance because it gives you way to much time to obsess over the details.

 

[Fairy Godmother]

Very strange. Right after I posted here I received an email from the Poly IPO letting me know my ADRs could be made 180 days in advance with a itinerary planner attached. I guess they didn't get the completed one I emailed to them last week. I emailed it again. Hopefully they get it this time.

 

[Viki]

stingmom, Here's a description of the Lunch:

"We have a special Lunch at Jiko ** Lunch with Animal Programs will be starting on Nov. 1st, 2005. It will happen every Tuesday.Each lunch program can have up to 20 ppl. Ages 10 and up. The price is $65 plus tax and gratuity. Every Tuesday from 12 Noon to 2 p.m., a different presenter will meet with guests in an entertaining and informal setting. Personalities such as Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Animal Curator Joe Kalla, who spent much of his career at the San Diego Zoo, traveled to Africa to study Sumatra rhinos and learned Swahili to communicate with villagers, will share his experiences.

And, the Jiko culinary cast will serve a traditional Jiko feast.

It is a lunch session at Jiko with our friends from Animal Programs. This is your opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with a dolphin trainer, veterinarian, or animal curator. "

It sounds like so much fun, I can hardly wait to attend.

Wow, they are constantly thinking up new treats at that resort. I've just added that to our August itinerary!
Thank you.

 

[denisekayt]

My DH likes to get the hot chocolate with his resort mug...we plan on staying at WL concierge next December, and in all the posts I've read I never see hot chocolate mentioned as one of the free drink offerings for any CL.

Is it just not posted about or will I need to buy DH a resort mug just so he can get his cocoa fix??

Thanks!

 

[Stepht5]

My DH likes to get the hot chocolate with his resort mug...we plan on staying at WL concierge next December, and in all the posts I've read I never see hot chocolate mentioned as one of the free drink offerings for any CL.

Is it just not posted about or will I need to buy DH a resort mug just so he can get his cocoa fix??

Thanks!

I can only speak for GF SL but, the hot chocolate is over with the hot tea in the lounge.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I can only speak for GF SL but, the hot chocolate is over with the hot tea in the lounge.

If I'm remembering correctly, some of the concierge lounges have the new coffee machines and one of the settings you could select was hot chocolate. This would taste more like the whipped style as opposed to the bag of mix you can add to hot water. I'm pretty sure the WL concierge lounge has the new machine. A resort refillable mug might not fit underneath, so you'd probably have to use one of theirs and just pour it into the mug yourself.

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

Very strange. Right after I posted here I received an email from the Poly IPO letting me know my ADRs could be made 180 days in advance with a itinerary planner attached. I guess they didn't get the completed one I emailed to them last week. I emailed it again. Hopefully they get it this time.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've typically gotten a response from the Poly IPO within 24-48 hours from an e-mail. Of course, we're on a compressed schedule. We decided to take the trip early this month and are scrambling to put all the pieces together...

 

[BethA]

The concierge levels where we have stayed have had hot water available and the packets of hot chocolate mix--but it sounds like you may have the new machine available.

 

[denisekayt]

Thanks for all the replies on the hot chocolate! It sounds like we're good to go no matter what type machine they have

 

[Viki]

Hi all. I have a nice problem: I need to think of ways to thank Don at AKL for the extraordinary service he's been providing us as we plan our trip. One of the reasons I am so impressed is that while I know that this attention to detail is what one hopes for from concierge service, we are only actually staying in AKL concierge the first night of a 10-night trip (it was a late add on due to flight changes and we thought let's take a peak at where we are going to be staying for a 10-night stay in August). I've been working on the current trip for 15 months and thought I had planned out everything, and wouldn't actually need their services, but life intervened and we requested several changes that Don was only too happy to accomadate.

So, from what I've read, tips are out of the question, but what of some gift - like a food item that the whole staff could share? I've read conflicting information on whether they actually get to keep and share something like this.

 

[Angel16]

Viki - Don is fantastic as are the two ladies who work in IPO. They love items to eat. Perhaps a muffin basket or cookies, maybe some chocolates. Do you have a fantastic food item from your home town/state? That would make a great gift that all would enjoy.

Have a wonderful trip!

Angel 16

 

[Viki]

Viki - Don is fantastic as are the two ladies who work in IPO. They love items to eat. Perhaps a muffin basket or cookies, maybe some chocolates. Do you have a fantastic food item from your home town/state? That would make a great gift that all would enjoy.

Have a wonderful trip!

Angel 16

Thank you, Angel. I'm from the Philadelphia area, so of course my mind wonder to hoagies and tastycakes!

I'll think on it, but it's good to know they like to eat!

 

[Angel16]

Thank you, Angel. I'm from the Philadelphia area, so of course my mind wonder to hoagies and tastycakes!

I'll think on it, but it's good to know they like to eat!

I have to ask....What is a tastycake????

 

[YCFAN]

I know! I know! And I'm from North Carolina. They're kind of like Little Debbie cakes only people from the Penn/NJ area would scream at me for that comparison.