We are concierge....my other family is not...

[phinz]

OK, for the record:

I did not see anyone here post that they ever actually HAVE brought non-concierge guests into concierge areas,

Actually, somebody earlier in the thread did say something about their bringing non-Concierge family to the character meet and greet, iirc. I'm not searching back through all the self-righteous posts on both sides to find it, though.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never sailed concierge and probably never will. Be that as it may, the problem really lies with the concierge hosts. When you allow 1 exception you are setting yourself up to all rules having exceptions and then you have to make judgement calls.

For example, I own a very popular restaurant that only takes reservations for groups of 20 or more. If someone calls with 15 people but 1 person in a wheelchair I can't make an exception. If I do then someone else can call and say they have 13 but grandma who is 90 and uses a walker. If I say no to them, then they can through it in my face that I made an exception with the first case why can't I make an exception for them. In that situation it never ends, people are always going to want to be the exception. When you break the rules once, you must continue breaking them. That is the reason I do not believe the statement, "it doesn't hurt to ask." Just my $.02

 

[Uncleromulus]

Well said!!

Some folks will always push the envelope.

And as has been noted, in the end it is the concierge hosts who allow things to happen.

Similar with kids in the adult only areas--that is allowed to happen a lot. Mom and dad saw kids on deck 13 so why can't their little Debbie go too???

Then someone sees little Debbie up there and---

 

[Stephen Burch]

Be that as it may, the problem really lies with the concierge hosts. When you allow 1 exception you are setting yourself up to all rules having exceptions and then you have to make judgement calls.

The reason I disagree with this is that what you have described (making judgment calls) and figuring out how to make things work for concierge guests is the job of concierge hosts. That's why they have dedicated people, and not just random staffers. If everything was "look up black letter rule, apply it" then there wouldn't be a concierge job. It would just be another customer service desk with the same people and training as the non-concierge desk.

The whole reason the concierge team exists is to field those questions, and to make the judgment calls on a case by case basis.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

The reason I disagree with this is that what you have described (making judgment calls) and figuring out how to make things work for concierge guests is the job of concierge hosts. That's why they have dedicated people, and not just random staffers. If everything was "look up black letter rule, apply it" then there wouldn't be a concierge job. It would just be another customer service desk with the same people and training as the non-concierge desk.

The whole reason the concierge team exists is to field those questions, and to make the judgment calls on a case by case basis.

I would have to disagree in that the concierge team is there to book excursions, make reservations and make the cruise experience as stress free as possible. No where in the description of what concierge is about does it say they are there to help guests break rules for their own personal gain.

 

[Stephen Burch]

I would have to disagree in that the concierge team is there to book excursions, make reservations and make the cruise experience as stress free as possible. No where in the description of what concierge is about does it say they are there to help guests break rules for their own personal gain.

It's not breaking a rule if you get permission to do it. That's what I don't understand about people getting mad about asking. If the concierge team, who's job it is to be there and answer questions for and take care of the concierge guests, say that the guests can do X, then no rule has been broken.

When I asked the concierge team on my last cruise if they could help my father get his suitcase issue taken care of (the porters broke his suitcase when they were loading it), so he didn't have to wait in the gigantic line since he wasn't in a concierge room, they said "absolutely" and took care of it. I wasn't asking them to break the rules, I was asking them if what I wanted was part of the service I paid for. Apparently the answer was yes. I'm not going to stop asking, because one of the reasons I paid as much as I did was so that I would have the person there to ask.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

It's not breaking a rule if you get permission to do it. That's what I don't understand about people getting mad about asking. If the concierge team, who's job it is to be there and answer questions for and take care of the concierge guests, say that the guests can do X, then no rule has been broken.

When I asked the concierge team on my last cruise if they could help my father get his suitcase issue taken care of (the porters broke his suitcase when they were loading it), so he didn't have to wait in the gigantic line since he wasn't in a concierge room, they said "absolutely" and took care of it. I wasn't asking them to break the rules, I was asking them if what I wanted was part of the service I paid for. Apparently the answer was yes. I'm not going to stop asking, because one of the reasons I paid as much as I did was so that I would have the person there to ask.

I get what you are saying and as someone who has spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry, including F and B and Operations Manager positions for Disney, I hate, hate, hate telling people no.

I read the scenario you presented and while at the very surface I want to say what they did was right, it's the snow ball effect that scares me. Once DCL extends 1 concierge benefit to a non-concierge guest, just to be nice, it's a slippery slope to then continue to have to say yes to all requests.

Like I said earlier, I don't have a dog in this fight and am not going to waste a bunch of time debating it. I was just trying to give a point of view from the employee/CM point of view. I truly wish you many more enjoyable cruises.

 

[Expatriat]

I get what you are saying and as someone who has spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry, including F and B and Operations Manager positions for Disney, I hate, hate, hate telling people no.

I read the scenario you presented and while at the very surface I want to say what they did was right, it's the snow ball effect that scares me. Once DCL extends 1 concierge benefit to a non-concierge guest, just to be nice, it's a slippery slope to then continue to have to say yes to all requests.

Exactly. When someone sails Concierge with DCL, they have paid for the Concierge spaces, amenities and services for only those booked in their Concierge cabin or suite, NOT for ANY of their non-Concierge family members or friends. It seems no amount of stating DCL's rules, regulations, policies, or the company's description of the exclusivity of the services and amenities will sway the opinions of those looking to take advantage of the situation and the hosts. Concierge hosts want to please Concierge guests, to make them happy AND in the hope of higher gratuities. That they will sometimes break the rules for those guests does not make it right. I am sure they don't report their own rule breaking to corporate. But since this is a message board and not a courtroom, DCL's rules and regulations don't mean a thing, as people are always seeking a way around them, be it regarding alcohol, attire, forbidden items, or now Concierge policies. You are so right about the slippery slope. If one non-Concierge would be entitled, then rightfully ALL should be, which is exactly why no one who is non-Concierge should be allowed in the Concierge lounge, sun deck or at the private character meet, no matter how insignificant they think their intrusion may be. None of this makes sense to those seeking something for nothing though. And I'm sorry, but no matter how much one pays for Concierge, that price does NOT pay for non-Concierge family or friends.

 

[Hundredacre]

It's not breaking a rule if you get permission to do it. That's what I don't understand about people getting mad about asking. If the concierge team, who's job it is to be there and answer questions for and take care of the concierge guests, say that the guests can do X, then no rule has been broken.

When I asked the concierge team on my last cruise if they could help my father get his suitcase issue taken care of (the porters broke his suitcase when they were loading it), so he didn't have to wait in the gigantic line since he wasn't in a concierge room, they said "absolutely" and took care of it. I wasn't asking them to break the rules, I was asking them if what I wanted was part of the service I paid for. Apparently the answer was yes. I'm not going to stop asking, because one of the reasons I paid as much as I did was so that I would have the person there to ask.

If you ask concierge to break a rule and they say okay, you are still technically breaking a rule but with concierge's knowledge.

 

[Stephen Burch]

If you ask concierge to break a rule and they say okay, you are still technically breaking a rule but with concierge's knowledge.

No you aren't. If you ask concierge can I do X, where X is normally against the rules, and concierge says "yes you may", then X is no longer against the rules. There's a HUGE difference between the two things.

 

[Hundredacre]

No you aren't. If you ask concierge can I do X, where X is normally against the rules, and concierge says "yes you may", then X is no longer against the rules. There's a HUGE difference between the two things.

The rule is still there. Disney has not issued a policy change to get rid of the rule. You have just been allowed to break it. But you are still breaking it.

 

[Stephen Burch]

The rule is still there. Disney has not issued a policy change to get rid of the rule. You have just been allowed to break it. But you are still breaking it.

An Agent of the Disney Cruise Corporation authorized by the Disney Cruise Corporation to make such adjustments, allowed an alteration to the rule. I'm not breaking anything.

 

[Hundredacre]

An Agent of the Disney Cruise Corporation authorized by the Disney Cruise Corporation to make such adjustments, allowed an alteration to the rule. I'm not breaking anything.

As long as the rule still exists, if you are not following it, you are technically breaking it, even if you got approval to break it. I am not saying you did not get approval, but you are breaking it. If I go in the 10 or less grocery line with 15 items and ask the cashier if it is okay and she says yes, I am still technically breaking the rules. I have been allowed to break the rules, but if i really wanted to follow the posted rule, I never would have asked to bring 15 items in the 10 item lane. You may have been allowed to break the rules, but you still did not follow the rules. I understand why you might feel like it is okay to break the rules, because the price of concierge is astronomical and there is an extent to which a certain amount of-- I dont want to use the word entitlement because I am not trying to convey a sense of judgement like that word carries, but there is a certain amount of entitlement that comes with paying that much. I get that. You're not really getting value for money. But I I am just saying that technically you are still breaking a rule. I am comfortable with us disagreeing on this.

 

[tinkerone]

If I go in the 10 or less grocery line with 15 items and ask the cashier if it is okay and she says yes, I am still technically breaking the rules. I have been allowed to break the rules, but if i really wanted to follow the posted rule, I never would have asked to bring 15 items in the 10 item lane. You may have been allowed to break the rules, but you still did not follow the rules. I understand why you might feel like it is okay to break the rules, because the price of concierge is astronomical and there is an extent to which a certain amount of-- I dont want to use the word entitlement because I am not trying to convey a sense of judgement like that word carries, but there is a certain amount of entitlement that comes with paying that much. I get that. You're not really getting value for money. But I I am just saying that technically you are still breaking a rule. I am comfortable with us disagreeing on this.

at our local walmart there are clerks who constantly roam to make sure lines don't get out of hand. they have often come to me when i have more than the number allotted and told me to go through the 'less than 10' line. should i then say no, i am breaking rules by doing that, or should i just go ahead and do it knowing that i will get through faster than others with the same number of items in a regular line?
i get the point that its breaking a rule, what i don't get is the fuss about it when it is sanctioned by a cm. i just don't.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Of course the folks at Walmart aren't paying for a 10 item experience--but I am for an exclusive concierge experience.

Someone's Uncle Finster in the lounge at happy hour gulping down the free wine and beer makes it rather UNexclusive.

And that's why from now on if I see CM's sanctioning this kind of stuff I will at least make an effort to let higher-ups know about it and voicing my displeasure.

Might get me nowhere, but at least someone will have been informed.

 

[Hundredacre]

at our local walmart there are clerks who constantly roam to make sure lines don't get out of hand. they have often come to me when i have more than the number allotted and told me to go through the 'less than 10' line. should i then say no, i am breaking rules by doing that, or should i just go ahead and do it knowing that i will get through faster than others with the same number of items in a regular line?
i get the point that its breaking a rule, what i don't get is the fuss about it when it is sanctioned by a cm. i just don't.

Okay so it was not the best comparison if you expand it, because the ten item lanes do not come with a fee and stores have them to expedite customers not provide a superior experience for those willing to pay for it. Just trying to make the point that if a rule exists and you are not following it, regardless of whether or not you have been permission to not follow it, you are breaking it. Not necessarily a judgement, just a technical point.

 

[jmpurdy]

Of course the folks at Walmart aren't paying for a 10 item experience--but I am for an exclusive concierge experience.

Someone's Uncle Finster in the lounge at happy hour gulping down the free wine and beer makes it rather UNexclusive.

And that's why from now on if I see CM's sanctioning this kind of stuff I will at least make an effort to let higher-ups know about it and voicing my displeasure.

Might get me nowhere, but at least someone will have been informed.

Your glass house sure is pretty

 

[Stephen Burch]

It is true. Seeing the lesser class get perks that I paid for makes those perks worthless to me. How am I supposed to enjoy my success if I can't lord it over the lesser people?

Seriously, that is what you are sounding like.

Of course the folks at Walmart aren't paying for a 10 item experience--but I am for an exclusive concierge experience.

Someone's Uncle Finster in the lounge at happy hour gulping down the free wine and beer makes it rather UNexclusive.

And that's why from now on if I see CM's sanctioning this kind of stuff I will at least make an effort to let higher-ups know about it and voicing my displeasure.

Might get me nowhere, but at least someone will have been informed.

 

[MelInAZ]

I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never sailed concierge and probably never will. Be that as it may, the problem really lies with the concierge hosts. When you allow 1 exception you are setting yourself up to all rules having exceptions and then you have to make judgement calls.

For example, I own a very popular restaurant that only takes reservations for groups of 20 or more. If someone calls with 15 people but 1 person in a wheelchair I can't make an exception. If I do then someone else can call and say they have 13 but grandma who is 90 and uses a walker. If I say no to them, then they can through it in my face that I made an exception with the first case why can't I make an exception for them. In that situation it never ends, people are always going to want to be the exception. When you break the rules once, you must continue breaking them. That is the reason I do not believe the statement, "it doesn't hurt to ask." Just my $.02

Chandler resident here...I'm curious what your restaurant is now. I understand if you don't want to/can't share but I figured I'd ask anyhow.

 

[tinkerone]

And that's why from now on if I see CM's sanctioning this kind of stuff I will at least make an effort to let higher-ups know about it and voicing my displeasure.

….and i go back to 'how will you know'?
someone would look pretty foolish if they complain about someone else that has not been seen there before but its only because they don't utilize the room as often as the person with the complaint. i don't see asking for kttw cards as an option.