What are the concierge advantages

[ncbyrne]

There seems to be a lot of interest in staying concierge. I just would like to know what makes it worth the extra money to decide if it's worth it.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Correct me if Im wrong, but...

1. Express Check In
2. Good View
3. Free Food!

I used it while staying at Paradise Pier (DL) and it was great. The view, looking into California Adventure was sweet, and the Macadamia (Sp?) Nut cookies were increadable

 

[SuperDuperBounce]

Don't forget the chocolate on your pillows.

 

[pinkpiglettlover]

It purely is just a personal preference. My kids (DD & DS 12) like the chocolate chip cookies and gummy worms offered for snacks, so we pay the extra so my kids can have cookies! (Kidding) To decide if it is worth it, I would have to say you must decide whether or not you will utilize their services. They are there to snag last minute ressies, etc. I dont have them make my AR ressies, but some people do. Last year while at WL my brand new HP digital camera broke, first day of vaca. The CM's were wonderful in mailing my package out for me and getting me information from the internet on where to call, etc. They even received my new camera and had it waiting in my room. If you enjoy that "personal" touch, then by all means stay concierge. I dont think my children will ever let me stay elsewhere. I even talked my good friend into booking concierge next year, I think it is worth it! I'm sure you will have a great time no matter if you do or dont!

 

[poohluvrs]

I too was unsure if the planning part of it was worth it, as I like to plan, but having just gotten an email this morning from the concierge staff w/ all the ADR's I wanted, that in itself makes it worth it to me...Im a planner, & Im up at the crack of dawn, so calling wasnt really a big deal for our ADR's, but having concierge secure them without a hitch is worth the extra $$$, plus the snacks, location, gotta love it, worth it for us HTH

 

[tone.def]

It's not "FREE FOOD" - these are not meal replacements, they are appetizers and snacks and you're paying for them in the cost of the room.

It's the level of service.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

It purely is just a personal preference. My kids (DD & DS 12) like the chocolate chip cookies and gummy worms offered for snacks, so we pay the extra so my kids can have cookies! (Kidding) To decide if it is worth it, I would have to say you must decide whether or not you will utilize their services. They are there to snag last minute ressies, etc. I dont have them make my AR ressies, but some people do. Last year while at WL my brand new HP digital camera broke, first day of vaca. The CM's were wonderful in mailing my package out for me and getting me information from the internet on where to call, etc. They even received my new camera and had it waiting in my room. If you enjoy that "personal" touch, then by all means stay concierge. I dont think my children will ever let me stay elsewhere. I even talked my good friend into booking concierge next year, I think it is worth it! I'm sure you will have a great time no matter if you do or dont!

When I last booked Concierge, thats all that was left, so I didn't get to compare; How much extra per night is it? Also, it seemed like the concierge seemed to remember our names when we saw him in the hall!

 

[TammiMcMan]

1. Pre-planning assistance before your vacation even begins. A department that will take care of all your ADR's, tours, tickets, recreation, spa appointments, personal shopping service, helping plan special celebrations, personalized itineraries with just one e-mail.

2. When you arrive, most concierge levels will have a greeter meet you as you drive up to the resort and escort you to the private building/private floor for check-in.

3. On site assistance is available daily from 7am-10pm for any last minute changes or additions.

4. Turn down service is automatic, bathrobes in the room, newspaper delivery (these items are also available by request at any deluxe resort)

5. A private lounge serving cool drinks, coffee throughout the day in addition to snacks. At the full service levels, they also have wine, beer and cordials available in the evening.

6. Package delivery made directly to your room for park merchandise bought on site.

7. AKL concierge guests have the ability to book two special safari's. There is a Wildlife Discovery safari that's open for booking to all concierge guests.

As others have mentioned, it's really just a higher level of service. Most things you cannot put a value on. If you want to check out this link to the Allears website, there is a Disney press release about the benefits of booking concierge, Press Release.

Tammi

 

[pinkpiglettlover]

When I last booked Concierge, thats all that was left, so I didn't get to compare; How much extra per night is it? Also, it seemed like the concierge seemed to remember our names when we saw him in the hall!

I want to say it was approximately 700 for the nine days we are staying, Im sorry I dont remember

 

[Greg K.]

When we stayed concierge, at the BWI in '02, they called us several weeks in advance to see if there was anything they could help us with. We told them a couple priority seatings that we really wanted, notably The Castle, for b'fast. Voila! They got it for us, no problem -- and we had a spectacular table, by a window, overlooking MK. Coincidence? I think not.

They also have a staff at your beck and call, eager to make ressies or offer directions.

The food? I was unimpressed. It was okay, but after a couple days those salty "goldfish" and chips and stuff got sort of boring. It was nice to be able to get a quick cup of coffee and a danish in the morning, though. And the lounge was a pleasant place to relax now and then.

But was it worth it? Well, I'm glad we tried it -- at the time we booked, it was the only level of room avaible at the BWI, everything else was sold out. But I'm not sure I'd do it again.

 

[WickedWench]

1. Pre-planning assistance before your vacation even begins. A department that will take care of all your ADR's, tours, tickets, recreation, spa appointments, personal shopping service, helping plan special celebrations, personalized itineraries with just one e-mail.

Do you get an email or phone number when you book to use instead of WDW-DINE for ARs? Do you think you are more likely to get a tough reservation if the concierge desk does the AR for you?

 

[AmyinVail]

Just found this site, boy am I in trouble. There is so much information I can gather from here! We've decided to book for May 2006 and want concierge level. Which resort? The Grand Floridian looks the nicest, but from my preliminary reading, it appears it has the worst benefit regarding concierge service? Where to stay? We don't care about location or cost, just service and the niceness of the resort.

 

[poohluvrs]

We are going GF RPC this fall (booked way before whole free dining), now it seems everyone & their brother jumped on to go w/ us to take advantage of free dining! (NOTE: We are not getting the free dining, but w/ AAA room rate we're saving more, as we're 2 adults, 2 under age 3)Needless to write, I started getting nervous that this was now becoming a busy time & we may not get the ADR's we wanted esp w/ free food offer...(we wanted lots of character meals, incl the elusive CRT, as my kids are so young these are things they could really enjoy)...We had the option of calling WDW-DINE ourselves (no special #, though we could've called concierge just as easily to ask them to do it) but since its hard for me to use the phone w/ 2 screaming kids around, I simply emailed a list of requests for ADR's (& other things - room request - can only note, milk for fridge)...& sat back & waited, they had all my ADR's booked before my last "90 day window" for our last few days was up, got every one, times we wanted, all I had to do was send an email....so to us , this service was worth it. I dont believe things like CRT fill up b/c everyones calling at 6:58am, its b/c they set aside some for guests that choose CL & the like, lets face it we ARE paying extra for the service, but for us its so worth it!

The snacks work for us too, as we have 2 toddlers who will snack on a few crackers to keep them happy & a quick bite in the AM as we're up early is perfect...we certainly dont think of it as free food as we're paying for it or as a meal replacement, which is evident in the # of ADR's we are attending, but its nice to have the convenience of a snack/drink available whenever we want it.

We also chose CL as we wanted to be in the GF main bldg....I have been hugely impressed w/ the service so far, emails returned w/in a day or less, & they have been totally accommodating, wonderfully nice, & even added some great suggestions of attractions we would enjoy w/ 2 small kids! I think most of the disappointment posted here of GF CL is w/ the Sugarloaf Concierge, as its not in the main bldg & has less of a selection/availability of food/alcohol than main bldg's RPC, but still same planning service...

Sorry if this is long, but wanted to express how happy we are w/ choosing CL & hope this helps someone justify whether they will give it a try

Again, for the park warriors who are only in their room to sleep, or for those whose vacay wouldnt be any less if they didnt get ADR's its likely not worth the extra $$$ (Our room is just over $600/nite, w/ AAA just over $500/nite - & thats the cheapest we found for RPC)...but since we need the comfort, service, & amenities this trip w/ 2 little ones, its perfect for us!

 

[Frances999]

Do you get an email or phone number when you book to use instead of WDW-DINE for ARs? Do you think you are more likely to get a tough reservation if the concierge desk does the AR for you?

Yes and yes!

There are e-mail addresses for each of the resort concierge levels. You can email them your requests and they will make them for you. When you first get in contact, they will e-mail or mail you a questionaire to fill in, with spaces for all the reservations you may require. They have a much higher success rate at getting reservations, especially things like Cinderella's Castle and Illuminations Cruises

 

[kirbsam]

For us, it is all about convenience. The rest of the family getting ready? No problem, walk down to the lounge and read a paper or have a little breakfast. Just get back from the parks and hungry or thirsty?? No problem, just stroll down to the lounge and get a snack or a cool drink. Getting hungry in the evening? No problem, food in the lounge. Lazy night after being in the parks all day? No problem, walk down to the lounge, for a baileys, kahlua, or beer and relax, or bring it down to the pool to watch the kids go for a night swim.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Just found this site, boy am I in trouble. There is so much information I can gather from here! We've decided to book for May 2006 and want concierge level. Which resort? The Grand Floridian looks the nicest, but from my preliminary reading, it appears it has the worst benefit regarding concierge service? Where to stay? We don't care about location or cost, just service and the niceness of the resort.

Amy, can you be more specific on what you mean by the "worst benefit"? We've stayed at the GF many times and haven't seen that, but I know everyone has their favorites. The GF has 2 levels of concierge, the main building (RPC) and the lodge. The lodge has a few less amenities like, no alcohol and the lounge closes up earlier. The CR has the same 2 levels, with the 14th floor and 12th floor concierge. Not all concierge is created equal at Disney. The primary difference is really the theme of the resort and the location. After that, they basically all offer the same amenities with the exception of the AKL. There you have a choice of safari's that are available exclusively to their concierge guests. You'll find food offerings in the lounge to also follow the general theme of the resort. The GF is victorian, so they have an afternoon tea with scones and trifle that isn't offered at the other concierge levels. It's definitely worthwhile to do the research and get all the facts, but I've learned to take opinions with a grain of salt.

Sometimes it's not a good thing to have so many choices.

 

[10drum]

IMHO it is worth about $50 more per day.

It is nice to have someone make PS for you, but the guest services desk in the lobby can do that also.

 

[TammiMcMan]

It is nice to have someone make PS for you, but the guest services desk in the lobby can do that also.

You're right, a certain degree of concierge amenities are available. For instance, if you are staying in a deluxe resort, you can call housekeeping and request bathrobes in your room, turn down service and even newspaper delivery. I believe that all resorts now offer what's called "lobby concierge" for assisting you with PS's and other things while on site. The big difference is that with concierge, your afforded this service before you even get to the resort. Concierge also has the inside edge on many hard to get reservations. Within that resort, they also have tables set aside each evening. While the lobby can't get you into a sold out 1900 Park Faire dinner, a concierge CM will be able to do that for a GF guest.

As you can see, basically the same form of amenities, just very different levels of service. Some don't mind making the phone call to housekeeping, while others like having those things waiting in the room when they arrive. Everyone has their own definite vacationing style and I think it's great that Disney offers so many choices.

 

[BCV23]

Tammi, unless it has changed very recently all deluxe resorts have free newspaper delivery for all rooms not just concierge....you don't have to request it.

That is one amenity I really miss during our BCV nights.

 

[Tikiman]

It's not "FREE FOOD" - these are not meal replacements, they are appetizers and snacks and you're paying for them in the cost of the room.

It's the level of service.

Actually according to Disney the cost of concierge is for the other services and not the food offerings so in a way it is an additional free offering but you are right it is not meant to be a meal replacement. It was explained to me that the cost is for the staff that does the preplanning, the concierge desk staff and for a room that at most resorts is in a premium location so what they are saying is that the cost would be the same even if they did not offer the food. This is why I tell people that they sould not consider concierge if they are trying to save money on meals.

Aloha

Steve