What can't concierge help with?

[Goofylou]

Hi, I am traveling in concierge soon and getting a bit frustrated with them of what they do? And what they cannot help with (spa and some Remy)

I also emailed 2/3 days ago about boarding arrangements since PAT times have Covid changes, I am yet to hear back from them - is 3 days usual for concierge not to reply?

I really want a nice experience but my feelings right now are not good, so this post is just asking what is usual for concierge to help with or not so I can manage expectations.

 

[motherof5]

Hi, I am traveling in concierge soon and getting a bit frustrated with them of what they do? And what they cannot help with (spa and some Remy)

I also emailed 2/3 days ago about boarding arrangements since PAT times have Covid changes, I am yet to hear back from them - is 3 days usual for concierge not to reply?

I really want a nice experience but my feelings right now are not good, so this post is just asking what is usual for concierge to help with or not so I can manage expectations.

I would email again or try calling. Your previous email probably got lost in the shuffle. They are short staffed and meeting capacity again with people traveling.

 

[OhioWDWDuo]

Call them, especially if your cruise is soon. I was told that they are prioritizing requests based on sailing date, and I’ve had to call to follow up on emails as well. The auto reply email that you receive when sending them a message states to allow 2 business days for a response. I waited the full 2 business days then called.

One thing they couldn’t help me with was beverage tasting bookings. When they are full, concierge cannot add spaces due to social distancing. But we booked last-minute so I was expecting that. Also, the rainforest room can only be booked onboard. Good luck!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Hi, I am traveling in concierge soon and getting a bit frustrated with them of what they do? And what they cannot help with (spa and some Remy)

I also emailed 2/3 days ago about boarding arrangements since PAT times have Covid changes, I am yet to hear back from them - is 3 days usual for concierge not to reply?

I really want a nice experience but my feelings right now are not good, so this post is just asking what is usual for concierge to help with or not so I can manage expectations.

For arrival, your port arrival form that you print out will have the crossed keys logo on it and that alerts whoever is checking that you do not have a set arrival time. Get there when you're ready, and you'll board as soon as you finish the testing and check in process.

 

[kathi]

Call them and wait on hold. Email responses were taking well over a week back in September and the answers were not always helpful. Talking to shoreside concierge is your best way to get accurate information. If something is fully booked, they can put you on a wait list, but that is all they will do for you. As someone else posted, you do not have a boarding time and can arrive whenever you wish after the port opens.

Once on-board, your concierge hosts will do everything possible to grant your requests. They are excellent.

 

[Lillebelle]

I had several emails to concierge take a week to get a response back in September. There's not much they can do for you if what you want is already booked (the big pre-cruise advantage of concierge is being able to put your requests in ahead of most people, but you have to be prepared to do that at the 125 day mark). I'll echo that the onboard hosts are excellent and really do try to get you what you want, but again, only so much can be done for high-demand activities.

 

[Southern Pirate]

The easiest thing to do is call them. They will book those for you or you can wait until you are onboard and ship board concierge will help. As far as PAT, concierge does not have one, you can show up anytime during boarding.

 

[mzspaz]

I am frustrated with concierge as well. Part of me thinks it is silly because we are still hopefully able to cruise. But then I look at the additional $$$ we are paying and the frustration kicks in.

I sent in our preference sheet at 12:01 AM on the day it was due. I was told that 2 of our requested activities were not available because the tour operator had not updated the schedule yet, but if they were to become available our itinerary could be changed up to 3 days before we sail. Well we just made the final payment (held off as we were waiting for Doctor approval as I am switching chemo meds) and I logged on to check the activities. I was astounded to see the activities we had requested as being "sold out". I have an email in to concierge to ask what the heck happened. I don't want to call at this point as I'm not sure I could tolerate the wait on hold and then getting more fired up. I am anxious to see what they have to say. These 2 activities were the top of our list of "wants" so this could be a huge letdown.

 

[MomOTwins]

I am frustrated with concierge as well. Part of me thinks it is silly because we are still hopefully able to cruise. But then I look at the additional $$$ we are paying and the frustration kicks in.

I sent in our preference sheet at 12:01 AM on the day it was due. I was told that 2 of our requested activities were not available because the tour operator had not updated the schedule yet, but if they were to become available our itinerary could be changed up to 3 days before we sail. Well we just made the final payment (held off as we were waiting for Doctor approval as I am switching chemo meds) and I logged on to check the activities. I was astounded to see the activities we had requested as being "sold out". I have an email in to concierge to ask what the heck happened. I don't want to call at this point as I'm not sure I could tolerate the wait on hold and then getting more fired up. I am anxious to see what they have to say. These 2 activities were the top of our list of "wants" so this could be a huge letdown.

They are not sold out, that is just how they label activities that are not yet available to book due to uncertainty of tour operators in Covid times. On our cruise, many activities changed from sold out to widely available within 30 days of the cruise.

 

[mzspaz]

They are not sold out, that is just how they label activities that are not yet available to book due to uncertainty of tour operators in Covid times. On our cruise, many activities changed from sold out to widely available within 30 days of the cruise.

Thanks for letting me know that! I wish that DCL would find a better way to communicate that then.

 

[lanejudy]

I sent in our preference sheet at 12:01 AM on the day it was due. I was told that 2 of our requested activities were not available because the tour operator had not updated the schedule yet, but if they were to become available our itinerary could be changed up to 3 days before we sail. Well we just made the final payment (held off as we were waiting for Doctor approval as I am switching chemo meds) and I logged on to check the activities.

I thought you had to be PIF before activities could be booked? Is that different for Concierge? Official final PIF date is typically later than the advanced booking for concierge and Castaway Club status.

 

[mzspaz]

I thought you had to be PIF before activities could be booked? Is that different for Concierge? Official final PIF date is typically later than the advanced booking for concierge and Castaway Club status.

I thought that as well, but was contacted by concierge for my "requests" when the booking window opened. This is our 2nd time in concierge, but the first one we booked rather late and the PIF date had already passed. So this was new to me. My guess is that concierge gets this benefit due to the initial deposit not being refunded if concierge guests cancel their cruise.

 

[lanejudy]

I thought that as well, but was contacted by concierge for my "requests" when the booking window opened.

Did you confirm that you didn't need to be PIF? I know they make contact at 125 days out, but I'm not sure that initial contact is tied to whether or not you have paid yet. I haven't sailed concierge but in 10 years on this board I've never heard that concierge could book without being PIF.

Depending on what activities you requested that now look sold-out it's possible booking hasn't opened yet for those. Things like a cabana, though, will be booked at that early date. I am really sorry if there was a miscommunication about the bookings and PIF date. Well wishes to your with your treatment.

 

[seasalt81]

I really want a nice experience but my feelings right now are not good

For what it's worth, we sailed back in September and had similar feelings based on our interactions with the shoreside concierge staff leading up to our trip. Once we got on the ship, however, we found the concierge experience to be well worth it. The on board concierge staff were phenomenal and incredibly helpful, beyond what we were expecting.

 

[mzspaz]

Did you confirm that you didn't need to be PIF? I know they make contact at 125 days out, but I'm not sure that initial contact is tied to whether or not you have paid yet. I haven't sailed concierge but in 10 years on this board I've never heard that concierge could book without being PIF.

Depending on what activities you requested that now look sold-out it's possible booking hasn't opened yet for those. Things like a cabana, though, will be booked at that early date. I am really sorry if there was a miscommunication about the bookings and PIF date. Well wishes to your with your treatment.

Thank you for the well wishes! I have the "good leukemia" in that it is manageable/treatable.....unfortunately the treatment is a chemo pill I have to take daily and it can be pretty rough.

I did confirm with Concierge that we didn't need to be PIF. This was the response that I received: "Your reservation paid in full date is November 23, 2021 and you do not need to be paid in full to request activities. The activities will be confirmed, if available, and you will be able to view online but unable to make any changes or add additional items until paid in full. All changes and cancellations would need to go through our team until paid in full. "

One of our requested activities, the Jeep Beach Adventure in Tortola was confirmed and is showing on our itinerary. This activity is also listed as "sold out" on the port excursions page. The Castaway Cay fishing and the Coral World excursion were the ones we were told that they did not have the schedule from the tour operator

 

[anneeb]

We were able to book my brother's family for joint activities with us at 120 days even though they are not concierge (ours is the only concierge cabin) and they have not PIF yet. We can't do anything with booking online or through the app for them, only concierge staff have been able to book for them as an override/exception.