what does "concierge" actually get you?

[kcashner]

On Celebrity, "concierge" (which is called Aqua Class) guests get a pass to the "Persian Garden " (translation, rainforest). In addition, they have their own restaurant rather than eating in the MDR.

 

[Bonniec]

I'd love to see the link! (And thanks all for the concierge comparisons!)

Concierge for us is mostly for my DH. Though we both would love the pamerping. DH is anti-social and wants somewhere to escape to, so we want bigger rooms. For DCL, we want a cabana and that's our main reason with room size being second. But we also live in FL and will probably jump on some FL res specials for some quick last minute cruises and I'd be just as happy with that.

I wish we could have done that with the rates that just opened up. But our 18 year old twins are kind of stuck. They (and DH) are British and their passports are expired. In order to renew, they have to have their mom here with HER birth certificate...but she can't just mail it because some electronic thing screws up her passport. So either we fly her here (which is stupid to have to go through all of this when they are adults) or they get citizenship and get US passports. They just sent off their applications for citizenship so now we have to wait it all out. Hopefully we'll be able to take our first DCL cruise by next summer. *sigh* Okay, too much info not pertaining to the topic. But the point is that when we all finally get to go, we are going concierge and making it special.

 

[justmestace]

I'd love to see the link! (And thanks all for the concierge comparisons!)

Concierge for us is mostly for my DH. Though we both would love the pamerping. DH is anti-social and wants somewhere to escape to, so we want bigger rooms. For DCL, we want a cabana and that's our main reason with room size being second. But we also live in FL and will probably jump on some FL res specials for some quick last minute cruises and I'd be just as happy with that.

I wish we could have done that with the rates that just opened up. But our 18 year old twins are kind of stuck. They (and DH) are British and their passports are expired. In order to renew, they have to have their mom here with HER birth certificate...but she can't just mail it because some electronic thing screws up her passport. So either we fly her here (which is stupid to have to go through all of this when they are adults) or they get citizenship and get US passports. They just sent off their applications for citizenship so now we have to wait it all out. Hopefully we'll be able to take our first DCL cruise by next summer. *sigh* Okay, too much info not pertaining to the topic. But the point is that when we all finally get to go, we are going concierge and making it special.

Wow...what a headache with the passports and all.

Your husband sounds like mine. We try to at least get a nice balcony, because he's not social at all, and likes to just sit out there and read, and watch the water go by.
We took our son for his high school graduation, on the ship of his choice, the newer Carnival Magic. He and a friend had their own balcony room, comparable I guess to a Cat 4 on DCL and my husband and I had an aft wrap-around balcony....room size was close to probably a 7 on DCL but no comparison for the balcony. We loved it. Had to turn sideways to get past the bed to get to the balcony or bathroom...but that was okay. HE got the balcony.

 

[chateau]

Worth it is totally subjective. I won't sail non concierge and I'll be doing so on other lines as well.

As Ferris Bueller said in reference to a Ferrari (my other guilty pleasure), "if you have the means, I highly suggest you pick one up"

You'd think they could at least get you a "salad spinner" for your bathing suits, with all the money you've spent with 'em then!!!

I hope that comes to be! Those things are great!

 

[justmestace]

You'd think they could at least get you a "salad spinner" for your bathing suits, with all the money you've spent with 'em then!!!

 

[gigi1313]

question re: DCL CL... if we are in concierge and friends are travelling non-CL, can we invite them into our room for palo room service dinner? is the room service dinner the same upcharge as dining in palo itself?

Thanks!

 

[WVURunner]

We were in concierge this past March in the Roy suite. We enjoyed the cruise, but what we enjoyed was everything outside the room and off the concierge floor.

We also drink very little, don't snack, and prefer privacy from ship staff to doting. Despite that, we thought we'd try it out as we have the means, but the value really wasn't there.

After a series of well timed business ventures with a healthy dose of luck, money is literally no object for our family and never will be.

However, wasting money is not how we like to roll. There are many other far worthier causes on our horizon than disney shareholders.

It was worth trying, but not worth repeating.

To each their own.

This is exactly how we feel! And after having an inside cabin 2 years ago on a last minute great deal cruise , DH will only cruise with an inside room. He slept so well without having any light coming in.

 

[kcashner]

question re: DCL CL... if we are in concierge and friends are travelling non-CL, can we invite them into our room for palo room service dinner? is the room service dinner the same upcharge as dining in palo itself?

Thanks!

You can invite anyone you wish to your room at any time including having a Palo served dinner there. However, only the Royal Suites/Walt and Roy suites can order dinner from Palo (unless rules have changed). Also, it must be ordered in advance with a specified time for delivery. The concierge will be happy to supply menus and ordering details.

Last I knew, there was no upcharge for Palo service to guests in the Walt suite. Of course, it is appropriate to tip the guy who brings your food.

While non-concierge friends are welcome in your suite, they are not permitted in the "public" concierge spaces such as the lounge or sundeck on the new ships.

 

[justmestace]

You can invite anyone you wish to your room at any time including having a Palo served dinner there. However, only the Royal Suites/Walt and Roy suites can order dinner from Palo (unless rules have changed). Also, it must be ordered in advance with a specified time for delivery. The concierge will be happy to supply menus and ordering details.

Last I knew, there was no upcharge for Palo service to guests in the Walt suite. Of course, it is appropriate to tip the guy who brings your food.

While non-concierge friends are welcome in your suite, they are not permitted in the "public" concierge spaces such as the lounge or sundeck on the new ships.

I just heard from someone who's in a Cat 2 (Magic) as we speak, and no....no Palo for them.

And maybe some day I'll get used to the new "Cat T" "Cat V" etc.

 

[justmestace]

I have a question for anyone who's been the the Cat R....Walt or Roy...on the Dream or Fantasy.
Way back when the Dream was being built, we were all speculating about the corner area of the master bedroom, next to the verandah. At the time, it looked like there was a round lounge chair, or maybe some sort of pull-down or sleeper. Is there? Is there anything remotely similar to what I've described in the master? I never did see where this was answered, it's been such a long time ago now.
It also looks like there's a divider between that area and the bed. ???

Here's a picture...I have the area I'm asking about in the lines:

 

[pdwimmer]

I have a question for anyone who's been the the Cat R....Walt or Roy...on the Dream or Fantasy.
Way back when the Dream was being built, we were all speculating about the corner area of the master bedroom, next to the verandah. At the time, it looked like there was a round lounge chair, or maybe some sort of pull-down or sleeper. Is there? Is there anything remotely similar to what I've described in the master? I never did see where this was answered, it's been such a long time ago now.
It also looks like there's a divider between that area and the bed. ???

Here's a picture...I have the area I'm asking about in the lines:

I should have taken a photo and didn't. In the main area where you see the table with chairs, against the wall are two murphy beds. One of them is a twin the other had a pull down "table" that you can use during the day for a desk and then at night gets pulled down into a double bed. Both beds have a privacy curtain that can be pulled around them.

In the master bedroom there is a LARGE lounge chair next to the bed. It does not fold out into anything someone can sleep on. (although my youngest son did sleep on it two nights. He fell asleep in the master bed and I moved him to the lounge chair so he wouldn't keep me at night). There is a large heavy curtain that can be drawn to keep out the light.

 

[love280mickey]

I guess what I should have said back there were a couple of things.



Also....and this is as honest as you'll see me in all the years I've been on this Board...... One of the biggest reasons (besides the kids) that I used to insist (like you) that I had the money, and might as well enjoy it....was far more truthfully that I liked the superiority being in concierge made me feel. I was spending that money on something that in hindsight, was really a waste, just so that I could say I WAS IN CONCIERGE. Whoop de doop de doo. And I have to admit, I'm so glad I'm not of that mindset any more.

I used to look down my nose at some of the other people in concierge, because they had to "share" the room with another family to make it affordable. Or because they acted like total snobs who thought they owned the ship. And one day, I realized that while I was pointing that one finger at those people, several other of my own fingers were pointed right back at ME.



So anyway....that was just me being totally honest.

justmestace: thanks, I appreciate your honesty. My dh and I have also come to similar thought process re money and spending, so much of it just isn't necessary to us at all. I don't begrudge anyone else how they want to spend their money either. That's what makes the world goes round, I guess!

 

[disneyholic family]

I'd love to see the link! (And thanks all for the concierge comparisons!)

Concierge for us is mostly for my DH. Though we both would love the pamerping. DH is anti-social and wants somewhere to escape to, so we want bigger rooms. For DCL, we want a cabana and that's our main reason with room size being second. But we also live in FL and will probably jump on some FL res specials for some quick last minute cruises and I'd be just as happy with that.

I wish we could have done that with the rates that just opened up. But our 18 year old twins are kind of stuck. They (and DH) are British and their passports are expired. In order to renew, they have to have their mom here with HER birth certificate...but she can't just mail it because some electronic thing screws up her passport. So either we fly her here (which is stupid to have to go through all of this when they are adults) or they get citizenship and get US passports. They just sent off their applications for citizenship so now we have to wait it all out. Hopefully we'll be able to take our first DCL cruise by next summer. *sigh* Okay, too much info not pertaining to the topic. But the point is that when we all finally get to go, we are going concierge and making it special.

here's the article - it's about big ship concierge services.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=169

i see that the article doesn't mention that on RCCL concierge guests also have reserved seating in the theaters.

i like the fact that the lounge is open 24 hours a day. i'm a night owl so it's perfect for me.
i actually like that about RCCL in general. Even for non-concierge guests, there are places to go in the middle of the night.
There is a food venue that is open 24/7 (on DCL only room service is available in the middle of the night). I like the option of having some place to go when my night owl tendencies take hold.

 

[disneywonderfun]

I should have taken a photo and didn't. In the main area where you see the table with chairs, against the wall are two murphy beds. One of them is a twin the other had a pull down "table" that you can use during the day for a desk and then at night gets pulled down into a double bed. Both beds have a privacy curtain that can be pulled around them.

In the master bedroom there is a LARGE lounge chair next to the bed. It does not fold out into anything someone can sleep on. (although my youngest son did sleep on it two nights. He fell asleep in the master bed and I moved him to the lounge chair so he wouldn't keep me at night). There is a large heavy curtain that can be drawn to keep out the light.

Bear in mind, the Walt does have a slightly different configuration. The bathroom is placed forward and can look out to the sea. It includes electro-opaque windows for privacy. We preferred the setup in the Walt and rebooked the Walt over the Roy for our next cruise.

DWF

 

[FJS961]

I personally liked the ability to retreat to the concierge lounge / sun deck / expansive royal suite on sea days when the pools and decks were stupid crowded. I don't like big crowds.

 

[pdwimmer]

Bear in mind, the Walt does have a slightly different configuration. The bathroom is placed forward and can look out to the sea. It includes electro-opaque windows for privacy. We preferred the setup in the Walt and rebooked the Walt over the Roy for our next cruise.

DWF

Yes, you are completely correct. That is why I was commenting on the Roy suite configuration and not the Walt. I did get to see the Walt and the adjoining cabin between and they were amazing as well. You do not get any extra privacy from either suite. It is exactly the same.

Too each his own and I hope all enjoy their cruise!!!

 

[disneywonderfun]

I guess what I should have said back there were a couple of things.

It WAS worth it when they had the two bedroom suites, and plenty of living space, when we traveled with our kids (the youngest of whom is now 19) and we wanted them in the same room with us, and didn't want to have to pay for two rooms to get the extra bathrooms and beds so that everyone could be comfortable, get ready for dinner, etc. We wouldn't have done it on the newer ships.....the layout, to me, stinks. The only nice plus is the hot tub on the verandah, but when the ship is moving and the wind is blowing, that's not much of a plus....we've had rooms on NCL with those. And seeing pictures of people letting their kids sit at the hot tub with food makes me . Now I wouldn't want to get in one, no matter how much someone swears they didn't spill or that housekeeping cleans them.

Also....and this is as honest as you'll see me in all the years I've been on this Board...... One of the biggest reasons (besides the kids) that I used to insist (like you) that I had the money, and might as well enjoy it....was far more truthfully that I liked the superiority being in concierge made me feel. I was spending that money on something that in hindsight, was really a waste, just so that I could say I WAS IN CONCIERGE. Whoop de doop de doo. And I have to admit, I'm so glad I'm not of that mindset any more.

I used to look down my nose at some of the other people in concierge, because they had to "share" the room with another family to make it affordable. Or because they acted like total snobs who thought they owned the ship. And one day, I realized that while I was pointing that one finger at those people, several other of my own fingers were pointed right back at ME.

Could I still afford it? Yes. Could I have just bought a brand new Ferrari, Jag, Mercedes, Beemer....you name it.....rather than the more reasonable small SUV that I just bought? Yes. But now, to me, a car is just a car. It would be just as easy to own a cheaper car and post my tax returns in the window to prove I have money. Except I don't feel the need to prove anything to anyone any more. I grew up and out of that.

So anyway....that was just me being totally honest.

Interesting as honesty is always appreciated. I do think people book a vacation for whatever reasons are important to them. When we sail next May on the Fantasy, we decided to rebook a Royal simply because it amplifies our experience for the week more than the expense involved. We are sailing with our friends who are DVC members and staying in a regular verandah (nonconcierge) cabin. I guess the skeptical person could say we are doing it to impress them. However, since I am a colleague in a practice with my friend, I know for a fact we earn almost the exact same salary. So, I do not think I am going to impress him or his family since they could certainly have afforded the same. They chose, however, not to book any other cabin than what their DVC points allowed. I do think it will be nice to have all the extra space since our daughters are classmates and good friends. We will also be able to book dinners together at Remy and Palo without issues. So, for us, for the week, there is value on our particular cruise. By the same token, we booked last minute VGT cabins for a cruise last year and never considered it a disappointment. We paid only around 1/10th of the cost compared to next year's cruise! Yes, we have the resources to pay more, but there just was no value to do so as we made the entire plans and boarded the ship in less than 4 days. We have stayed in basically every category at WDW from the value resorts up to the Grand Floridian's concierge rooms. It just depends what we want for the vacation we are on. I can honestly say that I have never booked a room or cruise or airline flight just to impress somebody. I cannot even imagine the benefit of trying to impress people we will likely never see again (i.e. on the Disney cruises). So, unless our family decides there is a true tangible benefit for a certain booking, we do not do it just to tell people that we can.

DWF

P.S. something to remember is that basically everybody on a Disney cruise is blessed to be able to enjoy such an experience. They have their health, their children's health, the financial resources, and the ability to take time away from their jobs and home to spend a quality experience with one another. Think of all the people around the world that live in abject poverty with so little hope for their future and their children's future. We are all just so lucky to be able to experience what we have in life.

 

[mouseears1]

Yes, you are completely correct. That is why I was commenting on the Roy suite configuration and not the Walt. I did get to see the Walt and the adjoining cabin between and they were amazing as well. You do not get any extra privacy from either suite. It is exactly the same.

Too each his own and I hope all enjoy their cruise!!!

In the Walt Disney suite, there are electro-opaque windows only in the bathroom as Disneywonderfun stated. The bathroom looks directly onto the expansive deck, which is different than the layout in the Roy suite and if someone is in the tub, if these electro-opaque windows weren't there, anyone on your deck would be able to see into the bathroom.

I, for one, am glad they will be there for my Sept. cruise on the Fantasy LOL !

 

[pdwimmer]

In the Walt Disney suite, there are electro-opaque windows only in the bathroom as Disneywonderfun stated. The bathroom looks directly onto the expansive deck, which is different than the layout in the Roy suite and if someone is in the tub, if these electro-opaque windows weren't there, anyone on your deck would be able to see into the bathroom.

I, for one, am glad they will be there for my Sept. cruise on the Fantasy LOL !

Must be a little different. Sorry. My son used the little seating area off the bedroom everyday to relax, play some games on his computer, etc. When I was outside on the deck looking in, I couldn't see him at all. It was like looking at a car that had tinted windows.

My fault. I didn't realize anyone could actually see into the bedroom in the Roy Suite as I was on the deck every single day of our cruise and could never see anything inside the bedroom.

 

[Bonniec]

Thanks for the link Beth!


BTW, do any of the royals on any of the ships have a piano? lol