what does "concierge" actually get you?

[FJS961]

On the Fantasy 2 weeks ago, folks started lining up outside the WDT about 30 minutes before showtime. The opened the doors (later show) around 8:05. It was easy to get seats then but it got tight between 8:20-8:25 and some tempers flared with the seat saving nonsense. If I hadn't already had my seat, I would have no problem sitting in "saved" seats - but I'm sure thats another thread somewhere.

The point is, at least on our recent cruise, they did not make hoards of folk waiting for a prolonged period outside the theater. I saw that happen last year on the Dream.

 

[disneywonderfun]

When the per diem on a Royal is 2K or less like it used to be, I could rationalize it. Also, on longer cruises the per diem used to go down and seemed like a better value (relatively speaking).

Staying at a nice resort with best rooms (i..e. oceanfront for example) can run easy 500/night and I would get connecting rooms for a family of 5. This does not include food or numerous other things. In comparison, doing a 1 BR suite on DCL at a 1K/night rate wouldn't be bad in comparison and meals / great entertainment included. The problem is the per diems, in peak times, has risen much higher. In some cases I have seen the per diem higher on a longer cruise compared to a shorter cruise.

Even not going concierge can be ridiculous. I have priced out 2 connecting Cat 4 rooms and saw it was almost 10K each - this is for Fantasy summer. The Cat T on same cruise is 20K and a Royal was a squish over 30K. That's when my cards get slammed on the table and I say, "I'm out!"

I know exactly what you mean. Our Fantasy cruise next summer in the Walt was priced at our upper limit of sanity. I used every maneuver possible to dip the price a bit. I negotiated very favorable OBC and picked up the new Disney VISA that allowed a introductory 5% rebate. So, I did cut down our fare by around 2K. Anyway, I do reach the point of diminishing returns in the Royal. If my fare was north of 30K, I would start thinking of all the other options we could do for the week. Hmmmm, a week in the Federalist Suite of the Hay Adams hotel across from the White House where the Obama's stayed before entering the presidency is a thought. Or, let's see, 4 business class tickets on Air France to Paris and 7 nights at the Ritz or Plaza Athenee. Oh wait, the Banyan Tree resort in Seychelles. I guess what I am saying is the alternatives are endless.

DWF

 

[justmestace]

I know exactly what you mean. Our Fantasy cruise next summer in the Walt was priced at our upper limit of sanity. I used every maneuver possible to dip the price a bit. I negotiated very favorable OBC and picked up the new Disney VISA that allowed a introductory 5% rebate. So, I did cut down our fare by around 2K. Anyway, I do reach the point of diminishing returns in the Royal. If my fare was north of 30K, I would start thinking of all the other options we could do for the week. Hmmmm, a week in the Federalist Suite of the Hay Adams hotel across from the White House where the Obama's stayed before entering the presidency is a thought. Or, let's see, 4 business class tickets on Air France to Paris and 7 nights at the Ritz or Plaza Athenee. Oh wait, the Banyan Tree resort in Seychelles. I guess what I am saying is the alternatives are endless.

DWF

Not that this would be everyone's fantasy vacation, but my husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort this summer, about an hour and a half south of Cancun....VERY nice, secluded, 7, 8, 9...I don't remember how many...restaurants to choose from, our room had two balconies, one looked over the ocean..it was more like an apartment than a "room". Five swimming pools...I could go on, but anyway....ALL the drinks you wanted (alcohol too) ALL the food....EIGHT nights PLUS AIRFARE & transportation....no kidding......

Drum roll..........

Just over $3000 for both of us!!!!!

Granted, it's not Tahiti.....but it was awfully darn nice.

 

[FJS961]

I know exactly what you mean. Our Fantasy cruise next summer in the Walt was priced at our upper limit of sanity. I used every maneuver possible to dip the price a bit. I negotiated very favorable OBC and picked up the new Disney VISA that allowed a introductory 5% rebate. So, I did cut down our fare by around 2K. Anyway, I do reach the point of diminishing returns in the Royal. If my fare was north of 30K, I would start thinking of all the other options we could do for the week. Hmmmm, a week in the Federalist Suite of the Hay Adams hotel across from the White House where the Obama's stayed before entering the presidency is a thought. Or, let's see, 4 business class tickets on Air France to Paris and 7 nights at the Ritz or Plaza Athenee. Oh wait, the Banyan Tree resort in Seychelles. I guess what I am saying is the alternatives are endless.

DWF

and those are some pretty darn nice alternatives to repeating the same cruise, same ports, same shows, etc

 

[FJS961]

Not that this would be everyone's fantasy vacation, but my husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort this summer, about an hour and a half south of Cancun....VERY nice, secluded, 7, 8, 9...I don't remember how many...restaurants to choose from, our room had two balconies, one looked over the ocean..it was more like an apartment than a "room". Five swimming pools...I could go on, but anyway....ALL the drinks you wanted (alcohol too) ALL the food....EIGHT nights PLUS AIRFARE & transportation....no kidding......

Drum roll..........

Just over $3000 for both of us!!!!!

Granted, it's not Tahiti.....but it was awfully darn nice.

That sounds great. I need to find better values for my vacation dollars.

 

[AlexandNessa]

Not that this would be everyone's fantasy vacation, but my husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort this summer, about an hour and a half south of Cancun....VERY nice, secluded, 7, 8, 9...I don't remember how many...restaurants to choose from, our room had two balconies, one looked over the ocean..it was more like an apartment than a "room". Five swimming pools...I could go on, but anyway....ALL the drinks you wanted (alcohol too) ALL the food....EIGHT nights PLUS AIRFARE & transportation....no kidding......

Drum roll..........

Just over $3000 for both of us!!!!!

Granted, it's not Tahiti.....but it was awfully darn

Stace, which resort is that?

 

[love280mickey]

Honestly though, as hard as I am trying not to, I am starting to get quite offended by your comments and attitude towards us non-concierge folk.

The fact that the rest of us are staying in Cat 4's and below does not mean we are an unruly mass who is going to trample anyone.

amen to that! But, I don't think you're getting the message across, no matter how many different ways you've tried.

 

[FJS961]

I know, I know
but just a quick question ...

We are doing the Pride of America in April, my question is what should be do for the 3 nights pre-cruise? I am considering a nice Waikiki beach hotel like the Royal Hawaiian or Outrigger on the Beach vs doing the 3 nights at Aulani. Thoughts? Either option will wind up costing the same. Looking at which one we would probably enjoy more.

The meet thread for that cruise is absolutely dead !!!! The DIS is always active while other cruise boards (yawn)

 

[mc2]

I know exactly what you mean. Our Fantasy cruise next summer in the Walt was priced at our upper limit of sanity. I used every maneuver possible to dip the price a bit. I negotiated very favorable OBC and picked up the new Disney VISA that allowed a introductory 5% rebate. So, I did cut down our fare by around 2K. Anyway, I do reach the point of diminishing returns in the Royal. If my fare was north of 30K, I would start thinking of all the other options we could do for the week. Hmmmm, a week in the Federalist Suite of the Hay Adams hotel across from the White House where the Obama's stayed before entering the presidency is a thought. Or, let's see, 4 business class tickets on Air France to Paris and 7 nights at the Ritz or Plaza Athenee. Oh wait, the Banyan Tree resort in Seychelles. I guess what I am saying is the alternatives are endless.

DWF

We have stayed in the Roy on the Magic - loved it, and loved having the space. Thought it was worth the $$ we paid for that alone. Had a great time, and were super keen to book another cruise on one of the newer ships (this was in 2009). Then we started seeing the plans for the new ships and went "huh? The top suite would have our (young) children sleeping out in the living area on pull-out beds??". Then the pricing came out...and we realized that we would be paying 2-3x more for half the living space, in a scenario where one of us couldn't even leave the room without disturbing the sleeping kiddos (3 of them 6 and under). Ummm....no thanks. We described what we were looking for to our TA, and she recommended the Imperial Butler Suites at Beaches Turks and Caicos. AWESOME getaway for families with young kids, and we ended up with a beautiful 2-bedroom suite (with living area, dining room, 2 bathrooms, actual butler service that puts the DCL concierge service to shame, etc...) for 1/2 (or less!) than what we would have to pay for the Roy or Walt suite on the new ships. So we abandoned DCL, and did Beaches for 2 years instead. We booked the Roy for a cruise in the Magic for October 2013, and are looking forward to it - mostly because kiddo #3 wasn't around on the last cruise (looking forward to her first!). Zero desire to check out the new ships with their horrible layout (for our family) and astronomical price. Value for money just isn't there for us. In fact, we're already looking for either another week at Beaches or switching to another cruise line for 2014. To each their own, for sure (and happy for those who enjoy it!) , but interested to read that others are also finding that they "missed the boat" (pardon the pun!) with the new ships.



PS to clarify, we don't book concierge or butler for any reason other than we are looking for as stress free a vacation as possible with our little ones, and booking this service often assists with that. We don't drink, and could care less about some of the concierge perks related to lounges/food/etc... We only ever vacation as a family (and love every minute of it!), and things like being able to get a dining time that works best for toddlers/naps/bedtimes, etc.. to minimize meltdowns, having a good layout in the room so we don't have to go to bed at the same time as the kids, or being able to order room service from Palo (only way we will ever get to enjoy it for a few years!) so we can actually eat a hot/quiet meal together after they go to bed (we don't get out for date nights at home) is golden!

 

[justmestace]

Not that this would be everyone's fantasy vacation, but my husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort this summer, about an hour and a half south of Cancun....VERY nice, secluded, 7, 8, 9...I don't remember how many...restaurants to choose from, our room had two balconies, one looked over the ocean..it was more like an apartment than a "room". Five swimming pools...I could go on, but anyway....ALL the drinks you wanted (alcohol too) ALL the food....EIGHT nights PLUS AIRFARE & transportation....no kidding......

Drum roll..........

Just over $3000 for both of us!!!!!

Granted, it's not Tahiti.....but it was awfully darn


Stace, which resort is that?

We were at Grand Palladium White Sands. The "White Sands" represents the section of the resort our room was in. You can choose from White Sand, Kantaneh, Riviera...and I think the 4th was Royal. We studied for a long time before choosing White Sand. It was reasonably close to the restaurants, but the closest to the beach.

I think if you google, you'd find the website under Grand Palladium Riviera Maya.

I may not be able to say the name of the company we booked with, but we got a good deal on it with them. I'll try...Apple Vacations.

Sorry...I keep editing...do you want to see a link to the pictures? It really was really nice.

 

[AlexandNessa]

We were at Grand Palladium White Sands. The "White Sands" represents the section of the resort our room was in. You can choose from White Sand, Kantaneh, Riviera...and I think the 4th was Royal. We studied for a long time before choosing White Sand. It was reasonably close to the restaurants, but the closest to the beach.

I think if you google, you'd find the website under Grand Palladium Riviera Maya.

I may not be able to say the name of the company we booked with, but we got a good deal on it with them. I'll try...Apple Vacations.

Sorry...I keep editing...do you want to see a link to the pictures? It really was really nice.

Yes, please! We have been looking into all-inclusives! Thanks!

 

[clarkshel]

Not that this would be everyone's fantasy vacation, but my husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort this summer, about an hour and a half south of Cancun....VERY nice, secluded, 7, 8, 9...I don't remember how many...restaurants to choose from, our room had two balconies, one looked over the ocean..it was more like an apartment than a "room". Five swimming pools...I could go on, but anyway....ALL the drinks you wanted (alcohol too) ALL the food....EIGHT nights PLUS AIRFARE & transportation....no kidding......

Drum roll..........

Just over $3000 for both of us!!!!!

Granted, it's not Tahiti.....but it was awfully darn nice.

That is not too bad of a price. But I have seen a LOT cheaper for the exact same thing, but for 7 nights. My brother-in-law went to Cancun a couple years ago at a 5 star all inclusive place for around $500, all in. There are tons of 4 and 5 star resorts in mexico that you can go for less than $1500/person. We went to the Grand Palladium resort, an hour south of Cancun, for $2500. That was for my wife and I during Christmas. Lots of deals to be had.

The cruise me and my family are taking in a couple months will be waaaay more than Mexico. But Mexico is getting boring. The resorts may look different, but they are basically the same. You get all you can eat food and drink, but there is only so much laying around the pool I can do. Even the excursions are the same at most areas. Cancun area is a little different with the ruins, but other than that, not much else. IMHO anyways

 

[sissy_ib]

I know, I know
but just a quick question ...

We are doing the Pride of America in April, my question is what should be do for the 3 nights pre-cruise? I am considering a nice Waikiki beach hotel like the Royal Hawaiian or Outrigger on the Beach vs doing the 3 nights at Aulani. Thoughts? Either option will wind up costing the same. Looking at which one we would probably enjoy more.

The meet thread for that cruise is absolutely dead !!!! The DIS is always active while other cruise boards (yawn)

I have not been BUT everyone on the DVC boards says go to Aulani more for the resort than to see the island. It is pretty far from most everything.

 

[sissy_ib]

So I booked with a military rate. $1295 for 7 night in a 4A for two adults. Looking at the current rate of a 4A vs a 1BR on the Magic it is a $672 difference. If the trend of 1/2 off the difference is correct it would be ~$336 to upgrade at the port if one is still open. (There are 4 now, the only concierge cabins left) Should I do it? That would put a week in a 1BR under $1700. We don't need the extra room and not sure we would want the service.

 

[justmestace]

Yes, please! We have been looking into all-inclusives! Thanks! alex123 at ptd dot net

Sending now.

 

[Itinkso]

I know, I know
but just a quick question ...

We are doing the Pride of America in April, my question is what should be do for the 3 nights pre-cruise? I am considering a nice Waikiki beach hotel like the Royal Hawaiian or Outrigger on the Beach vs doing the 3 nights at Aulani. Thoughts? Either option will wind up costing the same. Looking at which one we would probably enjoy more.

The meet thread for that cruise is absolutely dead !!!! The DIS is always active while other cruise boards (yawn)

If you haven't been to Hawaii before, you should stay in Waikiki. We have enjoyed the Pacific Beach Hotel right across the street from the beach! And, if you will have a car, Alan Wong's restaurant is excellent! Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay is also great to do and not too far from Waikiki.

 

[dclcruiser88]

i experienced it on the wonder and everyone i know who's been on the Dream says it's the same, but on steroids...

So if your mom and sister have disabilities, why haven't you spoken to GS??

 

[BethA]

So if your mom and sister have disabilities, why haven't you spoken to GS??

My mother has limited mobility and if we did not get there at least 30 minutes early she could not get a seat and can not walk. We were told to come earlier and we were concierge guests. Able bodies guests should be prohibited from sitting in the last few rows. I never knew about the box seats. Why is this not offered to guests? Are they ha accessible?

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

My mother has limited mobility and if we did not get there at least 30 minutes early she could not get a seat and can not walk. We were told to come earlier and we were concierge guests. Able bodies guests should be prohibited from sitting in the last few rows. I never knew about the box seats. Why is this not offered to guests? Are they ha accessible?

From the DCL site description of the Walt Disney Theater:

"Designated wheelchair viewing is available in the rear of the theatre and in the front row. Guests wishing to be seated in the front row should contact a Crew Member outside the entrance for assistance at least 10 minutes prior to show time."

I have no idea why we weren't told about the box seats when we sailed concierge in January. I would have loved to sit there - just for the experience!

 

[justmestace]

That is not too bad of a price. But I have seen a LOT cheaper for the exact same thing, but for 7 nights. My brother-in-law went to Cancun a couple years ago at a 5 star all inclusive place for around $500, all in. There are tons of 4 and 5 star resorts in mexico that you can go for less than $1500/person. We went to the Grand Palladium resort, an hour south of Cancun, for $2500. That was for my wife and I during Christmas. Lots of deals to be had.

The cruise me and my family are taking in a couple months will be waaaay more than Mexico. But Mexico is getting boring. The resorts may look different, but they are basically the same. You get all you can eat food and drink, but there is only so much laying around the pool I can do. Even the excursions are the same at most areas. Cancun area is a little different with the ruins, but other than that, not much else. IMHO anyways

With airfare and transportation, and in a suite? I'd almost be afraid of something that inexpensive. We didn't want to be IN Cancun. Too many people, too crowded, and all the resorts are high-rises like the ones in Vegas. If you've been to Grand Palladium Riviera Maya (I guess you have) then you'll know the difference I'm talking about.
Did you visit Xel Ha? That was AWESOME! We also took a boat to Akumal and snorkeled with sea turtles. We snorkel a LOT, so even though we also are too restless to just lay by a pool, we were busy every day, to the point of not taking advantage of the spa, tennis courts, horseback riding, mini golf and full golf course, volley ball, library......the list was just too long.

I always thought that I was a "lifer" when it came to being in love with cruising. 20 cruises in 10 years!! And both my husband and I were a little anxious about how well we'd like the all-inclusive, since our other island vacations are usually in rented homes.....but we both loved it. And my husband especially is NOT fond of Mexico at all...but he still really loved it. I don't know if we'll do another all-inclusive, but we're glad we did it this time.