Concierge: Disney vs Royal Caribbean

[KashasMom]

I found this thread in a Disney Cruise group on that "other" site. I was particularly interested since we love RC and are doing our first concierge on Disney next month. We haven't asked for much from concierge shore side since we're not going to CC (so Cabanas not an option), we only have 1 port day and we're doing a beach day (so no booking excursions), no spa, I booked our own character meetings, etc. Some things I would have loved from Disney concierge? Booking/reserving show seats and a concierge only pool! Other than that we're pretty low key. We booked two connecting one bedrooms because we're cruising with 2 people with dietary restrictions, 1 toddler, and 2 people who seem to get sick (cold/flu) every time they cruise! We're really looking forward to the extra space and private lounge and are just planning a more laid back cruise. I'm curious what our total concierge experience is going to be. We got a super deal and I'm sure we won't cruise concierge again.

There were many people who agreed with this poster and everyone was receptive and nice in their responses. The difference in the room (size/type) alone would push me to RC! This was her post:

We cruised Disney Dream on September 9 and did a cost breakdown and analysis of our Disney cruise vs a cruise on Royal Caribbean that we took on February 2. Obviously pricing changes constantly but I’ve shared our experience in the comments.

Disney Dream:

Concierge family ocean view stateroom with verandah with 4 occupants 306 square feet including verandah

Our pice for 4 days September 9, 2019: 383.43pp per night

Includes:

Pre-arrival concierge (you have to get up at midnight to send your email about a cabana)
Priority check-in and boarding
Embarkation luncheon
Embarkation reception
100 MB of WiFi
Concierge lounge
Private sun deck with hotub (on dream at least)
Complimentary food and non alcoholic beverages in suite lounge daily
Complimentary alcoholic beverages from 5pm-10pm in suite lounge
Fruit basket on arrival
Private meet and greet
Concierge gift (print)
Robes and slippers
Pillow menu
Upgraded bedding
Upgraded toiletries
Concierge team (secured spa and restaurant reservations and cancelations for us)

Symphony of the seas, Royal Caribbean:

Spacious 2 bedroom aqua theater suite with 6 occupants 739 square feet AND 695 square foot balcony

Our price for 7 nights February 2, 2019: $364.02 pp per night

Includes:

WiFi
Drinks package all day every day anywhere (alcohol if over 21, soda under 21) (up to $13 drink cost)
All specialty dining restaurants
Dedicated check-in
Priority boarding and departure
Coastal kitchen (suites only restaurant) all meals
Bathrobes and slippers
L’occitane products
In room coffee maker (nespresso)
Still and sparkling water and soda in room replenished daily
Gratuities (excluding Genie)
Our Genie saved our seats for every show every evening for us
Priority entrance to onboard activities (laser tag, ice skating, rock climbing, flow rider)
Upgraded bedding
Pillow menu
Private sundeck with bar
Complimentary laundry service!!!!
Access to barefoot beach at labadee at no cost (suites only beach)
Food from any specialty restaurants delivered to the room
Fresh fruit and complimentary bottle of champagne and hors d’oeuvres on arrival

ROYAL GENIE!!! Who arranged all our dining, activities, shows, anything that needed a reservation she took care of it for us. Something sold out? Nope she was able to get us in to anything and everything. Checked on us at least 2-3 times a day, anything wrong she fixed it. Sent us complimentary snacks to the room every day (chocolate covered strawberries and hors d’oeuvres, whatever you wanted just tell your Genie what you like). They have 2-3 staterooms each so are able to provide exceptionally personalized service.
Concierge gift (hats, teddy bear, replicas of the ship but everyone’s gifts are different and tailored to your group)

Just from a numbers stand point, Royal was the clear winner but we were shocked to find the service on Disney to be so far below what we experienced with Royal. Again, this was our experience, and others will have different points of view but you can’t really argue the value difference is pretty significant

 

[starvenger]

I'm kind of amazed that the price is that high in September.

100MB of wifi is basically nothing. You'll use that up the first time you accidentally open Waze. But apart from that the perks aren't that bad for the Dream.

But an Aquatheater Suite for basically the same price pp/pn? Nice.

 

[pangyal]

We have booked Star Class on Royal a few times now and it is always less than Disney Concierge V by a few hundred dollars at least. On the Anthem, we had a gigantic two-story loft for a two-thousand-dollar (CDN$) less cost than our Category V on Disney. The two products don’t even compare in terms of square footage, inclusions, and overall value, to be honest. We continue to book Disney mainly for Castaway Cay and just the overall “Disney-ness” of it, as well as the fact that Disney handles food allergies MUCH better than Royal, but we try not to think about how much less we are getting in tangibles.