pascalspal
Registered
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2015
I hate being doted on too much. It makes me feel uncomfortable. Even at a restaurant, good service to me means taking my order accurately, delivering the food, keeping my drink full, and maybe checking on me once. It does not mean constantly checking on me or asking me how everything is. I have never used concierge service at a hotel, because I like to just do things for myself. The thought of having to meet with people ahead of time via phone, on the first day, or constantly having them ask if they can do anything for me, is a negative, not a bonus. Because of that, I am not sure we will ever do concierge on DCL.
We are perfectly happy with the size of the verandah room too, and will do mostly private excursions going forward (when allowed). We don't do tastings or other hard-to-book ship activities. The only bonus that we would use, that I can think of, is the reserved concierge spaces and a shot at cabanas. We don't love crowded spaces. Getting on and off the ship easier is a small bonus, but not that important to us.
Do any of you (who repeatedly sailed concierge) have similar preferences about not being dotted on, but still find it worth it?
I would agree with most everything you wrote. We do not need much to be happy on a Disney cruise, but we do really enjoy sailing concierge when we can. Some of my favorite perks that do not require being highly interactive/overwhelmed by the hosts:
- the coffee machine in the lounge is amazing. Yes, you can get and pay for a coffee at cove cafe non concierge so for some this doesnt matter. This is not a money saving move, but the machine is incredible and makes the best coffees/lattes at any time.
- I enjoy the light bites they have stocked in the lounge all the time. I rarely step foot in Cabanas anymore and will just grab something from the small selection in the lounge. (Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Pre-Dinner Apps, "Late Night" bites). It is a small buffet, but nice to pop out of the room quickly and grab something without having to deal with how hectic Cabanas can be. The scones and jam from afternoon tea are my favorite.
- grabbing a bag of popcorn and a can of soda to take to the movie theater from the lounge
- not a big drinker, but the open bar from 5-10 is always nice for me. Pop out of the room and grab a beverage to enjoy while getting ready for dinner or out on the balcony. Pop in and grab another on the way to dinner. Grabbing a nightcap on the way back to the room at the end of the night.
- deck space is nice when pools are crowded/private hot tub for the same reason
- expedited entry on the ships/expedited exit to be the first through customs if wanted/expedited entry to tender boats(if applicable to your specific itinerary)
From our experience, we dont utilize the hosts to do tasks for us. However we do really enjoy getting to know them and hanging out with them throughout the cruises. Often we get little surprises from them throughout the week. One cruise they noticed I kept asking for refills for a specific type of cabernet. After a dinner at Palo, there was a bottle of that wine in our room waiting with glasses and a corkscrew.
You can 100% get the service you want without feeling overwhelmed or like you are being waited on hand and foot. It may not be worth the price tag for you, but thats alright! Its worth trying in my opinion if you find a deal that you feel comfortable with!