Just got my email from Concierge

[FSU Girl]

I'm so very excited, I just got my email from the Concierge team about how I can email them about my requests for the cruise. I've only sailed in Concierge once before and booked way past this point so I didn't do this last time. I have a few questions.

• It says I can send the email at midnight, should I type it up and then wait for midnight and hit send? Is it really important to do it exactly at midnight? For the items I'm requesting, should I put them in order of importance or does it not matter?
• I'm only planning on doing one port adventure, although am on the fence about adding a swimming with the dolphins since I never have before. If I ask for that and then we decide not to do it can I release this excursion or am I stuck with it?
• We'd like to do the adult dining, but I don't want it to interfere with the broadway shows. Should I ask for specific nights or just mention to them how I'd rather them be on a different night than those shows? Or the second night of the shows since I think they are doing double shows for everything now?
• Should I look over past cruise navigators to see when certain activities were offered and request specific times or just say I'd like to do the Star Wars meet and greets and the Mixology and let them pick the days?
• It mentions there's a Palo Be Our Chef experience. This seems really interesting, has anyone done it? Was it worth the cost? It falls on the Jamaica day, which we were planning on staying on the boat anyway.

Sorry about all the questions!

 

[cvaska]

I’ll do my best to answer your questions, I’ve never done concierge before, so keep that in mind

• I can’t help you with this one
• You can cancel a port adventure and get a full refund up until 3-ish days before your cruise
• Just ask them for times that don’t conflict with the shows, or a specific time if that’s easier for you
• That really depends. Do you like doing your own planning? I would go crazy if I didn’t, but that’s just me. If times don’t matter to you, than let them book
• I again can’t help you with this one.

Hopefully this kind of helps, sorry I couldn’t help you with everything!

 

[FSU Girl]

I’ll do my best to answer your questions, I’ve never done concierge before, so keep that in mind

• I can’t help you with this one
• You can cancel a port adventure and get a full refund up until 3-ish days before your cruise
• Just ask them for times that don’t conflict with the shows, or a specific time if that’s easier for you
• That really depends. Do you like doing your own planning? I would go crazy if I didn’t, but that’s just me. If times don’t matter to you, than let them book
• I again can’t help you with this one.

Hopefully this kind of helps, sorry I couldn’t help you with everything!

Thank you for your help!

 

[scrapbookjulie]

From my understanding, they go in the order that they receive the emails, so I would hit send exactly at midnight EST. I know my travel agent schedules her email to them on my behalf to be sent right at midnight. Don't send it any sooner, though, because I think it might be disregarded then. Maybe somebody else could confirm those things? But that's what I've been told.

 

[meg8182000]

I'm so very excited, I just got my email from the Concierge team about how I can email them about my requests for the cruise. I've only sailed in Concierge once before and booked way past this point so I didn't do this last time. I have a few questions.

• It says I can send the email at midnight, should I type it up and then wait for midnight and hit send? Is it really important to do it exactly at midnight? For the items I'm requesting, should I put them in order of importance or does it not matter?
• I'm only planning on doing one port adventure, although am on the fence about adding a swimming with the dolphins since I never have before. If I ask for that and then we decide not to do it can I release this excursion or am I stuck with it?
• We'd like to do the adult dining, but I don't want it to interfere with the broadway shows. Should I ask for specific nights or just mention to them how I'd rather them be on a different night than those shows? Or the second night of the shows since I think they are doing double shows for everything now?
• Should I look over past cruise navigators to see when certain activities were offered and request specific times or just say I'd like to do the Star Wars meet and greets and the Mixology and let them pick the days?
• It mentions there's a Palo Be Our Chef experience. This seems really interesting, has anyone done it? Was it worth the cost? It falls on the Jamaica day, which we were planning on staying on the boat anyway.

Sorry about all the questions!

Hi there - I think the anticipation of a fun upcoming cruise is almost as fun as the cruise it self.

You didn't mention which ship or cruise you are taking so I'll make this very general. I've been fortunate enough to take a few cruises as a concierge guest and it does make for a special cruise.

• I've never sent my request via e-mail - I've always called and spoken to someone at the shore side concierge desk to make plans. That way you can also ask all your questions and get an instant answer. They should give you a date that you can start putting in your request which is I think about 5 days prior to them actually making the request but I would double check that.
• One of the hardest to get items would be the Cabanas on Castaway Cay so if you want one of these then it's best to be among the first requesting but otherwise and request you make should be met.
• One thing you can request from concierge is the dining room rotation so that way you can have an idea of which restaurants you'll be dining in on what night. The Broadway shows are generally about 6:15pm (for late dining) and 8:30pm (early dining). I generally try to go to the Palo's or Remy's on Pirate night (not my fave meal) around 7:30pm in order to see the show but then be out in time for the fireworks.
• Past navigators can give you an idea but things do change from one cruise to the next. The mixology classes do tend to book up quickly so ask them when requesting your other events to book that for you.
• As someone else mentioned, pretty much anything you book up front can be changed especially when you are concierge. The day you embark on your cruise, you'll meet with one of the concierge host and they help you get something you missed.

Hope this helps.

meg

 

[hudsosa]

I had our concierge email ready to go in my drafts, and then hit send right at midnight. They take the requests in the order they receive them so if your after something highly coveted I would email right at midnight. I did get a confirmation email right away saying they received the email and would get back to me during regular business hours. We went back and forth a few times about dates of tastings and times for Palo and excursions, but everything we wanted we got It all showed up online and we were able to add/change/cancel some things on our own later. Since the shows have 2 showtimes your adult dining shouldn't be a conflict and you can request a certain time for the meals. We added what drinks we wanted in our room, and a dining rotation request. Past navigators worked prefect for us to be able to plan around what we were most interested in. I've never done the Palo experience but have heard great things. Enjoy your trip!!

 

[FSU Girl]

From my understanding, they go in the order that they receive the emails, so I would hit send exactly at midnight EST. I know my travel agent schedules her email to them on my behalf to be sent right at midnight. Don't send it any sooner, though, because I think it might be disregarded then. Maybe somebody else could confirm those things? But that's what I've been told.

Thanks! I'll make sure mine is sent right at midnight, might be tough staying awake until then I'm usually asleep by 10 lol

One of the hardest to get items would be the Cabanas on Castaway Cay so if you want one of these then it's best to be among the first requesting but otherwise and request you make should be met.

We are sailing on the Fantasy January 5th. I've gone back and forth on if we should do this. We probably won't sail in Concierge for a long time, this a honeymoon splurge, but I'm not sure if it will be worth it to us so I feel like I should let someone else have a chance at getting it.

One thing you can request from concierge is the dining room rotation so that way you can have an idea of which restaurants you'll be dining in on what night. The Broadway shows are generally about 6:15pm (for late dining) and 8:30pm (early dining). I generally try to go to the Palo's or Remy's on Pirate night (not my fave meal) around 7:30pm in order to see the show but then be out in time for the fireworks.

I think that's what we did the last two Disney cruises was eat on the Pirate night. I'm not a big fan of the MDR food so I was thinking of doing one night in Palo and one in Remy and the brunch at Palo and skipping dinner that night.

Past navigators can give you an idea but things do change from one cruise to the next. The mixology classes do tend to book up quickly so ask them when requesting your other events to book that for you.

Do you know if mixology classes are only offered on sea days? We'd probably want this on a different day from the brunch that I know is only on sea days.

I did get a confirmation email right away saying they received the email and would get back to me during regular business hours.

That's good to know they send this out, so I'll make sure I receive it or try resending my email. Don't want it getting completely missed.

I've never done the Palo experience but have heard great things. Enjoy your trip!!

I remember reading about it on here, I had no clue it existed. But it sounds really fun.
Thanks!

 

[DCLDVC1]

As others have mentioned, Shoreside Concierge looks at the emails in the order received so you want to send it at one second past Midnight Eastern. Definitely request a cabana even if you aren't sure you will keep it. It's a lot easier to cancel it than grab one later on if you decide you want one. Plus you might "meet" someone in your cruise group you could share it with.

 

[FSU Girl]

As others have mentioned, Shoreside Concierge looks at the emails in the order received so you want to send it at one second past Midnight Eastern. Definitely request a cabana even if you aren't sure you will keep it. It's a lot easier to cancel it than grab one later on if you decide you want one. Plus you might "meet" someone in your cruise group you could share it with.

That's a good point, okay I'll do that

 

[ThatCOprep]

The Palo be our chef experience is one of my favorite things Ive done on a Disney Cruise. The whole experience was so amazing and I had a blast. It isn’t anything to crazy cooking wise but I learned a lot and enjoyed some great food after. The chefs outfit you get to keep is really nice, you get a picture book and recipes for everything you mad that day. I felt it was worth the cost but others might not.

 

[Oswald the Canuck]

As others have mentioned, Shoreside Concierge looks at the emails in the order received so you want to send it at one second past Midnight Eastern.

Definitely wait until one second after Midnight. I had my email ready to go and was watching the Atomic Clock online and hit send right at midnight. Here is the email response I received from Shoreside Concierge:

We are happy to assist and help you prepare for the voyage.

A calendar reminder has been started and we will send an email on Thursday with what was secured. The email did arrive early as we start taking requests starting at midnight est. The email arrived at 11:59pm and to be fair to all concierge guest, we need to process those that arrived at midnight and todays date first, especially with limited cabanas. This may have just been an error in sending early, but we have had guests in the past send the requests early to jump the line.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm so very excited, I just got my email from the Concierge team about how I can email them about my requests for the cruise. I've only sailed in Concierge once before and booked way past this point so I didn't do this last time. I have a few questions.

• It says I can send the email at midnight, should I type it up and then wait for midnight and hit send? Is it really important to do it exactly at midnight? For the items I'm requesting, should I put them in order of importance or does it not matter?
• I'm only planning on doing one port adventure, although am on the fence about adding a swimming with the dolphins since I never have before. If I ask for that and then we decide not to do it can I release this excursion or am I stuck with it?
• We'd like to do the adult dining, but I don't want it to interfere with the broadway shows. Should I ask for specific nights or just mention to them how I'd rather them be on a different night than those shows? Or the second night of the shows since I think they are doing double shows for everything now?
• Should I look over past cruise navigators to see when certain activities were offered and request specific times or just say I'd like to do the Star Wars meet and greets and the Mixology and let them pick the days?
• It mentions there's a Palo Be Our Chef experience. This seems really interesting, has anyone done it? Was it worth the cost? It falls on the Jamaica day, which we were planning on staying on the boat anyway.

Sorry about all the questions!

As others have said, yes, type up a draft of your requests and then send it one second after midnight. It really doesn't matter order of importance, IMHO. When I've sent e-mails one second after midnight on the day our reservations open, I've always gotten everything I've asked for.

Book everything you think you are interested in - the port adventure, swimming with dolphins, cabana, etc. Just check any cancellation policies so you can cancel, in time, if you eventually decide you don't want something.

For Palo and Remy, I would simply tell them you don't want them to interfere with the shows you are interested in. They can figure the schedule out for you. You will also, most likely, be able to switch dates and times around if need be as they hold reservations back for concierge guests. We booked our last concierge stateroom pretty late in the game and, when I contacted concierge, they had Remy availability that wasn't showing online.

If you don't care when you do the meet and greets and mixology, you can ask them to pick the days and times. Again, I would just ask for everything you think you would like and then adjust from there. It's easier to cancel things (within the cancellation periods) than it is to add things as more guests have access to the bookings.

 

[FSU Girl]

As others have said, yes, type up a draft of your requests and then send it one second after midnight. It really doesn't matter order of importance, IMHO. When I've sent e-mails one second after midnight on the day our reservations open, I've always gotten everything I've asked for.

Book everything you think you are interested in - the port adventure, swimming with dolphins, cabana, etc. Just check any cancellation policies so you can cancel, in time, if you eventually decide you don't want something.

For Palo and Remy, I would simply tell them you don't want them to interfere with the shows you are interested in. They can figure the schedule out for you. You will also, most likely, be able to switch dates and times around if need be as they hold reservations back for concierge guests. We booked our last concierge stateroom pretty late in the game and, when I contacted concierge, they had Remy availability that wasn't showing online.

If you don't care when you do the meet and greets and mixology, you can ask them to pick the days and times. Again, I would just ask for everything you think you would like and then adjust from there. It's easier to cancel things (within the cancellation periods) than it is to add things as more guests have access to the bookings.

Thanks! So I've written up an email ready to send off on the day. Palo brunch and Mixology are only offered on sea days, correct? I had the Palo on the non Star Wars day and the Mixology on the Star Wars day, I figured those were better on separate days

 

[FSU Girl]

One other question, do I respond to the email they sent me or do I start a brand new email to the email address they told me to reach out to?

 

[drnp]

One other question, do I respond to the email they sent me or do I start a brand new email to the email address they told me to reach out to?

I think you can do either, just make sure whatever you send them has your Cruise date and confirmation number in the email. That's the important thing. I usually put it in the subject line along with the primary name.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

I’m excited that you are able to send your concierge email soon... since we are also on the Jan 5th sailing and it means we are closer to our Gold check on date!

So excited for all your honeymoon plans! Sounds like it’s going to be an amazing trip.

 

[FSU Girl]

I think you can do either, just make sure whatever you send them has your Cruise date and confirmation number in the email. That's the important thing. I usually put it in the subject line along with the primary name.

Thanks! I've typed up my email and have it in draft now.

I’m excited that you are able to send your concierge email soon... since we are also on the Jan 5th sailing and it means we are closer to our Gold check on date!

So excited for all your honeymoon plans! Sounds like it’s going to be an amazing trip.

Thanks! I am really excited. We ill be wearing our wedding Mickey Minnie ears around the ship you can come say hi We might do the Match Your Match game (I think that's what it's called?) we love watching it, I don't know about being in it lol. Enjoy your cruise too!

 

[FranDVCMadrid]

Hi! I booked a Concierge room for our next cruise in September last weekend. We're now 74 days out.

I recieved their tipical email last Monday morning, and I'd reply them 15 minutes after. It's normal that 48 hours later I did not have any news from them?

 

[FSU Girl]

Hi! I booked a Concierge room for our next cruise in September last weekend. We're now 74 days out.

I recieved their tipical email last Monday morning, and I'd reply them 15 minutes after. It's normal that 48 hours later I did not have any news from them?

I would call them. You're way past the 125 mark when they'd book things for you.

 

[FranDVCMadrid]

I know that Cabanas at Castaway has gone 50 days ago... I only want to secure Palo Brunch. I'll call them...