Concierge Level

[Sam02]

I was wondering if there are any threads that had information on the Concierge levels of the Deluxe hotels. We are planning on going to WDW in 09. This vacation will be a celebration for us, my graduation from college next year, hubby's graduation in 09, 20 year family reunion, etc., that we felt like making the most of this vacation. We also wanted a resort right off the monorail since our daughter will only be 4 and the convience of being able to go back to the hotel room during the day. If you all could kindly send me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

 

[unkadug]

Actually, if you just scroll down to the bottom of this page you will see a list of links to five similar threads, all dealing with concierge service. :wave:

 

[RiversideBunny]

Yes, staying in a monorail resort would be good.

Forget the concierge level.

Have fun.

 

[KeithVH]

They are not all the same as far as their offerings. Service level-wise, it is nice to have. Too, considering the hotel differences, you also experience a slightly different type of stay at each. For example, there's technically two types at the Contemporary (12th/14th floors) but the food is now the same for both. The GF has rooms that you can pick from three different views and in the main building, only concierge guests can get to that level.

That's pretty much a function of most concierge levels; only the assigned guests can get to that alloted areas. Food quality and quantity varies. Prices too. Most would say the extra cost is not worth it. Until you really try it once, you can't really answer whether it's worth the price for you I would say though.

Oh, did I forget to mention the Poly:animwink:? This is our concierge of choice. Yes, we pay for it. You get your own building, a very nice lounge, great views and more food that you can comfortably eat. Especially on the nites they bring stuff from Ohana's. And the staff, many who have been there for a while (and after several visits on our part), know us on sight in some cases. You cannot beat the staff at Hawaii. We always go at Xmas so the extra ambience of decorations and Poly's unique Christmas music make it THE place for us to relax. In the last ten years, we have never had a bad stay at the Poly concierge.

 

[westie]

We did it at the Contemporary. Its neat because you use a special elevator. The concierges are very nice and scored us res's in Canada but, we never saw the same one twice so saying thanks or tipping for a thanks really didn't work. The morning continental breakfast was more than enough. The Contemporary has the monorail stop right in the middle which is a kids dream. Theres plenty of restaurants, buffets, pools, and gameroom to have fun! Cheers!

 

[I-4Warrior]

The Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and was willing to bend over backward for anything we needed during our stay. The concierge lounge is beautiful... lots of comfy seating, a TV, newspapers, a view of the lobby from the 6th floor (with a distant view of the savannah) and cordials and a food selection that is better than most restaurants. It easily gets my vote (whereas the concierge at Wilderness Lodge is really nothing to write home about)

 

[KnK]

In September, we stayed on the concierge floor at the Wilderness Lodge. It was worth every penny! It has spoiled us for future visits.

It will be hard to go back to the Lodge and not say on the Club floor!

 

[wcj1968]

We did concierge at AKL mainly for access to sunrise safari, which was amazing. Also the trip planning aspect is really nice when trying to book those near impossible reservations. It depends on what is most important to you. The lounge and offerings, while nice were not worth the near double room rate but the other advantages were definitely worth it for us. Since AKL isn't one you are considering (not on the Monorail), access to the safari is off the table. I probably wouldn't do it again just for the other amenities.

 

[Sam02]

Thanks everyone for the replies. As much as I would love to stay at AKL my hubby doesn't want to. He thinks there will be a "zoo" smell and I can't convince him otherwise. Oh well, maybe someday. I also remember my first visit to WDW and riding the monorail through the Contemporary. It's been a dream of mine to actually stay there one day.

In terms of using concierge to make dining reservations. Do I call them 180 days in advance or the other line for ADR's? If it is the regular ADR number and they can't get me the reservation I want, then can I try the concierge desk? Thanks for your help.

 

[I-4Warrior]

In defense of AKL, there really is no recognizable zoo smell, but I'm sure you've done all you could to convince, but I figured I'd throw my reassurance in there anyway

 

[tooltime]

we checked into the Poly oct 14 for nine day stay and were given a complimentary upgrade to the concierge level. we were in the Hawaii Long house room 1532 and it was incredible. although we did not have to pay for it i can tell you the bene's received.

from 7am to 10pm there were 3 concierges there to help us with planning, questions, to let us know how to make the best of our trip, to make the calls necessary...plus there was a buffet of different foods and drinks during that time.

i would recommend the concierge level if you can get it.

it was so convenient to have them there.

my two cents

ron

 

[wcj1968]

For dinner reservations you call the concierge PRIOR to the 180 day with a list of all the meals you want and when. They will make the reservations as soon as they become available, and email you with the conformation number. That is really useful if you are trying to get Cindy's table breakfast, or any of the other impossible to get locations. You can also arrange for thing to be in your room when you check in, (autograph books for the kids, etc.). We also arranged for Cirque tickets through the concierge. Also makes check in much easier, you are taken in past the regular check in desk (and the crowd) straight to the concierge desk where sit with the concierge rep. and receive all your tickets, key cards, itinerary, etc.

and to echo there is NO zoo smell. I didn't even notice an odor outside with the animals.

 

[Teenchy]

Thanks everyone for the replies. As much as I would love to stay at AKL my hubby doesn't want to. He thinks there will be a "zoo" smell and I can't convince him otherwise. Oh well, maybe someday. I also remember my first visit to WDW and riding the monorail through the Contemporary. It's been a dream of mine to actually stay there one day.

In terms of using concierge to make dining reservations. Do I call them 180 days in advance or the other line for ADR's? If it is the regular ADR number and they can't get me the reservation I want, then can I try the concierge desk? Thanks for your help.

One fun thing we love to do is visit all the resorts to check out how beautiful all of them are...see where we want to stay next, try a new restaurant or at Christmas see the great decorations.

I would suggest doing that so your husband can see how nice AKL is and start planning the next visit! Maybe make a ADR at Boma or Jiko.

ALso see this link for more infomation about concierge:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/concierge.htm

 

[tooltime]

i did not mention that staying at resort with monorail service is so convenient. i would recommend this as it is and feels so easy to arrive back at your resort as well as departing.

 

[suedenim]

Looking around, I'm a little confused by what the concierge level is. Does everybody staying at the particular hotel have access to it, or is it something you have to pay extra for? (We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge, and I'm
not the one who made reservations, so I'm not sure if we're signed up for it if it is optional.)

 

[wcj1968]

Concierge level offers exclusive amenities to guest who have reserved Concierge level rooms. These areas are accessed only by using room keys for those rooms in the section. They must therefore be reserved in advance and generally are priced substantially higher than the standard room rate.

 

[suedenim]

Concierge level offers exclusive amenities to guest who have reserved Concierge level rooms. These areas are accessed only by using room keys for those rooms in the section. They must therefore be reserved in advance and generally are priced substantially higher than the standard room rate.

Ah, thanks, I should have figured that out....

 

[Sam02]

And when they say substantially higher, it is substantially higher. We are considering it soley because it will be the culmination of so many achievements in our family. This will be our "reward."

 

[mrerk]

If you like being pampered it is well worth it. If you are looking at it strictly from a monetary standpoint it will be hard to justify. There is no way you can eat enough of the free food & drink to offset the $ difference.

We did the GF main building concierge (Royal Palm Club) for our honeymoon and it was incredible. We are hoping to go back for our 10th anniversary. Probably won't do 11 nights again though. (Me on checkout day )

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Concierge at CR is my absolute dream. I'm really 'going for it' just staying in a MK view. I'm normally the girl who uses all discounts available to get the rock bottom price at POP. Lol!

I think concierge would also be a benefit to someone who doesn't have a lot of experience planning WDW vacations. It would be advantageous for that person to have the added expertise of the concierge staff.

Also, I was recently helping a friend do some WDW planning. I'm pretty sure I saw where all concierge level guests now can go on a special safari excursion for the additional $$ starting in '08. It looked like they were using the safari as a perk for all concierge guests. I can't remember if it was the Sunrise Safari or not. I know it was a safari, tho.