Opting for concierge-level service on a Disney cruise is an added cost, but some people are willing to pay for it if it is worth it. Do the perks outweigh the increased cost?
The perks are consistent across the ships. The exception is the difference between the Concierge Lounge and private Concierge Deck on the newest ship, Disney Wish, and Disney’s older ships.
Overview of Disney Cruise Line Concierge Service
Some of the concierge perks include:
Assistance with planning/purchasing excursions and renting cabanas on Disney’s private island (Castaway Cay). Although priority is given to concierge guests, excursions and cabana rentals are not guaranteed.
Assistance with dining reservations for additional-cost restaurants, such as Palo
Priority embarkation (first boarding group)
A concierge guests-only sit-down lunch upon embarkation
Complimentary cans/bottles of water and soda in your stateroom mini fridge/refrigerator
Choice of pillow options (hypoallergenic, feather, and therapeutic memory foam) for guests in concierge suites
More extensive showers in staterooms and overall larger staterooms
Access to the Concierge Lounge with snacks and drinks
Priority seating at select theater performances
Free popcorn at concession stands throughout the cruise (and given to you as you enter the reserved entrance for performances offering reserved seating)
Private dining table for rotational dining
The ability to order room service from restaurants, including Palo, for concierge suite guests (which is the only way children can sample food from Palo as it is an adults-only dining room)
A hot tub on the Concierge Deck (and splash/wading pool on the Wish)
Complimentary cocktails during designated hours in the lounge
Concierge-only character meet-and-greet opportunity (when available). On the Wish, a character walked around the lounge; on the other ships, guests took pictures outside on the Concierge Deck (which provided more scenic photo opportunities).
Express walk-off during disembarkation (with a concierge cast member walking you to the front of the disembarkation line with other guests exiting so you do not have to wait in a long line)
There are additional advantages to purchasing a concierge room. Access to the lounge allows you to escape the traffic and noise on the decks and have a dedicated space to relax out of the sun. It is very beneficial to go to the concierge desk and ask a question or have the attendant take care of something for you instead of standing in a long customer service line near the atrium. I enjoy going to the lounge and getting a drink in a glass instead of drinking from a tiny paper cup with ice that melts quickly on the deck. Having the stateroom refrigerator stocked with sodas and water is also lovely when you take food to your room or watch television at night. It is important to note that if you want a private cabana on the private island on the family side and you are not a concierge guest or Pearl status, you most likely will not get one. Concierge guests have priority for these rentals; they are then available by cruising status, so if you are Silver status, you probably do not have a chance to secure a cabana. Being a concierge guest does not guarantee one, either. This is important to remember if you are sailing on the Wish because there are so many more concierge guests. It will be challenging to reserve a cabana even as a concierge guest.
Differences In Concierge Service Among the Disney Wish, Dream, and Fantasy
Overall, the concierge experience was similar across the three ships. The Concierge Lounge differed from the other Disney ships when cruising on the Disney Wish. It was much, much larger, which did not equate to better. The lounge had two side entrances on Deck 12 that you entered by swiping your MagicBand+ or your Key to the World card, which opened a set of glass doors toward you. The see-through doors allowed you to see into the lounge. Concierge guests could also enter the lounge by taking the stairs from the concierge sundeck on Deck 13. The Concierge Lounge on the Disney Dream and Fantasy had a main entrance that you opened manually after swiping to unlock the door and two side entrances from the hallways on each side. All doors were wood with glass windows, giving guests in the lounge more privacy.
The layout of the lounge on the Wish was an elongated room with sections offering different things. At one end, it consisted of two glass cases offering sandwiches, candy, and dessert (depending on the time of day). In front of this area were the stairs that ended in front of a hostess stand, and behind the stand was a large combination of seats, sofas, and end tables. On one side was a bar with a television displaying information about the weather and the ship's location, as well as a self-serve espresso drink machine. On the other side, there was a television for families. At the other end of the lounge, windows provided a view of a small open-air deck overlooking the bow.
For several reasons, the Wish Concierge Lounge was much noisier than the other Disney lounges. First, the lounge was more extensive, with more people at any time. Secondly, the large lounge allowed ample space for children to run and make noise, which is impossible on the other ships. Thirdly, a self-serve espresso-and-other-drinks machine made a lot of noise and was frequently used. The last time I cruised on the Fantasy, a guest requested a drink that was not typically provided and required a concierge cast member to use a blender. The cast member offered to make the drink but asked that it be made when other guests were away to avoid bothering them with loud noise. This indicates the difference between the Wish lounge's atmosphere and noise level approach and the smaller lounges on Disney’s other ships.
The Wish lounge lacked the expected atmosphere of some quiet that was more prominent in the other lounges. The irony here is that Disney appeared to attempt a more upscale lounge, but the size and design of the lounge created the opportunity for the opposite.
The hostess stand was a little off-putting. It was in the way as soon as you walked into the lounge, whether you entered from the sides or used the stairs. On the other ships, there are nice chairs to sit in as you talk face-to-face with a concierge team member to make requests at the concierge desk. On the Wish, a line or huddle of people was waiting to stand and talk with a concierge cast member.
The glass cases showcasing food were more sanitary than the buffet-style food presentation on the other ships. On the Wish, a cast member handed you your selection rather than having guests obtain the items themselves in an open grab-and-go format.
Something different about the Wish concierge service was how reserved seating was organized for performances. On other ships, we met in the lounge and then were escorted to the theater for our seats before the other guests arrived. On the Wish, concierge guests lined up outside of a dedicated theater entrance to be let in before other guests.
Wish Concierge team members attended to us, asked if we wanted to order from the daily menu, and talked with us. However, the ambiance and level of personal attention were much less than what we experienced on other Disney ships. The lounge had a do-it-yourself feel with the self-serve cans of soda and espresso machine rather than a concierge feeling of being served. We asked a couple of times for glasses of ice because we wanted to avoid drinking from the can. Ice is not freely offered on the Wish, whereas we were offered glasses of ice on the other ships because the concierge cast members knew us well enough early on during the other cruises to understand our preferences.
Lounges on other ships have been a fun spot for a drink and conversation with cast members if they were not assisting other guests. The lounge on the Wish was more business-like. I will admit the team did not start on a positive note when they introduced themselves to guests before embarkation. They informed guests that they could use the grab-and-go refrigerator to get cans of soda and water in the concierge lounge once we boarded. It came off as if they wanted to avoid being bothered with beverage service, and it set the tone for what our lounge experience would be.
Sitting near the windows to eat food from the menu on the Wish, our chairs were arranged around a low pedestal-style table we shared while eating. This made eating a little difficult; all tables on the other ships had dining-height tables for eating, drinking, and activities.
The lounge on the Wish was more confusing. There were cast members who handed food to you at the glass case and servers; there was also a head server and a bartender. I asked the cast member at the glass case about how I would preorder food from the daily menu with my food restrictions (no wheat, dairy, or strawberries), and she directed me to a server. It took a while to understand how to order food in the lounge and who would take the order.
Food accuracy was a problem for me in the Wish Concierge Lounge as a special diets guest. I struggled to find things off the menu I could eat, although I learned that a chef would make me a hamburger. I asked for it to be plain with just the patty and bun and without any condiments, and both times I ordered this on separate days, it came with lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. I need help understanding this as I preordered my food with these details arranged in advance. It also decreased my confidence in Disney’s ability to prepare my food accurately and safely. The worst incident was when a concierge server brought me a chocolate cake dessert garnished with a strawberry and indicated there was a surprise inside, which made me fear something strawberry-based would ooze out when I took my spoon to it. I reminded her strawberries were a no-no for me, and she brought me the dessert again without garnish with the assistance of a chef and insisted it was safe for me to eat.
I preferred the smaller lounges without a view with more conversational and personal interactions with concierge team members. I enjoyed the smaller, quieter, more personal experiences when concierge team members asked if I would like a particular soda because they knew it was my preferred drink and then offered me a glass of ice. Although there were fewer food options with the smaller lounges (there were no menus to order from throughout the day), they offered finger sandwiches and desserts. They also provided me with allergy snacks and sandwiches in the lounge prepared by a chef.
The Wish concierge lounge did have the benefit of being accessible after the cast members left. We were informed by a concierge cast member that the grab-and-go drinks were accessible after lounge hours, and guests were still allowed to sit in the lounge. The view, ability to order from the menus, and sanitary presentation of food were the key advantages over the smaller lounges.
The overall lounge ambiance felt more upscale on the Wish (although that did not mix well with families letting children run and make noise, with families listening to the television a little too loudly, and with the frequent noise from the self-serve espresso machine). This resulted in a missed target of a swankier lounge for one with a less concierge-feeling environment than the other ships provide.
The Wish concierge deck was nicer overall than the other ships and offered a view. On the Disney Dream and Fantasy, the deck had a view obstructed by partitions that were not see-through.
My husband felt Disney overdid it with the number of concierge rooms on the Wish. He commented that there were too many concierge guests and not enough concierge cast members. Everything was overdone on the Wish, and the concierge service was consistent with this tendency. You can read about the pros and cons of cruising on the Disney Wish and all about the food on the Wish.
Be sure to validate the current perks on the Disney Cruise Line site or with a customer service agent before booking your cruise. You should also be aware that Disney plans to add concierge staterooms and change the concierge lounge for some of its older ships.
Is Disney Cruise Concierge Worth It?
This comes down to personal preference.
This topic seems to be a divisive one, with everyone choosing one of the following positions: it is silly to spend additional money on concierge service, or concierge service is obviously better because it is a paid upgrade. I encourage you to think about concierge service as not necessarily an upgrade that is worth it no matter what but rather as a personal decision (no better, no worse than choosing not to experience concierge service) that depends on how you want to travel for your cruise.
I have read posts recommending that guests not spend extra money on a verandah off their stateroom because they could save that money toward a future cruise and enjoy walking around the decks on the ship instead. The same logic could be applied to not spending extra on concierge-level service and using that money for a future cruise. If you plan on being on the decks most of the time to enjoy the view, movies playing on the screen, quick service food, and the pool, then you might use the lounge sparingly.
Some guests want concierge service because they are celebrating a special event or want to splurge on a vacation. You can pay for concierge service depending on who travels with your party or what amenities you want. If you book a short itinerary, fear being placed in a later boarding group, and want to avoid spending your first day waiting in the port, concierge service might be worth the cost.
Has it been worth it to us to cruise with concierge service? Absolutely. In addition to its services, I find it beneficial because by the time I get to the port, I am ready to look at my husband and exclaim, “I’m frazzled. Get me on this ship. I’m ready to start concierging.”
If you, too, are ready to start concierging by the time you travel there, navigate the port traffic, go through security, and wait for your boarding group to be called, concierge might be for you. I will warn you…it might ruin your future cruises if you do not continue with concierge service!
Can you board a Disney ship, enjoy the decks, pools, food, and entertainment, and have a good time without concierge service? Of course, you can. Whether concierge service is worth the cost depends on the person. Consider how you like to travel and how you like to spend money on traveling. Deciding whether to cruise with or without concierge service is a fortunate problem, and I wish all of life’s decisions for you were this carefree!