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View Full Version : To concierge or not to concierge?



CarlieB
02-23-2004, 11:49 AM
We will be at DL for 4 days at the end of this year (arrive from NZ 10 December, leave for other exotic climes (San Francisco & NY!) on the 14th of December). It's kind of an extended family trip, with various members of the family coming and going at different times. We're all booked into the Howard Johnson for the nights of the 10th and 11th (Phil & I have stayed there before and like it, for everyone else it will be the first time in the area, so it's new to them). The rest of our party is booked to stay at the HoJo until the 14th, but Phil &I thought we'd treat ourselves to a couple of nights at the Grand Californian, so we'll move there on the 12th. My question is, should we investigate upgrading to concierge level for the time we're there? Phil's quite keen, but I'm just not sure we'll be there enough for it to be worth it...any feedback would be most appreciated. Our rate for the GCH (non-concierge) is NZ$250 (about US$170 at the moment), and I imagine concierge might be about NZ$100 more (not sure, have to check)

Not Afraid
02-23-2004, 12:25 PM
If you like lots of hotel ammenities, go for it. I have never done and, and probably never will only because I can find much better ways for me to spend my money. But, I'm also the one who has no qualms about sleeping in a tent.:rolleyes:

Pirate33
02-23-2004, 12:26 PM
Definitely not worth it. Save your money to eat at the Napa Rose -- that is worth it. Do a search and you'll find lots of posts about the concierge floor inadequacies.

CarlieB
02-23-2004, 12:50 PM
Hmmm...I was leaning towards not doing it anyway, but I think we'll give it a miss...Pirate33, I agree - better to spend our $$ on a nice dinner or something:)

bduff
02-23-2004, 02:17 PM
Carlie - I'll be staying at the GCH later this year and am trying to make the concierge or not decision myself. I haven't been to DL since I was a child, so I'm just starting to gather info, including reading trip reports on this site and looking through the posts. In doing that, I find a mixed opinion on concierge, but don't agree with Pirate that the accepted wisdom from posts is to skip it. I find just as many posts that speak favorably of it as not.

As an aside, it appears to me as someone new to this board that many and probably most of the frequent posters are Southern Cal. residents who visit DL frequently and live close enough that they don't need lodging. They seem to know the parks inside and out and have great tips on where to eat and what not, but don't necessarily have the same depth of insight on the lodging issues. The trip reports may be a richer resource for you on that particular aspect, IMHO.

Pirate33
02-23-2004, 03:23 PM
Hey, this is all subjective. All I can say is I live living well and don't mind paying for it, but the concierge level doesn't really get you much. The rooms are identical, save perhaps a DVD player, and the lounge is crowded and loud and hardly exclusive feeling. I'm happier having a cold drink in the spectacular ground floor lobby. And the concierge "service" was disappointing to say the least, the only exception being the way they whisked us from the car to the special check in desk.

adriennek
02-23-2004, 04:15 PM
Originally posted by bduff
As an aside, it appears to me as someone new to this board that many and probably most of the frequent posters are Southern Cal. residents who visit DL frequently and live close enough that they don't need lodging.

Actually, a number of people who post to this board are not local, they just travel to Disneyland a LOT. These are people who need lodging at DL many times a year. There are also people who are local enough that they don't stay for long stays when we stay- we might stay for just a one to three nights, so there are many locals who have stayed at GCH just to experience it or to share it with out-of-town friends and family.

I'm in a group that loves to travel and occasionally spends the night in the DLR area even though I'm local. (In the past month I've spent weekends at both the Disneyland Hotel and the Anaheim Marriott- btw, the Marriott was the better experience.)

I've stayed concierge at a Disneyland resort hotel before but at the time, the price difference between concierge and "regular" rooms was much less. For the amount of food we actually got and the level of service we got, I don't think that today it justifies the additional expense.

This weekend at the Marriott, we didn't stay concierge, but when we wanted reservations at Napa Rose, we went to the desk downstairs and they happily made them for us, without our having to pay extra for the "concierge" rooms. We've had this experience at other hotels, too.

Now, there are resorts that I have heard have awesome above average concierge level service- but they're not in Anaheim ;) If it's going to cost $100/day more- take that budget down to Whitewater Snacks and get the food there and like Pirate33 said- relax in the Grand Lobby.

Adrienne

bduff
02-23-2004, 04:31 PM
Sorry, Pirate, if I seemed to be questioning your opinion. I just meant to say that searching the concierge posts (which I just did last week) turned up a mixed bag, as I read them. And thanks, Adrienne, for the context – like I said, I’m new to these boards.

Many times the people who speak approvingly of concierge seem to have had a great experience with DL overall, and the kind words for concierge may just be reflecting their overall experience rather than being a critical evaluation of whether the concierge dollars were well spent. But it’s hard to tell. Pirate’s comments on the lounge are very helpful – that sort of specific observation gives me something to work with in making my decision. Something I have seen other people say about concierge rooms is that the room locations are more convenient, even if the rooms themselves are otherwise the same. Also seen others talk about grabbing food and beverages from the lounge and enjoying them back in their room or elsewhere, so that could be an option during crowded/noisy times? But for $100 extra per night, I’d want the lounge to be more than a grab ‘n go station, I’d be expecting a nice atmosphere to linger in – and evidently on that point different guests have had dramatically different experiences. Interesting.

adriennek
02-23-2004, 04:42 PM
Originally posted by bduff
And thanks, Adrienne, for the context – like I said, I’m new to these boards.

No problem :) It's hard to tell when people put funny comments in their locations ;)

Adrienne

Not Afraid
02-23-2004, 05:28 PM
Originally posted by bduff
As an aside, it appears to me as someone new to this board that many and probably most of the frequent posters are Southern Cal. residents who visit DL frequently and live close enough that they don't need lodging. They seem to know the parks inside and out and have great tips on where to eat and what not, but don't necessarily have the same depth of insight on the lodging issues. The trip reports may be a richer resource for you on that particular aspect, IMHO.


I would almost agree with you with the exception of on property Resort Lodging issues. I live 20 minutes from DLR and have stayed on-property quite a few times. They are shorter stays, as Adrienne mentioned - one to 4 days - but I feel I've experienced the OP resorts pretty fully over numerous stays at different times of the year. (You just can't discount the knowledge of the Disney geek;) )

But the issue at hand is not just about the wonderful GCH, but the "extra" service you have to pay for. (Believe me, there are many, many extra services you don't pay for there.) Concierge is so much of a personal preference - and it makes a big difference what the occasion is and how long you are staying.

As I said previously, the GCH is so wonderful on it's own, so many things to do, places to relax, not to mention the Parks, that I would not spend the money on Concierge. Three nights at $300 extra buys me a Kate Spade bag! ;)

However, if the location was different, I might reconsider.

CarlieB
02-23-2004, 06:20 PM
Three nights at $300 extra buys me a Kate Spade bag!

Good point, NA. If I look at it like that, I could have one heck of a spending spree at Sephora...:~D

wally
02-24-2004, 11:24 AM
We just came back from 4 nights at GCH on the concierge floor. Here is my take on it. For us, it was great. We have two children, one 3 1/2 and one 8. We didn't have to wait to check-in, they have someone meet you outside and take care of it at special desk. We did have the continental breakfast. The food was OK, but the convenience was great! The evening wine and cheese was a nice treat. The kids all hung out by the TV while the adults had a glass of wine. But what made it great was the service. Our 3 year old came down with a nasty bug while we were there. The CM's really helped us keep him comfortable. It also gave our 8 year old a place to go in the evening for story telling while our younger son slept. Before we checked out the CM's from the Concierge Lounge came to our room with suffed bears and balloons for the kids because they felt so bad that our son was sick the whole time (it did not stop him from having a great time) So, given OUR situation at the time, it was worth it. Would I do it again if it were just the two of us. NO! Get a glass of wine by the bar in the lobby and go sit by the fire or the pool. Save your money for a really great dinner at Napa Rose (we had the kids so we didn't do that). Get a quick breakfast at White Water Snacks.

CarlieB
02-24-2004, 11:32 AM
Thanks for the feedback Wally. It sounds like the staff at the hotel were amazing for you guys - I'm sorry your son was sick, but I'm glad you had such a good time in spite of it :)

wally
02-24-2004, 11:44 AM
You are welcome! I read so many amazing posts before we left for our trip that I had to share my experiences too. I know how much they can help people in planning a trip. I'm already thinking about our next trip. We may do the Disneyland Hotel next time. We went over their for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen and with the great pool it seems really geared towards kids. Have you ever stayed there?

CarlieB
02-24-2004, 11:48 AM
No, I've only ever stayed off-property before (The Howard Johnson, The Anabella, and The Carousel Inn). This will be our first time at a Disney hotel, so I'm quite excited about that. I've heard good things about the DL Hotel though - it's supposed to be a good hotel for kids (good pool, etc).

Anthony
02-25-2004, 04:34 PM
This is a very interesting topic, and I think everyone makes great points. IMHO, it wasn't worth it at the GCH. Like prior posters, we stayed for five days with the upgrade (an extra $500) and while the lounge was nice, it was a far cry from exellent. We LOVED DLR, it was great, but you sure didn't get what you paid for at the lounge. As mentioned earlier, they have nice wine and tiny sandwiches, but the huge problem with that is that you need to alter your schedule to accomodate the snacks. Only chips and pop are there 24/7. To get the 'good stuff' you need to work around when they put it out.

The down side, was that while we were out playing in the park, I felt guilty for wasting the service while staying in the park (that extra money took a bunch of overtime shifts working with SMIs)

Anyway, whichever you choose, you will have a great time. Enjoy yourself!