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Cat H
06-19-2006, 12:31 PM
I am trying to book a one bedroom suite concierge level at the Disneyland hotel and was told that that I could not book a suite and concierge at the same time and that if I wanted concierge I would have to ask to upgrade to concierge when I checked in. Has anyone else run into this problem?

10-97
06-19-2006, 01:07 PM
It happened to us last year when we booked a DLH suite through WDTC/AAA. We were able to upgrade to concierge when we checked in, but it was not guaranteed when we booked.

I think it was a new policy implemented last year. I telephoned several numbers trying to confirm the change, and kept getting vague or conflicting answers.

I finally got one person at WDTC to tell me what seemed to be the truth: WDTC isn't part of the Disney company. It's a travel company that contracts to Disney to use their name and provide travel services. The terms of the contract might vary from year to year. Under last year's contract, WDTC didn't offer concierge upgrades to suites reserved at the resort hotels. WDTC apparently believed the suites were popular enough that they didn't have to include an optional concierge upgrade. Maybe this saves them some money on the contract with Disney.

Cat H
06-19-2006, 01:15 PM
Thanks 10-87. I think I will try and book two adjoining rooms with concierge instead of a suite.

sierranevada
06-19-2006, 08:27 PM
What 10-97 said is correct. I was told that you had to book the suite directly through the hotel in order to get a confirmed concierge upgrade at the time of booking. Otherwise, you could ask to upgrade to concierge when you checked in. Strange rule but.....

CamCay
06-20-2006, 04:11 PM
Now they always tell me that they can't guarantee the adjoining rooms, so you have to ask for that at check-in too. They will note my request, but not guarantee.

Osky
06-20-2006, 04:14 PM
Booking directly with the hotels, I have never had a problem booking concierge with a suite.

llarch
08-17-2006, 02:21 PM
We faced the same issue last year, we just booked this XMas and were told the same thing, this is a big draw back with four kids, we really make use of concierge.

I would be interested to know if by calling another number, like guest services or something, concierge could maybe be booked a week or two before check in.

Anyone ever have any success at finding a "work around" for this?

rosie
08-17-2006, 03:28 PM
Forgive me, but what is "concierge"? I thought that was the person who helped with arrangements.

Malcon10t
08-17-2006, 04:09 PM
Forgive me, but what is "concierge"? I thought that was the person who helped with arrangements.
Concierge level offers us of teh lounge, they have breakfast in the am, snacks all day, sodas all day, etc... I do it when we stay at the Hilton. Its about $40 a day more there. At DLR, its from $125 -200 a day more. I can't imagine it being worth that much.

3894
08-17-2006, 05:00 PM
At DLR, its from $125 -200 a day more. I can't imagine it being worth that much.

It just depends on the individual situation. There are times when you spend money to make life smoother.

Osky
08-17-2006, 05:09 PM
At DLR, its from $125 -200 a day more. I can't imagine it being worth that much.

Then don't pay for concierge and leave more room in the lounge for me! ;)

Malcon10t
08-17-2006, 10:05 PM
Then don't pay for concierge and leave more room in the lounge for me! ;)
:) I will! Everyone has something they like and are willing to pay for. Some like staying on property and getting concierge and that is great. My crew likes Fantasmic! seating. We usually do that a couple times a trip. Everyone is different in what they are willing to pay for.

Niele
08-18-2006, 10:54 AM
We have a 2 BR suite at GCH booked through WDTC for Dec. this year and when I tried to add concierge at that time, like we had done before, they told me that I needed to contact the hotel directly. I did so and they confirmed that I would have concierge for $150 per night additional cost. I have since called about once a month to confirm. They even told me that with a suite they already have me down in confirmed rooms. I'm really happy with the location so have kept all my notes along with names who told me this info. I realize this is all "subject to change" but I've got my fingers crossed. Hope this helps.

kohl
08-20-2006, 11:01 AM
I can't imagine it being worth that much.


We just got back from a 6 night trip at the GCH with concierge. We used to think that it was so much money and thought it really couldn't be woth it.
It really is worth the extra money you pay. We figured out that we really didn't pay that much more staying there. If you go back to the lounge for all the extra's they have, you don't buy much else. We only bought a few snacks throughout the trip. It was so wonderfull to watch the fireworks from the balcony eating dessert and having coffee or hot chocolate. After the fireworks there are no crowds to deal with.
We had one of the best trips this time.

ima_mickeyfan
08-20-2006, 11:10 AM
when we had a 1 bdrm suite last year at the dlh. I went to check in and asked for a consierge upgrade, and the CM told me that I didn't want it! That since my room was already paid for the service was not worth it...I found it strange,but soon realized that we were never really around the hotel to want to use it anyway. it was just as easy to grab breakfast in the park. head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest and swim, grab lunch at hook's and then dinner in dtd. It would have been so much more running back and forth and with our 4 little ones, it would have been 2 hard.

Minnie66
08-20-2006, 04:25 PM
That's exactly why we had to stop booking packages and going straight through the hotels so that we could book it when we booked the room, we miss the extra's that come with the packages but save money in the end. I think I tend to like booking directly with the hotel better now.

llarch
08-31-2006, 04:54 PM
Niele, did they actually book concierge for you ahead of your stay, or did they tell you it can only be added at check in time?

Niele
09-01-2006, 06:16 PM
Aloha llarch - WDTC told me to call the hotel directly after I made my booking. I called two days later and requested it then. They found the reservation # I made with WDTC and said no problem, although it will cost more, and every time I've called the hotel since then to ask about baskets, dining, etc... (they must have it in my reservation notes) all of the people I've spoken with have confirmed that we will have concierge. I've got my fingers crossed.

Burnt Toast
09-03-2006, 10:11 AM
I finally got one person at WDTC to tell me what seemed to be the truth: WDTC isn't part of the Disney company. It's a travel company that contracts to Disney to use their name and provide travel services. The terms of the contract might vary from year to year. Under last year's contract, WDTC didn't offer concierge upgrades to suites reserved at the resort hotels. WDTC apparently believed the suites were popular enough that they didn't have to include an optional concierge upgrade. Maybe this saves them some money on the contract with Disney.

WDTC *IS* part of the Disney Company. Those folks answering the phones are Disney Cast Members. The contract thing is kinda right and wrong. WDTC is only contracted to sell a certain number of rooms that they can book with some control, CRO basically gets the rest.

The reason why concierge is NOT included with suites like they were before was because Guests used to complain until the sun went down that they assumed they were guaranteed a suite in the Sierra Tower (speaking of the DLH in particular) and then were pissed when their suite was in Marina or Bonita. FYI, Bonita has the most suites in the entire complex. Sierra has like four to six suites Regal suites total... the rest are the Imperials (penthouse, Presidential, etc. etc.) which can't be booked with normal channels. Anyways, this used to cause HUGE headaches for the Cast Members and Guests involved.

Now concierge is an upgrade, basically. Last I checked the concierge upgrade is like $75 or $125 extra a night, I don't recall exactly offhand.

Also, the concierge management wanted to limit the number of folks that were booked with concierge, since I guess they were getting complaints that the lounge was too crowded at some points, especially during peak seasons. Sometimes it would get pretty bad but now it's under control.

When you "call the hotel directly" (I really wish people would stop saying that because it causes so much confusion to those not in the know!) you are calling Central Reservations. Front Desk Cast Members can only do walk-in, same day, last minute reservations (like you have to be standing at the Front Desk looking for a room for that night). The hotels themselves do NOT do their own reservations, that's CRO.

CRO Cast Members is located in the same building as the WDTC Cast Members, all in one big call center. Central Reservations does room only Disneyland Resort Hotel reservations with tickets being optional. WDTC does packages, which include Good Neighbor and Disneyland Resort Hotel reservations and your tickets, as well as various other amenities included in the package.

Also, to clear these misconceptions up... when you call Cosco Travel, it's actually a WDTC Cast Member sitting in our call center. When you book a package with AAA, they actually turn around and call WDTC. If you book with a travel agent that books a WDTC package (not their own "package" like Get-Away Today or Expedia), they also actually turn around and call WDTC.

10-97
09-03-2006, 10:34 PM
Burnt Toast,

Thank you for the excellent information about WDTC. It indeed clears up many misconceptions I had about how the company operates.

Judging from the language in your post, it sounds as if you sometimes get frustrated by guests and their expectations. I can imagine how guests could occasionally be unreasonable, but I'd like you to also look at it from a guest's perspective: I'm occasionally frustrated by the inconsistent information provided by WDTC employees, particularly over the phone.

For example, you mentioned how some concierge guests assumed they were guaranteed a suite in the Sierra Tower, then complained upon check-in when they were told otherwise. That's exactly what happened to me the first time I booked a DLH concierge suite through WDTC. But it wasn't due to an uninformed assumption on my part. I was specifically told by a WDTC employee that ALL concierge suites at the DLH were in the Sierra Tower, that I didn't need make a special request. An employee at the reservation desk told me the same thing when I later confirmed our dates over the phone.

When we checked in, I learned that we had been assigned a suite in the Marina Tower, because the Sierra Tower was full. I was disappointed at first, but I got over it, especially when I saw that our Marina suite had an extra half bath. But I thought it was odd that two different employees had given me the same incorrect information over the phone. IMO, I don't think you should be so quick to blame a guest for making what appears to be a false assumption.

The year that WDTC quit taking resort hotel suite reservations with a concierge upgrade, a WDTC employee told us when we booked that concierge was "not available." Here I was guilty of making a false assumption: I assumed this meant that the upgrade was sold out for the dates we requested, not that WDTC was now limiting the booking options.

Later, when I learned about the change in what I was told was the "contract" between WDTC and the resort hotels, I was disappointed that the WDTC employee had used such vague language when we booked, and I was mad at myself for not asking specific questions. I made a number of phone calls that year, trying to find out whether or not I could guarantee a concierge upgrade prior to check-in. I wish now that I had taken notes during these calls, so I could share with you exactly how much conflicting information I got.

For years, we always booked our DL vacations through the "Magic Kingdom Club", then through the WDTC. But with the recent WDTC booking limitations for the suite/concierge combination, we will be making our reservations directly through the hotel.

llarch
09-20-2006, 07:50 PM
Aloha llarch - WDTC told me to call the hotel directly after I made my booking. I called two days later and requested it then. They found the reservation # I made with WDTC and said no problem, although it will cost more, and every time I've called the hotel since then to ask about baskets, dining, etc... (they must have it in my reservation notes) all of the people I've spoken with have confirmed that we will have concierge. I've got my fingers crossed.

Niele, do you recall which area you called into at the hotel? We called the hotel with a reservation number, and they tried to pass us back to WDTC. No luck yet on getting concierge booked ahead of time. Any details you can provide would be helpful.

samkj
09-20-2006, 08:20 PM
Call (714) 956-6425 to reach the Disneyland Resort Reservations line.

llarch
09-21-2006, 05:20 PM
Call (714) 956-6425 to reach the Disneyland Resort Reservations line.

That's the number we tried, no luck the second time either.

Niele, are you sure you were able to book concierge separately through the hotel after booking your vacation through WDTC? The hotel keeps saying they can't do it, it is not possible.

Osky
09-21-2006, 05:23 PM
Niele, are you sure you were able to book concierge separately through the hotel after booking your vacation through WDTC? The hotel keeps saying they can't do it, it is not possible.

I think you can only book concierge if you book directly with the hotel. Otherwise, if you go through a travel company, including WDTC, you cannot book concierge at the time of booking.

momrussell
09-23-2006, 04:24 PM
we booked a week through alaskan airlines- a package and got concierge level