Sailing concierge on a Disney cruise, is it worth it?
I really believe that having over 40 years of personal experience visiting Walt Disney World is one of the things that makes me qualified to give advice about Disney vacations. When it comes to Disney Cruise Line, I have had experience sailing in various categories of staterooms, but I hadn’t sailed Disney Cruise concierge. How could I tell people if concierge was worth it if I hadn’t tried it? My mind was made up, I needed to sail concierge in a 1-bedroom suite on the Disney Dream – for research purposes of course.
Research is key when you’re a travel blogger
My sister, our two friends and I left Walt Disney World after 8 days in the parks and drove down to Port Canaveral. Being concierge meant that we did not have a specific boarding time and we could check in at the concierge desk (where there was no line). After checking in, we were able to relax in the lounge area in the terminal reserved for concierge guests. Once the ship was cleared – we were led on board and up to the lounge on deck 12.
What is inside the concierge lounge on the Disney Dream?
In the concierge lounge we were treated to mimosas and some nibbly treats. We met our 3 hosts who had a custom itinerary printed out for us that included our Palo brunch and Castaway Cabana reservations that were booked by the pre-arrival team. They told us about the 2 happy hours that were hosted each night in the lounge offering drinks (alcohol and non) as well as what kind of food and snacks were available throughout the day. We were told that if there was anything we needed, we only had to ask.
We enjoyed the conversations (and the mimosas) but were so excited to go and see our stateroom! We left the lounge and were thrilled to see our stateroom was right across the hall which turned out to be super convenient for getting tea in the morning and bottles of water throughout the day.
I had the chance to look in the 1-bedroom suite before, but walking in to that room knowing it was mine for 4 nights was an incredible feeling! When we opened the door there were gasps from all of us, I believe the word “wow” was used about 67 times in the next 10 minutes while we explored.
The living room
How big is the 1 bedroom suite on the Disney Dream?
The suite was larger than I remembered and I hadn’t realized there were 3 closets in that hallway. There was a dining room, living room area, desk, bedroom and 2 full bathrooms. The master bathroom was like something out of a magazine with a TV in the mirror, separate shower stall and a bathtub so large I could have practiced my backstroke!
We decided it was time to check out the concierge sun deck to see where we might spend our time if we ever left our room during the cruise! We went back through the lounge to grab some bottled water and headed upstairs – that’s when the ‘wow’ word was used another 14 times! There were sun loungers, comfy chairs, sunscreen and a hot tub – all for concierge guests only. I knew we would be spending some quality time in this area!
Before the sail away party started I knew I was in trouble. We had been on the ship for only a few hours and I had already decided that cruising concierge was worth the cost. I spent the next 4 days enjoying all of the benefits of cruising concierge. From the fabulous table locations in the dining rooms to the parting gift they left in our room, they really treated us like royalty.
Now that I’m home (and my Visa bill has come in!), I am able to look back with a more practical view to determine if I would do it again. In my opinion, sailing concierge is definitely worth it if you put a high value on convenience, luxury and service. The Disney Cruise Line has exceptional service for everyone, but sailing concierge felt like it had some extra pixie dust for me.
If your budget allows for it, I would highly recommend it. There is only one thing that I have to caution you on – once you sail concierge, you may not be able to sail any other way! Contact Playcation Travel to book your next cruise!
Have you sailed concierge? Would you do it again?
Check out our video review here:
