Concierge Service and Best NIght for Paol on Disney Wonder

We have just booked our first Disney Cruise on the Wonder, sailing on November 2015. This will be the first cruise for my husband & I in over 10 years (and our first cruise on DCL) and our first cruise ever with kids. We have 3 boys who will be 9, almost 6 and 3.5 when we sail. We picked a concierge one bedroom and are curious about the perks. I've seen lots of great reviews about concierge level on the newer Disney ships, but can't find much about concierge service on the older ships. Can anyone who has sailed concierge on the Wonder recently address what type of perks they enjoyed as concierge guests or give us any suggestions for making the most of the service? Also, am I correct that there is no dedicated concierge lounge on the Wonder (as on the newer ships)? Lastly, I know we are still months out, but we are enjoying researching and planning for our trip. We'd love to have an adults-only night at Palo, but don't want to miss out on pirate night or formal night with the kids. Does Disney typically keep the same nights as formal night/pirate night for each itinerary? We will be on a 7-night Bahamian cruise- when would be the best time to book Palo? Thanks in advance!

I find it interesting that people spend the kind of money that concierge suites cost but don't know what they are getting. There is a partial list on the DCL web site. Basically you get someone at your beck and call 24/7. DVDs in the cabin, popcorn for movies. No lounge on the classic ship, but an assortment of munchies delivered to your cabin each afternoon. The fridge will be stocked with water and soft drinks on your arrival, but in the one bedroom you are charged for refills. They will trade out types at no charge (as in "we don't like Sprite, can we get Diet Coke instead?"). Robes to use while there and slippers to take home, a special litho as a farewell gift, extra toiletries in the bathrooms, lots more space than a regular cabin, getting any reservation you want as long as you let them know by day 1, first shot at a cabana on Castaway Cay, help with transportation if needed, never having to wait in any line for anything. Carefully kept secrets--best tables in the dining room in terms of viewing the various shows and the servers with the best reviews. Golf cart transportation on Castaway if requested/needed. Priority tendering at any tender port. Photos delivered to your stateroom for viewing and making decisions to purchase or not (but with 3 kids, you'll probably want the CD with prints which includes all photos). That pretty gold KTTW card.

Normally the same schedules are maintained. I've never heard of a 7 night Bahamian cruise, so can't advise on that. Most 7 nighters are Caribbean--Eastern, Western, or Southern trips. And even there, some alternative ports are thrown in on some cruises. Shoreside concierge can advise as to what nights have which themes. They should contact you about 125 days before the cruise and will do anything you desire at the 120 day window. Let them do it for you--they seem to do the reservations before they ever show up on line.

Thanks so much Moki's Mommy. That is very helpful. We have done a lot of research before booking, but didn't know about some of the items you mention - like the best tables in the dining room. The 7 night Bahamas cruise is out of Galveston in November with stops in Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau. We chose it based on dates & accessibility to Galveston - the kids are on vacation and we can drive to Galveston & not have to deal with airfare for 5/hassle of flying with 3 kids.

Totally makes sense, I'd just never heard of it. Sorry that I can't advise on what happens on which nights, BUT shoreside team should know. You can call the concierge team any time and ask about the schedule. Kids will enjoy the DVDs and popcorn in the cabin. You can also get free popcorn from the concierge before going down to movies in the theatres.

As far as missing the Pirates deck party, just plan on eating before 7:30 on any night and you'll be fine. They do it later in the evening after people are done with dinner on the second seating in the MDR. If you do end up with Pirate night, as your concierge and I'm sure they can bring the little bandanas they give our at dinner to your suite.

We've sailed Concierge on both the Magic and the Wonder out of Galveston, and we've got another trip booked on the Wonder this December. We were in a Royal Suite, which changes the perks a bit (we could have Palo delivered to our room, and we had unlimited internet), but most of the perks are the same. We actually did the same ports you are doing when we were on the Wonder out of Galveston about a year and a half ago. Our kids were almost 3 and 8 on the trip.

When you arrive, you go through a shorter line for concierge (and maybe high levels of repeat cruisers.) You can go onto the ship whenever you arrive, as long as boarding has begun. If it hasn't started yet, you will be in the first group. You go (or are escorted, we had it once each way) to one of the lounges immediately upon arrival on the ship, where the concierges are waiting to go over your current plans, make additional plans, and hand you tickets for ticketed events. (They had tickets for the old tea with Alice (now discontinued) at one of them for us, and tickets for the Tea with Princesses on the second cruise, as they realized our almost 3 year old would be interested.) There are drinks and snacks available in the lounge, and you can relax until your room is ready, or you can go explore the ship once you meet with your concierge. There are two on the ship, and officially one is assigned to you, but any time you call, you will probably just get the one available at the time. (On our first cruise, we mostly dealt with "our" concierge, but on the second, somehow we always ended up dealing with the "other.")

The lounge is also used for the private concierge event later in the trip. Again, you are served drinks and food (mostly Palo appetizers, actually), and you get a surprise guest. We had Donald in formal attire on one of the cruises, and Mickey in formal attire on the other. It is definitely worth going to the event and taking the kids.

You can request a private table for your party in the dining room. You will be given an excellent waitstaff team. We asked for a different time for the character breakfast, and were given one. My mother mentioned that she really liked avocado and fresh vegetables, and on the first cruise, they brought it to our cabin every evening, and on the second cruise, when we ate in the dining room a few more times, they brought it to our table nightly. They also prepared a special Indian meal for our table one night, because we noticed that the table next to us had requested special meals, and we commented they looked wonderful. I don't know how much of the special attention was because it is Disney, how much because we were in concierge, and how much because we were in a Royal Suite.

The concierge comes by the room every day to check on you and often bring some little present. For example, the kids got cards with several dollars loaded on them for the arcade. You get daily hors d'oeuvres. (We got unlimited soda and bottled water, but I think that may be specific to the Royal.)

If you are paid in full, you can get first access to booking meals and excursions, including the cabanas on Castaway Cay. Let your shoreside concierge know by 125 out from your sailing if you want a cabana. We did get one, and we enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if we'll do it again. We also had no trouble booking both dinner and brunch at Palo, and considered both worth doing.

Overall, your concierge will smooth out little hassles on the trip. We realized we lost an iphone one night (left in a pocket in the laundry bag), notified the concierge, and she returned it to us the next morning. My mother couldn't figure out how to use her wave phone to call us at dinner, when our daughter got seasick, and the concierge came and found us for her. They will help pamper you!

You'll have a wonderful time!

As noted above, some of the listed perks are available only in the 2 bedroom Royal suites (formerly called the Walt and Roy suites).

Examples--Palo dinner in cabin, replenishing of beverages in fridge (they were discussing extending this one, not sure if it happened or not).

If you have any special needs or requests, don't hesitate to ask.

We have just booked our first Disney Cruise on the Wonder, sailing on November 2015. This will be the first cruise for my husband & I in over 10 years (and our first cruise on DCL) and our first cruise ever with kids. We have 3 boys who will be 9, almost 6 and 3.5 when we sail. We picked a concierge one bedroom and are curious about the perks. I've seen lots of great reviews about concierge level on the newer Disney ships, but can't find much about concierge service on the older ships. Can anyone who has sailed concierge on the Wonder recently address what type of perks they enjoyed as concierge guests or give us any suggestions for making the most of the service? Also, am I correct that there is no dedicated concierge lounge on the Wonder (as on the newer ships)? Lastly, I know we are still months out, but we are enjoying researching and planning for our trip. We'd love to have an adults-only night at Palo, but don't want to miss out on pirate night or formal night with the kids. Does Disney typically keep the same nights as formal night/pirate night for each itinerary? We will be on a 7-night Bahamian cruise- when would be the best time to book Palo? Thanks in advance!

Thanks for asking these questions, as I have wondered the same things. My family is on the Thanksgiving cruise out of Galveston in a one bedroom suite too. We have a 6 year old son, who loves to cruise Disney. This will be our first suite on DCL. I've read a lot about the perks, as I know some are unwritten and can vary from cruise to cruise.

My family is counting down the days till we fly to Houston. We are so much looking forward to the cruise.

Hi Karin -- I think we are on the same cruise. We leave 11/20 out of Galveston! And I think my middle son is around the same age as your son. He is 5 now & will turn 6 a few weeks after our cruise. He will start Kinder this year.

Hi PAfamily,

Yes, we are on the same cruise. My son will be almost 7 (Christmas baby), by cruise time. He will be starting 1st grade in the fall. My son is very outgoing, and loves Legos and Disney. He is going to love the Oceaneer Club. I am so much looking forward to the cruise. A week of no cooking (even though I love to cook). A true vacation!

PAfamily, see you on the cruise! We plan to board early, and enjoy the ship. We are flying in the day before.

Thanks so much Moki's Mommy. That is very helpful. We have done a lot of research before booking, but didn't know about some of the items you mention - like the best tables in the dining room. The 7 night Bahamas cruise is out of Galveston in November with stops in Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau. We chose it based on dates & accessibility to Galveston - the kids are on vacation and we can drive to Galveston & not have to deal with airfare for 5/hassle of flying with 3 kids.

Does PA mean Pennsylvania?, if so, I would save the money for concierge level and pay for airfare. Isn't driving that far with three kids more of a hassle?

Does PA mean Pennsylvania?, if so, I would save the money for concierge level and pay for airfare. Isn't driving that far with three kids more of a hassle?

The words "accessibility to Galveston" lead me to believe they are in either in Texas or at least no further than the far south western side of Louisiana.

PA can mean any number of things. Their initials, Physicians Assistant, Palo Alto, the list goes on.

In this instance the PA is listed as their location though.

In this instance the PA is listed as their location though.

Exactly. But I guess it could be Palo Alto , Perth Amboy, or many other places. Traditionally it is Pennsylvania.

In this instance the PA is listed as their location though.

I usually access these boards via Tapatalk on a tablet and don't see user info like location or signatures.

Karin5 --

I look forward to seeing you & your family on the cruise! Your son is right in between my 2 oldest boys. My oldest will be in 3rd grade next year & my second will be starting Kinder - both love legos & will enjoy getting to meet other boy. And I think that we will have cabins nearby if we are both concierge - we're on deck 8.

As to the confusion over our location - We are originally from Pennsylvania (hence PAFamilyof5), but recently moved to Texas, so we can drive to Galveston. All of our family is still on the East Coast, so we're looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving on DCL this year.

Karin5 --

 

I look forward to seeing you & your family on the cruise! Your son is right in between my 2 oldest boys. My oldest will be in 3rd grade next year & my second will be starting Kinder - both love legos & will enjoy getting to meet other boy. And I think that we will have cabins nearby if we are both concierge - we're on deck 8.

 

As to the confusion over our location - We are originally from Pennsylvania (hence PAFamilyof5), but recently moved to Texas, so we can drive to Galveston. All of our family is still on the East Coast, so we're looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving on DCL this year.

PAFamily,

If you'd like to chat behind the boards, feel free to contact me via e-mail: kmmjetskiatyahoodotcom

I think our boys would have a super good time on the cruise. My son loves to meet new kids.

Thanks, Karin5. I sent a message to your e-mail & look forward to meeting your family in November.

Thanks, Karin5. I sent a message to your e-mail & look forward to meeting your family in November.

I'm sorry to say, I didn't get your e-mail. I may have caused some confusion to my address, as I wrote in code (wrote out 'dot' and the 'at'), so admin wouldn't delete it. Please try again. My address is kmmjetski@yahoo.com I sure hope to hear from you, as it would be fun to chat before the cruise. If not, I'll see you on the ship. I'm counting down the days, I love to cruise. :)