The Guide to Disney Cruise Concierge

Ever thought about going on a Disney cruise? While pricey, Disney cruises offer high-end entertainment for the whole family, including spectacular events like shows and character meet and greets. But there’s more than one way to book a Disney cruise.

For those who are willing to splurge, Disney cruise concierge rooms provide a superior experience and a host of extra perks.

When you book a Disney cruise, you have the option to choose from a variety of different staterooms. The cheapest are located in the interior of the ship and have no windows. Those that cost a little more have an ocean view or verandah, and the most expensive rooms are Disney cruise concierge rooms.

Along with better rooms, those who book at the concierge level can expect additional benefits, such as exclusive access to an onboard lounge, a personal concierge and better access to onboard bookings.

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The type of room you’ll receive when booking at the concierge level will vary according to the ship you’re sailing on, but generally, you can expect a larger room than others you’ll find. This may include a one-bedroom suite, a two-bedroom suite or even a royal suite spanning 1,000 square feet.

• Disney Dream: This ship offers a Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah that sleeps five and a Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah that sleeps five. Both have wheelchair-accessible options available. There is also the Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah which sleeps five.

• Disney Fantasy: This ship offers identical room types to the Disney Dream.

• Disney Wish: The Disney Wish ship has several more concierge-level room options, including Concierge 1-Story Royal Suite with Verandah, Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom, Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah, Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Extended Verandah, Concierge 2-Story Royal Suite with Verandah and the ultra-luxurious Concierge Wish Tower Suite. The Concierge 1-Story Royal Suite with Verandah and the Concierge 2-Story Royal Suite with Verandah sleep six, while the Concierge Wish Tower Suite sleeps eight. All other rooms sleep five, and wheelchair-accessible versions are available.

• Disney Magic: There are four concierge-level room options on the Disney Magic: Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah (sleeps seven), Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah (sleeps five), Concierge 2-Bedroom Suite with Verandah (sleeps seven) and Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah (sleeps five). Wheelchair-accessible options are available for the Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah.

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So what kind of perks will you receive if you book a concierge-level room? Have you ever booked a club-level room at a hotel? Many of these benefits are the same, though you’ll receive even more when booking a Disney concierge room.

Here's a full list of benefits of the Disney Cruise concierge level.

As a Disney cruise already includes an exhaustive level of amenities, it’s difficult to add more value to your booking; even so, Disney concierge-level rooms do so by easing your trip at every opportunity. This means you can expect better service and priority access pretty much everywhere you go.

Those in a concierge room also have access to a dedicated lounge filled with snacks and drinks. Even better, in the evening you’ll be able to enjoy complimentary alcoholic beverages, which are notoriously expensive on cruises.

The most important perk you’ll receive is priority access to onboard bookings. Guests have the ability to book additional activities during their cruise, but the timeframe varies based on your room type and your Disney cruise elite status in the Castaway Club.

Those at the lowest rung will be able to book activities 90 days before departure. Disney cruise concierge rooms, meanwhile, can begin booking 120 days in advance, giving them first dibs on every activity. The Concierge Team will make bookings on your behalf, giving you the ability to kick back and relax.

Examples of activities you can book early include:

• Port adventures.

• Adults-only dining reservations at Palo or Remy (on the Dream and Fantasy only).

• Spa treatments.

• Nursery.

You can also make requests for dining room seating and other special occasions.

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Is a Disney cruise concierge-level room worth booking? There's no right answer to this personal question. Before booking one of these rooms, there are a few questions to consider:

• How much do you value your time? Early embarkation allows you to get onboard first and skip most lines during your cruise.

• Are you traveling with children? A private meet and greet may mean the difference between waiting in line for a photo versus a little more time with a character.

• What types of activities are you planning to do? At Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, cabanas are notoriously difficult to book. Purchasing a concierge-level room grants you first access to these coveted spots.

Disney cruise concierge price

But what about the cost involved? To take a look at the difference in pricing, we compared the cost of two different staterooms on a four-night Disney cruise departing from San Diego.

The cheapest room available when we checked rang in at $1,135 for two adults. With a square footage of about 170 feet, there isn’t much room to move around. There’s also no window as this is an interior room.

The least expensive concierge room, meanwhile, clocked in at $3,431 for two adults. At this rate, you’d be getting a stateroom, not a suite, though you’d have your own private verandah and almost twice as much space. This is in addition to all the perks you’ll receive as a concierge-level booking.

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Is it a smart money move to spend three times more to have a concierge room? There are some pretty significant perks, after all. However, at this rate, you could buy yourself two additional cruises and still have a little money left over in your pocket.

If you want to maximize your time on board a Disney cruise, a concierge booking may be worth considering. You may also want to look at this option if this is a once-in-a-lifetime event since you’ll want to have first access to all the goodies that Disney provides.

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There’s no denying that Disney does cruises in style. However, the concierge rooms exist on a different level, and although they can be costly, these rooms also prove their worth with a variety of benefits.

Before you decide on your Disney cruise booking, consider if you’ll be able to take advantage of the amenities offered with a concierge-level room. If not, save the money and splurge on your own activities — or another couple of cruises — and enjoy your less expensive Disney experience.

Featured image courtesy of Disney Cruise Line.