When you sail on a Disney cruise, everyone gets access to included food, good service and great entertainment. But there’s a class of cabins that gives guests a bit of extra pixie dust: Disney Cruise Line concierge level.
Disney Cruise Line sits toward the pricier end of the cruising spectrum, even in the most basic of accommodations. But let’s assume you’ve already decided that the cost to cruise with Disney — with the Disney characters, access to an included rotating dining room schedule and evening Broadway-caliber Disney shows — is worth it for you.
As you look at the cabin and amenity options available on Disney cruise ships, you might wonder if Disney Cruise Line’s concierge-level rooms and service are worth the additional premium.
To answer this question and see what exactly all that extra cash gets you, we sailed in concierge-level rooms on Disney Wonder and Disney Wish. Here’s what we found out about Disney Cruise Line's concierge-level rooms, benefits, service and lounge — and whether the perks are worth the additional cost.
Disney Cruise Line’s concierge level is similar in some ways to a club-level room at a Disney World or Disneyland resort hotel.
You pay more for this type of accommodation in exchange for access to a lounge, more attentive service and additional benefits. But the extras for concierge service on a Disney cruise ship actually go much further than the added benefits of a club room at the Disney parks.
Those who decide to spend the extra cash for a concierge-level room will be spoiled with earlier booking dates for excursions and activities, special onboard meals and offerings, the ability to book cabanas at Disney’s private island before others, early access to the theater in the evening to nab the best seats, and use of a private lounge on the ship.
To access the concierge level on a Disney cruise, you have to book a concierge room type, and the benefits and upgraded service then convey with that cabin type. It’s not an add-on you can tack onto an otherwise nonconcierge cabin.
Cabin types within that concierge class of rooms often start with verandah cabins (i.e., a room with a private balcony) and go up in price and size to include a variety of suites. If you’re already thinking you want to book a suite, you don’t also have to decide about the concierge level; you will automatically get Disney Cruise Line’s concierge service included with your premium accommodations.
However, if you plan to book a cabin with a balcony, you will need to decide whether you want a room with the standard inclusions or to upgrade to a concierge room with a balcony and all the extra Disney Cruise Line concierge benefits. The difference can be thousands of dollars and access to a slew of additional perks while on the ship.
When I recently priced out Disney Cruise Line concierge rooms, cruise fares for ships departing from the U.S. started at a little under $4,000 for a short sailing for two people during the less busy cruising times. On short sailings from places like Singapore on Disney Adventure and when one of the Disney ships is operating short sailings out of Australia, the starting price for the concierge level can drop a bit lower than that.
On the flip side, prices go up to tens of thousands of dollars per sailing for concierge level for the larger suites or on longer sailings, such as for a weeklong sailing on the new Disney Treasure or the popular Disney sailings to Alaska.
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Booking a concierge-level room on a Disney cruise brings many perks beyond access to the concierge lounge. Here’s a quick summary of some of the Disney Cruise Line concierge benefits:
- Priority booking of activities and excursions 130 days before sailing via the Shoreside Concierge Associate team (123 days out if you would like to book yourself online)
- Priority boarding — be among the first on the ship
- Access to the concierge lounge with included food and drinks
- Complimentary wine, beer and spirits in the concierge lounge in the evenings
- Free popcorn in the movie theaters
- Priority seating for the evening shows
- Priority walk-off on debarkation day
- Room service ordering of hot breakfast or dinner from the main restaurants in suites
- Access to knowledgeable and helpful concierge hosts
To appreciate the value of these perks, you have to understand how activity bookings work on a Disney cruise. Most cruise lines, including Disney, have an elite status pecking order in terms of when you can board, book premium onboard restaurants, make spa appointments, secure shore excursions and schedule onboard activities.
On Disney Cruise Line, first-time cruisers can make those bookings starting 75 days before sailing. That sounds like plenty of time, but those who have sailed with Disney before can make the bookings 90 to 123 days before setting sail, depending on their Castaway Club status.
However, if you book at the concierge level, the concierge team asks for your activity preferences via email before your sail date. They put in your requests precisely when the 130-day booking window opens, so essentially, no one can book anything before you. This jump-start increases the odds that you'll get your preferred spa times, onboard tastings, adults-only restaurant reservations, excursions and even hard-to-get cabanas while at Disney's islands in the Bahamas.
However, even this isn't a guarantee, especially on ships such as Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, thanks to a larger number of concierge rooms on those ships. If everyone else in that level is vying for the opportunity to book a cabana, you still may miss out, so think of the concierge level as increasing the odds of hard-to-get bookings, not a slam dunk.
Those in a concierge-level suite can order from an expanded room service menu and have menu items from the ship's main dining rooms delivered to their cabins. To do this, you can place an order with the concierge hosts, and the food will be brought to you. In fact, being in a concierge suite is the only way to get a hot breakfast delivered to your cabin.
Disney Cruise Line concierge guests also get priority tendering to ports, when required. Thanks to priority boarding times on embarkation day when we were sailing in the concierge level during a Disney Wonder sailing, we were the third family to come aboard. This meant we got several more hours on the ship than we did on our first cruise, when we did not have concierge-level access. Boarding first also meant we had the pools and slides to ourselves for a long time, which was a great treat.
Port Canaveral, a departure port in Florida used for several Disney cruise ships, offers an entire lounge with a stocked fridge where concierge guests can wait before boarding starts for that group. That means your special treatment starts before you even walk on board.
Once on board, plan on stopping by the exclusive embarkation day lunch for concierge-level guests so you can avoid the lunchtime crowds and get to know your concierge host team. While it’s not mandatory to attend, the lunch is a good way to kick off your cruise (before or after you’ve gotten in any early swimming you want to do).
Pro tip: Get the Welcome Aboard Sundae and enjoy a drink; alcohol and premium nonalcoholic drinks, such as smoothies, are included during this exclusive lunch.
For me, the best part of the concierge magic, outside of the lounge itself, is the way the concierge staff handles disembarkation.
On our first cruise, getting off the ship took hours. We burned off our “vacation high” in a hurry. But when you cruise in the concierge level, you can enjoy a light breakfast in the lounge, and then the staff can take you and your luggage down a private elevator and straight to the walkway off the ship. Debarkation takes mere minutes.
This might not sound impressive until you’ve done it the other way, battling thousands of cruisers also ready to disembark. I’m here to tell you that experiencing no lines, no stress and no regrets as the concierge staff escorted us off the ship made for an easier transition back into the real world.
The concierge lounge is the tangible hallmark of Disney Cruise Line’s concierge-level service.
On Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, the lounge is midship on Deck 10, which is almost as high as you can go on the ship. On Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, the concierge lounge is on decks 12 and 13, which are also two of the topmost decks on those ships. On Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, the lounge is found on Deck 12.
You must use your keycard to get into the lounge. Near the entrance, concierge staff members are typically waiting to assist you. They will quickly get to know you over the course of the cruise and basically act as your cruise fairy godparents. (On the flip side, they’d totally know if you tried to bring in a non-concierge-level guest, so don’t do that.)
The lounges themselves each have a food-and-beverage area (with a great coffee machine!), along with various seating areas. On Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, the lounge had a solid bar, plus hot tubs and a small pool deck just for concierge guests.
Except on debarkation day and during any private Disney character meet-and-greets, the lounge was rarely crowded when we visited. However, it does get busier during the included happy hour times in the early evening.
In the concierge lounge, you’ll find light snacks and small plates that rotate throughout the day. You'll also find some treats that are only available in this lounge, such as the lunchtime sushi rolls we enjoyed on Disney Wish.
On Disney Wish, we loved to pop into the lounge for a snack or dessert for the kids. Since the lounge was so close to the concierge rooms on that ship, it was logistically simpler to grab a quick breakfast or snack there rather than heading over to the main onboard restaurants. But what I truly loved about Disney’s concierge lounge was the help-yourself drinks fridge. We stocked the minifridge in our cabin from this main fridge and loaded up our backpacks before shore excursions.
Each evening, complimentary beer, wine and spirits were served in the lounge by bartenders who seemed to know everyone’s names by the second evening. Don’t worry if you don’t drink or if you want something for your kids; mocktails and alcohol-free daiquiris were available upon request.
Disney Cruise Line concierge rooms traditionally start at the Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah level, and they will be clearly labeled as concierge rooms when booking. However, some rooms without verandahs, such as the Oceanview Staterooms on Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, can fall within the concierge class, too.
If you’re looking for more space, the ships have one- and two-bedroom layouts and specialty suites like the humongous 1,966-square-foot Tower Suites on Disney Wish and Disney Treasure. As previously mentioned, all Disney Cruise Line suites come with included concierge access and services.
If you're curious, here's a look inside the two-story suite on Disney Wish.
On Disney Wish, we weren't in that suite but did qualify for concierge access by sailing in a 608-square-foot, one-bedroom suite just a few doors down from the concierge lounge.
It had a master bedroom with a king-size bed, a gorgeous bathroom with a "Tangled"-inspired mosaic over the bathtub, a living room with a couch that converted to a bed, and a dining area with a table for four. The divider between the living and dining spaces contained a Murphy bed that pulled down into an additional single bed. The suite more than comfortably slept my two kids, my mom and myself.
A few years earlier, we had a slightly larger 614-square-foot one-bedroom suite on Disney Wonder that also conveyed concierge benefits. This suite felt more spacious than the one on Disney Wish, though it clearly had a more traditional look. In both cases, we were royally spoiled with more space and service compared to staying in a standard cruise cabin.
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Cruise prices vary dramatically, and that’s especially true when you add concierge benefits with Disney Cruise Line.
Currently, prices for a three-night Disney cruise from Florida to the Bahamas (including a stop at Disney’s newest island destination, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point) can start around $1,690 for double occupancy or $2,937 for a family of four in a windowless inside cabin. On the same cruise, a nonconcierge balcony cabin starts at $1,960 for two or $3,237 for four.
The lowest-level concierge room (with a verandah) starts at $3,934 for two or $5,757 for a family of four.
For that extra $2,000-ish, you get a little more time on the ship, the ability to book activities early with no stress, complimentary evening drinks in the lounge, snacks at the ready and free popcorn at the movies. Spend even more on a suite, and you can enjoy extra perks, such as hot room service breakfasts.
For travelers who really enjoy lounges, streamlining all the processes, having access to free-flowing drinks and having the highest level of service, I’d argue that a concierge-level cabin can be worth it for a special occasion or once-in-a-lifetime splurge.
On the other hand, for a seven-night Alaska cruise for a family of four, prices start around $7,000 for an interior cabin; a verandah room is more than $11,000, and a concierge room currently starts at a staggering $20,000-plus. In that case, you’ll probably never find me in a concierge room simply due to the cost.
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You don’t need to spend the extra money on a concierge room to have a great cruise with Disney ... and trust me on that; I've sailed on all the ships and in cabin types ranging from an interior windowless cabin to a concierge suite.
It’s already a premium cruise experience. But if you are debating whether the concierge level is worth it, I’ll try and help you decide.
For us, the biggest perks were the advance booking for meals and activities that wouldn’t have been easy for a regular Disney cruiser to secure. The evening lounge drinks, free popcorn at the movies, extra touches like sunscreen readily available and help from the concierge staff when we had last-minute plan changes (which happened a few times) were also pretty great.
The private outdoor deck for concierge guests on Disney Wish and Disney Treasure is also a welcome addition.
I’d 100% book Disney concierge level again if my budget permitted and would say it can be worth it — mostly on the shorter cruises where every minute matters more than it would on a seven- to 10-night cruise. Additionally, on those shorter cruises, you are more likely to prioritize the evening lounge happy hours and drop in a few times to take advantage of the snacks.
Those shorter cruises also offer fewer opportunities to fit in the adults-only restaurants, spa treatments, drink tastings and onshore activities, making the booking-window advantage more important. If the budget allows, I’d seriously consider buying up to Disney’s concierge level on a three- or four-night sailing where I care about accessing specific restaurants and activities.
However, unless money really is no object, I wouldn't usually recommend the concierge level for your first sailing on one of the larger Disney ships, such as Disney Wish, Disney Treasure or the upcoming Disney Destiny. That’s because you might feel compelled to spend your leisure and premeal times in the concierge lounge when you should be out exploring all the amazing things the ship has to offer, including the food and entertainment at Disney’s no-fee restaurants and bars.
It isn't worth booking a concierge cabin or suite if you aren't likely to spend time in the lounge, don't need help or a head start with bookings for the adults-only restaurants or private island cabanas, and aren't interested in the special snacks or included beverages in the lounge in the evenings.
However, if those benefits will enhance your vacation and you can budget for a Disney cruise with all the concierge perks, you’re in for a treat. Start packing your cruise bag and planning those excursions, and don’t look back.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
