Grand Floridian Concierge (Changed from Best Concierge, we made our decision) About This Page:

[lvstitch]

My husband just told me that he wanted to go to Disney instead of Hawaii next year. So we have a pretty big budget; I can definatly afford to stay in a concierge room. Which one is the best?

[disneyagogo2]

We stayed at the AKL-Concierge this past April and I can't say enough good things about the cast members and the service. Due to the quirks of Grand Gatherings, our reservations were really messed up by the reservations system. AKL upgraded two of our rooms to concierge when I had only paid for one out of three rooms as concierge. The check-in process was extremely lengthy due to the problems and Kenny, our AKL concierge, was superb! I can't say enough nice things about the service. We had breakfast 3 out of 4 mornings and they had a great selection. My sister and her husband sampled the evening offerings and were impressed. My DS (4yo)was amazed by the turn down service and when asked where he wanted to stay on our next trip he said, "Animal Kingdom, that's where we always stay."

As a side note, one of the male concierge cast members does a terrfic Donald Duck voice .

You pretty much can't go wrong with your choice and you might enjoy splitting your trip between resorts.

Good luck!

Lynnette

[CRCrazy]

Is it just you and your husband, or are there children involved as well?

I have stayed at the AKL concierge level twice, and the Poly concierge once. I loved them both - the AKL one is MUCH more luxurious - you really feel spoiled here. The concierges are phenomenal - they really take the time to get to know you, and assist you in any way they can. Also the Sunrise Safari is a MUST do if you are staying here - it is an incredible experience. My older girls loved staying here, and actually - even my six year old thought it was wonderful - but the food offerings (other than breakfast - which was pretty much the same at both) were definitely more adult oriented here, luckily, my little one loves spicy foods!

The Polynesian was much more family oriented, and not nearly as luxurious. The location can't be beat, and the food was both delicious and plentiful! Still, the atmosphere in this lounge was more like a cafeteria/buffet, than a luxurious lounge. You could definitely use the food offerings here to replace dinner, if you are not heavy eaters! I found the concierges here to be a little less in touch - probably because the concierges are downstairs, not right in the lounge area. When I did ask for help - they were very helpful, if not as friendly as AKL's.

If it is just grownups - I've heard great things about the Yacht Club concierge, and it would be more conveniently located to Epcot and the Boardwalk area.

[schroadmol]

I have said it before- we love the Contemporary Concierge(14th floor). We like that it is all on one level- the desk is right when you get off the elevator and the huge lounge is right there. It is not a fancy lounge but not casual- simply uunderstated. If you have a Lagoon view room- you can go out on the balcony of the lounge to see the Castle, Space Mountain and Wishes. The rooms are huge! With again the understated color scheme of the lounge. We had a great concierge team- always willing to go out of their way for us. PS's were no problem, had great communication before the trip. Food offerings were from Concourse steakhouse- very good! and the desserts were to die for! My thoughts are that it is one of the overlooked jewels at the resorts.

[GreenAppleSea]

[ QUOTE ]
As a side note, one of the male concierge cast members does a terrfic Donald Duck voice .

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That would be (ironically enough) Don I believe he's the head of the concierge staff at AKL, and he helped my fiance arrange quite a few surprises for me on our last trip when he proposed to me

Even though we were only there for a few days, the concierge staff was SO great... like Lynette, we can't say enough good things about them. They took such good care of us. (By the way, the Durban yogurt chicken and the cinnamon tortilla chip thingies are to DIE for )

[kadterp]

Ah well, from your picture in your post, you have your answer for me! I love the team at the YC, they have gone above and beyond their call for us! They have found us the last tigger watch on property, got a doctor to come to our room when DS was sick, given us noodles for the pool and have cleaned up our spilt milk and didnt cry! This team is really good and does everything they can to make you feel more like family.

[Main Street Magic]

well, having only tried the AKL Concierge, that would get my vote. But I'll let you know if I change my mind when I get back from my October trip, when we'll be staying at the Swan

[lvstitch]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I spoke to my husband and he really wants to stay at the Grand Floridian. So here are my next questions. Is it worth paying the extra money to stay in the Main Lodge Concierge? If we are going to stay at the GF, I really want a Castle view (last time we stayed there we had it, but it was not a concierge room). Is this possible from any of the Concierge rooms?

And no, we do not have any children as of yet!!!!

[RyanC]

I can't speak for all of the concierge rooms, but our concierge room's balcony faced the castle. We were in a Honeymoon concierge room.

[LisaJ]

Why don't you just let a travel agent handle it for you? They will be able to find out what rooms have what views, and will be able to also save you some money, even though you have a big budget, with any discounts or codes that might come out.

Some that have been mentioned are Small World Travel, Your Magical Journeys, MouseEar Vacations, to name a few. They have all been highly recommended.

Grand Floridian is a good choice!

[SharonK0527]

We stayed at GF last year on the Platinum Plan. Our room was in Conch Key. Our room was right by the boat dock and Narcoosees - totally facing the castle - gorgeous view!! Because of our Platinum Plan status, we were given full access to the Main Building Concierge lounge and services (this is standard at GF for Platinum Plan guests). They were wonderful! That is another option for you, especially since you mentioned you had a large budget to work with.