Thoughts on our first (and maybe only) concierge sailing

[SandyinMonterey]

The one year we tried it we had more money than vacation time (and even then it was off season/back when the Southerns were cheaper/the same price as a normal verandah is now five years later). It was an easy decision when it wasn't between taking "just" one or getting to take two cruises.

Everytime I read these I get a little sad as we somehow missed out on many of these benefits. No one told us about the separate lineup for shows, the free popcorn, or any of that. They did not offer to escort us on or off the ship (maybe because we sailed out of San Juan?). We did know about the drinks in the fridge, booking excursions early through them and of course enjoyed the lounge. That was pretty much it though.... we had a verandah room, so no meals in the room either.

We feel the same way. Sailed concierge once on the Fantasy. We didn't know about most of the perks. The staff didn't offer much information either. If you didn't know what to ask, you just didn't know.

 

[LisaRN97]

So I put a concierge room on hold yesterday for the inaugural 7-night sailing to Lighthouse point, a deluxe family stateroom for my husband and I. I just looked at NCL and put a 7-night sailing in a 2-bedroom on hold for our family of four during the same timeframe......for $3000 less! No brainer here...going with NCL. A larger room, 4 people, less money and more amenities.

 

[RedHead0186]

So I put a concierge room on hold yesterday for the inaugural 7-night sailing to Lighthouse point, a deluxe family stateroom for my husband and I. I just looked at NCL and put a 7-night sailing in a 2-bedroom on hold for our family of four during the same timeframe......for $3000 less! No brainer here...going with NCL. A larger room, 4 people, less money and more amenities.

Not sure that's a totally apples to apples comparison. That inaugural LP cruise was pricey to begin with, and has only gone up as rooms book up. It's great you saved $3,000, but again with how expensive the LP cruise is you were bound to!

 

[John VN]

OP - Great post

..............................................I'd rather cruise more..............................

We enjoy Concierge and actually DO NOT avail ourselves of all of the Perks so at DCL prices it makes no sense; however, our cruise line of choice is like DCL Concierge on steroids at half the price so we can sail more and get way more.

 

[Disney_David]

I am finding this thread super interesting and validating! I am willing to pay extra for upgraded service, amenities, etc, but I am struggling to see the value of DCL concierge.

We only started cruising this month (Wish), came back and immediately booked a 7 night cruise (Fantasy), and booked the inaugural Lighthouse point 7 night yesterday. I am a Disney fan obviously.

I’ll scratch the itch one day but for now we’re doing/done all three cruises in a family deluxe ocean verandah, unless there’s an upgrade option at the port.

Am I looking at the wrong cruises? To short notice? Seems every concierge I find is 3x the price (except the inaugural. I think concierge was double). Either way, it’s $8-$10k more.

I could see us enjoying concierge on other ships but my love for Disney is strong lol! I’d upgrade for 50% premium. Maybe more for a 1BR. premium. But not for 300%

 

[John VN]

I am finding this thread super interesting and validating! I am willing to pay extra for upgraded service, amenities, etc, but I am struggling to see the value of DCL concierge.

We only started cruising this month (Wish), came back and immediately booked a 7 night cruise (Fantasy), and booked the inaugural Lighthouse point 7 night yesterday. I am a Disney fan obviously.

I’ll scratch the itch one day but for now we’re doing/done all three cruises in a family deluxe ocean verandah, unless there’s an upgrade option at the port.

Am I looking at the wrong cruises? To short notice? Seems every concierge I find is 3x the price (except the inaugural. I think concierge was double). Either way, it’s $8-$10k more.

I could see us enjoying concierge on other ships but my love for Disney is strong lol! I’d upgrade for 50% premium. Maybe more for a 1BR. premium. But not for 300%

Keep on scratching your Disney Itch any which way required.

DW and I were there decades ago to the tune of DVC in '96, purchased a motorhome for multiple FW stays throughout the year, our WDW Fl Res Passes to walk in a Park and turn around because it was a little too busy, cruising DCL Concierge --- AND THEN the magic and was gone - became a same-old, same-old and NOT cost effective. Went to another Cruise Line's Concierge that offers far more for dollars paid and a very relaxing on board experience.

What ever it takes to float your boat (Concierge OR NOT) for you and family is the right way for you. ENJOY!!!

 

[Sakura1017]

Just want to say that being concierge does not mean you’ll have excellent MDR servers. We’ve had really great and some real duds when sailing in concierge. Stateroom hosts on the other hand are the best of the best in my opinion so I do agree ther

Agreed! I still haven't found servers that I want to request on future cruises

 

[Disney_David]

Keep on scratching your Disney Itch any which way required.

DW and I were there decades ago to the tune of DVC in '96, purchased a motorhome for multiple FW stays throughout the year, our WDW Fl Res Passes to walk in a Park and turn around because it was a little too busy, cruising DCL Concierge --- AND THEN the magic and was gone - became a same-old, same-old and NOT cost effective. Went to another Cruise Line's Concierge that offers far more for dollars paid and a very relaxing on board experience.

What ever it takes to float your boat (Concierge OR NOT) for you and family is the right way for you. ENJOY!!!

I appreciate this perspective! Thank you!!

 

[bigAWL]

I can't imagine the concierge premium being worth it for me, not for the limited concierge space on the ships (totally agree with the previous comment about Dream/Fantasy pool decks not having an ocean view). The only perk I've seen that I think would ever come close to tempting me is the chance to book a Cabana at Castaway Cay... and now Lighthouse Point.

 

[LisaRN97]

Not sure that's a totally apples to apples comparison. That inaugural LP cruise was pricey to begin with, and has only gone up as rooms book up. It's great you saved $3,000, but again with how expensive the LP cruise is you were bound to!

You got me thinking about prices - comparing them to similar itineraries and dates. Looking at similar time frames and ports, family of 4 (kids are 19/18). DCL Concierge Family Oceanview Verandah: $20,615.35. DCL Concierge 1 bedroom: $34,587.36. NCL similar time and ports (actually one additional port vs day at sea) Haven 2-bedroom family villa: $13,799. Included in that price is a deluxe drink package, speciality dining, and $300 OBC. We are big Disney fans and have sailed over a dozen times, but for our family at this stage, we have shifted to other cruise lines. (although we are sailing on DCL in May)

 

[scoobysgirl]

My daughter and I sailed concierge 1br on the Wish in November. Just an amazing experience. We did a B2B, the first cruise was a regular concierge room and the 2nd cruise was a regular room, and I upgraded at the port to a 1br. I gotta say when we walked into the suite it was just really breathtaking. really large verandah, 2 doors to that, 2 bathrooms. My daughter said the sleeper sofa was much more comfortable than in a regular concierge room. it was so nice having a dining area...we had dinner in and the server was excellent. it was nice having a bit of breakfast in the morning, and the menu is awesome. The concierge lounge on the Wish is incredible. they will try to make any drink you like, and if they don't have the ingredients, they will get it. I had a wonderful limoncello drink at Palo and asked if they could replicate it...they went and found the ingredients for me and it was delicious. My room steward was the nicest gentleman...he went overboard trying to help us(pun intended)....the lounge concierge staff were amazing...they got to know us well and if my daughter went to the lounge without me, they always inquired 'where's your mom? we miss her!'. We were on deck 13 and the elevators were ALWAYS empty...we had no problem with them. We got excellent seating for the show at Arendalle, I was told that was because we were concierge. I never noticed anyone being any other than nice with the other concierge guests. And being concierge you get a good chance of getting a cabana, and they really try to get you everything you ask for at that 130 day mark. The lounge at the port is very nice...nice place to wait, and getting on the ship before everyone else is a very nice perk. We were escorted off the ship...no lines until out in the port...but they weren't bad. Also, on the DCL bus, you get on the bus first and you get to pick your seat on an empty bus!! There are probably more perks to concierge than I am listing, but I will never go on a cruise again without going concierge. Of course, there are only 2 of us, so the cost is cheaper. But in my opinion, it is well worth it. The staff really try to make your day as bright and good as possible...I never, ever saw a staff member with anything but a smile on their face and a pleasant greeting. If anyone is considering concierge, I would say go for it....it'll be a memorable trip, to say the least!

 

[Mango7100]

You got me thinking about prices - comparing them to similar itineraries and dates. Looking at similar time frames and ports, family of 4 (kids are 19/18). DCL Concierge Family Oceanview Verandah: $20,615.35. DCL Concierge 1 bedroom: $34,587.36. NCL similar time and ports (actually one additional port vs day at sea) Haven 2-bedroom family villa: $13,799. Included in that price is a deluxe drink package, speciality dining, and $300 OBC. We are big Disney fans and have sailed over a dozen times, but for our family at this stage, we have shifted to other cruise lines. (although we are sailing on DCL in May)

For that price difference it’s a no brainer. You could take 2 Haven cruises for the price of one DCL concierge and get a lot extra. Haven’t done DCL concierge but have done Haven.

 

[DisneyDaddy01]

Since we started sailing with Disney (currently Gold CC member), it's been my dream to sail in a suite in concierge. The sticker price has generally been out of reach for us, but each cruise I've diligently arrived to port as early as I could get in and raced to the upgrade desk to check for upgrades, but none were ever available... until lucky cruise #7! We were able to upgrade from a 4B family verandah room to 2B 1-bedroom suite at port for our 7 night cruise on the Disney Fantasy, for a total cost (factoring in the original price we paid with a Disney+ discount plus the port upgrade cost) of about 40% of the original list price for a 1BR suite for a family of 5.

I feel like most posts I read about concierge are by guests who can easily afford it, and while we are lucky to be able to afford this, it will come at the cost of another vacation and is a stretch for us, even with the amazing discount we got. So I thought it might be worth sharing thoughts on whether it was "worth it" from someone who would ordinarily be priced out of the experience. I won't say the good, bad and ugly, because that isn't quite right as the experience was pretty phenomenal (though not flawless, as explained below), so let's go with "exceptional, not-as-good, and the unpleasant."

• The Exceptional
  • Stateroom decor, verandah and bathrooms: Oh my goodness, the 1BR suite was even more breathtakingly gorgeous in person that it looks the youtube videos--all the furniture and decor feels incredibly luxurious. Having two full bathrooms was heavenly with three kids, and I could have spent hours in that amazing jacuzzi tub (the kids went bananas over the in-mirror TV). The two (enormous) tvs in the stateroom were also great because it meant my twins could watch a scary pirates of the caribbean movie while my little one cuddled up in our bed and watched peter pan during our in-room quiet time (our kids are past the napping age, but they need midday rest breaks on cruises or they get tuckered out and can't stay up for the evening entertainment). We were also pleasantly surprised with the size of our verandah on deck 11--I didn't realize the deck 11 rooms are not only longer but deeper than the regular verandahs, even though we weren't on the "bump out part"--though in hindsight that makes sense at the "bubble" on deck 11 extends out from the ship. We even had reclining loungers on our verandah which I thought was unique to bump outs and extended verandah room categories, so that was a pleasant surprise.
  • The CMs: They are flawless. We didn't need any help booking things as I had booked brunch, royal tea etc. at midnight on our gold booking day, so I thought we'd not really need much from the hosts, but I was impressed by the how they still found ways to improve our experience, giving helpful about the ports and making our kids feel special with games and conversations. We also had exceptional dining room servers and stateroom hosts. Our dining team pulled out all the stops with riddles, jokes, magic tricks in addition to on point recommendations and just super attentive service. Our stateroom hosts were ninjas that kept the room spotless. And while we've had as good service experiences on some of our other DCL cruises, we've also recently had a few misses with just ok service, so I do think it is a concierge perk to be guaranteed experienced/superb MDR and stateroom teams, and it made for a lovely cruise experience.
  • Evening shows: One of the best perks in my opinion was the special access to the evening shows. We showed up in the lounge 45 minutes before the show, got drinks and popcorn, and were escorted into the theater through a back entrance before general admission. Although you do still have to arrive early and wait, it is so much pleasant to do so in a seat of your choosing instead of waiting in the halls and then rushing in and struggling to find seats for a family of 5 together. We had close to 4,000 people on our sailing so we avoided a lot of stress knowing we had the concierge priority access. P.S., special pro tip I didn't know about--concierge also gets free popcorn at the movie theater any time, including for events other than movies like the big jackpot bingo that were held in the theater.
  • The lounge and sundeck: I loved having the lounge as a hangout. The little snacks throughout the day were delicious, there were board games for the kids, and it offered a quite respite from the crowds (see the about comment re 4,000 people). I also realized I had forgotten the Fantasy does not have a family hot tub, and my kids LOVE hot tubs, so we were very glad to have the one on the concierge sundeck, although I wish there was a view of the water from there. Sounds like they fixed that part on the Wish.
  • In room beverages: In the past when I read about the in-room sodas and waters I thought that was a bit silly because of the 24hr beverage stations on the pool deck. But I actually found this perk surprisingly useful. We took loads of bottled water with us on excursions, and never had to leave the room at bedtime to refill the water bottle. Also, for some reason the diet coke at the deck 11 fountains was tasting horrible this cruise (I suspect they ran out of diet coke and surreptitiously replaced it with coke zero, ugh) so the in-room beverage cooler saved this diet cook addict from much agony and suffering.
  • Embarkation and disembarkation: This perk is obvious and really requires no explanation. I always hated the crowds in port canaveral on embarkation day or in the atrium on the last morning, and concierge made that disappear.
• The Not-As-Good
  • The "free" drinks: I was expecting to love this as my husband and I enjoy our adult beverages on vacation, but I actually was quite disappointed. The first night we didn't realize how strong the concierge are relative to the other bars and after a couple (basic, nothing special) old fashioneds, I was feeling pretty woozy, and DH and I both woke up the next day with a killer hangover. The next night I watched them make the drinks and holy cow, they put like 5 or 6 shots of hard liquor in each drink. I'm sure they do it because most guests want to feel they are getting their money's worth, but for me I like the taste of drinks and enjoying a variety of drinks over the course of the evening, and that just doesn't work so great when each sip of a drink is straight alcohol. I also didn't love the more limited set of ingredients in the concierge bar -- e.g., when I ordered a lemon drop martini, they didn't have lemon vodka or limoncello so it was basically plain vodka with a little bit of lemon juice and sugar. I think I read somewhere that the Wish concierge lounge has a specialty cocktail menu, and I wish they had one on our cruise. By about the 4th day, after a lot of trial and error, I finally found a cocktail that I liked, and ordered that exclusively from then on. But if it were up to me, I'd much prefer they use some kind of voucher/drink plan type system, i.e., do away with the concierge lounge bar and allow free drinks up to a certain dollar value at any on-ship lounge or the MDRs for concierge guests. It'd probably work out costing them the same in alcohol, because each drink at the concierge lounge was like half a bottle of booze.
  • In-room dining: I've read how great the breakfast room services is in the 1BR suites, but I didn't realize it wasn't available until 8:15. We're early risers and my husband exercises in the gym at 6am each day, so by the time Cabanas opens at 7:15 he is starving for a big breakfast at Cabanas. So I guess that perk 1BR was just wasted for us, though I could see how others might like it.
  • The fireworks viewing: Because I loved the special stage show access, I was really excited to learn we also had a private pirate night fireworks viewing. However, it was a bit of a dud. The viewing area is up by satellite falls on deck 13, so you can't see any of the pirate stage show, just the fireworks. I suppose some people might like that but for the kids and I felt a bit sad listening to the pirate party from a distance and not being able to see it at all, and the fireworks lost their impact without the show to build up excitement beforehand. The view wasn't really any better than sailing in a regular starboard room and watching fireworks from the balcony. I'd definitely skip this if we ever do concierge again.
• The Unpleasant
  • The sleeping arrangements: I really didn't like the bed the set up in the 1BR suite for kids. My twins were very miffed at having to share a double pull out couch instead of the bunk beds they were used to from the non-concierge staterooms, and the murphy for our third child was in a very awkward place blocking the hallway between the living room/twins' bed and the bathroom/door, instead of up against the verandah like it is in other rooms. We had a lot of banged shins this cruise getting past that bed. We also felt the adult bedroom was a bit claustrophobic when the doors panels were shut and disliked that there was no window/natural light, so we ended up opening the panels making it more of a studio suite than a one-bedroom. I don't know if this is just the fantasy, but I'd definitely research room layouts on the other ships if we ever are inclined to do this again.
  • Location: I can't fathom why they thought it was a great idea to put all the concierge rooms all the way forward on the ship. I get seasick and while medicine helps, we had quite rough seas this trip and I sometimes had to leave the room to go sit somewhere midship to feel better, although that wasn't practical at night so I just didn't sleep very well. We overheard quite a few other concierge guests complaining in the lounge about how they've never been seasick before this cruise, so maybe we just got unlucky, but it is definitely a downside on the newer ships (I know classic ships have midship concierge, which seems much better to me). The location was also poor for families with kids as the deck 11 rooms are "cut off" from the rest of the ship by the adult only area (you could go up to deck 12 and across, but it was often very windy and cold up there). We ended up a lot of times just dragging the kids through the adult area at a brisk pace and ignoring the stink eye we got from other other guests. I'm glad they fixed that location issue on the Wish by putting the adult area at the opposite end of the ship from concierge.
  • Tipping: The paper we got just says concierge host and bartender tips are "at your discretion" so that was no help at all. Fortunately I remembered the $8 per person per day guideline that others on these boards had posted about at some point, or I would have felt completely lost, but I still felt very self conscious about whether I was tipping enough, particularly as you have to take to the paper to one of the hosts to add the tips to your account, which is super uncomfortable. I also gave some extra cash tip to host who took extra good care of us, but then felt nervous maybe that was against the rules since the room charge tip was pooled for all the hosts. I probably was overthinking it, but the whole thing just felt needlessly stressful and confusing.

So you've probably by now guessed where I'm going with this. At the discounted price we paid, yes I think it was worth it, ONCE, just to have a special one-in-a-lifetime, glamourous taste of the VIP life. It was unique, special, and beautiful--I'll never forget the feeling of walking into that suite on the first day or watching my youngest son's face light up watching the "Frozen" show from the best seats in the house. But it was also a little flawed, and I can't imagine paying full price for 5 guests at DCL's current concierge prices and feeling good about that choice. In a way I'm kind of relieved that it wasn't perfect, because now I'll be happy/content going back to the "vanilla" DCL experience on future cruises. Though perhaps on a very special occasion (e.g. milestone anniversary), we might spring for it again, especially on the Wish or Treasure or other ships that seem to have resolved some of the issues noted above.

Anyhow, feel free to tear me apart if I'm totally off base, or chime in with your thoughts on concierge. And if you're considering concierge, I'm happy to answer any questions if I'm able!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

 

[Mickey'sTown]

We have done Concierge once before. On the Dream with our granddaughter.
It was great. So we are doing it again next year Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona. 13 nights of we hope greatness. On the Dream again.
Everyone on the ship was wonderful incl MDR, Concierge Staff, etc
(and for some reason the price for Concierge was much more reasonable)

 

[KashasMom]

Thanks for sharing. I agree with some of the things you mentioned. We cruised Concierge Nov 2019 and loved our 1 BR. There were three of us and having the living room, dining area and 2 full bathrooms was great. We loved the first day lunch and the private character meeting and the lounge. We booked the same room for Oct 2022. That cruise was the complete opposite of our first concierge experience. Too many things were so bad. I did leave a review so won't repeat what I said. I will say it was so disappointing that we didn't book onboard and have no desire to cruise with Disney again.

 

[DSLRuser]

• The "free" drinks: I was expecting to love this as my husband and I enjoy our adult beverages on vacation, but I actually was quite disappointed. The first night we didn't realize how strong the concierge are relative to the other bars and after a couple (basic, nothing special) old fashioneds, I was feeling pretty woozy, and DH and I both woke up the next day with a killer hangover. The next night I watched them make the drinks and holy cow, they put like 5 or 6 shots of hard liquor in each drink. I'm sure they do it because most guests want to feel they are getting their money's worth, but for me I like the taste of drinks and enjoying a variety of drinks over the course of the evening, and that just doesn't work so great when each sip of a drink is straight alcohol. I also didn't love the more limited set of ingredients in the concierge bar -- e.g., when I ordered a lemon drop martini, they didn't have lemon vodka or limoncello so it was basically plain vodka with a little bit of lemon juice and sugar. I think I read somewhere that the Wish concierge lounge has a specialty cocktail menu, and I wish they had one on our cruise. By about the 4th day, after a lot of trial and error, I finally found a cocktail that I liked, and ordered that exclusively from then on. But if it were up to me, I'd much prefer they use some kind of voucher/drink plan type system, i.e., do away with the concierge lounge bar and allow free drinks up to a certain dollar value at any on-ship lounge or the MDRs for concierge guests. It'd probably work out costing them the same in alcohol, because each drink at the concierge lounge was like half a bottle of booze.

• Tipping: The paper we got just says concierge host and bartender tips are "at your discretion" so that was no help at all. Fortunately I remembered the $8 per person per day guideline that others on these boards had posted about at some point, or I would have felt completely lost, but I still felt very self conscious about whether I was tipping enough, particularly as you have to take to the paper to one of the hosts to add the tips to your account, which is super uncomfortable. I also gave some extra cash tip to host who took extra good care of us, but then felt nervous maybe that was against the rules since the room charge tip was pooled for all the hosts. I probably was overthinking it, but the whole thing just felt needlessly stressful and confusing.

Tell the bartender how you like your drinks. Many people are too shy to interact with their bartender. But I ask "how do YOU make YOUR old fashioned". and I ask them to adjust to my preferences where needed. 1st drink too strong...tell them to make the second not as strong. This is kind of a no brainer.

Tipping is easy as well. If they provide good service, slip them $5 here or there. If they dont, give them a $1 or nothing. You self confidence and conscious is on you, not on them. They will take $1 just as easy as the will take $100.

 

[lklgoodman]

For that price difference it’s a no brainer. You could take 2 Haven cruises for the price of one DCL concierge and get a lot extra. Haven’t done DCL concierge but have done Haven.

We've done 8 DCL cruises and have our first NCL cruise booked on NCL's Encore this June. We have a family club balcony, but have bidded on Haven forward facing penthouse, Haven courtyard penthouse, and Haven aft facing penthouse. Right now there's 8 cabins that are showing as still available, I check ever day, lol. I hope we'll get one, but realize it's a long shot. What ships have you done Haven on? I want to book the Joy next summer to Bermuda. I like that it has Haven rooms in the aft and midship on the Joy since I'm prone to seasickness. I've priced out several different Haven cabins for next summer and they cost about the same amount that we've been paying for an Oceanview on DCL, a few are even less than DCL. We get a military discount on NCL so that also helps. Don't get it on DCL since dh isn't active military.

OP, thanks for the info. I'm also prone to seasickness, so having concierge in only the forward area is bad for me. Ginger candy and Bonine worked great for me. Sailed through 2 storms and never got sick. Bonine alone and I would. I also wonder if the concierge on the Magic/Wonder would be loud because they are under public areas. Thanks for sharing your experience. Don't know if we'll ever do concierge on DCL, but I appreciate getting info about it.

 

[Mango7100]

We've done 8 DCL cruises and have our first NCL cruise booked on NCL's Encore this June. We have a family club balcony, but have bidded on Haven forward facing penthouse, Haven courtyard penthouse, and Haven aft facing penthouse. Right now there's 8 cabins that are showing as still available, I check ever day, lol. I hope we'll get one, but realize it's a long shot. What ships have you done Haven on? I want to book the Joy next summer to Bermuda. I like that it has Haven rooms in the aft and midship on the Joy since I'm prone to seasickness. I've priced out several different Haven cabins for next summer and they cost about the same amount that we've been paying for an Oceanview on DCL, a few are even less than DCL. We get a military discount on NCL so that also helps. Don't get it on DCL since dh isn't active military.

OP, thanks for the info. I'm also prone to seasickness, so having concierge in only the forward area is bad for me. Ginger candy and Bonine worked great for me. Sailed through 2 storms and never got sick. Bonine alone and I would. I also wonder if the concierge on the Magic/Wonder would be loud because they are under public areas. Thanks for sharing your experience. Don't know if we'll ever do concierge on DCL, but I appreciate getting info about it.

We did the forward facing penthouse on the Getaway and loved it. The balcony is small but the room was great being split and the bathroom was enormous. The Encore and Joy Haven are even larger because they have the Observation Lounge snd an outdoor portion to the Haven restaurant. We have also looked at Bermuda!

 

[llachance]

Sailing concierge on the Wish this fall. Probably one and done but for a discounted price - canceled Wish cruise so decided to try it. I think our next Disney cruise we have regular staterooms - it is going to be good either way

 

[MomOTwins]

Tell the bartender how you like your drinks. Many people are too shy to interact with their bartender. But I ask "how do YOU make YOUR old fashioned". and I ask them to adjust to my preferences where needed. 1st drink too strong...tell them to make the second not as strong. This is kind of a no brainer.

Tipping is easy as well. If they provide good service, slip them $5 here or there. If they dont, give them a $1 or nothing. You self confidence and conscious is on you, not on them. They will take $1 just as easy as the will take $100.

Well I did ask for different drinks later, and did give instructions and went through about a dozen (most of which I left undrunk) over the course of several evenings. So yes I did speak up but ideally it should not take so much trial an error to have a decent cocktail. Whenever I have ordered an old fashioned anywhere else on the ship, it came out great the first time. My complaint is for the price of concierge, I wish the drinks were as good and required as little effort as ordering drinks at any other bar on the ship.

For tipping I can’t say I agree with you there. There are good tips and bad tips and I disliked that in concierge it was hard to know what to the baseline tip should be. Everything else on the ship has a minimum/suggested tip applied—spa, drinks, stateroom host so you know to tip up from there. And while there are no guidelines for the luggage porters, that info is common knowledge and easy to come by.