I’m thinking about booking a cruise in 2022 on concierge level. But I am also thinking of surprising my mom and grandma with a room for them - just a deluxe verandah room though.
If anyone’s done this before, will my concierge let me book their activities with mine since it’s going to be on one reservation? Or will they have to be handled separately?
Pretty sure you have to wait for their window to open, but not 100% certain.
I do know that your mom and grandma will not be able to take advantage of the Concierge Lounge, Sundeck, or any special Concierge-Only activities… So I’d think about if you’re willing to give those up - or tell Mom and Grandma that they can’t participate.
Oh interesting! I didn’t think about the perks of concierge yet outside of booking certain things first lol.
That makes sense though. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Also if you stuck with the plan, DO make sure they are linked for dining and make sure shoreside notes that - Concierge parties usually have their own table so your non-concierge party would be seated elsewhere without that linking/notation.
Shoreside could also answer about booking their excursions with you - I know for Castaway Club status you can only book separate stateroom parties all together for the lowest status in the party (example - a Gold party traveling with a Silver party in separate staterooms would have to wait for the Silver booking date if they wanted to ensure they were together.)
I believe shoreside usually contacts you a week or so before your excursion/activity window opens - not positive though. (I only did Concierge once, but it was booked well after opening and we handled everything ourselves - and honestly the whole “Concierge mystique” was lost on us…we just aren’t Concierge people I guess. We like doing our thing and not feeling like we are disappointing people because we don’t need anything. “Steerage” is good enough for us.)
We have a different experience from this. In 2018, we cruised as silver castaway club members with my parents who had never sailed. We were able to book excursions for both parties when the silver window opened, as long as someone from the silver group was on the excursion. We could not book for just the new cruisers if we were not part of the group. This was an Alaska cruise, and I was able to book for myself and my son (silver cruisers) and my mom (newbie) a whale watching excursion, and book fishing for my husband, other son (also silver) and my dad (newbie) at the time Silver window opened.
I was not able to book Palo for just my mom and dad until their window opened, since we were not going to Palo at the same time.
So, I do believe that you can book together as long as you are doing activities together. But as @lizzieanne771 said it would be best to ask shoreside concierge to be sure. And the reservations would have to be linked. And the non concierge group would not be able to go to the concierge lounge or special activities like she said. We also travelled with my sister staying concierge and were not able to attend any of their concierge level special activities (not that we even tried, we knew we didn’t pay for those).
Huh. Either they have changed it or you got some pixie dust. If you had split your party between the cabins for booking you should have been able to book everything - even Palo - at the earlier time, but not with the parties totally split. That’s why most multiple status will split the party for booking so that someone from the highest level is in each cabin - then change people around for sleeping (being aware that you have to go to the Muster station your booked cabin is in AND that whoever is in the cabin with a minor must sign for anyone else to take said child off the ship - even if that other person is a parent).
Yeah - there have been people who have tried and it puts the Concierge Hosts in an awkward position because they don’t WANT to say no, but at the same time when they do let someone bend the rules almost inevitably that information gets out thanks to the internet and the next person who asks will throw the “Well, I read online that others were allowed to do it.” Better to just go in aware that you are creating a divide between what you and your non-Concierge party can do or just not sail Concierge and “slum” with your other family members than to put the hosts in an awkward position.
Ours wasn’t a concierge and non concierge split for booking excursions, so can’t answer that directly. My sister was the one in the concierge suite and they didn’t do any excursions, so we didn’t try in the first window.
But it definitely worked as I described at the silver booking window. I was able to do it online when the window opened at midnight. I could pick any of our traveling party for the excursions/events. Now, my parents couldn’t do anything for themselves until their window opened, but I could include them with us.
It may have been pixie dust. But it doesn’t hurt to try.
That’s not true at all. We had a concierge one bedroom for the kids and us and both sets of ‘rents (mine and hubby’s) had regular verandah rooms. They could go anywhere we could as long as they were with us. I was able to book their activities as well though and for the cabana on Castaway Cay and for the dining got the jump. Plus they could enter the boat with us and didn’t have to wait for their boarding time but they couldn’t wait in the concierge area at the dock. That was the only place I remember it being an issue.
“ So, I do believe that you can book together as long as you are doing activities together. ”. Yes this is the key. You can book everything for them in your window if you’re with them and they can enter all concierge areas except the dock waiting area with you. My daughter would take my mom up to the concierge lounge for the better coffee.
They were not supposed to be allowed to participate in any Concierge Lounge happy hours or events if they were not in Concierge.
Boarding the ship has usually occurred, but not always.
Bottom line is most of the time the concierge hosts are too afraid to say anything because they don’t want complaints, but people not in Concierge are not supposed to be in the Concierge Lounge taking advantage.
You just need someone with a concierge key to get you into the areas. Once you are in there no one asks you for it.
They don’t even know because they don’t ask.
It’s people who break the rules who end up getting the rules made stricter.
They may not say anything to you, but the hosts know who is supposed to be in there and who is not. If they see it happening too often, they WILL check cards and names.
We asked the first time and they said it was fine. But there was hardly ever anyone in those areas and not once did anyone ask for our room key.
Like I said, they don’t want to say no and have people running to Guest Services to complain. But the rules as designed is the lounge is ONLY for those paying for the privilege of concierge. Asking puts them in an awkward position - even if they don’t show it - because they know the rules but don’t want to be complained about.
And yes, I DO personally know people who work on the ships (not just “they were my server so we’re BFFs” - people I’ve known since before they worked on the ships), so I know how it is supposed to be.