Just wanted to add a data point for future searches. I posted the following several months ago:

"Complicated, but:
in the process of waiting for my account to unlock so that i could transfer avios (that were transferred to me from my husband) from BA to QR (what is it, 10d waiting period now?), i realized my flexfare flights nbo-iad were gone. Panicked, because i already have 2 pax on the flight, so I booked 2 econ fares nbo-doh-iad.
Then it hit me that maybe just the doh-iad leg was available in J, and i looked... and there it was. So i cancelled the previous booking, did the chat function to get my avios back quickly, and then booked the doh-iad legs in J with plans to pay cash for nbo-doh and hopefully upgrade with avios later.
When I booked doh-iad, even though 78k of the avios were still in my BA acct, it let me pay with those, somehow. Just paid taxes.
taxes have been charged to my card. Tickets have been issued. Receipts in email. I selected seats and have ticket numbers.
all 300k of my avios are still there.
Do I have seats?"

Update today:

The points were never deducted, and we flew the flights last week with no issue. this morning, QA calls me to demand i transfer avios from my BA account because I owe them 280k. I asked "what would you have done if i did not have the avios to pay for a flight i've already taken?" and she refused to give me an answer.

Guess I'm glad I never found another use for those points. Just wanted to post this here in case anyone else thinks theyve gotten lucky and not had their avios deducted

Where: Meadows of Dan, VA – i.e. truly BFE, this makes my parents’ place (that just got access to high speed internet 2 years ago) look practically urban. 

When: June 2026, 2n stay

Who: Myself, a Virtuoso TA specializing in luxury family travel, my mom and my 7 year old

Note: Photos and videos here.

The property & amenities

The resort is 12,000 acres of pristine nature a solid 2 hours from much of anything. I grew up in the shadows of these mountains, but this resort is solidly IN them. These are old mountains, not the Rockies… your ears might pop once or twice, but no need to acclimate. The views from the treehouses, mountain homes, pinnacle suites, common areas, and pulloffs are unmatched anywhere else in Virginia. There was zero light pollution, zero noise pollution, and my biggest regret is that we cancelled our stargazing from the on-site observatory because we were tired. 

Primland Sporting Club is part of the experience but also sells memberships for golf and spa. It never seemed crowded, but golf seemed to be a huge draw. It’s been an Orvis-endorsed lodge since the 90s.

Because the property is so big, it takes about 20 minutes just to get to the lodge from one of the gates, so you are kinda stuck unless you’re used to rural drive times. If you don’t mind the drive, Floyd is a really cute town about an hour drive away (get dessert and stay for music at Floyd Country Store). Greensboro airport about 90m, Roanoke airport about 2 hrs, a couple of FBOs within 45m. 

Also because the property is so large, if you’re in an accommodation other than lodge rooms or suites, you’ll have a bit of a jaunt to the lodge… but if you’re in the lodge, you’ll have a bit of a jaunt to the other activities. There are a variety of hiking trails, but for anyone with mobility issues, this is hilly terrain and long distances, and you can hail a golf cart, but you can’t drive one. Most everyone seemed to have a car. There’s a Grand Wagoneer loaner program and shuttles around the property as well. You’re never looking for staff to help you; they’re around and ready to help.

If you golf or hike or fly fish and love wildlife, this is heaven. We didn’t even hike (my mom’s mobility is limited) and we saw multiple doe with fawns, black bears, every kind of bird. Hiking, ATV tours, horseback riding, a ropes course, nature tours, trap shooting. 

We didn’t have any treatments but the spa was large and beautiful and had a great pool with a wall of doors to make it a bit of an indoor/outdoor experience. It was full of kids while we were there but I suspect that once the new pool opens, this one will become adults only. Fitness center was spacious, but get outside, man.

The entertainment was one of my favorite parts of our experience. We went to moonshine happy hour, with moonshine cocktails mixed in the lodge and a single string banjo player with an epic beard and the same brand of overalls my dad wears accompanied by an awesome guitarist. Stables Saloon restaurant hosts live music several nights a week, and the band played a bunch of standards as well as some old country and we stayed well after the meal to enjoy and let my daughter dance a bit.

Given the quality of the entertainment, I’d want to stay at least 3n. If I loved golf and hiking, a week would be fine, though food fatigue would be a thing.

Accommodations

There are 63 rooms including the lodge, pinnacle rooms & suites, fairway cottages and treehouses. 

• Lodge rooms & suites. Lodge rooms are the entry rooms and come as king or double queen, and then there are lodge suites, which is the room type we had. Rate was about $1800/n pretax. Summer and fall are peak seasons.
• Pinnacle Rooms & Suites. Two-level buildings, one suite per level; great views; ideal for couples; families with older kids can book both suites and have the full building privately
• Fairway Cottages. Each cottage is unique and overlooks the fairway
• Treehouses. Adults only, no pets, no kids; requires 4WD (staff shuttle available, car can be stored in garage); 2 units have hot tub on balcony; magical views; can close in winter due to snow/access. To me, these are super unique. My husband would absolutely love to escape the world in one of these for a nice long weekend. 
• Hawkeye Residence. Brand new 2024; 8-bedroom; private pool; private dedicated staffing. Unfortunately it was occupied during our visit so I was unable to tour.
• Mountain Homes. These are not even sold on the Auberge website, as they’re not really up to the brand standard and are legacy buildings, but they are on property and have access to the sporting club and lodge and sleep anywhere from 2-12. This is a bargain option if you want the sporting club experience but don’t care much for the luxury side of things

Our Lodge double queen suite was really fantastic (see link above for room tour). Incredibly comfortable beds, 1100 sq ft, excellent shower & bathtub, great balcony with excellent views and a dining table. Everything felt intentional; nothing looked mass-produced or off-the-shelf. Chad Dorsey’s design throughout the property elevates Appalachian style without being kitschy. Imagine if resources had been invested in instead of extracted from the region, and that the Sacklers didn’t exist, and that's Primland. It gives you a sense of the beauty of the place without being a caricature of it. Our night 2 turndown gift was one of the best hotel gifts I’ve ever received: a wildflower print from a local artist with a gallery in Raleigh. Beautiful, thoughtful, locally sourced.

Service

Almost all staff are local Southwest Virginia folks, though some are rotated in from Auberge properties that are out of season. The warmth and friendliness are authentic, not performed. It’s not polished or refined, but it’s not messy, either, if that makes sense. This isn’t Le Bristol. Service recovery for any issues we faced was very good, and when I sent detailed feedback to management after the trip, I got the sense that they took it very seriously and were appreciative.

The only staff issue was the kids club. That was staffed by a couple of teens playing on their phones, ignoring the kids. We went in there with my daughter while we were waiting for the room to be ready, and I’m thinking… is this a mid-tier all-inclusive in Cancun??? All of the other staff were fantastic with my daughter (she came home with not one, not two, but THREE new stuffies named Chuckles the Chipmunk, Finn the Fox and Popcorn the Fawn, thanks to generous staff spoiling her), but they need new kids club staff. We cancelled my daughter’s session the next day, as I was not about to pay $180 for 3 hours of what is advertised as a “junior mountaineers club” with nature activities but was definitely not that. The potential for an outstanding kids program is there given the wealth of natural resources and the outdoor pool that will be completed in 2027.

Dining

I was SO excited for the menus here. Pork & beans? Ham & bean soup? Pimiento cheese and deviled eggs? The menus are well-conceived on paper, but execution fell short of the mark IMO. Hard to overlook at this price point, especially when the surroundings scream farm to table.

Leatherflower is their fine dining spot and was probably the biggest disappointment, though I didn’t love their lunch spot Laurel Bar, either. The biggest offense was the freezer desserts. I swear I’ve had that same pecan tart on a mass market cruise ship, and my mom’s “coconut cake” that most definitely arrived frozen in bulk or off a Vegas buffet tasted like freezer and was inedible. They desperately need a pastry chef as all the desserts were lacking… even the chocolate chip cookies weren’t good, and I will happily eat any sort of cookie (I ate them anyway lol).

Stables Saloon, a family style dinner in a barn on the property with local bluegrass music some nights, was better, but still not great. The music was fantastic and the highlight of our stay, and we loved this overall recreation area… bocce, horseshoes, amazing views outside, and billiards, darts and TV inside. The ropes course, basketball and tennis courts are just around the corner… I’m really glad we came to dinner because we would’ve otherwise missed this entire area of the property. The food was fine but could be outstanding, and isn’t.

Room service was okay. Good bacon and eggs, but the “cathead biscuit” my mom was so excited about (because she actually knows what that is) may or may not have been the frozen Pillsbury kind. No knock on those, I have a bag in my freezer right now, but for an $18 breakfast sandwich marketed as “cathead” I’m expecting a homemade biscuit the size of my plate, please.

Who this is for

• Couples seeking quiet, serenity, digital detox
• Outdoor enthusiasts
• Golf + spa couples who want total sensory escape
• Guests celebrating engagements or romantic milestones
• Families with outdoorsy older kids who don’t need a kids club
• Guests who don't prioritize food or have no frame of reference for authentic Southern cooking

Who should skip

• Foodies or anyone for whom dining is central to the vacation
• Families with young children planning to use the kids club
• Partiers or guests who need a packed schedule
• Anyone unwilling or unable to be truly off the grid and on-property

Happy to answer any questions!

One of the questions I’m asked at least once a day is “Is concierge on Disney Cruise Line really worth it?” And I get it. This is not a $30/night view upgrade. The prices are often double or 2.5x a cabin of the same size, just without the concierge status.

I’ve wavered on this myself, as I’ve cruised Disney 8x since mid-2022 in cabins from the smallest to the second largest. Would’ve been more but I threw in Explora (review here) and NCL’s Pride of America (don’t ask) as well (not to mention the Star Suite on Royal next week…). I’ve done the 3-night Bahamas to the 9-night Greek Isles, the Halloween on the High Seas, the Very Merrytime, the buffet at 7am before a big port day, and the breakfast delivered to a suite while my husband slept until nine. So while I know plenty of nerds who’ve cruised Disney 2 and 3 and 4x as much as I have, I do know what I’m talking about. (I have a boatload of content in my IG highlights if you want to see more terribly shot videos of each ship).

My first concierge experience was a one-bedroom suite on the Fantasy for a Very Merrytime cruise in December 2022. We barely made that sailing because my daughter broke her arm in Magic Kingdom the night before (now THAT'S a story) and when we got to the port there was a small sign that said, "upgrades available." It cost as much to upgrade to the suite as our original cabin had cost. I was in full "fck it" mode by that point, so we did it. That suite was the highlight of the cruise and completely ruined me. Couldn't get my kids out of the bathtub with the mirror TV. Couldn’t make my husband eat in the dining room.

So, my infuriating short answer: it depends. (Better than YES, ALWAYS?). Long answer below.

Surely, I don’t have to do this…

No, you don’t have to take your kids on a Disney cruise. But if you have the means, and your kids are between the ages of 3 and 10, you should. Really.

The thing that gets me every time is how much the whole family ends up doing together. The shows are genuinely Broadway-caliber, an hour long (yes, even your 4yo can handle it), and the whole family goes. Trivia, game shows, crafting sessions, themed deck parties -- these are things where you look around and realize you're all actually having fun at the same time, not just in the same vicinity. Your kids are so delighted you can't help but smile.

And then when you've had enough togetherness? They disappear into the kids' club, which is so good that you don't feel guilty about it. Disney has a lock on the kids' club game by a long shot. It's immersive, secure, and staffed by people who clearly enjoy working there. You nap on the adults-only deck with zero guilt because you know they're having the time of their lives. And if you’re a Star Wars nerd, you go in there with them during the open house hours and wish they’d had cool stuff like this when you were a kid.

There's also no drink package, which sounds like a downside until you realize it means significantly fewer people who are, let's say, enthusiastically overserved. The vibe is noticeably different from other large ships for exactly this reason (unlike the only ship that leaves from my town’s port, which smells like a music festival). No judgment, y’all have fun, but less to explain to the kids for me.

Standard vs. concierge rooms

The entry-level concierge rooms are the exact same square footage as the category right below them, the “deluxe family oceanview with verandah.” With entry-level concierge, you're not paying for space. You're paying for access and service.

The exception is what I call the "secret suites." There are a couple on each Wish-class ship (Wish, Treasure, Destiny), no verandah (not a deal breaker for us), around 530 square feet, with a king bedroom that closes off completely. They're priced close to the standard concierge ocean view verandah and they book extremely fast because they're an absurd value.

Not a videographer.

The true one-bedroom suites have two bathrooms, a soaking tub that would fit at least one of the inside cabins I had in my 20s on a Princess Alaska sailing, sleeping for five, and full in-suite dining. Suite guests also get noticeably more attentive host service… nothing I can point to officially, but after booking hundreds of Disney cruises I'm very confident suite guests are more likely to have their concierge requests fulfilled, especially on larger ships.

I am the worst videographer.

A quick note if size is all that matters, and lines and crowds don’t up your BP: if small cabin sizes worry you, Disney has the largest cabins of any mass market line. And if you need separate sleeping areas, a suite isn't your only option. DCL ships were built for families and have far more connecting cabins than lines like Princess or Holland America. I always price-check connecting cabins against suites for clients motivated primarily by space. Sometimes the gap is small enough that the suite makes obvious sense, and sometimes connecting cabins are enough.

This is the category right under concierge, and the entry concierge rooms are this size + the concierge experience. We had a connecting room with our friends.

So if most of the rooms are the same, why pay double?

For the same reason you pay to skip the lines at a Disney park. The ride itself doesn’t change; that’s the same whether you wait 5m or 5 hours. But how much you enjoy it surely does. Here are the big pain points concierge solves, IMO:

1. getting on and off the ship

To me, this is the starkest contrast between standard and concierge, especially with my two most recent sailings.

Without concierge, you do online check-in at midnight on your assigned day, uploading passport photos, selfies, signing waivers. Because of the waivers, I can't do this for you (my lawyer won't let me). Miss that window on a busy sailing and you may end up with a late boarding time. On a three-night cruise (2 full days plus however long you’re on the boat embarkation day), that's a meal and two to five hours at the pool you paid for and never got. And if it’s your first cruise, you’re doing check-in on the last possible day. Everything Disney does is by seniority, and concierge gets you status equivalent to 50+ cruises.

On our Destiny Easter sailing, I had a decent port arrival time with Gold status, but we took Disney's shuttle from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina (Disney offers shuttles from 3 not great hotels; skip them and stay at the FS, if you book with a preferred partner they include your cruise transfer). Two hours from joining the bus queue to stepping on the ship. By the time we cleared security they were calling Group 10. My boarding group advantage was completely irrelevant. (This is port-specific, it's not as bad in Port Canaveral.)

On the Treasure in concierge, I filled out check-in whenever I remembered. Boarding Group 1 is automatic. We arrived by private car, porters took our bags, walked through an empty concierge lane, got our sticker, and waited in a private lounge. The lounge is fine, Disney could do a LOT better here honestly, but the moment the ship cleared port authority the concierge host walked us on. They host a private lunch in the nicest dining room for concierge guests, and all the concierge hosts will come by and get to know you, but honestly? Skip this and enjoy a very empty boat while you can!

Getting off is just as big a deal. Standard disembarkation: luggage out by 10pm the night before, host knocks at 7:30am, wait for your character group to be called, join a line that snakes around the ship for 15-45 minutes. With concierge, you chat with the host about luggage the night before, the next am the host walks you down a staff elevator past the entire line to a dedicated agent. Done.

2. how you experience the crowds

Disney ships hold between 2500-4000 passengers. Concierge doesn't make that number smaller, but it changes how much of it you have to navigate.

Breakfast at the buffet is… my husband’s personal hell, apparently. On a calm sea day the buffet is fine, much better than other mass market lines. On a port-intensive itinerary where everyone is rushing off the ship at once, it becomes a scene. The newer ships' non-self-serve model is more hygienic but slows things down considerably. The coffee is bad, the good coffee line is long, and finding a table is a project.

The concierge lounge? Rotating hot menu every morning with five or six options plus continental buffet, an espresso machine you just use. The suite option is a full hot breakfast delivered to your in-room dining table, whatever you want. If it's in budget, this is the way to go. Your kid gets Mickey churro waffles in their PJs, you get to dry your hair.

The concierge lounge also has open bar hours, drinks and snacks all day, and roving hosts who solve problems without a 45-minute guest services wait. The concierge sun deck has a private pool and/or hot tub, upgraded loungers, a bar, far fewer people and is where my husband spent most of his downtime on the Treasure. It completely replaced the $400 spa rainforest room pass my husband bought on previous non-concierge sailings.

3. your experience of the shows and dining

The shows are Broadway quality with actual Broadway performers… puppets, visual effects, smoke-filled bubbles and confetti falling from the ceiling for the tots, just good stuff. They're an hour long, the whole family goes, and if you don't see them you're missing the entire point of the cruise, really.

Without concierge, prime seats require lining up 30-45 minutes early while someone else from your party lines up for popcorn and drinks. With concierge, you meet in the lounge, get walked down a staff elevator to a separate entrance that feeds into the orchestra section, and choose your seat before anyone else is in the building. You're not saving time, but you’re saving a lot of hassle by only competing for the best seats with a handful of concierge guests instead of half a 4,000-person ship.

Dinner seating placement matters more than most people expect. On the Treasure in concierge we were right next to the Coco stage, with performers coming past our table, completely immersive and awesome memories. On the Destiny without concierge for Lion King, I could hear the music and see the lighting but only marginally see the performance. I suspect how much I enjoyed the dinner shows had more to do with my seat than with the quality of the performers or the show itself.

Concierge also gets first access to book the adults-only dining experiences. This matters specifically for the Enchanté dessert and Palo/Remy brunch, both of which do sell out.

4. the smaller stuff that adds up

First access to cabanas at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay: hit or miss for regular concierge rooms on larger ships. I requested one on the Treasure right at the 130-day mark and didn't get it. I’ve never (knock on wood) had a suite guest not get their requested cabana(s). If you’re not concierge and don’t have time to sit on the app refreshing constantly for 120 days before your cruise, there’s zero chance you’ll get a cabana, at all.

First access to high-demand experiences like Olaf's Royal Picnic and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique as well as popular excursions. One special character meet exclusive to concierge is a nice touch, not a game-changer. Character lines are their own whole situation that concierge doesn't really solve.

the real numbers

Original Treasure booking (7-night Eastern Caribbean first week of March, standard veranda for 4, booked as soon as itineraries dropped): $8,500. Price after upgrading to secret suite: $19,500.

Destiny sailing (4-night Bahamian, Easter, 3 guests, booked 6 months out, category just under concierge): ~$7,000.

The Fantasy suite would have been $36,000 at full Christmas pricing. We paid about half because of a COVID cancellation and a port upgrade sign. On my last 5 sailings, port upgrades were offered on exactly 1, and no suites were available. Don't book coach expecting to lie flat.

so is it worth it?

After the Fantasy suite, we were ruined. But we also like to travel often, and I can’t do 7 or 8 trips a year if I’m paying suite prices on DCL. So we went back to a regular room for our next cruise. We did not die!

But the husband insisted that we upgrade for the Treasure after I showed him the room. Given the 100%+ mark up, I still wasn’t sure. As a child of the Disney Renaissance, if I can hear Robin Williams sing “Friend Like Me” while I’m walking down the hallway, I don’t care that it’s to get in a line.

Then I did the Destiny Easter sailing without concierge and felt like I spent half my vacation in those dang lines. Boarding, breakfast, dinner seating, pool chairs… all of it required more effort than it should have. It wasn't a bad trip. It just wasn't as good as it could have been.

So now, yes. Absolutely worth it. Not because any single perk is transformative, but because the accumulation of them changes the feeling of the whole trip. It's the difference between a vacation that's fun for the kids but exhausting for you and one that actually feels a bit luxurious and restorative despite being very much a ship full of children.

In short: if you're used to chubby travel, don't sail in a standard room with expectations of frictionless adventure. Think of it like this -- either way, you're staying in a Mouse-themed Hyatt Regency. But in one version you're on group bus tours, eating with 2,000 other people every meal, and sharing a pool with all of them. In the other, you have private tours for everything, a concierge who's genuinely helpful, skip-the-line access for shows, and much calmer meals and pool time.

So that's my take. Interested to hear from others!

I love sending clients to London for the holidays because the city does it UP. And I have my go to hotels that take excellent care of my clients and tick all their boxes… but this time, I’m bringing my favorite but most difficult clients…. My hubby, kids and mom.

We are definitely doing some of the VIP changing of the guards and Hamley’s opening ceremony stuff for the kids, QEII wardrobe, British Museum, Winter Wonderland, Kew lights, Tower, Westminster… kids and hubs have never been so gotta hit all the tourist spots too! Probably skipping WB studios, my daughter has requested to see Matilda, and we have to have at least one gimmicky themed tea, probably Ampersand, and one proper one.

We are also staying at the Lanesborough 4n because it’s all my mom’s Christmas dreams come true lol.

We have 2-3 more nights and my FOMO is hitting hard. D) All of the Above is my go-to answer personally, which is funny because I am pretty decisive when determining the right fit for clients. For myself? Business Me is keen to try a good chubby family option… Kimpton Fitzroy for rooms that sleep 4, MO Hyde Park or Corinthia for connecting rooms… Grateful daughter me wants more Extra Victorian Everything for Mom, maybe Savoy or Browns, even Cliveden! Frugal Me wants to book Hyatt Churchill with my surplus points, but Wife me knows better than to cheap out on a trip that includes both my husband and mother 😂 Wife me also considers the spa for hubby’s planned escapes.

So if you were me with a tired husband who doesn’t like crowds and decided last week he was moving permanently into the Peninsula Paris, a mom with really limited mobility who just recently discovered Bridgerton and whose burning desire to see the QEII wedding dress sparked the entire trip, a 13yo Potter-head science nerd son and 8yo brilliant princess daughter, what would you pair with the Lanesborough? Another centrally located spot? Somewhere relaxing in the countryside?

There are a lot of right answers, IMO, I’m just interested to hear from yall maybe a take I hadn’t considered or a favorite story that cures me of my FOMO and makes me CHOOSE 😂 my budget ranges from “must be bookable entirely with Hyatt points at off peak rates” to “yolo, the apocalypse is nigh,” also super helpful.

Tl;dr What’s your bucket list holiday hotel in London and vicinity?