Ultimate Guide to the Disney Crown Collection
In recent days, The Walt Disney Company has introduced a new set of features for theme park visitors. Called the Crown Collection, this series of amenities will cost more, but you may not think that they’re worth the price. Here’s everything you need to know about the Crown Collection.
What Is the Crown Collection?
Since the introduction of Club 33 in 1967, Disney’s theme parks have catered to wealthier visitors. The reality is that a better park experience is available to those individuals willing to pay the price. In the half-century that has followed Club 33’s arrival, Disney has offered many upsell amenities to guests. As long as enough people are willing to pony up the cash, park officials keep these amenities available.
Photo Credit: Tim Rue – TravelandLeisure.com
The Crown Collection combines all of these features into a single suite. It’s decidedly upscale in nature, and the range of offerings goes from spa treatments to multi-million dollar houses. So, everything that you’ve ever viewed as an upsell is likely a part of the Crown Collection.
While some critics have bemoaned the introduction of this new suite of amenities, the move is long overdue. Until now, guests who wanted to evaluate various upsells had a problem. The information wasn’t collected in any single area, forcing guests to bounce around Disney’s official website in search of what they needed.
The introduction of the Crown Collection is about convenience and user-friendliness as much as anything. Now, Disney fans can visit the official page on the website and find everything that they need. From Disney’s perspective, it serves a purpose as well. They’ve now branded their best upscale amenities as part of a single entity, the Crown Collection.
What’s in the Crown Collection?
A quick glance at the official site reveals most of what you need to know about the Crown Collection. The first two amenities that it shows are ones that cater to the one-percent crowd. VIP Tours are unquestionably the best way to spend the day at a Disney theme park. They’re also the most expensive. The cheapest tours start in the $150 range, while the Crown Collection version emphasizes the Private VIP Tour, the one that costs thousands of dollars.
Disney has done a second form of consolidation within the Crown Collection. They’d recently introduced Disney Signature Services, a unique resource for guests staying on the Concierge floor at Disney resorts. Executives have staffed a new division called the Signature Services team. Their goal is to increase customer satisfaction among the highest paying customers.
The thought process is that hotel guests paying for expensive rooms deserve a higher tier of customer service, one that even exceeds the lofty standards of regular Disney cast members. The company chooses its highest regarded employees and then trains them to deliver Concierge services for free.
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When you book a qualifying Disney room or tour, you may ask for a Signature Services agent. This person may assist you in booking celebrations and events, booking dining reservations or FastPasses, scheduling time at Senses Spa, or purchasing Chef-table experiences. In other words, these agents streamline the process of buying/experiencing Disney’s top-tier services.
In addition to Club level rooms, guests staying in specific suites are eligible for Signature Services as well. Similarly, anyone booked for a VIP Tour gets Signature Services access.
You’ll have no trouble contacting them. Here are the details from the official website:
“Disney Signature Services is here for Guests 7 days a week from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET. Please call (407) 939-7777 or email us at disney.signature.services@disneyworld.com.”
What Else Is in the Crown Collection?
Anything that costs more or requires special booking is probably included in the Crown Collection. I’ll quickly run through the various options listed on the official site.
Senses Spa is available to book at two different resorts. Guests may visit either Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. A spa day is the perfect form of vacation, relaxation, and Senses Spa is one of the best-reviewed options in Florida. Remember that qualifying guests can ask a Signature Services cast member to book this service instead.
Specialty Cruises are another part of the Crown Collection. These vary in cost due to the diversity of options. The lowest priced cruises are the Fireworks Cruise dessert parties, which start at $99 plus tax for adults.
For slightly more money, you may rent a boat for some aquatic entertainment. Options start at 21-foot pontoon boats at $299 plus tax for a session and go all the way up to the Grand Yacht 1, which costs $399 per hour. Disney’s listing for the yacht is hilarious, whether intentional or not. It comments that the vessel seats “18 Guests—or 17 if traveling with a butler.” Yes, some of the stuff in the Crown Collection caters to people who bring their butlers on vacation.
A key section of the Crown Collection targets foodies. In recent years, they’ve highlighted their Storytelling with Food series. In 2019, they’ll host nine different events at Markham’s, the restaurant located inside the Golden Oaks clubhouse. It’s one of the most exclusive places to eat at Walt Disney World, joining Victoria & Albert’s, which is another part of the collection. Chef-Table experiences here and at Citricos are the most dazzling opportunities in Central Florida.
I previously mentioned Club 33. It is understandably a part of the Crown Collection since it’s the second most expensive upsell at Disney. The largest one is Golden Oaks itself. The collection links to the main site for the neighborhood as well as the properties available for sale there. So, yes, the Crown Collection sells items for $99 and for $5,695,000.
The final part of the collection is the one that strikes me as the grandest. Fairy Tale Weddings are an integral part of the Disney experience for many people. You can plan the wedding of your dreams here AND the honeymoon, too! In fact, you may schedule any kind of event via the Crown Collection. Birthdays, personal achievements, family reunions, and just about any other social event you know can be booked here.
Through the Crown Collection, you can make any of your grandest Disney dreams a reality. Then again, a MickeyTravels agent can book many of these same packages for you. Their services are free, and they’ll try to save you money whenever possible, which is the opposite of the Crown Collection’s intent.
