Hope You're Getting What You Paid For...

I have LOADS to update on this blog! Man, all I do is book vacations...but if I go on one, I get sooo far behind! I'm sure you've all missed me!

I wanted to blog about something that came to my attention yesterday. A very dear friend and colleague of mine had clients who went to Walt Disney World last week on a vacation package. She called me upset because when their vacation was over and they were checking out of the resort, they had about a weeks worth of unused dining credits EACH left on their dining plan! How did this happen???

Well, there was obviously a misunderstanding somewhere in the works here. And unfortunately I don't want to immediately blame the guest, but if you didn't fully understand what you purchased when you were purchasing it (or for that matter even ANYTIME before you went on vacation) then it is not anyone else's job to clean it up. I know that sounds harsh, but I honestly felt bad for my friend. She has been in the travel industry about 10 years longer than me and I can vouch for the fact that she fully understands what she's talking about when she's selling the Walt Disney product. Yes, I understand that sometimes these things happen, but pointing fingers is not the way to resolve it.

When she called me yesterday she asked me if the front desk cast members go over the dining plan when a guest checks in. Usually not. They may ask "Do you have any questions" but I believe that they are under the assumption that the guest understands what they've purchased. In this case, the clients are claiming that they thought they could only use their dining plan for the meals that are booked. So every time they went to a quick service location they paid out of pocket. The dining plan of course covers these restaurants, and when they checked out they had loads of unused meals from the quick service locations. Why would you purchase a dining plan and think you had to pay out of pocket for any meal?

This situation has prompted me to go over the dining plan in my blog. I can spell it out and please, if anyone out there has any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask.

I think the main problem came from the fact that people get confused thinking that the different meal types (table service, quick service, and snack) are for specific meal periods (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This is not the case. It doesn't matter whether you use you table services at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it just matters that it's a table service meal.

A "table service" or sit down meal is any restaurant on property that you (usually) make a reservation for, sit down at a table, and get served by a server. Whether it's at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Of course you would think that you'd get the most "bang for your buck" using your table service meals for dinners, as they are the most expensive meals and this is true. But remember, if you can't get into Chef Mickey's Buffet at Disney's Contemporary Resort for dinner there is a fantastic breakfast that has the same characters and fun, lively atmosphere as the dinner meal period and yes, counts as a table service too!

There are some table service meals that if you were to pay out of pocket would cost a little more. These are restaurants that are dressier, more upscale such as The California Grill, Narcoossee's, or Jiko. And one character meal; Cinderella's Royal Table...such restaurants as these require 2 table service meals each. But no worries, you're not given any paper vouchers to hand over and keep track of, it's all electronically scanned on you "key to the kingdom" card which is also your room key and your park ticket. Every time you hand over the card to be scanned at any type of meal you should receive a receipt with the remaining balance of meals on it for each card so you know exactly what you have left. And if you're not given one...ask for it.

A "quick service" meal is any restaurant on property where you as the guest would walk up to the counter and order a meal that is usually served on a tray. But don't discount these meals as hamburgers and fries. As they do have this type of fare, you can get almost any kind of cuisine you can think of as a counter service meal. Fish and chips, sushi, tacos, huge sandwiches, and anywhere on property. This is true for any restaurant location on the dining plan in the resorts, parks, or Downtown Disney that participates...there's over 200!!

A "snack" is going to be any place you go to in the parks that have a cart where you can get anything from ice cream or popcorn to a bottle of soda. Or you can go in the merchandise locations and get a bag of trail mix, candy, or something like that.

If you are confused as to what constitutes a table service, counter service, or snack...ask! Any cast member will be happy to help you out before you purchase something. The only time you will be regularly asked by a cast member if you are on the dining plan is at the table service meals in the beginning of the meal by your server, and the only thing that you should be paying for out of pocket if you purchased the dining plan is the tips for your servers which is not included.

Of course there are different guidelines depending on which plan you purchase and I have gone over the basics of the regular plan. There is also a quick service plan and a deluxe plan, and you can add a "wine and dine" option onto the regular one.

I think the dining plan is a fantastic option to add onto your Walt Disney World vacation and not to be passed up because it really does end up saving you money in the long run. Walt Disney World is one of the only vacation destinations in the continental US where you can create an "all inclusive" package, and it really is another reason to visit soon. But know what you buy because no matter where you go, whether it is Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, or Timbuktu, if you don't know what you paid for and don't have all the information you will end up losing money and turning something that is supposed to be a dream vacation into a nightmare.