sorry to hear it's worrying you but really it's a great easy thing to use!
The waitresses do explain it to you, and it's funny b/c they say have you had the dining plan before, and i say yes but then they still tell me what it entitles me. lol.
Tips for Using your Quick Service:
If you are on the regular dining plan and you go to a quick service place, b/c you get one per day, you get the combo meal. That should come with an entree, dessert, and drink. Flame Tree at Animal Kingdom and Cosmic Rays in MK are our favorites and a great value too. If you use a QS for breakfast, like i did at POP Century, i ordered any value meal which they had pictures on the menu above the food station. Then i went and chose a drink. When i was at the register I said "I would like to use my QS credit," which i always state by the way. She said I also get a pastry, so back over to the food i went and stood in line waiting to select a danish. Now this is helpful b/c prior to this i just thought it was a combo and drink at breakfast, which then makes a better deal to use it for lunch, but with the 'dessert' danish it made a good value.
Snack tips:
When getting a snack, look for the purple square with the white symbols in it, it's small and by the product name on their menus. When i go to pay I always say Hi, i would like to use my snack credit for this. Make sure you say this b/c I got a smoothie at the Mainstreet bakery and i said snack credit but she said "no it's not a snack credit" and I said yes, the icon is next to it up on the menu, see? She couldnt argue with me b/c it was in sight of the register!! So good thing i knew what the purple icon meant!
Another time I got a danish in AK at a stand. I said "i'd like to use a snack credit for this," and good thing i looked at the reciept a few feet away after biting into the delicious cheese danish because it was charged to my key to the world card!!! So i walked back over and said it was supposed to be a snack credit. They quickly fixed it and then didnt charge me a snack credit so i ended up getting it for free. Now some of the best snacks dont have the icon on the menu but if you ask if it's a snack credit on the dining plan you may be pleasantly surprised, as is for the ice cream cookie sandwhich at Animal Kingdom over by Dinosaur, its a walk up window. mmmmmmmmm, a must do. Also, the funnel cake over by the castle around liberty square area.
Tips for Table Service:
With table service places, buffets are the easiest. Other than that, you can order any entree, and appetizer for one if you are on deluxe dining plan, and any dessert.. unless it says 'for two' then you would have to both use your dessert allotment on it, like the brownie sundae at Yak n Yeti. I wish they could just make a smaller portion, but whatever. As for drinks, you can ask what drinks are included. Sometimes they will say soda, tea, etc. and then i will ask are milkshakes? and then they say yes, but didnt originally state that. So most places have them included on both plans. Try the peanut butter and jelly shake at DHS it's amazing!! sounds wierd but omg it's great. Also, smoothies are on the plan at the places i've tried to get them at, like Kona Cafe, WCC, and LeCellier. The only extra cost is for tipping. It's not included, although it was a few years ago when i first used the plan and that was an excellent value, plus you got an appetizer too, and that was the regular plan.
One thing that i wondered the first time i got the plan was how to keep track of how many meals, snacks, etc. you have left, but just so you know, after you buy something it will say how many remaining at the end of your reciept.
Hope that helps you! enjoy your vacation!
