Connections

[icydog]

I have five(5) Q&C meal tickets left over from my recent trip to WDW. I don't want to use Ebay, it is just too much trouble, so if anyone wants them from disboards just PM. I want just what they cost me plus priority mail postage.

 

[ladbrandy]

I PM'd you

 

[Pat_Elliott]

I also PM'd you.

 

[icydog]

I only had five(5) and these are gone.

Just my opinion, but please don't buy these vouchers for $17-18 on EBay. What a rip off. The vouchers cost me $11.50 and are worth that much but not much more. The restaurants at WDW are cognisant of the value of the tickets and give you only regular meals with them. Beaches and Cream doesn't give you a Kitchen Sink with a voucher. There are no side Casear salads. I think the Ebay jackels should be shot.

 

[DMRick]

Beaches and Cream doesn't give you a Kitchen Sink with a voucher.

Up until now, we've had no problem getting the KS at Beaches. They have told us, the new vouchers coming out will not allow it. Were you refused? I think our best bargain with them was at teh Peppermill..where they still let you get a side, even if your item comes with a side.

I just wish before I quit Conncetions that I had gotten a couple more of the lunch ones (the $30 guys). We hadn't planned on going back quite so fast. We have plenty of the Q & C's. ..but only one of the lunch : (

 

[icydog]

Why do you think the $30 lunch things are good? Can't you get a good lunch including tip and tax for less than $30?
I was told by my waitress that they no longer give KS at B&C.

 

[Cookie55]

I ate at Beaches over Presidents' week and had no problem getting the KS. In fact we had two vouchers for our group of three and were allowed a dessert in addition to the KS (and a free extra roll so DH and I could split the double cheeseburger!)

 

[LIFERBABE]

Someone on EBAY has posted the Connections Voucher Info in a FREE AUCTION! Too funny. It's in response to someone selling the connections link on EBAY and the fact that she paid $80 for 4 vouchers and didnt get her money's worth. Even with her info posted, there are still people bidding on the vouchers for way too much.
I did a search on Ebay under "Quick Voucher" and hers came up.

 

[DMRick]

Why do you think the $30 lunch things are good? Can't you get a good lunch including tip and tax for less than $30?

Because we get way more than $30 worth of food for them (the lunch vouchers). Just at the Rain Forest our bill was more than double that (we shared the stuffed lobster and steak..with an upgrade to the steak..about $43 for that alone), got our drink, appetizer and dessert..we were stuffed. We also ate at Alfredo's (shared) and got:

Stuzzicarolo - a rustic assortment of imported Italian meats and gourmet cheeses including prosciutto, bresaolo, mortadella and soppressata (serves 2 to 4) $23.95

Trittico di Pasta - sampler of our most pasta, lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo and rigatoni Siciliana $19.75

And a assortment of desserts...for one voucher, shared. Add tax and tip (included in the voucher) and we do very well with this voucher.

Cold drink for me..hot for hubby

At the Brown Derby we got:

Coconut Shrimp Skewers - with gingered beets, mizuna-mandarin orange salad and minted citrus soy dipping sauce $7.99

Grilled 10 oz. NY Strip Steak - marinated in Ale with chimichurri and boniato mashed potatoes $17.99; add grilled shrimp for $4.00 (which we did for 21.99)

Chef's Fantasmic Feature - White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
Served in a Dark Callebaut Swirl with Two Sauces $6.79

Plus our drink (I got a cold drink..hubby got coffee), tax and tip..another great buy!

See why I wish I'd bought more LOL?

 

[icydog]

Wow, there is a real science to this. I guess I just didn't know how to do it. Do the restaurants get upset with you for ordering extras like the grilled shrimp and including that and the steak as one entree? How did you learn how to do this stuff? I am not nearly as creative as you I guess. I would have gone in and ordered a fish something or other, a salad, a cup of coffee and a dessert. I never would have thought about sharing. I never would have thought about any of this!!
Congratulations, you are my idol.

You can rejoin Connections I believe. Mary said in Mousesavers that she joined and quit many times to buy tickets/vouchers etc. This info is no longer there since she doesn't support Connections but I am sure I read it.

 

[margaretCT]

DMRick,

A couple of questions if you don't mind.

At RFC, I don't see stuffed lobster and steak on menu at Deb Wills site, but I think that menu is a little old. What was the steak upgrade?

At Alfredo's, any problem using one voucher for the Stuzzicarolo (which serves two to four)? And how much food was it? We usually head back to our room after lunch and have refridgerator in room (DVC), so would I look foolish asking for a "doggie bag" if the appetizer is too much?

Thanks,

Margaret in CT

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I have found the waitstaff to be MORE than helpful when using the vouchers. They get their tip based on what you order, not the voucher amount. Plus, when they are really helpful, people tend to leave them a bit extra.

Raindforest Cafe has a couple of items not on their menu and they will tell you the specials. DH LOVED the stuffed lobster.

 

[DMRick]

They encourage you to upgrade and get the most..since their tip is based on your total. Those things (stuffed lobster and steaK) have never been on the menu..I learned about what to order, right on these boards. The food at Alfredo's was more "classy" than abundance. We were full, since we ordered so much, but it wasn't an all you can eat. The cheese and meats came out on a board, and they were the smelly cheeses mostly..my hubby ate those, I ate the milder ones. Same with the meat (not smelly, but not baloney either.

I asked which of the items we could get with the voucher..if we colud get the bigger meals..and they said yes. We shared, so it was just right for our appetites. The only tiem we had to do a doggie bag, was when we headed over to the RF (it has to be used at AKRF) from inside the park, to make our PS..and it was about 2:30..they were handing out coupons for a free appetizer (quesidilla's I think they are), and we took it and used it when we came back (we asked first)..we just had them packed up for a late supper, as no way, even sharing could we eat them.

I upgraded to something called a primal steak (I think that is right) one time, and mignon another time when I got the steak and coconut shrimp.

We used the Q & C at the peppermill, and got the primerib with potatoes and veggies, with a side salad and our choice of dessert..along with a drink. Hubby paid extra for his coffee. It was just perfect for two healthy appetites..although I think the chef put on a lot more potatoes when he realized we were sharing.

 

[margaretCT]

Thanks DMRick and Pooh Girl for the responses. I'd like to try the lobster and steak at AKRF if I can just talk DH into the lobster.

We haven't been to Alfredo's in a few years, so that's a definite "do" this upcoming trip. And I'm sure DH won't mind the smelly cheeses!

We have used Q&C at Peppermill twice and each time DH and I each got our own grilled steak and mashed potatoes and veggies. On this last visit they told us we could get a side salad and it looks like you have done that, too. I think this time, since we can get a side salad, we will just use one Q&C for the two of us. The last two times, we were so stuffed we just went back to the room for an afternoon nap!

Thanks,
Margaret in CT

PS As you said, Pooh Girl, the waitstaff is very helpful and if they go the "extra mile", we leave an extra tip, but we generally tip closer to 20% anyway than the 15% on the vouchers.

 

[CookieGVB]

We had the stuffed lobster at AKRFC in December - it was AWESOME. We ordered a frozen drink, an appetizer, the lobster, and a dessert - our meal would have cost about $80 apiece, with tax and tip.

Granted, we would never have ordered all that without the voucher, but it was a great meal splurge!!

 

[Gillian]

If you like yakatori at Japan at Epcot, that's also a good deal. They let us get a meal (which came with rice & a veggie), a side, a large drink & a dessert (just basic stuff).

I'd advise splitting meals at beaches & cream. Even without the side salad, it's just way too much food! I tried splitting my meal with my 2 year old, but he didn't feel like eating much of anything, for some reason. A lot went to waste. This time we were only able to get the basic drinks. Anything else counted as a dessert. We didn't ask about the kitchen sink. I don't like all that stuff mixed together!!

 

[FoodLover]

Originally posted by icy-dog
You can rejoin Connections I believe. Mary said in Mousesavers that she joined and quit many times to buy tickets/vouchers etc. This info is no longer there since she doesn't support Connections but I am sure I read it.

I think you can rejoin once a year. I actually haven't joined and quit that many times and I really made an effort not to abuse the system.

I first joined Connections in 2001, mainly to find out what they were offering. As you know, their web site is totally uninformative. You have to actually join the program to get the full details -- which should have told me something about their credibility. Anyway, I bought a couple of each meal voucher in order to get the details off the back for my site, and then quit after a month because I didn't think it was worth the money to me at that point.

Last year sometime I joined a Kmart version of the program (can't remember the name now - Simple Escapes, maybe?) to see if it was the same thing. A lot of people here on the board were wondering if the Kmart program was the same as Connections, because it cost less (I want to say $39.95 or $49.95/year), so it was potentially a "bargain." Turned out it was similar to Connections, but prices for tickets, etc were higher and the rebates were lower. I reported back here and quit immediately without ordering anything.

Then late last year I rejoined Connections because I planned to order a lot of tickets and meal vouchers for my family. I did place a number of orders and they were all filled correctly and on time.

However, given what I've recently learned about Connections and its parent company Memberworks, I plan to cancel my membership as soon as the year is up. Since I've paid for a full year, I might as well keep it for now, though if I really thought they'd prorate the membership fee, I'd quit immediately.

As I've posted elsewhere, I now know that Memberworks/Connections has a huge number of outstanding complaints, a bunch of settlements with the Attorneys General of various states, and apparently several lawsuits pending against it for telemarketing fraud. I always had a bunch of disclaimers on my site about the problems I knew about (mainly billing issues, which all seemed to get resolved eventually) -- but now that I know about all this other stuff, it's really upsetting to me that I associated my name with it in any way.

Mary
MouseSavers.com

 

[HookdonWDW]

Originally posted by FoodLover
IHowever, given what I've recently learned about Connections and its parent company Memberworks, I plan to cancel my membership as soon as the year is up. Since I've paid for a full year, I might as well keep it for now, though if I really thought they'd prorate the membership fee, I'd quit immediately.

Mary,

FYI: Connections WILL prorate your membership fees partway through the year if you request it. I quit in the fall when they reduced the number of vouchers you could buy in a year, and they refunded me for the 5 months remaining on my membership. I think it showed up the next month on my credit card statement. HTH

Lisa

 

[FoodLover]

Lisa, that's good to know! Thanks very much!

Mary

 

[patsal]

Mary,
Be careful to get your full year membership. They will re-bill you for your next year's membership thirty days before your membership expires and when you call to have the charges reversed they will cancel your membership. When you contact them to get your additional 30 days they will tell you you are not entitled to anything further from them. (I have followed this up with the Attorney General from my state, and will post when I receive a response).
I kept my membership because we had three trips planed and I felt we would get value from the food vouchers, if nothing more than the ability to have pre-paid meals (since these packages are not available for DVC). Although I was not going to re-new becasue of the inflated re-newal price ($139), I still expected a full one year membership since that is what I paid for.