Dining plan complaints

[919Florida]

I am a southern destination travel specialist. I book tons of Disney packages. I just wanted to put in a few words about the new standard dining package Disney is offering for 2006. I have seen some negative reports and it makes me angry. As with everything there is going to be problems at first. Keep in mind that this package is only a few weeks old and Disney is still in the process of negotiating with more restaurants and educating their cast member employees. There is always going to be someone that is not happy with things and that is everywhere you go.

Regarding all packages, I try to educate my clients of participating restaurants and how things work so they pick wisely and get their money's worth. If a client is not educated on how it works they will be in for surprises and will not enjoy everything that is coming to them. My clients come to me with all their questions and we get everything in order before they go so things go as expected. If you do not know what restaurants are participating it would be frustrating to go and find out they will not accept your plan.

I have a family member that works for Disney. He was told that guest services created this plan so to speak. They took everything guests complained about and tried to make a dining plan that was less expensive but would accommodate what the guests were asking for. I feel the guest should realize if it is affordable it means that high end restaurants and certain things are not included. They complained about the costs of dining on the Dream Maker now they have an affordable plan and think they still get the benefits of Silver & Gold. If you want an all inclusive plan do not do the Standard Dining you would need to get the Premium Package.

So basically the point I want to get out is educate yourself on what you purchase. If you want someone to handle it for you that works with these packages on a daily basis go to an agent that sells Disney.

 

[WDSearcher]

Great post, and good advice!

 

[frannn]

why do I have to buy a pkg to get the dining plan? We are going to be onsite guests, and would love to know what our dining costs will be upfront, without having to nickle and dime everything. We tend to eat offsite a bit, and this would eliminate that. Isn't that good for WDW?

 

[boucheresq]

"I have seen some negative reports and it makes me angry."

Quite frankly, that makes no sense to me. I am one of the individuals who complained and I have every right to my opinion. There were several problems with the plan which needed to be remedied. I understand "kinks"; however, if I'm paying for the plan - everything should be worked out before they start selling it. And yes, I completely educated myself; and then Disney made many changes on several occasions, causing the research I conducted on several points to become moot. Thus, I had to make numerous calls to change PS's b/c of these changes while Disney put in and took away restaurants. Disney should have completely researched the issue of restaurants and what level they should be put before putting it on the plan. Case in point, Le Cellier was originally one meal so I made a PS - then it was changed to two so I made it to Marrakesch, then Marakesch was taken off of the plan. Then there was an issue re dessert. It's hard to research when so many changes in such a short period of time.

 

[Amirah95]

919Florida, so what you're saying is that not all restaurants are included in certain packages? Sheeesh, I didn't know that. I didn't check allearsnet yet to see if they have a list. Is there a list out?

 

[919Florida]

919Florida, so what you're saying is that not all restaurants are included in certain packages? Sheeesh, I didn't know that. I didn't check allearsnet yet to see if they have a list. Is there a list out?

Not all of the restaurants are included. You can find a list of the locations here. http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...ific/eng/nontheme/tickets/DiningLocations.pdf

Hope that helps. Have a good day

 

[SnackyStacky]

919Florida, so what you're saying is that not all restaurants are included in certain packages? Sheeesh, I didn't know that. I didn't check allearsnet yet to see if they have a list. Is there a list out?

Here's a list of participating restaurants:

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/packages/2005-packages-dining.htm

 

[Amirah95]

OK Thank you...I have a lot of reading to do.

 

[zippehsmom]

Just FYI, disney's site lists Beaches & Cream as full service while dreamsunlimited still lists it as counterservice.

 

[bdrex95]

why do I have to buy a pkg to get the dining plan? We are going to be onsite guests, and would love to know what our dining costs will be upfront, without having to nickle and dime everything. We tend to eat offsite a bit, and this would eliminate that. Isn't that good for WDW?

AMEN!

I am a DVC member and staying in a DVC resort using my points and I am not allowed to buy the plan. Like you, I tend to eat offsite some as well, but having this plan would make me stay in WDW for meals. Hopefully they will open it up to all who stay onsite even if they don't book a package, or at least to DVC members, since the idea of the DVC is that we can aviod the lodging expenses by "owning" a piece of the resort.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

" I understand "kinks"; however, if I'm paying for the plan - everything should be worked out before they start selling it.

Disney should have completely researched the issue of restaurants and what level they should be put before putting it on the plan.

Perfection is an unrealistic expectation.

 

[boucheresq]

Marykate's mom, I'm not expecting perfection, I'm expecting competency. To do complete research on what restaurants are to be in the plan before putting out the plan is not a lot to ask for. And the reason I chose the plan was b/c of the restaurants on the plan; and after I paid for the plan, they changed them. That is incompetent. The determination of which restaurants can "fit" in the plan is a simple issue of mathematics, i.e., this restaurant charges so much for things and how does it equal up with the $35 a day. That easily could have been done before the plan was being sold.

I am surprised that some of you have such a problem with people making complaints about the plan. I have a right to make a complaint, I was not hysterical about it, I did not act like a prima donna about my complaint, I just showed my position.

 

[Amirah95]

I agree...I just looked over my package and just realized that the restaurants had been changed. I'm going to see my agent today to try to fix the issues because it looks I'm spending too much not to get what I want. Wish me luck.

 

[boucheresq]

Good luck and pixie dust!

 

[Bracho]

I agree with boucheresq. When you purchase something, you expect to receive what you paid for .. period... why should Disney be above that.

I know that alot of folks really hate it when people come on the DIS and complain about something Disney has done but it should never be an unrealistic expectation to get what you paid for.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have no problem with the voicing of issues. This is the one thing that Disney tends to do. They come up with a basically good plan. But, they implement it before it has been thoroughly thought through. Then, they have to make changes...maybe good ones, maybe not. But, what happens to those who have started to utilize the plan and then find it to be changed? I have seen it happen now with this dining plan, I have seen it happen with the DDE plan. I wish that Disney would complete it's thought process before implementation of said plans.

It's almost the same with the park hours. Disney has a pretty good idea (or at least I think they would after all these years) of what the park hours are going to be like every year at any given time. So, now we have people at the 90 day window, trying to make PSs and not having a good idea of when the parks are open late or what parades/shows will be happening. You would think that they would know when the parks are going to be really cranking and when it's going to be slower. Then they could come out with those park hours much earlier than now. Sure would make making those late day PS easier. And now you have the dining plans to deal with and the ever changing list of which restuarants are in or not.

 

[Lewisc]

"I have seen some negative reports and it makes me angry."

Quite frankly, that makes no sense to me. I am one of the individuals who complained and I have every right to my opinion.

Just curious, was the official Disney site giving wrong information or was it one of the internet sites that didn't update the information? I certainly agree you have ground to complain if the official Disney list changed. Some of the complaining individuals didn't take the time to read the official Disney listing. I don't really care about their opinion.

The DTD restaurants and the EPCOT restaurants aren't Disney owned and Disney can't make them participate. It sounds like the changes is with those restaurants and there probably isn't much Disney can do. People looking to go to the most expensive restaurant in a given category is going to cause some of those restaurants to either limit entrée selection, or move up a category.

 

[boucheresq]

I looked at the official disney list - plus, when I bought the plan, I went through making the PS's with the CM from whom I just bought the plan from and she only made PS's at restaurants that supposedly were on the plan. Then the list was changed days later.

I guess I equate the issue with buying an item. If I bought say a sweater on the internet and then received it only to find it wasn't made correctly, am I to just accept it as it is b/c they are still working out the "kinks" of how to make the sweater? I don't think so - and I think every person would return it. Just a thought.

 

[shellybaxter]

Perfection is an unrealistic expectation.

I think maybe perfection in this case is being confused for competence. This reminds me of the front desk person on another thread (not a Disney CM) who said guest should understand that sometimes things get messed up and people are assigned to rooms that are already occupied.

Things like assigning someone to an already occupied room, changing plan components after people have purchased the plan, and selling a plan that your employees don't understand (or in some reports here) haven't even heard of is not simple imperfection, its incompetence.

We as a society seem to be being asked to accept less and less in the way of performance from those providing us services.

While I think for the most part Disney did a good job with MYW tickets (issues being solved pretty quickly, most employees being trained and knowing at least the basics, etc) I think they've dropped the ball by releasing a meal plan that simply wasn't ready for the public. And whether it's a good plan or not, they will rightly get some criticism because of that.

Shelly

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Marykate's mom, I'm not expecting perfection, I'm expecting competency. To do complete research on what restaurants are to be in the plan before putting out the plan is not a lot to ask for. And the reason I chose the plan was b/c of the restaurants on the plan; and after I paid for the plan, they changed them. That is incompetent. The determination of which restaurants can "fit" in the plan is a simple issue of mathematics, i.e., this restaurant charges so much for things and how does it equal up with the $35 a day. That easily could have been done before the plan was being sold.

I am surprised that some of you have such a problem with people making complaints about the plan. I have a right to make a complaint, I was not hysterical about it, I did not act like a prima donna about my complaint, I just showed my position.

Did you ask for a refund when they changed the restaurants?