Question about the premium meal plan

[lush]

We've booked our trip for next year (after 3 years away! ) and I'm seriously considering adding the premium meal plan this time for various reasons. Mainly so I know the main meals are paid and also I'm planning on doing all the expensive ones this time - Auberge, Inventions, Bistrot Chez Remy, Blue Lagoon and maybe Buffalo Bills.

My question is this - if I decide to use the voucher at face value does the amount come off the total bill or just what I have eaten?

I'm looking at the Bistrot Chez Remy and I know that my DD4 will not eat the food on the premium menu. She will eat the food on the cheaper one though. If I was allowed to use the voucher at face value I could get the cheaper menu for both her and my DD2 (who obviously won't have the meal plan) and not have to pay much on top. The premium menu is 30.00 for the kids menu, 17.00 for the cheaper option. I'd only have about 4.00 or 5.00 to pay on top for them both to have a full meal.

Also, I'm looking at booking Blue Lagoon but I wouldn't want the set menu in there (I'm not a big fish/seafood fan, just love the ambience) and I'd maybe only have a main. Would the remaining value of my voucher be taken off the whole bill or just what I've consumed and then the remaining amount lost?

We had the plus meal plan when we there in 2012 but I don't think we deviated much from the set menus!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Anemone]

On our 2 trips last year they were very strict about 1 voucher per person per meal so we were not allowed to pay for 2 meals with 1 voucher and top up the rest in cash. Therefore you will lose money if you don't have a premium meal.

Also we didn't use the full value in Manhattan but were charged the full cost of the wine I ordered whereas 2 years ago we used premium vouchers in Cafe Mickey and they accepted the vouchers to cover the whole bill, including alcohol.

 

[lush]

Well if that's the case then I think I'll have to go back to my plans and work out properly what we're likely to spend in each restaurant to see if it'll really be worth our while.

It's a bit of cheek that they won't just take the value of the voucher off the meal though - I mean you've paid the money! It's not like they're really 'giving' you anything. If they say the face value is say 50.00 then you should be able to use the 50.00 for whatever food you wish really.

 

[Ware Bears]

I'm not a fan of the meal vouchers - used them once and wouldn't again unless they came as part of the booking offer.

If you're wishing to have your meals budgeted and paid for up front it may be a good idea to do as someone else suggested and load the money onto one of those prepaid travel cards?

 

[Anemone]

Well if that's the case then I think I'll have to go back to my plans and work out properly what we're likely to spend in each restaurant to see if it'll really be worth our while.

It's a bit of cheek that they won't just take the value of the voucher off the meal though - I mean you've paid the money! It's not like they're really 'giving' you anything. If they say the face value is say 50.00 then you should be able to use the 50.00 for whatever food you wish really.

I agree with you and have argued the toss with CMs about it but as I said they appear to have become very rigid about it. x

Agree with Elaine - am putting food money on my Euro Fairfx card for our January trip. With the euro exchange so good at the minute that will save way more than HB vouchers and will allow full flexibility in where we eat. x

 

[lush]

I'm going to put the money for my food budget onto a Fairfx card and use that to pay for my meals. At least I can spend it on what I want then.

When we to WDW this May I got a USD card and loaded our food budget on to it, it worked really well for us. It was really easy to keep track of too.

Thanks for the replies ladies!