What's Going On? (RE: MYW Dining Package)

[thevolcanogod]

Here's my story:

My parents are going to WDW for a little vacation this fall and booked a Magic Your Way package with the Dining option through Dreams Unlimited. As stated in the package, this allows them the choice of 1 table serice, 1 counter service and 1 snack credit per day of their package (4 days).

We talked about some of the good table service restaurants to hit with these credits - Le Cellier, Marrekesh, Cinderella's Royal Table etc. So they sent in their request for PS reservations for these choices.

Today they get an e-mail from Dreams Unlimited saying that Le Cellier, Marrekesh and indeed, most of the World Showcase restaurants except Biergarted, Rose & Crown and Akershus were now "Signature Dining" experiences requiring 2 table-credits each.

Well, being a dutiful son, I went and looked around. Not one place I've visited has listed these selections as 2-table-credit Signature Dining Experiences - not the Disney Page, these boards or any travel site INCLUDING the Dreams Unlimited site itself.

So then I call the PS reservations number to take it to the Mouse himself. Follows is my converstion:

Me: "I have a question - which table service restaurants in EPCOT are eligible for the Magic Your Way Dining credits?"

CM: "Biergarten, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Akershus, Marrakesh...."

Me: "Excellent, we are interested in Le Cellier - how many table credits would I have to use to eat there?"

CM: "2"

Me: "....so this is a Signature Dining restaurant?"

CM: "Yes"

Me: ".....which restaurants in EPCOT only take a single table-service credit to eat there?"

CM: "Biergarten, Akershus, Rose & Crown"

Me: "....hmm, is there an updated list somewhere, because everywhere I've looked it seems to say that Le Cellier only requires a single table-service credit, including the brochure on the Disney web site?"

CM: "Well, I've been gone for a couple weeks, so let me check to see if there is an updated one. Hold please."

CM: "OK, I have an updated list. The single table-service credit restaurants are Biergarten, Le Cellier, Chefs de France, Marrakesh, Akershus....."

Me: "So Le Cellier is definately only one table-servie credit?"

CM: "Yes"

Me: "OK, thank you very much"

Ok - what do you all think of this situation - what's going on here? Which is the correct answer? For all I remember, Le Cellier has always been a single table-service credit. Are they on the verge of changing it? If they do, what will happen to the people that already have PS reservations for that location and expect to only use a single table-service credit for that restaurant?

Anyone have any ideas?

[millionairegirl]

Well nothing at Disney is constant. Everything could change. I would use the PDF on WDW.com as gospel, and fight tooth and nail if they try to charge you more.

But I don't know if that would work.

[thevolcanogod]

I hear you. I just think that this change would make the Dining option nearly trivial. Heck, one of the big ways you could all make it work, value-wise, was to hit some of the nice places that were only 1 table service credit like Le Cellier and Marrakesh.

Plus, it would really throw a wrench in a lot of plans to change it and not tell anyone until they were presented with a debit of 2 table-service credits a person at the end of the meal. That's kind of like ordering the $20 t-bone off of the menu and getting charged $40 at bill time. Might create some bad situations for many people.

Also, that would make Marrakesh the same number of table-service credits as the California Grill which doesn't make sense.

[WDW heart]

Are they going before Oct 4? If so, my advice is to cancel the reservations and rebook. My friend just booked a trip in September with free dining included in the My way plan. What a great deal. Unfortunately, it is not good for June dates. Aug - Oct.

[Drince88]

When they FIRST came out with this dining plan, my understanding is that LeCellier WAS 2 table-service equivalents, and there were also quite a few of the World Showcase restaurants not included. I think when they added more restaurants, they also bumped LeCellier to one.

So it was old information she was sharing, not a preview of what was to come (unless, heaven forbid, it was both!)

[Mark Goldhaber]

When they FIRST came out with this dining plan, my understanding is that LeCellier WAS 2 table-service equivalents, and there were also quite a few of the World Showcase restaurants not included. I think when they added more restaurants, they also bumped LeCellier to one.

So it was old information she was sharing, not a preview of what was to come (unless, heaven forbid, it was both!)

My understanding is that it's the former.

[thevolcanogod]

Just wanted to follow up - the travel agent has capitulated and acknowledged he had an incorrect listing. I don't know why the CM at the WDW-DINE number had the same listing - maybe one of those weird coincidences. But everything looks good for my parents.

[Chicago Wookiee]

Even the old plan we used a few years ago (March 2002) required 2 credits to eat at Le Cellier. Same was true for this plan until just a number of weeks ago so we jumped at the Le Cellier AR.

We ate there last Monday = $136 would have been the bill. Just two credits total used for the two of us. Great deal!