A few related q's about DxDP & TiW

[Infamousmare]

Hi! I'm back! We went to WDW last September and had a blast. There were 8 of us on that trip (my parents, sister/BIL, DH and 2 kids) and we were able to take advantage of free dining. We upgraded to the deluxe dining plan (I think it's abbreviated DxDP) and enjoyed lots of great food. ) We plan to do this again next September.

Now, my MIL heard about how much fun we had and wants to go. I just booked a room for the 5 of us (I have another kidlet now, 10 weeks old. along with my 6yo and 4yo!) to go in November. We'll be there November 26 - December 1, eligible for free dining and I upgraded us to the DxDP.

Here's the kicker - I am having a devil of a time getting the kind of reservations I did when I had 6 months to plan ahead. No Chef Mickey's, Le Cellier, Cinderella's Castle, California Grill, etc. While I enjoy the food at many of the casual restaurants, I'm not entirely sure it's worth the cost of the dining plan. Additionally, I cannot get the 1 brm. suite at Bay Lake Towers because of the dining plan. Apparently, only a certain number of rooms are set aside for those taking advantage of the plan. The suite would be great b/c I will have a baby on a different sleep schedule than the rest of us. However, I CAN get that suite if I forego the dining plan. *Sigh*

Based on this information, here are my questions:

1. Based on your experience, do you think we should skip the dining plan this time around and just pay OOP for the meals we're eating? Should I downgrade to the regular DDP and keep track of CS, TS meals & snack credits? We have reservations for b'fast at the Grand Floridian, Akershus & 1900 Park Fare...lunch Liberty Tavern and dinner at Artist Point, Citrico's & The Wave. (I could skip AP & Citrico's & still be very happy).

2. I keep seeing stuff about Tables in Wonderland (TiW). What is this? Is this something I can sign up for and use along with a DxDP - or in lieu of DxDP?

TIA for your candid opinions. It's nice to know what seasoned WDW pros do in these situations.

 

[havoc315]

TiW is a discount card that can be purchased. It is only available to Florida residents and annual passholders.

If you don't care for CS meals, then I would not use the regular DDP.

If you plan on doing 2 Table meals per day, but both at 1-credit restaurants, you can do that easily OOP for something between the price of the regular DDP and the DxDP. ($50-$60 per day, can get you 2 pretty good TS meals per day).

With the amount of planning time you have remaining, while the super popular reservations may be gone, I would think you can still get plenty of signature restaurants and 2-credit dining. If that appeals to you, and if you find that you still want to use 3 credits on many days, the DxDP can still be a good value.
The DDP is a good value if you want to eat a CS lunch every day, want a 1-credit TS dinner every day, and want desserts with every meal.