AP and meal discount/TiW question

[disneyjr77]

Quick question for AP holders...since we’re going 2 years in a row, I’m doing the math to see if it’s worth it to get an AP. It says on the Disney site we get up to 20% off dining but as I dug more, I kept seeing a TiW membership is what gets you the discount. Do you have to purchase a TiW membership or do you get the discount with the AP?


Disney Platinum Pass

• Admission for a year to all 4 theme parks (No blockout dates)
• Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
• Includes Disney PhotoPass downloads*
• Up to 20% off on select dining
• Up to 20% off select merchandise in store
• Standard theme park parking

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Tables in Wonderland is a separate cost (an extra $150 for an AP holder). I bought it for my family last year. It paid for itself before our first 10 day trip was over. We were eating at table service restaurants at least once a day.

 

[gharter]

The AP will get you a 10% discount at many restaurants and merchandise. It does not cover alcohol.
The TiW card gives you a 20% discount at many restaurants and includes alcohol in restaurants and lounges. It also includes an 18% tip to each meal where it is used.
We have used the card for the last several years and saved money with it. We go to a TS restaurant most every night, have a drink with the meal, and visit the lounges.
You need to do the math to see if you will save money or not.

 

[Erica Ladd]

How does the 18% tip part work?

 

[rdiver]

It's calculated at the pre-discount price and then added back in.

Pulled up an old receipt from Tusker House:
7 x Breakfast buffet = $287
1 x kids buffett = $24
Total = $311
Tip would be $55.98

$311 - 20% = $248.80 ($62.20 savings)
$248.80 + $55.98(tip) + $16.18(tax) = $320.96 total meal cost

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I must admit that I just think of TiW as ‘paying the tip’. So I purchase the card for $150 and that covers the majority of my tips for the year. Some restaurants only take TiW at lunchtime and I don’t think that you can use the card on Christmas Eve/Day etc. As it covers alcohol it is definitely worth purchasing.

 

[disneyjr77]

Got it! I think does the TiW cover TS and then the AP would cover whatever quick service we get? I feel like with 2 trips in a year, the AP is worth it, but i just want to make sure we're getting the most out of it.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

These are the restaurants/lounges etc which accept TiW....
https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/faq/restaurants/tables-in-wonderland-restaurants/
and these accept APs.....

https://www.disneyworld.co.uk/passholder-program/passholder-benefits-and-discounts/

 

[disneyjr77]

Awesome, thanks! I need to redo my math and see if it works in our favor. I think it does, but when i looked at the AP list, I didn't see any QS places and that changes things. We usually do breakfast in the room, then one QS and one TS a day.

 

[gharter]

Awesome, thanks! I need to redo my math and see if it works in our favor. I think it does, but when i looked at the AP list, I didn't see any QS places and that changes things. We usually do breakfast in the room, then one QS and one TS a day.

For us, it has been worth having every year, except the year they increased the AP discount to 20%.
The rough math is $750 in dining to break even without an AP, about $1500 with an AP (as you would already have 10% off). However, you can also add free valet parking with TiW if you are driving, as another free perk.

 

[disneyjr77]

I have other questions, is there a sticky with all things AP? I looked for one but didn't see one, and definitely could have missed it

 

[loves to dive]

I always use ticket prices as a criteria for getting an AP and nothing else. The restaurants that give a discount are a moving target, most Disney owned shops will but, in my case I tend to go to the shops that don't (mask shop in Italy I'm looking at you). If you are staying on site you are going to get free parking at the parks. I've found I can match or do better on the AP resort discount using the general discount then stacking it with points I can get with third party sites like Orbitz. So just take your ticket price, if you hadn't planned on getting PHs just take the price for what you were planning on getting if you were going to get PHs use that price. If you were planning on getting the picture package (whatever the heck they call it this week) then factor that in as well, if you don't normally get it don't factor it in. It's basic math for me, am I saving on tickets? Any discounts I get after that are gravy. In our case, we always get PHs and never get the photo package, I may occasionally buy one picture a year but that's it. We stay on site and frankly, use Disney transportation all the time even though we have a car. So I just take the PH price and figure out how many days I have to go to break even with the AP price. Last year with the price increase to the APs and the fact that I use either Park Savers or UT to buy my tickets, I didn't break even. I have bought the TiW once and broke even with that because my son and I like our refreshing adult beverages. Since you can use that at bars for drinks even if you don't buy food, it worked for us.

 

[StevieB81]

For TIW if you take the menu price and multiply it by 1.032, you have the final price of the meal, after tax and 18% tip. We always get it, but we have four kids ages 16 and up, so we go over $1500 spent within the first 5 days of using it. It is also always more economical, for us anyway, than any of the dining plans. Plus, 20% off alcohol at WDW is a pretty good chunk of change

 

[vinotinto]

I have found Allears' summary of dining discounts to be especially helpful:
https://allears.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/disc_dining_0719.pdf
Some of the differences between AP Dining Discount and TiW dining discount:

1. AP gives 10% off; TiW gives 20% off.
2. AP is only at select TS restaurants; TiW is at select TS restaurants, Lounges, and QS restuarants located in resorts that do NOT have a TS restaurant (Full list: https://allears.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/disc_dining_0719.pdf).
3. AP's discount is off food and non-alcoholic beverages; TiW's discount is off food, non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages, including wines by the bottle.
4. AP discount is included in your pass; TiW is a separate purchase; TiW costs $150 for Passholders.
5. AP's discount is good for the Passholder and up to 3 additional guests. TiW's discount is good for the Passholder and up to 9 additional guests.
6. AP discount does not automatically add gratuity. TiW automatically adds an 18% gratuity based on the pre-discount total.

Assuming there is no alcohol discount, you have to spend $1500 in included dining venues within a year to make the TiW break even for you, above the AP discount. If you include alcohol, then you don't need to spend as much.

We found the TiW card to be well worth it for our family of 4. Being able to get a discount in lounges and for alcohol really made it worthwhile.