Dining Plan or Tables in Wonderland card?

[Stefecatzz]

I searched & did not find any answers for this. I am a passholder & will be staying on property for the 1st week of the Flower & Garden Festival in March. What I'm wondering is would it be a better value to get the regular dining plan for the 2 of us or utilize our $25 discount for the TIW card instead? One benefit I can see for the dining plan is being able to use the snack credits for the booths.

 

[abdgeek]

The answer to that depends on how you like to eat. I've used TIW before and you really need to do your research ahead of time to get the best value. Make sure you check the restaurant list first. TIW isn't accepted at the majority of QS places and isn't accepted at kiosks. There are also some restaurants that don't accept it.

If you want to use it for snack credits, you may be better off with the DP or OOP. Keep in mind that there will be select items that you can use your snack credits for. I've done that before for F&W and found it to be a good use of a snack credit even if the portion size wasn't that large.

Also keep in mind that in order to break even with TIW you need to get $75 worth of discounts(which is what you paid) while you use the card. I've only gotten the TIW once and I don't think I'll get it again. I mainly got it because I was going to V&A and I wanted the discount and I was also going to be at WDW for two weeks and I wasn't getting the dining plan. Unfortunately, I was staying at BLT and couldn't use TIW at Contempo Café so I wound up paying OOP for my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks(I know I could have eaten at a TS for breakfast and gotten the discount, but I didn't want to do that this trip). Yes it saved me money on dinner and I ate at some of the restaurants that didn't take the dining plan, but I also ate differently.

I know TIW works for lots of people. You will need to look at the menus to cost it out and see if it will work for you.

 

[Stefecatzz]

The answer to that depends on how you like to eat. I've used TIW before and you really need to do your research ahead of time to get the best value. Make sure you check the restaurant list first. TIW isn't accepted at the majority of QS places and isn't accepted at kiosks. There are also some restaurants that don't accept it.

If you want to use it for snack credits, you may be better off with the DP or OOP. Keep in mind that there will be select items that you can use your snack credits for. I've done that before for F&W and found it to be a good use of a snack credit even if the portion size wasn't that large.

Also keep in mind that in order to break even with TIW you need to get $75 worth of discounts(which is what you paid) while you use the card. I've only gotten the TIW once and I don't think I'll get it again. I mainly got it because I was going to V&A and I wanted the discount and I was also going to be at WDW for two weeks and I wasn't getting the dining plan. Unfortunately, I was staying at BLT and couldn't use TIW at Contempo Café so I wound up paying OOP for my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks(I know I could have eaten at a TS for breakfast and gotten the discount, but I didn't want to do that this trip). Yes it saved me money on dinner and I ate at some of the restaurants that didn't take the dining plan, but I also ate differently.

I know TIW works for lots of people. You will need to look at the menus to cost it out and see if it will work for you.

Thanks! My friend & I are passholders & we tend to visit 5-7 times per year for 3 day long trips. Lately, we've been eating at TS restaurants 1-2 times per visit & we usually order alcoholic beverages w/our meals so I was thinking that since they are also included in the discount, that would make it worth it for us (especially at places like Raglan Road or Rose & Crown where we tend to hang out there a bit more).

I thought that the La Cava bar in the Mexico pavillion was included in the TIW discount but I do not see it on the list. However, it does list R&C but can anyone tell me if that means I could use it in the pub area as well as the restaurant?

Also, I thought the price for passholders for TIW was $75 but I see it now for $100 so I suppose it increased in price for 2014?

 

[JYL13]

to those in the know about the TiW card:
We were considering the TiW card, but if you stay onsite you are already getting a 10% discount on food, so the TiW card is only getting you an additional 10%, am I correct about that?
Thanks

 

[TDC Nala]

Not really.

Depends on what you mean by "stay onsite." There is no restaurant discount just for staying onsite. There are specific discounts for annual passholders. These are usually 10%. they do not include alcohol and some restaurants may limit them to certain days (like weekdays) or exclude certain dates (like holidays).

TIW is good at more restaurants than the AP discounts are.

And it's usually not a good practice to determine a discount by subtracting percentages from each other. It's better to do this:

$100 meal with 18% tip (since the tip should always be figured on the full price): $118
10% of the $100 is $10
So you are paying $108 for the meal.

20% of the same $100 is $20
So you would be paying $98 for the meal.

You would be paying $10 less for the same meal on TIW. Do that 10 times and you've saved the $100 it costs to buy the TIW membership. Everything else is straight discount.

No question you save more on individual meals with TIW. The big question is, are you going to use the TIW enough (and keep an eye on the blackout dates) to save more than you paid for the membership. If you are, then get the TIW. If not, you might be better off sticking to the regular AP discounts. If you're DVC, there are a few DVC discounts in certain restaurants too.

 

[JYL13]

TDC Nala,
Thanks so much for the quick response. You're right, I think I meant the annual pass, not the staying on site.
I didn't realize it didn't include alcohol, so that's something to consider.
I appreciate the examples also, I'm a visual learner.
Seems like the TiW is the way to go. We are FL residents, haven't been to Disney in a couple of years, and if we get the AP we go every couple months. Seems like it's time to go back!
I'm learning alot on these boards, so thanks to all.

 

[kshark1958]

We have always done the DDP (1TS,1QS) when we went to WDW. This time around which will be for 7 nights in early Sept 2014 we are leaning towards the TIW card. We always liked the DDP because your meals were basically paid for ahead of time so you just presented your card signed your tab then left without having to worry about what you ordered. The DDP is a good thing if you stick to and take advantage of what you are allowed. But to me I realized that is also a problem with the plan. We rarely drink soda so We don't care about the refillable mugs. One dessert a day at dinner is enough , I don't want one at lunch and at the end of the week we are filling up our luggage with snacks we ran down to the shop to get so we didn't leave anything on the card.So I feel like I am purchasing things I don't want or need. We also like a glass of wine or beer at dinner which is not on the DDP. So this time around we looked at the TS restaurants we want to eat at for dinner plus some for lunch.The one drawback about TIW is the fact that except for a couple at AK it is not accepted at QS restaurants in MK,Epcot or HS. But lets face it sometimes the QS restaurants can be pretty hectic at lunch so sitting down for a TS lunch once in awhile sounds nice. Economically we compared the plans and were surprised that we were able to add more TS for lunch, add a couple appetizers,minus some desserts we don't want, we even ate at some QS that TIW was not accepted at, we minused the 20% addded 100 dollars for the card and the price for dining with the TIW card was less than the DDP.So we are going to try the TIW card and if we don't like it but I think we will then we will go back to the DDP. The DDP would be so much better if you could customize it to want you want or need. I just think even if you ignore the economics the TIW card gives you a little more freedom with your meal choices.

 

[kshark1958]

Here is a calculator from another post I was reading that may help you decide. It helped me alot.
http://www.distripplanner.com/

 

[PrincessesX3]

for our upcoming trip, we have the DDP but we are considering upgrading our tickets to APs and purchasing the TiW card. Can I use both the DDP and TiW?
thanks

 

[PrincessesX3]

for our upcoming trip, we have the DDP but we are considering upgrading our tickets to APs and purchasing the TiW card. Can I use both the DDP and TiW?
thanks

 

[mom2of2]

for our upcoming trip, we have the DDP but we are considering upgrading our tickets to APs and purchasing the TiW card. Can I use both the DDP and TiW?
thanks

The TIW will cover things not covered by your DDP...apps or alcoholic bev or additional sides

 

[Stefecatzz]

We have always done the DDP (1TS,1QS) when we went to WDW. This time around which will be for 7 nights in early Sept 2014 we are leaning towards the TIW card. We always liked the DDP because your meals were basically paid for ahead of time so you just presented your card signed your tab then left without having to worry about what you ordered. The DDP is a good thing if you stick to and take advantage of what you are allowed. But to me I realized that is also a problem with the plan. We rarely drink soda so We don't care about the refillable mugs. One dessert a day at dinner is enough , I don't want one at lunch and at the end of the week we are filling up our luggage with snacks we ran down to the shop to get so we didn't leave anything on the card.So I feel like I am purchasing things I don't want or need. We also like a glass of wine or beer at dinner which is not on the DDP. So this time around we looked at the TS restaurants we want to eat at for dinner plus some for lunch.The one drawback about TIW is the fact that except for a couple at AK it is not accepted at QS restaurants in MK,Epcot or HS. But lets face it sometimes the QS restaurants can be pretty hectic at lunch so sitting down for a TS lunch once in awhile sounds nice. Economically we compared the plans and were surprised that we were able to add more TS for lunch, add a couple appetizers,minus some desserts we don't want, we even ate at some QS that TIW was not accepted at, we minused the 20% addded 100 dollars for the card and the price for dining with the TIW card was less than the DDP.So we are going to try the TIW card and if we don't like it but I think we will then we will go back to the DDP. The DDP would be so much better if you could customize it to want you want or need. I just think even if you ignore the economics the TIW card gives you a little more freedom with your meal choices.

I think I'll just keep track of what we'd spend OOP for the trip & see how it works out. Since we usually never stay on property, this will be a nice treat for us. I also am factoring into the benefits that we will be using all of our snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival booths so that will add to the value of the DDP plan I think.

Thank you so much for the link to the DDP calculator! It has been a big help!

I have a feeling that after this trip, we will be purchasing the TIW card for our future trips b/c we do tend to have a drink w/dinner or like to enjoy a night out at Raglan Rd so the savings will add up for us.

 

[mjr0483]

I am done with the dining plan and have been for a couple years.
Look at the way you dine. Have you done the dining plan and left CS or snacks on the table?

I have found that I enjoy it much better when I get what I want instead of managing the plan to make sure I get my moneys worth. Sure it stinks pulling our your CC at every meal or snack stand and you start to think about what your spending, but either way your spending it.

For us I would rather go and get an App instead of two desserts.
My son is a light eater and will soon be on the adult plan. He barely eats what he gets on the kids menu. I am certainly not going to pay full rate for a 10 year old that drinks chocolate milk and chicken fingers.

Snacks: When I get to a snack stand I don't want to be limited by whats on the plan. If I want the big popcorn darn it I am going to get it. And I don't feel like I am wasting snack value on a bottle of water.

So for our family it works. TIW with the DVC discount all the way.

Oh and our upcoming trip for 7 nights, we are all signatures for 5 nights with the exception of Liberty Tree & BOG.

 

[Stefecatzz]

Ok. Thanks for sharing! I'm gonna give the DDP a try for the 1st time & see how it works.