Dining Plan vs Tables in Wonderland

[riatees]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but not sure what to do? I have figured out that the dining plan won't save us much money, if any at all. I have never used the TIW discount before, so if any of you have could you please give me your opinion. Also, if anyone thinks one is better than the other, could you please also share your experiences. We are going in June and plan to have most breakfasts in the room, maybe a few lunches and the rest will be restaurants. We will definitely be doing Ohana, BOG(if I can get it), Splitsville, Olivias, 50's Primetime Cafe and various quick service places. Thanks in advance.

Maria

 

[6disneykids]

TIW was a good deal for us, but with the new blackout dates for some of the most popular restaurants (including Ohana dinner) Its not looking to be the deal it used to be for us, since we have to travel during the black out times for some restaurants. If you won't be traveling during the black out dates, I say go for it.

 

[Disneycouple99]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but not sure what to do? I have figured out that the dining plan won't save us much money, if any at all. I have never used the TIW discount before, so if any of you have could you please give me your opinion. Also, if anyone thinks one is better than the other, could you please also share your experiences. We are going in June and plan to have most breakfasts in the room, maybe a few lunches and the rest will be restaurants. We will definitely be doing Ohana, BOG(if I can get it), Splitsville, Olivias, 50's Primetime Cafe and various quick service places. Thanks in advance.

Maria

When in June? This is from the TIW website *Beginning August 1st 2014, 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana (Dinner Only), Cinderella’s Royal Table, LeChefs de France, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Le Cellier Steakhouse will be subject to the additional blockout weeks of: November 23-29, 2014; December 21-27, 2014; March 8-April 4, 2015;May 31-June 20, 2015
Also the TIW only works at a few counter services, mostly in AK. You will need to spend 500 dollars to recoupe the cost of the card.

 

[disfanforlife]

We bought the TIW in March and broke even, plus I did not feel like I wasted food. We are going again in December and everything will be a savings. It is well worth it to us. We enjoyed the DP for many years but now feel the price is more than it is worth. Also some meals my daughter and I share not to save money but we simply don't eat that much. I like to have room for a Mickey bar or a dole whip instead of the dessert that comes with most of the CS lunches.

 

[AirGoofy]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but not sure what to do? I have figured out that the dining plan won't save us much money, if any at all. I have never used the TIW discount before, so if any of you have could you please give me your opinion. Also, if anyone thinks one is better than the other, could you please also share your experiences. We are going in June and plan to have most breakfasts in the room, maybe a few lunches and the rest will be restaurants. We will definitely be doing Ohana, BOG(if I can get it), Splitsville, Olivias, 50's Primetime Cafe and various quick service places. Thanks in advance.

Maria

Not sure how many people are in your party. The break even is $500, if you normally tip when you eat at the restaurant. Anything over that is even better. As the card is good for a year, if you normally go around the same time each year, you can get two visits on the card. We are a party of four and able to get two visits this year, including Vero Beach, and it saved money. We ate at the places we wanted, purchased what we wanted, and didn't worry about credits or anything like that.

The real only downside, other than blackout dates, is you have to carry your ID with you, as only the cardholder can purchase the food. I still don't like wearing those silly bands if I have to take all my forms of ID with me.

 

[Kidanifan08]

The June 2015 black-out date may make your decision for you. We are on our third TIW and have definitely saved money . . . and eaten less. Based on the list of TS restaurants you have listed, it is likely that you will save. You have to exceed about $500 to realize any real savings. We have no trouble doing that with a visit of at least 7-days, as we do a daily TS. Keep in mind that the card is good for about 13 months, so you should think about the timing of your next visit.

We like having the option to order an appetizer and pass on dessert, which you don't get with DDP. We usually have an adult beverage with our meal, and it is nice to get a discount. You can use the card at the lounges, as well. The only park counter services that participate are at AK, but they are good dining options.

If you do decide to purchase TIW, wait until you get there any buy it at guest services; that way you will get up to 13 months from the day of purchase to use the card.

 

[quinnc19]

IMO, you should also consider the fact that many restaurants offer other discounts (AP, DVC, Disney Visa) on food when calculating potential savings with the TIW card. Allears has a nice comparison chart.

 

[riatees]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice. I will really have to do some number crunching because we will be there during the black out dates. There are 12 of us, so it may still work out in our favor even if we can't use it at Ohana. Thanks again.

Maria

 

[eeyoresmom]

I believe it is only good for parties of 10 or less.

 

[GoofyJ]

We just returned from a six night trip to Disney World. We purchased the TIW card the first night and saved more than $100 during our trip.

We ate at ESPN, Crystal Palace, Biergarten, the pizza window on the boardwalk, Tusker house and Tepan Edo and snacks at TOWL.

Please note there is at least one other discount available (AAA at Tepan Edo).

So between the TIW card and the discount at Tepan Edo we 'saved' money at every meal.

TOWL also offered a discount via TIW card for drinks and snacks after the fireworks.

We previously used the dining plan but now use TIW as all of our family members are now over 10 years old and considered adults.

 

[DaisyNY]

We have purchased the dining plan and got it during free dining once...We felt like it was really too much for us as we rarely eat appetizers and desserts with all our meals. We scrambled and picked up lots of snacks the last day to use snack credits. This Dec. we arrive and leave before blackout dates....and we're trying TIW for first time, there are six of us traveling. With all our ADR's it looks like we'll save at least $100 if not more...

 

[disneynutz]

It's all about the numbers. Disney makes money because people don't do the numbers. The DDP and TIW isn't designed to save the guest money, they are designed to make Disney money. Sometimes there is a slight savings but you need to do the numbers to find out.

The best savings is to limit your Disney meals and prepare some easy meals in your villa. The problem is that the vacation mind set kicks in and that makes you want to splurge.

Bill

 

[daisyx3]

We got one in June and I think we already got our $500--especially since we ate at California Grill for our anniversary. There were 3 of us that trip. This weekend trip I only have reservations at Kona and the Plaza and we are going to "wing it" for anything else.
For our April trip we are under blackout dates for the most popular places the first four days, but we just made plans elsewhere. I have Be Our Guest and Rose and Crown during the blackout dates, and I'm not done planning yet. The only issue is we can't use it anywhere on Easter Sunday.
I don't know if we will get another one because we usually don't take three trips in one year, and when we go back to once a year or every other year it won't be worth it. But I don't know if we will ever go back to DDP (Regular plan--we get stuffed on that, I don't even know how people handle deluxe). We like appetizers and DH does not like desserts, so the DDP is not really a deal for us.
We eat breakfast in the room, but I'm not on vacation to cook.
Daisyx3

 

[Novakm]

If you are a DVC member, it's $1000 to break even, because you already get 10% at most places that take TIW. For me it was worth it, because I'm taking 2 trips with large groups.

 

[dzorn]

W have not used the dining plan since the kids became adults. It just was not worth the cost and way to much food. We have used TIW in the past and saved money but only when we have longer trips or can use it more than one trip. With the black out days not sure if we would use it again.

Denise in MI

 

[MountainMouse]

If you are a DVC member, it's $1000 to break even, because you already get 10% at most places that take TIW. For me it was worth it, because I'm taking 2 trips with large groups.

Thanks for pointing this out. I was just talking with my wife about doing TIW over the dining plan next trip and this will effect our decision.

 

[MsTessP]

Alcohol is not included with DVC discount. And you are limited to certain meals (just lunch, etc). Absolutely not enough to justify upping the break-even point to $1000. More places take TIW.

 

[tink_lover]

OK this thread has a lot of confusing information. First of all, I purchased my TIW as a DVC member and it DID include alcohol discount. Also, even though I purchased it, my dh typically paid using it and no one ever asked for any identification from him (or me). I bought it last Oct and got 3 trips used out of it, so for a family of five with parents who like a beverage with dinner, it has been a GREAT savings.

 

[MsTessP]

Sorry, actually was posting on the boat from BWV to the Studios, so my post probably was not clear. (Writing on the way back now!)
I should have said that the 10% DVC dining discount does not include alcohol and only covers certain meals at certain restaurants, while TIW covers the entire meal, all meals, and with a much greater inclusion of restaurants.

 

[Kidanifan08]

If you are a DVC member, it's $1000 to break even, because you already get 10% at most places that take TIW. For me it was worth it, because I'm taking 2 trips with large groups.

Thanks for pointing this out. I was just talking with my wife about doing TIW over the dining plan next trip and this will effect our decision.

Alcohol is not included with DVC discount. And you are limited to certain meals (just lunch, etc). Absolutely not enough to justify upping the break-even point to $1000. More places take TIW.

I think that it is a bit of a stretch to consider the TIW break even at $1000 for DVC members. As MsTessP pointed out, the DVC discount does not include alcoholic beverages. About 20% of the DVC discount locations only works for lunch. And, the only character experience that the DVC discount works for is Hollywood and Vine (woo-boo).

If you look at the Allears comparison chart, you will see that the DVC discount does not cover most of the same places as TIW, but rather it is less than half of the locations covered by TIW.

Granted, the TIW has some blackout dates that may not make the card useful to some travelers. It really comes down to how you dine at WDW as to whether the TIW is a value to you and your traveling party. But, given the limits of the DVC discount, I would not consider it a reasonable equivalent to the TIW.