Opinions wanted TIW vs DDP

[chrismass]

I am debating over using the TIW 20% discount vs. buying the DDP for my upcoming trip. There are 5 of us - all paying adult prices on the dining plan, but 2 of the 5 generally order off the kids menu anyway (they are 11 and 12). I can't decide if it's worth the $40 a day for the dining plan - and I've done both, but of course never really tracked what I've spent off the dining plan. Plus, I tend to go to the cheaper buffet restaurants if I'm not on the plan.

Anyone have an opinion on your preferences??

 

[n2mm]

I've done all 3 dining plans and we have a TiW card. After trying it all, I have to say the TiW works best for us. Whenever we do any of the ddp we find mid-trip we get tire of having to be somewhere. Then we have the worry, if we don't use that credit, we'll lose it. So this is our solution. We generally will book a room for one night with an AP discount and add the delux DDP to it. We book ADRs for the arrival day and departure day (sometimes a dinner for the first day and a signature for the second; or dinner day one and lunch and dinner day two). This way we eat at the more expensive places the first 2 days. Plus we each get a mug with this plan to take to the next resort or to use the remainder of our trip (even if we are staying at the same resort and not moving). Then the next day we check back in under a new reservation (normally for us it's a DVC resort since we're members) and we book our ADRs for the remainer of our stays at the regular places (50s PT, Plaza, Trails End, Cape May) and if we change our mind and want to zip over to Beaches and Cream for lunch and cancel our dinner, it's not a big deal. We use our TiW discount for these meals. So this is our best of both worlds. This really works for us because of the AP discount and not having to have a ticket. So for us it's a combo that works. We actually did the delux ddp this July for our anniversary for 5 days -- whew -- we kept track and after taking off one appetizer for each meal and running the prices through the TiW discount we were very amazed that we did not save any money and pretty much broke even w/the TiW discount. We enjoyed eating signature every night, but we won't do that again.

 

[alyssa810]

We were considering the DDP for this trip but after doing some of the math we decided we'd stick with just our TIW. My DH was saying that if we got the DDP he'd want to be sure to get his money's worth, and he'd be getting expensive things and eating too much. We're going to try to track what we order and then see if we would have been better off with the plan. At least with TIW we know we're getting discounts, and we're not forced to eat to get our money's worth.

 

[Epcot4Me]

I think it really depends on how you normally eat. For us, TiW works much better. We never order a dessert at CS, and not one per person at a TS restaurant. There are several in our group (me included) who like to order appetizers or side dishes in place of an entree. And our party drinks water only at meals (or alcohol).

It's a great value if you do drink sodas/juices/lemonades normally and eat dessert with every meal and are happy with entree choices only.

 

[RMAMom]

We are doing this for the first time next month. We always go with the dining plan but next month it's just DH and I so we decided to go without it this time. I went to the allears website and looked at the menus and added up what I thought we would order, I added the tax and tip and then I subtracted the discount and to be honest it was only about $20.00 cheaper that the DP. I was sure to do a CS, TS and snack for every day.

The reason we chose to go without the DP is for the freedom. We could easily skip dessert and grab a snack later in the parks. It is nice not to be boxed into a plan. We aren't doing buffets though so if you are leaning in that direction it probably wouldn't be worth it for you to use TIW.
Another consideration is adult beverages. DH and I will have beer and wine with dinner so we will save again there.

Just my 2 cents, I hope it helped.

 

[clutter]

We are doing this for the first time next month. We always go with the dining plan but next month it's just DH and I so we decided to go without it this time. I went to the allears website and looked at the menus and added up what I thought we would order, I added the tax and tip and then I subtracted the discount and to be honest it was only about $20.00 cheaper that the DP. I was sure to do a CS, TS and snack for every day.

The reason we chose to go without the DP is for the freedom. We could easily skip dessert and grab a snack later in the parks. It is nice not to be boxed into a plan. We aren't doing buffets though so if you are leaning in that direction it probably wouldn't be worth it for you to use TIW.
Another consideration is adult beverages. DH and I will have beer and wine with dinner so we will save again there.

Just my 2 cents, I hope it helped.

ITA. But my family is also just 2, me and dd12 (who eats adult portions). I calculated what we would actually order at TS (not many desserts and no soft drinks because we usually don't order them) and found that with the TiW card our dinners with discount would cost about the same as the DDP. So we were basically getting our CS and snacks for free.

However, with more people it may be more cost effective. But for us, it's worth the free CS.

 

[jakenjess]

I think where you have children who are considered adults for the dining plan (as we do) you're better off with the TiW. I just can't see my kids getting our money's worth on the DP.

 

[Pakey]

We prefer the TIW over DDP and it's not even because of the dollar savings; I've never calculated it. To us, it's worth having the flexibility to order what we want.

 

[JennG]

Probably a dumb question but here it goes - can you be on the DDP (regular or deluxe) and use TIW for items NOT covered (i.e. drinks, apps for regular DDP)?

 

[Hootch]

I think it's better to use the TIW, but, as mentioned above, it depends on how you dine. Two factors would be whether you drink wine (or other types of alcohol) with your meals and do you prefer having appetizers.

I generally prefer appetizers over dessert and will have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner so the TIW is better. Currently though, with a young daughter, we spend a lot of time in the MK so wine with dinner is not an option.

 

[Rip]

Probably a dumb question but here it goes - can you be on the DDP (regular or deluxe) and use TIW for items NOT covered (i.e. drinks, apps for regular DDP)?

Yep.

 

[JennG]

Thanks!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I think where you have children who are considered adults for the dining plan (as we do) you're better off with the TiW. I just can't see my kids getting our money's worth on the DP.

Only if you avoid the buffet restaurants or the "pay one price" places. If you prefer those places the DDP could be better because you are stuck with the adult prices no matter what.

I think there are so many factors and variables that it is impossible to say one is better or more convenient than the other in general terms.

Questions I would ask myself when deciding:

What are the eating habits of me and my party?

Do I prefer sit down restuarants?

Do I qualify to purchase the TIW Card or will there be an additional cost to qualify (i.e. if you don't already live in Florida or you are not an AP holder, there will be the additional cost of getting an AP versus a MYW ticket).

How many meals per day do I plan on eating and how regular are my eating habits (ie do I eat at 5pm everyday or get grumpy?)

Do I want to drink wine or cocktails with my sit down meals?

Do I go into a restaurant and automatically order an entree or do I look at the menu and order whatever looks good (2 appetizers, or a soup and side salad combo, split entrees with another person).

Do I generally eat dessert on vacation?

How likey am I (or a member of my party) to order steak dinners? (to me if the answer is "very likely" go with the DDP).

How cheap am I? Is price my first consideration when ordering?

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Okey dokey!

Here is a definitive answer, TIW generally will save you more money than the DDP.

I did a cost benefit analysis (I won't bore you with the details lets just say it detailed) and TIW plus AP discount on my room saved me more money than FREE Dining.

So it is not a big leap to say that TIW will save you money if you are paying for the dining plan.

Buuuutttt, there is always a but, it really boils down to how you eat and what you eat. We eat at least 2 signature restaurants per trip and order wine and appetizers, so that tips the scale heavily toward TIW.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Okey dokey!

Here is a definitive answer, TIW generally will save you more money than the DDP.

Not necessarily - especially if you're paying a couple hundred dollars MORE for an AP than for a MYW ticket. And the AP discount on the room is currently only a few dollars (like $5 per night) better than the general public rate.

If you eat some counter service (especially at the parks - where TIW is generally NOT accepted) and some table service where you order an entree and dessert, the DDP can be better.

Everyone is better to run the numbers themselves for THEIR situation and not try to generalize about which is better. Neither is better - just different.

What makes one more beneficial over another is the person's situation (length of stay / mulitple trips / eating habits / alcohol consumption / planning).

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Not necessarily - especially if you're paying a couple hundred dollars MORE for an AP than for a MYW ticket. And the AP discount on the room is currently only a few dollars (like $5 per night) better than the general public rate.

If you eat some counter service (especially at the parks - where TIW is generally NOT accepted) and some table service where you order an entree and dessert, the DDP can be better.

Everyone is better to run the numbers themselves for THEIR situation and not try to generalize about which is better. Neither is better - just different.

What makes one more beneficial over another is the person's situation (length of stay / mulitple trips / eating habits / alcohol consumption / planning).

I really hate it when others snip my posts and contort the context.

The point of my post was, I spent a lot of time crunching the numbers for me and said so. I also posted the reason that my analysis skewed toward TIW. So by saying the definitive answer is TIW, and later saying that it depends on how you eat and what you eat, means that every situation is different and there is no definitive answer.

I am generally a really laid back and helpful person, but post snipping to change the intent and meaning of what I write really makes me mad.

 

[Sammy]

One reason we are going with DDP in April is that we are traveling with my parents, and it will just be easier than trying to figure out who pays what when the bill comes. I was thinking of also picking up a TIW card (AP holder) to cover the items not included in DDP (we usually order at least one drink and sometimes an appy or two). For us it will be strictly for convenience this time.

 

[chrismass]

Thank you everyone for your input!

I will run the numbers for myself - I think I'm going to go with the TIW discount, we have an AP so I can purchase it for cheaper. With a family of 5 (all paying adult prices) it's hard to justify the cost since my younger 2 will still want to order off the kid's menu.

 

[waltskids]

We are DVC members and have never done the DDP. For us, it's simply too much food and we usually only eat one large meal a day. We rarely order dessert but sometimes will order an appetizer at a table service restaurant. We will have breakfast in the room or on the go, lol! (except for one Chef Mickey's breakfast), then either have a table service lunch or dinner. Very rarely do DH and I eat a counter service and table service in one day. DS is almost 3 so we will always make sure he has another meal but we usually just grab a light snack or bring one into the parks for us(like fruit). TIW works great for us because we like to drink alcohol with our meals and it is also 20% off as well. We generally eat at table service restaurants so with the alcohol included, it pays for itself very quickly. Also, it is valid for one year and since we visit often, it is a great deal for our family.

 

[alyssa810]

We are DVC members and have never done the DDP. For us, it's simply too much food and we usually only eat one large meal a day. We rarely order dessert but sometimes will order an appetizer at a table service restaurant. We will have breakfast in the room or on the go, lol! (except for one Chef Mickey's breakfast), then either have a table service lunch or dinner. Very rarely do DH and I eat a counter service and table service in one day. DS is almost 3 so we will always make sure he has another meal but we usually just grab a light snack or bring one into the parks for us(like fruit). TIW works great for us because we like to drink alcohol with our meals and it is also 20% off as well. We generally eat at table service restaurants so with the alcohol included, it pays for itself very quickly. Also, it is valid for one year and since we visit often, it is a great deal for our family.

Same with us, which is why we've decided to just stick with the TIW. The TIW card can pay for itself in just one trip too!

"Not necessarily - especially if you're paying a couple hundred dollars MORE for an AP than for a MYW ticket. And the AP discount on the room is currently only a few dollars (like $5 per night) better than the general public rate."

Again, as DVC members we're not paying out of pocket for our room when we stay on points, and APs allow us more frequent trips- we've been getting APs for 7 years now. For me to get a 10 day MYW no expiration hopping ticket is $504, and my DVC AP last year was I believe about $375, and we tend to go 3-4 times a year for 4-7 days at a time. To get the DDP would be a fully OOP expense, and while we're still paying OOP for our meals with the TIW, we might not be spending as much if had to pay for the DDP.