Our numbers are in for our 2 week TIW trip!

[Tiger926]

So, we've been back for 4 weeks, but have had a busy summer, and I just realized that I forgot to complete my dining spreadsheet! Silly me!

So, here is the info - 2 adults and 2 kids:

July 1 - Off site Downtown Disney (never again!)
July 2 - 12 SSR/BWV
July 12 - 14 Vero Beach

We ate at 17 TS, 9 CS and 11 Room (breakfast, a few lunches/dinners).

We ate at:

Tonys, Chef Mickeys, T-Rex, Garden Grill, Tusker House, Crystal Palace, Tokyo Dining, H & V, Mama Melrose, Garden Grove, Marrakesh, Kona (x2), Cape May, Garden Grill, Plaza and Shutters Vero (x2).

Our total with TIW: $1338.00 (38.00 for TIW cost of card - split for 2 trips) for 2 weeks of eating! We don't drink alcohol, and rarely order desserts, so this is food, beverages and a few appetizers. Plus, it also includes several snacks per day.

This is our cheapest dining budget thus far! If we had purchased the regular DP (would have paid for son as not enough food), it would have been approx. $1100.00, but then we would have had to add in food from 1st night off site, and 3 days at Vero. That was included in the above figure!


We have BTDT with Disney dining, and we feel it's slowly going more and more downhill, so we cooked more in our villa this trip than before, and we liked it very much! We are tired of paying for subpar food, and bogus upcharge/surcharges, so next year, the kids will each get to choose their fav character meal, as will hubby and I, and then our fav restaurants for either lunch or dinnner.

I was more receptive to CS meals this trip as well, and we had a few really good meals as well.

We'll re-evaluate whether or not to get TIW next trip, as we always do. We always use our TIW as with our APs for 2 trips each year.

I hope these numbers help someone who is deciding on whether or not to get the TIW card.

Tiger

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Thanks for the data.

 

[SLM]

I think there are some great choices for CS meals-Wolfgang Puck Express, Earl of Sandwich, Sunshine Seasons, the French quick service cafe, Columbia Harbour House, Flame Tree BBQ-when you travel in the summer and it's so hot, we do very few TS restaurants-last August we did all three of the TS places at AKV and that was it for a 9 night stay. We like eating in the villa and relaxing by the pool with our own food.
Thanks for sharing your information!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

We have never gotten the DP. It would cost us $1287 per trip and we don't even go through $700. (7 days x 4 adults)


I use my Disney Visa reward points and my Citi card reward $$$ towards Dining. We also do a lot of lunches at TS to save money and eat every breakfast and some other meals in our room.

We own at the BW and discovered you can get great Pizza at the BW and theBig River Grille & Brewery on the boardwalk allows take out. You can just get it and go over to the quiet pool and eat dinner by the pool at the picnic tables.

Another thing I found that the CS has some good food. I also can't eat very much anymore so the buffets are such a waste.

 

[javamom]

I plugged numbers into my spreadsheet, and decided against the TIW and the DDP.

The DDP, is just too much. The TIW is only a 2% discount. They automatically give you an 18% upcharge for the tip, so you are left with 2%, and the cost of the card itself.

For our numbers, it came out cheaper to just pay for it outright and tip accordingly.

YEMV

 

[Tiger926]

I plugged numbers into my spreadsheet, and decided against the TIW and the DDP.

The DDP, is just too much. The TIW is only a 2% discount. They automatically give you an 18% upcharge for the tip, so you are left with 2%, and the cost of the card itself.

For our numbers, it came out cheaper to just pay for it outright and tip accordingly.

YEMV

We aren't normally allowed to discuss tipping, but I just want to correct your numbers. Unless you never tipped before, it would only be a 2% discount. If you normally tip, then it covers the tip. If you only tipped a lower amount then 18% percent, then you will see less. But, once you do the numbers with tax added in, you'll see that it's actually around 15%.

It really depends upon how you eat. If you eat at least 1 TS meal per day, like us, and stay for 2 weeks, we see a great savings. Plus, it allows the kids to eat adult meals, and no restrictions like with the DP. I always factor in the cost of the card (covers 2 trips), and so just by eating a few TS meals, it will cover the cost, as you only need to spend $375.00 on meals/alcohol, and then everything else is gravy.

Thanks all for your replies. Glad it helped, Tiger

 

[Tara]

The TIW is only a 2% discount. They automatically give you an 18% upcharge for the tip, so you are left with 2%, and the cost of the card itself.

Are you saying that you never leave a gratuity with a meal? For your statement to be true, you'd have to never tip. If you are already tipping anyway, what does it matter if the tip is automatically added - you're going to pay that money whether or not it's added in or you added it on yourself.

TIW is indeed a savings if you spend $375 on meals during the year it is valid.

 

[javamom]

Oh wait, I forgot to try to factor in our second trip this year...!