Tables in wonderland - discounts on counter service and snacks?

[kniquy]

I was looking at the tables in wonderland for an upcoming trip with my in-laws and my family of 5. We are not drinkers so the benefit of the 20% off of alcohol is not a benefit to us. We will have our 11 yo twins and 5 yo daughter. It sounds like the break even point is $750. I can see how that could easily be reached with all of us. We may not be together for all meals and don't want to feel like we have to be in order to take advantage of the discount.

I looked over the locations that are part of the TiW but is seems like there are few counter service restaurants and it appears snacks are not part of the discount. I know that a discount on snacks is minimal, but we are trying to compare with considering doing the dining plan (1TS, 1CS 1 snack and mugs) If we did TIW we would still follow the same plan and only do one TS meal per day while getting CS and snacks to get us though the day.

I am not sure that the TIW makes sense for our type of family. We did the dining plan last year when it was just our family of 5 and i think we came out slightly ahead.

Are there any good resources to help calculate or figure out our best option?

We loved the pre-paid dining plan - even though it didn't really save us much we liked not worrying about what we had left to spend on our budget for meals. I hear there are many people really happy with the TIW but those might be people that visit more than once per year. We are an every other year family so that would not work to use it for 2 trips.

 

[davper]

The only time that TiW discount applies on CS meals is in resorts that don't have a TS restaurant.

If you are buying TiW because you are an annual passholder/DVC member and you don't drink alcohol with your meals, then your break even is @ $1500 on TS meals. This is because you get a 10% discount already.

 

[BillPA]

Beware that there are blackout dates on TIW, and several of the locations that use to give DVC/AP discounts are not doing that any longer. The TIW card is good for 12-13 months, so if you have another trip planned in the next year that will help 'cover' the cost.

 

[kniquy]

The only time that TiW discount applies on CS meals is in resorts that don't have a TS restaurant.

If you are buying TiW because you are an annual passholder/DVC member and you don't drink alcohol with your meals, then your break even is @ $1500 on TS meals. This is because you get a 10% discount already.

Very good point!! - I hadn't really considered factoring in the DVC discount. I think we will stick with the dining plan. Even though it does not save us much in the long run we love the all inclusive feel and not worrying about budget or money when we are dining. Plus it seems that there are many more locations that are under the dining plan.

I also am purchasing discount Disney cards through target and the gift card resellers so that alone provides a discount on the dining plan of usually 10-12%. I could use those same cards to pay for dining without the plan but again i don't want to think about much when we are there. I guess i could also use those gift cards to pay for the tips while on the dining plan -- that should work as well.

 

[supersnoop]

If you are buying TiW because you are an annual passholder/DVC member and you don't drink alcohol with your meals, then your break even is @ $1500 on TS meals. This is because you get a 10% discount already.

Very good point!! - I hadn't really considered factoring in the DVC discount. I think we will stick with the dining plan. Even though it does not save us much in the long run we love the all inclusive feel and not worrying about budget or money when we are dining. Plus it seems that there are many more locations that are under the dining plan.

I also am purchasing discount Disney cards through target and the gift card resellers so that alone provides a discount on the dining plan of usually 10-12%. I could use those same cards to pay for dining without the plan but again i don't want to think about much when we are there. I guess i could also use those gift cards to pay for the tips while on the dining plan -- that should work as well.

I have to completely disagree with a "$1,500" break-even. There is very little overlap between the TiW and AP discounts. There is slightly more overlap with DVC. As a rule of thumb, I'd estimate the break-even around $900.

Here's a PDF comparing the discounts available. You'll have to check your choices to see how much overlap there really is: http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf

 

[supersnoop]

I am not sure that the TIW makes sense for our type of family. We did the dining plan last year when it was just our family of 5 and i think we came out slightly ahead.

How old are your kids? Once they hit 10, the dining plan quickly becomes more expensive than paying out of pocket.

 

[bumbershoot]

Food courts at Pop, Sports, Music, Movies, Art of Animation, SSR, and POFQ
Pizzafari, Flame Tree Restaurant, and Restaurantosaurus.


Snacks...if they are snacks you can buy at those places, they are included. But from carts, etc? Nope.


We're a family of 3, just one (casual) drinker, and the biggest eater is our 11 year old boy, and TIW is *awesome* for us.


This might include TIW as a choice; not sure. http://seeyareelsoon.wix.com/seeyareelsoon#!dining-plan-calculator/cxc0


Here is Cheshire_Figment's breakdown of the plan back before the most recent price increase.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/tables-in-wonderland-entire-bill.3412798/#post-53714426

 

[kniquy]

I also am purchasing discount Disney cards through target and the gift card resellers so that along provides a discount on the dining plan of usually 10-12%. I could use those same cards to pay for dining without the plan but i don't want to think about much when we are there. I guess i could also use those gift cards to pay for the tips while on the dining plan -- that should work as well.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We are DVC members and decided to get TIW once again even with the increased price. Last week we had meals at artist point and raglan road and the Moroccan restaurant at Epcot. We got a bottle of wine each night. Saved us a significant amount of money. We hoped to use it at the boathouse but they don't take it so we used our dvc card instead. We will be back at Disney for two weeks in March. We msinly go to the nicer restaurants most nights. Plus maybe a drink or two at the pools. We will go to the parks just one day. In msrch we will have four people and I know by the end of that trip we will have paid for the card.

 

[chris springer]

This is what me decide to by the TIW and NOT DDP. Made complete sense for us to purchase this

It is an excel spread sheet that compares all three dining options

DDP/DDxP vs. TIW Updated Workbook