Tables in wonderland

[LarryJ]

Question: this is our first time being an ap holder, and was thinking about getting the TIW card...do you get both discounts at restaurants?

No it's one or the other, but in places like DTD we always ask if they take either the TIW or AP. It just all depends on how much and where you spend it to figure if the TIW is worth it, but IIRC for the AP alcoholic beverages are not covered, but are on the TIW card. You have to watch that since our server at the Aloha didn't know that when we had a glass of wine and a beer with our meal which was charged extra above the fixed cost of the basic ticket. When our sons join us we can easily rack up close to $200 even on lunch so for us the TIW really pays for itself.

Larry

 

[ftwildernessrick]

We still keep our TIW, but their has been some recent drawbacks in the past few years.

The DDP (especially the 'free DDP' offers) has thrown some kinks in the system.

First - for the largest part, you cannot walk up to most table service restaurants without a ressie. We used to hardly use 'Priority Seating' except for holidays & large groups. We usually eat lunch & dinner earlier than most and we could walk up to Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, Ohanas, ect. and get a table within 5-20 minutes.

Second - when the DDP first came out, it included a prepaid gratuity. As reported by many, service dropped (since the staff was getting a set gratuity anyway) and then they took the automatic gratuity back out of it.

Last - the free DDP, well nothing is 'free' and it has to come from somewhere. My understanding is that the guest's resort pays a 'discounted' DDP out of the room package. Which means the restaurants are not getting what they normally receive as their food & beverage costs, so they have to make cuts in the food, most noticeably to me in the variety and some of the quality.

Even though the TIW includes the 18% gratuity, if we have a good server, I still will add whatever to bring the gratuity back up to 20% of the original non-discounted ticket, because I appreciate good service.

And though I dislike having to do ADR's now, I will still do it because there are just some restaurants I enjoy eating at every time we go. The TIW really becomes a bigger savings when we have a larger group along and use the full 10 person discount.

 

[BRDof3]

(and by the way, my ears have stopped ringing now from our sons' conversation on skype!)

what???

 

[BRDof3]

When we checked in they refunded that and then recharged us 98.87 and that included the tip so ignoring the tax since the cost was not broken out for the actual price of the meal, then the gratuity and finally the tax a real savings of 21.11 (which by my accounting is not a wash by any means, but a real in the pocket savings) would imply that the actual meal cost was around 105.55 with the other 14.43 being for gratuity and tax making the gratuity they think you should pay being way below the 20% that folks think they should leave or even the 18% that TIW is using. Larry

WTH??

I switched to decaf several months ago and feel much better. Just a suggestion. And, of course, JMHO.

 

[AuburnJen92]

what???

I didn't say I could hear you, just that they stopped ringing.