TIW Advice

[lorie13]

We are planning on doing TIW for our trip to WDW in 2 weeks. We have done the DDP numerous times so I thought we would try something new, plus I always feel like I eat too much on the DDP, LOL.

Any advice or thoughts to utilize this program to it's fullest?

 

[timandjanl]

I am curious as well! Also, do you mind reporting back with your thoughts on the cost of TIW vs DDP when you get back? I am trying to decide between DDP or TIW/some meals in room. Thanks!

 

[rlovew]

To me the big value is getting to eat what I want since everything is discounted. Obviously places with a different lunch menu have a cheaper lunch which means that I can get a less expensive meal that is bigger for my midday meal instead of a dinner large meal 9without feeling like I am no longer getting value).

The other thing is to use it to eat in places that are counter service at AK as well as value food courts since you don't pay a tip on those but still get the 20% off. Also I have found that if I am buying grocery items at the same time as food items at Artist Point it gives me 20% off of all the items not just the counter service food (although it did not discount the toiletries that I needed to buy 1 time).

 

[timandjanl]

If you are traveling with your spouse do you BOTH have to have a TIW membership? Or just one of you?

Also I'm curious if folks think its a savings if you just visit once a year for a week.

 

[wdrl]

There are about 102 venues at Walt Disney World that honor the TiW card. Sometimes, its hard to remember which venues will give you the 20% discount, especially when it comes to the Quick Service restaurants. For example, BLT/CR's Contempo Cafe doesn't honor it, but Art of Animation's Food Court does.

Best advice I can give is always ask your server if they take the TiW card, even when you eat at quick service restaurants.

 

[NicoleLarson]

. Also I have found that if I am buying grocery items at the same time as food items at Artist Point it gives me 20% off of all the items not just the counter service food (although it did not discount the toiletries that I needed to buy 1 time).

Huh? Do you mean artists palette at SSR? Artist point is the signature dining at WL.

 

[lovin'fl]

If you are traveling with your spouse do you BOTH have to have a TIW membership? Or just one of you?

Also I'm curious if folks think its a savings if you just visit once a year for a week.

Only one needed...it's good for a meal with up to 10 guests. We had it recently and my SIL had it too. We did Xmas with the entire family in 2011 (15 of us) and the 2 TIW cards covered everyone. But it just expired this Jan, luckily right after our Jan trip (they are good for 13 months).

I love the TIW card. You get discount on bar drinks and you can just order apps if that's all you're in the mood for and still get discount. It also covers some CS places (like at Wide World of Sports) and we used it at Disney's Vero Beach resort (TS and CS).

We are going for Xmas again this year (with the fam) and won't get the TIW card. Now that it's $100 and 12/24 and 12/25 are black-out days (as are other holidays), we figured it wouldn't be worth it. We will only be there from 12/20-12/25...so 4 dinners for the 5 of us (SIL will use her TIW for the other 10 people in our group) just doesn't seem to be much savings above the $100 buy in. And we have no plans to return to WDW w/in the 13 months of use. We got the DP for this trip. I may reconsider, though, since DH and I will be at WDW in Oct for 3 nights (but we're only doing 1 ADR at Kona).

 

[Kidanifan08]

We are planning on doing TIW for our trip to WDW in 2 weeks. We have done the DDP numerous times so I thought we would try something new, plus I always feel like I eat too much on the DDP, LOL.

Any advice or thoughts to utilize this program to it's fullest?

When you go to purchase the card at Guest Services, you will need your DVC card or AP to get the discounted ($100) TIW. Once it is activated, it is good for a little beyond a year. If you buy yours in early Sept, it should be valid through Oct 31, 2014. So, you should try to get more than one trip out of it, if you can. I agree with others, always ask if they take it, although in the parks, the only counter services that take it are at AK. Most, if not all, lounges take the card, so if you go for a nightcap at a resort lounge, definitely use the card. It even works for some of the special shows like HDDR and SOA, but it is for specific performances.

If you are traveling with your spouse do you BOTH have to have a TIW membership? Or just one of you?

Also I'm curious if folks think its a savings if you just visit once a year for a week.

You only need one card, which will work for up to a party of 10, including the card holder. The card holder must be present, so if you have the card in your name, but your spouse is going to dinner without you, the spouse technically would not be able to use the card. As far as the value of getting a card for 1 week a year, it all depends on how much you spend. At $100 for the card, you need to reach a minimum spending threshhold of about $500 just to recoup the cost of the card. Some large parties can recoup the cost in just one meal. You need to look at your dining plans and see if you will hit that mark.

We always try to get at least two 7-9 day trips in on one card. We just bought ours on 7/18/13 for our 10 day stay and it is good through 8/30/14. We will use it again next July for a 7-9 night stay, so it will definitely pay for itself. We had a party of 9 this year and next year will be 6 people.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Too my wife to V&A last night for our 10 year anniversary. Bout TiW upon entering the parks on day 1. The V&A discount from last night was $94. I paid $100 for the card and also discounted $30 from Tokyo the other night. Paid for itself already and we have 2 more trips with it. I haven't even counted what we have saved at Artist Palate.

 

[rlovew]

Huh? Do you mean artists palette at SSR? Artist point is the signature dining at WL.

Yes Artist's Palette is what I meant.

 

[nkosiek]

I got it for the first time earlier this month for an 8 day trip, that I'll also use next year for another 8 day trip. This year was just wife and myself, next year we'll have her parents with us too. Previously used the DP but after looking at the numbers and knowing that for all the amount of walking done at WDW I always put on weight from the amount of food, I wanted to try something else. It was great using it for the occasional drink at dinner or at TOTWL as well as on apps. By not being on the DP we also noticed out consumption of desserts during lunch, when we typically used a CS meal, shrunk (which helped me in the quest to lose weight this time [1 WHOLE pound!]). She's got the spreadsheet of the numbers from this past trip, but we spent less on food than we would have on the DP but still haven't totally recouped the cost of the card, which we will within 2 meals next year.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The TiW can be purchased by Florida Residents, DVC Members, and Annual Passholders. It gives a 20% discount on food and beverages (including alcoholic) at most tables service and some quick services location on WDW for up to ten people at a time. When you purchase it, the card is valid for the remainder of the current month plus 13 full months.

Here is a working example, using $100.00 as the original bill to make the math show up easily. Note this is for Table Service. At Counter Service there is no gratuity added.

100.00 - Original Menu Amount
*20.00 - Discount
*80.00 - Subtotal
*18.00 - Gratuity Added based on $100
**5.20 - Sales Tax on $80
103.20 - Final amount charged, takes into consideration discount, gratuity and tax.

Without TiW Discount (and still figuring 18% Gratuity)

100.00 - Original Menu Amount
*18.00 - Gratuity
**6.50 - Sales Tax on $100
124.50 - Total

$21.30 - Savings using TiW Card.

(Note - At Victoria and Albert's the added gratuity is 20% instead of 18%.)
* Ignore the asterisks; they are there only so the columns/numbers line up properly.

For the complete list of locations and the rules, go to www.tablesinwonderland.com which is the Official Disney site.

Based on the current pricing, the following is the break-even point for menu pricing (assuming you will routinely give an 18% tip):
AP Holder or DVC Member ($100) is $469.48
Resident (not AP holder) ($125) is $586.85
If you also add a Spouse Card ($50), add an additional $234.74
The three amounts above take into consideration that the Sales Tax is also discounted.

 

[Nanajo1]

Both my DH and I have the TIW cards. Our family trips include 22. Our Chef Mickey"s dinner totaled over $1000.00. We got $200.00 savings. We were disappointed with the blackout dates but will work around them.

 

[crisi]

.

Any advice or thoughts to utilize this program to it's fullest?

Drink heavily

The TIW works at bars and lounges and on your total bill in places where its accepted - including that $14 martini.

Because its a discount program, you get the best use out of it if you were going to spend a lot of money at participating venues anyway. If you have a lot of people, spend a lot of days at the park, eat a lot of signature meals, or order a lot of cocktails, its a better deal than two people who spend three days at Disney during the year and eat mostly quick service.

 

[angelike1125]

I actually created an excel sheet today to figure if the TiW card was worth it. I referenced the menus/pricing from allears.net and made columns for DVC, AP and TiW and found that with our current ADRs and what I'd guess each person in our party would order, we'd save about $50 and have the flexibility to eat whatever we felt like. The card will also be good for our 2014 trip so it'll more than pay for itself. PM me if you'd like the file. The formulas are rather simple but I'm happy to share.

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I love having the TIW. We do lots of Signature Dining at WDW and have used it since 2010. My parents generally get the DDP but this year they are going to go with us and we will use the TIW card every chance we can. My Daddy likes to have a JD and Coke in the evenings sometimes so I can see he and I heading to the lounge in our resort this November for an occasional drink. They are excited that they can eat however they want and still get a discount.

AllEars has a very good PDF file on their website which lists the restaurants and discounts. It is at the bottom of the page on left hand side when you click on dining.

 

[kristenrice]

Here's a tip...REMEMBER TO USE IT!!

We took a large family trip in 2012 (Grandparents, 3 siblings/spouses, and 7 children). My SiL and I had taken a trip in 2011 and we each bought AP's and a TIW card. When we returned in 2012, SiL and her family ate at Coral Reef, O'Hana and Yak n Yeti (not sure if it's accepted there) and she TOTALLY forgot about the card every time! Fortunately, I was with her at O'Hana so my card was used to cover 10 of the 12 of us dining. It came in handy since there were a total of 6 Lapu Lapu's on our tab.

DH and I are heading down in November for an adults-only trip. We'll be there for 5 nights. Next October, we are planning on taking the kids with us and going for another 5 nights. Our oldest DD will be 11 by then so there is no way I am paying adult DDP prices for her. I am not a big eater so I frequently order only an appetizer or I share an entree with one of the kids. The DDP does not work for this so we take advantage of the TIW card.

 

[DVCmom4]

Has anyone used it with DP? We are a family of 7 and also order apps at diner. We are going in Feb and 2 friends are joining us for a few days. So I was thinking about getting the DP and the TIW. What do you think?

 

[Minniesgal]

Has anyone used it with DP? We are a family of 7 and also order apps at diner. We are going in Feb and 2 friends are joining us for a few days. So I was thinking about getting the DP and the TIW. What do you think?

I can't imagine that saving you much money, better to just have TIW

 

[crisi]

Has anyone used it with DP? We are a family of 7 and also order apps at diner. We are going in Feb and 2 friends are joining us for a few days. So I was thinking about getting the DP and the TIW. What do you think?

Do you think your "not includeds" will be much more than $500?