TIW Advice

[Kidanifan08]

They messed up my card even worse than it expiring in a year (vs 13 months). We purchased TIW May 2012 and when we came back to use it October 2012 I noticed that the expiration date was June 30, 2012! I'm glad that I just happened to look at the card before using it a restaurant and then having to go through hoops to get the 20% discount. Went over to GR and they said "OOPS" someone messed up...you think? Lesson learned...look before you leave the ticket window!

Not good! It's a good thing you noticed before trying to use it.

 

[Shaden]

That's interesting. Is it one year to the day, or does your card go through August 31, 2014? I just purchased mine on July 18, and it does not expire until August 30, 2014.

There was a TIW thread a few months back and some DIS'ers were reporting the same experience that you had, where the card only went out a year, although I think those people had an expiration date of the last day of the month one year after they purchased the card (e.g. purchase June 8, 2013, exp. June 30, 2014). Other's who purchased around the same time had a card that went out the extra month (in my example, June 8, 2013 - July 31,2014).

It is nice getting that extra month, particularly since the next time I need to buy a card will be early June (2015 ) and I would like it to run through the end of July 2016.

Thanks for all the information on TIW.

I am hoping that we receive just a little over a year. We are planning on purchasing it the 8th of September. This trip is just my DH and myself for 11 nights, but we are planning on coming back next September with my brother, his wife and three daughters, so it will really be great for that trip.

Very Interesting, I am hoping the card works as Kidanifan suggested. We are going the first two weeks of May 2014, and will start our next cycle (purchasing APs every other year and getting 2 2 week trips out of them, May 14th 2015. So.... if you are right, then our TiW card, purchased May 1 2014, should expire May 30 2015 ... and that would be perfect.

 

[Minniesgal]

I save some using the card but not a fortune. What I love is that the tip is automatically included so I don't have to worry about it or calculate an amount it is all done in one transaction where the tip is included and the meal still costs less than it would have.

 

[MsTessP]

I have TIW which expired earlier this year. We are heading down this week (Saturday - yay!) on the 31st. I understand about the 13 month situation generally, but does that mean that if I wait until Sunday, September 1 to purchase a new TIW, then it will be good until the end of October, 2014?

 

[nalajms]

Very Interesting, I am hoping the card works as Kidanifan suggested. We are going the first two weeks of May 2014, and will start our next cycle (purchasing APs every other year and getting 2 2 week trips out of them, May 14th 2015. So.... if you are right, then our TiW card, purchased May 1 2014, should expire May 30 2015 ... and that would be perfect.

If you buy it May 1, 2014 it should expire June 30, 2015. I bought mine this past May and it has a June expiration day.

but does that mean that if I wait until Sunday, September 1 to purchase a new TIW, then it will be good until the end of October, 2014?

Yup, if you can wait it out 1 day, you'd get an extra month. That's assuming you'll use it in Oct 2014. If not, then it really makes no difference

 

[lorie13]

Here is my update on TIW.

Purchased the card on 9/8/13, the card is good until 10/31/2014. Though was informed if we lost the card it would be $50 to replace. As it is only paper card stock and not hard plastic, we are going to have to be careful not to get it wet

Tips are automatically added to your bill at 18%. You pay 6.5% tax on the reduced amount (food and drinks), not the original amount.

It does give you the flexibility to eat whatever you want, including alcoholic drinks. I still think we over ate.

We used it for 13 table services, including that we squeezed in a early lunch at Le Cellier without reservations and only ordered appetizers and a drink each. Plus it worked at Beach and Cream for ice cream, Top of the World Club and of course at AK Restaurantosarurus for counter service.

We did have a problem at Mama Melroses where I had booked the Fantasmic Dinner Package and it can not be used for that. When I gave the waitress my card, she took it and then came back and told me you can not use it for the package, I said we did order drinks and it can be used on that, she said "well then, I will have to do two separate charges". Not a happy camper to say the least and unfortunately, she received a 18% tip for her attitude. Plus she had already made a mistake on the bill where she charged us for the appetizers and they were to be included in the Fantasmic Dinner package.

Only other time it bothered me was at Chef Mickey's Breakfast where the waitress received an 18% tip ($11.16) for bringing us a pot of coffee and orange juice.

In my opinion if you are going to book reservations at the buffets or all inclusive meals like Liberty Tavern, Garden Grill, Chef Mickey's, Ohana's then I think the DDP is a better deal.

If you want to add a few times at the Signature Restaurants, then the TIW is a better choice.

Also it was only the two of us for this trip, TIW would save you more with a larger group as it is the same buy in cost of $100.

If you can use it for a 2nd trip I think TIW moved up to a better choice or if you want alcoholic beverages. I believed we ordered alcoholic beverages because we had TIW and really Disney's drinks are nothing to write home about.

Funny story. We did ordered a bottle of wine at the Yachtsman's Steak House, $53 for a Chianta Classico Reserve from 2009, when we got home we found the same bottle at Sam's Club, a 2008 bottle for $15 LOL, but it still was very enjoyable evening.

We do plan to go back next year for two weeks with other family members so we may do a split stay where one part we use DDP and the other just TIW. You can always use TIW if you order drinks even with DDP.

 

[sol2338]

I had read that the cardholder must be present and must pay for the meal. Is that true?

We plan on going next summer and there will be 10 in our party. Not sure if the cardholder needs to pay for all meals.

 

[crisi]

Funny story. We did ordered a bottle of wine at the Yachtsman's Steak House, $53 for a Chianta Classico Reserve from 2009, when we got home we found the same bottle at Sam's Club, a 2008 bottle for $15 LOL, but it still was very enjoyable evening.

Wine markup for a bottle in a restaurant is usually 3x retail. It doesn't always hold true (really expensive wines tend to be marked up less, as do the really cheap ones), but given that Costco sells their wine at below retail, that is probably right about what you'd expect to pay for that bottle.

 

[rlovew]

I had read that the cardholder must be present and must pay for the meal. Is that true?

We plan on going next summer and there will be 10 in our party. Not sure if the cardholder needs to pay for all meals.

The rule is the cardholder must pay for the meal but the enforcement is somewhat haphazard on that. The cardholder must be present however. You will however get a check broken down by seats to see what each person owes (before discounts, tax, and tip).

 

[bumbershoot]

... she said "well then, I will have to do two separate charges". Not a happy camper to say the least and unfortunately, she received a 18% tip for her attitude. Plus she had already made a mistake on the bill where she charged us for the appetizers and they were to be included in the Fantasmic Dinner package.
...

Funny story. We did ordered a bottle of wine at the Yachtsman's Steak House, $53 for a Chianta Classico Reserve from 2009, when we got home we found the same bottle at Sam's Club, a 2008 bottle for $15 LOL, but it still was very enjoyable evening.

It's possible I would have chatted with a manager so that the server could be reminded how to do TIW cards better and more efficiently.

Ah, markups. We once ordered a bottle of Tattinger at a restaurant (this was not a Disney stay). It was however much money. We went back to our hotel and saw the same bottle at the hotel giftshop for at least twice as much. Later we saw the same bottle at the store, and it was a tiny fraction of the hotel, and about half as much as at the restaurant, if that. Markups are fun!