Tiw ?

[Bflo Dave]

So we purchased our annual passes and now we are wondering if tables in wonderland is worth the $100? We will probably do 6-8 table service meals between both trips this nov and next oct.

 

[supersnoop]

So we purchased our annual passes and now we are wondering if tables in wonderland is worth the $100? We will probably do 6-8 table service meals between both trips this nov and next oct.

How many people will be eating with you, and how much do you plan to spend? Will you be eating at restaurants that offer AP discounts, or just TIW?

 

[Nanajo1]

TIW gives 20% off alcoholic beverages. If you have two or more in your group that indulge it could save you a lot.

 

[nalajms]

Breakeven is about $500 total in food bill. At 6 TS, that's about $84 per meal, or 2 adult buffet prices.

 

[Bflo Dave]

Ok there are 4 of 2 adults and 2 children. Most table service meals would be character meals.

 

[Bflo Dave]

How many people will be eating with you, and how much do you plan to spend? Will you be eating at restaurants that offer AP discounts, or just TIW?

There are 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 children(7&1). Most of our TS meals are character buffets. We do not drink but maybe an occasional frozen margarita here or there, not sure if those are covered anyways. We did the dining plan last year, too much food!

 

[hmillerbarilla]

I used to always buy TIW.

Now we don't because if I plan things right, there are a lot of DVC and AP discounts (just 10%) for TS that you can take advantage of.

But, not sure if there are a lot of character experiences that are discounted. Your situation may be different. Check the perks and your AP discounts before you decide. More math to do!

 

[ToddyLu]

Allears has a nice list in PDF for the discounts and the restaurants. It is down near the bottom and the left hand side of the screen.

 

[supersnoop]

http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf

With your party, it might be close.

 

[Anal Annie]

We find that we get along pretty good with the TIW card and we're only a family of 3 (but DS is almost 17). Since it is a percentage based discount I think it's harder to get the $100 back for smaller families or families with small children. The character buffets are typically pretty expensive tho so it shouldn't be a problem for you. It is not accepted at ALL TS restaurants so double check the participating list to be sure you plan your meals at ones that take it. For the 3 of us we typically save anywhere between $20-35 per meal depending on where it is and what we order to drink etc. I would guess 5 TS meals would be enough to cover the $100 investment. After the 5th meal (for us) the real savings begins.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneydiningexperience.htm#restaurants

 

[SuperRob]

So we purchased our annual passes and now we are wondering if tables in wonderland is worth the $100? We will probably do 6-8 table service meals between both trips this nov and next oct.

If you bought passes, then yes, TIW will probably be worth it. There are some quick service restaurants that take it as well. We wouldn't have used it on our upcoming eight day trip, but once we added five more days next April, the math worked in our favor.

I have Mouseperks.com saved on my phone. Quick listing that will show which discounts will give you the best value at every restaurant. Helpful since we'll have our DVC Discount, Disney Rewards Visa Discount, and TIW on top of all of it.

 

[Geomom]

If you're doing a bunch of character meals, it should be worth it to you, but only if you're not travelling during blockout dates:

*Beginning August 1st 2014:
1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana (Dinner Only), Cinderella’s Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Le Cellier Steakhouse will be subject to the additional blockout weeks of: November 23-29, 2014; December 21-27, 2014; March 8-April 4, 2015; May 31-June 20, 2015.

Blockout dates for Tables in Wonderland are Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

 

[daisyx3]

I wonder why the first three weeks of June next year? Hmmm. Well we might go on spring break 2015 but I guess on Easter we'll just do counter service and avoid the buffets!
Daisyx3

 

[nalajms]

With 1 child free, it's going to depend a lot on where you're eating and which meals. I think you'll still save some money, but not much.

For example, the cheapest is probably Cape May breakfast. That will cost about $70 (2a, 1c). If you go to Chef Mickey for breakfast, that's $90+. And the Norway breakfast will be over $100.

 

[tjkraz]

Now we don't because if I plan things right, there are a lot of DVC and AP discounts (just 10%) for TS that you can take advantage of.

That's us. We don't eat a ton of sit-down meals and there are plenty of nice discounted locations which don't require TIW.

Bear in mind that if you use TIW at someplace which offers a DVC or AP discounts, TIW really isn't "saving" you 20%. DVC gets me a 15% discount at Via Napoli. TIW is 20%, but you can really only attribute the extra 5% savings to justifying the TIW purchase. TIW doesn't really "save" you 20% at Via Napoli since you would have gotten 15% off without it.

Fine dining locations like Artist Point, Sanaa, Flying Fish, Brown Derby, The Wave and more all offer 10% discounts to DVC members.

Hollywood & Vine is a character meal which is discounted 10% for DVC.

Garden Grove at the Dolphin has characters at breakfast and dinner on select nights. Not only are the GG buffet prices cheaper than most Disney character meals, they offer a 20% DVC discount. No TIW required.

My kids are getting too old for character meals so that's mostly off my radar. But honestly now that you can get a FP+ for character meet-and-greets, I think the character meals are an even bigger waste of time and money. As an AP holder, I'd much rather get FPs for the princess, Mickey & Pooh meets rather than paying for a meals at Cinderalla's Royal Table, Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace.

Even with TIW, for two adults + 1 child you're talking $80-150 for breakfast at those locations or $100-200 for dinner. The food isn't worth half that. Plus factor in the 90 minute time commitment.

Fastpasses are free and you're in-and-out in 5-10 min.

YMMV

 

[Bflo Dave]

If you bought passes, then yes, TIW will probably be worth it. There are some quick service restaurants that take it as well. We wouldn't have used it on our upcoming eight day trip, but once we added five more days next April, the math worked in our favor. I have Mouseperks.com saved on my phone. Quick listing that will show which discounts will give you the best value at every restaurant. Helpful since we'll have our DVC Discount, Disney Rewards Visa Discount, and TIW on top of all of it.

Well thank you for your input and the heads up on the mouseperks.com I will have to check it out, and thank you to everyone else who has contributed to my question!

 

[Bflo Dave]

One other question, is there anyone who still thinks that the dining plan is an option when you can get these discounts?

 

[nalajms]

One other question, is there anyone who still thinks that the dining plan is an option when you can get these discounts?

Yes, sometimes! I compare our OOP w TIW + Tax + 18% tip to DDP + 18% tip on full priced meal.

For our upcoming trip, I will save about $32 using DxDDP over TIW, on just meals alone. That means the mugs and snacks are free.

It works if you have expensive character breakfasts and signature or non-buffet TS, and you typically order the more expensive items on the menu. If we drink or order extras, then I can use our TIW on that portion of the bill. It also helps if you have a full first day and a full last day to use the dining credits.

The regular plan is usually a loss and QS plan is only breakeven, but I consider it worth it for less hassle.

 

[boxer]

Does anyone have a list of places that offer the AP or DVC discounts?? I had planned on buying a TIW card for our next trip, but never even thought of using the AP/DVC discount for the 10-15%.

I just want to be sure enough places offer those discounts, so I don't have to buy the TIW

 

[Bflo Dave]

Does anyone have a list of places that offer the AP or DVC discounts?? I had planned on buying a TIW card for our next trip, but never even thought of using the AP/DVC discount for the 10-15%. I just want to be sure enough places offer those discounts, so I don't have to buy the TIW

The mouseperks.com website that was quoted earlier, was a good site that showed who accepts what.