To DDP or TIW?

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

I've compared the 2 plans twice. We looked at what we spent on food using the DDE (now TIW) versus what the DDP would have cost. And we always made out cheaper using the TIW. We eat our table serve meals at lunch which is cheaper than dinner. And with the TIW alcohol is included in the discount.
We figure the 20% discount basically covers the tip.

 

[famsen]

Do you tip your wait staff or bartender

Yes, I do tip for table service but I don't tip counter service.
According to the information I read about TIW, the 18% is automatically added. It did not specify only for table service meals.

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, I do tip for table service but I don't tip counter service.
According to the information I read about TIW, the 18% is automatically added. It did not specify only for table service meals.

It is only added to Table Service. We use TIW for counter service at AK and POP, and they do not add gratuity.

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

I'm going to need to do some number crunching on our next trip as part of it will be during the Holiday Surcharge period. The kids love the character meals, so we tend to do several. With the surcharge applied and one kid on the adult costing, we may end up better off with the DDP.

 

[deedeetoo]

I'm going to need to do some number crunching on our next trip as part of it will be during the Holiday Surcharge period. The kids love the character meals, so we tend to do several. With the surcharge applied and one kid on the adult costing, we may end up better off with the DDP.

Kids really do make a difference. Kids really make out on the dining plan, especially if you are going to buffets during a period when there is Holiday Pricing. I think this is why it made sense for us to do the DDP last trip with 2 kids under ten.

My oldest is now a 10 yo Disney "adult". I figure most of the time when we aren't doing buffets she will order a kids meal. I was surprised that even figuring in this in, the DDP and paying OOP were about the same but we are also planning a few buffets and are going during Holiday Pricing.

But when I looked at the TIW it saved me a lot of money. If you have an AP or or a Fl resident you really should consider it.

 

[Doingitagain]

As an accountant, I love all the calculations! I think TIW is better for our family, but I am still questioning whether we couldn't get some of those discounts with our DVC card or AP anyway.

Has anyone analyzed TIW discount availability vs. DVC and AP yet? If not, where can I get the list of restaurants where each has a discount?

Thanks!

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

As an accountant, I love all the calculations! I think TIW is better for our family, but I am still questioning whether we couldn't get some of those discounts with our DVC card or AP anyway.

Has anyone analyzed TIW discount availability vs. DVC and AP yet? If not, where can I get the list of restaurants where each has a discount?

Thanks!

Here's a link to the 2008 one at allears.net:
http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

Kids really do make a difference. Kids really make out on the dining plan, especially if you are going to buffets during a period when there is Holiday Pricing. I think this is why it made sense for us to do the DDP last trip with 2 kids under ten.

My oldest is now a 10 yo Disney "adult". I figure most of the time when we aren't doing buffets she will order a kids meal. I was surprised that even figuring in this in, the DDP and paying OOP were about the same but we are also planning a few buffets and are going during Holiday Pricing.

But when I looked at the TIW it saved me a lot of money. If you have an AP or or a Fl resident you really should consider it.

I'm really going to need to take a hard look. We'll still have 2 kids under 10 and 3 Disney "adults" on our next trip, which will include at least part on holiday pricing. I need to see how many character meals are on the itinerary and where they fall during the trip and do a quick spread sheet. That holiday surcharge for a family of five quickly adds up.

 

[rutgers1]

For this trip, we have two adults and two who will qualify for kids prices on the DDP. It is probably the last year that the DDP will make sense for us. Considering my oldest still only eats chicken fingers and the occasional hot dog or hamburger when we are on vacation, paying the full DDP wouldn't make sense.

 

[TyRy]

We had done the DP in the past and for our trip last year (four adults) I did a couple of excel spreadsheets projecting which way would be better, and it looked like the TIW was better. Once we got home, I used the real numbers and we saved about $300 over the DP. Granted you need to figure in the cost of the card, so it was $240, but we'll be using the same card for another trip this year.

 

[Dean]

Just last night we did a detailed accounting of our expenses from last month's trip and planning for May's dining. We did a graph of what we spent using the TIW card last month and seperated out the tips. Then we made a chart for the DDP and added the tips there. We only used the restaurants we are planning to eat at in May, so we should get a good detailed accounting of cost. Well, imagine my surprise when I learned that our "bill" using only the TIW card and cash came out to almost $200 LESS than using the DDP!!! We find we almost never use the counter service credits anyway, and we also hardly ever get dessert, but we do enjoy appetizers.

I was all set to sign us up for the DDP again until we did this little excersise! Now I'm thinking the DDP is not ever really going to be a "deal" for us again. It certainly is more convenient when you have kids along, but I KNOW we will always come out ahead paying OOP with the TIW card now.

We had decided before our January trip that we were going to keep all recipts just so we could do this little comparison, and I'm glad we did!

As I've said a number of times, DDP is a specialty option. The numbers work well for those that eat in a way that matches the DDP, for those that can take advantage of both the first and last day on shorter trips and those with kids 3-9. For many, just using the DVC and AP discounts is even cheaper than buying TIW. This was all true before Disney downgraded the DDP by removing the tip and appy and is even more true now.

DVC units are different than hotel units when considering the DDP because you might have two or more family's in one unit for DVC which is unusual for regular hotel rooms. Also, DVC members are more likely to have people come and go during the stay. Hopefully Disney will address these issues at some point and stop putting members in such a position. Also, since it seems DVC stays are more likely to involve last minutes guest changes, this (and the guests for part of the say) can put a member in a catch 22 with the DDP very easily.

 

[bluenosemickey]

One thing I forgot to factor into the calculations for TIW vs. OOP and DDP was the fact that as DVC and AP holders, we get at least 10% at most of the locations offered by TIW. So the savings with the TIW are actually only 10% and not 20% in some cases.

Just a reminder.

 

[allshookup]

Like others here I have sat down & calculated what we would normally order over a 3 day period at WDW & we broke about even compared to the DDP & we came out way ahead with the TIW card. Of course having a kitchen means we have breakfast/coffee in the room, we bring our own water bottles, and we rarely order dessert & if we do we tend to share one just because we are so full.

Without the apps & tip, the DDP is just no longer a deal & I thought it was a pain to try & make sure we were using up all our credits. I do understand that it is convenient for those that like to pay ahead & budget their trip, but when I hear people say how much money they are saving, I don't think they've really calculated the dining plan to their normal eating habits. A full counter service meal with dessert & a full dinner with dessert plus a snack for each person in your party is a LOT of food IMHO & I'm no lightweight!

 

[dianeschlicht]

As an accountant, I love all the calculations! I think TIW is better for our family, but I am still questioning whether we couldn't get some of those discounts with our DVC card or AP anyway.

Has anyone analyzed TIW discount availability vs. DVC and AP yet? If not, where can I get the list of restaurants where each has a discount?

Thanks!

Yes, and the TIW card beats the others, not only because of the fact that there are more places, but also a bigger discount. While it's true that you need to subract out the $60 cost of the TIW card, we found it still was a significant savings over anything else.

 

[allshookup]

As an accountant, I love all the calculations! I think TIW is better for our family, but I am still questioning whether we couldn't get some of those discounts with our DVC card or AP anyway.

Has anyone analyzed TIW discount availability vs. DVC and AP yet? If not, where can I get the list of restaurants where each has a discount?

Thanks!

Here is a link below from Allears which compared the 2008 discounts. The TIW card is the only one that offers a 20% discount on adult beverages, but there are some restaurants you can get a 20% discount with your AP or DVC card that you can't get with the TIW card like Wolfgang Puck Cafe, but again that doesn't include adult beverages.

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

 

[rutgers1]

I am surprised that more people don't find it to be an issue that you can't get a discount at counter service places with the TIW card in the parks. People keep saying how much more flexible the TIW card is, but I don't see it that way if you can't use it in the parks. With DDP, I can get something to eat no matter where I am.

Is there an AP or DVC discount at the counter service places in the parks?

 

[bluenosemickey]

I don't think so, but it certainly bugs me that you can't get counter service in the parks. If we could, TIW would be a no brainer for me.

 

[allshookup]

I am surprised that more people don't find it to be an issue that you can't get a discount at counter service places with the TIW card in the parks. People keep saying how much more flexible the TIW card is, but I don't see it that way if you can't use it in the parks. With DDP, I can get something to eat no matter where I am.

Is there an AP or DVC discount at the counter service places in the parks?

No there really isn't much of a discount at the counter service places at the parks except maybe the Terrace Noodle Station & the TIW card is accepted at Flame Tree BQ. I think when people say it's more flexible it the fact that they are not worried about sitting down to eat to make sure they use their credits. With the TIW card, you eat when you're hungry & you don't need to order an entire meal with dessert for the whole family.

For example, we tend to have one sit down meal a day & then we might grab a sandwich, snack, share a counter service meal, etc. Not to save money, but because we just don't eat 2 full meals including dessert & sides at home or on vacation.

Do the math for the way your family NORMALLY eats & compare the 20% TIW card for TS meals compared to the DDP & I think you will find that the TIW is a way better savings. I did the breakdown for just myself for 3 days & it really was a break-even with the DDP & a big savings with the TIW card. I've already posted it a couple of times so I don't want to keep boring people, and everybody's eating habits are different so it might not pertain to you anyway, but if you want to see it...PM me.

 

[Chuck S]

I am surprised that more people don't find it to be an issue that you can't get a discount at counter service places with the TIW card in the parks. People keep saying how much more flexible the TIW card is, but I don't see it that way if you can't use it in the parks. With DDP, I can get something to eat no matter where I am.

Is there an AP or DVC discount at the counter service places in the parks?

We normally don't eat too much counter service in the parks, anyway. And when we do, we rarely order any beverages or counter service desserts, we like salads and a sandwich or small entree. Really our preferred beverage is ice water. We just don't drink many soft drinks. We do sometomes do a late counter ervice meal at Pop Century (since we drive to WDW we have a car.) And they do take the TIW, as does Pizzafari and Flame Tree at AK.

With or without TIW, the DDP isn't a good fit for us. The TIW saves us enough on Table Service over the course of the year to justify the $60.

 

[Doingitagain]

I am not sure how TIW works...if I buy a one year membership, does it have the same "term" or expiration date as my AP? Or if I buy it near the end of my AP pass year, can TIW membership extend into the next year?