tables in wonderland vs dining plan

[PJean710]

the wife and i can't decide on the ddp or tiw. We like the dining plan. it makes our life easy. we always do a sit down dinner and have no problem using our meal allotments. However, this coming year I am thinking of getting an annual pass to take advantage of the room discount. This opens us up to the TIW program. including the cost of aquisitioin is it still a better deal considering the chosen program will more than likely not change our dining habits?

 

[Monty]

Simple for me... AP room discounts on anything other than a Value automatically make TiW a better choice when it's free DDP. With DDP you're paying rack rate. If you're at a Value and paying for DDP, TiW is better.

 

[Rob562]

Simple for me... AP room discounts on anything other than a Value automatically make TiW a better choice when it's free DDP. With DDP you're paying rack rate. If you're at a Value and paying for DDP, TiW is better.

I believe you can add the full-price Dining Plan to any AP discount reservation. There's usually a separate code listed for it. (These are usually included on the MouseSavers site)

It's one of those things that sometimes requires you to sit down with online restaurant menus and do some comparisons. I once did a whole spreadsheet and did a full week's worth of meals on the DDP vs TiW (using how we'd order meals with a DDP credit) and the price difference between the two was under $10 for a single person. But, that calculation didn't factor in alcohol or the possibility of getting an appetizer or two.

I'm kind of in the same boat again, as I'll be going to WDW in June, might get an AP, might not. I won't need it for a room discount apart from the first night, as we traded a timeshare week through RCI and are staying in a DVC villa.
And if I do get the AP, do I get the TiW card or not, especially as I'm going with a number of people, and there most likely will be a bit of alcohol involved (I envision many a pint at the Rose & Crown on this trip...)

-Rob

 

[kverdon]

We've looked at the same thing for the trip we are currently on. Like Rob, we did the whole online menu and spreadsheet thing. For us it was about a wash. What tipped the scales in favor of the TIW was:

1) Flexibility. Both my wife and i don't care much for deserts. In fact, at most places we would rather order one appetizer and each an entree or each an appetizer/soup and split an entree than both get an entree/desert.

2. Adding in some wine with dinner. We both like a glass or occasionally a bottle of wine with dinner and its covered under the TIW. Unfortunately you can't use the TIW for the wine and DDP for the dinner.

3. Ease of planning. The TIW covers the tip so when you look on line you can take the cost of the meal at close to the listed price (yes, you do have to account for tax) when planning.

For us, I don't think we'll ever us the DDP (even when "free") again for just the 2 of us. Now, mind you, when we invited our 2 good friends and their 2 adult boys to join us for 2 weeks on "free" dining, we made out like bandits! It all comes down to how many of there are of you and what and how you like to eat.

Kevin and Mona

 

[Zummi Gummi]

You also have to consider which restaurants you plan to eat at. The DDP makes a lot more sense if you're going to use your TS credits at the high end places (and not the buffets).

 

[captainkidd]

TIW for us. Add in the AP discount that we usually get, and it's a great savings. I hate the dining plan. It slows everything down. 75% of the people that get it have no idea what they're doing, and 50% of the CM's have no idea how to apply it correctly. I honestly can say, I don't remember the last time I was in line at a CS restaurant or snack cart that someone using the dining plan or the CM wasn't having some sort of issue with it.

 

[foreverbelle]

Would like to say thank you for everyone's input, my husband and I are thinking of trying the TIW card next July for the first time. We have always gone back and forth regarding DDP or TIW but never seem to just go for it.

But think we may actually see how it goes....so the advice and input is quite handy. Neither one of us can ever eat as much as the DDP offers, and don't order it anyways I have always thought its a waste of money to do it. I would rather order what we want than pay for something we don't want and usually don't eat

 

[PJean710]

the things we are considering are this: wilderness lodge, hoop de doo revue, artiste pointe, and yachtsman. We love eating at the resturants of epcot. Steak is usually a must, but with Le Cellier being 2 meals now that opens up yachtsman as apossibility. My wife loves artiste pointe and I owe her a trip to hoop de doo. Naturally those three choices would eat up our cs allotments so the tiw flexibility is a huge plus. The drawback to those is they are expensive meals. When we do ddp we usually do one 2 meal ts. The motivation for the ap is it gives us a higher probability of getting a discounted room.

 

[Rob562]

2. Adding in some wine with dinner. We both like a glass or occasionally a bottle of wine with dinner and its covered under the TIW. Unfortunately you can't use the TIW for the wine and DDP for the dinner.

Actually, you *can* use both the DDP and TiW on a meal.

The TiW discount will be applied toward anything you order that isn't covered by the Dining Plan credit. So if you order wine and an appetizer with your dinner, those will get the 20% off, while the entrees and desserts will go under the DDP credit.

-Rob

 

[stlbobby]

You also have to consider which restaurants you plan to eat at. The DDP makes a lot more sense if you're going to use your TS credits at the high end places (and not the buffets).

This is right on the mark. If you enjoy the signature dining or multiple table services per day then TiW is definitely the way to go. If you enjoy a buffet and quick-service more then the dining plan is probably a better deal.

For the OP it sounds like your best bet would be TiW.

 

[bgraham34]

I have never done the dining plan and probably never will. We never get desert after dinner we always grab something in the park afterwards. Plus I am not looking to get the most expensive item on the menu to make it worth it. I want whatever floats my boat and I don't want to feel I need to get something more expensive to make it worth it.

 

[dizzney]

We've only been using TIW for the last 5 years or so, remember, you can use it on more thatn one trip and for up to 10 people. This past year we used it on two trips, one for 9 nights with as little as 5 and as many as 8 for dinner eash night, and then again in August when DH and I went for our anniversary. Then we did only signature restuarants and Victoria and Alberts. It even dscounts off V&A both food and wine.

Well worth the investment and is so much more flexible. Sometimes we do appetizers, sometimes desserts sometimes both, all depends, either way, we always get 20% off the bill.