{"id":42175,"date":"2015-10-20T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T16:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=42175"},"modified":"2022-02-05T09:45:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T14:45:26","slug":"tables-wonderland-changes-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/tables-wonderland-changes-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Tables in Wonderland Changes For 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TIW_final\"<\/p>\n

If you are a fan of the Walt Disney Company and you missed the recent news<\/a> regarding the price increases and restructuring of annual passes at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, you might have been sleeping under a rock. It seems that every Disney Parks fan is talking about the annual pass (AP) changes and what it means for them! However one of Disney\u2019s recent announcements seems to have been lost in the AP shuffle \u2013 the price increase on the Tables in Wonderland card.<\/p>\n

Tables in Wonderland (TIW) is a dining discount card available for purchase only to Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members, Annual Passholders (AP), and Florida residents. The card is valid for a rolling 12 months. Previously the card cost $100.00 for DVC\/AP and $125.00 for Florida residents. With the recent Annual Pass restructuring, the price of TIW increased by $50.00, to $150.00\/$175.00, a 50% increase for DVC\/AP, and 40% increase for Florida residents. Before we give our opinion on whether it\u2019s still worth it to the purchase the TIW card, let\u2019s go over some of its benefits.<\/p>\n

\"Duffy<\/p>\n

Tables in Wonderland provides a 20% discount on food and beverages (including alcohol) at select Walt Disney World restaurants (see current list below). The discount is good for up to ten guests, but the TIW cardholder must purchase the entire meal in order for the discount to be applied to the entire party. When using the TIW card, an automatic 18% gratuity will be applied to the bill, regardless of your party size. You are always free to include additional gratuity for exceptional service (or if you generally tip more than 18%), and if you feel that the service was not up to par, you have the option of asking a manager to reduce the gratuity amount that was auto-applied.<\/p>\n

Although most of the restaurants that accept TIW are table service, there are also a select few counter service restaurants where the card is accepted. The 18% gratuity is not applied at these counter service locations, although the discount remains 20% off, making these restaurants great money-saving options!<\/p>\n

\"TIW<\/p>\n

In addition to the 20% off dining discount, complimentary valet parking is available when using the TIW card to dine at Walt Disney World Resorts. After your meal, simply show the parking attendant your receipt and TIW card, and the valet fee will be waived. The free valet parking does not include gratuity, and is not valid for all day parking; you must collect your vehicle within 2 hours of finishing your meal in order for the fee to be waived. Cardholders are also eligible to receive invitations to special events, although these special dining events occur infrequently, and often cost a premium.<\/p>\n

Sounds pretty good doesn\u2019t it, so what\u2019s the catch? In our opinion, there are two major downsides to the card \u2013 the first and most obvious being the price increases. The recently announced upcharge isn\u2019t the first price increase to TIW in recent memory, and it\u2019s also the biggest. Let\u2019s analyze the impact of this increase from the point of view of a DVC member and\/or AP holder.<\/p>\n

Previously when TIW cost $100.00, you had to purchase $500.00 worth of food and drinks at select Walt Disney World restaurants to break even. Any money spent above that $500 would result in savings. For instance, if you typically spend $1,000 per year on dining at Disney, the TIW program would have saved you $100. Now with the 50% increase, you have to spend $750.00 on dining in order to break even. Using the previous example of $1,000 a year spent on dining, our savings has been reduced to $50. Depending on how frequently you visit and your family\u2019s dining habits, the price increase has made it much more difficult to get value out of the card, and for some it might be difficult to break even on the TIW purchase.<\/p>\n

\"TIW4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The second major downside to purchasing TIW are the extended block-out dates that were added to select popular restaurants over the past few years. Popular holidays such as Easter, Mother\u2019s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve, and New Years Day have always been blocked-out for all participating TWI restaurants. But now, in addition to these holidays, several popular restaurants (including several character and signature dining experiences) have introduced extended block-out dates during Spring Break season, early summer, and the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are popular times to travel (especially with extended family), and these restrictions further limit TIW cardholders\u2019 opportunities to get value out the card.<\/p>\n

With these additional restrictions on the card, and the recent price increase, is it still worth it? That depends on how you and your family dine. The first thing you need to ask yourself is: are you are eligible to purchase? If you qualify for TIW, then you should consider your family\u2019s Disney dining habits: do you dine at participating locations frequently? Do you typically purchase a Disney Dining Plan (DDP)? If you find that you don\u2019t do a lot of table-service dining or that you generally use the DDP, then TIW is probably not the best bet for you. TIW cannot be combined with any other savings, including the DDP (although when using DDP, you can still use TIW for any purchases above and beyond your dining plan credits).<\/p>\n

However, if you dine at participating locations frequently and generally spend more than $750 per year on food and beverages, then TIW could be a smart option! We\u2019d recommend reviewing some of the current menu pricing on Walt Disney World\u2019s website to get an idea of whether or not you will be close to reaching the $750.00 beak-even point.<\/p>\n

\"TIW3\"<\/p>\n

For our family, the decision to purchase a TIW card is a no brainer. We visit the parks frequently (during non-blocked out dates), and generally have a minimum of one table service meal each day we visit. Also, we always leave a minimum of 18% gratuity when we dine at table service restaurants, so the automatic gratuity isn\u2019t a factor for us. Even though it\u2019s disappointing to see our potential TIW savings reduced by these changes, we will still save money with the card, and every little bit helps! Maybe next time Disney decides to make a change to TIW, it will be something we want \u2013 like the ability to link TIW to My Disney Experience instead of carrying around a paper card? We can only hope!<\/p>\n

Tables in Wonderland Participating Restaurants<\/strong><\/p>\n

As of October 2015<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
World Premiere Food Court<\/td>\nLandscape of Flavors<\/td>\nTrattoria al Forno<\/td>\nHoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (late show only)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intermission Food Court<\/td>\nBeaches & Cream Soda Shop<\/td>\nShutters at Old Point Royale<\/td>\nTrail\u2019s End Restaurant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
End Zone Food Court<\/td>\nCape May Caf\u00e9<\/td>\nCalifornia Grill<\/td>\nMickey\u2019s Backyard BBQ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boma \u2013 Flavors of Africa<\/td>\nMartha\u2019s Vineyard Lounge<\/td>\nChef Mickey\u2019s<\/td>\n1900 Park Fare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar<\/td>\nBelle Vue Lounge (excludes breakfast)<\/td>\nOuter Rim<\/td>\nCitricos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jiko \u2013 The Cooking Place<\/td>\nBig River Grille & Brewing Works<\/td>\nThe Wave \u2026 of American Flavors<\/td>\nGrand Floridian Caf\u00e9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sanaa<\/td>\nESPN\u00ae Club<\/td>\nMaya Grill<\/td>\nMizner\u2019s Lounge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Victoria Falls<\/td>\nFlying Fish Caf\u00e9<\/td>\nCrockett\u2019s Tavern<\/td>\nNarcoossee\u2019s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Olivia\u2019s Caf\u00e9<\/td>\nTambu Lounge<\/td>\nRiver Roost<\/td>\nTerritory Lounge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gurgling Suitcase<\/td>\nEverything Pop<\/td>\nThe Artist\u2019s Palette<\/td>\nWhispering Canyon Cafe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2018Ohana<\/td>\nSassagoula Floatworks<\/td>\nThe Turf Club Bar and Grill<\/td>\nGarden Grove<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kona Cafe<\/td>\nScat Cat\u2019s Club<\/td>\nThe Turf Club Lounge<\/td>\nIl Mulino New York Trattoria<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (late show only)<\/td>\nBoatwright\u2019s Dining Hall<\/td>\nArtist Point<\/td>\nKimonos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shula\u2019s Steak House<\/td>\nTodd English\u2019s bluezoo<\/td>\nAle and Compass Lounge<\/td>\nCaptain\u2019s Grille<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crew\u2019s Cup Lounge<\/td>\nYachtsman Steakhouse<\/td>\nBe Our Guest Restaurant (Dinner Only)<\/td>\nCinderella\u2019s Royal Table<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Liberty Tree Tavern<\/td>\nThe Crystal Palace<\/td>\nThe Plaza Restaurant<\/td>\nTony\u2019s Town Square Restaurant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall<\/td>\nBiergarten Restaurant<\/td>\nCoral Reef Restaurant<\/td>\nLe Cellier Steakhouse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les Chefs de France (Lunch Only)<\/td>\nNine Dragons Restaurant<\/td>\nRestaurant Marrakesh<\/td>\nRose & Crown Pub & Dining Room<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
San Angel Inn Restaurante<\/td>\nSpice Road Table<\/td>\nThe Garden Grill Restaurant<\/td>\nTokyo Dining<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tutto Italia Ristorante<\/td>\nVia Napoli\u00a0Ristorante e Pizzeria<\/td>\n50\u2019s Prime Time Cafe<\/td>\nHollywood & Vine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mama Melrose\u2019s<\/td>\nSci-Fi Dine-In Theater<\/td>\nThe Hollywood Brown Derby<\/td>\nTune-In Lounge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flame Tree Barbecue<\/td>\nPizzafari<\/td>\nRestaurantosaurus<\/td>\nTusker House Restaurant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fulton\u2019s Crab House<\/td>\nMorimoto Asia<\/td>\nParadiso 37, Taste of the Americas<\/td>\nPortobello<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant<\/td>\nHouse Of Blues\u00ae (Excludes Sunday Brunch)<\/td>\nPlanet Hollywood\u00ae<\/td>\nSplitsville\u2122 (Excludes merchandise and bowling)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wolfgang Puck\u00ae Cafe<\/td>\nESPN Wide World of Sports Grill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What do you think? Is Tables in Wonderland still a good deal for you?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are a fan of the Walt Disney Company and you missed the recent news regarding the price increases and restructuring of annual passes at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, you might have been sleeping under a rock. It seems that every Disney Parks fan is talking about the annual pass (AP) changes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":42180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1688],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wdw-dining"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42175"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82436,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42175\/revisions\/82436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}