Tables In Wonderland Card 2013 Review

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Overview

If you dine often at Walt Disney World restaurants, and are a Florida resident or an Annual Passholder, there is a simply wonderful money-saving card that you must have, called Tables in Wonderland. I believe they call it this because only in Alice’s Wonderland could you save money at Disney by presenting a small piece of plastic. Normally, when you present a piece of plastic at the end of a Disney meal, the charges don’t mysteriously disappear, you just don’t have to pay them for about 30 days.

Tables in Wonderland was previously known as the Disney Dining Experience, in case that name sounds more familiar. The Tables in Wonderland card offers a 20% discount off all food and beverage (including alcohol) for up to 10 people at most table-service Disney restaurants. While a charge of 18% gratuity is added to all Tables in Wonderland table service transactions, most parties are tipping at or around18% anyway, so it’s not merely a “2% discount” as some people claim.

Tables in Wonderland isn’t quite as magical as I might have implied above, as it does cost $100 for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members, and $125 for Florida residents in 2013. This is up from $75/100 prior to 2013. While the price has increased, most frequent guests will still get a lot of savings out of the card. If you don’t fall into one of these two groups, the program unfortunately is not open to you. I guess that means it’s time for you to move to Florida?! If you don’t qualify for the card, but you do visit Walt Disney World nearly enough to justify purchasing an Annual Pass (the ‘break even’ point for an Annual Pass is right around 11 days per year) for at least one person in your party if you’re not doing the Disney Dining Plan.

In addition to the 20% savings at Table Service restaurants, a Tables in Wonderland card entitles you to the following benefits:

• complimentary valet (and standard) resort parking (if dining at the resort)
• complimentary theme park parking after 5:00 pm (if dining at the park)
• access to member-only special Food and Wine events, winemaker dinners, and celebrity chef dinners, and other events throughout the year
• free admission to Atlantic Dance Hall for the cardholder and one guest (although if you’re actually going to Atlantic Dance Hall, you should have far greater concerns than the cost of admission)

It is also important to note that some Downtown Disney restaurants don’t accept the card or only offer a 10% discount with it. Also, some Counter Service restaurants (Flame Tree BBQ, for the win!!!) offer a Tables in Wonderland discount. As these restaurants change yearly based on the contracts signed with each restaurant, it’s best to refer to Disney’s Tables in Wonderland page before your trip to determine what discount you’ll receive at each restaurant you visit. Also, the Tables in Wonderland discount is not valid on any “busy” major holidays: Discount not available on the following dates: New Years Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve.

Review

Since you could find the above information in a multitude of places online, I’m assuming you’ve come here for our thoughts on the Tables in Wonderland card. In light of the price of the Tables in Wonderland card and the discount offered, the break-even point for a Florida resident breaks is $625 at Table Service restaurants, and an Annual Passholder’s break-even point is $500 spent at Table Service restaurants. If you’ve ever paid for Table Service restaurants at Walt Disney World out of pocket, you know that you can probably break-even within only a few meals!

That said, you’re probably wondering how the Tables in Wonderland card compares to the 2013 Disney Dining Plan for saving money. My biggest criticism of the Disney Dining Plan is that it offers too much food for most people and is unnecessarily complicated. Nothing is as simple as paying out-of-pocket for the food you want, when and where you want it. The Tables in Wonderland Card works well for this “strategy.” We don’t research what restaurants accept it and which ones don’t (despite the long listing on Disney’s website, almost every Table Service restaurant accepts it, and offers 20% off with it); we just present the card when we pay, and if for some reason it doesn’t work, c’est la vie.

However, if the Disney Dining Plan (1 Table Service meal consisting of an entree, dessert, and drink, 1 Counter Service meal consisting of a combo, drink, and dessert, and 1 Snack per day for the standard plan) matches your eating habits, that might very well be better for you. For us, Tables in Wonderland works better because it allows us to “eat as we please.” We can order an appetizer if we want, skip dessert, get 3 snacks per day, etc. We don’t feel as confined to a specific eating pattern and schedule with Tables in Wonderland. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to which is better for your party, so doing the numbers based on your specific dining style is a must.

You may find that even if you’re a frequent user of the Disney Dining Plan, there still may be value in purchasing the Tables in Wonderland card if you eat at Disney restaurants enough! This is because the card can be used on alcohol and appetizers, so if would order these items with your Disney Dining Plan meals, and you eat enough appetizers or drink enough alcohol, you can come out ahead. Just think of it as an booze “rewards” card for Disney! Plus, since it’s accepted at some restaurants where the Disney Dining Plan is not, you can benefit by using it in these locations.

Sarah and I actually first purchased Tables in Wonderland for a trip during which we’d be using the Disney Dining Plan! For our honeymoon, we wanted to experience Victoria & Albert’s and California Grill, in addition to using the DDP, but the former is not on the Dining Plan, and the latter offers poor value on the Dining Plan. We thus decided to break our trip into two reservations at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, with two days off of the Dining Plan. During those two days, we ate at Victoria & Albert’s, California Grill, and Beaches and Cream. The savings on our dinner at Victoria & Albert’s came close to paying for the card, with the savings at California Grill easily putting us “in the black” on Tables in Wonderland. We used the card again at Christmas, and again in May, and saved well over one-thousand dollars in those three trips by utilizing the card!

The greatest strength of the Tables in Wonderland card is not even one mentioned by Disney. That it’s value increases the more you eat at Table Service restaurants! What’s better than an excuse to eat an extra meal at Flying Fish, Jiko, or Kona Cafe because you need to save more money?!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of the Tables in Wonderland Card? Is it worth the money for your traveling party, or do you go for the Disney Dining Plan (or something else) instead? Share your thoughts in the comments!

16 Responses to “Tables In Wonderland Card 2013 Review”

1. Darolyn says:

   August 17, 2011 at 8:24 am

   We’re going to the World in November and getting AP’s. We were contemplating between the DDP and the TIW card. Since we’re going again in May but staying off property, we figure the TIW card is better for us since we will be able to use it for both trips. We eat quite a few TS meals a trip (Le Cellier, Les Chefs De France, Ohana, etc..) so the savings to us will be worth it. There will be 3 of us traveling and we will each pay $25 to split the cost of the card. It’s time consuming to figure everything out but it’s worth it in the end to make sure you’re picking the right plan for you!

   Reply
2. Katie says:

   August 20, 2011 at 10:47 am

   Can you use the TIW card if you’re dining on a Candlelight Processional dinner package?

   Reply
   • Sarah Bricker says:

     August 21, 2011 at 11:52 am

     Unfortunately, the TIW card cannot be used to discount a CP dinner package!

     Reply
3. Steve says:

   August 23, 2011 at 10:05 pm

   TIW sounds perfect for us. Will be at WDW for 8 days in October and another 6 next June. I am getting an annual pass that will be activated in Oct. The one question about TIW for which I cannot find an answer anywhere is this: When does the use year begin? Upon first use just like the AP? Or the day you buy it? Or is it tied to Jan 1?
   Thanks for the info!

   Reply
4. Alex says:

   August 28, 2011 at 6:38 pm

   Tom:

   Thanks for the concise break-down of the Tables in Wonderland card. We used it on our trip a few weeks ago. We had a party of 7, so we were charged the 18% tip automatically. We used it at Narcoossee’s (as a family), Citrico’s (just 4 adults) and Jiko (just my wife and I) and easily recouped the $75. It also helps make the price of the character meals slightly more palatable, even though I view the character meals as a time saver from not having to stand in line to meet the characters.

   Steve:

   The TIW card is good for 13 months essentially. We bought it July 28th, 2011, so it is good until August 31, 2012, so if you buy it at the beginning of the month you can essentially get more value.

   Thanks again Tom.

   Alex
   @ajcenac – twitter

   Reply
5. AGW says:

   May 1, 2012 at 12:36 am

   I am contemplating buying a card as a florida resident, but what if I do not attend every meal with my children, would they still get the discount even without me present??

   Reply
6. Andrea @ Run, Eat, Date, Sleep says:

   August 15, 2012 at 10:07 pm

   I’ve never understood my guests (I’m a WDW server) who think they’re just getting a 2% discount. I feel like saying “well, that would be true if you were planning on stiffing me out of a tip.”

   Reply
7. Don Livingston says:

   February 13, 2013 at 1:45 am

   The 18% gratuity is interesting for 2 reasons. Number 1 it is applied to the discounted amount rather than the full price (essentially it is not a true 18%) and no 2 it is forced on you even if you receive poor service. My wife and I are both in the restaurant business and are big tippers (our bartender Bill at Crews Club can attest) but I do not like tipping bartenders who, well, suck. This happened to me last week at ESPN Club. We had a couple drinks at shift change and the day bartender vanished without a trace and the night bartender completely ignored us. I finally gave up on getting another drink and walked around and found the bartender and got my bill. I didn’t use my TIW card because I refused to tip this person a dime (we easily could have just walked out and they wouldn’t have known). Has anyone ever balked at the gratuity and had it taken off? Is this possible?

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     April 16, 2013 at 3:39 pm

     I have heard of speaking with a manager about this and being able to have it done, but I’ve never had the gumption to test it myself. We’ve never had service *that* bad for one, and if we did, I’d do the same thing you did.

     …On a couple of occasions, I’ve accidentally double-tipped!

     Reply
8. MickeyMeg says:

   March 18, 2013 at 4:01 pm

   Question… we have the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan so…could this card be used in conjunction with the Plan? and can it be used on alcohol as well as food? We spend as much on wine and tips at Signature Restaurants as we do on the Deluxe plan for our family… this could save us substantial $$. with thanks….

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     March 19, 2013 at 3:41 pm

     Yes, Tables in Wonderland can be used in conjunction with the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan, and yes it can be used on alcohol at table service restaurants.

     Reply
9. Bryan says:

   March 30, 2013 at 12:02 am

   We upgraded to an AP for our 8 day trip in Dec. 2012 and also got the TIW card at that time. Cost was already at 100.00. We saved 101.00 during that trip so broke even (only 2 people). When we return in May for 5 days it will be all savings. The savings definitely add up. Remember to use it for a few drinks at a resort lounge as well as full meal.

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     March 31, 2013 at 10:27 pm

     Yeah, it’s really easy to break even on the Tables in Wonderland card if you dine regularly at WDW restaurants…even if you’re not a local!

     Reply
10. Cari says:

    May 10, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    I think this is one of the best kept “secrets” of Disney World. My in-laws have DVC and live in FL. I told them about this last fall and they got it before heading over to Disney for a couple of days during Food and Wine. This past April my family of four joined them for a week at the World. As a party of 6 at each meal the 18% was already added for service which just made things easier. We saved a bunch at every meal and easy recouped what they had paid, and then some!

    Reply
    • Tom Bricker says:

      May 15, 2013 at 10:22 am

      With that large of a party, it’s pretty easy to recoup the cost after 1 or 2 meals! Glad you know about this best kept “secret”!

      Reply
11. John says:

    May 16, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    Just commented on your post comparing DDP with OOP and whether I should purchase TIW card. I won’t re-hash. Suffice it to say, I’m a Florida Resident and have made dining reservations “around the world” during the first week of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Should I also purchase the TIW card for $100? (I have a weekday select pass).

    Reply