When Will Tables In Wonderland Return?
Tables in Wonderland is a great money-saving card for regular Walt Disney World restaurant patrons who are Florida residents, Annual Passholders, or DVC members. This post reviews the discount, how it compares to the Disney Dining Plan, and offers info & tips. (Updated January 2, 2024.)
The Tables in Wonderland (TiW) card offers a 20% discount off all food and beverage (including alcohol) for up to 10 people at most table-service Walt Disney World restaurants. An 18% gratuity is added to all TiW table service transactions, most parties are tipping at or around 18% anyway, so it’s not merely a 2% discount.
Tables in Wonderland is valid for a year from the month of purchase (as opposed to being valid for a calendar year), and it actually expires on the last day of the month one year from the month during which it is purchased. This means it essentially could be valid for ~13 months if you time it right. However, Tables in Wonderland is currently unavailable–and may never return…
January 2, 2024 Update: Back when Walt Disney World closed, all Tables in Wonderland memberships–including those that expired while the parks & resorts were closed–were extended for an additional 4 months beyond the printed date of expiration. Upon reopening, new Tables in Wonderland cards were not sold and renewals were not offered.
The last Tables in Wonderland cards all expired a long time ago. There was a very small team that supported Tables in Wonderland, and their office remained closed long after Walt Disney World started reopening. My guess is that anyone who worked on Tables in Wonderland was reassigned.
For a while, Walt Disney World had a message on its official website stating: “New Tables in Wonderland memberships are not for sale at this time. Additional information regarding future sales of Tables in Wonderland memberships will be shared at a later date.”
That is no longer the case. The page for Tables in Wonderland has been deleted, and now redirects to the dining overview page. This is unlike a handful of other offerings that are still listed as “temporarily unavailable” on DisneyWorld.com.
This distinction is significant, as Walt Disney World purged pages of entertainment and other offerings that have been permanently retired, while retaining pages for things it intends to bring back at some point when staffing or other circumstances allow. That alone suggests that Walt Disney World has no intentions of bringing back Tables in Wonderland.
In even newer-news, the Disney Dining Plan is back for 2024! Along with that, the Free Dining promotion is returning for the first time in 4 years. As anyone curious about Tables in Wonderland probably knows, these are major changes on the WDW dining front–two major signs of normalcy that have been missing since the closure.
In response to that, several readers have asked about Tables in Wonderland. Officially, Walt Disney World has provided no updates on Tables in Wonderland in the last 4 years. When guests have inquired directly, Disney has given non-answers or redirected. A lot of Cast Members don’t even know what Tables in Wonderland even is.
We haven’t heard any rumors one way or the other about Tables in Wonderland. To be honest, I highly doubt this is the type of thing that would even be rumored. It’d just happen one day, out of the blue. The reason there are rumors about the Disney Dining Plan or other things is because large teams are involved both directly and indirectly. Tables in Wonderland is much smaller scale.
With that in mind, I could see the return of Tables in Wonderland going either way. One year ago, I thought it was probably gone for good. That it was such a small thing that it was probably lost to time–that most of the people who worked on it were gone and it was forgotten. So much has changed at Walt Disney World in the last few years, so that seemed likely.
Since then, Walt Disney World has been pulling liberally from the 2019 playbook of discounts, right down to deep cuts like bounceback offers and PIN codes. I’ve honestly been surprised by just how many things they’re doing for 2024 are directly lifted from 2019. It’s almost like there’s a literal playbook and not just a figurative one, because so much is almost exactly the same.
Tables in Wonderland is one of the very few exceptions to that at this point.
One thing to note is that the whole reason that Tables in Wonderland existed in the first place was to incentivize locals and Disney Vacation Club members to eat on-site at Walt Disney World and help those restaurants fill tables. For the last few years, that was unnecessary. ADRs were competitive due to reduced capacity resulting from staffing shortages, while consumers remained eager to make up for lost time with travel and meals out.
For the last ~8 months, Walt Disney World has seen pent-up demand fizzle out, and the supply vs. demand imbalance has largely been resolved. Walt Disney World has started to experience a slowdown, and bookings are softening as compared to the last two years.
All of this is precisely why Walt Disney World has brought the paid Disney Dining Plan and Free Dining for 2024, has increased other discounts, resumed Annual Pass sales, and more. These are levers the company is pulling to help increase demand and buoy bookings. It’s possible all of that will be enough. After all, Walt Disney World was doing record-setting numbers before and a slowdown from that was to be expected. The circumstances are far from dire–they’re just not as good as the last two years.
If I had to guess–and this is just that, a guess–I’d think that Walt Disney World will take a wait and see approach with the Disney Dining Plan and Free Dining to see what that does to ADR demand. Speculating a bit, I would imagine that the paid Disney Dining Plan still leaves plenty of bandwidth with ADR availability, but that there’s a shortage during Free Dining ‘season’ in July through September 2024. That’s what always used to happen.
So I could see one scenario where Disney does this assessment early in 2024 and decides to launch something. When that happens, our guess is that a “new” program comparable to Tables in Wonderland will be launched. Personally, I do not expect to see the “Tables in Wonderland” name used again. It didn’t have strong name recognition, and Walt Disney World will probably want to change up the program and rebrand as a result.
The alternative scenario is Walt Disney World realizing that Free Dining is going to spike ADR demand, so they don’t want to launch a new Tables in Wonderland successor program in Spring or Summer 2024 because that would only exacerbate ADR demand from July through the end of 2024.
It’s also possible that Walt Disney World will amp up AP and DVC discounts without any formal program. (The downside of that from their perspective is not being able to monetize the discounts!) The upside of this is being able to specifically target times that are slow, and not offer a better discount during busier times, whether that be due to Free Dining or it being peak season. We already saw this last year with V.I.Passholder Days.
A final possibility is that Walt Disney World will opt against reinventing the wheel, and will resurrect Tables in Wonderland. The point is that we don’t know which route the company will choose, nor do we know when it’ll happen–and no one does. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if a replacement for Tables in Wonderland is released as early as February 2024 or as “late” as never at all.
As such, we’re preserving the below historical Tables in Wonderland info for the sake of posterity–just don’t expect the dining discount card to return anytime soon…
Tables in Wonderland Pricing & Info
Tables in Wonderland costs $150 for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members, and $175 for Florida residents. Note that if you aren’t a Florida Resident, Annual Passholder, or Disney Vacation Club Member, the program unfortunately is not open to you. I guess that means it’s time for you to move to Florida?! 😉
One of the normal downsides of Tables in Wonderland is that a lot of newer restaurants don’t accept it immediately. So, if you’re a local or regular who likes to dine at the latest restaurants in the parks or at Disney Springs, that’s a bit of a bummer. However, currently there are no new restaurants that do not accept TiW.
At present, all new restaurants do now accept Tables in Wonderland (when they’re open). This includes Topolino’s Terrace, Enchanted Rose Lounge, Jaleo by José Andrés, Terralina Crafted Italian, Barcelona Lounge, Dahlia Lounge, Three Bridges Bar & Grill, and Toledo — Tapas, Steak & Seafood. We love Jaleo, Three Bridges, and Toledo, so we’re happy to see all of these added to the list.
Hopefully, at some point these restaurants are joined by other new and upcoming restaurants at Walt Disney World, including Topolino’s Terrace, Space 220 Restaurant, Takumi-Tei, Le Creperie de Paris, City Works Eatery & Pour House, Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Toy Story Land’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant.
Unfortunately, Victoria & Albert’s no longer accepts Tables in Wonderland. There are also general blockout dates for all Tables in Wonderland locations: Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. On Tables in Wonderland block-out dates, there will be a charge for parking and valet services.
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
In addition to the above-mentioned blockout dates, it is also important to note that some Disney Springs 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.
Before we get into the regular Tables in Wonderland review, we want to offer some thoughts on Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club discounts of 10% to 20% off at a some table service restaurants. There are not nearly as many restaurants offering 20% off AP/DVC discounts, but there are a decent number of restaurants.
The vast majority of table service restaurants that are offering AP or DVC discounts are only 10% off. Previously, many more were at 20%, which led us to not renew our Tables in Wonderland card a couple of years ago. However, those disappeared early last year, and have yet to return.
As such, we renewed our Tables in Wonderland card early last year, and will renew again soon if larger discounts do not appear. We dine at Walt Disney World table service restaurants with regularity, so that 10% difference is pretty significant for us.
You should do the math yourself to determine whether you’re better off with the “free” 10% off discount, or if it’s worth it to pay for the 20% off discount. Even with the AP and DVC discounts, if you’re a local and eat at Walt Disney World restaurants weekly, you still might want to get the Tables in Wonderland card.
Tables in Wonderland Card 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 whether the Tables in Wonderland card is worth the money.
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 $875 at Table Service restaurants, and an Annual Passholder’s break-even point is $750 spent at Table Service restaurants. (Assuming no alternative discounts are available–if there are, the math obviously changes.)
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. As such, most frequent guests to Walt Disney World who regularly dine at table service restaurants will get a good amount of savings out of the Tables in Wonderland card.
Still, you might be wondering how the Tables in Wonderland card compares to the 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.”
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 Walt Disney World restaurants enough. This is because the card can be used on alcohol and appetizers.
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 Disney Dining Plan, but the former is not on the Dining Plan, and the latter offers poor value on the Dining Plan. Back then, Tables in Wonderland cost $75 (and this was not that long ago!) so it made complete sense to buy the card and use it a couple of days in lieu 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.
We have had it every year since, and seen the card gradually creep up in cost. Every year we have gotten enough value to justify the purchase (we do the math), but with the latest price increase making it cost $150 (for us as Disney Vacation Club members) after our last renewal, it’s going to be tough to justify buying it again. The break-even point is high, and as menu prices continue to rise to provide illusory value for the Disney Dining Plan, we find ourselves eating fewer and fewer table service meals.
Obviously, your mileage may vary on the Tables in Wonderland card, and you should really do the math to determine if it’s right for you. If you really love the table service restaurants at Walt Disney World, 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?! 😉
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. OurWhat to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
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!
Is anyone aware if they are still charging automatic gratuity? Per the IRS rules that went into affect in 2014, restaurants are no longer allowed to charge gratuity if they are not withholding federal tax on this for each employee and visible on their check stubs now.
Most restaurants don’t want to go through the hassel of this extra payroll/hr management so they’ve changed the “gratuity” to “suggested tip”.
As of last month I had a restaurant add the gratuity. I’m almost positive Disney will, considering they are a major, multinational, conglomerate.
If we are dining with others but using our TIW card. Can each couple pay separately and still get the discount. I have heard that they only accept one credit card. Would it be beneficial for the guests to purchase gift cards to pay for their meals. Would that work. Also can your TIW be attached to your magic band?
Can anyone tell me the math behind TIW. Do they add the gratuity then subtract the 20% or its the other way arround.
Lets say the bill is $100 do they add the gartuity wich will be 100 + 18 = 118 them apply the discount 118 – 20% = $94.4.
or its the other way arroud 100 – 20% = 80 the they add the 18 gratuity wich would be something like $98 a little difference that may make all the difference
Amount is subtracted, then gratuity is added based on the FULL amount.
We had a problem parking at Hollywood studios when the person collecting the money did not want to honor the tables in wonderland for free parking. We asked him how long he had worked there and he said 3 years. We never had a problem at any of the other parks. He finally let us in without paying but we were happy because after we ate the line at customer service was really long and we would have had to wait at least 20 minutes to get are refund for parking. Has anyone else had that problem?
Wow, that’s crazy. I’ve never heard of this happening!
Is this a Jan to Dec membership or a twelve month membership from when you get it? If you got one it sept 2014 would you have to buy a new one for a jan 2015 trip?
It’s 12 months, not calendar year. Actually, it’s closer to 13 months because it expires on the last day of the month a year from the month you purchase it.
In other words, if you buy it on September 3, 2014, it expires September 30, 2015. So make sure to maximize your time with it! 🙂
How or where do you purchase the TIW card? We’re going to Disney World in Feb, 2015 and this may be an option for us instead of a dining plan. Thanks!
You can purchase it once you arrive, at any Guest Relations location.
I have read both. Is the Tables in Wonderland good for 12 months, or 13 months?
12-13 months. It expires on the last day of the month one year after the month you purchase it.
Todd, I can’t believe you think 15% tip is normal everywhere except Disney. Everyone I know always tip 20% and people who work or have worked as servers always tip more. So unless you have really poor service 18% is a very reasonable tip. We used our TIW last Nov. with our kids and saved a lot and we’re not even big drinkers. There were 7 of us. They did always check for my ID and we had to put it on our credit card or pay cash. Our kids could not pay on one of their cards. I kept all the receipts with notations and we squared up at the end of the trip. It was definitely worth it. I wrote it in a small notebook at the end of the day. That way I could also make a note if something was extra special, so we could know for next time. It’s a nice way to unwind and reflect on the great day we had. My daughter also took a picture with her phone of the receipts, just in case we lost any. My husband and I are going again this fall and will be able to use it again…more savings! YEAH!!!
In Orlando the average tourist tips 0%. If you google average tip you’ll see it’s 15%. I’ve lived in 4 states and never heard of anything above 15% until I started going to Disney.
Buck – I can’t tell if you’re serious or not. In many major cities, over 20% is standard now. Unless you’re in Small Town USA, I don’t think <15% is standard.
18% is the norm in most places. You go on to tip what you will, though...
I want to be clear with my understanding of the TIW card. The discount of 20% is applied first to your bill and then the 18% gratuity is added after the discount? I want to be sure of this because I can see why people would call it a 2% discount if the discount was applied after the gratuity was added to the bill.
And I also want to be clear on the payment of the meal. From what the Disney website states the person who has the TIW card must be the one paying the bill and not just present with the card. Are you telling me this is not true or not enforced?
I would love to purchase an annual pass and TIW card but they would not really be worth it if the dining discount was applied after the gratuity was applied. Hope you can answer these questions. Thanks…
Discount is taken and then the gratuity is added based on the pre-discount amount. The reason it wouldn’t be a 2% discount regardless of the order of gratuity/discount is because you would be paying some amount of tip regardless, and in the absence of the card, that tip would be added to the full bill. It may be less than 18%, but it would not be 0%, meaning that it’s more than a 2% discount. So assuming you normally tip 18% (a safe assumption in most cases), Tables in Wonderland is a 20% discount. If you would tip less than 18%, then adjust your “real” discount down accordingly.
Technically, the TIW holder must be the one paying, but I’ve never had that enforced. So long as the cardholder is at the meal, it has always worked for us. YMMV on that one, though.
great information, thanks. Just one question, you say you can purchase a secondary card for your spouse, do they have to have the same surname? as my husband and I have different ones, and will be eating with different people during our two week holiday, or will we both need to buy annual passes and both buy the tiw cards? Thanks.
Does it matter which property you are a DVC member of? We belong to Aulani, but want to get this for our next WDW trip – am I able to?
Thanks!
The property doesn’t matter. Just present your Disney Vacation Club membership card and you’ll be able to purchase it!
Hi, thank you for the article! It’s inspired me to get a card on our upcoming trip. One question though, if these comments are still monitored regularly: if staying at a resort with other guests, and room charging privileges are tied to a credit card of another member of the traveling party (not related/different last name/etc.), how does that work for Tables in Wonderland? i.e. I am the TiW card holder, but wish to simply charge a meal to the room, but the room is held under not my credit card. Can you do that?
The only real “restriction” is that Tables in Wonderland card needs to be present at the meal its being used to discount. It doesn’t matter who pays.
Hi. Just wanted to mention that your link to Tables in Wonderland is not working. I was able to google and then get to the information.
Great article and I look forward to leveraging the information on our next trip!
Hi Tom! Love your blog! We’ll be going to the Epcot Food and Wine festival for the first time this year (so excited!) other than the TIW offers for chef dinners, etc. that you mentioned…can you generally utilize the TIW discount for most things at the food and wine festival?
Hi: Can you purchase this without being a AP holder?
Thank you!
TIW is available to AP holders, DVC members & Florida residents……..
I used this calculator/spreadsheet to help me decided between DDP & TIW. For our October trip the difference between buying the DDP and paying OOP using the TIW card was around $700 in our favour.
http://seeyareelsoon.wix.com/seeyareelsoon#!dining-plan-calculator/cxc0
Would you explain how it’s not just a 2% discount? It seems to me that if they’re automatically adding an 18% tip, and then giving you 20% off, you’re just paying 2% less than you would’ve paid if you didn’t have the card and left a similar tip. What am I missing? Thanks!
Say the meal is $100. Normally you would be paying $118 including tip. Now instead you are paying $18 tip plus $80 is $98 so you’re still saving $20.
Technically it’s even better than that – though terrible for your server. So say the bill is $100 for $118 total when tip is added (yes, you should tip, those CMs sure do work hard and are awfully patient with us). Ok, the discount comes off first, so $100-$20 (TiW discount). THEN the tip is figured from the $80 you paid. That’s a $14.40 tip (pretty stingy). So in total, you’ll pay $94.40 instead of $118.
@Laura: $14.80 is stingy on a $100 bill? 15% tip is NORMAL every where else in the world except Disney!
We tip 20% everywhere. Standard is NOT 15% anymore.
Amy, absolutely correct. Its been 20% standard for years as far as I have known…
It has been a 20% standard tip in the United States for a few years now. This is especially true in tourist areas and in areas with a higher cost of living.
Where I live a standard tip is 20%-22% based on the quality of the restaurant and service. That is in Santa Barbara, CA. Almost 3000 miles away where my family live in NY and northern NJ, this is also standard tipping practice.
Pretty much everywhere I go up and down the California coast, less than 20% has been reserved to reflect poor service, for almost a decade now.
I think people from States where the cost of living is low, just aren’t used to how things have been on the coasts (except for the South East) and almost all major cities for almost the entire 21st century.
And I would understand that, if you people weren’t talking about Disney, who raised my Premium AP (and changed the name, and removed my local discount) from just over $200, to just over $1000 in that same decade.
It’s Disney! Where they charge you 4-5 Star Restaurant prices for mid range, high volume catering food that they pretend is fine dining.
With the way Disney prices things, you should be Shocked at a mere 18% gratuity, which is what real restaurants on the coasts, in the cities, and even suburbs were adding to the bills of large party bills 16 years ago!
It’s Disney. The food is institutional in All their restaurants. Most people just don’t know any better.
And Disney tries to do people a favor by tacking on a customary large party gratuity of a Low percentage to allow for a low tip in case of poor service.
And this customary gratuity is there because often large parties split the bill and several people Always forget to add tip, stiffing a server that in Most States makes under minimum wage by having their Expected Tips figured into their wage.
So I’m sorry that some people’s travel and culinary experience is limited to Disney, but that is a percentage from Last Century, calculated on a post discount amount, screwing the server Anyway unless you do the civilized and expected thing, and leave a tip to make up the difference.
And people are complaining about a 2% discount, when you have Really gotten a 20% discount on the food, and a 22% discount from the server’s pay!
I just don’t understand it.
Not when you all seem to be fine with Disney’s outrageous price increases that are pricing their parks straight to the point where Most Americans won’t even be able to afford to take the family anymore.
Certainly not those servers you’re shafting without their Cast discount.
So can you just use this card to purchase just alcohol-not in a restaurant setting say in Epcot at one of their outdoor beer/wine stations?
No. You can buy drinks only, but it must be at a restaurant that accepts TIW. For example, I buy drinks from the Rose & Crown pub all the time using TIW. But I couldn’t use it at the outside drink station. Mine expires in January and I am definitely buying another. Great discounts especially if you regularly purchase alcohol with your meals.
Thanks for the update! Good to know! DVC members here.
I have an annual pass and was interested in getting a TIW card because we are having our wedding at Disney and treating our guests to all their meals during the 4 days we are there. But we’ll probably have more than 10 people, so how does that work? Do I get the discount off 10 and pay full price for the rest, or will they refuse to take it at all?
FYI: I read on the Tables in Wonderland Website that you can purchase a 2nd card for your spouse for $50. Then between the two of you, you can cover up to 20 people for the discount.