Need info on Annual Passes and Tables in Wonderland About This Page:

[julieb]

Hi all - I always see references to APs and TIW here on the boards, and was wondering if someone could give me some info. We are now DVC members, and since we're at WDW every year for at least a few days, it might make sense to take advantage of these programs. I think that I read that the breakeven on an AP is something like 10 days, so I'm not quite sure that would work. Anyway, any info. you can provide would be great! Thanks for your help!

[DVCjulie09]

As a DVC member, anyone who resides at the address on the contract is eligible for a $100 discount on the price of an AP. If the cost to purchase separate multi-day passes for trips within 12 months of each other is greater than the discounted AP price, then APs are the better value. APs also make you eligible for a 10% discount at most Disney-owned merchandise locations at WDW, free parking at the parks (helpful if you stay any nights off property), discounts at some restaurants, special rates for paid lodging during certain promotional periods, and a $25 discount on the price of a TIW card. APs give you park-hopping privileges and we don't feel like we are wasting a day on a pass if we just want to pop into a park for a couple of hours.

[DVCjulie09]

The TIW card gives a 20% discount and adds an automatic 18% gratuity when dining at participating restaurants, that is, most TS locations and the food courts at resorts that don't have a TS restaurant (and 3 of the CS locations at AK). [No gratuity is added for participating food courts or CS locations.] If you don't find value in DDP or if a DDP meal doesn't match in composition the meals you would usually eat, you may find good value in a TIW card. Price for AP holders is $75 and for DVC members without an AP is $100.
We liked the QSDP and would pay for a few TS meals OOP, so we found the TIW to be worthwhile for the accumulated savings on TS meals over several trips.

[mechurchlady]

TIW break even is $400 in meals per year unless you have an AP then it is $375
If you feel the tip was not worth 18% you can ask for it to be reduced. You can also pay for additional tips if you like. I got one and already am saving money.

[WeLvBCV]

We are DVC as well and get AP's and TIW.

We travel 2xs a year to WDW but we always time our fall trip to fall within the year of our first use of the AP's. This we actually get 3 trips out of them. For example in Oct we arrived on Oct 15th and bought AP's then. Trip planned for April and then our Oct trip will end before the 15th. So even if you travel once a year and have some flexibility it is worth having the AP. The best part I think of the AP's is that we pop in and out of the parks without having to worry about wasting a day. For example if we arrive a day early or if we want to have dinner in a park on a late arrival day. That kind of thing.

We get TIW because it fits our eating style much better then the dining plan. We have a few drinks, my soon to be 10 yr old "adult" barely eats a kids meal, my 6 yr old often shares meals with me etc. With 3 trips it does pay for itself. You would have to do the math and really look at how your family eats and how often you go to WDW to see if it is a value or no for you.

I do know a number of DVC people who buy 10 day non expiring hoppers with water park. They use them over multiple stays. We bought some expecting to use them this trip but plans changed and we got AP's again this year. But I now have 10 hopper days we can save and use whenever plus the 10 water park/quest days we can use whenever.

[julieb]

Thanks - this is great. Is TIW per person or per family? Also, we are not all there every trip, so can I just buy one for myself and a regular ticket for my husband, for example? We don't all have to have the same type of ticket, I assume. And where do I buy them? Resort for AP and guest services for TIW? Is all of this info in any one place - Allears.net for example? Thanks again!

[ridlersbaby]

I am a part time Florida resident and the savings are so great when you buy the passes. We have 2 different types of passes within our family. DH and I have seasonal passes which might be limited to Florida residents. Our 5 year old son has an annual pass which gives us free parking at the parks and our 2 year old is still free. When my parents or in laws go along they have regular tickets which they purchase at regular price. You can buy any of them at guest services and last time I checked if your husband would decide he wants to go to the parks more often you can always upgrade your regular ticket into an AP. TTW I believe covers 5 or 6 people in the same party so you would only need to pay for 1 assuming you will be together when you use the benefit. On a side note I am also a part time resident of PA and if you ever come to visit Hershey Park you'd only have to use your season pass 3 times to get your money out of it. You'll get a folder with your annual pass that tells you about the discounts you get just with the AP. You get savings at the Disney property hotels, most of the stores, and even the table service restuarants including DTD. We used our discount at TRex Cafe last time we were there and I know Wolfgang Puck has a discount as well.

Hope this helps
Danyale

[aliceinwdw]

Originally Posted by julieb

Is TIW per person or per family?

The TiW card is good for the AP holder whose -- this is important to know -- name is on it, and up to 9 other guests.

SIDE NOTE: Allears.net states that the discount is good on the member's check only and I can attest that this is not necessarily the case -- or we've been lucky; however, for the last two years, when my mom has come up to join DH and I for the first few days of our trip, I have used my TiW card for her meal while DH and I were on the DDP and/or only using the card for our drinks and appetizers. My mom had her own bill and they still allowed the 20% off of her tab. Again, I don't know if we've had "kind" servers or the restriction on whose/how many bills per table has been lifted.

Basically whoever you decide is going to "get" the card between you and your husband, and that should be whoever is going to be in WDW the most (learn from my mistake! ), that person will need to be present each time you plan to use the card. If you want your own card separate from a spouse, they charge $50 for it!

My DH and I found this out the hard way since I tend to Florida more often to see my mom -- yeah we initially had it in his name. Needless to say, we now make sure it's in my name.

You can purchase the TiW at any Guest Services on property -- so at any of the parks or in DTD. You can pre-order it via mail or fax; however, the one year "timer" on it starts counting down as soon as they mail it! So it's very much worth waiting until you're IN Disney to go and buy it!

Also a thing to note about the card, it does provide a 20% on food and drinks, but it also automatically includes an 18% gratuity, no matter your party size. However, like mechurchlady said, if for some reason your service was less than stellar, you can request that it be lowered -- or you can leave more if you so chose!

[julieb]

Thanks so much everyone! AP for me and maybe DD, and regular tix for DH and others with option to upgrade; TIW card in my name (for sure I am there the most!). Got it!!

[Pax]

Originally Posted by aliceinwdw

The TiW card is good for the AP holder whose -- this is important to know -- name is on it, and up to 9 other guests.
[...]
You can purchase the TiW at any Guest Services on property -- so at any of the parks or in DTD. You can pre-order it via mail or fax; however, the one year "timer" on it starts counting down as soon as they mail it! So it's very much worth waiting until you're IN Disney to go and buy it!

Both of these are extremely useful information to me.

For our next trip, we want to do one TS per day, and CS for the other two meals. Thus, "TIW & QS-DDP" seemslike the best approach for paying for meals. Knowing we only need one TIW card is quite helpful.

But more importantly: knowing that it can be logistically far better to wait until we arrive (and not be dumb and order it by mail a whole year ahead of time, herp derp!) is a real life-saver.

[mechurchlady]

It only took a couple of minutes at the guest relations window outside of Epcot and only the person paying for the TiW card has to be present. It is only for guests in your party which technically would include anyone sitting at your table who is part of your group. This is not like Dining Plan where everyone has to be on the same reservation. What if a herd of Floridians were to dine? As you see they will let you cover everyone at your table even if they are not staying on site,