In Walt Disney World there is an option to save money on dining other than the Disney Dining Plan. For those of you who prefer a more flexible dining experience, there is the Tables In Wonderland Card. This handy card with a funny name (formerly the Disney Dining Experience) offers a straight percentage discount off of your food and beverage (including alcohol) purchases. But, there are a few caveats, and this card isn’t for everyone. So here are the basics you need to know about the Tables In Wonderland Card.

Who? Not everyone is eligible for the Tables In Wonderland card, and those who are must purchase it at an additional cost. Florida Residents (with proof) may purchase the card for $175. Disney Vacation Club Members, Annual and Seasonal Passholders may purchase the card for $150. Only guests over 21 years of age who fall into those categories are able to buy the Tables In Wonderland card. If you need more than one card for your family, for a spouse to carry for example, that is an additional $50. Now, arguments can be made that it might make sense for one member of your traveling party to upgrade their tickets to an Annual Pass to be able to purchase the Tables In Wonderland Card (along with the other Annual Pass discounts on rooms, recreation, merchandise, etc.) even if you only have one trip planned that year, but we won’t get into that math in this article.

What? The Tables In Wonderland card is a dining discount of 20% off eligible food and beverages (excluding tax and gratuity) for up to 10 members of your dining party. This also includes alcoholic beverages, but the locations where the card is accepted are limited (see the Where? Section). 18% gratuity is automatically added when using the card. In addition, you receive complimentary parking. At resorts this means you can valet park your car for free—all you need to do is present your dining receipt and Tables In Wonderland card when you go to the valet stand to retrieve your vehicle. This is a great convenience and savings for cardholders. At the theme parks it is a little more complicated. If you arrive before 5:00pm you will pay at the toll booth, then present your card, dining receipt and parking ticket to Guest Relations for a refund (only if you’ve been in the park less than 3 hours). After 5:00pm you can show your Tables In Wonderland card at the toll booth for entry into the parking lot.

When? Well, there a couple of different “when’s” for the card. When does the card expire? The card generally expires a little more than 1 year after you purchase it. When during the day can I use my card? The card can be used for any meal time (breakfast, lunch or dinner) at participating restaurants. When should you purchase it? Of course, common sense dictates that you should purchase your card at the very beginning of your trip to make sure you are able to get as many discounts as possible on that trip (see Where? For more details). When can you not use your card? Some time periods are blacked out for the discount at all restaurants including, Mother’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day along with days surrounding these holidays at certain restaurants (1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana (Dinner Only), Cinderella’s Royal Table, LeChefs de France, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Le Cellier Steakhouse).

Where? First of all, the Tables In Wonderland card itself must be purchased at a Guest Relations location at Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Downtown Disney, or by calling (407) 566-5858. Disney Vacation Club members must purchase their card in person at Guest Relations, and be prepared to present your Photo ID and DVC membership card. It does take several weeks to process, so if you are visiting soon do not order by phone, but plan to purchase onsite for immediate availability. Here is a list of the locations that accept the Tables In Wonderland Card in 2015:

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort

World Premiere

Food Court

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

Intermission Food Court

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

End Zone Food Court

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Lodge

Boma – Flavors

of Africa

of Africa Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar

Jiko – The Cooking Place

Sanaa

Victoria Falls

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Landscape of Flavors

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Beaches & Cream

Soda Shop (excludes

take-out shop)

Soda Shop (excludes take-out shop) Cape May Café

Martha’s Vineyard Lounge

Disney’s BoardWalk Resort

Belle Vue Lounge (excludes breakfast)

Big River Grille

& Brewing Works

& Brewing Works ESPN® Club

Flying Fish Café

Trattoria al Forno

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Shutters at Old Point Royale

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

California Grill

Chef Mickey’s*

Outer Rim

The Wave … of American Flavors

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Maya Grill

Disney’s Fort Wilderness

Resort & Campground

Crockett’s Tavern

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (late show only)

Trail’s End Restaurant (Excludes take out shop)

Mickey’s Backyard BBQ (New as of July 31st 2014)

Disney’s Grand Floridian

Resort & Spa

1900 Park Fare*

Citricos

Grand Floridian Café

Mizner’s Lounge

Narcoossee’s

Disney’s Old Key West Resort

Olivia’s Café

Gurgling Suitcase

Disney’s Polynesian Resort

‘Ohana*

Kona Cafe

Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (late show only)

Tambu Lounge

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Everything Pop Shopping and Dining (excludes merchandise from shop)

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort

– French Quarter

Sassagoula Floatworks

and Food Factory

and Food Factory Scat Cat’s Club

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside

Boatwright’s Dining Hall

River Roost

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

The Artist’s Palette

The Turf Club Bar and Grill

The Turf Club Lounge

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

The Green Cabin Room

Shutters

Sonya’s

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Artist Point

Territory Lounge

Whispering Canyon Cafe

Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort

Garden Grove

Il Mulino New York Trattoria

Kimonos

Shula’s Steak House

Todd English’s bluezoo

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Ale and Compass Lounge

Captain’s Grille

Crew’s Cup Lounge

Yachtsman Steakhouse

Magic Kingdom® Park

Be Our Guest Restaurant (Dinner Only)

Cinderella’s Royal Table*

Liberty Tree Tavern

The Crystal Palace

The Plaza Restaurant

Tony’s Town

Square Restaurant

Epcot®

Akershus Royal

Banquet Hall*

Banquet Hall* Biergarten Restaurant

Coral Reef Restaurant

Le Cellier Steakhouse*

Les Chefs de France (Lunch Only)

Nine Dragons Restaurant

Restaurant Marrakesh

Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room

San Angel Inn Restaurante

Spice Road Table(New!)

The Garden Grill Restaurant

Tokyo Dining

Tutto Italia Ristorante

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

Disney’s Hollywood Studios™

50’s Prime Time Cafe

Hollywood & Vine

Mama Melrose’s

Ristorante Italiano

Ristorante Italiano Sci-Fi Dine-In

Theater

Theater The Hollywood

Brown Derby

Brown Derby Tune-In Lounge

Animal Kingdom®

Flame Tree Barbecue

Pizzafari

Restaurantosaurus

Tusker House Restaurant

Disney Springs™

– The Landing

Fulton’s Crab House

Morimoto Asia (New!)

Paradiso 37, Taste of the Americas

Portobello

Raglan Road” Irish Pub

and Restaurant

Disney Springs™

– West Side

House Of Blues®

(Excludes Sunday Brunch) †

(Excludes Sunday Brunch) † Planet Hollywood®

Splitsville™ (Excludes merchandise and bowling)

Wolfgang Puck® Cafe

ESPN Wide World

of Sports®

ESPN Wide World

of Sports Grill

Why? Well, for the savings of course! At $150 for an Annual Passholder, you need to spend $750 in food and drink to break even and make up your $100 investment. Don’t forget, you can use this on alcohol, and with a Grand Marnier Slush ringing in at over $9 that can add up quickly! If you have a long trip, or will visit multiple times in that one year period it probably makes sense. And, if you are eligible to purchase it anyway, you are probably a frequent visitor. We will get more into this in future articles on Tables In Wonderland—for instance, Does it make sense to do this instead of the Dining Plan? Would this work with the Dining Plan? Should you buy an Annual Pass to get Tables In Wonderland? Stay tuned for the answers to these and other burning questions. Other “bonus” advantages include special invitations to exclusive dining events at the parks and resorts just for Tables In Wonderland cardholders (by advance reservation only, and space is very limited).

How? Here is how it works: The discount only applies to the member’s check. If you are paying for the entire table, then the entire table gets the discount. If you want to split the check, only the portion the cardholder pays for will receive the discount. An automatic gratuity of 18% is added when you use your Tables In Wonderland card at a table service restaurant, regardless of party size. Some may say this negates the savings, but you should be tipping your server anyway, this just makes it automatic. I’m sure if you have a serious issue with unsatisfactory service you could speak to a manager and have the gratuity removed so that you can adjust it as you like. On the same note, for exemplary service you could add a few percent more (as I did for an exceptional server at the Sci-Fi Dine in who brought snacks to my toddler, large to-go refills for us older folks, and treated the birthday boy extra special). You should let your server know at the beginning of your meal that you will be using the Tables In Wonderland discount. This way you both have it on your minds when the time the bill comes around. You won’t actually give them the card until you pay your check. There are some restaurants, like Cinderella’s Royal Table, where you prepay when making the reservation. With the Tables In Wonderland card you must still prepay, but you present your card when you dine and you will be refunded the 20% discount. There are a few other restrictions. You cannot combine it with any other discounts or packages. So, you can’t use it for a discount on the Fantasmic Dining Package, Candlelight Processional Packages, or Food and Wine Festival events. But you can use it with the Disney Dining Plan. You could pay for your meal with your Dining Plan credits, then use Tables In Wonderland for its discount on the cocktails that you had with dinner, or an added appetizer since the Dining Plan doesn’t cover those items.

The Tables In Wonderland card can offer a fantastic discount to a variety of travelers to Walt Disney World, and we will take a closer look at that in future articles to see just who can benefit the most from this discount program. Have you used the Tables In Wonderland Card? What did you think about its benefits?