If you are a Florida resident, Disney Vacation Club Member, or a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder, the Tables in Wonderland card is a great way to save money while dining on Disney property. The Tables in Wonderland card will save you 20% off the price of food and beverages, including alcohol, at more than 100 different restaurants at Walt Disney World. The discount applies to dining parties of 10 people or less. The Tables in Wonderland card costs $175 for Florida residents and $150 for annual passholders or Disney Vacation Club members. A second card can be purchased for your spouse or partner for $50.
The card is issued in one person’s name; that person must be present and must pay for the meal to get the discount. An automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the bill as well. While this seems to wipe out the benefit of using the card (20% off, but an automatic 18% gratuity is added), we always tip about 18-20% when receiving good service. Note that the Tables in Wonderland card won’t save you money off the cost of a Disney Dining Plan, only on items outside of that plan (e.g., a bottle of wine). There are also blackout periods (mostly major holidays) were the card isn’t accepted.
In addition to discounts on food and beverages, Tables in Wonderland provides the cardholder with free valet parking services when dining at table service restaurant located at a Walt Disney World resort location (for example, Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Polynesian Resort). A dining receipt from that resort and a Tables in Wonderland card must be presented when picking up the vehicle in order to receive free parking. If you’re dining at one of the parks, free parking will be granted if you have been in the park less than three hours and have a dining receipt. We have used the valet parking service numerous times, especially at night when the Florida thunderstorms can creep up. We do make sure to tip the valets even though the service is free.
We have taken advantage of the Tables in Wonderland card in two separate years, in conjunction with our purchase of Walt Disney World annual passes. After spending $750 on dining, you will have saved the cost of the card (20% of $750 = $150). Anything you spend above $750 reflects a discount off the cost of full price dining. In our recent trips, we have booked one table service meal per day, with an average price range of $100-$200 per meal. Over the course of a 10 day trip, the Tables in Wonderland card can provide us a discount of anywhere from $200-$400, not including the cost of the card. Any other trips that year just increase the discount. (Note: The cost of the card recently jumped from $100 to $150 for annual passholders. I had to rework my above calculations to take the extra $50 into account. The card is still a good deal if you are planning on dining at a locations that accept the card and its not during a blackout period.)
We’ve found the Tables in Wonderland card to be a great way to stretch our dollars at Disney’s table service restaurants. Please share with us in the comments some tricks you use to spend less money while dining at Disney World!