food – Cook's Magical Adventures

Today I wanted to let you in on what I feel is a well kept secret of Walt Disney World. Maybe it’s not a huge secret, but I really don’t hear many people talk about it. I’m talking about the Tables in Wonderland card! We actually just purchased our card Memorial Day weekend and it will expire June 30, 2020. Tables in Wonderland is slightly exclusive in the fact that it is only available to Annual Passholders, DVC members, and Florida residents.

Current Prices:
Annual Passholders and DVC members $150
Florida residents $175
Additional spouse card or card replacement $50

So, what is so special about this Tables in Wonderland card? There are quite a few benefits, some of which we are still learning! I’ll let you know everything I love about the card so far and I will give you some downsides I’ve found as well so you can be as informed as possible!

Our first meal with our Tables in Wonderland card at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios at the Disney Jr. Play & Dine breakfast. This is the first time Callen “hugged” a character!!! He’s been afraid of them all for months!

Discount
Tables in Wonderland gives you a 20% discount at participating locations. Those locations can be found here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/restaurants/tables-in-wonderland-restaurants/ This 20% comes off of food and alcohol and is applicable for up to ten guests including the card holder as long as everyone is on the same check and the cardholder is the one paying. If you were to be dining at Walt Disney World often with large groups then adding a spouse card may be good for you. Adding the extra card would allow you up to 20 guests. I would not want to be the one with that bill!

The first face character Callen was extra excited about. He jumped out of his seat to give her a hug by himself! Belle enjoys almost all characters. We enjoy 1900 Park Fare breakfast, especially since I love Mary Poppins!

Free Valet Parking
Yep, you can get free valet parking at Walt Disney World resorts for dining purposes, just cross reference that your dining experience is listed as one of the participating restaurants (learned this one the hard way). Remember to save your receipt from the restaurant to give to the valet desk. This is how they reference for their day. This was what we learned the hard way on top of our restaurant not participating in Tables in Wonderland. Live and learn I suppose, but in true Disney fashion they took care of it, let it slide and now we are informed for the next time.

You can also get free theme park parking for dining purposes when using Tables in Wonderland. The theme park one isn’t as important for us since we already have parking included with our annual pass, and if you were eating in the theme parks you would need valid theme park admission.

Storybook Dining at Artist Point. The place we learned about needing to use a participating restaurant and to keep our receipt for parking. I highly recommend dining here! Opt for as early of a reservation as you can get.

Alcohol
I know this one really isn’t a plus for some, but the discount you get with Tables in Wonderland comes off of alcohol purchases during your meal as well. The discount from an annual pass does not include alcohol. We are by no means avid drinkers, but we do enjoy a cocktail or wine when we have extra special dinners.

The Admiral’s Tower from Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club resort.

Included Gratuity
This one is a double edged sword in our experience thus far. We are 20% gratuity people for full plated service and typically buffet service as well. Tables in Wonderland automatically includes 18% gratuity to your bill no matter the party size. Some days this saves us 2% off our bill, other days it costs us 3-8%. We have had a few meals with the card that we would not have tipped 18-20%, it would’ve been closer to 10-15% due to the lack of attention our table received. I know it’s not right to be a critic, especially for an industry I’ve never worked in, but I know Disney can and does typically do better than an entire table sitting with empty drinks for over 20 minutes.

Callen wanted to hug Donald, so when Donald came back a second time he got to give him a hug. Belle was excited to tell him all about her desserts. Tusker House was one of the meals we didn’t feel the automatically added gratuity was earned. We’ve eaten here in the past and had zero issues, so I’m sure, as with anywhere, it can be hit or miss.

Price Breakdown
I shared the prices above, so let me give you a little breakdown to help you decide if Tables in Wonderland might be beneficial to you.
*Side note annual passholders get 10% at participating locations*
Tables in Wonderland AP price $150
Break even point would be at $750 since 20% of $750 is $150.
Let me tell you, it is incredibly easy to hit $750 if you enjoy sit down eating, which is something we enjoy and did before Tables in Wonderland even became a consideration. My main regret is not knowing about it sooner. We’ve had the card for two weeks and have almost broken even. No, we don’t always eat this way, but the first weekend we had it we did four sit down meals for different celebrations.

Tables in Wonderland Overview
We feel it is a great program. So far the only downside to us has been the automatically added gratuity, and had we been the kind of people who have no problem getting management involved it may have been resolved, but we just took it as it was handed and moved on. We’ve only used the valet parking once, and as I said it was a learning experience. Tables in Wonderland also does exclusive dining events. I do not yet know much about these since we’ve only had the card for a short time. I know there is one coming up this week, but we won’t be attending since I found out about it tonight and it is for guests twelve and older (neither of our two kids fit this restriction), Maybe we will make it to a different one if I am given more advance notice.

‘Ohana is always a favorite, it is a little difficult to get a reservation for though.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit about Tables in Wonderland and that I’ve made the decision for if it is a fit for your family a little easier. If you have any questions about Tables in Wonderland or have any more benefits you know of that I missed feel free to leave a comment!