We are often asked if the Disneyland Paris meal plan is worth it and the truth is that it really depends. In this guide, we will give you an overview of the meal plan costs, the types of meal plans available and when it is and isn’t worth it for you.
So in order to know whether or not the meal plan at Disneyland Paris meal plan is worth it you need to know a few things:
- What the level of meal plans are, and their associated costs,
- the restaurants included,
- the booking window for reservations,
- and your intended Disneyland Paris itinerary.
So first we will look at the meal plans available and how much they will cost.
Table of Contents
What are the Disneyland Paris Meal Plans and their costs?
Is the Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it?
Firstly when looking at Disneyland Paris meal plan options you have a choice at including 1, 2 or 3 meals a day.
The 1 meal options is for breakfast. This options includes a full breakfast buffet and drinks at your hotel or Annette’s in the Disney Village. And if you are staying at the Davy Crockett Ranch you get a breakfast basket from the forest chalet.
However, if you would like a full or half board, you then have a choice of level from:
- Standard Option – (Full or Half Board),
- Plus Option – (Full or Half Board),
- Premium – (Full or Half Board), BUT only available for the Disneyland Hotel Guests.
Note: there also used to be an Extra Plus option however this is not currently available (February 2024) so is not included in this guide. If this is reinstated we will update the guide with information on this.
Disneyland Paris Standard Option
The Standard Option Meal Plan at Disneyland Paris is available with a full board and half board option and includes:
- Table Service Menu with a dedicated meal plan menu
- Buffets
- Quick Service Restaurants
It costs:
- from £26.26 for children (3-11) and
- from £45.42 for adults for the half board option.
For full board, you also get lunch or dinner on your final day.
All prices in this guide are indicative and are subject to change based on your arrival date.
Plus Option
The Plus Option Meal Plan at Disneyland Paris is available with a full board and half board option and includes:
- Table Service Menu with a dedicated meal plan menu
- Buffets
- Quick Service Restaurants
It costs:
- from £36.34 for children (3-11) and
- from £54.51 for adults for the half board option.
For full board, you also get lunch or dinner on your final day.
Premium
Auberge de Cendrillon Disneyland Paris
Premium is the newest meal plan option and is only available to guests who are staying at the Disneyland Paris hotel, the most expensive of the on-site hotels.
This meal plan includes table service, buffets and quick service restaurants as well as the character dining restaurants such as Auberge, Plaza Gardens, La Table de Lumiere and the Royal Banquet.
The costs starts:
- from £64.81 for children (3-11) and
- from £115.73 for adults for the half board option.
What are the advantages of the meal plan?
How to do Disneyland paris on a budget
So why might you want to have a meal plan? Personally I think the best reason to have a meal plan is connected to budgeting and knowing how much money you are going to spend.
Although if you are at Disneyland Paris on a budget, we don’t recommend meal plans as there are definitely cheaper ways to eat and supermarkets nearby. However, there is a comfort in knowing that you have prepaid for your food and know exactly what the costs are.
When is the Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it?
So when is the Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it? Personally I only think having meal plans are worth it if you I recommend answering the following questions:
Do you plan on having sit-down breakfasts?
Personally, I do not do sit down breakfasts while at Disneyland. The reason for this is that I love to make use of Early Magic Hours in the park. This is the hour before general park opening, when on-site guests get access to the park and where the rides have far smaller queues.
Therefore I usually have breakfast on the go. For this reason, it is not worth it for me.
However, if you plan to have a proper breakfast then it may be worthwhile to you.
Do you plan on having table service meals?
For meal plans to be worth it for you really need to be having a table-service restaurant on your itinerary. Quick-service restaurants have meal plans that cost less than 20 Euros per person. Therefore, if you want a quick-service restaurant for your main meal, it probably isn’t worth it for you.
Do you have fussy eaters with you?
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Are you traveling with a toddler who is part of the beige brigade or have a fussy eater in your party? If so then I think it is worth looking more in-depth at table service and buffet restaurants menus before you make this decision.
While quick service restaurants have lots of options such as Mickey Pizza, burgers and fries that fussy eaters will enjoy not all the table service restaurants and buffets will be as suitable.
For instance, the Agrabah Buffet is amazing but has more Middle Eastern and North African flavors which fussy eaters may not enjoy. And at the table service restaurants you have more upscale menu choices even for children for instance:
- at Walt’s the kids have chicken and mash, mac and cheese or Arctic Char,
- at Remy’s the kids menu contains chicken and potatoes with ratatouille, pasta or cod and
- at Captain Jack’s the children’s menu has Coconut Chicken or Mahi Mahi or pasta.
Therefore if you have any concerns that you have a fussy eater in your midst check that the table service and buffets have options for them.
Are you happy to make reservations in advance?
One thing that surprises a lot of first-time visitors to Disneyland Paris is that many restaurants get booked up months in advance. So you need to be organised to snag a reservation at a time that suits your family and that won’t have you missing things like parades and shows.
However, I personally like to go more with the flow while in the parks and don’t like to have my itinerary revolve around restaurant reservations.
Therefore if you want a meal plan you should be sure that you are happy to commit to reservations and times months in advance, and be happy to work your day around this.
Is a Disneyland Paris Meal Plan worth it?
Is Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it?
So I no longer buy a Disneyland Paris meal plan when I am in the park. The reasons for this are:
- we only ever eat breakfast on the go,
- we have at least one fussy eater in our party
- we don’t like to be tied to times and have longer sit-down meals as we prioritise rides and character meet and greets, and
- when we do sit down meals we like to do character dining which isn’t included in meal plans for those not staying at the Disneyland hotel.
However, if you plan to:
- eat breakfast everyday,
- are happy to make reservations and have a sit down meal every day
- can make reservations well in advance, and
- don’t have a fussy eater with you
Then the meal plan may be worth it for you.
FAQs about meal plans?
So now you know what questions you need to ask before you decide on whether or not to buy a meal plan, we recommend
Can Under 3s have a meal plan?
No children under 3 are not required or provided with a meal plan. Instead, it is expected that your 3-year-old will eat off your plates.
Can you get a meal plan if you are staying off-site?
No, unfortunately, meal plans are only available to guests staying at a Disney hotel.
Are the Disney Village Restaurants included?
Not many of the Disney Village restaurants are included in the meal plan. The restaurants in the village that are included are:
- Annette’s and
- New York Style Sandwiches.
However if you want to eat at:
- Rainforest Cafe,
- Rosalie’s,
- McDonald’s,
- Five Guys,
- Vapianos and
- Earl of Sandwich
are not part of the meal plan.
What happens if your meals cost less than your meal plan?
If you have a meal plan but your costs for the day are less than your prepaid meal plan, unfortunately, you are unable to get any refunds.
What happens if your meals cost more than your meal plan or want to add character dining?
Meeting Princesses at Disneyland Paris Auberge De Cendrillon
If your costs for the day are more than you are allowed as per your meal plan or you want to add a character dining meal to your itinerary you will be required to pay the difference between your meal plan cost and the excess charge.
We hope this has helped you decide whether or not to get a meal plan at Disneyland Paris but if you have further questions please do drop us a question in the comments below and we will do our best to answer. And if you have been to Disneyland Paris have have an opinion about the meal plan and whether it was worth it for you, we would love to hear your experience.
