Home

[Froudy]

I am thinking of taking my girlfriend to Disneyland Paris as a Christmas present for five days and four nights in a few months.

Trying to limit the amount of spending, but should I include a half board deal in the booking, or should I leave it?

When booking on the official website, it says it will cost £300 in the package, is that a good price? Seems a bit steep on first reflection...

I am totally unsure what to do and need some help and better explanation of it please 

[dlpowl]

If you can, I'd wait until the end of Feb, beginning of March to book cos that's when free Half Board and 20-30% off offers start. 

If you must book now then I'd definitely consider the Half Board option.  Eating out in DLP is extremely expensive if you want to eat proper meals.  There's McDonalds, a couple of sandwich places and plenty of 'burger n chips' places (these also cost way more money than in the UK) but if you want to eat proper meals then you're looking at the buffet restaurants or table service restaurants and you will definitely save money by getting the meal plan if you want to eat in those places.  Plus, it means it's all paid for in advance.   It's all dependent on the kind of meals you want to eat, that's what you need to decide really before you can make a decision.

[grovesie]

We have been on several trips with and without the meal vouchers. Both have pros and cons

One on hand it's good knowing that it has all been paid for in advance, on the other hand it denies you the choice of using Rain Forest Café, Ludwigs, Planet Hollywood and possibly the 2 new restaurants that will soon be opening. Another plus  is that Ludwigs and Rain Forrest both off 20% discount on your next meal in their restaurants if taken with in 48 hours.

Have a look at the menus and prices on this forum to see if the meal plan makes that much of a saving. You could always buy an annual pass then make a booking getting the discounts associated with being a pass holder

[Froudy]

If you can, I'd wait until the end of Feb, beginning of March to book cos that's when free Half Board and 20-30% off offers start. 

If you must book now then I'd definitely consider the Half Board option.  Eating out in DLP is extremely expensive if you want to eat proper meals.  There's McDonalds, a couple of sandwich places and plenty of 'burger n chips' places (these also cost way more money than in the UK) but if you want to eat proper meals then you're looking at the buffet restaurants or table service restaurants and you will definitely save money by getting the meal plan if you want to eat in those places.  Plus, it means it's all paid for in advance.   It's all dependent on the kind of meals you want to eat, that's what you need to decide really before you can make a decision.

Better to book now as it's supposed to be a Christmas present... We will probably be looking at one big meal a day EACH, for the five days so is it worth the £300?

Also, how does it actually work?

Thanks for the help btw, really appreciate it!

[Froudy]

We have been on several trips with and without the meal vouchers. Both have pros and cons

One on hand it's good knowing that it has all been paid for in advance, on the other hand it denies you the choice of using Rain Forest Café, Ludwigs, Planet Hollywood and possibly the 2 new restaurants that will soon be opening. Another plus  is that Ludwigs and Rain Forrest both off 20% discount on your next meal in their restaurants if taken with in 48 hours.

Have a look at the menus and prices on this forum to see if the meal plan makes that much of a saving. You could always buy an annual pass then make a booking getting the discounts associated with being a pass holder

Thanks for the help, really not sure what to do regarding the food...

Is £300 worth it, considering there's two of us for five days? Seems a bit steep, but I'm not actually sure how it all works anyway.... 

[polar vixen]

I believe the current offer on the uk site offers a discount and free dining plan anyway which is valid till the end of march?  (if you live in another European country you can book via phone and ask for a cross over offer - they have to honour the prices available in other countries), so that's one option, book with an offer that includes a free dining plan. 
The way a dining plan works is that you get a voucher per person for a meal per night of your stay corresponding to the level of hotel you are staying at (assuming you're staying at a Disney hotel?)  - santa fe/Cheyenne will get you a s tandard level plan, giving you, as a couple, four meals at either hotel, plaza gardens, restaurant des stars, or billy bobs.  Given that these buffet restaurants,all of which serve a good range of food, will cost you roughly 35euros each, 4 meals on that basis would cost you 280 euros, so you'd actually be paying more using the dining plan, unless you're paying fopr a higher level dining plan which would give you the option of more restaurants.
Even with the dining plan, you would have to pay for an additional meal on your fifth day.  You should also consider that the half board meal plan only entitles you to one meal per day - you may still want a snack earlier, a light lunch, or you may be happy, (as we are) to take a few snacks with you, fill up at breakfast, and then have a big buffet meal around 4 pm. By the time we've done that and had a sweet treat on the way back to the hotel, our bellies are happily full......I've just checked the website and for me it'snot shwing any special booking offers now for jan-march, I'd phone up and ask, and check the Disney websites of other countries too to see how their offers compare

[dlpowl]

Does the £300 include breakfast though?  Cos that's no longer included with the hotel I don't think, polar vixen?  So the Half Board meal plans are for breakfast and dinner I think?  So if we use your calculation of £280 (or euros - very little in it now sadly!) then that means they're paying £20 for breakfast for 4 days for 2 people which is good value.  At least that's how I imagine it's working now that breakfast is an extra charge.

They always say you save money by buying the Half Board meal plan as long as you don't eat at lower category restaurants so the maths has to work out somehow. 

[Slimy yet satisfying]

Can be worked out like this
£300 ÷2 people = £150 each
£150 ÷ 4 nights = £37.50 per person per day
£37.50 - £12 (cheapest onsite hotel breakfast) = £25.50
£25.50 left per day for a meal at hotel (Santa Fe €28.99) or village  (The Grange Buffalo Bills €32.99) There are also other options in the park and you can use the face value of your meal voucher to part pay more expensive meals at for example Inventions.
It's up to you if you think it will be worthwhile.

[polar vixen]

Again it depends when you're going...I believe breakfast is included till end of march?

[dlpowl]

It is included until the end of March but only on bookings that were made before a certain date which I think was back in October time?  Don't quote me on that but I'm sure that's what I read.  I'm not as on the ball with it anymore as we've just come back and aren't booking again for a while!

[Andybear]

It is included until the end of March but only on bookings that were made before a certain date which I think was back in October time?  Don't quote me on that but I'm sure that's what I read.  I'm not as on the ball with it anymore as we've just come back and aren't booking again for a while!

I'm going late September next year and booked in June and my breakfast is included.  I booked through the Walt Disney Travel Company.  They sent an email to everyone about it a few days ago and confirmed that breakfast is included in my booking.

[dlpowl]

Yes it's to do with when you booked I think.  Any trips booked after October 13th for arrivals after 29th March 2017 won't include breakfast.  So if you book now but go before march 29th then you'll still get breakfast.  After that, you'll need to pay for breakfast or have it as part of a meal plan. 

[Andybear]

It's all very confusing isn't it! 

[Sugaroo_]

Ok so apparently for bookings before March 29th breakfast is included at Disney Hotels as standard. What I understand is it doesn't matter when you made your booking as long as your stay is before March 29th. And "if you already booked a stay from 29th March 2017 at any of the hotels listed before 25th October 2016, when breakfast was still noted as included in the standard package, this will be honoured for your booking and there's no need to add a meal plan." So Froudy your breakfast should be included.

If you plan on dining everyday at a table service or buffet restaurant then maybe you should consider a meal plan. We've never done the meal plan thing, we would splurge on a nice dinner one night and just be more casual the other days and eat at counter service restaurants. It really depends on what you're looking for.

[Froudy]

Ok so apparently for bookings before March 29th breakfast is included at Disney Hotels as standard. What I understand is it doesn't matter when you made your booking as long as your stay is before March 29th. And "if you already booked a stay from 29th March 2017 at any of the hotels listed before 25th October 2016, when breakfast was still noted as included in the standard package, this will be honoured for your booking and there's no need to add a meal plan." So Froudy your breakfast should be included.

If you plan on dining everyday at a table service or buffet restaurant then maybe you should consider a meal plan. We've never done the meal plan thing, we would splurge on a nice dinner one night and just be more casual the other days and eat at counter service restaurants. It really depends on what you're looking for.

So if I booked now for a week in April, will breakfast be included?