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[Leosawesomedad]

Hi

I will be taking my son to DLP, First time for both of us, for the first week of August, He will be 5 ( nearly 6), and I was hoping for any tips or advice..

Here's what I've booked :

Mon 31st July - Fri 4th August 2017

Eurostar from St Pancras Via Lille

Hotel Cheyenne Texas room

Express Luggage service

Photopass +

My birthday will be on the Thursday and my sons will be a few weeks after we return..

I haven't booked a meal plan as it was £184 for half board and the meal plans just seem so over complicated and in a way restricted that I gave up trying to understand them. So if not having the meal plan breakfast where is a good place to get something in the morning or do you take a few bits to have in your room?

Is the change at Lille simple?

any other advice for a first trip in August?

[andya]

We went last year and are going agin this August (a couple of weeks after you).

Food is costly, VERY costly so be prepared. For breakfast we take a load of cereal bars and things like that. That way our 2 children (4 and 5) can have them to eat as we walk to the parks (from the Cheyenne it's only 10 mins and a lovely walk). That means you can lie in a little longer but eat well and get to the parks early.

For dinner and tea I'd use the McDonalds a couple of times to save the £ and apparently there is a shop at the train station (right by the parks) which does cheaper snacks so may be worth trying there. We didn't know about it last year but will certainly be trying it this time.

[Leosawesomedad]

Hi Andya

Thanks for the reply

That tip about the shop in the station is a good one, il be sure to check it out when we get off the train, Getting a lie in isn't likely to be an option though, he gets up early enough on a normal day.. it will be a struggle to keep him in bed any later than 6am whilst we are there!

Il be sure to take plenty of snacks, and one or two of those small Robinsons fruit squash things for drinks.. There are places to get free water from what I've read?

Enjoy your Trip!

[Elodie]

Yes, water fountains everywhere, mostly in the entrances to toilets. It was 35^o on 4 of our 5 days there last August, so we were constantly glugging down drinks and we didn't spend a penny on them (we did have a meal plan though, so got 'free' drinks at breakfast, midday, and the teatime treat). We just took water bottles to refill, but we talked to other people who'd taken those mini-squash bottles to squeeze a couple of drops in with their water, so that's a really good plan. Huge money saver in the heat!

I second the idea of walking from the Cheyenne to the parks - breakfast was still included when we went, so we didn't have breakfast on the go, but it's a lovely quick walk along the river and would be a great time to eat a cereal bar or two. (I know some people say it's 20 mins to walk, but it really is 10 mins to Disney Village (even with my 5 year old who likes to stop and admire everything on the way). I think the 20 mins must be from the far end of Cheyenne right into the Park, but you feel like the proper walk is over once you get into the Village. Unless you time the buses perfectly, it's quicker than waiting for the shuttle.

Apparently there's somewhere you can go to get a birthday badge if your birthday is within a month of your trip, so you get birthday wishes off CMs etc. I've only heard about that from other people though - it was my birthday the day we arrived for our first trip last year, so I wish I'd known about these forums then!

[dlpowl]

If they're quoting you £184 for the meal plan for both of you then my advice would be to get it.  We have been to Disneyland Paris several times and two of those trips we didn't have a meal plan and it was a nightmare.  The McDonalds is far more expensive than here and is always insanely busy, we're talking upwards of 30mins wait in the evening, it's horrendous.   There's a sandwich place called Earl Of Sandwich which is nice but again, there's always a wait and it's still only a sandwich.  If you're not having the hotel breakfast then there's not really anywhere else, other than Mc Donald's (which will be busy). 

The meal plans aren't as complicated as people make out, they're really not.  If you have the Standard Half Board you will have your breakfast in the Cheyenne restaurant (really good choice of cereals, breads, pastries, juice, ham cheese etc) which will fill you up plus you can pocket a couple of rolls to eat later in the park!  Then you will be given meal vouchers for your evening meals.  If you eat at the Cheyenne buffet (lovely buffet, lots of choice) then your voucher covers the total cost.  You can also eat at Billy Bobs in the village or Plaza Gardens in the park.  Your voucher will cover the total cost at these restaurants.  If you want to eat at a more expensive restaurant then you use your voucher the same but just pay the difference between the value of the voucher and the final bill.  It's that simple.  People make a mountain out of a molehill with the meal plans so to a new person like yourself, it can seem bewildering but it's really not.

Never underestimate how expensive it is to eat out at Disneyland Paris, everywhere is expensive, there's no cheap places unless you're happy to eat burgers and hot dogs all week and even those aren't cheap.  Trekking around the parks makes you hungry and you will want a proper meal.  Paying in advance for the meal plan takes all the stress out of deciding what and where to eat, and you can make your table bookings before you go too, so it's all taken care of.  We are a family of 5 and we would never visit again without a meal plan in place.  Having a meal plan ensures you a good breakfast to set you up for the day and a full evening meal from the unlimited buffets which have starters, mains and desserts.  And it's all been paid for in advance!   Just a shame you've already booked because the free meal plan offer should be starting soon! 

[dencarter]

Regarding your question about changing at Lille, it's very easy indeed. Also, depending on the amount of time you have hanging around there you might consider popping to the giant Carrefour supermarket right next to the station while you wait. Good place to stock up on snacks, fruit and bottled drinks for your room.

[polar vixen]

I'd second the recommendation of adding a meal plan - especially if it includes breakfast, which I wouldn't pay for by itself.   Even if you made it all day on just a burger meal you'd be looking at around 25 euros a day. For a single buffet meal for yourself  and son it'd be over 50 euros . So that price including breakfast is really good. We've always managed  to get by on it too ...... fill up at breakfast and then fill up on a big buffet around 3.30. There was no other way we could make it through the day on snack bars bear in mind  you'll be up early and if you stay for dreams at closing that'll be 11pm so don't underestimate how hungry you might get!

[Slimy yet satisfying]

I agree it seems a lot to pay but when you take into account how expensive food is at Disney e.g burger,fries and a drink ranging from €16.99 to 21.99 it will be a better option to take the meal plan.

[Leosawesomedad]

Thank you all for the replies

I get the impression that the meal plan is recommended but I'm still not convinced.. considering on a usual day at home breakfast is either a bowl of cereal, toast or maybe an egg around 6-7am so I'm sure some snacks taken along will be a fine alternative to that for a few days, and I've heard the hotels are busy for breakfast in summer to the point you struggle to sit anywhere? Is this the case?

Being no meal plan option that doesn't include breakfast and a buffet breakfast that we probably wouldn't use we would actually be paying £184 for 4 meals or £63 (€73) per meal which even at inflated Disney prices seems a bit much, but if it came to it I'd rather pay that price for a meal each day and with no plan il have more choice and freedom to do so won't I?

On that actually does anyone know what the value of the meal vouchers is when used for their face value elsewhere?

  Just a shame you've already booked because the free meal plan offer should be starting soon! 

The price I'm paying includes 2 days/nights free and under 7's stay and play free and a deal on transport, I would hope  that's got to be a bigger saving than just a free meal plan?

bear in mind  you'll be up early and if you stay for dreams at closing that'll be 11pm so don't underestimate how hungry you might get!

Haha if only.. I only ever sleep 5 hours a day as it is and I'm pretty active so I don't anticipate it making much more of an impact on my appetite. Being a Single dad I've literally carried my son around all day at places like legoland, dinosaur parks, days out etc. I'm used to hard work 

I can still add a meal plan to my booking if I'm convinced it's the best option but so far nothing's swayed me.

[Slimy yet satisfying]

Only you can make that decision but take a look at the menu guide for ideas on prices to double check. My kids couldn't survive on a snack bar at 6am and a burger for tea and still be able to have enough energy to stay up for Dreams at 11pm before a walk back to the hotel. It is a loooong day with lots of walking!

[Leosawesomedad]

I just realised I got my maths totally wrong basing it on 3 days not 4, I blame being up for 20hrs.... ok so it's £46 per day or €53.  I thought something wasn't quite right.. ok at that cost maybe I'm more swayed towards a plan then.

I'd still like to know the values of the vouchers if possible? And where you can use them.

[elisje]

I am not completely sure. But the value of the standard meal plan vouchers used to be 28 euros. It is printed on the voucher

[polar vixen]

Worth pointing out that is the cash value if you use them at face value - if you were using them against a cheaper or more expensive meal they have a value of 28 for example and 14 I think for kids but they are direct exchange for standard buffets which is quite a saving

[dlpowl]

The offer is usually 30% off, plus free meal plan plus under 7's are free - this is, as far as I'm aware, the best offer Disney do and it usually comes on around March.  But it's a moo point anyway as you've already booked.

The voucher face values are about €28 for adults and €14 for kids.  You can use them at any Disney owned restaurant which is almost all of them!  If you download the Disneyland Paris brochure from the website it tells you exactly at which restaurants your voucher will cover the full cost.

You've asked for advice and all we can do is give it to the best of our knowledge and experience.  Of course, the choice is yours at the end of the day.  At home, I don't even eat breakfast.  The first thing I eat is usually a bowl of soup at lunch.  But in DLP we all eat like horses because we walk approximately 8 miles a day and are on the go for 16 hours and we personally, can't do that on snacks and a burger.   Good luck with your decisions and hope you have a good trip.

[Elodie]

We were torn whether to get the meal plan last year, and that was when breakfast was still included in the room price. I was really pleased we decided to go for it. We would have got a burger cheaper (I'm guessing) than what we'd paid per meal, but it wouldn't have kept us going all day. If we had to pay out for two meals a day (plus breakfast), I don't think we'd have saved much and definitely wouldn't have eaten as well as we did. 

We'd been told €100 euros spending money would be about right per day (for four of us) but after three days, we realised we hadn't spent anything at all, so we were even more pleased we'd got meal vouchers. One big breakfast, and one big standard buffet at about 3pm, then the pause gourmande at 5:30 and that was plenty. (I know the pause gourmande isn't included any more, so we'll just join everyone else in sneaking out a couple of rolls at breakfast to plug that gap instead!) We were all full enough for my girls to keep going from 7am to 11pm, even though they usually like their sleep. We liked that the girls got to try lots of new foods, still had their favourites to fall back on, and there were plenty of veg and fruit options (which cancel out all the cream and sugar in the amazing desserts, of course  )

Breakfast was crazy-busy in the Cheyenne in August, but we never struggled to get a table. After the first day, we realised we could take our trays outside to the picnic benches anyway, and that was a great way to start the day, much more relaxing.

There are loads of places you can use standard vouchers at. We ate at Restaurant des Stars (Studios), Plaza Gardens, Agrabah, (both in the Park) and La Cantina at Santa Fe (about 5 min walk across the bridge from Cheyenne). I've heard Chuck Wagon in the Cheyenne is good too, but we wanted to try lots of different places, and we were already having breakfast there. I'm sure there are other places too, you'd have to look at the meal plan info on the website.

You've got to do what's best for you though. I reckon the best way to decide is to price up two meals per day, bearing in mind it needs to be enough to keep two of you going at full power for 4 or 5 days in a row, (about €50 per day going by pp) plus whatever you're spending on your own breakfasts and snacks, then compare it to the cost of half board per day to see if it's worth doing.
Then weigh up the pros and cons of each, e.g. approx 30 min queuing for counter service or McDonalds vs. less / no time queuing to use vouchers at standard buffets... but then the reason you're not having to queue is because you've reserved a table, so that might be restrictive. More choice and better food in a standard buffet vs. food that's quicker to eat at a counter service place, etc.