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[joenderby]

Hi Guys

We're going to DLP in March for the first time.  There are 2 adults and 3 kids, aged 11, 6 and 5. 

I'm very confused as some people are telling us to book the half board premium meal plan and others are saying its not worth it, so don't know what to do for the best.  Its going to cost £372 for the meal plan if we book it.

Basically, 2 of the kids are really fussy eaters and looking at some of the menus online, I keep thinking they won't eat any of it.  They will eat things like pizza and burgers and pasta etc but nothing fishy or overly fancy.

We wanted to book Café Mickey for one of the evenings as its my youngests birthday while we're there, but is it worth it ??  The reviews on trip advisor say its worth it for the character side of things but that the food and service are rubbish and that the kids menus have strange options on them.

Where would you recommend ??

Would you recommend a meal plan ??

Many thanks for your help
Jo
x

[traineefairygodmother]

Hi Jo-personally I wouldn't then; head for Annette's Diner, Hathi's outpost, Casey's Corner and Plaza Gardens-all the stuff your kids will eat!
Have a great time!

[polar vixen]

if your kids are fussy I'd go counter serVice and buffets.  we had a free meal plan when we went so e tried some table service. and while the service was fab abd the restaurants Lively if I'd paid 17 writers purr child for them to eat the very small portion of chips from the plate or for my ten year old to easy nothing but the bread rolls I would have cried.  kids were good but always hungry after. at least ay buffets there's plenty of choice.  and loss of desserts and fresh fruit.  off they don't like they can just get another plate.  have you considered inventions rather than cafe Mickey?  I think it's about the same price but loads more gfood choice, characters abd it's a bit Me supposed it do not as loud as cafe Mickey. also if you didn't get a free dining plan id just check menu prices before you go so you've got some idea how much to take.

[rebecca20]

I have very similar taste in that I'm not picky but I like pizza / burgers on holiday as I never get eat them at home. I like Annette's, Caseys, Cafe Hyperion (if you are star wars fans), Planet Hollywood.

Personally Cafe Mickey was also really good for food (burger was amazing and I was told the Pizza is good too) for the us the service was a bit slow but we didn't mind so much as it meant more character interaction (with kids I could imagine it would be a problem if they are tired). Also be aware the portions are huge! I must emphasise we were seated for the last time slot available hence why we were lucky with the characters as they sat with us for a good 5 minutes for selfies and all sorts of photos.

Inventions food was ok, characters again just ok - interaction not nearly as good as at Cafe Mickey as we were quick eaters and only saw 4 characters for a quick photo.

[ChipandDale99]

As its your first time I wouldn't get half board. Like already said buffets are a great option as the kids can have chips, chicken nuggets, pizza. You could also have that but there are also nice more adult meal options. I would recommend plaza gardens.

I think cafe mickey has to be done at least once. It would be great on a birthday as all the characters are especially nice to birthday people. But I don't think the food is anything special.  Hope that helps

[haribosmum]

I've been with half board and without. We are going again in Feb and decided against the budgets and still be doings suggested above and having our main makes in the day from the counter service restaurants and then one evening we will be going to inventions. Cafe Mickey food was ok, nothing amazing but may suit the kids better.

We went to eat in the Cheyenne buffet one year when the was a big group of us with kids and everyone ate week there. I don't think you'd get your moneys worth from premium vouchers.

[stifle]

Lots of questions there so let's see if I can get you some answers.

First of all you've not mentioned how many nights you're staying for but £372 does not correspond to the price of the premium half-board meal plan for two adult guests and three child guests, which would be £342 for two nights assuming you're booking direct with Disney in the UK.

I don't know if much turns on that anyway though: if your kids are going to want pizza, burgers, or pasta, then any meal plan is likely to be a waste of money. Would you spend £342 (or however much it turns out to be) on two meals out normally? (Remember that this includes one soft drink per person only, and wine is extra too.)

Half-board premium gives you access to the top tier, best of the best restaurants such as California Grill, Inventions, and Auberge de Cendrillon. The vouchers may also be exchanged for admission to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. At most table service restaurants they give you the choice of anything off the menu. So they are good if you enjoy table service dining in a relaxed environment and don't want to be limited by the choices on set menus.

It seems to me however as though you would get on better with quick-service or buffets. Prices at quick-service are €11-15 for an adult meal (main course, side, drink, and perhaps a dessert) or around €7 for a kid's meal (same ingredients but smaller portions). At most buffets it is around €30 per adult and €15 per child, including a soft drink. So that will come in quite a bit cheaper than the meal plan and I think you'll probably enjoy it just as much. Remember £1 is around €1.36 so you'll get a decent deal on the exchange rate too.

I can't really say much about Café Mickey from direct experience, but I expect that like most of the character restaurants, the experience will depend on how busy things are. The characters can ordinarily only spend a minute or two at any given table because they have to get through everyone. The food seems middle of the road but I would expect most of the price is paying for the characters — so as it costs around the same as any other table service restaurant, I wouldn't expect gourmet dining or anything in the same league as Walt's: an American Restaurant or Bistrot Chez Rémy. As between it and Inventions, you're probably paying about €60 more for your party in Inventions but you're guaranteed to find simple food like chicken nuggets and pizza on the buffet.

Finally, then, if you do go for the premium meal plan, make sure you get full use out of it by going to Inventions rather than Café Mickey (which is a Plus tier restaurant), and try to get in Auberge de Cendrillon if your kids would like to meet princesses. Just remember to book your restaurants ahead of time as they can get full.

[petals]

I would do Cafe Mickey for the characters alone. I know it's changed a bit since I was there last but  we had alot of trouble meeting characters in the park due to the mob system they used to have for characters rather than queues and while the food wasn't the best in the world at Cafe Mickey it's edible and the character interaction is fabulous

We also ate at Pinocchio's and Casey's Corner which were fine. We ate at some counter service place as you go in to the Studios but we didn't like the food there.