The Disneyland Paris Meal Plan gives you the opportunity to pay for your meals in advance. It typically includes breakfast, and one or two additional meals a day, based on your preferences. You can add the meal plan to your Disneyland Paris package for an additional nightly fee, and it’s only available when you are staying in a Disney Hotel.
We’ve used the Meal Plan during multiple of our many Disneyland Paris visits. This is what we learned!
What’s included in the Disneyland Paris Meal Plan?
There are three different Meal Plans:
- Breakfast only
- Halfboard – Breakfast + one meal
- Full board – Breakfast + two meals
Breakfast will be served at the restaurant(s) in your Disney Hotel. You can upgrade to a character breakfast in Disneyland Park for an additional fee.
The additional meals for Half board and Full board can be used at most restaurants in Disneyland Paris. Those include all restaurants in the two Disney Parks, all restaurants in the Disney Hotels, and The Steakhouse and Annette’s Diner in Disney Village.
Most restaurants will have a fixed menu for guests with Meal Plans that include a starter, main dish, dessert and one nonalcoholic drink. At buffet restaurants, it’s all you can eat with one nonalcoholic drink included. And at counter service restaurants, you can order a meal that includes a main dish, soft drink and ice cream.
Is it worth it?
The answer to this question is; it depends.
Are you planning to eat mostly fast food at one of the counter service restaurants? Do you prefer a quick meal instead of a sit-down one? Or don’t you mind getting breakfast at Disney Village or the parks instead of at the restaurants in your hotel? Then the meal plans are simply not worth it. It will be much cheaper to pay for those meals out of pocket than for the meal plan.
The meal plans are only worth it if you plan on eating at table service or buffet restaurants or at character dining locations. Then it’s typically cheaper to pay for the meals in advance, but check out the menus first. Because the fixed menus offered to guests on the meal plans only include a small selection of the meals offered in the restaurant. If you want to order something else, there will be an additional fee. The same for if you would like to order an alcoholic drink with your meal.
For us, the meal plan forces us to eat more healthily when in Disneyland. Or at least take some time for a sit-down meal instead of eating just burgers and fries. It’s also just a small upcharge from the breakfast meal plan which makes it worth it for us. Even if it doesn’t save you a ton of money – which it doesn’t – it can be more convenient to know in advance how much money you will spend on meals, at least for us.
How do the meal plans work?
You can add the meal plans to your Disneyland Paris package while booking, or later by contacting the Disneyland Paris customer service team. Start making dining reservations as soon as you finished booking, even if your stay is months out. Reservations can be made up to 12 months in advance by Disney Hotel guests, and believe me; you will need that head start.
At check-in at your Disney Hotel, you will receive a MagicPass, which is a card that has your tickets, room key, and meal credits on it. When you enter a restaurant, show this card to the host and tell them you are on the Meal Plan. They will check the credits and give you a special menu to order from. Once you finish your meal, ask for the receipt, and if you didn’t order any additional drinks or other items from the regular menu, you can go back to the parks without paying. Tipping is optional in France and never expected, but we always leave a small tip to our waiter because it feels weird to leave without paying.
Some final tips
- Make dining reservations as early as possible, even if you are not on the meal plan, as the restaurants fill up quickly.
- Check the menus beforehand on the Disneyland Paris menu or app to see what is offered for the meal plan. The fixed menus have a Meal Plan logo next to them.
- Don’t book the meal plan if you only plan on eating at counter service restaurants, as the meal plans are only worth it at table service and buffet restaurants.
