Newbie planning - cost of eating?

[busnae]

Hi all, am very very excited that we have now booked to go on our first ever disney trip. I have found the opinions on paris compared with other resorts interesting but am pleased to hear so many people loving paris - phew!

We are going March 20th for the weekend, flying so should be in the park by lunch on friday. We are Me, DH and DDs aged nearly 6 and nearly 4 .

We haven't got loads of money to spend on food but are debating whether to pay for half board. What we are wondering is what the other food options are if you don't go for the listed restaurants - for example i can't find caseys corner listed in the brochure with the half board options

what kind of thing can you eat if you don't go to the listed restaurants and for what kind of prices? My eldest dd is a bit particular about food which is why we thought it would be crazy to pay for the hb premium.

your thoughts and knowledge greatly appreciated from a very excited first timer!!

oh we are also wondering about how people told their little ones - any special ways?

 

[HolidayLover]

I was recommended www.dlpfoodguide.com they have a list of restaurants, menus and prices its really helpful.

 

[Stubbarama]

Caseys corner is hotdogs and fries, think chicken niggets as well, about 10€ a meal. if this is your price range there is a mc donalds in the village that obviously has a bit more varied menu and kids meals are 4€.

The reason so many people are going half board is that the exhange rate has obviously fallen, but disneys price (£13) has stayed the same so you are getting a voucher for 19€ @ almost 1,5€ to the pound rather than 1,07€

 

[joolz1910]

I would definitely go for the half board vouchers. You will pay almost the same price for counter service meals with the state of the pound at the moment. We went for hb+ and found that they were excellent value. Our children are 9, 4 and 1 and middle dd is a bit picky, but they didn't starve and we had some really nice meals.

A lot of us on here with children got a great idea from a fellow DISer called Janjanmary. Basically, you buy a Disney helium balloon (featuring your kids' favourite characters) and wrap it up in a big box. Let the kids open their gift and out floats a big helium balloon...with a little invitation from Mickey attached to the end of the balloon - cue cheers or tears or both.

 

[busnae]

thanks, have just saved that link to faves

Had wondered about the exchange rate - stuff seemed a bit expensive looking at the reviews but not for half board.

Can some one also tell me anything about good morning fantasyland breakfast - what it is and why good to do?

thanks, sorry feel will have loads of questions you have already answered hundreds of times before

your enthusiasm on here is infectious though!

 

[A Small World]

The vouchers are for table service/buffet restaurants which is why Caseys isnt included as its counter service.
There are plently of other counter service places as well but to be honest you can often pay as much here as table service restaurants

 

[busnae]

Love Love Love the balloon in a box idea!! had wondered about an invite but attached to a balloon is great

 

[angel girl]

Hi there. We are a family of 4, our DDs are 9 & 6. Although we would love to eat at some of the fab restaurants that the others rave about on here, our budget never seems to stretch to it

We usually end up opting for counter meals in the park. Obviously you end up with a lot of burger & fries type options, but there are some variants, eg colonel Hathi's which sells pizza and pasta. We usually pay around 30 euros to feed the 4 of us, sometimes a bit less. Might help you to compare to the half board option?

Have a great time, hope you end up loving it there as much as we all do!!

 

[DLPdaft]

Can some one also tell me anything about good morning fantasyland breakfast - what it is and why good to do?

GMF is breakfast in the park - usually Fantasyland - instead of breakfast at your onsite hotel. There is no extra charge for this, you can (subject to availability) book it when you check in at your hotel, and for as many mornings as you wish during your stay, if the slots are available.

Its considered an upgrade on breakfast at the Santa Fe or Cheyenne, same standard as Sequoia Lodge or Newport Bay Club breakfasts.

It means you don't have to get up mega-early to have breakfast at your hotel if you want to make the most of Extra Magic Hours in the parks - you can head straight to the parks for 8am ish, do some rides, then have breakfast without having to leave Fantasyland

 

[joolz1910]

We bought 2 Mickey pizzas (would have fitted on a saucer lol) one vending cup of coffee and a vending cup of hot chocolate and it came to 14 euros. The counter service placed was packed and cramped and it took ages to be served. The hb+ vouchers cost us around £50 per meal - for this we got 2 children's meals and 2 adult meals (starter, main course, dessert) plus one soft drink each. We were sitting in a lovely restaurant overlooking main street with excellent service and plenty of space! The 'real' cost of that meal should have been more than 75 euros.

You can eat at counter service for about 30 - 40 euros for a family of four but personally I'd rather pay the extra and make the meal part of the 'experience'. I am the queen of budgeting and bargain hunting - I have to be, I've got no money! We took snacks with us and bought crisps and drinks from the train station shop.

 

[angel girl]

Love Love Love the balloon in a box idea!! had wondered about an invite but attached to a balloon is great

We did this as a surprise for our DDs at Christmas, it was fab to see their faces as they realised....

Joolz you make such a good case for HB vouchers, am considering it for when we go in Feb now

 

[Rachie B]

Hi there. We are a family of 4, our DDs are 9 & 6. Although we would love to eat at some of the fab restaurants that the others rave about on here, our budget never seems to stretch to it

We usually end up opting for counter meals in the park. Obviously you end up with a lot of burger & fries type options, but there are some variants, eg colonel Hathi's which sells pizza and pasta. We usually pay around 30 euros to feed the 4 of us, sometimes a bit less. Might help you to compare to the half board option?

Have a great time, hope you end up loving it there as much as we all do!!

thats not too bad

what's the food like @ colonel Hathi's ?

we normally stay offsite so then dont care how much we pay for meals,and eat wherever takes our fancy ! with some cheaper lunches too

but will be on a budget this Oct,as also saving to go to WDW in easter 2010!
but i just had to get a DLRP fix this yr too!


xx

 

[mommy2ash]

as my dd is just gone two we havent ate in restarants a whole lot. we just ate in counter service and had meals in annettes and cafe mickey. i couldnt keep her attention long enough to sit down for a long meal. i am still considering the half board vouchers coz the more i look into it the more i see that they are good value. seeing as your kids are that bit older i would definately look into getting the vouchers

 

[busnae]

ok, but having looked at some of the other threads it doesn't look as though the voucher covers the cost of the meal anyway? or have i misunderstood?

We would only have the standard half board option and liked the look of the all you can eat buffet!! would we have to pay extra even in the listed restaurants?

and am i right in thinking you could go to some of the places not listed such as caseys corner and the cowboy bbq buffet place - i will get my head around this sorry for all the questions

 

[mommy2ash]

ok, but having looked at some of the other threads it doesn't look as though the voucher covers the cost of the meal anyway? or have i misunderstood?

We would only have the standard half board option and liked the look of the all you can eat buffet!! would we have to pay extra even in the listed restaurants?

and am i right in thinking you could go to some of the places not listed such as caseys corner and the cowboy bbq buffet place - i will get my head around this sorry for all the questions

its ok it confuses a lot of people im still not 100% on it

the vouchers are only for buffet or table service not for counter service. so you couldnt use them in caseys or cowboy cookout.

they can be used at their face value in a number of places if those places are on another meal plan.

if you eat at the places that are on the standard list then they cover the full payment

hth

 

[DLPdaft]

ok, but having looked at some of the other threads it doesn't look as though the voucher covers the cost of the meal anyway? or have i misunderstood?

We would only have the standard half board option and liked the look of the all you can eat buffet!! would we have to pay extra even in the listed restaurants?

and am i right in thinking you could go to some of the places not listed such as caseys corner and the cowboy bbq buffet place - i will get my head around this sorry for all the questions

Have a look here -

http://offers.disneylandparis.co.uk/UK/EN/Neutral/Images/Half Board Meal Plans.pdf

On the HB standard, you can eat at the buffets at the Santa Fe (La Cantina), the Cheyenne (Chuck Wagon), Crocketts Tavern at the Davy Crockett lodges, the Plaza Gardens and Agrabah Cafe in the main park, and Rendezvous des Stars in the Studios.

These are all full buffet restaurants, and if you pay using half board standard vouchers, you do not have to pay anything over and above your voucher, plus a soft drink each is included with your voucher.

Annettes is also on the HBstandard plan, but its not a buffet. You would choose a main, side and a drink from the set menu there.

 

[joolz1910]

We did this as a surprise for our DDs at Christmas, it was fab to see their faces as they realised....

Joolz you make such a good case for HB vouchers, am considering it for when we go in Feb now

I was really pleased with the vouchers. After nearly at the 14 euros for pizza and coffee, I was really relieved we'd bought the vouchers. It looked like counter service was about 10 euros per head so the hb+ was an extra 10 euros. I was hesitant at first because I thought £150 for 3 meals was ridiculous but I am certain we would have spent a lot more on food if we hadn't bought the vouchers. The meals really filled us up.

When we went before, I just did counter service for 3 days and I was so sick of the food by the time we came home. I would definitely get the hb again.

 

[angel girl]

thats not too bad

what's the food like @ colonel Hathi's ?

we normally stay offsite so then dont care how much we pay for meals,and eat wherever takes our fancy ! with some cheaper lunches too

but will be on a budget this Oct,as also saving to go to WDW in easter 2010!
but i just had to get a DLRP fix this yr too!

ps we weren't starving DD1 at this point-she just wasn't hungry!


xx

Well we enjoyed it - DH had pizza which he said was OK, DD2 had Mickey pizza, and I had a pasta neapolitana with yummy garlic bread which I thoroughly enjoyed-being veggie it can be a challenge to find anything but an omlette burger , so the pasta was a happy change! And we liked the decor of the restaurant too