To Half Board or Not

[Sam1982]

Hi

I was wondering if anyone can help we are off to euro disney for the 1st time in June and me and my husband are having shall we say 'disagreements' over weather to go half board or not. We'd like to eat at Cafe Mickeys and I was looking at booking the dinner there with characters which would cost for the 4 of us £88 but then I enquired about half board and for plus would be £240 for the 4 of us which to me dosen't sound too bad.

My husband says its alot of money for food (we are staying for 3nts and 4 days at cheyenne) but I don't want to get there and find we end up spending over half our budget on food and we would have been better to go half board. I have seen some people say because of exchange rate there isn't much in it but then others have said you save quite a bit. The more I look into it the more I get confused lol! I have been trying to find menus to try and work out how much we'd spend by doing it there but not sure if the menus I've found are upto date so any help with that would be appreciated.

Also with the vouchers would we get enough for the 4 days we are there or just the 3 nights and then the last day have to pay anyway (our eurostar back isn't til 7.40ish pm so would probably need to get the kids some food before then.)

If anyone has any help on places to avoid for food or any other information that would help us get the most out of our stay it too woukd be greatly appreciated.

Thank you once again

Sam

 

[MickeysFavouriteGirl]

We chose half board simply to budget for our trip. You won't necessarily save money but it's paid for in advance. You get one voucher per person, per night. So for 3 nights there would be 3 vouchers per person.

Best website for menus is dlrpmagic.com - they are newly updated and have menus and prices. Hope this helps

 

[DLPdaft]

it all depends if you would normally have a full table service/buffet meal at least once a day for 3 out of your 4 days there. You only get vouchers per night booked, so it would be 3 each for your party.

the only saving you're likely to make, even if you don't take the half board vouchers and end up having table service/buffet service every day, is the cost of a soft drink for the adults in your party.

Also, half board plus is the middle plan - would you use the half board plus restaurants only? You'd pay less money by going half board standard.

Cafe Mickey can be done a lot cheaper than the set meal price/half board plus voucher cost. You can share pizza/starters and have soft drinks, for one adult and one child my bill at Cafe Mickey is usually around 30 euros total doing it this way, and the character interaction is exactly the same whatever you choose from the menu there .

If you prefer to pay for your meals in advance, and you're sure you'd use the value of them, half board may be a good idea. Otherwise, because of the very minimal saving they offer, I'd say keep your money and include your meals in your budget when you take your spending money to DLP.

 

[Sam1982]

Hi

Thank you for your help. I'll take a look at menus and try to think what we might eat. I hadn't thought about sharing so thats a good idea to keep costs down. Thats the kind of thing we do in pizza hut etc here as the kids never seem to finish a whole meal off to themselves (they are 6 and 3).

I had thought I would take bottles of drinks and snacks and I also see alot of people seem to take rolls etc from breakfast for kids to have between breakfast and dinner so we could get away without buying lunch but then some people have said you get searched and food taken off you at the parks, do you know if this is true? The last thing I want to do is take food and have it taken off me.

I think if we have to buy food on the 4th day anyway we're probably not gonna save money so by the sounds of it its not really worth it.

Thanks again

 

[miss_bell]

I personally don't think the Half board vouchers are worth it for us, there are only the two of us going and we have decided where we would like to eat already, we would have to buy the half board plus vouchers to cover some of our restaurants.

Whilst it does say the vouchers will save you 10% we have Disney shares and this entitles us to 15% off buffet and restaurant meals.

 

[jothp]

We normally buy the vouchers because we like to have some of our meals paid for in advance and it means we don't have to take as much cash with us.

Each voucher gets you a three course sit down meal (from a set menu) or a full buffet so you could eat a lot cheaper by eating only a main course in the same restaurants or eating in counter service restaurants.

The brochure quotes 'up to 10% savings' by using the vouchers (that would be maximum E3 for each adult, E1.50 for each child per meal). The saving was worked out using an exchange rate of E1.1268 to the pound but currently you can get more Euros to the pound so the savings you would make would be less.

You should also think about whether you would want alcoholic drinks as these are not included on the vouchers so you would have to order a soft drink with your voucher then buy another drink on top.

 

[MickeysFavouriteGirl]

It really all depends on where you want to eat.

We only have the half board standard vouchers - and we're using these at Annettes and Plaza Gardens. On our last day we will do Cafe Mickey lunch (share pizzas and chips) You can also use the vouchers at face value in any restaurant and pay the difference.

Lunch can be as cheap or expensive as you like. You can get baguettes cheaper at the station shop. Also take lots of snacks with you. My 4yr old likes to eat little and often so we're taking our own snacks and juice for him.

Yes people do make rolls at breakfast for the day. I don't tend to do it, we fill up at breakfast and then grab a hotdog, baguette or mcdonalds for lunch.

 

[DLPdaft]

Sam don't worry, food/soft drinks/snacks will not be confiscated from your bags - you have to open them at bagcheck, but they're not looking for food.

 

[angel_nix]

We took food and drinks into the park with us and nothing was confiscated!

 

[kizzabel]

Hi Sam
Have you thought about buying shares and joining the shareholders club? You get discount off your meals plus discount in the shops. May be worth looking into.
You need 5 share to join (approx 4.50 a share) and then you pay a membership fee of €30 and are sent out you card which also entitles you to entrance to Salon Mickey which is at the main park entrance, where you get free pastries, teas, coffees and juices. Its open daily from 9am to 12pm.
If you hold 20 or more shares they waive the membership fee.
The whole process of share buying and membership applications can take a couple of months so its best to organise asap if its for you.

Can anyone break down the % off on shops/meals? Cant remember off the top of my head

 

[DLPdaft]

the share price is a lot higher at the moment - todays buying price is around 9 euros per share.

You get a straight 15% discount with a shareholders card on restaurants (but not counter service) and most merchandise whilst at DLP, plus 10% off at Disney stores in the UK.

 

[kizzabel]

whooooooooooa thats some increase in the last while. yikes! either way it works out cheaper then buying half board and it looks that the discount is better too

 

[tigger2891]

We are going to DLP in 10 days time and have gone half board plus( as we did last year) we like the fact we dont have to budget for our meals once we are out there and like previous posters have mentioned you can use the vouchers at face value and just pay the difference( if there is any) in any of the resturants, we also like the fact we can make the countdown to our holiday go faster by spending some time picking where we want to eat when we are there. There are three of us going (me, the other half and our daughter who is 9) and I think if we had to budget for our meals we would end up spending more than the cost of half board so for us its worth it.

 

[loladelorean]

We have done Half Board Plus in 2009, and no meal vouchers (with Shareholders discount) in 2010.
We much preferred not having the vouchers - we felt there was much more choice and we saved more money, but then the 15% discount did come into that.
On the other hand, we did like that we didn't have to budget for meals when we had the vouchers! We used them for cash value in Cafe Mickey too. I maintain that the vouchers don't actually save you any money, but if you see the pre paid element as an advantage then it might be worth it for you!
Then again, if you are likely to share meals etc you might well save more going a la carte.

 

[Sam1982]

Thank you to everyone that has replied it has helped clear a few things up. I have this evening had a quick scan of menus and worked out what we might spend roughly by going to the places we were thinking like cafe mickey etc and it worked out for 4 meals including drinks about 250euros. That was either buffet or where it was sit down main,dessert and drink so think we might just have 2 pots of money 1 with about 300 euros in for food etc and the other for shopping. Seeing as it £240 for half board plus then we still would have to pay extra for food on 4th day there and also I don't very often fancy a starter aswell as a dessert.

I was thinking of the shareholder scheme but to be honest I've never done anything like it before and I'm a bit scared that its going to end up costing me 100s but from what people have said it dosen't so think I will def look into getting them.

I am very excited about going but as yet not told the children we have actually booked as want to surprise them when we get there but I am finding it very hard to keep quiet lol!!!

If anyone also has any tips on shows to see or restaurants you just can't miss (obviously Cafe Mickey is a must) etc they too would be appreciated as this is our 1st time there.

Sam x

 

[loladelorean]

I was thinking of the shareholder scheme but to be honest I've never done anything like it before and I'm a bit scared that its going to end up costing me 100s but from what people have said it dosen't so think I will def look into getting them.

If anyone also has any tips on shows to see or restaurants you just can't miss (obviously Cafe Mickey is a must) etc they too would be appreciated as this is our 1st time there.
:

Firstly, i would strongly recommend the Shareholders Club. The shares cost us about £80 (although I do think they are more expensive now) and we calculated that in our last 6 day trip we saved over £200. Plus we will continue to save on future trips, and you must remember the shares are an investment - you can sell them back at any point if you no longer think you want the discount.
I dont know if you know about Salon Mickey - a Shareholders perk, a lovely private room offering free hot and cold drinks and snacks in the morning

As for restaurants, it really depends on your personal tastes but Walts is a firm favourite with lots of us here, including myself. I also love Blue Lagoon although the menu there is more exotic.
Annette's is great! Very tasty, and massive portions. If you havent already done so, you should check out the restaurant review threads on here too

 

[kizzabel]

I think Halifax are the most straight forward to get shares with. Its definately worth looking into. How old are your kids?

 

[Sam1982]

Hi thank you for your replies I'm gonna look into getting shares. I had a quick scan of what you get and it sounds great and they are an investment and i'm sure once we've been once we will be back again! We are always in the shops over here so to get 10% off in disney stores is great too especially when both my little 1s birthdays are in December so any saving in their fav shop helps with christmas also round the corner.

My little little girl is 6 and my little boy is 3.

We was thinking Cafe Mickey is a must, Annettes was another was thinking about and possibly Buzz's pizza place as Liam would love that but thats got mixed reviews so unsure on that 1. Walts was another and we did debate about the Steakhouse brunch on our last day but don't know how much that costs and if we need to book that now.

Sam

 

[Mum to Belle]

Hi Sam!

I think your two would love the Stitch Live and Playhouse Disney Live shows in Studios - brilliant for younger ones! My DD is 4 and LOVES them!!

Cafe Mickey is great fun. One tip, the pizza's are very large so you can make it a cheaper option if you share a pizza. I didn't buy a meal for my DD on our last vist, she was too excited to eat so just had the bread rolls and some of my food, then dessert!

Is your DD a little princess? If so, then you should at least consider Auberge! It's a character meal with the princesses, a 4 course feast with wine included. There are some good reviews on the restaurant review thread.

I love Walts, love, love, love it!!! I am thinking of trying Annette's on our next trip as we've not eaten there before.

Good decision to get the shares - you'll save a fortune!

 

[kizzabel]

Mum to Belle you have to try Annettes!! Its fab. Yummy burgers, fab hash brown dippers on the starters, theyre soup is also fab and the desserts and milksakes are gorgeous!

3 and 6 are perfect ages. Theres so much to do. IASW is a favourite and i second Stitch Live. Its so much fun, Stitch is sooooo naughty!
I would also check out buzz laserblast, the carrousel, dumbo and peter pan in Fantasyland. In the studios theres loads of shows (animagique, cinemagique, stitch and playhouse disney) plus flying carpets, toystory playland and the cars ride.

Where are you planning on staying?