Is the Disneyland Paris Meal Plan Worth It? Our Honest Family Review
Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a booking or purchase, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland Paris with kids, start with our Disneyland Paris travel guide for overall tips and guides. Chances are you’ve come across the meal plan at Disneyland and wondered: is it actually worth it? Or is it just another expensive Disney add on?
We debated it for ages before our trip, especially as we were travelling with a toddler. In the end, we added the Disneyland Paris meal plan to our February visit, and I’m really glad we did.
In this post, I’m sharing our honest experience of the Disneyland Paris meal plan, including how it works, what’s included, whether it’s good value for families, and when it might not be worth it.
👉 Read our full experience visiting Disneyland Paris in February
👉 Disneyland Paris with toddlers – what to expect
What is the Disneyland Paris meal plan?
The Disneyland Paris meal plan is a prepaid dining option you can add when booking a hotel and ticket package directly with Disney. Choosing the right date to visit helps to know adding the meal plan on it affordable.
👉 Disneyland Paris in February tips
Instead of paying for meals as you go, you pay upfront and receive a set number of meals per person, per night of your stay. Your meal plan is linked to your hotel booking and loaded onto your MagicPass, which you scan when dining.
One important thing to know early on is that meal plans are based on the number of nights you stay, not number of park days.
What’s included in the Disneyland Paris meal plan?
What’s included depends on which plan and tier you choose, but generally meal plans cover a mix of:
> Breakfast
> Lunch and/or dinner
> Set menus at table service restaurants
> All you can eat buffet restaurants
Drinks are sometimes included, but this varies by restaurant and plan level.
The different Disneyland Paris meal plans explained
Disneyland Paris offers several meal plan options. The most common are:
Half board meal plan
> Breakfast included
> One additional meal per night (lunch or dinner)
Full board meal plan
> Breakfast
> Lunch
> Dinner
When we visited in February 2024, the half board meal plan felt simple and flexible, and we were able to book across a wide range of restaurants.
Since then, Disneyland Paris has refined its meal plans into clearer tiers, depending on hotel and dining style. This gives families more choice, especially if character dining or extra inclusions matter to you.
Meal plan tiers (overview)
Standard
> Disney’s Davy Crocket Ranch
> Disney Hotel Santa Fe
Plus
> Hotel Cheyenne
> Sequoia Lodge
> Newport Bay Club
> Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel
Premium
> Disneyland Hotel
> Widest restaurant choice
> Meal vouchers can be used repeatedly for character dining
Extra Plus
> Available at most Disney hotels (excluding Disneyland Hotel)
> Includes character dining
> Includes lunch, plus extra snacks and drinks
💡 Disney does tweak inclusions regularly, so always check what’s included at the time of booking.
Our experience using the meal plan with a toddler
We travelled with our almost three year old, and this is where the meal plan really came into its own.
Our daughter’s Disney place was free because she was under three. That meant she didn’t technically have a meal plan, but she was able to eat free at all you can eat buffet restaurants, which made a huge difference.
If we’d chosen à la carte restaurants instead, we would have needed to pay separately for her meals.
👉 For more toddler tips, visit our Disneyland Paris with toddlers page.
Why buffets work so well with toddlers
> No waiting for food
> Familiar, child friendly options
> Easy to eat quickly
> No pressure if they’re ‘done’ after five minutes
Where we ate on the Disneyland Paris meal plan
We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days. Although we had park tickets for three days, the meal plan covered two days of meals, as it’s based on nights stayed.
Day 1
Breakfast – Character Dining
Starting our trip with character dining was such a lovely way to kick things off. There was a great mix of pastries, cereals, fruit, cooked breakfast options and child friendly staples. Even our fussy nearly three year old found plenty she was happy to eat.
Dinner – Disney Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel
This meal completely blew us away.
The buffet is set up in cuisine style stations, which makes it feel more like a food hall than a traditional hotel restaurant. From our experience, this included:
> An American style station with burgers and comfort food
> An Italian station with pasta dishes and sauces
> An Asian inspired station with rice and noodle dishes
> A generous salad and cold selection, plus plenty of sides
The desserts were incredible, with Marvel themed cakes (including Groot inspired desserts) alongside classic puddings. The attention to detail made this feel like a real experience rather than just a hotel meal.
Day 2
Breakfast – Hotel Cheyenne
Breakfast here wasn’t anything fancy, but it definitely did the job. There were pastries, bread, cereals, fruit, yoghurt and hot breakfast items. It filled us up and set us up well for a long park day.
👉 Read our Hotel Cheyenne review
Dinner – Newport Bay Club
This dinner alone made me want to stay at this hotel next time.
The restaurant felt calm and quite luxurious, and the buffet leaned heavily towards seafood, with fish dishes and lighter, fresher flavours. There was also plenty of choice for non seafood eaters, including meat dishes, sides and child friendly options.
It was a really relaxed meal and the perfect way to end the day.
Is the Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it for families?
In our experience, yes, especially for families with young children.
Pros of the Disneyland Paris meal plan
> Food is prepaid, making budgeting easier
> Excellent value at buffet restaurants
> Under threes eat free at buffets
> Access to hotel restaurants you might not otherwise visit
> Built in rest breaks after lots of walking
We genuinely underestimated how tiring the parks would be. Having pre booked sit down meals gave us natural pauses in the day, which made a big difference.
Having set meal times also helped break up the day between attractions, especially when travelling with a toddler. We’ve shared the best rides at Disneyland Paris for toddlers and families, including the ones worth prioritising between meal breaks.
Cons of the Disneyland Paris meal plan
It’s not perfect, and there are a few things to be aware of:
> Restaurants need booking well in advance
> You’re tied to a specific meal time
> Getting to reservations after parades can be stressful
> You may be too full to snack elsewhere
If you prefer total flexibility or eating on the go, the meal plan may feel restrictive.
Buffet vs table service restaurants – which is better?
For families with toddlers, I’d strongly recommend buffet restaurants.
Why buffets are better with toddlers
> Faster meals
> No waiting with hungry children
> Lots of choice for fussy eaters
> Better value on the meal plan
> Free dining for under threes
Table service restaurants are lovely, but often better suited to older children who can sit for longer.
Can you use the meal plan for character dining?
Yes, and this is a big bonus.
We used our meal plan to offset the cost of character dining, which is usually very expensive when paid for separately. At the time, it cost us an extra €38 for all four of us. With newer tiered plans, some options now include character dining as standard.
If character dining matters to you, the meal plan can make it feel far more achievable.
Do you need the meal plan at Disneyland Paris?
Not everyone does.
The meal plan may not be worth it if:
> You prefer quick service meals
> You don’t want to pre-book restaurants
> You prefer snacks
> You’re travelling without children
But for families, especially with toddlers, it can make the whole trip feel calmer and more predictable.
Our verdict on the Disneyland Paris meal plan
For our February trip with a toddler, the Disneyland Paris meal plan was absolutely worth it.
It helped us:
> Stick to a budget
> Reduce food related stress
> Take proper breaks
> Make the most of buffet dining with a young child
Would we book it again?
Yes, especially while the kids are young. You can use our Disneyland Paris planning guide to help you get started with planning your trip.
FAQs about Disneyland Paris meal plan
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