If you are visiting Disneyland Paris and you don’t have a meal plan included in your stay, costs can quickly sky rocket. We have visited DLP twice with our three young sons and on both occasions we did not have a meal plan. I have outlined below my tips for avoiding spending hundreds on food whilst keeping little ones happy and full. All costs are for a family of five for our four night, three park day trip.
Breakfast
If you don’t have breakfast includes in your stay it can set you back a pretty penny to eat in the hotel. To avoid this we took the following with us.
- Easy peeler oranges
- Mini apples
- Raisin packs
- Individual chocolate brioche
- Cereal bars
On two mornings we fancied eating breakfast out so we visited Earl of Sandwich and Starbucks in Disney Village.
We had five croissants with jam and two coffees at Earl of Sandwich for €23.40. The croissants were delicious and really large and the coffee was good. Despite it being August it was quiet in Disney Village and we sat outside in the sun on our own.
We were surprised to find the prices at Starbucks so reasonable, I can only assume that as a chain they are unable to hike their prices despite the location. We ordered the following, all of which was delicious. (Yes we pigged out)
- 2x pancake stacks (3 per stack and chocolate sauce) €2.99 each
- Fruit cup which the kids shared €4.85
- Cinnamon roll €2.45
- Chocolate muffin €2.95
- Banana bread €3.35
- Lemon cake #3.35
- 2x late €9.20
Total breakfast spend for the four days €55.53
Pack snacks
For our trip I packed the following items which I made into snack packs for the kids to enjoy in the park each day. The snacks kept the kids going meaning we not only had to buy things in the park but we also avoided eating at peak times of the day.
- Individual malt loaf bars
- Mini apples
- Individual packs of biscuits like Jammie dodgers
- Individual packs of breadsticks
- Individual packs of popcorn
- Barney bears
- Robinsons Squash’d juice for mixing with water
- Haribo
- Water bottles
We then refilled our water bottles several times throughout the day from the free water fountains which are located throughout the parks, usually close to the restrooms. This meant we didn’t have to keep buying expensive drinks and when the kids wanted a break from water I simply squeezed in some of the Robinsons Squash’d and gave the bottle a good shake.
Lunch/Snacks in the park
After having our large breakfasts and picking at our snacks we didn’t feel like lunch, instead we would have a treat in the park mid-afternoon if we felt hungry. Snacks aren’t cheap but we did spend less than if we had stopped for a full lunch. I have outlined what snacks we brought, from where and the cost over the three park days.
- Walt Disney Studios €30
- 4x donuts, one chocolate and three apple and cinnamon filled
- 3x fresh orange juice
- 1x bottled water
- Disneyland Park kiosk in Frontierland €10.37
- Large bag of Lays crisps
- 2x bottles of coke
- Disneyland Park Gibson Girls ice cream parlour €20
- 5x double scoop Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Delicious
- Disneyland Park kiosk opposite Dumbo ride €19.95
- 5x waffles with chocolate sauce
- Disney Village €5
- Large candy floss
Total lunch/snack spend €85.32
Dinner
The cheapest places to eat in Disney are located in Disney Village, we ate at McDonalds and Vapiano which is a relatively new counter service restaurant to the rear of World of Disney just outside the park security entrance tents.
- Disney Village McDonalds €31
- 3x Happy Meals
- 1x Big Mac Meal
- 1x Signature Meal
- Vapiano visit one €54
- 3x Large pizzas
- 2x Side salads
- 2x Large beers
- Vapiano visit two €65
- 2x Large pizzas
- Prawn linguine
- Childs tomato pasta
- Tomato bruschetta
- Side salad
- Large beer
- Small beer
We also splashed out and booked a character dinner at café Mickey which I will cover in a separate review.
On our previous trip we also ate at the sports bar in Disney Village, this was great for a relaxed quick bite to eat and a drink. We had a mix of chips, onion rings, pizza etc. and there was entertainment on the stage next to the bar which kept the kids entertained. On the same trip we also ate in Planet Hollywood, we found the food very disappointing and overpriced at over £120 for the five of us.
Total dinner spend for three nights €150
As you can see, it really is possible to stay on Disney without a meal plan and not spend a fortune on food. We absolutely loved Vapiano, the setting was lovely and the food was delicious and prepared fresh to order, I cannot recommend it highly enough, especially for those looking for a break from fast food.
Menus with prices for Earl of Sandwich:
Standard kiosk pricing in the parks:
