Cheap food at Disneyland Paris: all my money-saving tips

Yes, you can eat cheaply at Disneyland Paris, as long as you know where to look. The resort has a reputation for expensive food, and that’s true if you grab the first set meal you see twice a day.

But there are real ways to bring the bill down: picking the right places, ordering à la carte, making the most of free water, bringing a picnic and paying with your French meal vouchers (tickets restaurant).

My approach isn’t to eat as cheaply as possible at all costs. It’s to get the best balance between enjoyment and price: spend less on some meals so you can treat yourself to a lovely sit-down meal at another. You keep the Disney atmosphere and stay in control of your budget. Here’s my whole strategy, including the two tips I give every single reader.

Before hunting for deals, you need to understand where the money goes. The types of restaurant are far from equal when it comes to budget. The smart move isn’t to go for the cheapest option every time. It’s knowing when a quick-service meal is enough and when a proper meal is worth the price. From cheapest to most expensive:

On a day visit, the natural instinct is two quick-service meals: one at lunchtime, one in the evening. You eat on the go all day and still end up spending quite a lot, without ever really sitting down.

My advice, the one I give first: swap one of those two quick-service meals for a picnic and treat yourself to a proper meal for the other (table service or a buffet). The picnic costs next to nothing, so the money you save on that meal pays for most of the proper one. Overall, your budget for the day stays almost the same as two quick-service meals.

In practice: make a simple picnic in the morning (sandwiches, fruit, a water bottle) and eat it at lunchtime, when the restaurants are packed and expensive. In the evening, when the crowds thin out, treat yourself to a proper, relaxed meal. You eat better, you get a real rest once in the day and the budget holds. For me, it’s the best trade-off between enjoyment and price over a day.

To prepare your picnic and check the entry rules (what’s allowed and what isn’t), I cover everything here: bringing your own picnic.

Toad Hall for a cheap full meal. In Fantasyland, the fish and chips at Toad Hall is still my best benchmark for a full meal at the lowest price in the park. A proper plate of food, not just a snack. For families, it’s also where you’ll find one of the most affordable set meals in the park, for children and adults alike. If you want just one proper meal in the park without blowing the budget, it’s the first place I’d go.

Bring your own food (picnic). This makes the biggest difference: a meal brought from home costs a fraction of a set meal on site. Outside food is tolerated, with a few rules to follow. It’s all explained here: bringing your own picnic.

Eating at Disney Village or on the go. Disney Village has some places that can be cheaper, but they’re outside the parks, so weigh it up depending on your timing that day. See where to eat at Disney Village. To fill a gap between two rides, snacks are still the lightest option: my picks for savoury snacks and sweet snacks.

A hearty breakfast to keep lunch light. Eating well in the morning lets you last until dinner with just a snack at lunchtime. It’s a subtle trick, but it brings the bill down over the day. My tips are in my breakfast guide.

Free water with every meal. Drinks quickly push the bill up. Bring a water bottle: there are water fountains in both parks, and you can ask for a free glass of tap water in table-service restaurants. Over a holiday, it’s a saving that adds up at every meal.

Order à la carte rather than the set meal. The set meal often includes a paid drink and a dessert you don’t necessarily need. By ordering just the main course à la carte and drinking water, you pay noticeably less per meal. A simple habit to keep in mind at every counter.

Pay with French meal vouchers or meal cards. Many restaurants in Disney Village and the Disney hotels accept French meal vouchers (tickets restaurant), though not in the parks, which means paying for your meals with money already set aside.

The annual pass discount. If you have an annual pass, you get a discount in all the park’s restaurants, excluding outdoor stands, and the percentage depends on your pass level. Over a stay of several days, it soon adds up. The details of each level and its perks are here: the Disneyland Pass.

Share portions and go for kids’ menus. Some portions are generous and easy to share, especially with young children. And for a small appetite, a kids’ menu is often enough, for much less than an adult set meal.

The meal plan (half board), depending on how you eat. Prepaid meal plans can be good value if you eat a lot of sit-down meals over several days, but not if you’re relying on picnics and snacks. They’re usually booked before you arrive, so weigh it up based on how you like to eat.

Eating cheaply doesn’t mean going without everything. My rule for a holiday: I pick one lovely, memorable meal (a table-service restaurant I love, or a character meal for the kids) and save on all the others with a picnic, snacks and free water. You keep a highlight without pushing the budget up at every meal.

There are two traps to avoid. First, impulse buys: sweet treats on every corner push the bill up without you even noticing. Plan your snack breaks instead of giving in at every shop window. Second, don’t skip breakfast: arriving on an empty stomach makes you buy anything, at any price, from the very first hour.

The idea, really, is to decide in advance where you want to spend on enjoyment and to stick to the budget everywhere else.