Thanks for recommending the TA forum SoundTheOctoalert! Disneyland Paris fans there are certainly glad to help. you can also find info by scrolling through previous topic threads there, and also DLP ones here on Mumsnet.
There is also a new forum just for Disneyland which is linked to the original TA Marne La Vallee one, so there are now Top Questions on both forum pages. It doesn't matter which one you post on, as it shows on both forums.
I agree with rosie in that Plus category has more choices, including the restaurants in the Sequoia, Newport Bay and New York hotels.
We also like Blue Lagoon ( table service inside Pirates OTC ride )
Walt's ( table service, with views over Main Street from some tables )
Hunters Grill ( buffet in Sequoia Lodge )
Silver Spur Steakhouse ( table service in Frontierland, but not as classy as BL or Walt's ).
The Steakhouse in the Village ( table service ).
The Yacht Club ( table service in Newport Bay )
Cape Cod ( buffet in Newport Bay )
Manhattan Restaurant ( table service in HNY )
Personally, I don't recommend Parkside Diner buffet in the HNY, or Beaver Creek Tavern in SL, but that is just my opinion.
La Grange in Billy Bobs in the Village is a good TexMex buffet, but can get smokey as upstairs on a mezzanine floor with BBQ. Good live music going on usually in the bar downstairs, and sometimes line dancing, or other dancing like salsa etc. This is only Standard category now. ( it used to be Plus ).
Cafe Mickey in the Village is also covered by HB Plus. ( it used to be Premium ).
HB does save some money per person, so the bigger the family, and the longer you are there, the more you are saving. Table service restos are the biggest saving usually, as it would cost a fair bit more to buy 3 courses separately from the menu, with soft drink or bottle of water. The buffets are not such a saving, but bear in mind the included drink.Drinks for 4 people can cost ? 12-15.
Agrabah Cafe buffet is in Adventureland, and is Standard category, so we usually pay separately for that rather than with a Plus voucher, as we would be paying more than the actual price. You don't get change back from the vouchers if you use them in a lower category.
You can use vouchers for lunch or dinner, so if parks close early and you cannot book dinner in them, you can book park restaurants for lunch instead.
We usually book one for our arrival day, plus other dining reservations about a week before we go, when the parks programme is showing online, so I can plan dining around show and parade times.
HB Standard is fine for people staying in Santa Fe and Cheyenne if they want to eat in these buffets, and also include Plaza Gardens, Agrabah Cafe and Restaurant Des Stars buffets in the parks. Silver Spur has a Standard HB menu. In the Village you have Annettes Diner ( cannot make ADRs for this resto, just turn up and wait ) and La Grange for dinner. HB Standard also includes Crocketts Tavern at Davy crockett Ranch, but you need a car to get there.
Agree that it is only worth booking Premium HB if you want to eat in Inventions buffet ( dinner with Characters, lunch without ).
California Grill ( table service in Disneyland Hotel )
Auberge De Cendrillon ( dining with Princes/ Princesses in Fantasyland )
Buffalo Bills Wild West show ( 2nd category seating ).
Now that Cafe Mickey is Plus instead of Premium category, there is less reason to book Premium, although the good table service restos have Premium menus, or you can choose from the main one.
If you use vouchers in a higher category resto, they will accept one per person at euro face value, and deduct this from the final bill, so you pay the balance. You don't get the drink included though, as going outside the HB plan, so you are using the voucher like cash. There is no loss, but no benefit either.
Character Dining is very popular, so those reservations should be made as early as possible to save disappointment. Disney take ADRs from about 2 months ahead. Having HB vouchers does not give priority seating, so you still need to book.
If you change your mind about restos, or want to change times, you can easily do that in resort as long as they are not fully booked.
You can just wait until you arrive, and book at Guest Services, your hotel Concierge desk / Information desk, from your room phone, or at any of the Disney owned buffet or table service restaurants desks, but unless resort is not busy, you may find that popular ones are full.
If you need help/ advice about driving to Disneyland, see this thread, or ask on the TA DLP forum if you need to know anything else about driving there.
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g226865-i2224-k4240769-Driving_To_DLP-Marne_la_Vallee_Seine_et_Marne_Ile_de_France.html