Are there picnic areas outside the park gates at Disney World?

[VAfamily1998]

We went to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg a few weeks ago. They have small (maybe 12 tables) picnic areas set up in each of their parking lots. It was VERY easy and convenient to bring a cooler and keep it in the car, and just return to the parking lot and picnic midway through our day in the park.

Is there anything like this at the different parks in Disney World? I know Magic Kingdom would be more difficult, as parking is so far away from the park--but at the other 3?

If not, we may bring in small lunch box sized coolers (soft sides) that can fit in our backpacks with sandwiches and fruit...but I was just thinking it would be nice if we could bring larger amounts, not have to worry about if the stuff gets squished in the backpack, etc....plus having a table/bench to sit at and relax would be nice.

[amzking]

They have lockers at the front of the parks but you can only bring a soft-sided cooler in, which I did in Epcot and found an empty table outside Electric Umbrella to eat (there were lots of empty tables outside.) I did have a pretty big soft sided cooler. The lockers are pretty roomy.

There are no picnic areas outside the gates that I know of but its much easier just to bring your food in and rent a locker.

[VAfamily1998]

ok...thanks!

We have several lunch boxes similar to this
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...tn&cat4=504628

that can just fit in our backpack and we can carry around with us at the parks, so we should be ok just tucking a few sandwiches/fruit in there.

I was just thinking it would be nice to have a more extensive picnic (little containers of pasta salad, a table cloth, etc ) like we had done at Busch Gardens....

[SlightlyGoofy]

VAfamily1998, there ARE some picnic tables inside the parks and I often see families picnicking there. There are many at AK especially.

There used to be one right outside the Garden Grill that used to disturb me because the children could see the characters visiting with the GG customers and I felt guilty because they could not come up on the platform. They have moved that one.

Where the lockers are there are some benches where you could eat or you might even find a bench a bit further up on Main Street where you could people watch as well.

There are many benches throughout the parks as well as various sitting ledges etc. where you could comfortably eat.

Drinks are the heaviest part of the meal so you might consider buying them in the park to save lugging them and would still save a considerable amount.

Some will flame me for this but if it is a slow time and there are a whole lot of empty tables I would think it alright to sit at an outside table for one of the CS places.

Have a blast!

Slightly Goofy

[SlightlyGoofy]

I often see people picnicking in the parks. It is a tad bit easier at AK as they have picnic tables here and there, a bit off the beaten track, many down by the Nemo show.

As for the other parks you can usually find a sitting area on a bench or wherever to sit and enjoy your 'moveable feast'.

At MK there are the lockers and there were benches there that I think you could make yourself comfortable at.

When we are on a budget, i.e. not getting Free Dining, I often drive down to the Crossroad intersection, make a right turn then a left turn and take my insatiable husband to Golden Corral and fill him up before inserting into a park. It was $5, including drinks, with a coupon that you can find just inside the restaurant in one of the coupon books but might have gone up a bit since. That is for breakfast. Much less stressful than lugging food all through the parks IMO.

Also, some might disagree with me, but hey, I am used to it, you could even sit at a CS outdoors table IF it is very slow and there are many vacant tables.

Best wishes for a wonderful vacation!

Slightly Goofy

[VAfamily1998]

Thanks! We'll just find a bench or something somewhere and eat our sandwiches.

We do plan on doing some of our meals sitdown--my kids specifically requested the Sci Fi in DHS and I'm excited for Biergarten in Epcot--but we're a family of 6 (4 kids 2 adults), so the cost of eating can really add up. I'm just not seeing anything that really grabs my attention in MK or AK--and if we're going to drop $100+ on a meal, I want it to be really "worth it", kwim? So I figure if we can picnic some of the meals, we can afford to splurge on the ones we REALLY want!

It's good to know that we'll be ok packing a few sandwiches to cover us in the parks we're not doing a restaurant meal!

Thanks again!

[amzking]

I think you could have a bigger picnic is you pack carefully and buy your own drinks at the parks.

We carried something similar to this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=12534697

and it fit into the lockers just fine.

I also have eaten at outside restaurant tables when there were several available. Sometimes they have tables set up around the vender carts too. Buy your drinks there and use the tables.

[SlightlyGoofy]

VAfamily1998, some of the things you can do to keep costs under control are buy children's meals for the grownups if they are not big eaters, many CS meals are big enough to share (Cosmic Ray's ribs and chicken), order an extra bun for a double cheeseburger and make two sandwiches, the fries are enough to share as well. Turkey legs really fill a meat eater up.

You can outfit each child with a fanny pack with small snacks and even a canteen with their drinks.

Trail's End over at Ft. Wilderness offers a cheaper alternative and is a nice ride midday from MK. Has lots of room for the kids to blow off steam before heading back to the park too.

Crystal Palace is one of the more affordable lunch buffets and if any of your children like Pooh it is a great place to see the characters.

Sci Fi is greatly overrated food wise but since I had a grandson who wanted to go once I understand. Money is no object at such times.

You can get free ice water at any CS place just make sure to ask for a CUP instead of a bottle. You can then add the flavoring of your choice.

As far as those who might look down their noses at being frugal I say Humbug! Places make it nearly impossible for large families to go and enjoy themselves and we do what we must to live within our means and that is a very good thing!

Slightly Goofy, who been to DW on every kind of budget

[VAfamily1998]

Slightly Goofy,

Thanks so much for all the tips! I think we're definitely going to be doing the Cosmic Ray's ribs and chicken at least one meal!

I agree about the food at Sci Fi--but it's still one of our favorites at Disney. Dh and I LOVE it because it's the one time when the kids just sit up front, mesmerized by the film shorts, and he and I can relax in the "back seat" and enjoy our meal in peace and quiet! It's the best!

[disneyfan55]

Originally Posted by VAfamily1998

Slightly Goofy,

Thanks so much for all the tips! I think we're definitely going to be doing the Cosmic Ray's ribs and chicken at least one meal!

I agree about the food at Sci Fi--but it's still one of our favorites at Disney. Dh and I LOVE it because it's the one time when the kids just sit up front, mesmerized by the film shorts, and he and I can relax in the "back seat" and enjoy our meal in peace and quiet! It's the best!

The Noodle Station in the MK is very often closed and has many tables usually left unused.

[VAfamily1998]

AMZKing,

Wow! That's a big cooler! Good to know that will fit in a locker--maybe we'll look into one of those for one of our longer days! Thanks for the tips!

[Schmeck]

Just be prepared when you get to the security checks - you may have to unzip/unpack your backpack full of cooler bags, etc. so you might have a bit of a delay getting into the park.

[kydisneyfans]

We have decided for at least AK and maybe MGM, that we will pack a cooler and leave it in the car for a midday break. It's not so much the price of the food has gone up, it's the quality has gone down.

[chicagoshannon]

Be careful with leaving any food in a locker. We did once and had ants all over the food.

[Schmeck]

Originally Posted by kydisneyfans

We have decided for at least AK and maybe MGM, that we will pack a cooler and leave it in the car for a midday break. It's not so much the price of the food has gone up, it's the quality has gone down.

Be careful about leaving it in the car - any visible bags tempt the dishonorable into breaking into vehicles. Also, depending on the time of year, the car can get up to 105'F inside (maybe even higher, but our medical thermometer left in our van read 105) so pack extra ice and gelpack stuff to keep the perishables safe. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than food poisoning...