Are cooler allowed in Disney?

[minnymi]

Are you allowed to bring in 9 pack cooler with hard liner inside and padded on the outside? Is it too big to bring in? Or you are only allowed to bring the soft 6 pack cooler only with no hard liner inside?

 

[pixiedust23]

If you are following the rules you are not permitted to bring any outside food or beverages into the park. To be honest I dont think they're going to let you get away with a huge cooler. A smaller cooler I think you'll get away with b/c I have heard of many people bringing in small coolers. I have no personal experience with this however.

 

[dhcoffey]

I personally have never brought a cooler in but I did see someone in MK this past weekend with a rolling cooler, so I guess it's possible.

 

[SuzieQMomof3]

We were just there last weekend, and carried in a soft (collapsible) cooler filled with bottles of water into the park. I had it checked by security and not a word was said. To be honest, I forgot about the rule regarding bringing in outside food and beverages. I've never seen anything confiscated like that.

 

[AJKMOM]

Only thing I ever saw them confiscate was alcohol. Someone tried to bring in a 6 pack.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Only thing I ever saw them confiscate was alcohol. Someone tried to bring in a 6 pack.

Sounds like something my ex would do!!

 

[BAST]

We had always taken a soft side 12 pack cooler filled with water/juice/soda in our stroller. Never had a problem getting it into any park.

 

[C.Ann]

If you are following the rules you are not permitted to bring any outside food or beverages into the park. To be honest I dont think they're going to let you get away with a huge cooler. A smaller cooler I think you'll get away with b/c I have heard of many people bringing in small coolers. I have no personal experience with this however.

-------------------------

There was a big debate about this on one of the other boards here (maybe dining?) so I wrote to Disney and asked some very specific questions.. This is their reply:


Dear C. Ann,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

Small coolers (that one person can carry) that will fit into theme park
lockers are allowed.
Coolers will be inspected for glass and alcoholic beverages, which are
not permitted. Please be
advised that this is a general policy only. Security personnel will
evaluate each cooler
individually, and there may be instances when even a small cooler will
be denied. Sandwiches,
pudding cups, and milk would be fine to bring in the park; however, we
do not have a picnic area for
you to dine. There are park benches situated throughout the park, but
not an actual dining area for
guests who bring their own food/snacks.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number
if applicable on all
correspondence.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Julie Fry
WDW Online Communications

--------------------------------------------------------

So I would say you are not breaking any "rules" when you bring food and beverages into the park if you follow the guidelines above.. And remember - NO glass!!

Have fun!

 

[Shooby doo]

Wow! They seem to have changed their policy on food (sandwiches) we have always been told that we weren't allowed to bring food into the Parks ,although coolers were allowed in BB & TL, but have always taken water bottles in. To be honest the only park where we don't think the food choice is that great is AK but having the option to bring in sandwiches of our own would be a bonus especially when we stay in the park all day & could just buy one meal instead of two!!
SD

 

[bicker]

I actually asked specifically about what food was allowed to be brought in.

-------------------------

Dear Brian,

Thank you for contacting WALT DISNEY WORLD!

With the exception of food items for guests with specific dietary restrictions, we do not permit guests to bring food and beverage items into our theme parks.
Generally, however, plastic bottles for water, juice, etc. are allowed.

We hope this information is helpful, and we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence, and allow up to 80 hours for response to E-Mail.

Thank you - and have a DISNEY day!

Sincerely,

William Ferguson

On Line Guest Service
WALT DISNEY WORLD Reservations
P O Box 10,100
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0100


-------------------------

In practice, they allow small snacks, but not meals. And while they allow small, soft-sided coolers, they don't allow hard-sided coolers, or any glass containers. Moreover, because both hard-sided coolers and glass containers are safety issues, you'll see this enforced by the security guards. The "no meals" prohibition is not a security issue, but rather an operations issue, so it will not be enforced by security staff: Disney relies on each guest's own integrity to comply with the rules regarding "no meals."

 

[C.Ann]

I actually asked specifically about what food was allowed to be brought in.

-------------------------

Dear Brian,

Thank you for contacting WALT DISNEY WORLD!

With the exception of food items for guests with specific dietary restrictions, we do not permit guests to bring food and beverage items into our theme parks.
Generally, however, plastic bottles for water, juice, etc. are allowed.

We hope this information is helpful, and we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence, and allow up to 80 hours for response to E-Mail.

Thank you - and have a DISNEY day!

Sincerely,

William Ferguson

On Line Guest Service
WALT DISNEY WORLD Reservations
P O Box 10,100
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0100


-------------------------

In practice, they allow small snacks, but not meals. And while they allow small, soft-sided coolers, they don't allow hard-sided coolers, or any glass containers. Moreover, because both hard-sided coolers and glass containers are safety issues, you'll see this enforced by the security guards. The "no meals" prohibition is not a security issue, but rather an operations issue, so it will not be enforced by security staff: Disney relies on each guest's own integrity to comply with the rules regarding "no meals."

-------------------------------------------------

Interesting how different the replies are, isn't it? I think Disney's "true" policy (aside from glass and alcohol) is a "look-the-other-way" policy.. The last thing in the world they want to do is alienate people who will probably spend money on other items once they're in the park, so in your response they aren't "encouraging" it while in mine, they're saying it's fine..

I wouldn't worry about it in the least..

 

[bicker]

I agree that no one would really want to confront guests with heavy-handed enforcement. The theme parks don't provide picnic facilities, and I think that they're relying on that being enough of a hint for most folks, and from what I've seen it pretty much works. Only a small minority of folks bring full meals into the parks.

I suppose, as with many other things, if the number of folks abusing that leniency grows to an unacceptable level, Disney will start more significant enforcement. Folks should know that this is the policy, comply with it as their conscience dictates, and, just in case, be accepting of any enforcement they may encounter in the future, without any advance notice (since the policy itself wouldn't have changed, just the decision about enforcing it).