Backback cooler or tote style? What are your must haves if you carry the bag around all day?

[MommyinHonduras]

We are staying offsite at WBC and we want to enjoy our food and snacks while at a park but want to make it worth what we carry in to keep costs down. I read the baggies of fruit and veggies taste chemically, that is what I needed to know. Just order the sandwich or whatever and not pay for them. Bringing apples and grapes is easy and my kids love them. This is our first trip so all my tips and information are coming from you all. I need the tips. We have 4 kids and they are big snackers. I want to limit bought snacks to one a day per kid and things like ice cream Sundays and mickey pretzels, things we can not normally get or pack and bring. We live outside of the US so getting granola bars and fruit snacks will be treats in themselves as we can not buy them here. Also are the FF at Disney really that bad?

 

[Disneylover03]

We have used a backpack cooler in past and brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, our own bottled water, granola bars and snacks and it worked out great and saved a lot of money. We always ate breakfast in our room too to help save $$. I don't believe that the food at Disney is all that great and it's amazing how hungry you get walking those parks all day long. Just a reminder, no glass is allowed in any park. Enjoy your trip!

 

[worm761]

We are staying offsite at WBC and we want to enjoy our food and snacks while at a park but want to make it worth what we carry in to keep costs down. I read the baggies of fruit and veggies taste chemically, that is what I needed to know. Just order the sandwich or whatever and not pay for them. Bringing apples and grapes is easy and my kids love them. This is our first trip so all my tips and information are coming from you all. I need the tips. We have 4 kids and they are big snackers. I want to limit bought snacks to one a day per kid and things like ice cream Sundays and mickey pretzels, things we can not normally get or pack and bring. We live outside of the US so getting granola bars and fruit snacks will be treats in themselves as we can not buy them here. Also are the FF at Disney really that bad?

The food isn't bad. It just isn't great. The grapes/apple slices taste "chemically" because they are prepackaged and most likely treated with a chemical to prevent them from going bad quickly. I carried snacks for DD in our backpack. Actually, I had ready made food for her at all times as she is a very picky eater and you just never know when she will or will not eat something. Carry what your kids are used to snacking on. As far as the FF are concerned, again they are okay. They are theme park food not gourmet food. Go in expecting American fast food quality as that's about what you'll get.

One suggestion is to have the kids carry their own snacks. No need for mom or dad to be a pack mule. I would suggest a backpack cooler. If you get a tote style cooler while larger, you tend to fill them up more. You could always stash the cooler/food in a locker but then you'd have to trek to the front of the park every time you wanted food.

 

[ceecee]

They don't taste any different than the ones you buy prepackaged in the stores (or Happy Meal apples). You can buy whole fruit in some places. We always use a backpack (small Baggallini purse type) with raincoats, camera and a few snacks maybe. If you have transportation to a store or Hess you can buy there. Most of the resorts sell all that too and it's not that expensive. There are plenty of good places to eat, check out the restaurant forums.

 

[v.t.]

Our boys are also big snackers. They would wear cargo shorts and were responsible for taking their own snacks. I would carry a few bottles of water (that we froze the night before) in the backpack. I also had flavored drink packets for the free ice water. We had breakfast at the hotel and then would eat one meal in the park. If you do your research on the restaurant forums you can find good QS in each park.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

I bought a backpack cooler and will let the kids pick out their own snacks at the store as we will be shopping to stock our kitchen. We do want to eat one meal at the park each day and the issue is picking just one.