Bringing snacks and drinks?

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

I used to visit DL quite a bit in my HS/college days, but that was before the security check points were in place. We have been once since, and my DD was in a stroller, so we utilized the bottom area to bring some bottles of water (it was over 100 degrees!) and juice, etc. I wasn't sure they would let us in with them, but they did. Now I am reading that outside drinks and snacks are okay as long as they are not being dragged in inside a big heavy cooler or something.
What I am considering doing is getting each of my kids a small backpack to bring along, so they can each carry a bottle of water, juice box, and a handful of snacks for waiting in lines or along parade routes, plus it would be a place for their cameras, and any souvenirs they might pic up along the way. Will they have any probs bringing this kind of thing in? We will still spend a fortune in food at the park, I can guarantee that, but this would just be little in-between type things like fruit snacks and cheese and cracker packs.

 

[smilnjen]

I used to visit DL quite a bit in my HS/college days, but that was before the security check points were in place. We have been once since, and my DD was in a stroller, so we utilized the bottom area to bring some bottles of water (it was over 100 degrees!) and juice, etc. I wasn't sure they would let us in with them, but they did. Now I am reading that outside drinks and snacks are okay as long as they are not being dragged in inside a big heavy cooler or something.
What I am considering doing is getting each of my kids a small backpack to bring along, so they can each carry a bottle of water, juice box, and a handful of snacks for waiting in lines or along parade routes, plus it would be a place for their cameras, and any souvenirs they might pic up along the way. Will they have any probs bringing this kind of thing in? We will still spend a fortune in food at the park, I can guarantee that, but this would just be little in-between type things like fruit snacks and cheese and cracker packs.

I did this in march. We had about 4 larger bottles of water in the bottom as well as granola bars, and ziplock baggies full of munchies. I also had two apples sitting in the sun visor.....No probs....just can't bring glass containers and big ice coolers!

 

[TiredX2]

When we were in Disneyland, what you are explaining was no problem.

DP & I each had a backpack with several water bottles, a few granola bars and a couple pieces of fruit. No issues.

We went through 8-10+ bottles of water a day and NO WAY were we paying $2.75 a pop when you can get a case at Costco for under $5. So we would freeze several in the hotel freezer overnight and have a few in the fridge. Then as the frozen ones melted we drank out of them and added the, now warm, water from the fridge ones.

You can *never* have too much water!

 

[jernysgirl]

Same here... we brought in little lunch bags for each of our boys with a sandwich, a banana, and some other little snacks in baggies. I probably brought in 2-4 bottles of water a day as well and we never had a problem. To tell you the truth, most of the CMs don't delve into your bag as thorough as you might fear they would. They basically ask you to open your bag (you should have it open before you get there to speed things up) and they glance in, sometimes w/ a flashlight. I would lift up any sweatshirts or blankets that were on the top of the backpack so they could look in and they would say ok, and there we went. Occasionally we would have someone ask to open the other smaller pockets of the bag, but not generally. They usually would glance in the bottom of the stroller and that was pretty much it.

As the OP said, just nothing in a large cooler or in glass bottles. Although, they don't check thoroughly to make sure there is no glass, I think if you got seen with it, they would confiscate it or something.

 

[CoolPool]

During Passover, I'm forced to pack in everything (food and drink-wise) if I want to go; otherwise we can't go. I'm local so I'm planning to pack up a ton of stuff, distributing amongst everyone, then getting a locker. (My back aches thinking about hauling all this stuff now.) I'm dreamin' but I'd love it if there was a "kosher for passover" booth there just for the 8 days.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I bring a separate backpack for DS with snacks and water every time we go, and no one has said anything yet.

I usually bring plastic baggies with crackers, Teddy Grahams, pretzels, dried apple chips, those kinds of snacks. I don't mind spending the money on lunch or dinner there - it's the snacks for the kid and the water for me that kills my wallet!

I need to start remembering to bring Crystal Light on the go packets so I can refill my waters with nasty water fountain water instead of lugging 4+ bottles around!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

During Passover, I'm forced to pack in everything (food and drink-wise) if I want to go; otherwise we can't go. I'm local so I'm planning to pack up a ton of stuff, distributing amongst everyone, then getting a locker. (My back aches thinking about hauling all this stuff now.) I'm dreamin' but I'd love it if there was a "kosher for passover" booth there just for the 8 days.

That's really too bad that they don't have something like that!

 

[tinkerbelt]

I need to start remembering to bring Crystal Light on the go packets so I can refill my waters with nasty water fountain water instead of lugging 4+ bottles around!

Do you bring a stroller? We usually load our stroller basket with bottles of water. Then we just put backpacks, blankets, etc. on top of the water...the fountain water at DL is so gross!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Do you bring a stroller? We usually load our stroller basket with bottles of water. Then we just put backpacks, blankets, etc. on top of the water...the fountain water at DL is so gross!

Yes, but my stroller basket is awful and when I fold up the stroller to get on the tram, if I have anything in the basket, it just falls out.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Yep! We bring bottles of water and small snacks for ourselves and were never told anything! You just can't bring glass or very large coolers..

Have a great trip!

 

[stopher1]

Yep! We bring bottles of water and small snacks for ourselves and were never told anything! You just can't bring glass or very large coolers..

Have a great trip!

We do the same when we go - never have had a problem.

 

[avalon451]

About bringing small backpacks for your kids... I read in the unofficial Guide that hip (fanny) packs work better, because with backpacks you have to wrestle them on and off when you get on rides. Fanny packs, you just yank aorund to the front. We tried it when we went in March, and it worked great. We each had a fanny pack, the kids' were small and light. They each had a small sized Nalgene bottle of water clipped onto their fanny pack belt with a cheap carabiner clip. We had a snack stash at the hotel of energy bars, cheese and cracker packets, goldfish, etc. They picked a couple snacks each day and put them in their fanny packs. This really saved us during those times in lines when they got peckish, or when the lines at the counter service or snack kiosks were really long.

Admittedly, the fanny packs look kinda stupid, (nothing screams "TOURIST!" better) but hey... I'm having fun, I don't care what I look like.

 

[toyota]

The baby care station/first aid on Main St. has cold filtered water you can refill water bottles with, from what I've read here.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

I need to start remembering to bring Crystal Light on the go packets so I can refill my waters with nasty water fountain water instead of lugging 4+ bottles around!

We found the fountain water disgusting as well, but we were SO hot and thirsty and paying $3 for a new bottle each time would have killed us, since there are five of us!! I have found that Kroger stores carry a brand called Disney Magic foods and they have a sugar free, color free kool-aid kind of powder that the kids like and I don't mind, so I'll make sure to bring a few boxes!

 

[bonita_babe232]

I think they make the water taste bad so that you want to buy it .... We took a few snacks and a few bottles of water/pop last trip. But next time we go we will be taking more little snacks and water as we will be going to walmart first and loading up. I will also be taking crystal light cause i feel the same if it hass the mix in it doesn't taste to bad!