Coolers in the parks?

[ColleenG]

Does anyone know if you can bring a "hard" Igloo type cooler into the parks? We are going in October and my sister and her family are joining us. My newphew has really bad food allergies (milk, eggs, and wheat). My sister was wondering if she could bring in a few staples that she won't be able to get in the parks, like his butter, that would need to be refridgerated. She's not too worried about full meals. We will plan ahead and call each restuarant to talk to the chef. Disney is so great about special dietary needs. Just wondering if we could bring in a few of the little things.

 

[KayLuvsMickey]

You can get one of those small soft sided cooler bags in I think, but not the big hard ones. The TS resturants will make special meals for food allergies.

 

[ColleenG]

I've brought in soft coolers before but I'm not sure it will keep butter cool enough all day long. I figured we could fill it with ice. My soft one I think would leak and I don't want to soak everything in the bottom of the stroller.

 

[livndisney]

From the WDW site:


Q. Are there any personal items I should not bring with me into the Theme Parks?

A. Items that you may not bring into the Theme Parks include, but are not limited to:

Items with wheels, such as wagons, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, shoes with built-in wheels, two-wheeled or three-wheeled conveyances, strollers larger than 36" x 52", suitcases, coolers, or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high (coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations), and any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV wheelchair or stroller
Alcoholic beverages
Weapons of any kind
Folding chairs
Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)
Pets (unless they are service animals)
In Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park (for the safety of the wildlife), balloons, straws and drink lids are not permitted.

 

[all4fun]

She should be able to bring in a small cooler no problem. We have brought in the soft sided ones but I'm sure that I've seen people with the hard-sided ones come in to. As long as there are no glass containers (other than baby food) they shouldn't have a problem with it.

ETA: there are soft sided coolers that come with an extra plastic lining in them to prevent leakage. I have a California Innovations lunch cooler that I've used almost every day for work for the last several years and it would definitely hold a spill if one were to occur inside the bag. You can also put ice inside of ziploc bags or use blue ice cubes which stay frozen longer than regular ice typically.
hth!

 

[ColleenG]

You can also put ice inside of ziploc bags or use blue ice cubes which stay frozen longer than regular ice typically.
hth!

I can't believe I didn't think of that. DUH!! I am the queen of zip lock bags. I have a soft cooler I've brought in on all 3 of our trips with juice boxes and water bottles and never had a problem. In fact, I only use it on Disney trips.

Thanks for reminding me of my good old friend, the zip lock bag!!