Coolers in the parks

[bkoehl]

Ok, been searching the boards about this but still not sure. I know you can bring food into the parks, have done it myself, but what about coolers. Sounds like the soft 6-pack size are ok but have some done bigger ones as well??? I just bought one to take lunch a few days when at the park to save some $$$ as well as avoid long lines at lunch time. It is an 18 pack size though, still soft. Will this fly or will they make me take it back to the car? Just wondering if anyone has gotten away with the larger ones.

 

[sharadoc]

You should be fine. The coolers that are not permitted are the hard ones with wheels.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Just saw one of those in EPCOT yesterday, a hard cooler on wheels...

OP, you'll be fine.

 

[Serling126]

Max cooler size allowed in the parks is 24x15x18

 

[Bullseye]

Max cooler size allowed in the parks is 24x15x18

Yeah I also was wondering the same thing regarding larger size soft coolers because this is the first year we won't have a stroller. We always had a cooler of ice cold drinks on that stroller and that is a lifesaver. Were going to tote the cooler this year, but need at least a twelve pack size for eight water bottles. Based those dimensions Serling, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the four major parks (AK, DHS, EC, MK) coolers are restricted to "small, soft-sided, which can fit in a locker". And they cannot be rolling bags.

The only restrictions that apply to all parks (theme and water) are nothing in glass containers (other than medicines and baby food) and no alcoholic beverages.

Some things people don't think about (which tend to be in glass) are pickles, salsa, Mayonaisse, Starbucks drinks, Snapple drinks, Tabasco.

At the water parks any type or size cooler is acceptable. I have seen people come through the gate (Typhoon Lagoon) hauling wheeled coolers about 4' x 3' x 2½'. Note that the cooler can be on two wheels or carried, but the way the rules are written you can not have it in a wagon and it cannot have four wheels.

If you show up at the gate with prohibited items we will give you three choices:
(1) Take prohibited items back to your car or resort.
(2) Put prohibited items in the nearby trash can.
(3) (Only for other than alcoholic beverages) If you have plastic bags or cups you can dump the items out of the glass containers and throw away the container.

 

[toy]

We freeze water bottles and put them in mini backpacks on the kids along with snacks. This lightens our load and I don't have to stop and dig out what they want. This year we will be taking in the soft cooler under the stroller to put lunches in.

 

[RMulieri]

Just saw one of those in EPCOT yesterday, a hard cooler on wheels...

OP, you'll be fine.

We saw one to in December and a CM stopped the family and told them they couldn't bring it in the parks.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

We saw one to in December and a CM stopped the family and told them they couldn't bring it in the parks.

Really? Wow. This family was going merrily along undisturbed, and they are not the first folks I've seen with this type of cooler.

Interesting...

 

[RMulieri]

Really? Wow. This family was going merrily along undisturbed, and they are not the first folks I've seen with this type of cooler.

Interesting...

They also at the MK told a family with rolling backpacks to pick them up and carry them .But that was after someone tripped over it.I have seen them stop plenty of people with coolers, rolling bags and at the gate I saw them stop someone with a wagon

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

In Dec, I saw a woman on an ECV with a huge hard cooler under her feet, just riding merrily along around the park. I really thought those weren't allowed, and I don't see how that was comfortable, she had to ride with her feet on top of it.

We take a small soft cooler that has a hard plastic removable line ($5 at Walmart) and put in a couple of drinks and some ice from the resort and just drain off the water as needed. This cooler fits right in the basket on my ECV and I secure it with a bike lock so I dont' have to lug it around. It will usually hold a couple of canned drinks, a bottle of water and in Dec we tossed in a couple of sandwiches for 2 people.

When we go in the summer, I have thrown in a wash cloth from the room and had a nice cool wipe for my face, that is refreshing on a hot day. Mom did this when I was a child and we would go on a picnic, it was good to settle a hot, fussy child.


Suzanne

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

They also at the MK told a family with rolling backpacks to pick them up and carry them .But that was after someone tripped over it.I have seen them stop plenty of people with coolers, rolling bags and at the gate I saw them stop someone with a wagon

Yep. I've seen them refuse admission to a family with a wagon. Also, those little cutesy stroller things that the parent pushes (sometimes look like an animal, that sort of thing).

I know the whole cooler thing is an "issue" but I'm in the parks quite a bit and often see rolling coolers and larger than "allowed" coolers.

Like with many things at WDW, it depends upon the day and who is working, I guess.

We've never taken a rolling cooler, but do sometimes take a soft sided cooler that we carry. When we have one of our little guys with us, we always take a cooler with drinks and snacks (but we then usually have the stroller so we don't have to carry it).