Cracking down on outside food?

[rteetz]

From things I've seen Disney is looking at cracking down on outside food going into the parks. I think this is more to prevent people from bringing in coolers with full meals.

 

[HopperFan]

Gorsh!

We're on the
Rumors
Rumors
Rumors
Board!

View attachment 155539

We're bored so we're on this board.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Well you had me googling .............. those kids must have been mortified .......... and now they are on the internet forever ... at WDW .... dressed as pilgrims.

But they wouldn't be able to do this anymore ..... no costume rule

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/11/26/thanksgiving-magic-kingdom/

Dear lord.....

 

[ariane37]

Well you had me googling .............. those kids must have been mortified .......... and now they are on the internet forever ... at WDW .... dressed as pilgrims.

But they wouldn't be able to do this anymore ..... no costume rule

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/11/26/thanksgiving-magic-kingdom/

OMG! Next time one of my kids says I'm embarrassing them I'm going to show them this.......

 

[Shanti]

I don't blame them, standard policy at a lot of places. I think a lot of people will claim allergies though to get around it (even people without real food allergies)

I do blame Disney. They're making cuts & raising prices every time you take a breath. Enough is enough.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I do blame Disney. They're making cuts & raising prices every time you take a breath. Enough is enough.

Hear, hear! The more obscene their profits, the greedier they seem to get.

And there's a big difference between going to a game or to a movie, and going to a theme park. You're going to be in the park all day, and walking much of that time. Would it even be reasonable to prohibit people from carrying a little bit of sustenance with them?

 

[Aliceacc]

I think it's tough to enforce a "no outside water" rule in Florida, especially in summer.

They would have to have a LOT more water fountains, or I would imagine they would have to beef up their medical staff.

My family of 5 goes through 2 cases of water, delivered to our resort, in a weeklong trip-- that's in addition to the occasional bottle we buy at a park.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I do blame Disney. They're making cuts & raising prices every time you take a breath. Enough is enough.

Don't blame them was probably the wrong phrase. Probably should have wrote "I'm not surprised"

 

[tmoo]

In no way am I hoping to stir the pot. I do apologize if it came off this way. Was really just interested in a discussion. Not once did I claim this to be true, I just found this to be interesting and was curious on peoples response to this.



I agree the source is not a proven reliable source. And I also agree the click-bait they use can be terrible. Again, I read it, thought it was interesting, and was interested in others' take on it.

FWIW: I wasn't implying that you were stirring the pot, but rather the writers of the original story. I am glad you started the thread.

 

[monorailrabbit]

FWIW: I wasn't implying that you were stirring the pot, but rather the writers of the original story. I am glad you started the thread.

 

[mshanson3121]

Well you had me googling .............. those kids must have been mortified .......... and now they are on the internet forever ... at WDW .... dressed as pilgrims.

But they wouldn't be able to do this anymore ..... no costume rule

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/11/26/thanksgiving-magic-kingdom/

I'm speechless. I mean, wow... just wow. But hey, kudos to them for having the gonads to do it! I mean, they are obviously a family of secure and confident individuals... lol.

 

[Aurora0427]

We bring in snacks but just put them in our small backpack. No coolers. Snacks are pretty necessary for some very small children... Think under age 3. They're also helpful for preschool aged kids. Before we had kids, we never brought in outside food, and once our kids are older, we won't. It will be amusing to watch them, IF this moves out of the rumor phase, try to tell a mom "sorry, you cant bring in Puffs for your nine month old."

But I can see them banning coolers. I'm kind of amazed they even let people bring them in.

 

[Aurora0427]

I do blame Disney. They're making cuts & raising prices every time you take a breath. Enough is enough.

I agree... Shanghai is costing them a fortune so they're passing the buck to us. Lame.

 

[mshanson3121]

I did not even know you could bring anything into the parks, I'd see it as a hassle to carry around foods stuffs. For now on though I may take a bottle of water.

We had a backpack cooler, and didn't find it hard at all. We took sandwhiches, fruit, nuts, crackers etc... Small, compact, lightweight, yet filling. Backpack cooler also held wallet, sunscreen, lip balm, our plastic tickets, a pull up and wipes for our daughter etc... And it was no bigger than (actually smaller than many I've seen) than backpacks students buy/carry. It went on all rides with us without any problem. 4 loaves of bread, peanut butter, jam, deli meat, cheese, mayo, and snacks came to around $55. So $55 for lunches for 6 people for 5 days of theme parks. Compare that to the minimum cost of $420 for lunch for 6 people, for 5 days. I can definitely see where (IF) this came to pass, it could definitely be a deal breaker for people returning to Disney.

 

[llachance]

In the early days of Disneyland(in California which is where I grew up) you couldn't bring food in and we survived - picky eaters and all. There are numerous expensive venues that do the same today. It banning food is a no go for you and your family you can take your business somewhere else...and from my understanding there is no one that does it better then Disney when it comes to food allergies.

 

[larissawbb]

In the early days of Disneyland(in California which is where I grew up) you couldn't bring food in and we survived - picky eaters and all. There are numerous expensive venues that do the same today. It banning food is a no go for you and your family you can take your business somewhere else...and from my understanding there is no one that does it better then Disney when it comes to food allergies.

Actually , they are getting lousy about cross contamination lately.

 

[sndral]

Considering how packed their restaurants generally are, I can't imagine they could actually handle it if every single person purchased food there instead of bringing it in. We don't even go peak season and there are still times when it's hard to find a table to eat at QS locations and no tables are left in TS locations.
...

I must be the only one who has searched in vain for a table and noticed at many of the outdoor spots for QS restaurants parties eating their outside food at tables meant for those who paid for the food being served by the venue. Reality is that WDW parks aren't set up for people to have a break and eat their picnic lunch - there are no tables to sit around that aren't attached to restaurants and there aren't very many benches or other places to sit and eat at either. I like the idea of having a place set aside w/ tables for picnic types to eat either outside or inside the park.
In thinking about my travels, other than backpacking and camping, I don't bring food with me to eat while I am on vacation. When I go to Europe I assume I'll eat what I find there (and perhaps pay too much for it as well as navigate unfamiliar cuisine.) When I go to the Bahamas or the Caribbean I'm on a cruise, so I assume I'll eat the food on the ship or at a port of call. In the US (including Hawaii and Alaska) I assume I'll eat whatever I find in the restaurants there and look forward to the regional touches. It just never occurred to me to try to have a picnic or brought in meal in WDW.

 

[opus_00]

I know this is just rumor, but if the question is would a hypothetical ban on outside food impact my family, the answer is YES, for 3 reasons: (1) my daughter has celiac disease, and although Disney provides a lot of great gluten-free options at their restaurants, there is not always a cart or stand nearby with safe snack options for her, (2) I like to be in control of what I eat, and (3) it would mean a huge increase in our food budget. I realize these are our problems and not Disney's, but with such frequent and substantial price increases in multiple areas over the past few years, it would certainly move us closer to being priced out of a Disney vacation. We save for a long time to go to Disney, and we economize where we can by driving instead of flying, staying off-site, and packing a few healthy food items each day.

I think enforcing a ban on large coolers is reasonable. I also think allowing small snacks, as well as food that can fit into a small, soft, lunchbox-type cooler is reasonable. We typically plan 2-3 table service meals during a trip as a special treat, and we do eat quite a few counter-service meals. Occasionally we will indulge in special treats such as the must-have Dole Whip. So we are spending a LOT of money on food at Disney. But we also bring in food such as ham or turkey slices rolled up with cheese, fruit and veggie slices, pretzels, crackers, raisins, and water to snack on and keep us fueled up and hydrated. Disney TS and CS restaurants give you a lot of heavy, filling food, and we love a lot of it, but sometimes we just need a little protein snack to keep us going. A Mickey ice cream bar or bucket of popcorn might not cut it, and we might not want to trek across the park, spend 20 minutes in line, and spend $50 for our family of 5 to eat.

I realize that movie theaters, sporting events, concerts, etc. also ban outside food, but I don't believe that is a fair comparison. We do not spend all day, perhaps from 8 am - 10 pm, for multiple days, at those venues. I suppose a "picnic" area outside the parks as some other theme parks have could work, but Disney parks are so huge that the time required to leave and return to the park would make this very difficult.

Is there really a huge business need for this? Most Disney TS restaurants are filled to capacity for many days of the year, and counter-service restaurants are usually busy. I hope this rumor stays a rumor. If it actually became policy, I think my family of 5 would either stop eating at TS restaurants altogether, shorten our trips, or stop going to Disney altogether.

 

[HopperFan]

I must be the only one who has searched in vain for a table and noticed at many of the outdoor spots for QS restaurants parties eating their outside food at tables meant for those who paid for the food being served by the venue. Reality is that WDW parks aren't set up for people to have a break and eat their picnic lunch - there are no tables to sit around that aren't attached to restaurants and there aren't very many benches or other places to sit and eat at either. I like the idea of having a place set aside w/ tables for picnic types to eat either outside or inside the park.

1) If folks are eating their own food at Disney restaurants then the CMs are well within the job to ask them to move. If they monitor tables to prevent you from sitting until after you get your ordered food, they very well can ask picnic folks to move and they should if they have not purchased anything. If you haven't purchased anything then you shouldn't use tables needed for those who do.

2) Bolded. Absolutely not true. We often bring in sandwiches and pringles - in our backpack, no coolers. Here are a few spots.

MK:
- A large area full of tables, many with umbrellas next to the water playground in Storybook Circus.
- Tomorrowland Terrace is a large area and when closed, which is often, free to sit at.
- Tortuga Tavern has tables that when closed, which is often, free to sit at.
- Tomorrowland next to the Speedway has a long row of tables, some with umbrellas.
- There are several other smaller spots that are fine to use and not attached to QS
- Tables and chairs on Center Street (the street to East of Main Street)
- Upstairs at Train Station

DHS:
- Tables some with umbrellas along Echo Lake by 50's Prime
- Tables by where Mike & Sulley meet but that may be closing
- Lots of benches that we have sat at and had our lunches. Once we sat on benches and watched LMA from behind buildings.

AK:
- Many Tables and Chairs in hidden spots/trails between Africa and Asia and through out the park
- The farthest patios for FT closest to Asia are usually completely empty and not used
- Picnic tables in Dinoland by no food stations


Epcot:
- TONS of benches that work for lap eating. We pack our sandwiches in tupperware and they make great plates.
- Tables Chairs by the outpost are often empty and not being used
- Tables and Chairs in plaza of Italy not for any restaurant
- Tables in front of America Pavilion are for the QS but I have NEVER seen more than a couple tables in use there. They way overbuilt.
- Lots of spots along lake are easy to eat at.


Disney had picnic tables outside the MK when it opened and no food was allowed. I think they quickly figured out that they made more money by letting a sandwich and chips come in as guests will often still purchase drinks or extras, and use money saved for snacks. But if we go outside the cooler will include drinks and probably dessert in lieu of snacks, meaning nothing spent in park. OR we just arrive early, take a mid-day break for a Chickfila run, and then come back.

 

[Eoghann]

In the early days of Disneyland(in California which is where I grew up) you couldn't bring food in and we survived - picky eaters and all. There are numerous expensive venues that do the same today. It banning food is a no go for you and your family you can take your business somewhere else...and from my understanding there is no one that does it better then Disney when it comes to food allergies.

Why do people use "other places do it" as some sort of argument for why we should be okay with it? Other places do lots of things I don't like...