Eating a packed lunch. Can we do it?

[aliceg]

We are planning a Disney trip in July and are seriously considering packing a lunch for the parks (at least some days.) Our middle child is extremely picky and will probably be eating nothing but chicken nuggets for the entire week, if he had his choice. And our oldest son mainly grazes. So we're thinking that packing a lunch for some of our park days may be a great way to limit the amount of chicken nuggets DS7 will consume, as well as ensure that we have some protein based snacks that DS8 will eat. Plus we'll save money!

I've read that small soft sided coolers are okay, and that's cool. My question is - where can we eat? I certainly don't want to take up space for customers who are actually paying for their lunch at, say Pecos Bills or the like. But is there an acceptable place to eat a packed lunch? A nice climate controlled place would be awesome (because we are also traveling with all 4 of our senior citizen - yet spritely - parents), but I'd be happy anywhere 6 adults, 2 kids and a toddler could have a brief picnic.

Thank you!

 

[Gracie09]

In MK - I would head to tom Sawyer Island. Not climate controlled but cooler than the main park. In Epcot, there are some benches by the lake that would work.

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

My family used to pack lunches to eat in the park. We did it to save money our 1st few trips. All the parks have random picnic tables around the parks and benches. We more often ate in a line though to be truthful. It was a nice way to wait out a longer line. At Hollywood studios we would eat over by rockin rollercoaster ( big Aerosmith fan) so we could listen to the music...My littles often danced to it. It may be nice to do 2 small coolers so 2 people can carry bc food for that many people gets heavy... Especially when you add in drinks! Have an awesome trip!

 

[Klayfish]

We always eat in the parks...lunch and/or dinner. We're very nutritious conscious, so we couldn't eat in the restaurants. We pack a full dinner for five....main course. Cooked chicken breast for me, salad for DW, nuggets for the kids (we let them eat less healthy on vacation), veggies, desserts, soda, etc... We have a huge soft sided bag. It's enormous. We put it in an umbrella stroller, so it's super easy to move around. Though honestly, more often than not we just park it in stroller parking somewhere and come back for it later when we're ready to eat.

You can eat at any counter service restaurant you want. We eat at: Starlight Café, Pecos Bill, Tomorrowland Terrace, Electric Umbrella (Epcot), ABC Commissary (HS), the restaurant across from Dinosaur in AK (forget its' name). Never have an issue.

 

[Tink_83]

In MK - I would head to tom Sawyer Island. Not climate controlled but cooler than the main park. In Epcot, there are some benches by the lake that would work.

I'm actually planning to pack a lunch and eat here myself. I haven't tried it before but from what I can tell (and the responses I got to my thread) there are park tables and it is a nice area to eat at while the kids play.

 

[HopperFan]

LOVE to pack my lunch. I never eat at tables at active QS locations since I am not a paying customer, so climate controlled is likely out of the question BUT some have built in shade, umbrellas and some are close to bathrooms.

MK:
- Storybook Circus has LOTS of tables, some with umbrellas
- Area with plenty of picnic type tables opposite Pecos next to the Pirate Scavenger
- Tables in Tomorrowland along the Speedway as you head to SM
- Tomorrowland Terrace if closed
- Few small tables at the Tangled Bathrooms (also a charging area)
- A number of tables, with umbrellas on the tiny street off Main Street
- Tom Sawyer Island, if you want to give up the time

DHS:
- All the tables from Starring Rolls (now closed) are still there
- Seems to be lots of empty tables by Min & Bills (boat)
- Outside at Backlot if you go to side by Indiana, many empty tables
- Umbrella Tables ACROSS from PizzeRizzo by the shop
- Tables at the dead end past Toy Story Mania

EPCOT:
- Tables by the African Outpost along lake
- Tables in the plaza of Italy (no QS there)
- Picnic tables along lake by Germany
- American Pavilion outside tables rarely used
- Opposite side of American there are covered picnic tables
- Tables in a small area to north of Rose & Crown

AK:
- Several landings between Africa & Asia looking at tree with tables
- Farthest Patios from Flame Tree are often empty
- Not sure still there bus was a couple picnic by Dinoland shop
- If they are letting folks in ROL theater

Took a few pictures last month .... these are in bold above .....

 

[wilkeliza]

We always eat in the parks...lunch and/or dinner. We're very nutritious conscious, so we couldn't eat in the restaurants. We pack a full dinner for five....main course. Cooked chicken breast for me, salad for DW, nuggets for the kids (we let them eat less healthy on vacation), veggies, desserts, soda, etc... We have a huge soft sided bag. It's enormous. We put it in an umbrella stroller, so it's super easy to move around. Though honestly, more often than not we just park it in stroller parking somewhere and come back for it later when we're ready to eat.

You can eat at any counter service restaurant you want. We eat at: Starlight Café, Pecos Bill, Tomorrowland Terrace, Electric Umbrella (Epcot), ABC Commissary (HS), the restaurant across from Dinosaur in AK (forget its' name). Never have an issue.

Do you travel in the summer/holidays? I've been several times where you can not eat at a quick service with out having paid and recieved your meal. In the slower season it is no problem but in July OP may come up with some issues at the indoor quick service locations.


OP Hopperfan has a pretty extensive list of places you should have no issues with.

 

[Tink_83]

Do you travel in the summer/holidays? I've been several times where you can not eat at a quick service with out having paid and recieved your meal. In the slower season it is no problem but in July OP may come up with some issues at the indoor quick service locations.


OP Hopperfan has a pretty extensive list of places you should have no issues with.

I'm curious were you told you couldn't eat a lunch you brought from home by a CM?

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm curious were you told you couldn't eat a lunch you brought from home by a CM?

Yes was told that we couldn't sit in the indoor seating areas with out having purchased a meal. We were not the only people being told we had to order first then could sit.

 

[DisneyOma]

We always eat in the parks...lunch and/or dinner. We're very nutritious conscious, so we couldn't eat in the restaurants. We pack a full dinner for five....main course. Cooked chicken breast for me, salad for DW, nuggets for the kids (we let them eat less healthy on vacation), veggies, desserts, soda, etc... We have a huge soft sided bag. It's enormous. We put it in an umbrella stroller, so it's super easy to move around. Though honestly, more often than not we just park it in stroller parking somewhere and come back for it later when we're ready to eat.

You can eat at any counter service restaurant you want. We eat at: Starlight Café, Pecos Bill, Tomorrowland Terrace, Electric Umbrella (Epcot), ABC Commissary (HS), the restaurant across from Dinosaur in AK (forget its' name). Never have an issue.

How is soda and desserts nutritious conscious? We've always been able to find healthy choices at the CS and TS restaurants, and in the food courts.

There are a few CS restaurants that have CMs guarding the tables during peak hours, peak crowds. I wouldn't count on getting a table without a purchase for any CS indoor seating area.

 

[KrazeeK120]

We always eat in the parks...lunch and/or dinner. We're very nutritious conscious, so we couldn't eat in the restaurants. We pack a full dinner for five....main course. Cooked chicken breast for me, salad for DW, nuggets for the kids (we let them eat less healthy on vacation), veggies, desserts, soda, etc... We have a huge soft sided bag. It's enormous. We put it in an umbrella stroller, so it's super easy to move around. Though honestly, more often than not we just park it in stroller parking somewhere and come back for it later when we're ready to eat.

You can eat at any counter service restaurant you want. We eat at: Starlight Café, Pecos Bill, Tomorrowland Terrace, Electric Umbrella (Epcot), ABC Commissary (HS), the restaurant across from Dinosaur in AK (forget its' name). Never have an issue.

You can get all of those items in the restaurants, and I don't necessarily consider nuggets, soda, and dessert to be health conscious. I'm not judging...I consume all of these items myself. But to say you don't eat in the restaurants because you're health conscious and then go on to say you pack your own soda sounds like an oxymoron to me. For those who are health conscious, there are healthy meals to be found all over Disney property.

Also, there are many times of the year that folks who have not purchased a meal cannot sit in the QS locations, so I wouldn't count on that as a strategy.

OP, I'd also encourage you to peruse menus. There really are a wide variety of choices (healthy or not) at most of the restaurants. You can always split meals or trade side dishes around amongst yourselves, too!

 

[aliceg]

LOVE to pack my lunch. I never eat at tables at active QS locations since I am not a paying customer, so climate controlled is likely out of the question BUT some have built in shade, umbrellas and some are close to bathrooms.

MK:
- Storybook Circus has LOTS of tables, some with umbrellas
- Area with plenty of picnic type tables opposite Pecos next to the Pirate Scavenger
- Tables in Tomorrowland along the Speedway as you head to SM
- Tomorrowland Terrace if closed
- Few small tables at the Tangled Bathrooms (also a charging area)
- A number of tables, with umbrellas on the tiny street off Main Street
- Tom Sawyer Island, if you want to give up the time

DHS:
- All the tables from Starring Rolls (now closed) are still there
- Seems to be lots of empty tables by Min & Bills (boat)
- Outside at Backlot if you go to side by Indiana, many empty tables
- Umbrella Tables ACROSS from PizzeRizzo by the shop
- Tables at the dead end past Toy Story Mania

EPCOT:
- Tables by the African Outpost along lake
- Tables in the plaza of Italy (no QS there)
- Picnic tables along lake by Germany
- American Pavilion outside tables rarely used
- Opposite side of American there are covered picnic tables
- Tables in a small area to north of Rose & Crown

AK:
- Several landings between Africa & Asia looking at tree with tables
- Farthest Patios from Flame Tree are often empty
- Not sure still there bus was a couple picnic by Dinoland shop
- If they are letting folks in ROL theater

Took a few pictures last month .... these are in bold above .....

Thank you for that very extensive list! That is so helpful! So it looks like we can snag any outdoor seating available - that's great!

We're going to give packing lunch a try. We'll have a stroller for DD2, so we plan on using that for the coolers.

Now, I'm off to research lunches that would easy to pack using only the groceries we could keep in our off-site hotel mini-fridge...

 

[Deb & Bill]

From the Disney Website:

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.

Note: Guests are not permitted to pull items behind them. Any item that requires a Guest to pull it behind them, including a stroller, is not permitted into the Park.

 

[aliceg]

From the Disney Website:

Hmm. I swear I read somewhere that soft-sided coolers were okay, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Yodo-6-can-S...9&sr=8-5&keywords=soft+sided+cooler+lunch+box

It's more like a lunch bag. I think it's still okay, right?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hmm. I swear I read somewhere that soft-sided coolers were okay, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Yodo-6-can-S...9&sr=8-5&keywords=soft+sided+cooler+lunch+box

It's more like a lunch bag. I think it's still okay, right?

Yes, they are. Just no big ones, none on wheels dragged behind.

 

[TwoMisfits]

To be fair to the Op on the health issue - the word "dessert" does not require it to be unhealthy...there are now tons of scratch desserts made with all healthy ingredients (flax, greek yogurt, almost no sugar, etc), not to mention the traditional easiest healthy dessert of fresh fruit with mint...and my favorite angel food cake (scratch made yourself with almost no sugar, and it's probably better than your main course)...just avoiding the likely preservatives and artificial ingredients found in a lot of prebaked stuff would be a start for it being healthier...

Now, the soda is less likely to be healthy, although, again the word "soda" can also refer to make-your-own sodas (like a grapefruit soda with just seltzer water, ice, and some grapefruit juice and other juice/veg spritzer/sodas) which aren't unhealthy. Although, it's more likely op brings soda to have a kind he/she enjoys - like I had a single decaf diet coke a day habit...and I don't want a regular diet or regular beverage b/c I don't want the extra caffeine (since I also have a single cup of coffee/day habit and that's enough caffeine - it's all about balance and moderation)...

But that still doesn't negate op who probably wants to bring the lunch to be healthier...even if I brought my soda, I'd consider it healthier than me buying the caffeine version in the park (or getting ones I don't like)...so, it's a personal baseline of "healthier compared to what"...if Op would normally get nuggets, fries, a cupcake, and a soda if he ate in the park b/c it's convenient, cheaper, faster, etc...and then instead, he brings a roasted chicken sandwich, an apple, a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie, and his decaf soda...he's improved his own health option 100%...

 

[Sundowner2]

I am SO grateful to hear you guys saying things how if you aren't actually buying anything from the restaurant, you would look for outdoor seating. In 2014, that was a massive complaint for my husband and I and quick service. I mean, had people at least bought a few drinks or something, we would not have said anything, (and as it was, we only complained to each other) but when you are standing, waiting for a table with your little people, and trying to juggle your food, and there's loads of people unpacking coolers and setting up camp inside of Backlot Express, or just sitting using their phones, it's a little frustrating, and annoying. Maybe that's a sour attitude to have, but I just can't imagine at Disney or at any place at all, walking in to a restaurant, sitting around and not buying anything, but bringing it all from home. Even at McDonalds people will buy a soda of coffee to use the wifi...

That said, I'll just add my agreement, bring a soft sided cooler that will fit in your stroller! The little ones usually love to walk about, so the stroller can hold your cooler, and you can park it til whenever. We haven't done it before, but I did a trial test at home, and it worked well, we are going to freeze an entire case of water before we go, pack it tight in our cooler with ice in the gaps, and it should last the first few days of our trip to have really cold water since the mini fridges never have done much for us, but also keep the kid's cheese sticks and such really cold for snacks.

Some food ideas that we did (breakfast and snacks) our last trip and my oldest, then 7, loved, Disney sells the grape Smuckers uncreustable PBJ sandwiches. For less than half the price, you can buy them at Walmart, and they've got the same thing everyone else is eating (if that makes sense?) we also packed out own bananas and apples, mini bags of chips, and prepackaged muffins (Walmart has prepacked ones of their store brand, near the little debbies, 12 muffins for $3) and we don't usually buy those, so it was more special as a treat and added to the fun-ness. Also mini cheese bars, lunchables and similiar, would be good. More expensuve than you might usually spend on a lunch, but a lot less than park prices, if you want to picnic a few days. Just try and get as much disposable as you can, otherwise it's going to be a hassle to wash it all, and tote it around. At least, that's my feelings!

 

[Sundowner2]

We went to Target, and bought a cooler just like this. Held up through several trips, Disney and otherwise. Holds a lot actually.

http://www.target.com/p/12-can-mini-rec-cooler-blue-embark-153/-/A-12113141

A suggestion though, is get one that has that insert on the inside to make it hard! It still counts as a soft side cooler, because the outside is soft, because otherwise, ice, condensation or even food and drinks tend to leak out through the sewn seams and it's a mess. I discovered that with out new cooler backpack. So I took an empty ice cream bucket for the bottom, but you've just got to have something to catch that moisture!

 

[HopperFan]

I'm curious were you told you couldn't eat a lunch you brought from home by a CM?

Busier times it is not unusual to have entry doors "guarded" by CMs, then inside CMs sending your whole party direct to cashiers and not letting anyone sit or go to tables who has not ordered and received food.

 

[Klayfish]

You can get all of those items in the restaurants, and I don't necessarily consider nuggets, soda, and dessert to be health conscious. I'm not judging...I consume all of these items myself. But to say you don't eat in the restaurants because you're health conscious and then go on to say you pack your own soda sounds like an oxymoron to me. For those who are health conscious, there are healthy meals to be found all over Disney property.

Also, there are many times of the year that folks who have not purchased a meal cannot sit in the QS locations, so I wouldn't count on that as a strategy.

OP, I'd also encourage you to peruse menus. There really are a wide variety of choices (healthy or not) at most of the restaurants. You can always split meals or trade side dishes around amongst yourselves, too!

Ummm...yeah. First, if you really MUST know...the soda is caffeine free diet. Zero calories, zero sugar. I was giving an example of nuggets, which are for our children. Sorry, perhaps you force your kids to eat boneless, skinless chicken breast (with nothing on it), tilapia, raw veggies, greek yogurt (fat free plain), salads and other such things 24/7, but we don't. As I quite clearly said, we let the kids eat a little less healthy on vacation. It won't kill them. However, DW is about 95% of the way ready to be on stage competing in bodybuilding competitions. I have no interest in getting on a stage, but if I did, I'm about 85% of the way there. Take a look at the photo that's my avatar...click on it so you can make it a bit bigger. You can really only see her arms and left shoulder, but the rest of her looks like that. You don't think she looks like that eating nuggets, do you? She literally weighs and measures everything she puts in her mouth...even her salads are measured down to the 1/2 ounce (we have a food scale we bring with us on vacation). So yeah, we're quite health conscious. Gotta love the DISboards...only here would people jump when I quite clearly said right away that the nuggets are for the kids and that we let them eat a little less healthy on vacation. But I'm sure you just order salads and chicken breasts in the restaurants?? Oh, and when we make them nuggets, we also make sure they have veggies and other healthy foods. Sigh....

HopperFan,
Yes, we travel mostly in the summer. The only place we have trouble finding a spot is Cosmic Rays. They will ask us not to come in at peak times. But we often will eat just before or after peak times so that we're not taking up space others may need. Like have lunch at 11am or 1:15pm.