food and renting lockers

[tinksgilrs251520]

Ok so I am on a mission to really see how much money i can save on this trip so my question is I am planning on bring a soft sided cooler to the parks and putting them in a locker how well will the food keep? I am planning on freezing water bottles and using a ice pack, just wondering will that keep the food cool enough until I am ready to eat ( we are a family of seven adults) like I said I am on a mission ....

 

[dawnball]

That depends some on the time of year, how good your cooler is and which park, I'd think. At MK, I know the lockers are out of the direct sun - but in July/August, it's still going to be HOT.

How long are you going to leave it? What are you packing? Cold food packed in a well-insulated container with a blanket of frozen water bottles on top should stay cold until early afternoon, I think.

Our answer is to take food where the temperature range isn't so critical. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or salami and cheese with mustard. Cheese sticks, yogurt, nuts and dried fruits. Salads with aged cheese and preserved meats, with vinegar and oil dressings on the side. Shelf-stable foods are good good. We tend to plan to augment our meals with something purchased in-parks too.

My daughter likes peanut butter and jelly and those aspetic chocolate milks you don't need to keep cold, but we buy fresh fruit or veggie sticks, or a CS side to go with it.

DH and I like salami and swiss-like cheese sandwiches with mustard. If we know we'll have ice, we might pack ham or smoked turkey and cheese with mustard. I'm happy with an apple that's been in the bag all day and bottled water, so my accompanying splurge is usually an ice cream afterwards - his is a giant iced tea.

 

[Darcy03231]

Just remember that the lockers are at the front of the park. If its lunch time, or someone wants a snack, and you're at the back of the park it's a long walk back to the front. I've seen people with the backpack coolers. With 7 of you it would be easy to swap off carrying it.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The Park lockers are out of direct sun, which does help. However the areas are not air conditioned.

 

[brymolmom]

We do soft-sided coolers in the lockers too. I would not recommend carrying enough food/drinks for that many people - TOO HEAVY.

I find that except at AK...we walk 'near' the entrance at least 4 - 5 times during a normal day (with criss crossing for fastpass usage, etc.) - so we just make sure to stop at those times and grab things and time one accordingly for lunch. If you are freezing water bottles and have an actual freezer that will FREEZE THEM THROUGH (not a mini-frig that will only really make them cold with maybe a layer of ice on the outside) - then I think you will be fine - even all day. The lockers aren't in the direct sunlight.

We bring everything when we bring food - Sandwiches, fruit, chips and sweets (cookies or candy) - and especially drinks. I WOULD suggest bringing one snack per person in a backpack to carry around (a handful of granola bars or a large bag of animal crackers - something light to carry) - That way if you have a long wait in a line or for a show you can make good use of it and let everyone snack there. Free cups of ice water from CS places work well for this type of situation too - grab a couple before getting in line.

AK is the most difficult park to accomplish this, IMO. DHS is the easiest.

 

[Marionnette]

Ok so I am on a mission to really see how much money i can save on this trip so my question is I am planning on bring a soft sided cooler to the parks and putting them in a locker how well will the food keep? I am planning on freezing water bottles and using a ice pack, just wondering will that keep the food cool enough until I am ready to eat ( we are a family of seven adults) like I said I am on a mission ....

It's going to cost $9/day to rent a large locker. Factor that, and the actual cost of the food that you bring to the parks, into your budget. It will still be cheaper than eating in the parks but it will add to your cost.

Then take into consideration how limited your options will be, because you really need to think about spoilage. Frozen water bottles do not stay frozen as well as those freezer packs do. And soft-sided coolers are not insulated as well as the hard ones.

And then there's the inconvenience of having to trek back to the lockers when you want to eat. All lockers are located near the park entrances. For MK, it's under the train station, you're practically exiting the park. In Epcot, they're located in the base of Spaceship Earth. In DHS, they're next to the gas station just to the right after entering the park. And in AK, they're near guest services just inside the park entrance.

You might want to consider having each adult carry their own water bottle, a bag of chips, an piece of fruit and maybe some cookies. Then everyone can grab a sandwich or burger at the QS locations. You don't need to buy the platters. You can just order the individual item for less. That way you don't need to deal with packing a cooler in the morning or schlepping back to the lockers to retrieve your lunch.

 

[ddwwelsh]

I have no background with packing food/snacks for the Magic Kingdom. However, if you have experience packing a cooler for other outings, I think you should be okay.

The lockers are very helpful-especially if you have the park hopper option. Save your locker rental receipt and when you go into your second park, you can obtain a locker there for no additional charge. We found this to be a blessing because when we were there in November, there was a drastic difference in daytime and nighttime temps. A locker allowed us to stash jackets, etc. until we needed them to switch parks, etc.

Good luck.

 

[brymolmom]

Agree with the pp to factor in locker rental and food inside the cooler costs, but for a family with 7 adults - I think the savings BY FAR outweigh those costs. Figuring here:

Week long trip - 7 days at parks:
7 x $9 rental fee = 63
$100 - $150 groceries (figuring on one meal per day - with 7 people might be tough to fit enough for 2 meals per day in the cooler, unless you rent 2 lockers) - sandwich meat, PB&J, couple bags of apples, few bags of chips, couple bags of cookies, granola bars, bread or rolls, 2 cases water, couple 12 packs of other beverages. Honestly thinking it will be much closer to $100 than $150.

So total would be $163 or on the high side $200.

Figure 7 adults x (example CS meal - Cosmic ray's burger and fries $9.99 plus drink $2.50) makes it about $13 = $91
Plus one snack per day figure $3 average snack cost x $7 = $21

That means you would spend in around one and a half days about what you would spend for a whole week of lunches/drinks/snacks kept in a cooler.

That's why we love doing it!

 

[Marionnette]

Agree with the pp to factor in locker rental and food inside the cooler costs, but for a family with 7 adults - I think the savings BY FAR outweigh those costs. Figuring here:

Week long trip - 7 days at parks:
7 x $9 rental fee = 63
$100 - $150 groceries (figuring on one meal per day - with 7 people might be tough to fit enough for 2 meals per day in the cooler, unless you rent 2 lockers) - sandwich meat, PB&J, couple bags of apples, few bags of chips, couple bags of cookies, granola bars, bread or rolls, 2 cases water, couple 12 packs of other beverages. Honestly thinking it will be much closer to $100 than $150.

So total would be $163 or on the high side $200.

Figure 7 adults x (example CS meal - Cosmic ray's burger and fries $9.99 plus drink $2.50) makes it about $13 = $91
Plus one snack per day figure $3 average snack cost x $7 = $21

That means you would spend in around one and a half days about what you would spend for a whole week of lunches/drinks/snacks kept in a cooler.

That's why we love doing it!

Yes, it would cost that much if you didn't do as I suggested (bring some chips, cookies, fruit and water bottles in with you and just purchase the burger).

I would much rather buy a pulled pork sandwich at Flame Tree BBQ (without slaw) or a piece of quiche from the Boulangerie Patisserie for $5+, than eat a PB&J sandwich that's been in a cooler all day. I wouldn't want to walk to Spaceship Earth from the Germany pavilion to retrieve my cooler of sandwiches when that quiche is just around the corner.

We all have limits that we set on how far we are willing to go to stretch a buck. I just don't think that it is worth the inconvenience of dealing with stashing a cooler in a locker in order to save a few dollars on food. For me, time is money and that's a lot of wasted time that could be spent enjoying a show or an attraction.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I actually found MK more of a pain than AK, though I could see that one too. We mainly just did it for drinks, lunch, and snacks. We did CS for supper (though we did often still use our own drinks).

 

[brymolmom]

Yes, it would cost that much if you didn't do as I suggested (bring some chips, cookies, fruit and water bottles in with you and just purchase the burger).

I would much rather buy a pulled pork sandwich at Flame Tree BBQ (without slaw) or a piece of quiche from the Boulangerie Patisserie for $5+, than eat a PB&J sandwich that's been in a cooler all day. I wouldn't want to walk to Spaceship Earth from the Germany pavilion to retrieve my cooler of sandwiches when that quiche is just around the corner.

We all have limits that we set on how far we are willing to go to stretch a buck. I just don't think that it is worth the inconvenience of dealing with stashing a cooler in a locker in order to save a few dollars on food. For me, time is money and that's a lot of wasted time that could be spent enjoying a show or an attraction.

Agreed...It's about saving money vs. convenience. Although with 7 adults I would say that there is no way it would end up as just a few dollars...We're likely talking hundreds. The OP wants to save as much as possilble, so I was illustrating how much he/she could be saving (and likely would be saving as I doubt with 7 adults - especially if any of them are teenaged boys - that just buying a $5 sandwich and water would cut it).

Anyway - YIKES - no way would I walk from Germany to my locker. I always plan lunch for when we have a fastpass for Soarin to use anyway OR when we circle back to do Spaceship Earth - since we always skip that on the way in. If people are spending that kind of time on the cooler idea - I agree with you - NOT worth it. But by planning accordingly, we likely only walk 5 minutes each way 'extra' - so for 10 minutes a day (or 20 if we stop for a snack and drink break too) - it is worth the hundreds of dollars to me.

The potential danger about just getting the sandwich and water at the CS places is that sometimes people are really HUNGRY (I know my son would be) by the time we get to the ordering line. So just ordering a sandwich - even with a pack of chips in his backpack - might not cut it right then. The cooler has sodas, juices, water, fruit, meat, cheese, sweets - anything and everything to fill everyone up - so no temptation to have to buy more than you were planning.

 

[Marionnette]

Agreed...It's about saving money vs. convenience. Although with 7 adults I would say that there is no way it would end up as just a few dollars...We're likely talking hundreds. The OP wants to save as much as possilble, so I was illustrating how much he/she could be saving (and likely would be saving as I doubt with 7 adults - especially if any of them are teenaged boys - that just buying a $5 sandwich and water would cut it).

Anyway - YIKES - no way would I walk from Germany to my locker. I always plan lunch for when we have a fastpass for Soarin to use anyway OR when we circle back to do Spaceship Earth - since we always skip that on the way in. If people are spending that kind of time on the cooler idea - I agree with you - NOT worth it. But by planning accordingly, we likely only walk 5 minutes each way 'extra' - so for 10 minutes a day (or 20 if we stop for a snack and drink break too) - it is worth the hundreds of dollars to me.

The potential danger about just getting the sandwich and water at the CS places is that sometimes people are really HUNGRY (I know my son would be) by the time we get to the ordering line. So just ordering a sandwich - even with a pack of chips in his backpack - might not cut it right then. The cooler has sodas, juices, water, fruit, meat, cheese, sweets - anything and everything to fill everyone up - so no temptation to have to buy more than you were planning.

And again, you're missing my point about what to bring with you. You want to ignore that in order to prove your point.

Every one of those adults could carry their own water, fruit, raw veggies, sweets, chips, and other non-perishables themselves. They can carry mix-ins if water doesn't appeal to them. Heck, they can even carry their own PB&J. They don't need a cooler or a locker to do that!

I understand that the OP is trying to save money. I really do. But if they buy luncheon meat (at $10/lb, which is about 4 servings = $20 for 8 sandwiches), sandwich bread (1 loaf whole grain @$5 makes 8 sandwiches), cheese ($6/lb., 8 servings per lb.), lettuce, tomatoes and condiment packets, plus pay for the locker ($9 + $5 key deposit that is refunded), they're going to end up spending close to the same amount that they would spend on a burger or sandwich in the parks.

 

[JessB320]

And again, you're missing my point about what to bring with you. You want to ignore that in order to prove your point.

Every one of those adults could carry their own water, fruit, raw veggies, sweets, chips, and other non-perishables themselves. They can carry mix-ins if water doesn't appeal to them. Heck, they can even carry their own PB&J. They don't need a cooler or a locker to do that!

I understand that the OP is trying to save money. I really do. But if they buy luncheon meat (at $10/lb, which is about 4 servings = $20 for 8 sandwiches), sandwich bread (1 loaf whole grain @$5 makes 8 sandwiches), cheese ($6/lb., 8 servings per lb.), lettuce, tomatoes and condiment packets, plus pay for the locker ($9 + $5 key deposit that is refunded), they're going to end up spending close to the same amount that they would spend on a burger or sandwich in the parks.

Sorry but I think you're the one missing the point. Sounds like you have a game plan that works for you and thats great. The op didn't ask for a time vs. money comparison , they twice said they were on a mission to save as much as they could. While your way works great for you, it's not what the op was asking for. Also the prices in your above example for packing a lunch are very very inflated. Publix, Walmart, target, and Costco near WDW all have lower prices than what you posted.

Op- with 7 adults packing a lunch is a great idea. I would try carrying food with you the first day. We are a family of 7 too, we pack all the food in one backpack and take turns carrying it. It's not that heavy and after lunch it's very light! If you don't like carrying it then you can bite the bullet and spend the $9 for a locker.

We use a small soft side cooler with a blue gel pack or two, put the sandwiches in that, and string cheeses. Frozen water bottles go next to the cooler and then dry snacks/sides in the other pockets, our food always stays cold and the water sometimes had to be drunk slowly as its still frozen. Packing lunch is totally doable! I have packed leftover takeout pizza and leftover Chinese takeout too, you don't have to eat sandwiches every day

 

[brymolmom]

And again, you're missing my point about what to bring with you. You want to ignore that in order to prove your point.

Every one of those adults could carry their own water, fruit, raw veggies, sweets, chips, and other non-perishables themselves. They can carry mix-ins if water doesn't appeal to them. Heck, they can even carry their own PB&J. They don't need a cooler or a locker to do that!

I understand that the OP is trying to save money. I really do. But if they buy luncheon meat (at $10/lb, which is about 4 servings = $20 for 8 sandwiches), sandwich bread (1 loaf whole grain @$5 makes 8 sandwiches), cheese ($6/lb., 8 servings per lb.), lettuce, tomatoes and condiment packets, plus pay for the locker ($9 + $5 key deposit that is refunded), they're going to end up spending close to the same amount that they would spend on a burger or sandwich in the parks.

Wow - I actually agreed with several of your points. You seem to want to argue about this on a post requesting information on packing lunches in coolers for the parks. Strange...but whatever.

I am kind of surprised that the inconvenience of renting a locker and walking to it is that much more of a hassle for you than having everyone have individual bags packed with fruit, chips, cookies, drinks, etc. Heck - if they're going to do that - might as well throw in a sandwich each, skip the locker rental cost and skip the $5 sandwich too. But that gets heavy....Sometimes bags are forgotten on rides...and other hassles that will come with this too.

We can agree, I hope, that everyone has money savings strategies that work best for them. But I will continue to think the OP will be saving several hundred dollars by doing lunches (either in locker or packed individually on each person) to the parks.

Best of luck OP!

 

[Marionnette]

Sorry but I think you're the one missing the point. Sounds like you have a game plan that works for you and thats great. The op didn't ask for a time vs. money comparison , they twice said they were on a mission to save as much as they could. While your way works great for you, it's not what the op was asking for. Also the prices in your above example for packing a lunch are very very inflated. Publix, Walmart, target, and Costco near WDW all have lower prices than what you posted.

Op- with 7 adults packing a lunch is a great idea. I would try carrying food with you the first day. We are a family of 7 too, we pack all the food in one backpack and take turns carrying it. It's not that heavy and after lunch it's very light! If you don't like carrying it then you can bite the bullet and spend the $9 for a locker.

We use a small soft side cooler with a blue gel pack or two, put the sandwiches in that, and string cheeses. Frozen water bottles go next to the cooler and then dry snacks/sides in the other pockets, our food always stays cold and the water sometimes had to be drunk slowly as its still frozen. Packing lunch is totally doable! I have packed leftover takeout pizza and leftover Chinese takeout too, you don't have to eat sandwiches every day

I don't think that I'm inflating those prices. Publix's sale flier for this week has Boar's Head meat and cheese on sale for $9.99 for 12 oz. I paid $9.99/lb. for Albertson's roast beef in their deli yesterday. A loaf of Arnold's whole grain bread is marked $4.69 right on the wrapper. These aren't exaggerations. They're the actual prices. My sons are home from college and I'm buying a lot of deli meats for them to pack lunches before they go off to work. I'm all too acutely aware of the cost of making sandwiches and how far a loaf of bread and a pound of meat will go.

Like I said before, the OP can do PB&J sandwiches and have everyone carry their own lunch consisting of non-perishables. That would be the cheapest way to do it and she wouldn't need to pay for a locker. These are adults that we're talking about here, not 6-year-olds who might leave their lunch on the school bus. They're just as likely to leave an expensive camera or cellphone on a ride as they are to leave a $3 lunch behind.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Marionette is hardly inflating the prices of decent cold cuts. I pay $10.99/pound on sale for Boars Head and Land o Lakes cheese is on sale $6.99/lb. I'm sure one could buy the nasty $2.99/lb Wonderbar bologna and make sandwiches but, really, eww! I can't imaging going through such a pain to save a few $$'s. My vacations are about fun, not hauling back to the main entrance to eat PB&J.

 

[mamahas5]

I understand that the OP is trying to save money. I really do. But if they buy luncheon meat (at $10/lb, which is about 4 servings = $20 for 8 sandwiches), sandwich bread (1 loaf whole grain @$5 makes 8 sandwiches), cheese ($6/lb., 8 servings per lb.), lettuce, tomatoes and condiment packets, plus pay for the locker ($9 + $5 key deposit that is refunded), they're going to end up spending close to the same amount that they would spend on a burger or sandwich in the parks.

Holy cow where do you shop?! I've never paid $10 for a pound of meat at the deli, let alone $5 for a loaf of bread OR $6 for a pound of cheese!
And I doubt OP has either since she's clearly about saving money.

 

[bookgirl]

Holy cow where do you shop?! I've never paid $10 for a pound of meat at the deli, let alone $5 for a loaf of bread OR $6 for a pound of cheese!
And I doubt OP has either since she's clearly about saving money.

The prices in the Orlando area will be more expensive because it is a tourist area. (My father lived in a high tourist area and basics even at discount shops were crazy expensive). The local WDW Walmart had prices that were higher than what I paid at home though not quite doubled. I pay around 6 dollars for all natural whole muscle deli turkey at home were we are below the national average for cost of living, I would expect that to run around 9 or 10 in a tourist area. I have done vacations where we did meals from a cooler brought from home, it's doable, not my first choice now, but I could do it.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I think to make your plan work for a week for adults, you are going to need to come up with some interesting and varied meals or people are going to feel deprived and end up spending money on additional items and treats. I think a couple of decent coolers, with some solid frozen ice packs can keep your stuff in a cooler in a looker, safe for an early to mid-day lunch. I would get cups of ice water and take flavor packs to avoid having to carry drinks as well. Be sure all adults are on board for this plan, unless you are footing the bill for everyone and then you get to decide! Maybe only have one item that needs to be kept cold, and the other items ok at looker temp.
Suggestions:
Various pasta salads without mayo
good quality meats/cheese and crackers
hummus and pita
Chicken salad without mayo

Add fresh fruits, cookies etc.

Also think through to be sure you have a frig/freezer big enough to store all the foods for lunch and ice packs.
Also consider where you will eat your lunch. There was a recent thread on this as well.

Good luck and I hope you can make it work for you if you need to.

 

[Tauwillow]

Our last trip we brought everything in fanny packs. I have insulated bottles that we refill with ice water throughout the day. (so handy!) We also pack high protein snacks like trail mix and beef jerky along with some fruit and vegis.

We eat a good breakfast and hit the parks at rope drop, spend the day snacking from our packs, get 1 treat a day (dole whip, funnel cake, etc.), and head back to our dvc room for dinner around 4 or 5. I was *amazed* at how NOT deprived I felt, how well we ate, and how relaxed it all was.

Since we carried everything with us, we could snack as we wished - often while waiting in line, allowing us to get in more attractions. I saved sooo much money with this plan!

Having the dvc kitchen was a real help. I pre-froze our favorite meals, so cooking was a breeze and we ate like kings - never having to wait for a reservation.

I had used the dining plan twice before that trip, and really felt like I was going to be missing out. Truth be told, I seriously enjoyed my "cheap" trip more.