Food in the parks

[Sassysky]

Are we allowed to bring in food and drink in the park? With 3 kids it could get expensive.

Thanks!

 

[LadyShea]

Yes, as long as it doesn't require heating. And you can't bring a hard cooler, only the softsided ones and plastic bottles only.

We plan to pack lunches, as with 8 of us food costs could go through the roof

 

[all4fun]

Yes, as long as it doesn't require heating. And you can't bring a hard cooler, only the softsided ones and plastic bottles only.

We plan to pack lunches, as with 8 of us food costs could go through the roof

except for baby food - their site here says they do allow glass jars of baby food.

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:
...
Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)

 

[aanderson5]

We brought in a small lunch sized cooler bag that fed our family of 3 lunch and snacks. We froze a bottle of water to keep it cold (juice boxes work great as well) and had sandwiches, cheese sticks, fruit, carrots and dip. We also had some non refridgerated snacks in the diaper bag (drinks, granola bars. pretzels, trail mix etc). Remember to pack anything with chocolate in the cold bag if it a hot day.

I saw on another thread that someone gave her kids a fanny pack filled with their own snacks. I thought that was a great idea.

 

[poohfriend77]

DH thought I was crazy when he saw me packing snacks to take into the park. I took PB sandwiches, pretzels, grapes, carrots, dry cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks, etc. My younger DD (almost 3 when we went) is a grazer, and that kid eats ALL DAY LONG. I don't think he had any idea how much she really eats in a day when he's at work. We still ate all our meals in restaurants and had the occasional Mickey bar, but those snacks were a lifesaver. DD never had a "meltdown," and by Day 3, DH told me I probably saved us a fortune by not having to buy snacks every 30 minutes.

 

[Dizneydawn]

any idea how much a locker costs to rent at the parks - we no longer have little kids so taking a cooler all day and carrying it vs throwing in a stroller is impossible for 3 teens...I would look like a sherpa!

 

[all4fun]

any idea how much a locker costs to rent at the parks - we no longer have little kids so taking a cooler all day and carrying it vs throwing in a stroller is impossible for 3 teens...I would look like a sherpa!

The info you're looking for is here:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/Lockers.htm

fyi - this site is full of information like this. The search feature at the top of the main page on wdwinfo.com is extremely useful. I just typed in "lockers" and the above link came up.

hth!!!

 

[GRUMPY D]

yes you can bring in food , gator aid , crackers , grapes and apples are a good to have with you when you need a quick sugar crash fix ,with the heat and all the walking you sugar can drop fast and some times food carts are not handy or open , and we try to find a shady spot away from everybody to make the kids wind down and relax it helps to stop the melt downs , and all so disney has a restriction on the size of bags you can bring in , we found a backpack with wheels on it at wallmart its nice we pack it with munches for a cary on for the wait at the airport and the plane ride ( just put everything in ziplock bags ) and at dinsey you can carry it on the rides and then wheel behind you when you walk

 

[plutolovr]

yes you can bring in food , gator aid , crackers , grapes and apples are a good to have with you when you need a quick sugar crash fix ,with the heat and all the walking you sugar can drop fast and some times food carts are not handy or open , and we try to find a shady spot away from everybody to make the kids wind down and relax it helps to stop the melt downs , and all so disney has a restriction on the size of bags you can bring in , we found a backpack with wheels on it at wallmart its nice we pack it with munches for a cary on for the wait at the airport and the plane ride ( just put everything in ziplock bags ) and at dinsey you can carry it on the rides and then wheel behind you when you walk

Actually, it's Disney's official policy that you cannot use anything that wheels behind you, so no coolers on wheels, backpacks on wheels or wagons. Yes, you will see them, they do manage to get them by security. Security will tell them that they must put them in the locker or not wheel them, but some people believe the rules don't apply to them.

It's very dangerous in crowded situations to wheel something behind you.

 

[happymommy]

I used to always bring snacks with us, but that was when we had a stroller to stash the little soft cooler under. DS has food allergies, and when he was small it was more dangerous, so I knew he had stuff to snack on.

It's fine to bring some snacks and sandwiches with you. Just be careful nothing can go bad (like lunchmeat).

If you drive you can leave it in your car, go back and retrieve it, or use a locker? I don't see anything wrong with bringing some food. I've seen folks sitting eating food from home at Disney (especially MK). Once or twice I've seen extended families eating their own food - it seemed a bit exotic to me, maybe Indian or something (sorry I don't know), but many folks have certain foods they either eat or don't eat (like vegan, or they prefer lentils and rice dishes) and no one seems to object. I certainly wouldn't! A large cooler would get cumbersome, but a small soft one would be easy to manage.

When we were younger and on a really tight budget, we never ate anything at the parks. I can totally relate! I don't think we even purchased a Coke our first visit the year before DH and I got married (I had been as a child, he'd never been). We drove and always left to go to Kissimmee and eat somewhere inexpensive.