Packing Food

[anita967]

Has anyone had trouble packing food such as cereal bars, chips, non perishables ? I thought I would pack an extra checked bag full of snacks etc. I have heard that this sends up a red flag at the airport and their x-rays have a problem "seeing" in the bag so they will open it.

 

[S.Poppins]

I'm not sure about airports, but I just wanted to give you a warning. I had read on here that many people said packing snacks was a waste because no one ate them. But my DH insisted. Guess what, we bought them all home. We did eat some in the car, it is a 10 hr drive. We also ate one bag on donuts the whole week. I am glad that we bought a cooler of drinks - we used all of those. We were no the dining plan, so the food was plentiful.

 

[canada_ang]

We packed a suitcase full of snacks for our trip in Sept 2005 (we also packed a bunch of bottled water). We flew from Canada and did not have a problem at all at the airports. The snacks were good for breakfasts, etc since we were on the dining plan. It also saved $$ on snacks in the parks. By the end, we had an empty suitcase for all the souvenirs!

 

[tp_magill]

I know that FOIL packed items are opaque to the scanners (like blister-packed medications), and I would guess some snacks would fall into that same category.

My wife had to dig out all her allergy meds and show that they all WERE really sealed drugs before we were able to process through security at the airport.

 

[ZoZo]

We also bought a ton of snacks/breakfast foods upon arrival in Orlando, and ended up throwing away most of them. The only thing we really consumed were breakfast foods (just cereal and milk) and wine! Otherwise, we ate at the parks. We were hardly ever in the room, anyways, except very late at night or at breakfast-time.

 

[pezpam]

First, the disclaimer - I travel a lot and have *never* had a problem packing food and going through security. I often have food in my checked luggage (that DOES get gone through a lot, food or no) and we normally carry snacks on the plane just in case.

That said, I have been warned that food is a problem not just because some packages are opaque, but because some foods can set off the bomb-detection equipment..... Probably just means they'd check it out, but who wants the hassle if you can avoid it?

Also, the poster who warned that it often doesn't get eaten hit it on the head for me. LOL. One WDW trip, I packed a whole mess of food, thinking I'd save money. Well, I wound up packing 99% of it home again.

 

[princessblueeyzes]

We tried packing food for our WDW trip and it didn't even get eaten. All those Mickey candies and other junk food at the parks and resort looked much better than the things you can have everyday of the year.

 

[princessarielle]

If you are staying at a Disney resort you can ship a package down to them with your snakcs in it. Then you don't have to worry about the airport. We're doing that in January. We're staying at OKW and are sending snacks, cereal... so we don't have to pack it or buy it when we get there.

Lori

 

[SheriN]

Let me give the other story. We took snacks. And we ate them. We had a 12 hour trip by the time all was said and done...you know, those numerous potty breaks that happen when you have kids?

We took some to the parks, and we ate them. And we brought some home. Cause we bought too much, but it was ok cause it will get eaten here as well.

We only bought 1 meal on our drive down, 1 on our drive up. We only bought 1 meal in the Parks. Eating meals in the park wasn't a big priority to us, we'd rather spend on our money on other things. And the odd Mickey bar we got at Epcot.

So if you want to save money, yes bring snacks. Things that worked for us, that kept us full so we didn't want to buy food in the parks was beef jerky and dried fruit, mango's in particullar. We also had trail mix to snack on. Thus satisfying the need for sweet and salty.

So, if you think you'll eat them, bring them. Just bring some quantities. Just because DIS'ers say not to bring them it's a waste, doesn't mean it's the Gospel Truth. If you're normally snackers, or if you just want to save money, then by all means bring the snacks.

 

[Julylady]

We have also had great success with taking snacks. We let each kid pick out a snack or two that they normally don't get to have. It has to be individually wrapped and they need to SHARE. (Just cause you picked it doesn't mean you get to eat all of it). They usually pick things like Oreos, Pringles in small cans, Fish crakers, nuts, candy bars, etc. When we get to WDW, we put all the snacks in one drawer. Each morning each kid gets to pick out 2-3 snacks to put in his/her fanny pack, pocket, or bag. They choose when they get to eat them. I have found that this saves BIG money and time over stopping at food cards for snacks. It also provides a diversion when waiting in lines or for shows. The trick is to estimate how many you will need and NOT to overbuy. Anything left over we leave for the Mousekeepers since it is all prepackaged.

As DVC members, we also like to cook many of our meals. We have some simple recipes with few ingredients that we know everyone likes. We used to rent a car and stop at Winn Dixie on the way in, but since last May we have used ME. I was planning Wegoshop for our last trip in November, but they cancelled us a few days before we left. (I understand things have since improved.) I went out and purchased all of the non-perishables and packed them in their own suitcase. I also hand carried three pounds of ground beef in my carry on luggage (frozen solid and in a soft cooler). Even with a 3 hour delay, they were still frozen when we arrived at the hotel (8 hours total from home). There was a slip in the perishables suitcase that said it had been inspected, but nothing was missing or damaged!

Hope this helps!

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

For my trip on the 9th-12th, I brought a 12 pack of bottled water, a bag of popcorn, a package of goldfish and chips for snacks in the parks and all except 4 bags of goldfish were eaten so I had plenty of room for souvenirs!

 

[moniot]

Hi. My name is Leah and I am a snack packer.
We have 4 kids (11-13) and 4 adults so this is a must. Nobody is ever hungry when the other one is. We bring a large box of snacks and everyone packs a few in the belt bag. We still do buy some Mickey bars or whatever but it does save time standing in line and saves money. We also bring stuff for breakfast in the room. Some years we bring home stuff. We also bring bottled water and soda also. Every little bit saved allows us to go more often

 

[dyna]

Last visit on the free food plan we didn't use our food we took. Every other disney visit we have always used almost all our food. But then some visits we have eaten most every meal in the room lots of peanut butter sandwiches those visits.

 

[tp_magill]

I think the question by the original poster was not "Should I bring snacks?" but rather "Can anyone comment on moving snacks through the airport?"

 

[anita967]

TP you are correct. I was wondering how to get the food through the airport. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I really like the idea of mailing the box to our hotel. What is the procedure for this? Do we mail it to our name at the Sports Resort? How soon do we mail before we leave and how do they know to hold it for you? Also everyone is suggesting taking bottled water. I thought I read somewhere that you can go to any kiosk and request a cup of water for free? Is that the case? If so then why take water in? We are going in Feb so we are not expecting high temps and we are not huge water drinkers anyway. Thanks again everyone!!

 

[tp_magill]

TP you are correct.

You're welcome.

I really like the idea of mailing the box to our hotel. What is the procedure for this? Do we mail it to our name at the Sports Resort? How soon do we mail before we leave and how do they know to hold it for you?

Address it to the resort, with an additional linelease hold for <name>, arriving <date>, reservation number <number>. They'll hold it for you, and either deliver it to your room or hand it to you at check-in.

Also everyone is suggesting taking bottled water. I thought I read somewhere that you can go to any kiosk and request a cup of water for free? Is that the case? If so then why take water in?

Not sure about getting "free" cups of water, that's new to me.
We have Brita "sports" bottle with filters in the top. We fill 'em at any drinking fountain and the filter takes out the sulfur taste. Costs a couple of bucks to buy, but less than buying bottled water. And if you ship a heavy package, you pay for the weight, too!

 

[goodeats]

My sister and I brought some Pepsis, Bottled Waters, and Zone bars (like balance bars) in our carry-ons. We had no problems with security, and none of the drinks broke. We put them in zip lock bags just in case, but there were still no problems. I wouldn't put them in my checked luggage because I think they don't depressurize the luggage compartment as opposed to the cabin, also you never know how rough they're going to be.

 

[La2kw]

I thought I read somewhere that you can go to any kiosk and request a cup of water for free? Is that the case? If so then why take water in? We are going in Feb so we are not expecting high temps and we are not huge water drinkers anyway. Thanks again everyone!!

Any of the fast food places will give you a free cup of ice water. We always order water when we order our food. I have also gotten a cup of ice water without making a purchase.

 

[Drizzo67]

I always bring bottled water with me to WDW as I find the taste of the water to be somewhat......odd tasting. I bring it in our carryon - a few bottles in each bag - inside ziploc bags of course. This way noone has the really heavy carryon. We have also packed snack food in the carryon and have never had a hard time getting through security with it. Just to be sure you should check your carrier or your airport directly. It couldn't hurt to be too sure.

Dina Marie

 

[lovetoscrap]

I did that on the way home from our trip a few years ago (we had bought it at the store there and had a few cans left). Several of the cans burst and did cause a huge mess and ruined a lot of other stuff in the bag. Not sure if there is as much problem with bottled soda, but I won't risk it again. I would take water and not worry about sodas. I think the pressure/temperature in the checked luggage space on a plane can be risky for soda cans.