Packing lunches for the parks

[POF]

DH wants to do this .... I am not really against it ..... but not sure how it would work.

We like to travel lightly - so a small cooler in a locker ? We could leave a cooler in the car - but think that would waste too much time.

Some sandwiches etc. in a backpack ?

Honestly - we get sick of CS - we eat one nice sit down a day and usually breakfast at the villa.

It's not really a money issue - he thinks it will be a time saver.....

So - can anyone share what you have done or what you would do differently ? Thansk

 

[natashag76]

Hi,
We just came back from WDW on Thursday and as far as a time-saving technique, I agree with DH. We had the QSDP and we had to split up every time we wanted to eat. One would head off about 30 minutes earlier than the one with the kids would arrive at the restaurant. We usually would end up at the table at about the same time.
If you bring your own food, or even just sandwiches, you can plop down on any bench that has space, eat and go. And if you sit next to a snack/drink cart, you can have cold treats to compliment the sunbaked pb&j!
My DH and I decided that next time we're going to pack lunches too. That way we're more likely to get something the kids like and we won't lose too much park time.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[MineMail]

Years ago, we packed three rubbermaid water bottles with ice to use as an ice pack and cold water. Since we had a car and were staying off-site, we stopped at Publix on the way to the Park to buy pre-made sandwiches and fresh strawberries for the cooler. A few Cokes, just for caffeine, lol.

I used a small soft-sided cooler and tucked it in a locker near the Park entrance. That way, I didn't have to go out of my way to retrieve it at the end of the day.

I do take a small backpack for snacks, camera and water bottles to use throughout the day. I also put some clean cups, napkins, and plates in my backpack. Since I avoid roller coasters like the plague, I retrieved the lunch from the locker and picked out a shady table while they were on a ride. They met me and we ate, then tucked the bag back into the locker.

Do they still allow guests to bring food into the Disney parks? I haven't asked in a long time - to bring food for five or six would be too cumbersome. Instead, we share CS meals among the group since the portions are decent.

 

[TDSAXX]

Do they still allow guests to bring food into the Disney parks? I haven't asked in a long time - to bring food for five or six would be too cumbersome. Instead, we share CS meals among the group since the portions are decent.

Disney allows guests to bring food and beverages into the park with the exception of alcohol and glass containers.

 

[CheeseburgerParadise]

Definitely a time saver to pack sandwiches and perhaps a couple of snack-type foods and simply carry them in your backpack(s). Gives you maximum flexibility as to when and where to eat and how long you'll 'waste' on lunch.

We're the type of family that has breakfast at the condo (sometimes light, sometimes hearty) and then is busy having fun all day until the parks close and we head out for a proper dinner (usually at a restaurant, sometimes at the condo). So, while we like to eat(!!), lunch at the parks is viewed by us as a re-fueling pit-stop and nothing more. We're not especially finicky about having anything more than sandwiches so this works out well for us. No need for coolers, lockers and the like.
Besides, you can always 'top off' on edibles that may appeal to you as you wander around the parks and are enticed by some of the themed restaurants/cafeterias!

 

[lmountford]

Hi,
We just came back from WDW on Thursday and as far as a time-saving technique, I agree with DH. We had the QSDP and we had to split up every time we wanted to eat. One would head off about 30 minutes earlier than the one with the kids would arrive at the restaurant. We usually would end up at the table at about the same time.
If you bring your own food, or even just sandwiches, you can plop down on any bench that has space, eat and go. And if you sit next to a snack/drink cart, you can have cold treats to compliment the sunbaked pb&j!
My DH and I decided that next time we're going to pack lunches too. That way we're more likely to get something the kids like and we won't lose too much park time.
Good luck and have fun!

I second the idea about possibly lunching somewhere near a cart. My crew seem to enjoy a packed sandwich a lot more if we split a portion of fries alongside it. It's not quite as healthy, inexpensive or quick but it's definitely DD's preference as I think it still feels like a 'treat' to her. I think a couple of the carts have baked potato as a snack that might work too.

 

[dougsmom98]

While it may be a time saver, I have found that after eating a big breakfast, we still need to sit and recharge around 2 pm. While we could bring a lunch and eat outside on a bench, I find sitting inside in the air conditioning and taking that hour out of our day to eat a counter service meal necessary. That being said, if I were to pack a lunch, I don't think I would want to hike back to a locker to retrieve it. I would pack it in my backpack. Since we aren't fans of soggy, hot sandwiches, I think I would take packages of peanut butter or cheese crackers.

 

[POF]

I see both sides .... DH is not the "operations" practical person. So I've been asking him a LOT of how will this work. ( Note:I make breakfast / pack lunches and make dinner every single blipping day ) - not really want to be fuel provider on vacation.

So we compromised - We'll bring a lunch to the waterparks - and skip it with the parks. ( I also pointed out that I have 1:00 TS ADR's a few times .... when did he plan to eat his packed lunch ? ).

Thanks for the ideas !

 

[footballmouse]

We bring our own snacks & lunch to eat in the parks. The last time we were there, we ate at a table in Fantasy Land. We had the Uncrustable sandwhiches which have to be kep frozen so when we were ready to eat they were thawed out. We also brought bottles of water and Crystal Light flavor packs. We had snacks so the kids were fine with everything. We did eat dinner in the park but that was the only food & drinks we bought for the day. We kept everything in backpacks so when we were ready to eat we could.

 

[Lisa0620]

Love how it's DH's idea Sounds like the OP is all set, but for anyone else who's still curious I'll put my two cents in.

We did this on our trip in June. I brought a cheap soft sided cooler from Target and blue ice packs and just hung it from the stroller. We did this for 6 days in the parks without any problems. I didn't want to double back to lockers (or pay for them) so I just accepted that it may get stolen and it wasn't. I got some cheap oblong gladware containers that had a partition in them and put sandwiches on one side and fruit on the other. We were able to fit four of these in our cooler along with a couple of water bottles and individual sized bags of chips. It was very quick and easy and we found some nice places to eat. It was easy to balance the gladware on our laps, but we also ate at tables in c.s. places and no one reprimanded us. (We ate early, so it wasn't like the tables were full.)

My husband thought this was all wonderful because it was easy, cheap and healthy and mentioned that "we should do this again next time" which cracked me up because what I was thinking was "next time we're doing the dining plan!" It is a lot of work and it does take away from the feeling of being on vacation a bit. Honestly, I probably will do it again because of my natural cheapness, but I think next time it will be under the condition that DH gets the kids breakfasted, dressed, hats/sunglasses located and sunscreen on by 8 while I do the lunches. (Then we'll see how he feels about the "next time"...)

 

[kreed]

We just returned from the parks and took our lunch everyday. We have a backpack cooler that is well worth the investment. We packed frozen water bottles every day as well as sandwiches, fruit, chips and peanuts. We would all stop for lunch and many times we ate inside at the large counter service places. We would order drinks for all five us and sometimes one or two of the kids would order fries. We ate our sandwiches and fries and drinks inside and it was nice and relaxing and much better than the food there everyday.

 

[POF]

I don't really mind the packing - but the boys are 10 and 12 - no strollers ! And we really prefer not to take a lot of bags with us. I take a wallet purse and DH takes a small fanny pack type camera page with places for 2 water bottles. he mentioned a backpack - but then I'd be carrying it ! guaranteed. We are eating a few dinners and lots of breakfasts in the villa..... so I can only think of one day logistically it would work.... ( We do TS for lunch )

If I had a stroller - I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I want DH to tell me he's going to carry the backpack ALL DAY / manage the locker rental ( there blows the RD ) / or exactly how ......

On our DHS day - I might take a bigger purse bag and throw PBJ sandwiches in - we have an early dinner and we have never found ANY CS that we like at DHS....

Thanks again everyone.