Packing Meals at Disney

[princessbee]

This one's for all my mega-budget-friendly folk out there who pack the majority of their meals when they go to Disney. What are your favorite things to pack for park lunches? What are your ideas for super portable meals that AREN'T sandwiches (or maybe just sandwiches that aren't your typical pb&j or ham & cheese)? What are your favorite snacks to bring?

 

[Colgal77]

We went a year and a half ago and always ate breakfast in our room. We had brought PBandJ, bagels, cereal (bought milk at the PO store), even froze yogurt tubes which were surprisingly still someone frozen when we checked into our room about 7 hours aftee leaving home. We did pay out of pocket for lunch and dinner at QS but I brought a bunch of snacks bc I knew the kids would be hungry. Goldfish crackers (individual packages), granola bars, bear paws (soft cookies), raisons, trail mix... that is all coming to mind right now. We were 2 adults and 3 kids under 10 and we ate for about $40 give or take at QS... we could have prob done it a bit cheaper with splitting meals but we were happy that the kids got milk and some fruit with most of theri meals.

 

[kymom99]

If you use rigid containers like gladware you can really pack just about anything. Fruit and cheese, hummus, cold chicken, veggies...
Not at Disney but when going on day trips, My mom used to fry chicken and put it hot into a cooler. We would tailgate before it was the in thing to do.

 

[jsmla]

Unless I have a Dining Plan I bring in a lunch more often than not

Pasta salad holds up really well. I add the dressing when I'm ready to eat. For variety I do Italian, Greek and Southwest style salads

Hummus with pita, carrots and cherry tomatoes. Sometimes I have grilled chicken tenderloin strips as well.

Cheese, fruit, good bread. I figure I'm already ahead of the game with a packed lunch so I splurge on the cheese and bread. DH likes to add salami.

Wraps and filled pitas work well too.

I save the salad dressing and condiment packets whenever I get a take out at home for use in the parks. It makes brown bagging easier.

At home I have homemade but the single serve containers of hummus and guacamole are staples for me in the parks.

With our kids it helped if I threw in a usually "forbidden" treat or two. I didn't allow much junk food (chips, packaged cakes and cookies, etc.) at home and would buy a pack of Dunkaroos (Are those still around?) or Pringles as a special treat.



Bon Appetit!

 

[jeepnjudy]

We also bring things like different types of nuts to snack on (almonds, pecans, cashews, etc...). For lunches the kids like PBJ but DH and I bring in stuff like chicken salad made back in the room to eat for lunch. We also will bring in sandwiches.

 

[kymom99]

I agree about getting good meats, etc. when we are on vacation if I buy groceries I will buy boars head because it still saves money but it feels like a treat at the same time.

 

[dromio42]

We bring foil packets of Tuna, mayo and relish packets, crackers and a collapsible Tupperware to mix it in. We also bring 'refrigerate after opening' hard salami and cheese and crackers or buy a baguette in'France".

 

[DawnM]

Well, I won't be a whole lot of help because we DO take sandwiches.

But we also take:

Granola bars
Trail Mix
string cheese
crackers w/ PB or pimento cheese
snack pack cookies and crackers
sliced cucumbers/carrot sticks/celery
Applesauce (ind. size) or fruit cups
whole fruit like apples and bananas

 

[MommaBerd]

I haven't taken this in to a park, but I like to make buffalo chicken wraps. We take grilled chicken strips (I buy them at Costco) and mix in some Frank's buffalo sauce, I spread some ranch (and I bet blue cheese would be good, too) on the wrap and add shredded lettuce and tomato. YUM! My kids won't eat them, but DH and I sure love them! If I were to take these on the go, I'd separate all the ingredients and assemble there. But, that may be too much work/too many containers.

Here's a yummy recipe for a pasta salad that my kids DO eat:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/pizza-pasta-salad-92161.aspx

I have some modifications: I usually have grated mozzarella on hand (again, Costco) and will use that instead of the Italian Five Cheese blend (and I'm generous with the cheese), dried basil instead of fresh, and add salt to taste. At one time, Kraft made a Roasted Red Pepper with Parm Cheese dressing - and that was in the original recipe - but I haven't been able to find it in my stores lately.

 

[Disneypapa]

Sandwiches, chips, cookies and water/soda. Pretty much the standard stuff. We eat nearly all breakfast meals in the room.

 

[jodim]

We are going in a few weeks and I plan on eating a big breakfast before we leave and eating dinner back at the house half the time, with character meals the other dinners. We are staying off property though.

For lunch I am bringing our food most every day since we wont need big meals for lunch....
I plan on taking a bunch of those foil tuna packs (different flavors) with mayo and relish packets along with crackers.
Grilled chicken strips in a disposable container, cut up veggies and fruit. I will more than likely bring some grilled turkey a few days too.
I'm going to cook a pork shoulder and shred it and put it in containers... should be 2 lunches for us. I will put some butter and seasonings in one container and bbq sauce in the other. I'm going to try to plan it around our trip to epcot so we can get bread in france but if not we will bring crackers or tortillas to eat them with.

Last time we pretty much did uncrustables and frozen gogurt tubes along with a bunch of snack packs of junk. This time I have changed the way I eat so we are trying to do as low carb as possible...

 

[Stephanator]

* I've taken bagel sandwiches with cream cheese & turkey as bagels seem to hold up better than normal bread.
* I enjoy "adult lunchable" where I take some sliced lunch meat, pepperoni, salami, cheese, hard boiled egg, crackers, pickles, olives, etc...

 

[osopecoso]

Question for all those who bring all this food into the parks. Isn't it a little excessive to bring all of this food in like tuna fish, chicken salad, lunch meats. Why not budget into the trip to dine in the parks or get the dining plan. Also, where are all these meals eaten. Do you go into a quick serve restaurant and use those tables or sit outside in the heat and eat the meals?

 

[tobikaye]

Why not budget into the trip to dine in the parks or get the dining plan.

I have not brought in full meals yet, but I have considered doing so. I usually bring in a number of snacks to have throughout the day. The meal plan does not work for me as I do not eat the way it is set up so it would be a waste of money. For me the cost is not the issue, it is the options available without having to go to three different CS or QS locations to make a meal I would actually enjoy eating.

I find most CS meals too heavy for lunch day after day. I would be happy with a rotisserie chicken wrap with a side of fresh sliced apples, carrots and celery. (I do not like the packaged apple slices or carrots that WDW gives out with kids meals.) I know that there are carts in each park where I can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, but I am not paying to get one banana when I could get a bunch for the same price.

Also, where are all these meals eaten. Do you go into a quick serve restaurant and use those tables or sit outside in the heat and eat the meals?

I usually eat my snacks while waiting for an outdoor show or parade and would likely eat my lunch in the same manner. I know that I have gotten meals in WS and ate them along the concrete walls along the water. Eating outside in the heat at WDW is no different than eating outside in the heat during a cook out or picnic anywhere else.

 

[osopecoso]

I have not brought in full meals yet, but I have considered doing so. I usually bring in a number of snacks to have throughout the day. The meal plan does not work for me as I do not eat the way it is set up so it would be a waste of money. For me the cost is not the issue, it is the options available without having to go to three different CS or QS locations to make a meal I would actually enjoy eating.

I find most CS meals too heavy for lunch day after day. I would be happy with a rotisserie chicken wrap with a side of fresh sliced apples, carrots and celery. (I do not like the packaged apple slices or carrots that WDW gives out with kids meals.) I know that there are carts in each park where I can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, but I am not paying to get one banana when I could get a bunch for the same price.



I usually eat my snacks while waiting for an outdoor show or parade and would likely eat my lunch in the same manner. I know that I have gotten meals in WS and ate them along the concrete walls along the water. Eating outside in the heat at WDW is no different than eating outside in the heat during a cook out or picnic anywhere else.

I get ya. Just curious if those guests that bring in their own meals use the quick service tables inside.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Question for all those who bring all this food into the parks. Isn't it a little excessive to bring all of this food in like tuna fish, chicken salad, lunch meats. Why not budget into the trip to dine in the parks or get the dining plan. Also, where are all these meals eaten. Do you go into a quick serve restaurant and use those tables or sit outside in the heat and eat the meals?

I can answer that (although I don't usually bring meals - only snacks/drinks)...$15 CS x 6 adults = $90. One meal of sandwiches and fruit is both healthier and probably $15 for 6 adults (max). Multiply that by 2 meals per day and 7 days and you are saving $1050 just by bringing 2 meals a day instead of eating CS. That can be the difference between taking a Disney vacation and staying home (particularly since 4 day tickets for 6 adults would be over $2000 just for that)...

It's like asking why some folks brew their own coffee with grounds, some use Kcups, and some hit Starbucks every morning...everyone wants the coffee and some can afford the uber-convenience of Starbucks and still have it and some have to do more work for it to have it at all...

 

[carolnog]

I always pack baby carrots and apples, they are fulfilling and keep us going, eating while in lines. Granola bars and nuts are sometimes in my bag, as the occasional chip bag.

 

[jsmla]

Question for all those who bring all this food into the parks. Isn't it a little excessive to bring all of this food in like tuna fish, chicken salad, lunch meats. Why not budget into the trip to dine in the parks or get the dining plan. Also, where are all these meals eaten. Do you go into a quick serve restaurant and use those tables or sit outside in the heat and eat the meals?

I've been packing lunches for the parks since the early '90s. There were very few (if any) healthier options for kids back then and food was very pricey. We were doing well to afford the trip at all and I was pretty strict about our kids' diets. I was not about to feed them hot dogs and day-glo mac and cheese every day. There were daily treats and we always did a few character meals but for day to day eating we pretty much stuck to packed lunches or having meals in the camper back at at Ft. Wilderness.

We usually ate while waiting for parades and shows. Now that it's just me I will eat inside a less popular QS venue but I purchase a drink or side, eat early and, at 11:00 AM, am often the only diner in the place. I go in the off season and have never seen spots like the outdoor dining at Liberty Inn, Tortuga Tavern, Tomorrowland Terrace or Backlot Express even 1/4 full, they're usually empty. I certainly don't see poor families with loaded trays hopelessly circling the restaurant as they search for an available spot.

The kids are grown now and we no longer have to pack in food for financial reasons. After several trips on the dining plan I've realized that I just prefer to brownbag it. With a few exceptions, I'm not a huge fan of the Disney eats and am definitely don't like spending $$ on them, especially if it's just me. DH prefers eating out if we're in a park at mealtime when he's along but I am often solo these days. The stuff I pack is of higher quality at a significantly lower price.

 

[wbh1964]

I have made rice crispy treats with all kinds of cereal like cinn toast crunch, fruity pebbles, etc...cut and put in cheap baggies.
We make our own trail mix or salty chip mix and maybe buy just a burger but take our own drinks/water with crystal light packets.
For bfast, I take our waffle maker and make waffles each morning in the room...works GREAT but takes a little planning

 

[dreiwhit]

Sandwiches, chips, cookies and water/soda. Pretty much the standard stuff. We eat nearly all breakfast meals in the room.

We do the same - nothing really fancy. But that's pretty much what we eat at home for lunch.

We will do one QS meal a day, and we eat breakfast in our condo.