Save money with bring lunch to parks

[Miscoehill]

We just got back yesterday and the biggest thing for us saving some money was bringing our lunches to the parks! One day we bought lunch and it cost $40 for the four us to eat. Yikes! So the rest of the five days we brought sandwiches, chips, snacks and only bought drinks! We did rent a locker for two days $5/day and then we would go back and get it. The other days we just carried it. You can buy an ice cream (at $3-5 a pop) and not worry about it because you saved money with the lunches.

 

[cricket429]

Ouch! $40. It is just myself, DH and DD5 but there is no way we could afford that kind of money for lunch each day. I plan on bringing some things in with us too. If you dont mind me asking, what did you have to eat? Just wondering if that was what it cost for a quick bite at counter service.

 

[Local_Girl]

Cricket429,

This website should give you plenty of info about the prices of meals at WDW:

http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

We haven't brought full lunches in on our past trips (only snacks), though we are considering it for our next trip. We have brought a lunch in a cooler, and kept it in the car...we'd do this on a day we park hopped to save both $$ and time.

 

[kcbean]

How did you pack your lunch when you took it into the parks? Was it in a cooler or backpack, etc. Is Disney OK with us taking lunch into the parks? I have never done it but money is tighter this year so I am considering it. Then where did you eat it? Is there a special place etc.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

we took our lunches too. There were 7 of us and it was a HUGE money saver.
We have an insulated backpack that we used. We took sandwiches in a hard rubbermaid container inside the backpack so they wouldn't squish. We took pringles in the can so they wouldn't squish. We also had apples, raisins, etc .
At MK, we ate over at Tom Sawyer's Island. At Epcot, we ate at the land in the seating area for lunches. We were really on a budget for that trip so that's what we did and it worked well. No, the people who checked our bags said nothing at all about our food.

 

[mowsluver]

My question is....do they really LET you bring sandwiches into the park??? At DL, when we brought some food in, a comment was made about it, and we were told that outside food really wasn't allowed, but they didn't make us get rid of it, or put it in a locker.
So if we bring things in, they won't make a fuss?

 

[kcbean]

We really need to watch over our money on this trip. And food isn't that important to my family so I would love to be able to do this. I plan on doing character meals a couple of times but that is really for atmosphere. If we could do this a few days, it would be great. I didn't even know there was such a thing as an insulated backpack! Does it keep things cool? I am excited about this idea. Please tell more ideas!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

we've never had a problem. No one has said anything to us.

 

[swilshire]

We've taken in all sorts of things and other than jokes, nothing is ever said. Sometimes they make a comment about sharing with them or that somebody must be hungry, but it's always in good fun. Nobody was ever grouchy about it.

I'm sure Disney knows they'll get their "pound of flesh" from us one way or the other.

Sheila

 

[karemore]

We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches since they don't need to be kept cool and it was easy to keep the PB & Jelly in the room!

I used the Glad sandwich sized reusable/disposable containers, so they didn't take up any more room in the backpack then necessary and kept the sandwiches from getting smashed.

We were so thrilled to be sitting next to the castle or whereever that we didn't care we were eating PB&j!

I also packed peanuts, pretzels, apples, crackers, drinks etc. We saved a fortune and still enjoyed a delicious WDW dinner each day. And the Glad containers were wonderful for taking leftovers from park snacks or meals!

No one ever said a word about the food or drinks we took in.

Karen

 

[candykisses]

We were in the bag check line at the MK last year and the family in front of us had food in a backpack. The security guy did tell them that outside food wasn't permitted. He went on with checking the bags and did let the family in, but he reminded them that if they were returning to leave the food at home.

The family had 2 kids with them around 12 to 14 yeas old. The dad and the kids were mortified. When they started to walk away the mom was getting an earful from her family.

 

[swilshire]

candykisses must have found the one grouchy security person at WDW. We went to all four of the parks MANY times last year with our annual passes and never failed to take in some kind of food item. Even if we just went to watch Illuminations, we'd take a box of crackers and sodas to snack on while we waited. On days when we packed a lunch, we had the cooler with lunch meat, mayo, fruit cups, cheese, sodas, juice boxes. We also carried a bag with bread, cookies, chips, etc.

We were there New Years, Spring, Summer, Fall and Christmas and saw no difference with the season.

The bad experience must have been a fluke. Hope it didn't ruin someone's day.

Sheila

 

[Chicago526]

I think WDW will only say something about glass containers (like a Snapple bottle) as glass isn't allowed in to the parks (and this might only be the water parks, I can't remember). Otherwise, I've never heard of anyone being stoped for bringing in food.

 

[bicyclemark]

We always take a back pack with snacks etc. and have never had a problem entering any of the DW parks. We have had a few comments , but all of them have been good natured.

Some of our favorites are dried fruit, pretzels, and cliff bars. This will give us enough that we only need to purchase one meal, lunch or dinner. And the kids are never grumpy because of lack of food. Another big help is taking along our own sports bottles filled with water. Refill as necessary. We have found that eating healthy snacks and drinking plenty water are the best way to keep everyones energy up for a full day, open to close.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

We plan to eat most of our meals in our room. Right now we plan to eat a light breakfast.....muffins, bagels, cereal, fruit. Then pack snacks like crackers, fruit snacks, string cheese, cereal bars, baby carrots, apples, etc for the parks to tide us over. Then eat lunch of PB&J, turkey/ham sandwiches, chips, etc back in the room when we return mid day. Then dinner at a sit down or counter service...depending on the day.

There are 13 of us going. I am renting a car for one day and running to Costco to pick most of our food up. We are at POR, so will have fridges. Bringing along ZipLock bags to store stuff in, like the muffins. They come in a big cardboard tray, so we will transfer them over to gallon zip locks to keep them fresh and out of harms way. We will keep most of this stuff stored in our bags under the bed...again to keep them as safe as possible and just out of the way. The fridge stuff will go in the fridge.

 

[emeraldlover]

That was always one of our biggest concerns about Disney - the cost of food in the parks. If you have lunch even at the lunch counters and just have a burger or chicken fingers, you still run upwards of $10 per person. Then figure, breakfast and dinner also.

So since we are camping at FW, we will of course eat breakfast at the site, we have PS for a couple of dinners, but since we are planning on taking it easy this trip, we will head back to FW for rest and lunch, then head back to the parks.

Considering the price of gas/diesel, we figure most of our money will be spent just travelling back and forth.

 

[MrsPete]

Bringing your lunch is one way to save money on food, but it's not the only way. We don't like to tote lunches in the parks, and we budget $25/counter service meal for our family of four -- we usually spend less. Ideas to consider:

1. Order kids' meals. At Cosmic Ray's you can get chicken nuggets or green salad with chicken for 3.99/meal, and it includes a small drink. These meals are plenty big for all but the biggest eaters, and they're perfect for people who want to have room for a Mickey bar later in the day. A family of four could eat lunch for less than $20 this way. The person at the counter doesn't know or care whether the meals are going to adults or children.

2. Order a double burger and split it in half. Consider the savings: Two people ordering a single burger at Pecos Bill's would pay almost $12; Two people splitting a double burger would pay 7.29 -- five dollars saved! So a family of four could order two double burgers (which come with fries or carrots) and four large sodas for about $22. Both Cosmic Ray's and Pecos Bill's have toppings bars so each person can fix up his burger any way he chooses. Again, the person at the counter doesn't know or care how many people are in your party.

3. Order you items ala carte. Though most of Disney's meals include fries or carrots, you can request that they be left off. This will save about $2 per meal. Since fries are typically served in Holy Roman Empire Size, it makes sense to order one order for two people to share. At a few places (Typhoon Lagoon, for example), kids' meals are served in plastic sand buckets. If you don't want the bucket, you can ask to omit it and save over $2.

4. Skip the sodas. Sodas are the biggest profit item for fast food places. Disney's large sodas are 2.29. A family of four could shave $9 from their lunch bill (and do something healthy for their bodies) by drinking the FREE ice water.

Using this suggestions, you can easily feed a family of four for about $20.

 

[cricket429]

Great suggestions MrsPete. I know we definately plan to meal share and order off the kids menu. Any money saving ideas are appreciated. I also like the idea of the glad disposable sandwich containers for my dd PB&J instead of baggies. Like that it wont get squished and have a container for leftovers.

 

[Disneefun]

A thought if you don't want to worry about toting food into the parks, but still save money....

Why not eat the sadwiches in your room at night and have your sit down meal at lunch? Some restaurants even have cheaper prices for the lunch menu. We do this and find is saves more $$$ because we eat off the cheaper lunch menu and then we go back to the hotel at night and eat our sandwiches. We don't have to worry about anyone saying anything about bringing food into the parks and we don't have to tote it around or pay for lockers (saving even more $$$). Plus, we're not as full at night so we can sleep!!!!

 

[Lewisc]

Coolers are officially allowed in the water parks. No glass and no alcoholic beverages.

AFAIK the guards in the theme parks are pretty lax unless guests go overboard with large coolers. Snacks and sandwiches generally seem to be OK. No glass bottles.