Taking your own food to parks??

[littledream76]

WE were thinking of this time at least for one of the days to pick up some sandwiches from subway and take them to the park. does anyone else take their own food?? it gets so pricey if u buy food at the parks everyday.

 

[sukaryan]

when we went in 2000 we brought our own food for lunch, snacks and a gallon of water for the day. And we drank it all! I believe i saw a link on the dis boards to WDW policy page on the internet. I dont believe they allow big coolers, but food and drinks are allowed, just no glass bottles. Sorry, i dont know where the link is. i am planning on printing it out and bringing it with me just in case, when we go next week.

 

[Lori1960]

It all depends on when you are going and if you are having mayo on sandwhich.Its not a good idea of having mayo or eggs in the heat.I also didnt bring food just something else to carry around.I know MK has lockers but they are in front of MK so I would have to leave what i'am doing and go back to the front of mK and get my food out of the locker which is a hassle so I would buy food at the parks

 

[JACH1976]

We brought drinks, lunch and snacks (in a soft-sided cooler) almost every day. Both my kids are picky eaters (one has Aspergers, the other is just a 2 yr old ) and having familiar foods made a real difference- kept the temper tantrums to a minimum too!

 

[frostymom]

Our boys were in a stroller and we took a soft cooler with us full of ice and drinks and one day Chick fil a wraps! Love the Subway idea too. We are on the DDP this year so we will not be bringing our own lunch. I think bringing your own is better than some of the counter service we got for 2x the money.

We stuck our cooler under the stroller so it was not so much of a hardship.

 

[Beauty908]

I brought a soft-sided lunch bag with me. Also, make a trip to a grocery store once you get to Orlando. I bought nuts, stuff to make PB&J since it lasts, fruit cups, and juice boxes. You can ask counter service places for cups of ice to make it cold and use thier plastic silverware.

If you want to eat some meals in the park but not splurge--try splitting meals. I recommend ordering an extra bun with a cheese burger meal--they have a button for that! Also, as an adult, you can order kid's meals at counter service restarants. You still get a lot of food--it includes a smaller portion of an entree, and then two choices for a side (fruit, cookie, etc) and a drink--not a bad deal

 

[rxsuperwoman]

I don't see anything wrong with that. Especially the really small one's . Some pretzel or juice box. Maybe a sandwich for later in the day.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I talked with a family last year who brought in their lunch and dinner. I posted it in another thread awhile ago but I don't remember exactly what they brought other than the fried chicken for dinner. Yum.

They put it in a soft sided cooler with ice packs and kept it in a locker until they needed it.
I was sitting next to them while they were eating and it looked delicious which was what got me started talking to them.

We saw plenty of people who had brought in their own food in June 2009.

 

[Serling126]

Yep we will be bringing some of our own food too. I am trying to remember that is still a vacation and I do not want to be stuck worrying about making food all the time, though. We have a couple of special TS meals planned and I have a list of inexpensive restaurants outside Disney that we will probably check out (we are not staying on site). But on the days we do not have TS meals we will be bringing a small cooler in the park with snacks, sandwiches, drinks, etc. It will definitely help cut down on costs. On the days we have our TS lunches, I figure we will not be up for a big dinner so we will do a heat-and-eat dinner made in the microwave in our hotel room

 

[Carolina_Girl]

So soft-sided coolers are allowed inside the MK? Is there a size limit?

 

[Derby4me]

Here is what the Dis website lists under "Cooler Policy":

Theme Parks:
Full size coolers whether with or without wheels are not permitted
Coolers smaller than 24"L x 15"W x 18"H (the size of the large lockers) are allowed
Neither glass or alcoholic beverages are permitted

Water Parks:
Coolers are permitted, including those with wheels
Neither glass or alcoholic beverages are allowed
No cooler storage is available
Wagons are not permitted

We will probably bring in some of our own meals also. I find Disney's counter service so-so. I could bring something in that will taste MUCH better and be less expensive.

 

[Luvchefmic]

WE were thinking of this time at least for one of the days to pick up some sandwiches from subway and take them to the park. does anyone else take their own food?? it gets so pricey if u buy food at the parks everyday.

For 25 yrs I have always brought food into the parks..1st trip w DD's I almost had them convinced the CS was for the families of the Castmembers only...occassional Dole Whip Character Meals for sure...but pay $$$$$$ for regular meals snax in parks..not me

 

[Carolina_Girl]

Here is what the Dis website lists under "Cooler Policy":

Theme Parks:
Full size coolers whether with or without wheels are not permitted
Coolers smaller than 24"L x 15"W x 18"H (the size of the large lockers) are allowed
Neither glass or alcoholic beverages are permitted

Water Parks:
Coolers are permitted, including those with wheels
Neither glass or alcoholic beverages are allowed
No cooler storage is available
Wagons are not permitted

We will probably bring in some of our own meals also. I find Disney's counter service so-so. I could bring something in that will taste MUCH better and be less expensive.

Thanks for the info!

 

[littledream76]

thank you for all the info!!!!!!

 

[Carolina_Girl]

So if you have a soft-sided cooler that is allowable, do you carry it with you all day or do you rent a locker for it?

 

[LuvBug1977]

Yes a soft sided cooler is allowable. We stuck ours in a backpack to make it easier to carry, but you could rent a locker if you liked.

 

[Beauty908]

So if you have a soft-sided cooler that is allowable, do you carry it with you all day or do you rent a locker for it?

Since mine was like one you would take a lunch in for school or a field trip, i just carried it in my bookbag.

 

[issysmommy]

Frozen peas or corn in a zip lock are a cheap ice pack that you can throw away easily. And the dollar stores sell dollar lunch bags.

 

[skiingfast]

I always eat poptarts in the morning as I walk into the park. Snickers or M&Ms are on sale in the gorcery store for 50 or 66 cents and fit in your pocket.