Tips on Packing Food & Stuff

[JerseyMamaBear]

Water: have it shipped from an online store like staples to your resort. Shipping can be a bit pricey ($7-8) but well worth it.

Soap: We filled up a 30z travel size shampoo container and it worked perfect.

Snacks: Try for the center of your suitcase and if all else fails, ship a goody box to the hotel to arrive before you get there.

 

[bowne90]

When we went to WDW a few years back, we packed a separate bag for food. We packed poptarts, granola bars, fruit snacks, juice boxes, etc. We left everything in its original boxes. I tried not to pack things that would get squished. I also took those packets that you can add to bottled water to make lemonade, etc. They are great for carrying to the park.

 

[DonaldDuckFamily]

What about having GardenGrocer deliver water. You can bring some water bottles and purchase a 3 liter Easy Pour Bottle for $1.59. If your order from them is less than $200 then there is a $12 delivery fee, but this was cheaper than purchasing water at the park or resort. We also order bread, soda and fresh fruit. We packed a suitcase for just food (peanut butter, jelly, donuts, granola bars, rice krispie treats, juice mixes, etc.) and were able to use it on the way home for souvenirs. After I figured out all I spent on food, for a family of 5, it cost $3 per person/per day for breakfast and lunch. Then we ate out dinner each night using points we accumulated on our Disney Rewards Card.

 

[Ddennis37]

I didn't read every reply but are you flying to Orlando or driving?

We flew in '06 and will be flying in June. We rent a car although we're staying on-site but we do a lot off site and find having a car very useful for us. Our first stop is a WalMart Super Center where we purchase a styrofoam cooler, ice and all the snacks we need: milk, cheese, bread, pop tarts, microwave popcorn, chips, bottled water, chex mix, cereal, etc. We usually carry a small backpack with us to the parks and we bring along water, sandwiches and other snacks plus sunscreen. This helps us save a little money and snack on stuff, usually while standing in line for an attraction.

I even thought about shipping our liquids to our resort a couple days before we fly out since you have to pay for your first checked bag on the airlines and unless you have 3oz tubes, you can't carry that stuff on. But I haven't made up my mind yet. We love taking a break mid day and having food to snack on in our rooms instead of eating out a lot. We'll probably also get some of the single mac and cheese, ravioli's, etc. because you can take them to the food court at our resort and warm them up in the microwave.

 

[KSG'sDisneyMem]

Pack a backpack or other carry on size luggage with your donuts, muffins and other items. That way, you have control over them not getting squished, and not taking up all that space in your luggage. Just use the empty carry on for your souvies to return home with. I do this every time I fly to Orlando.

 

[mreid1974]

We packed breakfast stuff when we went in March.. Bagels and pretzels and donuts stuff like that.. We had a seperate suitcase for this.. The bottom part of a suitcase is usually stronger so you put it on the bottom and put a few clothes over them.. Our bagels and breat and stuff ended up not squished at all.. The best part is on the way back you have a empty suitcase for anything you buy!!!!

 

[jakemel]

We faced this dilemma on our trip last year. I went to target and paid for a refillable water bottle with built in filter. They will give you free cups of ice water in the park at any concessions stand or counter service restaurant. We started out with our bottles filled with ice water from the resort and then just asked for ice water during the day and filled them up. Total cost for three bottles $30 Total cost for ten days worth of water $FREEEEE saved us a fortune! Plus we have the bottles to take back with us this year. Drugstore.com has them for $8.99 with free shipping on orders over $25. Another tip since extra bags are so high to check, ship yourself a package to your resort, they will hold it for you until you arrive. Also check out Gardengrocer.com they will deliver to the resorts for $12 and have pretty much everything you can get at the grocery store, milk, fruit, cereal, juiceboxes, etc. We used an electric hot water pot to heat water for instant oatmeal and hot chocolate in the room for breakfast and took a loaf of bread in a plastic shoe box for pb and j sammies for kids snacks, also packed muffins, pop tarts and snack pack cookies and crackers in the plastic shoe boxes from the dollar tree, just tossed them when we left.