What food do you bring?

[njpsteacher]

We are on a strict budget this year and somehow squeeeeezed in a weekend disney visit 6 weeks after our normal vacation. Trying to keep costs low we are bringing down bread for pb&j and I've packed some of those tuna packs with crackers they sell. What do others bring down for lunch or dinner when bringing your own food? We've always brought our own snacks and drinks but this time we are trying to stretch it even more with replacing some lunch dinner costs. Tia

 

[Rose23]

If you are going to keep a cooler in your vehicle in the parking lot, you can bring bologna, ham, turkey, salad fixings, cream cheese, chopped veggies, etc. as long as you keep your ice pack in the cooler.

Other items you would not need a cooler for are cup-a-soup or bowl-o-noodles; you will need to have a thermos with hot water though. Breakfast is easier to skimp on, i.e. pop tarts, bagels, fruit.

Ordering a pizza is pretty economical also, not to mention a McDonalds run (there's one near Blizzard Beach and Downtown Disney). If you do not have a car, you could take the bus to Downtown Disney and walk down Hotel Plaza Boulevard to some of the chain restaurants there, i.e. Perkins, Taco Bell, McDs, Olive Garden, BWs (bucket of wings pretty cheap here), Giordano's, etc. The walk is about 20 minutes from Downtown Disney.

Earl of Sandwich was reasonable in Downtown Disney and the Mexican fast food outdoor eatery in Epcot (across from Mexico pavilion) was very economical with generous portions that can be shared.

Have fun!

 

[maplevale]

Shelf stable milk/chocolate milk (bonus is they are twist top so you can actually start one, put the lid back on and throw it in a bag)

high protein granola bars

Cheese strings (I refrigerate but they are safe to be at room temperature for a few hours)

Drinks (water, juice, pop)

I haven't done this for Disney but for other trips. When we vacation we tend to eat 2 meals (late breakfast and early dinner) when we eat out. Sometimes it's actually cheaper then the constant snacking (for Great wolf lodge I spent over $100 on snacks for 3 days - pretty sure we could have done pizza and subs for less!!)

 

[Canooknic]

We do big breakfast, early supper with our boys.

When we were at POR this year we bought fruit at the food court every night and then hubby went back every morning to get fresh muffins or bagels and brought them back to the room for us to eat while getting ready (we bought the fruit the night before to save the kids from 'staaaaaarving' when they woke up!)

I always have granola bars or mini cookies in my bag so carried those to the parks just in case they started to lag in the afternoon.

We spent (I can't remember exact numbers) but about $700-750 on food for 4 of us for 8 days. I always buy just enough for everyone and then if anyone wants more we can get it (never happened) rather than spending the extra money for the sake of it.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

We use to bring all kinds of things. We would pack a cooler and count it as baggage. Now we all have milage cards and got 3 free bags each.

I would pack any food that I knew DS would eat specifically for him. I also would back a case of water and check it as baggage. Oh the teasing I got from TSA about my water. But at over $3 a bottle in the park, laugh all you want.

Peanut butter, jelly, cheese, crackers, cereal, bread, candies, granola bars. At one time I would freeze meals and put them in the cooler, then bring along our crock pot. Now this was for our stay at a DVC.

Good luck, there is also grocery delivery service.

 

[DSNY4ever]

We have to fly so we never have a cooler, and this last time we did a grocery delivery. PB&J is easy, string cheese (if you eat it early), granola bars, trail mix, yogurt (we usually ate in the room), crackers, reusable water bottles, fruit (apples are easy...make sure bananas don get smashed!), mandarins, or fruit cups, apple sauce cups. Sharing a meal is also great. In the mornings- muffins, cereal, bagels, fruit, instant oatmeal if you have a microwave.

 

[squirrel]

Oatmeal-use the coffeemaker to heat the water or go down to the food court and get some.

Cereal with milk and some fruit.

Toast- use the food courts toaster.

 

[amberche]

I am going to be traveling to Disney very soon, and I'd like to take some food with me. What kinds of food are okay to put in your checked bags on the airplane?

Thanks!

 

[squirrel]

I am going to be traveling to Disney very soon, and I'd like to take some food with me. What kinds of food are okay to put in your checked bags on the airplane?

Thanks!

I think you can take anything in your checked bag.

I put the applesauce pouches in, granola/cereal bars, oatmeal pkgs, box of Cheerios, dried fruit, fruit bits (fruit snacks with 100% fruit). If you pack juice boxes I would also put them in a Ziplock (wouldn't want a mess if one leaked).