Is it legal or not to bring outside food to theme parks?

[seema]

Obviously, this strategy will be the most cost-effective way of eating in the theme parks.

But is it legal or not?
Will our food be confiscated by security, if we were to attempt to bring meals (ie sandwiches) from the outside?

 

[jormom1030]

At WDW you can bring food into the park.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Obviously, this strategy will be the most cost-effective way of eating in the theme parks.

But is it legal or not?
Will our food be confiscated by security, if we were to attempt to bring meals (ie sandwiches) from the outside?

From Disney's website:

 

[Klayfish]

We never eat our meals in the parks, we bring everything in. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Full dinner for 5, including meal, sides, dessert and drinks. No problem whatsoever. Saves us a ridiculous amount of money. We literally spend 10x less than what most do.

 

[Lvsdisney]

I think the only restriction is cooler size.

 

[Lain]

I mean, it's not against the law so it's not illegal. It's also not against the rules.

 

[osopecoso]

We never eat our meals in the parks, we bring everything in. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Full dinner for 5, including meal, sides, dessert and drinks. No problem whatsoever. Saves us a ridiculous amount of money. We literally spend 10x less than what most do.

How do you heat up the meals?

 

[FigmentFinder]

Will our food be confiscated by security, if we were to attempt to bring meals (ie sandwiches) from the outside?

Only if they are very hungry.


Unlike most theme parks, Six Flags especially, Disney does not prohibit outside food. I think the only important restriction is no glass, unless it is babyfood. Also, you can't bring a rolling cooler. So be prepared to carry/stroller/locker any coolers you bring.

Disney doesn't have a box that you cooler needs to fit into. I'm looking at you Sesame Place.

 

[supersnoop]

Also, you can't bring a rolling cooler. So be prepared to carry/stroller/locker any coolers you bring.

Rolling coolers are actually specifically allowed as long as try fit within the dimensions.

 

[Smittolis]

This is the advantage of having a stroller.... strap it to the lower part of the rear frame! I find that it's not necessarily the food that is the big cost, but more so the drinks and refreshment snacks to help stay cool. Taking gatorade, ice water, cool snacks in an ice cooler really does save a lot of money! Costco has some good deals on foldable coolers and when i was in there last week they had an interesting 'backpack' cooler that had some serious insulation. Both were $20

 

[FigmentFinder]

Rolling coolers are actually specifically allowed as long as try fit within the dimensions.

From Disney website - Suitcases, coolers or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" (61 cm) long x 15" (38 cm) wide x 18" (46 cm) high. Coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations.

I guess you could bring a very small rolling cooler, but whether a cast member gives you a hard time is the question. My husband brought a rolling backpack once; he was told by a CM he could not drag it behind him. It was definitely within those size limits.

 

[sk!mom]

We never eat our meals in the parks, we bring everything in. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Full dinner for 5, including meal, sides, dessert and drinks. No problem whatsoever. Saves us a ridiculous amount of money. We literally spend 10x less than what most do.

What kinds of things do you bring for a full meal. All I can think of is sandwiches and fruit so I'm genuinely interested.

 

[scrapquitler]

Obviously, this strategy will be the most cost-effective way of eating in the theme parks.

But is it legal or not?
Will our food be confiscated by security, if we were to attempt to bring meals (ie sandwiches) from the outside?

You can bring food into the parks at Disney. The rules that you need to remember: no rolling coolers, no glass containers and no alcohol.

 

[Klayfish]

What kinds of things do you bring for a full meal. All I can think of is sandwiches and fruit so I'm genuinely interested.

Our meals will look something like this (obviously some variety, but this is an example)…

DW – she has a salad. Usually spring greens and boneless skinless chicken breast. She also packs a very specific number of almonds.

Me – I’ll use the same chicken DW does, but just cut it up and put it in a small Thermos (the size of a large coffee mug). Maybe add some BBQ sauce on top. I also have some veggies such as baby carrots, peas, corn, etc…again put in a small Thermos

Kids – Depends if we’re buying them dessert or not. If we are, then it’ll be the same boneless/skinless chicken. If we aren’t buying dessert, we may let them have nuggets or HotPockets. We’re health nuts, but we’re on vacation, so we relax the rules some. Maybe add some mac and cheese or pasta. Always veggies, the ones they share with me…you’d be amazed how much peas can fit in a Thermos.

Drinks – at home, we let the kids have one soda per week, and it’s always diet caffeine free. We stick to the diet caffeine free rule, but we let them have a soda every dinner while on vacation. DW and I will have sodas too, usually two each. So we wind up packing 6 or 7 cans...though sometimes DW will just bring zero cal packets and flavor some water.

How do we keep it hot? A lot of it is supposed to be cold, so we don’t heat that. But things we want to stay warm like nuggets or HotPockets will go in the Thermos after we heat them at the condo. We put those in our canvas bag. While they aren’t piping hot by time dinner comes, they’re still warm. For the cold stuff, we have a very large soft sided insulated cooler bag. I also have a bunch of large ice packs. I line the bottom of the bag with ice packs. We keep the sodas in the fridge in the condo, so they start out ice cold too. So even in the summer heat, our cold food will stay fridge cold for at least 4-5 hours, easily.

Lunches will be a bit more simplistic. PB&J for the kids, or maybe deli meat sandwiches. Same for me. DW has her salad (she’s hard core). A bunch of fruit, some chips/pretzels for the kids, some midday snacks such as peanuts, cheese sticks, protein bars and we’re good to go. We don’t bring drinks in for lunch, just use the free ice water at QS places.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t. When we make meat, we cook in bulk. Just throw 8lbs of plain chicken in the oven and let it cook while we’re relaxing. At the same time, make a 5lb roast in the crockpot. That meat will last us many, many days. DW and I have the packing and prep down to a science. She has her “jobs”, I have mine. We can get fully prepared to go in 15 minutes, no sweat. We do it as we’re having our morning coffee and getting ready for the day, very easy.

It saves us so much money, it’s all worth it. I read about people spending $50/person/day, many spend more. We’re a family of 5, so that would be $250/day. We were just there for 17 days, so that would have meant spending $4250 on food. Maybe more. I didn’t save our grocery receipts, but I’m very confident our total grocery store bill was $400-$500. Add in about $100 worth of desserts. We did eat out twice, off property, each bill there was about $75. So our complete and total food spend was around $650-$750.

Wheeled coolers aren’t supposed to be allowed in the parks, but we saw plenty of them. We tried it out once a few years ago and didn’t like it at all, so we went back to our bag.

 

[penn19]

Our meals will look something like this (obviously some variety, but this is an example)…

DW – she has a salad. Usually spring greens and boneless skinless chicken breast. She also packs a very specific number of almonds.

Me – I’ll use the same chicken DW does, but just cut it up and put it in a small Thermos (the size of a large coffee mug). Maybe add some BBQ sauce on top. I also have some veggies such as baby carrots, peas, corn, etc…again put in a small Thermos

Kids – Depends if we’re buying them dessert or not. If we are, then it’ll be the same boneless/skinless chicken. If we aren’t buying dessert, we may let them have nuggets or HotPockets. We’re health nuts, but we’re on vacation, so we relax the rules some. Maybe add some mac and cheese or pasta. Always veggies, the ones they share with me…you’d be amazed how much peas can fit in a Thermos.

Drinks – at home, we let the kids have one soda per week, and it’s always diet caffeine free. We stick to the diet caffeine free rule, but we let them have a soda every dinner while on vacation. DW and I will have sodas too, usually two each. So we wind up packing 6 or 7 cans...though sometimes DW will just bring zero cal packets and flavor some water.

How do we keep it hot? A lot of it is supposed to be cold, so we don’t heat that. But things we want to stay warm like nuggets or HotPockets will go in the Thermos after we heat them at the condo. We put those in our canvas bag. While they aren’t piping hot by time dinner comes, they’re still warm. For the cold stuff, we have a very large soft sided insulated cooler bag. I also have a bunch of large ice packs. I line the bottom of the bag with ice packs. We keep the sodas in the fridge in the condo, so they start out ice cold too. So even in the summer heat, our cold food will stay fridge cold for at least 4-5 hours, easily.

Lunches will be a bit more simplistic. PB&J for the kids, or maybe deli meat sandwiches. Same for me. DW has her salad (she’s hard core). A bunch of fruit, some chips/pretzels for the kids, some midday snacks such as peanuts, cheese sticks, protein bars and we’re good to go. We don’t bring drinks in for lunch, just use the free ice water at QS places.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t. When we make meat, we cook in bulk. Just throw 8lbs of plain chicken in the oven and let it cook while we’re relaxing. At the same time, make a 5lb roast in the crockpot. That meat will last us many, many days. DW and I have the packing and prep down to a science. She has her “jobs”, I have mine. We can get fully prepared to go in 15 minutes, no sweat. We do it as we’re having our morning coffee and getting ready for the day, very easy.

It saves us so much money, it’s all worth it. I read about people spending $50/person/day, many spend more. We’re a family of 5, so that would be $250/day. We were just there for 17 days, so that would have meant spending $4250 on food. Maybe more. I didn’t save our grocery receipts, but I’m very confident our total grocery store bill was $400-$500. Add in about $100 worth of desserts. We did eat out twice, off property, each bill there was about $75. So our complete and total food spend was around $650-$750.

Wheeled coolers aren’t supposed to be allowed in the parks, but we saw plenty of them. We tried it out once a few years ago and didn’t like it at all, so we went back to our bag.

I admire your commitment! I am a picky eater but like chicken etc. I just can't get my husband onboard so it makes it very difficult to do. Or maybe I'm just making excuses!

 

[richierich2323]

Also, remember that water is free inside of Disney. So you can get a cold drink of water and then bring your own flavoring pack (our kids like lemonade).

That will save some room in your backpack since you won't have to carry a drink. I am also going to try one of those camelpak's this trip

 

[seema]

1. Any microwaves in the theme parks, for the public?
2. Where does one get the free water? Water fountains? From take out food counters?

 

[kymom99]

1. Any microwaves in the theme parks, for the public?
2. Where does one get the free water? Water fountains? From take out food counters?

Any counter service will give you a cup of ice and water, as far as I know.

I don't know if any microwaves. They don't want to make it too easy.

 

[Kaytie]

No. No microwaves. Best to take tips from the Klayfish family, or just opt for no heat needed foods.

 

[Superchikk]

Our meals will look something like this (obviously some variety, but this is an example)…

DW – she has a salad. Usually spring greens and boneless skinless chicken breast. She also packs a very specific number of almonds.

Me – I’ll use the same chicken DW does, but just cut it up and put it in a small Thermos (the size of a large coffee mug). Maybe add some BBQ sauce on top. I also have some veggies such as baby carrots, peas, corn, etc…again put in a small Thermos

Kids – Depends if we’re buying them dessert or not. If we are, then it’ll be the same boneless/skinless chicken. If we aren’t buying dessert, we may let them have nuggets or HotPockets. We’re health nuts, but we’re on vacation, so we relax the rules some. Maybe add some mac and cheese or pasta. Always veggies, the ones they share with me…you’d be amazed how much peas can fit in a Thermos.

Drinks – at home, we let the kids have one soda per week, and it’s always diet caffeine free. We stick to the diet caffeine free rule, but we let them have a soda every dinner while on vacation. DW and I will have sodas too, usually two each. So we wind up packing 6 or 7 cans...though sometimes DW will just bring zero cal packets and flavor some water.

How do we keep it hot? A lot of it is supposed to be cold, so we don’t heat that. But things we want to stay warm like nuggets or HotPockets will go in the Thermos after we heat them at the condo. We put those in our canvas bag. While they aren’t piping hot by time dinner comes, they’re still warm. For the cold stuff, we have a very large soft sided insulated cooler bag. I also have a bunch of large ice packs. I line the bottom of the bag with ice packs. We keep the sodas in the fridge in the condo, so they start out ice cold too. So even in the summer heat, our cold food will stay fridge cold for at least 4-5 hours, easily.

Lunches will be a bit more simplistic. PB&J for the kids, or maybe deli meat sandwiches. Same for me. DW has her salad (she’s hard core). A bunch of fruit, some chips/pretzels for the kids, some midday snacks such as peanuts, cheese sticks, protein bars and we’re good to go. We don’t bring drinks in for lunch, just use the free ice water at QS places.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t. When we make meat, we cook in bulk. Just throw 8lbs of plain chicken in the oven and let it cook while we’re relaxing. At the same time, make a 5lb roast in the crockpot. That meat will last us many, many days. DW and I have the packing and prep down to a science. She has her “jobs”, I have mine. We can get fully prepared to go in 15 minutes, no sweat. We do it as we’re having our morning coffee and getting ready for the day, very easy.

It saves us so much money, it’s all worth it. I read about people spending $50/person/day, many spend more. We’re a family of 5, so that would be $250/day. We were just there for 17 days, so that would have meant spending $4250 on food. Maybe more. I didn’t save our grocery receipts, but I’m very confident our total grocery store bill was $400-$500. Add in about $100 worth of desserts. We did eat out twice, off property, each bill there was about $75. So our complete and total food spend was around $650-$750.

Wheeled coolers aren’t supposed to be allowed in the parks, but we saw plenty of them. We tried it out once a few years ago and didn’t like it at all, so we went back to our bag.

You guys have it down! I loathe packing lunches, but this past year we started using the same Thermos trick for my kids' lunches. We eat pretty healthy too, and my kids would rather take chicken, homemade mac & cheese, soup, or something like that than have cold lunches. The "soup" Thermos containers are awesome for things like this. We would pre-heat them by filling with hot water for a few minutes so the food would stay hot longer. The kids said they could tell the difference when we did this and when we didn't.

For in the parks though, we've always had to have a stroller. So I would take snacks & cold bottled water in a collapsible lunch cooler in our backpack and just leave it in the stroller. With younger kids who think they're going to wither away and DIE if they don't eat every 2 hours, it was just easier to have things at the ready. My husband would much prefer to not pack and haul lunches, so we typically eat breakfast in our room and splurge on park/resort meals for lunch and dinner. We have bottled water, fruit, and snacks in our room for the in-between times. But we have never spent the "average" amount - perhaps because my kids sometimes share a meal, and I'll sometimes order off the kids menu as well. There's no need to kill ourselves with food... we'd much rather spend our time touring than eating!