At Disney Food Blog, we are obviously HUGE fans of dining at the Walt Disney World restaurants. But there may be times when, due to budgetary, medical, religious, or other restrictions, you may want or need to bring your own food into the parks with you.

You Can Bring Snacks!

Here are 13 typical questions and answers about having non-Disney food at Disney.

Am I allowed to bring my own food and/or beverage into the parks?

Yes, with limited exceptions.

Exceptions? What exceptions?

The Walt Disney World website states that you are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages or glass containers into the parks. Glass baby food jars are allowed. Guests also may not bring loose ice or dry ice in their coolers.

©️Disney

Food that requires heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration, or temperature control is not allowed. Now, they won’t make you toss out that cold slice of pizza because that doesn’t require heating — but you might not have luck trying to get a pack of raw ground beef in (not that you would). Items with “pungent odors” are also prohibited.

But what about the security checkpoints?

They’re looking for weapons and things of that nature. They will not question your consumables unless they’re alcohol or in a glass container. Note, however, that the Disney website does say “Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the park.”

Security Screening

In our many hundreds of park admissions, the item we’ve personally seen confiscated at the security checkpoint was a bottle of Heineken, which obviously failed both the alcohol and glass tests.

There are no limits on the quantity of food I can bring to the parks? Really?

It’s correct that there are no specific limits on how much food you can bring with you into the parks. You’re not limited to just snacks or just a water bottle; a full lunch of sandwiches, fruit, dessert, etc. is fine.

However (and this is a big however), there ARE limits on the size of the container you can use to carry your food into the park. No box, cooler, bag, or other containers larger than 24″ long x 15″ wide x 18″ high are allowed into the parks as a food receptacle, or for any other purpose. This means that you’ll have to leave that giant Coleman you use for tailgates at home.

Mandalorian Goldfish!

Also, other than strollers, you may not bring any wheeled conveyances into the parks. This means no rolling coolers or wagons to transport lots of smaller coolers. And effective May 1, 2019, strollers can not be larger than 31″ (79cm) wide and 52″ (132cm) long.

Click here to see everything you need to know about stroller rentals in Disney World

What types of food have you brought into the parks?

In terms of beverages, you can bring in a variety of things including water bottles, sodas, juice boxes for the kids (and adults!), and more — again, as long as they fall within the regulations noted above. When it comes to little kiddos, you can fill bags with their favorite munchables like Goldfish and Cheerios.

Mickey Goldfish

In the case of someone with severe allergies; you could consider bringing entire meals when visiting the parks.

Have you ever had any problems with this?

Nope. Not once. Really.

Any ideas about what I should use to carry my food in?

In our experience, we’ve seen guests have the most success with soft-sided insulated bags. These could be either the single lunch, six-pack-size for individuals, or backpack or diaper-bag-size for families.

Hard-sided coolers, even small ones, add extra weight and are more difficult to maneuver. A quick spin on Amazon shows the smaller size soft coolers starting at about $20.00 and the larger ones starting at about $30.00.

Cooler Backpack

Another bonus if you’re flying is that you can fold soft coolers for transport or use them to corral wet swimsuits for the trip home.

Do I have to haul my food around with me all day?

You have two options: carry your food with you or leave it in a locker. If you’re just toting drinks and snacks, then you’ll want to keep those with you in your personal purse or backpack. You never know when hunger will strike.

However, a full meal can get a bit heavy to haul around in the heat all day. If you have a stroller, you could leave your cooler there (take valuables with you!). If you don’t have a stroller, then your best bet is to store your lunch in a locker.

Lockers in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Lockers are available at the front of all four Disney theme parks and both water parks. Additional lockers are available at the back International Gateway entrance at EPCOT. Bear in mind that lockers are not free. Prices do change, but currently, lockers at theme parks and water parks start at $10 per day and go up to $15 per day.

Another caveat about lockers is that you may be faaaaaar away from your food when it’s time to eat. It’s a long, long walk from EPCOT’s World Showcase when you’re starving and your food is at the front of the park.

How do I prevent my food from spoiling?

It’s no secret that Walt Disney World can be hot, hot, hot. If you have anything perishable, you’ll want to make sure that you have the means to keep it cool under challenging circumstances.

Start with cold ingredients and the insulated bag. If you’re staying at accommodations with a freezer, you can freeze gel packs, water bottles, or juice boxes and pack them in with the perishables. Loose ice is not permitted to be carried into the theme parks or water parks.

Bring a Water Bottle

On a related note, all of the Disney hotels include a dorm-sized refrigerator. In many cases, these refrigerators contain a small freezer compartment — just about big enough to hold a box of frozen waffles or a few freezer gel packs. However, there have been rare instances where the mini-fridge at our resort didn’t have a freezer compartment, so don’t count on it. And even if you have a freezer in your mini-fridge, it may not be cold enough to freeze anything.

Fridge at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

By law, Disney restaurants are not allowed to handle food given to them by outside parties. This means that they won’t warm your baby’s bottle or heat his strained peas. Nor can Disney restaurants puree guest-provided food, even for medical reasons.

There are a few workarounds to this. Each park has a baby care center where you can use a microwave or hot water to warm food for little ones. If you have more substantial heating needs, head to a nearby resort. Each of the Disney-owned resorts has a counter service restaurant equipped with a microwave and toasters. You are welcome to use these devices to heat your own food.

Microwave at Spyglass Grill

For example, if you’re at the Magic Kingdom and you want to heat up a can of soup that you’ve provided yourself, go to any of the monorail resorts (you can even walk to the Contemporary Resort), and use the counter-service facilities there.

Where can I eat the food I’ve brought?

Anywhere you like! Stop on a bench and pull out your snack. Or if you have a full meal, you’re welcome to eat at any table at a counter service restaurant, indoors or out.

Casey’s Corner

Some good spots in Magic Kingdom include the outdoor tables near Casey’s Corner or Plaza Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. These are great for people-watching with a view of the Castle.

Will bringing my own food really save me money?

In a word, yes. Certainly, you’ll save money on water, soda, and snacks if you bring your own. Again, prices can change, but Disney is currently charging somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.50 for a bottle of water or Coke. You can often get five or six bottles of water for this same price if you’re shopping “off-campus.”

Bottled sodas are pricey in Disney World

Similarly, a counter-service sandwich at most in-park restaurants will run about $10+. For that price, you can make PB&J for the entire gang.

Click here to see 9 of the best budget-friendly lunches in Disney World

Will my kids feel deprived/disappointed if they’re not eating Disney food?

My philosophy here is “what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” If you don’t talk about dining with the princesses in the Castle, then chances are that your kiddos won’t even be aware that this exists. If they don’t know it’s there, then they won’t be disappointed.

Enjoying some fries with Sonny Eclipse!

Check the park maps and steer them away from the pricey restaurants. However, it’s all but impossible to keep kids from seeing the in-park snack items. Mickey bar carts and popcorn are on every corner. My personal approach here would be to let the kids share an in-park snack item or let them have one item of their choosing over the course of the stay. With any luck, this will keep the whines to a minimum.

Click here to see our list of cheap but filling Disney World snacks for when you’re ballin’ on a budget!

NOTE: This information is for the Disney World theme parks in Orlando, Florida. Information is subject to change so be sure to check and see what the rules are like ahead of your trip.

Have you had any experiences with bringing your own food into the parks? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments section below!

And, as always, stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news!

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Have you had any experiences with bringing your own food into the parks? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments section below!

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