Do you want to know what the best snacks to take to Disney World are? In this guide we will be covering what we think are the best snacks to take to Disney World whatever park you are traveling to along with the reasons why you should be bringing your own snacks into Disney, where to buy them and how best to store them.
But before we get to that
Can you bring snacks to Disney World?
Now before we go into more details about the best snacks for Disney World we thought it would be important to first discuss whether or not you can bring snacks into Disney World or if this is against the rules as Disney does have a lot of rules about what you can and can’t bring into the parks.
The good news is that despite the many rules about what can and can’t be brought into Disney World – food is not on the prohibited list. However there are rules about how you can bring it in.
These rules can be categorised as:
- the food you bring in must not be stored in glass containers. The only notable exception to this rule is regarding baby food and medicinesFood and drink that you can’t bring into Universal Studios include:
- alcohol in any form.
- Cases and containers such as coolers that are larger than 24″ long x 15″ wide x 18″ high (61 cm x 38 cm x 46 cm)
- Dry and Loose Ice.
For more information about taking food into other theme parks in Florida or Disney parks check out the below posts
Why should I bring my own food into Disney World
Now that we have outlined some of the rules regarding food you can bring into the Disney World parks we will turn our attention why we think you should bring your own food into Disney World.
Budget
If you are traveling to Disney World on a budget and looking for cheap ways to eat in the parks bringing your own snacks could be the answer as the cost of snacks really does add up if you are buying them for multiple people and at multiple times during the day.
Snacks in the park are usually priced at around on average 5USD or more. For instance, on our last visit some of the prices we encountered were:
- Mickey ice lolly cost around 6.95USD
- churros cost 5USD.
- Soda also costs around 5USD in they parks.
- Water at 4USD per bottle
These costs can soon add up and therefore bringing in your own snacks will really help stretch your budget.
Timing
As well as saving you money, bringing in your own snacks can also save you a lot of time. We found that the queues at many of the popular snack carts can get very long and can into precious time in the parks.
Also if you are traveling to Disney World with toddlers or kids, like I do you may find they suddenly get hungry at the most inconvenient of times i.e. in the middle of the queue for the Rise of the Resistance rides. For this reason we like to have snacks always on hand to prevent anyone from getting hangry.
If you re traveling with toddlers to Disney World you may want to also check out these related guides:
- Magic Kingdom with a toddler
- Animal Kingdom with a toddler
- Epcot with a toddler
- Hollywood Studios with a toddler
- what to pack for Disney World with toddlers
Health
Now there are some healthy snacks available at Disney World. Though I will say they are very hard to find and much more expensive than their out of park counterparts.
Also most of the snacks at Disney World while really tasty can be full of sugar. Therefore if you want to have some healthier options with you, you might be better bringing them into the park with you rather than looking around all of the snack kiosks.
Dietary Requirements
And finally while Disney World does cater well to dietary requirements, particularly at the table service restaurants such as Tuskers House or Hollywood and Vine, if you have a specific dietary requirements you may want to bring your own snacks in with you to be sure you have what you need when you need them.
I think controlling your own food while traveling with dietary requirements such as being vegan at Disney World or allergies at Disney World can really take some of the stress out of your trip.
Where to buy snacks for Disney World
Now you know the reason you should bring your own snacks you may have questions about where to by snacks for Disney World.
Now if you are driving to Disney World from home you may be able to bring the snacks with you from home if you are traveling with a cool box etc.
Alternatively if you plan to have a car at Disney World you will be able to drive to some of the best supermarkets near Disney World. Alternatively you could get an uber or a Lyft.
Publix
Publix – Supermarkets Near Universal STudios / Best Supermarkets Near Disney World
Publix is a supermarket chain that is headquartered in Florida and commonly found throughout the South East states (i.e. Virginia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia etc).
There are nearby branches at
- E Orange Lake Blvd
- wInter Garden Vineland Road
However neither of these are in walking distance so you will need a car or an Uber or Lyft to take you there.
Walmart
Unfortunately there is no Walmart in walking distance to Disney World however if you have a car at Disney or are able to Uber or Lyft there are Walmarts nearby.
There is a huge Walmart Supercenter at Turkey Lake Rd.
Target
If you want to get other goods swell as snacks and groceries then target is a great choice. The nearest Target is at Millenia Plaza Way but you will need a car to get there.
Five BElow
The variety of snacks you can get here is obviously less than the super centres at both Walmart and Target however you can find good value items here.
The nearest one is on International Drive.
Aldi
Also another great budget supermarket to buy snacks at is Aldi. There is one located a 15 minutes drive away and is located on S Orange Blossom Trl.
Hotel Shops
Many of the hotels around Disney World or at the on property Disney World resorts will also have a shop with a small selection of beverages and snacks available to purchase. Although these won’t have the largest selection or indeed be the cheapest place to buy snack, you will be at least able to get some things.
How to pack food for Disney World
Best Snacks to Take to Disney World
Lunch Box or Tupperware
My preference is to take snacks to Disney World that are individually wrapped. However it is inevitable that some of the things that you want to take will not come packaged this way.
For this reason I like to have a lunch box or Tupperware to store snacks in as this can prevent the food getting crushed and leaking or damaging other items in your backpack.
Ice Pack
Florida is a hot HOT place especially in summer. And you can spend many hours in Disney World so it is really important that you keep your food cool to prevent it from spoiling. One of the best ways of doing this is by carrying an ice pack with you.
Ziploc Bags
Ziplocs on top of tupperware and individually packed items are important to portion out snacks for the whole family.
Water Bottle
Water and soda in the parks is very expensive. Much higher than the prices you would pay outside of the parks. Normally this is priced around 4-5USD. TO help save money and the environment we recommend bringing in your own water bottle to refill as this will save you lots of money.
To find out more information on where you can refill your water bottle in the parks check out this post.
There are qater bottles that are available to purchase in the park but these come at a premium so we recommend bringing one from home. And if you want a Disney one there are lots of great and good value ones available on Amazon.
Click here to shop Disney water bottles.
Individually Packed Items
Individually packed items are great for snacks at Disney World and much easier when traveling in large groups as it is much easier to portion out..
Some examples of individually wrapped foods that we like to take to the parks are:
- Fruit Puree Pouches
- Fruit Leather
- Crisps
- Raisins
Packing cubes
If you want to monitor who has what snacks at Disney World, you could use packing cubes. We like to use a different coloured packing cube for each person in our party and put their snacks in their so everyone has the same.
It is also a great way to keep track of who has eaten what too if you have a fussy eater.
Shoe Organiser
I know this is strange but hear me out as it is one of our top Disney stroller hacks. You put an over door shoe organiser draped across the back of a stroller os everyone has their own pocket to store snacks and drinks. Then you don’t have to cart things off on rides and it keeps track of everyone’s drinks easily if you label the pockets.
For more Disney stroller hacks check out this post.
Snacks to Take to Disney World that are best avoided
Before we get onto what snacks to bring to Disney World, there are a few foods I would not recommend bringing. These are things that are likely to go off in the heat. Items should include:
- Fruit – unless eaten very early in the day
- Meat – that needs refrigeration
- Dairy – that needs refrigeration
Best Snacks to Bring Disney World
Best Snacks to Bring to Disneyland / Best Snacks to take to Disney World
Now you know what not to bring to Disney World we must turn our attention to what we think are the best snacks to take to Disney World:
- Cereal and Cereal Bars – my kids enjoy eating cereal dry so we usually take some dry cheerios or fruit loops with us along with cereal bars.
- Granola Bars
- Crackers
- Donut holes
- Croissants for rope drop
- Fruit – if eaten early
- Fruit Snacks
- Fruit Winders / Fruit Leather / Fruit Ropes
- Fruit Puree Pouches – both of my kids since babies have enjoyed these and us adults too. It is a great ways to take a healthy snack without worrying about fruit going off
- Raisins – when I am packing for my toddler at Universal Studios these are always top of my list.
- Dried Fruit – on top of raisins we take bags of dried fruit
- Trail Mix
- Crisps / Chips
- Pringles
- Popcorn – popcorn buckets cost around 15USD in the parks. If you want popcorn bringing your own will save a lot of money
- Jerky – my hubby’s top pick
- Nuts
- Rice Cakes
- Non refrigerated yoghurts (but do be sure to keep cool)
- Animal crackers
- Peanut Butter Bites
- PB and J Sandwiches
- Babybel – but keep cold
- Cookies – non chocolate so you don’t have to deal with the melt i.e. oat and raisin.
- Juice Cartons
- Milk cartons that don’t require refrigeration (but do be sure to keep cool)