Anyone a lunch packer?

[Toolulu22]

It also helps because people get hungry at different times. You know kids can get real grumpy if they get hungry or thirsty. By the time everyone decides where to eat and you wait in line, full on melt downs can occur. This way everyone can regulate their own blood sugar.

I don't know about other husbands, but mine also tends to get cranky and have meltdowns when he is to hot or getting hungry.

 

[kymom99]

I don't know about other husbands, but mine also tends to get cranky and have meltdowns when he is to hot or getting hungry.

 

[dromio42]

Foil pouch of tuna and mayo packets with crackers- we bring a little Tupperware to mix it in. 'refrigerate after opening ' pre-sliced hard salami with bread( from France) . And good old PB&J!

 

[la79al]

Our last trip I went to Walmart and grabbed a ham slice (one of those Hatfield ones) and a bag of the cooked chicken pieces that are intended for easy fajitas. I cut up the ham and put it in a storage bag and then put that inside of a gallon sized storage bag filled with ice. It stayed plenty cool and worked well as dinner for my non sandwich eating kiddos.

 

[Sleepy425]

My kids love it when I freeze grapes and bring them into the parks. They will blow through a pound of grapes in a day (4 kids). They also think that sunbutter is a special treat, so they will happily eat sunbutter sandwiches while we wait in line (we make as many as will fit in a Tupperware container). This way we aren’t wasting money on meals that the kids are usually too distracted to eat. My husband and I will still grab food somewhere, and if the kids want something they can have it. But filling them up in sunbutter and grapes really makes our days cheaper. We still do a couple table service meals, and some days we are running late and don’t bring food into the parks because I don’t want to take the time to pack it. This year I’m trying tog eat the kids to like tuna fish so we can bring in the foil packets of it, as suggested above.

 

[HHISand]

We are staying in a Disney Vacation Club studio at the Polynesian in December and we usually freeze a bottle of milk to use as the "ice pack" for cold stuff. We have even done this in a checked bag when we fly down. Anybody have suggestions on what you can "cook" in a studio?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm a meal packer/room eater for all my trips, Disney or otherwise...to make travel affordable, we tend to eat out only 1-1.5/times per day of our trip, so bringing meals (and planning hotel meals) is a requirement.

I have a nice soft sided Eagles cooler bag, like this one...https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...c7AYIY86527xhYEH6P6KidIEHCJVcWihoCJU4QAvD_BwE

So, anything we don't want crushed or needs to stay cold goes in that bag, while my spouse will have a non-insulated back pack (usually to lug water/juice...aka the heavy, not squishing stuff)...

Usually I shop on site...but we are doing Niagara Falls and driving, so I'm bringing food. Breakfast is free every day at our hotel, so I'm planning light lunch (since it should be a big breakfast), drinks, and "dessert" for the room. I've already found some stupid cheap Amazon single serve snack deals (chips/cookies) that I'm taking with me, plus a big jug of Goldfish. I also found Horizon chocolate milk and regular milk at my store for stupid-cheap a few weeks ago. Before we leave, I'll be adding squeezable yogurt (shelf-stable), squeezable apple sauce, 2 loaves of bread, Nutella, PB, honey, bananas, clementines (or pears - whatever is cheaper), shelf-stable salami and pepperoni (at Aldi's - for my spouse), shelf-stable ready to eat quinoa veg bowls (at Aldi's - these are for me - kids are doing the nut butter/fruit sandwiches), Capri sun roaring waters, bottled water, soda, paper plates, ziplocs, flushable wipes (good for every clean up), and a box of plastic silverware. We'll take drinks and lunch on the go as we're exploring and have dessert in the room before bed. Dinners are planned (and mostly paid for)...

Can you bring fruits and vegetables across the border? They will ask you.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Can you bring fruits and vegetables across the border? They will ask you.

Yes, but...http://inspection.gc.ca/food/inform...-into-canada-/eng/1389648337546/1389648516990

Fruits and vegetables, including herbs: dried
up to 15 packages per person
but not more than 250 kilograms
Fruits and vegetables, including herbs: frozen or canned
fruits
up to 15 frozen packages or 15 cans per person
but not more than 250 kilograms
vegetables
up to 20 kilograms of frozen or chilled vegetables per person
Fruits and vegetables: fresh
one bag up to 4 kilograms of US number 1 potatoes per person and the bag must be commercially packaged
15 packages or less up to 250 kilograms of fresh fruits and vegetables per person (excluding potatoes)
must be free from soil, pests, leaves, branches and/or plant debris
For detailed information, please review the import requirements for specific products using the CFIA's AIRS. By following the appropriate prompts, you will be able to determine current requirements based on the type of product you want to bring with you.
You can also check out the Plant Protection Policy Directives - Horticulture for more information.
For assistance in finding or interpreting the requirements listed in AIRS contact your local CFIA office.

 

[seus-mouse]

So many great ideas here.
We use a soft insulated cooler backpack. Kept cool with frozen juice boxes. Pbj's, cheeses and different crackers and pepperoni sticks go a long way. Some large chocolate bars and chocolate covered coffee beans for high energy treats. A few containers of good coffee and some cans of Starbucks espresso for when we hit the wall on a long day. Flavored drink packets are refreshing too.
Small bags of chips in every persons preference.

Have fun!

 

[Pookles]

We did food in our rooms last time and we will again this time. I wanted to do more of our own food, but hubby wants less. I'm doing all the planning while he gives me his opinion on something once a week just to irritate me, so I think I'll just do what I want. I'm really excited about Prime Pantry. This just opens up so many options for us.

Breakfast is in the room, cold cereal, toast or english muffins, yogurt, fruit. This all doubles as late night room eats too with some other snacks thrown in. Then cheese sticks, almonds, granola bars, fruit, some sandwiches, crackers, hummus and veggies for the parks. Packing our own food mainly saves us time, saving money is the bonus.

We found that we ate way more in Disney than we usually do. Like almost twice as much, it was nuts. We went in January, and will this time as well. So the heat of summer didn't drive away the hunger. We worked up rumbling bellies several times a day. If we had to go stand in line for food every time hunger struck, we'd have spent half the day waiting on food. This way we eat a cheese stick and some almonds while waiting in lines and then when we are ready to take a break and stop for a meal we do it. Plus there are too many children in our larger family group to not have a large supply of snacks in our bags.

 

[Summer2018]

Hello! My family are not big eaters, so we don't do the DDP. We also don't like to stop much to eat. We do have Ohana and BOG booked, but otherwise we are packing lunch and snacks. I have a car booked to take us to either Walmart or Publix when we arrive. Are there any others who bring lunch/dinner to the parks ? Obviously buying water, granola, breakfast items, bread/PBJ , and a few of those on the go chicken salad/cracker boxes. Anyone else pack lunch ? What are your go to food items?

PSA: We are staying at CBR , so we are on site. We'll just have that small fridge and thats it .

I pack a lunch every day for my job. I'm packing lunch for us on the first leg of our journey driving down to Florida from the northeast so that we can save some $ and have a little picnic at a rest stop.

Once we are in WDW, the only supplement to the dining plan will be some protein shakes paired with DDP snacks for lunch during the majority of the days that we don't have a lunch ADR. We tend to eat large breakfasts and dinners, so we prefer light lunches. Unfortunately the only BOG reservation I could get was lunch, so that night will be a light QS dinner.

Dining is a big part of vacation for us. Cooking and food preparation is not my idea of fun, so I'm giving myself the week off.

 

[queenofthehive]

We do not stay in the park all day. We usually go back around noon and have a lunch when we get back to the room for our afternoon break and swim. It is easier this way as we don’t have to lug around food. If someone gets hungry before then we usually buy a snack at the park. To eat out for every meal gets old really fast for us. Try tying your lunch break with your afternoon break. It is a lot more pleasant as I would rather have my lunch on my balcony or by the pool than in a loud and crowded restaurant .

 

[LovesTimone]

As hot and humid as it is here less is the way to go... I carry a small bag with just the bare essentials.

We really don't carry meals into the parks, snacks but not meals, but I do stock the room with snacks, and drinks, & adult beverages. When my DD's were little, while we were getting ready we would feed them some breakfast, a bowl of cheerios or whatever favorite cereal was the choice of the moment, juice and maybe some kind of fruit. During pool time we heard we want a snack or smoothie, that would be half eaten or drank... That's when I started bring my soft sided coolers along, with some juice boxes, and snacks, like pickles, fruit, cheese crackers, and it developed from there... DH and I still bring a cooler to the pool and we have brought some really yummy items to the pool.

When our kids were little we did a lot of meal sharing, even when they got older we did meal sharing. This does take a bit of extra work, menu searching, to find out what can easily be shared and what your family is willing to share. You can share in most all the restaurants, which is cost saving and does not waste food. From what we have experienced is they will split it in the kitchen for your or bring you a extra plate for you to do the splitting. Sharing a large appetizer platter, then sharing dessert might could work for you.

I would suggest you get a really good soft sided cooler, my friends have some sort of soft sided Yeti, and they travel with it. She just packs it in the luggage open and fills it with stuff. There are plenty of soft sided options out there to check out, or you could go the disposal type - Styrofoam chest. I personally have folding soft sided cooler (two sizes) and a lunch bag size that will hold 2 bottles of water and a couple granola or breakfast bars and has a compartment at the bottom that unzips with a plastic container that I have put cracker, grapes, cheese or whatever that I don't want to get crushed, that has been all over the country and Caribbean with us. With a extra cooler you can add in more items like yogurts, cheese's, fruit, deli meat, or whatever.

 

[Summer2018]

As hot and humid as it is here less is the way to go... I carry a small bag with just the bare essentials.

We really don't carry meals into the parks, snacks but not meals, but I do stock the room with snacks, and drinks, & adult beverages. When my DD's were little, while we were getting ready we would feed them some breakfast, a bowl of cheerios or whatever favorite cereal was the choice of the moment, juice and maybe some kind of fruit. During pool time we heard we want a snack or smoothie, that would be half eaten or drank... That's when I started bring my soft sided coolers along, with some juice boxes, and snacks, like pickles, fruit, cheese crackers, and it developed from there... DH and I still bring a cooler to the pool and we have brought some really yummy items to the pool.

When our kids were little we did a lot of meal sharing, even when they got older we did meal sharing. This does take a bit of extra work, menu searching, to find out what can easily be shared and what your family is willing to share. You can share in most all the restaurants, which is cost saving and does not waste food. From what we have experienced is they will split it in the kitchen for your or bring you a extra plate for you to do the splitting. Sharing a large appetizer platter, then sharing dessert might could work for you.

I would suggest you get a really good soft sided cooler, my friends have some sort of soft sided Yeti, and they travel with it. She just packs it in the luggage open and fills it with stuff. There are plenty of soft sided options out there to check out, or you could go the disposal type - Styrofoam chest. I personally have folding soft sided cooler (two sizes) and a lunch bag size that will hold 2 bottles of water and a couple granola or breakfast bars and has a compartment at the bottom that unzips with a plastic container that I have put cracker, grapes, cheese or whatever that I don't want to get crushed, that has been all over the country and Caribbean with us. With a extra cooler you can add in more items like yogurts, cheese's, fruit, deli meat, or whatever.

My DD and I shared all of our TS dinners on our last trip. Every restaurant accommodated us gracefully except for Cali Grill. The waitress at Cali Grill who was initially friendly when we sat down became quite rude and short with us once she found out that DD and I were sharing a steak. The kitchen didn't seem to have a hard time cutting our steak in half and putting it on two plates, but she really adopted a condescending attitude with us and pretty much rushed us out so that she could turn our table and bring in her next customers. She still got a 20% tip, but she would have gotten more had she treated us as if we ordered the most expensive items on the menu.

We debated returning to Cali Grill this time and decided that one rude waitress was not going to keep us away from an incredible dining experience.

 

[Scifidiner]

I just fill up a couple of plastic flasks with vodka and stick them in my pockets...……..wink, wink, lol

 

[deuceswild10]

To be honest, I can't imagine lugging lunch and snacks around the parks. We like to travel light. We just budget to eat in the parks.

Me either. Pb&j and jerky or something like that just does not sound appealing.

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

Hello! My family are not big eaters, so we don't do the DDP. We also don't like to stop much to eat.

Haha! You lost me after Hello!
We don’t do the DDP either but we love to stop & eat everything!

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

We love to eat our but the prices at Disney are so high and often the food is just '''meh'''. We spent $70 in quick service lunch at HWS for our family of 4 and we just had basic items except for one beer. So, we often pack lunches that are completely disposable. I usually pack sandwiches for my husband and son [ so I only have two sandwiches that I have to worry and try to keep them from getting smushed] and wraps for my daughter and I . I freeze one small water bottle to put in with the sandwiches and pack mustard or mayo packets. Cheeze its and delmonte pear cups are easy. Also, cheese sticks and Jiff peanut butter cups are good. Once we eat there is nothing to carry around b/c it is all disposable unless I reuse the plastic container the sandwiches were in. Then, we get dessert / snack later in the day and we can have a nice dinner in the parks. We drive so we bring it all with us and i dont have to worry with going to the store once we get to Disney. I would look into a grocery delivery company [there are several that deliver to WDW] . While I like to save money, I hate to spend too much time on this and going out to the store and getting a car to do that woule be a lot of time and money.

 

[Klayfish]

Me either. Pb&j and jerky or something like that just does not sound appealing.

We do a heck of a lot more than pb&j...and jerky is gross. Well, OK, we do a lot of pb&j, but that's because the kids want it. . Seriously though, we do full lunches and dinners. It's not hard at all, and saves us a huge fortune.

 

[jsmla]

I am usually a brownbagger but the last two trips (February and May) were restaurant heavy. While there were a few (Spice Road and Brunch at the Top) that we'll definitely repeat at some point I was, for the most part, underwhelmed. I'm planning on taking a two or so year break from WDW to avoid the Galaxy's Edge madness and do a little European traveling. Whenever I head back (hopefully with our new granddaughter in tow ) I'm going to return to packing a lunch.

I don't eat jerkey and never bring PBJ. I like pasta salads and DIY charcuterie, fruit and homemade treats. One tip I have is to pack your sandwiches/pasta, etc undressed and then top them with a side salad purchased at a QS location. It makes carrying your own a lot less complicated. I usually have a free iced water with my meal.