How do YOU keep food cool in the parks?

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out how to keep a decent amount of food cold while in the parks. I would like something that would fit into a backpack hands free rather than trying to carry something cooler-shaped (or a messenger bag style) around, and I don't want to leave this in the locker. How well do regular insulated lunchboxes with an ice brick hold up to intense Florida heat/sun? Would one of those larger "personal coolers" that seem to work better even fit into a backpack? so many choices, and none of them seem quite right.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We need to keep sandwiches and fruit for 6 as well as some yogurts and maybe a chocolate bar cool for a full day. If necessary we can split it into 2 bags. We will carry drinks separately.

 

[Van@Disney]

For a while we had a cooler bag with backpack straps. We never used it, so we gave it away. But you could probably find something similar on amazon. As long as it’s insulated, a couple of cold packs should work to keep things from going off. Thermos brand is awesome. But don’t know if they have a back pack.

 

[Skippyboo]

Looking on Amazon, there are 30-35 can cooler backpacks for around 40 bucks. I just searched cooler backpacks

 

[Betty Rohrer]

how do plan to refreeze the ice brick? room refrigs do not have freezer areas

 

[playallday]

Not the OP but from their signature I’m guessing they stay in a dvc resort with a full sized fridge.

 

[TDR32]

We used a tourist cooler backpack. I filled ziplock bags from the ice machine in the morning. There was still ice at the end of the day. This was a week ago in the heat.

 

[jods]

We don't use it at Disney but we bought a cooler backpack from Costco. It's amazing and there's always ice left at the end of the day. You could get something similar and put ice in ziplocs.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Frozen water bottles.
Just be sure to OPEN them up and remove an ounce of water and squeeze the bottle to let a little of the air out before replacing the cap tightly. That will allow the frozen water to expand in the bottle without causing deformities. After you've eaten then you will have icy cold water to enjoy for a couple of hours.
~NM

 

[Disneylover99]

Keeping food safe in the Florida heat all day seems very stressful to me. I would just consider bringing non-perishables into the park without having to keep things cool or lug ice/ice packs around.

Maybe bring sandwiches with peanut butter, cheese, butter…..avoid meat. I’d also avoid yogurt/fresh fruit and get apple sauce squeezes/granola bars and get ice water from counter service restaurants.

 

[marcais]

Frozen water bottles.
Just be sure to OPEN them up and remove an ounce of water and squeeze the bottle to let a little of the air out before replacing the cap tightly. That will allow the frozen water to expand in the bottle without causing deformities. After you've eaten then you will have icy cold water to enjoy for a couple of hours.
~NM

This is what we've been doing on our current trip. A backpack with frozen a coupl eof 2-litre bottles of water, and then fill it with our lunch (sandwich rolls or tortilla wraps in Tupperware) and cans of soda. Lunch is kept cold, and then after lunch we have bottles of ice-cold water for the family.

An added bonus is that the backpack also helps the carrier keep a little cooler by having something cold on their back until early afternoon.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Having just walked nearly 26,000 steps today at DL, I would reconsider a locker. Everything feels progressively heavier as the day wears on, I have very little in my backpack but still reevaluated each ounce this evening!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I found a bunch of backpack coolers online. Reviews seem mixed, as best, and I don't know if we need something quite that large. On a trip to Germany we made a mistake of putting ice in a bag in a backpack to keep lunches cold and it ended up making a huge mess.

In the past the "anytime snack bag" has always been filled with stuff that wasn't temperature-sensitive. However with DD becoming even more picky when it comes to food (and already in the 2nd percentile weight-wise so I am not going to turn this into a battle of wills to eat with the rest of the family) I may need to carry things like yogurt, cheese, carrot sticks, and certain fruits along with normal snacks.

 

[_19disnA]

Disney hotels only have beverage coolers, so you aren't going to be able to freeze anything to take to the parks. We don't like lugging around a lot of stuff at the parks and rather eat at QS service when it is time for lunch. If you want to take snacks or have small children, try to pack things that don't need refrigeration.

 

[RoseGold]

You could bring an umbrella stroller/wheelchair and park a cooler somewhere. It's not like they kid-check it.

Disney has the cameras of Vegas. I wouldn't worry about parking or using the lockers.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Unhelpful answer: we don't. We are fully prepared to buy most meals in the parks.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

The rest of us eat from the parks or breakfast in the room, with occasional snacks. But DD has decided to become vegetarian, but doesn’t eat nuts or most fruits or vegetables. For protein she will eat peanut butter and jelly (but not the kind sold in the parks) and sometimes will eat yogurt or cheese as long as it is the same brand from home. Milk is unreliable. She will eat carrot sticks or cucumbers and apples(only sliced like Daddy does)/grapes (not frozen)/mini oranges are hit and miss depending on her mood. So unless I’m ok with French fries or Doritos 2x/day for 9 days, dessert, and that’s about it I have to get creative about what I bring for her.

We always stay in villas so refrigeration isn’t a problem.

 

[DisneyFive]

I second the frozen water bottles option. Keeps things very cold and then provides cold drinking water when it melts (which it will in Disney heat)

After placing the sandwich in a Ziploc bag, I would suggest wrapping a paper towel or small cotton hand towel around the sandwich bag. Speaking from experience, when a sandwich in a Ziploc bag gets pressed directly against something frozen, it can cause the moisture in the sandwich bag to condense which will lead to the bread getting soggy a little.

 

[soniam]

I found a bunch of backpack coolers online. Reviews seem mixed, as best, and I don't know if we need something quite that large. On a trip to Germany we made a mistake of putting ice in a bag in a backpack to keep lunches cold and it ended up making a huge mess.

In the past the "anytime snack bag" has always been filled with stuff that wasn't temperature-sensitive. However with DD becoming even more picky when it comes to food (and already in the 2nd percentile weight-wise so I am not going to turn this into a battle of wills to eat with the rest of the family) I may need to carry things like yogurt, cheese, carrot sticks, and certain fruits along with normal snacks.

Man, I feel for you. Our son is picky, so we definitely bring one of the two brands of protein bars that he will eat. Luckily, for us, he will eat some things in the parks. Our son is also skinny; he's always been in the 5th or 10th (at most) percentile for weight and in the upper half for height. Do what you have to do, and don't let anyone make you feel bad.

I think the only thing that I would be concerned about would be the yogurt, maybe the cheese. I think fruit, unpeeled/not cut, and pbj should be fine. I would definitely do a cooler, but I would also consider maybe putting the yogurt into a smaller cooler/neoprene container. The Florida heat is brutal. Eat up the perishables first too. Good luck! I hope it works out..

 

[isabellea]

I would use a large Yeti bottle, add some ice and the yogurt tubes or wrapped cheese. They are much better at keeping cold temp than lunch bags imo. Once empty, I would just use the bottle as a bottle.