20 Best Snacks To Take To Disney World
Walt Disney World is a theme park and as such, it should come as no surprise that food and drink here can be incredibly expensive.
Luckily, you can save money by bringing snacks to the parks provided it meets the rules and regulations laid out by Disney security.
We’ve travelled to Walt Disney World as a couple, with elderly parents, with four kids and now with a baby so it’s safe to say we’ve got bringing snacks to the parks down, and wanted to go ahead and share all our tips and tricks with you!
Can You Bring Snacks To Disney World?
You are permitted to bring food and drink from outside the park into the park provided that it meets the rules and regulations laid out by Disney security.
These include no glass bottles or jars (exc small baby food jars & children’s medicinal bottles) and no alcohol.
A full list of all the prohibited items is available on the Walt Disney World website.
Foods To Avoid Bringing To Disney World
Just because you can bring a banana or a turkey sandwich to Walt Disney World doesn’t mean you should.
The heat and humidity in Florida can leave some snack options inedible or worse still cause damage to your backpack and the other items inside.
As such if you’re going to bring soft fruits to Walt Disney World you’ll want to ensure they are protected in containers.
Meanwhile, if you’re going to bring snacks that should be refrigerated or melt easily then you should also consider packing an ice pack.
If you cannot protect your snacks then I’d recommend against bringing them and instead going for the ones specified in the list below since those snacks are designed to withstand Florida weather.
Benefits Of Bringing Food & Drink To Walt Disney World
Carrying snacks around the Walt Disney World parks all-day can be hard work. As such it’s important to remember the benefits of bringing your own snacks with you.
Save Money
The obvious benefit of bringing your own food and drink to Walt Disney World is that it allows you to save money.
Bottled fizzy drinks inside the park are $5.50 plus tax, while bags of sweets cost $4 upwards depending on the specific size and style.
Keep in mind that you’re highly unlikely to bring everything you’ll want to drink and eat during a full day at the Walt Disney World parks – especially if you’re a family.
However, remember that just bringing a water bottle alone helps you to save a minimum of $4.25 (the cost of a bottle of water).
On-The-Go Access
Another advantage of bringing snacks to Walt Disney World is the ability to access them wherever, whenever.
This is ideal if you find yourself peckish on the monorail, or needing a quick sweet fix for entertainment in the line while waiting to go on one of the rides.
Again, this is perfect for kids who can sometimes go from completely fine to hungry monsters in the space of just five minutes!
Dietary Requirements
Bringing your own snacks to Walt Disney World is ideal for those who have specific dietary requirements or intolerances.
Travelling with a dietary requirement or intolerance can be stressful, and while Walt Disney World is incredibly accommodating bringing your own snacks can just make things significantly easier.
Useful Tips For Packing Snacks To Bring To Disney World
Alongside the snacks themselves, there may be some other additional items you want to bring to the Walt Disney World parks just to make the entire snacking process easier.
Wipes
Wipes are fantastic for sticky hands, cleaning up spills or wiping down any dirty surfaces. They take up next to no room in a backpack and are incredibly affordable.
Food Bags
Consider containing your snacks in a solid food bag to prevent them from leaking and causing a mess or spoiling during the Florida heat.
I’ve tried every brand and design of food bag recently and found that these re-usable Stasher ones although expensive are the best quality.
Bring A Water Bottle
Speaking of the Florida heat, it’s always important while inside the parks to keep hydrated. However, the cost of doing so can quickly add up.
As such, I always recommend going ahead and bringing your own water bottle which can be refilled for free at various points around the Walt Disney World parks.
Pack Variety
I’ve found that rather than depending on a large one or two bags of a specific snack, bringing a variety of smaller, different snack options is often best.
This allows you to cater for a variety of different needs and cravings all at once without taking up any additional space.
Pack Things You Will Actually Eat
I’m a huge advocate for trying new things.
However, bringing snacks you’ve never tried before into the parks can sometimes be a bad idea since if you don’t like the snack you’re left with no choice but to purchase alternatives at a Disney Parks price tag.
Reflect The Park Snacks
While I advise packing fruit and veggie snacks, I also recommend packing snacks that reflect those you’ll find inside the parks, since you’ll spend a lot of your day seeing and smelling those delicious sweet treats.
Best Snacks To Bring To Disney World
With all that in mind, these are the best snacks I recommend packing for a trip to Walt Disney World;
- Chips & Crisps
- Croissants & Pastries
- Pretzels
- Cereal & Granola Bars
- Breadstick & Cheese Dippers
- Crackers
- Nuts & Trail Mix
- Squeezy Yogurts
- Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit Leather
- Jelly Sweets
- M&Ms
- Cookies
- Popcorn
- Carrot & Cucumber Sticks
- Raisins
- Apples
- Rice Cakes
- Beef Jerky
- Fruit Sauce Packs
- Dried Fruit
Where To Buy Snacks To Take To The Disney Parks?
Depending on where you’re travelling from you may not be able to bring these snacks with you from home.
Instead, you’ll have to look at purchasing these snacks in Orlando when you arrive for your vacation at Walt Disney World.
In that case, it’s important to know where to go for the very best prices, and based on our own experience we recommend;
Walmart
The largest superstores in Orlando are Walmart and are the ideal place to visit if you’re staying in a villa and need to stock up on food & drink for the duration of your stay.
Walmart sells all the major brands alongside their own cheaper brand for some of the most popular foods.
Target
A great alternative to Walmart is Target. Orlando is home to a number of Target stores that once again sell all the major brands alongside Target’s own more affordable brand of most foods.
Dollar Tree
While the Dollar Tree often has a more limited selection of snacks when compared to the likes of Walmart and Target it’s still a great affordable place to visit for your park snacks.
$5 Below
Similar to the Dollar Tree, $5 Below has a more limited range of drinks and snacks when compared to the likes of Walmart or Target but may still be somewhere you want to check out.