Disneyland Paris - Is it true you can't take food in with you?

[IlanaK]

Just read this on another forum and I worried. We are planning a trip and are staying outside the park self catering partly so we can bring our own packed lunch as there is no way we can afford to buy the food there.

Please tell me it is not true!

well it depends, I think a full wicker picnic hamper would be refused, but we've always taken sandwiches split up into a couple of rucksacks (put them at the bottom under the cagoules) and no-one has bothered. Everyone who stays in the hotels makes up lunch sandwiches from the breakfast buffet in any case, so they must be aware that there's lots of food going in .

Hi IlanaK,
It is forbidden, but there are always families quietly eating their own sandwiches, take shrinkingviolet advice because you have to show your bags open.
Food too expensive and absolutely disgusting. Good luck trying not to spend anything inside!

I had no idea about this rule, we took lots of food and drink in with us. I thought they were checking our bags for weapons or alcohol!
:)

They allow some snacks and drinks, but not full picnics or ice boxes. There are no lockers in the parks ( closed some years ago due to government measures re security)so you have to carry your bags with you, or pay to leave them at City Hall.
The Disney Village multi storey car park is nearer the parks than the main Disneyland car park, and is cheaper.Disneyland Carpark is currently ?12.( one flat charge).
Disney Village carpark has hourly rates, with a maximum daily charge of ?8.
So you could go back to your car for a picnic lunch if you wanted. There is a picnic area near there.
You will waste park time doing that though.
As Shrinking Violet says, hotel guests take in bags of croissants etc from breakfast, so split it between different bags.
There is a shop in the railway station near the Disney Village entrance, that sells drinks, sandwiches etc, cheaper than in the parks.
I always advise people to have a good breakfast, then book a buffet restaurant for around 3pm. The buffets are all you can eat, with extensive choices for all, so good value.It is cheaper than buying a fast food meal for lunch then another for tea.
And much better food.
Plaza Gardens and Agrabah buffets are both good in the DL Park, and Restaurant Des Stars buffet in the Studios.You may see Ratatouille in the RDS.
We have not bought any fast food there since they opened the buffet restaurants.
When the parks close earlier out of peak season, Annettes Diner in the Village is very good, and the waiting staff may be on roller skates. The kids meals plates are a frisbee.
The counter service/ fast food places are not just about burgers and chips. They all offer salads, and have different food choices and themes in each of the 4 lands. There is a full list with details of each one on the back of the park map.

Thanks everyone. I really do not want to book buffets either so I think I will try packing the sandwhiches under the nappies, or maybe wrapping nappies around them!

we took in food last year and no problem at all. otherwise, leave it in the car and nip back for a picnic - not a long walk. Fast food is crap and expensive - we resorted to it in an emergency last year - over 20e for a hot dog, chicken nuggets and 2 lots of chips and water!! I waited. Chicken nuggets were fluorescent yellow and dd f=refused to eat them (I was secretly pleased in a 'nice ham' mum kind of way even though I'd paid a fortune for them!)

You are not allowed to take alcohol into the parks at all, but they sell beer, wine etc in the buffets and table service restaurants.

Been loads of times and always taken loads of food in, they are searching for weapons and bombs, so unless you've got exploding sandwiches you should be fine.

I actually checked the disney website and it does say no food or drink allowed into the park. What a crappy policy.

We've been twice (Easter 2010 was last time) and our bag was never checked going into the park. On both our trips, I've made up rolls from the breakfast buffet and brought them in to the park to have for lunch. Is this a very recent policy?

No food allowed, unless you're French in which case you'll be fine taking in a full picnic hamper complete with chic crockery, metal cutlery, and a couple of bottles of red. Honestly!

I'd still take some fruit in if nothing else to be honest, we spent 3 days there and I thought I was going to die of scurvy.

We were there this weekend and both days took in a large tupperware box full of pastries and ham & cheese sandwiches that we'd made from the goodies at the breakfast buffet in our hotel. We put the box in a rucksack and although this was checked at the entrance gate nobody made us remove it. I'd recommend taking a multipack (or 5!) of bottled water with you too as it's expensive at 2.50 Euros a bottle. There is a small stall selling apples and bananas on Main Street if you're craving fruit and the large fast food outlet inside the Studio One building at the Disney Studios (if you have tickets for both parks) sells bags of carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes. My DS was delighted!!

I took in food and drink last year at the bottom of my rucksack. Justa few sandwhichs, chocolate and drinks. My bag was searched and the man definetly saw the food but he didn't say anything about it.

same as the others - have taken in food several times, bag has been searched and food seen, no problems!

Yes, well, we were refused entrance because we were carrying food and water ( but no weapons) (and some of us were french)...so, whatever.
Ghastly place.

we went last year and took food from our breakfast buffet. We were at Davy Crockets ranch and used to get baguettes and boxes of croissants and jam etc and we just took the whole lot in.

We did. The French girl checking our bags saw my family sized bag of crisps, grinned and said 'Mmmm sheeps!!'

Similar to TheMoonOnAStick for us. I had chocolate and the man snooping in my bag said 'Ooh, Galaxy'.

I guess they don't want people taking in masses of grub and making the place look untidy by laying out picnic rugs left, right and centre. They're not going to get into an argument over a few nibbles that might be for a diabetic or to cater for some other special dietary need. Like the need for Galaxy.

Cannot belieie a theme park has the audacity to ban you from taking in food!

I always take picnic to this kkind of place (Gullivers etc) as food there usualyl horrid and expensive.

Most theme parks have a ' no food taken into parks' policy if you check the small print. They obviously want to you spend money buying theirs.It depends on the people on duty at the gates, but DLP staff turn a blind eye to general snacks and drinks.
You do not have to take bottles of water in with you, just some empty ones, or fill some with neat squash, as there are safe drinking water fountains in both parks.( unlike Thorpe Park, Chessington, Alton Towers etc in this country).We take a few croissants from breakfast, and take them into the parks to eat mid morning.
We always book Half Board now it is available, as this saves money if you are staying there rather than just visiting for the day. There are some very good all- you-can-eat buffets( with plenty of salads and vegetables) and table service restaurants in the parks, Village and Disney hotels, where anyone can eat.
There is a small grassy area to the left of Restaurant Des Stars buffet restaurant in the Studios Park, where I saw people sitting eating picnics without being asked to move.
There is an official picnic area between the Disney car park and parks entrances, but that means having to go back to your car to get your hamper/ ice box. There are no lockers in the parks, so you have to carry your bags all day, unless you pay to leave them at City Hall, at Town Square in the Disneyland Park.

Just for information-
Plaza Gardens buffet restaurant in the DL park costs ? 23.70 and ? 10.90 child at the moment. Considering this is all you can eat,with lots of choice of starters, mains and desserts, salads, veg, fruit etc, I think it is good value.
The Restaurant Des Stars buffet in the Studios Park is the same price.
Agrabah Cafe buffet ( Adventureland) is also very good, with a Morroccan/ Mediterranean theme.Lots of salads, couscous,fish, kebabs, lasagne, moussaka, very good buffet for vegetarians.Similar price to the other two.
We find that after breakfast, and some snacks at lunchtime, we only need one meal per day, either the buffets or 3 course table service, as they completely fill us up.
I have not eaten any fast food there for some years now.
There is a Prices thread on the Trip Advisor Marne La Vallee Forum, with lots of current prices of souvenirs and merchandise, as well as food prices.I added more to this from my recent trip.