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Original poster

Theme park picnic bans

156 replies

meditrina · 07/05/2011 11:00

This was discussed on today's breakfast news link to BBC website. Bans are already in place at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Zoo and Camelot at Chorley, and others (including Alton Towers and Thorpe Park) are considering it.

I think it's a dreadful idea - these places are expensive enough already, and queuing for (often mediocre) food would just take another chunk out of the day. But if the big players start doing this, then I suppose everyone will follow suit.

What does anyone else think?

OP posts:
vintageteacups · 07/05/2011 15:51

At warwick Castle the other weekend, we paid £20 for 4 hot dogs (basic crap at that) and 2 average cookies. No drinks as we took our own.

£20 for 4 hot dogs and 2 cookies - I'm still fuming now!!! DS and DD only ate a 1/4 of their's as well Angry.

Obviously we could have taken a picnic and apparently the restaurant was cheaper but assumed it'd be more than hotdogs.

GypsyMoth · 07/05/2011 16:35

vintageteacups....they saw you coming!!Shock

Highlander · 08/05/2011 09:45

Tell them you have a diabetic child and a coeliac child, thus bought food is a no-no.

Highlander · 08/05/2011 09:46

pretending to have a nut allergy would throw them as well.

Take your picnic Grin

bigTillyMint · 08/05/2011 09:49

Re: Disneyland Paris, we took in picnic lunch and tea, and no-one stopped us.
There weren't any great places to sit and eat it, mindSmile

Apart from the extortionate prices in theme parks, none of them ever seem to offer fresh fruit or other healthy stuff.

hk78 · 08/05/2011 09:53

crap, isn't it? I've already emailed them to tell them what I think. Maybe I'll email again with a link to this thread Grin

halfcaff · 08/05/2011 10:07

We used to go to a smallish open farm in Kent called Christmas Tree Farm where they had a picnic ban - they sold a very limited selection of sandwiches and ice creams at their 'cafe' and I always thought it was really unreasonable, and meant that we would leave early to go the local pub for lunch, rather than having our picnic then say buying a cake, coffe or ice cream from their outlet, so I always thought they were shooting themselves in the foot.

mitochondria · 08/05/2011 10:10

I wouldn't go if I couldn't take a picnic. We usually buy some food there like drinks or ice creams, but don't like greasy burgers etc.

They say on the link they are going to make allowances for special diets - how would they check I wonder?

ChildofIsis · 08/05/2011 10:14

How can they stop you?
You take your food and sit somewhere quiet, are they really going to throw you out once they've got you in there?

We saw lots of people eating their own food at disney in florida last year, no-one was being thrown out.

We don't have to take our kids to these places.
If everyone voted with their wallets then they'd have to back down, wouldn't they?

LaWeasel · 08/05/2011 10:19

Are there really going to stop you?

Someone metioned picnic's are banned at disney parks... I have eaten more than one picnic at euro disney and no one said anything.

ZeroMinusZero · 08/05/2011 10:22

I liked blackpool pleasure beach when I went, but this news makes me furious. My school frequently has trips to a nearby theme park and my guess is that we would stop going if we weren't allowed to take packed lunches. Let's hope people vote with their feet and hit them in their wallets, the bastards.

katz · 08/05/2011 10:26

We took picnics into disney on days 3 and 4 as the girls wanted ham sandwiches, the people at the gate had a quick look in the bag, but they seemed to be really looking for glass bottles which are banned. We had a small cold bag wit us to keep DD2's meds in.

purepurple · 08/05/2011 10:33

Maybe they will have the picnic police on the gates.
I have a plan. Print off your own letter, pretending it's from your doctor, stating that your child has allergies/intolerances and wave it under their noses.
I expect they will let you in.

Original poster
meditrina · 08/05/2011 10:34

This subject is also now in chat.

OP posts:
PrinceHumperdink · 08/05/2011 10:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lovingthesun · 08/05/2011 10:39

we too have taken picnics to Disney (Orlando) Parks, so how can they be banned ?

Yes they check your bags, but never has anyone commented on our picnics.

PrinceHumperdink · 08/05/2011 10:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 08/05/2011 10:40

I don't take ds to theme parks if I can help it. I send dh. Gruesome places. And they have a cheek to make you pay extra, on top of the ludicrous admission prices, if you actually want to get on a ride without waiting for two hours!

Bizkit · 08/05/2011 10:44

It says in the article they have a growing problem with people eating picnics in their restaurants ( something I wouldn't consider doing and is a fair point ) if this is the reason they have put this ban in place why don't they just enforce this, and stop people doing it rather than punish everyone else

ceebeegeebies · 08/05/2011 10:56

I am glad this has come up on here - saw the news yesterday and was Angry I live fairly local to the Pleasure Beach and we were considering taking the DC soon, particularly as DS1 is Spongebob-mad so he would love the new Nickelodeon park there. But, I am not sure we will be going now!

Agree with purepurple the zoo at Blackpool is far better value and loads of places to sit and eat a picnic etc.

I think they may have just lost our custom (which I am sure they would be greatly bothered about Grin)

pawsnclaws · 08/05/2011 11:19

We went to Eurodisney a few years ago for a long weekend, and I honestly thought I was going to get scurvy. The food was terrible - I ordered a green salad hoping it would be healthy, and it came with chopped up ham and cheese and covered in a creamy dressing.

We didn't take picnics because we'd been told they weren't allowed, so we were a bit surprised to see French visitors taking entire picnic hampers (complete with bottles of red wine, lovely fresh bread and proper metal cutlery!) through security!

I'd really love to see how some of these venues will cater for gluten-free me and ds2 - it would be lovely to not have to carry round our own crappy dusty gluten-free rolls, but somehow I'm doubtful they will rise to the challenge .....

ivykaty44 · 08/05/2011 11:19

I really don't want to go out for the day and have my bags searched for food (I wouldn't object to bomb searches) it would make me feel like a criminal Sad

I am allergic to fast food but how would I go about proving that type of allergy and what is the food police going to do confiscate the food at the entrance?

i thought a day out was for pleasure not a load of hassle

Maryz · 08/05/2011 11:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ffff · 08/05/2011 11:25

it's a real shame - just planned son's birthday treat for the Pleasure Beach using Tesco vouchers and will have 4 kids + 3 adults. although some savings to be had it is an outrageously expensive day out . . . and i did NOT plan on eating food purchased there. write/email to [email protected] who has opposed the decision. I will be doing!

BendyBob · 08/05/2011 11:26

We took our own food into EuroDisney with no problems.