Any ideas on what to pack my kids for Disney?

[AClulessMumOfThree]

This Christmas me and my partner surprised our kids with a trip to Disney in the summer holidays and they were all very excited to go and have already started talking about rides they want to go on.

Now anyone who has been to Disney knows that whilst it’s supposed it the the “happiest place on earth” it my no means the cheapest, so I have told the children that they can only buy one souvenir each and that we shall be bringing food and drink with us.

My kids seem okay with that but I’m pretty sure they were still lost in the excitement of going. My fear is once we get there and we’ve been enjoying the park, only for lunchtime to come around, and they see one of those themed restaurants they are desperate to eat at and then get handed a packed lunch, suddenly the packed lunch they were okay with back home is suddenly no longer appealing and it’s meltdown city.

However I don’t want to fill my kid's lunch boxes with sweet treats and tons of sugary treats that would probably distract them from the food choices at Disney, (I’m very sparse with stuff like that at home, and only ever give them really as a reward or treat so for them to have so many sweet treats would be like hevan.) but I also don’t want to spend the next few hours chasing after three-speed demons hyped up on sugar, nor the inevitable aftermath of have to lug three tired and irritable gremlins back to the car.
For clarification, my kids are, (6) (4) (27 months)

Does anyone have any healthy lunch ideas that look like they could have come from a Disney park, that won't send my kids into a sugar-fueled tornado

We did the same when we went to Disney. I did small things like get these 'uncrustable' makers (we used them at home after the trip so they were worth the money to me!) 20Pcs Sandwich Cutter and Sealer Set for Kids and made them mickey sandwiches, but could switch up the shapes throughout the week. The shops in the states have things like fruit snacks etc with disney packaging so I got them along with some crisps. They also sell water bottles that have a drink already in but are reusable, and each one is character themed. Also, we found saying 'Oh, we want to get to the next ride and those restaurants take ages because you have to sit down and wait for the food to come! We want to be speedy, don't we?' solved most of the protests!

For the souvenirs, we bought some both before we went (places like tesco for disney tshirts, a costume), and then at the cheap souvenir shops (NOT on Disney property, if you're staying at Disney this might be more difficult) for things like glow wands they sell at fireworks shows. It cost something like $3 at those shops for a wand that looked pretty much the same and the kids didn't feel left out. We would give a piece of merch every couple of mornings (leaving a tshirt at end of bed for example) so that it was something new and the novelty was there. If you don't want to buy mickey ears when you're out there (the stand is right by the entrance), people sell them on ebay and facebook marketplace for next to nothing.

I don't have any food ideas, but thought I'd jump on to say that when I took mine at a similar age, the best thing I did was dress them in matching boldly striped t shirts. V easy to see in peripheral vision, and to keep a track on them at all times. Obviously I'm not suggesting I let them wander about alone, and I would have been holding their hands 24/7, but they do sometimes break off, or walk with the other parent etc. Bold stripes are so, so easy to catch sight of quickly and easily! Have a great time :)

We've done Disney a few times and ALWAYS take our own lunch and snacks, pretty much never buy any food onsite. Tbh there are so many rides / attractions / parades/ things to look at mine have never even noticed the restaurants so haven't really had an issue

We take a cooler backpack and prep lunches and snacks every morning at the hotel. We usually have

Sandwiches
Oreos
Fruit pots
Veggie pots
Cheese strings
Small portion of crisps (usually decant some pringles or something)

I don't eat bread so I make myself a salad and I have a big bag of nuts and dried fruit to dip into

We have water bottles and I usually pack a diet coke for me

Do your kids like popcorn? You can buy a big popcorn tub on day one and get cheap daily refills, that might work as a 'disney treat'?

We always take a load of pots / tupperware with us to avoid buying more out there, they are light enough

At that age it will be very easy just to cut a sandwich in mouse shape. And they're not really aware of all the sugary things at those ages.

We usually have a buffet breakfast so don't need lunch so I just take some nuts/fruit/cereal bars.

We do have some snacks at the park, though. Generally mickey shaped things!

My DC have an array of food issues so we can't buy much of the snacks anyway. We take an entire suitcase of food with us instead. Cereal round the parks is a good snack. It's so hot, lots of melon and oranges go down well. Individually wrapped croissants and brioche (brought from the UK) are very good, they tend to last a few weeks and you can just pack them in the bag of a morning.

I would suggest buying bottled water out there. The tap water is bad for your stomach and I don't trust the hygiene of the water fountains. We freeze 5-6 bottles in the morning and they keep the rest of the food cool.

We do a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, marmite sandwiches which aren't affected by the heat.

I have to say I find it very difficult to self cater evening meals because the American shops sell such huge stuff. You can't get a small pack of mince, you can only buy an entire cow for example. And everything has corn syrup in it.

Just to say - American groceries are VERY expensive! You might find splitting counter service meals to be similar prices and saves you lugging food around.

Are you staying in a villa or onsite?

We got a great deal for this year with free dining.

I really wouldn't want to be carrying packed lunches about in Florida summer heat and then trying to find somewhere cool to eat if you're not going in restaurants.

If you're able to spend out on the flights, tickets and accommodation then cost of meals really isn't a huge increase compared to what you'd spend in a supermarket over there.

When we went we ended up buying quick service meals during the daytime and then we would eat a smaller meal back at the villa. We found that one meal would feed both kids (aged 6 and 3), as the portions are quite large.
we ordered loads of gallon bottles of water from publix for delivery to the villa and then took one each day in the bottom of the buggy - refilled our water bottles all day. The water is super expensive to buy in bottles at the parks, seems cheaper to buy vast amounts of sugary pop. Like others have mentioned, you won’t drink the water - even the ‘filtered’ water at the parks, it’s gross and smells awful. It was bad enough just showering in it!

I took a load of snacks from the UK, including a box of cereal, Quaker oat packets for porridge, granola type bars, pretzels, ritz crackers, lots of dry packaged food like that, then we’d chuck it in the backpack each morning before heading to the parks. Also those Robinson mini juice travel type things are excellent and I would recommend taking loads and loads, we got through a lot of squash, and it was so easy to squirt into their water bottles to ensure they kept really well hydrated. The juice they sell in the supermarkets is full of rubbish and tastes weird to the kids.

The parks are amazing at getting your money though 😅 whether it’s the famous bubble wands that are $35 each or a Mickey shaped snack for $12 it’s bonkers but all sense of expensive sort of goes out the window!

It's a sensible way to approach it but please try and save as much as you can to enjoy those extras.

We went in September last year and saved money buy going to Walmart the first day. We bought breakfast to eat in the room. Bring some bowels and spoons with you. We bought cereal bars, fruit, crisps as snacks and lunchables for lunch.

You could easily get a lunch to share in the parks as portions are large.