Packed Lunch Ideas/Snacks

[zuzu310]

Much to my husband's dismay I plan on packing lunches and snacks for our Disney trip over Spring Break. I'd rather spend the money on Mickey Bars and Cake Pops than some sub-standard cheeseburger. Also, we can spend less time ordering food and more time standing in those less than glorious lines now that FP+ is a relic. Could everyone hit me up with their go-to packable lunch ideas? Also what container did you use to bring it to the park? We have a cooler backpack we could use.

My kids love Uncrustables but we are staying at Pop and won't have a freezer. I think they sort of dry out if left in the fridge for awhile. I think I'm just going to buy a sandwich cutter/sealer and make my own. We will be getting an order from Publix delivered. TIA!!

 

[herdtoDisney]

I think if you put the Uncrustables in the fridge in the box, they will be fine for a few days. I mean, when you buy an Uncrustable at a grab and go place, they are in a fridge case.

I'd probably put a packed lunch cooler bag in a locker if possible. If you carry it around the sun will beat down on it.

 

[cccory]

We have done rollup pinwheels. Tortilla with peanut & honey. You can also add raisins, cranberries or anything you can think of. Spread it on the tortilla and cut into pieces.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Tuna kits sold in the grocery stores; salad kits and premade sandwiches from Publix. You can do Instacart to your hotel if you don't have a car.

 

[jacksmom]

Carrots with hummus, apple slices with peanut butter, boiled eggs are good snacks with protein to keep you full longer and should hold up well in transport. Also nuts, trail mixes, Chex mix, granola bars are good and filling snacks that are easy to transport. You can buy a large quantity in Sams, Costco, etc and portion in individual servings.

 

[Best Aunt]

I'd probably put a packed lunch cooler bag in a locker if possible. If you carry it around the sun will beat down on it.

But keep in mind that the lockers are not centrally located. They are near the park entrances. If you are near the back of the park, it can feel like a long walk to get back to the lockers. So it probably will not be convenient to keep going back to the locker to get food out of the cooler bag. Maybe okay to go back to the locker for the cooler bag once for lunch. Not okay if you plan to keep going back to snack out of it all day long.

I can understand that your plan would be a money saver, but I'm not sure it would be a time saver, if you compare to using mobile order at a quick service location which will be in the general vicinity of where you are at that time of day. And if you are going to buy a sandwich cutter/sealer, you have to add that in that cost so I'm not sure how much money you will save.

Also, I haven't used a locker in a long time so I can't remember if you can enter it as many times as you like once you have paid for the day (works when you get a physical key) or if you can only open it once after you lock it (I think the ones where you type in a combination are like this).

What time of year are you going? Tunafish and hardboiled eggs that have been outside all day (even in a lunch cooler bag in a locker) don't sound very appetizing to me in Orlando in August. And in hotter weather, going into a restaurant can mean a break from the heat and the sun. Where are you planning to eat the lunch you bring with you?

 

[Bete]

Protein bars and nuts are the best for no refrigeration needed and easy to carry and eat. Beef jerky products are good, too. There are some packaged and/or canned tuna and chicken that doesn't need refrigeration. Those go well with crackers. Peanut butter is good on crackers, too. You'll need plastic silverware, here.

If you eat early in the park you can do individual containers of jello, applesauce, cottage cheese, or yogurt before they get too warm. Raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, tomatoes are good, too. Fruit like apples and bananas are good, too.

Ziplock bags and small, plastic containers will help to store your items.

 

[dromio42]

Tuna in foil packets and crackers. We bring a little Tupperware (Rubbermaid collapsable), and mayo packets. That way we don't have to worry about it spoiling. We also bring PB&J and sliced apples. Plus lots of snacks - nuts, homemade oat bars, organic Chex mix. We have some food allergies so this helps.

 

[pooh2001]

What we have done in the past (some sent down in a suitcase - some from Garden Grocer)
Granola bars
Gum
Water bottles - from Garden Grocer
Small packs of raisins
Small packs of nuts
Small packs of gummy bears
Oranges & Apples - from Garden Grocer
Plus
zip lock bags - small, sandwich and quart to store stuff in - from Garden Grocer

 

[midwestdee]

Much to my husband's dismay I plan on packing lunches and snacks for our Disney trip over Spring Break. I'd rather spend the money on Mickey Bars and Cake Pops than some sub-standard cheeseburger. Also, we can spend less time ordering food and more time standing in those less than glorious lines now that FP+ is a relic. Could everyone hit me up with their go-to packable lunch ideas? Also what container did you use to bring it to the park? We have a cooler backpack we could use.

My kids love Uncrustables but we are staying at Pop and won't have a freezer. I think they sort of dry out if left in the fridge for awhile. I think I'm just going to buy a sandwich cutter/sealer and make my own. We will be getting an order from Publix delivered. TIA!!

One of my DGS’s lives on Uncrustables. Although each is sealed, they will stay much fresher if you place them in a zip loc sandwich bag. The zip loc will still be clean and usable for another purpose before going to recycling.

 

[Elephantay]

Depending on the heat, I wouldnt plan on a backpack cooler keeping much food safe. I would try the lockers, for a short time, or invest in a high quality cooler.
Also finding a place to eat might be tricky, depending on the crowds. So you may need a blanket of some sort?

You could try any shelf-stable foods like trail mix, cheese and crackers, fruit, sealed meats like pepperoni or salami ( with ice directly packed on it), etc. The key is to pack carefully with ice packs- and this gets heavy in a backpack. Not sure how many kids you have but sometime people get a cheap umbrella stroller just to haul stuff like a good cooler.
Hoping for you that you arent going at a very hot time!
Even pbj can be soup in the summer...ice packs..!

 

[babyready]

We always pack lunch food when we visit the parks. Honestly, it is not trouble at all. We have found it much more convenient than quick service during peak meal times. We have never had an issue finding a place to eat. We have always had a stroller to stick the cooler bag in, so that adds to convenience. But a backpack should be fine, we have used that a lot at amusement parks and outings closer to home. We often just use Ziplocs filled with ice from the hotel. Those last until lunch time just fine. We just make sure to eat anything that needs to stay cold at lunch and keep snacks that don't need to be cooled for later in the day because things will start to go bad.

For my kids, sandwiches have been great. PB or ham and cheese. Using french bread or bagels can make them a little sturdier and level it up a bit. We also do cheese and crackers with salami or pepperoni. Little individually sized PB cups with crackers or fruit and veggies to dip. Grapes, carrots, string cheese, PB or cheese crackers, PB filled pretzels, apple slices, mandarins, cucumber slices, squeeze apple sauce, granola bars, dried fruit, some pre packaged treats they don't usually get at home. Jerky, fruit strips, chips.

I am gluten and dairy free so my stuff is a little trickier but I do tuna packets, hard boiled eggs (so many of these!), salads, fruits, veggies, nuts, chips and lots of snacks since I can't eat most of the ones available at the parks anymore.

We are a family of 6 and are used to packing food when we go on day trips and hikes, so it doesn't feel like that much extra work at all. But I do know that some people can't imagine dealing with that on vacation. It truly is not a big deal to us and lets us splurge more on special treats while there and travel more often because are keeping that food budget a little lower.

Have a great trip!

 

[Where’s the beef]

We always pack lunch food when we visit the parks. Honestly, it is not trouble at all. We have found it much more convenient than quick service during peak meal times. We have never had an issue finding a place to eat. We have always had a stroller to stick the cooler bag in, so that adds to convenience. But a backpack should be fine, we have used that a lot at amusement parks and outings closer to home. We often just use Ziplocs filled with ice from the hotel. Those last until lunch time just fine. We just make sure to eat anything that needs to stay cold at lunch and keep snacks that don't need to be cooled for later in the day because things will start to go bad.

For my kids, sandwiches have been great. PB or ham and cheese. Using french bread or bagels can make them a little sturdier and level it up a bit. We also do cheese and crackers with salami or pepperoni. Little individually sized PB cups with crackers or fruit and veggies to dip. Grapes, carrots, string cheese, PB or cheese crackers, PB filled pretzels, apple slices, mandarins, cucumber slices, squeeze apple sauce, granola bars, dried fruit, some pre packaged treats they don't usually get at home. Jerky, fruit strips, chips.

I am gluten and dairy free so my stuff is a little trickier but I do tuna packets, hard boiled eggs (so many of these!), salads, fruits, veggies, nuts, chips and lots of snacks since I can't eat most of the ones available at the parks anymore.

We are a family of 6 and are used to packing food when we go on day trips and hikes, so it doesn't feel like that much extra work at all. But I do know that some people can't imagine dealing with that on vacation. It truly is not a big deal to us and lets us splurge more on special treats while there and travel more often because are keeping that food budget a little lower.

Have a great trip!

100%! I save our trip money for the treats (and some lovely cocktails). We always take a backpack full of food for five with the only exception being an EPCOT festival day where the food is half the fun. One trick I do is freeze koolaid jammers/Capri sun to use as ice packs and then a later afternoon beverage once they start to thaw. We only get them when we travel so it’s a nice treat for the kids. We get the free ice waters so don’t really ever bring water bottles to lug around.
We also do hummus cups and pita.

 

[StitchBuddy]

Not sure if you are staying on site or not. But, we always found it nice to take a mid day break. So, we always brought a big cooler with us and filled it with sandwich meats and stuff. We would either eat a sandwich for lunch when we returned to the room or for dinner before returning to the parks. I made everyone wear a Fanny pack with their own snacks inside. We had fruit roll ups, peanuts, peanut butter crackers, just whatever your family likes. We also had muffins in the room for breakfast.

 

[MrsPete]

I have a sandwich cutter that makes "Uncrustables" -- an overpriced product. It works great. I think it's made by Pampered Chef? Not sure because it's probably 20 years old.

However, I must agree with Best Aunt, who says above that bringing your own food (if stored in a locker) isn't going to be a time saver, and that sitting down for a good hour and resting with plenty of ice water is an excellent "refresher", especially with children.