Can we take food and a cooler into the parks?

[goofygal]

I dont know if its allowed to take food and drink in to the parks? some people say yes others no, anyone know for sure?

[uscwest]

Food, absolutely, coolers, for the most part NO.

[JStrickPhoto]

This is from the Ultimate Disney Savings Guide 2011 (p 57):

Cheap Food – think INSIDE the box!

Many visitors don’t know that you can bring your own food and beverages into the park. When I worked for Disney, the policy allowed only waters and baby foods/snacks. I was so surprised when I first heard of someone doing it that I called the toll-free Disney information number to inquire, and was told “no, you can’t bring food into the park.” Even the Cast Members didn’t have the correct information. With persistence I found a Cast Member who located the current policy and printed it out for me:

* You can bring your own food and beverages into the park.
* You may not bring in alcoholic beverages or anything in glass containers.
* Coolers can be no larger than will fit into a Disney World locker.
* You cannot bring in a cooler on wheels. (We were allowed to bring in a small, collapsible cooler with wheels that fit into a locker or our stroller.)
* You can eat at the indoor or outdoor tables at the quick service restaurants.

Whether it’s snacks and sodas from Walmart, sandwiches, or homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches slapped together as needed, this can be a significant savings over the cost of food in the park—even if you do it for just one meal a day! You could buy pre-made sandwiches from a grocery or convenience store at a low cost too. Imagine – eating at Disney World for the same cost as eating at your kitchen table!

[arkvilla]

We usually take some crisps, cookies or muffins and fruit into the parks with us and lots of drinks

Sandra

[Kate]

You can with Disney, but Aquatica's website states that you cant take - dh had to throw something in the bin on our last visit

[chief]

warm sandwhiches yuk! we took fruit and crisps etc just to snack on and water bottles that when they were empty we just filled up from the many water fountains located around the parks.

[Tink]

We've taken coolers into WDW parks for years. They are soft sided ones that we can sling over our shoulders, but they are a good size.

I know you cannot take them into Universal or Seaworld parks though.