Disneyland Dining Hacks: How to Bring Kid-Friendly Food for Picky Eaters into the Park

Did you know you can bring your own food into Disneyland and California Adventure parks?

Sure, Disneyland is known for its incredible snacks (and high prices) but paying a lot of money for a burger that my toddler may or may not eat is not worth the extra stress. So, here is how you can bring in the food you need to feed your family into the park:

The land in which Disneyland was built is the stolen ancestral homeland of the Tongva people who have been stewarding this land for thousands of years.

How to Bring Food into Disneyland

Praise the Disney gods! You can bring outside food into the park! Here's how:

1. How to pack your food to carry into the park -

You can bring a cooler the size of a six-pack, or a cooler bag smaller than 24x16x18 into the park. No dry ice or loose ice is allowed, so bring reusable ice packs if you have them.

I’ve heard that hard shell coolers are not allowed either, so consider bringing a soft-sided cooler or cooler bag. Or, you can bring a larger cooler (up to 19″ wide x 24″ high x 31″) and leave it in a jumbo locker right outside the main park entrance.

Read here for details on permitted items and cooler restrictions.

I would also recommend you bring napkins, wipes, utensils (no knives!), paper plates, and snack cups for smaller snack items on the go.

2. Where to keep your food while you're exploring the park:

If your cooler is small enough, you can store it in the bottom of your stroller or in a backpack. Keeping the cooler with you allows you prime snack access when your kids are getting antsy and hangry in the middle of a line to a ride.

There are also lockers available on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland or on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure Park for $7 or $10 per day depending on locker size.

If you need more space, store your cooler in the jumbo lockers outside the main entrance to both parks. Lockers are first-come-first-served and range in size and cost from $7-$10/day inside the park, and $7-$15/day outside the park.

What food you should bring into Disneyland

The food you should bring into the park should be easy, delicious, and compact!

We packed items that were mostly self-contained, easy to eat, non-perishable, compact, and that I knew my picky kids would enjoy, such as:

Cuties/mandarins, apples, grapes
Raisins or yogurt raisins
Gogurt or yogurt in a pouch
Cheese sticks
Cucumbers (cut), carrot sticks, veggie sticks
Mini hummus packs
Bambas, pretzels, goldfish
Crackers and meat (salami or sliced turkey)
PB & J ingredients – loaf of bread, peanut and jelly in plastic jars; no glass jars are allowed in the park
Any food that comes in prepackaged and squishy containers such as apple sauce pouches

Pro-tip– Let your kiddo help select the food you bring that day. Allow them to choose which veggie (cucumbers or carrots?) or what type of sandwich (PB& J or salami?). Your kids will love being a part of the planning process, will take ownership of the meal, and will be more likely to eat it!

Pro-tip #2– Disneyland does not allow you to bring in knives, even plastic ones. Consider this when you’re packing so you don’t end up with uncut veggies or sandwiches that need a knife for spreading or slicing. Or, make sure to stop at a restaurant inside the park and pick up plastic cutlery before lunchtime.

Where to eat your home-brought picnic in Disneyland with kids

1. Find the Disneyland picnic area

The official picnic area is located outside the park on the west side of the ticket collection area. You do not need a ticket to access the picnic area!

Keep your cooler in a locker outside the park, then enjoy your meal at the picnic area nearby, which will allow you to save valuable stroller space for line-snack food and other kid necessities.

2. Find a place to eat in the park

While walking around Disneyland we saw a few open tables near the Casey Jr. Circus Train and Edelweis Snacks.

I would recommend sitting near the gazebos across from It’s a Small World ride in Fantasyland for lunch. There are picnic benches along the main walkway where you can sit and enjoy a meal while people watching.

While we were eating, we were lucky to catch the Pearly Band perform and see a random parade walk by with all of the princesses! Check the event schedules here.

I was so happy to read online that outside food was allowed in Disneyland Anaheim. We brought enough food for at least one meal (lunch), then ate one meal either at the Airbnb or at a restaurant in Disneyland.

Bringing food into Disneyland was a great money saving hack. It was also a “mommy saving hack,” since I could pack food that my kids would actually eat, and therefore they were not hangry, and I was not angry.

Also, packing food for Disneyland freed up some money for those “gotta haves” like the $12 balloon my toddler was begging for or the snacks I was looking at…

Did someone just say, “Dole Whip?”

What’s your favorite food to bring into the Disneyland? Share in the comments below.

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Angel

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Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.