Hey Howdy Hey Rick and welcome to planDisney fellow Buckeye!
Thank you so much for stopping by with your question about bringing outside food and drinks to the parks for your upcoming visit. I will be happy to give you more information on the details when bringing in outside food or drinks.
I am happy to report that
you are more than welcome to bring your food and non-alcoholic beverages into the parks. This is one big tip that I have for families with smaller children who are particular about snacks or meals or those with food allergies who just want to be super safe. There are a few details to the rules however that I wanted to review so you are better prepared for your day in the parks.
When deciding on which cooler or bag you will be transporting your food and drinks in, as for the
current theme park rules, the cooler or bag must not be greater than 24 inches long, 15 inches wide and 18 inches high. So as long as your cooler is within these guidelines you are in good shape!
Now, if you need to keep items cool throughout the day, Disney does not allow loose or dry ice into the parks. They do recommend you utilize reusable icepacks instead. One issue that my wife and I ran into on one visit was trying to keep these ice packs cold as we did not have access to a freezer. I was able to get ice from the ice machine at our hotel to cool down our ice packs to get into the parks but needed a different option once in the parks to keep our items cool. At most quick service locations, you can get free ice water. We were able to go to these locations in the parks and ask for a couple of cups of ice to put in Ziploc bags that were then put in the cooler to keep our items cool for the whole day. This might come in handy for your upcoming trip if you find yourself without a freezer in your resort room!
I hope this information helped give you an idea of how to navigate your day in the parks on your upcoming trip. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach back out and let us know, we are always happy to help!
To Infinity and Beyond,
Nick