Tips for Feeding a Large Family at Disneyland

Disneyland Resort has become a foodie haven. In the last five to 10 years, Disneyland has really upped the game on theme park food. You and your tadpoles will want to try those popular "viral" treats and seasonal options. But believe it or not, you can bring food and nonalcoholic drinks into Disneyland — and this is a great way to save money and time.

Eat Before You Arrive

First of all, we like to arrive on a full stomach. That way we don't feel the need to stop for food right away. Eat breakfast at home or your hotel (especially if your hotel offers free breakfast).

Timing

Eat a big brunch or late lunch. It can carry you into the evening. You might get by with a lighter dinner or snacks if you time your large meals well. While character dining is not on the cheaper side, those buffets do fill you up so you don't need any other food for quite a while.

Bring Snacks

You can also order groceries to be delivered to your hotel so you can eat before you leave the room and stuff your bags with affordable snacks. Here's how to pack snacks, lunch and water, as well as where to buy family-friendly meals in the parks and find shareable treats. These tips will help you feed the whole family and keep them full and hoppy for a great day at Disney! We'll help you save money while making feeding a large family at Disneyland more reasonable.

Disney Visa

The Disney Visa allows you to earn money back on your purchases. You can transfer that money to a redemption card to pay for meals during your trip. If you don't have a Magic Key, you can use your credit card to save 10% on select food purchases. And with every purchase, you are earning money back for future visits.

Use Dining Dollars to Purchase Disney or Restaurant Gift Cards

One of the newest perks of buying discount theme park tickets from Undercover Tourist, is that every Disney ticket comes with $20 in Dining Dollars promo codes. (Four tickets would give you $80 of Dining Dollars promo codes.)

What are Dining Dollars? We have a whole post explaining how to use them, but basically you get a $20 credit to apply to the purchase of gift cards. You can buy gift cards to a specific restaurant or even get a Disney gift card at a discount. You can apply $15 of credit to the $100 Disney gift card purchase, saving you 15% on your food and purchases at Disneyland Resort. The Disney gift cards can be used at Disneyland and Disney World Resort dining and retail locations, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Store retail locations and DisneyStore.com.

There are a number of restaurants around Disneyland that also offer gift cards on the Dining Dollars site, and they offer even bigger savings than the Disney gift cards, getting more bang for your Dining Dollars buck. So if you plan to eat off-site one night at nearby California Pizza Kitchen, Morton's or McCormick & Schmick's Grille, that might be a good option as well to save 20-25% off your gift card to one of those locations. We have a post on maximizing your Dining Dollars perk.

Bring Your Own Food and Drink

You can bring your own snacks and even meals. The amount you bring is up to you. Bring smaller items into the parks or pack a larger picnic and store it in lockers in the picnic area in the esplanade. Things that can fit in your backpack or diaper bags are great options for your family. Growing up, our frog family always brought in our lunch and snacks. That habit has carried over to my family. We love to pack lunch and usually buy dinner. This really saves money for a family, especially with multiple kids. Some of our go-to items include Lunchables, lunch meat and crackers or sub sandwiches. I've been known to bring Uncrustables or even make PB& J. Honestly, after a long morning, lunch hits the spot no matter what.

Another way to save is to bring in your own sodas or juices. I love to bring a Diet Coke and request a cup of ice at a food counter to fill it with. The kids love a cold Capri Sun or juice box. But bringing in your own sodas can really help save and recharge you.

Easy snacks are great for the family too. Bring fruit, fruit snacks, granola bars and Goldfish crackers. You can even bring packaged pickles for a fraction of the cost of buying in the park! (But at about $4.79, the Disneyland pickles are still not a bad choice if you need to buy a snack.)

All these options are easy to enjoy while waiting in line. Honestly, snacks or treats can be great to distract the little ones when they're hot or getting frustrated. Bringing familiar snacks for the little kids while you buy something yummy is a great way to be practical and save. The younger kids don't know what they're missing, and they're just thrilled with a snack they know and love. A small bag of cereal always entertained my toddlers in the stroller. It's definitely worth saving by packing food and being prepared when feeding a large family at Disneyland.

Places to Store or Eat a Picnic

If you are bringing a larger picnic, you can store it outside the parks in the esplanade. You can rent larger lockers to the left of Disneyland Park. Enjoy your picnic at tables in that area as well. Keep in mind that you cannot bring a cooler with loose ice or dry ice. You can have ice in your cup though! You can use reusable ice packets or frozen water bottles to keep food cold. No glass is allowed (except for baby food). Coolers for use outside the parks can be 24" high x 19" wide x 31" deep.

Coolers are allowed in the parks, as long as they are no larger than a six-pack. If you want to access your food in the park, you can store smaller items in a locker inside the park. It's helpful if you want to store heavy items you don't want to carry around with you. You can enjoy your own food anywhere in Disneyland Park. We like the area behind Edelweiss Snacks or any restaurant tables.

Parade time is a great time to picnic. You have to get in place early for the parade, so make it a meal or snack time. Spread out a blanket or towel and eat while you wait. If you don't have your own food, mobile order a Power Pack for the kids from many quick-service locations, which often have several familiar snacks they can enjoy while they wait.

Toontown has lawns that are perfect for picnics and for wiggly eaters who need a little unstructured snack or mealtime. Head to the cave to the left of Mickey's house to get shade and a sensory break while you eat.

Shareable Snacks at Disneyland

If you are looking for a snack that's large and shareable, check out the beignets at the Mint Julep bar in New Orleans Square. They come in packs of three or six and are a yummy treat for everyone. These fluffy doughnuts are covered in powdered sugar. It is a winner for all! You can mobile order to skip the line.

Another favorite shareable treat is at the Harbour Galley, just across from the Haunted Mansion. Everyone loves the chocolate chip cookies. They sell in packs of six and 13 and again, a great value. (You can buy milk for dipping as well.) You can also mobile order these ahead of time.

Another snack that can go far is popcorn. When buying popcorn, ask for an extra box and you can easily split it for more than one child. This way they both feel like they got their own. One more treat that is large enough to share is the funnel cakes, usually found at Stage Door Cafe. Always huge and great to share!

At Pym Test Kitchen, the huge Quantum pretzel is an awesome snack to share that can feed a few. Don't froget an extra order of cheese sauce. Sonoma Terrace also has a huge Bavarian pretzel for about $8.25, whereas the Quantum Pretzel runs about $14. So, going to Sonoma Terrace is another way to save.

On Pixar Pier, Poultry Palace makes a great snack stop. You can order a drumstick box with three pieces of chicken in it and a side for $14.49. It's a great share for the kids and adds some protein to their day.

Good Family Meal Options at Disneyland

Let's talk about good family meal options on property at the parks. Other than splurging on treats, there are some great ways to feed a lot of people in the parks. Plaza Inn has an amazing fried chicken platter that usually includes three pieces of chicken, green beans, potatoes and biscuit and is plenty to share.

Another huge option is the pizza at Naples in Downtown Disney. The XL pizza in particular can feed at least four to six people. On the menu, it's called the ½ meter pizza — plus, Naples comes with free bread service. A win-win!

The kids meals at Alien Pizza Planet are popular with the tadpoles and even adults. You get a child main course, a cutie orange, carrots and drink for $7.49 to $9.99. Find meals you can share! Magic Key holders can access some offers to save on family-size meals at Alien Pizza Planet.

For smaller tadpoles, toddler meals are smaller portions that hit the spot without waste.

We take our large group to Hungry Bear barbecue Jamboree for barbecue menu items and sides (as well as our favorite burgers and chicken tenders). We think it is a great choice for large groups and kids.

Rancho del Zocalo offers some yummy Mexican food and sometimes can stretch further. It offers a great trio taco plate.

Over at Disney California Adventure, San Fransokyo Square and Pym Test Kitchen in Avengers Campus are some of our most common stops. Pym Test Kitchen has an awesome breakfast kids meal that includes French toast, a cutie and a side with a drink at about $9. Great for kids and adults. In fact, sometimes a kids meal is just the right amount of food for an adult snack or small appetite.

In San Fransokyo Square, you'll find a wide variety of foods, sure to please everyone. Mobile order from more than one location to meet everyone's tastes. Be sure to snag the Birria Tacos at Cocina Cucamonga. You could split the two tacos between two kids and add a side of beans or rice. Aunt Cass Cafe has a huge Pesto Turkey sandwich that could also be split. The famous bread bowls with mac and cheese or soup are also there. The bread bowl goes a long way with kids, and fresh sourdough is a great shareable snack. Don't froget to pick up a free snack, a sample of sourdough bread at The Bakery Tour.

In both parks, you can also get the famous hand-dipped corn dogs that are quite filling for $11. It is great to find an entree at $11 or less anywhere these days. And at the end of the night, stop at Gibson Girl on Main Street (or Clarabelle's in Disney California Adventure) for some ice cream. The best-kept secret is the third scoop cone or cup. It's not on the menu. Ask in person for the third scoop for a dollar! This is great for the kids to share (ask for extra cups to split it up) and really is an awesome value when it comes to feeding a large family at Disneyland!

Hybrid Hacks

We've covered bringing your own food in the park and buying food in the park. Why not do a little of both? Save some money (and backpack space) while getting those park flavors you love. You can bring some elements for a meal with you and complete the meal by adding iconic park food, so it still feels fresh and special. (Like you invented a new secret way to enjoy the park food.) Here are a few ideas based on what we've tried or seen others do.

Turkey Leg with Hawaiian Rolls

You can buy a turkey leg for about $14.49. Bring a pack of Hawaiian Rolls and make that iconic Disneyland food stretch further. You can easily get eight slider-size sandwiches out of the leg. Take it to a restaurant table to cut and distribute them. Depending on the location, you'll find a choice of condiments such as mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, honey and even hot sauce (find some hot sauces at Tiana's Palace). NGL, it is a bit messy to cut up (but not at all messy for the kids to eat) so see if you can secure a paper plate or use the turkey leg bag for the cutting. (We found that turkey legs can stick to napkins.) It tastes like a hot ham sandwich and actually ends up being more filling than you'd think, especially if you have some fruit or chips to go with it.

Lunch Meat with Sliced Sourdough

Bring either unrefrigerated lunch meat (such as sliced sausages and pepperoni) or a pack of deli lunch meat with a cold pack. Order a fresh loaf of sliced sourdough or Dutch Crunch baguette from Aunt Cass Cafe. The restaurant can slice it for sandwiches. It's also available as a baguette. Use the condiments to dress up your sandwiches. And the fresh sourdough is truly a treat in itself.

Drink Free Water

Do not spend money on water. Buying water really takes a toll on the food budget, and there is good water available for free all over the parks! You'll find water filling stations around the parks. You can always ask a quick-service counter for cups of water or cups of ice. Some locations give you ice to take to a nearby fill station. Restaurants with self-filling areas have water and ice. Our favorite spots to fill our bottles with ice and water include Alien Pizza Planet, Pym Test Kitchen and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. But any restaurant will do when we feel the need to hydrate.

Disneyland is in a dry climate, and you need to keep your family hydrated. On a summer day, you can easily go through several bottles of water per person. You want to keep water on you, especially while in lines. Kids always seem to need water at the most inconvenient times. Drinking free water will save you a lot of money instead of buying water!

Bring your water bottles from home or your hotel. Freeze plastic bottles overnight the night before and use them all day. The remaining ice will keep your water cold all day (and cold water seems to taste better than warm water). Or bring reusable water bottles to fill.

Dining Tips with Kids

Here are a few tips we've picked up over the years for feeding a large family at Disneyland:

Bring resealable plastic bags — They can come in handy for holding onto leftovers or uneaten popcorn to save for later. You can also divide up a larger bag of snacks into individualized kid-size portions. And they can serve as a trash bag for things such as wrappers and orange peels until you can get to a trash can.
Carry wipes to clean hands before eating.
Arrive at the park with full bellies. (It helps if your hotel offers free breakfast.)
Freeze plastic water bottles and refill them as you drink the water.
Bring refillable bottles and drink free water in the parks.
Set a budget and give each kid a gift card with a set amount on it for snacks or treats.
Share meals or snacks where you can.
Splurge for character dining brunch. While pricey, it covers breakfast and lunch. And the all-you-can-eat buffet will help you avoid needed snacks later. You may get by with a very light dinner.
Have adults eat kids meals as a light meal.
Use mobile order to skip the food lines and collect everyone's favorites from different restaurants near each other, so you can eat together.
Look at menus in the Disneyland app to see items and prices.
Eat breakfast before you arrive. (We recommend breakfast burritos from Tiendita in Downtown Disney or the Mickey waffles kids meal at GCH Craftsman Grill at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel.)
Try to find hotels with free breakfast.
Use your FREE Dining Dollars from Undercover Tourist ticket purchases to save 15% on Disney gift cards and use those to pay for food in the parks.

How you go about feeding a large family at Disneyland can really make a difference in your trip budget. We have a few other ways to save on a Disneyland trip. Purchase discount Disneyland Resort tickets through Undercover Tourist to save on tickets. You can also save money on Disneyland Resort hotels and other nearby hotels.

Hoppy planning!

Written and reviewed by the Undercover Tourist Content Team

Tips for Feeding a Large Family at Disneyland

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