Feeding a large family with several hungry tadpoles at Disneyland can add up quickly. But we have a few tips to help you save money (and time) on meals, snacks and beverages so you can stretch your Disney dollar. The food selection at Disneyland is next-level and something you definitely want to include in your visit. Over the years, we have mastered the right balance of enjoying park food but also finding ways to stay within budget. We're here to help you save where you can and suggest some ways to feed a large family at Disneyland.
Tips for Feeding a Large Family at Disney
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.
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 a day at Disneyland reasonable for a large family.
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, summer sausage 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 $4.50, 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.
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 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 $7.50, 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 $10.99. 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 at $20.
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 meal at Pizza Planet is popular with Lily. You get a child's personal pizza, a cutie orange, apple sauce or carrots and soda for $7.99. While you are there, grab one of the pasta dishes to share and it really adds to the meal!
For smaller tadpoles, toddler meals are smaller portions that hit the spot without waste.
In the past, we took our large group to Hungry Bear. We got a few burgers, chicken tenders and kids meals, and we were impressed by how much food we got for the price. Especially when it's easy foods that everyone likes. Big news! That location is being transformed to Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. There are additional barbecue menu items and sides (as well as our favorite burgers and chicken tenders). We think it will still be a great choice for large groups and kids. It opens later in 2024.
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 sticks, a cutie and a side with a drink at about $8. 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 Café 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 $10. It is great to find an entree at $10 or less anywhere these days. And at the end of the night, stop at Gibson Girls on Main Street 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!
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 $12.99. 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 to 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 from Aunt Cass Café. 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. They 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:
- 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.
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.
Related: How to Save Money at Disneyland
Related: Top Kids' Foods at Disneyland Even Your Pickiest Eater Will Love
Hoppy planning!
