Churros and Dole Whips and popcorn… Oh, my! What do you, what do you do? Those Disney parks are filled with delicious temptations everywhere we turn, aren’t they? So what is a parent to do when faced with an overwhelming choice of treats and children eager to eat them all? Faced with selections that are not often healthy and whose prices can add up quickly, we asked the Parenting Panel: How do you handle all those tempting delights when you’re visiting a Disney theme park?
Mary Kraemer, a travel consultant with CruisingCo/MouseEarVacations, loves to travel with her husband and four children. She is an avid Disney fan who visits Disneyland several times a year and Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line as often as possible! Mary shares from her experiences:
How do we handle those tempting delights when we’re at Disneyland? With both hands, baby!
OK, OK, that might be a bit extreme, but we do loosen the reins when we’re at Disneyland. But, like many people, we have Disneyland food favorites, and somehow, those foods are so integrated into our experience that I think we’d feel our trip was incomplete without them.
For example, part of our experience of starting our day at the park is a walk down Main Street toward the castle…stopping to see the confection du jour at the Candy Shop. Will it be English Toffee? Nuttles? Rocky Road? And, before we leave for the day, a package (or a few packages) of candy du jour will go back to the hotel with us. You do know that the candy made onsite has slightly different packaging than the premade-and-shipped-in stuff, don’t you?
A trip to the Enchanted Tiki Room…always a favorite, and having Dole Whip (soft pineapple freeze) is the mandatory prelude to the show. Besides, the line is always shorter inside the waiting area for the Tiki Room. It just makes sense.
Whenever we finish our adventures in the Hundred-Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh, a stop at Pooh Corner, the candy shop that’s right by the exit helps us find just the right little smackeral of something we need…usually a dipped marshmallow stick (my favorite, marshmallows dipped in caramel and then in fudge, is heaven on earth, but the slightly orange flavored, striped “Tigger Tails” are gaining popularity)!
We can’t omit Disney’s California Adventure in the sweet snack department, because we adore the sticky caramel corn over regular popcorn. That might explain all those plastic buckets that have accumulated at our house…
But we’re not all about the sugary stuff (mostly, but not all!)…we have other food favorites at Disneyland. Tucked into Adventureland, across from the Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones, our favorite quick-service meals are at the Bengal BBQ. Their tasty spicy or sweet skewers—and positively addictive grilled bacon-wrapped asparagus spears—have made our taste buds magically happy on many trips. When we heard that this restaurant might close, we made sure that we visited more often, just in case it was gone by our next visit.
Some of our favorite snacks are free—we love the fresh, warm tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory in California Adventure, which are almost always paired with a slice of sourdough bread from Boudin, with its hilarious video “guided tour” of how sourdough is made.
MousePlanet columnist Chris Barry and wife Diane, “the marathon-running graphic designer who loves to garden and is a big Tinker Bell fan,” are raising 10-year-old Samantha, who “shares her father’s love of Disney and her mother’s love of art,” and twin 7-year-old boys, Casey and Alex, who “consider Mickey Mouse’s house their favorite place.” Chris writes:
We seem to be lucky when it comes to snacking in the parks. Our kids have a sweet tooth for certain things for sure, but, overall, they don’t ask for too many snacks in the parks. This is, once again, a carryover from home. Snacks are limited to certain times here at home and we pretty much stick to that when we’re on vacation. If it’s too close to a meal, we just don’t have snacks. They agree to that one all the time. It echoes from what we say to them at home. There’s always a “just got home from school” snack. It’s never a sweet. It’s crackers, pretzels, Goldfish or, if we’re really lucky some fruit. That seems to be one of the only times they are looking for a snack if we’re in the parks, around 4 p.m. or so.
We just returned from nine days in Florida, 4½ at Universal Studios and 4½ at Disney, so the snacking thing is fresh in our minds. The kids would usually get hungry in the afternoon, and, considering the heat, it was usually ice cream that they were looking for. To us, it’s perfectly acceptable to give ice cream in the Florida heat to cool off and restart their engines. Otherwise we brought a lot of healthier snacks from home. Cheerios, Goldfish, and Fiber-One bars can usually be found in my or my wife’s backpack, and they’ll do just fine with our kids. They don’t drink soda, never have, so they never ask for it, and that suits us just fine. Water, water, water is what we drink down there. They fight over it when I buy just one or two to share. We’ve tried refilling at water fountains, but it just doesn’t taste that good. I don’t mind buying water. It’s not that expensive. It’s good for them and keeps them hydrated. We went through a lot of water those nine days.
The one thing we’ve done in Disney that strays from our home routine is late-night ice cream. If we’re in the Magic Kingdom, and headed toward the hub to watch Wishes at 10 p.m., we’ll frequently stop at Auntie Gravity’s in Tomorrowland and grab some frozen treats. They’ll never have ice cream or sweets at home past 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., so this is a treat to them. There’s just something right about watching the fireworks in August with a cold ice cream to snack on.
I will say that there are plenty of healthy snacks to be found at Disney. You can pass up the Main Street Confectionery and head toward the Liberty Square Market for apples, oranges, grapes, carrot and celery sticks, and, my favorite Magic Kingdom snack (and I have no idea why it is), the big pickles. Even at the aforementioned Auntie Gravity’s, you can find a fruit smoothie that’s just as, if not more, refreshing than an ice cream shake. Stop at Sunshine Seasons in The Land pavilion at Epcot for healthier choices of meals and snacks. Better fare can be found all over the resort. There’s nothing all that wrong with a pretzel or a small bag of popcorn—and there’s also plenty of orange juice, apple juice and milk to be had throughout Walt Disney World. Soda doesn’t have to on the menu at all.
As my wife said, when I asked for her input on this, “The person we have to worry about is you!” Those are true words indeed. I think the Mickey chocolate bars are pretty darn awesome. I can get good chocolate at home, I realize that, but those Mickey bars, especially the crispy ones, are too hard to pass up. I’ll buy a few on the trip and ration them out as we go along. It’s my one weakness down there. That’s not so bad, two or three for one trip is it? Somehow, one or two always seem to sneak into my carry-on from the Earport (the Disney Store at Orlando International Airport) also but don’t tell anyone.
Chris, also known as GusMan around the boards, is an avid Disney fan and believes that frequent flier and hotel rewards programs exist so that he can use the points to supplement his Disney vacation budget. He loves to help people get the most out of their Disney vacations by sharing his experiences, which he tries to do as often as possible. Chris writes:
When it comes to eating at the parks in general, there is always the dilemma between a constant indulging in foods and snacks that you don’t normally eat versus trying to maintain some sort of healthy eating habits. While Disney has done a lot better in offering healthier meal options, there is always that time in-between that traps every guest. This is especially the case when families try to stretch their food budget by eating only two “real” meals a day and snacking in between. This became our standard mode of operation for several trips, even before the dining plans became popular.
Because snacks of any sort at Disney can be rather pricey, we tend to bring our own homemade treats. We love to bring homemade trail mix made from raisins, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and M&Ms. The nice part is that we would split them up in small bags and store them in my camera bag. They are a nice blend of sweet, salty, and crunchiness that satisfies—while not being way over the top from a sweet tooth perspective.
But let’s face it, we do love our Disney-related treats. No trip is complete without a Dole Whip, a Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, or a Chocolate Mousse. And while a sugar high is great for zipping through the parks at top speed, it usually later results in a sugar crash. And for anyone who has seen a 5 year old go through such withdrawals, it is not only a troublesome site, but it is one that can be avoided in some cases. This is a case where you know your child best. If he/she can deal with some extra sugar in their diet without acting like Teddy Ruxpin on a car battery, that churro might not be a big deal. Otherwise, maybe popcorn or a pretzel might be a better idea.
Here are some tips from our family when it comes to snacking. These are our general guidelines regardless if it is the kids or us parents.
- Snacking is one of those things that you do to keep yourself from getting so hungry that you lose energy, get crabby, or too tired. Therefore, pacing yourself as to when you eat can be a big help. Don’t grab that pretzel just because it’s there—have a physical need to snack beforehand.
- Keep your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) in mind. If you know you have an 8 a.m. breakfast at Chef Mickey’s and you think that it will hold you over to your 8 p.m. ADR over at Cape May Cafe, you will most likely be mistaken. If you don’t want to do a full meal, at least choose a suitable snack sometime in the afternoon so that it will carry you though to your next full meal.
- Attractions are snack-less traps. This is where the homemade snacks come into play. Always have something that your family would like to snack on with you. A slightly larger camera bag or fanny pack are great places to stash such items.
- Don’t forget about the beverages. Just as it is important to keep from getting hungry, you need to stay hydrated, as well. But since drinks can also add up, we tend to get snacks and drinks to share when it comes time to take a break. It helps provide some variety as well as keeps some costs down by not buying everyone their own drink all the time. Not to mention that splitting snacks is a cost saver, especially since some of the snacks available are perfect sizes for sharing.
- If you are allergic to something, never be afraid to ask if a snack might contain something you can’t have. A perfect example of this is my daughter and raspberries. We make sure that if something has fruit flavors or fillings, that raspberries is not one of them. When it comes to allergens, Disney is one of the best places to go since they are so accommodating to those who have dietary concerns.
I can tell you from direct experience that as soon as you leave Disney property, you tend to crave the snacks that you didn’t get to try earlier in the trip. Heck, it’s hard enough trying to not raid the Mickey-shaped rice krispy treats before getting to the airport. Do make snacking at Disney a part of your trip. However, like most things, it is best done in moderation.
Parenting in the Parks columnist Adrienne Krock’s three boys are now 11, 9, and 6. They’ve been visiting Disneyland since they were each just weeks old. She has been a day camp counselor and elementary school teacher. Now she’s a mom and a Cub Scout leader and has been a Disneyland Annual Passholder for 15 years. Adrienne adds:
For various reasons, we tend to limit our children’s sugar intake. Our children know not to ask for soda in restaurants because they can order milk. I try to keep tabs on breaks between meals because I know that low-blood sugar levels turn one of my angels into a beast rather quickly. Frankly, low-blood sugar levels turn Mommy into a beast rather quickly, too! On top of this, snacks can deplete our budget if we let them.
When my children were younger, I regularly carried string cheese and Goldfish crackers in our bag for trips to Disneyland. A few years ago, we developed our own preferred trail-mix blend which I divide into snack-sized zip bags and pack in our backpacks. I buy the ingredients in bulk or individual packages and pick the nuts and dried fruits we prefer. The key to these snacks are the protein in the cheese and nuts. Because we carry them in our backpacks, we always have them ready even if we find ourselves “stuck” in line with fussy children. My children do not care for Dasani water, either, so they always make sure they have their own water bottles packed if we do not have our Camelbaks.
One trick I learned early on was to carry a small variety of baggies in our backpack, as well. If we bought a container of popcorn, I divided it up into baggies. Each boy preferred to have his own and they could see that everyone had the same amount. (That’s the way it goes sometimes with kids, isn’t it?)
Our boys also know that by sharing, we can have opportunities to try a bigger variety of treats. This strategy especially worked well when we visited Walt Disney World during the Food and Wine festival. Yes, we shared a lamb slider five ways. When we found out how wonderful it was, we just bought another! Many times snacks are bigger than one person needs to eat anyway and sharing also helps our budget. Our family of five only needs two or three Mickey pretzels to share. On the Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World, we shared two sundaes one afternoon in Fantasyland and saved some snack credits for later.
We indulge our sweet teeth, too. Our boys enjoy Dole Whips and churros, and what child does not love a Mickey shaped ice cream bar? But remember my low-blood sugar beast? We know that before we give him a sugar treat, we try to balance with some protein. Sometimes he will ask for milk or we might pull out some of those nuts from the backpack. It just makes our lives more peaceful.
It’s your turn—keep the discussion flowing!
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