Planning Your Meal Times During Your Visit

Taking out time to eat at Disneyland can take a lot of your precious time when visiting the park. It's a really good idea to plan ahead of time and eat meals a little early or a little late to avoid long lines. I generally try to eat lunch as late as possible, knowing that the park is only going to get more crowded as the hours go by. This can be kind of hard if you have kids and a potential melt-down from hunger is really not worth it. Also, if you have explored the Disneyland website, which also has a wealth of information, they specify that no outside food or drink is allowed in the park. They are pretty strict when it comes to picnics, but I always throw a few snacks and water bottles in my backpack and no one ever bothers me about it. This also saves a ton of time if your not having to stop and stand in line to get a snack. You can just grab something out of your bag and eat it in line while you're waiting to go on a ride. This also frees up your budget to buy a few extra souvenirs if you aren't spending all your money on food.

Many of the park's restaurants also let you make reservations well in advance of your visit. This is really important if you want to eat at one of the fancier restaurants like Blue Bayou. Your chances are not very good to get a reservation if you wait until the day of your arrival. If you have any questions or would like to make a reservation you can call Disney Dining at (714) 781-DINE, or (714) 781-3463.

If you are Jewish and need to have kosher meals it can take even longer for a meal break, which I found out this weekend. There is only one restaurant that kosher meals can be ordered and it takes 15-20 minutes for it to be heated and delivered. The couple that I went with were very irritated about the wait and they didn't seem very crazy about the food. If you chose to order a kosher lunch and dinner at the park, you can order it at the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. I personally would not do this if I were a park guest. It is much quicker to pack a picnic in a small cooler and put it in a locker outside the park and take advantage of the beautiful picnic area that the park provides. It's much quicker to get a handstamp and grab your lunch out of the lockers than to wait for a special meal to be prepared for you. It also provides a quiet break, which can be really nice on a crowded day, not to mention that what you bring is probably going to taste much better as well.

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