Disney to Offer New Line of Prepackaged Snacks in its Theme Parks

October 19, 2015, 10:45 AM · Disney's theme parks are introducing a new line of pre-packaged snacks, following an industry trend toward appealing to more health-conscious buyers.

Disney's Snacks with Character
Photo courtesy Disney

The "Snacks with Character" collection will offer 11 types of bars, cookies, and trail mixes, with relatively subtle Disney character branding. Disney said in a press release that it developed this new line for "guests looking for dietary alternatives related to food allergies or lifestyle choices."

"To create these treats, Disney Theme Park Merchandise teamed up with well-known specialty suppliers such as Ocean Spray, Enjoy Life Foods, Way Better Snacks and WOW Baking Company. Several of the dietary needs addressed in the new assortment products include gluten-free, nut-free, and other allergy-friendly products," the company announced.

Note that while Disney is calling these snacks "better for you," it's also taking great care to avoid the word "healthy." While new allergen-free alternatives are always welcomed, and many believe that these types of snacks are better for them than traditional prepackaged fare, let's not forget that they still are processed snacks. They're not natural food items, such as piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. Nor are they freshly made — they're shelf-stabilized just like the chips, crackers and bars you'd find at your local grocery.


Which brings up a point — we haven't seen the prices for these items yet, but we will take a moment to remind you that one of our top items of advice for theme park visitors is "Don't buy anything inside a theme park that you can get for less outside the park." Disney's theme parks do allow visitors to bring pre-packaged food into the park, so if you've got a brand of snacks that you like from your local grocery (or that you can pick up on your way into the park), bringing them in might be a better deal than buying pre-packaged snacks at Disney, no matter what the brand.

Replies (6)

October 19, 2015 at 11:41 AM · Friends who we were with the first weekend in October bought a few of these snacks. They were already on sale in the Grizzly Airfield section of DCA. I don't know what the prices were, but I tried a couple of them, including a lemon cookie. They were not bad, but were not something I'd seek out again.
October 19, 2015 at 2:58 PM · Good to here as my wife has celiac and avoids gluten and eating can be a pain especially in the parks.
October 19, 2015 at 10:38 PM · Unfortunately, buying anything outside of Walt Disney World is next to impossible for on-site guests who arrive by air. By design, Disney makes that virtually impossible.

If I were running either the Hilton Lake Buena Vista or Buena Vista Palace, I'd look into converting the ground floor guest rooms closest to Disney Springs into a CVS or Walgreens. Both of those locations are basically across the street from the Disney bus depot. Guests could go to Disney Springs and then run into the convenience store for supplies before going back to their Disney resort. As long as things were priced reasonably, that'd be a gold mine. Of course, I'm sure Disney would find a way to block it.

October 20, 2015 at 6:24 AM · Not buying any snacks inside the parks when you can buy them outside the parks is a good way to save money. The Disney-brand snacks aren't necessarily bad by any means (at least not the ones that I've eaten) but they don't taste much different from your regular pretzels or gummy worms. For on-site guests flying into Orlando, they can always buy snacks at their local grocery store or whatnot the day before and make sure they have enough to go around when they enter the parks.
October 21, 2015 at 6:52 AM · Amazon, Staples, and Walgreens online will all deliver food to the Disney hotels.

You can also buy snacks and drinks at OIA after the plane lands or the Speedway gas station across from Downtown Disney.

No way am I paying $4 for a bottled water or a soda

October 22, 2015 at 1:15 PM · I recommend Garden Grocer to buy groceries online for onsite guests. They have a slight markup for the service and delivery charges, but they are cheaper than the Disney retail prices. I highly recommend you purchase water, drinks, snacks, and breakfast even if you're on a Disney Dining Plan, which includes 2 meals a day. Better to eat breakfast in the room. Most rooms have refrigerators to store perishables and a microwave.

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