20 Best Snacks To Take To Universal Studios

The Universal Studios theme parks sell a wide variety of food and drink. However, as with the majority of theme parks, the cost of these items is inflated when compared to traditional stores and restaurants.

Luckily, you can save money by bringing snacks to the parks provided it meets the rules and regulations laid out by Universal’s security.

We’ve travelled to the Universal Studios Resort as a couple, with elderly parents and with a baby so it’s safe to say we’ve got bringing snacks to the parks down, and wanted to go ahead and share all our tips and tricks with you!

Can You Bring Snacks To Universal Studios?

You are permitted to bring food and drink from outside the park into the park provided that it meets the rules and regulations laid out by Universal Studios security.

These include no glass bottles or jars (exc small baby food jars & children’s medicinal bottles) and no alcohol. A full list of all the prohibited items is available on the Universal Studios website.

Foods To Avoid Bringing To Universal Studios

Just because you can bring a banana or a turkey sandwich to Universal Studios doesn’t mean you should. The heat and humidity can leave some snack options inedible or worse still cause damage to your Universal Studios backpack and the other items inside.

As such if you’re going to bring soft fruits with you to Universal Studios then you’ll want to ensure they are protected in containers. Meanwhile, if you’re going to bring snacks that should be refrigerated or melt easily then you should also consider packing an ice pack.

If you cannot protect your snacks then I’d recommend against bringing them and instead going for the ones specified in the list below since those snacks are designed to withstand the heat and humidity, especially in the height of summer.

Benefits Of Bringing Food & Drink To Universal Studios

Carrying snacks around the Universal Studios parks all-day can be hard work. As such it’s important to remember the benefits of bringing your own snacks with you.

Save Money

Given how much food at Universal Studios costs, the obvious benefit to bringing your own is how much money you’re able to save. Bottled fizzy drinks inside the park for example are $5.50 plus tax, while bags of sweets cost $4 upwards depending on the specific size and style.

Keep in mind that you’re highly unlikely to bring everything you’ll want to drink and eat during a full day at the Universal Studios theme parks – especially if you’re a family. However, remember that just bringing a water bottle alone helps you to save a minimum of $4.25 (the cost of a bottle of water).

On-The-Go Access

Another advantage of bringing snacks to Universal Studios is the ability to access them wherever, and whenever. This is ideal if you find yourself peckish while waiting in line for the Hogwarts Express, or needing a quick sweet fix for entertainment in the line while waiting for the Animal Actors show to begin.

Again, this is perfect for kids who can sometimes go from completely fine to hungry monsters in the space of just five minutes!

Dietary Requirements

Bringing your own snacks to Universal Studios is ideal for those who have specific dietary requirements or intolerances.

Travelling with a dietary requirement or intolerance can be stressful, and while Universal Studios is incredibly accommodating bringing your own snacks can just make things significantly easier.

Useful Tips For Packing Snacks To Bring To Universal Studios

Alongside the snacks themselves, there may be some other additional items you want to bring to the Universal Studios parks just to make the entire snacking process easier.

Wipes

Wipes are fantastic for sticky hands, cleaning up spills or wiping down any dirty surfaces. They take up next to no room in a backpack and are incredibly affordable.

Food Bags

Consider containing your snacks in a solid food bag to prevent them from leaking and causing a mess or spoiling as a result of the heat and humidity.

I’ve tried every brand and design of food bag recently and found that these reusable Stasher ones although expensive are the best quality.

Bring A Water Bottle

Speaking of heat and humidity, it’s always important while inside the parks to keep hydrated. However, the cost of doing so can quickly add up – and let’s face it, who wants to spend their money at Universal Studios on water?

As such, I always recommend going ahead and bringing your own water bottle which can be refilled for free at various points around the Universal Studios theme parks.

Pack Variety

I’ve found that rather than depending on a large one or two bags of a specific snack, bringing a variety of smaller, different snack options is often best.

This allows you to cater for a variety of different needs and cravings all at once without taking up any additional space.

Pack Things You Will Actually Eat

I’m a huge advocate for trying new things. However, bringing snacks you’ve never tried before into the parks can sometimes be a bad idea since if you don’t like the snack you’re left with no choice but to purchase alternatives at a Universal Studios price tag.

Reflect The Park Snacks

While I advise packing fruit and veggie snacks, I also recommend packing snacks that reflect those you’ll find inside the parks, since you’ll spend a lot of your day seeing and smelling those delicious sweet treats.

Best Snacks To Bring To Disney World

With all that in mind, these are the best snacks I recommend packing for a trip to Universal Studios;

1. Chips & Crisps
2. Croissants & Pastries
3. Pretzels
4. Cereal & Granola Bars
5. Breadstick & Cheese Dippers
6. Crackers
7. Nuts & Trail Mix
8. Squeezy Yogurts
9. Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit Leather
10. Jelly Sweets
11. M&Ms
12. Cookies
13. Popcorn
14. Carrot & Cucumber Sticks
15. Raisins
16. Apples
17. Rice Cakes
18. Beef Jerky
19. Fruit Sauce Packs
20. Dried Fruit

Where To Buy Snacks To Take To Universal Studios?

Depending on where you’re travelling from you may not be able to bring these snacks with you from home. Instead, you’ll have to look at purchasing these snacks when you arrive for your vacation at Universal Studios.

In that case, it’s important to know where to go for the very best prices, and based on our own experience we recommend;

Walmart

The largest superstores in the USA are Walmart and are the ideal place to visit if you’re staying in a villa and need to stock up on food & drink for the duration of your stay.

Walmart sells all the major brands alongside their own cheaper brands for some of the most popular foods.

Target

A great alternative to Walmart is Target. Target stores sell all the major brands alongside Target’s own more affordable brands of most foods.

Dollar Tree

While Dollar Tree often has a more limited selection of snacks when compared to the likes of Walmart and Target it’s still a great affordable place to visit for your park snacks.

$5 Below

Similar to Dollar Tree, $5 Below has a more limited range of drinks and snacks when compared to the likes of Walmart or Target but may still be somewhere you want to check out.