Gold Coast Theme parks ban packed lunches

Just thought I would post this for any families planning on visiting in the near future..

Theme parks Sea World and Movie World ban cut lunches | The Courier-Mail

Lunch ban at theme parks - Local News - Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

easy way round that is get a pass out and have lunch in your car we have done this rather than lugh esky with us

At least they let you take in water and fruit but FAR OUT!!! They are going to have a lot of people who simply don't eat while they are there for the day because it is soooo expensive.

At the moment, I have GD. I don't have a food allergy as such, but I do have to be very careful about what I eat and most commercially prepared foods are simply not appropriate and would send my sugars sky high. I most probably wouldn't be able to find anything to eat unless they offer healthy options, but last time we were there, short of doing the buffet for like $30 a head, extremely overpriced burgers and chips were about the only other option.

Also pregnant people are meant to be careful with pre-prepared sandwhiches and salads so if you don't want to pay for the ludicrous buffet or eat burgers and chips, there are not too many other options either.

Not an incredibly well thought out decision, I don't think.

this will add another $100-$150 to your day out for a family of 4 -easy. We took our older two girls up to QLD in Dec for the day just to go to dreamworld. We bought 2 bags of potato chips, 4 water iceblocks, and 2 bottles of water, and DH can back with loose change from a $50!!!! Imagine actually feeding the family lunch !!!!!!

Just do what I do and take lunch with you regardless - I don't take an esky, but I do have ALOT of food and drink packed in the pram and a backpack.

Pfft, they can get stuffed. They never sell anything I would like to eat, even if it didn't cost a bomb. Lunch in the car for me next time!

I just think this is disgusting. Unless they are able to cater to a wide variety of diets - such as providing vegetarian, halal, kosher, low-allergenic etc alternatives - there is no way this can work, not to mention it is just plain wrong - what right do they have to ban people from eating their own food? There is no way I would take my kids to a theme park and not pack food, even if it was just a lot of snacks to get them through the day.

OMG i'm so disgusted at this decision ... just shocking :wall:

I saw it on the news tonight as i actually felt angry & disheartened as going there now people will feel somewhat put-off of it being a family-friendly day outing to do with this underlying black cloud of feeling forced to BUY their expensive food :rolleyes:

DP, DD (aged 3) & i were planning on going to either SeaWorld &/or Dreamworld this Sept for our 9night holiday ... now it just makes me feel a bit sick in feeling ripped off in going either place :doh: ... We like most people flying from interstate won't have an 'Esky' in our hired car to put our lunch in it keep it from going off :rolleyes:

... Also i was hoping to at least carry snacks on me rather then it just be fruit !!!

I so hope Sovereign Hill here in Ballarat doesn't jump on the same idea (??), that would be aweful as locals here don't seem to make much of an uproar about issues here (well that's from my experience of living here so far).

what a rip off way to make more money to put in their greedy pockets not happy jan:protest:

Why?

Is it a littering problem? I know some places ban own food because of that. Or because people bring in glass bottles and use them as weapons.

I'm sure there are reasons other than a profit margin. Although that's our first thought because that's where it hits us. Then I picture just the local park/common, or the field outside DS's nursery, with bins on it, after a sunny weekend. It's hideously littered. I can see a reason for the village council to ban picnics. Not that it would be popular.

Having said that, I would still be taking my own food. But I also bin my litter or take it home with me. I can't afford what my son eats if I don't take my own.

we've always packed a lunch, left it in the car (in an esky) and gotten a pass-out at lunchtime - we've driven somewhere nearby to a park for a picnic - or if we've not been able to do that - we've bolted to the nearest take-away or supermarket and gotten something.

If you've not got an esky - why not the "cooler" bags from coles/woolies and throw a couple of icebricks in there

I have an allergy. I am allergic to spending good money on overpriced junk food.

Think they will let me in with my sangas?

If they made a commitment to serve something decent, by qualified staff (not just things you deep fry and hope for the best), I would be happy to eat there.

But the other thing is the lack of practicality. If I'm wandering around these HUGE places, I don't want to have to run back all the way to the food part if I'm peckish...

how dare they dictate what people eat.
its wrong, just so greedy...

Oh my thats crazy!!!!!!

They will need to improve the size of there food places and what they offer then!!

I have been 2 times to most theme parks and 1 time took lunch and 1 time bought and so much easier to have your own and eat when and where you want!!!

I thought food was never allowed to be taken into the theme parks anyway. I have always smuggled in our own lunches and snacks though.

Ah bring on september when maz and the mazett's hit dreamworld and movie world.....sanga's will be placed in nappy backpack ;) with our fruit juice and anything else we dame well bring in. And if they try to kick us out....watch out! wont look good kicking 2 special need kids out of a theme park just cause they cant eat their crap!

So, how do they decide if you have an allergy?
I think if I go there we will all become coeliacs for the day.