food allergies

[09disvac]

Have a WDW vacation planned for the end of April. My 4 year old son has severe food allergies...he's allergic to peanuts, milk, eggs, and avoids shellfish and tree nuts. We have spoken with Disney dining about this and are working on accomodations for these allergies while dining out. He has never eaten at a restaurant before and we are a little nervous. Wanted to get some feedback/discussion form people who may have had similar challenges at WDW. Any tips for eating at the parks? We are planning on bringing in some lunch and snacks. How big are lockers...what size cooler could fit, good places to eat a packed lunch, etc. The consensus seems to be that food will be allowed in because of the allergies. We have done a lot of research, but were curious for any "real life" stories.

[MarkinNM]

Goodness what does he eat?????



I am soooo lucky with my kids in that they were just picky!!! I hope all works well with you as most restaurants use peanut oil of variations of it in the fryers as it just works better. Good luck on your endeavor.......:)

[DVC_Princess]

Hi! First of all, I applaud you for all that you go through as an Allergy Mom. I have celiac disease so I feel some of your pain, but I can imagine being anaphylactic is altogether different. For me, Disney is my safe haven. I've been twice since I was diagnosed and each experience was amazing!

You said that you've done a lot of research, but make sure to contact Disney and they will send you a list of the food items in each park (snacks and counter service) that are safe for allergies. For me, it's only wheat, rye, barley/malt; they have gluten-free brownies, cookies, pizza and a whole bunch of other stuff that I can eat. For the CS restaurants, try to go at less crowded times and speak to a manager. They have books containing all of the ingredients for each menu item so you can make sure that it's safe and the manager will watch your order being prepped to make sure that there's no chance of cross contamination.

At the table service restaurants, tell the people when you make ADRs about the allergies and then remind them when you check in. A chef will come out and discuss what they can make for you. They've always been extremely accomodating. Several chefs have told me that GF is so easy compared to a lot of the other allergies they deal with so they will be used to your request and be able to manage it easily. If you go to any buffets, the chef will tell you what you can have on the menu and also make you a plate from the kitchen if you're afraid of cross contamination (you just have to ask).

Unless you really want to deal with the hassle, I wouldn't bring in a cooler. I would just have some safe snacks (fruit, snack bars, etc). The parks have ener-g rolls, amy's pizza (i'm not sure if it's just rice crust or if they also have the diary free kind, but i'm sure they will tell you), and all sorts of other ingredients on hand to make a safe allergy friendly meal.

Good luck and have a great vacation!!! :dance3:

[got2luvtink]

It sounds like you're going to be bringing the majority of his food into the parks, but just so you know, you don't have to do that just because of his allergies. Last year, someone in our party had all four of those allergies, and the chef always came out at TS restuarants --since allergies were noted in our ADRs. CS meals could be a little trickier. You could get a copy of the food ingredients/lists at the ones you're interested in like PP suggested. There's a lady named Brenda Bennet who will send you a list of suggested places to go for CS and snack items. They have Tofutti icecream at alot of places. Dairy-egg-peanut free free caramel popcorn at Main Street Bakery, and our friend was even able to get a dairy free pizza with soy? cheese and egg free crust at Pizza Planet! But this was because they had emailed Brenda before the trip, and she kindly had these items sent to the places they were interested in going to. (and there was no extra cost involved)

As for brining food in, our friend had thought about doing that-- and did, with snacks--but didn't want to contend with temperature and food safety issues, and be stuck with soynut butter, fruit, boxed soymilk all week. I'd say, get the info for Brenda, and really lay out your concerns with her, and see what the 2 of you can come up with.

Also the disABILITIES board is a great board to get more info about allergies. That's how we found out about Brenda.
Hope this helps. :)

[lovetoscrap]

I am going to move this to our disABILITIES board.

[Selket]

The peanut oil in the fryers thing is just wrong....that is not true for most places at WDW - nor anywhere else and my son is anaphylactic to peanuts. Some places use it but it is few.

I agree that you do not have to bring in food...or enough food that you would need a big cooler. Because my younger son has multiple food allergies and is also a type 1 diabetic, we have always brought some food with us - in a lunchbox size cooler. We use a stroller still when he was 4 - if nothing else it lets you drag all the junk around with you.:rolleyes: Our was more snack type than a full meal.

If you look in the FAQ for this board you will find info on dining at WDW with food allergies/dietary issues and there is a new office at WDW handling the requests for information. I would talk to them about safe places to eat counter service (CS) while in the parks and plan to do that. I usually make a table service (TS) ressie for dinner and I note all the allergies and diabetes on the reservation.

For CS places I would try to know in advance where to eat - where will have safe food - and if they need to special order it and have it waiting that it is done in advance. I would not rely on showing up at a CS place and reading their gigantic binder of ingredients - or asking the manager to help. I generally rely on TS meals (especially when he was younger). Now that he is older we can still usually work out in advance with him what he wants (like chicken strips, hamburger, etc) and make sure that the place we're going has it and it is safe.

If Chef TJ is still working at O'Hana's - and you can dine there on a night he is there - he is absolutely THE most wonderful chef in the universe and worth any time and trouble you spend trying to track him down.

Good luck!

[james'mommy]

The chefs at Disney are all great about allergies (except for Mexico in the WS). I have 3 of 4 of your son's allergies and I've never had a problem. The best in my opinion is the chef at Boma. He's fantastic. At buffets they will walk you through the lines and tell you what's not safe. The chef at Boma will also ask me if there are any pastries that I want and he will have them brought out seperately so there is no chance of cross contamination. Disney is the safest place in the world to eat.

[mechurchlady]

Coronado Springs Resort and San Angel are run by a nonDisney company as are the Italian restaurant, the French restaurant, Morocco's restaurant, and the Landry restaurants of T Rex, Yak & Yeti, and RainForest Cafe. The San Angel group is notorious for not being good for people with allergies and do not even have chips that are gluten free. A lot a complaints and worries.

If it is run by Disney then you should be safe but those above are at your risk as they do not always live up to the Disney standards. I recently posted about how bad the Morocco restaurant is. The reports I found was a person who on several trips was told conflicting information, was handed a standard printed allergy menu, and could the chef was not helpful. Disney will take a standard dish and change things like gluten free buns or make chicken without certain herbs. Morocco's allergy menu is for ALL allergies so it is really not very much and staff is not up to par on some allergies.

[dizcrazee]

Goodness what does he eat?????





:sad2:

OP, I'm sorry you had to get this response. I'm sure you work hard to give your child a varied, healthful diet and these types of comments are never encouraging.

Have a great trip! :thumbsup2

[Mickeypal1]

I have a daughter with a peanut allergy and I agree with the previous posts. Disney is wonderful and helpful with this. At Tusker House they made my daughter feel special by bringing her out the deserts that she could eat. It made her day. She is used to going without things that her sister can eat. This time her sister didn't get all the special treats- she did! Just ask and they will take care of you.

[pudge the fish]

food is allowed in - but there aren't any Picnic type places - there are a few tables in a few areas in MK that you could sit at IF there are any open-
and a few tables in other parks but it isn't easy finding a free spot:)

soft sided small coolers like what you can fit a 6 pack of coke cans in will fit in a locker-
I have NEVER had any issues taking in food these days-years ago that wasn't the case
We take munchies in all the time- not real food but my special pretzels and fruit snacks -trail mix etc..
but I have been with people who bring in sammies, rent a locker and sit on the sidewalk and eat.

I have NEVER had any issues with speaking to a chef about my or DD allergies with food- I have NOT eaten in Mexico or Morocco- I have eaten in Italy and they had gluten free pasta for me but I had to call a few days in advance -I have had issues with them maybe only offering grilled chicken and rice and I can eat that at Home:) Crystal place chef was NOT helpful last time- I spoke to a supervisor and all was taken care of ASAP
Don't be afraid to speak up and inform the wait staff and others as to your allergy needs.

I can find food at rain forest cafe but it isnt much - like a burger minus the bun and a salad- and I have to FIRMLY tell them if you cross contact my food I will become very ill and I will own this company :lmao:
(Disney likes the phrase cross contact NOT cross contamination)

They do have divvies and the gluten- dairy- nut free brownies which are soo yummy:)
I think with the special diets team sending you info in advance for counter services it will be helpful and as far as table services go- call in advance and speak to someone on the special diets team. Disney is wonderful for us.

[anotherdisneygal]

A very close friend of mine has 2 children (4 and 18 months - almost the same ages as my kids) with lots of food allergies (wheat, dairy, peanuts, nuts in general, soy and shellfish to name a few). She LOVES taking them to Disney because they can eat in restaurants while in Disney. She always gives them breakfast in the room and packs snacks. And I know she plans ahead with Disney where they'll be eating lunch and dinner. She hasn't had any problems with food reactions while at Disney and eating in the resort or parks. I don't know about Downtown Disney. (I BELIVE that she is on here, I'll try to get her to post a reply).

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

[mechurchlady]

Be thankful you are not at DLR. I got a chunk of chicken with drumstick attached, veggies, and plain rice noodle which would have been better with a sauce so I used ketchup. Scoop of ice cream with sauce and iced tea was about $30 with AP and tip was more. I can get the rice noodles at two places with marinara sauce for cheaper. I can get veggies or taters so I got two scoops of taters and 4 drummettes of chicken and a drink for about $13 at Plaza Inn. At cheddarburger, fries and drink at Tate Pilots for $10 and a hot dog, chips and drink for about $8 to 9 at Coke Corner. Wow that is a lot of food for abut $32 which is less than the plain rice noodles, chicken and veggies at Blue Bayou. I still would have had enough for a mickey bar and popcorn probably.

WDW please take me to a land of milk and honey and good food.

[squirrel]

I think you will be very surprised and pleased when you get to WDW. The chefs do a great job of making sure your child is safe while dining.

The chefs came to our table at all of our ADR's except-Coral Reef and The Wave. The chefs even came to the counter at the CS places when I wasn't sure what my niece could eat.

I did send Brenda Bennett a form via e-mail with all of our ADR's. She made sure the chefs at our resort knew about my niece and also made sure they had dairy free cheese and Tofutti ice-cream available.

Because we stayed for 14 nights, the chefs at the resort knew my niece and almost always knew what she wanted to eat.

We can't wait to go back-it's the only time she can eat out and eat what everyone else eats.

[09disvac]

Thank you all so much for all of this info...I have been able to come up with plan that I think will work- I would love feedback on it:
ADR for breakfast at Chef Mickey, CS at Sommerfest at Epcot, Cosmic Rays at MK, Pizza Planet at HS.

I have emailed this info to the special diet folks with a request for contact info for Brenda Bennett- if needed.

I will keep you all posted for anymore info that comes my way. This may really be a cooking free vacation for me:woohoo:

[mechurchlady]

Disney uses a lot of the same brands so you can read up ahead of time and know if something is safe or not. I know I can have Fruitibu fruit leather as I read online about those products. They use Lays and Fritos family of products so I know I can have some chips and they use Dreyer's ice cream which is a no no but I can have it without soy/wheat reaction usually. I checked online to see about Mickey Bars and other treats. I am soy/dairy/wheat/gluten/egg/chocolate and it can be hard but plan ahead so you know when you get to the counter.

[09disvac]

I have contacted Brenda Bennett re DS milk, egg, nut allergies and our CS and TS plans. She recommends going in the am the day we arrive at each park to tell the CS places what our son would like to eat that day in order for them to have it available. They will not prepare it until we return later in the day. Has anyone tried this method?

[BCholly]

Does this apply to DLR too?

I have a daughter who is anaphylactic to peanuts and another who is Type 1 diabetes.

Someone mentioned a list of all the foods and their ingredients found in Disney. Is this for DLR too? And does it also have nutrient info...ie: carb counts?

I already knew the info about telling the staff at sit downs in disneyland but I would love the info for all food places.
Can you tell me where to find this booklet/list? Or who to contact for the information?

[mechurchlady]

Does this apply to DLR too?

I have a daughter who is anaphylactic to peanuts and another who is Type 1 diabetes.

Someone mentioned a list of all the foods and their ingredients found in Disney. Is this for DLR too? And does it also have nutrient info...ie: carb counts?

I already knew the info about telling the staff at sit downs in disneyland but I would love the info for all food places.
Can you tell me where to find this booklet/list? Or who to contact for the information?
http://www.kintera.org/site/pp.asp?c=ewK0LjP7E&b=88697
That has the contact numbers.

DLR is not as good with allergies. I would write Chris. Some chefs are better than others. I could nt get a list of soy free foods last time I asked. Some counter service are better than others. Table service chefs are supposed to be up on allergies. I am no gluten and no soy and have at times been frustrated. A girl thought it was okay that I way for a sundae after I watched her banging the ladle of hot fudge onto a waffle cone. Take an epipen and pack extra in case. DLR is supposed to be trying to suit special diets but at times is so frustrating. Ariels puts wheat in their pico de gallo. THAT IS WRONG. Read recipes you dolts. I got served for about $40 a chicken breast, veggies, and plain rice noodles. Taste Pilot's Grill is very allergy aware.

mom is crying for dinner and will be back tonight.

[squirrel]

The places that you picked should be fine.

The only one I'm not sure about is CS at Sommerfest in Epcot. If that doesn't work out for you-Sunshine Seasons and the American Pavillion are great.

We didn't eat at Pizza Planet but it was on the list that Brenda sent me.

[Selket]

I have contacted Brenda Bennett re DS milk, egg, nut allergies and our CS and TS plans. She recommends going in the am the day we arrive at each park to tell the CS places what our son would like to eat that day in order for them to have it available. They will not prepare it until we return later in the day. Has anyone tried this method?

My son's allergies hasn't required this type of notification but I can see that it might go more smoothly if they need to have a special pizza crust or bread, etc. etc. That way it should be ready for you when you come back.

I would probably send an adult (perhaps yourself as you might be the most knowledgeable) to the restaurant and send another adult (if you have one handy) with the kids to ride something and meet up with them in a bit. Are all those CS places open first thing in the morning? I didn't know if some places serve food as soon as the park open or if they open later in the morning. I would check that to make sure you aren't hiking there for nothing, and have to go back later.

If you are there 2 hours before you plan to eat lunch and are talking to them about it - they should be able to pull it together for you. The allergies are not unusual ones - it is just more complex because there are more of them.

[DCDisney]

DLR is not as good with allergies. I would write Chris. Some chefs are better than others. I could nt get a list of soy free foods last time I asked.\

I had a much much better experience with multiple food allergies at DL than I do at WDW. Yes, WDW does have that nice list they email out but it changes and you still have to look through those enormous binders at the foods with 5,000 ingredients. At DL they still make lots of foods on site whereas much at WDW is pre-done off site and they had simple packets of ingredients lists at the counters. At WDW when they switched to the multi-grain stuff I went from being able to eat lots of things to now with the multigrain in almost every bread product (and I can't eat the gluten free stuff they usually try to give all allergy people) I usually end up with a burger no bun for CS. Hopefully they got rid of the sunflower seed in the multigrain since my last visit and I'll be able to eat more again. There are also lots of in between CS/TS places called buffeteria's at DL where they have kitchens and chefs and they were GREAT about working with me but it wasn't as spendy as eating all TS.

[DCDisney]

tell the CS places what our son would like to eat that day in order for them to have it available. They will not prepare it until we return later in the day. Has anyone tried this method?

They have specific allergy safe foods but they aren't at all locations and many of them are frozen so they take quite a bit longer to get than just regular food. If he is ok with the allergy safe foods they offer you'll be fine (like the Amy's pizza and ener-g rolls) but I haven't had any luck in getting CS places to be able to make something totally different like barbecue without sauce type stuff. At the parks they mostly don't have kitchens or other ingredients where as at resort CS locations I have no trouble at all getting something special because they do have a kitchen and other ingredients they can work with. Perhaps by going early they are able to get things cooked elsewhere brought over too though.... It's definitely worth figuring out though or be like me stuck with bunless burgers most days....

[09disvac]

An update on how our trip went- great. We actually got to eat like normal people on vacation. Worth every bit of planning and were very sad to come home and back to reality. We did eat at Sommerfest, although the ingredient list there was last updated in 2007and there was a significant language barrier. This was a good place to try because the menu was so limited it took very little time. Chef Mickey was wonderful with the chef coming to the table and making something special for our son. Sunshine Seasons and Flame Tree BBQ were our other dining spots and were great- the managers were knowledgable and patient with all our quizzing. Will consider the meal plan for our next trip (yes, our next trip- definately will be going back) that is how confident I am in Disney.

[3littleHalls]

I am sooo glad your trip went so well!! I am sorry I didn't see this sooner, or I would have added to the cheers for WDW and how they handle food allergies. I have a child allergic to milk, and another that is extremely allergic to even the tiniest bit of shellfish(even if through steam) and I can say we trust WDW like as if I were to prepare it myself. My kids love going there for the food just as much as the rides. I love it when my DD can have a dessert like the rest of us!! I can also give a big thumbs up for the cruiseline too!