Allergy & autism questions

[amberjean15]

We are staying for 10 days next month and have the DDP, but our 2 year old has a severe (must carry epi-pen)beef allergy and not as severe milk and carrot allergy. With my son not being counted on the dinning plan will they still make food for him to eat, my husband and I don't mind eating the same food he does so could we order our food with his allergy requirements?

Next question is our 8 year old has autism and is VERY picky about what he eats, (sensory issues with a lot of foods) we will have his favorites with us but would it be okay to pull them out if we get somewhere and he will not eat what they have? We usually bring pretzels, fruit snacks, apples ect.

 

[SueM in MN]

For both of your children, if you have food with you that they will eat, it is perfectly fine to bring it into the parks and serve it to them in restraurants. The only limitations are that no 'outside' food can be brought into the kitchen for preparation or warming per food safety rules.
If you have food that you need warmed, they can provide a cup or bowl of hot water for you to warm it with.

The expectation for 2 year olds on the dining plan is that they will eat food brought in or from the parent's meals. A few people have posted over the years that the chef did prepare something special for their 2 yr old, but there is no requirement that be done and I wouldn't count on it.
Your plan to order food that is safe for him is a good plan.

 

[Topper]

The 8 yo may be charged at any restaurant that has "entertainment" such as characters, regardless if you bring in food for him to eat.

 

[Thing 1]

WDW is wonderful with allergies. Bringing in foods for either boys is just fine. For the toddler, they can certainly prepare him something safe but I would be prepared to pay for it. You can also request a safe diet for yourself and share with your little one. Can your toddler eat baked milk like in baked item or do you have to avoid completely? I ask because our DS had an egg allergy until 7 that did allow him to eat baked eggs, but once I mentioned it at WDW they would not allow any egg items at all in his meal and that meant a ton more restrictions than we needed. I learned to just not mention that one and police it myself. Peanuts is our big one.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) If you order special for the kid, he gets charged.
2) If the kid eats form your plate, there is no charge.
3) The added charge is STRICTLY up to the SERVER. Some have brought food without charge. But, They are SUPPOSED to charge.

******************************************************************************************************

KIDS UNDER-3 EAT FREE "411", we tell guests when asked:
1) TECHNICALLY, there is such thing as a "kids-under-3-eat-free" policy.
. . . no where in ANY Disney brochure is this mentioned
. . . there is no such policy
2) But, when done per policy, they eat almost free.
3) And, based upon CM discretion, they can eat free.
4) The official rules:
. . . kids under three can eat off the adult's plate
. . . if they order anything, like milk, they are supposed to pay for it
. . . if they order any food, they are supposed to pay for it
. . . this is anywhere, including buffets
5) What really happens:
. . at buffets & AYCTE kids actually "eat buffet food free"
. . . . . . adults could get the food, instead and give it to the kid
. . . . . . the adult could claim it is their plate kid eats from
. . . . . . they might as well have a drink, for same reason
. . . . . . it's tough to determine it was theirs or their parents
. . . . . . thus, kids can have their own plate and beverage without charge
. . at non-buffet, servers can determine if they ordered food
. . . . . . it is easy to tell if they got a drink
. . . . . . the server usually charges for food ordered for the kid
. . . . . . the server usually let's the drink go, but not food
. . . . . . the server, at their own discretion, can charge for beverage
6) So, to wrap-up, in practical terms
. . . at non-buffets, kids under-3 eat without charge ONLY from parent's plate
. . . at buffets & AYCTE, they can actually take food from the buffet table or separate plate
. . . at all meals, items are ordered for the child "might" be charged for them
7) Please remember to add your child to the table count.
. . . if there are four adults and a child, that needs an ADR for five people
. . . this is regardless whether the child is lap, stroller, highchair, or regular chair
. . . also, if the baby makes six people, the AUTOMATIC 18% GRATUITY is in effect
. . . no automatic gratuity at CRT-HDDR-LUAU-BBQ, as tips are already included in the meal price

 

[halssister]

Also, since you have the DDP, if you go somewhere that you are pretty certain your 8 year old will NOT eat the food anyway, you could always order something that your 2 year old could eat, since you will have those dining credits to use anyway. That is always another option, if you go somewhere that has something you'd really like to try that perhaps the little one can't eat.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

Just a note for bringing in your own food - I've never had a problem, and we've always brought in our own snacks and things. I've never been questioned or stopped bringing in the small insulated bags and freeze packs with drinks and snacks, but I've heard from several people that they will draw the line at hardsided coolers.

*This is at DLR, I'm assuming it's the same at WDW though I could be wrong.