Food allergy email to SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com

[book_junkie]

Hi book junkie I would love it if you could send me the list that you have. I have a daughter with Fructose Malabsorption which is not covered by the standard allegy warnings and would love some more info for our trip in 4 weeks. thanks Sam

All of the information on my sheet is from last year, and *all* of the suppliers are not working with Disney any more. I followed the very long thread discussing all the changes, and nothing on the list from last year is good anymore, sorry....

BearcatsFan, I'm so sorry you were treated that way... the last few years, any time I've contacted them about straight diabetes/ low sodium information it's been like that. I remember a couple of years ago there was the option to have a voucher for sugar free treats from the candy shop on Main Street if you were attending MNSSHP in lieu of the trick-or-treating candy (LOVED that), then the next year it was, OH, have raisins instead. It's been fend for yourself, exactly. If you want to PM me, I can maybe help with choices/suggestions/options....

 

[curtisrs2]

Thanks for your reply and understand it would not be much use. I am comfortable at our ADRS but the counter service ones are freaking me out a bit. Well we are off in 14 days today so fingers crossed I so dont want her sick for the whole time . Thanks for your support guys. Aussie mum

 

[PSMC]

I am glad to read that I am not the only one who was a little taken aback by the uselessness of the email system. I just got a response email (to my very detailed email about my son's needs and included all of our ADR info), which just repeated a bunch of information from their website verbatim.
Are people still contacting chefs before they arrive at the restaurant? Did I read that there is a relatively current list of foods/brands/suppliers available at restaurants? I would be most grateful if I could see this list so I could piece together a meal for our son at each restaurant.
I am really disappointed...I was really looking forward to this being easy...that is why I made ADRs...otherwise, I would just have planned for us to transport food that we've prepared in with us.

 

[PSMC]

I was annoyed enough by the form email that I sent a rather fiery email back.

Hello again,
My understanding was that WDW prided themselves on making a visit to
their parks as hassle-free and "magical" as possible for all patrons.
My understanding was also that this included a well-tuned and
well-known system that catered (as best as possible) to special
dietary needs. I can imagine that this is a huge and daunting task
and that there are many times that you can't "please everyone" as the
old saying goes.
All that said, I am really disappointed by the response below. Not
only was it entirely useless in answering my questions and helping me
to know how my son's needs will be accommodated in your restaurants
and how I will have to be prepared to accommodate them myself, but it
goes so far as to quote the WDW website verbatim in places. I found
this insulting and a little condescending that you would simply bounce
the website information back to me when I had to go through your
website with a fine-tooth comb to find the information in order to
contact you (via the appropriate process, as per item one in the list
on this portion of the website:
"Guests with requests associated with the list below should contact
the Walt Disney World Resort at Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com at least
14 days prior to arrival and after booking all dining arrangements for
the entire visit:
Allergy or intolerance not listed above under Common Food Allergies
PKU
Metabolic disorders
A single guest with multiple allergies/intolerances or multiple guests
with allergies/intolerances within the same party").
I am not requesting the moon, but am simply asking if we can find a
way to accommodate my son's medically-mandated low-sodium diet. I
understand that this is difficult for you to predict from your office,
but my understanding is that phone conversations with chefs used to be
common practice. I would be happy to be given email contact
information so everything is taken down in writing and the chefs can
address it when they have time. I would really appreciate it if the
chefs at our restaurants of choice could confirm for me whether or not
they can accommodate us in their restaurant (allowing me, in turn, the
opportunity to change our ADRs, if not).
I will be honest and say that if I am to be left to "fend
for myself" within your parks, please let me know and I will alter our
plans accordingly, cancelling our ADRs, not buying park tickets and
spending our vacation elsewhere. I am quite prepared to bring food in for my son and do what needs to be done for us all to have a good time, but for me, that means I need some planning time. I am not comfortable leaving these details to the last minute because I know the kind of planning it takes to feed my son properly.
I am sorry to seem rude or to have a sense of entitlement, but I was
led to believe by your website that there was a process to this and by
your reputation, a good process. I cannot even begin to tell you,
then, how frustrating I have found receiving this form email, not
once, but twice. I thought the first time was simply because I hadn't
made my ADRs yet and considered it to be a result of my mistake. Now
that the ADRs are all made and I have provided, fairly concisely, a
summary of my son's needs, I would have expected a much warmer
reception from a department labeled "special diets" to an email about
that very thing.
I hope that this can be resolved smoothly. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

[livndisney]

I am glad to read that I am not the only one who was a little taken aback by the uselessness of the email system. I just got a response email (to my very detailed email about my son's needs and included all of our ADR info), which just repeated a bunch of information from their website verbatim.
Are people still contacting chefs before they arrive at the restaurant? Did I read that there is a relatively current list of foods/brands/suppliers available at restaurants? I would be most grateful if I could see this list so I could piece together a meal for our son at each restaurant.
I am really disappointed...I was really looking forward to this being easy...that is why I made ADRs...otherwise, I would just have planned for us to transport food that we've prepared in with us.

There is not a current list of allergy safe food.

 

[PSMC]

I am never the squeaky wheel. Like ever. (in the words of Taylor Swift....lol).

So I was surprised to find an email from Special Diets in my inbox this afternoon with "the form" attached and reassurance that I would be able to speak with any chef or manager I needed to.

Too bad it took a nasty email to get here.