Gluten Freedom-- The DDP with a Food Allergic Kiddo (Updated with Toy Story Pizza PL)

[Steamboat Girlie]

We just got back from our first trip to WDW, and we had an AMAZING time . Part of that amazing time was due to my food allergic almost-five year old being able to eat a variety of foods in the World. So, I just had to come back here and do a gluten-free dining review of kids' meals in WDW!

Here's the cast: Me (the Mommy), DH, our two boys, Aidan who is almost three and has no food allergies, Brendan who is almost five and has multiple food allergies, and my mom and dad (hence forth known as Memaw and Grandpa). Part of the reason we chose a WDW vacation was that we had heard how great they were with food allergies . Brendan is allergic to wheat, barley, rye, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. So, dining out is not easy for us. At home, we eat out once a week at the SAME restaurant EVERY TIME . Brendan also occasionally has fast food. His "choice"-- and yes, I mean the singular form of "choice"-- when we go out to eat is almost always a cheeseburger with NO bun and french fries (he seems to do ok with fryer oil that may be cross contaminated). When we found out that he could get a cheeseburger WITH a bun at WDW, we were sold !!!

Those of you who do not have kids with food allergies may not realize what a big deal it is to be able to get "normal" looking food at a restaurant, but it literally makes me tear up thinking about all the "normal" food that DS got to eat this week . He had pizza in a restaurant for the first time EVER (he gets it at home, but never in a million years did we think he could eat pizza somewhere else). He had multiple burgers with a bun everytime . And he had a veritable FEAST the night we ate at 'Ohana (I'll brag about chef TJ more later) . He truly had a magical time, and we had a magical time watching him beam as he ate until his tummy was tight as a drum each night !

Here's the line-up of where we ate (I got pics of most of the food, but sometimes I forgot!).
Dinner day one: Chip and Dale's Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill (Epcot)
Lunch day two: Flame Tree BBQ in AK
Dinner day two: Mama Melrose (DHS)
Lunch day three: Cosmic Ray's (MK)
Dinner day three: 'Ohana (at the Poly-- you DON'T want to miss this review!)
Brunch day four: Crystal Palace with Pooh (MK)
Dinner day four: Everything's Pop CS (Pop)
Lunch day five: Toy Story Pizza Planet (DHS)
Dinner day five: Le Cellier (Epcot)
Lunch day six: Restaurant-osaurus (AK)
Dinner day six: 1900 Park Faire (GF)
Lunch day seven: Cosmic Ray's (MK)
Dinner day seven: Chef Mickey's (Contemporary)
Lunch day eight: Pecos Bill's (MK)

Whew-- that was a lot of places to eat!! I think I'll include a couple of things in each review. First, I'll include a rating of the allergy friendly food. Then, I'll include a rating of the chef and how helpful he or she was. Finally, I'll include a rating of the food the rest of us ate. So, here we go !! Up next: Garden Grill!

Thank you so much for your post. My son (5) cannot eat gluten or casein, and I know that he will eat well at WDW.
I am just upset that I was unable to get an ADR for Ohana. I have heard so many wonderful things about chef TJ!

 

[suebenjamin]

So glad to hear about POP and food allergies. We'll be staying there in August. Can I ask, how did Chef Dan know to call you? Did you do anything with Disney prior to your stay regarding the food allergies? I would like the Chef to prep for our arrival too.

If you haven't already done so, email Brenda Bennett (sorry, I can't post her email...it won't let me. Apparently I haven't made enough postings yet! Search the forum and you'll find it elsewhere.) She will send you a form to complete and return, in which you will list your allergies, dining reservations, etc. and they will notify all of the restaurants. You can also email her with questions and she will get back to you very quickly.

I had a couple of last minute questions Friday (yesterday) for our upcoming trip (we leave Monday!!). I sent an email to Brenda and got an "out of office reply"...so I re-sent to the Magic Kingdom Park Special Diet Line (again, can't post address). Not just one but TWO people called me by 2 PM Friday afternoon.

If you want a particular person/resort to contact you, ask...we are going to Beaches and Cream and I had questions...I did have to ask twice, but then I spoke to George from the Beach Club, and he was extremely helpful, and I am hopeful that our meal Monday at Beaches and Cream will go great!

 

[suebenjamin]

Overall, they had a nice experience at the Pop Food court.

Thanks, I've been hoping you'd post your POP review! We leave on Monday for 10 days there, our first time at POP! I will be sure to look up Chef Dan - I haven't made a pre-contact there because I know that we'll be OK with my son's peanut allergy, we did fine at CBR in 2007. Don't think we'll eat much at POP but it's good to know it's available.

By the way, I really enjoyed all of your reviews...thanks for taking the time to post reviews and photos. The pics of your son with his dessert at Ohana brought me to tears. Reminded me of our 2007 trip, when we had lunch at (the now defunct) Alfredo's in Epcot. They made a special cannolli for my son, and when they brought it out, I think his eyes were as big as the dinner plate. I captioned the picture in my scrapbook, "Holy cannolli!!"

Friends of mine had a meal when Chef TJ was at Boma (06??) and raved about him there. Unfortunately, Ohana's menu is just not really a great one for my son and I, so we won't be meeting him this trip. He is quite the legend...

Well, I am off to work on the packing!!

 

[j3momma]

Thank you so much for posting the photos/testimonies that you had at WDW. Our daughter has FA to wheat, egg, milk, tree nuts, peanuts. We always carry her food for her. I just emailed Brenda our reservations and hope to meet Chef TJ at Ohanas.

Like you, I hope to plan out the meal options before we arrive, so it keeps the wait and indecision to a minimum. Plus, I would love to NOT have to read labels for every site we visit.

I was wondering about the idea of having a lunch sack packed for her with safe foods. Having gone to WDW, what kinds of things would you ask to be packed?

Thanks again for posting! I can't wait until we bring our kids to WDW for their first time!

 

[ekatiel]

If you want a particular person/resort to contact you, ask...we are going to Beaches and Cream and I had questions...I did have to ask twice, but then I spoke to George from the Beach Club, and he was extremely helpful, and I am hopeful that our meal Monday at Beaches and Cream will go great!

Let us know how your Beaches and Cream meal goes! I would LOVE to order an allergen free "kitchen sink" the next time we go. I wonder if they'd be willing to do that for us.

Thank you so much for posting the photos/testimonies that you had at WDW. Our daughter has FA to wheat, egg, milk, tree nuts, peanuts.

I was wondering about the idea of having a lunch sack packed for her with safe foods. Having gone to WDW, what kinds of things would you ask to be packed?

Thanks again for posting! I can't wait until we bring our kids to WDW for their first time!

Disney has so many allergen free food options that I doubt you'll need to bring a lunch for her anywhere. We did pack safe snacks in our backpack each day-- I made sure to bring Gluten free pretzels and kinni-toos (gluten free oreo-type cookies) with us in our luggage. Honestly, we didn't use them too much, but it was nice to have them. Hopefully, WDW will have the Enjoy Life foods products soon, so those will be another treat/snack option for your DD.

So, a few days ago, I was sitting at home when the phone rings-- the caller ID says "Hollywood Studios" and the number is an Orlando area code-- could The Mouse really be calling my house??!!! I answer the phone, and it was someone from the corporate offices at Disney. She said she was forwarded the thank you email that I sent to Brenda Bennett (I sent her an email after we got back thanking her for arranging everything and making sure we had a wonderful time-- I also raved about chef TJ to her and asked if she could forward the email on to him. In the email I included the pic of Brendan with his super huge dessert at 'Ohana). Anyhow, the woman from Disney explained that she had gotten the email, and that Brenda would receive special recognition at their next meeting. She was going to print out and frame the pic of Brendan with his dessert and give it to her . She said that many times people do not send thank yous after their trips and that she was so glad that we did so that they could recognize all the hard work Brenda does. So, if you have a good trip, be sure to send a thank you-- the people you thank really will get some recognition. Oh, and she also promised me that the email would get put in chef TJ's file, too ! I'll try to post our Pizza Planet review later today-- My sister and I are taking the boys swimming today, so maybe during nap time! --Katie

 

[momsavealot]

Thanks, I've been hoping you'd post your POP review! We leave on Monday for 10 days there, our first time at POP! I will be sure to look up Chef Dan - I haven't made a pre-contact there because I know that we'll be OK with my son's peanut allergy, we did fine at CBR in 2007. Don't think we'll eat much at POP but it's good to know it's available.

By the way, I really enjoyed all of your reviews...thanks for taking the time to post reviews and photos. The pics of your son with his dessert at Ohana brought me to tears. Reminded me of our 2007 trip, when we had lunch at (the now defunct) Alfredo's in Epcot. They made a special cannolli for my son, and when they brought it out, I think his eyes were as big as the dinner plate. I captioned the picture in my scrapbook, "Holy cannolli!!"

Friends of mine had a meal when Chef TJ was at Boma (06??) and raved about him there. Unfortunately, Ohana's menu is just not really a great one for my son and I, so we won't be meeting him this trip. He is quite the legend...

Well, I am off to work on the packing!!

Sue, have fun on your trip!! We will be heading to POP in early August and my ds and dd both have peanut allergies. Please let us know how it went - maybe a trip report (hint, hint). Anyway, I'm a scrapbooker and you made me laugh out loud with your holy cannolli comment. Too funny!! I felt the same way when my dd got an allergen free meatball at Tony's that was bigger than her head!!!! Lots of pics there!

 

[DVC_Princess]

Hi! Thank you so much for posting these great reviews

I have celiac so no wheat, barley, rye for me and Disney is my favorite place in the world... being able to eat safely at a restaurant is the best!

I'm really excited to hear about O'Hanas and Chef TJ... I've heard good things about their food, but wasn't sure about how they would handle allergies.

I think I might have to put that on my ADR list for Sept.

 

[ekatiel]

OK, so I know i promised pics, and I really THOUGHT I took pics of this lunch, but alas, there are no pics . So, here's the picture-less review: We arrived at Pizza Planet right around 11am. We told the cashier we had food allergies, and she went to get the manager. DS ended up ordering an Amy's rice crust pizza-- they were happy to add pepperoni to it, since it only comes with cheese. As with most couter service places, it took us a while to get our food. DH took the kids to the arcade (isn't it GREAT when they still don't know you have to put money in the games to play them ?!!) while I waited up front for the food. Since they had to cook Brendan's pizza, it did take a while, but I was happy to wait. Brendan enjoyed his pizza, and ate most of it by himself-- those pizza are BIG for a little man, too! The boys both had fruit bars for dessert (they weren't on the menu, and since they couldn't figure out how to charge us for Aidan's fruit bar, they just gave it to us for free!).

Allergen Free Food Rating: A
Manager Rating: A+
Other Food Rating: A-

Up Next: Le Cellier Dinner (I do have one pic from this dinner-- the app-- I was too busy eating my yummy steak to take more pictures!)

 

[Minniespal]

Thanks for the fantastic reviews

 

[Minnie]

Up Next: Le Cellier Dinner (I do have one pic from this dinner-- the app-- I was too busy eating my yummy steak to take more pictures!)

Can't wait for this one! One of favorite places to eat

 

[minniebeth]

As many other posters have said, thank you so much for your sharing your dining experiences and photos. It truly is a great help to many, even myself who has done dining with food allergies at WDW. You learn something new every time. I have kids with major food allergies so I truly know what it is like to not only live everyday life, but to go on vacation and deal with meals and treats.
So many always ask why we go back to WDW time and again, they just don't get it. Your dining reviews explain it all! There is NOWHERE else that accomodates and makes it special for dietary needs.

I did get sappy when I saw your DS have so many wonderful things made special for him to enjoy! How magical! Oh, and yes, 'Ohana/Chef TJ is the best!!

Thank you again for sharing!

 

[roscoepc1]

Thanks for that Ohana review! I have been very curious about that one. We tried Kona, and it was a TOTAL BUST! Like one of the very worst places we dined with allergies in WDW and I have heard bad reviews from others with allergies at Kona, as well, so I was thinking that Ohana would be the same?! But From what you posted, I guess not!

Hmmm...maybe have to change some plans around. Wow, Bean would be ecstatic if she ever got a dessert even HALF that elaborate!
LOL
Heck, she would be thrilled with a scoop of rice dream with some cotton candy on top!

Wow! My mom has Celiac, and we LOVED Kona for her! She loved it too, lol...but her fave was the fried chicken at 50's Primetime!

 

[minniebeth]

We stay at the Polynesian frequently when we travel to WDW, so along with that have tried their restaurants often. We've done Kona twice and it was a disaster for us both times. 'Ohana on the other hand is a must do for us each time and I can see how people with food allergies can be scared off from 'Ohana, but they are one of the best.
This is just our experience...

 

[adsrtw]

I am so excited for both you and your son. Can't wait to read more.

 

[Minnie]

We stay at the Polynesian frequently when we travel to WDW, so along with that have tried their restaurants often. ...

Since being diagnosed with the allergy I have only been to the Poly food court area and it was a terrible experience - Only thing I had that night seriously was a Diet Coke

 

[suebenjamin]

I've been meaning to post since we returned from our trip but things have been so hectic...will post more details in the future but here's a quick run-down. Reviewing - DS - age 13 - has severe peanut allergy but no other allergies:

--Beaches and Cream - Ice cream portion of meal went well...actually watched the server scrub her hands up to her elbows prior to making our desserts. They also went out of their way to get and add Divvies cookies/French Meadow brownie to our desserts. However, our burger experience was not so good. Turns out that ALL resorts get their buns from the Beach/Yacht Club bakeries, so because there was a risk of cross-contamination, they would not give my son a regular bun - only an "allergy-friendly bun" (which is peanut-free, nut-free, and GLUTEN-FREE). Well, he doesn't have a gluten issue and is not used to eating gluten-free, so ended up taking the bun off and just eating the burger patty. Since everyone from our eye doctor to the Disney people raved about the burgers, this was a disappointment. In 2007 we faced a similar issue at the Contemporary Resort, but the chef offered to put his burger on a "Wonder bun" (typical store-bought white bread). Could resorts not keep a couple of packages of these on hand for such needs???

--Also then learned that he could not have a burger at ANY resort, including ours (POP Century). However, he could have burgers in the parks - different supplier of buns. Chef Dan at POP was outstanding, and we felt incredibly comfortable at POP and had several good experiences there. Since buns were not OK, we learned that he could eat Philly Steak Wrap sandwich - YUM. Had to get that one again, it was SO GOOD.[/COLOR] Also had cinnamon roll at POP, which was a treat (comes from dedicated Disney bakery in Canada and says "processed with tree nuts" - since tree nuts are NOT an issue for us, we OK'ed it) and DS also enjoyed a pre-packed chocolate cake dessert, same labeling. DIVVIES popcorn, choc chip cookies, and French Meadow brownies were available as snack/dessert options at POP food court.

--BEST experiences -
50's Prime Time Cafe --Fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans was outstanding and very safe + they BAKE their own gluten and nut-free brownies, which could then be used in their brownie/hot fudge sundae dessert (OK, so we had to skip the M&M's and caramel corn on top, but it was still one of the few places where DS actually got to get a "real" dessert from the menu and not just ice cream or a gluten/nut/peanut free brownie).
Chef Mickey's--- DS loved this so much that he begged to go back, and on our last day we took a chance and left the Magic Kingdom (extremely hot and crowded), took the monorail to the Contemporary, and asked if they were taking any walk-in reservations. We had to wait an hour, but that was OK...Both times, chefs were incredibly attentive...walked us through buffet line and visited our table... and also offered to bring food from the kitchen (which we did take advantage of, for dessert toppings). Second time, DS was even given a special "celebration cupcake" that was safe to eat (again, it was peanut/nut/gluten but he said it was "OK").
Liberty Tree Tavern--Had the turkey and stuffing dinner, terrific...ordered the Tavern fried cheese (heaven)...DS had cinnamon ice cream, something different, for dessert

Random thoughts:

• Allergy was NOT on all reservations at check-in even though we specifically mentioned when making ADR's + I filled out form with Brenda Bennet @ Disney Dining.
• Chef Dan at POP told us that - once a server knows that you have an allergy - it is Disney policy that a a chef must come to talk to you about the food ingredients - the server cannot do this. This is true even at counter-service places. However, we had at least one experience (Coral Reef) where server began to talk about ingredients ("Oh, there's no peanuts there") and I had to ask for chef to come to table.
• We felt that we had fewer options this trip than 2007. Not entirely sure why, maybe a combination of stricter food labeling laws nationwide (ie, now more and more labels say "may contain..." and so Disney has to pass that warning along - anything chocolate/chocolate flavored was now a NO-NO as Disney uses Nestles),...Maybe us being there at a busier time of year? It seemed that on our last trip, they were willing to "step out of the box" a little more and try to find creative ways to accomodate the allergy...we didn't feel so much of that on this trip. I think the low point was when we went to Tony's (last day, least favorite) and DS' dessert was a French Meadow packaged brownie thrown on a plate, partially frozen and partially warm (from the microwave).

All in all, we still had very positive experiences with Disney dining, and ate WAY too much food. We were proud to say that we used EVERY one of our meal credits (OK, so we got some DIVVIES snacks to bring home...) I'll try to gather some more thoughts and post more again soon!