Advice for DLR food and peanut allergy?

[smiles33]

We just confirmed DD2 has a peanut allergy. Our trip to DLR is next week. I just called and added the info to our res for Ariel's Grotto. But what about snacks and CS? Has anyone compiled a list of places to avoid or places to seek out? I did a search but only found general threads about allergies and not specific places. For instance, can we all eat corn dogs or do they fry those in peanut oil? Do we just had to ask each cart vendor/CS place?

 

[specialks]

As a mom with a DD4 who has a severe peanut allergy (spent a night last Dec in the ER after she had an anaphylactic rxn) we pack our own snacks for her and we all wash our hands after eating. Be sure to remember your epipen & antihistamine and make sure it isn't refrigerated.

 

[smiles33]

Wow, sorry to hear about your DD's reaction! We are lucky that she appears to have a mild allergy. She can still eat Justin's almond butter made on machinery shared with peanuts, can eat Costco baked goods baked on shared machinery, but we don't give her unfamiliar/new products made on shared machinery. We found out about the allergy only because I made her a peanut butter sandwich when we ran out of almond butter and she got a skin rash.

We still carry our epi pens everywhere but I am worried that CMs won't know if the food they're selling at the carts have been exposed to peanuts or peanut products. A friend mentioned her DD had a reaction because the sesame oil she used when cooking had been contaminated with peanuts at the manufacturing source.

 

[DizNee Luver]

All the restaurants (DL Resort restaurants) will have a list of all menu items & ingredients. Just ask to speak to the manager at each place & they will help you out. Don't take the word of the counter or wait staff. This advice is coming from the head chef we spoke to about food allergies for our last trip. He said, the CM's are trying to be helpful, but they've had some errors made & it's best to ask for the manager & go over the menu together. As for the snacks, you might want to stick to places that sell items in packages with the ingredients listed. I don't think the snack carts will have the ingredient books. You also could bring in snacks just to be safe.

My children are allergic to 6 of the 8 major food allergens....so it's a lot of label reading......but doable.

One more thing......at the sit down restaurants, if you let the waitstaff know you have a food allergy & would like to speak with the chef, they will come to your table to go over your selection for your child & if they don't have anything that works on the menu....they will put together a special plate just for your child. We had this happen a few times.

 

[Ruester]

We went to Disneyland in March of this year. Because my daughter has Celiac disease (a gluten allergy) I was really nervous. It was also the first time we had traveled with her since she was diagnosed. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome Disneyland was about her allergy. At the sit-down restaurants the chefs would literally come to our table and help us select gluten free foods for her. They would also spend time explaining how the food would be prepared and how they would ensure there was no cross contamination. I didn't ask for this service, it just happened every time we told our server that we had a child with an allergy. During the entire week we were there, we didn't eat at one place, whether a sit-down restaurant or a quick serve counter, where the staff wasn't trained on allergies and able to help us find appropriate foods for my daughter. That week was the easiest time we have had eating outside our house in a year.

 

[smiles33]

Wow, that is really great that a chef comes out to confirm! How reassuring, as it just wouldn't be fair to eat new treats in front of DD2 and give her a boring sandwich.

Thanks for sharing. I will still bring some safe snacks but at least I know we have some options.

 

[ConnieB]

Actually Disney is EXTREMELY good about allergies. While the chef will come out and speak with you at sit down restaurants, don't count out counter service or snack carts. The CMs there are aware of allergies and will also be able to advise you about which foods to avoid. Just ask. You are going to have to learn to ask everywhere you go....it's just great that one of your first experiences is Disney where they make it seem like a very normal question.

But then later you'll also be out in the rest of the world where sometimes they'll look at you like you have a third eye, lol. You quickly learn which places are safe and which have to be avoided because you can't get enough accurate information to feel safe. The hardest part is that you have to ask even though it was safe last month....because ingredients change constantly. You can't even trust that if a national chain is safe in your hometown that it will be when travelling...because each restaurant may use slightly different ingredients or cooking oils, etc. So get used to asking at every place, every time. Soon it will become so natural that you'll find yourself asking even when the child isn't with you, lol.

You are lucky that your daughter's allergy is mild, but it's still best to be hyper-vigilant because as she ages she can outgrow it, or it can go the other way and become severe like the previous poster whose poor little one ended up in the hospital. Teaching her about her allergy now means that as she grows up it will be normal and natural to her to avoid certain foods even when other kids are eating them, and to ask an adult to check the label for her until she's old enough to check it herself. Yeah she's too young yet to truly understand, but it's amazing what these little ones pick up when it's repeatedly said to them (ok honey, wait a minute while Mommy reads this label to see if you have this...then one day she'll bring you a snack and ask you to read it). The little sponges! Starting this at a later age is very difficult on the child, though they have no choice but to learn for their sake. Take it one day, one meal, at a time and it will become normal to you as well.

 

[jemimabean]

I was just there a week ago, and have a severe gluten allergy.
If you go to City Hall first thing, they can give you a menu specific to your child's allergy. I got one for gluten-free food, and it lists ALL of the food in Disneyland and California Adventure that I'm able to eat.

It did not list Downtown Disney restaurants, but they are all super knowledgeable and accommodating about allergies - they take them very seriously. (In fact, at the Rainforest Cafe, ONLY a manager can take an allergy food order, and ONLY the manager can deliver it to your table to make sure that it was done correctly.)

I felt sort of embarrassed at first, but do not hesitate to ask questions of the managers at Downtown Disney, or the chefs in the parks. They really are wonderful, and WANT to work with you to make the meal the very best that it can be.

Really, no worries at all. But make sure that you get the peanut-safe food list from City Hall! That was awesome.

 

[kaffinito]

I was just there a week ago, and have a severe gluten allergy.
If you go to City Hall first thing, they can give you a menu specific to your child's allergy. I got one for gluten-free food, and it lists ALL of the food in Disneyland and California Adventure that I'm able to eat.

It did not list Downtown Disney restaurants, but they are all super knowledgeable and accommodating about allergies - they take them very seriously. (In fact, at the Rainforest Cafe, ONLY a manager can take an allergy food order, and ONLY the manager can deliver it to your table to make sure that it was done correctly.)

I felt sort of embarrassed at first, but do not hesitate to ask questions of the managers at Downtown Disney, or the chefs in the parks. They really are wonderful, and WANT to work with you to make the meal the very best that it can be.

Really, no worries at all. But make sure that you get the peanut-safe food list from City Hall! That was awesome.

This is exactly the information I was looking for - thanks for saving me a post!

 

[oumagic]

You can even call Disney Dining and they can get you in contact with the head chef. He didn't do much except give us all of the info mentioned above (ie: tell them when you make reservations and speak to a manager/chef at each restaurant). He did give us some just general advice specific to my wife's allergy (tree nuts, not peanuts for her). He said to not even walk into the bakery in DTD and to avoid the pre-meal breads at the sit-down places because most used their breads.

To be honest, the vacation experience in regards to my wife's allergies is why we are going back again and probably getting annual passes. It is not fun going on vacation with a life-threatening condition and have someone tell you that they "think" you will be fine eating from their menu. DL made us certain we would be safe when we ordered. We have not had a care-free vacation with dining in ages. Restaurants are getting better in general but there are plenty of horror stories I could tell. It is so much easier dealing with it for my wife than it would be with kids. My thoughts go out to all of you that have that situation, luckily both of my kids do not have allergies.

One further note, they are fine with you bringing in an Epi-pen if required.

 

[smiles33]

There is so much valuable advice and helpful information here on DISBoards. Once again, I'm impressed by the generous spirit here. Thank you all!

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

I was just there a week ago, and have a severe gluten allergy.
If you go to City Hall first thing, they can give you a menu specific to your child's allergy. I got one for gluten-free food, and it lists ALL of the food in Disneyland and California Adventure that I'm able to eat.

It did not list Downtown Disney restaurants, but they are all super knowledgeable and accommodating about allergies - they take them very seriously. (In fact, at the Rainforest Cafe, ONLY a manager can take an allergy food order, and ONLY the manager can deliver it to your table to make sure that it was done correctly.)

I felt sort of embarrassed at first, but do not hesitate to ask questions of the managers at Downtown Disney, or the chefs in the parks. They really are wonderful, and WANT to work with you to make the meal the very best that it can be.

Really, no worries at all. But make sure that you get the peanut-safe food list from City Hall! That was awesome.

Are you sure there is a list for peanut allergies at City Hall? Unless something has changed very recently, the only list they have had there is for gluten free foods. I've read posts on here from people who have checked for other lists and they do not have any different ones other than the one for gluten-free foods.