Akershus- Sensory + allergy issue question

[trl1717]

Hi! I know Disney tries to be accommodating. I have a rather specific question. I have children with sensory issues and serious allergies. We have a lunch reservation for Akershus. Has anyone had the experience of them being able to cook an off-menu item like a standard grilled cheese on white or wheat? I know not all restaurants have the same food items in their kitchen. Do they serve fries? Is there someone I should check with in advance to be sure? Thanks for any advice. We could possibly do breakfast (the one item the child will eat would be a plain bagel) but prefer lunch if it as all do-able. Also- I read on a thread on this board that a chef at Trails End once made a meal (instead of buffet) for one lady who had lots of allergies. Has anyone had this experience at Chef Mickeys or Crystal Palace? We are there one night and in the past years we haven't wanted to be a bother to ask and they've eaten an apple or some watermelon for the meal. We're there for the characters mostly but would like them to be able to eat something substantial. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Mum23]

You can email special diets and make note on all ADR's. If they have something like what you want they may be able to make something. You don't mention what allergies you manage so that may help people give you an idea of what they may be able to do. Also, buffets are not super safe as people drop things all the time or use the wrong serving things. The Chef will happily go through the buffet line with you and tell you what is safe and bring you a plate from the back.

 

[Dis703]

I would email Special.Diets@Disneyworld.com and let them know you have specific questions about what they may be able to provide for your child. My 3 boys have a long list of allergens and my oldest went through a lot of feeding therapy and still has issues with a lot of food textures so what they can eat is quite limited. I always email Special Diets and fill out an allergy form and ask to speak to the chefs particularly if there is a restaurant where they may require something off menu. They've been really awesome with coming up with options for them.

 

[sleepingbean]

We had good experiences at Akerhaus and at Crystal Palace (many many trips to CP). You can follow the link for photos here . At Akerhaus, we just ordered gluten free waffles and some items that were brought out separate. Nothing too far from what everyone else had (breakfast). Loads of food, though, and yummy! For Crystal Palace, I have found that the chef is willing to make us specialty items, but that they don't always think to offer them, so just ask for the item you are hoping for. For example, the chef didn't offer us gluten free pancakes on the last two trips, just showed us the buffet and said "this is safe, this isn't", but when I asked if they could provide gluten free pancakes and rice milk, they were incredibly helpful. During a lunch meal, they prepared a salmon without the sauce for us. They are always wonderful at Crystal Palace. It is my favorite place to eat in Disney World with our allergies. Just don't be afraid to ask for what you are hoping for, especially in a situation where you want something that won't be an obvious option. Odds are they will do their best to accommodate

 

[trl1717]

Thanks all for great advice. I didn't even know about the special diets email. I'll contact them. Terribly hard (as you know) traveling with a child with sensory issues and countless hours of feeding therapy and very few acceptable foods due to texture, etc. Disney however is usually easier than most places for us and they are always very nice about it.

 

[lolabee2000]

We were at WDW last fall with our 11 year old who is autistic and literally only eats pizza and fries. I called and talked with someone from special diets and they flagged our reservations for the chef to come out and talk with us. They were so accommodating!! At Chef Mickey's they brought him both a pizza and fries. Crystal Palace..the chef made us a gluten free pizza and fries. Ohana's for breakfast was a little more challenging, but again they made him fries. He was so happy to be able to see the characters and interact with them and get something he liked to eat. They will definitely work with you!

 

[trl1717]

We were at WDW last fall with our 11 year old who is autistic and literally only eats pizza and fries. I called and talked with someone from special diets and they flagged our reservations for the chef to come out and talk with us. They were so accommodating!! At Chef Mickey's they brought him both a pizza and fries. Crystal Palace..the chef made us a gluten free pizza and fries. Ohana's for breakfast was a little more challenging, but again they made him fries. He was so happy to be able to see the characters and interact with them and get something he liked to eat. They will definitely work with you!

Thanks lolabee! Good to know. I have a similar situation, so I'm reassured by these comments.

 

[lolabee2000]

Thanks lolabee! Good to know. I have a similar situation, so I'm reassured by these comments.

No problem. We really only did those places for the character interactions and I'm sure my son would have been perfectly happy just having a cookie. But they really did go out of their way. Hollywood and Vine was the best. They had someone go down to Pizza Planet and brought him back two pizzas. I was crying when I was thanking the manager!