ALLERGY PARENTS....Beware....2 year olds w/allergies have to pay!

[mrsnj91]

Before I booked this trip we called Disney on Saturday and asked if Delaneys meals would be covered since she has allergies. I wanted to make sure before I picked the meal plan because I didn't want any problems with being restricted for her and before I picked the free dining package that there would be no problems with Delaney due to either her age or her allergies. They said she would be covered and her allergy free meals would be provided. When I called today to make Advanced Seating I was told her meals were extra and we would have to pay out of pocket full price outside of the meal plan!!! Two year olds are expected to eat off parents plates and that is why they are free! When we explained that she can't eat our food and that we called before booking to make sure she would be provided for, we were told that is their policy and they didn't know why anyone would tell us that!!! I am NOT happy! Not that she eats a darn lot but I certainly wouldn't have locked myself into the meal plan otherwise. And I might have reconsidered a more local place for a vacation or maybe someplace with a kitchen otherwise!!! I called and checked and then was told something different later.

So beware if you have a two year old with special diet restrictions. Older children will fit into the plan and older children still receive free dining if you have that but two year olds get the boot!

 

[Forevryoung]

I'm not sure if I'm understanding your post and I really do think there is a misunderstanding.

2 year olds are free because you don't get a separate meal for them on the dining plan because they don't need a ticket.

I believe that you can purchase a one day ticket for everyone in your party, make your 2 year old 3, and buy her a one day base ticket to add her to the meal plan. That way you are not paying out of pocket for her food. You can upgrade everyone elses ticket your first day at the parks except your 2 year olds and save her ticket for another trip.

Otherwise, she will not get a serarate plate unless you are at a buffet or family style meal. That is how it is everywhere. I would bet if she has an allergy and you need accommodations at a buffet or family style restaurant, they would help you out because at that age, they are usually free.

I hope that helped, if I understand the situation correctly. If not, please clarify.

Sometimes you get a cast member on the phone who doesn't always understand. I would call back if you aren't 100% sure they gave you the right answer. Not everyone knows everything . I hope this doesn't leave you bitter, it's just the way the system works sometimes. Disney is a wonderful vacation.

 

[mrsnj91]

No you got it right. I called to double check before I pressed that "book vacation" button and they told me she would be free due to her age and the free dining plan we were on. When I called today to make the reservations I was told that I would have to pay for her if I want allergy free food. Not sure what their policies are or aren't, which is WHY I CALLED. I was on the fence about traveling there and booking a resort room but when I was told she would be provided for, I went ahead and booked it. It isn't like I played dumb. I called before to be 100% sure. This is a huge drive and I cannot provide food now. Had I known this, I wouldn't have commited to the dining plan and wouldn't have booked a resort room without a kitchen. I would have just headed to a more local vacation or looked outside of the resort for some place to cook. And we picked this week due to the free dining. Now everyone is free and no worries except for Delaney. Nope, not happy. And I just think those with dietary needs need to have a heads up.

Not sure what you are suggesting...I should buy a park ticket for her and say she is 3?? But wouldn't that be more than paying for her food??

 

[allyphoe]

Alternatively, request that your dishes be prepared to be safe for her, and share. Depending on her allergies, that may not be practicable, but it at least puts you in the same position as every other parent of a 2yo.

 

[Forevryoung]

It is more than paying for her food BUT you can save that one day child ticket for a later trip- so while you are paying more now, it's just stored on a card for the future.

I'm sorry the first person you talked to didn't quite understand or gave you an incorrect answer. I think you should still go and have a great time. Kids meals are super cheap ($3-$5 each) and they will be able to help you with her allergies.

I'm sorry you feel cheated. I would put this behind you and make up your mind to have a great time. Book restaurants that are family style and buffets so you really don't have to pay for your 2 year old (they will show you what she can eat or make something for her) and you may get lucky and have a restaurant or two who will make her something special and not have you pay for it because of her age. It's all part of the potential magic of Disney. Make your ADRs (reservations) now if you haven't already, things are filling up fast for free dining. And think about it this way, everyone else's food is already taken care of! Really, have a great trip. If there is anything else we CAN help with, feel free to ask.

 

[mrsnj91]

Oh well that is a relief that meals aren't going to be like $20 a pop! They will still have to provide replacements though as most kids meals have what on them?? Bread, bread coatings , wheat starch... Not good in our case! I did book a few places but might have to rethink on a few....

 

[Forevryoung]

Oh well that is a relief that meals aren't going to be like $20 a pop! They will still have to provide replacements though as most kids meals have what on them?? Bread, bread coatings , wheat starch... Not good in our case! I did book a few places but might have to rethink on a few....

nononono Deep breath *in out in out* your vacation is not ruined They WILL make your daughter something that she can eat. Do a search or wait until the daytime people start posting about everyone who can and will jump through hoops for you. I just don't have a personal experience in that area.

I was thinking about getting a kids meal for lunch on a day or two when I have big meals planned for breakfast and dinner. Kids meals at counter service are $3.99 usually and include a drink. Someone will post the contact person at the parks for you to call if you have any questions in particular. At Le Cellier its $7.50 for an appetizer, entree and drink. I'm sure your daughter doesn't need that much food either .

Menu's are posted at allears.net in case you want to look what is already offered at the restaurants you chose although table service places will go out of their way to make sure your daughter is safe. I wouldn't rethink until you look at the menus or hear what others with allergies have to say regarding specific restaurants. (allears.net has a section on allergies as well!)

 

[Selket]

I must say I haven't ran into this issue before. Out of curiosity what would happen if you call back to make another ADR and again note the allergies for your 2 year old. I'm just curious if you could have run into a reservation agent with the wrong info. But I think that you might indeed have to pay.

It does seem right that you would have to pay for CS meals that you might order for her in any case. I would think it is true they expect a young child to eat off of your plate - or order meals for them. If you had to get her a child's meal at a sit-down place that isn't too much - perhaps you'd spend $15 a day at the most? I would think that since you are saving on the dining plan for everyone else (it is free right?) that it still adds up to a good value for your family.

Probably it is the buffet restaurants where you will pay the most - like $11 for her meal.

Brenda Bennet is a good person to contact regarding your child's allergies - and what is safe at counter service for her to eat. She will email you a list of safe and unsafe things at carts, etc. Do a search on the boards and I'm sure it will come up with her contact info - she is a great help.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The people at the reservations center not only are not at the parks, but they probably are not in the Orlando area. What counts is at the restaurants themselves.

At any buffet/AYCE restaurants there is no charge at all for anyone under three years old. I have seen the chefs make special meals for people at no extra charge. There is no reason for this policy to change just becuase the child does not pay for the meal.

At menu service restaurants it is normally expected that children under three will eat from the parents plate. In this situation again there should be a discussion before ordering with a chef. If it is necessary to prepare special food for your child, and if they charge you for it, the charge should not be any higher than the normal price for a child's meal.

At counter service locations, you will normaly need to talk to a manager to find out about food the child can eat. Again, the charge, if any, should not exceed the price for a child's meal.

In other words, don't panic.

And please report back after the trip so we can see the results (and provide warnings, if necessary, to others).

 

[antree]

Yes please contact Brenda Barrett, she helped us with my DS allergies.
We have been going to Disney with my DS 5 since he was 10 mos old. He has a peanut and tree nut allergy and Disney is very helpful. At all buffets your child will eat free and the chef will come out and tell you what he/she can have from the buffet table or they will make a seperate platter for them at no extra charge.
I can not say for sure about table service meals. When we ate there my son always ate from my plate and I would just have the chef make me something that he could eat, again at no extra charge.

My Mom has a wheat and gluten allergy and she was never charged extra for a special meal.

I can't find Brenda's email address right now, hopeful someone else will post it. If not I will continue to look for it.

You will have a great time, Disney is very Helpful and Caring when it come to allergies.
Call the chef at the resturants before hand they will help you set up a meal before you get there, when you made your ADR's they should have given you the numbers to each resturant. Then you can even ask them about the meal price if she is still free or not. If you had to pay it would be no more then what a child meal would cost.

Good Luck. I would not trust the reservation people they really can't talk for the resturants.

Maria

 

[BCV23]

At all buffets your child will eat free and the chef will come out and tell you what he/she can have have the buffet table or they will make a seperate plater for them at no extra charge.
I can not say for sure about table service meals. When we ate there my son always ate from my plate and I would just have the chef make me something the he could eat, again at no extra charge.

This seems very reasonable. To me it doesn't make sense to expect WDW to provide free meals for your child when it doesn't for other 2 yos. If you want to order something exclusively for your child than I would expect to pay for it. Otherwise let your child eat from your plate as do other parents and order appropriately.

But as everyone has said, WDW bends over backwards to keep diners safe and kids meals aren't very expensive anyway.

Good luck and happy planning.

 

[Hook's Girl]

The people at the reservations center not only are not at the parks, but they probably are not in the Orlando area.

Actually there is a satellite office inside Epcot staffed by Guest Relations Cast Members. They definately know what they are talking about

 

[ducklite]

Before I booked this trip we called Disney on Saturday and asked if Delaneys meals would be covered since she has allergies. I wanted to make sure before I picked the meal plan because I didn't want any problems with being restricted for her and before I picked the free dining package that there would be no problems with Delaney due to either her age or her allergies. They said she would be covered and her allergy free meals would be provided. When I called today to make Advanced Seating I was told her meals were extra and we would have to pay out of pocket full price outside of the meal plan!!! Two year olds are expected to eat off parents plates and that is why they are free! When we explained that she can't eat our food and that we called before booking to make sure she would be provided for, we were told that is their policy and they didn't know why anyone would tell us that!!! I am NOT happy! Not that she eats a darn lot but I certainly wouldn't have locked myself into the meal plan otherwise. And I might have reconsidered a more local place for a vacation or maybe someplace with a kitchen otherwise!!! I called and checked and then was told something different later.

So beware if you have a two year old with special diet restrictions. Older children will fit into the plan and older children still receive free dining if you have that but two year olds get the boot!

In this case it's the same as eating at a restaurant like Jiko where some of the entrees might not appeal to younger children. Parents have the option of ordering an entree that their child would like (even if it wasn't the parents first choice) and having the child eat from their plate, or ordering a childrens meal. In the OP's case she can order a meal for herself prepared in a way and with ingredients that her child can eat, even if it isn't what she'd really like.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want your child to eat for free, you'll have to order your food allergy free, or pay for a separate childs meal.

The chefs will work with you either way to make sure that the meals is prepared with ingredients and in a way that your daughter will be safe.

Anne

 

[Talking Hands]

DRC office in Orlando is not in Epcot.

 

[sadeeyore]

This is Brenda's email address from a post a couple of months ago.

Brenda.Bennett@disney.com

 

[disneyandme]

What are your two year old's allergies?

 

[mrsnj91]

Wheat and gluten. She can't have anything containing wheat starch, wheat, flour, gluten, etc. This includes but isn't limited too breads, bread crumbs, breading/batter covered foods, graveys, some fries, certain cereals, soups, flavored chips, certain meat seasonings, etc etc etc. No cookies, cakes, rolls, chicken nuggets, meatballs, pizza, meatloaf, pancakes, crackers, etc. Throw in toddler pickiness and it makes meal planning fun! This can also effect hot dogs and I am sooooooooo praying those are ok there as it will be our lifeline! When all else fail....get a hotdog!

Maybe it is a regional thing cause when someone tells me 'kids eat free' that still means they get a meal in this area. So no, I wouldn't assume she would ever eat off my plate.

 

[Talking Hands]

"Kids eat free" means kids you normally pay for eat free with certain age restrictions and number restrictions. Normally 2yo eat from the parents plate and this is what Disney is expecting. If you go to a menu sit down or to counter service you would need to pay for everything you ordered unless someone is sharing a meal.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Here's a link to some information on gluten free eating at WDW. http://www.allearsnet.com/din/guestceliac.htm It seems the key points would be to have the information attached to all your ADR's and to also notify the restaurant staff when you get to the restaurant. You can also ask to see ingredient lists at all counter service restaurants and it seems some can even accomodate special requests.

I would bring gluten free treats with you in a bag every day. That way if you're having a hard time finding appropriate food for your DD you'll have something to hold her over. We do this even though we don't have food allergies to worry about. Sometimes kids are hungry NOW. From what I read at the above link, WDW can do a lot toward making gluten free food tasty. You may still be able to have the kids share food.

I know there appears to have been a miscommunication, but I think you'll still be saving a lot of money in the long run. Your DD's meals will be free at buffets and you can always suppliment food you have to pay out of pocket for, with snacks you bring from home and snacks she'll be able to share off of everyone else's plates.

 

[disneyandme]

I don't know how many people you are traveling with, but with a group of you on the dining plan, you should be able to order more than enough to satisfy everyone-- without paying extra. Each table service has an appetizer, meal, and dessert. If each of you requests a gluten free/wheat free part of your meal and have it plated seperately, then she should be able to have plenty to each. For example, if you order one person appetizer for her and part of another person meal or sides and then one person's dessert. Good luck!!