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

[RxforDisney]

We went in October with my 2 year old food allergic son. I had the same questions as the OP. I was told not to expect him to eat for free, but that it was up to the individual restaraunt. I actually considered paying for the dining plan for him even though he was 2 years old (other people had said they did that.)

However, we were pleasantly suprised. We NEVER paid anything extra for his food anywhere we went.

For example:

Cape Mae Cafe Character Breakfast - they made him gluten free, milk free, egg free, mickey waffles and he ate fruit off of the bar. FOR FREE

Whispering Canyon - we ordered the all you can eat bucket. they brought him his own allergy free bucket and even went downstairs and got him a itakadoozie pop from the gift shop of the hotel for dessert. FOR FREE

Chef Mickey's- They made him grilled chicken, pasta, and Mickey "ice cream" sundae

Brenda Bennett can email you counter service places that have safe food. What I did was order safe food for myself and share. But, it actually ended up that he fell asleep while waiting on the food at almost every counter service place. So he would just eat leftovers or snacks out of the diaper bag later.

This was our experience, hope it helps.

 

[mrsnj91]

Thanks! Good ideas. We sometimes order sides for her as meals anyway. And I always travel with safe snacks. I still use a huge diaper bag because I have to pack so much in it! Wish I could figure out a way to throw those wheat free chicken nuggets in the travel bag!! LOL! Man, that and some hotdogs and we will be happy!

RxforDisney- Not sure if you can answer this....someone told me to save portions of her food she doesn't eat at one place and use at the next meal and have the resturants heat it up. Will counter service and table service resturants be able to and willing to heat up? I can throw in a few plastic containers when packing (which will probably arrive with food in them from the trip anyway LOL). Is there even a means to heat up at CS??

 

[kmwek]

RxforDisney- Not sure if you can answer this....someone told me to save portions of her food she doesn't eat at one place and use at the next meal and have the resturants heat it up. Will counter service and table service resturants be able to and willing to heat up? I can throw in a few plastic containers when packing (which will probably arrive with food in them from the trip anyway LOL). Is there even a means to heat up at CS??

When I was researching safe eats for our upcoming trip (3yr old with severe egg allergy) I was told that we could bring in safe food for him, but due to laws and regulations that would not be able to heat up his food or cook anything we brought in. Hope this helps and hope you have a safe and fun trip.
Oh yeah. Brenda Bennet will answer any questions you have usually within 24 hours.

 

[taximomfor4]

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.

Yes, this is what we had to do. We arranged with the chefs for the parent's food to be allergen-free for the 2yo, then that is the parent who shared. Sharinig off your plate is why 2yo are free. So when the phone rep said yes the 2yo would be free, it was the same 'free' that every other2yo has -- if they have their OWN ordered meal, it is paid for. Oh, and if they get their own drink, it is also paid for (although some servers let that slide).

If you are eating at All you can eat places (like all the ones mentioned in the pp above where the mother didn't pay for any of her 2yo's food), 2yo's eat their own plate free. This includes Chef Mickeys, Cape May, and Whispering Canyon IF getting the All You Can Eat Skillet like the pp did. HTH! Actually, I believe ALL of the character meals are buffet/AYCE so any of them would be free for the 2yo, even with specially prepared food.

Beth

 

[Princess Stitch]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've heard of people getting gluten free pizza and chefs at restaurants making up special gluten free chicken nuggets as well. They are very careful to cook things separately. You'll be more restricted at counter service restaurants since they only serve certain things, however, I know most table service restauarants willl ask you what your DD likes to eat if you call in advance, and then prepare something special for her.

I think the OP was just confused on the way that "free dining" for children works at WDW. No child under 3 will get their own choice off of the menu separate from what their parent gets. You're not paying more JUST because your daughter has allergies.

When it comes down to it, I'd be surprised if you ended up paying for more than a couple meals anyhow. I expect most of the servers won't charge you.

 

[hematite153]

I know that I read somewhere that Disney expects to charge for anyone ordering a specific meal for children under 3. So, the answer you got the second time seems correct.

They will happily prepare YOUR meal gluten-free (advance notice is a good idea) and then your DD can share from your plate for free. This is the simplest way to make sure that she can eat. (Although some people have had good experiences getting allergy-safe food at buffets without charge I have also heard of others who had to pay for the child's meal to get specially prepared food.)

It sounds like you are going during the free dining promotion. Given this, the option guaranteed to be cheapest would be to do what forevryoung suggested. Change your reservation to list your DD as 3, instead of 2. Then you will get free dining credits for her. At the same time, change your park tickets to 1 day basic MYW. Then, on your first day, go to guest services to upgrade everyone elses tickets. Just keep the ticket for your DD for use the next time you come to WDW, after she's 3+.

 

[BCV23]

Kimberly, for the most part I wouldn't think it would be safe to try to keep food from one meal to save for the next in the August heat of FL.

Have a great trip!

 

[mrsnj91]

LOL! That is what my husband said! But I wasn't refering to walking around the park all day with it in the stroller. I ment if we ate dinner and headed back to the hotel! LOL! But I agree with your point!

 

[KirstenB]

I'm not familiar with this allergy...but as a backup, could you throw peanut butter and maybe a jam jar in your bag? I'm guessing she maybe eats some type of gluten-free cracker. I'm just trying to think of something you wouldn't have to refrigerate, but would give her basic food groups. It sounds like a really tough allergy to deal with.

 

[KirstenB]

LOL! That is what my husband said! But I wasn't refering to walking around the park all day with it in the stroller. I ment if we ate dinner and headed back to the hotel! LOL! But I agree with your point!

Oh if you head back to the hotel, most on-site hotels have a food court with a microwave, so you should be good to go!

 

[RxforDisney]

RxforDisney- Not sure if you can answer this....someone told me to save portions of her food she doesn't eat at one place and use at the next meal and have the resturants heat it up. Will counter service and table service resturants be able to and willing to heat up? I can throw in a few plastic containers when packing (which will probably arrive with food in them from the trip anyway LOL). Is there even a means to heat up at CS??

We did not try to heat up food when we were there, so I have no experience with this. I will have to defer to the post from kmwek.

I don't know if you have booked your room yet, but if you haven't, you might consider renting someone's DVC timeshare so you can have a kitchen on property. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas (within walking distance of MGM and Epcot), and were able to go back to the room for lunch/nap without it taking up the whole day. We had a full kitchen, which was great! The Boardwalk is also within walking distance of MGM and Epcot. The Villas at Wilderness Lodge would also be a good option since it is just a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom (where you will spend a lot of your time with toddlers). You can get a 1 bedroom during the summer for 22-30 points per night - Sunday through Thursday (depending upon where you stay http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml ), and people generally rent for around $12 per point. So, you could stay 5 nights Sunday through Thursday with a full kitchen for as low as $1300 (room only). Then, you would have to buy tickets and dining plan (if you want it). Look on the DVC rent/trade board for people renting their points.

The dining plan is actually pretty versitile. For each sit down meal that is not on a buffet, you get an appetizer, entree and dessert with each credit, and there is nothing that says each person has to use a dining credit at every meal. So, for example, you can order one appetizer/entree to share with your spouse, and use another credit to get a second safe appetizer/entree for your daughter.
Also, if you have another child that is on the dining plan, their credits can be used by adults. So you can use 2 credits for each adult to have a meal, and pay for the child's meal out of pocket (which is significantly cheaper). Then, you have only used 2 credits instead of 3 for the meal, and you can save the 3rd credit to use another time.
You can also use dining plan credits to order room service (which is very accomodating for food allergies). You get charged double credits for one entree, but you get a lot of food (and an appetizer), so two people can easily share 1 appetizer/entree.
For more info on how to get the most out of the dining plan see http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1305783

We loved Disney and the way they handled food allergies. I truly felt like I was on vacation. We could go out to eat like normal people and not have to worry if they would have something for my son to eat. It was definitely a vacation for me! I hope it is the same for you.

EDIT:
After reading the 2007 info on the dining plan, it appears Disney has taken away some of the flexibility allowed when we were there. So, you may not be able to do what I listed above.

Oh, you can also get a studio DVC for even fewer points which has a "kitchenette" (microwave/fridge) If you have already booked at one of the other resorts, you should check with them. I have heard of people getting complementary microwaves/fridges for their rooms when food allergies are an issue.

 

[mrsnj91]

Get out! Boy you just made my day!!!

 

[RxforDisney]

If you decide to rent DVC, try to find someone that will accept PayPal payments so you have some security in the transaction.

 

[RxforDisney]

I PM'd you with the info on the person we rented from.

 

[hematite153]

Note: Your earlier posts made it sound like you have currently booked the free dining promotion. If you rent DVC points you will be able to PURCHASE the DDP but you will not get it for free.

The kitchens are great and the extra space in the room is phenomenal. But, if you were planning to eat in the parks you will save money with free dining over DVC point rental.

 

[hematite153]

If you decide to rent DVC, try to find someone that will accept PayPal payments so you have some security in the transaction.

As a person who has been on both sides of the rental system and checked out paypal's policies for this purpose, I disagree with the sense of security that people get from it.

Paypal is EXPENSIVE and the rentor is going to insist that they collect the money BEFORE you visit even when they are using Paypal. The result is that it's a false sense of security--your money is gone by the time you might know to complain. Rental transactions are risky, regardless of how you pay.

Think about contracts and references as more important than payment method.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

OK Folks

This is starting to go way

DVC rental definitely is not involved.

 

[ducklite]

OP--if you will have a car, Publix has a fairly diverse selection of wheat/GF products in the natural foods section of the store.

Cereals, bread, crackers, cookies, dressings, etc. The one thing I haven't seen there is ketchup, so bring your own. Don't rely on WDW to have any W/GF condiments.

Also you'll need to call each restuarant a day in advance . They can make rice pasta for example, but need advance notice. Same with w/gf pizza, etc. Pizza dough has to be made in advance, and they don't just keep it around. I've visited WDW with a friend with Celiacs twice, and we had a great trip--the chefs were wonderful--BUT she had to call each one the day before. The one time she didn't the choices were very, very limited for her.

Anne

 

[mrsnj91]

Thanks. We won't have a car though. Is this store far?? For food that doesn't have to be kept cold or heated, I am sending down a box full of safe foods to meet us at the hotel. It is the dinner/lunch things that are getting me. We are talking about some ways to get some things down that are cold. If we can get access to a micro and I bring hotdogs and chicken nuggest...she will be the happiest kid on the block! LOL!

I am not sure what all the abbrevs are....DVC, etc or what

Look on the DVC rent/trade board for people renting their points

and what they have to do with Cheshire Figment's comment. I am a newbie dork! Although I get the gist. We are already booked in a standard room at POR.

 

[ducklite]

Thanks. We won't have a car though. Is this store far??

The closest one is probably two miles from Animal Kingdom Lodge.

For food that doesn't have to be kept cold or heated, I am sending down a box full of safe foods to meet us at the hotel. It is the dinner/lunch things that are getting me. We are talking about some ways to get some things down that are cold. If we can get access to a micro and I bring hotdogs and chicken nuggest...she will be the happiest kid on the block! LOL!

They won't heat things up for you or allow you to use the microwaves at the restaurants. There is a microwave at the POR food court you can use.

Anne