Any Prep for Food Allergies

[Mickey3Boys]

Any way to get ingredients for full snacks ahead of time? Like cookies, Mickey IceCream Bar, soft serve, etc. and do they cook bread onboard? Usually safe to eat fresh cooked bread, but no bread in grocery store is safe. Allergies include soy, corn, nuts. Room service tips would be appreciated as well. I know about getting with server once onboard and have already sent allergy list to Disney.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Any way to get ingredients for full snacks ahead of time? Like cookies, Mickey IceCream Bar, soft serve, etc. and do they cook bread onboard? Usually safe to eat fresh cooked bread, but no bread in grocery store is safe. Allergies include soy, corn, nuts. Room service tips would be appreciated as well. I know about getting with server once onboard and have already sent allergy list to Disney.

It's my understanding that room service isn't an option with allergies. They don't use the same kitchens as the MDRs, and don't have access to the allergy kitchen.

I know that the break offerings at dinner are usually cooked fresh, but they vary as to variety.

You're safest sticking with meals in the MDRs where they can monitor how things are prepared.

I don't think there is an ingredient list anywhere for the food onboard.

 

[abayaflowers]

Any way to get ingredients for full snacks ahead of time? Like cookies, Mickey IceCream Bar, soft serve, etc. and do they cook bread onboard? Usually safe to eat fresh cooked bread, but no bread in grocery store is safe. Allergies include soy, corn, nuts. Room service tips would be appreciated as well. I know about getting with server once onboard and have already sent allergy list to Disney.

My DD10 is highly allergic to milk, butter, cheese. She carries an epi-pen, jr. with her. She is also allergic (asthma attacks/wheezing, hives, severe ezcema, etc.) to corn/any corn bi-products, onions, broccoli, mangoes, berries, and fish.

As a mom and the need of control her reactions, I do not allow her to eat any of the snacks unless I know the ingredients. With that said, sometimes the chef will prepare something for my DDs. For our Mexico & Med cruises, I brought the snacks, because they knew that they couldn't provide them for her.

That's why we travel on the DCL. I would also ask the DCL in FL to give you a list. They were so helpful in my prep.

We are going again to the Eastern Med June 2013 and feel good about the food that they will provide her.

 

[DisSarahK]

Oooh, corn is a biggie, I know from friends with kiddos with corn allergies. That stuff is hidden in everything. My son has a nut allergy, so I cannot speak to most of your concerns.

The allergy kitchens that a previous poster refers to are located only on the newer ships--I'm not sure what ship you are sailing on. The Wonder and Magic do not have dedicated allergy kitchens.

I can say that you need to be abundantly careful at breakfast and lunch when you will NOT have your regular serving team in place. Although we always made the other staff members aware of our son's life-threatening allergy, they were not always as careful about his needs as our regular staff was. In fact, one time were were directly told that the bread on the table at lunch was safe for him to eat (when in fact it was NOT)--and I knew it was not because it was the same bread from the night before that our server and head server did not give us because it was contaminated with nuts. Additionally, the family sharing our table at lunch told us that it wasn't safe--they had an older child with nut allergies who was seated at a different table with a grandparent.

 

[abayaflowers]

Oooh, corn is a biggie, I know from friends with kiddos with corn allergies. That stuff is hidden in everything. My son has a nut allergy, so I cannot speak to most of your concerns.

The allergy kitchens that a previous poster refers to are located only on the newer ships--I'm not sure what ship you are sailing on. The Wonder and Magic do not have dedicated allergy kitchens.

I can say that you need to be abundantly careful at breakfast and lunch when you will NOT have your regular serving team in place. Although we always made the other staff members aware of our son's life-threatening allergy, they were not always as careful about his needs as our regular staff was. In fact, one time were were directly told that the bread on the table at lunch was safe for him to eat (when in fact it was NOT)--and I knew it was not because it was the same bread from the night before that our server and head server did not give us because it was contaminated with nuts. Additionally, the family sharing our table at lunch told us that it wasn't safe--they had an older child with nut allergies who was seated at a different table with a grandparent.

Good to know about the bread! I have a nut allergy and it's hard to even try any bread, because I can't take the chance.

We plan to take the Fantasy and Dream in a couple of years.

As for the Magic, they have separate pans, utensils, boards, etc. for her which is nice.

DCL takes good care of the first main concerns of children and adults who have severe food allergies.

So, I agree with you that main dining is important.

Thanks again!

 

[reimero]

The key is to communicate early with DCL about allergies and food concerns, preferably when you book or well before you sail. At the beginning of your first dinner, your waiter will also ask you if there are any food allergies or other dietary needs you may have.

Also, we took a very interesting galley tour when we were on the Fantasy (get to Guest Services right away when you embark and ask about it. It's free, but requires tickets.) Anyway, they do have separate areas where they handle allergies and special dietary needs, and from what I could tell, it's frequently the chefs or sous-chefs themselves who handle those special needs meals.

 

[lilpooh108]

My DD10 is highly allergic to milk, butter, cheese. She carries an epi-pen, jr. with her. She is also allergic (asthma attacks/wheezing, hives, severe ezcema, etc.) to corn/any corn bi-products, onions, broccoli, mangoes, berries, and fish.

As a mom and the need of control her reactions, I do not allow her to eat any of the snacks unless I know the ingredients. With that said, sometimes the chef will prepare something for my DDs. For our Mexico & Med cruises, I brought the snacks, because they knew that they couldn't provide them for her.

That's why we travel on the DCL. I would also ask the DCL in FL to give you a list. They were so helpful in my prep.

We are going again to the Eastern Med June 2013 and feel good about the food that they will provide her.

What type of ingredients list were they able to give you? For snacks? Did you call or email? We've had luck in the MDRs, but never with DCL directly giving us a list (I've asked). Thanks!

 

[Mickey3Boys]

Just called. They said they don't have it until they get on the ship because sometimes they pull things out of hotels, change brands, etc. They told me to go to restaurant when we board before lunch so they can go ahead and start preparing our lunch. Guess that's what they'll do. They said I could read labels then if I want.

 

[suffieldhockeymom]

The most important thing is to fill out the special diets form and send it ASAP so that they are prepared. My son is allergic to milk and soy and has an egg and wheat intolerance. They were great in answering all my questions about ingredients. If there are specific items on brands, ask them. We asked for Rice Dream ice cream and they had multiple flavors available and our servers kept offering it at every meal. They are great about allergies.

 

[geffric]

DCL is very good with Allergies. I even had my own chef on the Wonder 14 day, that made food for me or watched out for me all of the time.

Go to the MDR sign up after you board the ship and make sure they have the allergy mark on the computer system. One can also go through that night's menu and pick out foods so the kitchen can make modifications.

 

[lorenni]

The most important thing is to fill out the special diets form and send it ASAP so that they are prepared. My son is allergic to milk and soy and has an egg and wheat intolerance. They were great in answering all my questions about ingredients. If there are specific items on brands, ask them. We asked for Rice Dream ice cream and they had multiple flavors available and our servers kept offering it at every meal. They are great about allergies.

Where do you find this form? I didn't see it with the check in documentation available online. In fact, the special request form I saw had a paragraph that said they can assist with some dietary needs like kosher and diabetic but no guarantees. And it had no place at all to list dietary needs.

 

[Mickey3Boys]

I sent mine via email to special services and it's in the system because they started listing them to our Travelocity Travel agent. Guess we'll have to wait. Any luck with bringing things like your own choc chips for them to make choc chip cookies for soy allergy kids? I really hope there is something fun they can eat! I'm confident they will be able to eat meals. My kids are the ones who can't have any candy at school, no birthday party treats, or pizza, etc. We have everything made especially for their allergies. Fresh-made usually works best, though.

 

[dbarker]

I'd like to know where this form is also. I'm allergic to corn, soy, barley and MSG.

 

[Mickey3Boys]

I'd like to know where this form is also. I'm allergic to corn, soy, barley and MSG.

Email food allergies to SpecialServices@disneycruise.com

Include names, cruise dates, stateroom etc.
They say to do it at least 30 days ahead of time.

I did not get a response, but I called Travelocity about another issue and it was in the system.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I sent mine via email to special services and it's in the system because they started listing them to our Travelocity Travel agent. Guess we'll have to wait. Any luck with bringing things like your own choc chips for them to make choc chip cookies for soy allergy kids? I really hope there is something fun they can eat! I'm confident they will be able to eat meals. My kids are the ones who can't have any candy at school, no birthday party treats, or pizza, etc. We have everything made especially for their allergies. Fresh-made usually works best, though.

No, they won't use any food you bring onboard to prepare meals. That's why you need to let them know what you need, so they can get the necessary supplies into their own stores before the ship sails.

 

[jaybo22]

Will the kids clubs staff take the epipens be bring for kids with allergies and use them if something accidentally happens?

We are good at monitoring what our son eats but we are most concerned when he'll be out of our sight. I know it'll be a hassle in some ways, but it probably best to raise the red flag about his allergies to prevent the worst.

 

[mousemamma]

We just sailed in February on the Wonder and once again Disney's attention to allergies blows me out of the water!

Our son is allergic to a ton of foods (11). Although I did not have luck getting even the names of products they would have for him (Let alone ingredients) before the trip they assured me that they would have foods that he could eat onboard. And they did! It was amazing.

As a backup, I did pack a ton of snacks (nothing homemade). Just things like his favorite Enjoy Life cookies, GF bars, etc. But to be honest, we never needed them. When we walked into the Oceaneer Lab after we boarded his allergies jumped up on the screen. They said they knew he couldn't eat the chocolate chip cookies in the cooking school but they had some cookies for him to eat - then showed me the box of Enjoy Life Snickerdoodles! (his absolute favorite!

As soon as we boarded and had lunch we met up with Vinay (the executive sou chef). He was with us the entire trip! It was amazing. Anything our son needed, he was there to make it. No matter what restaurant we were in. He was even on the island!

The first day is a little overwhelming (even for a mom of kid's with allergies) because they will bring you a ton of packages to read the labels and double check that they are ok. They will do this during lunch the first day and at dinner.

They will ask every night what your child might like to eat for lunch the next day and where you might eat it. They asked him if he wanted Mickey waffles and where we would eat breakfast in the morning. Every morning we were greeted with mickey waffles and a smiling Vinay!

And then the craziest thing happens. They take over and you can actually relax for a few days and trust that they are in capable hands. Their attention to allergies is why we keep traveling to WDW and crusing on DCL.

 

[abayaflowers]

Will the kids clubs staff take the epipens be bring for kids with allergies and use them if something accidentally happens?

We are good at monitoring what our son eats but we are most concerned when he'll be out of our sight. I know it'll be a hassle in some ways, but it probably best to raise the red flag about his allergies to prevent the worst.

Yes, you will need to fill out the special services form. I do not have my DD10 eat any of the snacks or meals at the children's lab just for that precautionary measure.

I always picked her up for lunch and dinner.

 

[bumbershoot]

Will the kids clubs staff take the epipens be bring for kids with allergies and use them if something accidentally happens?

We are good at monitoring what our son eats but we are most concerned when he'll be out of our sight. I know it'll be a hassle in some ways, but it probably best to raise the red flag about his allergies to prevent the worst.

In our experience if you have anything listed on their form, they nearly won't feed the child. So apart from being around or accidentally touched by a food product, I'm not sure this should be a worry.

DS had just eaten and wasn't hungry, so we dropped him off as the Lab or Club was having their lunchtime. He then decided he wanted a cheese sandwich. They *called me*, asking if he was, indeed, vegetarian "because he said he is and we want to make sure". Which is the WEIRDEST question ever; kid wants a cheese sandwich, who cares if I say he's a vegetarian? And yes, he is, but what about the "corn syrup based ingredients" I have listed on the allergy/sensitivity form?

They had such pushback when he wanted a cheese sandwich he changed his mind so it was a non-issue.

They said they knew he couldn't eat the chocolate chip cookies in the cooking school but they had some cookies for him to eat - then showed me the box of Enjoy Life Snickerdoodles! (his absolute favorite!

Isn't that interesting?

I asked 3 times about the cookies they would be making. I was told that it's just plain old ingredients...flour, butter, etc. So that of course he would be able to eat them.

Then when it came time, they said they had to ask the kitchen about the ingredients (b/c you eat the cookies that the chefs make, NOT that you make...they magically come out of the oven all done immediately) and they would send them to our room if they were OK. They never showed up.

But they were never able to tell us what exactly was in those cookies.



If someone finds out about the softserve on the Dream that would be great. On the 3 day we were always just too short on time to wait to see IF we could read ingredients, so we just bypassed it. Most of the time they use corn syrup solids so DS hasn't actually had softserve, at least since he was 3 and we figured out that there was a problem. So it was no biggie, but I'd just love to know.

 

[cruisecrasher]

Yes, you will need to fill out the special services form. I do not have my DD10 eat any of the snacks or meals at the children's lab just for that precautionary measure.

I always picked her up for lunch and dinner.

We had great luck with preordering separate nondairy meals for DD to be delivered to the club at lunch.