Anyone have experience with dairy free dining at DL?

[Purplegal]

I have left messages several places waiting for call backs...we went to DL/DCA 1 1/2 ago and I was so disappointed in their dairy free selection/help. They did not have a list, was just told to ask everywhere, and when I did most CMs acted very put out about it, which was surprising to me to say the least! And most places had nothing my DD could eat anyway.
So...I'm hoping things have improved! Anyone have tips on where I can find some dairy free options? Even just snacks/treats...anything! I remember I was SHOCKED that no where in the parks could I find sorbet or some type of dairy free ice cream for her...she was so sad! The only treat I could find her was cotton candy.

 

[babyruth]

I feel your pain! I have a lactose intolerance so I just carry the pills everywhere with me, easier to manage than a true allergy but still sometimes those pills don't cut it. Dairy-free items are hard to find anywhere. Hope you find some help with this and some things your DD can eat.

 

[haydeecm]

We also don't eat dairy and actually had a good experience our last trip, though we usually ate outside of the parks. They were pretty nice to us at Minnie's buffet, and at Rancho the girl who helped us was awesome, talked us through the whole menu and she even brought out the chef for us to talk to, they seemed to take dietary restrictions very seriously.

 

[bethy]

I feel your pain, too. My DH is HIGHLY lactose intolerant - the little lactase pills don't even help him at all anymore. We go once or twice per year and eat in restraunts a max of 1 time per day. And there is still plenty of risk in that. We had good luck with talking to the chef, etc for 5 years and then last year - depsite talking to the chef - DH got some onions that were sauteed in butter at Minnie's Breakfast at the Plaza Inn. He was sick and in bed for THREE FULL DAYS. Totally ruined his trip (and the rest of us were bummed, too b/c we missed him.

Places where we've had luck buying him food:

In the past Minnie's has been good b/c he's been able to order omelets in a fresh, clean pan, etc and then eat fruit.

There are frozen Lemonades at the ice cream stands (but watch out for natural flavorings those can sometimes contain dairy).

We've been OK at Tortilla Joe's before and also with the burgers at Storeyteller's cafe and White water snacks (he never eats the buns.)

We've done OK at Club 33 - but that's not an option for many people.

Anyway, this is half the reason we bought into the Disney Vacation Club so that we could make own food in our villa. A lot of our success eating at DL is dependant on who is working that day and whether they truly care and truly grasp the concept and risk fo cross-contamination.

And quite honestly, though I LOVE DL the one thing I don't really like about it is the food quality - even for those of us who can eat dairy.

GL!

 

[CrazyStitch]

I don't believe DL do offer alternative milk options there, does it? The last time I went to DL, at the faster food service places, they only had cow's milk. My DD drinks almond milk, so if DL doesn't provide either almond or rice milk, I may need to bring some in.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I'm lactose intolerant too as is one of my sons we and haven't had too much trouble there. Mostly I can eat everything and I can eat some cheese and be ok. I do bring my pills with me though. So I don't have to absoulely avoid all dairy like if I was allergic to it, just not have too much. I watch out for foods that look creamy (soups, sauces). I can have them with my pill, but the trick is watching for "secret" milk in things you might not think of. If I don't know something had milk, I won't know to take a pill. I haven't found any non dairy "milk" or ice cream there. I either have a regular cone with a pill (one scoop) or get a different treat. One of my favorites is the peanut brittle sold in the Market House.

Once I asked if something at Cafe Orleans had milk in it and I got kind of "I don't know" vague answer from the waiter, so I took a pill just in case. I found that happens when I ask at many restaraunts, not just at DLR.

Bengal BBQ has meat and veggie skewers that should be ok. You could check with them to be sure.

If anywhere had almond or soy milk, it might be the refrigerator case at Whitewater Snacks. I don't remember seeing any, but can't say for sure. Better to be on the safe side and bring your own. The good thing about almond milk is at least you don't have to refrigerate it until you open it.

 

[Cagirl767]

I am lactose intolerant also, although I can eat a little here and there. I don't rely on the pills either.

Have you asked in the Blue Ribbon bakery about items such as the rice krispy treats and muffins, cookies, etc.

And also at places that have the frozen fruit bars, although I'm thinking hidden lactose there. Some places have the apple slices with caramel sauce and there's the candy store on Main Street.

There are those frozen treats too, I really like the lemon one and I'm not a lemon fan at all - haven't read the ingredients though. I got that near Alice on the side on the way to Tinkerbell.

And try asking at Market House, they have medications stashed behind the desk that you have to ask for, maybe they would be in the know???

I agree, Disney really should have a lactose free ice cream option at least, considering all the ice cream places around.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I thought I remembered reading a long time ago that the dole whips were dairy free but I don't know this for sure.

 

[Cagirl767]

I did a Google search for Dole whip ingredients and found a couple of threads here, one that lists sodium caseinate as an ingredient.

 

[Purplegal]

Thanks everyone for the input!

I talked to Chef Chris today, he is such a nice guy! He spoke to me at length about all the options. They do not have a master list at City Hall for dairy, just gluten free options. He said the reason is because once in a while they get substitutions from their suppliers that have different ingredients, so you always have to check with the chef.
Anyway, the Dole Whip is NOT dairy free, but the frozen lemonade and fruit bars are. The Mickey pretzels are dairy free, and the buns for the hamburger/hot dogs are as well. He suggested that MAYBE the Rice Krispie Treats would be DF but I'd have to read the label, he didnt have them with him.

Pizza Port has spaghetti that is dairy free (but double check with chef to make sure no subs have been made) and the pizza dough is dairy free so we could get a cheese-free pizza.
He suggested the Racho Del something Mexican food place in Frontierland, they are very good with substitutions for allergies and have many dairy free options.

I am still waiting to hear from Chef Jeremiah at Ariel's Grotto, I will keep everyone posted! And if anyone else has any tips of dairy free food items, please post it!

 

[wannagoback]

DH is highly sensitive to dairy (we think it's a casein allergy) and I found the restaurants to be very helpful on our trip in 2009. At Goofy's and Ariel's the chef came out to discuss his options. At Goofy's, he got a tour of the buffet and was told which foods were okay and which to avoid. As far as snacks and counter service, we just went with what seemed to be okay and he had no issues. We also brought some food with us so that we could guarantee a dairy-free meal for him each day.

 

[Purplegal]

Yes I'm hopeful that Ariel's Grotto will have some nice selections for her, as they seem very helpful! I'm nervous about the desserts...I'm not sure what they will be able to offer her except fruit, and THAT will greatly disappoint her.

 

[smile4stamps]

My Best friend who I am taking to DL for my birthday in June is allergic to dairy, eggs, and wheat... She does not have an anaphylactic reaction to any of them. Just severe stomach issues so make the trip miserable if she has them. I am really nervous about making dining plans for us.

I had originally wanted to do alot of character meals but am afraid she won't have many options to eat. With not having many options it gets to be an expensive meal for fruit... anyone know if there are other options that don't have dairy, eggs, or wheat on the buffets?

 

[Cagirl767]

What about Blue Bayou or Cafe Orleans (a nice lunch/dinner rather than a character one so you can speak with the chef). I think BB has a Jambalaya which would be rice, sausage and vegetables and also some restaurants such as Cafe Orleans and French Market have a roast beef with vegetables and potatoes, salads, fish and rice dishes. Rancho del Zocalo has tacos. I believe DLR has many gluten free options too. There are numerous threads here for GF options although you'd have to check to see if they are dairy/egg free also.

You can call Disney and ask them their suggestions, very often you will get to speak with a chef. They're very accommodating with food allergies.

Also you can Google the Disneyland Resort menus, they're all online.

 

[smile4stamps]

What about Blue Bayou or Cafe Orleans (a nice lunch/dinner rather than a character one so you can speak with the chef). I think BB has a Jambalaya which would be rice, sausage and vegetables and also some restaurants such as Cafe Orleans and French Market have a roast beef with vegetables and potatoes, salads, fish and rice dishes. Rancho del Zocalo has tacos. I believe DLR has many gluten free options too. There are numerous threads here for GF options although you'd have to check to see if they are dairy/egg free also.

You can call Disney and ask them their suggestions, very often you will get to speak with a chef. They're very accommodating with food allergies.

Also you can Google the Disneyland Resort menus, they're all online.

Hi.. we will be there for 5 park days so I am trying to plan a mix of meals. I plan on calling and talking to the chef when I have some better plans laid out. I was just wondering if anyone had experience with the buffets that also had the same type of allergies.

 

[Purplegal]

I wanted to update this as I spoke to the chef (cant remember her name!) at Ariel's Grotto regarding lunch choices for dairy free. They can do the pasta, and the chicken teryaki type dish....the rice is NOT dairy free but she said if we requested it they could obtain DF rice from another restaurant.
I am most pleased that they have an orange sorbet they can serve for dessert, she will be so excited! I think I mentioned I have searched high and low for dairy free ice cream options (sorbet) and this is the first I've discovered it. Apparently they also have it at the Wine Country restaurant in DCA.

Next I have a message in for the chef at the Plaza for the Minnie & Friends Character breakfast...I'm hoping the French Toast will be DF and I'm gonna push it and ask if I bring my own almond milk if they will make DD some dairy free Mickey waffles...cant hurt to ask right?

 

[teach1abc]

My daughter is allergic to all dairy, nuts, and eggs (we carry an epipen). The only time we ate on site was at Goofy's Kitchen. When we sat down at the table, we told our server. The chef was brought out to our table and he went over our options. She ended up with special pancakes shaped like Mickey. For the rest of our meals, we stopped at the store and bought things to make sandwiches to bring into the park with us, breakfast items, and snacks.

*BTW - most rice krispy treats have butter in them. We made our own special mickey shaped cookies and rice krispy treats and brought them with us (we drove from N. CA.

 

[Purplegal]

Ah bummer about the rice krispie treats! Yes, I do plan on making several of my own special treats...the problem is trying to do it secretly!

I just spoke with Chef Mark at the Plaza regarding the Minnie & Friends breakfast. He said they could make dairy free Mickey waffles for my DD! I just need to contact the lead or the chef when we arrive.
He also said that the already prepared eggs have dairy in them, but if we go to the omelet station they can make any type of eggs for us and they are df. The hash browns are also df, as are the meats.

 

[babyruth]

thanks for the info on the prepared eggs. Sometimes I forget those usually have dairy. We'll be at Goofy's on Sunday. I'm sure they are the same prepared eggs as the Plaza. I do not want to get sick on vacation!

 

[VandVsmama]

My dad is highly allergic to sulfites in various foods. he has found it useful to explain things a certain way to restaurant servers and other employees when the employee doesn't quite seem to 'get it' re: his food allergy.

Whenever the person says something like "I could ask, but I don't know" or something like "um maybe..." then my dad gives the person a schpiel kind of like the following:

"here's the deal. If you or your chef or kitchen staff serve me anything with this particular ingredient in it, I am going to get really sick and you are going to have to call the paramedics. I would really appreciate it if you could please talk with the chef to see what substitutions are available."

That's usually when the person kind of "wakes up," their eyes get really big, and they say, "Oh! Of course! One moment, I'll go inquire and I'll be right back."

Then they toddle off to the kitchen to talk w/the kitchen staff. and the server then comes out a few minutes later with several different options for how they can make certain dishes differently.

As other posters' replies have implied, dairy free dining is not the same for everybody. Some people are sensitive to lactose. For others, it is an allergy or sensitivity to milk protein (casein). And a truly fully dairy free diet is often challenging because there is casein in a LOT of things. I had to go totally dairy free when nursing YDD and just got into the habit of telling servers at restaurants that items couldn't be sauteed in butter, no milk products of any kind, etc. I even had to ask about hamburger buns, stuff like that. lots of cereals have dairy in them. You have to check all labels. Even some juice products might have casein in them.