Best resort and QS options when dealing with dietary restrictions/allergies?

Zombie

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
226
What do you find are some of the best spots for eating when you've got multiple allergies/dietary restrictions to deal with? Last year was our first year doing Disney with the health issue in the party.

We found the sit-down restaurants were pretty decent at accommodating and understanding but weren't quite as impressed with QS or even tracking down snack options (beyond the obvious -- fruit, veg). If you have any suggestions on particularly accommodating QS (or ones with good variety of options), it'd be much appreciated. But even if you have an shining TS experiences or snack revelations, it'd be appreciated.

It's an anti-inflammatory dietary plan. So it's pretty restrictive. The condition also places restrictions on how we plan our days and how long we're out and about-- or even if we venture into the parks on a particular day. So we don't intend to use ADR -- we just don't know where we'll be when or how long we'll be able to stay or if we'd be up to venturing back to a park if we'd already left. So any TS suggests that stand out as places that have good choices and understanding accommodation but you can often get a table as a walk-up in short order, would also be appreciated.

If you have had any shining experience with a TS and QS on a resort too -- that'd be great because since we do spend a lot of time on the resort because of the health issue, we certainly would like to have a place that has good food and accommodating/flexible service when dealing with diet restrictions. We'd give our previous resort mixed views in that regard (CSR). But we loved the pools and the room and the uncrowded busing so much that might still be where we go back. We're also considering the other moderates and there's a possibility we might splurge for a cabin at WL or a suite at AOA ... or perhaps 'downgrade' to a suite at AS Music or just a room at POP. But I stayed on a 'value' resort (AS Movies) years and years and years ago and after seeing moderate, I'm not sure I could go back to a value -- and my concern is mounted since they just have the food courts too and not a TS.

Of course, we'll be having groceries delivered and taking our own snacks into the park to bulk up our access and options and to ensure there's always something available and accessible to eat.
 
If you do a internet search for dining at disneyworld with food allergies some good sites come up I can't post the name but it has to do with "allergy" and "eats". Also one with a mouse you should check out. There is also a section one the dis for allergy dining but I can't fund it sorry.

We used yo always stay at CSR our son has autism and doesn't like change but we got him to try Port Orleans Riverside and it is our go to Moderate we love that it has a boat to rake to downtown if you stay there I live the Mansion section if you make a room request. Also I am sorry for typing errors. I am having issues with keyboard it will not let me go back and correct anything. Sorry I can't help you more.
 
I have three children with a pretty restricted diet. One can eat a lot of the common allergens (wheat, dairy, egg, nuts, peanut) but has a lot of less known allergens that are found in a lot of prepared foods. My twins are allergic to wheat, dairy, egg, soy and have many other foods we are still avoiding. Table services they do pretty well but even that I've found takes some advanced notice or it gets very confusing and can be hard to come up with enough safe options on the spot. The stand outs for me have been Crystal Palace and Biergarten. Most other places are still very accommodating but these two seem to really go the extra mile for us.

Quick service locations we've found are tough. Of course it depends on what you are avoiding but there is a lot of premade items and a lot of items with lots of extra ingredients. We thought if a place served chicken we could get plain chicken but it wasn't always the case and some places it was already marinated in a sauce the kids couldn't have. Not every location could do fries safe for our kids. Lots of things had unidentified modified food starch which I a problem for my ODS with random grain allergies. And the use of multi grain products in every bread, pasta, pizza, etc. pretty much wiped out 80% of food options for my oldest.

Because of prior experiences (and budget not allowing for 2TS a day) we plan on 1TS each day, breakfast in our room with food brought from home or grocery delivery and we pack one additional meal to take into the park (the adults eat QS but the kids bring their food). There are a couple places we were able to find meals our kids could eat but depending on what you are avoiding that may not help. We were able to get plain grilled chicken, broccoli and safe French fries at the American Pavilion in Epcot and Hurricane Hannah's at BC. We have not had luck finding safe meals in AK or HS although I think Flametree is our best option in AK. Unfortunately, I just heard they are not reopening in time for our trip in a few weeks which is a bummer.

As for resort food we haven't spent much time eating at any of our resorts. We've hit a few TS locations and bought a couple random snacks but for the same reasons mentioned above we don't eat much at the food courts with our restrictions.
 
Dis703, thanks for the feedback. We encountered about the same thing last year ... we could usually get something for TS but found QS and snack options (beyond fruit or veggies -- which we didn't want to pay Disney prices for) were pretty dismal. We were doing breakfast/groceries in our room and bringing snacks into the park as well. We often didn't go into the parks until the mid-afternoon os we were generally getting a no dressing salad at our resort QS or just eating more grocery options in our room. We had the FD promo and really didn't make good use (and had lots of leftover) QS because of it. We're hoping to do better with that this year if we get FD -- or trying to decide if it'd be better go take a room discount if we can get it.

The diet is incredibly restrictive. It's an anti-inflammatory diet. It's restrictives are too long to list but generally include gluten/grains (with the occasional exception of brown rice as a cautious treat), diary, soy, sugar (including non-refined sugars and sweeteners -- e.g. maple syrup, honey, etc.), legumes, some high fructose or starch fruits and veggies, etc, etc, etc. It's really hard to maintain in daily life -- let alone when we're out of our home environment and there's all sorts of little temptations and treats blaring in your face and you're seeing everyone else eating them. It's hard to explain constantly why it's 'no' to having it. So we were hoping that we might be able to find some QS or snack options that seem more out of the ordinary and treat-like that we wouldn't have to say 'no' to.

But, I suppose, the TS experiences we had were 'special' enough that even then it might be enough. They still get talked about -- especially what they did up at Rainforest Cafe at AK. Dessert! For the first time in a very long time. I hadn't heard so many 'yum' sounds in my life.

I've read some good things about Beirgarten. I'm not sure we'll be doing Epcot again this time (other decision-maker doesn't want to do it again!) but maybe a nice dinner would make it worthwhile.

But if we can't track down some valid QS and snack options -- I'm not sure DPP -- 'free' or not -- would be worthwhile for us to do again.
 

HI i'd love to answer this question because I had to deal with just this situation. Not for the same, i suffer from severe gastritis (a nasty side-effect from decades on anti-inflammatory meds) so my list of no-no's includes: any spice other than salt, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, any acidic food -- fruits mainly, any veggies except corn. I can't have any prepared food other than burgers if they're made from plain pure beef. Basically it's just easiest to assume you're feeding a toddler!! I live on pasta, rice, potatoes, eggs & cheese. Proteins that are safe are fish, beef, pork & poultry (which i LOATH) . PLUS i need to eat almost constantly so tummy doesn't get empty. NOW go ahead and add hubby's issues (IBS that flairs up at the WORST times) and he can't have dairy (limited quantities), pasta, any bread other than white, whole grains, chicken or ground beef, or a roast if it's cooked to the point that it falls apart if you look at it, eggs and some fish are his only safe proteins. (bacon is also ok when he's not mid-flair up) Veggies for him are peas cooked to death, fruit only if peeled & chopped very fine. He also needs to limit sugars to basic like honey & the odd time white sugar. Very similar to the diet you mentioned.

The best service & food we found was POFQ . We were treated so well that we made a point of heading there for breakfast 4 times and i can't count the # of times we hit them up for dinner. The chef got to know us by sight and would prepare our breakfast without even asking what we wanted! I had eggs with cheese, bacon, a plain baked potato & fresh berries. Hubby had eggs prepared with soy milk, bacon & fried hashbrowns (nothing added but he just likes those crispy bits) bacon (on the couple of days towards the end of the trip) & berries. We also had biegnets (sp??) that were i believe gluten & dairy free!! What a treat that was for hubby. When you get there you simply ask to speak to the chef and they will listen carefully to all of your dietary requests and create something you can have. He would then give us a # and we would head to the cooler to pick up our beverages (both can tolerate juice & water so long as we don't add ice) & tell that we were having "mystery meal" that we would get charged a CS credit for. The 1st day we met the manager for the food services of POR and communicated VIA e-mail while there and she often sat down and enjoyed a coffee with us at breakfast time, the day we left she gave us a bag of treats that she knew were safe, some beads & gold coins and a massive hug. The service was so good that we will without a doubt stay there any time we are on site and even if not head there just for the food!

CS we had the best luck with was Cosmic Rays, Columbia House & Sunshine whatever in EPCOT. My best advice for any meal in the parks is to go at an off time -- just when they are starting service is best, so you can get time with the chef on site. Best TS, Liberty Tree Tavern (chef prepared a pasta dish for me with sauce he prepared from scratch and shrimp from who knows where??) and hubby had the turkey dinner with stuffing, mashies & gravy that were all dairy free. BUT without a doubt the Plaza wins hands down ... the chef there has created an entire binder for every item on the menu that not only details every ingredient in every item (including sauces) but has pictures of the products used (including the bottles for the ketchup & mustard) so you are absolutely clear on what you're eating. WORST TS has to go to 50's Primetime. Chef had the nerve to tell me that my limitations are not healthy and that perhaps i should eat elsewhere since everything is prepared in bulk and he didn't have the time to make anything for either of us.
WOW i've certainly chattered on here! If you care to hear about other epic wins or fails simply ask! We were there for 14 nights & 15 days on the Dining Plan and didn't leave any table hungry (other than the one disaster in 50's) nor did we leave any credits on the table! even found snacks to eat that were both tasty and healthy. Best of luck and good eats!
 
Hi Donald-My Hero. Thanks for all the advice and feedback. Somehow it still sounds like you might end up having more options than us. :( But we still managed last year. We didn't have problems getting what we needed at TS but did find QS difficult. Snacks there were definitely options but I suppose we were hoping for some sort of 'secret' options that felt a bit more like 'treats' than fruits and veggies. It makes saying 'no' so much and having to look at everyone everywhere stuffing their faces with junk food a little bit easier. But we've got a few ideas and we're tentatively discussing perhaps allowing one of the no-no items that aren't likely to cause complete disaster on the last day or night of the trip so there's something to look forward to and/or promise in the interim. Though, we're nervous about that and I suppose it will depend on where things are at closer to the date if that's an option.

Interesting to know about POFQ. We'd been considering POR but right now are more strongly leaning back towards CSR because we had a positive experience there on our first trip. Not so much with their QS but with their TS and our room/building location. To me the food in POR looks like it might be better for our situation, though. But we're nervous about trying a different resort for a variety of reasons. We were more leaning toward POR than POFQ, though. We were concerned about POFQ only having the QS option (and we might not have the energy in our party to be always walking over to POR or taking the boat to DTD for TS) and we also didn't like that it didn't have quiet pools. Pool time is a big thing for us on vacation, especially since we do spend a lot of time around the resort. We were also a little concerned about bus crowding at POFQ.

Thanks for the heads up on Columbia House and Liberty Tavern. I've seen some other good things said about them. I'll have to look into them a bit more. And track down which park or resort Plaza is at? I've seen mixed reviews about Comic Rays. I'll have to look at their menu a bit more carefully. We had dismal luck at MK last time but we were only there for one evening. Though, this time we're likely going to do a morning there instead or perhaps a snack and lunch.

We really gave up on QS and just stuck with our own packed snacks and then sought out TS. So we only really ended up eating one meal a day and depending on the groceries we had in our room or brought with us into the parks instead.
 
Plaza is at MK. We didn't have a great experience there our last visit so I'm surprised I've recently seen a few posters mentioned them as top pics for allergies. Maybe they have turned things around. There wasn't a binder when we went last. Good to know.
 
Plaza is at MK. We didn't have a great experience there our last visit so I'm surprised I've recently seen a few posters mentioned them as top pics for allergies. Maybe they have turned things around. There wasn't a binder when we went last. Good to know.
We had lunch in the Plaza on November 7th 2014 (yes i kept detailed notes!) and not only was the binder incredible for allergies but the chef mentioned he is currently working on adding nutritional information as well so that they can accommodate requests regarding sugar content, sodium level and calories. Just make sure you ask to see it when you go!
 
We had lunch in the Plaza on November 7th 2014 (yes i kept detailed notes!) and not only was the binder incredible for allergies but the chef mentioned he is currently working on adding nutritional information as well so that they can accommodate requests regarding sugar content, sodium level and calories. Just make sure you ask to see it when you go!

Thanks I'll do that. We were there last in 2013 and there was no binder to be had. And so many of their foods were already pre marinated in something that couldn't be altered for my kids. They kept grabbing jars of things from the kitchen to bring them out so I could read ingredients and they were all deemed unsafe. It was a rather frustrating experience. I'm glad to hear they have improved things.
 
Of all the TS ad QS places I have eaten at, the only place I was refused was Marketplace QS at BC: they were not able to make me a hot breakfast. I was, however, even to get some things (hard boiled eggs and sliced fruit) from the fridge so did not starve :-)

I am anaphylactic to seafood (fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollucs, etc), tree nuts, peanut, and dairy. I also cannot have aspartame specifically and try to avoid all artificial sweeteners.

Roaring Forks at WL and Gasparella's at GF have both been excellent.

I DID learn an important lesson at RF re: ALWAYS inform the CMs of your special diet needs when ordering. I almost didn't once (for legit reasons, but still) and at the last minute did; if I hadn't I would have ended up getting a good dose of unexpected milk and spent the rest of that day at least at the hospital with anaphylaxis; not a good way to start one's trip ;-) BTW - the milk was NOT in the ingredient list; turns out they were adding butter to the hash browns and eggs to make them moister, but the butter is not listed in the ingredient binder (!!!!!!). (the supervisor made me safe versions with no butter).

Cosmic Rays at MK was also great - such a knowledgeable, positive and excited manager !

Pizzafari at AK had me crying when the manager delivered a freshly made peperoni pizza that was safe for me (Udi's pizza crust + normal sauce + normal peperoni + Daiya cheese shreds); I was so happy and it had been *years* since I had pizza from/at a restaurant that I was sitting there crying while thanking the manager.

Backlot Express at DHS was also very good.

We eat mostly QS and for the most part I have been pleased with the options available.

We also get some of our own groceries, using Garden Grocer to deliver them; this helps too, and means we always have a fallback option, even if it is oatmeal :-)

-SW
 
In November the Plaza had the binder with each ingredient in each menu item and pictures of labels. It was great.

Animal kingdom has an allergy kiosk where you can buy things like cupcakes, popcorn, donuts etc. but they also have available a list of the quick service locations in AK that offer different allergy meals. It was great for my daughter.

We also had good experiences at Caseys Corner (mk), and Be Our Guest. The chef at BOG was awesome and deals with a food allergy in his family so he really gets it.

I also agree that "off" times are the best time to go and talk to the managers at quick service locations.
 
Great to know about the Plaza. Might have to check it out. We've heard/read great things about BOG but really doubt we'll manage to get a table in there with how popular it is and us generally just doing walk-up and not ADR.

AK was our best park experience with food too -- both at QS, TS and snacks. They seemed to go above and beyond. It was our hottest and most tiring day at WDW but I think it likely is the stand-out as far as parks go for a whole host of reasons. Looking forward to visiting that park again.
 
If you're looking for a resort hotel with convenient allergy arrangements, I'd definitely recommend the Contemporary. DH can't have gluten, and not only do they have a fair selection, but they ring up everyone's meals together and give you a pager; this way everyone gets their food (hot) at the same time. At the other hotel QS we've tried (WL, POR), each person gets their food and then you pay. Sometimes when lines are long it's hard to time things so everyone gets their meal at about the same time, since you don't know exactly when they will bring out the allergy order, and cold waffles really are a drag.
 
The trouble getting to eat together was one of our other reasons for avoiding QS. Contemporary is really out of our price range as a resort option, though. but thank you for the suggestion. We might be able to keep it in mind as a place to get a meal on a day we aren't going to the parks. Though, we often just spend a lot of time around our own resort. That's why it'd be nice to have a place with good options and accommodations.
 
If you're headed to MK in the morning, you might consider CR for QS breakfast. We like it well enough that we often go even if we're staying elsewhere. We take a really early bus to MK, hop on the resort monorail for one stop, and you're basically right at the QS (Contempo Cafe). The caramel/banana Mickey waffles are really good, and it's a nice 5-10 minute walk (or 15min monorail ride) back to MK when you're done eating.
 
That's a good tip. Thanks. We didn't really do much park or resort hopping last time but we might attempt it this time.
 




New Posts









Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE






DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom