child with wheat, milk, egg allergies...

[hswillia07]

Hi there!

Does anyone have experience with a child in the parks who has allergies to wheat, milk, and egg? or any one of these? I'm talking a toddler with actual anaphylactic reactions to these foods. I've heard that Disney is great with allergies, but I worry about cross-contamination, etc. We avoid restaurants at home for that reason. Any advice/info would be great! Thanks!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

make sure that the allergies are noted on all table service restaurant reservations.

Counter service is more difficult. You can ask for ingredient lists, but some CS places may not be able to avoid cross-contamination.

There is a bakery at Disney Springs (Erin McKenna's) that produces only vegan (therefore egg and dairy free), gluten-free baked goods. Some of their stuff is sold in the resorts too.

 

[squeezle]

You can check out the allergy menus for most of the restaurants here: http://www.glutenfreedairyfreewdw.com/dining-resources/menus/

 

[hswillia07]

Thanks so much guys!

 

[Dis703]

Yes my boys are allergic to those and many more foods. Quick service meals are hard to come by but not impossible. Table service restaurants are much better able to accommodate. In general we find buffets have the most ingredients to work with and they will prepare foods separately in the kitchen.

 

[SPOERLX3]

We just returned in November from a trip with a child that are classified as EXTREME allergies! She is a friend of our grandaughter that joined us this trip and we had no idea how we were going to handle it. We were a nervous wreck and scared to death knowing that she was allergic to almost everything. I mean everything: ALL grains, ALL seeds, ALL beans, ALL seafood, ALL spices except salt, soy, and several other things I can't remember. Basically she could eat plane lettuce, a couple of veggies and chicken or steak.
I can tell you that we went to Disney and everyone we came in contact with, everyone that helped us were amazing!
At QS, we would tell the cashier that we had extreme allergies and they would send out a chef and all her food was cooked separate and served on a green tray so there was no cross contamination. At sit down meals, they had the chef come to our table.
We were there for 8 days and did not have 1 mishap.

 

[hswillia07]

Wow, that is great to hear! Thank you to everyone for your replies- I sincerely appreciate it!

 

[Lisa F]

All I can say is no matter how great Disney is with allergies, please still remain vigilant. A friend of mine has a child with many allergies and they had a cross contamination issue that ended up with an ambulance ride to the hospital. She has taken him many times and Disney has always been so great, I think she let her guard down a little bit, but I don't remember the details. They are in general awesome but they are human and can make mistakes.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

to OP Watch out for nuts while in lines. we ended up with an ER trip after grandson touched something whilein line. guests are allowed to bring foods with them from outside the park plus ones that can be bought. so it is not just meals to watch for problems. I have seen people eating p&js while waiting in line to save time

 

[DisneyWanderlust]

I have anaphylactic reactions to tree nuts, and i've been to Disney over 12 times and never had a problem. The important thing is to tell your server the minute you are sat at your table about your child's allergies. In most situations, the actual chef that prepares the food for the restaurant will come to your table and discuss the allergies with you. In the past, I've also been assured that my meal would be prepped in an uncontaminated area. Like other people have mentioned, you may have a harder time getting this assurance from QS options. As long as you are on top of making people aware of your child's allergies, Disney will step up to the plate and make sure that no issues occur.

 

[hsmamato2]

raised a severely wheat allergic kid...took him to Disney a lot over the years, b/c it was one place where I could get food for him without much fuss.(anaphylaxis epipen etc) Disney is the best, but any parent of an allergic kid knows that WE have to be proactive to protect our kids,and teach them to be proactive about their food safety for themselves as they get older. This helps prevent mistakes- Just be sure to let anyone who needs to know,know. And don't be afaraid to ask,then ask again if you're unsure about food safety. We never had an issue at Disney in years of visits, (but we managed a few back at home)

 

[O-so-good Disney Mama]

You will also want to be careful during character interactions especially at restaurants. I have read about children having reactions form coming into contact with food on a costume form other guests.