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!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

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!

Did you mean to post this on the Cruise board?

 

[Funky Chicken]

DD10 is allergic to egg/peanut/tree nut/shellfish. DW is gluten/wheat intolerant.
If you are making ADRs, note your child's allergies at the time of booking. If you are walking up, tell the host/hostess about the allergies. We have done this for years at many TS restaurants all over WDW and I can't recall there ever being an issue.
When they print your ticket the word ALLERGY will be printed in red across it so that the person who seats you can communicate the information to the servers. Usually the chef will come out and chat with you about options.
At Crystal Palace and Boma we had a chef walk the entire buffet with us.
At quick service locations there is usually a "book" that has the ingredients for each menu item listed.
I just ask for "the book" before we order. I have done this at Flame tree Barbecue, Cosmic Rays, and various resort food courts.
Snack carts sometimes have a book too-just ask. Anything prepackaged will have ingredients on it.
99% of the time you will get help easily and with a smile.
FYI-the best allergy dining experience we have had on property was at The Wave in the Contemporary.
Some restaurants are simply more allergy friendly than others based on the menu-'Ohana is one that sticks out as being a difficult place to avoid common allergies.
Don't worry. Just be polite and ask and you will be very well taken care of.

 

[hswillia07]

We'll be doing parks & cruise, thanks though!

 

[hswillia07]

Thanks for all of the info, Funky Chicken!

 

[spacecanada]

I have multiple life-threatening food allergies too and Disney is the ONLY place I can eat safely without any worry at all that my food will be safe. Be sure to mention the allergies when booking (or record them on the ADR), when you check in, and when your server first arrives. Many of the restaurants, if not all by now, have special allergy menus they will give you listing which items on the menu can be made safely for your allergies. Still speak to the chef though, as even those menu items change and often something listed as not safe can be made safe easily with a slight alteration. Disney has, by far, the best allergy awareness and protocols. Table Service restaurants will always be the best, at the buffets a chef will come prepare a plate for you in the back kitchen to ensure no cross-contact, and Counter Service restaurants will have both an ingredients book and chef or manager to speak with about your allergies - they may have those allergy menus too.

If you email the Special Diets team and ask for the list of allergy-friendly ingredients at each restaurant they may email you the list of specialty foods at each location to help you navigate the parks and find the best options. For instance, on the list they give you, you will be able to see that the ice cream shop at Restaurantosaurus in Animal Kingdom has multiple brands of allergy-friendly ice creams. Or that POP Century resort has Bob's Red Mill pancake and waffle mix and the Grand Floridian has Namaste waffle mix (and they use a dedicated allergy-friendly waffle maker) -- both safe for your daughter.

Also check out the Allergy Free Mouse website for tips on dining with allergies - there is a huge amount of information on the website and even more current details on their Facebook page.

 

[Fuhnuh]

DD15 has dairy, egg, tree nut, and peanut allergies. I would just add that with the advent of many gluten free options, for us, CMs are more likely to confuse gluten free options with egg/dairy free ones (especially bread and deserts). Not meaning to scare you, I think sometimes CMs get so excited about having something that might work that they get confused. We ask follow up questions after given our option if there is any question.

That being said, WDW and DCL have been very good at accommodating DD15's sever allergies.

 

[hswillia07]

Thanks guys! The more knowledge I can go into it with, the more comfortable Ill feel, so thanks very much!

 

[Meemawto2]

As far as cruising goes make all effort to attend the dining change session that is usually offered around 2:00 on embarkation day. I was behind a lady who it sounded like her child was allergic to many many things and I am not exaggerating. They actually brought out the chef to talk to her and he was asking exactly what the child could eat etc and was writing it down. This may work for you. It only took her around half an hour out of her day but I am going to assume it was well worth it just for her piece of mind.
Good Luck!!

 

[spacecanada]

That is what often happens when we go to the dining change to confirm my allergies are recorded - I also highly recommend doing that for your sea portion. Often the chef will also ask you for what you want at dinner than evening so you can have something you really like. They will then take your orders for the following day so it will be prepared faster for you and at the dining locations for breakfast and lunch. But that's just on the cruise, not on land. You asked about land...

Regardless, ALWAYS check ingredient labels. ALWAYS!! Even at Disney. The parks now have Enjoy Life and other allergy-friendly treats in special Disney packaging. Many of the items look alike and aren't all Enjoy Life or all safe for all priority allergies, so be sure to double check those labels too. I came close to buying a big bag of cookies because they looked VERY IDENTICAL to the Enjoy Life ones in the Disney branded packaging.

 

[Earning My Ears I 95]

I work at the DInning Room so I'm pretty familiar how the allergies. We get ALL types of allergies, we have seen everything. We were always able to accommodate everyone, we are extra careful when it comes to allergies. Our chefs prepare food separetly when there is an allergy to prevent cross contamination. Just mention every single allergy to your server and you will be fine.

 

[diznymom]

When you order your meals early, double check w/ the serving team that you can have what you ordered.

I have food allergies (not severe, but who wants a raging headache). It was noted on my reservation and the serving team was informed. I got the visit from the chef. I would order my meals ahead of time (a day ahead). When the time came for that dinner, I would be told that I could not have what I had pre-ordered b/c there was something in it that I was allergic to. This happened EVERY time. I got so frustrated. The last night, we went to Flo's and had hamburgers.

 

[MomoMama]

I have done both parks & cruise with DD who is allergic to wheat, eggs, and peanuts. DD never had any reactions, and always had plenty to eat when at Disney. At the buffets the chefs would show you what food are safe to eat, and then offer to make something more from the kitchen. If you are worried about the cross-contamination, you could just have what chef would prepare only for you.

We have had wonderful chefs who were nice and willing to work with our needs. I have also read others' experiences that were not as good as ours at the same restaurants. It could be hit or miss. And true, we also have seen the CMs that did not want to be bothered to deal with us. But at least CMs know what "food allergy" is. At our local restaurants, I have had a waiter who did not know what "gluten free" means (and this was at the restaurant that advertised they had GF menu ), or served the ice cream with eggs in it (because the manager did not know how to check the ingredients...he was too scared to come back to our table after the mistake). So overall, Disney dining experiences have been great for us. Disney is the only place DD can have a burger and fries outside our home.

At QS restaurants in the parks, we spent extra time to talk to manager, and also to have the special meal prepared. I hear they now have the new allergen-free menu you can see without talking to a manager. Hope they will work out for you.

Looks like you have been on Disney Fantasy. We have only been on the classic ships, and our experiences were great.
Land&Sea sounds wonderful. Have a great vacation!

 

[hswillia07]

Thanks everyone - this really helps! We were on the Fantasy and in the parks when she was about 8 months old, so at that time, I just brought baby food with me. Now we're planning a trip in about a year and a half and so she'll be a toddler and things will be much different. I'm hoping she grows out of them by then, but if she doesn't, I wanted to make sure that others with allergies have felt comfortable in the Disney environment. Thanks so very much!

 

[jtba]

based on what i've read on the disboards and elsewhere, DD, who has multiple medically diagnosed food allergies, appears to be one of the few passengers who have had reactions while on board the Disney Wonder last summer. thankfully they were relatively minor (hives around the mouth during two separate meals over seven days) so we did not have to use our epipens. this experience has taught us to be stronger advocates, and to be more vigilant.

we did always order her meals the day before, but most of the time her dishes still arrived later than everyone else's, and it was hard for her to watch everyone eat while she had to wait and wait and wait. the serving staff could've improved this by bringing her gluten-free bread and soy butter (or at least olive oil) early in the meal so she could at least have something to munch on. during several meals vacuum-packed soy milk didn't even appear until almost until the end of the meal. it was odd because it's something she would always order so we thought the staff would know, since they knew to bring everyone else's drinks in advance. it was our first time so we didn't know any better, and the servers looked like they were always super busy so we didn't want to impose.

next cruise, however, i will see how the first first couple meals go, then chat with the servers much sooner than waiting until day 6.

 

[Dug720]

When you order your meals early, double check w/ the serving team that you can have what you ordered.

I have food allergies (not severe, but who wants a raging headache). It was noted on my reservation and the serving team was informed. I got the visit from the chef. I would order my meals ahead of time (a day ahead). When the time came for that dinner, I would be told that I could not have what I had pre-ordered b/c there was something in it that I was allergic to. This happened EVERY time. I got so frustrated. The last night, we went to Flo's and had hamburgers.

Do they not require orders from allergy passengers to go through the head waiter anymore? Two years ago, I could not order ANYTHING without my server and assistant server going to talk to the head waiter for a peanut SENSITIVITY (not even full-blown allergy). In my case I should have paid attention when we sailed concierge and our host asked me about it and I explained I just get itchy and wheezy and Benadryl knocks it out, he took it off since I was ok with asking. They changed things I'd eaten on that cruise to totally different things (the Cookies and Cream sundae for example), and my CM sister had to swear she would take responsibility if anything happened from the rum-soaked chocolate cake (neither of which have peanuts in them).

As I understood it, the head waiter is the gate through which all allergy orders passed. If it has gone to the individual servers, that is concerning.

 

[MomoMama]

based on what i've read on the disboards and elsewhere, DD, who has multiple medically diagnosed food allergies, appears to be one of the few passengers who have had reactions while on board the Disney Wonder last summer. thankfully they were relatively minor (hives around the mouth during two separate meals over seven days) so we did not have to use our epipens. this experience has taught us to be stronger advocates, and to be more vigilant.

we did always order her meals the day before, but most of the time her dishes still arrived later than everyone else's, and it was hard for her to watch everyone eat while she had to wait and wait and wait. the serving staff could've improved this by bringing her gluten-free bread and soy butter (or at least olive oil) early in the meal so she could at least have something to munch on. during several meals vacuum-packed soy milk didn't even appear until almost until the end of the meal. it was odd because it's something she would always order so we thought the staff would know, since they knew to bring everyone else's drinks in advance. it was our first time so we didn't know any better, and the servers looked like they were always super busy so we didn't want to impose.

next cruise, however, i will see how the first first couple meals go, then chat with the servers much sooner than waiting until day 6.

This shows everyone's experiences can be different... We had a great serving team on Wodner, and never had to wait extra minutes for DD's pre-ordered meal, even for lunch. At dinner our waiter brought out GF bread and fruits as appetizer for DD. Her pre-ordered meals were served at the same time as our main dish. We got really lucky to have such fantastic servers!

 

[jtba]

This shows everyone's experiences can be different... We had a great serving team on Wodner, and never had to wait extra minutes for DD's pre-ordered meal, even for lunch. At dinner our waiter brought out GF bread and fruits as appetizer for DD. Her pre-ordered meals were served at the same time as our main dish. We got really lucky to have such fantastic servers!

we even requested a particular head server whom previous food allergy travelers have highly recommended (she was promoted to HS by the time we sailed). she was truly excellent, and we loved her dearly. even sent her a letter via the ship after we got home, though we don't know if she received it. but the server and assistant server... well. i already wrote about our experience above.

my main point is to just let future food allergy cruisers know that (as you pointed out) people's experiences can differ. i had very high hopes because prior to this i had only read overwhelmingly positive reviews (other than @MunFam 's horrifying trip on WB panama canal 2015 ). so to experience some negative things was a bit disappointing.

having said that, we will look to cruise again in the future. we'll just be more careful and speak up sooner if we are unhappy with something.

Do they not require orders from allergy passengers to go through the head waiter anymore?
... As I understood it, the head waiter is the gate through which all allergy orders passed. If it has gone to the individual servers, that is concerning.

it's been over 8 months since we sailed so i can't remember the exact details, but i believe we ordered most of our food allergen-safe dishes through our head server, and maybe some through the server. i honestly can't recall 100%.

 

[diznymom]

Do they not require orders from allergy passengers to go through the head waiter anymore? Two years ago, I could not order ANYTHING without my server and assistant server going to talk to the head waiter for a peanut SENSITIVITY (not even full-blown allergy). In my case I should have paid attention when we sailed concierge and our host asked me about it and I explained I just get itchy and wheezy and Benadryl knocks it out, he took it off since I was ok with asking. They changed things I'd eaten on that cruise to totally different things (the Cookies and Cream sundae for example), and my CM sister had to swear she would take responsibility if anything happened from the rum-soaked chocolate cake (neither of which have peanuts in them).

As I understood it, the head waiter is the gate through which all allergy orders passed. If it has gone to the individual servers, that is concerning.

The Head Server never took any of my orders. I did see him the first night and discussed it with him. I think he told me to give the orders to my main server. I was given a menu for the next night and placed my order w/ our main server.
I ordered a steak (from the lighter fare menu) for one night. Then was told that night that I couldn't have the steak b/c the sauce they put on the steak had one of my allergens in it. I told them to leave the sauce off and just bring me a steak. I will be asking for the Head Server next time. And double checking.

 

[Dug720]

The Head Server never took any of my orders. I did see him the first night and discussed it with him. I think he told me to give the orders to my main server. I was given a menu for the next night and placed my order w/ our main server.
I ordered a steak (from the lighter fare menu) for one night. Then was told that night that I couldn't have the steak b/c the sauce they put on the steak had one of my allergens in it. I told them to leave the sauce off and just bring me a steak. I will be asking for the Head Server next time. And double checking.

I didn't place my order WITH the head server, but my servers had to go to him after I ordered (because mine is only a sensitivity and really only affects dessert items potentially I didn't have to order the night before) just for him to clear everything.