DD has peanut and other food allergies

[debralisa]

How does DCL usually handle this, especially in the kids clubs?

DD will be 3 by the time we sail out (along with DD 41/2 , DS almost 6, DS almost 2, and DH and myself). She can't wait to participate in all the kids club events with DD 4 1/2. However, I am concerned about her food allergies (peanuts, oats, wheat) and the precautions taken. Do they not have them eat snacks or meals with the other children then (not that I haven't already considered just picking her up at those times and having her eat with DH and I just in case anyway...but I think she will be soooo disappointed)?

Do I leave an Epipen Jr. with the staff or the dr.?

Do I need to inform DCL of this now, again when confirming receipt of our docs, and then again on boarding the ship?

What about regular dinners with the family and our friends on the ship...will our servers be able to provide for her meals and still have some diversity/options?

I have heard that Tritons is heavy on the pine nuts...is there anything that is safe there at all for her to eat? Should I just not eat there with the kids that night (fear of cross contamination)?

Thanks for the advice!

Debbie

 

[ducklite]

First, get the medical form filled out by your doctor and fax it in advance. Take the original and an epi-pen to the ships Dr. on the first day.

I WOULD NOT let them take her to any meals or give her any snacks. Several times I asked a buffet attendant at Topsiders about an item and was told that it was OK, only to determine on my own it wasn't. The guy at the Italian station one day tried to tell me that there were no nuts in the pesto...and they wre cooking the pesto in the same pan and then just giving it a quick wipe before cooking the Alfredo. WRONG ANSWER!

I am highly allergic to tree nuts, including coconut. I'm also allergic to water chestnuts and scallops. (I'm NOT allergic to peanuts, and even though ti's suggested taht people with my allergies not eat them--or a variety of seafood, I do anyhow) Pine nuts are one of the worst for me--the slightest cross contamination and I have a reaction.

Topsiders buffet was a disaster, ill-informed servers and a cross contamination nightmare. The desert buffet was a disaster--I finally found a pastry chef and made him walk teh entire line with me--things the servers had said were nut free were NOT. My server was excellent, and I made her go back and forth to check and double check on a couple of things.

As I see it the wheat allergy will be a bigger problem then the nut allergy. I'd suggst bringing along your wheatfree catsup, salad dressing, and any other such items...they will not have these on the ship.

I'll be happy to answer anything else I can for you.

Anne

 

[jessie2]

Hi

Our daughter is allergic to peanuts only,which has been noted on our reservation. I phoned DCL last weekend to see if there was anything else I should do before we sail, they said no our servers would be aware of the siutation. It is the buffets and fast food that concern me more, its finding someone who understands what you are saying and how important it is that is difficult. Ann's report seems to highlight problems with this. We sailed Carnival in 2001 and I have to say they were brilliant with regard to this, I hope Disney are going to live up to this, I feel I have to do more checking now I'm not prepared to get on board and have to spend hours going from one person to another, let alone the worry of it. Our daughter will be 17 when we travel, I doubt they will eat in the restaurants with us.

I will post any other related information as and when I rceive it.

I can't believe DCL are not on the case with these serious allergies, I spoke to several chefs in the WDW theme parks whilst eating in the restaurants in 2002 and they were excellent.

Jessie

 

[ducklite]

Just an FYI, I had faxed in the medical form, it was noted on the reservation, and my server was NOT aware of this until I told her on teh first night. Also the servers at breakfast and lunch are not your regular servers, you'll get different ones all the time, so they will have no way of knowing. Just be very, very careful.

Just an FYI, we had breakfast in our room every am, so our son (16) ate that with us every day, and he also had to join us for dinner every night except when we ate at Palo's. It seemed that most teens did have dinner with the family every day. Luckily at 17 your daughter is old enough to understand and be careful. The food at Pluto's was completely nut and peanut free, although many of the toppings at Scoops had nuts/peanuts in them, and even though they told me they never use the same spoon for one than another, I didn't trust them. No toppings!

Anne

 

[my3kids]

We sent in the completed medical form regarding food allergies, and the servers were well aware the first night at dinner. At Topsiders, they were also aware of someone on board with a particular allergy and when they found out it was me, they wouldn't let me go through the dessert line until the dessert chef had been contacted regarding ingredients. I did worry more there though than at dinner, where it was easier for the servers to have prechecked with the kitchen regarding ingredients.

My kids never ate with the kid's club. They thought they would hate not eating with us. They walk the kids down to one of the restaraunts and they eat as a group. Mine much preferred eating on deck by the pools. Even when we went to Palo, we took the kids to the regular dinner early, then went alone to Palo.

 

[gfolchick]

We will be on the Magic in May. Our DS (almost 4) has allergies to Peanut, Tree Nuts, and milk. I've already had our allergist complete the medical form. Once onboard I'm planning to meet with the head server/chef in Rockin D bar to go over his allergies. I know that they keep a list posted in the kitchen of people onboard with allergies and which food items to avoid that night. I may even present a list of questions ahead of time to see what is safe. I'm not going to allow him to eat with the clubs at all. At dinner I plan on requesting a table of 4 so I don't need to be stressed if the child sitting next to him orders a PB and J sandwich since he only needs to touch or smell it to have a reaction. Since your child is allergic to wheat and oats you may need to plan something for breakfast. Our son will probably be limited to oatmeal and fruit or cereal since everything else contains milk. For lunch and/or dinner there's hot dogs and hamburgers, no buns or grilled chicken. Don't forget to check Barb's or Dave's websites for the menus. I've been studying them to see what he can eat. He'll probably end up ordering hot dogs for everything (my son loves hot dogs). I'll probably pack some cookies or treats for him since I doubt there will be much, if any, desserts he can eat. Hope this helps.

 

[ducklite]

Hold on that oatmeal idea...I want to think that it was not the quick oats made with water, but the old fashioned kind which are slow cooked with milk.

Breakfast ideas for you: eggs, fruit, grits, potatoes, meats.

The grilled chicken can be ordered completely plain! One night nothing on the menu in the DR appealed to me, (it was a high allergic ingrediant night as well) and I ordered a plain grilled chicken breast, white rice and steamed brocoli. A little lemon juice on the chicken and brocoli and I was in heaven

Anne

 

["Ginger"]

We have taken our DD on 5 Disney cruises with no problems with her food allergies which are peanuts, soy, and raw eggs. When you register your children with the kids clubs you will fill out a form asking about any medical problems. If your child has food allergies it will be noted and all the consulars will be made aware of your childs allergies. She ate lunches and dinners with the other children. They were never served PB and J or eggs. Their meals were usually chicken strips, mac and cheese, pizzas, raw veggies, jello, and fruit.

 

[tecdavidt]

Fill out the med form and have your doctor sign it. I am gluten intolerant so no wheat, oats or barley, Those are my triggers. As an adult I did fine on the ship. Gluten free bread in a variety of styles every night. Sauces were left off the main coarse. For my dessert, creme brule (sp?) The server went out of her way to go get it every night! So as far as the main dinning rooms DCL chef's understand the gluten free diet. Top siders was more trying but at least for me there were lettuce salads and I can have milk products.

As a child it would be hard. I would say almost all of the children meals had some form of wheat in them. I can only go by what other cruisers report back on the peanuts.

Yes, bring your own gluten free snacks. I am, wheat free preztels and crackers are always in my bag. For a child better pack the special cookies and I would even pack the breakfast food that you normally serve. I can not have Rice Krispies because of the malt. Rice Crunchums are not on board. You might want to pack a small cooler to hold the perishable food. In your case it is allowed.

Good Luck. Kathy