DDP w/ food allergies & lactose intolerance

[tink98]

Hi,

we will be using the dining plan next month. Our DD is allergic to PB, tree nuts and sesame seeds. When I made our ADR's I was given some phone numbers and was told to call the restaurants and speak with the chef 7 days prior to arrival.

Has anyone ever done this before?

In addition to DD's food allergy, I am lactose intolerant (which makes dining out a real joy ).

I'd love to hear other's experiences. Thanks

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think you will be pleased with how WDW restaurants help those with diet restrictions.
Some restaurants have special menus for specific diets.
I was once told at OHana's that the chef looks at the diet restrictions daily from the ADR list.
I know someone who is on a resticted diet. The chef at Biergarten came out and showed her what she could eat on their buffet.
I have seen chefs take quite a bit of time with guests going over the menu due to diet restrictions.

 

[tink98]

Thank you Luv2Roam, I really want all of us to be able to fully enjoy the DDP. It is good to know that the chefs take the time to do this.

 

[WisMom]

Hi
I am lactose intolerant. I use Lactaid and that really helps. Have you tried it? I'm sure you can ask which dishes are made with dairy products.

We don't have any food allergies but on our recent trip, we were asked at every restaurant when we checked in if we have any food allergies.

WisMom

 

[rlrx]

We were there 2 weeks ago with DS3 who is allergic to milk and peanuts. I have never been anywhere where they were more accomodating than Disney World. I called the first restaurant a week prior to our trip and the woman I spoke to (Theresa Joiner-Epcot) told me she would fax all of our ADR restaurants for me and she emailed me a list of things DS couldn't have at all of the parks. When we got to each restaurant, we told them about his allergies and they usually had a special paper made up about us already. The waiter/waitress would then have the chef come out to speak to us about what he could and couldn't eat. He ended up having dessert whenever he wanted because they had options available for him and we really had a good experience. At the CS restaurants, you can ask about allergies and the manager will come out to speak to you and it does take longer but it's worth it. It's a good idea to have some idea of what she'll be ordering before you go. The other thing I was happy about is that he had a variety of things to choose from and they offered to make him something special if we weren't happy with the choices.

 

[The Sweetness]

Have you tried Digestive Advantage for the LI? It is taken once a day (1pill for me, but it may req 2) and you can eat dairy at every meal

 

[Redmic]

I just wanted to add that my daughter has been taking the digestive LI for months now and it has made our lives so much better! It may not work for everyone, but it has made a world of difference for her.

 

[tink98]

Great info everyone. thanks for the input.

 

[welovedis]

Just wanted to let you know I just got back from 9 days at WDW and we used the dining plan for the first time. I'm allergic to eggs, bananas, tree nuts, peanuts, oysters, mussels and pineapple. I usually contact Barbara Bennet at MK foods about a week before my trip and she is nice enough to pass the info along to the restaurants ahead of time. I also have them note the allergies on my ADRS when I make them thru Dining.

The chefs came out to the table each time and carefully went over each aspect of the meal from breads or rolls to appetizer and so on. I never felt left out of the meal because of items I couldn't have (except for the breads, I just had to avoid them because of the egg wash on most). Some chefs went out of their way ahead of time and got a special dessert brought in that I could have (chocolate tofu cake) that I thought was really, really nice and more than I anticipated.

Counter service is harder, but when a chef comes out front I just have 2-3 choices in my head of what I want and if they shoot down the 1st one or 2, I know what I can get. Be specific about your needs, as some don't think it through as thoroughly as others, esp when thinking about what else might be fried with the fries, etc...

Hope you have a great trip!