Food allergies around Orlando: WDW, US/IOA, Seaworld and Legoland Oct 12

[Chelley00]

Just back home after 14 nights in Orlando. I spent a lot of time researching allergy-free dining before I left, and was sad to find not many full out dining reports, so I wanted to do one to try and help someone else.

This is my first trip to WDW with allergies. I spent our last trip 2 years ago basically sick and miserable the entire time. Soon after coming home, they removed my gallbladder thinking that would help, and it did.....until I started eating again. After a few more miserable months, expensive testing and frustration, my GI finally suggested an allergist, where it was determined I had multiple adult onset food allergies.

My worst are egg, wheat, tomato and peanut. Dairy is my next problem, after that I just try to limit corn, soy and chocolate. I splurge occasionally on dairy, but I really do try to avoid it as much as possible.

Where we ate:

1900 Park Fare breakfast
Babycakes
International Food and Film lunch Universal
Nascar Grille dinner Citywalk
Circus McGurkus lunch Islands of Adventure
Raglan Road dinner
F&WF booths lunch
Chef Mickeys dinner
Spice Mill lunch Seaworld
Dine with Shamu dinner
Pecos Bills lunch
Cracker Barrel dinner
Flame Tree BBQ lunch
Trex Cafe dinner
Riverside Mill breakfast
Giordano's Pizza dinner
ABC Commissary lunch
Citrus Gardens dinner
Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast
Ohana dinner
Backlot Express lunch
Hoop De Doo Review dinner
La Catina de San Angel lunch
Boma dinner
Legoland lunch
Rainforest Cafe dinner
Columbia Harbor House


Final Thoughts




.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Joining in. I don't have food allergies but am definitely interested in your review!

 

[Chelley00]

Joining in. I don't have food allergies but am definitely interested in your review!

Thank you for joining in!



I wanted to start with a little about traveling. Anyone with food allergies knows that fast food options really kinda suck for anyone with a gluten/wheat allergy. Our first stop was at Chick Fil A, where as long as you get a kids meal, you can get grilled chicken nuggets and a fruit cup. I really wish they'd offer them on the adult menu as well.

For dinner stopped at Arbys where I usually get a salad, but didn't think it would be easy to eat a salad while driving, so I ended up with roast turkey with no bun and all the veggies. (boring)

 

[Chelley00]

I should have mentioned that I was traveling with DD10, DS7 and my mother, and later meet up with my brother, SIL and nephew. None of them have food issues, so I'm the only "problem child". I only took pictures of my food since many times everyone was eating while I was still ordering or waiting on food.


1900 Park Fare

Oct 14

We had 10:30am reservations to give us time to sleep in after a long day of travel the night before. This was our MNSSHP night too, so we were taking a leisurely day off.

We were taken in for our picture and then seated very quickly. Our ticket was stamped with a big red "Allergy" and the waitress hadn't even finished our drink order when Chef Jonathon came out. He said he could make me Mickey waffles free of gluten/egg/dairy and breakfast potatoes with olive oil instead of butter. He then offered to walk me through the buffet to show me a couple of other options and make it fresh if I was concerned about cross contamination. I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so I said a couple of waffles would be fine and I would grab some fruit from the buffet.

My couple of Mickey waffles turned out to be 4 They were so good, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. He brought out pure maple syrup with them, and said if I wanted more waffles to just ask the waitress. He was very nice, didn't seem bothered at all and was so fast that my waffles were on the table when I came back from walking DS around the buffet.

DS, DD and my mom loved 1900. They said everything they tried was great, correct temps etc and we had amazing character interaction, especially from the Mad Hatter. Our server did seem a little hurried, but she was pleasant enough. This was our first breakfast visit there, and everyone said it was on our "can do again" list.


Dinner this night was an early sandwiches (for everyone else, just deli meat and lettuce for me), chips, carrot sticks and fruit in our condo before MNSSHP. Pretty boring, and no pictures.

 

[Chelley00]

Babycakes


I was so excited to try Babycakes. Anything with allergies, especially to wheat/gluten, knows baked goods aren't always great. My plan was to stock up breakfast items since I had ordered things for everyone else to eat in the condo, and it was only fair I got my donuts too, right?

I was surprised by the line. There were quite a few people ahead of me.

I decided to get a full dozen (with a couple of cupcakes thrown in for desserts) and freeze half for our second week.

2 pink frosted are coconut (they were my favorite) then a vanilla frosted and a chocolate frosted (eh), and the 2 far right are maple frosted pumpkin (so good) The second box has a pumpkin cinnamon sugar, a regular cinnamon sugar and then the 4 cupcakes. They yellow frosted is lemon and was good. The middle chocolate one is mocha. The other are one vanilla frosted and one chocolate chip frosted.

The donuts were good for the most part. Yes, as crumbly as I had read, but most gluten free stuff can be. The cupcakes, were, well, eh. The frosting was a little too "oily"? for me.

They were a nice change from my usual breakfast, so I was most happy with the donuts. The kids actually finished the cupcakes for me one night. Halfway through the trip I was wishing I would have gotten some of the breads or other things and not just stuck with donuts.

 

[Chelley00]

Over a month before we left, I contacted all the parks we were going to go to and asked about allergy dining. I know I can be complicated, but I wanted to know what my options were. Universal/IOA assured me I would be able to eat safely at all their restaurants. I had heard some icky reviews otherwise, but dove headlong in trusting what I had been told.

October 15
Universal Studios
International Food and Film Festival

The manager came out and seemed a little off that he had to be called to help me. He said the rotisserie chicken would be the only thing, other than plain rice, that I could eat. That was fine with me, and he offered to make sure I had corn with no butter. So far so good.

It came with cole slaw, which is mayo based and has eggs so I can't eat it. I passed it off to my mom who ate it.

I ate some of the chicken and some of the corn (which was way overdone) The chicken was good, and I felt fine after eating, so we chalked this up to a semi-success, but scarily so.

 

[minniebeth]

Awesome review! I can't wait to read about all your experiences! It's true, you don't read many dining reports centered around food allergies. In my family, there are 3 of us with food allergies, and Disney always does a fantastic job for the most part. Universal parks, not so much, but the resorts are great. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Chelley00]

Awesome review! I can't wait to read about all your experiences! It's true, you don't read many dining reports centered around food allergies. In my family, there are 3 of us with food allergies, and Disney always does a fantastic job for the most part. Universal parks, not so much, but the resorts are great. Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, I was VERY disappointed in Universal. Wait until you read about my dinner!


We went to Nascar Grille at Citywalk for dinner. This was for my mother, who, much to our family's shame, is a Nascar fan It's my step-dad's fault


All kidding aside, I was given some mixed reviews but went anyhow. Total mistake. First, our waiter acted like he'd rather be crashing a race car into a well then to be doing his job. When I asked for gluten free options, he rolled his eyes, sighed and said "We don't got one."

DD and I decided to split the pot roast nachos. The pot roast was gluten free, so we asked for the cheese and sour cream on the side so I could eat chips, roast and veggies. And this is what they brought out, after waiting over 30 minutes for food:

and let me just say, we were one of only 8 tables with people at them, so it's not like they were crazy busy and just had too many things going on.

At this point, I'm just mad. When I showed the waiter, he said "It's not my fault, it was on the ticket." I just let DD eat and I sat there. On the way out I asked for a manager and was told he "went to the store".

Now, my mom, DD and DS all said their food was good. It turned out to be a very cheap meal as I had a Kids Eat Free card for DS, and we obviously didn't leave a tip. I ended up going back to the condo and eating a sandwich and Babycakes cupcake for dinner instead

So, Nascar Grille, total failure.

 

[Chelley00]

Another Universal failure


Oct 16
Islands of Adventure
Circus McGerkus


Now, before I left, I was guaranteed that all the restaurants at US/IOA could accommodate food allergies. Not so much.

We went into Circus McGerkus for a late lunch (2:00pm), after having been at IOA since 7:30am. We were hot and hungry.....

and the not so nice lady at the counter told me "We ain't got nothing gluten free. You'll have to go somewhere else." Even their salads were pre-made with breaded chicken and croutons.

I'm not going to drag my very hungry kids halfway across the park to go somewhere else (especially since DS was thrilled with the train going through the restaurant) so we stayed. I decided to feed them and then I'd get something somewhere else as we walked back around. DS got spaghetti and meatballs and DD a pizza and I swear we waited 30 minutes for it. My mom ordered her food, paid and was finished eating before we got our stuff. It was madness, and no one even offered an apology. All the people in there were complaining to each other about their jobs and one girl said "I should just go work at Disney" and I thought "You wouldn't last".

I'm pretty patient, and sometimes I can be too nice but at this point, I was ready to tell Universal to just shove it.

This is what I had for lunch this day:

God bless Glutino.


By the time we finished there, it was really too late for me to eat as we had a dinner reservation 3 hours later. I also wasn't going to waste time on our last IOA day stopping to eat at yet another spot. So I ate my pretzels and held out for better things for dinner.

 

[disneydivamama]

Back to Chick-fil-a, you don't have to get the kids meal to get the grilled nuggets! My dh orders a 12 count grilled all the time! (he has celiac)

 

[Chelley00]

Back to Chick-fil-a, you don't have to get the kids meal to get the grilled nuggets! My dh orders a 12 count grilled all the time! (he has celiac)

The one near my house wouldn't let me. They said it was a kids meal item only, so I didn't even try it on the road. Thanks for the info!



So, after all the bummer of reviews at Universal, how about something positive?


October 16th
Raglan Road


After our IOA day, we had reservations at Margaritvaville at Citywalk. Now, after the crap I had been through the past 2 days, I was ready to eat, and I was nervous about yet another bad experience, so we decided to cancel Margaritaville and head to DTD to see where we could sneak in at 6:30pm without reservations.

When we got to DTD, we were checking the information board and the CM said she didn't think Raglan Road looked too busy, which was right across from us. I walked in, asked if they could fit us in and they sat us right away.

When I explained my allergies to the waitress, she sent a chef out to see me (I didn't write down his name ) I was going through the menu and he said the magic words "Can I interest you in gluten free fish and chips that we will make safe from egg and dairy too?" I could have kissed him right there on the spot. They did screw up and put tartar sauce on the plate (egg and dairy) but I reconfirmed no egg or dairy in the fish batter just in case and said it was good to go. It was sooooo good. I don't eat fried stuff very often, so it was heaven.

The rest of the family was happy with their choices too. We weren't seated in the main room, but a couple of dancers came back and did a little number and then had the kids come up to teach them a few moves. This was our first visit to Raglan Road and will not be the last.


When I left I could have cried. This was the first decent meal I had been able to eat in a couple of days. It wouldn't be the last either. Universal/IOA was fun as far as the rides, but their restaurants needs some redoing when it comes to allergy free dining. Thank you, Disney!

 

[Chelley00]

October 17th
Food and Wine Festival lunch

I love the F&WF and I'm kinda bummed I couldn't eat my way around the world, but armed with a map I found online somewhere, I did okay.

I didn't take a picture of mine, but this is DD's plate from Poland. Instead of the pierogi, I had double kielbasa.

South Korea lettuce wrap (this was really good)

I also had the grilled scallop from Australia. I apparently missed the picture.

and in case anyone is wondering, the Grand Marnier slushie is gluten/egg/dairy free

 

[Chelley00]

Chef Mickeys

My brother, SIL and nephew arrived this day so this was our first meal with them. SIL announced her pregnancy (yay!) and it was nephew's birthday, so we had a lot to celebrate.

Chef Rob came over to our table and offered to walk me through the buffet. There was quite a selection, and he offered to make things if I was worried about cross contamination. He also said for dessert he had cupcakes, Rice Dream or Tofutti. He was very nice but seemed a tiny bit in a hurry.

This was my first plate. The beef was way too rare and they had run out of well done. I just couldn't do it, so I gave it to my brother and waited for something a little more not bleeding

I had another plate of actually well done beef, a little turkey, salad and fruit, and then Chef Rob brought out a plate full of cupcakes. I was talking with SIL so I didn't see him drop stuff off. My question was whether or not the frosting was dairy free, but out waiter didn't come back until everyone else was ready to leave and neither did Chef Rob. I ended up eating the spice cupcake on the left with the frosting scraped off. The other was chocolate but I didn't try it.

Chef Mickeys was okay for me. Pretty plain, but filling. It's our "first night my brother, SIL and nephew get to Disney" restaurant so it's tradition to eat here for dinner. The kids love it and the characters were great.

 

[Chelley00]

When I called Seaworld before our trip, I was told when we arrived to get a map and that all the restaurants that were allergy friendly would be listed with a big "Allergy" underneath. This was beyond helpful as I knew exactly where I could go.

When it was close to lunch, we were near a restaurant called Spice Mill. I said I had allergies and they automatically had Cedric come out to talk to me. He was fantastic. They had gluten free buns and a dedicated fryer, so I oped for a turkey burger on g/f egg free bun, fries and watermelon. Everything was really good and it didn't take too long at all.

 

[Chelley00]

Dine with Shamu
Seaworld


I booked Dine with Shamu with a buy an adult get a kid free coupon code. When we arrived we had our picture taken and then were shown to our table right by the tank. The kids and my mom went off to the buffet where they said there were a ton of options for them. A chef named Linda came out to talk to me, said there were a few options on the buffet, but since they knew I was coming a head of time, she had a plate ready for me with grilled chicken, baked potato, vegetables and fruit. I opted for that and it was on the table for me before my family got back from the buffet.

The chicken was way overcooked (maybe from being on a warmer for too long?) The vegetables were great and the fruit was fresh. Nothing for dessert so that was disappointing, especially considering the cost. But, seeing my kids reaction to this was amazing:

 

[ssdeverell]

I'm enjoying your reviews. We don't have any food allergies in our family but one of my best friends is allergic to peanuts and she loves Disney. They always do such a great job for her when she visits. I will have to tell her about Universal and Sea World.

 

[Chelley00]

I'm enjoying your reviews. We don't have any food allergies in our family but one of my best friends is allergic to peanuts and she loves Disney. They always do such a great job for her when she visits. I will have to tell her about Universal and Sea World.

Tell her to avoid Universal or to pack something to eat.

Pecos Bills
Magic Kingdom

It was VERY busy at MK this day, and we stood in a long line to order so I forgot to write down the managers name. He came out and showed me the book of ingredients. I so wasn't really in the mood for a greasy hamburger because of the heat and crowds, but the manager acted like he was offended I said "greasy".

"It's Angus beef, maam. It won't be greasy."

Unfortunately, it was pretty much my only shot on the menu so it's what I got. The bun is gluten free, but is NOT egg free. Luckily I can do eggs in baked goods as long as I don't over do, so this was what I got. I usually eat one side of the bun and not the other.

Yes, it was greasy, although I could tell he really did try to squish the grease out, which made me smile.

I had grapes and apples on the side. I wish there would have been other options for me, but the hamburger, even though it wasn't what I wanted, was good.

My mom loved the taco salad and the fact that she could put whatever fixings on it she wanted. The kids were happy with their meals too.

 

[Chelley00]

We had planned on staying at MK until after the Electrical Parade, but it was really busy and DS was being kinda crabby, so we left early and decided to eat offsite. The kids and my mom are huge Cracker Barrel fans and I actually knew where to find one so we headed that way.

Now, Cracker Barrel stinks as far as cross contamination issues, so I know a lot of my Celiac fans avoid it like the plague. For me, it's okay as long as I am careful about what I order.

I ended up with grilled catfish, green beans and applesauce and no picture because apparently if I'm not at Disney, I forget

 

[Chelley00]

Flame Tree BBQ
Animal Kingdom

Jennifer came out to show me the book and was so nice and helpful. She really knew her stuff.

I got the BBQ chicken salad with the dressings on the side. This was good, even before I used the vinaigrette. And as a total off a food review, get the mandarin orange lemonade. I went back for another.

Flame Tree is always a hit with my family. Everyone can find something they like and it's not your usual theme park cheeseburger food.

 

[Chelley00]

TRex Cafe
Downtown Disney

Our ticket was stamped with the big red "allergy" and the chef was waiting at our table when we got there. Jamie was wonderful, went through everything on the menu with me, made suggestions and said he'd take care of me. I ordered the Tribal tacos with some modifications and told Jamie whatever side he could do was fine.

I ended up with 2 huge grilled fish tacos in white corn tortillas with red cabbage slaw (no pico because of the tomato allergy) and then instead of avocado cream sauce he used fresh avocado slices. On the side was sauteed green beans with mushrooms and onions. Not sure what was in them, but they were so good.

Oddly enough, this will turn out to be one of my top 5 favorite meals of the trip. I went in expecting to not enjoy it and was ready to go back to the condo to eat afterwards. I was very surprised that was not the case.

The other 6 in my party was okay with their meals too. SIL had chicken fried steak that almost as big as her head. My mom had the lasagna and took the leftovers home to eat for lunch the next day on our rest day