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

[Chelley00]

Riverside Mill
Port Orleans Riverside


This morning my DD, DS and nephew took the Pirate Adventure Cruise from POR and my brother and I, with 2 hours to kill, decided to have breakfast at Riverside Mill.

Because I wasn't staying at the resort and hadn't notified them I was coming I wasn't sure if they could feed me. If nothing, I knew I could grab some fruit and had a Lara bar in my bag just in case.

Once again I forgot to write down the chef's name, but he was great. "You want pancakes? I make a mean pancake for people with allergies. No gluten, no egg, no dairy, no problem" I was very happy to order my pancake. Singular pancake. I'm not a big breakfast person, remember?

This is what I got

not afraid to admit I ate every single bite either! This was totally way more than I expected and very very good.

 

[Chelley00]

Giordanos Pizza
AKA one of the biggest disappointments of the trip
and a side trip to Outback

I had a restaurant.com certificate to use, so my brother, SIL and I decided to take the kids for pizza (my mom was out to dinner with her high school BFF who lives in Florida) We go to Giordano's outside of Chicago a lot, so I know I can eat gluten free pizza veggie pizza.

Yeah, not so much. Our very "fake Italian accent" waiter (seriously, we were laughing the WHOLE night!) informed me "We have-a no gluten free pizza here". I ended up with a "chef" salad, which came out with tomato and croutons and cheese even though I had requested it not. My brother, who lives too far away to deal with taking me out to eat a lot was very upset and wanted to leave to eat someplace else, but I refused, saying this can happen a lot, and my newly pregnant SIL and the kids needed to eat ASAP.

They had a guy making balloon animals, so that softened the blow a little watching the kids.

I basically sat while they ate and then went back to the condo and broke open a GoPicnic box for my dinner. Honestly, for a quick on the go meal, these are actually really good. I leave a couple in my desk drawer at work just in case. It saved the day today.

 

[Chelley00]

ABC Commissary
Hollywood Studios

Jennifer came out and showed me the book. Again, my choices were pretty limited, but I ended up once again with a hamburger on gluten free bun and grapes. The bun here was different than the others? Maybe it just wasn't grilled like it had been at Columbia Harbor or something, but I ended up peeling it off and just eating the hamburger.

For some reason I missed the picture

 

[Chelley00]

Citrus Garden
offsite


Everyone else was clamoring for pizza, but once we got back to the condo, the onsite pizza place at WBC was closed, and Flippers said it would be an hour and a half for delivery. We looked in the book at WBC for another pizza place and saw that Citrus Garden delivered, so all of the sudden, everyone had a hankering for Chinese.

I ordered everyone's order, then asked what they could do for me, fully expecting nothing (like our local Chinese place) Thankfully there wasn't a language barrier and the guy on the phone was so helpful. He said they could do anything without sauces and a version of "fried rice" with no soy or egg. I decided on shrimp "allergy free fried rice". It was basically white rice with shrimp and a ton of veggies.

I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel if I was sensitive to cross contamination, but what I got was very good and filling and didn't make me sick at all. Everyone else was happy with their choices as well.

 

[Chelley00]

Cinderella's Royal Table
breakfast
Magic Kingdom

Chef Nicholas came out and discussed my options. He seemed to be pretty rushed, especially because he had come out once before but I had taken DS to the bathroom. He was polite and offered a couple different choices. I settled on waffles, thinking they would be Mickey waffles or similar like 1900 Park Fare or Riverside Mill.

I was so disappointed when they brought out a plate full of Vans waffles. I don't eat them at home because I'm not a big fan, and certainly not what I expected for $50!

I'm glad we went because my mom didn't even realize there was a restaurant inside the castle and she and the kids enjoyed the experience. We weren't rushed and my mom loved the stuffed French toast. It's just not one we'll do again with allergies. I think we'd be better off at Akershus which we've always loved.

 

[Chelley00]

Ohana
dinner
Polynesian Resort

I'm totally kicking myself for not writing the chef's name down at Ohana! (I'm thinking it was Eduardo honestly, but don't hold me to that!) He was probably the most careful (and the most apologetic because of a mix up)

He told me the salad was safe, as was the pork and shrimp. He said I could have one of the sauces (I can't remember which one and I didn't use any of them) Everything else he would bring to me. Then he winked and said "The Lapu Lapu" is safe too when he heard my mom order one.

If you insist

Salad with no changes

Rolls with Earth Balance. This is one of the rare places I found Earth Balance.

He brought me my own honey coriander wings, 6 of them. These were my favorite part of the whole meal. I dipped my chicken in the leftover sauce

At this point, I could have been done When everyone's else got their meat, I got this

Now, for dessert there was a mix up. I was very specific that I could have eggs in baked goods (as long as I don't over do, but I was prepared with meds) I know that usually Ohana chefs bring flourless chocolate cake for dessert for gluten free guests and I was ready for chocolate.

And he brought it out, set it in front of me and then quickly snatched it back up again because he realized it had whipped cream on it (dairy) He felt terrible and apologized over and over saying he was just so used to putting it on there he forgot and he felt terrible and he'd be right back.

Only when he came back, he said he realized it had eggs in it and felt uncomfortable serving it to me and instead left me this

Tofutti and fruit

He took off before I could beg for the cake back again and everyone else was done with dessert. As disappointed as I was, I totally appreciated the fact that he was so careful (after the initial dessert mistake). I also liked that he apologized for "teasing" me with something that I couldn't have

So, other than the dessert debacle, Ohana was clearly a winner with our entire party. My mom was so thrilled with her meal she called my stepdad as we were walking to the car

 

[Chelley00]

Backlot Express
Hollywood Studios

This was my longest wait at any counter service for someone to help. Then she couldn't find the book. I was not real hopeful. I ordered the southwest chicken salad which was "fine without any modifications". Not true, as it came out with tomato on it (in the black bean relish)

It also wasn't good. I tried to pick around the tomato, but it seriously tasted almost rotten. A manager walking by noticed I wasn't eating it and asked if everything was okay. I hate to be a bother, so I said it was fine, but everyone else at my table jumped in. He was so nice and offered to bring me something else, but I declined as everyone else was done eating (before I even got my food!). He asked me to wait and then brought me my money back, along with a package of carrots and grapes in case I got hungry later. I thought it was very nice of him to do that and it made the sting of no lunch a little easier to deal with.

 

[Chelley00]

Hoop De Doo Review
Fort Wilderness Campgrounds

This was our first time at HDDR, and after reading another food allergy review (I can't remember the DISers name) I was excited to go there. I have a very mixed review.

The chef seemed very put out by my allergies. "Gluten free I could do, but that with no tomato means you can't have beans or ribs and no dairy means no mashed potatoes". I was almost fearful I wouldn't be able to eat and I really didn't want to be a bother. I said I'd be fine with just salad and he said he would get me taken care of. I was kind of embarrassed to be such a bother.

My hopes didn't get any better when our waiter delivered my first plate of stuff.

Salad - with tomatoes. Thankfully they were grape tomatoes and not cut so I could just pick them off, but I wasn't happy this was how our experience was starting out. He also brought me rolls, which was nice, but they hadn't been warmed and there was nothing to put on them. I sighed, but watching the show helped take my mind off of it.

When the waiter dropped off my second plate, I was THRILLED. Grilled chicken (2 of them cooked perfectly) a baked potato, 3 ribs with no sauce and corn (no butter) I could eat! Honestly, he did a great job despite all the bumps at the beginning.

For dessert I got a huge plate full of fresh fruit, which was delivered with an apology that was all they could do for me. I was perfectly happy with the fruit.

So, HDDR started out a little scary, but they redeemed themselves in the end. The show was great. I don't think I've ever seen my kids laugh that hard before and it was great family fun!

 

[Chelley00]

La Catina de San Angel
Epcot

I was very hesitant to eat here as I've read the World Showcase restaurants are not Disney owned and not as allergy friendly. My first choice was Sunshine Seasons, but we were back in the World Showcase when the kids started to complain about being hungry. They were all hoping for Mexican, so I figured I'd be okay with La Catina de San Angel as they had chicken tacos in corn tortillas. I talked with a manager (John) and we went through my allergies and he said the chicken tacos would indeed be my best bet.

Now, this is the only time I got sick the whole week. My guess is they stew the chicken with some sort of tomato item? Not sure, but just in the time it took for us to walk from Mexico to Soarin, I was very ill. Once my lunch was gone, I felt fine the rest of the day, so it had to be something I ate there

 

[Chelley00]

A change of plans
Boma
Animal Kingdom Lodge
dinner


We originally had reservations at Biergarten in Epcot for dinner. A sudden, very long downpour compliments of Hurricane Sandy, made us wet and cold and not looking forward to slogging through dinner, so we called and canceled and headed back to our condo. I needed the nap to sleep off the anti-nausea pill from my lunch anyhow, so it turned out to be a good thing. A couple hours sleep and I felt great and was ready to eat!

We went on to WDW site to see if anything sounded good or if we were going to go someplace offsite when I noticed Boma had a couple of openings. I love AKL, but when we stayed there we didn't get a chance to eat there. I've heard great things about Boma's chefs, so with everyone in agreement, we booked it for later that evening.

Frederico was the chef and he was AMAZING. He spent at least 10 minutes with me, if not more, going through my allergies first, then he walked the buffet, pod by pod and went through everything on it....not just what I could have, but what I couldn't and what was in it that made it off limits. He teased me that there was nothing I could eat there

There were SO many options for me. I was thrilled.

However, I wasn't thrilled when I realized I had taken the memory card out of my camera to download the pictures in the condo and forgot to put it back in, which I didn't realize the camera wasn't saving pictures until dessert. Even more not thrilled to then realize later I had another memory card in the camera bag the whole time.

So, from memory, my dinner included watermelon rind salad, apple jicama salad, prime rib, roasted chicken, lots of hummus, coconut rice (yum) and fruit. There were a few other options I didn't get to, including one of the soups that was safe and the salmon. Frederico brought a plate of rolls with Earth Balance and a plate of lentil bean cracker type things for the hummus (so good!)

He offered Tofutti, but I asked if could splurge on the gluten free zebra domes. I know they have dairy, but I figure I was already on an anti-nausea pill, so why not Frederico laughed at me when I said I was willing to risk it, and then delivered this

Boma turned out to be my most favorite meal of our entire trip. I had SO many options and actually ended up with 2 plates full of food. I made a complete pig out of myself and waddled out of there stuffed. Frederico was so patient and really careful and I saw him stalk me a couple of times to make sure I had everything I needed it. Our waitress was fantastic too. We all left happy.

 

[Chelley00]

Legoland

When I called Legoland before our trip, I was given the total run around. They sent me to 2 different people who basically said there wasn't much they could do. They said I could have a hot dog without a bun, they thought, maybe.

I was disappointed in how indifferent they were. I was prepared and had packed a GoPicnic box and Lara bar in my bag and had that for lunch.

 

[Chelley00]

Rainforest Cafe
Downtown Disney

This was our final meal of our trip, and DD's choice. The chef who came out to speak to me didn't have on a name tag He was very nice and went through the menu items I could have. He suggested the Tuscan chicken because it's popular with gluten free guests. He would alter the marinade and leave off the tomatoes. He also said the mashed potatoes came with dairy so he would sub a veggie for me.

The chicken was very good and there were 3 pieces. I was impressed. The broccoli on the side was a little undercooked, but I was too into the chicken to even touch the broccoli anyhow :0

This is the only restaurant all trip that the chef came out to check how I liked my food. This meal was probably the one I'd list as our biggest surprise. I went in with not great expectations and was happy with my meal.

 

[Chelley00]

Columbia Harbor House
Magic Kingdom

I realized I missed one!

Michelle came out with the book and we went through everything. She suggested that salmon would be my best bet. I wasn't sure about salmon from a quick service place but a lady next to me ordered it first, so I figure if she could, so could I

It was actually pretty good. I wasn't thrilled about the broccoli, so she added grapes and apples to my plate as well, which was nice.

CHH was one of my favorites pre-allergies and I was happy to see I could still eat there and not be stuck with greasy hamburgers again.

 

[Chelley00]

A few final thoughts:

My favorite table service dinners

1. Boma
2. Rainforest Cafe
3. Ohana
4. Raglan Road
5. TRex
6. HDDR

Best breakfast:
1900 Park Fare (but Riverside Mill was a close second)

Best counter service
1. Columbia Harbor
2. Flame Tree
3. Spice Mill (Seaworld)

Biggest Disappointments:
1. La Catina de San Angel (the only place that made me sick)
2. Cinderella's Royal Table
3. Backlot Express
4. Everyplace Universal/Island of Adventure
5. Giordanos Pizza

Babycakes was great. It was so nice to be able to splurge on donuts and cupcakes and keep them in the freezer for later during such a long trip.



Disney was absolutely hands down the best at working with my allergies, although there were some screw ups. Seaworld also did a great job. Universal/Islands of Adventure was a total letdown since they told me I'd be able to eat at their restaurants and that wasn't the case. At least Legoland was honest with me and said they couldn't accommodate me so I was prepared.


All in all, I'm happy with my experience. The lack of dessert options was a little annoying, but I came home 4 lbs lighter, so it wasn't all bad

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Really informative thread, OP! It must be really difficult to find things to eat when you go out. Thanks for posting this about the different places in Orlando. I'm fortunate to not have any food allergies so this glimpse into your situation was very interesting.

 

[Rayvn]

Thanks for the info. I have one son allergic to milk and my other son is allergic to egg.

My son who is allergic to milk will eat chicken nuggets and fries when we go out. He also likes pbj sandwiches. My egg allergic son is a better eater and will eat almost anything.

Leslie

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Thank you once again for your reports. We are dining with Shamu in San Diego this September with 2 kids with food allergies. Your reports are reassuring to me! Thank you very much!

 

[Mainemama]

Thanks for your review! Although I have gone to WDW twice with my dd with 8 allergies (egg, dairy, chicken, turkey, sesame,beans, peanuts, Treenuts), I learned of several notable foods she could eat that I did not know of! Thank you! The only place my dd got sick was Tusker House. She actually got sick there two years in a row. . But Disney has been so helpful. And these sorts of reviews make all the difference in being prepared!

 

[DCDisney]

I'm sorry you had such a rough time at Universal. Some of the onsite restaurants do have allergy training and kitchens where they can make something for you. I don't remember all of them but 3 Broomsticks in IOA is definitely one of them (and the food is quite good) and Monster's Cafe in Uni. I just eat at those 2 repeatedly since I know they are safe and reliable for me.... The snack stands had ingredient lists for everything I asked about too.

I think you were very very nice about the various mishaps. I understand not wanting to make others wait again but I definitely wouldn't be paying for stuff I couldn't eat that they knew about. It's such a pain with multiple allergies and it's such a trust thing with restaurants that even with a simple goof like the tartar sauce I have trouble enjoying my meal wondering if I'll get sick.

At the WDW quick service where you got stuck with a burger maybe next time try some of the specifically noted allergy friendly places like cosmic rays. They seem to carry more allergy safe foods and have a kitchen where they can actually do something. It definitely takes some patience and with kids in tow that can be a balancing act but when I stick with the allergy places I tend to not get stuck with as many bunless greasy burgers ;P Sunshine seasons at epcot is also great for allergies.... I actually get like 4 or 5 choices there which is refreshing