Food allergies at Disneyland

[starshine514]

So, I'm new to this food allergy thing. We recently ended up in the ER when my baby tried egg for the first time. She is nursing and had been having stuffiness and congestion since September. However, I stopped eating egg after the ER visit and her stuffiness/spit up is greatly improved. A few days ago, my sister made a tofu scramble which I, being eggless for a month, consumed two helpings of at brunch. By that evening, the baby was spitting up and stuffy again. So, we may find ourselves with soy issues as well. She has also reacted to yogurt topically, but eliminating dairy from my diet didn't make a difference.

So, my question is, how can I avoid egg and major sources of soy (small amounts of soy lecithin seem to be fine) while at Disneyland next weekend? Is there a list of allergens I can get or find online? Does City Hall have a list, or do you have to ask at each eatery?

I'm considering this a practice trip. The baby will still be nursing or having jarred food/snacks that I bring and know are safe, but since she's getting the allergens through my breastmilk, I need to be careful about what I eat as well to help keep her feeling better. As she gets older, I'm going to have to deal with letting her eat food prepared by someone else, but for now, I know that if I accidentally consume it, the only repercussions will be spit up/stuffiness, not a trip to the ER. Once she's consuming it directly, a mistake will probably be much worse.

 

[SMD]

You have to ask at each place. At CS the manager will bring a notebook of ingredients. At TS and buffets chef will usually come out. If you have any reservations, it helps to note in advance.

 

[dugthetalkingdog]

My daughter(20) has a peanut/nut allergy. She will choose something from the menu then ask the server to check if it is peanut/nut free. She has had no
problems with the staff helping her decide on a dish that she can eat. We have even had the Head Chef come to our table to make sure that what
she has chosen is safe to eat. At the counter service, she just ask if it contains peanuts/nuts. She carries an epi-pen with her at all times now...
Not fun going to ER, especially while on vacation.

 

[SMorgan711]

Just got back from DL on Sunday. Not sure if you've ever been to Disney World (I've been there 15 times.. it was 1st time for DL) but I felt DL was not as allergen friendly as Disney World. At the World, I have no problem finding special items I can eat.. desserts, Mickey waffles, even beignets! The first chef I spoke with had no idea about allergies at all. First he was like yes, there's milk in that then no there wasn't then he came back with the ingredients and I was just like No I do not feel comfortable with this. We ate 2 table service.. Steakhouse 55 and Storyteller's breakfast buffet and those chefs were way better and knew what they were talking about. Disney World also has a master list of items that are available at each place and when I went to City Hall in DL they were very uninformed and unhelpful. My suggestion would be to eat TS over QS. When we ate QS, I just got a hamburger / chicken sandwich and ate it plain without the bun and fries. I was missing the World severely by day 2!

 

[figment_jii]

I agree that it helps to note any allergies on your reservations and make sure to mention it again when you check-in. The chef or someone should come out to speak with you about what you can or cannot eat and they should be able to work with you. As mentioned by SMorgan711, it does seem a little more inconsistent at DLR (compared to WDW). One of my family members has an under-cooked shellfish allergy, but when we tried to ask the chef at Wine Country Trattoria to make sure the shrimp were well done (i.e., needed to be opaque throughout the shrimp), they were unable to do that (they tried, but the shrimp came out translucent both times).

 

[starshine514]

OK! We won't bother stopping by City Hall then.

We don't usually do much table service at Disney, especially right now with the baby - she gets antsy sitting through a whole sit-down meal. Having to ask at the restaurant sounds like it could be a big time wormhole. I mean, you wait in line, get to the counter and then find that there isn't anything you can eat there. I think I may need to pack hearty enough snacks for myself (I was already planning to for the baby) so that if it turns out that I can't find something acceptable, I can still get food for my other kids there and just have a snack that I brought along for myself.

If we do a couple of table-service meals, which restaurants would you recommend as the most allergy-friendly? Any allergy-friendly counter service?

 

[GatorChris]

My daughter has a severe macadamia nut allergy. At place with reservations, it's easy to make sure there's no cross contamination. But I'm wondering about Tangaroa Terrace. Food sounds good there, but I'm afraid to even risk it.

 

[SMorgan711]

starshine, this is exactly what I was trying to tell them at City Hall! They kept telling me that they do not know ingredients and that the best way is to speak with the chef. All I was trying to get were options so that I did not have to wait in line and hope they had something available and that I liked it! I had emailed DL special diets before I went but all they were able to tell me were all table service restaurants can accommodate and to add the allergy to the reservations. As for quick service, they said these restaurants might be able to accommodate.

DL:
Village Haus
Rancho del Zocato
River Belle Terrace

DCA:
Concina Cucamonga
Lucky Fortune Cookery

I did not eat at any of these but I would suggest trying out these options before others. I'm not sure what allergy friendly type foods are available though. For example: I know at DW they have allergy friendly chicken fingers at certain restaurants. I'm not sure if this is a similar situation where they would have a standard allergy friendly item at all these places or that they could make what they already have on the menu allergy friendly.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Disneyland isn't as allergy friendly as Disney world, but if you ask, they can usually help you. My son is severely allergic to peanuts, soy, and eggs. We have found that most restaurants have plenty of egg and soy free meals. The biggest challenge is peanuts because most ice cream and desserts can't guarantee cross-contamination isn't an issue.

 

[HETRICKL]

I was also told that Flos V8 has an allergen menu in place. Also Tomorrowland Terrace should have options for allergens.

Sometimes I have better luck if you call the special diets line directly. If you can get Chef Chris, he's always been super helpful ahead of time.

Good luck. Even if DL isn't is good as WDW, they are still a lot better than most restaurants.

 

[starshine514]

Thank you guys for the recommendations! Honestly, the only one of those on the list that we eat at regulary is Flo's (I'm actually going -where is the Village Haus - is it the restaurant in Fantasyland?), but I'll take a look at the menus online (and figure out where they are, lol) and have some ideas in place. My DD8 has loved mac & cheese for a few years now, so places that serve it are usually higher on our list than those who don't.

 

[Random Ninja]

Have you been to see an allergist yet? It sounds like you're going by trial and error, which isn't the best option on a vacation.

As for allergy-friendly quick places, I've had my best experiences at Red Rocket's Pizza Port, Rancho del Zocalo, and Flo's V8 Cafe.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I've been to DLR many many times but right after my last visit in July 2013 I suddenly developed a fish/shellfish allergy. Since we went to WDW for summer 2014, we let our APs lapse and now I will be going back to DLR with food allergies for the first time. At this point I know more about food allergies at WDW than DLR, which seems strange to me. I now have to find out if I can eat any of old favorites at all! Anyway, just following this thread with interest to see what I can expect. TS at WDW was great, but at quick service I often found myself eating the same old thin, blah theme park hamburger that DLR did away with years ago. Since DLR's CS blows away WDW's I'm hoping I can find some better options. I think we will also do more TS this trip than usual.
Thinking of BB or Riverbelle for F! meal, a lunch at Storytellers instead of Cafe Orleans , and Carthay Circle for WOC. But we will be there a week so I have to come up with ideas.

 

[starshine514]

Have you been to see an allergist yet? It sounds like you're going by trial and error, which isn't the best option on a vacation.

As for allergy-friendly quick places, I've had my best experiences at Red Rocket's Pizza Port, Rancho del Zocalo, and Flo's V8 Cafe.

She has an appointment with the allergist...in April. I definitely feel like we're winging it with life in general with her, I mean, you're supposed to be trying babies on new foods at this age, but I get so nervous about it now that she's only tried maybe three new things in the past month. For vacation, and in everyday life, I want to be avoiding anything that I believe she is having issues with. Luckily, what she gets in breastmilk seems to have relatively minor effects (we can deal with a runny nose and spit up, which has thus far been the extent of the reaction to allergens passing through me to her). I'm not going to be taking any chances with what she consumes directly - that's all going to be tried and true baby foods that she eats regularly. Nothing at all new on vacation for her directly.

Those sound like good options. We ate at Pizza Port last trip, and we eat at Flo's every trip! I'm glad to hear that we should be able to do so again this next trip.

Another question, when they show you the allergen lists, do they break down the individual parts of the item? For example, a hamburger patty is likely egg-free, but if the burger come standard with mayo, will it just say that the burger contains egg, or will it show the condiments' allergens separately?

 

[cgh]

I just wanted to bump this. We are heading to DL in August, have an 18 month old with a lot of allergies (egg, peanuts, sesame seeds, dairy, tree nuts). We have a follow up appointment in a few weeks and I'm hoping that some of those allergies have subsided. (he was borderline with tree nuts, sesame seeds, and dairy). I know that table service is the best, but realistically we could only do 1 a day.

I thought burgers usually have egg in them?

I'm very interested in particular with the CS restaurants. Has anyone had success getting an ingredient list ahead of time? We are at the age where we really need short time at restaurants. Do table service restaurants do take out?
Also, CS let you microwave food -or which ones have a microwave?

This will be our first big trip after the diagnosis when we don't have a kitchen (staying at DLH) He also is very focused on eating what we are eating.

 

[SMD]

They won't provide a list in advance or a list at City Hall. You'd have to go to each CS place and ask before ordering. And, for some special orders it may take longer. If timing is an issue you may want to have someone go ahead and ask to see the ingredient book. For the dairy and egg allergy you could look for trip reports on vegan options. Though it's usually not the kids meals that are allergy friendly. They have started offering allergy menus, but it's top down, so signature TS have them and CS don't yet. There used to be an allergy email contact for TS reservations, not sure if they still have that now that reservations are online, but you could try that. I know there is a microwave at White Water Snacks in GCH, so maybe there is a public microwave in DLH too. No food service location can heat food provided by a guest. You could also see if there's a microwave at the baby care center.

 

[cgh]

okay-great thanks. That's helpful! Perhaps the night we arrive all go to the CS and get a look at the ingredient lists.

 

[Whistlebee]

There is a great Facebook group called Disney Chefs Rock Food Allergies. It is more geared to Disney World but they still have quite a bit of info on Disneyland plus at least one person (I think 2) that are dedicated Disneyland experts who will answer questions regarding Disneyland. I do think Disneyworld has more options for food allergies but we've safely eaten at Disneyland several times with my peanut allergic daughter.

 

[figment_jii]

None of the CS locations in the parks has a microwave. The baby centers in each park do, but access to those is limited to heating foods for infants and babies. I am not sure where an 18-month old would fall in that limitation. You can ask at each of the baby centers and see if the CM on duty will allow you to microwave the food. It's worth noting that I also don't know how often they clean the microwaves, so it's possible that there might be some residue from the previous users' foods in the microwave.

None of the in-park TS locations are equip to handle take out in the traditional manner (e.g., walk-up to the podium, place an order, etc.). You may be able to have your food packed up as soon as it's brought to the table, but that probably won't save you much time because you still have to wait to be seated, order, and then be served.

 

[bumbershoot]

In my experience, the cashiers have the books. I head to the side of the line and ask for the book, rather than waiting to get to the ordering spot. Or send someone during an off-peak time to ask for it.

Another question, when they show you the allergen lists, do they break down the individual parts of the item? For example, a hamburger patty is likely egg-free, but if the burger come standard with mayo, will it just say that the burger contains egg, or will it show the condiments' allergens separately?

I've found that they make copies or just cut out the ingredient list for each portion of the item. I can't come up with an example for Disneyland right now (it's been a couple years) but as a WDW example, for that crazy-sweet apple drink in Fantasyland they had both of the items that they put into the drink itself, separate, then the topping ingredients, also separate. That way if something changes they just take out the list that isn't in it, and replace it with the, er, replacement.

The baby centers in each park do, but access to those is limited to heating foods for infants and babies. I am not sure where an 18-month old would fall in that limitation.

An 18 month old can use the baby center. Or its parents, LOL.


I personally would really just focus on what YOU are eating, and don't freak yourself out by feeding baby solids while at the parks. You know that you are more than adequate for her needs, and it's hard enough to work it out for you.

And there's light at the end of the tunnel, maybe. I had awful egg allergies as a baby and small child, but I don't have them any longer. Had a constant runny nose that didn't happen when I didn't have egg. But now that doesn't happen. I still shouldn't have dairy. It primes me for general allergies (when I'm vegan I'm not an allergic person) and I get the dark circles under my eyes (allergic shiners is what they've always been called). But raw milk doesn't do that to me (not everyone is comfy with raw dairy, but of course the baby is getting YOUR raw milk, so that's perfect). FWIW. Nothing egg or dairy related ever became epi-pen worthy.