Food Allergies/ Intolerance/ Celiac

[philharmagic fan]

The only bad reaction DH had (intestinal upset due to celiac disease) was caused by a supposedly gluten-friendly item from a food booth at an Epcot festival. I have a friend in food service at Disney who pointed out that the prep areas in those booths are TINY, and cross-contamination is much harder to avoid than in an actual kitchen. Absolutely no problems at QS or TS on multiple trips.

 

[hsmamato2]

As someone who has gone to WDW many times with many severe allergies, I never go by that allergy guide at the bottom of menus. It's not trustworthy enough. As others have mentioned there are binders with ingredients at stands, restaurants etc. Always let the location know of your allergies, and if you are at sit down restaurants (aka non-quick service): Ask to have the chef come to your table and go over things with you and they can make suggestions of what can be done with your meal with your allergies in mind.
At quick service ask for manager so they can go over the binder with you and help you choose a safe meal.

Good luck!

Usually at any disney restaurant, if you note to server or cashier that it's a true allergy (very different from sensitivity etc, I raised a kid to adulthood with a severe allergy) They usually MUST call in a manager or chef to go over your choices with you, to protect themselves and the customer. (I myself have sensitivities,so I always call it a "preference" since it's not life and death) Disney (in most cases) is the best for allergy situations.

 

[mistysue]

Usually at any disney restaurant, if you note to server or cashier that it's a true allergy (very different from sensitivity etc, I raised a kid to adulthood with a severe allergy) They usually MUST call in a manager or chef to go over your choices with you, to protect themselves and the customer. (I myself have sensitivities,so I always call it a "preference" since it's not life and death) Disney (in most cases) is the best for allergy situations.

That has changed a bit - at QS most locations call the manager, but depending on the cashier may resists if it's only 1 allergy.

If you hit 2 allergies our experience is QS needs a manager.

At TS, it's been the issue for a few years that many of the servers resist now. I think the magic number not to argue about it is something like 3-4 allergens. We have one person who is down to 5, so I've actually experimented by starting out with his list of 5 vs starting with my list of 2. If I give his list, they just say "hold on."

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

Usually at any disney restaurant, if you note to server or cashier that it's a true allergy (very different from sensitivity etc, I raised a kid to adulthood with a severe allergy) They usually MUST call in a manager or chef to go over your choices with you, to protect themselves and the customer. (I myself have sensitivities,so I always call it a "preference" since it's not life and death) Disney (in most cases) is the best for allergy situations.

I know this but thanks for re-iterating it for others.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I had a really tough time with just avoiding sodium and ended up going to First Watch every day, ordering custom unseasoned lunch with sauces to the side and eating in the car.

If you can get to the Whole Foods or Trader Joes near there you might be able to gather enough to keep as backup, both have a massive variety for dietary requirements. Whole Foods has organic plain roast chickens & offers meals you can pick from the case at around $15 each and that plus a few fresh items can easily be a whole meal.

 

[WLWildlife]

We have a peanut/tree nut allergy, so I only have to check for those items. So far, nothing has changed that would impact eating.
I do appreciate those binders, because they list everything and also use color coding to bring your attention to the top allergens.

Good luck and have fun!

We have this also, plus several others. I don't remember the color coding from the last time I looked at a binder. Thank you!

 

[WLWildlife]

I'd only go with whatever is officially from Disney.

Just wanted to toss in that last festival (in May) there was an allergy guide to the foods at the festival booths in Epcot that was accessible through the app. That was the first time (for me) that I'd seen that! My younger son (adult now) has life threatening allergies to some foods. SO much nicer than having to ask for the binder. Just made me curious if they've added allergies guides for things like the MNSSHP to the app, etc.

I wonder if you choose the mobile order option on your phone if it shows the allergy menus for each restaurant? Seems like I've done that to look through things. If you're looking particularly for snacks - you may still need to ask for the binder.

Mobile order does have allergy menu for those locations that offer it. Unfortunately, they don't allow you filter out more than one allergy. It would be awesome if they had a guide for MNSSHP! We are going to our first one.

 

[WLWildlife]

I would trust Safe Disney Food. She posts on her website with frequent updates on Disney food/snacks/drinks and covers all the top allergies. She also posts that while her information is mostly up to date, she suggests that you double check when ordering.

https://mouseearmemories.com/?fbcli...3YiTOhBi714M1tRm8Yg_aem_dCwrtWb25mhDGANf__F6R

Thank you! I will check it out!

 

[WLWildlife]

Absolutely we have lost and gained foods due to ingredient changes. We have even had times when a food was safe on Monday, and when we went back Wednesday it was a different product. You have to talk to someone EVERY time, even within the same trip.

This is good information. Thank you!

 

[WLWildlife]

The only bad reaction DH had (intestinal upset due to celiac disease) was caused by a supposedly gluten-friendly item from a food booth at an Epcot festival. I have a friend in food service at Disney who pointed out that the prep areas in those booths are TINY, and cross-contamination is much harder to avoid than in an actual kitchen. Absolutely no problems at QS or TS on multiple trips.

More good information! Thank you!

 

[WLWildlife]

Usually at any disney restaurant, if you note to server or cashier that it's a true allergy (very different from sensitivity etc, I raised a kid to adulthood with a severe allergy) They usually MUST call in a manager or chef to go over your choices with you, to protect themselves and the customer. (I myself have sensitivities,so I always call it a "preference" since it's not life and death) Disney (in most cases) is the best for allergy situations.

Good information again! I knew to alert of allergies, but did not know they MUST call chief.

 

[WLWildlife]

That has changed a bit - at QS most locations call the manager, but depending on the cashier may resists if it's only 1 allergy.

If you hit 2 allergies our experience is QS needs a manager.

At TS, it's been the issue for a few years that many of the servers resist now. I think the magic number not to argue about it is something like 3-4 allergens. We have one person who is down to 5, so I've actually experimented by starting out with his list of 5 vs starting with my list of 2. If I give his list, they just say "hold on."

This is good to know. Not sure which one of us has more.

 

[WLWildlife]

I had a really tough time with just avoiding sodium and ended up going to First Watch every day, ordering custom unseasoned lunch with sauces to the side and eating in the car.

If you can get to the Whole Foods or Trader Joes near there you might be able to gather enough to keep as backup, both have a massive variety for dietary requirements. Whole Foods has organic plain roast chickens & offers meals you can pick from the case at around $15 each and that plus a few fresh items can easily be a whole meal.

I think I can have Whole Foods delivered through my Amazon subscription. It is not available in my area.

 

[WLWildlife]

I just want to thank everyone for posting and sharing their experiences and knowledge. I appreciate the input and reminder to continue to follow the rules and procedures that we have in place at home while on vacation.

And I will add that we should all be carrying two epi-pens at all times if they have been prescribed to us.

And thank you for making this a safe place to share.

 

[mistysue]

This is good to know. Not sure which one of us has more.

Not sure if you shared exactly what your allergens are - but I'm going to throw this out there just in case you've had the thought. The reason the allergy mobile orders can only handle one allergen is sometimes the "allergy safe bun" for egg and the "allergy safe bun" for milk are different. (insert any two allergens, same result may happen) So when you place that mobile order, they might modify in a way that makes it safe for allergen A, but that same modification added allergen B, which they didn't know you couldn't do.

A good dose of paranoia is always helpful when ordering. Also, they don't tell people this until AFTER it comes up, but if you try to order at Pinnochio, the pagers they give you to let you know when your allergy order is done DON'T WORK near the windows where you overlook the ride. We sat there for close to 2 hours one time. After about 45 minutes I started going up and checking because it surely had taken too long, and they kept saying "if they pager didn't go off, it's not ready" - but then eventually when I got mad the girl was like "well obviously the pagers don't work in the room by the windows!" At this point they were prepping to close and she was like "oh, yeah, yours was up here like an hour ago but you never came back." First time for everything, I hope to prevent that nightmare for others.

 

[WLWildlife]

Not sure if you shared exactly what your allergens are - but I'm going to throw this out there just in case you've had the thought. The reason the allergy mobile orders can only handle one allergen is sometimes the "allergy safe bun" for egg and the "allergy safe bun" for milk are different. (insert any two allergens, same result may happen) So when you place that mobile order, they might modify in a way that makes it safe for allergen A, but that same modification added allergen B, which they didn't know you couldn't do.

A good dose of paranoia is always helpful when ordering. Also, they don't tell people this until AFTER it comes up, but if you try to order at Pinnochio, the pagers they give you to let you know when your allergy order is done DON'T WORK near the windows where you overlook the ride. We sat there for close to 2 hours one time. After about 45 minutes I started going up and checking because it surely had taken too long, and they kept saying "if they pager didn't go off, it's not ready" - but then eventually when I got mad the girl was like "well obviously the pagers don't work in the room by the windows!" At this point they were prepping to close and she was like "oh, yeah, yours was up here like an hour ago but you never came back." First time for everything, I hope to prevent that nightmare for others.

I did not know this! I'm sorry that you experienced this. That had to have been frustrating. Very unmagical! Thank you for sharing.
I am avoiding milk and gluten as my big 2, but I have trouble with most grains so I generally avoid "breads and pasta" dishes in general. That also rules out anything breaded or deep fried because most places use corn oil and rice flour. I can't have fish, tomatoes, peppers, banana, melons, citrus, and some leafy greens.
My DD is allergic to peanuts, tree nut, sesame, egg, many fresh vegetables and fruit, but can consume if cooked.
Basic food dishes are usually fine for us, but fancy meals or dishes with more ingredients is usually where issues arise.

Thank you for sharing your experience for the benefit of the rest of us.

 

[Donald - my hero]

disney is able to handle this massive list of mine and i actually gained weight on our last trip- that's amazing because food is just basically fuel to me, and i will often neglect to eat at home because it's danged right boring!
as everyone else mentioned, if you have more than one single allergen to avoid, those allergy menus are not your friend! Even then, you're still better off to ask to speak with a chef at a sit down location, the team lead at counter service (usually the one walking around with an iPad) and ask to see the binder at any cart/ kiosk. A burger might be safe by leaving of the cheese that's standard and a salad might be safe if they swap out the dressing.

Never downplay your issues, be upfront with the culinary team about your level of acceptable cross contamination (are you ok with label that say "may contain" do you need things like glove changes or separate cooking methods - I need my food to stay off shared grills!)
Some of my reactions are minor but others are life threatening, I just hand over my card and leave it at that - I can't risk being treated like a picky adult

 

[mistysue]

disney is able to handle this massive list of mine and i actually gained weight on our last trip- that's amazing because food is just basically fuel to me, and i will often neglect to eat at home because it's danged right boring!
as everyone else mentioned, if you have more than one single allergen to avoid, those allergy menus are not your friend! Even then, you're still better off to ask to speak with a chef at a sit down location, the team lead at counter service (usually the one walking around with an iPad) and ask to see the binder at any cart/ kiosk. A burger might be safe by leaving of the cheese that's standard and a salad might be safe if they swap out the dressing.

Never downplay your issues, be upfront with the culinary team about your level of acceptable cross contamination (are you ok with label that say "may contain" do you need things like glove changes or separate cooking methods - I need my food to stay off shared grills!)
Some of my reactions are minor but others are life threatening, I just hand over my card and leave it at that - I can't risk being treated like a picky adult

View attachment 883274

For some reason I love that you list states "cow dairy" - that is such a common question when people say dairy if they mean all animals vs cow, specifying it like that is so smart!

 

[Donald - my hero]

For some reason I love that you list states "cow dairy" - that is such a common question when people say dairy if they mean all animals vs cow, specifying it like that is so smart!

I added the word COW after a bad reaction from Sheep's milk cheese. I should have been more diligent with my questions to the chef when I noticed a different flavour profile - my diet is so bland and to find something with a kick was intriguing and I wanted to locate it at home. It kinda went in one ear and out the other until I needed to open my rescue meds later that day for the first time in YEARS. A quick google search of the name he gave me had me smacking my forehead, duh, lamb is a big issue for me so, of course, sheep's milk would be as well. Why would I feel the need to do that while at the table???

Just another example of needing to trust our instincts when eating out, if things look odd, smell different, have a different mouth feel or taste, perhaps they're not safe for us. That needs to be repeated over and over, if you don't feel comfortable eating what's placed in front of you, DON'T EAT IT!

 

[mistysue]

I added the word COW after a bad reaction from Sheep's milk cheese. I should have been more diligent with my questions to the chef when I noticed a different flavour profile - my diet is so bland and to find something with a kick was intriguing and I wanted to locate it at home. It kinda went in one ear and out the other until I needed to open my rescue meds later that day for the first time in YEARS. A quick google search of the name he gave me had me smacking my forehead, duh, lamb is a big issue for me so, of course, sheep's milk would be as well. Why would I feel the need to do that while at the table???

Just another example of needing to trust our instincts when eating out, if things look odd, smell different, have a different mouth feel or taste, perhaps they're not safe for us. That needs to be repeated over and over, if you don't feel comfortable eating what's placed in front of you, DON'T EAT IT!

My son has always had amazing senses like that. His "spidey sense" that something wasn't right has no doubt saved him ER trips as we've starting asking way too many follow up questions only to figure out they were needed. I was always amazed when it would come up with breadings for him- he was top 9 free, and one time something came and his immediate response to looking/smelling was "this is way too cohesive to be mine." (gluten/soy/egg free usually crumbles like powder) and sure enough, a chef had used a soy based bread saying "he's allergic to soy but this is only soy flour."

He had one time he ate something was just too good, and he made that observation, then I could see the possible explanation dawn on him as he paused eating about 2 minutes before telling me it was time for his epi pen - this was a then 7 year old.