food allergies

[gregb]

Hi! We're planning our first trip to Disney, and one of our kids has a whole laundry list of food allergies. Does anyone know if they can make accommodations or if there are lists of restaurants in the park that can? thx.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I'm sure someone can help you with more specific info. but to get you started: go to the disABILITIES forum on this board and look under the disABILITIES FAQ which is a sticky at the top. If you scroll down quite a ways to Diets, there is tons of info. on food allergies and who to contact at Disney about this.

 

[mom2meiko]

just one of many things that disney excels at - accommodating dietary issues. you might have some trouble at counter service restaurants although they will do their best to accommodate you. table service restaurants are amazing though. i have dietary issues myself. we make ressies in advance and note the dietary issues at that point. it's then noted on my ressie when we check in and they ask the chef to come out and speak to me before taking any orders. we discuss the dishes available, ingredients and what my issues are. we then discuss what my likes and dislikes are and they usually come up with something amazing for me. even the buffets - they will come out and go over all of the items in the buffet. if there isn't something on the menu that i can eat, they make me something special. they are really great about it 95% of the time. there is always the occasional crabby chef but that's not very common and most seem to enjoy the opportunity to be creative.

 

[Nancyg56]

Disney rocks at accomodating food allergies. We never could take my DGD anywhere else for an extended stay becasue there simply was not enough for her to eat anywhere elsse. We never encountered a Chef who could not or would not help DGD have a good meal and there was always a choice for dessert. The Chef at Shutters told us that Disney Chefs are trained in 40 different food allergies adn she explained how they keep the food safe for their guests. I would reccomend heading tot eh DISabilities forum. Those folks are knowledgeble and will help you.

 

[happymommy]

Disney is wonderful for people with food allergies! My DS is severely allergic to eggs, and can (now, thankfully) have very limited dairy (like if it's in a bread now he can tolerate a small amount, he's outgrowing it now). When we first took him to Disney at 3, he was also allergic to sesame and peanuts (he outgrew those, and I'm glad we get his blood tested annually). I am glad about the dairy, as Wonder Bread a few years ago started adding dairy to ALL their breads. I forgot to read the label (you have to each time you buy something, as they change ingredients occasionally) and he reacted to buns once. UGH. Well, most of Disney's buns come from Interstate bakery, which makes Wonder bread. So if you avoid dairy, find out about the buns at the counter service places. They do have kaiser rolls sometimes that are dairy and egg free.

The counter service places usually have a binder with ingredients of all their foods. Just ask when ordering. They have been so helpful with substitutions for my DS. The only places to be cautious seem to be some of the country pavilions in Epcot world showcase. At the table service restaurants, mention food allergy when making a reservation. They will have a chef come speak to you personally at your table. My son was thrilled that they could make him so many things. When he was young, we would still sometimes order him adult items. We were so thrilled to have him be able to enjoy so many great meals.

We've been many places with our kids, but I keep loving to go back to Disney. This is one draw for me - the care they place on dietary issues.

We did Universal once, and stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel. They were not helpful at all with dietary needs. I would rather not go back there again.

It is helpful also to look at menus at allears.net. That can help give an idea of the types of options you'll have.

 

[Saratoga Goofy]

My niece also has food allergies. Every time they went to a restaurant, they always asked to speak to the chef. The chef always greeted them and went out of their way to make accommodations. Grand Floridian Cafe is extremely accommodating.

 

[Keri]

We've had a great experience!! Almost too good, my son thinks because the first year we went we did sort of our normal assumptions about what he could & couldn't eat (he's allergic to eggs & peanuts) and gave him the chicken nuggets (but now they say they might contain egg). He was able to get soy milk (he *could* drink regular, but still doesn't like it) at table service restaurants.

The second year, a family we ate with a few times noted their son's allergies on the reservations and the chef was amazing, so we asked to speak to them at our subsequent meals. This year we noted them on our reservations & the hostess & wait staff always made sure that we spoke to the chef before we ordered. It was great. They brought special food for him at some meals, made egg free mickey waffles @ Chef Mickeys, had Vans waffles @ Crystal Palace, and even made egg free stuff for my one year old who wasn't paying (she's also allergic to eggs).

 

[pitterpat]

We have peanut, tree nut, and dairy allergies. Disney is awesome, as others have said. Here is the contact person to help you:

> Brenda Bennett
>
> Executive Correspondent
>
> Special Dietary Requests
>
> 407-824-5967

Enjoy!

 

[ekatiel]

Like everyone else has said-- you made the right vacation choice for a food allergic kiddo! Disney is the THE BEST when it comes to food allergies. If you go to the DISabilities board and look at their FAQs, they have an email address to email special diets. They will send you lists of safe foods in the parks and lists of specialty foods that Disney carries for those with food allergies or other dietary restrictions (they carry a TON of things you wouldn't expect like gluten free pizza, pasta, egg replacer, gluten free chicken nuggets, enjoy life cookies, divvies, etc!!). The lists they send you will show which restaurants and counter service places carry which specialty items. You MUST put 'Ohana on your list of sit-down places to eat (make ressies early-- 6 months out-- b/c it's popular). Chef TJ at 'Ohana made my little man the BEST meal of his LIFE!! He is AWESOME!! Here's a pic of DS (who at the time was allergic to wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, barley, and rye) with the awesome dessert chef TJ made him:

Have a great trip! Just make sure to email special diets and note the allergies on all your reservations! When you get to a counter service place, tell then you have food allergies and they will send the manager out with a binder of all the ingredients. At sit down places, remind them again about the allergies when you are being seated (they will usually already have it noted)-- they will send the chef out who will take care of you. The chef will personally bring out your little one's food each time.--Katie

 

[gregb]

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[thenewgirl]

Warning...possibly a silly question... Will they send me info and try to help out if I am staying off-site?

 

[ekatiel]

Warning...possibly a silly question... Will they send me info and try to help out if I am staying off-site?

Not a silly question! Yes, they will help you as long as you plan on eating somewhere on property (which is pretty much inevitible )! --Katie

 

[amylynne01]

I didn't ask this question, but I'm glad someone did. My youngest has a milk allergy, so it's good to know that we can easily find food for her to eat next year. Thanks OP for asking!

 

[thenewgirl]

Not a silly question! Yes, they will help you as long as you plan on eating somewhere on property (which is pretty much inevitible )! --Katie

Thanks, Katie! You are right that we will not be able to avoid eating on property (and wouldn't want to!!!...too much yummy stuff!). We are not doing any of our tickets or accommodations through Disney, but we want to be able to access the info and decide what is safe for our DD who is severely allergic to nuts (and mildly allergic to eggs). Not much would ruin a day at Disney like a deadly food allergy reaction!

 

[jacksmomma]

DS is lactose intolerant and I am a vegetarian. When I made our dining ressies I called all of the restaurants and spoke with the chefs. They were wonderful! All were more than happy to help me. Several made special meals for me that were amazing! I cannot tell you how nice it was to sit down at breakfast and be able to let DS have milk (soy milk) without having to bring it with us.

 

[livndisney]

I didn't ask this question, but I'm glad someone did. My youngest has a milk allergy, so it's good to know that we can easily find food for her to eat next year. Thanks OP for asking!

FYI-Soy milk-Silk, rice dream and tofutti (ice cream) are available at many places on property.

 

[U2_rocks!]

To show you how good they are at WDW, my Dad, who is allergic to ALL seasonings (except salt), was made an amazing special meal at BOMA of all places! It was a fantastic presentation, and very tasty he said! The chef also pointed out the few things on the buffet that would be safe, but there were very few items, which is why the chef told him not to worry, he would whip up something special. We were very impressed.