Food Allergy Question

[JustAKid]

If we are NOT doing the DDP is there a space to put any food allergies when we make ADRs online?

Thanks!

 

[CynBeth]

Yes. When you make your ressie there is a place to select special requests and it lists some of the most common ones and also has a slot for other. We never do the DP and have people with allergies in our group. The last time we were there a few years ago the person at the check in desk stamped allergy in red on our ticket when we checked in and when we got to the table the waiter/waitress acknowledged there were allergies and a chef came out to discuss what the allergies are and see what they were interested in ordering and what they could do to accommodate. That happened at all TS we ate in for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the entire trip

 

[Hopefully]

Allergies and the DDP are unrelated. Disney has implemented more allergy menus the last several months and many of the common allergies are addressed on these menus

 

[cgh]

Agreed with the others. You can indicate it on the online form and/or call to add it. (and specify the 'other') Also, you can e-mail a form to special diets with your reservations that details the allergies if one person has multiple allergies.

 

[quakechicago]

Yes, but before you go (kiddo and I have some bad food allergies and I have to carry epi pens), call and talk it all over with a CM. They will add your allergies to EVERY TS meal and before anyone can order more than water, the allergy chef will come out and go over the entire menu with you and meal plan. Each meal will take longer, but it is so worth it. Disney is the way all allergies should be treated.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes, but before you go (kiddo and I have some bad food allergies and I have to carry epi pens), call and talk it all over with a CM. They will add your allergies to EVERY TS meal and before anyone can order more than water, the allergy chef will come out and go over the entire menu with you and meal plan. Each meal will take longer, but it is so worth it. Disney is the way all allergies should be treated.

Times 10! Whenever anyone has food related allergies and wonders where they can vacation, I say DISNEY! Worth the pice of admission just with this courtesy.

My DGD had a dairy an degg allergy and for several years the safest place we took her was Disney. We will be lifelong fans just for this.

 

[OhThePain]

My wife has a tree nut and peanut allergy, which we always note on our ADRs. As others have said, the way Disney handles allergies is great. They almost always send out a Chef to discuss the menu with her or will walk her (us) around a buffet to show her what dishes are safe and which to stay away from and they always offer to make her something special if she doesn't see much she likes. The Chef will usually come back out after dinner to make sure she (we) enjoyed our meal.

 

[HelenParr]

I agree with all the comments about Disney handling it well, although we had a glitch in August at Citricos, which may affect some folks: one in our party has sesame allergy. We told the server ahead of time, asked him to check with chef on what we could not order. Server came back not with the answer, but with the allergy menu.

We noted that the allergy menu is of no use, possibly adding confusion, since sesame is not one of the allergens accounted for on that menu. Even after we thought we'd cleared it up, dessert menu was the allergy menu too. Server had significant trouble getting the point. I am sure he was trained to do that -- but it does not fit the situation.

It worked out. But you may need to be vigilant. You can always ask to talk to the chef of you want or are not sure.

 

[JustAKid]

Wow, thank you one and all for your input. It looks like we chose the right place to vacation with a food allergy. I know my DH, who has a pretty bad case of celiac, will be please that he can eat comfortably with the rest of the family (which is an issue even at home).

I just have one more question: how are the CS places with allergies? I understand we can notify Disney of allergies on ADRs but what can one do in the case that they want some CS food? Is it indicated on the menus? Or should I book more TS meals?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

actually, making restaurant reservations and DDP are completely unrelated. DDP is just an alternate method of payment. It doesn't come into play until one is actually at the restaurant (with the exception of prepaid meals eligible for DDP, because they won't make you prepay at booking if you already have DDP.)

You will have to ask at CS. Some of them will have chefs available to talk to. Some will have ingredient lists available. Some, however, will not be able to prevent cross-contamination.

 

[quakechicago]

We do not do QS only TS because of our allergies (we do deluxe dining and that way we get to rest and see the characters at the same time. We run pretty hard at WDW and average walking 15 miles a day so the rest is nice haha). The few times we've tried CS the worry (and the wait) was not really worth the 'convenience.'

We had a huge problem at 1900 last November where the chef really did not listen or seem to take me seriously and kiddo did eat some things she used to be allergic to, but now is more intolerant of. So no epipen emergency but she ended up very barfy for a day or so with massive hives. We missed out on a day that included BBB and H&V, and we had to call the room visit doctor as soon as we realized what was going on, but it sounds like their menu has changed and I've heard from friends that the attitude of the chef has changed (if not the chef) so we're going to give it another chance. Kiddo adores the characters there. I can let you know in a month how that goes

 

[Mainemama]

Like pp, we have found TS much easier to work around allergies. There is always a binder of ingredient lists that you can look through at CS, but in general the CMs are less informed. The manager will speak to you with allergy orders. We had issues with our daughter not being allowed a regular hamburger bun (she has no wheat allergy), and only being given the gluten free bun, because it is the "allergy" substitute, because we requested no cheese. Having eaten the regular bun safely, it was very frustrating to not be allowed to order the same bun. My general strategy at CS is to order exactly what I want without mentioning allergy, BUT my ODD's symptoms are relatively mild, not life threatening, and we are experienced with safe foods/ingredients already. If we try a new place, we ask for the manager.

 

[Nancyg56]

My DD used to ask for an ingredient list if she was nto sure what was safe. AS others have stated it is not as easy at CS to make sure your food is safe for you but they do try. We used to be able to order pancakes and waffles for Kady at CBR becasue the chef was prepared for those items, and she even gave me the recipe so I coudl replicate them at home!!!

You are in a good place for extended safe dining!

 

[Larry Welnowski]

I started a FB group for those traveling to Disney with food allergies called "Disney Food Allergy Group" My son is allergic to milk, peanuts, tree nuts, chic peas, and sesame. We were so floored by our experiences traveling to Disney we wanted to start a group where others could also share their experiences and first timers could gain valuable information. There isn't a better place than Disney when traveling with food allergies. Send a request to join the group if you need some info. Have Fun!

 

[tink9702]

What everyone else said about the process.

DS has peanut & tree nut allergies - bad ones. We felt much safer in Disney than a typical restaurant. At Chef Mickey's the chef steered us away from the entire breakfast bread/muffin section because of cross contamination possibilities & we had to watch out in the yogurt section because of sunflower seeds (often produced in a nut facility) but otherwise DS could eat the pancakes/waffles/eggs/potatoes etc. at the breakfast buffet.

 

[Larry Welnowski]

One note about buffets. We always ask the chef to bring food direct from the kitchen as opposed to risking cross contamination on the buffet. The chef usually walks my son around the buffet and points out what is safe, or can be made safe for him and then brings it out to him direct from the kitchen. The chefs have always been overly accommodating when doing this bring him as much as he wants, usually more than he can eat.

 

[mom2grace]

We noted that the allergy menu is of no use, possibly adding confusion, since sesame is not one of the allergens accounted for on that menu. Even after we thought we'd cleared it up, dessert menu was the allergy menu too. Server had significant trouble getting the point. I am sure he was trained to do that -- but it does not fit the situation.

It worked out. But you may need to be vigilant. You can always ask to talk to the chef of you want or are not sure.

I agree. My allergies are shellfish and mango. I could eat many things on the regular menu that were not on the allergy menu however I could not eat some of the items on the allergy menu. The chef came out and all was well. This was at Jiko. I think the 'allergy menus' are a joke. I also had similar issues at Saana in March, but I don't remember the specifics.

 

[Larry Welnowski]

I agree. My allergies are shellfish and mango. I could eat many things on the regular menu that were not on the allergy menu however I could not eat some of the items on the allergy menu. The chef came out and all was well. This was at Jiko. I think the 'allergy menus' are a joke. I also had similar issues at Saana in March, but I don't remember the specifics.

The allergy menus are meant to be a guide for those with "one" of the top eight allergens. If you have multiple allergies of one outside the top 8, you should always talk to the chef. The allergy menu's work well for those with just a gluten allergy for instance.

 

[mom2grace]

The allergy menus are meant to be a guide for those with "one" of the top eight allergens. If you have multiple allergies of one outside the top 8, you should always talk to the chef. The allergy menu's work well for those with just a gluten allergy for instance.

I found them cumbersome to decipher. At Jiko, all of the allergies were lumped together into one menu and I could eat most of the items on the regular menu that were not listed on the allergy menu.

I don't expect multiple allergy menus, but I think simply listing on the main menu contains: wheat & egg next to the item would be more user friendly.

 

[Larry Welnowski]

I found them cumbersome to decipher. At Jiko, all of the allergies were lumped together into one menu and I could eat most of the items on the regular menu that were not listed on the allergy menu.

I don't expect multiple allergy menus, but I think simply listing on the main menu contains: wheat & egg next to the item would be more user friendly.

I agree, they aren't the easiest to read, but a good first attempt by Disney. Like everything else, there is room for improvement.