Gluten Free and Nut Free Family

[suseybee]

Our family is gluten and nut free. A couple of members are also dairy free and I try to avoid soy and food coloring as much as possible. When on vacation, the dairy, soy and food coloring are negotiable.

We are traveling to Orlando in September, but we will not be spending all of our time in Disney. In fact, depending on how our days go, we may add days to our plan. I've read that it is relatively simple to eat gf in the parks, but I'm concerned about reservations. With 4 children, all under the age of 11 (including a 2 yo), and a dh who will be on his two week R and R, things might get a bit testy and I don't know how things will go. I'd like to have things as flexible as possible. How necessary are advanced reservations? We've been on the diet for 6 years now, so I'm pretty adept at talking with waitstaff and chefs and figuring out what we can and cannot eat in restaurants. I also assume that there will be x-contamination at every place we eat it. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the only person who has issues with x-contamination between the 5 of us is myself. ;(

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. Since it is September, I plan to try and take breaks in the afternoon from the parks.

Susie
momma to four girls (11, 8, 5 and 2.5)

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The down side of getting to eat at Disney's popular table service restaurants is the need to plan in advance. If there are certain restaurants your family definitely wants to visit, the only way to guarantee getting into them is to have an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR). If you attempt to simply walk up to restaurants, you're more than likely to hear that there's either an extremely long wait, or no availability at all. At that point, your choices are to try (and probably get the same result) another table service restaurant, or settle for a counter service restaurant. The popularity of the dining plan, combined with crowds slowly returning to their pre-9/11 levels, has made it difficult to have a table service meal on the spur of the moment.

If you try making same day (or even same week) reservations, you may have slightly better luck than trying to walk in. You'll still find it difficult to get a table for the popular meal hours, though. ADRs can be made up to 180 days in advance. Many, many people take advantage of this, meaning the longer you wait, the fewer choices will remain.

I personally hate the feeling we sometimes get that our vacation is revolving around the restaurant reservations. But it's the tradeoff you make for getting into the places you want to get into.

Those are the realities for any family.

For your family's special diet, I'd say you'd have better luck getting accommodations at a table service restaurant than you would at a counter service. This would seem to make it all the more important to have ADRs. Once you're in the restaurant, Disney does a fantastic job of dealing with food allergies and special diets. If you ask to speak with the chef, in most cases, they'll take the time to come out and discuss the menu with you, help you make choices, and give you reassurances about potential cross contamination issues.

 

[Selket]

I'm a bit unclear if you avoid foods because of allergies or for other reasons. Not diminishing other considerations but I'm guess that if dairy is negotiable then if something is accidently cross-contaminated with dairy it isn't a life-threatening situation? Or would someone become ill? I mean do you also avoid items that "may contain" nuts, etc? Or "manufactured in a plant that processess peanuts, dairy, etc"? If so that would mean that many things like bakery and ice cream cart items are out. And counter service would be difficult if all the foods you mentioned are avoided.

My son has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy and we safely eat at many of the WDW restaurants without problems with cross contamination issues. I think you will have no problem at TS restaurants eating gluten and nut free. The other things you mention - like dairy and soy, etc. - could be done as well. It was just unclear as to whether that is a preference or a necessity. I'm just thinking that it will further limit your choices the more foods you ask them to avoid at meals and make sit-down meals planned WELL in advance a necessity.

If you are just avoiding obvious occurance of those foods (things that seem not to have nuts - but no one is going to get sick if they eat a nut accidently) then it will be easier to do counter-service and the like and have a bit more impromptu schedule.

Hope that made sense!

 

[mamaduck]

3 of my family members are wheat, citrus, dairy, and onion free. We aren't going till October, but we made reservations so the chefs can plan ahead of time. We only have intolerances so we aren't too concerned with cross-contamination. I've heard they are pretty accomodating. Good Luck!

 

[Zoemakes5]

Not any true allergies, here, but I would HIGHLY recommend making reservations for when you go. That's during free disney dining and the reservations are going like hotcakes.
I agree that table service is likely to be your best bet. A number of TS are actually "buffet" type, I'd check the menu closely before choosing one of them. Allearsnet.com has a pretty exhaustive list of dining options and sampel menus.
Edited to add:
The allearsnet.com under dining also has a whole section on special dietary needs. http://www.allearsnet.com/din/special.htm

 

[suseybee]

I'm a bit unclear if you avoid foods because of allergies or for other reasons. Not diminishing other considerations but I'm guess that if dairy is negotiable then if something is accidently cross-contaminated with dairy it isn't a life-threatening situation?

We have celiac disease and one of my daughters is anaphalactic to tree nuts. As for the dairy, two of my children get severe diarrhea if they have it over any period of time. This is why it is negotiable.

Or would someone become ill? I mean do you also avoid items that "may contain" nuts, etc? Or "manufactured in a plant that processess peanuts, dairy, etc"?

Generally, though I am more lenient on vacations. There is a brand of cereal and rice krispy type treats that has affected my nut allergic dd. We have also had a situation where she broke out in hives for no reason after eating at a restaurant. I try to be incredibly careful, but I"m also realistic and understand that I can't control every situation.


Thanks for all of your information. I'm currently thinking we will definitely eat table service, but I would like some snack options if I don't bring enough or if one of the children wants to buy something. It may not be feasible, and I understand that, but I want to be prepared for as much as possible.

Susie
momma to four girls

 

[DVCDawn]

My DD 4 is allergic to tree nuts and DD7 is allergic to peanuts.

Here's the advantage of making ADRs: When Disney chefs know when customers with dietary restrictions are coming, they are able to prepare. They can be sure to have gluten- and soy- and nut-free items on hand. Which, as long as you've made an ADR and let the CM know about your family's allergies/restrictions when you're booking them, they can and will happily do. I always am sure to do this and may children have been surprised with special peanut- and tree nut-free desserts.

Have a great trip!

DVCDawn

 

[Selket]

It sounds like each family member has their own allergy - do you usually have the entire family eat gluten free or nut free in a restaurant? I know with our son we only make sure that his food is peanut/TN free. Not that I'd sit next to him eating a peanut sundae but I don't worry about cross-contamination for the rest of the family.

It would probably be easier in some ways if you specify just each member's allergy/avoidance. A can't have tree nuts, B can't have gluten, C and D can't have dairy, etc. Table service meals should be easy enough as Disney is well versed in those allergies.

Counter service would be a challenge I think. If you look at the menus before going (available on this website and others) it might help to see if there are easy choices there for each person. CS places to have a book that you can ask to see which has ingredients. I've looked at them in some places and I'll tell you that if the restaurant is busy it is a SUPER hassle to look at that book. You have to wait in line to get to the cashier to get it then you have to stand there and read it and hold up the line behind you. The way many of the ques are there is no way to get the book ahead of time or to stand off to the side and read it.

I highly suggest that you call Brenda Bennett of Magic Kingdom foods before you go - about 2 weeks or so before your trip. You can do a search here for her number or I can find it if you want. She is VERY helpful and if you want to do counter service talk to her about it beforehand. She has had the head chef of all the CS places in the MK call me. You could make arrangements ahead of time to have something waiting. However that would VERY much obligate you to eat in a certain place at a certain time if you do that. I've also had the chefs at the Disney hotel we were staying (CSR in this case) offer to box up a lunch for William to pick up in the morning if we wanted. (We would have paid for it like a kid's meal). So something like that could be an option too. But you'd need a good size cooler to carry 4+ lunches in to the parks.

Well....some thoughts. I'll say we've always had a good experience at WDW but our eating is never very impromptu.

 

[Selket]

I would think the Itskadoozie bars in the ice cream carts would be safe for everyone - as well as the strawberry bars - but ask Brenda. ALL of the bakery items that I've seen (except perhaps some sugar free brownies) are may contains nuts so all would be off limits. The only bread my son has been able to eat safely there is the hot dog and hamburger buns (peanut/TN allergy).

Brenda will email you a bunch of info - I was just thinking you might want to ask her about things like that.

Good luck!

 

[phillybeth]

We have celiac disease

The whole family? That must be quite difficult. I don't think you mentioned where you are staying, but your best bet would be a vacation home or DVC, so you have a kitchen- that way you can prepare meals and snacks to carry into the parks.

 

[suseybee]

It sounds like each family member has their own allergy - do you usually have the entire family eat gluten free or nut free in a restaurant?

Five of the six of us are gluten and tree nut free. Two of the four girls are peanut free. As a family, we eat biblically kosher. But, you are correct, there are some variables. Since so many of us have dietary issues, I try to make it easier on the chefs by ordering similarly.

I know with our son we only make sure that his food is peanut/TN free. Not that I'd sit next to him eating a peanut sundae but I don't worry about cross-contamination for the rest of the family.

Counter service would be a challenge I think. If you look at the menus before going (available on this website and others) it might help to see if there are easy choices there for each person. CS places to have a book that you can ask to see which has ingredients.

I can see that. Basically, I think I would use counter service as an "if there's nothing else and I'm pretty desperate" option. It's so good to get this kind of feedback so that I know how to manage.



I highly suggest that you call Brenda Bennett of Magic Kingdom foods before you go - about 2 weeks or so before your trip.

I'll look for her name and call her. Thanks.


Susie
momma to four girls

 

[suseybee]

The whole family? That must be quite difficult. I don't think you mentioned where you are staying, but your best bet would be a vacation home or DVC, so you have a kitchen- that way you can prepare meals and snacks to carry into the parks.

Five of the six of us. Actually, we only had two girls when we tested the family. I figured that if two of two had it, any additional children would have an incredibly high chance of having it too, so my youngest two have never had gluten. I expect they will challenge gluten when they get older. My first two were three and almost six when we originally got the diagnosis, so they don't remember a lot about gluten anyway.

Gluten free can be difficult, but it was much more difficult when we also had to be corn free.

I've already booked a condo for our stay. I knew that I would need a kitchen in order to manage the dietary issues, and we aren't able to afford the larger units on property. With four children, small rooms just don't work anyway. LOL

Susie
momma to four girls

 

[erinch]

with food allergies, Disney will let you bring any needed food into the park. Have a doc's certificate on hand, incase they try to confiscate your snacks.