Gluten, you won't stop me from eating at Disney!!

[disneyfan'08]

Just returned from 5 nights of gluten-free dining. It was amazing as always with one disappointment. My mom is also allergic to soy. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas and were on Deluxe Dining. We ate at: 1900-breakfast, Beaches and Cream, Boma-breakfast, Boardwalk Bakery, Cape May Cafe-breakfast, Captain's Grille- dinner, Crystal Palace- lunch, Le Cellier- lunch, Mama Melrose, 'Ohana-dinner, Turf Club- dinner, and Yachtsman.

I wasn't planning on doing dining reviews, but if you have any questions about any of these restaurants, feel free to ask! After our Disney World stay, we sailed on the Disney Dream and had some AMAZING gluten-free experiences so I can also answer any questions about gluten-free on the Dream!

 

[momhmmx2]

Just returned from 5 nights of gluten-free dining. It was amazing as always with one disappointment. My mom is also allergic to soy. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas and were on Deluxe Dining. We ate at: 1900-breakfast, Beaches and Cream, Boma-breakfast, Boardwalk Bakery, Cape May Cafe-breakfast, Captain's Grille- dinner, Crystal Palace- lunch, Le Cellier- lunch, Mama Melrose, 'Ohana-dinner, Turf Club- dinner, and Yachtsman.

I wasn't planning on doing dining reviews, but if you have any questions about any of these restaurants, feel free to ask! After our Disney World stay, we sailed on the Disney Dream and had some AMAZING gluten-free experiences so I can also answer any questions about gluten-free on the Dream!

Would love to hear about your meal at MM! THANKS!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Just returned from 5 nights of gluten-free dining. It was amazing as always with one disappointment. My mom is also allergic to soy. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas and were on Deluxe Dining. We ate at: 1900-breakfast, Beaches and Cream, Boma-breakfast, Boardwalk Bakery, Cape May Cafe-breakfast, Captain's Grille- dinner, Crystal Palace- lunch, Le Cellier- lunch, Mama Melrose, 'Ohana-dinner, Turf Club- dinner, and Yachtsman.

I wasn't planning on doing dining reviews, but if you have any questions about any of these restaurants, feel free to ask! After our Disney World stay, we sailed on the Disney Dream and had some AMAZING gluten-free experiences so I can also answer any questions about gluten-free on the Dream!

Oh, I'd love to hear about your GF dining experiences! Please share. You can never have enough GF reviews, right? I'm very interested to hear about many of the ones you ate at. For instance, what were you able to have at Beaches & Cream? I'd love to venture over there but wasn't sure what they had in the way of GF food. Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Mama Melrose and Yachtsman.

 

[Flyerfan]

Me, too. Mama Melrose, Turf Club and Yachtsman especially.

 

[davebon23]

Just returned from 5 nights of gluten-free dining. It was amazing as always with one disappointment. My mom is also allergic to soy. We stayed at the Beach Club Villas and were on Deluxe Dining. We ate at: 1900-breakfast, Beaches and Cream, Boma-breakfast, Boardwalk Bakery, Cape May Cafe-breakfast, Captain's Grille- dinner, Crystal Palace- lunch, Le Cellier- lunch, Mama Melrose, 'Ohana-dinner, Turf Club- dinner, and Yachtsman.

I wasn't planning on doing dining reviews, but if you have any questions about any of these restaurants, feel free to ask! After our Disney World stay, we sailed on the Disney Dream and had some AMAZING gluten-free experiences so I can also answer any questions about gluten-free on the Dream!

Anything you can add about the restaurants you went to would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[disneyfan'08]

Sorry for taking so long to respond. This is my first time doing dining reviews. Hope you find them helpful!

1900 Breakfast was very good. The chef was very willing to make us whatever we wanted. He made us mickey waffles and raspberry muffins. There is an omelet station and lots of items on the buffet were naturally gf (bacon, potatoes, fruit, carved ham). We left happy and stuffed.

Beaches and Cream we actually ate here twice. It was a nice place for lunch. They have gluten-free buns so most of the things on the menu were an option. I had the roast beef sub which was good, but a little dry. Hurricane Hannah's (the counter-service by the pool) has a dedicated fryer so they got us fries from there. My mom had the grilled chicken sandwich which I actually preferred. It was very flavorful and it was a large piece of chicken. For dessert, we had gluten-free hot fudge brownie sundaes which were the highlight of the meal.

Boma breakfast was one of the biggest disappointments of this trip. We've been there many times before and it's always been one of our favorites. My favorite thing was the pancakes. They were jungle animal pancakes and they were always very good. I think they have a jungle animal allergy pancake press. We went there and the chef came out and we asked about the jungle pancakes and she was completely unwilling to make them so we asked for regular pancakes instead. They were just dry, kind of gritty and not very good pancakes. The rest of the buffet was the usual buffet food, nothing special or that stood out as memorable. They didn't have any gluten-free muffins or bagels so she brought out some zebra domes which were as good as always. We will probably return to Boma breakfast, but it's no longer on our "must-do" list.

The Boardwalk Bakery is a must-do for us and we usually go there a few times per trip if staying in the Epcot Resort Area. If you call and give them at least 24 hours advance notice, they can make you cupcakes or muffins. I always ordered the chocolate-chip muffins and they were absolutely amazing. Definitely some of the best muffins, I've ever eaten. My mom had a blueberry muffin which she enjoyed and she tried a banana-nut muffin which she thought was good, but not as good as the blueberry one. In the past I've gotten cupcakes and they have also been very good. The gluten eaters were jealous of our gluten-free cupcakes.

This post is getting kind of long so I'll continue my reviews in the next post.

 

[disneyfan'08]

Since we were staying at the Beach Club, Cape May Cafe was a good choice for a breakfast. The chef made us Mickey waffles and they were cooked perfectly. They had the usual breakfast foods (bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs), but they also had a yogurt bar here which was a good break from the usual. I would recommend this breakfast if you're staying in the Epcot Resort Area, but I wouldn't travel here just for the breakfast.

Captain's Grille for dinner was a good meal with some parts being excellent. We started with the usual gluten-free rolls. I had the grilled NY strip with cheddar-bacon mashed potatoes. These mashed potatoes were the best mashed potatoes eaten all trip. I would consider coming back here just for the mashed potatoes. My mom had the grilled chicken breast, but since the side was gf, she had roasted fingerling potatoes. She really enjoyed her meal and I tried her meal and I also enjoyed it. The chicken was moist and the potatoes were cooked perfectly and just the perfect amount of salt. For dessert, none of the desserts were gf so the chef went to Yachtsman to get us desserts. I had a habanero flourless chocolate cake. The cake was too spicy for me. It was an interesting flavor combination, but I wouldn't order it again. My mom had a sorbet trio which she devoured.

Crystal Palace for lunch was the biggest surprise of the trip. Almost the whole buffet was gluten-free, but I also asked the chef make me some of those gluten-free chicken fingers. I love them and he also brought them out with fries which was unexpected. I also had some of the cinnamon and lemon rice, rotisserie chicken, flank steak, mashed potatoes and some fruit. There are probably a few things that I'm forgetting, but I enjoyed all of it. My mom is also allergic to soy and most of the buffet contained soy. Instead of having her eat the few items that were safe, the chef decided to make her a special plate in the back. The plate was huge and it had salmon, chicken, beef, rice, and a nice assortment of vegetables. For dessert, we had the special allergy free brownie they make themselves. They were delicious and a great break from the French Meadows brownies. Also the soft-serve and the flan were safe, but we didn't have them. We will definitely be back here for lunch.

 

[mclisamc]

Hi, just read your post and would love more info on eating gf on the Disney Dream. We are going in August and both myself and 7 year old daughter are gluten intolerant. I've had positive experiences in the parks in the past but this will be our first cruise. I have read some negative reviews on gf dining on this ship so I'm a little nervous. I was happy to come across your post though and would love to hear about your experience and if you have any recommendations!
Thanks so much for your time!

 

[disneyfan'08]

Hi, just read your post and would love more info on eating gf on the Disney Dream. We are going in August and both myself and 7 year old daughter are gluten intolerant. I've had positive experiences in the parks in the past but this will be our first cruise. I have read some negative reviews on gf dining on this ship so I'm a little nervous. I was happy to come across your post though and would love to hear about your experience and if you have any recommendations!
Thanks so much for your time!

When we got on the ship, we ate lunch at Cabanas. I would recommend Cabanas over Enchanted Garden as they seem to have a bigger selection. When you get to Cabanas and get seated, ask to see the chef (CDC). Just like Disney, he will walk you through the buffet and let you know what is safe versus what isn't safe. There were so many things that were safe, but the chef also offered to make us other food if there was something we wanted. He made me some fries and made my mom some pasta.

The first night dinner I wouldn't expect that much as you haven't had a chance to preorder anything. They have gluten free rolls available at the dinner restaurants. Every night after dinner we preordered breakfast and sometimes lunch and we received the menu for tomorrow's restaurant to preorder dinner.

The quick service area by the pool has gluten free options. You just have to mention you can't have gluten and they will take care of making your special food. They have gluten free pizzas (not Amy's), chicken fingers, fries, they have buns for hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, and there is a nice selection of fruit. Also the soft serve is safe.

My only advice is to speak-up and don't be afraid to ask for things, the worst case they'll tell you they can't do it. If you aren't happy with something at dinner don't be afraid to talk to your head server and let your issues be known. They are here to make sure you have a great dining experience. We rebooked onboard the Dream for January and the Fantasy for May so we definitely have faith in dining onboard. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

 

[disneyfan'08]

Me, too. Mama Melrose, Turf Club and Yachtsman especially.

Sorry for taking so long to reply. Mama Melrose is our favorite restaurant in Hollywood Studios. The chef was very flexible and they have many different gluten free options. I had the chicken pipette pasta. He just substituted the pasta for gluten-free spaghetti. My mom had a four meat flatbread. I think it was new as I don't see on it on the menu on Allears. The flatbread came out as two smaller pizzas (6 inch shells). This was AMAZING! It was cooked perfectly and I loved the pizza crust. I had entrée envy and I would definitely order this next time. For dessert they have a flourless chocolate cake which is delicious.

Turf club is one of our favorite meals for gluten-free dining. I was diagnosed with Celiac Dec 2008 and it was one of the first meals we had on our trip in Jan 2009. Chef Ron is fabulous and will make you whatever you want. He'll ask you what you want/ what you're in the mood for versus telling you what is safe on the menu. Chef Ron is the chef that is usually there when we are there, but we've also experience the other chef who is also amazing. They have a dedicated fryer and I think you maybe able to get onion rings, but we've never actually ordered them.

We started with Buffalo Chicken Nachos. The "dip" was naturally gf, he just substituted safe potato chips. This was very spicy, but very good. My mom had the Turf Club pasta with chicken. He used penne and she loved this. I had the Grilled New York Strip with mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed this. For dessert, I had a gluten-free brownie sundae and my mom had sorbet. The chocolate espresso torte is another dessert option that is different from the usual brownie sundae/ sorbet/ fruit cup.

Yachtsman was very good. The chef was very friendly and most of the menu is naturally gf or can be made gf with some simple modifications. I started with the caesar salad which was very good. I had the filet with mashed potatoes. It was one of my favorite meals of the trip! My mom wasn't very hungry so she just ordered the kid's steak skewers. There were four dessert options that were safe. They had a chocolate avocado cake, chocolate habanero cake, creme brulee, and sorbet. We both had the creme brulee which we devoured. This was our first time at Yachtsman and we'll definitely be back!

If you have any questions about these meals or any other of my meals, feel free to ask!

 

[snorris49]

Wow, great reviews!

I recently ate at Beaches & Cream too and really enjoyed it! I was amazed at how many toppings I could actually have!

Sorry about your Boma experience. I have always had top notch service there for breakfast (They've made me GF/CF bobotie and all sorts of other special things)...Chef Jenny there is amazing, if you ever want to try it again, I would ask if she's around!

Again great reviews! Sounds like you and your mom had a wonderful time!

 

[mousescrapper]

thanks for your enthusiatic and enjoyable food reviews...I didn't read them all but will be back for sure

my youngest DD eats a GF, DF and mostly egg free diet so going out anywhere is a trick...not all of her trips to WDW were we fully aware of her dietary restrictions but now that she is been full on this diet for almost 1 1/2 yrs I feel confident going back to Disney again and again...

we'll be dining just 1 TS during our next trip..so I'll be dealing more w/ QS but happy to hear O'Hana which is our TS meal was a GF success for you she loves fruit, bacon and those Mickey waffles

 

[Wonder2008]

I just found this trip report and I'm joining in.

I'm allergic to wheat and lactose intollerant (I can take Lactaid pills with dairy food, so I don't worry about that).

I find that the value or moderate resort food courts are very easy to eat at, any time of day. The only complaint I have is that sometimes the quality of the GF waffles or pancakes isn't consistent. Even within the same trip, one day I feel like asking for seconds of waffles or pancakes, and another day I can hardly finish one order. A little weird.

I'm not a big fan of the tapioca rolls that were mentioned a few times in this post, but you can pre-order brown rice sliced bread for use on sandwiches. I've done this at the Magic Kingdom's Plaza Restaurant and Beaches and Cream. Other times I would order a sandwich open-face.

I think I've had Chef Katrina at Pop Century a few years ago. One of my favorite chefs is Les. We met him at Pop Century, then the Caribbean Beach, then Chef Mickey's last year. He's very, very good, and a nice person, too.

One thing I didn't see mentioned in this report was quick-service restaurants. I really don't like hamburgers or hot dogs, but I find it easy to eat at places like Magic Kingdom's Starlight Cafe and Epcot's Sunshine Seasons. Oh, and I discovered Dole Whip last year - wow!

Like everyone else here, I'm really happy that Disney does as much as they do for guests with allergies, and I've told them so many times. We tried to eat out a few months ago at a nearby Sizzler and it was not a good experience. The manager didn't seem to want to be "bothered" by us, then took us through their buffet and said "I think you can have this" and "This should be OK". I'm sorry, but "I think" and "should" aren't good enough. We just turned around and left.

Two questions I hope one of you can answer for me: First, does "flourless cake" imply wheat and gluten-free, or not necessarily? Second, I've heard a lot about the zebra domes, but I really don't know what they are. Can someone help me?

Robert

 

[momhmmx2]

I just got back from a week long trip and have to say eating GF at Disney is so easy!

There were times (esp at counter service) where it does take longer to order as the CM's are required to get a manager prior to placing your order. But, I remembered reading about this on the Dis so I ordered my families meals first and paid for them...Then asked to talk to a manager so the kids didn't have to wait longer to eat. This worked great!

We went to several table service restaurants. Rose and Crown, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Tusker House (breakfast), Mama Melrose, and Boma. BOMA was by far hands down the best meal! It was so good and the options so varied for me that we cancelled our reservations at Flying Fish and went to Boma again the next night. They even made me my own GF Zebra Domes Which were (IMHO) better than the original! My second favorite was breakfast at Tusker House, Chef Chris was great! and the Cinnamon donuts he gave me were outstanding

Let me know if you want specifics about what I ate.

 

[davebon23]

I just got back from a week long trip and have to say eating GF at Disney is so easy!

There were times (esp at counter service) where it does take longer to order as the CM's are required to get a manager prior to placing your order. But, I remembered reading about this on the Dis so I ordered my families meals first and paid for them...Then asked to talk to a manager so the kids didn't have to wait longer to eat. This worked great!

We went to several table service restaurants. Rose and Crown, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Tusker House (breakfast), Mama Melrose, and Boma. BOMA was by far hands down the best meal! It was so good and the options so varied for me that we cancelled our reservations at Flying Fish and went to Boma again the next night. They even made me my own GF Zebra Domes Which were (IMHO) better than the original! My second favorite was breakfast at Tusker House, Chef Chris was great! and the Cinnamon donuts he gave me were outstanding

Let me know if you want specifics about what I ate.

If you could let us know what you had at 50's, Mama Melrose and Tusker House and how you liked it. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Wonder2008]

The quick service area by the pool has gluten free options. You just have to mention you can't have gluten and they will take care of making your special food. They have gluten free pizzas (not Amy's), chicken fingers, fries, they have buns for hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, and there is a nice selection of fruit. Also the soft serve is safe.

I'm really surprised that you were able to eat at the quick service areas by the pool. You are talking about the Cars themed area, right? I sailed on the Dream in May and I only asked for fruit plates there. Did you have to speak to a chef or manager or someone, or just the person behind the counter? I'd love it if you could give any more information.

I'm just really surprised because I emailed Disney Cruise Line before we left and they said that the quick service areas won't be able to accommodate allergy requests because of limited preparation areas.

Robert