Help, I just want dessert!!!

[DisneyLover2011]

Hi all,

I am a celiac and cannot eat gluten. We will be visiting Disney in September and I have free dining Can't wait!!

But, my question is, what desserts will I be able to get with my table service meals? I am not fussy about fruit, and ice-cream to me is just so-so - I like it, but I don't want it every day. I would really love a great dessert to go along with a great meal!

I have been looking at the menus and some of the dining reviews and it seems my choices will be rather limited. I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me about any great desserts they have had in the table service restaurants.

My reservations are at Le Cellier, Rainforest Cafe, 50's Prime Time, Sci-Fi Diner, Crystal Palace (for breakfast), Liberty Tree Tavern and Rose & Crown.

I was thinking that if my dessert choices are too limited, I may order from Babycakes, but I really don't know much about that either. Can anyone help me??? Thanks!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Most TS restaurants carry at least one gluten free dessert besides ice cream and fruit. The majority carry brownies and/or chocolate chip cookies while some also carry creme brule. Le Cellier is known for their maple creme brulee which I believe is gluten free. Other desserts there have been hit and miss for us but they do also have a fruit sorbet every day. Crystal Palace has a brownie that's different than everybody else's as they make it in-house while most places use the packaged ones by OMG... It's Gluten Free. Liberty Tree Tavern has a fruit sorbet that they serve with fresh berries as well though my 11yo was able to get a brownie there last year as well. Restaurants that have the brownies and/or cookies will typically make a fun sundae for you using those if you'd like.

Rainforest Cafe may be an exception. They're not owned by Disney so they may not carry the typical Disney options. We don't eat there since we typically stick with restaurants owned by Disney (with only celiac, any restaurant should be fine but we have laundry lists of allergies so we're pickier about where we eat).

 

[aubriee]

You might want to call the restaurant beforehand. I don't know if you remember or not, but back several years ago before Ohana started serving their banana bread pudding, they used to have a fresh pineapple/hot caramel dessert. I made a reservation there specifically for my adult son who loves fresh pineapple. Just a week or so before we were to leave, Ohana changed their menu replacing the fresh pineapple with the banana bread pudding, which just happened to have coconut in it. My son is severely allergic to coconut. I called and was transferred to a chef at Ohana, who said they would make sure to have a different dessert for him. I was satisfied with that, so was very surprised the next day, when I got a personal phone call from the head chef, who asked about his allergies, and then he asked if there was anything special he might like. I told him my son wasn't picky and anything would be fine (as long as it didn't contain coconut, mint, or mushrooms, all of which he is allergic to). I then mentioned that I had originally booked Ohana because of the fresh pineapple dessert. He said no problem, that he'd make sure it was available for him and while he was going to be off the night we were dining there, just to ask for the main chef on duty. When we arrived, we told our waiter about it and he said he'd go get the chef. He came back a few minutes later to tell us the head chef had already made arrangements and my son's pineapple was in the fridge with his name and the time of our ADR on it and there was even an extra one made up, in case my son wanted a second helping.

 

[DisneyLover2011]

Thank you for the great information

I was aware of the cookies and brownies, etc. I love creme brulee, so I'm really looking forward to the maple one at Le Cellier! I will probably order a sundae for my dessert at Sci-Fi (it would be super if they could add a warmed brownie)!

The other restaurants I have ADRs at have me stumped though.

When we went to Boma last year I had amazing zebra domes, plus some other nice little squares the chef made for me (can't remember what they were called, but they were really good). And at the Coral Reef restaurant in Epcot I had the wave dessert which is a flourless chocolate cake and it was awesome! These are the types of desserts I would really love - moreso than a packaged cookie or ice-cream. Just something a bit more special that you can't get every day and certainly not where I live.

I had not thought about calling the restaurants directly - didn't even realize I could, so that might be an option. It's amazing how well you were looked after by the chef at O'Hana!

And I am still wondering about Babycakes and how I go about arranging that as one of my desserts at a table service meal, say in the Magic Kingdom.

Again, thanks so much for your help.

 

[dzorn]

yep the GF zebra dome at Boma was great.

Denise in MI

 

[primrosea]

When we went in January we had a GREAT gluten free cheesecake at 50's Primetime. In fact, we found them super accommodating for our gluten free family of 4. We had chicken pot pie, french fries and GIANT milkshakes. Maybe the food isn't 5 star, but we certainly enjoyed the time they put into it and walked away stuffed!

 

[DisneyLover2011]

Gluten free cheesecake at 50's Prime Time sounds awesome - it's just the kind of thing I'm looking for.

I ate at 50's Prime Time in November of last year, for lunch and dinner, and had both the gluten free fried chicken and the chicken pot pie. I thought both were excellent. It isn't a 5 star restaurant, but it is good, my family certainly enjoyed it, and the atmosphere is great. However, I wasn't on the dining plan in November, so I didn't bother with dessert at that time.

Thanks for letting me know about that!

 

[tinkerpea]

Im so pleased to hear that Disney have so many great desserts for people with allergys!
I also have to eat gluten and wheat free it makes life so bland

Creme brulee is my favourite dessert when its done right so im super excited that they can do this plus brownies and ice cream yum yum.

 

[DisneyLover2011]

Yeah Tinkerpea, eating gluten free can be bland. I've been gluten free (& wheat free) for four years, and while it does take some getting used to, I don't mind it so much now. I have found a lot of things I really love that I would still eat even if I didn't have to eat gluten free anymore. Even my daughter, who has no allergies, prefers my gluten free pancakes and rice crackers to regular ones. The really great thing about Disney is how well they take care of you when you have food allergies!

As an aside, I was reading a trip review from someone who was eating gluten free and had the churros at the cantina in Epcot. I would have thought they were made with wheat. We can't buy them in Nova Scotia, where I live. My daughter had them last November and loved them. I would have tried them then, but thought they weren't gluten free. I'd love to have some in September. Does anyone know whether or not they are gluten free?

 

[cynzilla]

You know there is a Babycakes in Downtown Disney???

Most of the places that do table service, of you when your made your dining reservations and marked your allergy will have something to accommodate you. I have food allergies as well and I would suggest speaking to the chef when you arrive, just tell your server.. Last time I went, last year, most places had doctored up plate of an Enjoy Life product, or Fruit, or Toffutti Icecream. Some places went out of their way were Liberty Tree Tavern, 1900 Park Fare, Tony's Town Square to do something out of the norm for the allergy desserts!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/
(that is the link on Disney's page)

Short Story-I made the mistake of not speaking to someone before I went to the Wishes Dessert Party. I sat miserably for the first hour, until my waiter came up and asked me if I was ok, I explained I was unable to eat anything due to my allergies. The Manager came over and asked me my specific allergies, and said "Hold On, he would be back with a surprise" he brought me a HUGE PLATTER ( I MEAN HUGE) of assorted cakes, cookies, pies, brownies. He apologized that some were not yet 100% defrosted as he tried his best, but he made my night. He explained that if i would've spoken to the reservations at the time of the booking, somebody from Disney Diets would have contacted me, and they would've had MORE of an offering for me. I had such a lovely assortment and was truly amazed the Disney had all of this to offer me.

 

[Elitravelor]

We are so excited to see what our 16 year old DD will have for dessert on our trip at the end of the month! Honestly, we almost never get dessert out because with her wheat allergy and dislike of chocolate...there usually isn't much for her to have. She likes the sorbets but would rather have a piece of cheese cake or something "cool looking like everyone else!". So we don't get dessert. Bring on the desserts! Looks like Mom may be gaining some weight!!