Multi-Allergy Dining Review incl. BC/YC dining + ASD notes

[clanmcculloch]

Cape May Cafe - Dinner

Cape May Cafe is pretty loud. We were originally offered a table in a little area off the the right of the dining room and in hindsight I wish we had have kept that table. DH felt like we were being put off in the middle of nowhere and weren't getting the atmosphere of the restaurant which is a pet peeve of his. DD13 could have REALLY used the quiet little area. It's sparsely decorated but it's quiet and no nearly as open and overwhelming. We were moved to a booth right near the buffet so lots of people passing by and lots of noise. A booth is also very ackward at a buffet because it's impossible for the inside people to get up without disturbing the outside people. This was a rough one from an autism perspective. The fact that we could smell a very strong fish smell as soon as we walked through the back entrance from by Stormalong Bay didn't help either.

The food on the other hand was decent. I was surprised that there weren't more options for us. DD13 was being very fussy but even with that, she really didn't have tons to choose from anyway.

The crabs and the clams and peel & eat shrimp on the buffet were just simple steamed ones so these were safe for all of us. I forgot to take a picture of them but the chef also brought us a bucket of steamed mussels. The flank steak was also safe for all of us but was just mediocre without a lot of flavour. The horseradish was necessary. The only real veggie option on the buffet that we could all eat was the red quinoa with palm hearts which I liked but nobody else would try (I like quinoa and palm hearts and it was tangy like it had a vinegrette dressing which I also like so perfect for me).

DD11 also grabbed some oyster crackers as she just loves these, though I made sure they stayed on the plate that only she would touch since she can eat gluten and DD13 and I can't. The chef brought out a dish of grapes and sauteed up some green beans as well as she loves them.

For DD11's dessert, the chef warmed up a French Meadow brownie.

DD13 really hadn't eaten much beyond several cartons of Silk and a single slice of flank steak because she was melting down at this point but she did agree to eat her own bowl of grapes plus some Tofutti ice cream. It really was a rough evening for her.

I'm glad we finally got to try it and I'm glad that DD11 discovered a love of crab and it was a decent meal but I don't think we'll be back. There are too many other places we like better.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Cape May Cafe - breakfast

It's kind of odd, but that same seafood smell was there when entering that back way from Stormalong Bay. I understood the smell the night before because there was so much shellfish around but I think the smell has permeated the carpet in the lounge near that door.

The restaurant is a lot quieter for a late breakfast. DD13 was still struggling some and wouldn't greet the characters. She had greeted a few other characters in the parks at this point but wouldn't greet them here. We were in a booth again but this time it was one of the ones that is open on both sides so getting to the buffet and to the characters is much easier. The characters never tried to push themselves on her and were great with DD11. The first character came by just after we arrived which was definitely not working for DD13 so I quietly mentioned to the handler that DD13 is autistic and not ready to meet the characters yet so later she came by to make sure that DD13 had a chance to meet all of them.

The food for breakfast was nice. The chef started us off with a big dish of fruit. We really don't eat melon so we were brought our preferred fruits of grapes and pineapple.

The chef then went over our options and here's what he prepared.

DD13 got Mickey waffles with powdered sugar and real maple syrup, bacon, sausage and breakfast pototoes.

DD11 and I got Mickey waffles with powdered sugar and real maple syrup, bacon, sausage and eggs. DD11 had mentioned that she really likes bacon so the chef sent out plenty.

The chef brought out more waffles and bacon a little later as those went over really well. The powdered sugar was a nice addition to the waffles.

This was our 3rd time eating hear and it was as good as usual. It was too bad DD13 was having a rough time but that's a common theme this trip and no to do with the restaurant in this case. She did eat quite a bit so it was just the characters this morning that she wasn't in the mood for. We really don't do a lot of TS breakfasts because we get the same food at all of them but we do enjoy this one. If we stay at an Epcot area again then we'll likely eat here again.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Columbia Harbour House - lunch

I was nervous heading into CHH because I've been reading some really bad experiences plus we were heading in around 12:15 which is much later than we usually go into any CS location for lunch so I figured the crowds would be horrible (we usually go in around 11:15 but we had just gotten out of our YES class). I was pleasantly surprised by how they handled the line and ordering. There is a regular queue that everybody gets in, though today there wasn't anybody else in that queue. When you get to the front of the queue, there's a CM who will direct you to the cashier with the shortest wait (she keeps track of how many people are ordering at each cash register regardless of how many people are standing there so even if just one person is ordering for 20 people you won't get stuck behind them). This also allows for the rest of your group going off somewhere quite while one person orders if you need to. You need to tell this person that you have an allergy. She will then put you in a line for a register and get the manager. The manager will come over to you with the allergy book while you're in line for a register and review your options with you. He will then tell the CM at the register what to ring up for you and then show you where to wait until your food is ready. I do wish we didn't have to wait up at the counter because we were blocking people from the natural flow of movement but at least people could still get in and out.

The manager did warn us about the wait as he had to bake the chicken tenders and fries for us. They were cooked perfectly. When he served them to us, he asked our girls for their favourite colours and he handed them Mickey straws to make up for the wait (which we were not complaining about in any way since we've come to expect it). I thought that was nice. We all ordered the allergy tenders with fries since we know we like them and figured it was easier than looking through the book for other things that might be safe. Even DH ordered them since he likes the taste of them better than the regular ones and we had to wait anyway. The didn't disappoint. Sorry but I forgot to take the picture until we had already scarfed down a lot of our meals. We each got 4 tenders.

The last time we had eaten here we were using a dining plan and I recall just how frustrated I was that there weren't any dessert options that my kids could eat so we had to get them bags of chips. They've definitely improved in this area as they now carry French Meadow brownies, French Meadow cookies and Enjoy Life cookies. That's major improvement IMO.

I was very nervous heading in to CHH because of some of the recently reported manager issues dealing with allergies but my experience suggests that either they got rid of this guy or maybe he wasn't working this day. I'm just grateful that it was a great experience.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Sunshine Seasons - lunch

We had another good lunch at Sunshine Seasons. We were early for lunch like usual and it wasn't very crowded and we had a very easy time finding a table.

We stuck pretty much to our old standbys with one exception; DD13 decided to try the seared tuna.

I was disappointed with the portion on the sides this time. These just don't seem like full meals to me.

DD11's drumsticks (equivalent to half chicken) with white rice.

DD13's seared tuna with white rice. I don't see how this portion of rice is the equivalent of the noodles or salad but the chef insisted it was the portion he was allowed to serve.

My seared tuna with salad. These were served on the same kinds of plates so I don't see how these are equivalent portions. We're not talking about an expensive side here; salad ingredients cost more than plain white rice.

DD11 was cracking me up with how she was eating her French Meadow Brownie.

DD13 got another Enjoy Life chocolate bar.

Everything tasted good and was safe but I was very much surprised with the portions of the alternative sides.

 

[EvangelineG]

The tuna looks yummy, but wow, that portion size of rice sure does look small!

The brownie cutting technique looks like it required a lot of concentration!

Sunshine Seasons has to be one of the CS I am most looking forward to. What time did you eat for a quieter atmosphere?

 

[clanmcculloch]

I'm pretty sure this time we managed to get to SS very close to 11:00. We usually shoot for just after 11:00 but we often don't make it until closer to 11:30. As you get closer to lunch, the harder it becomes to find tables plus the louder it gets in general. I've never tried dinner there because unless we've planned for a dinner ADR in a park which only happens a few times per trip max if that much, we typically aren't in the parks in the evening. Most dinners are back at our resort because DD13 simply can't cope with being in parks by that time of day.

I do find that riding Living With the Land after lunch is a great way to relax after eating, especially if it was particularly loud or busy during lunch.

 

[CarrieR]

I just wanted to say thank you, so much, for your detailed report. I'm trying to prepare for my trip in a few weeks with my two MFA friends... just praying we get through the week without major incident!

Glad to hear lunch at the Plaza went so well. I think that it was Chef Ken we had in July, too, he was excellent!

One quick question, what type of Enjoy Life chocolate bars do they have? My BFF can have some types but not others -- I think it's dark chocolate and rice milk that are okay, rice milk crisp is not. She can't have the cookies or the brownies (at least at this point in time,) so it would be good to know if there is some sort of option. She's on a severe elimination diet right now, but is starting to work back into more foods... she can now have potato and WHEAT!!! which has made life much better.

Thanks!

 

[clanmcculloch]

I just wanted to say thank you, so much, for your detailed report. I'm trying to prepare for my trip in a few weeks with my two MFA friends... just praying we get through the week without major incident!

Glad to hear lunch at the Plaza went so well. I think that it was Chef Ken we had in July, too, he was excellent!

One quick question, what type of Enjoy Life chocolate bars do they have? My BFF can have some types but not others -- I think it's dark chocolate and rice milk that are okay, rice milk crisp is not. She can't have the cookies or the brownies (at least at this point in time,) so it would be good to know if there is some sort of option. She's on a severe elimination diet right now, but is starting to work back into more foods... she can now have potato and WHEAT!!! which has made life much better.

Thanks!

It was the rice milk crisp chocolate bars at Sunshine Seasons and Coral Reef. Sorry. The cookies were chocolate chip, just in case she can add the cookies back into her diet down the road. I hope she's able to add more food back in quickly. Elimination diets are rough.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Hollywood Brown Derby - dinner (Fantasmic Dining Package)

We had been taking it easy this day and hung around the resort in anticipation of staying out later than DD13 is used to and she was prepared for this. What she wasn't prepared for was the rain on the way to DHS. We got on the boat from YC before the rain started but the skies let loose while we were on the boat. We had cheap ponchose but that didn't help. We got wet. At least our feet got wet. She was wearing socks and running shoes so there was no drying of her feet. She was not happy. It also didn't help that bag check at DHS was moved closer to the gates because, as a CM doing bag checks explained, those bag check stands have these giant metal rods sticking up from them making them huge lightening rods which is obviously way too dangerous once the thunder and lightening start (which they had). We hadn't thought of that while we were waiting there for a few minutes. Sigh..... To make things worse, all sorts of folks were trying to wait out the rain under the canopy in front of HBD meaning we had to squeeze by a lot of people just to get in. DD13 was having a lot of trouble with touch this trip so getting by was very stressful for her and nobody would try to squeeze together to let guests with ADRs in. Add to that the fact that lots of people who were seated were just waiting at their tables for the rain to let up means that the restaurant was running really behind so we had a long wait for our table. It became quite the nightmare for her to be able to cope just waiting to be seated. We had to wait 45 minutes past our ADR time and had gotten there around 10 minutes before our ADR time so that means almost an hour of waiting, with wet feet, at this point getting dangerously close to our normal meal time when already fighting off a meltdown. This was not the recipe for a happy autistic child.

Thank goodness we were seated in a small back corner with only 4 tables in the tiny room. The person seating us actually told us it's their VIP room and that we may even be sitting at the same table where Johnny Depp had eaten. Nice, but what mattered to me was that it was quiet and non-stimulating. This helped.

I get the impression that normally the chef doesn't come out for allergies here but we did request to speak to him because we have so many. I get the impression that servers know which foods contain which major allergens but our situation isn't that simple so we requested a chef. This was slow. Very slow. If you don't have a lot of allergies, I'd give just the waiter a try. Our ADR was 4:15. We were seated at 5:00. We didn't get out of there until 8:10. We ended up skipping Fantasmic! despite having the FDP because DD13 just wasn't coping that well and it was still drizzling and I was the only one who was willing to sit in the light rain for the show. I guess it's probably for the best since it was an 8:30 F! so there might not have even been any FDP seating left at that point. Anyway, be prepared for a SLOW meal. I had heard that even for regular diners they can be slow but holy smokes was this slow.

Anyway, the food was delicious. That was a consolation.

DD13 usually orders chocolate Silk at restaurants but the waiter wasn't sure if they had any. They didn't. The chef sent somebody next door to get some very vanilla and managed to come up with a single carton but she didn't want that after having decided she wanted chocolate (she was perseverating) so I got her some water. Later on when she managed to reconcile herself to vanilla, they had already given that single carton to somebody else so they didn't have any Silk left. The waiter took it upon himself to bring her this little surprise which was nice of him.

I'm glad we asked to speak to a chef because there weren't any appetizers that could be made safe for DD13 that were listed on the menu and DD11 just wasn't interested in the items that could be made safe for her. DD13 was hoping to get the tuna tartar but the chef didn't have any gluten free tamari and he didn't have any alternative to citrus (she's allergic to citrus) so that was out. After talking a bit with the chef, we ended up getting a dish of sauteed mushrooms for DD13 (one of her favourite foods) and a plate of bacon for DD11 (one of her favourite foods). They don't normally have bacon that's not chopped up already but the chef cooked up some slices for her. It really did look like a beautiful variety of mushrooms which was something special to DD13. She loves all varieties of mushrooms and this was great. She LOVED it. DD13 could eat bacon all day so they were both happy.

I got the allergy crab cakes. I did ask if he could make these without eggs for DD13 but he didn't know how to make it hold together without eggs. He didn't have any other kind of binder that would work. I enjoyed it a lot. It didn't look much like DH's and it had a double portion of one of the sauces DH got and the other wasn't included. I loved it. I can see going here for lunch and ordering the crab cake for myself. It's not big but it's YUMMY!!!

For entrees, again I'm glad we spoke with the chef. DD13 and DD11 did not order exactly off the menu. Their proteins were off the menu but the way they were put together and their sides weren't.

DD11 got the shrimp but they were served over a spinach with bacon sautee. She loves spinach so this was her request. She loved it. It may not look like a lot of food but she couldn't finish it. The plates are huge so the portion is deceptive. Those shrimp are big.

DD13 is a steak lover so she ordered the filet. The chef prepared her more mushrooms which made her happy. I asked about the lotus root chips that are served with the tartar appetizer because she's recently discovered a love of Terra chips and wants to try all sorts of different root vegetables as chips so these sounded good to her. Luckily they're cooked in the dedicated gluten free fryer so they were a go. The steak was cooked perfectly, the mushrooms were delicious and the chips while not very flavourful were a hit.

I was able to get the filet pretty much exactly as it's described on the menu with the exception of leaving off the butter on top. Mine was also cooked to perfection and delicious.

The dessert options were similar to everywhere else.

DD11 go Tofutti ice cream over a warmed French Meadow brownie.

DD13 chose the mango raspberry sorbet. She really wanted just plain mango and was concerned about how well the raspberry would go with the mango so the chef sent out a sample for her to try. She loved it; I thought it was just mediocre but I'm not one to mix a lot of fruits. The chef offered fresh berries with it but she didn't want that.

I got Tofutti with Enjoy Life cookies. I liked how he made my dessert look like a Mickey head.

The chef also sent out a box with an extra brownie and a couple of packs of cookies. That was also nice of him.

Overall it was a very tasty meal but I'm not sure I'd go back for the FDP or even a full dinner. I can see going for lunch but I'd make sure it's an early ADR so they don't have a chance to get backed up.

 

[HsvScrapGirl]

Thank you for all the wonderful information on your experience at both Cape May and Brown Derby. I'm still on the fence about Brown Derby. Good thing I have a year before we go.
FYI, that picture of your daughter eating the hot dog puts a smile on my face. She looks like she is really enjoying her meal.

 

[nfceagles]

Great reviews! Thank you so much.

One question: I haven't noticed any Divvies products. Do those not work for your gluten eating DD or do they not carry them any more? Has Disney switched to Enjoy Life to serve a broader allergy set? DS hasn't liked Enjoy Life products very much and the French Meadow stuff I've seen had egg in it. Just curious so our expectations are in check. He loves Toffuti ice cream so he will be fine.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Great reviews! Thank you so much.

One question: I haven't noticed any Divvies products. Do those not work for your gluten eating DD or do they not carry them any more? Has Disney switched to Enjoy Life to serve a broader allergy set? DS hasn't liked Enjoy Life products very much and the French Meadow stuff I've seen had egg in it. Just curious so our expectations are in check. He loves Toffuti ice cream so he will be fine.

Divvies do contain gluten so DD13 and I can't eat them. DD11 can eat them and that's what the chef at the Plaza used for her ice cream sandwiches. She does like them but usually she'll choose the French Meadow brownies over Divvies cookies if she's given the option (just personal preference; she does enjoy the Divvies cookies) but if she'll choose French Meadow chocolate chip cookies over French Meadow brownies when that option's available. DD13 can't eat even the French Meadow products so the only baked good available to her is the Enjoy Life cookies.

I do believe that Divvies cookies are available at a lot of the same places as the French Meadow brownies but we weren't really looking for them very often.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Biergarten - lunch

I was really nervous about Biergarten. It was one of the only two restaurants I had specific questions for and of course it was one of the only two restaurants I didn't hear from before the trip. I was worried that there would be very little my kids could eat and of those things, very little they actually be willing to try let alone enjoy.

The short version is I worried for nothing. There were plenty of options and they enjoyed the majority of it.

Among the options we chose to try were deli meats, a variety of different kinds of sausages, saurkraut, roasted chicken, meat loaf (which is a loaf of pressed meat like balogna, not american style meat loaf), roasted potatoes, german potato salad (which I now how to find a recipe for since DD13 LOVED it), fruit, pork roast, other salads, pickles and I can't tell what else. This is the most variety we've ever had at an all you can eat restaurant and we all enjoyed it.

The chef walked us through the buffet and to my surprise, we could eat well over half of the items as-is from the buffet. I was shocked! My kids actually wanted to try a lot of it too.

None of the desserts were safe for us (DD13 and I could eat the berry cup without the topping but DD11 couldn't). The chef brought out lots of packages of desserts for us.

From an autism perspective I also wasn't sure what to expect. We had an opening ADR so the only wait time we had was waiting for them to open which was great. We were given a 1st floor table and were seated with another family with 2 girls so the dynamic was also good even if the other family wasn't talkative. We had a great view of the show. I was worried about the place being loud but DD13 didn't seem to have a problem with it. I really liked that first seating because the music didn't start until I think 1:00 so we had plenty of time to eat before it got loud and she tends to be happy after eating so she was able to really enjoy the show.

Overall summary is that I can't believe I was ever nervous about this ADR and the whole family has asked to go back. Definite hit!!!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Beaches & Cream - snack

I'm sorry to say that I'm closing out my dining report with a negative experience. We will NEVER set food through the doors of B&C ever again.

We decided to stop in to B&C for a quick snack on our last day because we hadn't managed to get in there during our trip even though we were staying at YC and DD13 was getting upset over unrelated things and I figured a milkshake or ice cream would make her really happy.

We walked through the take-out door and up to the counter. I started by asking if they have dedicated milkshake machines for allergies. The girl serving called over another girl who said that they always use one set of machines for allergies. Great! I order a vanilla shake for DD13 and a cup of chocolate for DD11. I clearly stated Tofutti ice cream and we discussed Silk vs rice milk for the milk portion. They had rice milk there so rice milk it would be. I pay and we step aside to wait.

After around 10 minutes I'm handed the cup of chocolate ice cream and the milkshake. I hand the ice cream to DD11 and I notice a drip down the side of the milkshake cup so I use my finger to wipe it and of course grab myself a taste. After licking the drip off my finger, I take a closer look at the milkshake and notice little black dots. OMG!!! I ask the girl if she used Tofutti ice cream because I know that it doesn't have black dots but the regular vanilla bean that they use does. She responds with "you said only the chocolate had to be Tofutti". Uh, no, we even discussed the type of milk. DD13 starts freaking out for good reason (luckily I hadn't handed it to her yet but she also knows I've tasted it and I can't have milk either). No I'm sorry, she just asks if I want a new one with Tofutti. I tell we have to have a new one or DD13 will get sick. Fine. DD13 is saying she's not sure she feels comfortable with a new one but I try to remain calm and convince her to give it another chance. The next things I notice is somebody else making a milkshake on the machine that I was assured was for allergies. This girl had just filled the cup with regular ice cream. Huh?!?!?! I start trying to find the girl who is supposed to make our milkshake to find out what the heck is going on when I see somebody who I assume was a manager due to wearing regular clothing come out with what looks like a used cloth to start cleaning a machine with just that cloth. Again, Huh?!?!?!?! So much for an allergy only machine. Not only did the first girl mess up, she lied and didn't take allergies at all seriously. I call this woman over and tell her what happened and ask for a refund. She kind of smiled and said of course but then messed up the computer in the process of trying to issue the refund so it took another 10 minutes to get the refund because they had to get somebody else to come over to reboot the computer and figure it out. At least this last woman was appologetic and seemed generally displeased by what happened. Hopefully she gave the others a good talking to. She ended up refunding the whole purchase including the cup of ice cream (I pointed out to her that we had gotten it and it was eaten but she said it was on them and appologized again for everything). I did ask DD11 several times if her ice cream tasted normal (what she's used to for normal; she ate Tofutti ice cream several times during the trip). She never had any problems from the ice cream so I assume it really was ok. I luckily didn't have a bad reaction (some times are worse than others; I hardly had any so luckily I just ended up with some skin problems the next few days and some heartburn all afternoon) but it could have been bad. If DD13 had have drank it she likely would have been throwing up the whole flight home. I shudder to think of it. Thank G-d none of us have anaphylactic allergies to milk.

Anyway, STAY AWAY if you have allergies.

 

[clanmcculloch]

So, that's the end of my dining report. Thanks for reading along and if anybody has any questions, just let me know.

 

[EvangelineG]

Beaches & Cream - snack

I'm sorry to say that I'm closing out my dining report with a negative experience. We will NEVER set food through the doors of B&C ever again.

We decided to stop in to B&C for a quick snack on our last day because we hadn't managed to get in there during our trip even though we were staying at YC and DD13 was getting upset over unrelated things and I figured a milkshake or ice cream would make her really happy.

We walked through the take-out door and up to the counter. I started by asking if they have dedicated milkshake machines for allergies. The girl serving called over another girl who said that they always use one set of machines for allergies. Great! I order a vanilla shake for DD13 and a cup of chocolate for DD11. I clearly stated Tofutti ice cream and we discussed Silk vs rice milk for the milk portion. They had rice milk there so rice milk it would be. I pay and we step aside to wait.

After around 10 minutes I'm handed the cup of chocolate ice cream and the milkshake. I hand the ice cream to DD11 and I notice a drip down the side of the milkshake cup so I use my finger to wipe it and of course grab myself a taste. After licking the drip off my finger, I take a closer look at the milkshake and notice little black dots. OMG!!! I ask the girl if she used Tofutti ice cream because I know that it doesn't have black dots but the regular vanilla bean that they use does. She responds with "you said only the chocolate had to be Tofutti". Uh, no, we even discussed the type of milk. DD13 starts freaking out for good reason (luckily I hadn't handed it to her yet but she also knows I've tasted it and I can't have milk either). No I'm sorry, she just asks if I want a new one with Tofutti. I tell we have to have a new one or DD13 will get sick. Fine. DD13 is saying she's not sure she feels comfortable with a new one but I try to remain calm and convince her to give it another chance. The next things I notice is somebody else making a milkshake on the machine that I was assured was for allergies. This girl had just filled the cup with regular ice cream. Huh?!?!?! I start trying to find the girl who is supposed to make our milkshake to find out what the heck is going on when I see somebody who I assume was a manager due to wearing regular clothing come out with what looks like a used cloth to start cleaning a machine with just that cloth. Again, Huh?!?!?!?! So much for an allergy only machine. Not only did the first girl mess up, she lied and didn't take allergies at all seriously. I call this woman over and tell her what happened and ask for a refund. She kind of smiled and said of course but then messed up the computer in the process of trying to issue the refund so it took another 10 minutes to get the refund because they had to get somebody else to come over to reboot the computer and figure it out. At least this last woman was appologetic and seemed generally displeased by what happened. Hopefully she gave the others a good talking to. She ended up refunding the whole purchase including the cup of ice cream (I pointed out to her that we had gotten it and it was eaten but she said it was on them and appologized again for everything). I did ask DD11 several times if her ice cream tasted normal (what she's used to for normal; she ate Tofutti ice cream several times during the trip). She never had any problems from the ice cream so I assume it really was ok. I luckily didn't have a bad reaction (some times are worse than others; I hardly had any so luckily I just ended up with some skin problems the next few days and some heartburn all afternoon) but it could have been bad. If DD13 had have drank it she likely would have been throwing up the whole flight home. I shudder to think of it. Thank G-d none of us have anaphylactic allergies to milk.

Anyway, STAY AWAY if you have allergies.

I am so glad that neither of you got sick! That is terrifying from an anaphylactic allergy perspective! Glad the rest of your trip was safer.

 

[Minnie]

Wow sorry to read about your scary experience at B&C

Thankfully we've had very good luck though it takes a very very long time to be served. I've never tried for a milkshake - only a scoop or rice dream that I see them scoop but I've always thought about asking for milkshake.....