My food allergy experiences

[turtlechick6]

I have a son with peanut and egg allergies as well as a husband with a shellfish allergy. I am also a vegetarian. So we are not an easy family to feed. I made four months in advance 3 character dining ADRs for my three year old twins, my husband, myself and my father and his partner. So we were paying for 2 kids and 4 adults at each character dining ADR and as you know character dining is expensive. My father paid each bill and it ran around $160 each meal.

When I made the ADRs I told them of our food allergies and my vegetarian status. I was told we would be accomodated. Well here is how it went.

Crystal Palace lunch at Magic Kingdom: Chef came out and walked the buffet with me and told me what my DS can and cannot eat. The problem is most of the stuff was a cannot eat. So I had to ask "Well that is a lot of can't eats. Are you making him something like the other kids can have such as the mac and cheese that is egg and peanut free?" He said "No he was not planning on making something special for him." So I finally said "Would you please make my son some kind of mac and cheese that is egg and peanut free?" He did and brought it out quickly. I was not pleased though that I had to ask. They should have already had something planned for him ahead of time thus why I gave them 4 months notice to do so.

Tusker House breakfast at Animal Kingdom: MUCH BETTER!!! There were many things he could not eat but the chef came out and walked the buffet with me. Then he offered without me asking if he could make Mickey Mouse waffles for my son that were egg and peanut free. I was so happy he did that! It would not be fair for my son to have to watch all the other kids eat Mickey Mouse waffles and he not get some. So I give that chef an A+ for offering to make something the other kids get for my son.

Garden Grill at Epcot: Not happy with this one either. The chef came to our table and told us what he could not eat which was just about everything on the kids menu-no bread, no mac and cheese. Then when I asked for her to make something to substitute what he cannot have she didn't want to and gave me a little attitude about it. She finally brought out some plain noodles and that was it. So my dad paid 22.00 for plain noodles. Just sad. I was mad about this one and will not go there again. The vegetarian entree was also gross and they put the meat on top of the veggies and potatos so I could not eat those either.

So my overall opinion is Tusker House is a great place for food allergies. Crystal Palace is okay and Garden Grill is a big no no. I will be calling CS and bragging on the Tusker House chef and giving some criticism of how the food allergies are handled. The main thing if we pay so much money for food and call months in advance I expect them to be prepared for us and have the same food for my DS as the other kids get but just make his egg and peanut free. It is not that hard. I do it all the time and I suck at cooking.

I will say that Garden Grill is good for character experiences. We got each character at our table multiple times when the other ones only got them one time a piece. The food though was very bad.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Crystal Palace is known for being either amazing or poor with very few having experiences in between. It's near the bottom of my list because we experienced the poor. I'd love to try it again just because of the chocolate cake I've heard of since DD12 can't eat even the allergy brownies or cookies that are served all over the place but I haven't gotten up the nerve to try again yet (especially since my kids are at an age where they're too old for Pooh and friends but too young to enjoy being little kids again if that makes any sense).

One thing I would like to point out is that I think some of your own expectations lead to your disappointment. Chefs in general will not premake something safe because they have no idea what you'll want. What if the chef at CP had made a special hamburger bun so your son could eat a burger yet he wanted mac & cheese? Generally the chefs will wait until you're there to begin making something so that they can customize your food to your preferences. Yes some chefs are proactive but I'm happy as long as they will actually make something safe. I don't object to having to ask. They're not psychic after all. Yes it means waiting for food while everybody else gets to go and eat. I choose to wait to get my food until my kids have their brought out by the chef so that they don't have to watch me eat while they sit and wait. Our meals do take longer than most people because their food isn't already made when we arrive. IMO it's SOOO worth it. Sometimes you have to speak up. I don't understand being upset because the chef wasn't offering. If he made safe and tasty foods when you asked then I don't understand that not being enough.

At GG, did you ask for a dish of veggies on a separate plate? They should have brought you some if you asked. I'm surprised the chef was only willing to make adjustments to foods that are found on the children's menu. Since the restaurant is all you can eat, kids are supposed to be able to eat the adult options if they so choose. We at there when DD10 was still 9 and she wasn't even offered children's offerings. The chef customized things from the adult menu for her. A chef refusing to make anything safe is definitely grounds for complaint. That's just unacceptable.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Please let us know what CS has to say about your feedback.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Did you contact special diets and mention it on your ADR? I am wondering if that would make a difference? My son also has peanut/tree nut and egg allergies and we have adrs at CP and Garden Grill.

 

[turtlechick6]

I did contact special diets and they were not helpful. They just sent me back a form letter telling me to send them the ADR numbers and tell them when and where we will be eating when I ALREADY sent that on the first email I sent them! So that frustrated me so much I just gave up on that. They obviously were not even bothered to read the first email I sent them where I already gave them our ADR numbers and the times and dates and places of our ADR meals.

It was noted on all ADRs and then I reminded them as well when we showed up.

 

[turtlechick6]

My best advice to you is nix Garden Grill altogether if he is a picky eater at all. They do have meat stuff he could eat but mine were not big meat eaters so then all that left him with was sweet potato fries and plain noodles. He didn't want either of the above. Again we mostly went for the character part which was great there, but it gets frustrating paying so much for food when they barely throw something decent together for him and they had 4 months to plan in advance.

Crystal Palace is better because they do have lots of fresh fruit and the ice cream was okay for him to eat so he did enjoy the sprinkle ice cream dessert I made for him! I was happily surprised about the soft serve being safe for him. Since it is buffet they have tons of options and while the kids buffet was all nos from the chef they did have fruit, cheese, ice cream, and vegetables which he could eat.

I would trade Garden Grill for Tusker House if you can.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I make a point of checking menus before making ADRs. I make sure that there is stuff fon the menu that would be easily convertable to safe for my kids. Garden Grill does have a very limitted menu to begin with. My kids like meats so they were happy with being served meats without sauce. I always go on the assumption that all a restaurant will have on hand is the foods shown on the menu so if there isn't anything there that my kids will like (plain, without sauce) then it's not a good idea to book the ADR. That's why we've never eaten at Biergarten or the England restaurant at Epcot despite their good reputations (especially Biergarten); nothing looks appealing to the kids. The chefs only have so much to work with. Usually we're pleasantly surprised that the restaurants do have other options but I don't go in assuming that they do.

Check the menus to see if there's anything that looks appealing. If yes then go for the ADR. If no then cancel and book something else.

 

[turtlechick6]

There was stuff that looked appealing as far as the kids menu. Crystal palace and Garden Grill had mac and cheese for the kids. DS would have ate that. One of his favorite things to eat. But they did not have any egg and peanut free kind for him. CP made some after I asked but GG just refused to do it and sent out plain noodles which he would not eat. I had to hassle her to even agree to send out plain noodles. She was flat out not wanting to do anything special for him. That may be because of their limited menu but then the CM should have warned me about that when I made the ADRs that this restaurant is not great at making special things.

I am not uptight or picky about food allergies. I usually am the one bringing stuff for my kid without being asked. I don't insist everyone else refrain from peanuts and eggs around my son. Just ask they don't let him get any of it. However Disney World brags and advertises that they are SUPER accomodating of food allergies. So if you are going to brag about that then you need to deliver. Especially for the price they charge. I did not expect quick service to have anything for him and just packed him a lunch. But for ADRs at fancy table service restaurants that brag about how good they are with food allergies I did expect better than what I got the exception being Tusker House which was wonderful.

So I just want to let others out there know, they are not as super about food allergies as they advertise.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I definitely agree that the attitude of the chef at GG stinks. What I meant by looking over the menu is that I make sure there's something EASILY MODIFIABLE to be safe for my kids. Mac & cheese is not necessarily easily modifiable for allergies. That's one food that I always assume they can't make so when they can it's such a wonderfully pleasant surprise. If that was the one food I was counting on, I'd have asked Special Diets specifically if it is possible to get it.

Tusker House and Crystal Palace serve a lot of different types of foods so they're stocked with a much wider variety of ingredients in order to be able to make alternative foods. Crystal Palace also has access to nearby restaurants and can make a quick run to get additional ingredient from nearby if needed. Garden Grill has a very limitted menu and isn't close to any other restaurants (I guess sort of near Coral Reef but not really) so they can only do so much with what they have. I really would only recommend Garden Grill to allergy folks who do like meat and sweet potato fries and plain noodles. I think the chef back in December 2009 did make plain fries for my kids but mostly they ate meats.

The CMs booking the ADRs have no clue what's available beyond how many can fit at a table. Don't count on them for any allergy info. When talking/email with special diets, if you have some specific food you're counting on at a restaurant then you need to ask specifically about that food and it's availability in a safe format. When you have specific questions, my experience has been that they will answer them. I've cancelled ADRs based on feedback that restaurants couldn't accomodate my kids preferences safely.

 

[turtlechick6]

Yeah I think next time I am going to call the actual restaurant a day or two beforehand and ask to speak to the chef if they allow that. That way I know. Of course it could be a non issue by then I HOPE! because DS has almost completely outgrown egg allergy and the peanut allergy is slowly lessening every year! Next time we go back will be in about 4 years so by then maybe it will be gone and he can be just like everyone else. Maybe he will be a less picky eater by then too God Willing!

 

[nfceagles]

That's too bad your experience wasn't better. It's the opposite of what we experienced in February. We ate at LeCellier, Chef Mickey's, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Liberty Tree Tavern, Ohana's, and Biergarten with milk, egg, and nut allergies. Of course with a dairy allergy we have never hoped for a safe mac and cheese. I wonder if returning the form would have helped. It's nice to think they would have transcribed your information onto the form, but since they sent you the form to fill out it's pretty safe to assume they didn't do that. I think they send that along to the chef's a couple weeks prior to your reservation. I didn't ask for anything specifically, but I made some general notes about what kinds of food DS likes.

You might be surprised how good the counter service places are. They don't customize a lot of things, but they have safe chicken tenders at several places and they even made my DS a soy cheese pepperoni pizza at Pizzafari. I tend to go in knowing what each place carries and what I think we'll be safe for DS.

 

[LilyWDW]

I did contact special diets and they were not helpful. They just sent me back a form letter telling me to send them the ADR numbers and tell them when and where we will be eating when I ALREADY sent that on the first email I sent them! So that frustrated me so much I just gave up on that. They obviously were not even bothered to read the first email I sent them where I already gave them our ADR numbers and the times and dates and places of our ADR meals.

It was noted on all ADRs and then I reminded them as well when we showed up.

I'm sorry you had a negative experience, however I have to reply to this. From what I get from the post quoted is that you did not fill out the dietary requests form. If this is true, then there was no way for the restaurants to have the correct information in order to help you. There is a reason for this form as it is easier for all involved for all information to be provided the same way every time. By refusing to do this simply step, you made it harder on everyone in the situation, including yourself.

The dietary request form is what they ask EVERYONE to fill out when there are food allergies or other special needs.

 

[turtlechick6]

I was never sent any form. I contacted special diets giving them all the info they needed in the first email and I got a form letter back saying "Please give us THE SAME INFO YOU JUST GAVE US by email." I think that was lacking because if they had a real person bothering to read the original email I sent they would have seen I already included all the info they needed. Sending it again would have magically worked? The CM I talked to when I made the reservations never told me I had to do anything else besides note the allergy on the ADR which I did. I took it upon myself to email special diets with all the info they needed and they sent a form letter back meaning I could tell they did even bother to read my email.

My opinion is I did my part and I was not impressed with their part the exception being Tusker House and Crystal Palace being passable. Garden Grill was terrible. There is definite room for improvement with their food allergy system they brag about.

 

[nfceagles]

Are you sure there weren't any attachments to any emails they sent you? The form comes as an attachment along with several others. Did you ever get the file telling you where to find various special diet foods like the safe chcken tenders, divvies, soy milk, etc... and what allergens are in the park popcorn, things like that? If you never got these attachments, then I think the blame lies with the special diets department more than the restaurants. Either way it stinks. Sorry.

 

[turtlechick6]

Yes, I don't believe I got any attachments. That would have been useful too.

 

[snorris49]

I'm sorry you didn't seem to get the allergy forms and sheets, every time I've received the generic email, they have attached those sheets (you do have to download them in order to view them). I will say that they have not been doing as efficient of a job since Brenda left, but be persistent. If you aren't getting what you requested or asked, send an email back and be firm. I always say "thank you for sending me the allergy forms and sheets. I already have them and have turned in my allergy form. What I previously emailed about was "x." If you could please put me in contact with "x" that would be appreciated" --or I say something to that effect. I always get it forward on to the place I need it to (sometimes it does take some time).

You have to be proactive about it, and respectfully, I have to agree with my fellow dis'ers on this, if your kids are picky on top of the special diets, it is probably essential for you to plan plan plan ahead. Some chefs are more willing than others, but really Disney is better at handling at special diets than any other place I've ever been (short of Red Robin and they are a rarity in "regular" restaurants). I'm sorry you had bad experiences, and hopefully the next time you are there you will have a better time.

 

[turtlechick6]

My bad. I went back and looked and they did sent attachments which I totally missed. I still did send all the info in the first email though and I don't think they read and noticed that. I am also still not very happy with our experience. I just expected more. Now I know better for next time. Garden Grill is somewhere I will never return!

 

[kventventx]

Thanks for the link to your blog. I suffer from many allergies and it was great to see how successful you were at getting food that not only tasted good but was a fun experience as well. Thanks again.

 

[nfceagles]

I can't say I'll be rushing to GG anytime soon either. At first I thought maybe they didn't have any egg-free pasta to use, but if they brought you plain noodles, why couldn't they at least have melted some cheese on them. I'm lucky my DS is such a meat eater. Those are pretty easy to get safe. Steak, chicken, or bbq, fries and a veggie make a pretty easy allergy friendly meal.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Just found this thread via a mention on the Poly thread. My DD has allergies to egg, peanut, tree nut and banana so I feel your pain.

Mac-n-cheese is the HARDEST staple to find at WDW...ugh. Some places carry the Amy's egg free nut free mac-n-cheese but in my opunion, it is totally disgusting. DD wouldn't eat it and I tried it, yuck! I know your DH has shellfish allergies but I highly reccomend eating at Cape May Buffet at the Beach Club. The chef there is the ONLY chef who makes homemade mac-n-cheese for the buffet. It is egg and nut free and REALLY tasty. It is there regular mac-n-cheese for their buffet so your son will not even have to wait. THe food on this buffet is awesome. They not only have great seafood but also wonderful pork, chicken and beef items for your hubby.

Also reccomend 1900 Park Fare at the Grand. The Chefs there have always been great and make my DD special pasta marinara that was wonderful.

For breakfast, we found Cinderella's Royal Table to be very accomodating making fresh allergy safe waffles with fruit and such.

My DD is not a big breakfast eater so we order poptarts, cereal, etc from garden grocer for the room. Another great tip--order the microwave Kraft mac-n-cheese from garden grocer and request a microwave for your hotel room from mousekeeping as soon as you arrive. The hotels have a limited number of these for use but we have always been able to get one. Otherwise, the food courts all have a micrwave for use.

We tend to eat at more CS restaurants anyway. lots of burgers, hot dogs and french fries--but hey--it is vacation. I have also had good luck with CC's at the Poly as they have safe chicken tenders.

If you are staying near Epcot or visiting, Picabu's cafeteria at the Dolphin has some really great options and we found the staff there to be very accomodating. The fish and chips shop in the UK? Epcot has some great allergy friendly fish-n-chips Also love Pizzafari for tasty allergy safe pizza.

If you go to Universal, I can't say enough about Portifino bay Hotel. They carry egg-free nut-free pasta and have very tasty options at the hotel as well as in the parks.

Good luck on your next trip

 

[girls]

I'm sorry you didn't have a better time. I agree with the others, though, that it takes a lot of pre-planning on your part. We filled out the forms, and everyone knew of our allergies upon checking in. They probably didn't pay attention to the details of your email because the expectation was that you would send in the forms.

We don't feed our kids traditional "kid food" but there were plenty of options for us to eat at every restaurant (my daughter's allergies are milk, egg, pn, tn, sesame & mustard and they are so severe that our entire family avoids them when we are with her.)

We found that with some advance planning & flexibility on our part, Disney was amazing with food allergies. And this is coming from a mom whose daughter rarely eats anything I haven't made from scratch because of the severity of her past reactions. I'm sorry your experience wasn't better.