Peanut allergy experiences needed...

[Zoebear]

Hey there
We're heading to the World at the end of May. Our DS (3) is severely allergic to peanuts ...
I've looked at the FAQ on this and emailed Brenda, but I'm looking for some everyday stories /advice from people dealing with peanut allergy at the parks...esp in counter service situations, DTD and Port Orleans Riverside.

Anyone have any words of wisdom?

 

[james'mommy]

Not sure if this is disney related or just life related. I have a severe allergy to tree nuts and peanuts. I make sure that if I am buying something at a bakery or bagel place I make sure to ask that they use a fresh glove and not tongs because the tongs can cause cross contamination. In Disney I can't do buffets for the same reason. You never know when cross contamination is going to pop up. I also have to refrain from eating my favorite food ever- carmel apples. Too much fear of them accidentially getting contaminated by the ones with nuts.

 

[fullofcrop]

My DD5 has a severe peanut allergy, and my DD7 has a tree nut allergy. DD5 does not seem to be affected by inhalation, but that is really hard to tell since we always stay far, far away from pb.

Anyway our first trip to WDW in Nov 06 was so wonderful we became DVC members. We were so used to being treated like crazy hypochondriacs at restaurants that Disney was a welcome relief. Just like any time we eat at a restaurant, we made decisions on safety, but at Disney it was very nice to have well-informed chefs tell you what is okay and not okay. I would be surprised if any other vacation spot can compare to Disney in trying to keep food allergic individuals informed.

A couple of chefs went above and beyond my expectations. At Beaches & Cream, the chef made DD's grilled cheese over at Cape May Cafe to avoid any pb issues, and scooped her ice cream from a new container with a sanitized scoop. That still brings tears to my eyes! You know what it's like to never be able to go to ice cream places. At a CS in AK, the chef chased us down to give us some special cookies because none of the regular desserts were okay.

Now, maybe her allergy is not as severe as your sons. For instance, some people probably wouldn't even have gone into Beaches & Cream. I think that if you eat out at "normal" restaurants, then Disney is safer because you are informed.

Sorry for the rambling!

 

[hildarumpole]

I have 2 kids with severe peanut allergies. We didn't have a single problem at Disney. If you're going to eat any TS meals, please tell the CM about your son's allergy when you make the ADRs. At CS, there are binders that list ingredients. If you want to check the ingredient binders, try to go to CS at slow times. The list Brenda Bennett provides is very helpful, so you may not need to bother with the binders. The only place we had to check was the donut stand at Blizzard Beach. They were o.k. As a general rule, the kids couldn't have any desserts, except fruit or jello. Even the bread served with TS meals was off limits. Burger and hot dog buns and sandwich breads were fine. We ate at Raglan Road in DTD. Again, no problems. My kids even got to eat the fantastic bread pudding. We avoided Wolfgang Puck's restaurants, because they use peanut oil for cooking. Check out the menus on allearsnet.com to help plan your meals. Don't forget to take your son's epipen jr. and benadryl with you at all times. Disney CMs are really helpful if you have questions or concerns about anything. You'll have a great time!

 

[SueM in MN]

the DIS site also has a menu page. Between the DIS site and allears, you should get a pretty good idea of what different restaurants serve. Along with whatever you get from Brenda Bennett, you should be set.

 

[Brenle]

Hey there
We're heading to the World at the end of May. Our DS (3) is severely allergic to peanuts ...
I've looked at the FAQ on this and emailed Brenda, but I'm looking for some everyday stories /advice from people dealing with peanut allergy at the parks...esp in counter service situations, DTD and Port Orleans Riverside.

Anyone have any words of wisdom?

Be careful with the chocolate covered frozen banana. The print on the package is light brown and blends in with the chocolate on the banana. The ingredients didn't list peanut, but in small letters in the crease there was a warning about "may contain" peanuts. I actually brought that to the attention of MS at AK right when we discovered it and told them how poorly the warning was posted. I'm not sure if they've changed the package or not.

And as other posters said, CMs are very good about answering your questions. And a chef always came to our table to address our food allergies.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Selket]

We've done fine with our highly allergic peanut/tree nut son at WDW. We avoid almost all baked goods and rolls/breads except the hot dog hamburger buns, fyi. I've rarely found a place that said they were safe.

Many places sell Divvies brand choc. chip cookies, jellybeans and caramel popcorn which is safe - very tasty too! I love the cookies.

We just stayed at POFQ and they had the Divvies cookies there. He was able to eat the Mickey waffle I think and many other things.

Be sure and get the info from Brenda Bennett.

 

[DCDisney]

I've had very good experiences but this years trip was much much harder at CS places. Now that they have switched to multi-grain breads, buns, and pizza crusts they all have sunflower seeds and thus cross contam warnings. Previously I had eaten a lot of pizza because it was safe and without that many days I could have kids mac and cheese or wait until I got back to my resort PO-FQ to eat CS where they had one type of bread (muffaletta and the wrap bread in one flavor) that had no cross contam issues and were white bread flour. The big pretzels and mickey krispies don't have nuts but also have cross contam warnings.

 

[GoofyFairie]

I saw our very first order at a CS get cross contaminated. It scared us very much. We had a rental car so we went to get food for all of us for the week. We also had a small fridge in our room. My DD's life is too precious to risk. I did what I was comfortable with. I have heard rave reviews of Disney being very accomadating, but have also seen on my allergy support groups that when kids had a reaction it was from eating something that they thought was safe. Next trip we will order groceries from wegoshop or garden grocer so we don't have to get it ourselves. We had a great trip and will the next time too. Do what your gut tells you to do. We are avoiding more than peanuts so it is more complicated for us. Do carry all your medicine around with you. Please feel free to PM me if you like. May your trip be sprinkled with Pixie Dust!

 

[momsavealot]

Hey there
We're heading to the World at the end of May. Our DS (3) is severely allergic to peanuts ...
I've looked at the FAQ on this and emailed Brenda, but I'm looking for some everyday stories /advice from people dealing with peanut allergy at the parks...esp in counter service situations, DTD and Port Orleans Riverside.

Anyone have any words of wisdom?

Hi Zoebear, I hope you do a trip report because we're not going until August and I have 2 kids with peanut allergies. I'm doing the dining plan and I'm not sure if I should change that since I've seen many times on this board that the breads are all off limits. Since my kids are picky eaters, the no bread thing really hurts us. I am also in a food allergy support group and one of the women just got back from Disney and had a bad experience with dairy allergy at Narcosee's in GF. They used the wrong whip cream. I love Disney more than anything so I am happy every time I hear that the chefs do come out and talk to people. I made a note of the allergy on all of my ADR's and I will ask for the chef. I also plan on bringing a lot of safe snacks in with us (I have a note from the allergist in case security balks). Please report back when you can!!

 

[LauraVV]

We went in Jan/Feb this year. My daughter tests highly allergic to peanuts although we've not seen a reaction before. She's also lactose intolerant and latex allergic. We didn't have any problems with the food. The only bad part I saw is that almost all of the baked goods are brought in from outside the parks so they won't vouch for them as being peanut free because they're processed in facilities that may also use peanuts in other products. That stinks for us as my daughter is a chocolate and bread nut.

I'd be sure to let them know when you go to a restaurant and also when you make reservations.