Peanut Allergy People!

[antree]

My son has a PN/TNA and he has been eating the Mickey bars for years, he is 6yrs. They do not have any warning and everything that I looked in to said they were safe. It going to be how you feel. He also LOVES the popiscles Itzakadooze and the Gluten Free Brownies. He has NEVER, EVER eaten any cake that I didn't make and when we found these he tried it and loved it. I swear he ate at least a dozen of them on our last trip. The Divvine cookies crumble very easy we couldn't take them out of the bag because it fell apart.
We eat at Le Cellier and Rose and Crown every trip and they are WONDERFUL.
The Plaza was always Great for us too, another place we always eat it. They said they made his food in a seperate kitchen and even the ingredients are all new. The Manager or Chef gets everything and makes it then takes it to you. No one else touches the food but them. As far as the table goes I never really thought about that. I think I will start wiping the table down myself with the clorex wipes.
But if you think about it that goes for all tables anywhere you eat. You don't know what food the other people had even if they didn't buy it there.

The only place we make sure we stay away from is Wolf Gang Pucks on the West Side they use peanut oil for everything and use alot of nuts. They were very helpful and made sure no one ordered anything that can harm him and they did everything they had too. But the stress was too much for me. Now we just found out when we were there in July that Wolf Gang Pucks on the Market side has unsafe Fries. So no more eating there for us.

CP made my son a safe Brownie but he refused to eat it, he didn't like it at all.

You can use your snack credits to get a snack before you go to eat and then bring it with you. Then use the dessert for someone in your party to eat.

Good Luck

 

[momsavealot]

Ok I might be able to help a little bit .We also have to deal with the severe nut allergies. Last year we did some research and spoke quite a bit with Brenda Bennette but in the end its the onsite managers and chefs that were the most help.

Thanks a lot for all the advice!! I will definitely report back to this thread about my eating experiences with my peanut allergy kids so I can hopefully help others like you guys have helped me! So if you're interested in how we do this week, just subscribe to this thread.

 

[SueM in MN]

Watch out for the nutcarts rosting nuts. You can get the info on the park map. One is near the Winnie the Pooh ride. You can always walk a different path . It really gets airborn around those carts.

There is also a nut cart usually at Epcot, near the entrance to World Showcase on the side toward Canada.

 

[HETRICKL]

cinderella73 thanks so much for the useful information. This is the first time traveling to Disney since we found out about my DD7 TN/shellfish allergies. My question is how you first went about requesting the information and how you further asked your specific questions.

The TS seems to be o.k. but I'm concerned with getting information from TS and snacks.

I sent my e-mail to Brenda Bennett as suggested, but a Robert Adams, Executive Chef Magic Kingdom wrote me back instead.

I noted the allergies on our ADR and he sent me the pre-typed lists of suggested CS restaurants and nut free food. However, when I asked if these were suggested items that I need to research with manufacturers and see if they are safe, or have they done that already, he didn't answer clearly.

Also, the lists that say have safe food for us like chicken nuggets and french fries, I asked about the cross-contamination with other foods in the fryers and he said "it's not a problem but our filtration system could be." What does that even mean?

For example, their list says safe for Itzakadoozies, but when I pull up Nestles website, it says they are manufactured on lines with nuts??

I'm not sure where to start with the info they sent me and am a bit nervous.

I'm used to calling manufactures and asking the questions, but from this list, how do you do that? I look up their french fries on-line and the company has about 20 of them. How do you know what to call and ask about?

I'd appreciate any starting point suggestions that I must be missing.

Thanks!

 

[cinderella73]

cinderella73 thanks so much for the useful information. This is the first time traveling to Disney since we found out about my DD7 TN/shellfish allergies. My question is how you first went about requesting the information and how you further asked your specific questions.

The TS seems to be o.k. but I'm concerned with getting information from TS and snacks.

I sent my e-mail to Brenda Bennett as suggested, but a Robert Adams, Executive Chef Magic Kingdom wrote me back instead.

I noted the allergies on our ADR and he sent me the pre-typed lists of suggested CS restaurants and nut free food. However, when I asked if these were suggested items that I need to research with manufacturers and see if they are safe, or have they done that already, he didn't answer clearly.

Also, the lists that say have safe food for us like chicken nuggets and french fries, I asked about the cross-contamination with other foods in the fryers and he said "it's not a problem but our filtration system could be." What does that even mean?

For example, their list says safe for Itzakadoozies, but when I pull up Nestles website, it says they are manufactured on lines with nuts??

I'm not sure where to start with the info they sent me and am a bit nervous.

I'm used to calling manufactures and asking the questions, but from this list, how do you do that? I look up their french fries on-line and the company has about 20 of them. How do you know what to call and ask about?

I'd appreciate any starting point suggestions that I must be missing.

Thanks!

Filtration system could be? I wonder what he was talking about. I know that certain fryers are dedicated. Maybe he means in certain resturants where they have more than one type of oil or non designated safe food's being fried and the fryers are side by side that maybe they are all hooked up to one filter unit?

I cant believe I cant recall the details BUT I did speak on the phone with Nestle and I THINK that the lady told me that they are made in a seperate facility. But I am not totally sure I remember right. I know she had to go to check and said that she had a hunch because of the special molds that they might be made elseware and came back . She did come back and say something to that effect. Why on earth is that fuzzy to me? lol I am going to call again tomorrow. I will let you know as soon as I hearback. I have the same worry myself. I am almost sure that they are because I know I let my son have some and I am a fanatic about not risking anything .

For the record I do not care for Nestle USA at all. But if you ever want to get your son treats that are safe Nestle Canada makes lots of traditional favorites that are made in a nut free facility. They are way head of America when it comes to that stuff. I read somewhere they even recognize food allergies a disability by law . I am not sure but does America? Anyway you can get Coffee Crips, Kit Kat, Aero Bar and a few others and they are all made in nut free places. I am going to order my halloween candy from them. I will give you links if you like .

Okay back on topic.. In the book they have at most table service places I know it lists if it is a may contains or in a same facility. They have different products from different vendors so I cant say whether or not they all label properly. But in general it does state thatin the book. Last check I know for instance the hot dog and hamburger buns were nut free facility.

Here in America companies dont have to list if something is made in the same facility ONLY if it contains the item. Thats dangerous, I have made a hobit out of calling companies and asking them if they list for " made in the same facility " or may contains" . A suprising amount dont. I know for instance Sara Lee does not list as a general rule if its made in the same facility.

Robert Adams is I do believe the same guy I dealt with at the Plaza. Nice person. But emails are so hard to communicate with. I would write him back and ask him if he has a line you can call . That his email left some questions .I am myself baffled about the filtration system comment.

Normally Brenda Bennette would be there to answer your questions but from what I understand she was away on vacation. Honestly some of the things she told me were confusing as well. But she did point out no popcorn and no pretzels which was helpful to know. Who would think popcorn is bad?

I am going to be making some calls on Monday and Tuesday. I am going to also put together a list of meals and snacks that I believe will be safe based on what they tell me. I am going post up our meal plan on here so anyone who wants can see what we are doing. I will also see what contact info I can get aside from Brenda that is , and also touch base with Nestle.

Just remember whenever you do call a manufacturer to ask if they list for may contains or in a same facility because they always love to interrupt you with a " WE ALWAYS list nuts " jargon. But in the end its the cross contamination that is the REAL concern and most of them dont get that.

For the most part I wouldnt worry about contacting each vendor because if you called the vendor for each item you plan on eating you would have a huge task on your hands. Look at the menus posted here on the Dis boards. Go through and mark out what your son might be eating at any locations you might find yourself at . Then contact Brenda Bennette ( I imagine she will be back shortly) and ask her to verify that the components of each item are safe including buns .

One last thing, and I know this was (of importance to Brenda Bennette ) make sure you clarify the severity of the food allergies to her. She mentioned to me that most people have intolerances not outright allergies. If you have a high reaction level ( like airborn particle reactions) she will be even more throughal in her assistance. She will also tell you to make sure you personally speak with a chef each time even if you have eaten there before. Like another poster mentioned most times they wont even ring you up or take your order till you do. And it takes longer so eat at off times. Will save you a lot of aggravation!

I will post whatever I find out on Monday and Tuesday. When is your trip? I am going in a few weeks and I want to write a trip report on our experience's. With a few exceptions they really are very good. Better than anywhere else I have ever dealt with .

 

[SueM in MN]

I'd appreciate any starting point suggestions that I must be missing.

Thanks!

The starting points were on this thread.
There is also a section of post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread (near the top of this board) that includes contact information for questions about special diets for WDW. There are also some links in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread to past threads about special diets. Even though some of them are a bit in the past, most of the information about which restaurants were good and bad at dealing with special needs is very similar.

 

[hematite153]

Also, the lists that say have safe food for us like chicken nuggets and french fries, I asked about the cross-contamination with other foods in the fryers and he said "it's not a problem but our filtration system could be." What does that even mean?

They have dedicated fryers for all of their products. However, they then take the oil and clean it all together for reuse. So, there is a possibility of cross-contamination in the cleaning process.

It didn't initially occur to me that they might be using dedicated fryers, so, I hadn't tried their fish or fries (I'm allergic to chicken) until my very last trip when I think I had fries two or three times.

I was worried about the cleaning issue at first, but, decided to test it since if the point is to clean, then, it ought to come out clean. However, my food allergies aren't anaphylactic (at least not yet) and I'm not sure I would have chanced it if they were.

 

[disfan07]

I just returned form a 4 day trip to WDW and it was AMAZING!!!!

Let me begin by saying, i am 19 adn i was just diagnosed with anaphylactic peanut allergy and less severe egg allergy this past march so this was my first trip anywhere with these allergies. I was completely paranoid about having a reaction especially since i was travleing wiht a friend instead of my parents but i had absoultely nothing to worry about....

We ate at Caseys Corner, LTT, Flame Tree, 50s Prime Time, Earl of Sandwich, Liberty Inn, Crystal Palace, All Star Sports food court.....

Casey's Corner- I had the hot dog adn fries-----OT: i dont get what people are saying about the hot dog buns....mine was really good and did not fall apart at all

LTT----whe we checked in, they had already noted my allergies from when i made my ADR adn our waitress had the chef come to the table and told me what was okay adn what was not...the only 2 things that i could not eat were the macaroni and cheese adn the apple cobbler....but there was so much food that it didnt matter anyways....and the food was AMAZING!!!!!

Flame Tree----The manager here was awesome!!! When i asked about the binder with the ingredients they immediately got the manager and he went over all the ingredients with me and let me substitute whatever i wanted for the corn muffin since it has eggs
----I ate the 1/2 chicken with beans adn got fries instead fo the corn muffin

50s Prime Time-----okay...i love this place and the service was outstanding....once again, the waitress got the chef and he was at our table within 5 mins of being seated....he asked me what i was interested in eating adn i told him and he assured me that it was all okay for me to have
-----I had the shrimp cocktail appetizer adn the pot roast which was to die for

Earl of Sandwich----okay, so this was the place i was most worried about but i had no problems there at all
-----I had the hawaiin BBQ sandwich

American Adventure----I really wanted to try the tangerine cafe in morocco but it was so busy that we decided with would be less stressful adn less hassle to eat here and it wasnt bad like i had heard from other ppl.....they were very healpful when i asked about ingredients adn the food was good
-----I just gad the cheeseburger and fries

Crystal Palace----This place was amazing as usual....It took a little while for the chef to come out but it was no problem at all....the chef walked the buffet with me adn i was surprised that there were only like 4 or 5 things that i could not eat adn i was so glad that they at least had the frozen yogurt that i coul dhave for dessert....overall, i left this place very very full adn happy

ASSp food court-----i love all the food here.....we ate here everyday for 6 dasy last december adn i didnt have one bad meal.....same goes for this trip and the staff was also very helpful when it came to finding out ingredients
-----i had the chicken quesadillas and the spaghetti and meatballs
------also....they had DIVVIES!!!!!! i splurged adn got there jellybeans...lol

Since i knew that i couldnt eat most of the snacks that i used to eat (popcorn, pretzels, churros, etc.) I packed my own snacks in my suitcase so i would alwasy have something that i knew i could eat.....i brought with me...cheese crackers, divvies cookies adn caramel corn, cereal adn snack bars


Overall......I was very very very impressed with the service at Disney....4 days adn not one bad meal...or allergic reaction
I left Disney very very satisfied adn very very full!!!

 

[Selket]

Thanks for the great review! I'm glad your first trip out since diagnosis was such a success!

 

[hematite153]

For the record I do not care for Nestle USA at all. But if you ever want to get your son treats that are safe Nestle Canada makes lots of traditional favorites that are made in a nut free facility.

Ahhh...this probably explains my confusion.

 

[mechurchlady]

Ahhh...this probably explains my confusion.

Different countries can have different ingredients and suppliers. Coke is made with corn syrup in America but there is a Passover version as well as many bottlers worldwide that use cane syrup.

I do not worry about labels that say made in a factory that may contain soy. The wheat is my only problem but if I was severely allergic to something then I would think twice.

I love food reports, now I am so hungry. Thanks for the report.

 

[momsavealot]

Hi guys! Just got back and still going thru Post Disney Depression. Yes, it stinks to be back! Anyway, as far as the peanut allergy, we only had one reaction. Yes, that's one more than I had hoped. It happened at the Pinochio Village Haus counter service restaurant. As you may know, part of the seating overlooks the ride It's a Small World. We sat there. I remember seeing handprints on the windows overlooking the ride and thought "ew" but not "hey that could be peanut butter". Now, I know you're thinking, why did you eat at a restaurant that serves peanut butter sandwiches. Well, my reasoning was that the sandwhiches are prewrapped "uncrustables" and there was no issue of cross contamination. And, we would be wiping down the tables. WElll, I guess I forgot the windows! She touched the windows and rubbed her eye and her eye swelled up. UGH! I gave her benedryl and she was fine after a while. Luckily, it was the end of the night for us anyway. Over all, the table service restaurants were great. The chefs all came out and talked to us and made special things if necessary. The counter service, don't expect any special treatment. I went to Cosmic Ray's and asked for Divvies instead of the normal choc chip cookie that came iwth the meal and after 15 minutes of dealing with different managers, got them. I decided not to waste the time at any future places. If you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[antree]

Don't it stink being back. So sorry to hear you had an reaction. We sit there when we go in there my son only ate there once and he had the chicken fingers he hangs on the window looking down I never thought about the window having food on it. I'm going to have to remember to wipe it down next time. Aren't the chefs great with the allergies? Did you end up trying the Mickey bars? What other counter service did you eat at?
In Mk my son usually just eats at Casey's or we will go to the Plaza.
In Epcot we eat at Table services or The Electric Umbrella.
In DHS only at Sci-Fi or Ma Ma Melrose
I don't feed him in AK I just worry more there, I don't know why, I think maybe there is more a chance for reaction there.

I am more scared at counter services. So I was wondering where did you eat for counter services? We are going back in Nov. and I would like to save some money with not so many sit down meals if the counter services are safe.

Thanks, Maria

 

[momsavealot]

Don't it stink being back. So sorry to hear you had an reaction. We sit there when we go in there my son only ate there once and he had the chicken fingers he hangs on the window looking down I never thought about the window having food on it. I'm going to have to remember to wipe it down next time. Aren't the chefs great with the allergies? Did you end up trying the Mickey bars? What other counter service did you eat at?
In Mk my son usually just eats at Casey's or we will go to the Plaza.
In Epcot we eat at Table services or The Electric Umbrella.
In DHS only at Sci-Fi or Ma Ma Melrose
I don't feed him in AK I just worry more there, I don't know why, I think maybe there is more a chance for reaction there.

I am more scared at counter services. So I was wondering where did you eat for counter services? We are going back in Nov. and I would like to save some money with not so many sit down meals if the counter services are safe.

Thanks, Maria

We ate at the following CS restaurants without a problem:
MK-
Cosmic Ray's - chicken fingers, fries and Divvies
Casey's - hot dogs, fries and no safe dessert
Epcot-
Liberty Inn - chicken fingers, fries and safe brownie
Animal Kingdom -
Pizzafari - pizza, frozen lemonade
Hollywood Studios -
Pizza Planet - pizza, salad, no safe dessert
Polynesian -
Captn. Cook's - Mickey waffles and bacon

and no, we never got a chance to try the Mickey Bars. We were on the DDP, and I have to say we had more food than we knew what to do with. We ended up having way too many snack credits to use up at the end.

I was pleasantly surprised with Tony's Town Square Restaurant on Main Street. The chef came out and said she would make the meatball for my dd's spaghetti b/c normally the kids' meatballs are shipped in (they only make the adult ones there). My dd loved it and it was the biggest meatball I had ever seen! The chef also brought out Divvies for dessert for everybody! My kids had plenty to eat at all the restaurants - even the CS restaurants!

 

[antree]

That is Great, Thank You. Glad you had a good time.

Maria

 

[HETRICKL]

I haven't had a chance to check on the buns yet. Were the hamburger and hot dog buns safe then? Did anyone check if they are manufactured on same lines or equipment with peanuts/tree nuts? Thanks!

I also still have to look into that question on their fryers and that their oil gets recycled with all the restaurants. We also have a shellfish allergy and if they're deep frying fish in the same oil as chicken fingers, than that is out for us.

Has anyone have any info on that?

 

[hematite153]

I also still have to look into that question on their fryers and that their oil gets recycled with all the restaurants. We also have a shellfish allergy and if they're deep frying fish in the same oil as chicken fingers, than that is out for us.

Has anyone have any info on that?

I have a chicken allergy and they've told me that they don't fry their fish with the chicken.

However, they do clean their oil from all of their fryers together. I'm not really sure how this affects things. So, even if you go to a restaurant that doesn't serve fish the oil may have previously had fish and then been cleaned/filtered/etc. for reuse.

I decided to chance it during my last visit and had fries 2 or 3 times without a problem. But, I'd think about the severity of your allergy and the impact of a reaction on your vacation before deciding to chance it. My allergies aren't anaphylactic so I'd just get really sick and lose a day. (I also get worse with every reaction so I do my best to avoid risky things.) But, if I progress to the point of anaphylaxis I don't know that I would continue to chance the fries.

 

[momsavealot]

I haven't had a chance to check on the buns yet. Were the hamburger and hot dog buns safe then? Did anyone check if they are manufactured on same lines or equipment with peanuts/tree nuts? Thanks!

I also still have to look into that question on their fryers and that their oil gets recycled with all the restaurants. We also have a shellfish allergy and if they're deep frying fish in the same oil as chicken fingers, than that is out for us.

Has anyone have any info on that?

I was told prior to our trip from the Disney food allergy people (Brenda Bennett, etc.) that the buns were safe. I didn't investigate any further and the kids didn't have any reaction to the hot dog buns at Casey's. The bread at all the table service restaurants were off limits as made off premises and no guarantee on ingredients. I honestly don't know about the fryers and we have no chicken or shellfish allergies so can't help you there. Good luck!

 

[HETRICKL]

Cinderella73 - did you go on your vacation yet? I was interested to hear your trip report such as, what restaurants you ate it, if you found out any more useful info (like Mickey bars), if you encountered any great and/or bad experiences?

Does anyone know why soft serve ice cream is o.k. but regular ice cream isn't? We stay away from ice cream because of the possible cross contamination, but why isn't that an issue with soft serve?

Thanks.

 

[Mary976]

I can eat soft serve from my local ice cream place because the "mix" is peanut free, and thus there is no contamination with the soft serve dispenser. I don't know if this is true at Disney, but that might be why.

Mary