Please help me decide!! Cars, cabins, akv??

[Babsy]

I'm sorry for whatever reason no one accommodated you, but I've never heard of(on here or elsewhere) ,nor have we had any issues in our last 6 or 7 trips...

Between my DW being GF for the last 6 years and recently(2 trips or so) Vegan, and my DD being Lactose intolerant, And our neighbors ( who we usually travel with ) Their DS 5, has a GF, Egg, Soy, & Lamb, & my DS's friend who occasionally comes with their family has a Peanut allergy and also Tree Nuts. Not ONE time did we experience any Problem,lack of knowledge,or any issues from any CM, CHEF, MGR. at all.... And we eat out at TS, pretty much every night, and some QS as well as breakfast too....I'd say 60 meals easily..

What we usually do is @ the 180 day mark when I make the ADR's, that's when we just not whatever the allergy is, and just deal with it upon arrival...They've been more than accommodating, and even show you around to inform you what you can & can't have.

Now, on the contrary, DLR was quite the opposite....We though out in Cali for sure that they'd understand, but most of the TS, in both parks there , as well as a few in L.A. were really clueless, and misinformed .

I'm not sure of what your allergies are(no need to know)but maybe they're justy way more severe than what we have to deal with, and sorry for that. Hopefully things will be better in the future

Yes, the allergies that I am talking about are way more severe and extensive Than yours. Common allergies are dealt with well by Disney chefs. I also have a Grand daughter who is allergic to shellfish and eggs. No problem. I have brought her to restaurants and they show you what she can safely eat. So easy.

It is when the allergies are more extensive than the foods that can be eaten that you run into issues. Plus, anaphylactic, so any contact with any of the allergens is deadly. Cross contamination with any of these allergens would be a disaster. So, Disney would have to prepare an entire meal separately from the regular menu in an area completely devoid of any of these allergens. My sister and my DGS are very severe. Disney just can't handle it, I guess.

We are used to it at home. But it is hard. They simply cannot ever eat out, buy take out or purchase any premade meals. EVERYTHING has to be made from scratch. If either of them go with us to any restaurant (rare), they can never eat the food there but have to bring their own food. Some restaurants are better with that than others. My DGS is too young for it to bother him. My sister is too self conscious to be comfortable with ever going out.

It is very unfortunate. I had hoped that in WDW, chefs would take the time to safely prepare a meal within the limitations. I would have paid any amount of money. But, no, they didn't come through.

I was so disappointed. If they had gotten back to me and said that they couldn't do it, I would have understood. But most didn't even respond to my calls, messages and emails. The one Chef that responded from BOG did ask if this was a complete list of what my sister can eat. (The safe foods fit on one page) I told him yes. He then asked for suggestions for what she would like. He had the reservation number, time, date, our names and the meal planned and agreed upon. When we arrived - nothing. I still have the back and forth emails on my computer. I considered complaining, but what is the point? The trip is over and she will never go back.

I felt like Disney really dropped the ball on that one.

 

[DizDaD7]

Yes, the allergies that I am talking about are way more severe and extensive Than yours. Common allergies are dealt with well by Disney chefs. I also have a Grand daughter who is allergic to shellfish and eggs. No problem. I have brought her to restaurants and they show you what she can safely eat. So easy.

It is when the allergies are more extensive than the foods that can be eaten that you run into issues. Plus, anaphylactic, so any contact with any of the allergens is deadly. Cross contamination with any of these allergens would be a disaster. So, Disney would have to prepare an entire meal separately from the regular menu in an area completely devoid of any of these allergens. My sister and my DGS are very severe. Disney just can't handle it, I guess.

We are used to it at home. But it is hard. They simply cannot ever eat out, buy take out or purchase any premade meals. EVERYTHING has to be made from scratch. If either of them go with us to any restaurant (rare), they can never eat the food there but have to bring their own food. Some restaurants are better with that than others. My DGS is too young for it to bother him. My sister is too self conscious to be comfortable with ever going out.

It is very unfortunate. I had hoped that in WDW, chefs would take the time to safely prepare a meal within the limitations. I would have paid any amount of money. But, no, they didn't come through.

I was so disappointed. If they had gotten back to me and said that they couldn't do it, I would have understood. But most didn't even respond to my calls, messages and emails. The one Chef that responded from BOG did ask if this was a complete list of what my sister can eat. (The safe foods fit on one page) I told him yes. He then asked for suggestions for what she would like. He had the reservation number, time, date, our names and the meal planned and agreed upon. When we arrived - nothing. I still have the back and forth emails on my computer. I considered complaining, but what is the point? The trip is over and she will never go back.

I felt like Disney really dropped the ball on that one.

WoW, That is very unfortunate..I'm truly sorry about that. Once again. I've never heard of this behavior before. I'd definitely give them a piece of your time though..They, (I'm sure will make it right) They're very good @ handling the customer services aspects, issues....

 

[Babsy]

WoW, That is very unfortunate..I'm truly sorry about that. Once again. I've never heard of this behavior before. I'd definitely give them a piece of your time though..They, (I'm sure will make it right) They're very good @ handling the customer services aspects, issues....

Yeah, it's tough.
and I hope that you never have someone living with such dietary restrictions that would require this type of situation to be known to you.

Regarding a complaint:

I guess that I should have known that it couldn't happen. But, it's Disney, you know? I kind of thought that one of the restaurants would have come through with something. I certainly felt that they would be more communicative and/or live up to their word...

They can't make it right. It's done. There is no point in complaining. I am not interested in an upgrade or whatever. I wanted a lunch out for my sister for the one time that I was able to get her to Disney World. It would have been so very special.

Now:
I want people to realize that WDW has limitations, it seems, dealing with multiple, severe allergies. (Or, at least that was my experience.)
Sure, try for more, but be prepared.

OP mentioned that her 2 year old has multiple severe allergies. My sister was an adult. Being in that situation with a hungry child would be something else. People need to know what to expect so that they can plan accordingly.

Thank you for your reply. As you say, hopefully, things will be better in the future.

 

[Boymom426]

Thats a tough situation. Im sorry you had to deal with that. Living with these restrictions are tough thinkng about having to live like this forever is heartbreaking .( i know there are worse things..) i just hope he grows out of some .
Last year my son was only 1 year old . A little easier to manage his allergies (pt,tn,egg,dairy) . He loved those baby food pouches, we cooked pasta and safe nuggets . This year he is a strong willed two year old. Lol. So i need to bring my "a" game. Ive been asked why bring him so young with so much risk for a reaction or tantrum. But then i think about sitting at a resturant table with my husband and two sons eating SAFELY ( and at the same time.lol) i get teary eyed. I want to have that magical experience that i hear so much about (please come through for me disney) . Last year we had two instances in which he had broken out in hives . Both bc we dropped the ball (and felt terrible about it) once in hollywood & vine. They only had a milk based creamer for our coffee and during the exictement my husband gave him a kiss and boom! Some Hives ! The other was at mk ice cream palor on main street. My husband got my son dairy free ice cream to watch wishes . He got the rest of us regular dairy based. I said it was ok and we needed to be extra careful. But the hives came out again . We did go to a few places where he was able to eat chicken nuggets and fries which made us happy . All in all it had its ups and downs but it wasnt easy.
I have been teaching him about his allergies and that some food " make him feel sick" ( thats what he calls it) hoping to use this experience as a teachable moment . Hoping for the best !!! Sorry for the long post. Btw. I booked the split stay at kidani ( my four year old called it his "happy place") and aoa (bc they want to be with their friends) . I know it not the best situations for allergies but i will do my best . All of your ideas and thoughts were so helpful!! Keeping it in mind for next year

 

[Mainemama]

Our experience with severe allergies was that WDW didn't "get it' at all. I tried to let them know in advance about the many and severe allergies that my sister has, but only one restaurant got back to me - BOG. However, when we arrived, they had no knowledge of the supposed meal. I hadn't thought to bring the email with me, so my sister had no lunch for the one meal that she believed me and took a chance on Disney.

I would be careful and be ready with meals/food after that experience. My DGS has severe and multiple allergies. We will stay DVC with a full kitchen when we go to WDW with him. We will have to cook his meals and bring them with us when we eat at restaurants. Disney is not equipped/willing to deal with multiple, severe allergies.

OP,
can your 2 yo manage to eat in a normal restaurant off the menus? If not, how will you get him meals when staying in a LM at AoA? Just something to consider. (We would not be able to manage with my 3 yo GS without a kitchen or some facilities. Too many allergies and the danger of cross contamination too likely)

Jumping in to reassure OP as a mom of a kiddo with multiple allergies that, we, too, have only experienced great things regarding allergies. (And I think your idea of a split stay is a great one. Make the best of both your preferred resort and time with friends!) I would suggest you spend some time reading about multiple allergies on the disAbilities board. My ODD has had 8 successful trips (with 8 allergies), and we have never stayed in a room with a kitchen. We order from Garden Grocer for room food, read menus ahead of time to know where we can go that has ingredients she can eat (the chefs will totally cook to your specifications, but they have what they have), tend to do table service (quick service does not have the same degree of customizing available. We do have a much harder time with with restaurants where we live and continue to return to WDW because of their attentiveness. The only reactions she has ever had were ironically to an allergy friendly cookie. This was before we had identified an allergen in it (buckwheat.) The CMs were so helpful when that happened. There has been a change in how Disney handles precommunication of allergies in the last 5 years. They have moved away from phone and email contact to a standard form and allergy menu. However, in person, we have always been offered a face to face consult with the chef due to multiple allergies. One tip... make sure to indicate the allergies on your online reservation form. I recently figured out that we were confusing chefs by including all of my families allergies on the form. Now, I mark just hers, and tell the server in person of other allergies. The computer seems to identify all the allergies as 1 diner, whether you mean it that way or not.

 

[Mainemama]

Me again. Seeing that OP's son has the exact same allergies as my girl (plus we have sesame, sunflower, chicken, turkey, lentil, and buckwheat), I thought I would share some of her favorite restaurants. Garden Grill for breakfast (Kona and Ohana are great, too) Trails End, Tokyo Dining, The Wave, CA Grill, Grand Floridian Café. Not sure how comfortable you are with buffets, I find them challenging, but she has loved Park Faire and Cape May. Dole Whip is a god-send, as is Kakigori in Japan. We fix any disappointing entree experiences (sometimes the Fish/beef in kids meals leaves much to be desired) with a visit to get one of these. Honestly, the only restaurant she won't return to is Tuskegee House, where she ate the offending cookie. That wasn't Disney's fault, but it is a hard experience to forget.