Sailing Disney Magic with our Daughter who has food allergies

[Minnie on the go]

My Family just ended our 8 night cruise on the Disney Magic from NYC. This is our second Disney cruise with our 3 year old Daughter who has multiple food allergies. Aside from having a few food challenges with our Daughter we truly had a wonderful vacation aboard the Disney Magic. I want to share our experience in hopes to help other parents in the same situation.

Food allergies are taken very seriously by everyone on the boat. There is a separate kitchen for preparing meals for these individuals. Meals are ordered for the following day at the end of dinner. No menu. Disney does their best to make whatever is requested within reason

After a few days of meals I felt so uneasy about the food my daughter was eating. I found this strange because in October of last year we did the 4 night Disney Dream along with 3 days at the Magic Kingdom. So this food process was not new to us. But then it dawned on me. When we ate at Disney restaurants, a Chef was at our table and discussed a
dinner plan for our young daughter and then delivered the food personally. The process
was calm and we felt the Chef was in control. As for meals on the Disney Dream, maybe since it was a short cruise it didn’t hit us as much as being on a ship for 8 nights.

Our Server on The Magic always seemed in a rush and placed our Daughter’s dinner plate with the regular plates on a tray. The rushing gave us an uncomfortable feeling. It just takes that split second to grab the wrong dish or hands that accidently have food on them from the other plates to touch our Daughter’s plate while serving. Our Server was rushing so much that she was somewhat out of breath.

Some might think we are being a little too critically but one night our Daughter took two bites from her dinner plate and got very sick. She told me her heart wasn’t working. Our Daughter is only three and I guess that is her best way to describe how she was feeling. We did carry the necessary medication and then proceeded to take her to the Dr on Call.
She needed additional medication and ended up going straight to bed after the Dr said she was ok to leave.

Our Server and the Dining Room Staff were very concerned for our Daughter and did follow up later in the evening. Our Server did make a change and started to bring out her food first before serving others.

Small changes we did was to bring our own crayons for her to color with, we cleaned the chair she was sitting in, we cut her food and we tasted everything first.

Disney does a fabulous job in assisting and ensuring safe food for those with special dietary needs. But Disney is not flawless so we need to stay alert to ensure our children with food allergies are safe.

 

[MK4ever]

Oh no. I am glad your daughter is okay. Food allergies are terrible. What is your daughter allergic to? Did the Dr. seem equiped to handle an allergic reaction? I am allergic to tree nuts and sesame. My first cruise is coming up in August. I was nervous to begin with, but am more nervous now after reading this.

 

[Minnie on the go]

Don't be nervous just be alert and ask questions. Disney really does an fabulous job in dealing with food allergies. My DD is allergic to eggs, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, mustard and coconut.

We plan on taking the Alaska Cruise next year. So don't worry, be alert and have a great vacation.

 

[Minnie on the go]

And the Dr on the Boat handled my DD's allergic reaction very well. Note that you do have to pay upfront for services. We are now working with our insurance company to see if they will cover the charge.

 

[lorimay]

Im glad all is ok with your daughter.

I feel disney should have picked up the tab on that Dr visit.
It seems to me like the server was a bit careless or perhaps is new to dealing with severe food allergies.

In any regard they should have comp'ed the visit.