Storybook Dining question

[Salf777]

Have a reservation for Story Book dining at 8:20 pm on an Epcot day next week while Food and wine is going on. We get to Disney quite a bit and it’s just me and my wife who due to food allergies would really only be able to eat a plain salad and a grilled fish, no appetizers that they have. Is the experience worth leaving food and wine to go to Story Book dining?

 

[EyeofDTiger75]

My wife has a newly discovered allergy to gluten. My travel agent told us Disney is very adaptive to food allergies, especially gluten. We are looking forward to our first trip at Storybook in October

 

[Salf777]

My wife has a newly discovered allergy to gluten. My travel agent told us Disney is very adaptive to food allergies, especially gluten. We are looking forward to our first trip at Storybook in October

Yes we know Disney is extremely accommodating. My wife has a salt allergy and every restaurant we have ever been to in Disney the chef comes out asks what she likes and they make her something wonderful. Even in Italian restaurants they boil her pasta fresh in water without salt. I guess what I’m asking is the whole experience worth it? We know they will accommodate her but we can basically get a plain salad and fish anywhere. We have the best experience at Disney with how accommodating all the restaurants are better than at home. Even someplace like Art Smith make her fresh chicken and succotash without salt it’s amazing. We can go to somewhere like Chefs de France for the same price and have a little more fancy food. We have some other amazing reservations for this trip like Victoria & Alberts, Jiko, Whispering Canyon so if the whole experience is worth it we will definitely do it. Is it worth leaving food and wine for? However, every review I read says it’s fun so I’m torn

 

[Her Dotness]

We were at WDW last November, so I really hope things have changed for the better since then.

I would not bother with Story Book Dining, Salf777. I highly doubt that they could do plain fish and salad for your wife. Furthermore, would you really want to pay $60 for that if they even can? They won't adjust the price if that's all she can eat. They may offer fresh fruit as a salad or dessert since there is a fruit and cheese item, but that would likely be the only modification.

Since there is grilled fish on the kids A-F menu, they may be able to do that for her in an adult portion. However, I don't see any greens or salad mixture offered.

I'm gluten and dairy intolerant and found very few places that could give me anything much unless there was a g-f/d-f dish on the allergy-friendly menu that appealed. Few menus had more than salad suitable for both.

Plus, I was told at several places that they had no raw ingredients to make anything special for me as used to be fairly common. Dishes were all "pre-prepared" is what I was told so couldn't be easily altered by leaving off a dairy-laden sauce, for instance. If something on the A-F menu wasn't adaptable, I was stuck with salad or maybe a plain chicken breast or fish, but only if either of those was on the kids menu. If not listed on any menu, they said they couldn't fix something different.

As I said, possibly supplies are more plentiful than they were in November and you will have far better luck than we did.

I was very disappointed by many TS places that formerly had been wonderful. The days of chefs offering to create something I'd enjoy were sadly gone.

 

[Salf777]

We were at WDW last November, so I really hope things have changed for the better since then.

I would not bother with Story Book Dining, Salf777. I highly doubt that they could do plain fish and salad for your wife. Furthermore, would you really want to pay $60 for that if they even can? They won't adjust the price if that's all she can eat. They may offer fresh fruit as a salad or dessert since there is a fruit and cheese item, but that would likely be the only modification.

Since there is grilled fish on the kids A-F menu, they may be able to do that for her in an adult portion. However, I don't see any greens or salad mixture offered.

I'm gluten and dairy intolerant and found very few places that could give me anything much unless there was a g-f/d-f dish on the allergy-friendly menu that appealed. Few menus had more than salad suitable for both.

Plus, I was told at several places that they had no raw ingredients to make anything special for me as used to be fairly common. Dishes were all "pre-prepared" is what I was told so couldn't be easily altered by leaving off a dairy-laden sauce, for instance. If something on the A-F menu wasn't adaptable, I was stuck with salad or maybe a plain chicken breast or fish, but only if either of those was on the kids menu. If not listed on any menu, they said they couldn't fix something different.

As I said, possibly supplies are more plentiful than they were in November and you will have far better luck than we did.

I was very disappointed by many TS places that formerly had been wonderful. The days of chefs offering to create something I'd enjoy were sadly gone.

Well that’s kind of what we were thinking for the price we have been to Chefs de France, Via Napoli, Tutto Italia, even Rose and Crown have gone out of the way and made her very nice meals. In Citricos and California Grill they made her amazing meals. But on these premade menus is it worth leaving the festival and going there. I don’t expect much from the food (although I have heard it’s very good for a character meal) so is the atmosphere worth the cost. I thank you for your input

 

[Her Dotness]

Well that’s kind of what we were thinking for the price we have been to Chefs de France, Via Napoli, Tutto Italia, even Rose and Crown have gone out of the way and made her very nice meals. In Citricos and California Grill they made her amazing meals. But on these premade menus is it worth leaving the festival and going there. I don’t expect much from the food (although I have heard it’s very good for a character meal) so is the atmosphere worth the cost. I thank you for your input

The prix fixe meals are increasingly inflexible, we found. I wouldn't go to Artist Point if it were me. Too limited menu, I feel.

I even had difficulty at the newish Steakhouse 71. For dinner, all I could have was iceberg lettuce with a few cabbage and carrot shreds with a steak. Could have had a 14-oz. pork chop--far too much meat for me! Even veggies such as the broccolini and asparagus were off-limits, containing gluten. The chef explained they come to the restaurant already seasoned. Probably dumped out of bags to order.

Even our old favorite Chefs de France was somewhat disappointing. My salmon was very nicely seasoned but overcooked; the salad there was as good as ever. Sides were a molded steamed white rice (yuck!) and broccolini which was amazingly somewhat undercooked. That was pretty much all they could give me based on what they could fix, I was told, unless I wanted yet another steak.

Only Trattoria al Forno and Topolino's were as wonderful as ever. The Tratt chef amazingly offered to create a dish I'd enjoy which was marvelous. The Topolino's one modified a menu item deliciously.

I wish you both a much happier experience than we had with our TS dining.

 

[Her Dotness]

Meant to ask if you've done Food & Wine before.

There's virtually nothing there that I can eat safely. Things are prepared in advance and kept warm or quickly heated. The FWF kiosks have no raw ingredients and will be completely unable to accommodate a salt allergy.

 

[Salf777]

Meant to ask if you've done Food & Wine before.

There's virtually nothing there that I can eat safely. Things are prepared in advance and kept warm or quickly heated. The FWF kiosks have no raw ingredients and will be completely unable to accommodate a salt allergy.

Yes we have actually I do most of the eating and my wife ends up eating chips at the Fish & Chips booth in England (they always make her fresh without salt) and actually she does ok at sunshine seasons or we go into Italy and she has a fresh pasta dish. A walk out to Beaches and Cream for some ice cream and she’s a happy camper

 

[DeeBee3]

Wow I am so surprised to hear about the lack of options. We were at WDW in April and didn't have issues with a peanut/tree nut allergy. Didn't go to Storybook, however. Was there pre-covid and it was an amazing experience with the allergies. Made everything fresh, but if that isn't the case anymore, then I could see a big issue.

 

[isabellea]

Pre-Covid, I was able to order an adult portion of something on the kid menu at Artist Point when the adult options couldn’t be adapted to my allergy (alpha-gal so no mammalian products such as beef, dairy and pork). I remember them giving me a kid appetizer or side with my plain chicken.