Thread for allergy foods updates

[mistysue]

And in some of this "Gluten Free" foods they've switched to, they have subtracted the wheat flour and replaced it with pea flour or pea protien which my son is highly allergic to. I am still angry with all this attention to gluten free. If my son eats this, he will not be sick because he ate it...he could DIE. To me there is a HUGE difference. Mine is not an "over time" issue. It is a "right now" issue. It is not throwing off his system. It could literally kill him and others with serious food allergies.

I completely understand your anger. I didn't notice all the pea protein we were eating until my son developed an allergy to that too. Luckily his reactions are mild, but it's still a huge annoyance to me that it's like in the lot of people's minds right now "gluten-free = safe for all" which of course makes no sense. We are still trying to figure out which items DS is actually allergic to vs. intolerant but have to treat them all like allergies because if we assumed intolerance and gave him some, that could be the time he had a bad reaction and dies. (everything that's an issue shows up in igE tests, but allergist agrees some reactions seem like intolerance)

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

I will have to look up all the brand's you listed just to research and TRY to be prepared. I know there are some bread products by UDI's that he can't have. He can't eat at Babycakes either. I learned that on our trip last summer....luckily their staff was very knowledgable and we found this out BEFORE he ate anything.

Bummer about Babycakes! I didn't read that they use pea flour/protein though. Does your son have other food allergies?

Researching is the whole point of being prepared for Disney, right? That's why it's frustrating to be told that they can't give out brand information. Oh well.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I just calculated out that at the Disney Resorts there are 26 table service (menu or buffet) restaurants and in the four theme parks there are an additional 26 (unless I missed any). This does not include the Swolphin, DTD or any of the Hotel Plaza Blvd Resorts.

And it does not include any quick service or snack locations or food courts.

Menus change constantly depending on what is available. To try and have one office keep up with all of the daily changes and be able to provide accurate information is really not possible, especially as the day after they release any list it is probably changed and no longer accurate.

 

[livndisney]

I just calculated out that at the Disney Resorts there are 26 table service (menu or buffet) restaurants and in the four theme parks there are an additional 26 (unless I missed any). This does not include the Swolphin, DTD or any of the Hotel Plaza Blvd Resorts.

And it does not include any quick service or snack locations or food courts.

Menus change constantly depending on what is available. To try and have one office keep up with all of the daily changes and be able to provide accurate information is really not possible, especially as the day after they release any list it is probably changed and no longer accurate.

If "one office" can't keep up, it is very odd, that one person was able to do such an amazing job.

To provide a little info- food contracts do not change "daily". Chefs know what they can order and who they have to order from. It should not be that hard to provide that information as they have in the past. No one expects it to be 100% (items run out etc). But being able to plan is much better than walking in and being told "Nope, nothing you can eat here". WDW expects people to plan meals 180 days ahead of time. It would only seem natural they be able to provide the information. They have menus.

 

[EEyorelover22]

I just calculated out that at the Disney Resorts there are 26 table service (menu or buffet) restaurants and in the four theme parks there are an additional 26 (unless I missed any). This does not include the Swolphin, DTD or any of the Hotel Plaza Blvd Resorts.

And it does not include any quick service or snack locations or food courts.

Menus change constantly depending on what is available. To try and have one office keep up with all of the daily changes and be able to provide accurate information is really not possible, especially as the day after they release any list it is probably changed and no longer accurate.

Then, they really should come out and say that they cannot provide a meal. I asked in my email to them if I was out of luck with my extensive list of allergies and I received the same generic email back.

I asked them to be honest and they were not.

 

[Random Ninja]

CHH is the one everybody keeps saying has the allergy chicken tenders.

In my last message I very clearly explained that I need to have some ideas of who they at least expect to try to stock so I can look into whether those brands are safe.

This is the helpful part of the response:
" However, we are currently providing bakery items from the Enjoy Life, Udi's, and OMG Manufacturers along with Rocky Mountain Popcorn, and Surf Sweets Jelly Beans throughout our Parks and Resorts."

All of those brands are completely gluten free- so those of you watching gluten are in luck. From reviews I would say it's clear they have full meals and desserts for you EVERYWHERE, as Gluten-free seems to be what they are trying to cater to.

Now for my DS
Udi's=nothing safe (well, granola, but they don't have that one)
OMG=nothing safe
Enjoy life= anything
Rocky Mountain= some contain dairy, no ingredient lists online
Surf sweets= all ok (Random Ninja-these are based on tapioca!)

I feel bad for my son, At this point I'm counting on getting there and him not being able to get a dessert anywhere. When in a pinch his snack option will likely be jelly beans. There seem to be random enjoy life sightings, but they haven't been showing up in the TS reports so much anymore.
I wanted to get a trip without having the schedule 3 ADR's per day, but I'm worried if I don't he won't eat unless I pack for him.

At least there is Babycakes now!

Thanks for the warning about surf sweets. I looked up all the allergy free brands and the only one I can eat is Enjoy Life. The Winn-Dixie nearby has started carrying the cookies and it's amazing to be able to eat a chocolate chip cookie for the first time in years. I do remember seeing them at Sunshine Seasons in March but avoided them at the time because the label says it is allergen friendly.

My first reaction to seeing something with "Gluten Free!" or "Contains none of the 8 common allergens" on the package is 'Oh great, something else I can't eat.' For some reason, companies like to switch gluten for tapioca. What's wrong with using arrowroot every once in a while? My favorite are the labels that list tapioca and/or arrowroot. So can I eat it or not?

However, Sunshine Seasons is not on my "good list" at the moment after a CM told me to ask for a chef at the counter to see what they could do for my allergies. I waited at the asian counter for about 5 minutes but by then I was starting to feel sick only for the chef to tell me that I couldn't eat anything there because hot mustard was in every dish but the sweet & sour chicken and to try at another counter. I spent the next 20 minutes on a bench by Soarin waiting for the Benedryl to kick in. I learned my lesson; ALWAYS ask for the allergy book.

I'm fortunate to not be allergic to nuts so Cracker Jacks from Casey's is a good desert for me. (They use molasses instead of caramel.) Babycakes is also a hazard zone due to all the tapioca they use. I get there late at night when they are starting to put toppings on the doughnuts and ask for fresh cinnamon sugar doughnuts. They are usually pretty good since they are familiar with cross-contamination issues and the doughnuts are great for breakfast the next morning; something about how the batter settles makes them taste best after sitting overnight.

I think I'm one of the few people who like the whole grain bun as it's dairy-free and I can't have the Udi's bun. I had manager at Cosmic Rays try to tell me that I couldn't have a hamburger because I was allergic to the allergy bun and he just didn't get that I could have the regular bun even with allergies. Another manger was able to get me a regular bun from a new pack and I was just fine.

 

[nfceagles]

Perhaps you could provide the experiences you had HERE as opposed to promoting your own website and attempting to drive people THERE.

In defense of Paul, he does a lot for the special diets community. Working with legislatures to improve laws, educating restaurants on how to better serve our community, and convincing them that it's financially worth serving us. I'm pretty sure he's not getting rich off AllergyEats.com. Plus, having reviews in one centralized database instead of randomly scattered across various discussion boards is a better answer in the long run, especially if Special Diets continues to be unhelpful and unwilling to provide information.

 

[livndisney]

In defense of Paul, he does a lot for the special diets community. Working with legislatures to improve laws, educating restaurants on how to better serve our community, and convincing them that it's financially worth serving us. I'm pretty sure he's not getting rich off AllergyEats.com. Plus, having reviews in one centralized database instead of randomly scattered across various discussion boards is a better answer in the long run, especially if Special Diets continues to be unhelpful and unwilling to provide information.

I thought the Dis had a policy about advertising? If we wants to promote his site, he could become a paid advertising on the DIS.

This person does not contribute to the DIS other than to direct traffic to his site.

 

[AEPaul]

Perhaps you could provide the experiences you had HERE as opposed to promoting your own website and attempting to drive people THERE.

Fair enough comment, though with 6 days of dining experiences, I can't say much more in a short space beyond what I said earlier - we had great experiences everywhere except for the "Norway" restaurant in EPCOT - where they confused our order AND "missed" one of allergies. How ironic that it took them bringing out the wrong order for the waitress to catch the chefs mistake with respect to a missed allergy.

That said, we did well at the Japan and France pavilions, on the Boardwalk, and at many of the smaller quick-serve restaurants and even kiosks throughout the parks. The last time we went a year ago I blogged in detail about each day's experience, and I plan to do the same this year, on the AllergyEats Blog.

Also, while I understand and respect your views about not making people go to "my" site, please understand that AllergyEats and AllergyEats Disney World are community sites where anyone with food allergies can share their experiences, so I can't speak for all of them except to let others know that - in general - the comments about WDW dining remain positive and to consult AllergyEats Disney World for more detail. It is simply another resource that is complimentary to this great site - not a replacement. This site allows for detailed discussions that are not a feature of AEDW.

Good luck to all! I am confident that WDW continues to have as strong a commitment to the food allergy and intolerance community as ever!

 

[BearcatsFan]

I thought the Dis had a policy about advertising? If we wants to promote his site, he could become a paid advertising on the DIS.

This person does not contribute to the DIS other than to direct traffic to his site.

This exactly.

Fair enough comment, though with 6 days of dining experiences, I can't say much more in a short space beyond what I said earlier - we had great experiences everywhere except for the "Norway" restaurant in EPCOT - where they confused our order AND "missed" one of allergies. How ironic that it took them bringing out the wrong order for the waitress to catch the chefs mistake with respect to a missed allergy.

That said, we did well at the Japan and France pavilions, on the Boardwalk, and at many of the smaller quick-serve restaurants and even kiosks throughout the parks. The last time we went a year ago I blogged in detail about each day's experience, and I plan to do the same this year, on the AllergyEats Blog.

Also, while I understand and respect your views about not making people go to "my" site, please understand that AllergyEats and AllergyEats Disney World are community sites where anyone with food allergies can share their experiences, so I can't speak for all of them except to let others know that - in general - the comments about WDW dining remain positive and to consult AllergyEats Disney World for more detail. It is simply another resource that is complimentary to this great site - not a replacement. This site allows for detailed discussions that are not a feature of AEDW.

Good luck to all! I am confident that WDW continues to have as strong a commitment to the food allergy and intolerance community as ever!

Respectfully, though, you could do more in detail ... say a detailed dining review, which many others have done ... right here on the DIS. For those of us who primarily frequent this site, that would be extremely helpful. Thank you for the information you did choose to share.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

I just calculated out that at the Disney Resorts there are 26 table service (menu or buffet) restaurants and in the four theme parks there are an additional 26 (unless I missed any). This does not include the Swolphin, DTD or any of the Hotel Plaza Blvd Resorts.

And it does not include any quick service or snack locations or food courts.

Menus change constantly depending on what is available. To try and have one office keep up with all of the daily changes and be able to provide accurate information is really not possible, especially as the day after they release any list it is probably changed and no longer accurate.

They used to. The sheets of information they used to send out were amazingly helpful. So obviously they were capable of handling it.

Now, maybe they're not able to if they've made cutbacks in either employees or the allergy food budget. Who knows.

 

[queenofpainting]

Hi all! I'm vegan and don't have any allergies that I know of, but I do tend to rely on products focusing on people with allergies because they obviously overlap with what I avoid. Even though I'm not GF, I will gladly eat GF products in WDW if they also are free of dairy and eggs. It just makes sense to include more people.

I made it through about half this thread before giving up, because I have to study for finals week. Here are my questions:

1. Are Divvies products still available in some locations? I was looking forward to trying these.
2. Is Silk indeed being replaced at most locations by this Kikkoman brand?
3. Does anyone know about vegan friendly buns at CS locations? I'm not sure if the dairy-free bun is even the same as the GF ones people are talking about. I most likely won't be eating veggie burgers during my stay, but just in case, it would be very helpful.
4. Can nondairy ice cream brands like Tofutti and Rice Dream be found in most parks CS locations? I know about MK, but what about the others? Not that I need to eat THAT much ice cream during my trip... it'll just make me feel more special.

I may either make several trips to BabycakesNYC during my stay, assuming I will like what I find there (I didn't like their NYC location, but I know they use some different ingredients) or just bring a lot of snacks from home like Luna bars and ingredients for making sandwiches. Garden Grocer may be an option, too, because I can get stuff like Almond Breeze, Tofutti, and Tofurky there.

 

[ls15]

hey everyone,

I was the one that started the thread and I wanted to tell you I finally did half of my trip report (it takes awhile!). Plenty of tips and counter service reviews, and I should be finishing the table service ones, soon!

If you want to read it, I did it on my blog (http://lauriesadowski.wordpress.com...y-vegan-2012-disney-world-trip-report-part-i/)

Please don't hesitate to comment or email me if you have questions!

Laurie

 

[Selket]

1. Are Divvies products still available in some locations? I was looking forward to trying these.

I can't answer the other questions but we didn't find any Divvies products there at our last visit in December 2011. I asked one of the chefs at the resort and he said they were discontinued in favor of something else - which he showed me and I promptly forgot what it was - some cookie or brownie that would work for a nut allergy. We were there for the MVMCP and I know my son got two types of cookies - one was the Enjoy Life brand and the other was a large wrapped cookie but I can't remember what it was. I know he didn't like the Enjoy Life one - rather a bland packaged cookie compared to the Divvies. He liked the other one though. He also is only allergic to nuts so isn't used to eating gluten free, soy free, dairy free, etc.

 

[nfceagles]

Hi all! I'm vegan and don't have any allergies that I know of, but I do tend to rely on products focusing on people with allergies because they obviously overlap with what I avoid. Even though I'm not GF, I will gladly eat GF products in WDW if they also are free of dairy and eggs. It just makes sense to include more people.

I made it through about half this thread before giving up, because I have to study for finals week. Here are my questions:

1. Are Divvies products still available in some locations? I was looking forward to trying these.
2. Is Silk indeed being replaced at most locations by this Kikkoman brand?
3. Does anyone know about vegan friendly buns at CS locations? I'm not sure if the dairy-free bun is even the same as the GF ones people are talking about. I most likely won't be eating veggie burgers during my stay, but just in case, it would be very helpful.
4. Can nondairy ice cream brands like Tofutti and Rice Dream be found in most parks CS locations? I know about MK, but what about the others? Not that I need to eat THAT much ice cream during my trip... it'll just make me feel more special.

I may either make several trips to BabycakesNYC during my stay, assuming I will like what I find there (I didn't like their NYC location, but I know they use some different ingredients) or just bring a lot of snacks from home like Luna bars and ingredients for making sandwiches. Garden Grocer may be an option, too, because I can get stuff like Almond Breeze, Tofutti, and Tofurky there.

1. Divvies chocolate chip cookies are gone due to the changes. They've been replaced with some OMG gluten free products that contain egg. I did see some Divvies caramel corn when I was there in January, but I don't know if they are just running out the last of their stock. Part of me doesn't understand why they would carry the popcorn, but not the cookies. FYI- The popcorn sold at vending carts around the park is also dairy and egg free.

2. Yes. Kikkoman Pearl. No idea why they would switch from a nationally well-known brand to one that isn't even gluten free (or so I've heard, we aren't GF). I've been buying nondairy milk for 6 years and thought I'd heard of them all, but until Disney I'd never heard of Kikkoman Pearl.

3. I don't think you'll have a bun option. My dairy and egg allergic DS doesn't anymore. The regular ones contain dairy. The new GF ones contain egg.

4. Non-dairy ice cream is not available at every CS location, but is almost always available at TS restaurants. In the parks it is available at the Ice Cream Parlor on Main St in MK and the Fountain Shop in Epcot. There may be places in AK and HS, but I'm not aware of them. I'm not aware of any CS places where you could get it alongside a meal.

 

[kck182]

I find this thread rather frustrating, on many levels.

I feel for Disney. I truely do. In a world where almost everyone has an 'allergy', they have tried for how long to accomodate people. And they don't have to. They really don't. How many other places do? I know my SIL, can NOT go into a restaurant and eat a meal. When she tells restaurants of her allergies, she is actually refused to be served, for legal reasons. I think Disney has gone above what others have ever done. And now that they have made changes that some are not happy with, it is no longer the 'happiest place on earth'. I wish my sister in law could eat as well as most there. She still can't.

This thread is so heavy on just a couple of allergies you don't even begin to touch on anything else. People are so worried about just the gluten, dairy and egg. Because Disney has changed the gluten free/dairy free to just gluten free....it's the end of the world. Because a new product might not be as good as the prior product, people are up in arms.

I wish that my SIL ended up having the options that the rest of you had. While she is not gluten free or dairy free....she has many other allergies. Some in this so called top 8 (don't know why that is so important). And many many others that aren't. The ones that aren't, are the ones that make it near impossible for her to eat out.

Im not sure how we are going to make out on our trip. But it certainly won't stop us from going. We will make the best of it. It's her first time going to Disney. And she is beyond excited. A little nervous of the food. Actually, a lot nervous. BUT, we're going to see what they can do for her. She doesn't have high expectations. Because of how we live at home. If Disney can come through for her, than fantastic. If not, it will be no different than everyday life. We will be ready though to go out and get food. It will NOT spoil a vacation, and we wouldn't think of cancelling it.

I would love any suggestions on how she can eat. She has a severe anaphylatic reaction to the following: peanuts and any other kind of nut. ALL fruit with the exception of pineapple, banana, oranges and watermelon. Yes, ALL others. No carrots. No sweet potatoes. No coconut or coconut oil. No radishs. No sunflower seeds/oil. No pesto. And some seasoning; cajun, nutmeg and all spice.

Seeing this, those that get the fun of treats that are special, she gets none of. There are no treats at Disney she can have. Mickey Waffles? Probably not. No ice cream treats. So while some complain that all they might get to eat is a bowl of fresh fruit, I wouldn't complain so much of that....at least you get that. She can't have it. And she would love it.

While I understand that change sucks immensely, sometimes, when you still have some options, it's better than absolutely nothing.

Wow.

So we have been going to Disney with a lengthy list of "non top 8 allergies" for years. We have had great experiences and scrimp and save to borrow and steal to go on our Disney trips since my son CAN eat here.

So when you go on this trip and it's awesome and your sister in law is thrilled that she was able to eat out and then they change vendors again and she can no longer have something that she could the 1st trip.

Then come back to this thread.

Otherwise, use the information that has been provided for vendors to research which manufactors use what in their natural flavorings. These are the things, like nutmeg, that people are not legally required to list. The top 8 that you don't know anything about are the ones that they are required to list.

Again, you can't really make those calls when you get to the counter to order so it's essential to have this information ahead of time.

As far as what your sister can eat, I anticipate that she will be able to eat well despite her list.

 

[mistysue]

1. Are Divvies products still available in some locations? I was looking forward to trying these.
2. Is Silk indeed being replaced at most locations by this Kikkoman brand?
3. Does anyone know about vegan friendly buns at CS locations? I'm not sure if the dairy-free bun is even the same as the GF ones people are talking about. I most likely won't be eating veggie burgers during my stay, but just in case, it would be very helpful.
4. Can nondairy ice cream brands like Tofutti and Rice Dream be found in most parks CS locations? I know about MK, but what about the others? Not that I need to eat THAT much ice cream during my trip... it'll just make me feel more special.

I posted the response I just got from Special diets in the last couple pages-
Basically the only special bread they plan to have is Udi's. Like the PP said- it has egg so you might not have bread for your whole trip.
They also aren't listing Divvies as a vendor. They now plan to have OMG... it's gluten free (non-vegan) and Enjoy life. The enjoy life would be vegan. I don't know if they come in the larger size, but we are big fans of their snickerdoodles.
The brand of popcorn they are going to is "Rocky Mountain." Their butter flavoring is dairy free, but they do not list ingredients online so I can't tell if they are vegan or not. Some of their cheese flavors are marked as dairy.

Special diets refused to comment on where I may find rice dream ice cream. Basically said "find out when you are here."

 

[EEyorelover22]

If you have a corn allergy beware of Enjoy Life. I had one of their chocolate bars (it was actually very good) and it made me really sick.

 

[Chelley00]

I've emailed special diets 3 times with no response and the lady who did my dining reservations didn't add any of my allergies to our reservations. I'm startin to get a little concerned about what my trip is going to be like. I'm lucky I'm not anaphylactic, but I don't want to be puking for 2 weeks.

 

[livndisney]

If you have a corn allergy beware of Enjoy Life. I had one of their chocolate bars (it was actually very good) and it made me really sick.

Do you know what kind of bar it was? I just looked at the three listed on their site and did not see corn listed. I did not even see corn listed as an ingredient in any of their items.