Tips for food allergies and families

[sleepingbean]

We had such a great trip, I want to share some things that worked for us:

Reservations! With little kids, it worked great to have reservations instead of waiting for counterservice (with the allergies) . This was worth it!

Ask ask ask! Everyone was so accommodating. Even when I thought they were WAY too busy to help, they would treat us to a GF/CF meal with extras and smiles !

I found it helpful to view the menus in advance (online) and then tell the chef what we'd like to eat and ask if they could make it for us to our dietary needs (saved the chef from going over the entire menu).

Ask for specialty desserts at the beginning of the meal when the chef is there.

If you do counterservice (for breakfast at hotel, for example) send the grownup down 10 minutes or so in advance to order the specialty items so everyone can eat together. This worked well for us at places like Mara.

Order the free maps and put stickers on the different places you can eat foods that are safe for your allergies throughout the park with details of what they are so if you or your kids are starving and you don't want to trek across the park, you can see quick safe options on your pre planned listing.

Contact Disneys Chefs for a listing of safe foods. We got this in advance of our trip and it was SO USEFUL!!!

I can't say enough about how great our trip went. The ease of including my daughter and doing it in a manner where she doesn't feel left out...and not to mention the WONDERFUL tasting food. Well it really seemed magical to me!
sniff sniff...

 

[KariC]

Thanks for the advice. I am concerned about our trip this time, since I am seeing so many peanut items on the menus. It's interesting, because when we met with the chef at The Brown Derby in Sept. 05, he told me they were moving AWAY from peanut options at Disney due to increase in allergies. Looks like that isn't the case anymore

We're just going to wait for our next trip to do the princess tea party at GF and one of the pirate cruises. Grandma and Pa are going that time, and they can decontaminate the twins before they get to me! There's no way I could hang out in a room with 25 girls eating PB&J and not react Thankfully, neither of my kids is testing positive for any food allergies, yet. (I was 23 when the peanut allergy hit...still missing Reese's PB cups!!!)

 

[eacatwork]

KariC, I was 23 when my "allergy" hit, too! I use quotes because I was definitely in anaphylactic shock that balmy night in October 1999 and had a blood test done the following week that I was told confirmed I was allergic to peanuts and pistachios and "borderline" for everything else so I might as well avoid all nuts. Fine. Dandy. Two years later, I go to another allergist to start shots, tell them about the allergic reaction and they took me at my word. Three years later, I moved to another state, got a new allergist who tested me for everything and peanuts and tree nuts came back NEGATIVE...both blood and skin tests! Now I don't know WHAT to do!!! The doctor joked that if I ever got really bored one day, I could just settle into the waiting room at the local ER and nosh on a can of peanuts...see what happens. He was kidding...I think. I still act like I have the allergy, so I am always asking about menus and whatnot. All of the menus I have reviewed seem harmless...at least the things I think I will order nine months from now. I would be interested to know from your experience if there are any places to avoid altogether (other than the tea party) because they are chock-full-o-peanuts. Thanks!

 

[sleepingbean]

There was a little birthday girl seated next to us at Hollywood and Vine. She had peanut allergies and her mom told me that everything had been going great for them in Disney with foods. That day, the Chef came out and talked to both of us. He agreed (willingly) to make her foods on a separate area to avoid cross contamination, and I thought she told me they didn't use peanut oils, but I can't be sure about that. Anyway, the mom said they have always had such good experiences that they keep coming back
That is encouraging!

We ate out the whole trip, three meals a day, and we never got sick either. We react differently than you, however. I get food poisoning response to any amounts of dairy and my daughter reacts the same way to gluten. So if we get any, we know about it...for many agonizing hours in the hotel while everyone else is out having fun! That didn't happen at all. I didn't even get that "punched in the gut" feeling that I often get when we eat out. It was just perfect!

 

[KariC]

I've been told to avoid the Asian restaurants at Epcot....they can't accomodate peanut allergy (probably due to major cross contamination). I've also heard Restaurant Makkeresh (sp?) isn't as accomodating as all of the other places. The guidebooks also recommend mostly TS....due to chef preparing food especially for you. I figure I will just play it safe at the CS locations. I, generally, know what will make me react.

It's weird for me....I have respiratory reactions for nuts and peanuts. Gastro reactions for my soy allergy. And because of my latex allergies I have to avoid avocado, bananas, cantalope, oh....and a couple others because of their close carbon structures. I tend to develop allergies that are related.... Like I went from a just codiene allergy to percodan/percocet reactions to vicodan. I'm running out of pain killers!!!!

Such is life. It's not so life-threatening when you think of other health problems. I'll deal!

 

[sleepingbean]

Kari, my daughter was a similar way with the allergies to foods piling up when she was younger. Now she is free of all of those except for gluten and dairy. We did some blood tests and a special diet that really seemed to help. I hope you have the same luck as you move forward!

I also have heard that Epcot is not "safe" in comparison, so we actually did not go to that park at all. We found plenty to do at the other three

Here is Brenda's Email at Disney. She was the one who sent me the "safe food" lists that were very helpful
wdwmkspecialdiets@email.disney.com

Good luck!

 

[KariC]

Thank you! I'm going to email her as soon as my email server comes back up!

 

[sleepingbean]

I'm curious if anyone has Epcot dining recommendations for gluten free/dairy free dining?

 

[DVCisME]

sleepingbean- I am curious as to where you went to eat and what you had, if you don't mind. I just found out I have celiac disease and need a gluten free diet. I am going to WDW in June, September, and January and would love to know of as many options as possible. I did email Brenda and got information from her but it is always nice to hear from someone first hand. TIA!

 

[sleepingbean]

I posted what we ate on my link in the signature. I think that covers all the places we went!


(and with pictures too)
You'll see some food we ate at
Boma (At Animal Kingdom Lodge), Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom), Pecos Bills(Magic Kingdom), Artist Point (at Wilderness Lodge), Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge), Rainforest Cafe (Animal Kingdom or Downtown Disney), Rengetsu (not in disney - on I Drive), Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom), and Hollywood and Vine (MGM).

 

[Dashzap]

KariC,Three years later, I moved to another state, got a new allergist who tested me for everything and peanuts and tree nuts came back NEGATIVE...both blood and skin tests! Now I don't know WHAT to do!!! The doctor joked that if I ever got really bored one day, I could just settle into the waiting room at the local ER and nosh on a can of peanuts...see what happens. He was kidding...I think. !

Be careful, my son is allergic to peanuts but his tests are negative for it!

He's had several RAST blood tests for peanut, all have come back negative. He had a positive scratch test for peanut at age 5. At age 7 he had another scratch test for peanut (after yet another RAST came back negative), which was negative. So the allergist did a food challenge, where he was fed successively more peanuts over the course of several hours. Luckily the allergist's office was attached to a hospital. A couple of hours into the test he ended up in the ER with anaphylaxsis.

So, the tests are useless for him.

Maybe he is producing a different type of reaction in his blood?