*Special Diets* - useful information

[Clare]

I tend to email a few weeks out, some restaurants have better options than others but generally the Disney restaurants are very good.

Once I've emailed special diets I have been contacted directly by a couple of the restaurants (signatures) as i had specific requests that i knew from past experience could not be readily available without advance notice, eg specific sauce with my fish in a gluten free version.

[Bubbasmum]

Hi everyone,

Just come across the thread and the information is superb. I was just wondering if anyone has any up-to-date information on places to eat which are most acommodating for nut and fish allergies.

I have already rung special diets at Disney and will do all the right things when we book our dining plans but there is nothing like hearing from fellow dibbers for opinions and experiences.

Thanks in advance ! Xx

[Pixie24]

Hi

I am a coeliac so it’s a different issue but in some ways an allergy is an allergy it’s just how it is handled by the staff at where you eat.

It was our first trip to the land of mouse and I have to say I was seriously impressed, especially by WDW . With regards to nut/fish allergy I can say whenever we ate at quick services places the manager would check the folder and show you what you could have and I noticed lots of other allergies listed in there including nuts and fish. I am sure that table service restaurants would be equally accommodating, and we had some lovely meals at various places. When we ate at The Liberty Tree Tavern (great by the way) after the chef had spoken to me he was then speaking to a family who had a little girl with a nut allergy, so they are very used to it and really clued up. I emailed food services at WDW before the trip to get some extra reassurance and then checked out the menus online before we travelled, to make sure there was something we like – just because you need gluten free it doesn’t mean that you would eat anything! I then noted these down in my little book, my husband laughed at me, but it saved so much time in the end .

If you are going to Universal IOA your best bet would probably be Mythos (another brilliant meal) and at US - Lombard’s Landing – the chef here was brilliant and incredibly knowledgeable about all sorts of allergies. Again I emailed beforehand and got more information.

Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Hi all Just come across this thread,

Have just found out after months of pain that I have a wheat intolerance, but not gluten, if I have anything with wheat in I swell up and have terrible pain in my tum, not nice at all.

We are going back to Florida next May and it will be the first time with this problem, at home i'm really good about not having the things that I'm not alllowed but I know when I get over the pond I'm walking ito a land of temptation.

Can anyone help with a list of things I can have at disney/IOA/US/Busch or seaworld?

I would really appreciate the help.

Thanking you in advance

EMMA

[Pixie24]

Hi Emma

First of all don’t worry, you really don’t feel you are missing you over there with any allergy. My husband doesn’t have a food allergy (lucky him) but I really didn’t feel particularly jealous all the time I seemed to eat a lot of fish and also salads, but that’s more to do with what I like, rather than limited options. You will see I have posted a few times on this subject as I have a gluten/wheat allergy. The best thing to do is research before you go and email wherever you are going for recommendations. I have a little book in which I wrote down all the places I could eat. Also the names of the staff I had spoken to, just in case (I never needed it by the way). A chef will usually come and speak to you and tell you what you can have, and you do not feel as though you are being a pain! Some servers/chef/CMs are better than others I have to say, but don’t be afraid to ask.

I’ll list some of the places we ate and Universal/Disney to give you an idea.

Islands of Adventure
Mythos. Excellent meal, I had the salmon and there were quite a few other g/f choices marked on the menu too. I had a lovely chocolate brownie and banana desert which was scrummy

Universal Studios
Lombards Landing. The chef here was amazing and very knowledgeable about allergies. Again I had the salmon (see a pattern developing)) and it was totally different from Mythos but equally as nice. Gluten free choices marked on the menu. No room for pudding

Epcot
Sunshine Seasons
Great choices, I had a lovely cheese and fruit combo and was able to add little pots of coleslaw and potato salad too.

Hollywood Studios
50's Prime Time Café
We ate here twice. First time had the salmon (again lots of other choices) which was lovely and then the most amazingly huge brownie, ice cream desert I had ever seen. Second time I went for the seafood appetiser and then the pudding as by then I realised I could not eat two big courses here! That was good too, had the brownie pudding again, but this time it was smaller

Backlot Express
Grilled cheese and turkey sandwich on g/f bread and fries. Surprisingly very, very nice!

Pizza Planet
Gluten free pizza, choice of toppings, really good and very filling.

Magic Kingdom
Liberty Tree Tavern. We ate here twice because I loved the colony salad so much. There was a roast which they could have adapted and also fish too. I had a lovely sorbet with berries for desert.

Main Street Bakery
I ended up with a packet of crisps and a g/f cookie here. It was seriously busy and the CMs could not seem to understand what I was saying In the end I gave up as we wanted to see Wishes and it was all taking far too long! Having said that the cookie was lovely!

Animal Kingdom
Pizzafari
Probably for me the park with the least options, however we ate here twice. One I had a pizza (same as the Pizza Planet one) and the second time I had a Caesar salad, both very nice.

Off park we ate at Longhorns a couple of times. They have a gluten free menu and lots of choices, we really liked the food here. We went to Bubba Gumps, which I think was slightly overrated and the food was only average with limited options. Also Outback, which was good but not as good as Longhorns in our opinion.

If you are going to the supermarkets you will find more options compared to the UK, Publix was probably the best one we went to. Udi’s bread is really nice and everything is well labelled so you can check. They had some lovely cookies which to be honest I liked more than the cupcakes from Babycakes at DTD, which I had been looking forward to for ages

We didn’t go to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens, so I can’t help there sorry.

Anyhow I hope this helps and if you need to know anything else you can always PM me.

[FlorayG]

I'm reading this thread with interest as I'm now totally grain free - so that means no rice, oats, corn or other grains that are usually used in gluten-free meals. I make my desserts at home with ground nuts instead of flours which of course makes them rather expensive (but very, very nice).
Is there an option on the booking form for 'no grain'? Does anyone have any info on totally grain-free menus? In a way, this is simpler than gluten free as I just don't eat ANY kind of bread, pasta etc. but it would be nice to have some fancy desserts and not just ice-cream.

[lorimac]

Hi
DH and DS 1 and 2 have gluten intolerance, and we are on DDP for the first time. Do you think the following ADR choices are ok?
Crystal Palace for breakfast
Chef Mickeys for breakfast
Boma for dinner
Coral Reef for dinner
Narcosses
Garden Grill

Have two more TS to select and would appreciate suggestions for these.

Thanks

[princessfiona]

this is good to know as my ds who will be 3 when we go has a dairy allergy. We are hoping to stay at allstars resort and do some adr. This is very good reading about disney as we do struggle here to make things special for him when going out to eat. Will def be contating disney before we go. Cant book adrs yet as dont go till may.

[Guest]

Glad I came across this thread as my 7yr old daughter has just been diagnosed as coeliac..this will be very handy info.

[Guest]

Im looking for OH for holiday (hopefully) this coming Oct/Nov. He has a GF diet and is awaiting to see if he is a celiac. What he would like to know is:

(1)Can he get a "normal" burger in a bun and if so, does he need to give notice? Specifically looking for quick service or at places like Hard Rock or at DTD etc?

(2)He loves pancakes/waffles...anywhere he can get them and again does he need to give notice?

(3)Any suggestions for meals that you can't usually have here in the UK as they add gluten to everything?

Thanks if anyone can help. xx