Dining at Disney with Food Allergies

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Just a quick background story:

I was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at the age of two.  At that time we thought I was only allergic to peanuts, but at the age of six I had a severe reaction to a cashew.  From that point on I was diagnosed with a severe ALL NUTS AND NUT PRODUCTS allergy.  Since then, I’ve had to be extremely careful with everything I eat, read all the ingredients on everything I buy, and make everyone I know aware of my allergy.  The good news is that it is a more common allergy now (not so much when I was first diagnosed) so people are more sympathetic and aware when I tell them.

 

The biggest fear when traveling is that anything I eat could be contaminated without my knowledge.  As aware and sympathetic as people are, if they don’t have the allergy they can’t really understand how terrifying the possibility of anaphylaxis truly is. When traveling to Disney World, I was always nervous about being able to eat there.  I had been a few times when I was younger, but I really have no memory of my food choices during those times.  Since Chris and I go a few times a year I’ve found some really helpful tips for those of us with food allergies and it would be a crime not to share them with you!

Disney is probably one of the best places I’ve ever been when it comes to dealing with food allergies.  The cast members have always been so helpful and kind whenever we make them aware of what I can/can’t eat.  And they are willing to go above and beyond to make your stay magical and worry-free. When you decide to book your stay at a Disney Resort, you can let the cast member on the phone know about any food allergies that your family members have.  They will make a note of it in your reservation as well as make the resort you’re staying at aware when you check-in.  Since I like to make people aware as many times as possible, I recommend confirming that the food allergy note is in your reservation when checking in to your resort.

Chris and I are staying on the Club Level at the Wilderness Lodge Resort this week.  Whenever you stay on the Club Level you get food and drinks (for free) during the day.  Always, always, always let the cast member who is working the food area on the Club Level know about your allergy!  At the Wilderness Lodge they have peanut butter shooters (no joke) during snack time, and other food can (and does) have nuts or can be contaminated.

Once you let a cast member know about your allergy, they can go in the back and get you specific food that is 100% safe for you to eat!  Even if you think you can eat certain foods (like carrots or tomatoes), you never know whose small hands reach and grab for things without using the tongs (that happened right in front of me the other day!).

When at the parks (or eating at the resort restaurants), they always have the chef come out and talk to you about your meal options.  If you have a cast member book a restaurant reservation for you they will ask if you have any food allergies (if they don’t for some reason, make sure you mention it!).  Once you let them know, they will put a note in your reservation so when you go to the restaurant they will already be aware.  I have never not been able to eat somewhere that we wanted due to my nut allergy!  And for the first time, I’ve actually been able to have dessert at some restaurants because they always have at least one or two that are made to order.  And for those of us with food allergies, being able to eat dessert is a huge deal!

{Every night from 8:00pm to 10:00 pm they have dessert on the Club Level.  Since I couldn’t eat the cobbler they had prepared upstairs, a cast member called down to the expensive restaurant, Artist’s Point, and asked about their dessert.  They sent me up a mixed berry cobbler with berry ice cream, free of charge.  Honestly, it was the best dessert I’ve ever had and it was gone pretty quickly!}

 

{On a side note: I was able to eat Chinese food a few years ago for the first time at the China Pavilion at Epcot}

 

Disney really does go above and beyond to make sure you can enjoy all of their delicious food and they are more than willing to work with you so you can feel completely comfortable about what you (or a family member) are consuming.  Don’t ever be afraid to let someone know about any food allergies because they will be able to find something you can eat!

And, if you still have some questions about food allergies at Disney you can visit this helpful website: Allergy Free Mouse.