Navigating new restaurants, let alone vacations, can be extremely challenging (and disappointing at times) when you have an allergy, especially a life threatening one. Something that is not talked enough about is allergies and how they are handled in WDW. And, unfortunately, despite the progress they have made, WDW has a long way to go when dealing with food allergies. So, today I figured I would discuss how to get what you want in restaurants eating with an allergy.
I say “get what you want” because, as you will find, the Disney restaurants claim that they are extremely allergy friendly, but don’t exactly tell you what it means… so I will.
I get very passionate about this subject because it is something I have had to deal with ever since my siblings were born. Somehow, out of the four of us, I’m the only one without any food allergies (I am the only one with glasses though, so I guess it evened out to an extent -lol). My siblings on the other hand all have severe, life-threatening, peanut allergies, and terrible treenut and seasame allergies.
As is often found, when resturants claim that they are allergy friendly it means that back in the depths of the kitchen they have the most repulsive foods (typically breads/carbs) you will ever try. Not only are they peanut/treenut/sesame free, but they are dairy free, egg free, gluten free, sugar free, fat free, wheat free, vegan… I could go on and on. So basically, they are “everything”-free (I seriously do NOT want to know what they are made of). Other than this monstrosity, they state that they “cannot ensure the safety of the other products.” This just isn’t fair to those with only one allergy
You may be asking, “okay, so this sucks. But what can I do about it?” Well, Disney is all about hospitality, and giving their customers the experience they desire –and quite frankly, the one they deserve after paying half their college tuition and going into debt just to see Mickey Mouse for a day. The key to getting what you want is using this “against” them. The kitchen staff is more than capable to make you your own, normal Mickey waffle and just keeping it safe from nuts, but a lot of the time, they are lazy about it (we know this because some of the restaurants are easy about requesting the regular foods in a safe location, and most all Disney restaurants are operated the same). By pushing them just a bit by fully explaining your situation, you will be able to get the safe food you want. If you have to fight for this, you are in your complete right to ask for the manager and try to dispute the situation that way.
This may sound rude, but Disney is well-known for its obsession with taking short-cuts, making them go one extra step is not unjustifiable. Also, sometimes the servers just don’t understand what you are asking for. Also, you aren’t just helping yourself, but those with allergies who come to Disney World and don’t know of another alternative than the horror bread. Through more and more people demanding that something be changed in the food operations in Disney, Disney will recognize the issue and make it so that people can automatically receive the good, safe foods.
The good thing is that now when you book your dining reservations, you can make a note that someone in your party has a food allergy. This will trigger something in your reservation that will automatically notify the chef of the respective restaurant to come to your table and walk you through what can be done to accommodate your allergy.
Also, many times I remember sitting down at a Disney restaurant and eating the pre-served, pre-prepared desserts while by siblings were served a massive, special, custom desert made special by the kitchen (they often do this without any request). I may have been a little jealous when they brought out a massive waffle cone filled with ice cream, warm chocolate sauce, whipped cream, freshly made mickey shaped brownie, and more, while I ate my square shaped brownie with a scoop of vanilla next to it. You can always request one of these yourself, but often times they just do it for special cases, such as allergies!
I hope this helped at least a little, and if you or someone you know is planning a trip to WDW and doesn’t know what to do for their allergies, don’t hesitate to ask!
Until next time! I’ll see ya real soon!
I love this blog. I have a pretty severe peanut allergy and can not tell you how annoying some restaurants are with allergies. The last time I remember going to Disney World they were pretty accommodating with my allergy. We went to Belle’s Castle in magic kingdom at ate there. There was a touch screen you could order your food on and a special button if you had an allergy. It showed you all the foods that were safe on it. I was surprised at all the options I had.
This is such an interesting but essential topic to cover. While at Disney over break, I was extremely impressed with the way they handle allergies. I have a gluten-allergy, and the fact that I could order anything off the menu and have it gluten-free was AMAZING. (I went for chicken nuggets.) Disney really knows what it’s doing.
It was good that you covered a niche topic such as this. I personally don’t have allergies but if I ever go with someone who does I will use this as part of a guide. Thank you!
I love that they bring out the custom desserts to those with allergies, I’m sure they’re used to getting the short end of the stick, so an extravagant dessert seems like a nice gesture on Disney’s part. Good to know that you can talk to the restaurants for high quality, allergy-free foods!
This is a topic that I don’t nearly see enough on food/travel blogs! My little sister has a nut allergy and we’ve always had to be extremely careful wherever we travel to ensure there’s no cross-contamination and that she’s safe. It’s really dangerous when places take shortcuts, and Disney should absolutely be held accountable for it. Regarding the desserts, I went on a cruise last summer with my family and my sister would always get a special dessert personally selected and made by the head chef to ensure no cross-contamination. It made me a little jealous, too, but since I don’t have any allergies I feel like I shouldn’t complain haha.