Traveling With Food Allergies at Disney: How Planning Ahead Creates a Calmer Trip
It’s no secret, Disney Destinations have some iconic food options. If you’ve had the pleasure to experience those delectable bites, you’ve probably also been asked what is your favorite snack or meal and found it nearly impossible to narrow it down to just one item. I myself am a big, big fan of Mickey waffles and can confidently say it is my favorite! But when I found out I needed to begin living a gluten free lifestyle per doctor’s orders, my precious Mickey shaped, gluten filled, fluffy waffles were in jeopardy of being a thing of the past. Then I thought, “What about Dole Whips? Churros? Beignets? Mini corn dogs!?” Do all my guilty pleasure park snacks contain gluten and will I ever get to enjoy them again? Spoiler alert, Mickey waffles are available gluten free and frankly, delicious! Huge sigh of relief! If you or a loved one have food allergies, you likely relate to this concern and fear when dining away from home.
As I learned, it’s quite a chore and takes dedication to learn which foods are safe but more importantly, which environments are safe. Luckily, I quickly discovered how easy Disney makes it to enjoy their classic park snacks while identifying and avoiding non allergy friendly items! Having food allergies or intolerances is an inconvenience, sure, but it doesn’t have to consume your life, especially on vacation! All it takes is a little planning and understanding.
There are many tools at your disposal to safely enjoy all the dining options and snacks at the parks. Before you arrive, be sure you have downloaded the My Disney app for the specific Disney Destination. The app has multiple resources for all things food allergies and will be the best for planning your options. When perusing dining options be it making dining reservations or a mobile order, check out the menus listed for each location. Scroll to the bottom of each menu for a listing of allergy friendly options labeled by each allergen. If you’re making a mobile order, there is even a tab specifically for allergy friendly items you can click to see all the options. The menus are so easy to understand and you’ll be very surprised by how many options are available!
If you can’t find information on an item or snack in the app or still aren’t sure if an item is safe, you can always speak with a Special Diets-Trained Cast Member at each location. They will have all the knowledge you need to make the right choice. You can also request an ingredients binder that will list exactly what goes in to every item. The binder was handy for me personally when deciding if I could enjoy some bakery items at a few locations or seasonal items only available for a limited time. Food allergies are not a one size fits all type of issue, so if you have any hesitation, just ask! Communication with Cast Members is absolutely key to protecting yourself and ensuring safe food.
Once you’ve decided on an item and the food arrives, it will be clearly labeled with an “allergy” wooden pic. This is a great extra step Disney takes to make sure allergy friendly items don’t get mixed up with the allergen versions. The pic could mean it was prepared in a different part of the kitchen to avoid cross contamination, has an ingredient omitted, is prepared an alternate way, or is an entirely reworked recipe to avoid an allergen. It’s important to to this information and remember when picking up food at a quick service location for example. Be sure your order number matches that on the tray you pick up and don’t hesitate to confirm with the cast member it is exactly what you ordered. If it doesn’t look right or something looks off, speak up! Cast Members will happily make it right and want to be sure guests stay safe and healthy. If you’re picking up a prepackaged item with a food order, be sure to check that item is also correct and labeled safe for you to consume.
If you plan to attend one of the many festivals during the year or holiday parties at Disney, don’t worry. Allergy friendly options are available there too! The food and wine festivals, Lunar New Year, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, all have options to delight guests taste buds while being safe. Seasonal and exclusive event food items are labeled in the app and in person with the same information as the rest of their food offerings. At Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney World, they offer teal trick-or-treat bags to alert cast members of a food allergy. Grab one of these bags at entry, continue around the treat stops to gather coinsinstead of candy. Take all those coins to one of several allergy friendly candy stops to claim your safe to eat treats based on the allergy. Don’t worry, Cast Members do not skimp on the amount of treats you receive! Your bag will be overflowing with candy and snacks that honestly will make your non-allergy friends and family very jealous. Eat up and enjoy! Sharing will be up to you.
Overall, Disney makes it less stressful to worry about food allergies and intolerances, you just have to do your part in planning ahead and communicating your needs. My requirement to become gluten free was by no means life threatening, so please consider your own severity of food allergy when planning your dining. While Disney makes every attempt to produce safe meals and food items, cross contamination and food prepared in facilities with other allergens is possible and in some instances, likely. If you have a very severe allergy, be careful and come prepared with the necessary emergency medications if needed. It’s better to plan ahead for an accident or allergen exposure and not end up needing medication than just simply winging it and hoping for the best. Rest assured, there are so many Cast Members all over the parks that are there to help make this as magical of a trip as possible and will do all they can to make the experience of dealing with food allergies stress free! It also doesn’t hurt to communicate with a travel advisor like myself to help plan and take more of that stress off your plate. I have been there, I understand it, and I am more than happy to share with you my top recommendations and advice to soak up all the magic and eat all the snacks!
If this information helped you being able to decide if a Disney Vacation is best for your family, click the link below to get connected with an advisors like Morgan who can help plan.
