I found out I’m allergic to caffeine when I was 17 years old and my older brother is gluten intolerant, so I know first-hand how hard going to an amusement park or any restaurant with food allergies can be! Luckily for you, Walt Disney World (and Disneyland) have your back! They take food allergies very seriously. No matter what your food allergy or sensitivity may be, I can assure you that Disney will have a delicious option for you! Even if you don’t see anything on the menu that suits your particular needs, Chefs will make sure that they provide you with a dish to satisfy your appetite.
Let Disney Know Ahead of Time
When making reservations for restaurants in Walt Disney World there will be an option to provide the employees with extra information. You could inform them of an exciting reason for your visit here, but this is definitely the place to leave information about your food allergies or intolerances. By doing this, you will ensure that upon your arrival to the restaurant the chefs and servers are ready to accommodate your needs. This strategy only works for table service restaurants in which you need a reservation. If you are going quick service, see my next point!
Ask for an Allergy Menu
If for some reason you don’t inform your restaurant of choice about your food allergy or you are eating at a quick service restaurant, not to worry! Just ask your waiter/waitress or the cashier taking your order (if at a quick service location) for an allergy menu! These menus will show you what allergy friendly options are available and will note which allergy they are compatible with including gluten, eggs, fish, shellfish, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, and soy.
Do Your Research on Buffets
Fun Fact! You can find allergy friendly Disney menus online! This is especially helpful when you are headed to a buffet and you need to narrow down which of the offerings will fit your dietary needs. Before my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, I knew my family was going to be eating at a couple of buffets. I just googled the allergy menu for these restaurants and was able to find the information I was looking for. My brother is gluten intolerant, so I was mostly interested in what would be available for gluten allergies, but you can find information for any of the 8 most common allergies. This proved very helpful for my brother as there was no confusion about what he could or could not eat, he went into dinner knowing what his choices were! (They do also have allergy friendly menus at buffets, this is just a helpful tip for those that may like to plan ahead like I do!)
Tell Your Server
Make sure your server knows that you have a food allergy or intolerance! If you list your allergy ahead of time when making reservations your server will already know and be prepared for you, but if you didn’t it’s never too late! I am allergic to caffeine (which includes chocolate, sad I know). I didn’t note my allergy ahead of time on my past trip to Disney because chocolate is a pretty easy thing to spot and usually only matters for dessert. Well, my family and I ate at a restaurant called Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano. I didn’t inform anyone of my allergy because I wasn’t planning on eating any dessert. However, we found out that a prefix dessert trio was actually included our meal so why not?? My husband informed our waiter of my allergy and after giving me a talking to about the importance of letting Disney know about your allergy ahead of time and how seriously they take food allergies he brought me my own dessert without chocolate!
Walt Disney World really is out to please you and make sure that you have everything you need! Never hesitate to ask questions or make your dietary needs known! They absolutely love to help you and make your day as easy and enjoyable as possible.
If you have not been keeping up with my Food and Fitness at Disney series go ahead and check out my posts on How to Eat Healthy in Disney and Best Healthy Restaurants in Disney World.
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