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Dairy free options at DLR

wendow

We create happiness.
Joined
Feb 11, 2012
One of my ds's has a dairy allergy. It is not anaphylactic so trace amounts are fine but he needs dairy free meals. WDW has been a 'God send' to us in terms of feeding him. They fall all over themselves to create dairy free (df) foods for him and have all the similar ingredients. Does DLR have the same? DF butter and cheeses? Can we order him a pizza at Naples and it have a DF cheese? Can he get Mickey waffles made with a DF mix like they do at WDW? Can he get a milkshake made with rice milk ice cream (or some alternative milk)?
 
Let the server know about the allergy and they will do there best. DLR is no where even close to DW, thank god. Easier all around, just walk to where you want to go, dont have to wait for a bus or anything. Have a great time.

Jack
 
DGD got dairy free Mickey waffles at several restaurants. It just takes awhile. They specially make them
 


You should check out the Facebook groups like “Vegan Disneyland” because they’re pretty active about what is actually available on menus and “secretly” off menu. There are things like vegan mickey waffles, vegan butter etc but not at all locations. I know snacks like the pretzels, the buttery popcorn, dolewhips and the new lemon dole treat at Pixar pier are all dairy free. Most sit down restaurants will be able to make SOMETHING dairy free.
 
You should check out the Facebook groups like “Vegan Disneyland” because they’re pretty active about what is actually available on menus and “secretly” off menu. There are things like vegan mickey waffles, vegan butter etc but not at all locations. I know snacks like the pretzels, the buttery popcorn, dolewhips and the new lemon dole treat at Pixar pier are all dairy free. Most sit down restaurants will be able to make SOMETHING dairy free.

I had a very kind poster send me a list of vegan dishes that are available but since it excludes meat and eggs as well, It was a pretty minimal list. DLR actually has a lot of their allergy menus online which is helpful! But I never saw an option for dairy free cheese, rice milk or dairy free mickey waffles (all things readily available at WDW). So I was just curious. I know Disney will do great to accommodate!
 
My daughter is allergic to eggs, milk and peanuts. So, her options are more limited than your sons will be.

Pizza Port has an allergy pizza with Daiya cheese on it. It's really good. Even with the gluten-free crust they insist on using, it's good. (Much better than the Daiya frozen pizzas). I hear that Boardwalk Pizza has the same, but haven't tried it. We have not been offered dairy-free cheese anywhere else and have never been offered dairy-free margarine.

The kids menus aren't great, at least not for my daughter. So, we often share a meal. You're going to find safe fries just about everywhere. Adult hamburgers (with bun) are safe at every place we've tried. The hot dogs at Refreshment Corner are safe (with bun). Rancho Del Zocalo has clueless CMs, but if you're persistent, you can find someone who knows what they are doing and can provide a milk-free meal.

We did the Minnie and Friends breakfast at Plaza Inn a year or so ago. They did make her special waffles, which weren't cooked all the way through. After hunting someone down and requesting done waffles, we waited a long time for another set of undercooked waffles. Considering that was the only thing my two-year-old wanted to eat, I gave her a couple of bites of the edges and she ate a few grapes. Not much of a meal. They didn't offer soymilk or margarine or anything. It was a subpar experience for us, except for the characters (which were great).

I haven't checked the online menus lately, we haven't been since February. The last I looked, I didn't see the allergy menus. I did notice that Cocina Cucamonga now has their allergy menu in the app, so that was a good change. I'll have to look online and see what they have listed now.

You're going to be sorely disappointed in the ice cream realm. There isn't any. There is Dole Whip and the new lemon soft serve (assuming it isn't cross-contaminated. I haven't heard any reports from allergy folks on it since it opened) at the Adorable Snowman. Ghiradelli has sorbet, but won't do an allergy order, so it is useless. Clarabelle's in DCA usually has sorbet and will do an allergy order. My daughter had breathing difficulties after eating there in January. So, I'm hesitant to recommend it anymore or take her back there again (though she had eaten it safely previously). Haagan-Daz is closing, so it is not an option anymore either. If you trust Starbucks, they can make a dairy-free vanilla crème Frappucino. My daughter had them safely a few times (at DLR), but then one of our friends had a reaction from one (also at DLR). So, we have avoided them since.
 


We've had good luck getting dairy free waffles at character breakfasts. I believe that they also have them at the Grand Californian quick service and perhaps others. DD17 is allergic to dairy, egg, nuts, and peanuts and we've had nearly as good of luck in Disneyland as WDW. She does like things fairly plain. I believe they had Earth Balance, but we may have just brought our own last time. I didn't notice a difference from WDW in table service restaurant accommodations. My wife and I can no longer handle dairy and have had no problems. If my memory serves me correctly, most quick service establishments have ingredient binders or a manager that will help. There is a website (gluten free dairy free wdw [not sure if I can post the link] that has allergy menus for the Disneyland areas at the bottom of their WDW allergy menu page. I hope you have a wonderful and safe trip to the westside.
 
Pizza Port has an allergy pizza with Daiya cheese on it. It's really good. Even with the gluten-free crust they insist on using, it's good. (Much better than the Daiya frozen pizzas). I hear that Boardwalk Pizza has the same, but haven't tried it. We have not been offered dairy-free cheese anywhere else and have never been offered dairy-free margarine.

I'm sorry you had some pretty disappointing experiences meeting your dd's allergy needs! I am afraid we may a bit disappointed also as we've had such amazing, accommodating chefs at WDW (even in the CS places, which is out main eating venue).

I had to laugh at the above bolded...I made a frozen Daiya for my ds for the first time tonight...Poor thing, thought me was gonna barf trying to eat it...I normally make him homemade pizza with just no cheese but I got lazy. Bought an overpriced frozen Daiya. He was NOT impressed. Back to homemade from here on...
 
One suggestion for CS and TS is to try to time your meals for off peak periods. If you will need to talk with a chef or to have food made custom, it will be easier when the restaurant and kitchen aren't swamped. As a pp said, it can take longer for food to be prepared custom, and if the kitchen is already very busy, it can take a very long time.
My sister is allergic to dairy and she has never had a problem at DLR. I'm not sure exactly what she ordered or where on her most recent trip, but she did not run into any problems. Either she was able to order something listed as dairy free or to speak with a chef at a TS location for every meal. At DTD, Jamba Juice has been able to accommodate my dairy allergies. They can substitute more fruit or a whole banana for the dairy in their smoothies. There is an ingredient binder there, so ask if you don't see it out.
 
I wanted to follow-up on this, now that I know. I asked at the Adorable Snowman stand and they told me that the lemon soft serve is not safe for milk allergies. I could see that it shares a machine with the vanilla soft serve. What a missed opportunity for an allergy-friendly option.
 
Disneyland definitely doesn't have the options Disney World has, unfortunately. My son ate a lot of Dole Whips when we went a couple of years ago and got the sorbet at Clarabelle's for treats as well as the pretzels. We were able to get safe waffles. He has since done OIT and can eat dairy now. We went to Disney World in the summer and it felt wonderfully weird not asking for a chef to come talk to us at every restaurant.
 

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