Gluten free eating

[peacefrogdog]

My search found posts from 2015 and 2019 on this , but checking for any updates. I realize meals are prepared by restaurants coordinated by ABD rather than ABD itself. For those who have travelled with ABD recently, did you find the restaurants took the time to ask about food allergies and gluten sensitivities?

 

[Steven G]

My understanding of this, that it is really in the Adventure Guides hands to make sure the restaurants know of any issues you or your group may have. All adventure guides I have had the pleasure to be with have always done their best to make sure all adventurers are taken care of to the best of their ability.

Thus:
In a big city, I am sure you would not have any issues.
In a rural area, it may be more difficult for them to provide you anything, but they will do their best.

 

[Woodview]

My search found posts from 2015 and 2019 on this , but checking for any updates. I realize meals are prepared by restaurants coordinated by ABD rather than ABD itself. For those who have travelled with ABD recently, did you find the restaurants took the time to ask about food allergies and gluten sensitivities?

What Restaurants & where ? Are they
Restaurants in U . S. A or Europe or Other parts of The World ?

 

[stout]

My DD is celiac. On our June Southern CA (which was easy because we only had to navigate a few non-Disney restaurants), I asked our guides this very same question…how hard would it be to eat gluten free? They both said Rome was the worst from their experience (which if you do Rome on your own, there are many dedicate GF restaurants), and anything in the USA was easy for them to line up. We didn’t specifically talk about other countries.

 

[mgmgmg]

My travel agent (celiac) had nothing but good things to say about food onboard the ABD river cruises. I also asked our guide from my last ABD and he made no guarantees about quality of food but did say that they would make sure there was  something to eat. Unfortunately no first hand experience yet.

 

[sayhello]

My travel agent (celiac) had nothing but good things to say about food onboard the ABD river cruises. I also asked our guide from my last ABD and he made no guarantees about quality of food but did say that they would make sure there was  something to eat. Unfortunately no first hand experience yet.

I will second that about the care taken by the AmaWaterways folks on the ABD river cruises. I don't eat gluten free, but I have a sensitivity to several foods, and every morning, the maitre d' came out during breakfast to go over the menu for dinner with me and point out what I could & couldn't eat and to note my choices and any modifications. Breakfast and Lunch (if done on the ship) was buffet-style, and everything was VERY well marked. And the chef was always available if there were questions.

Sayhello

 

[OKW Lover]

I suspect the answer to the OP's question depends highly on what/where the ABD is. Here in the US there will almost certainly be some good choices. In other countries, probably not as many. ABD guides will do their best to accommodate allergies/preferences, but sometimes there will just not be a lot of choice.

 

[Mathmagicland]

My search found posts from 2015 and 2019 on this , but checking for any updates. I realize meals are prepared by restaurants coordinated by ABD rather than ABD itself. For those who have travelled with ABD recently, did you find the restaurants took the time to ask about food allergies and gluten sensitivities?

I’m on the NZ AbD right now. We have some gluten free, a nut allergy, vegetarians, and at least two others with different food sensitivities or intolerances. The guides are working with each group meal provider to ensure there are options for everyone, even in the cooking class, and separate plates are prepared as needed when food is served family style. In addition, many restaurants have menus labeled options for vegan or gluten free. I’ve seen servers point out specific dishes with ingredients either OK to eat or which to avoid as needed.

As @sayhello noted above, it will likely vary based on country or city how many options might be available. You could always reach out to AbD with questions re options at a specific destination; for the more established adventures, they likely have experience with gluten free guests.

 

[peacefrogdog]

I suspect the answer to the OP's question depends highly on what/where the ABD is. Here in the US there will almost certainly be some good choices. In other countries, probably not as many. ABD guides will do their best to accommodate allergies/preferences, but sometimes there will just not be a lot of choice.

Yes, I was wondering about destinations in Egypt, South/Central America. I realize it's harder based on geography but hoping to get a general sense of to what extent the organizers and guides look out for this . Sounds like they definitely do make it a priority.

 

[jimmymc]

It really depends on the trip. When I did the backstage magic, most of the group meals were at Disney restaurants and they are great about dietary restrictions. Your guides will know which restaurants are safe for you to eat at (which is the large majority of them) and offer suggestions when they don't think the scheduled place is good enough.

 

[Travel junkie]

I’m on the NZ AbD right now. We have some gluten free, a nut allergy, vegetarians, and at least two others with different food sensitivities or intolerances. The guides are working with each group meal provider to ensure there are options for everyone, even in the cooking class, and separate plates are prepared as needed when food is served family style. In addition, many restaurants have menus labeled options for vegan or gluten free. I’ve seen servers point out specific dishes with ingredients either OK to eat or which to avoid as needed.

As @sayhello noted above, it will likely vary based on country or city how many options might be available. You could always reach out to AbD with questions re options at a specific destination; for the more established adventures, they likely have experience with gluten free guests.

Great to know! We are heading to NZ on the December trip and I need to eat gluten free.

Hope you had a wonderful trip. Please post any advice on packing, etc if you are able to. We tend to pack light and anticipate doing laundry once.

 

[Eastridge]

The river cruise menus are very detailed regarding dietary restrictions.

You can see examples of two menu pages at https://www.disboards.com/threads/notes-on-july-23-2018-rhine-river-cruise.3708961/

Scroll down a couple of images to see the menu pages. There are many letters to indicate gluten, dairy and many other categories.

 

[Travel junkie]

The river cruise menus are very detailed regarding dietary restrictions.

You can see examples of two menu pages at https://www.disboards.com/threads/notes-on-july-23-2018-rhine-river-cruise.3708961/

Scroll down a couple of images to see the menu pages. There are many letters to indicate gluten, dairy and many other categories.

Thank you for the photos. That's very helpful. This particular river cruise is the one we are considering next, so seeing photos of food options is very useful.

 

[jina]

I did my first ABD this past June in Norway. Our guides (including Kira who I believe is currently one of the New Zealand guides) did a great job making sure I was well fed. Most of the group meals were pre-ordered and the order form would say which meals were gluten free. They even had a bag of gluten free snacks for me during bus stops. For the buffets, one of the chefs or servers would walk me through what was safe and some buffets even had gf labels on the dishes. I did not get glutened once.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I did my first ABD this past June in Norway. Our guides (including Kira who I believe is currently one of the New Zealand guides) did a great job making sure I was well fed. Most of the group meals were pre-ordered and the order form would say which meals were gluten free. They even had a bag of gluten free snacks for me during bus stops. For the buffets, one of the chefs or servers would walk me through what was safe and some buffets even had gf labels on the dishes. I did not get glutened once.

Yes Kira is the AbD Disney guide for the first two NZ trips; she will be doing other NZ departures during this season. I echo @jina comments - I’ve been paying more attention on this NZ trip after @Travel junkie question- we have separate GF snacks for the bus, each menu for group meals indicates GF or vegetarian meal options, and either the chef or a server will walk through menu items with each person who has a dietary situation. Many restaurants also have GF notations on their menus. And I even saw GF things in the grab & go section of local super markets.