What does allergy-friendly mean in WDW? - post trip report

[123SA]

My son has celiac disease. He won't have extreme medical distress if he ingests gluten, but it will wreck his day and possibly the next.

Counter services places at WDW are using the term allergy-friendly in the menu. (We don't have any sit down restaurant reservations) Where we live, this means the ingredients are gluten free but the kitchen is not. The reality is the risk of cross contamination is high. He's learned this the hard way.

Are the Counter Services places making a real effort to eliminate cross contamination and this is just general risk/legal language?

 

[Eeyore daily]

My son has celiac disease. He won't have extreme medical distress if he ingests gluten, but it will wreck his day and possibly the next.

Counter services places at WDW are using the term allergy-friendly in the menu. (We don't have any sit down restaurant reservations) Where we live, this means the ingredients are gluten free but the kitchen is not. The reality is the risk of cross contamination is high. He's learned this the hard way.

Are the Counter Services places making a real effort to eliminate cross contamination and this is just general risk/legal language?

Yes. Exactly that. They'll say they do not have a dedicated kitchen but a dedicated space within the kitchen and most places do not share a fryer.

 

[Miffy]

I'm vegan--not comparable to celiac, but I won't eat just anything and I'm familiar with the scene at WDW's restaurants.

My experience, unlike the above poster's, is that at QS restaurants, the fryers are all shared and they will tell you so. Are there QS places where the fryers aren't shared? I do not know. The only thing I can think of that's made separately at QS locations is the Mickey waffles. The allergy waffles are gluten-free and vegan and are prepared on a separate griddle.

At TS restaurants, there's a big difference. A chef will come out to your table and discuss your needs with you and make sure that there's no cross-contamination.

Check out this site, which has a lot of gluten-free advice for WDW.

 

[Narcoossee11]

I would not eat at any QS restaurants only sit down.
Since one bad meal can affect your trip, bring prepared items.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Honestly, whenever I hear the word "friendly", it means it's gonna automatically have the product, just in low contamination forms.

Like, look at the term gluten-friendly and dairy-friendly. Both almost always mean that a given product has gluten or dairy in minute levels or are likely contaminated.

So, if it's "allergy friendly", it likely has the allergy, but it will be in very low quantity. Use that knowledge related to your needs.

To be safe, you always want to see the word "free" - it's the only one that means the allergen does not exist in the product.

 

[flowergleam1211]

There are two members of our family that have severe food allergies to multiple food groups and cross contamination is a concern for us as well. We only eat at table service restaurants in WDW and at the Swan/Dolphin, and everyone has been knowledgeable, communicative and accommodating. It's expensive but it's the one vacation expense that's absolutely worth it.

 

[flowergleam1211]

My son has celiac disease. He won't have extreme medical distress if he ingests gluten, but it will wreck his day and possibly the next.

Counter services places at WDW are using the term allergy-friendly in the menu. (We don't have any sit down restaurant reservations) Where we live, this means the ingredients are gluten free but the kitchen is not. The reality is the risk of cross contamination is high. He's learned this the hard way.

Are the Counter Services places making a real effort to eliminate cross contamination and this is just general risk/legal language?

Also, if you want a restaurant recommendation, we once ate at Rosa Mexicano at the Dolphin and at the time, they had a gluten free fryer in a separate kitchen. (We consume gluten but needed to prevent cross contamination with other allergens.). If you can, I would still recommend talking to them ahead of time to be sure. I was in touch with the head chef of the Dolphin/Swan resort restaurants ahead of time and he was very, very helpful.

 

[Her Dotness]

QS is risky because they use so many packaged rather than raw ingredients and will tell you they cannot ensure those ingredients aren't contaminated.

I've found that resort QS are often safer. I need g-f/d-f and cannot mobile order at resort QS for that reason. However, the few QS where we eat--WL's Geyser Point outdoor lounge and GF's Gasparilla Island Grill--have been very reliable for me.

You will likely want to go to the counter to order at any QS rather than relying on the mobile order menu items listed as gluten-friendly. That way, you can be assured they will be prepared properly. I must do that because very few items other than salads are both gluten and dairy-friendly. It's inconvenient but works.

Check cold cases at Deluxe resort QS. These may have suitable things since CMs can advise you which are made at the resort rather than coming from an outside vendor. Some such things are prepared in kitchens of the resort's TS restaurants and will be carefully made.

I definitely encourage you to do most of your eating at TS restaurants. At those, chefs can modify some menu items or will fix something suitable. Favorites of mine are GF Cafe, Citricos, 'Ohana, Beaches and Cream (delicious g-f buns on the burgers) and California Grill, but there are many good TS restaurants that are serious about needing to avoid allergens.

Almost everything at Skipper Canteen in the MK can be made gluten-free. It's largely Asian food that can be made with gluten-free noodles and tamari rather than soy sauce. It offers me more variety than I find most other places. Delicious, too.

If you aren't familiar with the official Disney online menus, scroll waaaay down on those to find the allergy-friendly section. Where there isn't such a section indicates the restaurant is not Disney-owned and sets its own policies regarding allergy accommodation. Some will be helpful, others not so much.

I think you'll find the prospects aren't as dire as you fear with a bit of advance research and willingness to explore resort QS rather than staying in the parks.

 

[CynBeth]

I have family members with food allergies to dairy and also can’t have any hot spice like black pepper and need no to low salt and we pretty much make ADRs for TS. The good thing is they can eat at just about any except for some of the exotic ones at some of the parks. They can even go to a buffet like Boma for breakfast and dinner where a chef walks them around to show what they can have and then makes things for them in the back. Our last trip a few years ago we tried LTT with the AYCTE lunch instead of the a la carte menu that they did away with and they were able to make platters just for them. The wait staff and chefs we have encountered over the years have just been wonderful.

 

[OKW Lover]

We know a CM that works in a table service restaurant kitchen. From conversations with them I can say that Disney takes allergy issues very, very seriously.

 

[123SA]

Thanks for your responses. I was really hoping to avoid table service because of time and money. I'll have to think about this.

 

[Miffy]

Thanks for your responses. I was really hoping to avoid table service because of time and money. I'll have to think about this.

You have another choice, which is to either shop for groceries or have them delivered. Of course, unless you're staying in a DVC 1- or 2-bedroom, you won't have a freezer or, most likely, a real refrigerator, but you'll have a cooler, at least. That way you'll have control over the food and won't be spending TS bucks on every meal.

 

[flowergleam1211]

You have another choice, which is to either shop for groceries or have them delivered. Of course, unless you're staying in a DVC 1- or 2-bedroom, you won't have a freezer or, most likely, a real refrigerator, but you'll have a cooler, at least. That way you'll have control over the food and won't be spending TS bucks on every meal.

Yes, I do this as well! And my kids are sometimes just as happy if not more with granola bars, carrot sticks, fresh fruit and sandwiches that we make ahead of time.

 

[123SA]

I'm staying at AS Music suite which I think has a decent size fridge/freezer. I hadn't considered bringing food into the parks for him. (He's 20, disgnosed at 17. We don't have a lot of experience managing outside of the house. He had 2 bad experiences and that has left him mostly unwillingly to bother trying again) We usually stay at the park from opening until close, so that would be 2 meals to carry around. Hmmm....if the rest of the family was getting counter service, would they let him eat his own food with us? Would we have to find a bench outside somewhere to eat?

 

[flowergleam1211]

I'm staying at AS Music suite which I think has a decent size fridge/freezer. I hadn't considered bringing food into the parks for him. (He's 20, disgnosed at 17. We don't have a lot of experience managing outside of the house. He had 2 bad experiences and that has left him mostly unwillingly to bother trying again) We usually stay at the park from opening until close, so that would be 2 meals to carry around. Hmmm....if the rest of the family was getting counter service, would they let him eat his own food with us? Would we have to find a bench outside somewhere to eat?

We usually eat outside because my kids can be messy and I don't wish to add more work for the cleaning staff in indoor spaces. I imagine that WDW dining would understand the need to bring outside food for people with food allergies, especially if anyone questions you and you request to talk to the manager about it.

 

[Miffy]

I'm staying at AS Music suite which I think has a decent size fridge/freezer. I hadn't considered bringing food into the parks for him. (He's 20, disgnosed at 17. We don't have a lot of experience managing outside of the house. He had 2 bad experiences and that has left him mostly unwillingly to bother trying again) We usually stay at the park from opening until close, so that would be 2 meals to carry around. Hmmm....if the rest of the family was getting counter service, would they let him eat his own food with us? Would we have to find a bench outside somewhere to eat?

If the rest of you are ordering from the CS place, I don't think anyone would even notice if your son were eating food you brought with you. I would not be concerned about this at all.

I just want to add that I'm not sure what the reaction in a TS restaurant would be. I think there you might have a problem.

Many CS restaurants have outdoor seating, btw, not that you'd want to sit outside if it's 100 degrees!

 

[Anna131517]

As others have said it’s hard to accommodate allergies with QS. TS is a better bet. Bringing your own food is safest. I have dealt with egg, dairy, and nut allergies with one of my children at WDW for years. Given the issue of cross-contamination with gluten allergies you really may want to pack meals for your child to be on the safe side, and spend that money you save by not eating out on a room with a kitchen.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Now, with my mention of allergy friendly not being allergy free, I will say if you find CS places that have specific dishes that really never involve gluten or getting near gluten (like a fryer item might), you'll probably be okay.

So places with grilled proteins, rice and veg would be a good starting place. Not sure if Columbia Harbor House says they make some of their stuff gluten free or not, but the concept of the food seems like it could work, whereas Casey's corn dogs nuggets and fries, less so.

 

[SmallWorld71]

FYI, there is a bakery at Disney Springs that is gluten free, Erin McKenna’s. My daughter (vegan) has gotten treats from there as they are also dairy and egg free and she really likes what they have. As someone who usually finds gluten free treats too dense in texture, I don’t feel that way about these treats.

 

[123SA]

I appreciate all of your responses.