The short answer is YES! A lot!
Having special dietary restrictions or food sensitivities can quickly take the fun out of vacation, especially if you can’t find anything yummy and safe to eat. In true Disney fashion, they go above and beyond when it comes to catering to a wide variety of special diets.
Quick Service Meals
Most quick service places are burgers, pizzas, and sandwiches. Not eating wheat pretty much rules these options out for many people with food sensitivities. Except, it doesn’t! If you let your cashier know what your food restrictions are, they will send the manager out to discuss your options with you. Each manager has been trained to know ALL of the ingredients in everything they offer as well as how to specially prepare food for those with allergies and restrictions. Need a gluten free meal? No problem! They have gluten free buns and even gluten free brownies. The manager will prepare your meal separately on a special tray to avoid cross contamination. Sugar free? Easy! They have lots of sugar free options. No dairy? No problem. Nut free? No shellfish? Can’t eat eggs? No soy? Other restrictions? They will go through all the ingredients in everything in your meal with you to be sure you are not exposed to anything that will make you sick. Vegan? Same deal. FYI, the famous Dole Whip is vegan and gluten free, so enjoy! 🙂
Table Service Meals
If you mention to your host or server that you have dietary restrictions (and mention it when you make the dining reservations as well), the chef will personally come to your table and either go through the menu items with you or walk you through the buffet line to point out items that are safe for you to eat. At one of our meals, I ended up with only 1 item on the entire buffet that I could eat, so the chef asked if he could make something special just for me. I was delighted! He asked if there were any foods that I didn’t like and then disappeared into the kitchen. About ten minutes later, he personally delivered my meal to me and explained what was in it. He made me a gorgeous salad and the best salmon I have ever eaten. Not only did I have a wonderful meal, I pretty much felt like royalty.
Snacks
Snacks vary greatly, but most are centered around sugar. You can ask the cast member about ingredients and they will do their best to help you select a snack you can eat. The best place to find allergy free snacks is at Animal Kingdom at Garden Kiosk near Adventurer’s Outpost. They sell nothing but various allergy free snacks and are experts at helping you select restaurants that will suit your dietary needs! I hope the other parks will soon open similar snack spots.
New Gluten Free Menus
New gluten free menus are now being tested at the following locations at Disney World:
- World Premiere Food Court at All Star Movies Resort
- Flying Fish Café at Disney’s BoardWalk
- Kona Café at the Polynesian Village Resort
- Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Village Resort
- The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Sci-Fi Dine-in Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- ABC Commissary at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
For specific questions or requests, you can contact Disney World directly at [email protected] or (407) 824-5967.
A great blog with information on enjoying Disney Dining with food restrictions is http://www.allergyfreemouse.com.
Your MMP agent is happy to help you make any arrangements needed for special dining needs. With a little planning and the information above, your dietary restrictions won’t take the magic out of your Disney vacation!
– Jo
