MrsManners- Disney and allergies

slwprincess

Don't wait!  4 years old is the PERFECT age.  We had the best time this weekend- we already have 2 more trips planned later this year.  I also like 5 years to take them... they are still young enough to really believe the magic of it all and old enough to actually remember some of it.  It's just so much fun to watch!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you that Disney is actually VERY allergy friendly.  When you make your reservations, they will ask you if anyone in your party has allergies and then they will have it all sorted out for your entire trip.  The restaurants are very accomodating.  They will point out which items are appropriate for your allergy and will even offer to make something off the menu if necessary.  Some of the counter service places will do this as well.  They do make exceptions and allow those with food allergies to bring food in so you can do that as well.  Seriously, don't let the allergy thing deter you- as long as you plan in advance and make your dining reservations, they will take good care of you!

slwprincess

Oh yeah, and just google "Disney and food allergies" for all sorts of articles and real life experiences. 

Mrs Manners

Thanks! I hadn't thought about the fact they might accommodate his allergy. That would be great! Eating at a normal restaurant is a huge pain so I'm surprised and happy to hear they can help. My company got acquired this week so I'm going to let some of the dust settle before I take off for a vacation or commit to any major expenses....but I'm glad to know we don't need to worry about the allergies. 

Louise06

I have a ton of food allergies and Disney was great and easy to work with. The last time we went we rented a house. That was great because we would all eat breakfast and dinner there. I would bring a lunch with me. However, staying on property was easy too. We just prefer to have more space and our own pool and spa to a hotel room. Your DS is at a great age to go! I definitely wouldn't let food allergies hold you guys back. Also, I believe there are a few moms on the food allergy board that visited WDW recently. I'm sure they would be happy to share their experiences there.

AllergyEatsPaul

As someone who's day-to-day "job" is helping people with food allergies dine out, I can say without question that Disney is the gold standard for eating out with food allergies.  I have 5 kids, 3 with food allergies, and we have been to Disney 5 times.  And while some experiences are better than others at the restaurants, we have never had an allergic reaction, let alone anaphylaxis.

Chronicles of my last visit to Disney (our dining experience on each of the last 7 days) can be found on the AllergyEats Blog (www.allergyeats.com/blog) by typing Disney into the search box.

Also, AllergyEats just launched AllergyEats Disney World (www.allergyeats.com/disney), which provides the same peer-based dining feedback as the core AllergyEats site.  Find out which restaurant other food-allergic diners have found more accommodating than others.

As an aside, Chef Joel Schaefer, the architect of Disney's food allergy dining procedures has endorsed both AllergyEats and AllergyEats Disney World as great tools for individuals with food allergies dining out.

There is much more information on the sites that I know can help.  Good luck!

Mrs Manners

AllergyEatsPaul:

As someone who's day-to-day "job" is helping people with food allergies dine out, I can say without question that Disney is the gold standard for eating out with food allergies.  I have 5 kids, 3 with food allergies, and we have been to Disney 5 times.  And while some experiences are better than others at the restaurants, we have never had an allergic reaction, let alone anaphylaxis.

Chronicles of my last visit to Disney (our dining experience on each of the last 7 days) can be found on the AllergyEats Blog (www.allergyeats.com/blog) by typing Disney into the search box.

Also, AllergyEats just launched AllergyEats Disney World (www.allergyeats.com/disney), which provides the same peer-based dining feedback as the core AllergyEats site.  Find out which restaurant other food-allergic diners have found more accommodating than others.

As an aside, Chef Joel Schaefer, the architect of Disney's food allergy dining procedures has endorsed both AllergyEats and AllergyEats Disney World as great tools for individuals with food allergies dining out.

There is much more information on the sites that I know can help.  Good luck!

Thanks for the info!